somewhereOTR

Wow. I wonder how many businesses survive for the long haul when they blame the consumer when business isn't strong and then get offended if the consumers tell them they could improve their product...wow...

I wouldn't say that's accurate. Sure you see lots of teenie boppers, but I go there quite a bit. I have yet to see lots of families in Arnies, Hofbrauhaus, Aoi, Brio, Mitchell's, Southgate House, Tropicana, and Cafe Istanbul. So what qualifies as an entertainment district? A cluster of adult restaurants, a couple of bars and music - plus you have Gameworks and a movie theater. Sure sounds like an entertainment district to me. If that mix existed on Main...it would be called an entertainment district. I think some good points have been brought up. There is a lot of competion out there that didn't exist 8-10 years ago. You say we aren't NY, so maybe things happen at a slower rate, but you couldn't honestly be suggesting that change isn't at all necessary to stay vibrant. You may find it 'cute' that not everyone buys into the idea that Main Street is dying strictly due to safety and a shrinking population of the target demographic. But I thought one of the assertions was that Main and entertainent venues as a whole are suffering because we are losing a key demographic at a rapid rate. I think folks are just looking for data to support it. And I certainly hear your point about safety, but Main Street was a much scarier place in 1996 IMHO than now. Plus Alchemize is a bit different. You're kind of out there by yourself which certainly doesn't help with safety. Personally, if it were somehow possible to place 5 new interesting complentary venues in place of some of the current offerings and leave everything else the same, I have no doubt people would return to Main. The simple fact that people come for special events like MPMF suggest that it that the issue isn't safety for everyone. Umm... is it packed with families and high schoolers? :wink: But seriously, I haven't been to the new location, but in the paper it said they were going to serve food as well as live entertainment. I didn't think they served food before...I could be wrong. But a new location (which changes the atmosphere) and new menu suggests a tweak of concept to me and (as was said before) its "new". Empire and Fat Fish Blue were packed when they first opened too... And like Michael, I hope you read this as friendly debate. I think this is a really interesting conversation and am not trying to personally attack anyone.

^ You can sell something and still not make a profit. :-)

^I heard business is good, but the owner is closing for personal reasons. I heard of someone looking into purchasing it but I don't know if those conversations went anywhere.

So out of curiousity, if anyone knows. How many people did the city of cincinnati lose 18-34 since 2000 and how many did the region lose? Seems like it can easy to get lost in the rhetoric - "Cincinnati is losing all the young people - there's no market left!" What are the actual numbers we're talking about? I think this is relevant because while I agree whole heartedly Cincinnati loses young folks to other cities (I know an awful lot of people during my years here that have left), I would guess that actual data would suggest that the actual population of 18-34 year olds in 1996 years ago is not that much different than 2006. Maybe we lost 5%. For the sake of argument, if this demographic was 20k in 1996, it would be 19K now. We can fret about 1000 that are no longer here, or we can figure out where other 19,000 are now spending their time and money and figure out how to get them to OTR. They make think Cincinnati sucks, but in the meantime they are still looking for entertainment. Personally, as I said before I think much of the problem resides in a stale product. I have begun to wonder if a contributing factor to that problem is a lack of capital for the people with good ideas. It seems like Cincinnati is a city where a lot of money his held by conservative hands. The young entreprenuers have the ideas, but lack the capital to implement them. How cool would it be to have a private equity fund targeted towards funding small businesses in the city with potential. Hook up a budding young chef from the Midwest Cullinary Institute with an experienced operational hand and budding young developer in OTR and voila! I would bet some pretty sweet stuff would result.

