mcadrenaline

Seesh, either of these sites would be great for different reasons. I'd almost like to see them at 5th/Race though since that would spread new development out through downtown. That surface lot there has GOT. TO. GO. what an eyesore.

I just moved to OTR from Clifton (the area around UC). You'll find Cincinnati quite affordable compared to the Chi, so I would think you could get something quite decent for $1200 a month. The 1 bedroom unit I have is $775 (with parking) and it would go for probably twice that if it were in Wicker Park or Boystown. You need a car here. We're just not there yet with public transit. The good news is that parking is generally affordable and accessible. Even if your building has no parking, on-street is usually easy and requires no permit, etc. IMO (and some may disagree with me) the parts of OTR that have seen new investment are just fine. No different than similar areas in Chicago, etc. HOWEVER, some of the northern and western parts of OTR with less new investment are not much to look at and do have some safety issues if you plan on walking around at night, walking alone, etc. Downtown is completely safe but can feel like of dead after 6pm on weekdays because it's a business hub, pure and simple. Be advised that OTR and downtown is kind of slim pickings right now but your larger budget will help you I think. People aren't moving much due to the whole mortgage debacle and there is far more demand for rentals downtown/OTR than supply. OTR really is the "hot" hood in Cincinnati right now and theres a whole new wave of people that would never have even considered the area even a year ago. I can't speak to purchasing anything but I know there are some awesome new projects you should be looking at if you are considering buying. When you're ready to start looking at units for rent in OTR be sure to call Urban Sites (http://www.urbansites.net/) AND Jim Moll (513-623-2001)...between the two of them you'll be able to see some good properties in OTR. Jim is a nice, no B/S guy that represents some neat properties. He is very easy to get in touch with also which is a plus.

What is the significance of 'Westin 15' and 'Westin 16' slides? Are these just for ideas of what a facade on this property could look like?

I actually laughed at the first one. Unbelievable.

I couldn't agree with you more. It's a main source of frustration for me when it comes to urban revitalization in Cincy. The progress made is astounding and looks great, BUT the drive you just mentioned (and many more outside of OTR) is a constant reminder of how much more progress is needed. The Gateway Dist is a VERY small piece of the puzzle, people.

I'll be surprised if that's the case. They have not even TOUCHED the outside yet and there's a ton of work to be done. The inside has been bare for quiet some time, but there does not seem to be much progress although there are crews there pretty often.

Well, the fleet is being reduced heavily. I follow the industry pretty closely and if history repeats itself, Delta might be overly aggressive with their LGA expansion efforts. I would not be surprised to see these new flights go down to 2x or 3x daily, or even see DL pull out completely if fuel spikes given the competition here in CLE. I don't know that I fully understand if these will be primarily aimed towards point to point travelers or connecting traffic with their new "hub" at LGA though. Seems like capacity overkill to me.

An airline closes, and with it, an era "The wind-down of USA3000, a small carrier serving Mexico and the Caribbean, marks the end of an era. Its story, from genesis to exit, is also the story of how these sun-and-fun destinations became important mass-tourism playgrounds for Americans. And its history clarifies the issues that package tour operators, hoteliers and destination marketers faced in building up these regions. " http://www.travelweekly.com/Arnie-Weissmann/An-airline-closes,-and-with-it,-an-era/ Great article, really speaks to the challenges of LCCs and especially these leisure-only airlines.

I think they are taking the slots from USA3000. I heard today that they have pulled out of CVG. It's not just CVG, they are ceasing their business totally on Jan. 30th.

Then exactly what "outlet" stores were in TC? As mentioned, the Abercrombie there was an outlet store in its last two years or so of existence. I am not too sure about anything else though.

Are they going to be using new windows on the building or just refurbishing the old ones?

I agree, but it seems to me that there needs to be more residential with parking first, then more retail services, then some no-parking residential. Also, for what it's worth, I think there are quite a bit grocery options downtown and OTR that will be well connected once we can get the streetcar project started. We're going to have to agree to disagree then, because the bottom line is THERE IS NO SUPERMARKET downtown. Several small grocery outlets scattered is not the same as a supermarket. Findlay Market serves a purpose but sometimes you just need a Kroger or Whole Foods. I also think that shopping at FM takes longer than just popping into Kroger for what you need. There's just no replacing a traditional supermarket. Bingo! I am as excited for the streetcar as the next person, but I think that some people need to be more realistic about it can and cannot accomplish. I think that people with busy schedules, like myself, will probably not think twice before using their car for errands like this. I also think that cold weather will force other people to use their cars just out of convenience.

Good point about streetcar making downtown more accessible to downtown pharmacies, etc. OCtoCincy, what are the two barbershops you're referring to? Are they the kind of place a YP white kid can walk into lol? Fast casual dining is such a huge, growing segment of the restaurant industry and one that I want to see in OTR to balance out the higher end food options....stuff with the Chipotle price point and operating scale...

