RestorationConsultant

Well the lack of a representational council has caused a riot, let to white flight in the 1960's, the destruction of Kenyan Barr, the demolition of a block of Corryville for student housing, Glencoes destruction, the impending destruction of South Fairmount basin. With councils totally beholding to small special interest groups and developers, neighborhoods left with no direct representation at all and Community councils in the hands of a few people with no power at all and totally beholding to city for the few thousand the city dishes out to them? I'll take a representative council where I can t someone who actually lives near me accountable any day of the week!

3CDC is building out at 300 per sq ft and I think will hit 400 a sq ft within 5 years. People who think you can do build outs at 60.00 a sq ft are kidding themselves. To take shell building, reengineer it to meet current safety code, fire code, comply with all the building codes, permit costs etc is not cheap. In my opinion 3CDC does not restore anything. They may make the outside look authentic but that's where it ends. Exposed ductwork and Ikea cabinets are starter housing and 270K for 900 sq ft unit is typical downtown starter housing. The city is starting to realize they need a property tax base down the road. The talk about 33 percent affordable is 'smoke and mirrors' and an attempt to secure block grant money. Affordable housing is merely "landbanking". You get the tax credits etc and you have your federally guaranteed rent subsidies. Most projects have 7-10 year cap then they revert to market-rate. Well if you are building at 3-400 a sq ft. next door, this next round of reno on your subsidized building' that is out of cap is in much better shape than a shell and you've gotten enough money to keep it maintained. It will be easy to "combine units' to make luxury units in the 450-750K range. If Cincinnati follows every other major city the next OTR trend will be people buying those small 900 sq ft 3CDC shoeboxes and combining them Make no mistake, in 10 years the area around Findlay will be the most exclusive downtown destination to live. I would not be surprised, at all to see the north surface lot at Findlay turned into underground parking with new retail at street and luxury townhomes above them. Findlay Market will be the high end retail/restaurant row. I predicted 300 a sq in OTR would be the norm back in 2009 in a few years out and people thought I was crazy. Cincinnati is now starting to catch up. The irony is that the 20 somethings are rapidly getting pushed out of OTR by higher rents and higher sale prices. The real city plan for OTR is (Only-The-Rich), they need the property tax base to cover pension problems and they need to subsidize the streetcar which will be great for the tourists because the people who were supposed to use it can't afford to live in the "new' OTR anymore. I predict most of the OTR hipsters better start checking out Camp Washington because that probably the only thing they can afford soon.

Frankly with Cincinnati demolishing 250 homes in the first quarter of this year I am against increasing urban density. Lets devote our energies to fixing up and restoring existing homes before we even think about adding garage apartments. Im way to busy turning illegally converted triplexes back into single family to start thinking about increasing residential density and I am trying to raise values in my neighborhood not support more affordable housing (form based code is pushed by HUD to promote more low income housing in every neighborhood) In Cincinnati this would take the form of more section 8 housing plain and simple

You have to remember that the 'community council' system was basically formed in the 1960's because neighborhood groups were forming and challenging city hall on variety of issues. Many to gain a share of Federal funds to rehabilitate housing. Some to fight historic preservation, Others to support it. It was a way for city leaders to 'control' certain groups like those in the West End by limiting federal funds if they misbehaved and complained too loudly. Avondale was worried about realtors trying to cause white flight. OTR was concerned about gentrification. The whole community council system was designed by the city to replace the old "ward system' of the 1920's because by the 1950's and 60's people were demanding return of the ward system so they could elect people that represented their neighborhood. Frankly its time to scrap the whole Community council system and the arbitrary boundaries created by city planners in the 1960's and 1970's . As more out of towners settle in this city I predict we will eventually go back to a representative district council.

there will be 3 blocks on north side on QC left , 5 buildings untouched on the south side. Westwood BLVD is history both sides. All those pretty drawing plans are being scaled back and what we will have what looks like the Pogues Run art park in Indy , a stagnant , mosquito infested ditch. There is no money for redevelopment, MSD doesn't have it, city doesn't have it. People will be up in arms about sewer bills tripling or quadrupling in the next few years. MORE importantly if the daylighting doesn't reach the EPA benchmarks, they may wind up doing deep tunnel after all. I went to numerous meetings and I've watched this get scaled back to what its going to be a drainage ditch with delusions of grandeur to a drainage ditch/swamp.

