buildingcincinnati

From Business First of Columbus, 3/26/07: Commercial, housing construction contracts down Business First of Columbus - March 26, 2007 Contracts for homebuilding continued a downturn last month while nonresidential building plans, which experienced big gains in January, dropped 28 percent in February, a monthly report found. McGraw-Hill Construction's report said plans for building single- and two-family houses and apartments were down 48 percent to $70.1 million last month, from $134.7 million in February 2006. With the housing market deteriorating, plans for housing construction have plunged over the last year, with contracts down 25 percent in 2006 and 34 percent in January. Nonresidential contracts, which started off with an 88 percent gain in January, dropped to $51.7 million last month, from $71.8 million in February 2006, McGraw-Hill said. Commercial construction, which includes contracts for the manufacturing, education, religious and hotel industries, jumped about 17 percent in 2006 and 88 percent in January. Total building contracts for February fell 41 percent to $121.8 million, from $206.5 million in the same period last year. More at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/03/26/daily1.html

From Business First of Columbus, 3/22/07: Central Ohio home sales down 2% in February Business First of Columbus - March 22, 2007 Home sales in Central Ohio dipped slightly last month with the region experiencing a 2 percent decline compared with February 2006. Losing January's momentum - when home sales increased 12 percent over January 2006, ending a six-month streak of declining sales - existing home sales in the region fell to 1,549 units last month, from 1,579 a year earlier, the Columbus Board of Realtors said. http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/03/19/daily19.html?from_rss=1

From Business First of Columbus, 3/19/07: Report: Columbus housing undervalued Business First of Columbus - March 19, 2007 Most metro-areas in the nation are seeing the overvaluation of houses curb, but prices in the Columbus market are below what they should be, a quarterly study asserts. The Global Insight/National City Housing Valuation Analysis showed that of the four Ohio cities surveyed, the average price for existing single-family homes in Cleveland was overvalued, while price tags in Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus saw an increase undervaluation. A survey of the 2006 fourth quarter - October through December - showed the average price of homes sold in Columbus remained the same as in the previous quarter at $153,900, but went from being undervalued by 1.2 percent to 2.1 percent. During 2005's fourth quarter, the sale price for houses in Central Ohio was on target at an average of $152,300. Results for other Ohio cities were: * Cincinnati's average house price was $144,700, undervalued by 3.5 percent. * The average house price in Dayton was $125,300, undervalued by 0.9 percent. * Cleveland's average house price was $148,100, overvalued by 2.4 percent. More information about the study is available here. Full story at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/03/19/daily3.html

Link contains a photo. From the 3/8/07 Dispatch: GRAPHIC: Market snapshot GRAPHIC: Apartment owners are offering fewer concessions to renters A RENTAL REVIVAL Good times, tenants return to apartments Home sales in slump, so rents going up, incentives going away Thursday, March 08, 2007 Mike Pramik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Not long ago, renters in central Ohio could get free rent, reduced security deposits or gift cards for nearby shops ? even a chance to win a new Ford Mustang. Landlords were competing with home sellers who were luring potential renters into houses of their own with competitive prices for starter homes and low interest rates. Apartment owners were desperate. But not anymore. The incentives mostly are gone, and rents are rising as vacancy rates drop. The latest spin in the real-estate cycle is driven by several factors, including a cutback in apartment construction and a sagging economy that has cooled home sales. Apartment Realty Advisors, a broker of multifamily housing, confirms that Columbus apartment owners are able to raise rents significantly for the first time this decade. Apartments are leasing better across the Midwest, said Debbie Corson, a principal in the corporation's Dayton office. Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/contentbe/dispatch/2007/03/08/20070308-A1-01.html

From Business First of Columbus, 3/5/07: Residential Market Buyer incentives continue to drive development of homes downtown Business First of Columbus - March 2, 2007 by Bill Shelby For Business First The emphasis on downtown Columbus revitalization through new housing starts has proven a huge success, as 4,000 units have been created close to the halfway point to Mayor Mchael B. Coleman's initiative to develop 10,000 new downtown homes by 2012. But as the initial demand for downtown housing is fulfilled, the city must focus on emphasizing the buyer incentives in place to keep demand strong. While initial downtown housing developments such as ConneXtions Lofts and EcleXtion Lofts attracted buyers at an unusually rapid pace, the fact is that people who have been longing for years to buy new downtown real estate have already done so. As continuing developments - and those not yet even on the horizon - contend with the subsequent change in demand, shifting the focus to the benefits buyers can receive in downtown property purchases will continue to lure new investors from a cooling suburban housing market. More at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/03/05/focus7.html

