ANNUAL 20
REPORT 16
I
Downtown Cincinnati and The Banks
MAYOR
John Cranley
CITY MANAGER
Harry Black
DIRECTOR OF
COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
Oscar Bedolla
2
COUNCIL MEMBERS
Vice Mayor David Mann
President Pro Tem Yvette Simpson
Kevin Flynn
Amy Murray
Chris Seelbach
P.G. Sittenfeld
Christopher Smitherman
Charlie Winburn
Wendell Young
COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
SENIOR STAFF
Philip Denning
James Flick
Daniel Fortinberry
Roy Hackworth
Monica Hardman
Greg Huth
Clifton Pendergrass
Megan Ryan
Bob Schroer
Aisha Tzillah
CONTENTS
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR 4
MISSION6
ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
7
2016 AT A GLANCE
9
DIRECTOR’S OFFICE 10
CINCY POP SHOP SPOTLIGHT
15
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 17
CINTRIFUSE SPOTLIGHT
23
HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
26
PARKING FACILITIES 32
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION & FISCAL 34
MONITORING & COMPLIANCE 36
POLICY & COMMUNICATIONS
38
CONTACTS40
3
MESSAGE FROM
THE DIRECTOR
OSCAR BEDOLLA
Thank you for the opportunity to provide an update on
the successful year the Department of Community and
Economic Development (DCED) had in 2016. Building upon
the momentum we experienced in 2015, we exceeded our
expectations and goals with the help of the leadership
of Mayor John Cranley, City Manager Harry Black, City
Council, key stakeholders, and the hard work of our team.
As a department, we were busy in 2016, facilitating
more than $440 million in total investment through 58
projects, which also resulted in the creation of 816 housing units. The City also created
2,347 jobs and retained an additional 1,840 jobs through housing and economic
development projects, nearly 1,800 more than 2015. This further cements the notion
that we are a City on the Rise.
The changes introduced to the organizational structure in 2015 allowed the
department to EFFICIENTLY and EFFECTIVELY manage projects and provide
transparency to both internal and external stakeholders. Our restructuring through the
addition of the Major Projects Division and the Policy and Communications Division, in
addition to the expanded role of the Monitoring and Compliance Division, has allowed
us to:
• Promote the DCED mission and advance policy initiatives.
• Increase our ability to facilitate intricate urban development projects.
• Create a more robust incentive monitoring system while increasing
data oversight.
Since this was the inaugural year under the new structure, we determined that our
charge should reflect the recent changes. Hence, the team developed a new mission:
To facilitate strategic development and services within the Cincinnati community
that improve the lives of residents, increase business investment, and revitalize City
neighborhoods.
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MESSAGE FROM
THE DIRECTOR
This mission represents not only what we do, but also what we are passionate about.
It is this passion and dedication that helped drive the success of the department over
the past 12 months. The following report will discuss the many successes we had, the
projects we helped facilitate, and what we hope to accomplish in 2017.
Last year showcased that Cincinnati is a city on the rise on several fronts. We are
gaining the attention of outside investors, both foreign and domestic, who are
investing in our real estate. We used our incentives strategically to help startups get
up and running, assist small and medium sized businesses with expansion, and attract
new companies to the city.
I am proud to lead a team whose hard work and dedication has contributed to
the numerous accolades the City received across the spectrum, such as Christie’s
International Real Estate naming the City as a “Top City to Watch in 2017” and Travel +
Leisure calling Cincinnati a “Top Place to Visit in 2017.”
To continue this rise in 2017, we must continue to be proactive in identifying trends.
We must drive innovation to cater to the needs of the new economy. We must
be strategic in our development to create vibrant and sustainable neighborhoods
and utilize intelligence gained from expanded data collection. Finally, we must be
transparent in our process and inclusive of small, minority-owned, and woman-owned
businesses.
I look forward to the challenges and successes 2017 will bring and leading the
Department of Community and Economic Development. Join me as we continue to
#WatchCincyRise.
Oscar L. Bedolla
5
MISSION
Our mission is to facilitate strategic development
and services within the Cincinnati community that
IMPROVE the lives of residents, INCREASE business
investment, & REVITALIZE city neighborhoods.
Smale Riverfront Park
6
ORGANIZATIONAL
CHART
Director’s Office
Parking Facilities
Major Projects
Economic
Development
Business
Administration
& Fiscal
Housing &
Community
Development
Monitoring &
Compliance
Policy &
Communications
7
52 NEIGHBORHOODS
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Rhine
East
End
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Evanston
Heights
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W. Price
Hill E. Price
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Camp
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Washing
Roll Hill
W
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Cumminsville
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Rose
Bond
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REVITALIZING
COMMUNITIES
8
2016 AT A GLANCE
#WatchCincyRise
INCENTIVES
$447M+
TOTAL INVESTMENT
IN CITY PROJECTS
INCENTIVES
REVIEW
816
HOUSING UNITS
CREATED
COMPLETED
1,840
2,347
JOBS RETAINED
JOBS CREATED
$
$
$
8:1
1,800
181
PRIVATE TO CITY
INVESTMENT
IN 2016
METER POLES LOWERED
TO MEET ADA
ACCESSIBILITY HEIGHT
REQUIREMENTS
BUSINESS RETENTION
VISITS
(170% increase from 2015)
LAUNCH OF
9
DIRECTOR’S OFFICE
The Director’s Office oversees the seven
The final report measured the City’s
divisions that make up our department
competitiveness in both the region
including Economic Development,
and the nation by profiling our major
Major Projects, Housing and Community
incentive programs against peer cities. It
Development, Fiscal and Operations,
also made several recommendations on
Monitoring and Compliance, Policy and
how the City can improve development
Communications, and Parking Facilities.
efforts, which we began implementing
Together, the DCED team is highly
immediately. For example, we created a
focused and responsive to the needs of
more robust process in which we provide
constituents and implements policies that
detailed information to City Council and
are innovative, transparent, and maximize
the general public about our investment
efficiency.
decisions.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Looking back on 2016, our department
achieved several major accomplishments
which include:
Incentive Review
From July 2015 to June 2016, DCED
Capitalizing on
development momentum
is a key goal of our
department.
actively collaborated with HR&A, an
industry-leading consulting firm whose
core mission is to reinvent cities into
In addition to making changes to our
vibrant urban centers that offer jobs
incentive tools, we expanded the role of
and sustain a high quality of life for
our Monitoring and Compliance Division
diverse communities. The result of this
to facilitate a more rigorous monitoring
collaboration was a comprehensive
process that includes surveillance
review of the City’s incentive policies. The
reviews, and tracking the progress of
primary objectives of this review were to
commitments made by incentivized
evaluate the effectiveness of the City’s
businesses. Finally, we formed a Data
incentive offerings, assess the processes
Integrity Team (DIT), inclusive of
by which projects were evaluated, and
members of each division and led by
identify how the department’s toolkit can
a Data Integrity Manager. The DIT is
be enhanced to help maximize the City’s
tasked with streamlining data collection
return on investment.
and ensuring accuracy. All of this was
done to improve our competitiveness,
minimize risk, and maximize return on
City investments.
