CINCINNATI — FC Cincinnati’s ownership has plans to renovate one of Cincinnati’s most storied former breweries into a massive office space.

The property is the Tri-State Wholesale Building at 1550 Central Avenue. In the early 20th century after Prohibition, the building was home to Burger Beer, extending multiple city blocks at the time. Prior to that, it was home to Lion Beer, or the Windisch-Muhlhauser Brewing Company.

Steve Hampton, the executive director of the Brewing Heritage Trail, said the old brewery used to be one of the biggest in the country. It was also at one point the second-largest brewery in the city after Christian Moerlein.

“This is an interesting building. It’s not your typical historic building,” Hampton said. “It was built post-Prohibition. It’s concrete. It’s actually a pretty wide floor plate because it’s a modern industrial building, so it’s a little different challenge than our typical brick Over-the-Rhine building. So, number one, we’re happy it’s being preserved and re-used.”

Hampton notes it will need some modifications, but is hopeful the developers will maintain the spirit of the building.

“I’d much rather have the building reused and saved than torn down and something totally new built there," Hampton said.

FC Cincinnati and its development teams aim to transform the humdrum industrial space into a sleek, opulent place to work for Cincinnati professionals in post-pandemic life. The office space may have some retail on the ground floor, and be part of a larger mixed-use development.

“It’s the area that we’re really hoping to make this full, kind of vibrant, creative district with all kinds of different uses,” said Scott Abernethy of Cushman & Wakefield, one of the firms collaborating with FC Cincinnati to renovate the building. MSA Design and Perkins Eastman are also supporting the designs and planning for the project.

Offices will be spread across three floors, as well as a basement level. The project is projected to cost about $40 million. The developers are looking to book about three to five tenants to lease the space, then will start construction.

In a statement, FC Cincinnati Spokesperson Anne Sesler wrote:

“When we committed to building the stadium, we also committed to make the area around TQL Stadium a place where people can live, work and play. We want a thriving environment, not just an island...FCC’s Planned Development for the stadium site envisioned mixed-use development and we are pleased to see the former Tri-State warehouse be transformed…”

Developers plan on opening the space by mid-to-late 2023.

Monique John covers gentrification for WCPO 9. She is part of our Report For America donor-supported journalism program. Read more about RFA here.

If there are stories about gentrification in the Greater Cincinnati area that you think we should cover, let us know. Send us your tips at moveupcincinnati@wcpo.com.

CINCINNATI — The City of Cincinnati is turning a new page in its community engagement efforts. Officials are making a more pointed, intensive effort to seek feedback and inform residents about the changes happening in their neighborhoods.

The effort began seven years ago with an ordinance advocated for by then-city council member Kevin Flynn mandating the city improve its efforts to gather input and drive civic engagement among residents. A handful of concerned citizens kept advocating for it until the ordinance was passed back in August.

“I’m thankful to city council for passing it because we need community engagement in every facet of city government,” councilwoman Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney said.

Residents frequently criticize city officials for failing to thoroughly inform them of the changes being made in their neighborhoods, particularly when it comes to development. They also decry city government and developers for virtually excluding residents from decision-making processes. Improving the city’s community engagement could prevent gentrification and alienating locals from the transformations happening in their own backyards.

In response to the city’s outreach, people are making a number of suggestions like improving communication through the city website. They also suggest city officials meet residents where they are at, such as at public events, grocery stores and on public transportation. Other ideas include putting up more signage that alerts residents of neighborhood changes and having more flexible times for public engagement meetings.

“I thought the conversation was really productive,” said Janiah Miller, an Over-The-Rhine resident.

Miller was at one of those engagement meetings last night. She called for young people of color to be hired in city and planning jobs to make community engagement more well-rounded and pro-active.

"[A] lot of these decisions are made by people that don’t look like us and so that also creates apathy," Miller said.

Ashley Cook of the West End also suggested that Cincinnati take inspiration from other cities that have had even more success in their community engagement and development.