The problem is it can't handle that traffic flow at peak times. Bear in mind too that with Queen City becoming two way street ODOT is planning for Western Hills to be a four lane limited access parkway. One of the reasons for the Harrison Ave improvements was to handle diverted traffic during the MSD and ODOT changes. You have new construction happening out in the townships too and traffic is growing. If you have driven the viaduct at times is bumper to bumper (especially if the ramps to the freeway get backed up) The sad thing is that between the MSD project (which wipes out everything on the Northside of western hills) the ODOT project wipes out all the housing south.. remember MSD and the city pitching how the Lick Run daylight (ditch) would rebuild the community? No community left down in the valley, hundreds of jobs lost too. I's like to see them turn the old bridge into a park, but where the money will come from for a new bridge is a problem.....but hey we have a streetcar!

And 5 years ago the average cost in OTR was 80-130 K for a 1 bedroom condo with build out around 100-120 sq ft. The neighborhood has moved well beyond starter housing for 20 somethings, even rentals are hard to find in an affordable range. Average cost per square ft (buildout new condos ) in New York is 1369 a sq ft, get downtown that goes to 5487 sq ft in Manhatten, Los Angeles is 607 per square, Austin Texas has broken the 450 a sq ft mark. Seattle is 697 sq ft. Portland which is what OTR thinks it wants to be, is 451 a sq. My point is OTR is relatively small area, restricted as to building height and can only hold X number of properties, Its only going up. 10 years ago my old neighborhood near downtown Indy I predicted vacant city lots for 38-52K and new houses would be built topping 500k , most people said I was crazy. Turns out I nailed it

Price has nothing to do with demand in this case in OTR. Price has to do with the high cost of acquisition of the shell, the cost of specialized trades to bring 150 yr old buildings up to modern code, city permit fees, architect fees, and the logistical cost of renovating in urbanely dense neighborhood without staging sites. Those cost are going one way...UP! At 300 per square and with some subsidies and tax credits thrown in, 3CDC are not making a lot of money. The cost of shells has tripled since 2008 and its going one way ..UP! OTR will likely eclipse Mt Adams prices within the next 12-18 months. Where the real money is made is in the buildings (currently low income) rentals when the subsidies run out and those units can go market rate (with a better build out) and probably combined as larger units that will be over a mill in 5-7 yrs. That will be the next phase those small 300 sq ft condos get bought and combined to make super luxurious spaces. I've watch this same thing happen in several cities, Cincinnati will be no different.

The problem for Millennials is, with OTR selling at 300 per sq ft and up, Millennials (often burdened with huge student loan debt are not likely to have the 20 percent required these days ( 54,000 down payment) on a 900 sq ft loft selling for 270K. So the people the streetcar is aimed at wont be able to afford to live in OTR. OTR will stand for "Only the Rich" and people are already trying to figure out how to engineer car lifts in 2 story carriage houses for they have room for 4 cars. OTR is probably going to look more like DuPont circle in DC than some multi income 20 somethings playground. Millennials are being passed by in the OTR grand scheme of things.

Neighborhoods turn around because people see the value of living there, personally I see no value for me in Cheviot. People buy a home because they like it, its location or the neighborhood its in. Their main priority is not if its on an streetcar line. its usually "Do I like this neighborhood" In my capacity as neighborhood president, everyone I am dealing with likes the architecture, history and location. Most people involved in Preservation are not thinking "boy I'm going to make a mint". We got rid of the investor types by making them mow their grass, not let homes sit, and explaining how Ohio receivership laws work. We have made it difficult for speculators by eliminating the supply of cheap houses and through our save not raze program attaching preservation covenants and time requirements to stop the slumlord revolving door. Now people buying are committed to turning them around,and with that,a neighborhood. Preservationists willing to make financial commitment, are what turns around a neighborhood, not a trolley, streetcar or railroad

I know someone who bought a home in a perfect state of repair in Cheviot in 2013 for $35,000 and a second one in early 2014 for his daughter for $20,000. You're blaming "the city" for people not paying attention to Knox Hill but the fact is there are tons of homes that don't need any work on the market right now for under $50,000. How do you justify buying a burnt-out house in South Fairmount for $10,000 then spending $50,000+ to get it habitable when you can spend less for a functioning house nearby? Interesting except one of the Bloom Street Townhome renos is already presold as build to suit at 245K. The Carriage loft New Urbanist renovation is retailing at 265K and the new construction infil project is over 400K and the architect is working with the client on design. I have to show a Second empire townhome to a prospective buyer from Raleigh/durham NC who WANTS to move to Knox Hill because he likes the progress and restoration vibe of the neighborhood. Same with the couple from NYC who are getting ready to drop 150K restoring a Victorian on 3 lots being sold though KHNA's save not Raze program, Or the guy whose already dropped 80K so far on restoration on a house he won in a bidding war up near the park? Or the guy across the street from our own Nagele Merz house who is investing 125K in a second empire shotgun, or maybe the OTR realtor who bought a brick craftsman cottage up here and is throwing major bucks into it because its ridiculous to pay 100K for shell in OTR. Lot of people have no problem justifying investing in Knox Hill.. but then, I bet you didn't buy in Mt Adams years ago or Columbia Tusculum when it was run down?

