northsider

An expansion about my point about Hyde Park Kroger: it's not become a regional draw because Kroger's put massive amounts of money into the store. It's become a regional draw because of the product mix that the shoppers there buy. this creates a virtuous circle of the product mix becoming more diversified, which brings in even more customers, which leads to the product mix becoming better, etc. This is good news for urban grocery store advocates, because it means that grocery stores can be improved simply through shopping there more often and providing clear positive and negative feedback to store managers.

So: I actually work for Kroger in the downtown HQ. It's interesting to see some of my own thoughts and frustrations played out in this thread. A couple of points: 1) Individual food items are usually more expensive at corner stores rather than supermarkets like Kroger, since supermarkets can cut better deals with suppliers. 2) Kroger sells a LOT to people using food stamps. You might not realize it since food stamps went to an EBT/card-based system and got rid of the actual stamps. 3) Kroger isn't anti-urban on purpose, but I've found that the company's leadership and management tend to be pretty suburban-oriented. Kroger's business model is usually predicated on buying product in bulk for cheap and then selling the heck out of it. This means that the model favors larger stores, which in and of themselves are a lot easier to build in the 'burbs. And if you're a Kroger executive who lives in the suburbs and virtually everyone you know lives in the suburbs, it's easy to subconsciously think that everyone has a car and is willing to travel 5-10 miles to grocery shop. 4) Kroger adjusts their product allocations for its various stores based on what their customers are actually buying. If people start buying more produce and organic products at a store, eventually that store's product mix will be adjusted to fit what customers want. However, when a neighborhood like OTR is changing rapidly, Kroger's data models can't always keep up. In cases like that, feedback to store managers in letting them know what products you'd like to see, any expired product you find, and also improvements that you've seen and appreciate is critical, because that feedback can get a store to change more quickly. 5) The only way that Kroger's going to wake up and realize that they need to start also figuring out how to make a profitable model for urban grocery stores is the bottom line. Right now we're the biggest groceries-only grocer in the country, and we've had continuous identical store growth for almost a decade - so our leadership's inclined to think that our current business model is working. The way that Kroger will wake up and start studying urban grocery formats seriously are when they realize that people like Whole Foods are doing a much better job of targeting emerging urban markets, or when some of the existing urban Krogers start actually making money because of the increased number of residents shopping there. 6) Kroger's not inclined to throw good money after bad - store remodels generally go to stores that turn a profit. The OTR Kroger was remodeled in the early 00s, which cost over 1.4 million, if memory serves. they won't get another remodel until they're turning a profit. 7) that being said, the quality of a store is really measured in cleanliness, selection, and customer service. Hyde Park Kroger is a hugely successful store but it's actually very outdated from a store layout and decoration standpoint - it is way overdue for a refresh. My point is that increased traffic in the store and feedback to the manager can help improve a store to where it's looked on as an asset and not a burden. I obviously can't give out confidential information, but I'd be happy to answer questions about Kroger that you guys might have.

That's great, though the Terrace Plaza is going to be a more complex project - it really would make more sense as a full-service hotel due to some of its more unusual spaces, and all of that windowless space would need to be developed. i've still got my fingers crossed for a W hotel...

Haha, really? What exactly did he say?

^^ didn't Middle Earth have a bunch of other stuff that fell through in the past few years? Are they even around anymore?

P.G. Sittenfeld?

I would have preferred more apartments too, but getting this building filled and re-activated is still a Good Thing, especially if it leads to some street-level retail or a restaurant. looking at the hotel company's web site (http://www.sree.com), it looks like they work with multiple hotel chains, including Comfort Inn, Fairfield Inn, Marriott, Westin, aloft, and Courtyard.

They're pretty fact-allergic, so that seems optimistic to me.

^^ I imagine that an office might be easier and more stable as a tenant, since so many bars and restaurants quickly fold within a year or two of opening.

Right. I work in the Kroger building and our walkway between the two buildings we own is quite helpful. Ram23, there's no denying that there are some individual days when a skywalk would be convenient due to weather - the problem is that the skywalk's there the whole time, draining people off the street. You didn't see that many people on the skywalk because it's steadily being closed down, but back in the day they at time swere much busier than the actual streets themselves, and that was a real problem.

^^^ Because they're fundamentally anti-city. People on the street are the lifeblood of a city.

Yeah, I really judge infill development by the form of the building and how it interacts with the street. It's sad, but it's just like a bonus if I actually like the way the building looks...