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10
Development Opportunity Solicitations
Monday initiative utilized social media to
Capitalizing on development momentum
market these opportunities in addition
is a key goal of our department. To
to our traditional marketing strategies.
ensure the City continues to perpetuate
This effort drew in both community and
growth, we must facilitate a development
developer interest as demonstrated by
process that is transparent and includes
the attendance of more than 80 people
community involvement. This past year
at the initial informational session. This
we did exactly that by releasing a new
informational session was designed
initiative that identifies development
to discuss the opportunities, create
opportunities on City-owned land that
transparency of information, explain
requires, as a part of the process, the
the process, and promote inclusion of
development community to engage
minority-owned and woman-owned
residents prior to developer solicitation.
businesses on development teams.
The goal is to establish a process that
is transparent to residents and holds
In total, 14 letters of interest were
the City accountable for building
submitted for the two development
projects that reflect the interests of the
opportunities. We are currently working
community.
through the procurement process
to screen the RFP responses. Upon
completion, we will select preferred
We understand the
need to build strong
partnerships with fastgrowing cities so we can
share best practices and
leverage relationships to
meet our growing needs.
applicants who will be advanced through
a more rigorous selection process with
a preferred developer anticipated to be
selected by August 2017.
Moving forward, this coordinated
release of opportunities is a tactic the
department will employ, at least annually,
to activate development throughout
Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods.
The inaugural event occurred in 2016
on the Monday after Thanksgiving,
commonly referred to as “Cyber Monday.”
The event was designed to showcase
the release of community development
opportunities in the City of Cincinnati. The
two development opportunities released
were the Shillito’s West building and the
Ninth and Plum Streets redevelopment
site. Both properties have been
underutilized for decades. Our Cyber
Economic Development Incentives
Consortium
As our department continues to identify
innovative solutions to grow our local
economy, we understand the need to
build strong partnerships with fastgrowing cities so we can share best
practices and leverage relationships
to meet our growing needs. To that
end, we recently partnered with the
City of Kansas City, Missouri, which is
currently in the process of conducting a
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DIRECTOR’S OFFICE
comprehensive historic review of their
(cont.)
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2017
past use of incentives, like the work we
did with HR&A, as noted previously.
Building Diversity and Capacity
Together, we created an Economic
As Cincinnati continues to develop,
Development Incentives Consortium to
advancing diversity is a priority. By
broaden our collective understanding of
developing targeted policies and
the long-term impacts of these tools and
programs to promote diversity, we will
accelerate identification of policy and
ensure that “a rising tide lifts all boats.”
process improvements to the benefit of
our communities.
To this end, we have created strategic
initiatives that provide transparency and
To kick off this initiative, we brought
build capacity.
together economic development
professionals from multiple cities to
Advancing Diversity in Development
discuss steps each has taken to improve
The Advancing Diversity in Development
economic incentive policies. Participants
program provides training and
included leaders from:
informational seminars to help individuals
• Baltimore, Maryland
learn about the tools and investment
• Atlanta, Georgia
resources that are available to them so
• Portland, Oregon
that they may successfully engage with
• St. Louis, Missouri
City and City-supported projects of all
• New Orleans, Louisiana
sizes and types. This program has been
• Tulsa, Oklahoma
successful in the past, and, looking ahead
• Columbus, Ohio
to 2017, we will build on this workshop by
• Chicago, Illinois
hosting additional informational sessions
designed to educate minority-owned
This ongoing effort will enable us to share
and woman-owned businesses about
and evaluate best practices on how to use
opportunities for project participation and
incentives to promote greater economic
access to funding.
equality, and to benefit lower-income
residents and neighborhoods.
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Aging in Place
Through our collective work, we
As the city’s population grows and ages,
will develop a city that provides the
we need to make strategic investments
necessary amenities, housing, and
now that will allow us to tend to the
infrastructure to retain and grow the
needs of the population of all our 52
population and allow all residents to age
neighborhoods in the future. DCED can
in place.
help promote those “aging in place”
investments in several different ways,
Foreign Direct Investment Strategy
including changing our community
Foreign direct investment (FDI) is an
reinvestment area tax incentive language
important tool we identified to attract
to help shape the types of projects
investment while thinking about
being built. One example of this is our
innovative ways to perpetuate economic
grocery incentives policy that encourages
development. Given the political
new fresh foods markets to open in
uncertainty in today’s world, this topic
neighborhoods lacking this important
has a broad appeal from real estate
amenity. Investments like this will ensure
developers and legal professionals to
that our city residents can live in their
investment bankers and policymakers.
own community safely, independently,
With the recent immigration changes
and comfortably regardless of the stage
and anticipated amendments to tax and
of life.
regulatory reform, it is important that
we develop strategies that address the
The department is actively working on
changing political framework.
these aging-in-place issues with various
partners, including People Working
In 2017, we will host a FDI symposium
Cooperatively, Cincinnati City Council
with leaders from REDI Cincinnati,
Member P.G. Sittenfeld’s office, the
SelectUSA, Cleveland International Fund,
City of Cincinnati Office of Data and
KPMG, World Trade Center of Kentucky,
Performance and Analytics, and others.
and many more. This symposium will
Downtown Cincinnati and The Banks
13
DIRECTOR’S OFFICE
(cont.)
focus on how we can grow our regional
Cincinnati Area Geographic Information
economy (in turn growing our local
System (CAGIS) to create a “Momentum
economy) through leveraging FDI to build
Map.” This map is expected to launch in
infrastructure and real estate projects,
spring 2017 and includes activity in all
and attracting foreign companies
sectors of the Central Business District,
to improve our manufacturing and
including retail, office, residential, parking,
workforce sectors. The information
etc.
collected from the symposium will serve
as the foundation for a robust strategy
We will gradually build upon the
that outlines the different forms of FDI
functionality of this map based on
and resources available to help Cincinnati
public feedback and input from key
court international investment.
stakeholders, including expanding
the scope to be inclusive of all 52 of
Cincinnati’s neighborhoods.
Foreign direct investment
(FDI) is an important
tool we identified to
attract investment while
thinking about innovative
ways to perpetuate
economic development.
‘Why I Love Cincinnati!’
