jessehallum

I don't really understand the motivation for camping out for a store's grand opening, even if Europe's version of Big Lots gives away a wonderful arm chair. I must admit that I have never been to an Ikea, nor have I witnessed an Ikea launch in another city. This opening has generated a huge amount amount of media attention. Is Ikea this good at manipulating the media at all of their store openings, or is this uniquely a Cincinnati thing?

Crowd builds for Ikea opening BY AMBER ELLIS | [email protected] WEST CHESTER TWP. -- With hours to go before Ikea opens, hundreds of shoppers wrapped around the front of the building in anticipation of what store officials say could be the first of thousands of visitors today. By 6 a.m., hundreds huddled in front of the blue and yellow behemoth, awaiting the Swedish furniture retailer's opening. Some people had staked out the West Chester Township business for nearly 48 hours, the maximum allowed by the store. Most, though, trickled in this morning, bundled in layers of clothing for the 30-degree weather before opening. As busloads of store employees, Ikea followers and the just plain curious arrived, they’re being greeted by music and roaming stilt-walkers. The next few hours will be filled with ceremonies for the two-story, 344,000-square-foot store.

CPS should deal on Washington Park Editorials It's the kind of Cincinnati development story we have come to hate - a major project that would be good for the community being held up by competing entities that can't come to a common sense agreement. As reported in Friday's Enquirer, the multimillion-dollar Washington Park project, a centerpiece of the Over-the-Rhine redevelopment, could be in trouble because the Cincinnati Public Schools won't sign off on a proposal to build a 600-space underground parking garage on the site of a former elementary school at the north end of the park. The school land would then be leased to the Cincinnati Park Board and become part of a $14 million expansion of the park by the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. 3CDC is a nonprofit group empowered by the city to spearhead redevelop of several major projects, including Over-the-Rhine. It owns or controls properties it plans to redevelop for residential or commercial use on several blocks in the neighborhood surrounding the park. The garage would be used for patrons at Music Hall and Memorial Hall, across Elm Street from the park. It also would serve the district's School for the Creative and Performing Arts, now under construction just across the street from the south end of the park. The empty site is now a surface parking lot, used by Music Hall, Memorial Hall and construction workers for the new SCPA. The school district has balked at putting the garage on the site. And in recent talks with 3CDC, has insisted that any "long-term" lease it enters into must have a reverter clause that would allow the district to take the land back at any time if it decided it needed to build a school there. That essentially quashes the deal, according to 3CDC executive director Steve Leeper, who says the reverter clause negates the point of a long-term lease and means it will be impossible to get investment funds for a project that the school district could yank away at a moment's notice. The notion that the district might need the property for a future school seems absurd on its face. Up until a few months ago there was a school - Washington Park Elementary - on the site. The district tore it down because it decided it was no longer needed. Cynthia Dillon, general counsel for the school district, said Leeper should have approached the district with the garage idea before discussing it with community groups or City Hall. The district owns the property and should not be dealt with as an afterthought, she said. Leeper says he has had trouble getting anyone at the district to discuss options with him. He said, for instance, 3CDC would be willing to consider reimbursing the district for what it spent tearing down the elementary school. 3CDC might also be willing to negotiate an outright purchase of the property or find some other way around the required reverter clause. So what we appear to have here is a proposed development that would be a great benefit to the entire community - a refurbished and enlarged Washington Park with a garage that would be unobtrusive and useful for several institutions, including the school district. And it is being blocked because the district: A) might want to build a school someday on the same spot where it just tore one down, and B) because the district was offended by the way 3CDC presented the project. Then there is: C) 3CDC is the same outfit that is offering to bail the district out of its $4 million Mercer Commons hole and has offered to cover the demolition cost the district incurred on Washington Park Elementary. The school board is scheduled to have a regular meeting Monday night. Leeper and others from 3CDC plan to attend. We urge the school board to hear them out. Leeper can start the negotiation by apologizing for not telling the district about his ideas first. The district could then apologize for standing in the way of a good idea on grounds that simply don't make much sense. Then the two sides can sit down and work out the details to make this project happen. The Washington Park redevelopment will be good for everybody. This kind of bureaucratic head-butting is good for no one.

