I

ANNUALREPORT

2016

CREATING A CITY WHERE BUSINESSES INVEST,PEOPLE LIVE, & COMMUNITIES GROW.

2

MAYORJohn Cranley

CITY MANAGERHarry Black

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTOscar Bedolla

COUNCIL MEMBERSVice Mayor David MannPresident Pro Tem Yvette SimpsonKevin FlynnAmy MurrayChris SeelbachP.G. SittenfeldChristopher SmithermanCharlie WinburnWendell Young

COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SENIOR STAFFJulie Burke Philip Denning Bill Fischer James Flick Daniel FortinberryMonica HardmanGreg Huth Clifton PendergrassMegan RyanBob Schroer Aisha Tzillah

3

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR 4

MISSION 6

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART 7

KEY STATISTICS 9

DIRECTOR’S OFFICE 10

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 17

HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 23

LISNR INNOVATION SPOTLIGHT 30

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION & FISCAL 32

MONITORING & COMPLIANCE 34

PARKING FACILITIES 36

CONTACTS 38

CONTENTS

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Thank you for the opportunity to tell you the story

of the year we had in 2016 at the Department of

Community and Economic Development. At the onset

of the year, we looked to build on the development

momentum we saw in 2015 throughout the city’s urban

core and neighborhoods. Thanks to the leadership of

Mayor Cranley, City Manager Harry Black, and the City

Council Members, as well as the hard work from our

team and many community partners, we exceeded our

expectations and goals.

As a department, we were busy in 2016, It was our first

full year being restructured through the addition of a

Major Projects Division, Policy and Communications

Division, and the expanded the role of the Monitoring

and Compliance Division. The layers of support we

added have allowed us to make project facilitation

more efficient, City investments more effective, and

departmental activity more transparent to both internal

and external audiences.

To better showcase the expanded service delivery of

the department, my team and I collaborated to rewrite

our Mission: to facilitate strategic development and

services within the Cincinnati community that improve

the lives of residents, increase business investment, and

revitalize City neighborhoods. This mission represents

not only what we do, but also what we are passionate

about dedicated to. It is this passion and dedication that

helped drive the success of the Department over the last

12 months. The following report will discuss the many

successes we had, the projects we helped facilitate,

and what we hope to accomplish in 2017 when we once

again look to assist local business development, grow

local jobs, create quality housing opportunities and build

sustainable and vibrant neighborhoods.

OSCAR BEDOLLA

M E S S A G E F R O M

THE DIRECTOR

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Cincinnati is a city on the rise on several fronts. Our economy is growing stronger,

as evidenced through an improved bond credit rating from Standard & Poor.

We are gaining the attention of outside investors, both foreign and domestic,

who are investing in our real estate, our small and medium sized businesses,

and our workforce. Additionally, the metro area saw the highest growth rate (74

percent) of entrepreneurs in the US, as reported in the Kauffman Index of Growth

Entrepreneurship. Finally, the City continues to receive recognition and accolades

across the spectrum such as KPMG LLC naming Cincinnati as the most cost-friendly

business location among large U.S. cities, Christie’s International Real Estate naming

the City as a Top City to Watch in 2017 and Travel + Leisure calling Cincinnati a Top

Place to Visit in 2017.

To continue this rise we must continue to be proactive in identifying trends, drive

innovation to cater to the needs of the new economy, strategic in our development

to create vibrant and sustainable neighborhoods, intelligent through expanded data

collection, transparent in our process, and inclusive of minority and female owned

businesses. In 2017, we intend to do just that, examples of which will be detailed in the

report to follow.

I look forward to the challenges and successes 2017 will bring and leading the

Department of Community and Economic Development in doing our part to help

Cincinnati continue its rise.

Oscar Bedolla

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Our mission is to facilitate strategic development and services within

the Cincinnati community that improve the lives of residents, increase business investment,

& revitalize City neighborhoods.

MISSION

7

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

Director’s Office

Parking Facilities Major Projects BusinessAdministration

& Fiscal

Monitoring &Compliance

EconomicDevelopment

Housing &Community

Development

Policy &Communications

8

Sayler Park

Riverside

W. PriceHill E. Price

HillQueensgate

S.Fairmount

CBDRiverfront

Mt. Adam

sWestEnd

OverThe

Rhine

CUF

EastEnd

Mt.Lookout

HydePark

OakleyMadisonville

PleasantRidge

BondHill

PaddockHills

N.Avondale

EvanstonAvondale

CliftonC

orr

yvill

e

Ros

elaw

n

Carthage

WintonHills

CollegeHill

Mt.Airy Winton

PlaceNorthside

Hartwell

Kennedy

Heights

Linw

ood

Columbia

Tusculum

California

Mt.Washington

Walnut Hills

Mt.Auburn

E. Walnut

Hills

Low

erP

rice

Hill

Westwood

S.Cumminsville

FayAptsE.

Westwood Millvale

N.Fairmount

Cam

pW

ashingto

n

Sedam

sville

Sayler Park

Riverside

W. PriceHill E. Price

HillQueensgate

S.Fairmount

CBDRiverfront

Mt. Adam

sWestEnd

OverThe

Rhine

CUF

EastEnd

Mt.Lookout

HydePark

OakleyMadisonville

PleasantRidge

BondHill

PaddockHills

N.Avondale

EvanstonAvondale

CliftonC

orr

yvill

e

Ros

elaw

n

Carthage

WintonHills

CollegeHill

Mt.Airy Winton

PlaceNorthside

Hartwell

Kennedy

Heights

Linw

ood

Columbia

Tusculum

California

Mt.Washington

Walnut Hills

Mt.Auburn

Pendelton

Pendelton

HeightsHeights

E. Walnut

Hills

Low

erP

rice

Hill

Westwood

S.Cumminsville

FayAptsE.

Westwood Millvale

Eng.Woods

Eng.Woods

N.Fairmount

Cam

pW

ashingto

n

Sedam

sville

52 NEIGHBORHOODS

REVITALIZINGCOMMUNITIES

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KEY STATISTICS*

*All key statistics are measured for calendar year 2016 unless noted otherwise.

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DIRECTOR’S OFFICEThe role of the Director’s office is to

support the overarching Department

mission: To facilitate strategic

development and services, within the

Cincinnati Community, that improve

the lives of residents, increase business

investment, and revitalize neighborhoods.