To increase the awareness of the many
great things happening throughout
Cincinnati, DCED is embarking on a
video marketing campaign designed
to highlight the people and places that
make this a great place to live and work.
The first is “Why I Love Cincy!” and will
be an effort between the department
and several local partners where we will
Momentum Map
ask people to submit videos explaining
Downtown Cincinnati is flush with
why they love Cincinnati. We will also
development activity and has been
feature various Cincinnati neighborhoods
for some time. Since 2013 alone, our
throughout the year in videos that
department has helped facilitate $672
showcase the unique charm that flows
million in investment in completed
throughout the city.
projects, with hundreds of millions of
dollars more on the horizon. There is
so much activity that we wanted to
create an interactive tool to showcase
this to developers and investors looking
to invest in the urban core. Therefore,
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14
our department began working with
SPOTLIGHT
CINCY POP SHOP
Following the release of the Downtown
for eligible merchandising materials, in
Retail Action Plan in June 2016, DCED
addition to a rent-free retail space during
led the charge to bring Cincy Pop Shop,
November and December.
a pop-up retail program, to Cincinnati’s
urban core. Cincy Pop Shop addressed
The program received 16 applications
a goal of the Action Plan, which is “to
from aspiring vendors, as diverse as they
catalyze retail offerings that appeal to
were eager. A selection committee made
the diversity of the Cincinnati market
up of five members, including City staff,
by providing small and unique business
the property manager for the Carew
opportunities.”
Tower, a small business lender, and a
small business owner came together
The program was created in partnership
to create a process that was inclusive,
with Downtown Cincinnati Inc. as a low-
collaborative, and fair. Each committee
risk opportunity for future Cincinnati
member had the opportunity to first
business owners to explore the potential
complete an evaluation survey based
of a brick-and-mortar retail location.
solely on the vendor’s application.
The applicants were then asked to
After searching available spaces in
come in and pitch their business to the
the Central Business District, the team
committee. Applicants were then scored
identified Cincinnati’s iconic Carew Tower
on predetermined criteria based on the
as the site for the inaugural Cincy Pop
retail goals from the Downtown Retail
Shop program. Partnering with the Carew
Action Plan. The scores from the pitch
Tower team and building management
day were added to the score taken from
company Belvedere Corp., three
the individual surveys, and eight diverse
previously vacant spaces in the building
vendors were chosen:
were activated for the 2016 holiday
• Barcode Glam
shopping season.
• Chapeau Couture Hats
• Davis Cookie Collection LLC
Through strategic use of Community
• Flying Pig Marathon
Development Block Grant funds, the
• Green Box Gift Wrapping
Winter 2016 Cincy Pop Shop offered
• Jenco Brothers’ Candy
selected vendors $1,000 in support
• Sarah Center
• Tronk Design
CINCY
POP
SHOP
2016
15
Although diversity was a goal from the
for baking, although at the time she was
start of the program, the final number
using it to relax during graduate school.
surpassed expectations, with six of the
When coworkers began paying her to
eight selected vendors being woman-
make boxes of a dozen cookies, the couple
owned businesses, and seven of the
capitalized on the opportunity.
eight being minority-owned businesses.
Fast forward to 2016. Davis Cookie
We sat down with two of the vendors to
Collection participated in the 12-week
talk about their experience.
entrepreneurship program at MORTAR,
learning the ins and outs of starting a
Fernanda Vergara, co-founder of local
business and connecting with valuable
furniture manufacturer Tronk Design,
resources, such as University of Cincinnati
rarely does business in Cincinnati and
law students who helped them with legal
had a lot to say about how the program
aspects of running a business. The Cincy
helped her business. “It was a no-brainer
Pop Shop program gave them the added
for us,” relates Fernanda. “We had never
perspective of having a store and allowed
ventured into retail [space] before, and
them to get an idea of how to stock a
this was a great learning experience.”
brick-and-mortar retail location.
Tronk designs and builds contemporary
furniture, but mostly online and mostly
bring our local story to Cincinnati. Our
“We had never ventured
into retail [space] before,
and this was a great
learning experience.”
goal is to market to Cincinnati and tell
-Fernanda Vergara,
our local story, and open retail spaces.
co-founder of Tronk Design
to customers outside of Cincinnati – that
is, until Cincy Pop Shop.
“The Pop Shop program enabled us to
After this experience, we feel more
confident about what we need to do
before we do that.”
“And it’s a family business,” Miles muses,
“We’re both doing it. It really promotes
“We learned so much about how to
family. We’re creating something for
merchandise and sell our product to
our family to be able to call our own.”
the end user, not the internet,” reflects
The Davises’ goal is to pass the business
Fernanda. “We had never ventured into
down to their children and to become a
retail; it was a learning experience.”
Cincinnati staple, along with the likes of
Graeter’s or Montgomery Inn.
For Davis Cookie Collection, it felt good
to be able to answer the question,
What advice would the Davises give the
“Where are you located?”
next round of Cincy Pop Shop applicants?
“Be ready for that pitch and come with
16
Christina and Miles Davis quickly realized
your best. It can really be a game changer
in 2014 that Christina had a tasty talent
for your business.”
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT &
MAJOR PROJECTS
Projects Divisions serve as liaisons
BUSINESS EXPANSION AND
ATTRACTION PROJECTS
between City departments, businesses,
In 2016, the Economic Development
and the development community. They
and Major Projects Divisions helped to
are dedicated to cultivating commercial
create and retain more than 4,035 jobs
development in all of Cincinnati’s 52
and leveraged in excess of $272 million
neighborhoods by providing financial,
in private investment through economic
informational and technical assistance to
development projects. This success was
businesses seeking to relocate or grow.
achieved by attracting new businesses to
The staff is adept at helping commercial
the City and helping existing companies
developers, business owners, real estate
expand their operations.
The Economic Development and Major
brokers, and site selectors navigate the
administrative and legislative processes
related to their projects.
FIGURE 1: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND MAJOR PROJECTS DIVISION PROJECTS
Project Statistics
Jobs Created
2,203
Jobs Retained
1,832
Housing Units
205
Private Investment
$272.1M
City Investment
$42.5M
Other Public Investment
$10.1M
Anthem Ribbon Cutting
17
Development projects in our urban core
Jet Machine and Path Forward IT
get a lot of attention. However, it should
(Roselawn)
be noted that our department works
TechSolve II Business Park, located in
tirelessly to help attract and facilitate
Roselawn near the southwest corner of
investment throughout all of Cincinnati’s
Reading Road and Seymour Avenue, was,
neighborhoods, such as Lower Price Hill,
until recently, a blighted, underutilized
Roselawn, West End and Queensgate.
shopping center known as Seymour
Together with our community partners,
Plaza. The City partnered with the Port of
the Economic Development and Major
Greater Cincinnati Development Authority
Projects Divisions helped facilitate more
to demolish and remediate the property,
than $37 million in development in these
making it ready for new construction.
four neighborhoods in 2016.
