AndrewN

Yes, grasscat, that is the one. I have never been in a Dillard's that had so little to offer the shoppers. The selections were very limited. I will never go back.

There was an add today for Student focus groups on Mcmillan Manor. It appears this new off-campus development will be managed by Ambling Companies based out of Atlanta. They have a strong history of managing off-campus student housing. My question is: Is this area a place that students would want to live if they had a choice?

I find this to be an unfounded generalization. You mgiht be surprised how many bikers fit into the category you just described. I respect many of the points you made, but it seems in this case you are just as guilty of making broad unfounded generalizatiosn as jmecklenborg. Anyway....I am glad that Uptown is taking a turn to broaden the mix in the neighborhood. A good urban neighborhood should have a mix of the elite, funky, and income sensitive. It is my hope that the future develop includes a little of each population. It would make Uptown a vibrant yet fun place to live and work.

I have always said the quickest way to turn OTR around is to label it a gay neighborhood. You are correct that the gay/lesbian population can have a positive effect on a city. I do not question that at all. The population in cinicnnati just seems fragmented. No strong voice. Look at the Cleveland area---they just elected 3 openly gay council people in varios cities and burbs. Why can't that happen here?

If i had to guess, Match.com is not a popular dating venue for gays and lesbians. Gay.com might give a more accurate picture of gay men in an metro area. Not sure what the lesbian dating portal would be. In any case, this is not a good study. The "creative class" is not just gays/lesbians. These groups on individuals play an important part in the "creative class" but their are other individuals from varying groups that are also a part of the creative class. A better study would be comparing which cities are better equipped to keep the creative class.

Jcpenney and Target could give Dillards a run for its money. The westside Dillards is horrid. Upscale would be nice, however I would be happy with just more shopping options. We don't have a lot of choices in this neck of the woods.

Just a note: The three years comes from the gut/renovation of Scioto next to Sawyer which is expected to be done by 2008.

Actually, the housing opens September 15 so students have time to get settled before classes start. It is a nice building----I never had anything that nice when i was in school. The Market on Main part of the complex should open around the 21st too. I was unaware the classrooms were opening up that soon.

I say let them do it. EVERY building in OTR cannot be saved. New building and investment will help salvage what they can of the rest of the area. IF you don't allow anything to change, then things will not move foward. OTR needs some drastic efforts to truly make in a hot spot of revitalization. I see this as a new anchor to a decaying neighborhood. Once the school is done, I think things will really start picking up and other buildings that are sitting in decay will have the investors willing to save them. The one thing I know for sure it that this neighborhood cannot continue in its current state.

I had a thought the other night when I was driving around. To assist with financing light rail, Cincinnati could allow businesses to build less parking if they by credits to lower the number of parking spaces required by zoning laws. (This is assuming that laws like this exist in Cincinnati---other cities i have lived in have these type laws) For example, a office building might require 1.5 spaces for every excepted occupant. The builder developer could pay a parking credit to not have to develop as many parking spaces and loer the ratio to .5 spaces per occupant. This would lower the development costs, land costs and long term maintenance costs making it attractive for the devlopers/builders. In order for this to work, Cincinnati would have to have a fully developed mass transit plan in place before this idea coudl really take off. The benifits would be less large parking lots (i.e. walgreens would have no excuse but to build next to the street, denser building, and more land that could be used for people instead of cars. The cost to develop downtown would be lowered since garages cost more than surface lots. If you think about the costs to build a parking space (I want to say $2000 a space for surface lots and up to $20,000 a space for parking garage, if a credit was sold for $1000 for each space reduced, a lot that had 600 spots redcued to 200 would make $400,000 for the light rail fund. Money could be racked up pretty quick to provide a portion of the funding for light rail.

I wasn't feeling well this morning and ended up reading up on World's Fairs/Expo. I propose that if the Banks gets built, Cincinnati should bid to host the World's Expo 2015. This project being built/completed would represent a great achievement. All kidding aside, I do hope people stop bickering and don't lose the momentum that has developed in the last few weeks. I want to see some stuff built!

