UCplanner

along with all of this, comes another fact about the incoming class... there isa higher percentage of people from out of cincy area, out of the state, and even international students than ever before. This higher percentage, along with the rule (if you live outside of 50 miles, you have to live on campus the first year), new residence halls are going to be required here bery soon!

GO CATS! :-D

Neville, Saw you, you guys looked great!! I was in the FRONT ROW... what a great win... The comment about WVU is warranted... our defence can stop the run... they are only going to get better. . . . GO CATS!!! 93-6 in 2 games... go D

So who is going to be at the game on thursday? A win here could bring us further into the national spotlight.... GO CATS!!! If you can't come, at least watch. (I'll be in the front row, painted in red and black) ESPN (The big one... not deportes :wink:) 7:30pm

The problem is not about the developer... i completely understand their position and you're right, it does make perfect financial sense to increase the possibility for office space. the list of developments that you mention is very interesting. QCSII - little to no government subsidies (as of yet, and i don't think there will be any) South shore - no government aid (now isn't even in the plan anymore) Ovation - trying to get funding FSW - NO FUNDING funding is the important thing, but what needs to be realized is that the "build it and they will come" works inversely with the office market. Build it and see decreased returns... by building SO MUCH office space, and being able to undercut rates of other class A office space in the CBD (because of the government subsidies) rents around the CBD office market will have to drop in order to remain competitive... if the rates drop do you think that QCSII will still built their signature tower... i bet not... interesting conversation none the less... :argue:

My thoughts exactly. I was going to add more, but I'm speechless. I'll elaborate some other time. views... competition... downtown... unheard of. I think the issue deals with public subsidy and competition. Its not a true market when the government subsidizes half of the project. . . You are no longer financially accountable for your project. You can charge half the rent and still make a profit. With the retail and residential space, some government funding is needed, but think the worries are waranted when talking about office space. If the banks project builds all of the office space, they will be at an enormous advantage over the CBD office buildings (Carl Lidner)… Market forces should be the primary think that dictates office space… and all built space for that matter…I don't think we are just talking about views here… we are talking about the viability of the CBD office market, if the "expanded" office buildings are built at The Banks... just a thought

probably wouldn't work for a retail area either then...

how do these things work when 20-30 cars want to get into the garage at the same time... wouldn't that KILL trafic flow in the area? . . .

can't wait until thursday... i'm painting up... GO BEARCATS!!

This is definetely not going to affect the ability to get a drink… what they don't want is a night club, or a purely live music venue… what they want bar/restaraunts like cadilac ranch / rock bottom …these places serve food … remember 30% of the revenue has to come from something other than alcohol... that means that 70% of the revenue can be from people boozing up before and after the reds games... this only limits a danceclub, Bogart's style venue, or a strip joint from locating there...

i was down on the square last night... the lights look fantastic! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: Also i was talking to one of the waiters at Rock Bottom and they are going to have an outdoor patio that will seat 100...that's pretty big... it will also provide some action on the square Any news on the Whiskey Restaraunt??

