1400 Sycamore

Converting to residential has some challenges. Everyone here knows these better than I do, but I think code compliance for newly created residential even in an old building requires, sprinklers, ADA compliance, two exits, etc. Fortunately, the retail space at 1400 Sycamore was converted 70+ years ago. They still would not allow any facade modification, hence the trompe l'oeil storefront.

First floor retail is a mixed bag. UWS residents will swear by the charm of a great deli, bodega or pub on the ground floor. But anyone who has lived above a bar or restaurant knows that not every smell from below is apple pie and not every crowd are hail fellows well met. Charming little shops barely exist anymore and there are only so many consultancies that require walk in retail space. Hence the residential units on floor 1. On the other hand, there are few buildings with setbacks in OTR and who wants a daily parade of hundreds of strangers literally 3 feet from one's bed or breakfast table separated only by a window, some blinds or maybe some shutters? Properties with the little iron fence and the 10 foot setback are workable, but the buildings once containing floor 1 retail are a hard problem to solve.

^^ Agree. There will be a total of nine if the next three are installed. But, it does not change the point, i.e. there is a lot of gunfire in Pendleton. Wish there wasn't, but there you have it.

I agree it is a good idea for an urban environment. But, when only three are installed and one is in Pendleton, that tells you something about the frequency here. What I think is helping is the presence of 3CDC and the ambassadors.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/crime/crime-and-courts/2020/01/02/suspect-downtown-triple-shooting-appears-court/2794485001/ also, They put in one of three Shot Spotters" in Pendleton because of all the gunfire. Admittedly, a lot of it is wilding not direct hits, but it is pretty unnerving to be 600 feet from gunfire.

Sadly, plenty. A guy was killed at 13th and Broadway this weekend and my Ring notifications have shots fired about once per week. I have some crime scene tape on my bookcase from a murder at the corner. It the low lifes that the Catholic charities allow to live on 12th and 13th that create all the trouble. They find some needy person who probably deserves a free unit and move them in. But, they have no mechanisms in place for monitoring like CMHA does. So, others move in and they are not so deserving.

I'd estimate Pendleton to be about 50% "affordable" housing units if one excludes commercial and Alumni Lofts. Quite enough for any neighborhood. What is needed is for the existing units, Section 8 and charity owned, to be upgraded from slum to low income. The reason 12th and 13th look like a Rumpke landscape, there are shootings and drug sales, is that the charity units do not have CMHA on the job. Good intentions - not so good results.

I think the first of those two statements is not driven by top down control but agree that the second one is. where does that leave us? Same place as everywhere. People who can afford cars buy and drive them no matter the availability of public transportation or the condition of the roads.

The reason is, of course, that very few people want any "alternative" forms of transportation. And, short of kidnapping commuters at gunpoint, very few persons will use the alternatives. Simply look at the excellent 71X service which saves driving, parking, traffic frustration and vehicle costs and rivals auto commute times. Maybe 1 in a 1000 commuters who could benefit have chosen it. There are reasons, but not top down command and control reasons. So, until the communists take over, expect more traffic lanes and less "alternatives."

That hillside from Vine to Auburn and up the hill is hot. I'd buy anything on E. Clifton, Peete or Mulberry.

Thanks. I go by there every day. With the sign she put up about subdivision I thought they were going to tear the house down and put about five units up the south side of Stettinius. The neighbors should be glad she is only talking about one house in the yard. In fact, I'm still skeptical. That house it too big to get a good price. They are dogs on the market and she is no more than 90 feet from her southern neighbor's property line. Torn down she has $2,000,000 of lots at least (47000 sq feet) with access from every direction, room for a drive down the middle although not needed. And, the new restriction prevents her from putting a house in the front.

Jake: What's the address?

Hideous. If a developer proposed this they would escort him out of the HCB with pitchforks.

There are enough people in ODJFS to support Sugar and Spice with true diner food menu. But, no one has recently given that a chance. The 2 little Kobe Burgers for $14 was a non starter and they couldn't make a bowl of chili or a toss salad if their life depended on it. The operator before that was just as bad. Sugar and Spice will change that.

Ever been to Century City? 5180/sq mi.

Thanks. Frank Russell is my architect. Mike Patchen my code specialist. SSRG did some engineering and wall removal. I have had incredible enthusiasm over the 4th floor unit beamed ceilings. We used a roof membrane and external insulation to retain the beamed interior. The beams are lighted by LED tape from the rafters below.. None of the other 6 units have beams.

I watched this demo in the rain from the Peaslee parking lot. Pretty new building. They had a little incident with wires coming down. I was pretty sure they were alive when they were hit but no one seemed excited. My crew at 1400 Sycamore wasted the hour hanging out the 4th floor windows.

https://1400sycamorestreet.com/ I thought you professionals might want to see this project before the website is public:

Mr. Tate has a goldmine there at the corner of Bauer and Central and will get three times what Jake quoted above. Maybe more. He's a genius.

It was interesting in the walk through. I guess it was all rock wool insulation and the natural fiber seating but when you went into the theater is was like a sound studio with not a bit of echo or reverberation. All of the units will be upgraded eventually, but there is a pretty thoughtful plan in place to reduce disruption and dislocation of the existing tenants many of whom have lived there for a really long time.

Bars are never good neighbors. They only attract visitors and mostly visitors you would not want to see. Admittedly, they have opened up some neighborhoods to development but once actual residents move in the desirability of bars is lost. The recent article on WCPO about the shootings and drunk driving deaths emanating from 11xx Sycamore is spot on. They need a public nuisance suit to get rid of that dump once and for all.

This was the Plasterers Union Hall before it got sliced and diced into a series of churches. I'd love to restore it.

Perfect boutique hotel location in OTR is the Jackson Brewery.

When I decided to paint these 150 year old bricks, we gathered paint chips from years of debris in the yard, under the brick patio, since it appeared that the brick had been painted pre WWII. We screened them and made a composite formula which was vetted with some guys who used to work for me now at Sherwin Williams and who interface with the Smithsonian. The Civil War brick (the row houses were built in 1863 and 1865 respectively, are so soft you can excavate them on the inside of the building with a fingernail. So I don't really need advice on this.

Painted Brick is fine. Unpainted brick requires constant sealing and tuck pointing which no one does. The paint protects the brick and lasts longer than painted wood siding.