Im not convinced that neighborhood evolution is not how it works. Across the country, urban neighborhood revitalization goes - abandoned/crime ridden to a few artist bohemian types move in due to cheap real estate, a few bars/clubs open up cause liquor will bring people regardless of safety, wave 2 of residents move in because the area has unique architectural benefits with an urban vibe, and then comes the retail and restaurants. This doesn't happen overnight. It happens over a decade or more depending on city size. Neighborhoods are organic and OTR will be what it will be. Someone correct me if Im wrong, but when Main street flared up 10 years ago as a destination spot, it wasn't because city leaders decided to make Main an entertainment district, but it was cluster of visionary people getting togther to their thing. The fundamentals of OTR are still there, it will come back - just takes time and some new people to pick up where the old guard left. As for eateries - so don't install a kitchen and go smaller scale but unique. Melt in Northside is a nice little place - doesn't have a big kitchen.... As for attendance. It seemed to me that the Diner 2.0 had people come out in droves, they just messed up on execution. Again, I may be naive, but an eatery with great food and service at a good value AND a unique proposition could do well. Heck, it be grilled cheese sandwiches, but make it different...different cheeses, different bread, different stuff on the inside and make it darn good and all of a sudden you have a unique place to bring friends from out of town. I think this another part of the problem on Main. In addition to old concepts, very little is truly unique to the city, so there is little compelling reason to come to Main Street. At least alchemize tries to a bit different catering to the indy music seen. But Harry's, RBC and Japp's I just don't see as whole lot different from Arnie's, the Pub, Longworth's etc. Japp's has been there a long time, but there are now alot of 'me toos' vying for attention. Maybe Main street needs to figure out how to be unique again. Nick, fully respect your involvement and commitment to the area. I also respect your point of view, I just not convinced the glass is half empty.

^ Maybe Im naive, but I don't think this is all bad. Let Fountain Square do their thing, by design they are looking to attract the mass crowd. Young and old will go there are some point. This leaves OTR to develop as a small buisness, niche entertainment enclave. I used to go to Main street back in the day, but sometimes things need to be mixed up to keep things fresh. I can't help but think that to some degree Main Street's problems partly stem from the fact that most of the venues have been there for a while and they are tired. Concepts need to be freshened up every once in a while to keep them interesting. This could be a very good thing. Recognize there are quite a few empty spaces now, but they cost too much. Maybe rents will come down a bit (my understanding is that they were pretty high - don't know if this is still true) and maybe some new blood will enter the mix. It would nice to add a couple of real restaurants/deli/lounge to the mix to replace some of the bars for example. OTR is evolving as a neighborhood which I think is a good thing.

^ Thats a good point. Why on earth would someone spend $20-30k or more on a building, sit on it, and then decide to tear it down (resulting in zero value left, except for the land which may not be worth anything in their lifetime) because there is now a cost to sit on it. Not saying it doesn't happen, but it would seem the prudent thing to do would be to sell it and cut your losses.

bump. So what do folks think it will take to fix Vine St.? What kind of development will help bring it back to life - given that I doubt new condos across the street from Kroger would sell right now, unless someone is hitting the :drunk:

I think this is reasonable. However this is in part a consolidation of services. I am a christian and live in OTR and I am involved. Also know many christians who live in OTR/West End who do a lot in this community. Not fair to paint with such a broad brush. Its called stereotyping. West End Kid - Also, I will play devil's advocate (ironic huh?) What would folks propose as an alternative? I would be willing to bet that if you actually polled all the resident's in the area including the CMHA housing, etc. the opposition may not be overwhelmingly against. West End/OTR are poor communities in which a large percent of the population is below the poverty line and might like a job training center nearby and other services that are well done. I certainly understand the concern, but one can hardly condemn a facility when you don't even know how good a job they might do. And 200 people at a community coucil meeting hardly represents the sentiment of a community of over 8000. 15,000 if you include OTR. When I read and listen to the opposition and see that much of appears to be rhetoric filled with misinformation and unsubstatiated claims I think it makes it hard for proponents to empathize with your position. I do think it is not the best location in the world, however I think the real concerns are property values and future development. Just be honest and say that what it is - don't hide behind the children. The kids down here have to worry about driveby shootings, drug dealers looking for future dealers, and not getting pregnant before they are 13. Not a homeless person looking to get back on thier feet or someone looking for medical assitance. The risk to the schools are not any higher than they are currently - at least have not yet seen any real data to support that it is. Even better would be for your groups to propose a viable alternative. Do the legwork and find a new and better location that would work and you might have more luck as well. All I "hear" is whining and insults and I lean towards supporting your position. No telling what they "hear". Also, check out that facility in California and research all the horrible things they are doing for the community (and be open to the possiblity that they may actually be GOOD for the community). That might help your position for opposition as well. I think you need good hard concrete DATA. Unsubstantiated accusations and emotions are probably not going to get you very far.

