Cygnus

Tower Place Mall headed to auction block? City official wants to see mall’s turnaround plan Business Courier by Lucy May, Senior Staff Reporter/Associate Editor Tower Place Mall and its neighboring 10-story parking garage could soon be on the auction block, raising questions about who will control the two important properties that sit in the path of downtown Cincinnati’s revitalization. “The city is concerned about how dark Tower Place is,” said Cincinnati Economic Development Director Odis Jones. “We’re concerned about the disinvestment, and we’re concerned about the property owner’s mission and vision for reversing that course.” The half-empty mall and 1,082-space garage are the subject of a foreclosure dispute in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. A holding company known as LSREF2 BARON 3 LLC now ... Cont (Premium Article)

That's a damn shame.

While looking at a SR 32 relocation information board at the Aug 1st LeBlond session, I was asked by a representative if I had any questions. I had only one, when will this be renamed I-74? She responded that I-74 is on the west side and that it's a highway; the SR 32 relocation plan is a limited access roadway that will provide transportation options for cyclists and pedestrians. Having already had an extended "conversation" about DMU's, I moved on.

Mahogany's owner Liz Rogers spent the noon hour as Bill Cunningham's guest. Give it a listen when it's made available in their podcast section. EDIT Here it is: http://www.700wlw.com/cc-common/podcast/single_page.html?podcast=bill_cunningham&selected_podcast=120821_1_WILLIE_1345569022_4459.mp3

Mahogany's owner Rogers ignores criticism 'I'm going to stay focused' Liz Rogers is still hoarse. The executive chef and owner of newly opened Mahogany’s at The Banks has been calling out endless orders for hand-breaded catfish, fried green tomatoes, grits and smothered pork chops. “At one point, we were on a three-hour wait for a table,” Rogers said Monday. Since Mahogany’s launched a “soft” opening three weeks ago, Rogers has been pulling 15-hour days to work out the kinks and prep for a grand opening in mid-September. Cont

We were told the beer wasn't cold... I believe they only had 5-6 beer on tap. Bud Light, Miller Lite, Stella, Blue Moon, Yuengling.

True. Current set-up though will make that a little difficult. One will need to exit the ending bike lane to make a left hand turn into the park entrance at the Bains St. intersection. Not a great option during morning rush hour. Immediately after turning you'd need to get off the bike to get under the railroad crossing gate before getting onto the trail.

Good! As others have already pointed out, traffic goes well over the posted 35 MPH. The best example of this can be found at the curve near Riverside & Adams Crossing. It's dangerous to cross the street as well as turn on to/off of Riverside at this point. Unfortunately, the current plan ends at Bains St. and won't address speeding further west. I'm sure this is because Montgomery Inn doesn't want to lose free street parking for it's employees and patrons who don't want to pay for their valet parking.

Ruth's Chris exterior progress:

^ Correct

He's been cross-eyed (strabismus) since birth I believe. I got him from the SCPA at 9 months. He's 12 now. Previous owners litter box trained and declawed him, then decided they didn't want him. He sees fine. You can tell by his behavior though that he relies on his hearing when chasing a fly, toy, etc.

Our furry family includes a recent adoptee and two fosters. We are volunteers at Ohio Alleycat Resource & Spay/Neuter Clinic (OAR). You might of heard of the organization in the news recently after thieves stole the copper from their AC units. It's been a rough summer... There are over 70 cats/kittens available for adoption if you know of anyone considering a pet!

Meanwhile on Twitter:

Director of Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition

^ "It is desirable that the line from home base through the pitchers plate to second base shall run East Northeast." - Official Baseball Rules, section 1.04. This website has diagrams of the orientation of all thirty MLB ballparks.

From today:

It's "Nati".

^ "Call 237-4054 for info" and if you want Mark Miller to have your phone number.

And not a bad bar to boot! Took a tour of several of the rooms/floors as we were considering a wedding block there. They were the nicest we've seen in downtown. The price for a block of ten rooms on a Friday/Saturday in September (not Riverfest/Octoberfest weekends) was $169 a night. The Hilton was $109 for up to forty rooms.

