kendall

I really like the Ascent's design. It is unique and I really dig the swoosh.

On hot summer days sometimes fights break out down here, though I haven't seen it north of 13th on Main. Sometimes it happens in the playground or around the clubs. It's not a big deal, the police coverage down here is excellent.

Hi pope, welcome to UrbanOhio! My wife and I have lived on Main St. in OTR for 2 years and 10 months. OTR is a great place to live, although it could definitely have more in the way of neighborhood amenities such as retail and service businesses. It is beautiful, full of interesting people, has excellent housing options, and is conveniently located to downtown and within the region. Living in OTR, you will feel the pulse of the city on almost every front - arts, development, race relations, etc. You really feel relevant down here. From a development standpoint, there is more momentum now than there has been since I became familiar with OTR in 2003. Finalizing a streetcar line will blow the lid off. Some of the Main St. bars will be reincarnated in the near future, though I think the broader nightlife scene is shifting down to the CBD, where it belongs. Main St. north of 13th is predominantly a residential community with a strong arts component. There is a viable mix of market rate (owner-occupied and rental) and subsidized housing on Main St. and the side streets (13th, Woodward, Orchard). The market rate redevelopment is spreading on Main north of Liberty. I think public perception is starting to improve. There has been a lot of positive press lately. OTR is safer and better-looking than it has been in years and eventually the perception will catch up. There has been every indication that the new SCPA is happening. The school's current principal told me that construction should begin in the next few months. My wife and I will be moving to Walnut Hills in a few months. The move is going to be bittersweet. We are very accustomed to the convenience, affordability, and excitement that comes with living in OTR. We have also been a one-car family for over two years and the move will threaten the viability of that arrangement. But we are now want (and can afford) more space and after looking at virtually every 2-3 bed, 2 bath property within 2 miles of downtown (on the Ohio side) and the right match happened to be in Walnut Hills.

Dining needs during the meet can be satisfied by Taste of Cincinnati, which will be in full swing on Fountain Square and Fifth St. on May 26th. I should be able to make the meet.

I still can't believe they added members to the Banks Working Group based on race. A mixed-use development is not inherently good or bad for one racial group or another. What the two black members want are job guarantees. I can get behind the idea of setting up job training programs designed to prepare interested members of the black community to work in the trades, but I get the feeling they want more. Namely, quotas. In this country, entitlements should not be race-based. And just because the original banks working group included no blacks doesn't mean the end result of the Banks project is going to be anti-black. The paranoia of the black community in this city never ceases to amaze me. Imagine if Cincinnati whites insisted on appointing shadows to Mayor Mallory and City Manager Dohoney to make sure their decisions were good for the white community.

The last rumor that I heard for the Bella space is an upscale mexican restaurant by the owner of Boca.

The wikipedia entry for "gentrification" has a special section on OTR: -------------- Over the Rhine, Cincinnati Over the Rhine, a community north of Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, is experiencing another phase of gentrification. Cincinnati has a strong German heritage, and, like Darlen Street in Philadelphia, its homes and businesses show a strong European influence. In the 1800s, only German families populated the area (“Over-the-Rhine”). In the following few decades, however, most of those German families became financially able to move to northern Cincinnati and the surrounding suburbs, so they did. Working class people from southeastern areas of the United States began to migrate to Cincinnati, where there were industrial jobs available. By the early 1900s, the working class, which mostly consisted of African Americans, were the majority population in Over the Rhine (“Over-the-Rhine”). Throughout the century, the population declined from over 40,000 in 1900 to fewer than 8,000 people in 2000 (“Over-the-Rhine”). In 2001, there were outbursts of racial cries, known as the “Cincinnati Race Riots” after a young African American was shot by a city policeman. The riots destroyed many homes, businesses, and families, and completely halted redevelopment in the already deteriorating area. It took five years for gentrification to take its second swing around Over the Rhine. In early 2006, much to the surprise of Cincinnati residents, a 130-year-old building had began its renovation into six condominiums (Maag). Construction and development companies saw opportunity when almost half of Over the Rhine’s houses were vacant. One Cincinnati developer, Bill Baum, said the construction noise is “music to his ears” in an article in the New York Times in November (Maag). Baum thought nothing would ever happen in Over the Rhine, at least during his lifetime (Maag). The new condominiums are located on Vine Street, which runs through the middle of Over the Rhine (and was in the center of the riots years earlier). Over the Rhine has many desired qualities: it is located just five minutes from downtown, it has some specialty shopping and restaurants, and its houses’ structures are beautiful (“Over-the-Rhine”). Still, Over the Rhine is a dangerous place to live. Developers are hoping that their renovations will cause crime rates in Over the Rhine to subside. In 1990, the median income of the residents was $5,000 (Maag). Now, in 2006, renovated condominiums are selling for over $100,000 and most apartments are over $1,000 a month in rent (“Over-the-Rhine Directory”). Many hope that the developments will help the community's economy grow. ---------------- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentrification#Over_the_Rhine.2C_Cincinnati This entry is rife with inaccuracies and oversimplifications. I don't have the time or energy to fix it. Will someone please edit it??

