Journalists aim to stay neutral about the stories they cover.
But personal preferences do sometimes come into play.
When I first proposed a story about the city of Cincinnati returning to its 2011 Revive Cincinnati effort to boost development of communities along Interstate 75, I noticed one of six upcoming meetings on the plan would be in South Cumminsville.
I picked that one because I was familiar with the neighborhood from a 2022 story about its stormwater issues – and because it was scheduled close to Mr. Gene’s Dog House around dinnertime.
Fortified with a fish sandwich from Mr. Gene’s, Enquirer intern Annie Goldman (a vegetarian who nonetheless ordered up a hot dog) and I sat in the South Cumminsville meeting as a first step in reporting our “Drive to Revive” story.
Reporters earlier teamed for Queensgate story
Colleague Sydney Franklin, it turns out, was already engaged in the Revive story — even without the lure of drive-up dinner spot.
Sydney and I became aware of the original 2011 plan when we worked together on a 2023 story about the future of Queensgate.
One of the Enquirer’s real estate development experts, Sydney had already been poking around Camp Washington for months, looking into what plans this old manufacturing neighborhood had to attract more investment and, in turn, more residents. Their end game? To become less of a destination known for its chili and an expanded sign museum, and more of a place where people want to live long term and raise a family.
So we teamed up to interview officials involved in the Revive reboot, then divided up reporting from some of the impacted neighborhoods.
Sydney focused on Camp Washington as part of the Hopple Street zone in the Revive plan, along with the West End, Downtown and Queensgate.
I focused on the South Cumminsville-Northside zone, along with St. Bernard in the Mitchell Avenue area.
The result is a look at what these neighborhoods want out of the Revive work, in advance of city decisions on what to tackle first. Think of the initiative as a giant wish list, full of ideas that could turn these areas into the next Walnut Hills.
We think it’s a pretty meaty (not fishy!!) look at what might be possible for often-neglected Cincinnati neighborhoods. Hear from them, in their own words, about what they want and need right now.
Enterprise reporter Patricia Gallagher Newberry and development reporter Sydney Franklin are part of the Enquirer team that focuses on government, politics and business.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What is the city’s Revive Cincinnati plan?