Dohoney reports on Queensgate site options

On December 19, City Manager Milton Dohoney presented a report to City council about the development potential of the 30-acre "Queensgate Terminals" property in Lower Price Hill in which he promotes an industrial use.

The report was spawned by a September motion by City Council asking the City to stop its negotiations with Queensgate Terminals and to have the Department of Community Development and Planning prepare a rezoning plan for the site within 90 days.


In February 2007, a court case was settled that required the City to purchase 30 acres of riverfront property in Lower Price Hill for $5 million and to negotiate a lease with Queensgate for its use as a multi-modal shipping facility.


Not really 30 acres

Approximately six acres of the 30-acre site is beneath the waterline of the Ohio River.

Of the remaining 24 acres, a significant portion will eventually be eaten up by the $74 million Waldvogel Viaduct project. This project will require a relocated US-50, the relocation of four railroad tracks, a new bike trail, temporary ramps and construction staging.

Railroad relocation is scheduled to begin in 2009 and roadwork will begin in 2010.

Future passenger rail could also shrink the site. Projects such as the high-speed Midwest Regional Rail Initiative would require an extra track for trains coming via Chicago and Indianapolis.

This uncertainty about the actual quantity of acreage makes rezoning problematic.


Queensgate use fits

Cincinnati's western riverfront has historically been a "working" riverfront, filled with barge terminals, warehouses and manufacturers due to easy river and rail access.

Today, most of the properties surrounding the 30 acres have these same uses, and it is Dohoney's opinion that the site is perfect for industrial or commercial development that could create jobs and grow the City's tax base.

His suggestion is an RF-C Riverfront Commercial zoning, which does not permit intense industrial uses and requires fully-enclosed storage.

This zoning designation would allow a multi-modal facility such as the one Queensgate has proposed.


Housing, or parks?

The entire property is located in a 100-year flood plain and is surrounded by light and heavy manufacturing uses, making residential use an unlikely option.

And the fact that the Waldvogel Viaduct project requires federal permitting means that building on land zoned for parks and recreation would require an entire round of environmental assessments, delaying the project and increasing its costs.

Finally, it is also unlikely that the owners of the railroad lines, CSX and Central Railroad Company of Indiana, would consent to a public crossing of their tracks for either use.

Previous reading on BC:
No contact between City, Queensgate since June (12/19/07)
Bortz offers newest motion to stop Queensgate Terminals (8/9/07)
City against riverside intermodal terminal, faces legal penalties (6/15/07)