I think a "likely killers" list is only a good idea if it is used by people who will attempt to intervene constructively in lives of those on the list to try and turn them away from a life of crime. At no time should such a list be published. That would be equivalent to punishing someone for a crime they didn't commit. Although the list would contain crimes that have already been committed (and thus would show up on a background check), as the title of the list suggests ("likely killers"), it would stigmatize the listees with a greater crime than they have committed. That could be devastating for the employment prospects of the listees. If a listee couldn't find a job, that certainly wouldn't help him stop committing crimes.

I wouldn't say that... Some other downtown (& near) amenities that come to mind: CAC, Taft Museum, University Galleries, Aronoff Center, Know Theatre, ETC, New Stage Collective, Playhouse, GABP, Paul Brown, riverfront parks, Fountain Square, downtown retail, hotels, offices, etc.

That is too bad. I wonder why? It certainly can't be for lack of business.

Wow, those units look incredible!

^Good article

In here:

Yeah, these units are way too big to be in the $100s... Your friend should definitely check out the Cooper building, www.gatesofedenpark.com

Damn....amazing

There are lots of houses with views available, but the price range varies widely with the amenities and perceived safety of the area. Begin your search by figuring out what you can comfortably afford.

I would prefer separate threads both for positive and negative articles. Many laypeople may think that Lincoln Heights is part of the city of Cincinnati, perhaps due in small part to lazy journalism. Commendably, here the Enquirer did refer to it as "a Hamilton County village" and used the correct dateline, "Lincoln Heights." In the case of Lincoln Heights, the reason many people wouldn't know off the top of their head that it is its own city is that Lincoln Heights is a predominantly black community and most whites don't give a shit about where blacks live (as long as it's not their neighborhood) and so don't care to make the distinction.

I think the Tuesday wing special is now $0.30 or $0.35, but they still have it.

Well if that's the case then let's re-title this thread: "Cincinnati's Built Form: Crime Discussion."

I'm not sure the above article belongs in a thread about Cincinnati crime.

This is a tough problem to solve. Sidewalks are public spaces, and outright restrictions on expression in public spaces are almost always unconstitutional. In Mt. Auburn, I do see that sometimes they lean the signs against Planned Parenthood's fence. The fence is private property and you cannot legally lean anything against it without permission. Maybe an ordinance against unattended standing signage would help, but that would hurt legitimate businesses who advertise with sidewalk signs.

Citirama back in fall to tout homes THE ENQUIRER Citirama returns this fall to Westwood, to the second phase of Brodbeck Place off Westwood Northern Boulevard. The project, designed to call attention to new construction within city limits, will focus on eight houses in the new subdivision. Brodbeck Place ultimately will be filled with 24 single-family houses, Mayor Mark Mallory said Tuesday. "When anybody builds new homes in the city of Cincinnati, they sell," he said. "People want to live here." The city offers 15-year tax abatements on any new construction. Westwood was home to Citirama in 2003 also, with Woodcrest Park along Queen City Avenue. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070307/NEWS0103/703070459/1273/rss13

A park over FWW would also benefit developers of condos such as the McAlpin and Lofts at Fountain Square by allowing dog owners to purchase. Right now, there is absolutely nowhere to walk a dog down there.

Bockfest definitely put some spring in downtown's step on Friday. We were at Chambers Restaurant around 7:30 and the place was packed. I don't even think they're open that late usually.

Right after I posted earlier, I submitted a comment to 3CDC calling their attention to this particular building. Not likely to get any results, but at least I tried.