SWOH

Anyone surprised? http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/plans-for-1400-acre-proposed-project-delayed-again/nhQjr/

^The Beavercreek Dick's is an 80,000 sq. ft. store, if y'all want an idea of what will be going in.

The only announced tenants I'm aware of according to local media referenced in this thread are Dillard's, CineBistro, Dick's, and an AC Hotel by Marriott.

^Exactly. That's largely why the Greene has been a big hit in Dayton. People come for the restaurants, stay for the drinks. The best part is that it's making those suburbanites more adventurous. The Oregon District has never done better than it's doing now, and a lot of that is due to the suburbanites coming in and frequenting the restaurants and bars.

Very cool! Makes me think of all of the villages and towns in Ohio that were lost to flooding. In SW OH, I know Tadmor (by Vandalia), Osborn and Fairfield (relocated and merged, now Fairborn) were all lost.

Hamilton's a gem, glad to see it go for the additional support. City and community leaders there are really doing a good job. Can't wait to see what else will come over the next few years!

SAF, what would be unique is if Stenier made a bold move and kicked Dick's and CineBistro out of the development, and replaced it with office space or more residential use instead. Honestly, the retail industry is not even what it was 5 years ago and developers need to adjust. More discretionary income goes to restaurants (the rise of Foodies, anyone?) and entertainment (increase in average marrying age / rise of more bars, nightclubs, breweries, etc. than ever before) than retail stores (tiny house movement, demographic trends of people moving back to the city, smaller average house sizes). Steiner should capitalize on the movement AWAY from retail. So why are there three large "uncool" IMO retail anchors at the development? This region does not need another mall. Heck, look at the formula its copy to the north, The Greene, uses. I'm a Daytonian, and I know few people that go there for the stores (except I hear about the occasional trip to Von Maur, but even that is rare). The people I know go for the restaurants, the entertainment on the lawn, Adobe Gila's and the Funny Bone nightclubs, etc. I know I fit into the latter category, aside from the awesome Books and Co. bookstore they have there. So in a way, I see what you are saying SAF. Liberty Center will not really be a mall, but instead it will be like the Greene. I get that, and I do think there is a void in the market for a walkable mixed-use development with a solid bar district in the northern suburbs. What I don't understand is: 1. Why the focus of this development / your focus has been on retail, "killing Tri-County", etc. I could pull quotes but I'd rather not. 2. Why you think this will be unique. 3. How this development could possibly be walkable to the VOA park

Interesting. Is it all a historical village now, or is it possible to live in Zoar, Ohio?

Agreed that Steiner generally does a good job. This development is a lot better quality than, say, something that Simon or Glimcher would do. What I don't understand is how the tenant mix is so bad. All they were able to do was poach Dillard's from Tri-County (keep in mind they weren't even able to get Macy's, which I'm sure they tried to do), and get Dick's, which probably would have just located to somewhere along Tylersville if there were any open space. If I were the developers, I would have been tempted to ditch the retail component and focus more on restaurants, office space, and residential given the current tenant mix and let Tri-County be. But to each their own I guess.

Nothing could be further from the truth..... http://www.liberty-center.com/Portals/0/pdf/LIBERTY-CENTER-RENDERING-BOOK-MAY-2014.pdf Richmond Town Square: Not a bad comparison if we are just talking straight retail mix: Macy's = Dillard's Dick's = Planet Fitness Cinema = Cinema The difference is that Richmond Town Square also includes Sears and Macy's, which one could see as an asset or a liability given their recent financial performance. I'd argue the development is more similar to the Beechmont Mall redevelopment into Anderson Town Center: http://www.atcstores.com/merchants.html Assuming it's about 5-10 years in the future and the Kmart is closed and replaced with a Dick's Sporting Goods. I see movie theaters increasingly going the way of the dinosaurs, so take that for what it's worth.

^Eh, from the media reports he's all about killing the development. Not once does he ever mention his own deals. That's why I'm wondering what's really in it for him if this falls through. I doubt he's causing this much opposition just because of antiquated ideals about land use planning. CincyImages, the development will be happening to the west of 75. I'm assuming you mean Schumacher would prefer development to the east, like by the GE tech center?

^You got that right. I think there may be some land they can cannibalize to the west that is not included in the original plan. Aside from that, forget it. Unless they are still building that pedestrian bridge across 129. That, IMO, is the key between having a "yuck" project and a "decent" project.

I actually like the new GE design at the Banks a lot. Reminds me of the Caresource building in Dayton, which did wonders for our skyline and downtown vibe.

Agreed. And I'm wondering how Schumacher benefits if the deal falls through.

