Thoughts on the Casino at Broadway Commons

The Enquirer ran a surprisingly thoughtful article today highlighting some very important points about the design and implementation of the Broadway Commons Casino and the impact it will have on Downtown. It can be read here: Uncommon Expectations

They posed the question "Will the new casino be designed as a cohesive part of a bigger downtown draw?"
This is an excellent question and one that needs to be taken very seriously by City officials, neighborhood leaders and citizens. I see two possible scenarios for the Casino downtown.
1. I lived in Detroit for a couple of years recently and visited their downtown casinos several times. Basically they were designed to attract people by automobile, park, gamble, maybe eat/drink inside the casino, maybe stay at the Casino's hotel, then get back in your car and leave. There was absolutely no impact on the surrounding downtown because people are encouraged to stay inside the casino's walls and not venture anywhere else.
This sort of situation needs to be avoided vehemently!! We don't need another I-71 exit full of hideous parking structures surrounding a walled off Casino.

2. The casino is designed to blend with the historic character of the surrounding neighborhoods and parking structures are kept to a minimum and equally well blended into the surroundings. It should be a casino and a casino only that encourages people to go elsewhere for dinner, hotels, and other entertainment. Key to this encouragement would be insuring that the streetcar is built so that people actually have a way to get to all of the other downtown attractions (like the new hotels being planned already at The Metropole on Walnut and the Phelps apt. building on 4th Street, the Banks, the Stadiums, Fountain Square, the new Riverfront park, all of our Downtown Restaurants, Bars, Shopping, OTR's Main and Vine street districts, Music Hall...the list goes on and on)

I really believe that if its done right the Casino will be a great addition to downtown and will really bring a lot of visitors and new residents to the surrounding neighborhoods and downtown. If done incorrectly it will do absolutely nothing for Cincinnati.

I'd be really curious to hear what Dan Gilbert has to say about the Cincinnati Streetcar plan and if he has any plans on contributing to it to insure its built? I think it will be a critical part of making the Casino a success. Just imagine how much easier it would be for people to come downtown for any number of various reasons (a bengal's game, a business trip) and say "hey why not hop on the streetcar after the game and check out the Casino?" I know I'd be much more inclined to do so if I knew there were no extra steps in paying for parking or finding a cab or whatever. Without the streetcar I doubt people would be as willing to walk or drive all the way up to Broadway commons from anywhere downtown and would likely opt to stay put.

Back to the Subject at Hand

With Issue 9 finally behind us and the prospect of a much brighter future for Over the Rhine and the rest of Cincinnati, I can finally get back to focusing on the original intent of this blog which is the history and current progression of Over the Rhine and the surrounding downtown and uptown neighborhoods. I'm going to start with pointing out this somewhat rare color photograph from a postcard I found at an antique mall depicting Central Parkway looking east. In the picture you can clearly see the YMCA building which is still standing on the corner of Central and Elm. In the distance is the American Building, still standing today. You can also see one of the more modern Cincinnati streetcars traveling north on Elm towards Music Hall. Because of that streetcar I'm guessing this photo was taken sometime in the early 1950s. Maybe late 1940s, but I'm not sure when that style streetcar was first built. You can see a lot of late 1940s cars in the picture, so it can't be much later than that.
Here's a picture of that same stretch of road today, unfortunately I couldn't get a birds eye view, but it still gives you a good idea of how things look now.

I can't believe my ears!

John Schneider on 700WLW right now and Scott Sloan is talking about the streetcar and saying the most positive things I've ever heard anyone on our local media say about this project. He said "Not only am I getting warmed up to the streetcar now, but I'm getting all hot and bothered with it!" He's saying that with the casino going in, the banks being completed and all the other great assets we have downtown that he really believes its time to "tie them all together" and that "we'd be foolish not to." This is 700WLW speaking!

I really think I've died and gone to heaven! Could our city really be turning around and seeing the potential we have that quickly!? Yes for rail transit and thank you 700WLW for being the first media outlet to speak so highly of this project! You've hit the nail right on the head!

I am truly excited for our future and I think we're heading in exactly the direction we need to go!

Deciding Cincinnati's Future Tomorrow

I realize that this blog has essentially been devoted to encouraging voters to defeat Issue 9 for quite some time now. That was not the original intent I had when I started this blog over a year and a half ago now. However, my interest in seeing a successful revitalization of Downtown and Over the Rhine mandated that I also become interested in the reintroduction of rail transit within the city of Cincinnati.