My brother currently lives in St. Joseph. The Ideal Place has closed recently, but there are still a couple of interesting places to visit while in BH. One block from where the Ideal Place was located is a local BBQ joint called Piggin' and Grinnin'. Also, there is a new microbrewery/live music venue called the Livery. Overall BH has seen its better days and hopefully it can share in some of the progress that has been made on the other side of the river. There is an enormous development going on between the two cities called the Harbor Shores Project:::: Benton Harbor sees boon, bust in resort planIt's cash at park's expense August 3, 2007 BY TINA LAM FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER BENTON HARBOR -- Four years after back-to-back nights of rioting drew national attention to the smoldering race and poverty issues of Michigan's poorest town, several nonprofits -- including an arm of Whirlpool Corp. -- are poised to execute a grand solution for Benton Harbor's ills. They are ready to break ground on Harbor Shores, a $500-million golf course, hotel, marina and luxury home development along the shores of southern Lake Michigan. They say it will help reinvigorate the bleak industrial town, provide jobs, pump up its tax base and send golf course profits to community groups. Advertisement Critics say the plan mostly benefits well-off Whirlpool executives and golfers -- not the residents of Benton Harbor, which routinely leads the state in various poverty indexes. They say it will take away much of a park deeded to the city 90 years ago so that three holes of the Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course can have panoramic views of Lake Michigan. "This is not going to be all things to all people, but it will be a great catalyst," said Mark Mitchell, a Harbor Shores trustee. Harbor Shores will sprawl across 530 acres -- nearly a square mile -- of Benton Harbor, Benton Township and neighboring St. Joseph. Allowing parkland to be used for a development should concern people anywhere in Michigan, said Lana Pollack, director of the Michigan Environmental Council. "It throws into question the permanency of any gift of land for public purposes," she said. Infringing on Jean Klock Park On a stretch of shore crowded with condos and cottages, Jean Klock Park stands out. It is serene and undeveloped -- a pretty half-mile beach backed by high forested dunes. In 1917, town leader John Klock and his wife, Carrie, donated 90 acres of beach, dunes, forest and wetlands to the city to remember their daughter Jean, who died in infancy. Residents grew up knowing the story. "I was always told it was left as a legacy," said Michel Dasse. Emma Kinnard was baptized at the park. Her class reunion was there. "The gift that was given to us is getting smaller and smaller," she said. Needing revenue, the city sold 4 acres of the park bordering the beach for development in 2003. The Friends of Jean Klock Park, a citizen group, filed suit. A judge cited a technicality in ruling that the city was free to do as it wished with the land. To settle the case, the city agreed to leave the rest of the park undisturbed if it could sell the 4 acres. But in December, city commissioners voted to lease 22 acres of the park just behind the dunes to Harbor Shores for its golf course. The beach still will be there, but a parking lot will be built on it. Kinnard said she fears that local children will feel less welcome at the beach. "People in those lovely houses aren't going to want riffraff here," she said. The city gets $30,000 a year for the 35-year lease, with 1% annual increases. The lease is renewable for another 70 years. Nearby lots are selling for up to $400,000 an acre. "We don't oppose a golf course, but we oppose using Jean Klock Park for it," said LuAnne Kozma, Michigan director of Defense of Place, a national group that protects parks. The project needed the park's land and its water views to succeed, Dave Whitwam, chairman of Harbor Shores, said in a presentation. "Without an outstanding golf course, we see no way to bring needed investment into the Benton Harbor community," he said. The developers still hope to break ground this summer, but need final approval from federal regulators. They would begin with the golf course. Although just 25% of the park would be used for the course, all the rest -- except the sandy beach -- would be circled by golf holes and unusable, said Carol Drake, a member of Friends of Jean Klock Park. Mitchell said people would be able to walk on boardwalks with overlooks to see other parts of the park, but won't be able to walk on it. Much of the park is unused now because it's undeveloped wetlands, he said. Because state and federal tax money was used to develop park amenities, Harbor Shores must donate land to the city to replace lost parkland. The project is donating eight scattered parcels totaling 47 acres. Some is in St. Joseph -- walkways through the middle of a proposed marina-townhouse development. All but one of the parcels are contaminated with heavy metals and chemicals, according to appraisals. "How are people supposed to use that land as a park?" Kozma said. Before the golf course can move forward, Harbor Shores awaits approval from the National Park Service to convert part of Jean Klock Park to a new use. Approval is required because federal money has been used for the park under a law aimed at preserving parkland. If the park service blocks the plan, the three lake-view holes would have to go elsewhere. Granholm, state back project Harbor Shores is a carrot Gov. Jennifer Granholm used to help keep Whirlpool and its jobs in Michigan, a victory she pointed to often during last fall's re-election campaign. In May 2006, days before Whirlpool announced it would stay in Michigan, Granholm sent a letter to the firm supporting Harbor Shores and promising full cooperation from state departments in approving the project. So far, the state has provided funding and tax incentives worth more than $120 million. The project is a coup for Whirlpool, which will have upscale homes and amenities to offer its executives. The developers expect two-thirds of the homes to be bought as second homes, many by Chicagoans. City Commissioner Juanita Henry, who voted against leasing the park to Harbor Shores, said the city will see little revenue from the project for 15 to 20 years because of tax abatements and because the jobs it offers are mostly low-paying, like golf course maintenance. Harbor Shores, which has not yet won tax-exempt status, plans to give profits from the course to community groups in the three towns, including several groups that work on literacy, job skills and housing. How much those profits will be is hard to say. The nation has a glut of new courses since 1990 even though rounds played have stayed relatively flat. Mitchell said he's confident that despite its seasonal nature, the course will do well. "Nobody is coming in here with an auto plant," Mitchell said. "If someone has a better idea to create jobs, clean up all this unusable land and have a long-term impact, let's hear it."

great shots rando... sorry i couldn't meet up with you that night... :-(

It really would be an interesting story... i am sure that they saw some AMAZING growth during the mall era, and with the decline of the mall...what's next??? Trotwood with a historical context...interesting to say the least... (I am from vandalia, as well)

Wow. . . a little strong huh?? i'm sure Bill Butler would disagree with you... it may not be perfect but would you rather them take their 1200 units and move out to Fort Thomas??? Just because things don't go as planned, i will never bad mouth an urban developer, especially when this project is one of the most important one to the cincinnati region, whether you would like to admit that or not...

Qualls to replace Tarbell BY JANE PRENDERGAST | [email protected] Former Cincinnati Mayor Roxanne Qualls will be named this afternoon to replace Jim Tarbell. Qualls, 54, was mayor from 1993 to 1999 after two years on City Council. She then left Cincinnati to pursue a master’s degree at Harvard University, returning in 2003 as an administrator and teacher at Northern Kentucky University. No link available for article.

"The mayor has not yet decided who will replace Tarbell as vice mayor." doesn't look so good... We owe a lot to Jim Tarbell, he has been GREAT for Cincinnati... :clap: :clap: :clap:

heck yah Brendan :clap:

i went to the design charette for the top that will be put on over Fort Washington way. Mayor Mallory and Commissoner Portune were both there. They both said that ground will be broken on the banks before the year ends. I am confident that it will... at least i hope so............. otherwise... :drunk: :drunk:

"make no little plans" -Burnham -Chicago worked for him..haha

What about the Arcade in Dayton?... things are not always saved, even though they should be.

That's a big drop !!!!

don't you have to get your own place , away from green twp., first :wink:

This is one of the funniest posts i have ever seen on here!

is anyone else going to be heading to this thing? i already have registered...