Cygnus

Chris Wetterich: Here's a map of 3CDC's proposed parking plan: http://media.bizj.us/view/img/205145

New meters won't allow smartphone payments All of Cincinnati’s meters most likely will accept credit cards in the coming months, but the technology upgrades will stop there for now – users will not be able to pay for parking from their mobile phones. City Council’s Neighborhoods Committee on Monday approved paying to upgrade the rest of the city’s meters to accept credit cards and hiring more enforcement officers in an attempt to improve an inefficient and under-enforced system. As expected, the committee also voted for City Council to keep control over the entire system – essentially ending the possibility of information-outsourcing giant Xerox or any other private firm having a role. Meter rates and hours also would remain as is across the city. A full vote of council is expected Wednesday. Cont

Interesting note in the article is planned renovation of the CAC’s lobby: In Hadid’s vision, the glass windows extended out into the street, becoming part of the city. A goal for the early 2015 renovation will be “to bring the bustle of the street into the building,” says director and chief curator Raphaela Platow, “so it can finally be the shop window, the movie trailer, of the CAC.”

At 75, CAC wants to rethink its building In this – its 75th anniversary year – Cincinnati’s Contemporary Arts Center is considering its the past, pondering its future and rethinking how it uses the building it now calls home. All that thoughtful re-examining begins publicly Friday, when the museum opens its latest exhibition, “Buildering: Misbehaving the City.” In it, 27 artists, working in photo, video, sculpture and installation and performance art comment on urban spaces and urban living, and, says curator Steven Matijcio, “fire the synapses in new ways.” The exhibition is also a launch pad to think differently about the CAC’s unique spaces. New commissions will “create a duet,” with the 11-year-old Zaha Hadid-designed Rosenthal Center. Cont

A new wrinkle... 3CDC plan aims to cure Over-the-Rhine parking woes: EXCLUSIVE Every parking space in Over-the-Rhine south of Liberty Street would have a parking meter, be designated for resident-only parking or have no parking under a Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) plan to alleviate parking problems in the increasingly popular neighborhood. The proposal, which has the support of Mayor John Cranley, would require the Cincinnati City Council to tweak its parking ordinances to allow for on-street neighborhood parking permits in neighborhoods with mixed residential and commercial zoning, according to 3CDC. Today, residential parking permits are only allowed in areas where zoning is 100 percent residential. There are only two such residential parking zones in Cincinnati: the Pendleton neighborhood east of Over-the-Rhine and north of downtown, and Clifton Hills Avenue and Old Ludlow Avenue in Clifton near Cincinnati State. Cont

U.S. Bank Arena falling behind competitors Upgrade or not? Owners' choices affect region A bid to bring the 2016 Republican National Convention to Cincinnati has brought a new urgency to the conversation about what to do about the city’s shabby arena, which is almost 40 years old and hasn’t had a major renovation since 1997. Simply put: U.S. Bank Arena is so old that the biggest and best conventions and concerts are bypassing Cincinnati in favor of newer, amenity-laden facilities. The author of a study on the arena’s economic impact warned that the arena’s lackluster condition is costing the area’s economy. “The arena is at a point where they need to make a decision about where they need to be in the next five to 10 years,” said Dan Lincoln, president and CEO of the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau. “It will determine what types of events we – and they – can attract into the arena.” Unlike other cities, Cleveland and Columbus among them, U.S. Bank Arena isn’t publicly funded. It’s owned by Nederlander Co., which also owns the building’s sole tenant – mid-level hockey’s Cincinnati Cyclones. Cont

If streetcar naming rights sold, stigma may keep buyers away Corporations wary of political controversy Cities across the U.S. have asked companies to invest millions on naming rights to help pay for public transportation projects in recent years. There’s Philadelphia’s AT&T rail station and New York’s Barclays Bank-sponsored subway station. Could Cincinnati’s P&G streetcar depot be next? The idea has been advanced locally, but it’s likely a longshot. Despite spotty success elsewhere, corporate naming rights become stalled by various stigmas attached to public transportation – safety concerns and political controversy tops among them. Cont

^ There was a John Huber Homes sign on the ground.

New single family home construction now underway at 1428 Elm St.