^ Hmm. I have some some money to invest in the stock market do I have to clear it with someone to make sure I have to financial acumen to invest MY money? I would like to tutor a child. Do I have to clear it someone to see if I have the credentials to teach on MY own time? Geez. I find it amazing that there is so much animosity at an organization trying to help. Not saying that ther proposed location is the best location, but that is an entirely different discussion versus whether the idea is worth trying or not. They aren't forcing anyone to give them any time or money for this initiative. They can spend their money any way they want. It THEIR money. There is no way CityLink will be able to get by-in from everyone in the community. There are understandably a number of concerns regarding this facility and much opposition. But CityLink has some support to - maybe not much, but some

^ I think the new SCPA looks pretty sweet. It would be a nice replacement to the empty parking lot there now. It will be a shame to lose the Belmont though... I will be shocked if they finish it by 2008 unless they plan to break ground soon.

Thank you for posting this info! But how in the world do you keep up with all this stuff????

And shoe stores. Lots and lots of shoe stores...:-D

What's wrong with shoes? I like shoes! They keep my feet warm on cold days like today. And keep me from stinking up the office. They can even be stylish! Seems kinda uncalled for to pick on people who like to wear shoes... :-D

I believe it is still technically slated to be renovated. However, the original plan was put together before the school district saw a more rapid decline in enrollment than they expected. I imagine whether they actually rehab it will be dependent new enrollment projections, which IMHO won't look good. Hence the question, "why tear down a block of historic buildings for a new school when you have one sitting there ready to be used with a little TLC?". The current school board is dense.

I cant speak to how thorough the attempt to make everyone aware of the coalition was since I wasn't part of that process. But I do know that a request for involvement was made via the OTR and Pendleton Community Councils as well as the Prospect Hill group. My guess is that the hope was that by reaching the major neighborhood organizations it would filter through the community. With limited volunteers, one does what one can. Sometimes those on the outside have to make a point to get plugged in. Granted I know community councils particularly in OTR area tend to be dysfunctional, but maybe the Mulberry/McMicken sector can send a representative to the other groups to stay in the loop New ideas are cool and should be heard. I think the broadcasting is an attempt to make dicussion public more than anything. The ultimate goal of the coalition is to get a seat at the table with the school board and 3CDC on these decisions. If that goal is achieved, they as well as you and others can weigh in on any decisions. Right now that is not the case. Going public appears to be the only way to get attention of public officials soemtimes. And keep in mind, the near term goal was to stop the demolition of the 22 properties and then have a discussion. In order to do that, that had to go in with an alternative proposal. I heard that the school board pulled thier initial demolition permit for the time being because of this fuss. So maybe its not all bad. I don't think the SCPA will have any trouble cobbling together the money needed either. My point is that they dont have it yet and a new WPE is planned in the near term. They have been raising money for a few years now. It may take a couple of more meaning the SCPA may not be available as an alternative for another 3-4 years at least - which is outside the current timeline for WPE. Personally, I think that turning Rothenburg into condos and the SCPA into the new WPE is a great idea. Unfortuntely, Cincinnati politics suffers from the myopia virus. As a result, it seems drastic actions are always necesssary to get people to sit down, talk and think about what they are doing. Certainly, as a resident you have as much say as anyone else in the community. My only thought is that it appears to me that the divide between your thinking and those that are opposing the school board is not that great. The fact that some of these folks have been through this "fight the power" stuff before suggests that there is a method the madness and self interest to the extreme of "I only care about my street" is not a factor. If there are reservations I think you (and others) should voice them. Maybe you (and others) could connect with the folks in the coalition to influence the direction of that group. Or I guess you could start another group. If there is one thing OTR could use its more groups.:wink: I don't know. I think the school board just wants to sell it and let whoever buys it determine what they want. My understanding is that the provision that allows a sale to developers without first opening it to charter schools says that it has to be used (or at least some of it) for a commerical purpose. One specuation is that the greespace is of significant interest in that is a huge block of undeveloped land. Perhaps of bigger interest than the school. One hypothesis is that a developer buys the school and land for $3 million. Develop the land and sell the school. An even more pessimistic hypothesis is that the developer will tear down the school for more new construction as it will be hard to convert into condos. Hopefully that wont happen,will all of broadway commons its not like we don have space to build downtown. Rumor has it, the school board may have a couple of offers on the SCPA and any deals have to be closed by December, so if this is true, I imagine we will hear news soon. :wink: :lol: Believe it or not I had gone out for a little while. Maybe I didn't party hard enough :lol:

