SWOH

^It was shut down. She had some amazing acts come through there though. Probably not many of you are into mainstream hip-hop, but 2Chainz and Future both did performances at the club. So she had major connections, major cash, or both.

^Glad to see the shout-outs! I was passing through North Dayton the other day and I saw a Turkish guy getting into his semi parked by his house in North Dayton. That, to me at least, was a wonderful sight and another reminder this initiative is working.

Suburbia! Oh well haha. Hoping they don't choose to do a purple neon sign for the music center as is shown in the mock-up, that is fugly.... Anyways, more news to add: http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/news/2014/06/11/tj-chumps-to-open-new-restaurant-in-mixed-use.html I don't think this necessarily means the Heights development is happening, but it does mean they sold one of the outlots.

I'd look into downtown/Webster station as well. In particular the Cannery, the Landing (currently has a long waiting list though) and maybe Dayton Towers. Otherwise, St Anne's Hill is pretty cool, as is Park Latne and a couple of other apartment complexes in Grafton Hill if you want to go that route. Good luck!

I did see in an earlier BizCourier article (which may have been posted here) that the center most likely will include a pedestrian bridge across OH 129 to the Children's hospital area. So kudos for that. It won't be upscale, and it doesn't look like much of a competitor to Tri County. So kudos there as well. As long as they build it with some respect for quality I think it might be nice. And maybe it will help further detox some suburbanites into the city. Taking suburbanites from the car driven mall mentality to an atmosphere that is a lot more conducive to transit in general makes them angry they can't access the center easily with their cars at first. But then they begin to consider how cool it woul be instead if they did not have to worry about their car at all. I've observed a little bit of this phenomena with my suburban friends in Dayton in relation to the Greene. So maybe urbanists should view this as promotion for cities/detox rather than a hostile attack?

^yep, that does appear to be the case. I thought for sure that they would pull Macys away from Tri-County, but it looks like that won't be happening. Maybe this will mean Tri-County will start signing some more tenants? I don't see this center being much of an alternative to the mall.

Better Name recognition? Bang & Olufsen has been THE celebrity name brand decades. I've always thought of a metro area having a Bang & Olufsen store as more of a status symbol than IKEA. I still remember the first time I was walking through Phipps Plaza in Atlanta past Versace and Prada stores. It wasn't until I saw the Bang & Olufsen store that I said to myself, "Wow, this place has money." They're SO high end that they can locate wherever the heck they want and people with money will pay the valet parking to shop there. Glad I'm not in the know then - I'm too "middle America" for stuff like that (and proud of it). If I had an extra $50k lying around I sure as heck would not spend it on a sound system. Not while people are still living in poverty around the world, historic buildings are being carelessly bulldozed, and neighborhoods are being torn apart. But if they can make it, power to them.

Dick's Sporting Goods named as third anchor of center: http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/liberty-center-adds-sporting-goods-store-as-third-/nfsLS/

Here's their website: http://www.bang-olufsen.com/en From the looks of it, they look more like a home customization type of store. Their showroom is 2,200 sq. ft., and if I'm not mistaken is in a townhome downtown? So I think they are building off that vibe ~ a high-quality, high craftsmanship product for finer homes and young professionals. Especially young professional millennials. I'm assuming they figured the type of young professionals that would be most likely to buy their products because they would be ones that are more socially active, more involved in the community, more likely to have parties and social gatherings in their apartments or condos, etc. So looking straight at a target market of OTR, Mt. Adams, Northside, Clifton, Oakley, Covington, and Hyde Park. I can see this working well, now to get some better advertising / name recognition...

Update on Midpark Development by MVH and Coco's: http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/news/2014/05/06/mixed-use-project-to-offer-new-office-space-option.html?page=all 39,000 sq. ft. commercial and 72,900 sq. ft. residential over 10 acres.... The building floorplates are only the 39k sq. ft commercial, which is just under an acre of area. This sounds very low density. So I'm concerned. Does that mean large seas of parking lots? Maybe you all can provide some insight on how a development with buildings on only 1/10 of its total surface area is supposed to feel urban?

Wow, nice shots of nice houses! And these were all within city limits? It's impressive the amount of wealth that is within the city proper, I'm assuming the hills helped keep the wealth in Cincinnati better than places like Columbus and Cleveland where it could easily leave.

Apple moving into The Greene, local Apple Retailer MacTown closing up shop: http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/news/2014/05/06/mactown-closing-as-apple-prepares-to-open-at-the.html

I just don't see a ton of incentive for GE to locate at the Banks unless they want their logo on the Cincinnati skyline, are really going for a YP workforce, etc. I would rather see them go to the Banks, but I don't see why it would happen when they already hold as much prime real estate as they do along I-75.

