It is with a very heavy heart that we are sharing the news of the passing of our own city planner, Jared Ellis.

As a department, we remember Jared first as a caring, loyal, and kind friend who shared his energy and laughter with us every day. He had a zest for life that was unmatched and will be missed. Jared was also a tremendous public servant who was proud to serve the City of Cincinnati. That pride definitely showed in the work he did, starting on his very first day with us. Jared joined the Department of City Planning as an intern in 2016 while completing his Bachelor of Urban Planning at the University of Cincinnati. Jared was tireless, never shy to take on a new challenge. This work included coordinating subdivision requests, staffing the City Planning Commission, writing and facilitating the Oakley Master Plan with the Oakley Community Council, and leading the effort to get Findlay Market designated as a “Great Place in America” by the American Planning Association.

In his position, Jared worked with many community organizations, community members, and development teams, many of whom expressed what a joy it was to work with him. We, along with the City of Cincinnati community, will miss Jared dearly.

On Friday, July 17, 2020, the City Planning Commission honored Jared with a tribute and a Mayoral proclomation was presented to Jared's family. This tribute can be viewed below:

 

Be It Proclaimed:

Whereas, Jared Ellis joined the Department of City Planning as an intern in 2016 while completing his Bachelor of Urban Planning at the University of Cincinnati, and was hired as a fulltime employee in 2018; and,

Whereas, Jared was a tremendous public servant who was proud to serve the City of Cincinnati which he demonstrated through his work, starting on his very first day; and,

Whereas, Jared was tireless, never shy to take on a new challenge, treated everyone with dignity, and was known to bring humor and a sense of levity to even the most challenging situations; and,

Whereas, Jared contributed work on many diverse projects, including facilitating the Subdivision and Zoning Working Group which resulted in the creation of the first major rewrite of the City’s Subdivision Regulations in more than 60 years; coordinating subdivision requests; staffing the City Planning Commission; writing and facilitating the Oakley Master Plan with the Oakley Community Council; facilitating the Neighborhood Planning Process for Columbia Tusculum and Kennedy Heights; co-planning the Neighborhood Summit; collaborating with the Office of Budget and Evaluation on Community Budget Engagement; managing the Community Budget Request Process; assisting with approval of the Marian Spencer Statue at Smale Riverfront Park, and leading the effort to get Findlay Market designated as a “Great Place in America” by the American Planning Association; and,

Whereas, Jared was a gifted communicator and gave countless presentations to the Cincinnati City Planning Commission, Cincinnati City Council, community groups, students, and fellow professionals; and,

Whereas, the Department of City Planning remembers Jared first as a caring, loyal, and kind friend who shared his energy and laughter every day with a zest for life that was unmatched and he will be missed; and,

Whereas, the entire City of Cincinnati community, especially the Department of City Planning and the City Planning Commission, will miss Jared dearly, but will strive to carry his spirit forward in all that we do, championing Cincinnati just as he always was;

Now, therefore, I, John Cranley, Mayor of the City of Cincinnati do hereby proclaim July 17, 2020 as “Jared Ellis Day” in Cincinnati.