Michael, I have a couple of thoughts I would like share. 1) If you haven't already, I recommend reading through the OTR comprehensive plan. This will provide some framework as to how this all this started and why people are upset and making the recommendations they are. Alot of work by a whole bunch of people went into that plan. Folks are upset that it has been shelved and a handful of folks are dramatically altering the plan without telling anyone or opening it to discussion. In addition, many of those folks weren't involved in putting the plan together in the first place 2) Actually, most folks I know would be content in keeping the SCPA a school, but it was never planned to be kept after the new SCPA is built. Folks have tried to keep the SCPA at its current location. The powers that be were not interested. The reason to push Rothenburg is simple. It was already (and technically still is) in the plan for rehab. The student population loss has thrown the total school capacity need into question however. Original plan was to build both a new WPE and rehab Rothenburg. Now the school board is saying that they want to build a new WPE first and then rehab Rothenburg if they need the space. Coalition argument is that instead of tearing down 22 historic buildings, spend less money and rehab Rothernburg first and then see if more capacity is needed. It is easier to encourage adopting a plan already on the table (rehab Rothernburg) vesus coming out of left field with a new one (abandon new WPE and Rothenburg and rehab SCPA instead). If you cant get the school board to do something they already said they were going to do, how are you going to get them to do something they had no intention of in the first place? 3) As I understand it, the current plan it to build a new WPE fairly soon. The new SCPA is still something like $10 million short of its funding requirements. Can't build a new SCPA until the money is there and don't know how long that will be. Once they green light the project, Im guessing it will be 18-24 months before it would be ready for use. If they broke ground lets say summer 2006, your looking at 2008-2009 school year before the current SCPA is vacated. And then if you do a light rehab to repurpose it for an elementary school, your looking at least another 12 months which means it would be a new WPE until 2009-2010 at the earliest and I think that is aggressive. I think the school board wants a new WPE before then. If they wait 5 years there won't be any students left to educate...:-) 4) Also, it might be helpful to know that the proposal to push the Rothernburg rehab first came from the OTR community council and was later pick up by OTR Foundation, Pendleton community council, et al. 5) While one may not agree with everything some of the folks are proposing in trying to save OTR as they see it. I will say this. Some of these guys have lived here a long time (15-20+ years) and in no small part, some of the reason we are able to enjoy what we can of OTR is because of them. Blocks of buildings, St. Pauls church, etc. were saved because of some of thier efforts. Not saying it always makes them right, but they have done far more to save buildings in OTR probably anyone on this thread. You might be well served in talking to them. For them, it is not about what's best for their backyard. They just absolutely love OTR and don't want to its fabric destroyed. 6) By all means get involved. I know for fact many of the group's initial meetings we widely publicized to drum up interest in getting involved to figure out what to do. Im sure they would be more than happy to hear your input.

Anyone know how these are selling. I toured them during the cityrama and I wasn't impressed. I thought they were "ok" but not worth the $225-$300k they are asking. That price just seems very high, particularly for Bond Hill. Its great to see more brownfield development, but I have a hard time seeing follks shelling out that kind of money to live in that area. Most of the other (albiet older) housing in the area doesn't break $150k - and it has better construction with some TLC...

