Another plan to revive Cincinnati’s industrial Mill Creek Valley has emerged and it includes a kayak launch, a lookout tower, maybe even a floating bar.
Cincinnati City Council will hear conceptual ideas to invigorate the creek and nearby land at a 1 p.m. Jan. 21 committee meeting on housing and growth.
Known as Experience Mill Creek, the project focuses on access to the creek and its impact on the neighborhoods of South Cumminsville, Millvale, English Woods, North Fairmount, South Fairmount, Camp Washington and Lower Price Hill.
HomeBase, urban design and planning firm Yard & Co. and Tri-State Trails are leading the plan. The project team also includes local community councils, The Port, Mortar and the Mill Creek Alliance, among others.
Here’s a look at what’s being proposed in the conceptual plan for the Beekman Corridor area, which runs parallel to Mill Creek from the Western Hills Viaduct north through South Cumminsville:
In five to 10 years, this pocket of the Beekman Corridor could even house apartments, hotels or hubs for industrial manufacturing.
Further south, the project is expected to connect South Fairmount and the Lick Run Greenway, as well as Lower Price Hill and its business district, to the creek.
How much would reviving the Mill Creek Valley cost?
Total project cost estimates aren’t available yet, but according to a presentation submitted to the city, temporarily improving access to this part of Mill Creek for things like kayaking, eating and drinking could cost between $245,000 to $340,000.
Last summer, Cincinnati City Council approved $275,000 in funding for the Experience Mill Creek project. Council member Mark Jeffreys has been involved in the Experience Mill Creek project for the last three years.
Reviving ‘raggedy’ industrial neighborhoods
A handful of other existing plans also aim to breathe life into the Mill Creek Valley’s long-neglected neighborhoods:
This all comes after a concerted effort to clean up and improve water quality in Mill Creek, which was named the most endangered stream on the continent just three decades ago. (Pollution and sewage dumped from nearby factories left the creek with a foul reputation for over a century.)
The “Experience Mill Creek” plan, though relevant to the other revive-the-valley plans, focuses on access to the creek itself. Still ongoing, the plan is expected to result in a series of semipermanent recreation installations along the creek in the near future.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kayaking and a floating bar? See ideas to revive access to Mill Creek
Reporting by Sydney Franklin, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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