Streetcar: W Clifton or Vine?

The Clifton Heights Improvement Association (CHIA) wants residents to let Cincinnati City Council know their preference for a future streetcar route through the Uptown neighborhoods.

At issue is whether the connector route will climb the hillside via Vine Street or W Clifton Avenue.

Many Clifton Heights residents believe that the W Clifton Avenue route would bring the most immediate positive results.

In a draft letter sent out to community members, the CHIA says that, by using W Clifton Avenue, the streetcar would encourage homeownership along W Clifton and link the Clifton Heights business district to the Downtown and Findlay Market zones.

"A future expansion of the streetcar line could easily, in a second phase, go down McMillan Street, and then connect to Vine Street in both directions," the letter reads. "This would provide a Vine Street-W. Clifton loop that would improve the route, and allow for easy expansion to the east side of the campus, through 'Short Vine', and down past the hospitals and to the zoo."

Rob Neel, secretary of the CHIA, is asking residents to forward the letter to council.

The CHIA will be discussing the streetcar proposal at their September 11 meeting.

Previous reading on BC:
Cincinnati streetcar vote possible today (4/23/08)