Bridging Broadway, a non-profit dedicated to making sure that Cincinnati's new casino integrates well into the City's existing urban fabric and spurs new opportunities, will host its second public visioning session from noon to 4 P.M. on Saturday at BOOST...for meetings sake, in Pendleton.

Local architects and planners will facilitate group discussions and interactive exercises to gauge the opinions of residents, businesses, landowners, and City enthusiasts.

Funded by the City and conducted with the assistance of Bridging Broadway and City staff, volunteers from the University of Cincinnati Community Design Center, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, the community outreach effort is part of a six-month district study of the economics, social issues, transportation, and urban design issues within an approximately half-mile radius around the 20-acre Broadway Commons site.

What will emerge will be a better picture of how the casino can build upon the existing assets in Over-the-Rhine, Downtown, and the surrounding neighborhoods. Development opportunities and quality of life issues will also be examined.

During the the first visioning session held last October, 50 participants walked over 100 combined miles of neighborhood streets, creating a series of maps highlighting the positive and negative aspects of the surrounding neighborhood.

A "baseline" map based upon these findings is likely to be unveiled Saturday.

Saturday's session is sold out; however, a third session will take place in late February. Bridging Broadway also solicits public input on its website.


About the casino

Upon completion in late 2012, the $400 million, 350,000-square-foot casino is expected to generate nearly $520 million in annual gambling activity, generate 2,800 jobs, and bring more than six million annual visitors Downtown.

Earlier this month, Rock Ohio Caesar's LLC, the joint development team formed by property owner Rock Gaming and casino operator Caesar's Entertainment Corporation, announced that it will lease 6,500 square feet in the for its construction offices. Between 30 and 40 will be employed there.

Previous reading on BC:
Casino-area study will begin September 1 (8/19/10)
Harrah's selected as minority partner, operator of Cincinnati casino (8/16/10)
Bridging Broadway steps in to address casino issues (8/2/10)
Strickland signs casino rules, with reservations (6/14/10)
Casino on the agenda for upcoming 'Power Breakfast' (4/22/10)