Blue Line

Currently doing comprehensive alley research, and I didn't know these houses finally changed hands. I'm a bit worried about the viewshed compromising the strength of the hillside. But much of that growth was invasive.

The Zier Place ROW actually runs as far west as the Renner Street bend.

Would love to learn more about the College Street vision.

All about that. Working on a proposal for the alley corridor from Main Street to Reading Road, at least for full enhancement of the space. It's an untapped gateway.

That's because College Street had to be realigned to accommodate construction of the Macy's building. What comes out on to W 7th is actually Roots Alley.

I absolutely hate that Rent-a-Center has taken that part of the community hostage. It's just a quick walk from my place. Going to Kroger is *not bad at all*. It's just the walk through the desolate war torn parking lot that makes me uneasy. Phase II of U Square will be finished even before RAC leaves.

I moved from a building near Clifton and Ludlow, eights months after Keller's IGA closed. Then I moved from Bishop Street one year later. Now I live in Clifton Heights, two years after the grocery store closed. At some point, you just lost interest, and the empty promises mean nothing to you. As crappy as most people say it is, a grocery store is a grocery store, and I like being able to walk to the University Plaza Kroger. Between that Kroger and Findlay Market, I can get anything I *need*. Unlike an unfortunate conversation I had with someone, a few months back, who was angry because the OTR Kroger didn't carry *refrigerated* pickles. First world problems.

The city needs to reform its Community Councils or come up with a different system of local government that's less corruptible and more accountable to community needs. Neil, I invite you to a CUF Neighborhood Association meeting. Your impressions of Corryville may have some teeth, but they do not hold true for CUF at all. Additionally, the population of CUF now consists of 8% owner-occupied units. So, the representation is there, but the participation among transients is not. "There goes the neighborhood" is the sentiment of people who never cared about the neighborhood in the first place.

Actually, it's the urban redevelopment corporation that has had more power in the process. The neighborhood council, in fact, has more concerns with how the development will price out local businesses. It wants to retain more of the historic character. So, your accusation is a bit misguided, in this case. Additionally, having been a board member with a community council, there is no financial benefit. CCs are non-profits and budgets are fairly transparent. I can tell you that no CC president in my community, past or present, has gained financially from their positions. We have conflict of interest statements, which are required by the federal government, in order to safeguard against your fear. Breaching that agreement can lead to revocation of non-profit status.

I searched through the forums, and the only mentions of an urban grocery were in the Tower Place Mall discussion. With the construction of the Streetcar underway, I'd say some chatter should take place, as some developments really have gotten a push through buzz and chatter. I say we should leverage an opportunity for a City Target location, say, around Walnut/Court/Bowen/Central Pkwy. It would be situated on the edge of both Downtown and Over-the-Rhine. It could really benefit from bus routes serving Central Parkway, Walnut Street and Main Street. Then, hopefully, Kroger would be more inclined to either sell more speciality items, considering the limited grocery options of a City Target. Or Kroger, more likely not backing down to a competitor, could up the ante in west OTR. The City Target would be on the Streetcar line, as would Kroger. The newly opened City Target in Downtown Seattle has a store level scale that fits with what's on Central Parkway right now, as well as what's across the street on East Court. However, it has what appears to be over 24 stories of condos, which well preceded the Target concept as office space and apartments. That junction seems to be an ideal location for such a store and development, creating TOD at one of the most active intersections north of Government Square. It would certainly benefit from the Horsehoe Casino and nearby hotels as a walking destination. Thoughts? Heck, a conversation I had with OTR Matters about the prospect of a bowling alley/restaurant/art house in the Woodward (Greg's Antiques) seemed to start some healthy visioning for what it could be, after it became a blog post. (Source: CHS Capitol Hill Seattle Blog)

I'm in. I'd love to carve out a path for these steps. They have been one of the great mysteries from old photographs of stairways.

Actually, they are going to be redone by DOTE. Reviews are undergoing final review. It'll be the final steps project from the 2011 capital improvements budget money.

Just bringing this topic back up. We've seen several more alleys with gates added. Although they are 5 year leases, we'd late to see them all privatized.

