Alabama ExPat

Lawmakers Examine I-471 Bottlenecks By Amanda Van Benschoten The Sunday Challenger [email protected] NEWPORT - It only cost $85 million to construct I-471 and the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge 40 years ago, but it could cost more than $20 million today to update two clogged exit ramps along the five miles of interstate that connect Northern Kentucky to Cincinnati. http://www.challengernky.com/articles/2005/08/28/around_nky/doc430f7e33e776e284426289.txt

From the Enquirer: Luxury Covington condos to include marina By Marla Matzer Rose Enquirer staff writer COVINGTON – The Ascent at Roebling’s Bridge, the 22-story condo project being built here by Corporex, will include a marina, Corporex chairman Bill Butler said today. The city of Covington plans to remove the Covington Landing barge that formerly housed TGI Friday’s restaurant from the site to make room for the marina. Covington closed the landing on July 9, about two weeks after a major leak sprang in the hull, forcing the city to hire contractors to keep the complex above water. Jon J. Fleshman, spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Louisville district, confirmed today that there are plans by BB Riverboats owner Alan Bernstein to build a marina on the site. However, he stressed that there has been no application made for a permit for the project, and no permit has yet been granted. With superstar architect Daniel Libeskind in attendance, Covington-based developer Corporex unveiled what it calls an “experience center” for the $40 million-plus project this morning. The sales office, located in Corporex’s 100 E. RiverCenter Blvd. Headquarters, has an eye-popping view of the river as the backdrop for displays of floor plans and design elements that well-heeled buyers can choose from. Full article at http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050825/BIZ01/308250016

580 Building owners to add street sizzle By Laura Baverman Cincinnati Business Courier The latest piece of the downtown redevelopment puzzle comes from a private Philadelphia investor, BPG Properties, which will spend several million dollars to renovate and upgrade its 580 Building. BPG said the 17-story tower, which takes up the entire block on the south side of Sixth Street between Walnut and Main streets, will get a new street-friendly facade and possibly high-end retail and restaurants. Hopes are that the 580 Building will mirror the bustling activity on the other three sides of that intersection, occupied by the Contemporary Arts Center, Bella restaurant and Fifth Third Bank's headquarters. It also will connect the planned development at Fountain Square and the Backstage District adjacent to the Aronoff Center. Full Story: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8956542/

I was about to post it with the article, but it was so uninteresting I decided it wasn't worth the effort. It almost looks like a stock picture.

Face lift New owners plan retail and renovation at downtown's 580 Building By Greg Paeth Post staff reporter The new owners of the 580 Building, downtown, plan an overhaul that includes bringing more retailers to the site and making them more visible from the street. The owners have launched a stepped-up program to sign retailers and they have a plan for interior and exterior renovation of the key downtown property. The new owner, Philadelphia-based BPG Properties Ltd., said its multimillion-dollar renovation of the 17-story high-rise is timed to coincide with the Fountain Square reconstruction that is designed to breathe new life into the heart of downtown. The 580 Building is at the intersection of Sixth and Walnut, one of the most heavily traveled intersection in the city, according to Melissa Williams, who works for Colliers Turley Martin Tucker, which handles leasing for the building. Full Story: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050813/BIZ/508130305/1001

:-o That looks like the same article posted on 8/3/05, with the last paragraph missing.

From the New York Times Rethinking Skyways and Tunnels By PATRICK O'GILFOIL HEALY Published: August 3, 2005 Like many failed ideas, the skywalks in Cincinnati were built with only the best intentions. They were dreamed up in a fit of 1960's urban renewal - a development guru's idea for making downtown Cincinnati easier to navigate and easier to enjoy. The city erected a small network of second-story bridges that spanned the streets and linked offices and hotels, allowing people to stroll through downtown without stepping onto the sidewalk. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/03/realestate/03tunnel.html

I stopped by their redeocrated floor one day not long after the announcement. I couldn't get past the feeling of a repainted second rate hotel. The thing that bothered me the most was the ceiling. I don't think it was even a full 8 foot. It felt clausterphophic. I wished it had worked, but I think it has died on on the vine (no pun intended).

The unit listings were pulled from the Cincinnati MLS quite some time ago. The Huff and Schoonover web sites do'nt have anything for it anymore. When does this get moved to the abandoned projects thread?

