Michael L. Redmond

HuH?!? :wtf: That is weird indeed! perhaps a misprint, we should demand a retraction immediately! [move]Main St. grapevine news.... [/move] New clothing store from Virginia to move onto Main, will be open by the end of the year. New restaurant is eying Main St. location. Sit down/Coffee and gourmet pastries shop looking to open on Main These are my clients and I understand that the Chamber is working with two other retailers. A meeting just happened last week with the Chamber, Dan Dell, and 3CDC to develop a strategy for retail mix on Main. And did I mention Vynl is opening? It is my understanding that Vernon Rader just received money from the city to complete his project on Main north of Liberty. And a big residential project is in the works (can't say anything just yet) that could change everything. Main is not dead, but it is changing.

I spoke with Brian Tiffany on Friday. The OTR chamber is getting money from the city for business expansion and retention. The Sherriffs are hitting the ground tomorow (they are doing something this morning at 11:30 in front of the Comey office). My partner and I will be inking a deal this week for new retail on Main and the chamber is in talks with two others. And as for the soft condo sales... anyone read Saturdays edition of the Post, front page, first article? My optimism is not unfounded or unsuported. Condos defy home sales decline By Greg Paeth Post staff reporter "It's a good time to be in the condo business -- especially if you happen to be selling condos with a view of the Ohio and downtown Cincinnati." http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060729/NEWS02/607290322/-1/all

I represent Frank on the Ft. Washington and have seen the plans for Milton. They will be sharp, he is building one for his personal home.

We're doomed! I think I even saw a piece of the sky falling just outside my window. Glad you found a place in Cov. that is truly a great area over there. I wish you the best. Well said.

I am not arguing with you there. I can only speak for my own, but all communities must stand up and do what they can to make it into the type of place they want to live. A wide spread email was circulated about a year ago by a less than informed mortgage broker who blamed the improvements in OTR for the downfall of his community in Tri-County. "Exporting crime" is how I believe he put it. As you can imagine he recieved a few negative replies to this. By cleaning up our streets here our intention is not to move it, but to simply eliminate it. However sometimes it is not that simple. Crime will follow the path of least resistence. If they feel that they are not able to safely operate in one area then they will move to another. What is it about Walnut Hills that acts as a magnet? What is it about Westwood or Forest Park? OTR, or any other community should never be faulted for taking steps to improve itself, it is the communities that are next on the crimals list that should look at themselves and say, what can we do to fight this as well.

One of our problems in OTR is that these are not necessarily residents who are buying or selling drugs here. OTR has been both a magnet for criminal activity and a dumping ground for the deviant for many years primarily because of social acceptance as well as lack of will to enforce, not just by the police, but by the community. When there is a shooting/murder on Republic and no one is willing to say anything vs a street where your every movement is being watched and even suspicious behavior is reported, which street do you as a criminal choose to operate? Whos fault is this, the police's? We are to quick to accept that certain places are lawless. Certain corners or streets are bad but this behavior is going to happen so lets just let it happen there. If Republic Street or Peebles corner are the two places where the majority of crime is taking place (and I have some more places to add to that) then what do you think the overall communities reaction would be to a massive crackdown? There would be push back from a certain segment of our community I guarantee. Everyone needs to stand up and say places like this are unacceptable and do what it takes to change them. The debate should end with the other side who say the police should be more tollerant of areas like these than they are in suburban settings. They are wrong and have been wrong for years and have been as much of a problem as the cirminal activity itself, OTR proves it. I know Nixson, it is actually Peete Street where he lives. I would be very surprised if he has any immediate plans (or plans at all) to renovate that or any other building.

I had a client of mine who went to High St in Columbus once to look at a building to purchase, he was beaten and robbed. What does this say about Columbus? Nothing. He still bought the building. Everyone understands that safety is an issue here and actions are being employed to help combat that. COP, task force, and don't forget about the Sheriffs on Aug. 1. But OTR can not be truly safe without it being vibrant and it can not be vibrant without it being safe, they are interrelated and we must work toward both simultaneously, not one then the other.