The department is made up of

seven divisions including Economic

Development, Major Projects, Community

Development, Fiscal and Operations,

Monitoring and Compliance, Policy and

Communications, and Parking. Each

of these divisions will be discussed

throughout the report and together

create a team that is highly focused and

responsive to the needs of constituents

and implementing policies that are

innovative, transparent and maximize

efficiency.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS Looking back on 2016, our department

had several major accomplishments.

Incentive Review In June, HR&A Advisors, an urban

development consulting firm, assisted

us with completing a year long,

comprehensive, review of the City’s

incentive policies. The key goals of this

review were to evaluate the effectiveness

of the City’s incentive offerings, assess

the processes by which recipients

were evaluated, and identify how the

Department’s toolkit can be enhanced

to help maximize the City’s return on

investment.

The final report measured the City’s

competitiveness in both the region and

the nation by profiling our major incentive

programs against a cohort of peer cities.

It also made specific recommendations on

how the City can improve development

efforts. These included:

1. Deploy a more streamlined and

strategic deal evaluation process.

2. Leverage Commercial Community

Reinvestment Area (CRA) Tax

Abatements more effectively for

place-based investment and job

growth.

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3. Refine the use of Job Creation Tax

Credits (JCTC) to maximize return

on investment for the City.

4. Continue to innovate new

mechanisms to reinvest property tax

revenue in Cincinnati.

5. Tailor use of programs generally to

meet specific economic objectives.

Our department immediately began

implementing these recommendations by

lengthening the retention periods on Job

Creation Tax Credits and expanding the

role of our Monitoring and Compliance

Division to develop the framework for

a more rigorous due diligence process

that will include surveillance reviews

in addition to tracking progress of

commitments made by incentivized

businesses. We also formed a Data

Integrity Team (DAT), inclusive of

members of each Division and led by a

Data Manager. The DAT is tasked with

streamlining data collection and ensuring

accuracy. All of this was done to minimize

risk, maximize return on city investment

and make more informed decisions about

development.

Cyber Monday RFP ReleaseCapitalizing on development momentum

is a key goal of our department. To do

that, our Policy and Communication

team partnered with our Economic

Development, Housing and Community

Development, and Major Projects

divisions to create the “Cyber Monday

Request for Proposals Release.”

The release event occurred on the

Monday after Thanksgiving (November

28th), which is commonly referred to as

“Cyber Monday” as it is the busiest day

for online holiday shopping.

The event was designed to build

momentum around the release of

community development opportunities in

the City of Cincinnati. Coupled with social

media marketing and press releases, we

could gain additional visibility for our

opportunities to attract a greater amount

of developer responses and garner

additional community support.

The early success of the RFP release,

as seen by nearly 80 people attending

the first informational session, showed

the appetite for continued development

throughout the City.

This coordinated release of opportunities

is a tactic the department will employ

moving forward twice a year, with the

first 2017 release to be scheduled for

early April.

ONGOING DEPARTMENTAL INITIATIVES 2016 also found our department pursue

several ongoing initiatives that will have a

lasting effect on the community.

Creating a Collaborative Environment to Capitalize on Momentum

The City is currently seeing a great deal

of momentum in the business community

that is resulting in continued job creation

and development activity. To capitalize

on that momentum and influence

additional investment, we regularly

collaborate with partners to promote

economic development and inclusion,

as well as sustainability and job growth.

We especially applaud the efforts of our

partners who assist us in attracting world

class employers to increase job creation.

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The City of Cincinnati is not alone in

our efforts to grapple with economic

development policy issues and seek

high quality data and analysis to inform

critical and often politically challenging

and complex conversations. For example,

the City of Kansas City, Missouri is

currently in the process of conducting a

comprehensive historic review of their

past use of incentives, just as Cincinnati

partnered with HR&A to do.

To broaden our collective understanding

of the long-term policy impacts of these

tools and accelerate identification of

policy and process improvements to

the benefit of our communities, the City

of Cincinnati and the City of Kansas

City, Missouri joined efforts to create

an Economic Development Incentives

Consortium. This effort is still in the

beginning stages, but will bring cities

across the country together to learn from

each other and to move forward in a

more informed and impactful manner.

DIRECTOR’S OFFICE (cont.)

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2017

Building Diversity and CapacityOne of the great attributes of cities that

have experienced substantial growth

over the past few years (like New York,

Los Angeles and Chicago) is the fact that

they embrace diversity. In fact, it can be

argued that economic growth follows

diversity.

As Cincinnati continues to develop

diversity is a priority. We firmly believe

that the Organizations that invest in the

City should reflect the diversity of our

communities. By developing targeted

policies and programs to promote

diversity we will insure “a rising tide lift all

boats”.

To this end we have created strategic

initiatives that provide transparency and

build capacity.

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Advancing Diversity in DevelopmentThis program provides trainings and

workshops that help individuals get a

better understanding of our tools and

our investment strategies so they can

successful engage with the City with

projects all sizes and types.

We have also partnered with Private

and Public organizations to discuss

Bonding, Financing as we know these are

challenges that all businesses face.

Aging in PlaceAs population grows we need to ensure

to create an environment that allows

aging in place. Aging in place means,

regardless of the stage of life, ensuring

the ability to live in one’s own community

safely, independently, and comfortably.

Our department is actively working

with various partners including People

Working Cooperatively, Cincinnati City

Council P.G. Sittenfeld’s office, the

City of Cincinnati Office of Data and

Performance and Analytics, and others.

Through our collective work, we will

develop a downtown and neighborhoods

that provide the necessary amenities,

housing, and infrastructure in order to

retain and grow the population and allow

all residents to age in place. .

Foreign Direct Investment StrategyThe Department of Community and

Economic Development is taking the

lead on the organization of a Foreign

Direct Investment Symposium, which

is scheduled to take place on March

31, 2017. The one-day event will bring

together public and private partners

to discuss the impact and attraction of

foreign direct investment in the region.

As a follow up to our Foreign Direct

Investment Symposium, our office will

release a comprehensive Foreign Direct

Investment Strategy.

This strategy aims to build on the

momentum of domestic and international

private equity investors who have looked

to deploy capital in Cincinnati particularly

because of being priced out of gateway

markets by large institutional investors.

Downtown Retail Action PlanAnother major accomplishment for our

Major Projects Division was the release of

our Downtown Retail Action Plan.

Downtown is the economic center of

the region and it is evolving quickly.

New residents are flooding downtown

due to shifting urban trends. This

population shift, as well as the growth

of e-commerce, has led to a massive

change in the retail market. To harness

these trends, and provide opportunities

for entrepreneurs, we sought to create a

comprehensive strategy to ensure long-

term success in meeting the needs of a

growing downtown.

