Efforts to keep our Downtown growing continued through 2007. In January 2007, City Council first met with a consultant firm to assist in the design of a streetscape plan for Downtown Blue Ash. This effort follows the adoption of both the Blue Ash Town Center Concept Redevelopment Plan and the D-1 zoning district amendments adopted by Council in 2006.

These conceptual updates generally seek long-term redevelopment patterns that establish the Downtown area as a more pedestrian-oriented, higher-density urban environment, rather than the auto-oriented, suburban environment that exists today. Keep in mind that the streetscape plan addresses only those elements that occur in the public right-of-way. Realization of the most dramatic elements of the Plan, such as larger multi-story buildings built closer to the sidewalk and road, will depend on private development on private property. It is the City's hope that a public investment in an improved streetscape will help spur interest and investment towards the private component of the Plan.

Based upon the ideas in those documents, visits to the area, and additional direction from Council and staff, the consultant has developed a preliminary plan that recommends maintenance of some existing elements such as public benches, trash cans, and paver bricks, as well as additional downtown elements such as pedestrian level street lights and poles, new traffic lights and mounting methods, street signage, and street trees. It also recommends reconfiguration of some sections of roadway to include dedicated on-street parking and a dedicated bike lane. The style of the recommended streetscape elements is contemporary and does not attempt to mimic an old-fashioned downtown.

Planning Commission reviewed and recommended approval of the proposed Downtown Blue Ash Streetscape Master Plan at its November 1st meeting. Council formally considered the plan at its November 15th meeting (1st reading) and formally voted to approve the plan at its second reading on Thursday, December 13, 2007. Click below to see a PDF of that draft reviewed and approved by Planning Commission and Council.

• Click here to see Downtown Streetscape - Part 1 of 2 (note: large PDF file)
• Click here to see Downtown Streetscape - Part 2 of 2 (note: large PDF file)

Questions or suggestions relating to Downtown efforts should be directed to Assistant Community Development Director Dan Johnson at (513) 745-8528 or djohnson@blueash.com.