Thank you Horosho and Kudos to you also. When the idea was first floated out there about an OTR COP, we had many people who wanted to sign up. The unfortunate reality is that the training was right in the middle of the work week and not condusive to many peoples schedule. The other is that some things sound better in theory than the reality of actually having to do it, well it is a bit tougher. Others I believe simply do not want to be the first, lets see how it goes and then we will sign up. I have no problem with that either, it simply means that this program will grow. We should all feel a bit better about this article that came out in the Enquire and this discussion here. I believe it was Jimmy who said earlier that there is no will to change Main St. This is a sign that perhaps there is, perhaps there is some realization that something should and can be done here and maby it should be done differently and better thought out. "The old business model's just not working anymore," said Dell, who no longer owns the tavern. "It's gonna take planning this time. The first time it took no planning."

I believe there is a proposal on the table for 100 more but I am not sure where that stands.

"The police absolutely aren't doing their job, there's no reason why citizens themselves should have to do the job their taxes should be paying for" We do this because it is also our responsibility. We don't say I am not going to pick up the litter in front of my home because we pay the taxes for people to do it for us, why do we say the same about safety? I want a safe neighborhood and if it means walking the streets a time or two a month then so be it. OTR is not the only one with a citizens on patrol, as a matter of a fact, up until now we were one of the only ones without one. There is every reason for us to be doing this. I was in Chicago for beginning of this week on business. Visited Rush Street and loved it. I counted several dozen people begging for money but man, what a town. I saw everything that Main could be but is afraid to be. Certainly I am happy that Main St. is reaching out, and hopefully there is a willingness to change, because the change will happen one way or the other.

Jimmy, I think we are simply looking at different sides of the same coin. I was here in 94 and lost a business and close to a million on 7th Street. In '91 I was almost killed at the base of the stadiums by a random act of violence (still have the scar). My car had been broken into on Mulberry, Oregon St. and Martin Dr. My and my wifes lives were threatened in front of our homes by a now convicted crack dealer. That being said, right this moment I am looking at a drunk, sitting across the street from my office at the base of a borded up building. Paint is pealing, and I think that may be a prostitute across the street. If I were just driving by, I would say look at this, OTR is a mess. But I know different, because that building is under construction on the inside, Vernon Rader has that building and 4 others around it. 3CDC project on your side of OTR, B2B in the 1200 Block of Vine, Urban Sites across the street on Vine. New homes on Conroy by the Walters (that is OTR also) Hohlbein working on new construction and rehabs on E. Clifton and Peete. North Main looks much better than it did 10 years ago, I am sitting at North Main right now. We have projects in and around Main that I am not allowed to speak about just yet but they will be a huge shot in the arm. My fear is that by putting out the message that OTR is a war zone, how do we ever back out of it. If and when things turn around down here, there will still be a tremendous number of peopel (and probably the majority) who's last image of OTR is war zone, unsafe, unihabitable mess. If a person was interested in living in OTR now and was reading this thread, I guarantee that they have changed their minds by now. How much investment have we lost because of what people have heard about OTR, not experienced, just heard? As I said, we are looking at different sides of the same coin. I am putting a positive spin on OTR to combat the negative spin that has been going around for years. The negativism is what makes us the perfect dumping ground. If people saw and heard about all of the potential here (and reality) then perhaps they would help save this place. Otherwise, who cares about OTR, its a waste. Then come join citizens on patrol with me.

^very very true! I am not here saying that we have no problems nor am I going to say that there are no solutions. Admitidly I fall in the first crowd , I would not have moved down here and invested as much into the neighborhood as I have if I didn't see a brighter future, but at the same time, if I were the "Let's get outta here" group, how do we ever convince others to help bring this neighborhood back? Actually my point was that 700 WLW made the statement that there was nothing in downtown that you could not get in Kenwood. I disagree. Now I do agree that we will lose against the suburbs if we just put the same offerings here as you can get there due to issues such as safety, parking, marketing, perception, retail and entertainment mix, prostitutes, crackheads and the like. OTR is by far the weakest link in the chain. (there, I said it) but it is not a lost cause. I know that many people feel that way, however we only need a few to believe in order to bring about a change. If everyone jumps on the "Lets get outta here" bandwagon, then we are doomed, why waste our time trying. David, Problem(s) acknowledged, now what? Start working towards the future for OTR? In order to do that we need acknowledment from at least a few that there is one. I believe, and I live OTR morning noon and night, I see the investors, I see the homebuyers, I see the developers- they believe as well, yet people here from our own community are the one's willing to throw their hands up first. I say hang in there, but if you can't, or won't, I understand.