Our department recognized this, as

well as the growth of entrepreneurism,

and sought to create a comprehensive

road map to ensure long-term success

in meeting the needs of the residents,

visitors, and customers of Downtown.

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Thus, in June we created our Downtown

Retail Action Plan, in collaboration

with Downtown Cincinnati Inc. (DCI),

by soliciting direct input from our

downtown retail community and other

key stakeholders.

The key components of the strategy

include:

Inventory of Available PropertiesCurrently, our staff is working to develop

an online interactive map, powered by

data DCI has collected, to catalogue

available street level retail (and in some

cases, skywalk level), restaurant, and

service-oriented spaces. When complete,

this catalogue will aggregate key

information into a central, digital location.

Momentum MapDowntown Cincinnati is flush with

development activity and has been

for some time. Since 2013 alone, our

department has helped facilitate $672

million in investment in completed

projects, with hundreds of millions of

dollars more on the horizon. There is so

much activity, that we wanted to create

an interactive tool to showcase this to

developers and investors looking to

invest in the Urban Core. Thus, our Major

Projects Division began working with

Cincinnati Area Geographic Information

System (CAGIS) to create a “Momentum

Map”. This map was launched in early

February 2017 and includes activity in all

sectors of the CBD, including retail, office,

residential, parking, etc.

Downtown is not the only reason

Cincinnati is a city on the rise. Each of the

52 neighborhoods are seeing activity as

well. Therefore, the Momentum Map will

be expanded to be inclusive of all 52 of

Cincinnati’s neighborhoods as information

is collected and able to be visualized.

Retail RecruiterWith downtown population growth

skyrocketing due to apartment

development, tourist growth increasing

due to convention attraction and a boom

in hotel development, and the nature of

retail shifting, it’s time to be proactive

and recruit retailers to the urban core

that, along with the local shops, will

create a vibrant atmosphere that will

keep residents and visitors fulfilled and

continue to attract more.

The City Administration is actively

working with DCI to create the role

of a retail recruitment specialist. This

person would be tasked to understand

the shifting market, and to identify,

attract and connect retail opportunities

within the CBD. This tactic has been

implemented in other cities and will focus

efforts. It will also facilitate the retention

of existing retailers and act as a service to

property owners.

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Cincy Pop ShopThe rise in strategic investment in

organizations that foster entrepreneurism

has been embraced in Cincinnati with

groups like Cintrifuse, the Brandery,

Mortar, First Batch, Bad Girl Ventures,

CincyTech, and others. Many of the

businesses helped by this rise in strategic

investment influence the retail market

and our Retail Action plan seeks to foster

opportunities for these retailers to expand

their businesses in a brick and mortar

space. This concept came to fruition,

though a partnership with DCI and the

Carew Tower, in the inaugural Cincy Pop

Shop program.

In October and November 2016, this

program became a reality with the

selection of 8 vendors who set up

operations in the Carew Tower. The

selected vendors included:

• Chapeau Couture Hats

• Davis Cookie Collection

• Flying Pig Marathon

• Jenco Brothers’ Candy

• Green Box Gift Wrapping

• The Sarah Center

• Barcode Glam

• Tronk Design

Each of the vendors were supported

with a $1,000 grant and free rent from

November 21st through the end of

December, the height of the holiday

shopping season.

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CINCY POP SHOPFollowing the release of the Downtown

Retail Action Plan in June 2016, DCED

led the charge to bring a pop-up retail

program to Cincinnati’s urban core. Cincy

Pop Shop addresses the fifth goal of the

plan, which is “to catalyze retail offerings

that appeal to the diversity of the

Cincinnati market by providing small and

unique business opportunities.”

The program was created in partnership

with Downtown Cincinnati, Inc. as an

opportunity for future Cincinnati business

owners to test the waters of a brick-

and-mortar retail location in a low-risk

environment.

After searching available spaces in

the Central Business District, the team

identified Cincinnati’s iconic Carew

Tower for the inaugural Cincy Pop Shop

program. Through partnership with

the Carew Tower team and building

management company Belvedere Corp.,

three previously vacant spaces in the

building were activated for the holiday

shopping season.

Many vendors submitted applications

for Cincy Pop Shop. Through a careful,

collaborative selection process, eight

diverse vendors were chosen:

• Barcode Glam

• Chapeau Couture Hats

• Davis Cookie Collection LLC

• Flying Pig Marathon

• Green Box Gift Wrapping

• Jenco Brothers’ Candy

• Sarah Center

• Tronk Design

We sat down with two of the vendors to

talk about their experience.

“It was a no-brainer for us,” relates

Fernanda Vergara, co-founder of Tronk

Deisgn. “We had never ventured into

retail before, and this was a great learning

experience.”

Tronk designs and builds contemporary

furniture, but mostly online and mostly to

customers outside of Cincinnati – that is,

until Cincy Pop Shop.

“The Pop Shop program enabled us to

bring our local story to Cincinnati. Our

goal is to market to Cincinnati and tell our

local story, and open retail spaces. After

this experience, we feel more confident

about what we need to do before we do

that.”

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The Winter 2016 Cincy Pop Shop offered

selected vendors a rent-free retail

space on the arcade level of the Carew

Tower during November and December,

and $1,000 in support for eligible

merchandising materials.

“We learned so much about how to

merchandise and sell our product to

the end user, not the internet,” reflects

Fernanda. “We had never ventured into

retail; it was a learning experience.”

For Davis Cookie Collection, it felt good

to be able to answer the question,

“Where are you located?”

Christina and Miles Davis quickly realized

in 2014 that Christina had a tasty talent

for baking, although at the time she was

using it to relax during graduate school.

When coworkers began paying her to

make boxes of a dozen cookies the

couple capitalized on the opportunity.

Fast forward to 2016. Davis Cookie

Collection participated in the 12-

week entrepreneurship program at

MORTAR, learning the ins and outs of

starting a business and connecting with

valuable resources, such as University

of Cincinnati law students who helped

them with legal aspects of running a

business.

At present, the duo sells 15 flavors of

cookies homemade with natural, organic

ingredients. The Cincy Pop Shop program

gave them the perspective of having a

store and allowed them to get an idea of

how to stock a brick-and-mortar location.

What advice would the Davises give the

next round of Cincy Pop Shop applicants?

“Be ready for that pitch and come with

your best. It can really be a game changer

for your business.”

