Program areas at 3CDC
Mixed-use real estate: much of 3cdc's mixed-use foundry project was completed in 2022, resulting in 700 new employees in Cincinnati's urban core across the building's three office tenants. The organization continues to work to connect the fountain square area to the convention Center district while filling its street-level commercial spaces with a wide variety of tenants. The organization, which currenlty has over 100 tenants in street-level commercial spaces, is focused on increasing the number of minority- and women-owned businesses in its spaces. Currently, 30% (32/107) of 3cdc's leased, street-level commercial spaces are minority-owned businesses, while 36% (39/107) of 3cdc's first-floor retail tenants are woman-owned businesses.
Civic space event management and programming: in 2022, 3cdc hosted over 1,500 free family-friendly events across the six civic spaces it manages in Cincinnati's urban core fountain square, Washington park, ziegler park, memorial hall, court street plaza and imagination alley. This included over 25,000 visitors to the ziegler park pool, free swim lesssons for over 600 adults and chidren, a low-cost summer camp catering to neighborhood youth primarily utilized by families living at or below the poverty line and a free swim team. Additionally, several dozen ambassadors worked to keep the spaces clean and safe. These activities all support creating vibrant, dynamic civic spaces that result in safer neighborhoods, due to positive activity. Additionally, patrons who visit the park often support the local economy by parking at nearby garages and visiting small businesses in the area.
Parking: 3cdc brought its parking services in-house in 2022, opting to hire 40 new employees and five new managers to oversee the management of the 10 garages and seven surface lots in the organization's portfolio. 3cdc is committed to providing clean, safe, well-lit garages, and outstanding customer service. The organization manages a total of 5,918 parking spaces in Cincinnati's urban core, setting its prices at or below market rates to ensure parking is accessible to visitors, residents and workers in downtown. Additionally, parking serves as an amenity that supports the small businesses in the urban core, making it easier for patrons to visit retail, food & beverage, and service-based establishments.
Business improvement district management: 3cdc employed over 40 full-time ambassadors in 2022, as well as 45 additional part-time employees. Ambassadors assist in the management of the six civic spaces 3cdc oversees, in addition to providing clean, safe, and beautification services throughout the two special improvement districts the organization manages the downtown Cincinnati improvement district and otr south special improvement district. This work. Ambassadors patrol the streets on foot, cleaning sidewalks and alleys and providing guides, maps and friendly assistance to visitors. 3cdc focuses on making fair chance hires and employing individuals in recovery for many of these positions, working with various job readiness programs to identify potential employees.
Development: 3cdc continued its efforts to create more affordable housing throughout otr via mixed-income Development projects in 2022. The organization completed construction on both willkommen and keyer row in 2022, bringing online 185 apartment units, 93 (50%) of which were affordable to those making 50-80% of the area median income (ami). 3cdc also started construction on another three projects august flats, adeline lofts & webster flats, and the annie that will create 67 new apartments, 24 of which will be reserved for those making 50-80% ami. In addition, the organization advanced predevelopment work on two major civic projects, the convention Center district, which involves the renovation of the convention Center and construction of a new headquarters hotel, and findlay community Center, which involves the creation of a new 60,000-square-foot state-of-the-art community Center. All of this work contributes to 3cdc's overall mission of strengthening and revitalizing Cincinnati's urban core, as the projects involve bringing underutilized properties back into use, increasing the number of housing units and activating street level commerical spaces to create jobs.