From the 5/2/07 ABJ: Bill could help Goodyear Company calls proposed extension of tax credit 'equitable solution' to problem created in '05 change By Dennis J. Willard Beacon Journal Columbus Bureau COLUMBUS - A provision in the $52 billion two-year state budget passed Tuesday by the Ohio House could provide a financial incentive to help keep Goodyear in Akron. In the next 90 days, the Ohio General Assembly will look at a tax credit extended to about 50 large companies in Ohio that reduces their Commercial Activities Tax (CAT) based on net operating losses beginning in 2010. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. did not make the list in 2005, and now lawmakers will consider extending the credit to the company.... Dennis J. Willard can be reached at 614-224-1613 or [email protected]. http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/17166223.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_news

From the 4/23/07 Cincinnati Business Courier: Group wants assurances for local funding Cincinnati Business Courier - April 20, 2007 by Jeff Bell Courier Contributor A new coalition of school and local government groups wants state legislators to take care of some unfinished business from the sweeping tax reform package they approved two years ago. At stake is $1.6 billion in tax revenue that goes to Ohio's school districts, cities, counties, townships and other local government entities each year, said Larry Long, co-chairman of the recently formed Coalition of Local Governments & Services. Without that money, he said, local governments will have to ask voters to raise local property taxes to make up the difference.... http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/04/23/story10.html

From the 3/20/07 Dispatch: State's new business tax on track to be cut in 2010 Tuesday, March 20, 2007 Mark Niquette THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Ohio businesses will see a reduction in the Commercial Activity Tax rate they pay in three years, according to Gov. Ted Strickland?s budget calculations. That?s because collections of the tax are expected to exceed estimates and trigger an automatic lowering of the tax rate, saving businesses a combined $103 million in the fiscal year that starts July 1, 2010. Business groups, especially those that opposed the creation of the new tax in 2005, hailed the news.... [email protected] http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/contentbe/dispatch/2007/03/20/20070320-A6-01.html

All from the 2/25/07 Dispatch: GRAPHIC: Trimming taxes GRAPHIC: Tracking tax collections GRAPHIC: More than expected OHIO TAX OVERHAUL Benefits tangible; so is lost revenue Some firms investing, but early results mixed Sunday, February 25, 2007 Mark Niquette THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Gary W. James doesn?t hedge when asked whether the sweeping tax cuts and other changes the state made to its tax code in 2005 are working. Without them, nearly $4 million in equipment and more than 50 new workers at his Dynalab plant in Reynoldsburg would have gone to a nearby state or the South instead, he says. "It?s working for us, there?s no question about it," James, Dynalab?s president, said last week while standing in what had been an empty warehouse.... Dispatch reporter Jim Siegel contributed to this story. [email protected] http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/contentbe/dispatch/2007/02/25/20070225-A1-01.html New business-tax revenue beating estimates Commercial Activity Tax gaining support Sunday, February 25, 2007 Mark Niquette and Jim Siegel THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The hissing began almost immediately after the state proposed creating a new business tax in 2005, called the Commercial Activity Tax, as part of an overhaul of its tax code. Retailers and other businesses with high sales but low profit margins hated it, saying it unfairly taxed their receipts even if they made no money. Many candidates running for governor last year also talked of scrapping the CAT or changing it dramatically.... [email protected] [email protected] http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/contentbe/dispatch/2007/02/25/20070225-A4-02.html

From the 2/22/07 Springfield News-Sun: Douglas Inn case dismissed, building to be renovated By LaToya Thompson Staff Writer Wednesday, February 21, 2007 URBANA — Prospective buyers credit community supporters for saving the Douglas Inn from the wrecking ball. Jon Umstead, of Miami-Scioto Development, said he hopes residents will remain actively involved now that the 18-month long court case was dismissed Thursday. "While the 'Save the Douglas' campaign appears to have been won, we have a lot of work ahead of us," Umstead said. "We all want to see progress and can't wait to get started. It will take the entire community to make that dream a reality." Miami-Scioto, which also includes Urbana businessmen John Doss and Pat Thackery, plans to start renovations once the cold weather breaks. Stabilization costs were an estimated $300,000 and the building sale for was $80,000. Stabilization has to be completed by Dec. 2008. The 19th-century structure will feature an upscale hotel on the third through fifth floors that will have conference facilities and office suites. The first and second floors will be used for retail shops. The Douglas So Far Former Urbana administrators — Roberta Moore and Pat Richards — took the Community Improvement Corporation of Champaign County, Douglas owners, to court in July 2005 after the non-profit organization failed to meet deadlines set by the county Building Regulations Department. Champaign County Common Pleas Court Judge Roger Wilson ordered the Douglas be demolished in December 2005. The CIC with Miami-Scioto, who hoped to buy the structure, presented the case to the state appeals court. With a new city administration in place after the April 2006 mayor recall election, negotiations to keep the building from being torn down began in June 2006. More at http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/02/21/sns022207douglas.html