And it’s a family business. Miles muses,

“We’re both doing it. It really promotes

family. We’re creating something for our

family to be able to call our own.” Christina

was raised by entrepreneurs with a talent

for cooking and entertainment. Her family

owned and operated a restaurant/club

in Downtown Cincinnati called the Safari

club, which hosted live music acts and

offered home cooked meals and desserts.

The Davises’ goal is to pass the business

down to their children, and to become

a Cincinnati staple along the likes of

Graeter’s or Montgomery Inn.

Cincy Pop Shop is funded through the City

of Cincinnati’s Community Development

Block Grant, which is allocated through

the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban

Development.

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BUSINESS EXPANSION AND ATTRACTION PROJECTS In 2016, the Department created and

retained over 2,900 jobs and leveraged

$____ million in private investment

through economic development projects.

This success has been achieved by

attracting new businesses and helping

local companies expand their operations.

The Economic Development and Major

Projects Divisions serve as a liaison

between City departments, businesses,

and the development community. They

are dedicated to cultivating commercial

development in all of Cincinnati’s 52

neighborhoods by providing financial,

informational and technical assistance to

businesses seeking to relocate of grow.

Our staff is extremely proficient in helping

commercial developers, business owners,

real estate brokers, and site selectors in

navigating the legislative process related

to their developments.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & MAJOR PROJECTS

Projects

Jobs Created 2,773

Jobs Retained 1,892

Private Investment $243.1M

City Investment $37.2M

FIGURE 1: NON-HOUSING RELATED PROJECTS

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The story of 2016 in Cincinnati features

several projects in neighborhoods that

showcase why Cincinnati is a City on the

Rise.

Lower Price Hill, the West End,

and Queensgate are three of the

neighborhoods located in or around the

Lower Mill Creek Valley. This area once

represented the industrial heart of the

Cincinnati area. For years, this region of

the City has struggled with divestment

and the inability to attract new business

and create jobs. However, in 2016,

companies sought to invest in these

neighborhoods. Examples of this include:

Q-LabsQ-Labs will soon begin rehabilitation of 2

buildings totaling 25,000 square feet and

the construction of a new 30,000-square-

foot laboratory within the Knob Hill City

View industrial park on Radcliff Drive in

the Lower Price Hill neighborhood. This

$7.5 million project will retain 100 full time

permanent employees (FTEs) and create

47 new FTEs. Q-Labs is a full-service

laboratory servicing the food ingredients/

flavorings, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and

health and beauty care industries.

Jet Machine and Path Forward IT TechSolve II Business Park was, until

recently, a blighted, underutilized

shopping center known as Seymour Plaza,

located in Roselawn near the southwest

corner of Reading Road and Seymour

Avenue. Through the City partnered with

the Port Authority of Greater Cincinnati to

demolish, and remediate the property so

that was pad-ready for new construction.

Jet Machine broke ground 105,000-square

foot industrial facility on 9 acres

within TechSolve II Business Park, the

largest undeveloped pad in the park, in

September 2016. Construction is expected

to cost approximately $5,000,000,

and the company will invest a total of

$12,000,000 in the project. The new space

will allow the company to create 52 new,

permanent FTE jobs and retain 118 existing

FTEs in Cincinnati. This expansion will

also free up space at one of Jet Machine’s

existing buildings in Bond Hill for an office

tenant, Path Forward, to expand and

create 150 new jobs and retain 151 existing

jobs.

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Messer Messer Construction acquired two

properties on Cutter Street in the West

End to construct a two-story, 50,000

square foot facility that will house the

company’s corporate operations. The

project broke ground in October 2016.

The roughly $12.8 million project will

facilitate the retention of 116 jobs, as well

as creation of 40 new employees.

SFA Architects SFA, an architecture and engineering firm

with more than 47 years of experience, is

renovating a warehouse building at 555

Carr Street in Queensgate. The building

is 60,000 square feet and located along

a prominent gateway into Cincinnati

off the 6th Street Viaduct. This new

expansion will retain their headquarters

in Cincinnati and be a major investment

for the Queensgate neighborhood. The

total project cost is $4.7 million and the

company will commit to increase their

employment from 60 full time permanent

employees (FTEs) to 85 FTEs.

MEDPACEActivity in Cincinnati also featured a

major business expansion project initiated

by Medpace. Medpace’s commitment

to Madisonville started in 2008 when it

selected the former NuTone site at the

corner of Madison and Red Bank Roads

for its headquarters. Now, just 8 years

later the company will add another 962

jobs to the site in the Madison Square

development.

Madison Square is being done by RBM

Development LLC. The project features

office and retail space. There will also

be a Dolce Hotels & Resort Lifestyle

Collection hotel, which will have 239

rooms and conference space. All in all, the

development could bring $200 million in

investment to Madisonville.

Medpace’s commitment includes adding

962 jobs and retaining 1,150 jobs. The

new jobs will have an approximate annual

salary of $55,000 per year. The addition

of these employees will undoubtedly have

a positive effect on neighboring business

and will serve as a catalyst for new

businesses attraction in Madisonville.

(cont.)

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & MAJOR PROJECTS

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PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

309 Vine Street (Downtown)Cincinnati has seen its population in its

Urban core soar over the last few years

as seen in the boom of the apartment

market. That shift is due in large part to

urbanization.

There are two aspects to the urbanization

trend. First is the “millennial effect.” We

have all heard that Millennials and those

in Generation Y are migrating to urban

areas. However, it is not just the younger

generations moving to urban areas.

Today more baby boomers and retirees

are calling downtown home. These two

populations converging on downtown

forces developers to become innovative in

their projects. They must offer amenities

that appeal to both population segments.

One such change developers are

making is the sacrifice of living space for

entertainment and social common areas.

There is no greater example of this in

downtown Cincinnati than the 309 Vine

Street Development.

The Chicago-based developer, Village

Green, is currently converting the

348,934-square foot Union Central Life

Building Annex at 309 Vine Street in

the Central Business District (CBD) into

approximately 300 market rate micro

apartments with 18,000 square feet of

retail and 24,500 square feet of office

space. The total cost of the reconstruction

project is $70 million. These micro-units

will be approximately 400 square feet.

When finished, the new 309 Vine will be

the first of its kind in the Cincinnati market.

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PROGRAMSBusiness Retention and Expansion

The business retention and expansion

program is a top priority for Economic

Development and Major Projects. Our

teams conduct business retention

and expansion (BRE) visits with local

companies to continue to cultivate

relationships and serve the needs of

businesses located in the City. The goals

of these visits are to facilitate greater

communication and remain connected.

