Draft Brewery District charrette report available for comment

A 38-page draft report (PDF) on January's Over-the-Rhine Brewery District Charrette has been posted by AIA Cincinnati chairman Michael Moose on his website.

Hosted by the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati, AIA Cincinnati, and the Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation (BDCURC) and held at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, more than 100 civic-minded citizens and students and 14 architects took part in the day-long session to brainstorm ways in which to make the Brewery District -- especially the area around Findlay Market and Rookwood Pottery -- more vibrant.

Those ideas could then be used by BDCURC to frame future planning discussions with City officials, architects, and developers.

Planning ideas from the five architect-led teams built upon givens of an operating streetcar system ("Gumby", pictured), mixed-uses allowable under the area's Urban Mix zoning, and the use of LEED/green building principles.

Attention was also given to promoting awareness of the neighborhood.

Agreements were generally reached on the development of Pleasant Street as a central pedestrian spine, that a major iconic building should be located at the intersection of the extended Pleasant Street and W McMicken Avenue and connected to Bellevue Hill Park via some mode of transit (such as a tram), that existing buildings should be re-used whenever possible, and that parking should be located on the perimeter of the district or within the center of blocks.

Upon completion of the report, a single plan will be selected from among five alternatives and a public presentation will be held at either the Art Academy or the Mercantile Library.

Comments and contributions can be made by e-mailing Michael Moose at mike@michaelmoosedesign.com or by calling (513) 221-5682.