Jet Machine broke ground on a
Q-Labs (Lower Price Hill)
105,000-square-foot industrial facility
Q-Labs, a full-service laboratory servicing
on nine acres, the largest undeveloped
the food ingredients and flavorings,
parcel in the TechSolve II Business
cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and health and
Park, in September 2016. Construction
beauty care industries, will soon begin
is expected to cost approximately $5
rehabilitation of two buildings totaling
million, and the company will invest a
25,000 square feet and the construction
total of $12 million in the project. The new
of a new 30,000-square-foot laboratory
space will allow the company to create 52
within the Knob Hill City View industrial
new, permanent, full-time jobs, and retain
park on Radcliff Drive in the Lower Price
118 existing full-time jobs in Cincinnati.
Hill neighborhood. This $7.5 million
This expansion will also free up space at
project will retain 100 full-time permanent
one of Jet Machine’s existing buildings
jobs and create 47 new jobs.
in Bond Hill for an office tenant, Path
Forward, to expand and create 150 new
jobs and retain 151 existing jobs.
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Jet Machine
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT &
MAJOR PROJECTS
(cont.)
Messer Construction (West End)
SFA Architects (Queensgate)
Messer Construction acquired two
SFA, an architecture and engineering firm
properties on Cutter Street in the
with more than 47 years of experience, is
West End to construct a two-story,
renovating a warehouse building at 555
50,000-square-foot facility that will house
Carr Street in Queensgate. The building
the company’s corporate operations. The
is 60,000 square feet and located along
project broke ground in October 2016 and
a prominent gateway into Cincinnati
is expected to be completed by the end
off the Sixth Street Viaduct. This new
of 2017.The roughly $12.8 million project
expansion will retain their headquarters
will support the retention of 116 jobs, as
in Cincinnati and be a major investment
well as creation of 40 new jobs.
for the Queensgate neighborhood. The
total project cost is $4.7 million and the
company will commit to increase their
employment from 60 full-time permanent
employees to 85 full-time permanent
employees.
Messer Construction
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PROJECT SPOTLIGHTS
Madison Square is being developed by
RBM Development LLC. The project
Medpace (Madisonville)
features office and retail space. There will
Economic development activity in
also be a Dolce Hotels & Resort Lifestyle
Cincinnati also included a major business
Collection hotel, which will have 239
expansion project initiated by Medpace,
rooms and conference space. All in all, the
a clinical research organization for the
development could bring $200 million in
development of drugs and medical
investment to Madisonville.
devices. Medpace’s commitment to
Madisonville started in 2008 when it
309 Vine Street (Downtown)
selected the former NuTone site at the
Cincinnati has seen its apartment market
corner of Madison and Red Bank roads
boom in the Central Business District due
for its headquarters, where currently
to urbanization.
it has 1,150 employees. Now, just eight
years later, the company will add another
962 jobs at the new Madison Square
development. The new jobs will have an
approximate annual salary of $55,000.
The addition of these employees will
positively affect neighboring businesses
and will serve as a catalyst for new
business attraction in Madisonville.
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Cincinnati has seen its
apartment market
boom in the Central
Business District due to
urbanization.
309 Vine St
There are two primary factors driving
in the Central Business District into
urbanization. First is the “millennial
approximately 300 market rate micro
effect.” It has been widely reported that
apartments, approximately 400 square
Millennials and those in Generation Y are
feet each, with 18,000 square feet of retail
migrating to urban areas. Second, it is not
space and 24,500 square feet of office
just the younger generations moving to
space. When finished, the $70 million
urban areas. Today, more baby boomers
project will be the first of its kind in the
and retirees are calling downtown home.
Cincinnati market.
These two populations converging on
downtown forces developers to become
innovative in their projects. They must
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMS
offer amenities that appeal to both
Business Retention and Expansion
population segments.
Business retention and expansion
One such change developers are
visits (BRE) are a top priority for the
making is the sacrifice of living space for
Economic Development and Major
entertainment and social common areas.
Projects Divisions. Our teams conduct
There is no greater example of this in
BREs with local companies to continue
downtown Cincinnati than the 309 Vine
to cultivate relationships and serve the
Street development.
needs of businesses located in the City.
The goals of these are to facilitate greater
The Chicago-based developer Village
communication and remain connected to
Green is currently converting the
local businesses. In 2016, 181 BRE visits
348,934-square-foot Union Central
were conducted, a 170% increase over the
Life Building Annex at 309 Vine Street
number completed in 2015.
Jos. Berning Printing
Brink Brewing Co.
Anthem
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ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT &
MAJOR PROJECTS
(cont.)
Neighborhood Business District
or wayfinding signage to make the
Development
district more appealing to visitors and
The Neighborhood Business District
residents.
Improvement Program (NBDIP)
is a highly versatile program that
For the 2017 round of the NBDIP,
was created to assist communities
we estimate that $750,000 in City
in implementing projects that
Capital funds will be available to
stabilize, maintain, and improve their
selected qualifying groups. Final
neighborhood business districts. These
funding applications are due from
projects can come in a variety of forms,
neighborhood business district
including parking additions, façade
development groups on April 21, 2017.
improvements, or building renovations.
Funding recommendations will then be
The program can also provide indirect
made in June, with funding becoming
benefits by funding streetscapes
available in July and August, subject to
City Council approval.
22
Smale Riverfront Park
SPOTLIGHT
CINTRIFUSE
INNOVATION ENABLED BY
DIGITAL STARTUPS
Cintrifuse is the
Cintrifuse is a unique institution for
epicenter of the
Cincinnati in the benefits and capability
Cincinnati startup
that it offers relative to economic
scene, and Cincinnati is
development. It is a public-private
no stranger to startups.
partnership that the City of Cincinnati
Two local soap makers
invested in through real estate
who turned their
development of its office space, as well as
tiny business into
support of its general operating expenses.
a consumer goods
company that spans the globe; a small
door-to-door insurance sales group that
now owns and manages nearly $68 billion
in assets; a four-person data mining
team that recently reanimated an entire
block of downtown for its now more than
600 employees – all have a story that is
uniquely Cincinnati.
“I’m not building a
kingdom; I’m building
an economy.”
