kendall

What building is your loft going to be in? I'm sure you've already said but I forgot.

I too have been to Findlay during the week, I think it was a Wednesday morning. There was only one produce vendor and about half the butchers open. A completely different story from a Saturday afternoon.

Casinos are a growth industry that grows at the expense of the local population, then ships most of the profits out of town. I've seen the economic impact of the big casinos in Michigan and it's the reverse of what we would should really be looking for. That said, in this area we are essentially competing with other states so we may as well capture some tax dollars for the city if people are gambling away their money already.

In Cincinnati, there is an unusually high level of skepticism and self-doubt, kind of an inferiority complex. Let's hope the skepticism isn't a self-fulfilling prophecy. I can't wait to see the Freedom Center, I hope it can augment it's primary mission of the Underground Railroad with exhibits on other struggles for freedom around the world and keep visitors coming.

The renderings are up on the Enquirer web page. It will look really nice in 30 years when the trees are as mature as those depicted. I like semi circular benches surrounding the fountain. That skywalk will be missed. I work downtown at 525 Vine and use it regularly, along with lots of other people.

Every so often I overhear a conversation around town or on the bus and I think, "these people would be totally into the forum." But it's awkward to just interrupt them right then and there, it would be much cooler to just pass them a business card with nothing but 'urbanohio.com/forum' on it.

Surprising that there's not more parking than I can see in these renderings... As long as this is mostly owner occupied, I say it's more good news for Cincinnati.

This is just another fake downtown, the kind that are popular these days along with lifestyle centers and "neo-traditional" tract housing. A walkable community that you have to drive to, and if you live there, not really walkable to anywhere else.

Guns... blech. But I guess if you're silly enough to carry a concealed weapon anywhere, you should be able the carry it in a public park.

At least the upcoming phase is mixed use in the sense that there will also be office and condos on the site. Not real mixed use, but better than all retail I suppose.

How about an option to upload photos for posting so we don't have to host them ourselves?

Midwesterner here too.

The O'Bryonville one will be a great improvement in about 10 years when the trees fill out. The brick sidewalks are nice. I'd say in the short run OBville definitely took a risk in being torn up so long and not having any green buffer between the sidewalk and Madison Rd. But in the longer-run it was a good investment.

This plan will probably receive support from businesses and opposition from residents. And don't let the article lead you to believe that business is bad down here. On nice weekday evenings, there are lots of people out. There was even a line at Ambar India last night. On the weekends, its often hard to navigate the sidewalks between 7 and 11. The strip has grit; you actually feel like you're not at a "lifestyle center" or traditional mall. If the businesses want more trees, plant more, there's room. Brick pavers can be done relatively quickly too, as can lighting. But tearing out the trees and sidewalks for relocating the utility lines goes too far. I honestly think those who come down here aren't looking for a sterilized lifestyle center atmosphere, they can get that at Hyde Park square or Rookwood. They want to feel like they're in the city - for the residents, because that's where they like to live, and for the suburbanities, because they miss the liveliness or maybe even sometimes regret leaving the city.

Clifton firms envision Ludlow Ave. makeover By Jennifer Edwards The Cincinnati Enquirer Lisa Storie, who owns Sitwell's Coffeehouse in Clifton, is part of an effort by business owners to revitalize the corridor with such things as a small courtyard area along Telford Street to provide outdoor seating for several restaurants. The Cincinnati Enquirer/GARY LANDERS CLIFTON - Business operators along the Ludlow Avenue neighborhood district are planning to revitalize the corridor to attract more customers and new businesses. No link available for article.

^splendid idea mmm....Christian Moerlein

Ahh, the Indian Hill NIMBY, the most pernicious species...

It would really be cool to have entertainment and retail options right on the Cincinnati riverfront. The Purple People Bridge already gets quite a bit of foot traffic on regular days with little more than a park (albeit a nice one) on the Cincinnati side. I am worried about the impact it might have on Tower Place, though. However, the retailers in Tower Place are geared more towards the professional. It would be great to complement those with some unique retailers and restaurants at the Levee II site.

Very true!

I also agree, while I don't smoke myself, it would be detrimental to the nightlife downtown, where they can scarcely afford to lose a customer. Altough, I've been to some bars and clubs in California, where smoking is banned throughout the state, and it really is nice. But around here a ban needs to happen over an area larger than just the city to avoid problems.

Hamburger Mary's makes a great burger, which is all that really matters to me. I know it's a gay bar later in the evening, but the restaurant crowd is anyone and everyone.

Sounds like the company was already based in West Chester, so this is actual growth in the region, not just the shifting of resources. Good news.

I'm glad the planned apartment buildings will be built out to the street instead of having parking between the buildings and the street. Hopefully the retail is reasonably accessible on foot, unlike Rookwood Commons and Pavilion.

I agree, foot patrols allow officers to get a better feel for what's going on that they can from their cars. They're also reassuring to citizens. Even though my neighborhood isn't "high crime," we do get a lot of foot traffic and on Thurs-Fri-Sat have a pair of beat cops in the business district. I've noticed a lot of businesses in the city that have officers stationed there at night, like grocery stores and sometimes restaurants. The Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati always has two cops outside during performances. Why not just put these officers on a patrol around the block? Better yet, have enough cops out to do both.

Yeah, I'm glad to see the drive-in dropped from the plans... A small-scale mixed-use project on that site is appropriate. I'm not convinced that a chain eatery would be bad as long as it has some outdoor seating and isn't fast food. Something like Cosi would be nice. Or even better, a local deli like Silverglades. As the building stands, it doesn't have a wide range of productive use. It's a big old house without significant architectural interest that's been used as a waystation for dead people for years. There also hasn't been much new residential development in the neighborhood since the 70s. I don't think it will skew the commercial-residential transition, since the site is right next door to a big church which is the real buffer.[/url]