CINCINNATI — College Hill is undergoing one of the largest periods of transformation in its history.
At the center of the action is the College Hill Plaza, which just transitioned hands from an out-of-state developer to the College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation (College Hill CURC).
The $3.8 million acquisition is one of the largest real estate transactions in at least three decades in College Hill.
“When it's owned by an out of state investor, they determine the direction of the business district,” said College Hill CURC CEO Emmanuel Karikari. “We really wanted to take that control back for the community.”
Karikari said plans are in the works to make upgrades to the facade, landscaping and safety for the remaining 11 businesses. Cincinnati Police District 5 headquarters, a former tenant, vacated the plaza in November 2023.
It’s located along Hamilton Avenue in a location Karikari described as a “critical corner” for the neighborhood’s business district.
The redevelopment is just the latest in $91 million worth of projects over the past 8 years, according to College Hill CURC. $45 million are in a pipeline of development for the future.
“We get to determine the future of College Hill,” Karikari said.
He described local ownership and development as a “defensive play” to keep rent low for legacy College Hill residents. It enables the CURC to provide affordable housing, support small businesses and increase economic development while including the community in the process.
“[That’s] a huge win for College Hill,” Karikari said. “Everything we do for College Hill is to really make sure that College Hill determines its own future.”
Up the street from the plaza, Matt Wright is a new business owner who was attracted by Karikari’s vision for the neighborhood.
Open less than a week, “Free Parking” brings together a bar, bites and board games.
“I wanted to create spaces where people could have fun, and I really liked the idea of merging food and beverage options with an activity,” Wright said.
The shelves to the left of the bar have every type of game: niche, local, complex and timeless.
The neighborhood’s development and growing energy excited Wright as he was searching for a community to land in.
“One of the things that me and Emmanuel talked about a lot was what it looks like to continue to develop a neighborhood without leaving the neighborhood behind,” he said.
In many ways, that mission is the antithesis to the bar’s namesake game, Monopoly, where players compete until everyone, except the winner, goes bankrupt.
“Monopoly is all about go, go, go, make money, take money, spend money. And the free parking space is the only space where you actually get to take a break,” Wright said. “That’s why we’re called ‘Free Parking’ because it’s the chance for you to come in and just take a load off.”
Free Parking is open:
- Tuesday-Thursday 3 .p.m to 11 p.m.
- Friday 3 p.m. to 1 a.m.
- Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
- Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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