-Wendy Lea,
Chief Executive Officer, Cintrifuse
Cincinnati has a long history of companies
like Procter & Gamble, Western &
and invested here. The City continues
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO CREATE
A THRIVING STARTUP ECOSYSTEM
IN CINCINNATI?
to see companies like these take root
That is the question that drives Cincinnati
in Cincinnati, and strategically aligns
innovation hub Cintrifuse. With a lexicon
resources to better partner with them.
that includes Series A, super angel groups,
Realizing the value that startups can bring
growth hacking, and BigCos, the company
to economic growth, the local business
has brought life to the Cincinnati startup
community and the City of Cincinnati
scene that, until recently, had been
pressed for an innovative startup
reserved for large market coastal cities.
Southern Financial Group, and 84.51°
that have grown here, stayed here,
ecosystem – thus, Cintrifuse was born.
23
There is a bustling energy throughout
simply, working with roughly 300 startups
the historic Over-the-Rhine building that
to link their innovation with investors and
you can link to Cintrifuse CEO Wendy
corporations.
Lea. All over the bright, open space,
entrepreneurs are putting innovation
However, the work doesn’t end or even
to work. Groups and teams from the
begin at the front door of their offices.
community are also invited to fill coworking spaces throughout the building.
“I’m not building a kingdom; I’m building
Aptly named Union Hall, 1311 Vine Street is
an economy,” Lea explains. Cintrifuse
now headquarters for StartupCincy.
takes a holistic approach to building
the next generation of digital startups,
Appointed in October 2014, the
nurturing a certain percentage of
magnanimous Lea has brought with
those through venture capital-backed
her a wealth of experience, spanning
startups. Lea continues, “Even that sector
dozens of countries and numerous
influences small to medium business,
prominent leadership positions on
because these businesses, meaning
tech- and innovation-focused boards.
bootstrapped, or loaned, businesses,
Additionally, she was instrumental in
thrive around the ecosystem of a venture-
bringing Techstars’ FounderCon 2016
backed startup segment. It’s not just one
to Cincinnati. The event brought more
or the other – it’s the combination of all
than 1,100 startup founders, investors and
of them that will lift us up, so you have to
others from around the world together to
watch all those different segments.”
network and share best practices around
tech-based innovation.
Lea doesn’t see any reason why the
next Uber or Amazon couldn’t come out
of Cincinnati. She reflects on the city’s
Make sure startups are equipped, that
culture: “I love the tradition of us, but also
they come here, stay here, get customers
the desire to bring in some new, vibrant,
around here, and get funding. “That’s
digital-native next generation. There’s
really my day job,” says Cintrifuse CEO
a sincere desire for the tradition of this
Wendy Lea.
community to be cracked open a little bit
to let new folks in.”
In an ever-changing business climate,
Cintrifuse is a dot connector, to put it very
24
Union Hall
The region’s higher education institutions
she hopes to see more innovation
play an important role in bringing this
around those sectors, as well as others.
new talent to the city, Lea relates. She is
With industry strongholds like Kroger,
exactly right when she points out that it is
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical
not only her job, but the City’s job as well
Center, Procter & Gamble, and others,
to make sure graduates are connected to
Cincinnati is a perfect place to give big
the right degrees and career paths, e.g.,
companies access to innovation.
digital manufacturing, physical products,
cyber security, etc. to thrive in Cincinnati’s
Lea emphasizes the importance
economy.
of Cincinnati’s longstanding larger
businesses in the startup ecosystem.
Lea also credits Cincinnati’s burgeoning
These are the businesses that engage
startup scene to “gritty” entrepreneurship,
with, invest in, and rely on startups. These
and observes the Midwestern qualities
are the businesses that started out selling
that drive startups to be mindful of
bars of soap, and want to give today’s
investors’ money and work diligently for
startups their own story of growth that is
what they earn.
uniquely Cincinnati.
Looking down the line, Lea sees good
What’s next for the startup scene in
opportunities in several fields for
Cincinnati? The Cintrifuse team won’t rest
entrepreneurs looking to make an impact
until Union Hall is full and there is a line of
in Cincinnati. Given the high level of
next generation tech disrupters out the
customer service integrated in health
door.
care, retail, foodservice, and hospitality,
Cintrifuse Founding Partners Wall
25
HOUSING & COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
The Housing and Community
center with diverse housing options and
Development Division focuses on targeted
supportive housing services.
and transformative development to
provide quality housing options for all
In 2016, the Housing and Community
Cincinnati residents. Through creativity
Development Division created 611 housing
and collaboration, our division works
units, leveraging approximately $106
to position the city as a thriving urban
million in private investment.
FIGURE 2: HOUSING DIVISION RELATED PROJECTS
Project Statistics
Jobs Created
144
Jobs Retained
8
Housing Units Created
Private Investment
26
611
$106.2M
City Investment
$6.5M
Other Public Investment
$9.7M
Sands Senior Apartments
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
The projects were selected based on
their ability to make a positive and visible
impact within our neighborhoods. The
Notice of Funding Availability
265 total units developed represent 43%
The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)
of all the housing units facilitated by the
program is the primary procurement
Housing and Community Development
process for accessing City funding for
Division.
housing development projects. It funds a
full spectrum of quality housing options,
To help announce our newest round of
and, in doing so, improves housing quality
funding for calendar year 2017, the division
and affordability. The funding provided by
developed an informational webinar,
the program is significant in that it is an
which gave developers a preview of the
open and competitive process that allows
upcoming solicitation. The funding that
for transparency and aids in how the
will be available for 2017 was increased
department makes funding decisions.
by $2.5 million, bringing the aggregate
funding to $6.5 million. Of the additional
In 2016, the Housing and Community
funding, $2 million was provided to
Development Division utilized the $4
support affordable housing projects.
million in funding, announced in November
2015, to provide financial assistance
NOFA funding breakdown:
for 10 housing projects located in eight
neighborhoods: Camp Washington,
College Hill, Madisonville, Northside,
• HOME - $ 1.5 million (affordable)
Over-the-Rhine, Roselawn, South
• Capital - $2 million (affordable)
Cumminsville, and Walnut Hills. These
• Capital - $1.5 million (market rate)
• CDBG - $1.5 million (affordable and
market rate)
projects encompassed a mix of market
rate and affordable housing developments,
Applicants recommended for funding from
which included the development of 12
the money available in 2017 will be notified
owner-occupied and 253 rental units.
in the summer of 2017.
Housing
27
HOUSING & COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
(cont.)