From the 5/20/07 Defiance Crescent-News: Work force drives GM's decision By HEATHER BAUGHMAN [email protected] General Motors will invest $61 million in new technology at its Defiance Powertrain plant to produce aluminum engine blocks in 3.6-liter, high-feature V-6 engines. This will be the first application of precision sand casting technology at the plant. The Friday afternoon announcement also means the retention of about 120 hourly jobs. The integrity and hard work of local employees were among the top factors credited for the award of this project. "Without your hard work and dedication, this couldn't have happened," Defiance plant manager John Thomas said to the crowd gathered for the announcement. ... http://www.crescent-news.com/news/article/2024821

From the 5/20/07 Ironton Tribune: EPA hearing to focus on ethanol plant By Kirsten Stanley/The Ironton Tribune Saturday, May 19, 2007 11:51 PM CDT SOUTH POINT — An ethanol plant that may be built at The Point industrial park will be the topic of conversation May 29 at a public information session and hearing hosted by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.irontontribune.com/articles/2007/05/20/news/news73.txt

From the 5/21/07 Cincinnati Post: Mallory, Thomas quell rumors By Joe Wessels Post contributor Cincinnati's mayor and a City Council member stepped into action Friday night to quell fast-traveling rumors after police shot and critically injured a suspect in Over-the-Rhine. "As soon as they find out it's gun versus gun, then it's OK," said Cincinnati City Council Member Cecil Thomas, a 28-year veteran of the Cincinnati Police department and former director of the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission. "There was a lot of misinformation out (in the neighborhood)." http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AE/20070521/NEWS01/705210371/

From the 5/20/07 Enquirer: Open house focuses on zoning THE ENQUIRER TAYLOR MILL - Residents and business owners can offer comment on new downtown zoning districts and amendments to the city's zoning ordinance at an open house 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Monday at the city building, 5225 Taylor Mill Road. This is the first chance to discuss proposed text and map changes including new downtown zoning districts and other design and landscaping standards. The new downtown zoning districts reflect a land-use study adopted by the city in 2006. The new downtown districts will include a new "Main Street'' area that will accommodate a mix of business, retail and entertainment uses. The revisions also will include landscaping and design standards. Public meetings will be held throughout the process, including city commission and Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission meetings, with dates to be announced. The proposed zoning amendments could be adopted in July. MORE: http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070520/NEWS0103/705200396 Eastern Local breaks ground Georgetown News Democrat, 5/20/07 Eastern Local School District turned over the ceremonious first shovels of dirt on a $35 million endeavor Monday, May 14, at the future site of the new high school. Superintendent Alan Simmons, the Eastern Band and the entire Junior/Senior High School student body attended the ground breaking program that officially begins a project that, when completed, will leave the district with a brand new high school, a new Sardinia Elementary and significant renovations to Russellville Elementary and the current high school, which will be converted for middle school students. Simmons said the project is the result of a combined effort. "The student body helped. The faculty helped. The parents and the community helped," said Simmons. Using class rings as an analogy, Simmons encouraged the attending student body to enjoy and benefit from the work of those who have come before them, and to continue the cycle by contributing to the community and the school that serves it. Sherwood zoning issue remains unresolved Hillsboro Times-Gazette, 5/16/07 Residents who reside in the area of Sherwood Drive may have to wait another month to see if eight acres of land adjacent to their properties will be rezoned to accommodate the construction of condominiums. During the regular session of the Hillsboro City Council Monday evening, approximately 30 residents turned out to voice their support of keeping the zoning of the area the same. Representatives of the property owner said his rights were potentially being violated if the city does not vote for the change. Greg Vanzant, attorney for property owner John Dragoo, appealed to council to reconsider the change. "I am here speaking on behalf of my client, who has rights," Vanzant said. Vanzant said that during the April 17 meeting of the Hillsboro Planning Commission, "little or no discussion" took place among the commission members as to the zoning change. Vanzant said he believes it was because of the number of residents who turned out against the change of zoning for the area, known as the Hauke/Dragoo property. Princeton gauges bond-issue mood Cincinnati Enquirer, 5/16/07 After building seven new grade schools and renovating an eighth, Princeton City Schools this week is trying to predict whether the public is ready for a new bond issue, this time to build a high school and a middle school. A recent survey of 400 "likely voters" in the district revealed no clear majority in favor of starting a new school project, and no clear majority against it. The survey revealed 46 percent would likely support new secondary buildings, while 39 percent would be against it. 'We do take these things seriously' Northeast Suburban Life, 5/15/07 David Skopin is giving up hope that city council will halt plans for a debated roadway. "It's going to happen - exactly the way it was supposed to happen," said Skopin, who lives on Forestglen Drive. He protests plans for a private roadway across his street. Council votes on an easement (a city-owned land submission) June 6. It read an ordinance regarding the easement May 2. Twin Lakes, a senior-living organization, needs the land, located at the southwestern end of the Montgomery Safety Center, to build the roadway. Evendale seeks feedback for Master Plan Tri-County Press, 5/15/07 Evendale is drafting a Comprehensive Master Plan to guide development for the next few decades and is looking to residents and businesses for input. Surveys are being mailed asking community members their opinion on a variety issues, including quality of life, community improvements, industry, senior living options, a town center at Glendale-Milford and Reading roads and other matters. From his perspective, Assistant to the Mayor Jack Cameron said that one of the major factors in the village's planning must be a company associated with Evendale for so long - General Electric Aviation. "One of the things we're focusing on is diversifying our tax base in case they have a downturn," he said in reference to the jet engine manufacturer. Other goals of the plan, Cameron said, include developing the Reading Road corridor and taking steps to draw higher-end consumers to the village.