In 2016, 181 BRE visits were conducted,

a 170% increase over the amount we

completed in 2015.

LOOKING AHEAD

Industrial Market StrategyAs the Retail Action Plan is implemented

we are shifting our focus to develop a

market-driven and adaptable industrial

market strategy that is influenced

by the changing trends in advanced

manufacturing and technologies.

Cincinnati has a long and proud history of

manufacturing and industry throughout

its neighborhoods. However, the nature

of manufacturing and industry has shifted

dramatically in recent years and a plan on

how to adapt or redevelop underutilized

industrial building stock within City limits

is necessary to compete for business.

This strategy will be a combination of site

readiness work and workforce education,

training and development.

Additionally, Cincinnati’s entrepreneurial

community consists of makers that will

be the future of Manufacturing Industry

as they drive innovation. Our industrial

strategy will help facilitate an environment

that will support the growth of these and

other small and medium sized businesses

to ensure long term success. As a

department, we understand the need to

foster these types of businesses in the

industrial space, as they are the future job

creators.

The goals of the industrial strategy will be

like those of the Retail Strategy.

• Support existing industrial businesses.

• Guide administration activities,

policies, and investment.

• Better position and market available

industrial properties.

• Support further industrial

development.

To accomplish these goals, our

department will work with its Economic

Development partners, such as the Port of

Greater Cincinnati Development Authority

and REDI Cincinnati to fuel investment and

job creation/retention.

23

Neighborhood Business District DevelopmentIn an ongoing effort, we are working to

become more connected to neighborhood

and business leaders by supporting

communities to further their visions for

their communities and business districts.

To date, we have seen success in pursuing

smart development opportunities that

capitalize on uniqueness and walkability

of our neighborhoods. An example

of this is the Madison and Whetsel

Project in Madisonville. This project is

transformative and will convert four blocks

of underutilized commercial space and

activate it into 185 new residential units,

5,000 square feet of amenity space, 7,500

square feet of new leasable retail space,

24,850 square feet of new leasable office

space and façade improvements to the

existing 24,542 square feet of retail space.

This project is anticipated to break ground

in the spring (2017).

(cont.)

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & MAJOR PROJECTS

24

CINTRIFUSE SPOTLIGHT

Make sure startups are equipped, that they come here,

stay here, get customers around here, and get funding.

“That’s really my day job,” says Cintrifuse CEO Wendy

Lea.

In an ever-changing business climate, Cintrifuse is a dot

connector, to put it very simplistically. The nonprofit,

headquartered at the Union Hall building in the heart of

Over-the-Rhine, works with 300 startups to connect their

innovation with investors and corporations, or BigCos.

But the work doesn’t end or even begin at the front door of their offices.

“I’m not building a kingdom; I’m building an economy,” Lea explains. Cintrifuse takes

a holistic approach to building the next generation of small and medium businesses

through nurturing venture capital-backed startups.

We are focused on building an economy and to build an economy around small and

medium business, with a certain percent of that small to medium segment coming from

venture-backed startups. Even that sector influences small to medium business, because

small to medium business, meaning bootstrapped, or loaned, businesses, they thrive

around the ecosystem of a venture-backed startup segment.

It’s not just one or the other – it’s the combination of all of them that will lift us up, so

you have to watch all those different segments.

Lea doesn’t see any reason why the next Uber or Amazon wouldn’t come out of

Cincinnati. She appreciates the history of tradition in the city. “I love the tradition of

us,” she says, “but also the desire to bring in some new, vibrant, digital-native next

generation and I think that’s sincere; it’s not a commercial thing. There’s a sincere desire

for the tradition of this community to be cracked open a little bit to let new folks in.”

The regional higher education institutions play an important role in bringing this new

talent to the city, Lea relates. She is exactly right when she points out that it is not only

her job, but the City’s job as well to make sure graduates are connected to the right

degrees and career paths, e.g., digital manufacturing, physical products, cyber security,

etc. to thrive in Cincinnati’s economy.

25

Lea also credits Cincinnati’s burgeoning startup scene to “gritty” entrepreneurship, and

observes the Midwestern qualities that drive startups to be mindful of investors’ money

and work diligently for what they earn.

Looking down the line, Lea sees good opportunities for entrepreneurs in several fields.

Given the high level of customer service integrated in health care, retail, foodservice,

and hospitality, she hopes to see more innovation around those sectors, as well as

others. With industry strongholds like Kroger, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical

Center, Procter & Gamble, and others, Cincinnati is a perfect place to give BigCos access

to innovation.

Lea emphasizes the importance of Cincinnati’s longstanding larger businesses in the

startup ecosystem. These are the businesses that engage with, invest in, and rely on

startups.

What’s next for the startup scene in Cincinnati? The Cintrifuse team won’t rest until

Union Hall is full and there is a line out the door.

26

HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTThe Housing and Community Development

Division focuses on targeted and

transformative development to provide

quality housing options for all Cincinnati

residents. Through creativity and

collaboration, our division staff works

to position the City as a thriving urban

center with diverse housing options and

supportive housing services.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTSIn 2016, our Housing and Community

Development Division sought efficient and

innovative means to utilize limited federal

and local resources to provide quality

housing and community development in

our 52 neighborhoods.

Overall our department created 1,098

housing units, leveraging approximately

$197 million in private investment.

Projects

Jobs Created 2,773

Jobs Retained 1,892

Private Investment $243.1M

City Investment $37.2M

FIGURE 2: HOUSING RELATED PROJECTS

27

HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

(cont.)

Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)The Notice of Funding Availability

(NOFA) provides a stimulus for housing

development. It helps fund exceptional

homeownership and rental projects that

make positive and visible impacts in

neighborhoods. The NOFA is designed

to produce housing products that

provide a full spectrum of quality housing

options and improve housing quality and

affordability. The release of the NOFA

is significant in that it is an open and

competitive request for proposals (RFP)

process that allows transparency and aids

in how the Department makes funding

decisions.

In 2016 our department recommended

funding of 10 projects throughout

eight neighborhoods: Over-the-Rhine,

Walnut Hills, College Hill, Madisonville,

Northside, Roselawn, Camp Washington,

and South Cumminsville. These projects

were a mix of affordable and market rate

developments totaling 12 homeownerships

and 253 rental units and closed out the 2015

NOFA, which made $4 million of funding

available for housing projects.