“Someone brought up looking at other cities and I think it’s very important, Cook said. “I know Cincinnati is very unique, and I know we have the Tri-state, but I also travel and I also see some great things going on with other cities, and I think we can learn from those as well.”

Future engagement meetings for this will be held in Westwood and over Zoom later this month. More information about the city’s community engagement initiative here.

Monique John covers gentrification for WCPO 9. She is part of our Report For America donor-supported journalism program. Read more about RFA here.

If there are stories about gentrification in the Greater Cincinnati area that you think we should cover, let us know. Send us your tips at moveupcincinnati@wcpo.com.

DENVER, Co. — Sisters Mathilde and Antonia Garcia are going through packs and packs of jewelry they made themselves.

To you and me, these bracelets and necklaces are beautiful pieces of wearable art. To these women, they mean housing security.

"It's very hard to see the families (that) have to move outside to start again in another place and for me. That's the saddest thing that's happened here," said Mathilde.

Mathilde is talking about Westwood, Denver's historically Latino neighborhood. What’s happening in Westwood is something that’s happening in neighborhoods like it all over the country and that's displacement and gentrification.

"We have been pushing for renters to have control over landlords because rent is being raised indiscriminately," said Irma Diaz.

Diaz, along with the Garcias, have been watching their neighbors, who have worked to make Westwood a better place, get priced out and have to move away from their cultural center.

"The cultures of the Mayans, Aztecs, Mexicas are in those murals, you feel a familiarity when you see your ancestors embodied in that art," Diaz said, talking about the colorful murals all around the neighborhood that highlight her culture.

The three women, originally from Mexico, wanted a way to prevent displacement from happening, so the Mujeres Emprendadoras Co-operative was born. Started in 2017, each member chipped in $100 to the cooperative and they work jobs that align with their already existing skills: jewelry making, catering, and salsa making.

The money they make goes into their goal: every member eventually owning their own home.

However, more important than the money they make is the financial knowledge and business skills they share with one another, because that, to them, it’s not only security but freedom.

"We used to hear like a lot of time, 'Oh, it's impossible. You cannot get a license to get to sell food,'" said Mathilde, "It's not true. Actually, it's very easy to get a license to sell food. You have to make to be sure that you are doing correctly."

The women have spoken about their cooperative in front of banks and universities and soon, their salsa line will even be selling in stores. To the women, the most rewarding thing is seeing their determination being passed down.

"I really appreciate the admiration our children have for us," said Antonia, "When you hear your children talk about what you do, it cheers you up. That’s why we keep going."

"I think in our community, the big thing that we have is we don't believe that we could, Mujeres is a way to say we could and we will do it," said Mathilde.

They hope they inspire others to find the inner power to prove to themselves that nothing, not freedom or security, is impossible.

CINCINNATI — Longtime resident John Back knows all too well about the serious need for greater access to parking in Over-the-Rhine, particularly near Findlay Market. Despite having access to a lot, he said he can still get stuck without a space to park. It’s even tougher to make space for guests at his home.

“It's challenging, you know. People who don't have a parking spot, sometimes they'll take yours because they don't know whose it is. Sometimes your parking spot gets blocked.”

He, like a number of other residents and community stakeholders, welcome Hamilton County’s idea to build a parking garage in the area to meet the need. The garage is expected to include spaces for the public, especially Findlay Market patrons, soccer fans from TQL Stadium, in addition to spots for local developers like The Model Group and Urban Sites.

However, Back is one of a number of people deeply invested in Over-the-Rhine and historic preservation who take issue with how Hamilton County wants to execute the plan. Organizers of the project intend to shut down part of Logan Street between Elder and Findlay Street, and build over the current street to create the new parking structure. They are also looking to create a new access street behind the garage that will connect to Central Parkway.

Tomorrow, the city’s planning commission is scheduled to review Hamilton County’s application for a portion of Logan Street in Over-the-Rhine to be vacated and sold in order to paving the way for the garage. In addition to taking issues with the city planning for the project, critics argue Hamilton County did not adequately seek out community input before taking this to the commission.

