Cygnus

John Cranley announced new council committees Friday and his choices to lead them. The committees and selections are: • Budget and Finance: Republican Charlie Winburn • Economic Growth and Infrastructure: Independent Christopher Smitherman • Streetcar: Democrat David Mann • Law and Public Safety: Smitherman • Neighborhoods: Mann • Education and Entrepreneurship: Democrat P.G. Sittenfeld • Human Services, Youth and Arts: Democrat Yvette Simpson • Major Transportation and Regional Cooperation: Republican Amy Murray • Rules and Audit: Charterite Kevin Flynn Incumbent Democrats Chris Seelbach and Wendell Young received no committee chairmanships. Tim Burke: “I’m sorry that that happened, and beyond that I’m not going to say any more”

Vote near, streetcar saga takes a new twist Without six council votes, move to halt construction could face referendum Cincinnati might continue building its streetcar for another year despite electing an anti-streetcar City Council and mayor. Or it might not. In the increasingly complex chess game over the controversial streetcar project, Mayor-elect John Cranley has scheduled a vote Monday to stop construction, likely for 30 days. He is calling it a pause to conduct a review comparing the costs of canceling vs. completing the $133 million project. The newly formed Streetcar Committee, led by incoming Vice Mayor David Mann, will hold its first meeting at noon Monday – a day after the swearing-in of the new council and mayor. A special council meeting follows at 4 p.m. Cont

Site prep is complete and MSD work is underway.

Kevin Flynn in studio at WLW at noon with the news channels on hand to record his statements. In a nutshell, he stated he had just finished a meeting with John Deatrick and based on the information he has in hand he will vote to cancel the project on Monday.

Taft's Ale House to open in OTR: Urban Ohio: Cincinnati: Over-the-Rhine Projects

Taft's Ale House to open on streetcar line: Urban Ohio: Cincinnati: Over-the-Rhine Projects

Once-condemned OTR church will become three-level brewpub: EXCLUSIVE Chris Wetterich - Staff reporter - Cincinnati Business Courier A church in Over-the-Rhine that was once slated for demolition by the city will instead become a three-floor brewpub named after one of Cincinnati’s most famous native sons. Three investors, including a New York restaurateur and the brewer at Listermann Brewing Co., plan to turn the former St. Paul’s Church at 1429 Race St. into Taft’s Ale House, named after President William Howard Taft. The $7 million to $8 million brewpub will feature original beers crafted by Kevin Moreland, who started the Triple Digit brand at Listermann. It will be co-owned by Moreland, investor David Williams and David Kassling, the proprietor of Tri Tip Grill, which has two locations in New York City. Cont

Smitherman (with Amy Murray) on Brian Thomas this morning stating he and Winburn will be calling a special session of council for Monday morning to discuss the streetcar. Ordiances go into effect after 30 days unless 6 council members agree to pass it as an emergency. The explanation at Monday's Town Hall was that referendums must be voted on in the general election.

EDITORIAL: Finish the streetcar As the city of Cincinnati decides the fate of its streetcar project, it is tempting to reopen the debate about the merits of the system itself. The outgoing administration failed to convince residents that the streetcar was an economic development tool that would benefit the entire city and, indeed, the region. By failing to argue effectively for the project, Mayor Mark Mallory allowed it to become a political liability that likely cost his vice mayor, Roxanne Qualls, her shot at his job. But now 200 construction workers are digging up Downtown streets, and 1,800 feet of rails are already in the ground. The question facing Mayor-elect John Cranley and the new City Council is whether the benefits of continuing the project outweigh the costs of stopping it. We believe the benefits of finishing it do outweigh the costs of cancellation, and we urge City Council – which ultimately holds the power in this situation – to support its completion. This is partly for financial reasons, but only partly. The city’s reputation as a reliable partner is also at stake, as is its momentum to attract new jobs and residents. Cont

^Alex Triantafilou's letter: "Who is P.G. Sittenfeld?"

And in construction news, rails are in concrete to Liberty, rails in the trench up to Elder, and the trench excavation is about 12 feet from Henry. Still need to excavate Liberty and Findlay streets as well as a small crosswalk at Elder.