From the 5/21/07 Enquirer: Wal-Mart decision nearing Retailer submits traffic proposal BY MIKE RUTLEDGE | [email protected] There might be big fireworks in Boone County the evening of July 5. Wal-Mart has made its formal application to build a second Supercenter in Florence, at U.S. 42 and Weaver Road, and the Boone County Planning Commission has set a public hearing for 7:30 p.m. July 5 at a yet-to-be-determined location. Wal-Mart says improvements it proposes could improve traffic from current levels - which now average D's and E's on a letter scale of A through F (where A is best and F is worst) during peak times. CESO Inc. of Dayton, Ohio, predicted in an inch-thick traffic-impact study for the discount retailer that: Read more here: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070521/NEWS0103/705210367/1059/rss13

From the 5/21/07 DDN: Waynesville set to vote on development Village council members are reconsidering a proposal from Oberer Land Developers after a previous deadlock. By Lawrence Budd Staff Writer Monday, May 21, 2007 WAYNESVILLE — For some members of this village's council, tonight will seem like deja vu. The council plans to vote on whether to adopt a 480-acre planned unit development south of Ohio 73 proposed by Oberer Land Developers. Philip Callahan, the lawyer hired to oversee deliberations on the proposal, advised the council to vote on adoption, although council deadlocked on reconsideration of a May 7 vote on the plan. http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/05/20/ddn052107waynesville.html

From the 5/21/07 Blade: MAP: U.S. 20 road work U.S. 20 project to start today Road being widened from Pemberville Road to Woodville By DAVID PATCH BLADE STAFF WRITER While one state contractor wraps up an interchange project at State Rt. 420 on U.S. 20/23 in Wood County's Troy Township, another will start construction today on a long-awaited U.S. 20 widening between that new interchange and Woodville. The Shelly Co., of Thornville, Ohio, will begin posting signs and mobilizing equipment to start work on a $20.5 million Ohio Department of Transportation contract to widen 5 1/4 miles of U.S. 20 from two lanes to five from Pemberville Road east into Woodville in Sandusky County. In Wood County, the road also carries the U.S. 23 designation. More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070521/NEWS11/705210342/-1/NEWS

From the 5/21/07 Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Business slow at bars after smoking ban enforcement By TAMARIA L. KULEMEKA The Eagle-Gazette Staff [email protected] LANCASTER - The past two weeks have been somewhat lonely for some local bar owners who are complying with the smoking ban since enforcement took effect May 3. Jody Wilson thought the lack of business at the Bottle Cap Bar and Drive-Thru was the result of the warmer weather. But the past two weeks have led Wilson to believe that enforcing the smoking ban at her bar has kept patrons - even regulars - away. "We smoked right up until enforcement began; it's been empty since," Wilson said. "It picks up in the evening some, but not like it used to be." The Bottle Cap Bar was one of 11 bars the Eagle-Gazette visited between 11:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Thursday. Read more: http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070521/NEWS01/705210301/1002/rss01

Scottish firm eyes Eastpointe for development plans Zanesville Times Recorder, 5/4/07 A firm from Scotland has announced its intentions to build a local distribution center warehouse, likely in the Eastpointe Business Park. Jim Winn, a Zanesville native and marketer of the Lightmaster product manufactured and distributed by SDC Industries, met with Mayor Howard "Butch" Zwelling, Zanesville-Muskingum County Port Authority Director Jerry Nolder and county commissioners Thursday to announce the plans. The company builds a device, the Varmatic Lightmaster, that regulates energy flow out of electrical boxes to reduce energy costs for municipal streetlighting and in parking garages. The City of Zanesville is already using one of the devices for its streetlights in the Maple/Adair area and Zwelling said the city has saved 24 percent on its street lighting costs in the past four months.

