THE METROPOLEJordan GuyEnglish 250Section VF
History Metropole was a luxury
hotel built in Downtown Cincinnati in 1912
In 1971, the Metropole was bought out and remodeled
Changed into affordable housing complex Affordable housing is
housing for low-income individuals or families
Affordable housing costs at most 30% of whatever a person’s income currently is
The problem On November 3rd, 2009, the Cincinnati City
Center Development Corporation (3CDC) bought the Metropole
3CDC planned to renovate the Metropole and change it back into a deluxe hotel with an art museum and restaurant Doing so would make the Metropole no longer
affordable housing Needs mediation because people tend to
feel very strongly one way or the other, little give and take
Anti-renovation Former tenants of the Metropole didn’t want to be
forced to leave their homes Ideally located in the middle of Downtown Cincinnati
Over-the-Rhine (new location) was very much a step down Very rundown, impoverished Lack of necessities (grocery stores, laundromats, ect.) 3 straight years on the Top 25 Most Dangerous
Neighborhood list
A Metropole Tenant
Pro-renovation Renovating the
Metropole brings in more business to downtown area Nearby stores,
restaurants, attractions see an uplift in business
“The lunch and dinner crowds have been a lot bigger and we’ve been doing quite a bit better since the Metropole reopened.”
The renovation and reopening offers many jobs where there were few before Cincinnati
unemployment rate rose above 10% in late 2010
The reconstruction of the Metropole offered 540 temporary construction jobs
The hotel offers 160 permanent jobs
Inside the New Metropole
Mediation:3CDC builds new affordable housing complex in
West End neighborhood West End is next to
Downtown Allow former
tenants to remain a community
West End land is currently cheap and the neighborhood is much better than Over-the-Rhine
Budget for 3CDC in 2012 is over 250 Million
Avoid lawsuits from former tenants (6 have been settled, 3 still in progress)
Avoid bad PR Gain good
reputation
Map of Cincinnati
Works Cited “Cincinnati, OH Employment and Jobs”. Areavibes. Areavides.
2010-2012. Web. 4/1/12. “Developing New Affordable Housing and Resources”. PLANNYCHA.
New York Housing Authority. 2012. Web. 3/31/12. Easeson, Ryan. Personal interview. 3/14/12. Flannery, Gregory. Posted on Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the
Homeless’ wall. 12 Nov. 2009. Facebook posting. LeMaster, Kevin. “Building Cincinnati.” N.p. 2012. Web. 3/27/2012. McCaskey, Katie. Gentrification Wars: Cincinnati Metropole. 2009.
AOL Real Estate. Web. 3/27/2012. McCray, Florence. Personal Interview. 3/13/12. Spring, Josh. Personal Interview. 3/13/12. “Top 25 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods”. It’s Tactical. It’s Tactical:
Imminent Threat Solutions. Oct. 6th, 2010. Web. 3/31/12.