Dear Friends & Partners:
You are likely aware that I am stepping down as President & CEO of Uptown Consortium, Inc., effective July 26, 2024. It has been an honor and a privilege to lead the organization for the past 14 years.
As the organization celebrates its 20th year of revitalizing Uptown Cincinnati, it is time for me to seek new challenges. It is also time for the organization to benefit from new leadership for the next exciting chapter of Uptown’s growth and development.
I am proud of what we have accomplished together during my tenure in helping revitalize and grow Uptown Cincinnati, greater Cincinnati’s second-largest economic engine and the region’s center of research and innovation. These accomplishments include bringing local neighborhood, civic and institutional leaders together to create an innovative and inclusive urban district.
Our collective efforts have advanced over $3 billion in real estate, community planning and economic development projects throughout Uptown. These projects include advocating for and leading the conversation for investment at the I-71 MLK Interchange. The Interchange brought with it strategic growth opportunities—and UCI has been front and center in pushing for investments and initiatives that create jobs, attract talent and build a livable community to accelerate economic growth for Uptown and the greater Cincinnati region.
In collaboration with community partners, UCI led a planning process that resulted in the MLK and Reading Road Corridor Study to proactively plan for a vibrant, diverse and growing mixed-use corridor near the new I-71 interchange. When fully built out, over $2.4 billion in investment, more than 2.5 million sq. ft. of mixed-use development, and the potential to create 7,800 jobs with $635 million in total earnings.
To date, more than 1.1 million sq. ft. of new space totaling more than $1 billion of investment is complete or underway, including UC Digital Futures, a 180,000 sq. ft. office, and research building; Digital Futures II, a 180,000 sq. ft. Class A office building; and NIOSH, a $110M state-of-the-art federal research facility.
UCI recently received a Brownfields Multipurpose Grant in the amount of $1 million dollars from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The funds will be allocated for the assessment and remediation of petroleum and hazardous waste sites within the Innovation Greenway. Spanning five acres, the Greenway is envisioned as a signature green space—a vibrant outdoor hub where scientists, researchers, employees, and neighborhood residents can converge to partake in outdoor activities and programmed events.
We partnered with community leaders and stakeholders to reverse a steep decline of the Short Vine Business District by investing in the first phase of revitalization plans including the Corryville Kroger, Hampton Inn, and Views on Vine projects, and attracting private developers to return a portfolio of dilapidated, underutilized properties to productive reuse. These investments laid the foundation for attracting new investors and businesses to the area.
We have been awarded $195 million in federal New Markets Tax Credits for projects that have expanded access to health care, housing, community services and jobs in the region. These projects include the Blood Cancer Healing Center, YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter, UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute, Corryville Kroger, Avondale Town Center, UC Digital Futures Building, U Square at the Loop, Avondale Town Center, Views on Vine and more. In all, we invested in projects throughout Uptown that generated 2800+ jobs, 600+ housing units and health care services to 150,000+ patients annually.
We launched economic and community development projects, such as the Uptown Small Business Coaching and Technical Assistance Program with Alloy Development Company, supporting hundreds of small businesses in Uptown since 2010. Additionally, we partnered with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to develop 16 market-rate townhomes in the Burnet Avenue district and launched the Avondale Housing Improvement Pilot Program, offering forgivable loans to homeowners for repairs. Most recently, in collaboration with the Avondale Development Corporation and the University of Cincinnati, we introduced the Avondale Digital Inclusion Project to assess and address digital access needs, providing resources for reliable internet, devices, technical support and digital skills training to Avondale residents.
Partnership and inclusion have been a core goal since Day One. In partnership with WEB Ventures, we have worked tirelessly to institute an award-winning economic inclusion plan unique in philosophy, scope, and depth, ensuring that minority and women-owned businesses and residents will see lasting economic benefits from the transformational progress in Uptown.
Beyond investment in real estate projects, one of our top priorities has also been advocacy for better transportation and connectivity in Uptown. With engagement and support from our community stakeholders, we have launched an Uptown/Cincinnati Innovation District Wayfinding & Improvements Plan. This initiative will improve the experience of arriving, moving and residing in the district by integrating various wayfinding and navigation elements into a coherent visual experience.
With a multitude of accomplishments and forthcoming development projects, a dynamic future beckons in Uptown and across the region.
Warmest wishes,
Beth A. Robinson, CEcD
President & CEO, Uptown Consortium, Inc.