2LiveCarew

A bunch of floors in the Reserve Building are currently being converted into apartments--it's on 4th and Race. It'll have 88 one and two bedroom units once it's done (which will be Summer 2012). For whatever reason, no one posts about that project here. Not nearly as many units as The Banks, but still a decent chunk of new apartments. Here are some pics from google image search, which I think are pre-renovation:

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120118/BIZ/301180139/Banks-an-eclectic-mix-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE Nice write-up in the Enquirer about the Banks. I have to say, the plans for Phase II sound really nice (I don't care about spas, but a coffee shop and grocery store would be great). My overall attitude toward the Banks so far is qualified enthusiasm. It doesn't look as nice as it could, but it is exponentially better than the vacant dirt-mound that blighted the riverfront beforehand. And Smale Park looks sweet. My hope is that with so much visible progress by Opening Day, people who come to Reds games will be more and more impressed by what's going on and will start thinking of downtown as less of an empty shell. I don't expect this to make Cincinnati gain 50,000 residents in 10 years or anything like that, but I do think that it will gradually shift attitudes towards the center city towards the positive.

I'll be sure not to miss that. The sooner they can show physical progress on this, the better. It's one thing to try to stop the Streetcar--it's another thing to try to just add costs and delay to the project, to make an expensive project even more expensive.

I couldn't find another post about this, but my girlfriend and I are relocating from Chicago to Cincinnati in several months and we're looking to rent a 1 bedroom apartment (or buy a one bedroom condo, if the deal is good enough). I'm originally from Cincinnati but have been away for college and professional school. I try to come back when possible, because I'm a massive homer, but I still don't know that much about day-to-day living. I follow OTR and downtown-area developments a ton, and I love both areas. I'll be working downtown. I don't want to sink an INSANE amount into rent, but I'll be making enough money to spend maybe $1200/mo on housing (that's flexible depending on what I would be getting, I suppose). So if you were in my shoes, where would you want to live in urban Cincinnati (or I guess Covington/Newport, as well)? What should I know? Are there any sites that you think are way better than others for figuring this stuff out? It seems kind of overwhelming, because this is the first time I'll be out "in the real world," so to speak. Anyone who lives in any of these areas and has any views about the pros/cons of particular neighborhoods is welcome. For OTR, for instance, I know that crime is down, but I wonder how it subjectively FEELS. My girlfriend isn't from Cincinnati, and I don't want her to FEEL unsafe (even if violent crime is unusual). What's the vibe, on a day-to-day basis. And for people who live downtown, where do you go grocery shopping? Where do you park (if you have a car)? How often do you need to use your car? Sorry to ask n00b questions. I'm an aspiring Cincinnati city-dweller, and I want to know what has (and hasn't) been good for you guys. Thanks!

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111223/BIZ/312230096/4-projects-get-preservation-tax-credits Preservation tax credits issued for a number of properties, including three in OTR. I think these are in the vicinity of Findlay Market--does anyone know anything about this?

Would you prefer Opportunity Boulevard or American Triumph Road? Maybe something like "Rick Perry Drive."

Just thought I'd update this with a progress report from the Enquirer: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111206/BIZ/312070051 I haven't been able to find anything concrete about what these things will look like from the inside, but it should be a nice to have another residential option downtown to piggyback off of the progress with the Banks.