Mercer Garage Opens

Posted on May 14, 2013 by amileham

Mercer Garage opens, brings 340 parking spaces to OTR

Garage open for business while construction continues on new Vine Street condos

CINCINNATI (Thursday, May 9, 2013) – The Mercer Garage is open to the public today, May 9. Part of a three-phased, $62 million project encompassing almost three acres and two city blocks, the garage boasts 340 parking spaces on five levels. It will soon be hidden behind new construction on Vine Street and Mercer Street, but for now the structure is exposed for viewing.

Parking rates at Mercer Garage will mirror those at the Washington Park Garage, two blocks away: $1 an hour up to an $8 maximum on weekdays, or a $3 maximum after 4pm and weekends. Monthly parking is also available at $85 per month.

Garage entrances are located on the east side of Vine Street between 13th & 14th Streets, and on Mercer Street which runs between Vine and Walnut Streets. Cars may only exit onto Mercer Street. As with all 3CDC-managed garages, it will be staffed 24 hours and monitored by surveillance cameras mounted throughout all parking levels, elevators and stairs. The easy-to-use color-scheme and wayfinding systems within the garage were designed by We Have Become Vikings, a creative shop that moved to 1417 Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine in 2012.

The garage opens at a critical time in Over-the-Rhine, as another 250 residential units come online, and the latest shops, bars and restaurants are attracting more visitors daily. The summer event season in Washington Park alone will draw an estimated 500,000 people to its free concerts and programming.

In addition to the 340-space parking garage, the first phase of Mercer Commons includes 11 condominiums in 4 historic rehabs on Mercer Street which are almost complete, 5 new-construction townhomes on Mercer, and a mixed-use, new-construction building on Vine Street to yield 12 condominiums and 3,900 SF of commercial space. This phase of the project was financed through the 3CDC-managed Cincinnati Equity Fund, New Markets Tax Credit equity, a JobsOhio loan, and a $1.5 million City grant.

The entire project encompasses 19 buildings and 26 vacant parcels on 2.7 acres yielding 96 apartments, 30 of which will be affordable apartments, 28 condominiums, 17,600 SF of commercial space and 359 parking spaces.