Talk radio creating Mahogany's controversy the past two days... First, Cunningham and P.G. banter about going there next week. Then one caller stated that cute waitresses were trying to lure them over from the Holy Grail. That evidently pissed off the HG manager and words were exchanged. Today a Brian Thomas caller wanted to seek legal action against Council members because they are knowingly allowing Mahogany's to serve alcohol without a liquor license. Brian was going to look into it... Wasn't The Banks made an entertainment district with a shared license?

That was Scott Meyer, a Deerfield Township pilot and a member of Save the Blue Ash Airport Committee. And he finds the streetcar "offensive." Love how Brian Thomas kept saying how Scott is just a guy, a concerned citizen, the power of one! And neither one of them once mentioned that only $11M of the $37M goes to the streetcar.

Cincinnati seeking grant for boat dock at Smale Park Business Courier by Kevin LeMaster, Editor and Publisher of Building Cincinnati At its meeting last Wednesday, Cincinnati City Council unanimously approved a grant application for $3.8 million from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Watercraft for a 1,000-foot transient boat dock at Smale Riverfront Park. The $5 million facility, meant to accommodate boats staying for 10 days or less, will have space for 56 boats and will include water and electric service. A dock house, called Main Street Landing, would house an office, concessions, restrooms, showers, storage, and laundry facilities. Steven Schuckman, superintendent of planning, design and facilities for the Cincinnati Park Board, said the boat dock was always planned as a major feature of the park. Cont

Blue Ash has posted the following bulletin: This Thursday, Aug. 9, Blue Ash City Council will vote on legislation allowing for the finalization of its transaction with the City of Cincinnati to purchase 130 acres of property at the Blue Ash Airport. In brief, this legislation: Will prevent potential time consuming litigation that could delay the park project for months or years. Will avert costly legal bills associated with the aforementioned litigation. Does not contemplate (nor did the previous purchase agreement) the manner in which Cincinnati will spend the proceeds of the sale. If approved, this legislation will allow both Blue Ash and Cincinnati to clear up miscellaneous transfer issues that have accrued over the last 6 years and avoid costly litigation with the FAA. Furthermore, if approved, this amended legislation will complete possession by Blue Ash of the property and allow for construction to begin on schedule as contemplated in the original 2006 document. Some have expressed concern the City of Cincinnati will use funds from the sale of the 130 acres to the City of Blue Ash for its streetcar project. Cincinnati has stated its intention to proceed with its streetcar project even if cannot use funds available from the sale of land at the airport to Blue Ash. Nothing in the original 2006 agreement or the amended version gives Blue Ash any right to determine how Cincinnati uses those proceeds or the projects it funds as a result. The City of Blue Ash’s concern lies with the 130 acres and the park is plans to develop on the site. Additionally, if approved, the amended agreement will provide a $250,000 credit to the City of Blue Ash. Further, the approval of the amendment will allow Blue Ash to immediately obtain possession of the property following the airport’s closure so it can continue the park development. As you may recall, voters like yourself approved Issue 15 by a two-to-one margin, Blue Ash City Council embarked on this now 6 year journey so it could, consistent with that vote, construct a world-class park with accompanying amenities. Blue Ash City Council will vote on legislation allowing for the finalization of its transaction with the City of Cincinnati to purchase 130 acres of property at the Blue Ash Airport at its meeting at 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 9. The proposed amendments authorized by the legislation will finalize the transaction and allow Blue Ash to take possession of the 130 acres no later than Friday, Aug. 31. The City of Blue Ash has never indicated in any way it wants to see the airport close, which was Cincinnati’s decision to make. Now that they have informed the FAA the airport will close Wednesday, Aug. 29, we are looking forward to beginning the development of our new park on the land the airport once occupied. We promise to build a phenomenal park that will be a great amenity all of Blue Ash will be able to enjoy for generations to come. Blue Ash City Council will next meet at 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 9. For more information on the Blue Ash Airport Park, visit www.blueash.com.

And if you'd like to blow off a little streetcar steam all the while raising money for a good cause, head out to District Three's National Night Out carnival-type event in the parking lot at 960 Enright Ave., from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM tonight. In the dunking booth will be both Christopher Smitherman and P.G. Sittenfeld.