Residents say passing through Logan street is important for their commutes. Building the garage with this design will disrupt the historic neighborhood grid, making it more congested and degrading residents' quality of life.

"I'm in favor of it,” Back said. “But the main issue here is that there's a street called Logan street that people use, every day." Back happens to be a developer, and has flipped a number of properties in the area. He also works for a real estate company and is an architect by trade. Yet he said his concern about this effort is rooted in his professional background, but his love and passion for Over-the-Rhine as a neighborhood.

"I can't think of anything more obtrusive than erasing an entire street and cutting off access to people."

Jennifer LeMasters, also a longtime resident and architect, shares Back’s concerns. LeMasters is the co-chair of the infill committee at the Over-the-Rhine Foundation. She senses that those who have been given sufficient information and engagement in the project have been affluent corporate professionals who are tapped into Over-the-Rhine’s business community. More than that, she and other critics argue that those who have been been consistently corresponding with Hamilton County about the new garage are those who stand to benefit the most from the structure.

Meanwhile, ordinary, marginalized residents that are disconnected from city bureaucracy and Cincinnati’s business scene are out of the loop, according to LeMasters. She feels the county and project organizers should have done a better job of reaching out to more residents who will be affected so they would have had a better chance to provide input.

“There's meaningful engagement, and then there's just check the box engagement. And I do think they've checked the box on this engagement to 80%, 70% maybe, but, but have they had meaningful engagement here? No."

But Phil Beck, Hamilton County’s construction executive, objects to this criticism.

“I can say categorically that that is not the case.” Beck, the head of the garage project, shuts down the idea that Hamilton County did not make a concerted and forceful effort to inform and dialogue with various residents as well as prominent institutions. He said Hamilton County led about twenty meetings with people in the community in recent months.

Joe Hansbauer, the president and CEO of Findlay Market, stands by county officials in the face of the criticism. Hansbauer said he's never seen more community outreach on a project in his 10 years at Findlay Market.

“Ultimately, I think they have selected a design that maximizes the community input. Does it mean that they have hit 100% of all the concerns? Of course not. It's not possible, right? But they recognize where, you know, that there were concerns that they were not able to meet. And I think that's what it's all about."

Bobby Maly of The Model Group also challenged criticisms that the garage disproportionately skews to the needs of private businesses by giving them the bulk of spots. He said much of those spots will double as parking for workers during the day, and public parking on nights and weekends.

Still, critics like LeMasters and Back take issue with the county for not formally engaging Over-the-Rhine’s community council before approaching the city's planning commission to vacate and sell the Logan Street land plots.

"I hope that the planning commission will realize that this is against the comprehensive plan," Back said. "This is against the values that we have adopted as a city."

The planning commission is scheduled to address the vacation and sale of Logan Street at 9 AM on Friday, Sept. 17. Those interested in following the discussion can watch a live stream here on the city’s website.

Monique John covers gentrification for WCPO 9. She is part of our Report For America donor-supported journalism program. Read more about RFA here.

If there are stories about gentrification in the Greater Cincinnati area that you think we should cover, let us know. Send us your tips at moveupcincinnati@wcpo.com.

CINCINNATI — Robert Killins wants to be a part of the change that is happening in his neighborhood. That's why the West End resident is an organizer for WE Speaks, a plan to help make sure residents of all incomes have a voice in developments and investment in the area.

“There always has to be oversight," said Killins, who is also a member and former president of the West End Community Council. "And so what I think it'd be incumbent upon the community is to watch the process very closely to track it very carefully. If we see deviations from the plan as it's laid out, then that would be a time to say, 'Hey, the plan says X. We don't see X occurring. We see Y occurring. Why is that?’”

Killins joins scores of residents and community stakeholders joining forces to update development plans and neighborhood goals for the West End.

They're also hoping the West End Speaks Plan can set a new precedent for a historic neighborhood weathered by demolitions, urban renewal and displacement.

