jim uber

^ I'm looking forward to trying the new Babushka Pierogies on Main Street sometime soon. OK not a dumpling, but actually it is a dumpling ?

I know what you are saying, and I also realize your list was meant to be just an example. But for me those types of stores either exist in downtown (or they have good substitutes) -- and I can walk to them, or I can't recall the last time I wanted to use one of those types of stores. I mean, I'm pushing 60 years old, but do millennials even use dry cleaners? Wouldn't they prefer a good and reliable pickup/dropoff laundry service if they did? For me, combining the new downtown Kroger with something like a downtown Target would get me to 90%.

^ Oh and by the way, my pre- and post-construction numbers matched! ?

I know - I've personally submitted and won historic tax credits at Federal and State levels, and completed that whole process, including the CPA audit (and that was expensive!) What I meant was, after you have the CPA audit, nobody at the State level ever goes back and says "Hey, they spent $1M here, how does that jive with what they said they would spend, in their historic tax credit application?" So, if that's the case, just say you'll spend whatever you think will pass the smell test, cause like I said, the larger that number the more competitive is your application.

Applicants for historic tax credits have a built in motive to over estimate the rehab costs, and it certainly seems that's been done here -- these buildings don't even appear to be in very bad shape, as far as OTR vacant stock is concerned. By over estimating costs, the percentage of the credit goes down, and that wins points in the scoring. The thing is, in the end, nobody to my knowledge ever compares the certified rehabilitation expenses, against the proposed total project cost. It's sort of amazing.

^ is this related at all to rehabilitation of that building? I remember some time ago there was "talk of plans" to turn it into apartments.

Yeah, but it's also true that it might make little sense to put a huge parking structure right at the FCC site, which will be activated 30 dates/year. They stated that one of the things they're looking at is a smaller parking structure first near Findlay. Given the way the Findlay node is progressing, I think that's a wiser use of county money for parking, compared to one large facility at FCC that would likely see lower use overall.

It would make sense to extend the current SID, I agree. Also just from a management perspective. You need an organization to run this, and who better than DCI. And @ink yes on infrastructure improvements. Street lighting + burying utilities, over time.

^ Yes. Believe me, I'm not negating the impact of 3CDC and I think I know and understand that as well as you do. I'm just saying that their impact has occurred and that redevelopment of North of Liberty will continue, continuing outward from the Findlay market node, even if they chose not to invest significantly. I just came back from Findlay down pleasant street and it's clear that street will be 90% fully build out/rehabbed within a year. I don't expect 3CDC to not invest north of liberty, however. I think their impact will help turn around the areas on Vine street by the park to the east of Findlay, over say a 5 year time frame whereas otherwise it might take 10.

^ I don't understand this. There is very significant development occurring right now (and has been) around Findlay market without 3CDC involvement. This will accelerate with or without them.

I'm not responding to your criticism of the building tear down. I was responding to the comment that the Liberty and Elm project was killed. See the first sentence with "will be" in it.

This quote from the CoA review for the proposed Lot seems to indicate otherwise: "The proposed parking lot will be built in association with the previously approved development at the northwest corner of Liberty Street and Elm Street. Under common ownership, the lot will likely initially serve as public parking until the parking lot is needed for the development. Upon completion of the building, the lot will serve the residents of the Liberty and Elm residences. Eventually, a parking garage is intended to serve the development at which point the subject property could be redeveloped to commercial or mixed-use."

I don't think it was denied. It was recommended to be denied. The HCB meeting is on the 10th I thought. I'm out of town but if I were here, I'd definitely be attending that meeting and trying my best to channel what Graham Kalbli said (see above post by ucgrady[/member])

Does this idiot actually think there's a chance in hell that the city just "decides" to permanently shut down the streetcar? Does he have the slightest clue how that series of decisions would go? Was he around in 2009, 2011, or 2013? I sent an email to the Enquirer editor in chief asking if this was really the best they could do. Every time we lose a Peter Bronson, another one takes its place. Must be in the water.

Unfortunately, Cranley has been able to make the streetcar turn out to be as crappy as he originally said it would be. He's done this by hamstringing operations at every turn. It started by eliminating technology funding that would have supported accurate real-time displays from day 1, then went to firing your project manager (Deatrick) before he could use his unique system knowledge to ramp up operations and solve problems, and continues to this day with dragging heels on the traffic study and not ticketing for blocking the tracks. This is incredibly petty of Cranley, but that's his M.O. He's motivated more by being right and having the last say, than being an effective public servant. Very Trumpian. At this point, with pretty much everyone except tourists feeling sad about taking the streetcar, and with electric scooters and bikes stealing market share for short and convenient trips by people 30 and under, it'll probably take a hard reset of some kind - like a "Smale commission" for the streetcar - to jump start this thing after Cranley's gone.

My wife and I decided to check out a rooftop bar on saturday evening, and we'd never been to the top of the new AC hotel on the Banks. It was great weather and the great views as you'd expect. But we waited in a 35 minute queue to get into the elevator!

The only recent activity on site has been mowing and related grounds maintenance. That doesn’t seem to be something you’d spend time doing if you were going to start site prep for construction.

^ +Has anyone heard anything about Fortus's plans for Freeport row? Last I heard they were supposed to start this summer but... nothing yet.

Because our Mayor sucks, and is completely unable or unwilling to articulate why investment in a strong urban core benefits the region and the neighborhoods.

come on.

^^ I think you're both right. A problem with the current "system" is that council makes recommendations on things like parking rates based mainly on needs to fill budget holes, not on things like parking demand. They don't seem to have those data, and I'm not sure they even do things like ask parking enforcement for information about where there is parking congestion or where the most tickets are written. This isn't going to change. That's why a technology solution like Xerox proposed (or some other, better, vendor) is probably needed. I mean, just put the technology into place, gather data, present in a format ideally suited for Council to digest for policy purposes, and make the appropriate policy decisions that are implemented through the technology. And then do this on a regular basis.

I've lived in Cincinnati for 28 years and been there once. We decided to go last night cause it was the last night they were having live jazz. The meal was just fine. Afterward, in the lounge, it reminded me of having lunch with my Mom on Sundays, after we moved her from Chicago to the Season's retirement community. And I say that as a nearly 58 year old -- most of you would have simply walked out after taking a glance at the room.

^ Yep. And while thank goodness for Landsman, not many other folks seem to even care. It is going to take a while, and another administration, to dig out of this hole that we find ourselves in, by building a great piece of infrastructure with a poorly funded and poorly communicated operational component. I mean, I couldn't believe it when I read that Smitherman (!) complained that the traffic study was something that should have been completed before operation began, not two years afterward. As if, that was an example of what a "boondoggle" the streetcar was and is, and not that you were instrumental in making sure everything was as hard to get done as possible, all the way along. This is an example of why some industries have come to the realization that "build-operate" is the right way to contract for these sorts of things. Otherwise there's too much potential to just "get it done" and walk away once the concrete is cured. So short sighted...

^ Do you supposed that was strategic, or just the only available pool of money? By strategic I mean, do the stadium folks feel that a Liberty diet would harm their chosen location, in terms of access?

^ I think that's outdated. Rhinegeist is filled constantly and the increasing number of restaurants around Findlay seem to be doing fine. And within a year there will be a lot of new development online. I mean, pleasant street alone is nearly complete from Liberty to Findlay, if you count the places currently under construction.