CiTiRAMA®
American Dream Downpayment Initiative
Cincinnati has seen a boom in the rental
The American Dream Downpayment
housing market. However, the department
Initiative (ADDI) program is a down
also recognizes the importance of creating
payment assistance program designed to
homeownership opportunities for city
assist first time homebuyers with down
residents.
payment assistance and/or closing costs
up to $5,000. Participating households
With this in mind, the Housing and
must be at or below 80% of the area
Community Development Division
median income and must be willing to
partnered with the Home Builders
purchase a home in one of Cincinnati’s
Association of Greater Cincinnati to put
52 neighborhoods. Funds are awarded in
together the latest installment of the
the form of five-year forgivable loans with
CiTiRAMA® program. CiTiRAMA® has been
20% forgiven each year of occupancy.
and continues to act as a catalyst for the
In 2016, approximately $140,000 was
revitalization of urban communities and is
awarded to 37 households leveraging $3
a part of the team’s comprehensive plan
million in private financing.
to increase housing options throughout
Cincinnati.
The 2016 edition of CiTiRAMA® took place
at Gershom Grove in College Hill and
featured 36 single family homes by four
The main component that
drives business attraction
is workforce.
builders: Brookstone Homes, Drees Homes,
Maronda Homes, and Potterhill Homes.
Hand Up
Home prices ranged from $200,000 to
One of the main components that drives
$350,000. Of the 36, 23 were sold before
business attraction is workforce. To have a
the event kicked off in September 2016,
well-rounded and experienced workforce,
making it the most successful CiTiRAMA®
the City must provide job readiness
since the program launched in 1996. At
programs to cultivate employees who
the time of this report, there is only one
have the skills that employers are seeking.
remaining lot for sale.
This training is especially important for
those who are struggling to break the
cycle of poverty.
28
One such program that our Housing
expand the Hand Up initiative to maximize
and Community Development Division
the benefit it can have on our community.
administers is the Hand Up Initiative.
Launched in 2015 by Mayor John Cranley,
Strategic Partnerships Advancing
Hand Up is a comprehensive training
Communities (SPARC)
program that strives to alleviate the
2016 marks the inaugural year of the
burden of joblessness and poverty
Housing and Community Development
affecting many Cincinnatians. By helping
Division’s neighborhood-centric program
those who are out of work attain
known as Strategic Partnerships
employment and move their families
Advancing Redevelopment in
toward self-sufficiency, the Hand Up
Communities (SPARC). This program
initiative will improve the economic
provides technical assistance to
outlook and lead to better outcomes for
neighborhood organizations, including
the region.
but not limited to Community Councils,
Community Development Corporations
In calendar year 2016, over 360
(CDCs), and Community Housing
participants successfully completed Hand
Development Organizations. In 2017 DCED
Up Initiative programming. Our seven
will partner with the CDC Association of
Hand Up service providers successfully
Greater Cincinnati to administer SPARC.
placed 72% of graduates into gainful
employment. This initiative runs on a
The program’s primary objective is to
program year that is facilitated from May
leverage the available resources and
1st to April 30th of the following year.
the development expertise of City staff
Figure 3 below shows the breakdown
and the CDC Association to improve the
of Hand Up service providers and
development capacity and processes
participants for the current program year.*
of the participating neighborhood
organization (PNO). Together, DCED, the
The team is continuously seeking
CDC Association, and the PNO will be
additional providers and opportunities to
the spark that ignites a neighborhood to
achieve transformative development.
FIGURE 3: HAND UP BREAKDOWN*
Hand Up Service Providers (May 1, 2016– February 28, 2017)
Cincinnati-Hamilton
County Community
Cincinnati
Works
Freestore
Foodbank
IKRON
Corporation
Action Agency
Mercy
Neighborhood
Eater
Seals
Ministries
Tri-State
Urban
League
Totals
Total Enrollments
22
122
84
73
32
11
109
453
Program
Completions
(Graduates)
21
100
58
45
28
6
59
317
Employments
17
93
27
20
26
4
33
220
*Figure 3 Breakdown of Hand Up service providers and participants for the current program year up to the time this report was finalized.
29
HOUSING & COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
(cont.)
Looking ahead, the 2017 SPARC awardee
The Sheakley Center for Youth
is anticipated to be announced in early
Many young adults are at a high risk of
spring. Once the awardee is selected, the
experiencing homelessness, especially
program will follow a 12-month, three-
those who age out of the foster care
phase schedule, including:
system, have mental and behavioral
issues, or are leaving the juvenile
• Phase I – Exploration and Inventory
of Neighborhood Priorities
justice system. The Sheakley Center
(two months)
for Youth is a creative, adaptive reuse
• Phase II - Capacity Building
(eight months)
• Phase III - Report on Success of
of a 64,000-square foot commercial
warehouse in Walnut Hills into 39
affordable permanent supportive housing
Program and Next Steps
apartments for young adults (aged 18-
(two months)
24). Developed by the Sheakley Center
for Youth Limited Partnership, the project
PROJECTS
will also contain a youth shelter as well as
As a division, the Housing and Community
a social service component designed to
Development team strives to develop
help stabilize at-risk youth experiencing
housing opportunities that assist residents
homelessness. Total project cost is
of all ages and all income levels. A primary
approximately $7.5 million and is expected
focus is to assist our lower income families
to be completed in early 2018.
with community resources and affordable
housing. The following three projects are
examples of how we worked towards that
goal.
30
The Sheakley Center for Youth
Abington, Race, and Pleasant Apartments
Marlowe Court
Over-the-Rhine has a long, rich history
Marlowe Court is a new construction
as a diverse neighborhood. To maintain
of 53 senior affordable housing units in
this diversity, we must develop affordable
College Hill. The project will also include
housing options so residents of all income
approximately 3,600 square feet of retail
levels have quality housing options.
and commercial space on the first floor.
The senior apartments will contain a mix
Therefore, projects like the Abington,
of 22 one-bedroom and 31 two-bedroom
Race, and Pleasant Apartments are vital to
apartments and will be built to LEED
maintaining affordable housing options in
Silver standards. The project will be 100%
the neighborhood.
visitable and include a minimum of 5%
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-
The project is a collaboration between
approved and 2% sensory impairment
the Cornerstone Corporation for Shared
units. The development team consists of
Equity and The Model Group, and involves
Episcopal Retirement Services (ERS), The
the renovation of five historic buildings.
Model Group, and College Hill Community
The redevelopment of these historic
Urban Redevelopment Corporation
buildings will reduce blight, create jobs,
(CHCURC). The total project cost is
and help attract private investment in
approximately $11.0 million. Construction
the area. This project is also significant in
started in July 2016 and is expected to be
that eight of the properties are located
completed by September 2017.
south of Liberty Street, creating a rare
opportunity to preserve affordable
housing in this portion of Over-the-Rhine.
In total, this $13.7 million project will create
50 units of affordable housing totaling
approximately 77,000 square feet with
22 of the 50 units designed as accessible.