WE Speaks outlines residents and community partners’ goals for quality of life in the neighborhood. Areas for improvement include housing, business, employment, uplifting the youth and more. Organizers say they are fixated on getting as many residents as possible to share their feedback through public meetings and surveys.

“Having people engaged in the community always makes a difference,” Killins said.

Leaders of this project include the city’s planning department, Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses and the West End Community Council. Other entities like The Port, the Community Building Institute, and LISC have also been providing support. Kristen Baker, the executive director of LISC, says organizers have the challenge of uniting people with conflicting priorities for the West End. Despite this, she says they are trying to still impart onto residents that they are more alike in their wants than they may readily recognize.

“Everybody wants a neighborhood where they feel safe, where they have housing that meets their needs, where they know their neighbors, where they have access to jobs and to the services,” Baker said. “We all want those things. And so that's what these planning processes can really help us get to.”

The effort is a local iteration of HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods program. A hallmark initiative for HUD, Choice Neighborhoods restores communities, maintains affordable housing and fosters opportunities for residents. The WE Speaks plan was first drafted and approved by the city’s planning department and city council back in 2016. However, major events in recent years that have impacted the neighborhood drew organizers to revise the initial plan.

“A lot has changed in the neighborhood since 2015,” said Tia Brown, Community Engagement Director of Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses.

The plan is being renewed this year to account for unprecedented events like Seven Hills and the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority receiving a grant through HUD Choice Neighborhoods, the findings in a 2019 housing study and the arrival of TQL stadium.

Organizers say they’re pushing for a collaborative agenda that better informs future redevelopment while safeguarding against the pitfalls of gentrification.

“There are lots of really wonderful outcomes for a neighborhood when big investment comes in,” Baker said. “There's also, I think, an important note to pay attention to those who might not be directly benefiting from those changes, but that are part of the neighborhood, too. And so their voice needs to be heard.”

Upcoming meetings to update WE Speaks will be held monthly through November at the Seven Hills office on Findlay Street. The next meeting takes place Sept. 27.

“It's your neighborhood and you have a say," Brown said. "You have input. You have firsthand experience about what it is to live in the neighborhood or work in the neighborhood or own a business.

“These efforts need your voice and we need to hear from you so we can make sure the things that you're most concerned about are addressed.”

Organizers encourage residents and stakeholders who want to take part in WE Speaks to visit the project’s page on the city’s website, or contact the city’s planning department or Seven Hills to share input and get more information.

Monique John covers gentrification for WCPO 9. She is part of our Report For America donor-supported journalism program. Read more about RFA here.

If there are stories about gentrification in the Greater Cincinnati area that you think we should cover, let us know. Send us your tips at moveupcincinnati@wcpo.com.

OAKLEY — The city of Cincinnati is holding an inventory study in various neighborhoods to evaluate the state of the housing market. The effort has a special emphasis on assessing housing affordability; officials are currently holding the study in the neighborhood of Oakley.

“The inventory relies heavily on available and what we call 'accessible data' from of course the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and then also the National Housing Preservation Database," said Markiea Carter, the interim director of the Department of Community and Economic Development. "The 2019 American Community Survey is also our primary data source."

The Oakley study began last year; officials hope to finish the project in July. Carter explained the effort is strictly meant to create a snapshot of neighborhoods' housing markets with clear, organized data that other entities can turn to as a resource. She said the city is refraining from making conclusive statements or theories about what is happening in Cincinnati's markets and their affordability.

Carter acknowledged that city workers have had to adjust their workflow to the constraints of the pandemic and said that there have been resulting connectivity problems. She also said that much of the impact of COVID on the populations they are studying in 2020 likely will not be apparent for months or years to come. Still, she does not believe the pandemic will have a large impact on the figures they are gathering. The city was more concerned with keeping the project a priority and sticking to the timeline it set for the project.

