Court Street Pedestrian Plaza Renovation

Background

The City of Cincinnati is attempting to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility across all its streets, with a special focus on making downtown streets more livable. At the same time, the Cincinnati City Center Development Corporation (3CDC) wished to further develop the streetscape area immediately in front of and adjacent to the current Court Street Condominium project located from 32 to 54 on Court Street. This project was meant to provide a street that is pedestrian friendly and that can be converted into a plaza for events. 3CDC also wanted to use Court Street to connect the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood to the rest of downtown Cincinnati.

Challenge

The project’s focus was to create an environment that gives pedestrians priority and can be used for multiple functions, including traffic and parking by day and festivals and concerts at night, on weekends, and during special events.

Court Street between Vine and Walnut served as a parking lot as much as City Street, with a mix of store fronts and residential. The push to revitalize this block coincided with a strong desire to repurpose City streets for pedestrian circulation and City life as a festival street. The improvements needed to be integrated into a new pocket park/accessway to an adjacent parking area, already under design as part of a separate project by the Woolpert design team. Additionally, the project needed to complement area renovations to a number of buildings on the block by 3CDC.

Solution

Woolpert developed a schematic design for a festival street conversion with Human Nature Landscape Architects by removing curbs and signs, to create a flexible space that is easily convertible between street and entertainment use. Woolpert prepared a base plan of existing conditions as a basis for design derived from existing feature survey and ongoing design plans. Woolpert then developed preliminary plans, followed by construction documents, which fully developed the hardscape and landscape plan along with features such as special paving, lighting, furniture, seat walls, and entry features.

The project widened the sidewalks on both sides of the street to hold outdoor restaurant seating, removed a median in the middle, and revised on-street parking to 900 spaces on the south side. This project is unique because it incorporates different pavement types and a street without curbs, both of which enable easy conversion of the area to a plaza. The different pavement types create a visually pleasing street and outline where cars are meant to drive, making up for the lack of curbs.

Throughout the project, Woolpert worked with both 3CDC and the City because the streets and sidewalks are all owned by the City. Woolpert found project solutions that satisfied the planners and engineers from both groups.

Outcome

Woolpert produced construction documents for a programmable, flexible, and pedestrian-oriented space. The area is landscaped, with flexible lighting and sustainable storm water drainage. The street has electrical services for musical bands, food booths, or other power needs when the area is acting as a plaza. While flexible in use, the area still meets street requirements, is drivable, has traffic control that is safe for drivers and pedestrians, and is well-lit. The client, 3CDC, is happy with the design and the finished streetscape.

Benefits

s a result of this project, Court Street has multiple uses, both as a roadway and a festival street. The street can host a stage or tents when used as a festival area. This project has enhanced the nearby condominium properties being redeveloped, by providing attractive community space for pedestrians. The community is benefitting from the new space to host festivals or other gatherings replacing the entertainment desert in the area. Since its completion, the rate of redevelopment of the buildings on the street for housing and new quality retail has noticeably increased. Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley sees this project as especially important at this time in history: “None of us know to what extent the virtual workplace will endure beyond the pandemic, so it makes that pedestrian experience, outdoor dining opportunities that comes with a broader sidewalk…all the more important.”