Cincinnati EDC considers altering Keystone Parke plan for American Red Cross

On February 10, Cincinnati City Council's Economic Development Committee will consider changes to the Keystone Parke planned development district (PD-44) that would make way for a new headquarters for the Cincinnati chapter of the American Red Cross.

The changes would add 8.8 acres of property bounded by Realistic Avenue, I-71 and Evanston Avenue, currently zoned SF-4 Single-Family Residential and PR Parks and Recreation District, to PD-44, which was created in May 2006.

The American Red Cross has been working with developer Neyer Properties on their new three-story, 50,000-square-foot headquarters and disaster operations center since 2006, but cannot own a facility within the existing PD-44 because of the site's tax increment financing (TIF) structure and public parking garage.

The developer plans to break ground on the building this spring and, upon project completion in the spring of 2010, will sell the property to the American Red Cross.

Neyer Properties will seek LEED Silver certification for the project, with plans to install a vegetative roof, rain gardens, bio-swales, and 125 open-grid paver grass parking spaces.

The use of a geothermal heating and cooling system is also being considered.

The American Red Cross announced plans to vacate its Downtown space at 720 Sycamore Street due to space constraints.

Last September, council rezoned the Downtown site to a planned development district to make way for a 13-story hotel and 150-space parking garage proposed by developer Rolling Hills Properties, LLC.

Rendering courtesy of project architect emersion DESIGN.

Previous reading on BC:
City approves rezoning for Downtown hotel (9/30/08)
EDC to hear proposal for new Downtown hotel (9/19/08)
Cincinnati to apply for $1.4M grant for I-71/Dana interchange (5/21/08)
Cincinnati approves Keystone outlot, public access (5/12/08)
EDC to hear on zoning change for Keystone outlot (5/2/08)