Thanks a bunch, guys. We will be returning to St. Joe Street in Mt. Auburn today, for our eighth alley cleanup this year. We seek to have the North Wendell Alley Steps reopened, which have been closed for 30 years, according to a nearby property owner. The stairway connects one end of St. Joe at Loth to the other end at Rice. Reopening a previously closed staircase has never happened in Cincinnati, as I discovered from the meeting minutes of the Planning Commission, in the heat of the Collins Avenue Steps debate. Thus, this is extremely important as a test case. We don't simply want them open, after we clean up the surface neglect and overgrowth. Other techniques must be employed to encourage safe use of the stairway and serve as an enhancement, not a detriment, to the neighborhood. The difference with the North Wendell Alley Steps is that iron fencing creates an barrier that cannot be breached. Other difference include non-functional light fixtures, overgrowth, trash, fallen branches, and large item waste. Not to mention the vacant residential properties. Nonetheless, we are working to set a positive precedent.

We are pleased to finally present to you our first short documentary, which chronicles the progress of Spring in Our Steps thus far. This film is soaked in sweat and tears, and we hope you are as proud of it as we are. Please enjoy and share! Straight Off the Vine // Restoring Community Connections on Vimeo

It should be noted that the Downtown Minneapolis location of Crave has rooftop dining. Perhaps that's a possibility at The Banks, or no?

We had the pleasure of getting a mention in the last paragraph of the article. Very grateful.

Thanks for the clarification...the Facebook posting indicated the house itself was at risk. But given its state of neglect and long period of vacancy, the house itself remains at risk. The objective of local preservation advocates should be to get the house out of the ownership of a long-distance absentee individual and into the hands of someone who will commit to restore and live in it. We clarified that the hearing concerned the garage building on the facebook page too, after attending the public hearing. No one commented on it, however.

If only commuters knew how to *avoid* I-75, there wouldn't be an impending clusterfudge with the construction.

^^^My fiancee and I still live in Clifton. However, we moved farther away from the Ludlow Business District, after waiting over a year for the grocery story to reopen. No longer was it so invaluable for us to live right down the street. When the grocery store closed, we became closer to (good) restaurants that would burn holes in our pockets, rather than a three minute walk from amenities. In fact, she moved from Seattle to be with me. During her visit, Keller's was open. When she moved here two months later, it was closed. Quite a blow.

I want to make you guys abreast of a potential demolition at 18 Mulberry Street (which includes 2106 Loth Street to the rear). There's a public hearing on March 30th at 9am, to determine if it's a public nuisance. This house is, I feel, one of the most important in the Jerusalem area of Mt. Auburn. The area has already faced rampant demolition. This would be a real casualty. It would also be a real blow the efforts of Spring in Our Steps to make the adjacent South Wendell Alley safe and navigable again. Through discussions via facebook today, someone discovered that the property was home to Christian Moerlein and, later, his son until about 1909. Please be advised that a public hearing on the property will occur THIS FRIDAY. Details below. Friday, MARCH 30th at 9am. Main conference room, 1st Floor, Business Development and Permit Center, 3300 Central Parkway. Department of Buildings and Inspection will hold a hearing to determine whether or not the building constitutes a public nuisance. If determined as such, the owner will bear the costs of *demolition* or necessary repairs by the City of Cincinnati.

I want to check in here to see who I missed, in terms of identifying people in the group picture with Mayor Mark Mallory, over at the Spring in Our Steps cleanup. We had a tremendous team over at Peete Alley, last Saturday, removing inches of soil, brush, and litter from the cobblestone surface. Let me know who you are, if you're not tagged! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=178759472243281&set=a.169925203126708.35305.169921193127109&type=1

I like seafood places, but this place will have to be spectacular to usurp Alabama Fish as the best in OTR. I think they'd usurp Alabama Fish Bar just by not using polystyrene cups and only doing fried food.

Just to give everyone a heads up, my fiancee and I have started an initiative called Spring in Our Steps, begun to take back forgotten public infrastructure. We focus on alleys, city steps, and neglected stretches of sidewalks. Currently, we're working on East Alley, St. Joe Street, and North Wendell Alley. There is a city steps at St. Joe Street and Wendell Alley, but it is closed. I hope to perhaps get permission from the city to work on it too. Perhaps, if we improve the safety and accessibility of the surrounding area, it could be opened again.

^^If that were the case, then the Philip Morris/Altria ownership of Kraft would be an issue...