Additionally, we launched the 2016 NOFA

through an informational webinar, which gave

developers an exciting preview on November

2nd ahead of the November 28th release. The

2016 program has made $6.5 million available

for housing projects including:

• CDBG - $1,500,000 (Affordable and

Market Rate)

• HOME - $ 1,500,000 (Affordable)

• CAPITAL - $2,000,000 (Affordable)

• CAPITAL - $1,500,000 (Market Rate)

The inclusion of $2 million of capital funds

for affordable housing is a special allocation

unique to the 2016 NOFA that we are excited

to be able to offer.

Applicants recommended for funding from the

2016 NOFA will be notified in the Summer of

2017.

28

CiTiRAMA® Cincinnati has seen a boom in rental

housing market, however, we as a

department also recognize the importance

of creating home ownership opportunities

for City residents. As a result of this,

we partnered with the Home Builders

Association (HBA) of Greater Cincinnati to

put together the latest installment of the

CiTiRAMA® program. CiTiRAMA® has been

and continues to act as a catalyst for the

revitalization of urban communities and

is a part of the Housing and Community

Development Division’s comprehensive

plan to increase housing options

throughout the City.

The 2016 edition of CiTiRAMA®, titled

CiTiRAMA® @ Gershom Grove, took place

in College Hill and featured 36 single

family homes by four builders: Brookstone

Homes, Drees Homes, Maronda Homes,

and Potterhill Homes. Home prices ranged

from $200,000 - $350,000. Of the 36,

23 were pre-sold before the event kicked

off in September 2016 making it the most

successful CiTiRAMA® since the program

was launched in 1996. At the time of this

report, there was only 1 lot remaining for

sale.

PROJECTSAs a department, we strive to develop

housing opportunities that assist residents

of all ages and all income levels. A primary

focus of the Housing and Community

Development Division is to assist our lower

income families with community resources

and affordable housing. The following

three projects are examples of how we

could do just that in 2016.

The Sheakley Center for YouthMany young adults are at a high risk of

experiencing homelessness. Especially

those who age out of the foster care

system, have mental and behavioral

issues, or are leaving the juvenile

justice system. The Sheakley Center

for Youth is a creative, adaptive reuse

of a 64,000-square foot commercial

warehouse in Walnut Hills into 39

affordable permanent supportive housing

(PSH) apartments that will assist these

young adults (aged 18-24) and help

them from experiencing homelessness.

Developed by the Sheakley Center for

Youth Limited Partnership, the project

will also contain a youth shelter as well as

a social service component designed to

help stabilize at risk youth experiencing

homelessness. Total project cost is

approximately $7.5 million and is expected

to be completed in early 2018.

29Mercer Commons

Abington, Race, and Pleasant ApartmentsOver-the-Rhine has a rich long history of

being a diverse neighborhood. To maintain

this diversity, we must develop affordable

housing options so residents of all income

levels have quality housing options.

It is no secret that the resurgence of Over-

the-Rhine (OTR) has put many longtime

residents at risk of being priced out of

the market, that is why projects like the

Abington, Race, and Pleasant Apartments

are vital to maintaining affordable housing

options in OTR.

The project is a collaboration between

the Cornerstone Corporation for Shared

Equity and The Model Group and involves

the renovation of five historic buildings

in Over-the-Rhine. The redevelopment

of these historic buildings will reduce

blight, create jobs, and help attract private

investment in the area. This project is also

significant in that eight of the properties

are located south of Liberty Street

creating a rare opportunity to preserve

affordable housing in this portion of Over-

the-Rhine. In total, this $13.7 million project

will create 50 units of affordable housing

totaling approximately 77,000 square

feet with 22 of the 50 units designed

as accessible. Construction started in

November 2016 and is expected to be

completed by the end of 2017. The project

is part of a larger estimated $130 million

affordable housing plan in Over-the-

Rhine that will preserve historic structures

as well as provide over 300 units of

affordable housing the neighborhood.

Marlowe CourtMarlowe Court is the new construction

of 53 senior affordable housing units in

College Hill. The project will also include

approximately 3,600 square feet of retail/

commercial space on the first floor. The

Senior apartments will contain a mix of

22 one-bedroom and 31 two-bedroom

apartments and will be built to LEED

Silver standards. The project will be

100% visitable and include a minimum

of 5% ADA and 2% sensory impairment

units. The development team consists of

Episcopal Retirement Services (ERS), The

Model Group, and College Hill Community

Urban Redevelopment Corporation

(CHCURC). The total project cost is

approximately 11.0 million. Construction

started in July 2016 and is expected to be

completed by September 2017.

HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (cont.)

30

PROGRAMSOur Housing and Community

Development Division has several

programs designed to assist residents

as well as community organizations.

These include the American Dream

Downpayment Initiative (ADDI), Hand-

Up, and Strategic Partnerships Advancing

Communities (SPARC).

American Dream Downpayment Initiative (ADDI)The ADDI program is a down payment

assistance program designed to assist

first time homebuyers with down payment

assistance and/or closing costs up to

$5,000. Participating households must

be at or below 80% of the Area Median

Income (AMI) and must be willing to

purchase a home in one of the City’s 52

neighborhoods. Funds are awarded in the

form of five-year forgivable loans with

20% forgiven each year of occupancy.

In 2016, approximately $140,000 was

awarded to 37 households leveraging $3.1

million in private financing.

HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

(cont.)

Hand-UpThe main component that drives business

attraction is workforce. To have a well-

rounded experienced workforce, we must

provide job-readiness programming to

develop employees, especially those who

are struggling to break the cycle poverty.

One such program we have at our disposal

is the Hand Up Initiative. Launched in

May 2015, Hand-Up is a mechanism to

alleviate the burden of joblessness and

poverty affecting many Cincinnatians. By

helping those who are out of work attain

employment and move their families

toward self-sufficiency, the Hand-Up

Initiative will improve the economic

outlook for local families and help break

the cycle of poverty.

Below is a breakdown of Hand-Up Service

Providers:

31

We are continuously seeking additional

providers and opportunities to expand the

Hand-Up Initiative to maximize the benefit

it can have on our community.

Strategic Partnerships Advancing Communities (SPARC)2017 marks the second year of

our Department’s neighborhood-

centric program known as Strategic

Partnerships Advancing Redevelopment

in Communities (SPARC). This program

provides technical assistance to

neighborhood organizations, including

but not limited to Community Councils,

Community Development Corporations

(CDCs) and Community Housing

Development Organizations (CHDOs). This

upcoming year, we will partner with the

CDC Association of Greater Cincinnati to

administer SPARC.

HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (cont.)

The program’s primary objective is

to leverage available resources and

development experience of City Staff

and the CDC Association to improve the

development capacity and processes

of the Participating Neighborhood

Organization (PNO). Together, DCED,

the CDC Association and the PNO will be

the spark that ignites a neighborhood to

achieve transformative development.

The 2017 SPARC Application was released

in January 2017, and the awardee is

anticipated to be announced in early

Spring. Once the awardee is selected, the

program will follow a 12 month, 3 phase

schedule including:

• Phase 1 - Exploration and Inventory

of Neighborhood Priorities

(2 months)

• Phase 2 - Capacity Building

(8 Months)

• Phase 3 - Report on Success of

Program and Next Steps

(2 Months)

32

Business Administration & Fiscal OperationsOur Business Administration and Fiscal

Operations Division has two main focuses.

The first is to manage the budgets and

fiscal operations of the department and,

secondly, to ensure daily operations

and human resources support our

department’s vision and goals.

BUDGETS AND PROGRAMSFY2016 Operating BudgetOur department’s operating budget

for Operations (human services and

monitoring), the Housing Division and

the Economic Development Division is

comprised of both general fund operating

and Community Development Block Grant

(CDBG) funding.

In fiscal year 2016 (FY2016), which runs

from July 2015 – June 2016, we had a

general fund budget of approximately $8.8

million. Allocation of these funds was as

follows:

• 60% - Operations Division

• 13% - Housing Division

• 27% - Economic Development Division

Additionally, we received approximately

$1.7 million in administrative funding

from CDBG. These funds are primarily

used to fund staff that administer the

HOME, CDBG, ESG, and HOPWA annual

programs and projects in the 2015 - 2019

City of Cincinnati’s Consolidated Plan,

as approved by HUD and reported on

annually.

Allocation of these funds was as follows:

• 65% - Operations Division

• 21% - Housing Division

• 14% - Economic Development

Division

FY2016 Capital FundingIn FY2016, we secured capital funding

to support 26 projects. This support

goes towards programs for new housing

development and neighborhood business

district improves. In total, we were

awarded approximately $17.4 million, 24

percent of which went to housing and 76

percent to economic development.

33

Business Administration & Fiscal Operations

CY2016 CDBG ProgramsIn addition to the administrative funds

received from CDBG, we also receive

program funding. These funds, unlike

the others, is done on a calendar year

(CY) basis. In CY2016 we were awarded

approximately $7 million, which funded

19 different programs throughout our

divisions. Allocation of these funds were as

follows:

34

Monitoring & ComplianceOur Monitoring and Compliance

Division is charged with tracking and

recording community and economic

development incentives and programs.

They ensure that recipients of city

support comply with relevant regulations,

job and investment metrics, and key

performance indicators. This ensures

that the incentivized companies and

programs have the greatest impact on

the community and maximize the City’s

return on investment.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Implementing the Incentive Review Report RecommendationsOver the last year we have taken major

strides to expand the departments

oversight of incentivized businesses

based on recommendations made from

our incentive review.

One process that existed prior to the

incentive report for both Job Creation

Tax Credits (JCTCs) and Commercial

Reinvestment Area (CRA) tax abatements

is the annual self-reporting forms through

which companies provide updates on

their compliance progress including

jobs created and investment. We have

now made these reports available online

to make the reporting process more

efficient.

Additionally, immediately following

the incentive review report, we began

to develop the framework for a more

rigorous due diligence process that

includes surveillance reviews (formal

written assessment and site visits). This

way our staff can physically verify that

what companies are self-reporting is

accurate. To date we have completed

21 surveillance reviews based on a mix

of neighborhoods, approval date, and

project type. These surveillance reviews

have also been helpful in gathering

feedback from developers that will assist

our team in our upcoming CRA program

renewal.

Data IntegrityOur stated mission for 2015 was to

create a centralized database for

information on tax incentive programs.

The database system allows for a

single location for information on tax

incentive programs, making data more

accessible and compliance monitoring

easier. This effort has improved the

efficiency and effectiveness of JCTC/

PIR (Job Creation Tax Credit/Property

Investment Reimbursement), Residential

Community Reinvestment Area (CRA),

and Commercial CRA procedures for

collecting and reporting monitoring and

compliance data.

35

To govern the centralized database and

all other analytics that our office has

and uses, we created a Data Integrity

Team, managed by our Monitoring

and Compliance Division, specifically a

Data Integrity Manager, to oversee all

the data input and report outputs to

ensure accuracy and completeness of

information.

Tax Incentive ConversionOur Monitoring and Compliance Division

oversaw the conversion of all active

Property Investment Reimbursement

Agreements (PIR) to the tax credit

method (JCTC) of payment for these

incentives. This shift minimizes the use

of General Fund dollars for this program

without changing the tax incentive

benefit amount.

Operating Contract Monitoring Process ImprovementTo help promote the goals of the City

Administration we have partnered with

the Office of Performance and Data

Analytics to better monitor the general

fund contracts negotiated by this

department. This includes contract with

the following organizations: CincyTech,

Cintrifuse, CDC Association of Greater

Cincinnati, African American Chamber of

Commerce, Film Commission, MORTAR,

REDI Cincinnati, and the UC Economics

Center, plus multiple human services

contracts. The work done by these

organizations supports the mission and

goals of the Department. In 2016, DCED

staff worked with these organizations

to improve the accuracy of contract

performance data and to hold these

agencies accountable for the outcomes

they commit to in their agreements.

Through this new process the City

hopes to improve the efficiency and

effectiveness of service delivery, thus

maximizing the benefits of each dollar

spent by the City on these programs.

Federal Reporting Program Compliance

Our Monitoring and Compliance staff

includes a Community Development

Administrator (CDA) who’s responsibility

it is to ensure compliance with federal

reporting programs throughout the year.

In 2016, the CDA oversaw 43 federal

reporting programs, which resulted in

zero findings and concerns from regional

HUD and state representatives; successful

implementation of the Consolidated

Plan, Annual Performance and Evaluation

Report and Action plan; and the

execution of over 100 federal contracts

worth approximately $16.4 million.

36

Looking Ahead

CRA Program RenewalThe City is preparing to renew and

improve its Commercial Reinvestment

Area (CRA) incentive program, set to

expire in the Fall of 2017. In addition

to factors already considered when

determining the term and rate for

tax abatements and tax incentives

such as project underwriting, LEED

accreditation, and visitability standards;

DCED staff is exploring several additional

factors that could be considered

including geographic/neighborhood

priorities, market and affordable

housing requirements, and job creation

requirements.