Construction started in November 2016
and is expected to be completed by the
end of 2017. The project is part of a larger
affordable housing plan in Over-the-Rhine
that will preserve historic structures as
well as provide more than 300 units of
affordable housing in the neighborhood.
Marlowe Court Groundbreaking
31
Parking Facilities
One unique strength of the Department
functionality, provide data that allows
of Community and Economic
the Parking Facilities team to reduce
Development is the inclusion of the
downtime of out-of-service meters and
Parking Facilities Division.
implement predictive enforcement in high
traffic areas during peak hours.
The Parking Facilities staff is committed
to providing high-quality customer
Figure 5 outlines the increases in revenue
service to ensure the needs of our
in FY2016.
residents, visitors, and workforce are met.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
This is done through an entrepreneurial
model that uses the latest technologies
and data to enhance the user experience
Cincy EZPark
and develop a parking system that
The City of Cincinnati has partnered
supports the active and thriving
with Conduent (formally Xerox) for
Downtown environment of tomorrow.
on-street parking services since 2014.
After bringing the first iteration of
BUDGET AND REVENUE
the City’s mobile parking application,
The FY2016 operating budget for Parking
PassportParking, launched in 2015,
Facilities Division was approximately
Conduent and Passport delivered a
$12.7 million.
new Cincy EZPark-branded application
to provide more convenient payment
The revenue from our parking operations
options for customers in Cincinnati.
increased, in part, due to our ability to
deploy technological upgrades to the
In upcoming years, we hope to build
City’s parking meters in calendar year
real-time parking availability information,
2015 (CY2015). These upgrades have
bus schedules, bike share availability and
helped to improve overall parking meter
passes, and more into the application.
FIGURE 5: PARKING FACILITIES DIVISION REVENUE
Revenue
32
2015
2016
Year over year Increase (%)
$8.7M
$10.9M
25%
Cincy EZPark is now available at all on-
Parking Improvements
street smart parking meters. With Cincy
In response to parking data and
EZPark, smartphone users can:
recommendations received from
Conduent, the Parking Facilities Division
• Purchase parking using a debit or
credit card.
implemented several improvements to
• Get alerts when meter time is about
to expire.
the City’s parking system. These include
redefining parking zones, institution of a
• Extend time remotely (up to the
maximum allotted time).
• View personal parking history.
predictive enforcement process, and the
changeover of single-space meters to
multi-space kiosks.
The Cincy EZPark application will carry
Looking ahead, we believe DCED’s work
current PassportParking users’ account
with Conduent will continue to deliver
features, profile, and stored credit cards.
useful data for more effective service
Users will be prompted to sign in using
delivery, and will enable Parking Facilities
the same credentials (email address or
to maintain its focus on data-driven
phone number) and pin number. The
technology to enhance the parking
new application also contains a feature
customer experience.
that allows merchants to set up and
fund accounts to validate parking for
On-Street Parking Improvements
customers.
To make our on-street parking system
more accessible, Parking Facilities
Looking ahead, with the improvements
helped to facilitate the lowering of 1,800
we have made to both the
meter poles to meet the American with
PassportParking and Cincy EZPark
Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility height
applications, we expect pay-by-cell
requirements. Additionally, signage
parking usage to become the preferred
and decals were replaced to provide
payment method for on-street parking
more information to users and enhance
throughout Cincinnati.
the aesthetics of our parking systems
throughout Cincinnati.
Future Site of Fourth and Race Parking Garage and Development Site
33
Business Administration
& Fiscal Operations
Our Business Administration and Fiscal
FY2016 Operating Budget
Operations Division focuses on managing
DCED’s operating budget for Operations
the budgets and fiscal operations of the
(human services and monitoring), the
department and ensures daily operations
Housing and Community Development
and human resources support to aid in the
Division, the Economic Development
department’s vision and goals.
Division, and the Major Projects Division is
BUDGETS AND PROGRAMS
The DCED total budget for fiscal year 2016
(FY2016) was approximately $46 million.
FY2016 Parking Facilities Division Budget
Parking Facilities is an enterprise fund,
meaning that its financial reporting is
separate from the rest of the department
because a fee is charged for parking
services. The FY2016, operating budget for
Parking Facilities was approximately $12.7
million.
As for the rest of the department, the
Business Administration and Fiscal
Operations Division managed over $33.3
million in FY2016, including general
fund operating, general fund capital,
Community Development Block Grant
(CDBG) administrative funds, and CDBG
program funds.
comprised of both general fund operating
and CDBG funding.
In FY2016, which runs from July 2015 to
June 2016, the Department had a general
fund budget of approximately $9.5 million.
Allocation of these funds was as follows:
• 66% - Business Administration and
Fiscal Operations Division
• 8% - Housing and Community
Development Division
• 26% - Economic Development
Division and Major Projects Division
Additionally, DCED received
approximately $1.7 million in administrative
funding from CDBG. These funds are
primarily used to fund staff that administer
the HOME Investment Partnerships
(HOME), CDBG, Emergency Solutions
Grant (ESG), and Housing Opportunities
for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) annual
programs and projects, as described in the
2015-2019 City of Cincinnati Consolidated
Plan. The Consolidated Plan is approved
by the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) and annually
reported by the City.
34
Allocation of the CDBG administrative
CY2016 CDBG Programs
funds was as follows:
In addition to the administrative funds
received from CDBG, our department
• 65% - Business Administration and
Fiscal Operations Division
also receives program funding. These
• 21% - Housing and Community
funds, unlike the others, are distributed
Development Division
on a calendar year basis. In 2016 we
• 14% - Economic Development
were awarded approximately $7 million,
Division and Major Projects Division
which funded 19 different programs
administered, either directly or indirectly
FY2016 Capital Funding
through agency service providers,
In FY2016, our department secured capital
throughout the department’s various
funding to support 26 projects, for new
divisions. See Figure 4 below for funding
housing development and neighborhood
allocation information.
business district improvements. In total,
DCED was awarded approximately $15.1
million in capital dollars, 24% of which
went to housing and 76% to economic
development.
