jdm00

As a Cincinnatian, I am hopeful for you Cavs fans that LBJ comes back. Seems like a legit possibility right now--and really, wouldn't you rather play with Kyrie/Wiggins/etc. than Wade/Bosh/etc.? Bosh is still good but regressing, and Wade looks D-O-N-E based on the playoffs. Good luck--and even if LeBron doesn't end up in Cleveland, the future with that roster (and positioning for cap space) looks bright...

Went hiking at Hocking Hills last year. Old Man's Cave is very crowded and I'd done it many times before, so did a hike from Cedar Falls to Ash Cave. It was pretty long but good. The next day we did Conkles Hollow, which I had never done before. It was quite rugged and very unique. Basically cliffs all the way. And hardly anybody hiking it.

Went to all three Owner Occupied seminars. They were quite informative.

Rehabbing in OTR is expensive, sure, but it's not the impossibility some are making it out to be. Most of these buildings are incredibly well built. I went through a shell the other day without floors, essentially, with holes in the roof and missing windows. Even in that condition, you could see the obvious potential. And the joists are all there, all in good shape. Honestly, what you have to be willing to do is put up $25 or $50k on one of these smaller buildings to get the things that have to be fixed taken care of right away. And the good thing is, talking to lenders (and I have talked to a lot recently), there are a lot of places out there that are now lending to people who want to do single family projects in OTR.

It's not really an alternative when you don't own the properties. IMO, there are lots of parks around downtown and OTR. Would love to see surface lots developed into parking, but in my view it's density, not green space, that makes OTR such a great place. Here's hoping they get a workable plan in place and moving along!

Are you sure? I didn't read any of the articles that way. It sounded like they were going to own the retrofitted/new Tower Place garage, but not the garage under the new high-rise, at least based on my reading.

Wellston is my hometown. Smallest Kroger I've ever been in.

I don't think it's clear, but looking back at the first article from Urban Cincy in the 4th and Race thread, it seems like they were giving $12 million to the developer to build the 30 story tower on top of the 1000 space garage--and the developer would have owned the building, garage and all. Here, based on the article as it reads, it looks like the city will own the parking garage that is going to be built at 7th and Sycamore. Again, I don't know for sure because the articles are not clear, but if that reading is correct, it is a big difference between owning the garage that is built and giving the money to someone else who will own the building. I'm sure someone else can chime in and clarify how it would have worked.

Anything done in OTR, assuming it is within the boundaries of OTR and (essentially) is visible from the street, is subject to review by the Historic Conservation board. They are pretty on top of stuff that is not allowed; at the OTR foundation workshops, one of the presenters did a slide show that included photos of a property where the exterior was impermissibly altered and the owners had to stop construction. So, I don't know about this specific instance, but typically any construction project like that would have to go through the process.

^I think that's 50,000 jobs at foreign-owned companies, not 50,000 companies.

Sorry, that was $350/SF. My bad.

I saw a tweet saying the last unit at Mercer One (or whatever the condos directly facing Vine Street are called) sold for $380/SF. That's nuts. I am seriously thinking of selling my condo and taking the profits!

Wow. That said, we always knew eventually public opinion would come around, just like with Fountain Square, the Riverfront Park, OTR.....

I thought the quality was great, and I liked the guys. They were very helpful. But their prices were not "affordable." It's not like you could get a nice sofa there for $300. But then again, maybe I just have a different definition of "high priced," because I would consider furniture from Crate and Barrel and Arhaus to be expensive, too.

I challenge everyone to do the math. According to that Business Courier article, what is the maximum amount per month that a developer could charge for rent in Cincinnati and still meet HUD's definition of "affordable housing"? You may be surprised. Almost all of the new apartments in OTR are considered affordable by HUD's definition. Based on the HUD numbers, the amount would be over $1000/month. I guess the question is, would you consider rent of over $1000/month to be affordable? I don't. And I think that's where the questions upthread about the figures comes from--affordable housing in Cincinnati doesn't typically entail something that is $1000/month. In fact, I'd wager that the biggest supporters of affordable housing would be outraged if 33% of those properties were redeveloped at $1000/month rents and then the community was told they were "affordable." Never mind re: numbers. I was using "household" and not "family" income numbers. (I had a long discussion of math but was using the wrong base...)

^I loved Joseph Williams home, but it was the very definition of an "expensive store." You could buy tchotchkes (sp?) and other things for reasonable amounts, but the furniture was far from "affordable."

No pics, sorry. They are plain-sawn pine with a good amount of water damage and enough nails seemingly *everywhere* that I have thought about renewing my tetanus vaccination....

^Yes, I have often thought the same thing. A nice dine-in LaRosa's would make a killing. We have just about every other "local" chain downtown (multiple Skylines, multiple Izzy's, 2 Graeters (now that there is the OTR location), Montgomery Inn...). No GoldStar, though. Also, while I am being heretical and suggesting chain restaurants downtown, how about dividing the space between a Friday's/Applebee's and a McDonald's?

Despite being excited to see them, the floors are really not in the shape to be revitalized. (And for the record, there is going to be very little at the property that I am doing myself.)

Interior demo has begun. Will try to get some pics.... When demo is complete, that might call for a party. Will keep you all posted.

I want full credit when Friday's opens there and makes a killing! ;)

Nada has a great space, great atmosphere, and great food. It has been consistently excellent food-wise since opening, which gives it a nice stream of repeat customers. Throw in the connection to the theater and I'm not surprised it does well. (I think the Business Courier said that Nada was the single most-reserved restaurant on Open Table all of last year in Greater Cincinnati.) I feel like it's time to try something different with the Cadillac Ranch. I will go in a different direction, though, and suggest that it would make sense to try something more family friendly. A pizza place might work (and was mentioned upthread). Or, quite honestly, I would say that this might be the right type of location for something like a TGIFriday's or an Applebees. (*ducks*)

I have a bike, but not quite like that. Driving to the grocery sort of defeats the purpose of it...I walk all the time to Findlay Market and Vine Street Kroger. If I am going to drive, I will just suck it up and go to the mega-store types and do a big run (Newport Kroger, Costco/Sam's).

^True. If that is what we end up with, I will be fine with it. But you can see why there has been such difficulty getting a grocery store in place--if the focus is on a small store primarily for downtown residents, then you have to deal with very high real estate costs for not a lot of people. Add in that it is a very low margin business anyway, and it's no wonder it has taken this long.

Cabela's is coming to near Liberty Center, though not at Liberty Center. With the Bass Pro Shops moving to West Chester and Dick's at Liberty Center, that is a lot of sporting goods in one place. I wonder if someone will blink and back out. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/morning_call/2014/06/cabela-s-plans-greater-cincinnati-store.html?ed=2014-06-11&s=newsletter&ana=e_cinci_rdup