City approves rezoning for The Yards

At their June 27 meeting, City Council unanimously approved rezoning for Vandercar's mixed use project called The Yards.

The zoning change, to PD Planned Development District (PD 48), means that the City has accepted the concept plan for development of the site, which straddles the neighborhoods of Riverside and Sedamsville.

Vandercar will now need to submit a more thorough final development plan to the City Planning Commission. The City Planning Commission disapproved of the concept plan in March, citing its failure to conform to the existing Land Use Plan and its lack of a fiscal impact analysis.

If ultimately approved, the rezoning will allow Vandercar to channel TIF money into infrastructure improvements to the site. These improvements include raising the site out of the 100-year flood plain, building a retaining wall along River Road, installing sewers and improving the River Road/Fairbanks Avenue intersection.

The $60 million-$80 million project for the old Conrail transfer station on Cincinnati's western riverfront will contain around 1 million square feet of big-box, retail, office and hotel space.

Only one retailer, Lowe's, has signed a letter of intent for a store on the site. Vandercar is still trying to land a second big-box tenant.

A previous estimate for completion -- if the final development plan was approved by this summer -- was around the third quarter of 2009.

A more detailed description of the project can be seen here:
Building Cincinnati: Riverside/Sedamsville: The Yards (5/15/07)