Cincinnati has $1.9bn infrastructure fund but cannot spend it on housing, mayor says

A $1.9bn fund from the sale of a railway line in 2024 is restricted to infrastructure repairs, preventing Cincinnati from using it to address a worsening housing shortage.

• Mayor Aftab Pureval said the city is losing housing stock and not building fast enough, and that Cincinnati had the highest rental cost increase in the US in 2025.
• State Republicans restricted the fund's use to repairing existing infrastructure such as streets and parks, barring spending on housing.
• The sale of the railway line to Norfolk Southern was approved by Cincinnati voters in a referendum vote of 52% to 48%.