Well this is my wishlist, and while Uptown/UC and Downtown have all of these things it would be nice to have them right in OTR. Some of these are retail, but it's everyday stuff that I regularly need. Drugstore UPS Store/FedEx Office or perhaps even a small post office Barber Shop Wine Shop/Liquor Store (although I imagine 3CDC would not care for the latter lol) More fast-casual dining options AND late night dining options

YtownNewsandViews, Any updates on Allegiant's YNG service? My understanding is that it's a pretty successful market for them. I ask because they have been announcing lots of new service lately and I'm really hoping to see YNG get in on this action. LEX, my closest G9 airport, just got service to LAS...a market I think could do quite well from YNG.

I have the name of the company I work for linked to my Facebook page for networking purposes and should I post a comment, not only would my full name be there, but so would my employers name right next to it. This makes me concerned that my opinions could be interpreted as my employers...and I work for a pretty large, sometimes controversial company with a huge presence in Cincinnati. For this reason alone, I have not been using the new comment system, although I do think it's a fantastic idea and it's apparent that it's already working. I think that those individuals who troll the comments page will probably figure out a way to make a fake Facebook profile and just start using that though...it's only a matter of time.

Damn. I feel like this area is doing quite wellmin the food and beverage offerings, but is suffering in services...would really like to see a salon, trendy barber shop, etc. Speaking of Bakersfied, when is their opening scheduled? Any news on other restaurants (I think I heard a rumor about a Thai place)?

Anyone know anything about the new storefront on Vine that has an Old Spice branding on it? It looked like there was construction happening inside. Is this some kind of studio for P&G or maybe a men's salon?

Commission approves 3CDC's Mercer Commons "The Cincinnati Planning Commission Friday morning approved the design of a new building on Vine Street that is part of the project. That vote paves the way for construction to begin in the first quarter of 2012, said Adam Gelter, 3CDC ’s vice president of development. The project is located between East 13th and 14th streets and bordered by Vine and Walnut streets. It will have 134 rental units, including some affordable housing units, as well as 28 condominiums, 18,000 square feet of commercial space and a 340-space garage." http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2011/12/02/commission-approves-3cdcs-mercer.html?page=all

I highly doubt this gubernatorial administration would go out of it wait to help the state's largest center cities. It might go out of its way to hurt them. But help them? Not likely. Sears and Kasich may be of like mind -- build it on a far-flung suburban or even rural campus where pure, pale-skinned, hard-working, God-fearing, Stepford-like people choose to live. Let's be honest. If they do come here, it will be in a cheap suburban office park Dublin/Westerville/Gahanna kind of way. And if jobs and tax revenue matter to you most, than this should suffice just fine, right?

All good points. I also think that there are lots of smaller, rural markets where Sears is still popular because there are only a few other competitors. They are a well-diversified company with a legacy of high quality appliances and tools/outdoor equipment that is still quite relevant today.

By this logic, we shouldn't care one bit about the perceived health of a company, for that could reverse completely randomly at any time. I'm guessing you are not an investment advisor? That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that business, like anything else, offers no guarantees. If we are too afraid of failure to even attempt to bring in jobs, we might as well accept that we are heading into a future of our own choosing, and it's not pretty. Sears is a company we are all familiar with, and the consensus seems to be that we feel it's falling apart. That should be taken into account when deciding whether to offer incentives, particularly large ones, to lure the company to Ohio. You seem to be arguing that we should not factor this in, whereas it's probably the main criterion which should be used when deciding to make an investment or not. It's not a matter of being afraid of failure in the abstract, it is the result of a very rational assessment of the company in question. It's not that simple. You can't totally write off a company just because they have had some problems in the past, especially considering how difficult and rare it is to bring large companies into Ohio (We're not Charlotte, Denver, Atlanta, or R-D). Yes, Sears is not what it once was. The retail environment has changed; however, there are plenty of companies that were once in decline that studied the market, reevaluated their product, and starting doing business differently only be be successful once again. And again, we can't take this $400 million number at face value. The word "incentives" is a very, very broad word and nobody knows how that money would play out should they come to Ohio.

You are. Chiquita was gone either way. No need to throw resources at a company whose needs are no longer met by Ohio. Frankly, Chiquita is not even worth the money CLT threw at them either and I'll never understand why they were so aggressive courting a financially unstable company with less than 400 employees. This Sears debate is a difficult one and reasonably so, but as TBideon points out quite well, it's not all cut and dry. Kasich has to play the game either way. He's supposed to be pro-business and he'd be beat down by the republicans and the Ohio business community if he didn't.

Which is ultimately why I think it was smart for Kasich to basically say 'f*ck it' in regards to Chiquita and focus resources on companies that actually want to be here AND that Ohio can meet the needs of right now (ie. Nielsen and Sears)

Hub changes hit Cincinnati hard http://www.ajc.com/business/hub-changes-hit-cincinnati-1241765.html "Delta Air Lines’ largest hub in Atlanta and its smallest hub in Cincinnati tell two different stories of the turbulent economy."