West Chester 75 spawned Ikea Boom germinated when a farmer wanted to move BY MIKE BOYER | [email protected] WEST CHESTER TWP. - The thousands of shoppers expected to flock to Ikea's first Ohio store off Union Centre Boulevard this week owe a debt of gratitude to a little-known group of local entrepreneurs. West Chester 75 Inc., created more than 20 years ago by a handful of local businessmen, assembled the 300 acres of farmland along Interstate 75 and teamed with West Chester-based Schumacher Dugan Construction Inc. to develop the nucleus of the growing Union Centre business district. In the decade since the Union Centre interchange opened, it has fueled more than 17,000 new jobs and $1.5 billion in new investment, according to West Chester Township officials. The interchange also has been an important engine for the township's growth. Over the last decade, the township has seen $1.9 billion in new investment and more than 30 million square feet of new construction. West Chester, one of Ohio's fastest-growing townships, is now home to more than 3,000 businesses employing 50,000.

New type of project would help Cincinnati's chronically homeless, but not everyone's a fan Business Courier of Cincinnati - by Lucy May Senior Staff Reporter Friday, March 7, 2008 The Over-the-Rhine Community Housing Network is working with the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. to develop a new type of housing for the city's chronically homeless. The $3.2 million development would be the first of its kind in Greater Cincinnati and would cater to the most difficult to serve among Cincinnati and Hamilton County's homeless population. There were 9,448 homeless people in Hamilton County in 2006, according to the "2006 Homeless Information Management System Demographic Report" produced by the Cincinnati/Hamilton County Continuum of Care. [/font]

Banks strives for inclusion Inclusion goal is big for small businesses BY KEITH T. REED | [email protected] Now that they have the money to build phase one and have set a groundbreaking date, the developers behind The Banks face another challenge: how to meet the project's unprecedented small-business contracting goals. The Banks is by far the most ambitious riverfront project ever conceived in Cincinnati, estimated to cost more than $800 million, spanning 18 acres, and expected to take a decade to complete.

I would love to play if there is an open spot.

Nope. Not me. I was shooting for an OTR tribute video (available here) with my Canon SD850. As soon as I started recording, a guy came up and made it clear that I should not be recording there, as many of the people there wouldn't like being taped. So, I just moved along the way.

I think that the place across the street from Kroger is called SMITTY'S. It is a pawn shop. It has large light bulbs around the windows and an undeniable 'gangster' feel. This stretch of vine is one of the few places that I feel uncomfortable walking though. In fact, I was threated the last time I was taking pictures of that block. Due to this criminal element, the OTR Kroger cannot really be used as a selling point to a potential downtowner. In fact, much of the demand for a downtown Kroger may be met simply by making this Kroger 'safer'. This store is clearly a hub for gang activity and I hope that the recent bust helps to clean it up. When the store closes, it will signify a tipping point in my mind for OTR. I pledge to buy anyone an OTR on Main St. if/when the store closes.

10 Best U.S. Walking Cities of 2008 1. Cambridge, Mass. 2. New York 3. Ann Arbor, Mich. 4. Chicago, Ill. 5. Washington, DC 6. San Francisco, Calif. 7. Honolulu 8. Trenton, N.J. 9. Boston 10. Cincinnati 10 Worst U.S. Walking Cities of 2008 1. Oklahoma City 2. North Las Vegas, Nev. 3. Gadsden, Ala. 4. Davenport, Iowa 5. Mount Pleasant, S.C. 6. Enid, Okla. 7. Laredo, Texas 8. Springdale, Ark. 9. Clarksville, Tenn. 10. Lafayette, La.

Walking here is tops in Ohio Cincinnati ranked 10th in country BY QUAN TRUONG | [email protected] Put on your walking shoes. Cincinnati was named the Best Walking City in Ohio and ranked 10th in the nation, according to a survey released today by Prevention magazine and the American Podiatric Medical Association. More below • See the rankings of more than 500 cities

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!! Banks to start April 2 BY KEITH T. REED | [email protected] The developers of The Banks will announce this afternoon that they have secured all $74 million needed to finance the first phase of construction, clearing the way for an April 2 groundbreaking on the project. "This is great news. It means The Banks project will definitely advance," said Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory. "I'm excited that Carter/Dawson (the developers) will be doing the project and I'm looking forward to a great development.''

Ensemble Theatre to expand site BY JACKIE DEMALINE | [email protected] Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati will break ground this summer on an expansion of and renovations to its Over-the-Rhine headquarters for a complex that will include four properties in the 1100 block of Vine Street.

I was in the Wagon Wheel last week and the word in the bar was that it was indeed going to be torn down. I got to thinking... Is the Wagon Wheel the most historic building in all of Bridgetown?

