City of Cincinnati Unveils First Round of Downtown Streateries

Initial Batch of Expanded Outdoor Dining Areas Officially Open for Business

CINCINNATI (May 21, 2021) – The City of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) today unveiled the first round of completed streateries, the permanent expanded outdoor dining areas that have been under construction throughout Downtown and Over-the-Rhine since January. The $2.2 million streateries project consists of the installation of wooden parklets, concrete bump-outs/sidewalk expansions, and partial closure of four streets for outdoor dining: 15th Street from Vine Street to Parvis Alley; 15th Street from Race to Goose Alley; 14th Street from Race Street to Republic Street; and Broadway from 12th Street to 13th Street in Pendleton.

Nearly 70 businesses will benefit from the program’s first round, including six that will utilize concrete bump-outs – Nostalgia, City Bird, The Eagle, Quan Hapa, The Mercer and Jeff Ruby’s – and nine that will be able to expand outdoor seating as a result of partial street closures. The rest have received high-quality wooden parklets, featuring seamlessly integrated planters and railings, so patrons can safely dine outside.

“The implementation of these permanent outdoor dining areas has already started to have a positive impact on the urban core,” Mayor John Cranley said. “In addition to supporting local businesses, the streateries have added vibrancy in Downtown and OTR and provide important traffic-calming measures. I am excited for more of our residents to return to Downtown so they can experience the transformative impact of the streateries as we celebrate this Summer of Cincinnati love.”

Implementation of the first round of streateries was funded primarily by the City of Cincinnati, with additional contributions from several private foundations, including the Devou Good Foundation, the Duke Energy Foundation, and The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation.

Cincinnati City Council recently approved an additional $2 million in funding for a second round of streateries, utilizing stimulus money from the American Rescue Plan. Over 30 businesses have applied to be included in the next round of the program, and applications are currently being reviewed for possible implementation.

A full map of currently operating streateries is available online. The map also shows streatery locations that will be opening soon.

The permanent streateries program resulted from a temporary outdoor dining program the City rolled out in May 2020 to provide relief to bars and restaurants that were either forced to close or operate at a limited capacity due to COVID-19 regulations. The City created a new permit process, and coordinated with 3CDC to carry out the implementation of the temporary outdoor dining areas.

In December 2020, after seeing the benefits of the temporary outdoor dining plan that had been implemented, the City announced it would expand the pilot program into a permanent project with concrete sidewalk expansions, wooden parklets and closing portions of streets to vehicular traffic.

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