FIGURE 4: CDBG PROGRAM FUNDS ALLOCATION
Division
Allocation
Programs Supported
Monitoring and
Compliance
16%
•
•
•
•
Housing and Community
Development Division
65%
•
•
•
•
Economic Development
19%
• Small Business Services
• Neighborhood Business District Improvement
Program (NDBIP)
• Commercial and Industrial Redevelopment
Summer Youth Employment Program
Mill Creek Restoration
Findlay Market Operating Support
Vacant Lot Reutilization
Affordable Multi-Family Rental
Hand Up Initative
CoreFour Strategic Housing Program
Compliance Assistance Repairs for the Elderly
(CARE)
• Blueprint for Success
• Emergency Mortage Assistance
• Fair Housing Services
• Housing Repair Services
• Operating Support for CDCs
• Tenant Representation
• Urban Homesteading
35
Monitoring &
Compliance
Our Monitoring and Compliance Division
One pre-existing process that we
is charged with tracking and recording
improved this past year is the annual
community and economic development
self-reporting process for both the
incentives and programs. They ensure
Job Creation Tax Credits (JCTCs)
recipients of City support comply with
and Commercial Reinvestment Area
federal and local regulations, covenants
(CRA) incentives. This process requires
set out by City agreements, and key
recipients to provide updates on their
performance indicators developed in
compliance by submitting a report
coordination with the City of Cincinnati.
on jobs created and retained and
This process ensures investments made
confirming the amount of investment
by the Department of Community and
in their projects. The improvements we
Economic Development have the greatest
made include providing the option to
impact on the community and maximize
complete and submit the annual report
the City’s return on investment.
forms online. For the recipients, this
makes the reporting process faster and
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
more efficient. For us, it reduces data
entry (saving staff time) and ensures
Implementing the Incentive Review
data automatically gets stored into our
Report Recommendations
database upon its submission.
Over the last year, the Monitoring and
Compliance Division has taken major
Next, to oversee and ensure the accuracy
strides to expand the department’s
and completeness of the reporting
oversight of incentivized businesses
information and all other department-
based on recommendations made
wide data, we created a Data Integrity
from our incentive review. These
Team (DIT). This team, which is managed
changes include building upon our
by a Data Integrity Manager, ensures
existing framework to make processes
data integrity by recommending
more efficient, ensuring accuracy and
improvements to our data-collection
completeness of data, and implementing
and reporting systems and regularly
a more rigorous monitoring process.
reviewing the accuracy and completeness
of the data.
36
Lastly, following the incentive review
Operating Contract Monitoring Process
report, the Monitoring and Compliance
Improvement
Division began to develop a more
DCED began working with the City
rigorous monitoring process that
Administration to ensure the important
includes surveillance reviews. This
work performed by general fund
process requires division staff to select
operating contract recipients supports
projects and conduct in-person meetings
the mission and goals of the Department.
with recipients and visit project sites
To this end, we partnered with the Office
throughout the lifecycle incentive.
of Performance Data Analytics (OPDA)
Through surveillance reviews, our staff
to implement a process that provides
can proactively verify the accuracy of
greater transparency in the spending of
companies’ self-reported submittals
City funds by organizations that have
as well as build a better relationship
contracts managed by our department.
with those individuals making strategic
In 2016, this list included the following
investments within the City. To date,
organizations: African American Chamber
24 surveillance reviews have been
of Commerce, CDC Association of
completed that have varied by program,
Greater Cincinnati, CincyTech, Cintrifuse,
neighborhood, and project type.
Film Cincinnati (formerly Greater
Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Film
Tax Incentive Conversion
Commission), MORTAR, Port of Greater
The Monitoring and Compliance
Cincinnati Development Authority,
Division oversaw the conversion of 11
REDI Cincinnati, and the University of
Property Investment Reimbursement
Cincinnati Economics Center as well as a
Agreements to the tax credit method
variety of human services contracts.
of payment for these incentives in 2016.
This conversion is important because it
DCED staff worked with each of the
eliminated appropriations of general fund
organizations to ensure the goals,
dollars to reimburse companies based
objectives, and scope of services stated in
on the incentive they received. Instead,
their City agreements reflected the City’s
companies now receive a refundable tax
and DCED’s mission, and to improve the
credit against the company’s tax liability
quality of agreed upon key performance
without changing the tax incentive
indicators. DCED staff will continue to
benefit amount.
monitor these organizations and their
programs through quarterly reports and
regular evaluation reviews by OPDA
and the City Manager. Through this new
process, the City hopes to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of its service
delivery through these programs, thus
maximizing the benefits of each dollar
spent by the City on them.
37
Policy &
Communications
Whether it is engaging with the
and under construction, browser-
community, working with the media,
responsive design, and additional
or producing marketing content and
features to better serve those looking to
materials, our Policy and Communications
partner with us.
staff serve as liaisons between the
department and internal and external
The change was not only effective, but
partners, clients, and customers. The
grabbed the attention of the greater
division is also tasked with managing the
economic development community.
legislative and policy-related activities of
The website was awarded the 2016
the department.
International Economic Development
Council Silver Award for “General
Our website was
awarded the 2016
International Economic
Development Council
Silver Award for
“General Purpose
Website.”
Purpose Website.”
DCED’s website will continue to
evolve to better serve site selectors,
developers, and community members.
Webinars
Our Policy and Communications Division
partnered with both the Housing and
Community and Development Division
and our Economic Development Division
to present a series of webinars designed
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Improved Communications
In our efforts to provide a more effective
tool for communication, the department
launched a new website design in
March 2016. The new www.choosecincy.
com is tailor-made, with a user-friendly
layout and navigation structure, a page
dedicated to projects both completed
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to provide developers and community
members with clear information about
programming, incentive offerings, and
some of our initiatives. The subject areas
included:
• 2016 Notice of Funding Availability
• Available Incentives
• Programs for Small Businesses
These videos are available online
at www.choosecincy.com.
Additional webinars will be offered
These videos can be found at
in 2017. If there is a subject matter or
www.choosecincy.com and feature
topic you would like to be covered, we
Director Oscar Bedolla, along with:
encourage you to contact us at
• John Barrett, Chairman, President
[email protected].
and CEO of Western & Southern
Financial Group
“Why Choose Cincinnati?”
Marketing Videos
As community and economic
• Stuart Aitken, CEO of 84.51°
development professionals, our
• Joe Allen, General Manager of GE
team members are some of the chief
Global Operations Center at
advocates for the City. We constantly
the Banks
• Mario San Marco, President, Eagle
Realty Group
work to attract and retain businesses
and residents, largely through proactive
In 2017, we will continue to look for
marketing efforts.
creative and innovative communication
tools that will showcase the city and
One such effort we undertook in 2016
highlight the great activity and people
was to work with the downtown business
found throughout Cincinnati.
community to create two videos
answering the question, “Why Choose
Cincinnati?” These videos are a powerful
tool that speaks directly to the aspects
that business executives consider when
choosing a location for their companies.
Downtown Cincinnati
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CONTACT
Director’s Office
513.352.1948
Economic Development
513.352.2435
Major Projects
513.352.1953
Housing & Community
Development
513.352.6119
Business Administration
& Fiscal Operations
513.352.6130
Monitoring & Compliance
513.352.3305
Parking Facilities
513.352.4526
Policy & Communications
513.352.6136
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