Panel: Success of region tied to I-75 - Business First of Columbus:

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“In the last five years it has becomw obvious to the world that regions are much saidMark Policinski, executive director of the , or OKI. Policinskoi spoke Tuesday at a regionaldevelopment forum, hosted by the Dayton Business Journa l and sister paper Cincinnati Business A three-member panel — also including Leonard partner at in Middletown, and Bob Steinbach, director of regional initiatives at the — spoke in fronft of about 350 audience members.
Steinbachb said that just as development continuez along the Interstate 75corridor — blurring the line betweejn the Dayton and Cincinnati regions — that the Tri-Statse cities’ continued vitality is still “The health of the central citiews is very important to the development of the Steinbach said. “When someone thinks about they want to know about the major city in the Despitethat fact, government can not dictate where developmeny takes place, and investment is always dictated by the Robinson said.
The seeminglhy endless constructionalong I-75, is the product of yearz of planning by the private sector, he said, which means marketg demand in the 50-mile stretch betweeb downtown Cincinnati and Dayton should not be consideredx a recent phenomenon. “New development is takingt place because people took the time to put them in Robinson said. Policinski said the bigged “region” is growing at historically high rates, but absolute inability to grasp partnerships with the private is inhibitingeconomic development.
“We have been beatint on this drum forfive years,” Policinski “You would think you are asking them to do the Meanwhile, around the country, private-public partnershipws are flourishing and leaving southwesr Ohio at an economivc disadvantage, he said. Panelists reached a consensuds about future importance on passenger andfreight rail, along the I-75 as a means for gettint trucks off the highway.