The only difference I see with 207 is that he removed the cornice and gave it an uneven roof line then slapped a For Sale by Owner Sign on it.

I do not think that NOTL is a complete package, neither is Mt. Adams, CBD or Main. But all of this within .5 mile radius of one another could present a strong entertainment and retail offering. Does this need to be strenghtened? Of course, and in my opinion it will be. When people say that we need a movie theatre downtown, I say we have one and within walking distance. We need more restraunts downtown, we have dozens, within walking distance. We need nightclubs downtown, I can walk to Mt. Adams, Newport, Main, dozens of bars dot the streets of downtown and once again, I can walk to it. We need shopping like furniture (dozens) large box (Macy's and Sacs) there is a mall, crappy mall, but a mall, boutique retailers, Findlay, and I can walk to them all. When you look at it this way, how do we compare to West Chester Blue Ash, Montgomery or any other suburb? The "Greater Downtown" area needs work, and one day we will have the Banks to add to the list and McMillan Park, but we have a lot more than what is given credit to it. I heard on the radio today that there is nothing you can get downtown that you can not get in the suburbs, how about baseball, football, concerts, anyone ever eat at a Hamburger Mary's in Kenwood? Ever go to one of the largest open air food markets in the country in Montgomery? Anyone here ever see Phantom of the Opera in Amberly Village?

Jimmy, What would you have said about shopping in Newport 10 years ago? That would have been one of the last places I would have thought to put a retail destination center. From strip clubs to prostitutes, panhandlers, crime, you name it, Newport had it. I relize that OTR in both the past and present is a crime ridden place but I am not willing to say there is no hope for the future. If OTR has no hope, no future, no possibilities of pulling out of the mess that it is in, then it should be abandoned and bull dosed, we should start over. I however do not believe this to be the case. Louisville had the same issues on their 4th street also, look at it today http://www.4thstlive.com/

4 teardowns on Mulberry St alone this week. But before everyone gets to upset about this, all of these buildings were in such terrible shape due to years of neglect that they needed to come down. 25 Mulberry, 146 and 148 Mulberry (both owned by Larry Rhodes) and Jerry Hunderlaw's property on the south east side of Mulberry, 323 Mulberry was fire damaged by arsonist to the point it had to come down immediatly.

David, First step, ask. Second, get lease commitments contingent on other factors, one may be that after x% of a particular block is leased or purchased then they exercise the contract, therefore hedging their risk at the outset. Third, Weighted leases based on Location, Value, Performance, Product Life Cycle, Tenant Space rquirements, Regional uniqueness and Tenant Credit- Not just $x per sq to whom ever comes first. Fourth, get away from individual locations hiring a police officer or security, and move towards inclusive policing as opposed to one officer at one location. Lastly, it is not just the establishments-we need nightlife, we need bars, we need clubs, we need security, but we still need more. To have a critical mass, we need a critical mix of destination locations.

Well said.

Nick, You need to calm down a bit, this is just a discussion and the last I checked this is a forum for such a thing. Technically, we are both business owners here on Main and we both have a stake in this neighborhood and want to see the best for it. If you believe that Main is doing and has done everything right and needs no changes, Ok, I will shut up then and just do my thing (finding tenants for vacated locations on Main), I am not here to beg for your permission or acceptance. I was at the Ft. Washington and my wife had a showing so we missed it. My dog Lola would have definitely won the singing competition.

This is why I sighted the numbers from the ULI study in '96. Safety was a problem then, safety is a problem now. City Beat May 2000 Creating a Cultural Entertainment Corridor in Over-the-Rhine A group of neighborhood men linger along the 12th Street sidewalk. Trash litters the pavement. It's a warm weekday afternoon, and the block between Race and Vine streets in Over-the-Rhine has the depressing appearance of a ghetto eyesore. There are rundown storefronts, a corner bar and carry-out stores stocked with beer and wine. A sign hangs above a single doorway: "Sleeping Rooms for Rent. One Person Only. Ring Bell." Still, there's an urban vitality to 12th Street that's undeniable: constant foot traffic, the buzz of cars and mingling noises from open apartment windows. Back on the block between Race and Vine streets, watching the crowd outside Jordan's Carry-Out, it's easy to see that change is inevitable. Jordan's has been here for a while Nick, even before you moved your bar in and people were coming then. Main St right this minute is closed, people are in the streets for second sundays, it is actually pretty crowded, crackheads still are here, car break ins still could happen, and wasn't there a shooting just the other day on 14th and Race? But they are here at 2:30 on this fine Sunday, they are over at Washington Park also for Opera Dogs and on top of that it is a miserable weather day. My point is that they drew a crowd in the same exact environment that you are talking about-How? Or perhaps I misread you, do you mean that I am wrong that you are marketing to UC students, Main St. does have an ad campaign? Because it did in 96, and everyplace else does now. So did I miss the ads?