All the homes on south side Of QC will be wiped out for the MSD 'ditch project" Qc is being turned into a 2 way street. Westwood will be turned into a limited 4 lane parkway, which means Everything on the North side is bulldozed for MSD and everything on the south side is bulldozed for the 4 lane road. There is talk of trying to do a main street type project on QC but the only building/restoration options you have are the two streets above it. Maybe 50-60 homes tops. If you go up to Harrison, there are 'view opportunities of the 'ditch'. You have to go up to Knox Hill to get any housing of decent size and condition 200 plus homes there ranging from 500 sq ft shotguns to 9000 sq ft mansions. KHNA has locked down a lot of that property to get it back to single family and has lots for new infill and is working with developers on that. The key redevelopment area is The Knox Hill overlook District on lower Knox and Waverly . You have Lunkenheimer 2 which is becoming artist studio space. You have the Lunken office building at Waverly perfect for 12-15 loft condos, you have the 5 story 38,000 sq foot Textile building on Beekman with incredible city views 15-20 condos. The whole hillside edging up to the park has commanding views of the viaduct and the city and is perhaps the "best kept secrete view" of the city. Especially at night. There are 4 urban renovation projects on Bloom and lower Knox now with planed rooftop decks and a new mixed use live/work infill being planned. The overlook district plans calls for 80-90 new housing units be they restorations, condos or new infill view homes. Also the creation of a neighborhood business/retail core on Beekman north of Lunkenheimer between there and Knox. Having said that, the people that seem to be interested in moving to Knox Hill are preservationists or professionals who could care less about mass transit and are more interested in 2-3 car garage space incorporated in new construction. The OTR model/interest in mass transit does not seem to interest those in that area. Had the city not demoed so much the neighborhood would be must further along. It took a federal HUD complaint to stop the stupidity. Knox Hill is turning around in spite of the city and most would just as soon they, and others, stop trying to come up with 'creative' ideas to spur redevelopment. They really just need to get out of the way.

We believe it was built post 1890 but no later than 1900, this was the time period in which Queen Anne style was popular. Some of the elements suggest that it may be loosely based on some of the Geo Barber plans of the day, If you put the building in its built context as cottage it was a "big" cottage. I believe it can be bought for less.

Look for those Moving Forward Ohio signs. Ed Cunningham has 250 building to demo this year!

After many years of decline there may be an opportunity to save the only raised basement Queen Anne Cottage in Fairmount. The cottage was converted into church many years ago and much of its ornamentation (including its tower) was removed. The church is now offering the building for sale for 40K (will likely sell for far less). This is a unique structure that deserves to be saved and it sits within the planed north expansion zone of Knox Hill. The property sits at the corner of Trevor and Baltimore which will be the North entrance to the Knox Hill Neighborhood. More info about the property is on a recent Blog post I did, here: http://victorianantiquitiesanddesign.blogspot.com/2014/04/wanted-preservation-hero-with-higher.html I have also worked up a possible "after" showing the property redeveloped. There is room for 1 car garage on the site if the shed is removed. I would buy it myself but I have eight homes under restoration in Knox Hill and I cant save them all. This is a huge "cottage" . My fear is if someone doesn't buy it to restore, it will continue its decline as church or worse yet get divided up into apartments

They were originally used as ventilation for unfinished attic space. Later on as attics were finished (often for servants) they were the only source of fresh air. In my neighborhood which has free standing homes there are side windows and those windows allow for some cross ventilation for finishsed attic space

VBML has been used as a funding source by the city and been abused by inspectors as a way to get minor violations "off their caseload". It was meant to deal with property that had major structural violations that endangered first responders. With the foreclosure crisis, THOUSANDS, of properties were slapped with VBML for minor things like a broken window or missing downspout. The city used VBML orders to demonstarte "need' for federal CDBG funds used for demo. The Blight=bulldozer approach has been abandoned by most cities but Cincinnati uses it as a way to get FED monies and pay salaries. What needs to happen is a return to code based enforcement coupled with an housing court and CDBG fund used for community redevelopment rather than demo. The city used VBML to drive down property values in S Fairmount to facilitate 'low balling" property owners for the MSD project and VBML's effectively redlines communities because they drive down values, make it impossible to get a loan. The city also violated section 106 guidelines by not having public hearings. KHNA (Knox Hill Neighborhood association) filed a federal HUD complaint against the city that forced them to hold 106 reviews. The urban conservator is rubber stamping , otherwise eligible property as non eligible, to keep the Fed funds coming and there are all sorts of lawsuites out there. What needs to happen is a return to code based enforcement coupled with a hosuing court. We are bulldozing our history using Fed funds.

