Take Action at Cincinnati Planning Commission 11/17 to Stop the Teardown of 1005 Gilbert for Surface Parking
Update 11/17/2023: Thank you for speaking out! In today's planning meeting, the Cincinnati Planning Director added the Chavez request to teardown the building at 1005 Gilbert Ave for a surface parking lot to the agenda, prompting questions from Commissioners. The planning staff presented the proposed surface parking regulation changes, during which the proposed demolition of 1005 Gilbert Ave and stormwater runoff issues were discussed. Multiple members of the public spoke against the plan and the commissioners voted 4-1 to continue the discussion at the December 1st meeting.
1005 Gilbert Ave
Act 11/17/2023 Against Car-Centric Development
With the vote on the surface parking ban set for mere weeks from now, a parking lot developer is trying to circumvent the process. Council has approved a temporary ban on new surface parking while the issue is studied by city management. The report and vote are set for early December. Yet, the developer was able to get on the planning commission agenda less than 24 hours before the meeting. Your in-person assistance is crucial to stop the teardown.
Critical Vote Alert: Cincinnati Planning Commission Meeting
Date: November 17th, 2023
Time: 9:00 AM
Location: Cincinnati City Hall
Attend this pivotal meeting, in-person at City Hall to voice your dissent for the approval to teardown 1005 Gilbert Ave for surface parking.
Talking Points:
CPC should deny the permit or
CPC should wait until the amendment comes before the planning meeting 12/1/2023.
Together, let's tell City Planning Commission: "No more surface parking lots!" Your participation can shape the future of our city.
CPC Agenda Item on 1005 Gilbert Ave
Additional Talking Points:
Feel free to customize or add your own.
More parking promotes more car usage (induced demand)
More parking creates more runoff and a heat island effect
Any land that is used for surface parking is not being used for housing, hotel, industry, or any other use.
Negative impacts on revenue to the city
Barely any property tax, no income tax
Parking: We already have about 40k off-street spots in downtown
We need to take a holistic approach that looks at the entirety of our downtown in the context of the City as a whole.
Downtown is the most accessible neighborhood by transit
The worst use of land downtown is a surface parking lot
We should not make a carve-out for a specific property owner or a small portion of property
All property owners downtown should be treated equally
If someone wants to build a surface parking lot, they can:
Go through the variance process
Get a 2-year temporary lot built
Go through the same process as everyone else
2018:
“Surface parking lots downtown should be discouraged to make way for higher density uses of the space, and minimum parking requirements should be reduced.”
“Population density frees up more land for farming and greenspace. Denser areas allow more people to have access to goods and services that might not be available to people with mobility challenges.”
2023:
Connected Communities section:
“Embrace zoning reform that increases density near transit, reduces or eliminates parking requirements across the city, and minimizes the use of surface parking lots”
Can’t make it? Sign the petition below and we will keep you updated.
Signin the No More Concrete Wastelands petition to let your elected officials know that you want Cincinnati to continue to be a thriving city, not endless parking lots.
