Losantiville

The Kit and Ace store is actually a really big deal - it's a sign that OTR is on the radar of national retailers. (For those who don't know, Kit and Ace is a new apparel company that was founded by the wife and son of lululemon's founder.) They currently only have eight locations, of which only two are in the US: New York and San Francisco.

I think two different arguments are being made here, both of which have merit. Compared to many other markets across the United States, these units in Over-the-Rhine are not overpriced. On a per square foot basis, a new urban townhome or large condominium in any of the first or second "tier" cities is going to cost at least 50% more than one in Over-the-Rhine. New townhomes in the Washington, DC market (not just in DC, but across the metro area) sell all day long for $400+ psf. I know Cincinnati isn't DC. But living in Over-the-Rhine offers many of the advantages of living in certain parts of DC. If we're looking at the national urban for sale market, Over-the-Rhine is relatively cheap. That said, the other argument is that within the Cincinnati housing market, Over-the-Rhine is expensive. You can't deny this is the case. If Over-the-Rhine is going to become anything but an enclave for wealthy buyers and newly minted college graduate renters, for-sale residential options are going to have to exist that can compete with suburban alternatives. Millennials who can afford to buy houses (and who want to) will make sacrifices in order to remain in vibrant, walkable urban neighborhoods, but only to a point. If the alternatives are a 600 s.f. one bedroom condo in OTR and a three bedroom in Pleasant Ridge, the three bedroom in Pleasant Ridge is typically going to win. I'm 29, about as passionate about urban living as one can get, and I don't want to live in a cramped condominium for the rest of my life. I also don't want to live in a McMansion in Mason. There is this middle ground that is being completely unserved by the market, not just in Cincinnati, but around the United States. It doesn't have to be that way.

The white home was built by Ulysses S. Grant's son. It's more grand and imposing in person than it even appears in these pictures. Great shots. Logan Circle is a beautiful neighborhood. Hard to believe it has just been revitalized in the last 5-10 years along with 14th Street to its west.

If comparing Mt. Adams in 2004 to Price Hill today is not delusional, I don't know what is.

This whole premise is patently false. The grocery industry began shifting to the big box model 20+ years ago - this isn't some new phenomenon. The average square footage of new grocery stores grew consistently through the 90's and early 2000's until about 2006 and it has been slowly declining since. The trend in the industry today is very much one of a shift back to smaller format, urban stores in areas that demand them. Look at Wal-Mart, Target, Safeway, Whole Foods, etc. Are these all perfect urban form? No. But they're certainly not traditional big boxes crammed into dense urban settings because "the grocery retail industry is turning to big boxes." http://urbanland.uli.org/planning-design/the-rush-to-build-walkable-urban-grocery-stores/

There is a very successful co-op in Ithaca, NY called GreenStar. It has two locations and is looking at opening a third. This is in a market that is already served by multiple large grocery chains - proof that the cooperative grocery model can work if executed correctly in an area with the right demographics. http://www.greenstar.coop/

Care to elaborate? The amount of depreciation taken on a building for tax purposes is independent of the condition of that building. CapEx is also depreciable. By definition, the money spent on keeping a property in good shape can and should be "written off".

My understanding has long been that improving the West concourse was as much a goal of any proposed Nippert renovation project as improving the press/luxury box situation (revenue notwithstanding). I know they've already demoed the old concessions and restrooms on that side, so I'm optimistic that the new setup will be a great improvement. Also, this is going to be an incredible place to watch and play football. It was already so cavernous and loud when full. Will now be only more so.

My hometown. Thanks for these, Ryan.

Unfortunately, few people in Cincinnati understand how cities work because they've lived their entire lives in one that doesn't.

Can someone explain to me what John Cranley has done since being elected that has been a surprise? His entire platform was one position: kill the streetcar at all costs. Now that he is remaining committed to that position, everyone is acting like they're just now realizing that he might actually do it. Why?

I think it's overly simplifying the situation to suggest that the only listeners of WLW throughout the day are blue collar, but the characterization isn't completely off the mark. I personally know several individuals who work in shops or drive trucks and perfectly fit this description. It's just terribly, negatively reinforcing. It is telling that the streetcar opponents specifically, and the GOP at large, have conquered only one form of media: antiquated AM radio. They are behind the times and will continue to fall further behind as the world moves on without them.

I'm busy engaging in a campaign on a UC athletics message board against the misinformation and faux outrage about this latest Duke proposal. The most recent response called streetcars "bourgeois liberal fantasy of central planning." Aside from that, most everyone was grumbling that the supposed idiots in Cincinnati are building a streetcar that no one wants and now everyone else is going to have to shoulder this huge utility rate hike to pay for it. We are truly at the mercy of media outlets that are, at best, irresponsible. I won't say what they are at worst. This is an uphill battle.

It's on the National Register and was designed by Hannaford, so I would absolutely prefer that it be stabilized. Unfortunately that is a really, really rough street. Given that the house is almost 9,000 square feet and has sat neglected, incurring water damage and vandalism for the better part of a decade, I'd ballpark (very, very, very roughly) that it would cost tens of thousands just to stabilize and in excess of a million dollars to fully rehabilitate. Note that I've never been inside, but I've driven past and walked around on a few occasions. I'd be surprised if much of the historic interior remains intact. I cannot envision an individual investing this kind of money to live in that neighborhood. Preventing the demolition of 965 Burton will require a non-profit or wealthy benefactor interested solely in the preservation of a historic landmark. If you're interested in some fascinating history about the house and the land it sits on, check out this blog post. http://diggingcincinnati.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-missed-named-national-register-house.html

It will be a sad day when they demolish 965 Burton, but I'm afraid it's inevitable. The immediate neighborhood is far too deteriorated to justify the work and money necessary to get it back into shape. I did some very brief research a few years ago when it was on the market. My conclusion: it's certainly not a project for anyone without significant resources and experience in historic renovation and restoration.