Price Ounces $ / 0z Red's Game $6.25 16 39 cents Hofbrauhaus Newport $7.50 33.81(1L) 22 cents Lavotatic Cafe $4.50 16 28 cents Normal Bar $3.75 16 23 Cents Grammars $7.50 24 31 Cents Store Bought OTR $7.99 72 11 Cents I'm just saying, for a bar that price is way too steep! :-D :drunk:

-Duplicate Post Removed for your viewing pleasure- but still, 7.5 for a beer. That is as expensive as a Reds/Bengals Game!

:-o :-o :-o :-o :-o :-o :-o

I am encouraged about the redevelopment of Western Hills Plaza and the new retail at the Glenway Dodge site. Hopefully, this redevelopment is successful and spurs redevelopment of the shopping center on Harrison Ave (next to showcase cinema). I would like to see the Legacy Place concept die a painful death!

Cincinnati Progressive Action (CPA) Supports NAACP Petition to Stop Red-Light Cameras Friday, February 29, 2008 Posted by Media Release Cincinnati Progressive Action (CPA), an activist human rights organization, supports the Cincinnati chapter of the NAACP in its campaign to prevent red-light cameras from being installed in the city. "We don’t need big brother watching us,” said Dan La Botz, a spokesperson for CPA. “This is another example of government surveillance, different perhaps than monitoring our phones and email, but also an intrusion. It’s also another scam by some security company to make money off Cincinnati.” “The city’s motivation is to increase revenues by $1 million a year, so this becomes another tax on ordinary citizens rather than a tax on the corporations or the wealthy,” said La Botz. “If the council wants to raise money, let the city tax business transactions as it once did. Tax stock transactions and stock options, not working people on their way to their jobs.” “City Council has made it clear that this is about raising money, not safety. Increasing surveillance on the citizens of Cincinnati is not justifiable or wise policy. It’s another unfortunate example of the city’s ongoing ‘war on the poor,’ and I suspect that if implemented, the placement of red light cameras would illustrate that point,” said Linda Newman, another CPA spokesperson. “The government can already tap our phones and read our emails at will, without warrants, with the flimsiest of excuses,” said Newman. “We strongly resist our local government adding to this ‘big brother’ world of surveillance with this unnecessary program.” CPA members will join NAACP members in collecting the more than 8,000 signatures to get a charter amendment banning the cameras on the ballot in November. If approved, the amendment would block City Council’s plan to install the cameras. City officials say the cameras, designed to catch drivers who run red lights, would net an additional $1 million a year from tickets.

Citizens list spending priorities Freedom Center's request among most debated BY JESSICA BROWN | [email protected] DOWNTOWN - More than 150 people attended a public hearing Thursday night to weigh in on 38 community projects competing for state funding. The hearing, in the Hamilton County commission chambers, was packed. Dozens of people spoke.

ROTFL! :lol:

Grammer's reopens Thursday BY STEPFANIE ROMINE | [email protected] Grammer’s, the historic German restaurant in Over-the-Rhine, reopens Thursday as a bar, said owner Martin Wade. He and wife Marilyn Wade bought the building, at 1442 Walnut St., from former Cincinnati vice-mayor Jim Tarbell in September. See link above for article.

Health Alliance to anchor Price Hill project Monday, February 25, 2008 - 10:08 AM EST City Lights Development LLC and Cincinnati Councilman John Cranley have landed the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati as one of the anchor tenants for a $50 million project near the old Price Hill Incline. The development group, in which Cranley is a partner, announced at a Sunday afternoon press conference that City Lights will break ground this summer on a 5,600-square-foot office building, the first phase in a series of new buildings near the Queens Tower condominium building. Chicago investors purchased in property in 2005, with the goal of redeveloping the city-view site. Read full article here: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/02/25/daily1.html

Cincinnati CVB sees jump in conventions, room nights for '08 Business Courier of Cincinnati Wednesday, February 27, 2008 - 11:39 AM EST The Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau is aiming for double-digit growth in hotel room nights for 2008 after an 8 percent increase in room nights for this past year. The bureau finished 2007 with signed contracts representing 176,061 total room nights, just over its annual goal of 175,000 for an 8 percent increase over 2006 results. The bureau reported that 160 definite convention bookings were confirmed for future years, representing $52 million in economic impact for the region. That also is an 8 percent increase over 2006 figures, and it represents the fourth consecutive year the bureau has exceeded its sales goal and booked more room nights than the previous year. Bureau President and CEO Dan Lincoln reviewed the 2007 results for a record turnout of more than 400 civic and business leaders gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the Duke Energy Center Wednesday morning.

Flame me if you will, but considering the timing, this whole thing reeks of political corruption/special interest pandering.