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The MEtropole. Jordan Guy English 250 Section VF. History. Metropole was a luxury hotel built in Downtown Cincinnati in 1912 In 1971, the Metropole was bought out and remodeled C hanged into affordable housing complex Affordable housing is housing for low-income individuals or families
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The MEtropole Jordan Guy English 250 Section VF
History • Metropole was a luxury hotel built in Downtown Cincinnati in 1912 • In 1971, the Metropole was bought out and remodeled • Changed into affordable housing complex • Affordable housing is housing for low-income individuals or families • Affordable housing costs at most 30% of whatever a person’s income currently is
The problem • On November 3rd, 2009, the Cincinnati City Center Development Corporation (3CDC) bought the Metropole • 3CDC planned to renovate the Metropole and change it back into a deluxe hotel with an art museum and restaurant • Doing so would make the Metropole no longer affordable housing • Needs mediation because people tend to feel very strongly one way or the other, little give and take
Anti-renovation • Former tenants of the Metropole didn’t want to be forced to leave their homes • Ideally located in the middle of Downtown Cincinnati • Over-the-Rhine (new location) was very much a step down • Very rundown, impoverished • Lack of necessities (grocery stores, laundromats, ect.) • 3 straight years on the Top 25 Most Dangerous Neighborhood list
Pro-renovation • Renovating the Metropole brings in more business to downtown area • Nearby stores, restaurants, attractions see an uplift in business • “The lunch and dinner crowds have been a lot bigger and we’ve been doing quite a bit better since the Metropole reopened.” • The renovation and reopening offers many jobs where there were few before • Cincinnati unemployment rate rose above 10% in late 2010 • The reconstruction of the Metropole offered 540 temporary construction jobs • The hotel offers 160 permanent jobs
Mediation:3CDC builds new affordable housing complex in West End neighborhood • West End is next to Downtown • Allow former tenants to remain a community • West End land is currently cheap and the neighborhood is much better than Over-the-Rhine • Budget for 3CDC in 2012 is over 250 Million • Avoid lawsuits from former tenants (6 have been settled, 3 still in progress) • Avoid bad PR • Gain good reputation
Works Cited • “Cincinnati, OH Employment and Jobs”. Areavibes. Areavides. 2010-2012. Web. 4/1/12. • “Developing New Affordable Housing and Resources”. PLANNYCHA. New York Housing Authority. 2012. Web. 3/31/12. • Easeson, Ryan. Personal interview. 3/14/12. • Flannery, Gregory. Posted on Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless’ wall. 12 Nov. 2009. Facebook posting. • LeMaster, Kevin. “Building Cincinnati.” N.p. 2012. Web. 3/27/2012. • McCaskey, Katie. Gentrification Wars: Cincinnati Metropole. 2009. AOL Real Estate. Web. 3/27/2012. • McCray, Florence. Personal Interview. 3/13/12. • Spring, Josh. Personal Interview. 3/13/12. • “Top 25 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods”. It’s Tactical. It’s Tactical: Imminent Threat Solutions. Oct. 6th, 2010. Web. 3/31/12.