Recently the Cincinnati City Council approved the land sale for two significant developments coming to the Uptown Innovation Corridor: The Uptown Gateway project by Terrex Development and Messer Construction, and the MLK Investors I development by Neyer Properties and Kulkarni Properties. This is one of the last land consolidation steps the developments will need before beginning construction.
“We’re pleased that City Council approved the land sale for two threshold projects in the Uptown Innovation Corridor,” said Beth Robinson, president and CEO of Uptown Consortium. “Since the emerging Corridor is shaping Uptown Cincinnati’s preeminence as a Midwest hub for research and innovation, it’s no surprise the City wants to champion that. Equally noteworthy are the developers’ commitments to equitable growth and economic opportunity within and around these ventures.”
The Economic Growth & Infrastructure Committee, praised the developers for their work with the Avondale community so far. City councilmember Chris Smitherman said, “I feel very confident that the developers have been working with the community leaders in Avondale, and I certainly appreciate that.”
Developers will continue working with the communities as they look forward to beginning construction in their quadrants. As stated in their preferred development agreements, developments in the Uptown Innovation Corridor have predetermined goals for economic inclusion initiatives, including hiring minority and women-owned business, retaining a diverse workforce and employing Uptown residents. The developers will meet with WEB Ventures, the economic inclusion consultants hired by the Uptown Consortium, to ensure job programs and pipelines are in place before construction begins.
Uptown Gateway, a pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use development in the southeast quadrant of the Uptown Innovation Corridor, will include office space, a hotel and an underground parking garage in it’s first phase. Neyer Properties and Kulkharni Properties’ development in the Corridor’s northeast quadrant is still in the planning stages. However, both the Uptown Gateway and MLK Investors I development hope to find tenants to support Uptown’s medical, research and innovation industries.
Other projects making up the Uptown Innovation Corridor include the UC Garner Neuroscience Institute and 1819 Innovation Hub.
“There’s a lot of great things happening in Avondale,” Smitherman stated.