Architectural revivals aren't a problem if you're doing it with craftsmanship, quality materials, and an eye to detail. But therein lies the rub. Doing a newfangled Italianate revival would actually be problematic because stonework, woodwork, and ironwork like we see in OTR buildings is now the province of specialty craftsmen and would be really expensive. And aping the form of Italianate buildings without all of the charming little grace notes would come off poorly, I think.

I used it as a reason to take my husband to the park. City Flea was great in the space! And there was still plenty of room for others to use the park for play or relaxing. I really like how the shaded portions of the park still feel very chilled out even when there's lots going on in front of Music Hall.

I hear you guys on the transformers and on the 13th street entrance being oddly unimpressive, but... if these are the only complaints we have, then 3CDC and the Park Board did an amazing job. What I especially love is that the park feels contemporary but also engaged with the past - and I think that the design elements in place are going to age really well, both from a weathering aspect as well as an aesthetic aspect.

Friends of mine living on Montgomery in Pleasant Ridge had one of their front windows shot out a few evenings back - specifically, their toddler's playroom. Sadly, now they're talking about selling and moving out to the 'burbs. Their block of Montgomery has lots of nice homes on it and has never ever felt unsafe to me. Blech.

Basically, it sounds like they banned smoking in the parts of the park that people actually park themselves and hang out in. i'm just wondering how they'll enforce and communicate it. I think I'd be unsurprised if some of the Smale park goes smoke free, but I'm betting the actual streets of the Banks won't, since those are spaces focused on movement, not hanging out.

Maybe I'm slow (and I'm sure I'm not thinking of what you're thinking of), but what kinds of programming are going to draw people out of their houses during the winter? People expect to be cold when they're ice skating (and the exertion warms you up a bit!), but not for a concert, IMO. Flipside: why would that programming be a better fit for Fountain Square and not Washington Park? Or is the advantage of Washington Park that you could have a rink and still have space left over for events?

^^^ Y up. To be fair, it's not like Mason's any stranger to hosting national sporting events - the Cincinnati Masters/ATP/Western &Southern Open tournament has been held there for over 3 decades, and it's probably the biggest US tennis tournament that's not the US Open. Anyway! This news really clued me in to the fact that they're really looking aggressively at all sorts of different events for Washington Park - I knew they had a lot of concerts planned, but suddenly it now feels like they can do anything - in ways I imagine staging some things would be easier at the park than at Fountain Square. I'd actually love it if both the park and FS had ice rinks - skating among the skycrapers is still pretty cool, but doing it in front of a snow covered Music Hall in the evening would be almost unbearably romantic.

The AVP will hold the Cincinnati Open at Washington Park over Labor Day weekend: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120710/SPT/307100039/AVP-selects-Washington-Park-Cincinnati-Open This is a Big Deal - especially if it ends up being televised. There's going to be some kids watching who will see Music Hall and the park as a backdrop to the tournament and think, "Man, Cincinnati looks cool. I'm going to move there when I'm grown up someday."

It would be - though I thought he'd take a crack at unseating Chabot first, myself. (Especially if the redistricting ballot initiative goes through and District 1 stops being gerrymandered to include Warren County.)

What have Josh Spring and the Homeless Coalition done that's positive? Besides spending a couple of bucks at Staples for posterboard and thereby stimulating the local economy?

As soon as that vacant lot at the corner of Blue Rock and Hamilton gets built on, American Can will feel much more integrated into the neighborhood. As it is, it's a whole three minute walk from the AC building to Hamilton Avenue.

The website's a little primitive, but the photos look nice - good to see a converted loft space that has exposed brick. I wonder how the soundproofing is? as for the Crosley building - I honestly can't see it selling and being converted until Camp Washington perks up a bit more. It's at the very north end of CW and the various overpasses make it feel cut off from Northside. The boutique hotel idea is really neat but since there's nothing in the immediate vicinity to walk to (and being a pedestrian feels so unfriendly), I can't imagine it working. :c Personally I'd love it if they went the mixed used route with apartments, offices, and rentable workshop space. It seems like we're seeing a rise of small-batch fabricators in Cincinnati and it would be great if Camp Washington could stay in touch with its industrial roots.

He said, "Now we know why the City of Cincinnati is spending millions on a streetcar. So John Schneider and his wife can have a ride to Music Hall." He's @AuditorRhodes on twitter, and reading his feed is like being seated at Thanksgiving next to your cranky great-uncle who really, really loves Fox news.