Innovation is bubbling in Cincinnati’s Avondale neighborhood, and it’s drawing national interest.
The Uptown Innovation Corridor — a series of walkable, mixed-use developments near the new I-71 interchange at Martin Luther King Dr. — was a trending topic at this month’s Anchor District Forum. The annual event brings national economic development leaders to a new city each year. With Uptown Consortium, Inc.’s latest innovation corridor progress, Cincinnati was poised to host this year’s three-day forum.
According to Beth Robinson, president and CEO of UCI, feedback from forum participants was overwhelmingly positive. UCI is the master developer for the Uptown Innovation Corridor; when fully implemented, UCI’s master plan anticipates $2.5 billion of project investment, with more than 3 million square feet of developments.
“This is the region’s best opportunity for economic growth. Companies need to be near talent to solve problems and attract employees, and this area is perfectly poised for that.”
While the 35 forum attendees were impressed by the corridor’s momentum — more than 1 million square feet of space has been completed or kicked off — that wasn’t the primary focus. Neither was the project’s potential to create 7,500 jobs. National economic development leaders from 15 different cities were most impressed by UCI’s strong community focus.
“We were so intentional and had planned ahead with economic inclusion,” Robinson said. “We worked on neighborhood inclusion as soon as we started buying property. I think our peers appreciated that. It’s not typically done.”
Economic inclusion is more than just a buzzword for UCI; they kicked off the corridor project with a list of inclusive goals, and developers had to follow suit. Goals included contracting development opportunities from within the community, hiring from the local community and supporting the community’s investment opportunities. Economic inclusion will continue well past the development phase.
"When companies start filling the buildings, we’ll introduce them to the community,” Robinson said. “Jobs will be across all different skill levels, and we’re trying to work with our community to let them know about the opportunities.”
The corridor will bring exciting new opportunities and ideas to the Uptown community, but this development only builds upon Uptown’s existing progress. With UCI’s five anchor institutions — Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, UC Health, TriHealth, Inc., the University of Cincinnati, and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden — innovation is the foundation of Uptown Cincinnati.
“All five of these companies are engaged and committed to this work,” Robinson said. “That’s a competitive advantage as we compete nationally to bring companies here.”
The four-quadrant innovation corridor is designed to attract companies with unique developments like the 1819 Innovation Hub, an interdisciplinary space where UC students, faculty and industry partners can brainstorm and problem solve together. Kroger, Procter & Gamble and CincyTech are among the tenants; most recently, Fifth Third Bank announced it’s joining the hub as well.
Uptown’s development will go beyond shiny new buildings. UCI is planning an ecological corridor to safely connect developments for pedestrians, with pocket parks, seating decks and other gathering spaces. They’re also hoping to connect to Cincinnati’s bike trail system.
The Uptown Innovation Corridor project is underway; Robinson says buildings will be constructed in the coming weeks, although the long-term vision will involve rolling developments over the next 10 or 20 years. According to Robinson, it’s worth the wait.
“This is the region’s best opportunity for economic growth,” she said. “Companies need to be near talent to solve problems and attract employees, and this area is perfectly poised for that.”