I've learned over the last year or so how vitally important a good public transportation system is to ensuring a successful, healthy, and vibrant urban core. I fully believe that the revitalization of Over the Rhine and the rebirth of a strong urban environment in Cincinnati can not reach its full potential without some sort of investment in rail transit within the city. A dense, walkable urban neighborhood like Over the Rhine simply can not support the large number of people it needs to be a success without an adequate means of moving them from place to place. There simply isn't enough room for all the cars that would come with the increase in population. In order for Over the Rhine to achieve the necessary density in population to be a success, we must invest in a good public transportation system in the form of rail transit. The streetcar would be a great first step, but certainly only part of the solution. Future projects involving regional light rail and intercity high speed rail would also be necessary to fit the needs of an ever growing urban population.

Cincinnati voters are at a critical turning point in our city's history. Over the last 50-60 years Cincinnati, like most other mid-west cities, has embraced the automobile culture of suburban sprawl and flight from our urban cores. As a result our most historic and important neighborhoods have suffered. This same process has happened all over the country. In recent years people everywhere have begun to realize how critically important a city's urban core is to keeping the entire city and its surrounding regions strong. Because of this there has been a renewed interest in preserving, revitalizing and strengthening our urban environment.

Good, reliable public transportation systems are vital to giving people options when it comes to transportation and allowing for the full revitalization of the city center. The United States as a whole is beginning to realize that we can no longer be a car-only culture. People need diverse options for transportation. High speed rail, regional light rail and inner city rail are all going to be an important part of strengthening our cities for the future.

Tomorrow, voters will decide what direction they want Cincinnati to take. Do we turn our backs to progress and ignore the need to diversify our transportation options by allowing Issue 9 to pass? Or, do we say no to issue 9 and move ahead with a future open to new transportation options? I know that I don't want to live in a city where it is necessary to use your car for your every transportation need. I want to live where I have choices. I want to live in a city with a bright future and that is willing to move forward.

Please, for the sake of Cincinnati's future VOTE NO ON 9!!

Nein on Nine Party Tonight! Grammers!

What: Nein on Nine: PROJECTMILL has put together a No on Nine rally tonight at Grammer's that promises to be a great time. The purpose is to inform people of the dangers of Issue 9 and encourage everyone to go out and vote NO On 9! Several city council members/candidates are expected to be there to answer questions and we'll have lots of materials to give out from Cincinnatian's For Progress to show your support for the No on 9 campaign.
Also, the event will be followed by an "Octoberfest in October" dance party to be DJ'd by PROJECTMILL. Remember, these are the same guys that put on DANCE_MF in Northside Tavern, so you know you can expect an awesome time!

Where: Grammer's, 1440 Walnut St
When: Tonight Oct. 24, 8pm-10pm with after party starting at 10pm

Be There and Remember to Vote NO ON 9!!

New Streetcar Promotion Video

Here's a link to a very nice new streetcar video produced by the city to help people understand what the streetcar investment is all about.
Enjoy! And remember No on 9!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnazP-9va-E

Issue 9 Video: Channel 12 Newsmakers

Please watch this video. Tom Luken and Roxanne Qualls answer questions about Issue 9 on Channel 12 newsmakers.
Tom Luken is introduced as the "spokesperson for Issue 9." Let me just say that if HE is the spokesperson for Issue 9 then we have nothing to worry about. What I mean is, that he does a HORRIBLE job answering questions, in fact, he doesn't even answer the questions he is asked directly. When he does attempt to answer these very fair questions it is very clear that he has no valid argument for Issue 9 whatsoever and jumps immediately to a defensive, almost combative stance.
On the other hand, Roxanne Qualls does a very nice job of explaining her support for the streetcar project and clearly explains the danger of Issue 9 and why she does not support it. She gives very valid, clear and concise arguments that are obviously well informed and you can immediately tell that she has really put the time in to research the subject and give us a solid picture of what Issue 9 is all about.
If Issue 9 was written by people like Tom Luken and you watch this video, you can easily see that they do not have the well being of Cincinnati in mind at all. Not only that, but you start to get the sense that they really have no valid argument for Issue 9 at all. That explains why they immediately revert to being argumentative and quite unwillingly to participate in civil debate. Why? Because they know if they answer questions directly they will expose the ignorance and irresponsibility in proposing an amendment to our charter such as Issue 9.

Here are the links to the videos, they actually had to extend the length of the program because nothing was accomplished in part 1, mostly because of Tom Luken's inability to clearly answer questions:
http://www.local12.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=42641@wkrc.dayport.com&navCatId=86