TroyEros

I can't help but point out this attitude is exactly what led to mass demolitions of Italianate buildings starting in the 1950s to make way for parking lots. "These buildings in OTR are awful, they all look like Bronx Tenement housing." Part of the reason the Terrace Plaza looks so bad today is that it's been neglected and abused for decades. Originally, I think it looked very nice, especially so when considering the use: Another question that should be asked is – would it be replaced with something better? Chances are it wouldn’t. You have to be delusional if you honestly think that the Terrace Plaza building stands shoulder to shoulder to any building in OTR. One is built with detail and intricacy and pure labor from the mid to late 1800's by our German forefathers, built from hand brick by brick. The other, looks like modernistic crap. And would it be replaced it with anything better? If you belive that Cincinnati is still doomed and will continue to be nothing more than empty lot-ville, than sure, probably not. But I on the other hand think the urban core is growing and is on the uptick, and the demand in housing will continue to grow. I can't imagine why this can't be replaced with something better. Depends on your perspective you know?

Am I crazy for thinking that's really cheap? How do they expect to make money off of the street car?

Honestly it's a really bland and ugly building. I know, I know, it's "historically significant", but the building literally looks like low income housing you would find in the bronx. Why not demolish it and open that space up. With housing in high demand for the urban core, I don't see why (assuming things continue to grow in Cincinnati), why that lot can't become a high rise Condo tower instead.

That's assuming everyone has the app downloaded, and has experience with Uber. None of us had the app downloaded nor had experience. It might have been faster, but the street car would have been more simpler and think-less if that makes any sense. How much are tickets projected to cost for the street car?

I don't think "hinder" means what you think it means. Okay.

Being down in Clifton Saturday made me realize how important it will be to get the streetcar line extended to Clifton as soon as possible. I was with 7 friends, and wanted to down to the River to club Pulse. None of my 6 friends drive, and I was the only one who had a car. It just wasn't possible to fit everyone in the car. None of us were really familiar with the metro bus at all, and were afraid we would just end up getting lost and end up in god knows where. Plus the time it would take to get there would be way to long. An uber was out of the question because we didn't have enough money. So it made me realize, damn if there was a street car line, we could have just hopped on and not worried about transportation. It's going to be VITAL to get the line extended to UC as soon as possible. I think the amount of ridership will increase significantly when you consider the population of young people and students who live there, don't have cars, and would like to go down to The Banks, or OTR and have fun. Sure, there's places to go in Clifton, but after a while the whole clifton bar scene gets old. That's why, I really think the success of this street car will really hinder on getting the line extended to Clifton.

Can anyone explain to me why certain bars/resturaunts occur so many delays before there opening? For instance...Low Spark in Over the Rhine by Republic. It was orginally scheduled to open "Early 2015". Then pushed back to early Summer. Then said on Facebook it will open in August..and it's almost October and it's still not open. Is it just a matter of difficulties of obtaining a Liquor License and getting the proper permits that's such a huge obstacle for some of these bars?

Well that makes a whole lot of sense.

So are we talking about this like you would see in a street in SoHo in terms of exposing the belgian block

Discusses what the Tax Credit that was awarded recently will be put to use for: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2015/09/16/cdf-tax-credits/32489979/ Interesting tidbit is in regards to the old Drop Inn Center. Also..

Also interesting note of mention is that the upstair units will be rehabbed into apartments for visiting performers from the Arnoff.

Quick question. Those grey middle columns on the streetcar..the purpose is to extend the length of the streetcar for the inclusion of more passengers correct? Assuming that's the case, and say you have a busy night with many people on one veichle with both columns extended, what does that make the official length of the street car then?

Curious why it's taking so long for plans to follow through? I feel like they have been talking for the past 10 years or so.

Cincinnati Streetcar said the first streetcar is scheduled to arrive October 30th..and that a special announcement will be revealed for November 16th...Guessing that's when the first train will being testing on the OTR loop.

Anyone have a quick summary on what was discussed at todays Main Street Streetscape meeting?

Is Western and Southern still aiming to make the there new office tower the tallest skyscraper in Cincinnati?

This is why I'm still in the "group" that would be afraid to live in OTR. I've met alot of young professional residents who live South of Liberty on Main/Vine and what not. Yes, crime is getting less and less. But at the end of the day your sort of in a bubble of sorts, with crime still being very prevalent just a few blocks away. And honestly, when doing a simple task like getting gas is a frightful task because your afraid you might be mugged, or worse, then the livability aspect should really be in question here. What's worse is that many of the young professionals have families with small kids. I can't imagine my children getting hurt late at night because I just wanted to fill up my car with gas. I'm sure 10 years from now when progress occurs North of Liberty OTR will be a great place to live and raise a family. But right now I just feel like you have to be like the settlers who moved out west and were constantly bombarded by attacked from the Native Americans...

Then what do you do to make that shell station safer? There's already a cop that sits right next to the shell during the night time, and patrols around the shell, and STILL crime and robberies happen on a near daily occurrence.

