Cincinnati City Council has approved two entertainment districts that could bring more bars and restaurants to parts of Cincinnati that are already seeing big changes.
The Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) applied for one of the districts to be created along Court Street downtown, and Camp Washington’s community development corporation wants to establish a similar district in a large swath of that neighborhood.
Now that both have council approval, the next step is for applicants to get the go-ahead from the state of Ohio.
State law allows for the creation of the Community Entertainment Districts, which in turn enable the issuance of one D5-J liquor license per five acres included in the districts. Those licenses are full liquor licenses, but cannot be transferred outside the district.
Camp Washington, a growing hub for artists, has seen a number of recent efforts to stimulate its business district, including the acquisition by the neighborhood CDC of the historic U.S. Chili Building in the heart of the district and recent rezoning aimed at boosting walkable development.
The boundaries of the proposed Community Entertainment District in Camp Washington are complex, but encompass much of the neighborhood and generally stretch along Colerain Avenue through Camp Washington’s center. The district’s 132 acres mean Camp Washington could receive up to the maximum of 15 new liquor licenses.
Court Street, meanwhile, has seen a huge burst of development — most notably the opening last month of downtown’s first Kroger location in 50 years. 3CDC and other developers are also working on residential and commercial projects nearby. That proposed entertainment district would stretch between Central Parkway and Ninth Street from Central Avenue to Sycamore Street and sit between two existing entertainment districts just north in Over-the-Rhine and just south in the rest of downtown. Its 51 acres could mean as many as 10 more liquor licenses.
Not all council members were sold on the Court Street district. Council member Tamaya Dennard said she didn’t necessarily oppose the district, but wanted to see the results of a parking study for the area and was worried that the new district could impact existing small businesses and those coming to the Hamilton County Courthouse.
In both cases, the aim is to enable the addition of more restaurants and bars in the proposed districts, according to memos from city administration.
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 12, 2019.