NEWS FROM THE PORT

Edition No. 31 | July 2026

Pictured: Project partners join The Port to cut the ribbon on 649 and 656 Sedam in June.

Celebrating Sedamsville

In June, The Port held one of its most meaningful open house events to date: celebrating the first two completed home renovations of a planned 18‑home transformation that will bring new, attainable homeownership opportunities to Sedamsville. The project began in 2022 when, at the City’s request, The Port acquired a large portfolio of properties through a court-appointed receivership sale. Many of the historic homes in the neighborhood had experienced decades of disinvestment and neglect, requiring significant rehabilitation.

After years of stabilization, community engagement, and assembling funding, renovation began on 18 single-family homes at the beginning of 2026.  Working alongside development and construction partners – including Adams Construction and Renovations, Unlimited Carpentry, Queen City Contractors, Prestige Home Improvement & Roofing, CORE Resources, Platte Architecture + Design, and Firehouse Nursery – the project has advanced rapidly over the past several months.

The Port was joined by elected officials from the state and local levels, development partners, community advocates, and realtors to cut the ribbon on 649 and 656 Sedam, celebrating a major milestone in Sedamsville’s housing market, both of which are already under contract! These homes are now positioned to tell new family histories and will be sold at attainable price points, up to $180,000.

Thank you to the Ohio Department of Development, Hamilton County, the City of Cincinnati, and the Cincinnati Development Fund for partnering with us to fund this transformational project. Thank you to the Greater Cincinnati Realtist Association for fully engaging to get these homes sold. Thank you to so many of The Port’s staff who are fueling the renaissance of this neighborhood. We are grateful to be entrusted with ushering in new vibrancy, and we look forward to welcoming you all to many more ribbon cuttings!

Event Round Up

Pictured: A map of Hamilton County depicting a few of the places The Port has engaged with friends, partners, and communities over the past two months. From the top center going clockwise, Adopt A Class at Factory 52, groundbreaking at Three Oaks, soft opening at Sebastian Coffeehouse, ribbon cutting in Sedamsville, and Congressman Greg Landsman visits the West End Mixed-Use Renovation project.

Over the past two months, The Port team has been on the move, breaking ground on new homes, cutting ribbons on finished ones, and showing up at tables across the region to talk about housing, revitalization, and what’s next for Greater Cincinnati. Check out our latest blog post for a few of the moments that stood out.

Sebastian Coffeehouse Grand Opening

Pictured: Friends and partners gather to enjoy coffee and pastries at Sebastian Coffeehouse’s soft opening.

Developing Opportunity

Pictured: The Port’s Adopt A Class students visiting Factory 52 to wrap up a year of learning about development.

For the fourth school year in a row, Port employees spent one hour a month mentoring third-grade students at Oyler School in Lower Price Hill as part of the Adopt A Class program. Adopt A Class connects local businesses with classrooms to help students learn about different careers while allowing employees to sharpen leadership skills and give back to their community. The Price Hills, Sedamsville, and the Beekman Corridor, where several of these students live, are areas where The Port is actively investing, providing a great opportunity to connect Oyler students with real-life examples of how real estate works in their neighborhoods. Volunteering enabled us to develop activities related to different components of our work, including public finance, construction, partnerships, historic preservation, commercial projects, and Cincinnati’s role in industrial manufacturing.

In May, classroom visits concluded with a field trip to Factory 52, a convergence of several focus areas of The Port’s work. Students enjoyed a tour led by PLK Communities, lunch in the Gatherall, ice cream from Jeni’s, and playtime in the green spaces, on the iconic playing cards, and at the climbing wall. We were grateful to host a meaningful conclusion to another purposeful year!

Legacy Loan Program Supports Home Repairs and Energy Upgrades for Cincinnati Homeowners

Cincinnati homeowners now have an affordable way to tackle needed repairs and upgrades. The Port’s Legacy Home Improvement Loan Program offers loans from $5,000 to $25,000 at just 2% interest, repayable over 10 years, for items such as roof repairs, plumbing and electrical work, HVAC systems, and accessibility improvements. Eligible applicants include homeowners in the City of Cincinnati who’ve owned their home for at least 5 years and meet income guidelines. To learn more and submit a prequalification form, visit the link below.

The Legacy Program is administered by The Port, in partnership with Fifth Third Bank, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the City of Cincinnati.

Port Welcomes New Team Members

Dan Kennedy | Real Estate Development Manager — Dan brings nearly a decade of economic development experience from Northeast Ohio, most recently with Team NEO. He’ll be driving neighborhood and regional revitalization projects across Hamilton County.

Kim McCain | Manager of Public Finance & Compliance — Kim joins us with 20+ years of corporate trust, indenture, and compliance experience from her career at BNY. She’ll be supporting our development finance work across Cincinnati and Hamilton County.

Christen Stovall | Senior Accountant — Christen brings nonprofit and governmental accounting experience to our finance team, supporting month-end close, reconciliations, and audit prep across multiple entities. She is a Cincinnati native, Xavier University grad, and adjunct instructor at Cincinnati State.

Please join us in welcoming them all to our team!