I certainly agree. What are we doing to capture this market? (Nick chime in if I am wrong here) NOTHING! What can they get here that they can't get somewhere else? Nothing! And to sit back and say that they simply do not appreciate our venues enough is a terrible misread of the marketplace and a recipe that will put Main right were Main is today. Old style thinking like this has proven a miserable failure. However we do not have to continue forward over the next 5 years in the same direction that we did in the last. The BTS idea is a great one, the targeting of UC is a must. I spoke with Bullet and Susan, the owners of Courtyard yesterday about Main Street Live's marketing efforts and they sited the lack of initial funding within the group to launch a campaign. Then why not reach out even further than Main for ad dollars? When I came down to the bars I would always start at Chases (now Alive One) in Mt. Adams and then come down to Main. I have gone to Pitifuls on Main and then jumped over to the Levee. There seems to be an aversion to thinking regionally in this City, it is always us vs them. We can be inclusive, we can market together. With the BTS it makes all the sense in the world to say these are all of the offerings at all 3, going on 4 venues, go to them all. Main Street in its attempt to market to only a select market has made itself the odd man out. Once again, correct me if I am wrong, but Main Street isn't on many peoples weekend itinerary anymore while other destinations in the immediate area are. Main needs to accept responsibility for its shortcomings and simply correct them. We still have a seat at the entertainment table (although an empty Seat) and we need to begin to think smarter about how to draw more people in. A draw that includes people only coming here Fri and Sat night from 10:00 till 2:30 is not enough. We can not survive on 9 hours a week, even if we doubled that it still is not enough. From morning through night, Main St. needs to have offerings to attract people to it. Unfortunately, over the past several years, no one has been asking, things need to change and we have the power (although questionalbly the will) to do it.

Well lets do this in steps. In order to understand where we are going lets take a look at where we have been. ULI numbers 1992, three clubs were in the dist compared to 14 clubs in 1996. 22,500 people attended the 14 clubs and over 3000 each week were coming here just for lunch. of those numbers, 30% were coming from outside of Hamilton County. Problems the area faced in 96 Parking (49%) Safety (45%) Panhandling (27%) North Main Panhandling (81%) Safety (74%) When Main was at it's peak in 96, we still had these same concerns. Did the riots put those numbers over the edge, of course, but that was 5 years ago. Things are different now, demographics has changed. The ULI study concluded that Market Rate housing would be key to moving Main forward and I can tell you now, we have a tremendous advantage over the 96 Main St. in the amount of Market Rate housing throughout Main and its surrounding areas.

Well sounds like 6 are under contract. HUFF has the presale contract on these units meaning the first 25% or 19 condos. Pauline is a friend of mine and although she has had, and is still having some problems with the city, I believe in this project. The painted building that was referred to above is a model. It is, I would say 95% complete and beautiful. Very high end townhome. If anyone is interested in seeing it, I believe they are actively showing it now.

Let me make sure we are all on the same page here, what does an entertainment district mean to everyone here? Any definitions? I know what it means to Nick, but the nature of entertainment districts and destinations has changed over the years. Now they include Activity Generators, Activity Extenders and Activity Inducers, not just a one dimensional draw. So what does this mean for Main St? It is not competitive as it exist now so how do we get it there? In every problem lies opportunity. So far on this thread Nick has identified the problems, anyone care to explore the opportunities that are here on Main? I am not saying that anyone here necessarily has unwarranted pessimism, but this is not just blind optimism either-I can, and am willing to describe our plan in depth.

Well lets hope so. As I said before, I will not convince you otherwise about Main, my only hope is that sometime in the future Main will look attractive to you again and hopefully you will decide to give it another chance. But please remember that as you leave, others are staying and even more are coming, so please don't bash the community on your way out (the media doesn't like the competition). Good luck.