The article mentioned "corporate" improvements were coming to the shell? During the night it gets pretty dark, could adding extremely bright beam lights, and light up the surrounding area deter any of the crime away? Otherwise, I'm not sure what the improvements could entail

This just blows my mind: Police called over 2,000 times in Shell OTR Gas Station http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/09/14/police-made-nearly-2k-runs--otr-shell-gas-station--two-years/72054810/ Seriously? I mean, I understand OTR is still in working progress in terms of gentrification, but that's just an incredible statistic. I'm just so curious, even considering it's location and that it's frequently used, why is this such a hub for criminal activity? I mean everytime I go there, especially at night I feel sketchy as hell. The homeless usually like to hang out there, and buy beer. Very intimidating people. Hell, a friend of mine who lives in OTR, he got "knifed" when he was filling up car in the DAY time at 7am. Homeless man got pissed when he didn't offer him any spare change, and decided to pull out his knife and corner him. Luckily my friend is ex military and was able to disarm him, and get out of there unharmed. But still, how the hell can one spot, especially one that's visited so frequently be so centralized for illicit crime? You would think the amount of people would DETER crime, rather than attract even further crime?

The Mohawk Distirct has finally been designated as a Historic District on Ohio Register. https://www.facebook.com/OTRBreweryDistrict

Most people who I've talked to who live in OTR absolutely hate the suburbs, and originally moved there from Kenwood/Blueash/Montgomery. Many said they never wish to drive a car again, and absolutely hate surburbian life.

I'm not really upset about what's being built at all. I think it's ridiculous for us to assume that the area would have suddenly become something other than what it is the instant some sort of urbanist dream development were put in place. The fact is the character of the whole area hasn't changed much at all in my lifetime. I don't think people walk any more on McMillan and Calhoun now than they did 15 years ago when the strip was ruled by fast food drive-thru's. A "walkable" University Plaza wasn't going to change that. We live in a town where a lot of UC students who live on Warner drive to school. I don't think people realize just how much more densely built places like Boston and of course New York City are than the neighborhoods surrounding UC. It's denser than just about anywhere in the South, but still nothing like the population density of Cambridge, Sommerville, etc. People in those places regularly walk the distance between two neighborhoods like Walnut Hills and UC and walk 8-10 blocks to get to a subway station. I agree. That said, the concept of surface parking is just ridiculous in my opinion. Yes people drive more than they walk. Yes it's the 21st century, and nearly everyone needs a car to get around (at least in mid sized cities). That said, you can only build SO much parking. What happens in the next 50-100 years? When population continues to increase and increase and increase. Eventually there will be a tipping point to how much parking you can offer, compared to how much of the populace drives cars. I just don't understand in general, even from a suburban stand point with places like Walmart, and such, how they will function in the next 100-200 years when it comes to parking spaces for consumers. You will get to the point where population will continue to increase, and there will be a time, when you literally will have simply not enough parking because of how much of the population drives cars. Yes not now. But one day we will get there. Maybe in our great grandchildren life times, who knows. BUT, when it gets to that point, that point where there is just to MANY people on the road with cars, what the hell do you do? Yes, I know we would need to make public transport more viable. Ideally a streetcar line, if not a light rail system that links all the suburbs together. That said, alot of the current suburb neighborhoods with business plazas are hardly walkable. They were clearly designed for cars firsthand, and people last. But the general concept of cars irks me. You WILL get to a point, who knows how long in the future (and yes it probably doesn't apply for our generation, but still it's something that will eventually occur) where there will simply be to many drivers on the road, and getting from point A to point B will be constant rush hour traffic no matter what time of the day. It just seems to me, that the concept of a car, the concept of a surface parking lot, will be a very archaic concept in the future. It's just not something that is sustainable long term, especially if population will continue to grow. It just seems like the whole concept in general of the suburbs, and the suburb layout of surface parking, surface parking, and more surface parking, is a system that will eventually collapse on itself. And when that point comes, what becomes of our suburb areas? You can't exactly make places those places a dense walkable urban neighborhood can you? Also, think of how many of these areas experience early onset of build-out because of how much real estate is dedicated solely to surface lots. Surely this can't be good for future economical growth in real estate in certain suburbs. I'm sorry for the somewhat off topic rant. But surface parking lots, and cars, those 2 things just seem like something that can't coexist when population continues to grow over the future. It's just impossible.

I don't understand why the need for so much parking? Yes, I understand everyone drives cars, but why not instead build a parking garage on top of the kroger? It just seems that Kroger is so suburban mind setted, that the concept of an urban grocery store is completely lost to them. I truly think they are doing there best, but truly just have no clue how to make an urban grocery store because most of there business takes place in various suburbs across america rather than within the core of urban cities. In an urban enviorment shouldn't you maximize as much space as possible? Are there any chances these plans get rejected in favor a site plan that reduces the parking, or favors it for above ground on top of the store, ala oakley? I mean hell, looking at the site plan, they could easily add a Kroger Fuel station to maximize that space even more.

EXCLUSIVE: Downtown Cincinnati hotel converting to upscale apartments http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/09/05/exclusive-downtown-cincinnati-hotel-converting-to.html