The Port Seeking Bids to Redevelop Former Mt. Auburn Cable Railway Site

Also seeking creative developers for former Alms’ parking garage

Cincinnati, OH, June 3, 2021 – The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority (The Port) is seeking developers of multi-family, mixed-use, single-family, and commercial projects to provide proposals for the redevelopment of two properties. The first is the property that once housed the Mt. Auburn Cable Railway building at 2001 Highland Avenue in Mt. Auburn. The historic Cincinnati structure partially collapsed from the weight of snow this past winter and required emergency demolition. The second property is the former parking garage of the historic Alms Hotel in Walnut Hills. Both properties are owned by the Landbank, a managed entity of The Port.

2001 Highland is approximately one-third of an acre site located at the highly visible corner of Highland and Dorchester Avenues. Although the Landbank’s preference is to solicit proposals to increase the affordable housing density in the neighborhood, all project types are welcome. The Mt. Auburn neighborhood is located just north of Over-the-Rhine and South of the Uptown neighborhoods of Clifton, Avondale and Corryville.

The original cable house was built in 1884 for the Mount Auburn Cable Railway, which emerged as an alternative to the city’s inclines for transporting passengers from the urban basin to uptown neighborhoods that were then still considered suburban.