Options to fund new bus depot being weighed Columbus Dispatch, 5/7/07 Chillicothe officials are thinking outside the box -- or at least outside the city -- with their plans for a new bus transit center. Now they just need the money for it. Building a bus depot that's nearly 19,000 square feet on the Ross County seat's southeast side is high on officials' priority list because of increasing ridership and an existing bus garage that's been too small for years. Chillicothe's bus system has been providing rides beyond the city limits for the past three years. The city has a contract with the county Job and Family Services Department to pick up senior citizens and other clients who don't have another way of getting into town. Ross County does not have its own bus system.

West Muskingum dedicates new middle school Zanesville Times Recorder, 5/7/07 West Muskingum Middle School student council members beamed as they showed about 163 parents, students and guests to seats in the brand new gym of the school on Sunday for a dedication ceremony. "This is just wonderful," said Trey Welch, 12, a sixth grader at the school and a member of the student council. "There's more space to learn and the new classrooms are great." The school has been under renovation for the past year and a half, according to Superintendent Sharon Smith, and cost about $9 million including the gym, which was an addition. "We're just so proud that our dream came true," Smith told the crowd. "This new school is an testament to our community who has done so much to make it come true." Richard Murray, superintendent Muskingum Valley ESC and a former West Muskingum superintendent from 1996 to 2001, told the crowd that leadership is when you motivate someone to do something.

State funds for Pike County jail are not there Chillicothe Gazette, 5/8/07 The Pike County commissioners and Sheriff Larry Travis may disagree on whether to go ahead with building a new jail, but there's one thing they do agree on - the need for funding to consider it. The Pike County Jail, which was built in 1861, closed in August 2005. It was the oldest operating jail in Ohio. Since then, the sheriff's office has transported its inmates to the Ross County Jail. Travis, who writes grants for the office, said he's been trying to get funding for a new facility since he became sheriff. "In 2000, I submitted a grant but was denied," he said, adding that the 2006 General Assembly failed to appropriate any money for jail construction. "The funding has to be for corrections. We're in a different boat than a lot of agencies (that write for grants)." When the bill for funding was going before the assembly, he and the commissioners wrote letters of support for its passage, he said.

This summer ODOT to get rights-of-way Washington Court House Record Herald, 5/4/07 A right-of-way kick-off meeting was held recently by the Ohio Department of Transportation for the State Route 753 extension project. Plans have been finished and filed, and the environmental impact study approved, said Fayette County Engineer Steve Luebbe. "There's been a lot of headache and heartache...but it's been a great project with the city and county to see that it gets done," Luebbe said. ODOT will conduct appraisals and start acquiring rights-of-way this summer. "We're looking at a spring '09 construction, so hopefully in two years we'll be building that thing," Luebbe said.

Hiawatha residents oppose lot split ThisWeek Westerville, 5/3/07 More than a dozen residents of the Hiawatha Avenue neighborhood crammed into City Hall last Wednesday to protest a proposed lot split on their street. Westerville Planning Commission members decided to postpone a decision on the lot split until June. The split, if approved, would create five single-family residential parcels within the existing R-2 single-family zoning district, according to city staff reports. The applicant, Andrew Chatterton, is in contract to purchase the Eisenacher properties, a longtime family business located at the west ends of Hiawatha and Central avenues, according to staff reports. Several residents said splitting the property into five parcels would create problems for the neighborhood, and could invite rental units into what has traditionally been a homeowner-populated area.

Plans under way for new commercial center Mount Vernon News, 5/3/07 Plans are in the works to build a new commercial center in the block that contains Ohio Mower, Ron’s Pizza and The Hair Fashion buildings. Bill Mohler, a representative from Family Video out of Glenview, Ill., spoke briefly about the company’s plans for the block at a city Board of Zoning Appeals meeting on Tuesday, while making a case for a more prominent sign than the current zoning permits. He said the project includes tearing down a number of buildings on the block and constructing a free-standing, block building in their place. The new building would house both a Family Video store as well as two other commercial tenants. Mohler added that the two future tenants have not been identified. He did not specify the size of the building during the meeting nor the projected date when construction would take place.