EDITORIAL: Parking plan needs serious, public conversation It’s one of those simple Cincinnati pleasures, a comfortable quirk that’s part of the experience of living here. Park on a downtown street after 5 PM and it’s free, no need to plug the meter. You can go to a nighttime Reds game and find a free place to park on the street, saving your money for one of those expensive ballpark beers. But soon that might be only a good memory as Cincinnati City Hall could move toward extending the meter enforcement hours to 9 p.m. It’s part of the latest Cincinnati parking plan, this one proposed by Mayor John Cranley. The new mayor is finding that governing is tougher than campaigning. He made a campaign issue of the previous administration’s parking deal, labeling it “stealing from the future.” When he took office, he called a halt to that plan, and then last week, announced his own, which, in significant ways, is similar to the old one. Cont

Cranley says city parking plan retains local control Mayor John Cranley formally unveiled his parking plan Wednesday afternoon, saying the No. 1 priority is that the city retains control of its assets. “For example, even some people who are supportive of these principles are asking questions about meters until 9 p.m. around UC,” he said. “The good news for the public is that’s an ongoing discussion.” That particular detail isn’t definite, Cranley said, and in fact local control enables the city to make any number of changes at any time. “We can have more enforcement when the economy is good, less enforcement when the economy is bad,” he said. Cont

Surprised no one posted this from yesterday: Streetcar alters Opening Day parade route Work on Cincinnati’s streetcar will force the iconic Findlay Market Opening Day Parade to take a detour this year. The 95th annual parade will pass through Over-the-Rhine on Elm Street instead of Race Street prior to the Reds’ season-opening game March 31, parade chairman Neil Luken said Monday. “We’re not trying to (tick) people off,” Luken said. “We’re doing this to accommodate the streetcar construction, and next year we can march down Race again. It might inconvenience some people, but in some ways it’s better because people can view the parade from the steps of Music Hall.” Cont

Demo on West 3rd is underway:

Mallory to work for Pa.-based engineering firm Former Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory is joining a Pennsylvania-based engineering company. “He has shown himself to be an extraordinary leader throughout his career and has a proven track record with establishing solid relationships,” Robert Agbede, Chester Group’s president and CEO, said in a press release announcing the hire. “He has the knowledge and vision to help grow our company.” The Pittsburgh-area company, Chester Group, is one of the world’s largest engineering services firms, according to the release, assisting public and industrial clients in meeting energy, water and sewer needs. Cont

I mention this because Brian Thomas has had each candidate on his morning show recently and during the interview with Winkler, the common please judge mentioned that Charlie's 80+ year old father, Tom Luken, was hired by (current probate judge) Jim Cissell to conduct mental health hearings at Summit Behavioral Healthcare. Say wha?!? What business does Tom Luken have judging people's mental health?!? You can hear it at about the 3:30 mark here: 01/22/14 Hour 3 - Brian talks with Ralph Winkler who put his hat in the ring for a judgeship :drunk:

Luken, Winkler to battle for probate court judgeship By HOWARD WILKINSON A showdown this fall between two of the most potent political names in Hamilton County is coming this fall when Democrat Charlie Luken takes on Repubican Ralph E. "Ted" Winkler for a probate court judgeship. Both come from families with decades-long track records of winning elections in Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Luken - a former Cincinnati mayor and one-term congressman - filed petitions with the Hamilton County Board of Elections Tuesday to run for the probate court seat of Judge James Cissell, who can't run for re-election because of Ohio's judicial age limit law. Winkler, a common pleas court judge with 15 years experience on the bench, hasn't filed his petitions yet. But Hamilton County Republican Party chairman Alex Triantafilou said Winkler has already been endorsed by the party for Cissell's seat. Cont

Said conversation here: 01/23/14 Hour 2 - More streetcar shenanigans and cost overruns

Political Cocktail with Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley Kevin Osborne Something new has arrived on WCPO.com! Each Monday, WCPO government & politics reporter Kevin Osborne brings you closer than ever with your local leaders, asking the questions YOU want answered. Please join us each Monday for Political Cocktail, a new weekly video/podcast. CINCINNATI -- Welcome to Political Cocktail, a brief weekly interview show with local politicians and other persons of interest, done over drinks at Japp's Since 1879 in Over-the-Rhine. This week, I interview Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley about what impact the streetcar vote will have on his political clout, how he responds to allegations that he is a tea partier, what should be done about the recent spike in homicides, and more. Watch the interview in the media player above.

From today:

At Liberty St. today:

From today:

No

Makes sense as there is a lot of loitering outside of Smitty's. Although the recent rehabs along this stretch of 15th should bring more residents to the area. Once it's reopened, I'd like to see it become a two-way.

Anyone know why (and when) 15th St. between Vine and Republic has been closed to vehicular traffic?

It's about to get worse as Area's first Panera with drive-through opens in Newport NEWPORT — The Newport Pavilion shopping center is about to get a whole lot busier: Panera Bread opened at 6 a.m. Wednesday, featuring the company’s first drive-through location in the region. The first 1,000 customers through the doors will receive a free coffee tumbler, coffee and a Cinnamon Crunch bagel. The first 300 drive-through customers will receive a free Cinnamon Crunch bagel. Panera Bread offers freshly baked breads, bagels, pastries and cafe menu items. The Newport location is the company’s 21st location in Greater Cincinnati and its first drive-through. Cont