John Prout, President & CEO of TriHealth, Inc. and Uptown Consortium board chairman, at left, and Daniel Luther executive director of the Corryville Community Development Corporation and a member of Neighborhoods of Uptown, speak in support of proposed streetcar project.

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The Board of Directors of the Uptown Consortium has unanimously endorsed the proposed Cincinnati Streetcar project, seeing it as an important economic development tool that will connect the city’s two largest employment centers – Uptown and Downtown.

“We believe the streetcar will help attract talent to our city’s key economic centers,” said John Prout, President and CEO of TriHealth, Inc. and the Consortium’s board chairman. “The project will be an important force in our community that will stimulate job growth and serve to revitalize our neighborhoods. The streetcar would be a vital transit link between the cultural venues downtown and students at University of Cincinnati. It would also provide transit for the amazing number of people who visit restaurants, shops, the Zoo and other venues in the Uptown area.

The Neighborhoods of Uptown, a new coalition that includes Corryville, Clifton, Clifton Heights/University Heights/Fairview, Mt. Auburn, and Avondale have collectively endorsed the streetcar project as well. Rob Neel, president of the Clifton Heights/University Heights/Fairview Neighborhood Association said the Uptown neighborhoods are excited at the prospect of a transportation system that will link them to Downtown, and vice versa. “The streetcar project is the kind of bold initiative the neighborhoods are looking for from City Hall,” said Neel.

Phase I of the streetcar route would connect major Downtown Cincinnati landmarks. Phase II would join Downtown with Uptown neighborhoods and businesses. The streetcar team has conducted engineering and technical analysis of the possible routes from Downtown into the Uptown area, and will seek public input into those alternatives in the upcoming months.