JYP

Yeah, that building is a hidden gem. I'd be opposed to anyone trying to demo it!!

Will this meeting be open to public comment?

Fair enough, but hardly a reason to bulldoze a building that just underwent a 10 million dollar renovation. It won't get bulldozed if the preferred ramp configuration for the bridge moves forward. http://www.brentspencebridgecorridor.com/Documents/PAVR/Exhibit%204%20-%20Alternative%20I.pdf As you can see, the ramp will be moved further north and the building will stay. I think construction around the building will cause a lot of inconvenience though. The office is indeed waiting on a tenant to start construction. I did some comparison and honestly, the Banks is the best site for them in terms of building design configuration,built-in structured parking and proximity to clients.

Rotating restaurant FTW!!

Coast talk has been moved to the Coast thread: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,11812.0.html

Looks like Orange Leaf took out a permit for their interior finish. Look for them at 120 E. Freedom Way. http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/bldginsp/downloads/bldginsp_eps44894.pdf

^^They could have at least held out till the buffet at the casino opens up!

Sounds like a bypass...for the bypass! :-D

A parkway to Evendale would be pretty cool!

Are they moving forward with full build-out for WTC 2 & 3 or are they still going to be stub buildings?

Someone should start a site called "Letters supporting the streetcar the Enquirer refused to print."

With a hint of Jmecklenborg and Living in Gin in the background! And isn't it taestell with an e not an a?

The perfect place for an Urban OHIO party! Kentucky!! :-D

Anyone know if this is completed or unfinished? I know the developer is bankrupt but not sure if this should go to abandoned or completed projects.

Cincinnati wants cyclists to grade city on its bicycle infrastructure and policies By: Randy A. Simes he City of Cincinnati is looking for bicyclists to share their thoughts about how the city is progressing with its bicycling infrastructure and policies. From now until December 31 bicyclists can give their feedback to the Department of Transportation & Engineering (DOTE) about what would make them feel safer and use their bicycle more often. In 2010 bicyclists gave the city an overall grade of “C” for its progress, just as they did in 2009, and city officials are hoping the feedback can help guide policy decisions to improve the atmosphere for bicycling in Cincinnati. “We’re working to create a bicycle friendly city, so that Cincinnatians of all ages and abilities can use bicycles for everyday trips,” stated DOTE director Michael Moore. “The report card survey is a great tool for publicly measuring our progress.”

Construction to begin on $78M mixed-use development uptown By: Nathaniel Hammitt After lengthy delays, U Square at The Loop, a new mixed-use development planned for Calhoun and West McMillan streets just south of the University of Cincinnati’s campus, is finally set to begin construction in January. For Clifton Heights, it means the largest development since University Park Apartments (UPA) was completed in the fall of 2005. But for residents, it will mean construction and traffic detours through much of 2012 that will transform a long-vacant piece of real estate into $78 million development. The site once housed a smattering of drive-thru restaurants and a small collection of historic building stock, but was cleared in 2003 to make way for the development. The project then became entangled in a messy eminent domain case with Acropolis Chili and Inn the Wood restaurants which did not end until 2005 when UPA was completed across the street.

I swear I saw something today saying the green building was being demolished tomorrow. Anyone know for sure?

Also, Randy makes an interesting proposal over at Urban Cincy regarding the Port Authority and the county garages underneath the Banks development: Land swap could provide Port Authority immediate economic development opportunity Hamilton County Commissioner Chris Monzel ® has repeatedly stated that the county should not be in the parking business. In doing so, Monzel has suggested that Hamilton County sell off its parking assets at The Banks and elsewhere in downtown Cincinnati. An exclusive UrbanCincy analysis shows that Hamilton County currently has approximately $38.7 million worth of parking assets at The Banks sitting on land valued by the Hamilton County Auditor at $10.4 million. At the same time, Hamilton County and leaders from the City of Cincinnati keep working to find ways to work together. One of those strategies has led to the increased investment, by both the city and county, in the Cincinnati Port Authority. The idea, officials say, is that the Port Authority could become a Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) equivalent at the county level.

So yeah, the Port Authority of Greater Cincinnati seems poised to start making some waves this year. See here:http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111219/BIZ01/312190039/Brunner-lead-Port-Authority

Looks like Finney and friends raked in $10,000 from their latest settlement with the city: Quinlivan repays city $1,500 for computer use Written by Dan Horn Cincinnati City Council Member Laure Quinlivan will reimburse the city $1,500 for using her office computers for campaign purposes. The voluntary payment is part of a deal to end a court battle between Quinlivan and an anti-tax group that accused her of using city computers and resources to raise money and support for her re-election campaign. The city initially tried to resolve the matter by charging Quinlivan 13 cents for the cost of the bandwith she used when accessing her website with her City Hall computer. But the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending & Taxes says it found evidence that she and her staff spent at least 30 hours of city time accessing and modifying the website during the past year. The website, www.lqreportingtoyou.com, had included information about campaign events and a contribution button that allowed users to donate to her campaign.

Well they finalized a deal with Water Works so I guess it's really not that big of a mountain after all: Digging On First Phase Of Streetcar To Begin Soon City Strikes Deal With Water Works Written By: John London CINCINNATI -- Another step has been taken along the path to the Cincinnati Streetcar project. An agreement to relocate utilities has been reached with Greater Cincinnati Water Works. The city of Cincinnati needs the water lines adjusted in order to construct the initial loop of the streetcar from The Banks to Findlay Market in Over-the-Rhine. The agreement means that actual digging for the first phase of the route will start sometime in the early part of 2012. The precise location for beginning the dig has yet to be determined.

Its everything I've ever wanted...and so much more!

Great interview John! Streetcar's No. 1 advocate Written by Barry M. Horstman If anyone deserves to be called the father of the Cincinnati streetcar, it’s John Schneider. Perhaps more than anyone else, Schneider, a longtime Downtown businessman who lives along the streetcar’s planned route, has kept the $105 million-plus project on the front burner at City Hall and in influential social and civic circles throughout Cincinnati for the past decade. Since 2001, he has led more than two dozen delegations to Portland, Ore., traveling at his own expense to expose more than 400 of Cincinnati’s political and business leaders to what is widely regarded as the gold standard in American streetcar systems. If they were not already true believers when they headed west, most returned confident that Cincinnati could emulate Portland’s success story.

The information is still out there but its more likely tucked behind "read more on the web" or some other footnote to a larger story. There is nothing like opening up a paper and having all those numbers right there drawing your eyes to the sheer largeness of the numbers (Compare "roughly $3 million" with "$3,145,356.99" to see which figure gets the point across) . That type of presentation actually drew people into looking at what the city spent, how it got its money and how it all works. These days, people just get the pre-packaged spin summary from the media leaving those who are looking for something more to dig deeper to get the facts.

Exactly. Suspensions will be issued for anyone who doesn't get this message.