Typically, a new parking lot might not bring much cause for celebration. They’re usually ugly, dead spaces. The reality is that even a walking paradise such as Over-the-Rhine requires some parking. As long as parking is located to subordinate the car, people on foot, bicycles and wheelchairs remain the centerpiece of the neighborhood.

This brings us to the city of Cincinnati’s new parking lot at 1521 Vine Street. It’s just north of the Joseph House and now features a new ArtWorks mural and the city’s first permeable surface in a parking lot.

New ArtWorks Mural: “Over-the-Rhine: Into Its Renaissance”

The Central Vine Street Business Association in cooperation with the city of Cincinnati is holding a “green” parking lot dedication 10 a.m. Oct. 28 at 1521 Vine Street, across from Crossroad Health Center. Central Vine Street Business Association community development committee chair Greg Smith is leading a 15-minute ceremony that includes brief remarks from City Manager Milton Dohoney and representatives from ArtWorks and Crossroad Health Center. The dedication concludes with a demonstration of the parking lot’s aforementioned permeable surface.

BY LUCY MAY | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER

OVER-THE-RHINE – Four local arts organizations are working with the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. to create a new headquarters in Over-the-Rhine, tentatively named “Project Beacon.”

The Fine Arts Fund, Enjoy the Arts, Art Works and Learning Through Art want to move to Race and Liberty streets, the northern gateway into the historic neighborhood. The more than 40,000 square feet of space would comprise several properties, but the main structure is the old Elm Industries building at 1539 Race St. All the property is owned by the nonprofit Cincinnati Center City Development Corp., known as 3CDC, which is working with the arts organizations to develop the project.

With leases set to expire in the next couple of years, the groups realized their collective need for bigger and better space, said Lori Wellinghoff, who chairs Enjoy the Arts board and is leading the Project Beacon effort.

The organizations decided they could operate better in a communal setting and realize efficiencies that would help stretch their dollars farther. But they also wanted to find a location that would make them “better contributors” to the community, she said.

“Arts and culture tend to be tipping-point contributors to our community. That birthed the idea of Beacon,” said Wellinghoff, president of Digs, a real estate, design and renovation firm in Hyde Park Square. “How can we be a beacon to our community?”

The organizations approached 3CDC and pitched the idea, pointing out how many people they would bring to a new location on a monthly basis. While the four groups have only 40 full-time employees currently, they have a combined 102 board members and an average of 250 volunteers each week. In addition, Learning Through the Arts works with 2,500 students, teachers and parents during the school year and a whopping 15,000 during the summer, Wellinghoff said.

Project seeks state, Federal funding
The project still is in early stages of development. 3CDC estimates it would cost roughly $9.7 million to renovate. That number is preliminary, however, and is subject to change as the project’s design evolves.

The development corporation and the arts organizations are seeking state and federal grants and state capital funds for the project. They are requesting $2.4 million in state capital funds, $1.2 million in Ohio Historic Tax Credits and $970,000 in federal historic tax credits. The balance would be funded by the Cincinnati Equity Fund and the Cincinnati New Markets Fund operated by 3CDC, said Kelly Leon, 3CDC’s vice president of communications and community relations.

“It’s not a done deal, but we’re really hoping,” Leon said. “This could be a great, great project if it works out.”

The project wouldn’t be completed until late 2009 or early 2010, Wellinghoff said, but she is encouraged by the response so far from state officials and other funders. She noted that many board members of the various arts organizations also serve on the board of 3CDC, which is working to revitalize Over-the-Rhine and downtown.

“We are four of Cincinnati’s blue chip arts and culture organizations. And with 3CDC and all the bandwidth that group has, good luck stopping this,” she said.

Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce President Brian Tiffany said he sees the project as an important anchor for the northern end of the neighborhood.

“We’ve got a lot of things happening at the south end of Washington Park with the school for performing arts, and this just kind of pushes that development further north of the park,” he said.” I just think it’s going to be a perfect place to revitalize that area.”