Thought you all might get a kick out of this: Apartments at Union Centre http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2014/08/are-apartments-wrong-for-downtown-west-chester.html?page=all Rendering: Truly an amazing story IMO. The one attempt being made to put in a quasi-quality residential development at Union Centre is being vehemently opposed by the developer of most of Union Centre, Schumacher Dugan. What's most amusing are his reasons, which are basically a jumble of blatantly wrong opinions as has been proven by many urban and regional planners. They include (direct quoting btw): - "Where are children going to play?" - why would there be children there? - “You can bet the good cars go in the parking garage and the clunkers will be outside along the streets”, because of the 1.5 parking spaces per unit. How many cars are these people really going to need? - "West Chester Township has invested $3.5 million on amenities, such as the park, Centre Pointe Drive and Towne Centre Drive, to create the heart of the West Chester Business District, to attract corporate headquarters and quality businesses, and jobs to West Chester – not to incentivize potentially adverse residential apartment development. What happens when our young people decide that they do not want to live any longer in 800 sq. ft.?” - I don't know, maybe move to Hyde Park. Or Hamilton. - “It’s the wrong product at a huge price to the township”, in reference to the TIF financing - this I can at least understand, but where again does it say he is a stakeholder in the community? If he just developed the properties and no longer owns them or any land there, then Mr. Schumacher needs to back off.

Hamilton is doing well! Can't wait to see the results of these projects.... and maybe popular perception of Hamilton change to viewing the city as an urban alternative on the suburban northside. Thanks for the update!

Get a change.org petition going and post it on your FB. Enough signatures there and some help from local politicians might be enough to get your idea on the ballot. It sounds like a good, relatively inexpensive way to beautify Peebles. Best of luck

... and no discussion about crime and safety in Hamilton can exclude this guy: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/11/edwin-tobergta-sex-pool-raft-_n_5485696.html

I have been to Carter Caves, never been to Jenny Wiley. Carter Caves is nice, but most of the caves require some decent spelunking skills. Definitely going to get dirty, need to be able to squeeze into tight spots, etc. to truly appreciate the park. The landscape there is kinda reminiscent of the Hillsboro area (go figure since they have 7 Caves). West Baden Springs >>> French Lick if you are just talking hotel vs. hotel. West Baden is beautiful, even the pictures above (which are stellar) just barely do it justice. French Lick is more of a hodgepodge type place. West Baden Springs is a world wonder, and alone is worth the trip, I'd highly recommend it. There is a man-made lake nearby at a state park, but I don't remember the spot having too much to do. Otherwise, Geneva on the Lake SP (and the quirky '50's style town of Geneva on the Lake) is a fun, more secluded and off the beaten path type place to go. The hotel at the park is a minimum 2-night stay, and it's slightly outside your driving range (about 5 hrs from Cincy). http://www.thelodgeatgeneva.com/default.aspx http://www.visitgenevaonthelake.com/ Another spot you might like would be Michigan's "thumb" (lower Lake Huron coast). It's isolated, and it's not very "touristy". In fact, I don't even have a ton of info to offer on it besides Port Austin might be a good town to check out. Here's some links: http://www.michigan-thumb.com/ http://www.thumbtravels.com/ My other Michigan recommendation is Saugatuck / St. Joseph / Holland (southern Lake Michigan shore), which is also pushing your range. Saugatuck is home to an artist colony, and from what I understand (disclosure - never been there, always wanted to go) is similar to Kennebunkport Maine if you are familiar with that area. More to do, and more toursit-oriented than the Thumb. Here's some info: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g42683-Saugatuck_Allegan_County_Michigan-Vacations.html http://www.michigan.org/city/saugatuck/ http://www.michigan.org/hot-spots/holland/ http://www.michigan.org/hot-spots/south-haven/ Last suggestion is the Laurel Highlands area of PA. It's due south to southeast of Pittsburgh, and includes Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, Kentuck Knob, and Ohiopyle Park. I believe there are opportunities to do whitewater rafting, biking, kayaking / canoeing, horseback riding, wine tasting, etc. there too. Here's a decent site: http://www.laurelhighlands.org/ Or if you don't want to go that far and would like a full resort experience, Oglebay's near Wheeling WV is cool too. Here's their info: http://www.oglebay-resort.com/ Good luck!

Yeah, that would require a couple flea markets, some low-budget hotels, prisoners, and a giant holy-roller church. Sounds like a good time though

Interesting choice: http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/29/politics/va-nomination-bob-mcdonald/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Now this would be a cool loft project! Definitely hoping Hamilton will continue to position itself as the cool urban alternative on the suburban northside. It's a beautiful city, dense, walkable, and has a lot of cool neighborhoods. And OH 129 between Rt. 4 and the underpass is getting a revamp to make the thoroughfare more inviting: http://wmoh-am.linkedupradio.com/the-ticket-updates/103993 Lots of progress in Hamilton!

Wonderful set!

When Havighurst was built in the early '80's, the Western Campus folks were NOT pleased that it would look like a 'traditional' Miami building. They wanted a stone facade and not the Miami red brick. And not to split hairs, but Havighurst is on the edge of Western closest to the main campus. It's good to know the new buildings will be in line with the Western appearance. I could imagine. Being a current Miami student who occasionally walks past Havinghurst Hall (with the construction date on the sign out front), it was built almost immediately after Western College was acquired by Miami University, in 1976 if I remember correctly (I am 100% certain it was completed in the 1970s). To me, Havinghurst's construction almost seems like a dog marking its territory. A horrendous move on the university's part. When they first announced the construction of the new dorms on Western, I was very worried this was going to happen again. But thank goodness it did not! There is a weird red brick section on one of the new dorms near Havinghurst, I'm assuming it's there to tie Havinghurst into Western better.

^Same. I'm really glad they didn't go with the traditional red brick and respected the architecture of the Western campus