McAlpin Building Facade August 2004

From the editorial section of the Post Hold the flowers If Hamilton County commissioners expect constituents to throw flowers at their feet for the secret deal they engineered to take control of downtown riverfront development, maybe they should check their intelligence sources again. The pre-development agreement that commissioners signed Thursday with the Corporex Cos. of Covington and Cincinnati-based Vandercar Holdings Inc. formalizes the deal that was announced last month. But it isn't cause for celebration. And it certainly shouldn't prompt Cincinnati officials to give up any of the leverage they hold over the development of the section of the riverfront known as the Banks. Given the way commissioners have acted so far, the city will need all the muscle it can muster to protect its interest in ensuring the project is done right. Apparently annoyed by the slow pace of progress that the city and the regional Port Authority were making in lining up developers and launching work on The Banks, commissioners secretly crafted a deal that for all intents and purposes shoved those entities aside. Without consulting the city or anyone else, commissioners named Vandercar and Corporex (doing business in a partnership known as the Banks Development Co.) as master developer for the project. These are well-known, reputable firms that have agreed to put up $10 million toward construction of underground garages that will serve as a platform for other development, but their reputation in Greater Cincinnati is largely based on suburban style office buildings and big-box retail stores. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050716/EDIT/507160306/1003

Do you think that guy (the architect) even had a clue as to what he was getting into while he was standing there on camera? I doubt it. He seemed genuinely clueless. "What this gateway is trying to do is to form an interactive dialogue, not be part of the bridge, but be a gateway to the bridge and to the city." :wtf: Geez.

Here's a fairly recent construction picture of the interior atrium. Part of the metal roofing has been removed to crane in the walkways that span the atrium at each floor to access the units on the north (left) side. Once complete, the metal roof over the atrium will be replaced with glass. You can see in the foreground where doors have been cut into what were once windows, with framing being added to close up the remaining window section. My understanding is that the windows without framing and door cuts will be interior balconies similiar to those inside the Cincinnatian Hotel.

I usually hate they typical "Investigative Report" segments done by local news. They're usually overly sensationalied. However, I think this story was on point. There's a transcript and Real Video link on the following page. I'd recommend the video link, the transcript doesn't flow as well as the video. http://www.wcpo.com/wcpo/localshows/iteam/bridge_07032005.html

The Banks: Who's in charge? Power elite at odds over $1 billion in development By Gregory Korte Enquirer staff writer Secret plans and surprise announcements. Whisper campaigns and indignant resignation letters. How did the Banks - a project everyone agrees is vital to the economic development of the city, the county and the region - become so complicated? A big reason is that it's not controlled by one person. It's not even controlled by one committee. In one form or another, it's controlled by a long list of committees - some competing, some cooperating, and some just confusing. On the 14th floor of the Kroger Building in downtown Cincinnati, for example, is a corporate-controlled development agency whose nickname sounds like a Star Wars character: 3CDC. Public-private partnerships The story of the Banks as a riverfront development project starts with Jack Rouse, who owns a company on the 13th floor of the Kroger Building that designs and builds attractions around the world. His resumé includes the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, both on Cincinnati's riverfront. 'Colossal red herring' But Bortz's brother and partner, former Cincinnati Mayor Arn Bortz, reacted strongly to the suggestion that Towne Properties has a conflict of interest. "That's a colossal red herring to divert people from the stench of the process they have recently hijacked," said Arn Bortz. The Port Authority selected the development finalists long before 3CDC existed, Arn Bortz said, and his brother has fully disclosed his interests and has not participated in 3CDC discussions on the matter. 'A stale corporate shell' When county commissioners looked for a development agency to handle the financing for their new Banks plan, they turned to the Hamilton County Community Improvement Corp. of Greater Cincinnati. It has existed since 1962, but its board members are hardly household names and not nearly as high-powered as the Port Authority-3CDC partnership. While 3CDC has the CEO of Cinergy Corp. and the Port Authority has the president of the utility's Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co., the CIC has Cinergy's economic development manager, a step down the corporate organizational chart. 'Whisper campaign' The nonprofit development corporation was created in 2003 as part of an effort to get management of development projects outside of City Hall. Its 26-member board of directors includes a who's who of the city's corporate elite - 10 of which have offices along Fourth Street. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050703/NEWS01/507030388