Welll, as I stated, K-mart was open last weekend. I went in to look for something Meijer did not have and I really didn't wan't to drive all the way to Wal-mart (time constraints). I was really pleasantly surprised with how clean it was and organized. Very different then the K-marts before bankruptcy. I think K-mart only closed underperforming stores during bankruptcy not all of them. I mean after all the ended up making enough money to buy Sears out. You don't get money like that by closing all your stores. :-D I really think Legacy should be built. That area along harrison is slated for business/retail in the master planning anyway. For anyone who thought the westside was going to remain scenic and rural forever, abviously never went to the east side. I am really not for urbansprawl, but at the same time the far westside deserves its day in the sun.

Did K-mart close? The map says former.....Last time I checked it was still open (last weekend).

The latest plans are to begin the renovation of Sawyer Hall in Fall 2005. This is scheduled to take 2 years and open in 2007. Scioto Hall is schedule to start in Fall 2007. I think you can expect a different product then the renderings that have been posted recently. This project is very much in the design process, therefore no final renderings are available.

I can see the Headlines now: Phil Burress leads boycott of Bridge After the rainbow painting of the Taylor Southgate bridge, Phil Buress has lead the campaign for people to stop driving across the Taylor Southgate bridge because the colors to closely resemble those of gay pride.

"Something not shown in the rendering above is the possibility of infilling the gap between the road and Calhoun Hall on the north side of Calhoun and adding even more storefront. " I don't think there is enough depth between the Calhoun Street and Calhoun Residence Hall to put in retail. The retail underneath University Park Apartments extends completely to the back of the building. To do that with Calhoun Residence Hall would require eliminating much needed common area/ administrative space and a floor of housing in that building. The only practical way to achieve what you presented is to knock the building down and start all over.

It is great to see some development working up Vine. I hope it is sustainable development. That street could be great!

Nah. The center of the drug scene is around Krogers and Smitty's Fine Clothes. I see it everyday driving to and from work.

I still think if they replace it with something new it could be a blessing in disguise. It could jump start that part of OTR into a redevelopment frenzy. I don't mind new buildings in older areas if it helps convince devlopers to invest in the old buildings that are left in the area.

Sounds like it might be a Salsaritas Fresh Cantina. Their website is www.salsaritas.com. The website indicates they will be coming to Cincinnati soon. The menu looks very similar to Chipotle.

I haven't heard anything one this in awhile, but I did have a thought after doing some reading. What about redeveloping one of the towers right on the square into residential? Think about this: Fifth Third moves it's headquarters to the yet to be built second tower of Queen City square giving them a prominent place in the skyline near the river. The current Fifth third tower gets redeveloped into retail, small services oreinted business and restaurants on the lower two levels and residential on the upper levels (apartments and or condos). This plan would provide the population right on the square to create the lively atmospehere so desired. Large businesses that close at 5, retail stores and 2 hotels nearby are not enough. You need a core group who have the square as their own personal living room. I might be off base with this idea, but just thought I would see what others think.

Let me clarify my thoughts....I am not sure about this mainly because of the location. While the museum itself is not something I care to visit for numerous reasons, I know there are many people in the country that will find it a great attraction. I just think it should be built closer to the city as an attraction. I hate seeing attractions spread out all over the place.

The location is Petersburg, Ky according to this website: http://www.answersingenesis.org/museum/about.asp just 4 miles west of CVG airport. I just don't know how I feel about this....

While I am in favor of historic preservation, I would want evidence that the building is structurally sound before giving any money. The facade is beautiful and a grand part of OTR history, but if structurally it cannot be salvage, then I say bring it down. I can't help but wonder why other buildings in OTR that are literally crashing down before our eyes have not been slated for demolition and nuisance before this one. Can anyone enlighten me with the answer?

lol. I would think traffic on I-75/71 on any day would be enough, but this should seal the case.