Results from the study will be posted to the Department of City Planning's website. This housing inventory study stems from Plan Cincinnati, a 2012 guide that strategically outlined the city's desired growth and development. The original housing inventory conducted in Over-the-Rhine was conducted by the Community Building Institute (CBI). Carter said that CBI has offered guidance and support to the city to coordinate the methodology being used in the current study on Oakley. However, CBI is no longer involved with the project. CBI declined to comment on the effort for this story.

Carter hopes gathering the information will foster a productive conversation about how to achieve goals and visions people have for their own communities.

“We know that housing is a deeply personal topic. We know that people are extremely passionate about it..." Carter said. "We see this as a goal to kind of bring local leaders and elected officials and administration together.”

Oakley, like a number of other Cincinnati neighborhoods, has seen a dramatic rise of new real estate developments in recent years. This has resultingly sparked concerns among residents about the affordability of their community.

Jason Wilcoxon is a pastor at Legend Community Church and a board member of the Oakley Community Council. Wilcoxon and his wife have been living in their Oakley home since 2002. He said it felt like there was a new development in the neighborhood every week.

“My house has at least doubled, if not tripled, in value since we moved here. Not because we've done amazing work to it. Just because the neighborhood price has gone up so high.”

He went on to say that the issue of Oakley's dwindling affordability has particularly been burdensome for some longtime residents. Initially, most of Wilcoxon's neighbors were retired blue-collar workers who had been living in their homes for decades. Now, many of those elderly neighbors have been phased out with other young professionals and their children. Some of those new neighbors have also torn down old homes and built newer, more expensive, homes in their place.

The neighborhood changes has meant that Wilcoxon will be shouldering higher taxes due to the rise in property values. However, he is more worried about his older, more vulnerable neighbors who live on fixed incomes and are less equipped to handle the rising costs of living. Two of his retired neighbors had to move out of their homes because they could no longer afford to stay.

Describing Oakley today, he acknowledged the various positive changes that have come to the area as a result of its ongoing development. He also recognized that remodeling homes in the area has been cost-effective for some his fellow residents. But it is hard to reconcile those positive changes with the disadvantages and unintended consequences for old-timers who might now be caught living on the edge.

“It's cool now to go outside and see kids, like lots of kids, running around in the neighborhood," Wilcoxon said. He was referencing the demographic changes that have also resulted from Oakley's development. "That's good for the city overall. There's just probably a more strategic way we can incentivize that kind of development that's good for everyone.”

The effort is being led by the Cincinnati Department of City Planning with help from the Department of Community and Economic Development. Officials say an AmeriCorps Vista grant is funding the study, while respective community groups are also partnering to facilitate the project. The city is also conducting inventories in North Avondale and Paddock Hills. The current study in Oakley follows others that were previously held in Over-the-Rhine and Walnut Hills.

Monique John covers gentrification for WCPO 9. She is part of our Report For America donor-supported journalism program. Read more about RFA here.

If there are stories about gentrification in the greater Cincinnati area that you think we should cover, let us know. Send us your tips at moveupcincinnati@wcpo.com.

WEST END — Ollie’s Trolley owner Marvin Smith knows most of his customers by name, even though many of them are new and he serves between 100 and 200 people a day. As he first explained to us last June, his food establishment has experienced a remarkable surge in business because of COVID and gentrification over the past year.

Since that last report, his business has only gotten better.

“[I]t just won't stop,” Smith said.

The intense demand for his food keeps Smith on his feet from sunup to sundown. He has no time to go out and enjoy other restaurants because he’s so busy tending to his own.

“I'm not complaining," he said. "But you know, 12 hours a day is a lot of work, a lot of time. So, I'm looking forward to retirement.”

Due to all of the customers, Smith is hiring new employees to manage the long lines that appear at lunchtime. Construction workers from the FC Cincinnati Stadium across the street and the Samuel Adams Brewery next door regularly stream in to get their fix of burgers and soul food plates. Affluent residents of Over-the-Rhine’s newly renovated luxury apartments nearby make up the other significant part of his new clientele. Smith said they appreciate the healthy, hearty takeout option that still lets them socially distance.