Jake--as much as I agree with you on so many things, here I'm really asking you to modify your perception of Oakley Station, at least as applied to GE... No, "Oakley Station" isn't what any of us ever wanted (especially after we were shown the possibilities of a revamped Milacron complex with its former structure intact), but consider that: (1) this isn't MASON, a terrible choice for well-known reasons; (2) this isn't EVENDALE, as some misguided posters have wished for; and lastly and most importantly; (3) this isn't Columbus, no matter how much Kasich and his cronies prayed otherwise. No matter what, not some generic "SW OHIO," but actually the "city" of Cincinnati, itself, is about to gain 1,400-2,000 high-paying jobs and the additional presence of one prestigious F10 company! Obviously, many of us wish GE will relocate at either the "Banks" or elsewhere within the city's CBD. But, if GE decides otherwise (and also considering what we already appreciate about Oakley/Hyde Park/Norwood, etc.), would "Oakley Station" really be that bad a second choice? (ie, the virtual center of Cincy proper, connected to numerous major traffic arteries, surrounded by a wealth of upscale retail amenities, and soon to be serviced by this region's most prestigious Kroger Marketplace store... (:roll:). Now, tell me, what's there not to like about this second-best, centralized, city proper location? (:wtf:) I'd rather see it at the Banks, but Evendale makes a heck of a lot of sense financially. Lots of prime interstate frontage, they have a site large enough to put a 400,000 sq. ft., 1-story building if they wanted to, they own the land, and it's already secure. Here's a graphic I did on a potential site: (link if pic doesn't display): Why put it at a suburban Oakley or Mason location and pay millions for the site when you could just do it at Evendale and get it all for free? I'm betting GE uses this as a bargaining chip to drive their total taxes paid to Evendale down.

Agreed. There is no benefit to building a New Urbanist community in the middle of nowhere. If I understand correctly, new urbanist only works well in areas that are already urban. If the new urbanist community is designed so you can do most of your daily life functions by foot (i.e., has a Walkscore above 80 or so), then it would make sense and probably would reduce a lot of pollution, waste, etc. I do not know enough about this community to determine whether or not that will be the case.... But either way, even the lack of public transportation alone makes it so there is virtually no benefit to a new urbanist type of community at this location.

People can also grow their own food but most still don't. That's like saying that the reason pot is/was illegal is that you can grow it yourself and the government and businesses wouldn't get a cut. But most people where it's legal buy it from a dispensary rather than grow it. Kind of, I guess. I would say 3-D printing to average merchandise is more like the relationship between computers and books. Think about it. Let's say you want a new stylish cotton tank top. Is it easier to go to the store and buy one or just print one? The technology is still years off, but it is coming rapidly. Pair that with the fact people don't really need "stuff" as much anymore, and you have a good recipe for a need for less income. Why? People can rely more now on common goods. Like Google, social media, etc.

Excellent observation. I think that's a key aspect many people don't understand with the new economy - it's service based. As in low-wage service based. Not to take this too far off topic, but that's why minimum wage reform is key. There are going to be a lot more people in the future living off minimum wage and working in industries like food service and retail as a career. And that's not a bad thing either, despite the contrary opinion. It takes a lot less money to live now than it did even five years ago. So, for instance, cable? No need with a Roku. Books? Look at how many you can get free on Amazon for Kindle. Or better yet, sites like UO provide a lot of fairly credible research on one spot. "Stuff" is not so necessary anymore. Because of that, there will be less demand for "stuff". Once 3-D printing becomes viable, forget the need to buy "stuff" from stores anymore. Forget the malls and big-box stores. All anyone will want to do is order more raw material for their 3-D printers online. Something else to note - food prices are going up a lot. So is the demand for more social interaction in an organic, unique environment. Put this together, and you find a growing demand for independent restaurants, and with it a larger need for knowledgeable restaurant operators, chefs, and employees. That's a lot of the reason why craft brewing is taking off - people are looking for an authentic place to eat, drink, and mingle in a world that is very virtual and fake. People like the rough edges, the sense of community, and the atmosphere. That's something you can't find just anywhere. Pair these factors together, and that's a lot of incentive for many people, young or old, to move into urban areas. Many no longer feel a need to isolate themselves in a bubble. They don't feel a need to make over $100k a year so they can afford a McMansion and a nice car, just so they can fill the McMansion with a bunch of crap they don't use and drive alone to and from their far-away job in their car pod. They also realize the health consequences of not getting enough exercise, not being exposed to natural daylight and fresh air, and the amount of chemicals used in food from chain restaurants. Thus the desire for walkability, and real neighborhoods with real traditions. Check out this perspective to give you an idea of what I'm talking about: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/27/why-millennials-are-leaving-the-church/ particularly I know it's an abstract tie to the concept, but it illustrates well how today people seek authenticity in a very virtual, synthetic world. And I'm not sure how Otterbein operates, but I have a feeling this development is not very "authentic" or congruent with their "values" - if they know what their values even are. So, going even further on this tangent, one can live fairly well now if they work about 40 hours a week at the new proposed minimum wage, $10.10. And there is a lot of need to fill those types of jobs. Yes, the rich are still getting richer, and I am well aware of the arguments about how a minimum wage increase will cost jobs and worker motivation. But it costs society a lot less overall to ensure people are able to live off of what they earn. And if there is a minimum wage of $10.10 tied to inflation, adjusted yearly, I think this wage could support an individual living on their own and working 40 hours a week for years to come. They may even be able to live fairly comfortably given they channel some of that money into decent internet service and they know what they can find out there for free.