Vice-Mayor Elect David Mann on WLW at 9:33 to discuss streetcar status with Dan Carroll.

From the city's Twitter account, the pedestrian bridge is open. I like the LED lighting!

Why did Cincinnati council members just vote to approve the streetcar today? Chris Wetterich - Staff reporter - Cincinnati Business Courier Just five days before a new mayor and city council take office, the current Cincinnati City Council will vote on an ordinance directing the city administration to finish the first phase of the streetcar project. The reason? The current council has never taken such a vote. It has voted to spend millions on the project and passed favorable resolutions but never put the construction of the streetcar line, stations and maintenance facilities and manufacture of the cars into the city code. The ordinance also ensures that mayor-elect John Cranley and the person he appoints to be interim city manager cannot cancel the project on their own. Cranley, who intends to cancel the streetcar project, always has said he would ask for a city council vote anyway. Cont

The video is mind boggling... Mayor-elect John Cranley responds: ”It does not cost $40 million to say ‘stop’.”

More from @WVXU: Mann reax: Project should be on hold until new council is in. Also needs to review the numbers. Flynn reax: Wants more details. Also skeptical about the $$ numbers. Thinks project should be on hold until new council comes in.

A barrage of anti-streetcar LTE's were published on Cincinnati.com today. All were in response to Jason Williams trolley story.

Oh, and another worthless poll: Make your best argument: Trolley or Streetcar

Enquirer looking for more page clicks... Streetcar alternative: Cranley likes the idea of a trolley bus Hop On Cincinnati would save millions in startup costs; rail supporters aren't on board with the proposal If not the streetcar, then how about this: a rubber-tired “trolley” bus system that goes where the streetcar is planning to go – and well beyond for a fraction of the cost? Mayor-elect John Cranley favors an idea called Hop On Cincinnati as an alternative to the controversial streetcar project he has promised to stop after taking over at City Hall next month. Cranley plans to form a committee during his first 100 days in office to study the costs and benefits of Hop On Cincinnati – an idea hatched three years ago by friends and Downtown real estate professionals Gregg Fusaro and Tom Powers out of concern for the streetcar’s price tag. Cont

Here's the latest downtown office building that will become condos: EXCLUSIVE Tom Demeropolis - Reporter - Cincinnati Business Courier The new owner of the Ingalls Building in downtown Cincinnati, the world's first reinforced concrete skyscraper when it was built in 1903, is planning a conversion to condominiums. Perry Chopra, CEO of the Claremont Group, said he plans to apply for Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits for the building next year as part of his plan to convert the 15-story building into 40 to 50 condos with ground-floor retail. Applications for the 12th round of tax credit funding are due March 31, 2014. The applications will be reviewed starting in April, with the approved applications announced on or before June 30, 2014. Cont

WCPO News just reported that Cranley's December 3rd meeting in D.C. with transportation officials has been postponed due to scheduling conflicts on his side.

Look for Cranley streetcar vote soon after Dec. 1 Shortly after he’s sworn in Dec. 1, Mayor-elect John Cranley plans to call for a vote of council to pause the $133 million project while its financial implications are studied. But does he have to have a vote? Jay Kincaid, Cranley’s campaign chief who’s moving to City Hall with him, said Monday they’d have to look into whether they technically needed a vote or if Cranley could just halt the work himself. “But I think the plan is to have a vote to stop spending money.” Kincaid said, “so that there can be a full accounting of the project.” Cont

Flaherty & Collins CEO: We’re interested in Saks site: EXCLUSIVE Tom Demeropolis - Reporter - Cincinnati Business Courier David Flaherty, CEO of Flaherty & Collins Properties, said his development company is interested in the Saks Fifth Avenue site in downtown Cincinnati. Saks is moving from its store at Fifth and Race streets to the Kenwood Collection in spring 2016. Flaherty & Collins plans to start construction on a $94 million, 30-story apartment tower at the site of the Pogue’s garage, just south of Saks at Fourth and Race streets, early next year. And Flaherty said the Saks site offers a great opportunity. “We would love to do a second (project),” Flaherty told me Wednesday afternoon. “Saks is a great loss, but it does create more development opportunity with much more density downtown.” Cont