“I couldn't ask for any better customers – loyal customers,” Smith said. “They come every day, rain and shine. Even when it was cold and snowy and wet in zero weather, they still came and stood in line to get something to eat. And that's remarkable. That's a testament to their faith in me and our good food and good service.”

Smith anticipates having continued business from the construction workers and their families, customers who ate at his establishment before the pandemic who will eventually return, as well as the new crowds from the FC Cincinnati games. He is also expecting a hefty profit from his plot of land if he decides to sell, because developers keep making handsome bids to buy.

What makes Smith's prosperity at this time so remarkable is that many of his fellow Black business owners have been forced to close their doors because of COVID-19 – the very factor that has bolstered Ollie's Trolley's success. The Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce reports that about 300 Black-owned businesses have folded in Cincinnati during the pandemic.

"We have seen a number of our members who have gone out of business due to the pandemic," said Eric Kearney, president and CEO of the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce. "We're not sure if they'll come back or not, but we did PUSH grants to try and help them succeed. But some people were able to make it through; but I'd say about 25% to 30% were not."

Monique John/WCPO

Smith plans on buying more stock, putting his tables and canopies back up and adjusting a few things for the soccer crowd to prepare for the big upcoming games.

But Smith might move on from Ollie’s Trolley in a few years' time, since his business and plot of land have become so valuable due to all of the development in the West End and Over-the-Rhine. He continues to get competitive offers at around $1 million to give up his space at the junction of Liberty Street and Central Avenue. For now, Smith is refraining from entering a contract. He says he has gotten the property appraised and is holding out for a better deal.

Smith thinks it is best to wait another year to gauge what his business is like once FC Cincinnati Stadium opens. That way, he can then decide if it’s best to stay in business or if he should sell and make a huge profit off of the lot where he’s been serving his acclaimed comfort food for almost 30 years. Outside of running Ollie’s Trolley, he has a host of creative interests like writing a book, getting into film and television, and transitioning into teaching at Chatfield College full time.

But the pushback Smith has received from fans about him potentially leaving his post has further complicated his ability to make a decision. The West End and Over-the-Rhine have changed dramatically in recent years with various development projects that have brought the stadium, luxury apartments and other recreational spaces like Washington Park and Findlay Market. Yet the gentrification has also wiped out crucial housing developments and cultural establishments for low-income and Black residents. Those who have already been impacted by the gentrification dread the idea of losing one of their favorite food spots, too.

“It puts me in a position to not really know whether I should accept some of the offers that people have offered me – mass amounts of money, you know, for this corner, the site," Smith said. "So I have to make that decision. Do I stay and expand? Or do I take the money and move on and do some other things?”

In addition to offering pickup orders, Ollie's now takes orders through DoorDash, Uber and Grubhub. Smith said he looks forward to the stadium's grand opening, as well as to the early sneak peek that will be specially offered to people in the neighborhood. When that big day comes, Smith says his tall stacks of burgers and buns will be ready.

Monique John covers gentrification for WCPO 9. She is part of our Report For America donor-supported journalism program. Read more about RFA here.

If there are stories about gentrification in the greater Cincinnati area that you think we should cover, let us know. Send us your tips at moveupcincinnati@wcpo.com.

Posted at 4:42 PM, Apr 16, 2021

and last updated 2021-04-16 16:45:16-04

"You can't stay in the past and expect to move forward in the future.”

That’s how a lifelong member of Revelation Missionary Baptist Church described the church’s decision to use gentrification to fuel a move from the West End to Mouth Healthy. WCPO gentrification reporter Monique John joins the Hear Cincinnati podcast to tell the full story.

Courtesy of Revelation Missionary Baptist Church

First, host Brian Niesz is joined by community reporter Lucy May, senior manager of enterprise/investigative Meghan Goth, and senior real-time editor Pat LaFleur to discuss equality in Cincinnati, facts on the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine, another indicted Cincinnati council member, King's Islands new campground and more.

Listen to this episode in the podcast player above.

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