A New Chapter for the Mill Creek: Neighbors Celebrate Safer Access and a Future Connection to the CROWN

On Friday, October 3, 2025, neighbors in South Cumminsville, North Fairmount, and along the Beekman Corridor gathered to celebrate a milestone years in the making: the opening of a new stream access point and boat ramp on the Mill Creek near the historic “Yellow Bridge.”

Led by Mill Creek Alliance in partnership with the City of Cincinnati and the Millcreek Valley Conservancy District, this project transforms a once-fenced-off area into a welcoming gateway to one of Cincinnati’s most storied waterways. For decades, the Mill Creek has been stigmatized as a place to avoid. Today, it stands as a place of renewal and pride, where residents can connect with nature, launch a kayak, and imagine new possibilities for their neighborhood.

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Restoring the Creek, Reclaiming the Future

The effort to transform the Mill Creek corridor into a safer, more accessible place for the community has been shaped by strong grassroots leadership. Mill Creek Alliance, alongside Working In Neighborhoods (WIN) and other community-based organizations, has helped residents organize around a shared vision for environmental restoration, public investment, and long-term community control.

These conversations have not only focused on water quality and safety, but also on what it means to shape the future of the Mill Creek Valley. For too long, businesses, jobs, and grocery stores have disappeared from these neighborhoods, leaving behind disinvestment and frustration. Restoring the Mill Creek is a visible, tangible step toward a more vibrant community — one where quality of life, public health, and neighborhood pride guide the path forward.

Community leaders see projects like this as catalysts for broader change. By working together with organizations like Tri-State Trails, Mill Creek Alliance, the Port, and the City of Cincinnati, residents are exploring ways to keep land in public control, to ensure that new development benefits the people who have called this place home for decades.

The transformation of the Mill Creek corridor is part of a larger movement toward environmental justice and community-driven planning — one that puts local voices first and creates opportunities for safe, connected, and affordable living.

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Connecting Neighborhoods to Nature and to the CROWN

The Mill Creek Greenway Trail has long been envisioned as a north–south spine of the CROWN (Cincinnati Riding or Walking Network), connecting the heart of Cincinnati to neighborhoods and parks throughout the valley. This new access point marks one of the first tangible steps toward that vision, linking people not only to the water but also to a growing network of trails that connect communities across the region.

As the CROWN continues to expand — from Wasson Way to the Ohio River Trail, from Uptown to the West Side — the Mill Creek corridor represents an essential piece of the puzzle. By transforming neglected spaces into vibrant community assets, we’re creating new ways for people to move, explore, and belong.

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Looking Ahead

The success of this project reflects the leadership of residents who believe in their neighborhood’s potential and are working to shape its future. Together, they are proving that environmental restoration and community investment can go hand in hand, creating a stronger, healthier, and more connected Cincinnati.

To learn more about the Mill Creek and the many ways to get involved, visit Experience the Mill Creek and stay tuned for more updates as the greenway trail continues to take shape.