Cincinnati approves bonds, land swap, lease for new MSD offices

Cincinnati City Council has approved the issuance of up to $15 million in bonds and a land swap and lease with Hamilton County to allow for construction of the new Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) offices in Lower Price Hill.

In order to meet a federal consent decree that would increase their staff to 157, the MSD needs more space than its outdated buildings at 1600 Gest Street can provide.

Following a cost-benefit analysis of rehabilitating and expanding its current structures found that plan to be unworkable, the MSD has proposed a new three-story, $10.6 million office building on a City-owned site along the north side of Gest Street (BIRD'S EYE), between Woodrow and Summer streets.

To help assemble the site, the City will swap 1.58 acres of its property at 1027-1030 Summer Street and 1000 Evans Street.

In return, the county will trade 3.67 acres it owns at 800 Evans Street and 1611 W Eighth Street, which the City will add to its MetroWest Commerce Park site, where the City plans a $34 million campus of light industrial, flex and office space.

Because it was determined that the City could construct the building in the most effective manner through its design-build RFP process, the City will lease the development site from Hamilton County, construct the building, and then sublease it back to the county.

The lease payments from the MSD will be used to service the bonds, and the sublease will end when either the bonds are paid off or twenty years have passed.

The new building will be designed by Columbus-based firm Burgess & Niple to U.S. Green Building Council LEED Silver standards. The addition of a vegetative roofing system, which is currently under consideration, could push the project to LEED Gold.

The construction of the "green" project is envisioned as a prototype and a catalyst for future buildings at MetroWest.

Previous reading on BC:
Cincinnati wants $15M in bonds, land swap for MSD offices (3/3/08)
MSD needs new office building (11/15/07)
MetroWest receives Clean Ohio funds (7/27/07)
City frees $413,000 for land at MetroWest site (6/28/07)
Lower Price Hill: MetroWest update (4/2/07)