Staff is currently coordinating with

a variety of stakeholders, including

Hamilton County, and will recommend

policy improvements this summer to City

Council before petition the State of Ohio

for program renewal in the early Fall.

Monitoring & Compliance

37

Parking Facilities

A unique aspect of the Department of

Community and Economic Development

Department, is that it includes the Parking

Facilities Division.

Our parking staff is committed to

providing high quality customer service

to ensure the needs of our residents,

visitors, and workforce are met. This is

done through an entrepreneurial model

that is data driven, efficient, public-

focused, and financially independent.

BUDGET AND REVENUEParking facilities is an enterprise fund.

This means that its financial reporting is

separate from the rest of the department

because a fee is charged for parking

services. With that said, the FY2016,

operating budget for parking facilities

was approximately $12.7 million.

Parking revenue, which is derived from

several sources including parking meters

and citations has rose in Fiscal Year 2016.

• In FY2016 meter revenue was

approximately $6 million. This was a

44 percent increase over FY 2015,

which had approximately $4.18

million in meter revenue.

• In FY2016 citation revenue was

approximately $4.9 million. This was

a 9 percent increase over FY 2015,

which had approximately $4.5

million in meter revenue.

Looking forward, we expect pay by cell

parking usage to rise in FY2017 by 145%

over the previous fiscal year.

PROJECTS

Cincy EZParkCincy EZPark is the City’s new app that

will simplify parking at the city’s metered

parking locations for smartphone users.

With nearly 30,000 currently using

the City’s PassportParking app, Cincy

EZPark serves the same function with a

City-specific brand. In upcoming years,

we hope to build in real-time parking

information, bus schedules, bike share

passes, and more into the app .

Cincy EZPark is now available at all on-

street parking meters. With Cincy EZPark,

users can:

• Purchase parking using a debit/credit

card

• Get alarms when meter time is about to

expire

• Extend time remotely (up to the

maximum allotted time)

• View personal parking history

The new app also maintains a feature for

users to validate parking at participating

merchant locations. Merchants can

setup and fund accounts through which

personal codes are generated to offer

shoppers to subsidize their parking.

The City of Cincinnati has been in

partnership with Xerox for on-street

38

parking services since 2014. After

bringing Passport in to launch the

PassportParking app in 2015, Xerox and

Passport delivered the new Cincy EZPark

branded app to provide more convenient

payment options for customers in

Cincinnati. Customers may choose to use

the existing PassportParking app as well.

The Cincy EZPark app will carry current

PassportParking users’ account features,

profile and stored credit cards. Users will

be prompted to sign in using the same

credentials (email address or phone

number) and pin number.

Enabling digital payment systems like

Passport Parking and Cincy EZPark has

also allowed the City to reduce rates at

underused meters, provide options for

paying parking tickets online or by phone,

and fix meters more quickly to improve

meter uptime.

On-Street ImprovementTo “clean up” our on-street parking

systems, the department lowered 1,800

meter poles to meet the American with

Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility height

requirements. Additionally, signage

and decals were replaced to provide

more information to users and improve

the aesthetics of our parking systems

throughout the City.

39

Our Policy and Communications

Division was created to facilitate more

transparency of information. Whether it

is engaging with the community, working

with the media, or producing marketing

content and materials, our Policy and

Communications staff is here to serve

as liaison between the department and

both internal and external customers. The

division is also tasked with managing the

legislative and policy-related activities of

the department.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Improved CommunicationsIn our efforts to provide more information

to internal and external stakeholders, we

launched a brand-new website design

in March. The new www.choosecincy.

com is tailor-made, with a user-friendly

layout and navigation structure, a page

dedicated to projects both completed

and under construction, browser-

responsive design, and additional features

to better serve those looking to partner

with us.

The change was not only effective, but

grabbed the attention of the greater

economic development community.

The website was awarded the 2016

International Economic Development

Council Silver Award for “General

Purpose Website”.

Policy & Communications

Our website will continue to evolve to

better serve site selectors, developers

and community members, as well as

maintain a high level of transparency of

information.

Webinars

Our Policy and Communications team

is the front line of our effort to increase

transparency of information and provide

more insight to the programs and

initiatives of the department. To this

end, we hosted three webinars designed

to provide developers and community

members with clear information

regarding some of our initiatives. The

subject areas included:

1) 2016 Notice of Funding Availability

2) Available Incentives

3) Programs for Small Businesses

These videos are available online and can

be found by visiting www.choosecincy.

com.

We will look to continue these in 2017.

If you have a suggestion on a topic

area you would like to be covered, we

encourage you to contact us at edinfo@

cincinnati-oh.gov.

40

“Why Choose Cincinnati?” Marketing VideosWe as community and economic

development professionals are some

of the chief advocates for the City. We

work to attract and retain businesses

and residents constantly. A part of that

is through proactive marketing efforts.

One such effort we undertook in

2016 was to work with the business

community downtown to create two

videos answering the question of “Why

Choose Cincinnati.” These videos are

a power tool that speak directly to

areas c-suite executives consider when

choosing a location for their businesses.

These videos can be found on our

website (www.choosecincy.com) and

feature Director Oscar Bedolla, along

with:

• John Barrett, Chairman, President

and CEO, Western & Southern

Financial Group

• Mario San Marco, President,

Eagle Realty Group

• Stuart Aitken, CEO, 84.51

• Joe Allen, General Manager,

GE Global Operations Center

at the Banks

LOOKING AHEAD

“Why I Love Cincinnati!” To increase the visibility of the great

things happening throughout the City of

Cincinnati, our Department is embarking

on a video marketing campaign designed

to highlight the people and places that

make this a great place to live and work.

The first is “Why I Love Cincy” and will

be an effort between the department

and several local partners where we will

ask people to submit videos explaining

why they love Cincinnati. Prizes for the

best videos will be incorporated with

this campaign. Secondly, we will feature

several neighborhood spotlight videos

showcasing each of the neighborhoods

and the unique character and personality

they have.

41

Director’s Office513.352.1948

Economic Development513.352.2435

Major Projects513.352.1953

Housing & Community Development513.352.1955

Business Administration & Fiscal Operations513.352.6130

Monitoring & Compliance513.352.3305

Parking Facilities513.352.1902

Policy & Communications513.352.6136

CONTACT