Not really my conversation or area of expertise, but I do not think Gilbert means any harm by comparing Detroit and Cleveland. The cities are socioeconomically very similar. And both are making nice comeback efforts in recent years. Definitely a lot to be proud of with both locales.

Potentially bad news for the Wasson Way alternative to the Eastern Corridor: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/03/31/cincinnati-tries-to-buy-rail-line-for-east-side.html I'm thinking Cranley wants I-74. Badly.

Oakley Kroger land bought, to be largest in region: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/03/31/kroger-buys-land-for-largest-store-in-greater.html

In my opinion, you are correct on every point. Although I would argue downtown Dayton in general has lost its relevancy, and is currently making a lot of decent strides to get it back. I'd say Dayton is a lot more suburbanized for a variety of reasons 1. Flat topography - makes building farther and farther out a cheap and easy option 2. Heritage - we are an auto-centric town filled with a lot of machinists, military people, and engineers. Common thread? Love of machines and driving 3. Composition - if you take a count of Dayton's suburbs, over 2/3 of them have a historic small-town core. So people very easily identify with the town connected to their home address (like Miamisburg, Tipp City, or Bellbrook) rather than Dayton as a whole. The Dayton metro is around a solid 1 million people, assuming we are allowed to have Springboro/Franklin/Carlisle/Middletown (normally those are grouped into the Cincy CSA, but that's not a fun conversation). So to those that look at the population within city limits (around 140,000) and use that as their benchmark to judge the metro size, they will be surprised to find Dayton itself is only about 14% of the metro population. The flipside of this is large swaths of the city (like a lot of areas in the west side) are highly underutilized.

^ One step at a time.... Right now though, the Student Suites project for Sinclair at Fourth and Ludlow is in southern downtown. As will the Centre City residential conversion if/when it happens. Overall, progress is still slow compared to the 3C's, but it is light years faster than it even was in 2010. And at least it feels like there is hope now (no more years like 2006-2008 please).... But yeah, southern downtown could use a push. I'm hoping Sinclair does go through with their plans to open up their campus more and foster a district around Fourth and Ludlow, that alone will do wonders

I'm sorry, I thought about it and what I originally posted was a harsh aside, even if I do want a pedestrian bridge from this development to Cincy Childre's Liberty / Lakota East. But I am going to call you out on your attitude (specifically the points I bolded). It's horrific. A mature adult would never say something like what you just did. You're picking a fight. Basically in your post, you imply 1. Urban areas are not prosperous 2. Urban areas are hard to navigate 3. Urban areas have "outrageous" rules 4. Urban areas have higher taxes => but let me ask in return, what do those tax dollars pay for? A nicer community. 5. Educated people don't work retail ... all while not providing even a trace of a fact to support your claims. You provide the facts, fine, make the claims. But for now I'm calling slander.

Let me just point out a few facts. If you want a source, I just completed a degree in Logistics last year. We discussed corporate sustainability, Greenpeace, and social responsibility at great length. My logistics class specifically was instructed by one of the leading logistics researchers in the nation. 1. Every company is responsible for every aspect of their end product. That means for P&G, they are responsible for both the actions they take personally and the action of the suppliers from which they choose to source products (and as data collecting technology is becoming more sophisticated, ultimately companies are becoming responsible for the products their supplier's suppliers products etc.). 2. To become a supplier for a company like P&G, there are a lot of hurdles a company must clear. A full financial disclosure, frequent inspection of production facilities, etc. It is a contractual relationship - in a way, like a marriage. And in turn, P&G purchasing agents can only purchase from approved vendors. But sometimes vendors slip up. Who gets the ultimate blame? P&G. Their purchasing agents, inspectors, QC people, etc should have been on top of this. 3. These mistakes happen a lot. Remember when Mattel had to recall a ton of their toys in 2007? The reason why was because one of their paint suppliers (a Chinese company which apparently did not have great quality standards) decided to put lead in some of their paint. Mattel was unaware of the issue until their internal testing caught the lead paint. Their supplier dropped the ball, who ended up being responsible? Mattel. Some holds true for P&G. 4. Greenpeace is moderate. They could go around like PETA and throw blood on people, but they don't. Instead they do large banners, videos, and other forms of Guerrila Marketing. For more info, here is a great academic journal article detailing Greenpeace's moderate strategy now (and its change from its more radical strategies of the 1990s) http://journal.unair.ac.id/filerPDF/global08%20ir.pdf

Greenpeace does a good, reasonable job. They are very moderate considering the wide spectrum of environmental groups. And the best part of Greenpeace is the business community generally listens to them. Their antics are more of a "Hey, we noticed you do ________ and want you to change it". So companies do it, because they aren't being obnoxious about it. Just a simple guerilla marketing tactic for a few hours and done. No long-term pain.