kendall

I really think the city should promise a full infrastructure upgrade (roads, sidewalks, buried power lines) around Ridge/Highland in exchange for annexation.

I really enjoyed reading this article. Hamilton County does have a great park system, and Cincinnati has many wonderful ones also. In the three years since I moved here, going to the park has become a regular activity. The parks where I moved from were like those in the Butler and Warren counties: small and with few activities. Some day the folks who moved to those counties will realize the opportunity that they've squandered in order to save a few dollars a year in taxes.

I have serious questions about the accuracy of the 2004 Cincinnati population estimate. I'm not sure how they arrived at the estimate, but there's no way the city lost 13% in four years. Sure, families might be getting smaller but it doesn't happen that dramatically in four years. There would be some very noticeable residential abandonment if there were really only 290k in the city. If there is, it's escaped my attention.

Expanding the Banks Working Group (I've read suggestions as high as four additional members!) would be incredibly stupid, because it would get so caught up with squabbling that it would never get The Banks built. I guess I don't see how the interests of the poor and minorities differ from the interests of others with respect to The Banks. And don't tell me it's about supplier diversity, because that is an objective criteria that any competent developer can institute. Is there a black way and a white way to design a building? Maybe the battle ground would be retail tenant selection. But while the Banks Working Group may have the power to seek out certain tenants to get the project off the ground, in the long run the market will determine which tenants stay and which leave. As for the poor, the city and county can barely afford to get this project off the ground, let alone subsidize its housing units. Of course, it would have been a symbol of inclusiveness had Mallory appointed a black man or woman to sit on the Banks Working Group. But ultimately the Banks is a market-driven project, so I doubt it would have made a difference in the final product.

Calhoun St. Marketplace is starting to feel a little more lively with these new places opening up. There's even a bum posted up asking for change. Boloco is delicious, a refreshing addition to Clifton's burrito-joint lineup.

This is a very exciting project.

I love to see new residential development inside the city limits, but... Tearing down intact, cared-for victorians and replacing them with bland surburban-style garages with attached houses is not the way to do it. What a shame.

Courtesy of WCET.org, here's a May 10th video interview with Joe Pichler, the former Kroger CEO who's now heading 3CDC's current and future efforts in OTR: http://www.cetconnect.org/cetconnect_video.asp?ID=314&V=1

Ludlow Ave. in Clifton is a vibrant, urban streetscape surrounded by beautiful residential architecture. Not much of a bar scene, but it has a bunch of restaurants, unique gift shops, Graeter's ice cream, Skyline chili, and an independent movie theater (the Esquire). Around noon on Saturdays they have live jazz on the small plaza at the corner of Ludlow and Clifton. It would be a great place for lunch and an afternoon stroll.

a cigar

What do they say? "I (heart) OTR"?

Last year's Markets on Main were great, although some weeks vendor participation was a little low. I assumed it was because every week was a big commitment. I think it will be even better as a monthly event.

I know there would be an option to expand to a full casino by a countywide vote in 2010 (remember when that year sounded way off in the future?), but with Argosy expanding, a slot parlor isn't going to be a huge draw. Setting aside the question of whether any casino downtown is a good idea, if we're going to have gambling and its attendant problems, we may as well do it right.

Get one thing straight. This proposal is not for a casino. It is for a slot parlor (enquirer.com). Just a big room full of slot machines. No table games, no excitement. The energy level in this joint would be about as high as the "joint" across the street from it. You will not see one serious gambler here, especially not the type that would drop $100 on dinner before or after the casino. This place will be full of retirees and other folks who can't afford to piss their money away. If you're going to make a deal with the devil, don't do it half-assed.

My god, what a nightmare that would be. Unfettered demolition, renovation, and new construction would gut OTR. In just a few years, it would be a smattering of buildings surrounded by parking lots, like ducks floating on a pond. The problem is that a market is only as good as the information possessed by its participants. In this case, developer and outsider (e.g., potential purchasers) biases against low-income housing, walking half a block or a block from their parking space, etc. would result in suburban type development. They would make development and purchasing decisions based on their suburban paradigms, without having the chance to live in a real city environment that would likely change their perceptions. I view historical boards as a valuable counterbalance to this effect.

gotribe, Development of The Banks has not begun. Political turf wars between city and county are still being hashed out, and there is a $30M financing gap.

1.7m square feet of office space? Haven't the developers noticed that the suburban office market is already pretty soft?

There's a big difference between the number of people who request information and the number who sign contracts. Plus, The Banks will (likely) be coming online after the Montgomery Inn project is completed and sold. I remain skeptical. If the average price were closer to $300k and the average square footage closer to 1,250-1,500, I would not be skeptical.

^750 units averaging 1,950 square feet each at an average price of just under half a million. The residential component of The Banks will not be successful on this model. Especially with all the other condo towers along the river, there aren't enough buyers that would consider downtown living at that price. No way.

I think this is an excellent idea. I would like to see a skyline silhouette as the image though, for a broader appeal and better aesthetics. Then maybe "Urbanohio.com" along the bottom.

It's too bad they're repainting over the dragon. I'm sure he'd have a couple more good years in him.

The Drop Inn Center is already within 1000 feet of a school (Washington Park Elementary). Supposedly they do their best to ensure that their residents are not convicted sex offenders. And those recent articles about the new SCPA claimed that the school is negotiating with the Drop Inn Center to find an acceptable solution.

I work in 525 Vine. I agree, the new lobby doesn't match the rest of the building at all. I guess they're hoping that from street level, nobody will look higher than the 2-3 story lobby. And from a distance, nobody will be able to see the lobby, just the upper floors... At any rate, it is a vast improvement over the old lobby which was overshadowed by the skywalk and had only one escalator (up). It is a shame that they lost Paula's deli. Though you can still find her unmatched reuben at Findlay Market.

Downtown boarding and pet daycare is a great idea. It might be tough finding enough outdoor space for a run, though. I don't know anything about renovating old buildings, but if you can make it work you will be seeing me for sure. Good luck!

It has indeed been a very good week for OTR in the press. If we can keep the violence at bay, we should be seeing more stories like these.