What is the Value of CNBDU?

CNBDU is a leading partner in the City's community development effort. It is a successful, result driven, non-partisan, effective force for community development that recommends the use of public funding based on likelihood of success, value, and private leverage. It is a resource to the City that brings expertise that the City could not gain (or pay for) through any other means.

CNBDU estimates that its members collectively expend more than 3,000 hours each year for the benefit of the City of Cincinnati through their participation with CNBDU. These are volunteer hours expended willingly to improve the City. Based on the expertise and experience of the members of the organization, the City could not gain this value with an expenditure of less than $300,000 per year.

Beyond this value in time is the value in expertise through assistance and diligent, non-partisan review by those that know the community, its market, and its development forces. CNBDU believes that the City could not obtain this value at any cost.

What have been the CNBDU Successes?

Between 1995 and 2017, CNBDU has recommended funding for 323 projects in 33 Cincinnati neighborhoods. The City Manager and City Council have approved funding for 100% of the projects recommended by CNBDU.

Of the 323 projects that have received funding 301 are completed and several more are in process of completion. More than 7125 jobs have been retained and more than 4542 jobs have been created. Approximately 44.6 million in public funding appropriated by the City of Cincinnati for these projects has leveraged more than 450 million of private investment in Cincinnati’s Neighborhood Business Districts.

What is needed for the Continued Success of CNBDU?

CNBDU recognizes that there are additional business areas that are not within the CNBDU definition of Neighborhood Business Districts but are important to neighborhoods and to the City as a whole. With this recognition, CNBDU recommends the following:

  • An evaluation and clear identification by the City of the existing business districts according to the CNBDU definition. Final determinations to be made with the advice of CNBDU.
  • An effort by the City to address the key corridors in the City on which many of the business areas (that are not neighborhood business districts) are located as areas for priority action for redevelopment by the City. Further, we request that there be specific action taken by the City to ensure expeditious implementation of improvements throughout the City.
  • An effort to advise neighborhoods that they may petition to have an area designated as a Neighborhood Business District. Preliminary criteria for designation as a neighborhood business district is suggested as follows:
  • More than one business and/or property owner is active in the area for designation as a neighborhood business district.
  • The request for designation as a neighborhood business district is supported by the neighborhood.
  • There is a plan for further development of the proposed neighborhood business district.
  • There is evidence that the proposed neighborhood business district supports and is reliant upon neighborhood-generated business.
  • In addition, to be successful, CNBDU requires an identified liaison between the City of Cincinnati development departments and CNBDU. This liaison will be most effective if he or she is provided cross-departmental authority and responsibilities for inter-departmental team coordination for the completion of Neighborhood Business District projects.

Finally, CNBDU recognizes the critical importance of mixed-use buildings (residential and commercial uses) to most urban Neighborhood Business Districts. It requests funding mechanisms that will allow for the comprehensive renovation of mixed-use buildings in Neighborhood Business Districts.