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Old Posted Jan 23, 2013, 2:26 AM
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natiboy natiboy is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Cincinnati
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Here's my take on the streetcar:

Cincinnati needs rail transportation, and the streetcar is a good first step towards a larger, regional system.

Since the suburbs didn't want any part in building a regional rail system, the city had to do something on it's own. The streetcar runs through downtown and Over-the-Rhine, which is where probably 85% of the development is already taking place, and are the only neighborhoods in the city that posted population gains in the last decade. Even so, there are still hundreds of beautiful, historic, vacant buildings in Over-the-Rhine. The streetcar will just accelerate the development that is already happening in the area. Streetcars have attracted significant amounts of development in every single American city that has built a modern streetcar system, and I don't see why the same won't happen in Cincinnati.

Plus, I think modern streetcars are infinitely more comfortable than busses. I studied abroad in Germany a few years ago and got to ride the streetcar systems in Berlin, Dresden, Heidelberg, Leipzig, and Prague. Every American I was with just couldn't get over how much nicer they are. They are quiet, efficient, they hold twice as many people as a bus, the ride is incredibly smooth, they don't spew smelly exhaust fumes, etc.

And yes, Cincinnati, along with most major American cities ripped out their streetcar tracks in the 1950's. This wasn't because streetcars don't work, it was mostly because Genral Motors intentionally put them out out of business so they could sell more busses and cars:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFhsrbtQObI . And what happened to Cincinnati after the streetcars were removed? The cities population went into freefall, neighborhoods like Over-the-Rhine and the West End were destroyed, and the city became an undesirable place to live.


So yeah, I'm all for bringing back streetcars.

As far as the residential and entertainment at the Banks goes:

I think the city is doing the Banks right, with the exception of its terrible architecture. What's the difference between High Street in Columbus and the Banks? They are both all bars and restaurants with apartments and condos above. Over-the-Rhine is the same way. Cincinnati needs more people to live in the city, and there is a ton of demand for more residential space in downtown and in Over-the-Rhine. The Banks filled it's 300 apartments extremely quickly (and there is a 100 person waiting list), the Federal Reserve building rented 82 of its 88 apartments in one day, and U Square isn't even finished yet and there are only a handful of apartments remaining. In addition, the residential vacancy rate downtown and in OTR is only 2%. The more residential the better, because these people will support area businesses and keep the neighborhoods vibrant and lively. I think Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine will be Cincy's version of High Street and the Banks is our NOTL.

Just to conclude, think about the streetcar route. It will go from the stadiums and the Banks (with a total of 1,800 apartments), through downtown, past the headquarters of 6 fortune 500 companies, up through Over-the-Rhine past Washington Park and Findlay Market, and eventually up to UC. Sounds like a great first route to me!
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