Fountain Square set to move ahead Next up: First-phase subcontracts By Marla Matzer Rose Enquirer staff writer After months of discussions, planning and votes, the major revamp of Fountain Square finally looks cleared for takeoff. What's next? Megen Construction, which had already been selected as construction manager for the redevelopment, plans to quickly request and evaluate proposals from subcontractors for the first phase of work, which will involve relocating the Tyler Davidson Fountain. Though he declined to name a date, Megan president Evans Nwankwo said these first proposals are expected to start coming in by mid-July. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050701/BIZ01/507010364/1076/BIZ

From http://www.cincinnati.com/fountain/ Since 1871 Cincinnatians have viewed the Tyler Davidson Fountain, in its present location at Fountain Square and in its previous incarnation a block away at Government Square, as a symbol of Cincinnati. So maybe it has moved a bit more.

So my question is: Has the Historic Conservation Board provided any rational or reasoning to their objection to moving the fountain? I havn't seen anything. It seems to me that there's no value added to such a comittee if they aern't going to publish some sort of rationale for the decisions/recomendation. I'm a supporter of the plan to move the fountain, but that doesn't mean I couldn't be swayed by a compelling argument for leaving it in it's current location. If they haven't offered up an explanation for their vote, they shouldn't be suprised by it being over-rulled by city council. My appologies to the Historic Conservation Board if they have published there reasoning and the mainstream press didn't bother to publish it. :whip:

[ranting] I'm really getting tired (code phrase for "really pissed off") at people that are ready to criticize something without providing an alternative approach or plan. It's usually (but not always) the press trying to sensationalize every little thing for ratings or readership. Some of these people are Cincinnati's worst enemies (outside of a couple of moronic city council members). [/ranting]

Here is an Enquirer editorial that I believe is actually on target... Making downtown really safe Editorials The problems that led to somebody firing five shots at 6th & Vine downtown at 7 p.m. Wednesday didn't start at the intersection. Police said the 18-year-old suspect was on cocaine and carrying a .25 caliber pistol in his pocket. According to investigators, he took offense at remarks somebody made about the girl he was with, pulled the gun and started popping off toward the crowd on the corner. It is fortunate that no one was hit, his marksmanship being at least as poor as his judgment. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050618/EDIT01/506180346/1020/EDIT

Well, I guess this makes it official... Fountain Square plan gets approval By Gregory Korte Enquirer staff writer It wasn't the unanimous vote Mayor Charlie Luken had hoped for, but Cincinnati City Council voted decisively Wednesday to turn management of Fountain Square over to a nonprofit developer for up to 40 years in exchange for a $42 million overhaul. Construction will begin the last week of August, said Stephen Leeper, the development corporation's president. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050616/NEWS01/506160341/1056/news01

Mine is the old Pugh / R. L. Polk building in downtown Cincinnati. It's begin converted to condos. Our unit should be finished by late fall. I "borrowed" this pic from the MLS listings.

The 3CDC site has been updated from the email link only version that has been out there for some time. There is also a 98 slide power point presentation on the Fountain Square redesign. The presentation does a very good job of outlining a point that seems to be lost in the discussion: The city only needs to kick in $4 million to leverage a $42 million square renovation. Also, there's another $30 million in related enhancements to adjacent buildings. Additionally, the city has $3 million planned for garage rework in 1996. Under the proposed plan, the city will be alleviated of this burden. One could almost make the claim that $1 million gets the city a $72 million beneift (and that's not including any potential tax revenue increase from new businesses over the next several years). For the main site: http://www.3cdc.org To go directly to the presentation: http://www.3cdc.org/files/uploaded/Fountain%20Square%20Revitalization.pdf Especially interesting to me was slide 94, with a retail plan that showed a supermarket in the old Clossons location, and a Movie theater in the empty parking lot where Nordstroms was supposed to be. I'm sure it's all conceptual, but it does paint a picture of a downtown that I would like to see come to fruition.

Thanks for the tips. We've actually done the walk to Newport. There's a walkway to the bridge near the alley/street that runs behind the taft, so you no longer need to go throught the tunnel and cut over. Newport and Fountain Square seem to be about the same walking distance. We've also done the walk up to mount adams (a bit more effort involved with those steps). As far as move in, it sounds like late fall before it will be time to close on most of the units.

My wife and I are buying a unit at Park Place at Lytle (the old Polk building next to the Taft museum). Can anyone tell me the location of the closest venue serving adult beverages? :wink: