Great Letter Showing Support for Street Car (Cincinnati, Peebles: 2014, home)

[ArtVandalay84]

As mostly a lurker around these parts, I find Jake and Tom's contributions to the forum invaluable and a pleasure to read. Sarah Perry's constant attacks on the two of them are bewildering. If her sour attitude and general ignorance is indicative of what the west side of Cincinnati has to offer, I'll continue to avoid that part of town.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by neilworms2

I think when Jake and Tom are talking about the west side

Actually, I think you mean when Jake is talking about the westside.

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

The west side is a total disaster for a variety of reasons. I grew up on the west side and will never move back. I'm never going to return to the small-town mindset where everything revolved around high school sports and nobody traveled anywhere except Gatlinburg and Myrtle Beach. I'm never going to return to a place that is killing itself with its own mythology -- a mythology that it invented and only it believes while the rest of the world keeps on turning.

Those are his experiences and opinions, and I certainly think he is entitled to them. I only stated that I had shopped housing there and decided against it, and a contributing factor was it has a reputation for being provincial and insular. Totally different from what mecklenborg is saying. Really, that has nothing to do with me.

But I have restorationcosulcant and Sarah Perry lecturing me on the merits of the west side, when really I could care less. I wish west siders all the best and would love to see west side neighborhoods continue to improve. But is anyone here saying that the west side does not have the reputation for being provincial and insular?

[Man About Town]

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

>That it managed to survive two referendums in three years, Gov. Kasich cutting state funding for it and COAST, is really remarkable.

It survived because it's a great concept.

Agreed 110%. I look forward to riding the streetcar once it's in service. I believe it will be well-used.

[neilworms2]

Btw, it sometimes surprises me that Cincinnati is one of the most educated regions in the country by number of higher degrees and amount of library usage as a measure. Provincialism has a weird affect on something that would otherwise give the city a more cosmopolitan vibe.

[restorationconsultant]

Originally Posted by Man About Town

But aren't all these reconstructions, renovations and investments good things? Aren't they taking the city in a positive direction? How can Cincy be headed for Detroit-style poverty, crime and blight with everything that's taking place now?

In most cities, yes.

The problem is that the activity is being more than offset by city demolitions, county demolition and owner demos. In addition to the Corryville demos ( a block of high end housing) demoed by a developer to build cheap student housing, Glencoe was demoed causing a major loss of historic fabric. Couple that with the impending demolition of 50-60 Victorian era homes in S Fairmount for the MSD project that will happen this summer, loss of several homes on Harrison for the Harrison Rd project..not to mention other widening projects. Large scale demolitrions by the universities and hospitals for more parking, plus all the demos along McMillan.

You couple that with the citys planned demo of 600-700 properties this year alone, with a couple of thousand more in the pipeline over the next two years and the amount of restoration at current levels cannot offset that kind of loss.While other cities are stabilizing and doing real landbanking, we demo.

Incidently this level of demolition causes decline in property values as more and more streets only have 1 or 2 homes on them. Suddenly even seasoned preservationists look at neighborhoods as too far gone. OTR has lost over 50 percent of its historic fabric over teh years, for example. All these demo change the urban feel of a community and make it less attractive. While open land is attractive to developers without significant RESTORED historic fabric most developers ,wont take the risk. This pattern of larger scale demolition without sufficient restoration efforts to maintain community stability.. plus loss of population . Cincinnati population declined to below 300,000 in last census. Couple that with a very high poverty rate (29 percent). A large unskilled workforce or untrained in today's jobs with low education. City processes that hinder redevelopment ( permit fees and redtape) 3000 plus houses on The VBML /keep vacant/ condemn list and you have a precarious situation. There are still thousands of foreclosures in process or not yet dumped on the market

No one knows how much sewer rates will go up to cover the new EPA water regulations, making home ownership or even renting a home less affordable. The city adds levys and increases in property taxes over and over again. Many homes on 10 yr tax abatements expiring every year and seeing their property taxes go up by thousands of dollars.

Any one of these issues by them self is not a tipping point, put them all together and throw in some future event and you have the same dynamic (for slightly different reasons) that brought Detroit to crumble.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by restorationconsultant

Any one of these issues by them self is not a tipping point, put them all together and throw in some future event and you have the same dynamic (for slightly different reasons) that brought Detroit to crumble.

In spite of your fears Cincinnati is not, nor will it become Detroit. The following quote speaks for itself.

Originally Posted by CinciFan

About $7.4 billion in investment either under construction or planned since 2010 including about 7,000 residential units and 2,200 hotel rooms.

A 30 story apartment tower will start construction early next year, and the second phase of the Banks will start construction this fall.

[unusualfire]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

In spite of your fears Cincinnati is not, nor will it become Detroit. The following quote speaks for itself.

The same thing could have been said about Portland before they built their light rail and streetcar system.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by ArtVandalay84

As mostly a lurker around these parts, I find Jake and Tom's contributions to the forum invaluable and a pleasure to read. Sarah Perry's constant attacks on the two of them are bewildering. If her sour attitude and general ignorance is indicative of what the west side of Cincinnati has to offer, I'll continue to avoid that part of town.

Thanks for the kind words. Tried to rep, but have to spread it around!

[mike1003]

Originally Posted by HartwellGirlISback

i'm a young woman, and i DO NOT support the "need" for a streetcar in this City. Nor do i dismiss the opinion of my elders who have more wisdom about history & finances in one of their fingers than those on seated City Council. Those references to seniors are just rude & insulting.
With all due respect, yes, the City voted for the street car but check the numbers, it surely wasn't by a landslide. This is a City divided by a project. A project i see as a waste. Want to see an increase in tax base? Take care of ALL our neighborhoods.

Amen Sister!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mike1003]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

And we are moving forward.

Cincinnati Streetcar Funding Vote Passed

No Cincinnati is moving backwards. Streetcars disappeared when I was a kid because they could only go where they could only go. And, the people ot Cincinnati moved out in other directions.

The same streets that are being torn up to POSSIBLY lay tracks were torn up years ago to remove the tracks