We have recieved a lot of email from across the state about what an bad use of moving forward monies are for demo. Our engineer has ooffered that if the part of zahn row is demoed (they pulled the sign from the side the land bank has going to sherrif sale in august), that there would be significant structural compromise to the east side of the Overlook projects lot which has the primary access steps and a side patio, The loss of the 24 inch thick stone wall that makes up the foundation wall of Zahn Row would require the construction of new retaining wall structure that would cost an estinmated 20-22,000 dollars. A cost the city will have to bear because its the city's demolition action that causes the issue. The city legal department is being advised as are several legislators in Ohio and of course the feds that brought the lawsuit making the dispersements of these funds possible. In short smart money should be to stop demo. On much brighter news a major problem property owner in Knox Hill has left and has agreed to sell to a responsible individual with proven restoration track record who has done work in the Pendleton area. That home a 1912 Craftsman Bungalow will certainly be contributing structure post restoaration. Even better news is the acquisition of the Gertrude Holtz house on Fairmount Ave. That house a 1890 victorian sits on three lots, has a restored tin roof and nice gardens. The gardens are being restored now and its hoped that a new 4 color preservation paint job and recreation of the original front porch will begin in the next few weeks. The stabilized restored exterior home, will then be resold with a protective deed covenant that requires the exterior be maintained to preservation standards, and that it remain a single family. Interior design is up to the owner but interior renovations must take place within 24 months. The home is 1800 square feet 3 bedrooms 1 1/2 bath with a full basement. It will need ubstancial interior restore including mechanicals. However there is much intact woordwork and the staircase/stairhall area has some unusual "moorish "design, lincrusta wallpaper. So even though Knox Hill is fighting the city on one front, we are saving on two other fronts. Blight DOES NOT have to equal a bulldozer.

Probably a good idea (in the short term, but given the property market movement I am seeing, and the levels of restoration, closeness to Xavier, if you are going to do it, doing it right makes sense. Big obstacles are finding deep pockets. If you could do the project as a decorator show home ( donated time and materials) you could keep costs down. St Margarets Guild up in Indy for example ,does an annual decorator show house, Kips bay is another. There are ways to do it right. I am not convinced you can write the neighborhood off. I could see the apartments demoed and new infill condos for example. the existing housing stock in the area has quality.

965 Burton would be a major loss to preservation. The house has been off and on the market for the last 4 years. The current out of state owner paid way too much during the real estate boom and thought he'd have cash cow. Last I heard they wanted about 90K for it. Ive seen it and stabilization costs, just stabilization, will be 250-350K. It needs a roof, soffit and gutter reconstruction. The house also is missing its original staircase which could be recreated. Much original detail is missing because it was a nursing home for many years. Actual final cost for a period restoration to secretary of interior standards is likely between 1.7 to 2 million. My best scenario for the house would be to use it as a training center for historic preservation trades people or for some group like CPA and say the builders association to partner with a non profit and do a decorator show house out of it and then make it a decorative house museum and hope that renovation that is starting over there picks up and 'someday' it could be sold with protective covenants.

A lot of people moved into OTR with the expectation that things would "magically happen". I would imagine that if you looked at the OTR Kroger's bottom line right now, most of their sales are on EBT/Assistance cards. That has ben their main demographic for years. From a business standpoint two things have to happen. A more upscale clientel and two, those low income people moving out . Both those things are happening but the reality is you need 25-30 thousand people downtown for a grocery to majorly change its inventory. The money is not there for them to carry gourmet cheeze and wine when the majority of their clientel isn't interested. In the real world I'd predict Kroger would be 5 years out on major changes. I have seen this play out in a couple of cities undergoing urban growth. It takes time, be patient.