CPS Waste Of Money AUDIO/VIDEO Watch this 9News video We use RealVideo format only. Click here for help. Reported and Web Produced by: Laure Quinlivan Photographed by: Phil Drechsler Updated: 11/06/05 22:20:46 (Carol) CINCINNATI SCHOOL SCHOOLS MAY BE WASTING MILLIONS OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS. THE CHANNEL 9 I-TEAM INVESTIGATES A RECENT PURCHASE BY CPS THAT'S PART OF ITS BILLION DOLLAR SCHOOL-BUILDING PROGRAM. (Clyde) CRITICS ASKED THE I-TEAM TO INVESTIGATE THE CPS PLAN THEY CLAIM IS BAD FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BAD FOR KIDS, AND BAD FOR TAXPAYERS. (Laure on set) WE FOUND CPS STAFF AND BOARD MEMBERS DIDN'T DO THEIR HOMEWORK BEFORE APPROVING THIS DEAL. IT'S THE BRAINCHILD OF THE NONPROFIT GROUP RE-DOING FOUNTAIN SQUARE…CINCINNATI CENTER CITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, BETTER KNOWN AS 3CDC. (story on tape begins) BONG (nat) ELEMENTARY STUDENTS AT WASHINGTON PARK SCHOOL WILL GET A NEW BUILDING SOON, (nat) BUT NOT ON THE SOUTH END OF THE PARK WHERE CONSTRUCTION WAS PLANNED. SUPPORTERS OF THE SCHOOL FOR CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS WANTED THIS PRIME LOCATION CLOSE TO MUSIC HALL, AND GOT 3CDC TO HELP THEM GET IT. (Steve Leeper, 3CDC CEO) "A number of corporate and private funders that are putting…there is over $30 million dollars of private money going into the school for performing arts." 3CDC PROMISED THEY'D FIND A NEW LOCATION FOR WASHINGTON PARK SCHOOL, SOUTH OF LIBERTY STREET AS CPS REQUESTED. HERE IT IS…THIS BLOCK OF EMPTY BUILDINGS ON WALNUT & MERCER, KNOWN AS MERCER COMMONS. (Ty Provosty, OTR Resident) "This has all been done behind back doors, without public communication. Why would anyone want to stay in this city if this is the way things are?" ARCHITECT TY PROVOSTY HAS LIVED IN OVER THE RHINE 21 YEARS, IN THIS HISTORIC HOME HE RENOVATED HIMSELF. HIS CHILDREN WENT TO CPS SCHOOLS. HE SAYS MERCER COMMONS IS NOT SAFE FOR SCHOOLKIDS. (Ty Provosty, OTR Resident)"What they're thinking of doing with the children is unbelievable." (Steve Leeper, 3CDC CEO) "What do you mean the safety of that location? (Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "It's the worst crime area in all the city." (Steve Leeper) "I would not say that that's the fact." POLICE RECORDS SHOW IT IS THE FACT. (graphic) IN A RECENT 6 MONTH PERIOD, THE POLICE REPORTING AREA THAT INCLUDES MERCER COMMONS HAD 224 PART ONE CRIMES --SERIOUS VIOLENT CRIMES. IT'S MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE WASHINGTON PARK AREA….AND FIVE TIMES AS DANGEROUS AS THE ROTHENBERG LOCATION WHERE RESIDENTS WANT TO PUT THE NEW SCHOOL. (Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "So this really is safer? (Ty Provosty, OTR Resident) It's much safer." PROVOSTY SAYS ROTHENBERG IS SITTING EMPTY. BUILT OF SOLID STONE IN 1913, HE CALLS IT AN HISTORIC TREASURE THAT SHOULD BE RENOVATED. (Ty Provosty) "The amazing frieze with hand-carved gargoyles." (Laure) Wow." HE SAYS ROTHENBERG CAN HOLD 650 STUDENTS AND HAS ROOM TO ADD PARKING AND GREEN SPACE. IT'S IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, CLOSE TO MULBERRY HILL, ACROSS THE STREET FROM A CITY-OWNED BASKETBALL COURT AND PLAYGROUND. THERE'S EVEN A VIEW. (Ty Provosty) "It's a nice view of downtown." PRESERVATIONISTS SAY RENOVATING ROTHENBERG PREVENTS THIS. (nat sound demolition tp 7) DESTROYING THE NEIGHBORHOOD,. (Ken Jones, Architect & OTR Resident) "Mercer Commons basically are all these historic buildings. There's 22 historic buildings, represents a whole block face, in this case which, if this plan goes through, will be torn down." SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT FRANCES NEWELL. (Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "Do you have any concern about that?" (Frances Newell, CPS Board President) "I have to honestly say I don't have any concern about historic buildings, I know that's not the politically correct response, my concern is about providing buildings for our children today" (Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "You live in a beautiful historic home. Are you concerned that this Mercer Commons site is going to entail tearing down 22 buildings most of them historic buildings?" (Melanie Bates, CPS Board Member) "It's retrospective and we've made our decision and I stand behind the board decision, but that is not something that came up at the time." (Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) ANOTHER THING THAT DIDN'T COME UP AT THE TIME THEY VOTED, WAS SOMETHING PRETTY BASIC-- THE TOTAL COST OF BUILDING HERE. BOARD MEMBERS APPROVED BUYING THE BUILDINGS, WITHOUT COST ESTIMATES FOR DEMOLITION, FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS AND FOR ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING THAT HAS TO BE DONE HERE. RENOVATING HERE WOULD COST A LOT LESS. (Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "If they changed their mind and did what you want, renovate Rothenberg, How much money would that save taxpayers?" (Ty Provosty, OTR Resident) "According to our estimates they would save between 8 and 10 million dollars." THAT'S WORTH DISCUSSING. BUT CPS STALLED OUR REQUEST TO INTERVIEW SUPERINTENDENT ROSA BLACKWELL FOR MORE THAN A MONTH…WE FINALLY JUST SHOWED UP. (security guard) "You cannot come down here, you are going to have to go there." (Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "I'd just like to ask a question of the superintendent before the board meeting starts. WE TRIED THE OTHER SIDE, BUT SECURITY BLOCKED US AGAIN. (Laure Quinlivan) "What do I have to do to talk to the superintendent?" WE WANT TO KNOW WHY CPS PAID 3.9 MILLION FOR THE MERCER COMMONS BUILDINGS, WHEN PUBLISHED REPORTS SAY THE SAME BUILDINGS SOLD A COUPLE YEARS AGO FOR 2.2 MILLION. (Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "You paid almost double what the buildings went for just a couple years before. Why did you do that? (Frances Newell, CPS Board President) Well two things. One, I think it's hard to determine how much a building is worth." NOT REALLY. (Graphic ) THAT'S WHY YOU GET APPRAISALS. ALL THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS WE TALKED TO GET APPRAISALS BEFORE BUYING PROPERTY…BATAVIA SAID 'ABSOLUTELY'. WAYNE SAYS IT'S 'THE PRUDENT THING TO DO…" AND WILLIAMSBURG SAID "APPRAISALS ENSURE UTILIZING TAXPAYER MONEY RESPONSIBLY." THE I-TEAM LEARNED CPS USUALLY GETS APPRAISALS, BUT FOR THESE 22 MERCER COMMONS BUILDINGS…CPS DID NOT. (Ty Provosty, OTR Resident) "I think it's irresponsible." CPS BOUGHT THE BUILDINGS FROM JOHN BARRETT, CHAIRMAN OF WESTERN & SOUTHERN, AN EXECUTIVE WHO'S ALSO A 3CDC BOARD MEMBER. (Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "You recommend this site. This was your number one recommendation, right? (Steve Leeper, 3CDC CEO) Yes. (Laure Quinlivan) Then it just so happens to be owned by a 3cdc board members, doesn't that put you in a sort of conflict of interest kind of perception, anyway? (Steve Leeper) Probably everything we do, you could make that argument about Fountain Square. You know we're doing Fountain Square and it happens to be in a 3cdc board members front door. I would say that is not the most ideal situation, on the other hand, they didn't want to sell the site." LEEPER SAYS HE TALKED JOHN BARRETT INTO SELLING TO CPS --AT COST. (Steve Leeper, 3CDC CEO) "He agreed to sell it at cost he incurred on the property." (Ken Jones, Architect & OTR Resident) "They sold it to the school board for $4 million claiming that's the amount of money they had in it. Well that may be what they had in it, but it didn't add anything to the value of these buildings, so in my estimation the school board paid more than it's worth." (Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "Do you think you overpaid for the buildings today?" (Frances Newell, CPS Board President) "Um, in dollars and cents, the answer would be yes." (Nat) OVER THE RHINE RESIDENT WALTER REINHAUS GIVES ODD JOBS TO NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS…HE WANTS CPS TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR KIDS. (Walter Reinhaus, OTR Comm. Council) "To do this right CPS has got to involve more voices that just 3cdc and they haven't been, especially since they decided to not pursue fixing up Rothenberg." RESIDENTS HAVE MADE THEIR CASE TO CPS… (Ty Provosty at CPS meeting) "We're talking about taking 22 buildings most of which are housing and demolishing them." BUT CLAIM THEY GET NO RESPONSE. (Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "We've heard from a CPS Board member that it's a done deal. Is it too late to change?" (Ty Provosty, OTR Resident) "It's absolutely not too late." EVEN 3CDC AGREES WITH THAT. (Steve Leeper, 3CDC CEO) "Blame us for a bad recommendation and blame CPS for making a bad choice…I think this all goes away if the school board decides that they don't, and it's only the school board decision, if they don't want to use the property, let's get it developed for residential purposes." BONG (Laure on set) LEEPER SAYS 3CDC WILL HELP FIND A DEVELOPER TO BUY THE BUILDINGS AND CREATE HOUSING, IF CPS WANTS TO RENOVATE ROTHENBERG. RESIDENTS WOULD BE THRILLED. THEY SAY HOMEOWNERSHIP IS THE BEST WAY TO IMPROVE SAFETY. (Clyde) MAYBE WESTERN & SOUTHERN WOULD BUY THEM BACK? (Laure) I TALKED WITH JOHN BARRETT ON THE PHONE ABOUT THAT. HE SAYS HE'D TALK WITH COLLEAGUES AND CONSIDER IT, BUT CPS HAS NOT APPROACHED HIM ABOUT IT. (Carol) ANY WORD FROM CPS ON THIS? (LAURE) NO, BUT THERE'S A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING TOMORROW NIGHT AND RESIDENTS MAY ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS. MAYBE NOW THEY'LL GET A RESPONSE. AND REMEMBER, TUESDAY IS ELECTION DAY-- SOME BOARD MEMBERS MAY BE OUT OF A JOB BY THEN.

