A Chicago-based developer has been selected to remake the strip of small businesses and fast-food restaurants along Calhoun Street into a $100 million mix of retail and housing.

        Higgins Development Partners will be the master developer for the street bordering the southern tip of the University of Cincinnati, a neighborhood into which university officials and neighborhood residents want to inject new life.

        “We want to turn Calhoun Street from a concrete jungle into a pedestrian-friendly environment,” said Dan Deering, director of Clifton Heights Community Urban Redevelopment Corp., a nonprofit group overseeing the development.

        Preliminary plans call for two parking garages, 120,000 square feet of retail space, about 150 mid-priced condos, 498 student homes and green space.

        Financing for the initial phase has been worked out; the neighborhood development group likely will seek city assistance and tax increment financing to pay for the rest.

        The development is being promoted by the University of Cincinnati and businesses that have struggled to stay afloat in the difficult urban setting.

        UC officials want a more presentable neighborhood for students and faculty, and businesses want a better chance of succeeding.

        An issue repeatedly cited by students who decide against attending UC is the quality of surrounding neighborhoods, said Charles Wilson, UC's project manager.

        “The quality of life doesn't stop at the edge of campus but goes into the community,” Mr. Wilson said. “The quality of the housing isn't as high as it could be.”

        Higgins, which previously developed the $70 million University Center and Kingsgate Conference Center, edged out more than a dozen other firms that submitted plans for the neighborhood, including Towne Properties and Al Neyer Inc. Higgins' partner on the retail part of the development is Madison Marquette.

        The trigger for the development is UC's $30 million, 1,100-space parking garage on the north side of Calhoun Street at Dennis Street. It will include 60,000 square feet of street-level retail space and 498 student-housing units atop of the garage.

        The neighborhood development group will build student-housing units over the parking garage. The Clifton Heights development group will issue bonds to pay for construction of student housing, Mr. Deering said.

        Financing and development plans for the south side of Calhoun Street are less crystallized.

        Preliminary plans call for a privately-financed parking garage and about 150 condos priced at about $150,000, Mr. Deering said.

        Community residents want a portion of of Calhoun Street converted into green space. The Clifton Heights group wants to combine several fast-food restaurants into a food court.

        As master developer, Higgins will have influence over the financing plan and mix of uses, Mr. Deering said.

        Higgins president Gerald Pientka could not be reached Friday. Higgins will have a head start on the retail portion. The neighborhood development group and UC lured new-to-market retailer Urban Outfitters to the site of a former church on Calhoun.

        The remaining mix of retail tenants will include locally-owned shops and national retailers, Mr. Deering said.

        A possible model is Madison Marquette's development at the University of California at Los Angeles that includes the Gap and an Apple computer retail shop.

        Mr. Deering acknowledges the ambitious project might need some public subsidy. The Clifton Heights group had preliminary discussions with city officials about using tax increment financing, a development tool that uses property tax revenue to help pay for a project.

        “This is the type of project the city needs,” Mr. Deering said. “We talk about businesses moving out of the city and declining population. This can help turn things around.”

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