Clearly, in the past Gay people were less concerned about schools but with so many gay couples with children, I believe schools are now more a consideration than they were say 20 years ago. The fact is that it takes a certain "moxie" and attitude, to move into a run down neighborhood and turn it around, stand up to drug dealers, and gangs. Also restoration takes a great deal of time and patience, raisinga family takes a lot of time. My experience has been, on a more national level, that the urban pioneers who made a great difference in key cities were gay and were effectively able to network and market and 'gain control' over the area to shape it. Over the years, I can't tell you how many times some drug dealer, gang banger, or general lowlife, who after using every derogatory comment they could scream say "you people think you own this neighborhood don't you?" My reply has always been "Don't own it all...yet...give us a few more months". The facts are once there are rules, no more cars on blocks, you can't deal drugs on the streetcorner without me calling 911, the people that drug down a neighborhood in the first place tend to leave for areas where their bad behavior is not challenged . Its also fascinating to watch neighborhood turnaround happen. The gay community comes in and restores, the neighborhood becomes 'acceptable', married straight families move in and those who made it all happen, take their money and are off to the next great frontier to do it all over again. Why? Because once the neighborhood has turned around there is often a lack of diversity and the topic is more about getting the kids to soccer practice than dealing with turnaround of neighborhood. Once the neighborhood looks like a homogenous suburbia or 'stepford' . The neighborhood is not only not challenging, but boring to those who turned it around. But you can't 'paint preservationist' with such a broad stroke. A lot of very highly skilled restoration trades people are straight, married and lots of kids. At the same time you can't deny that the gay community goes to neighborhoods few would venture too (at least initially).

95 Mulberry is being offerred at sherriff sale on 1/3/2013. The building has had orders on it going back to 2002. Opening Bid is 4993.72. Architecturally a very interesting structure and a good candidate for restoration. It is historic eligible. According to the auditiors website the property is 3264 Sq feet, 10 rooms 6 bedrooms.

To Sherman,and others, just to clarify. The overlook project is Modern for a couple of reasons. One, this particular house had virtually no historic fabric left. Built in 1895 it had a major 'craftsman remodel' in the 1920's, a further remuddle in the 1950's when the garage was added with teh horrible stucco job, and a remuddle around 1997 when everything was vinylized . In short its a total gut. No useable plaster or period trim. "Period restoration" of this size home would have been in excess of 450-475K and it wouldn't have been restoration , but rather re-creation. The only thing going for it was sound structure and frankly if we had not bought it the local slumlord/hoarder would have bought it and nothing would have happened to it and bulldozing would have been the result. While the lower eastern end of Knox Hill has some great architecture, a nice 1865 center hall down the street and the Zahn Row a 4 unit attached shotgun cottage complex, but overall there isn't much "valuable architectural fabric". Most of the close area is industrial. The Lunkenheimer Building on between Waverly and Pinetree (where Covingtion Recycle is) is undergoing a marketing change next year with a shift towards Artist and photographer studio spaces with the vast majority of the complex, Covington recycle will be staying. There are a couple of other small industrial buildings being redone as live/works too, and there are a couple of restorations starting in the area in 2013. Also the private Roosevelt School has brought better educational opporunities to the area making it more attractive to young proffessionals with kids. Because of misguided demo policys by South Fairmount CC, much of that lower area was bulldozed and there are a lot of infill site opportunities and if you have been up there you know the views are fantastic. We have identified some 45 vacant lots in the district. What we dont want is anotyher Citirama type of development with a bunch of vinyl sided 'burb houses' that look like they should be in the burbs, and we dont want any more habitat housing. The "Overlook Project's" aim is to demonstrate that upscale Urban housing can be built in this area that utilizes those million dollar views at a far more attractive price point than Mt Adams. This property has target sales price beween 325-350K and we are working with a buyer at that price. The goal is that this project will spur further development interest. We are talking with some custom builders and we have some lots acquired. In fact my company will be building a new traditional style infill similar to some we built in Indy. the hope is that with new development comes greater preservation interest in the existing homes. The neighborhood has been working on the comprehensive overlook district plan for over a year now. The city has held off demolition of key property while the association works on strategies (like receivership) to get long vacant properties freed up. I am first and foremost, dedicated to preservation. But just historic preservation won't always work in every neighborhood situation. This is one of those situations.

Recent news from Knox Hill. KHNA has started its second Save-not-Raze Project house in the 1800 Block of Knox Street. The home, built in 1885, is a three story Italianate, four bedrooms, 3 Baths and a full basement. The home was converted to an illegal triplex years ago and had been vacant since 2006. KHNA is stabilizing the home, removing the front vinyl and insulbrick and restoring the facade to Secretary of the Interior standards. Once stabilization is somplete, the home will be resold with protective covenants that require it be exterior maintained to preservation standards. The interior restoration needs to be completed within two years and the owner must demonstrate funding to do the restoration. There are no restrictions on the interior design but the home must be converted back to a single family home. The home is in very sound structural condition but will need the usual new mechanicals. Interested individuials should contact me for details. This is a relatively easy restoration project and sits on a block with 6 other under restoration homes. Knox Hill Neighborhood association was formed in 2008 to foster Historic preservation in the Knox Hill area of Cincinnati