Kudos to Michael Redmond and all the folks who helped put on the Tour for Life. Nice job!! :clap: Everything from the brochures to the signage was top notch. The golf carts were a nice touch as well. It was nice to see some of the new development. The projects around Germantown Lofts look great. I didn't realize the scope of that development. Very cool...

Fortunately, also on Dandridge/Spring/Pendleton is the planned Pendleton Mews project. Rumor has it that it groundbreaking is getting close on Dandridge. :clap: These homes are planned to be (I think) 300k+ or so. I have also heard about a new two-family project at Pendleton/Dandridge independent of Pendleton Mews, but I don't know the price point of these. I have heard mixed things about Model Management as well. I know a number of their existing properties aren't in great shape, but maybe they are trying to change thier image. I've notice a couple of thier ugly properties have transferred to a "new" owner. I don't know if they were actually sold or they are just creating a new name to hide behind - which seems to happen around here. Keep "Model Managment" on the nicer properties and a name nobody recognizes on the ugly ones. Im not sure that Pendleton/OTR necessarily needs "pricey" homes. Just more home owners. I think it would be great to get more housing in the 90-175k range. I think this is a largely untapped and possibly large market. I have met some great folks who rent in the area but have occupations that can't afford to pay 200k+ for a condo.

I believe Model Management got the green light from the city a couple of months ago for money to get going on the rehab of the these buildings. The plan is to create affordable rental housing. I hope it is of the apparent quality of the housing across from Washington Park....

I believe that 1600 Main is one of the buildings owned by Vernon Raider (sp?) My understanding is he is making market rate apartments. While Im not a construction guru, my wild guess is that the tarp is for the repointing of the building to keep moisture in while the mortar cures. Maybe as an alternative to having to keep it wet. Of course I could be (and probably am way off. :-D)