On September 15, 2023, the LISC Greater Cincinnati staff, along with Local Advisory Committee members and stakeholders from the region hopped on a bus and toured LISC’s impact in the Greater Cincinnati area. During this afternoon tour, we made several stops along the way, starting in Price Hill traveling through Downtown Cincinnati, and ending in Walnut Hills. In both Price Hill and Walnut Hills, LISC has paired its lending tools with capacity building and support of place-based community development organizations to create transformative impact.
Our first stop of the day was at the ARCO Events Center in Price Hill. Taking the lead on this project is Price Hill Will, the Community Development Corporation (CDC) for the three Price Hill neighborhoods. This project to restore a former Masonic Lodge received a $1.03 million bridge loan from LISC. Our second stop in Price Hill was the Warsaw Avenue Creative Campus, a bold and unique approach to community development. LISC invested $615,000 in acquisition loans and a $1.04 million construction loan to purchase buildings in need of repair along Warsaw Avenue. This project includes a renovated firehouse, which is the home to the MyCincinnati Youth Orchestra, a plant shop, and a soccer and Hispanic goods shop, with a tea shop, pastry shop, coffee roaster, and more restaurants and shops opening soon.
We also visited The Barrister in Downtown Cincinnati, a mixed-use, 44 unit housing project developed by Urban Sites, Over-the-Rhine Community Housing (OTRCH), and Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC). LISC provided $345,000 in predevelopment and $2.99 million in acquisition loans to help the first affordable housing project in Downtown Cincinnati come to life.
Our final stop was Paramount Launch in Walnut Hills. This project developed by The Model Group and Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation revitalizing the site of a former grocery store and several vacant buildings into space for local non-profits and 56 mixed income rentals. LISC provided a $2.59 million construction loan to make it a reality.
This is just a small portion of the investment LISC Greater Cincinnati has made in the region. In 2022, we invested over $18 million and leveraged over $33 million in impact-focused investments. To view tour materials, including our route, click here.