JohnClevesSymmes

Based on your screenshot and the time stamps, it looks like this Mary Nippert just went through at one time and thanked people for writing nice things... *yawn*

That's part of the old plasma center. The adjacent storefront to the north will be a US Bank branch and the property owners are opening the facade up with windows and a door (it was bricked over for the plasma center with the entrance next door) so that they can lease the space.

I toured the property a few months ago and I am trying to remember if it was still there. I can't picture it being there. I'll tell you what was definitely still there: all of the belongings of the hoarder who lived in the apartment above the bar. Kudos to whomever restores that property.

^ Pretty sure this guy hit me up for cash about a month or 2 ago outside of the clifton skyline. Said he locked his keys in the car and was waiting on someone who would "only accept cash" to open the car. Gave me a story about working at one of the hospitals and offered to show me his ID badge. I felt kind of bad but I told him there is an atm in the skyline and I kept walking. He had a cold look in his eyes that raised a red flag. Description definitely matches.

With such a long rap sheet, I think we can safely blame him for at least some of the city's ills.

The headliners could be bigger if a venue were used such as Music Hall, but the admission structure might have to change.

Not to be overly optimistic but MPMF could grow tremendously in the vein of SXSW. My impression the last couple years was that any moderately hyped show would immediately become over capacity. The epicness of Washington Park will certainly strengthen the draw of the festival.

If they booked Insane Clown Posse I would have been very surprised. Hopefully they book some even higher caliber bands next year to ryanlammi's point. I think the event is well positioned to do that if they make another go at it next year. I wonder if a potential Tall Stacks 2013 will cause a conflict.

Perhaps a good solution would be some fast-casual type places (chipotle/five guys/fusian) or a decent sandwich place.

The biggest problem for an individual developer looking to break into the market is that most of the empty buildings south of Liberty are controlled by 3CDC and a handful of other individuals and are not for sale. The ones that have been on the market recently, like the Rhino's building on 12th, are fairly expensive considering you would still have to gut them to get a decent rent. For a decent return on your investment, you need to pay cash and get in at a low enough price - it is possible but hard to find the right building.

^ So true. It is truly amazing how much progress has occurred during the Mallory/Dohoney tenure. When discussing the streetcar project with skeptics, I try to put it in context of all of the changes from the last half decade or so - fountain square, the banks, otr redevelopment, etc. I try to make a point that, first of all, this administration has credibility and a solid perspective on how to spur development, and secondly the streetcar is a thread that connects all the other pieces.

^ That is really scary. I plan to do what I can to campaign against such an idea. I hope all those in favor of meritocracy and opposing the spoils system will join in that fight.

Yea the enquirer and most of local media tends to suck... But I will say one thing: 9 times out of 10 when I tell someone I live in OTR they say something like, "Wow that's awesome. There is so much great stuff down there now. Do you love it?" And then that 1 out of 10 person thinks I am super badass and brave for living there so there is a silver lining. People know what's up, and those who don't are increasingly irrelevant. In many ways the perception is outpacing the reality. We need exponentially more rental properties and still more condos.

Nobody is disputing the need for subsidized housing to exist on some level. You concede there are problems in the way that subsidized housing is handled. The problem, as it specifically relates to OTR and mentioned by mcadrenaline, is that while new units of subsidized housing are added, there is actually a market demand that is not being met. I always thought that the Section 8 program was designed to eliminate the need for public housing - to allow those with vouchers to live anywhere with the assistance they need. I understand that in practice it is not so simple, and many people do not want to live next to someone getting Section 8 assistance. I am curious to know how it has played out in Mt. Lookout where new Section 8 residents have been living in that typically middle to upper middle class neighborhood for the last couple years.

There is not a single bit of this that I understand. Please elaborate.

No, I wish. But I did see @chrisseelbach's most recent tweet: "you are all evil and you are just trying to build an evil empire"-one of the more colorful people testifying before council today."

I had the same reaction when I was told this. I suppose they have a decent amount of the office space utilized and can afford to sit on the space until the right tenant comes along. Since they have deep pockets and keep the building in nice shape, hopefully it will end up being a net win for the neighborhood in the end. I totally concur with this sentiment as well. I wish more of the Court st. restaurants would stay open for dinner because at least they would be close by while not technically in OTR. I keep meaning to patronize Istanbul Cafe on Vine more often so that this option does not go away (so far only been once but is pretty solid). Hopefully some of the new places coming on Vine will fit into the cheaper, quick but still good category. MOTR is actually decent for this as I'm sure you know but the options are pretty limited. Any word on that little market share place that the Sushi Bear guys were going to open up closer to Liberty?

Roxy's is definitely not going into the Hanke Building. The restaurant made the announcement prematurely, before the lease was signed, and the whole thing has since fallen through. The building owners are sick of dealing with entertainment venues and restaurants so they are looking for a more stable tenant to go into the space.

A strong African American candidate in the primary could hurt Qualls more than Cranley. Since I am already bored of the 2012 election season and ready to start thinking about local politics again, I guess it might be time to start speculating who might populate that ballot. In no particular order: Roxanne Qualls John Cranley Charlie Winburn Cecil Thomas I'm having trouble coming up with other potential strong candidates. I am sure there will be others but I doubt there will be any serious Republican candidate other than Winburn (debatable Republican status aside). Does anyone know of a wildcard candidate in the same vein as a Courtis Fuller? Pepper doesn't live in the city anymore. Steve Driehaus? Is he still in Africa? Would Alicia Reece take another crack at it? Sandra Queen Noble? Jerry Springer?

Not how it works in our open primary system. All candidates run in the primary, and then the top two vote getters square off in the general. In 2005 Mallory and Pepper, both Dems, ran against each other in the November general election.

There will only be a primary if there are more than 2 running for mayor. Remember we have the open primary system now.

Cranley was on council for almost a decade. He is a democrat who will have support from conservatives. Brad Wenstrup, as an unknown white male republican, was able to put up 45% against Mallory. Cranley poses a very real threat to Qualls and to the streetcar project, but hopefully the project will be too far along to stop by the time a new mayor is sworn in. However, it would be frustrating to have a Mayor opposing expansion.

I can't keep all of the recent charter changes straight. Do we still do a vote or is it battle royale now?

^ Are you referring to the lofts at shillito place? I don't think Towne Properties owns or manages 107 Shillito, which would mean no access to the amenities at the Towne Properties managed buildings.

A friend of mine lived in that building and I always thought he had a great place. Seems like good people live in the building. Convenient access to walgreens, the blue whisp, right next door to the Cincinnati Athletic Club.