JYP

TIF Money to fund improvements around 65 West Tax increment financing (TIF) funding will be used to make improvements to the corner of W McMillan Street and Ohio Avenue in Clifton Heights, site of the 129-unit, $16.7 million 65 West apartments project. Cincinnati City Council on Wednesday passed an emergency ordinance transferring $160,000 from the CUF/Heights TIF district to fund new sidewalks, underground utilities, brick pavers, lighting, and other pedestrian improvements. Developers Uptown Rental Properties and North American Properties will provide a matching amount. Currently under construction, the 126,000-square-foot, four-building gated complex will house one-, two-, and four-bedroom apartment units in three-story buildings. A clubhouse and fitness room will also be included. Completion is expected later this spring.

New downtown Cincinnati hotel to open March 30 The Residence Inn at the Phelps, the newest hotel in downtown Cincinnati, is scheduled to open March 30. The new hotel, which features 134 one- and two-bedroom residential-style suites, will be the first Marriott branded hotel to open downtown. Each suite features separate living and working spaces, a fully equipped kitchen, flat-screen HD TVs and a work desk

Developers hosting Horseshoe Casino bid meeting Companies interested in bidding on upcoming Horseshoe Casino construction bid packages are invited to attend a meeting from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. March 23 at the Community Action Agency on Langdon Farm Road. The meeting is aimed at prime contractors, minority- and women-owned subcontractors and suppliers who are interested in bid packages related to: foundations, concrete pumping and placing, excavation, waterproofing, underground utilities, fireproofing, vertical transportation, metal fabrication, rebar, signage, asphalt paving, concrete curbs, striping, parking control equipment such as gates, HVAC, plumbing, electrical and sprinkler systems.

Good overview of the situation w/ 1314 Vine and Mercer Commons project: The Fate of 1314 Vine Street and Mercer Commons Yesterday, OTR-resident and blogger CityKin write a post about 1314 Vine Street titled “Does this building stay or go“. The post and its comments are an informative read and a good introduction to the subject of this post. The Current Mercer Commons Plan The time is now to discuss the fate of 1314 Vine Street and the current design of the planned Mercer Commons development by the public-private Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) in the Gateway Quarter. Mercer Commons is a planned development of new construction urban infill and historic restorations in the area surrounding Mercer Street in Over-the-Rhine. The development is bounded by Vine Street to the west, Walnut Street to the east, 14th Street to the north and the northern half of the 1300 blocks of Vine and Walnut Streets. It is an exciting opportunity to turn another corner (excuse the cliché) in OTR’s revitalization.

Downtown Holiday Inn Concept Approved Following nearly three years and three revisions, concept plans for Downtown Cincinnati's first newly-built hotel since 1984 have been approved by Cincinnati City Council. Rolling Hills Hospitality (Downtown Hills, LLC) plans to build a $14 million, 11-story, 200-room Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites at the corner of Seventh Street and Broadway. The deal is contingent on a land swap between the developer and the City. The developer would swap the former American Red Cross headquarters at 720 Sycamore Street in exchange for a portion of the 257-space Seventh Street Garage, which the City deems outdated. The City then will demolish the Seventh Street Garage and build a new 610-space public parking garage with ground-floor retail along Sycamore Street, between Seventh and Eighth streets.

New report confirms potential economic impacts of the Cincinnati Streetcar By: Randy A. Simes March 29, 2011 – 7:30 am A new report released by the Center for Transit-Oriented Development finds that transit investments like the Cincinnati Streetcar are winning economic winners. The report studied the three most recently opened light rail lines in the United States and discovered that urban portions of the lines were most successful at spurring economic activity and ridership. Contrary to popular belief that rail transit is only successful in liberal bastions like Portland, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Philadelphia or Seattle, the report looked at three modest cities in terms of political affections: Charlotte, Denver and Minneapolis. Rails to Real Estate: Development Patterns along Three New Transit Lines also identified Charlotte’s Blue Line as the most successful despite being the having the least number of years studied of the three and being the smallest of the three transit lines. The economic patterns were consistent though, with each transit line experiencing anywhere from six to ten million square feet of new development since they opened. The report attributes the success is to five main considerations: Proximity to downtowns and other major employment centers The location and extent of vacant or “underutilized” property that might offer opportunities for development or redevelopment Block patterns that influence “walkability” Transit connectivity Household incomes “We need to make transit investments that unlock the potential for TOD, but we need to make them in the right places,” said the director of the Center for Transit-Oriented Development, Sam Zimbabwe. Read the full story at UrbanCincy.

Good things going on around Washington Park: A Look Inside Saengerhalle

Latest completed 3CDC development: A Look Inside Saengerhalle

What!? Us worrying? :-o :-P

^ It doesn't matter. This could go the same way as the red light camera idea went a few years back. COAST got the charter amendment passed months after the whole idea died a complete death from Council and the Mayor.

^ The UC study was an independent analysis of the streetcar project: http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/noncms/projects/streetcar/docs/UC_study.pdf

^But it would help connect the Banks to the rest of the city. The biggest fear reflected in the fishwrap article was that the new neighborhood's retail would turn into an island. This likely won't happen because their will be people living at the Banks but a streetcar would still be convenient for trips into the city w/out having to rely on a car (Bus service is limited and the streetcar route is a direct connection to Findlay Market, Uptown, 12th & Main, etc.) and to the Banks retail establishments.

Unfortunately it's not as easy as that. They really need to be put on notice that this is an abuse of power that will face litigation.

This is an awful and ill conceived amendment which basically overrides the meaning of the TRAC Board. Would this type of legislation hold up in the courts?

Signs should be designed to viewable to pedestrians and cars going the appropriate speed on Vine Street (25 mph). Anything larger is intrusive and distracting. I think the signs their now are appropriate given the feel the Gateway Quarter team is trying to create. I'm not arguing against using the old signs. They are very cool and have a lot of personality, but I think larger new signage would detract more than add to the district.

The fishwrap is once again milking it with their latest Opinionati post. I'm not even going to bother linking it for fear it would drive up their page views.

Keep the faith. We'll get through this one too. Berding is resigning sometime soon and the rumor is that Bortz will either not run again or resign early. State funding for the streetcar isn't in Kasich's hands anyway.

^April 12 will be when they finalize their project funding list.

In today's opinion section: Streetcar is an investment in our future Your Voice: Bobby Maly 6:49 PM, Mar. 11, 2011 Speculation that the State may take away funds tentatively awarded to the Cincinnati Streetcar project and the announcement that Cincinnati lost population again last decade are more connected than some may think. And if Cincinnati and the State of Ohio want to reverse the population trend in the next census, then halting the best rail transit initiative the State has right now may, in fact, be the worst idea. Nearly everyone agrees that losing population is a bad thing, particularly the young demographic. In fact, the regional Agenda 360 action plan calls for 150,000 additional 25-34 years olds by 2020. Yet we lost 34,000 people from the last census. When those young residents form families and start shopping for larger homes with yards, they will be buying in Westwood, College Hill, and Mt. Washington. They are our best hope for the future.

^All you need is an anchor tenant.

^ They sent out census workers to get all the households that didn't mail in their sheets. If you don't send it and the census workers don't talk to you, you're not counted.

Streetcar decision looms in Columbus Business Courier - by By Dan Monk, Senior Staff Reporter Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2011, 6:15pm EST Ohio’s Transportation Review Advisory Council held a working session in Columbus today, its second of three meetings leading up to an April 12 vote that could make or break Cincinnati’s streetcar project. TRAC was created by state lawmakers in 1997 to guide all major funding decisions for capital investments in transportation. Wednesday's meeting was the first time the state advisory panel met since Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jerry Wray told the Ohio House that TRAC’s pipeline of projects would cost $1.8 billion more than the state has money to fund through 2017.

^ With a former asphalt lobbyist as Director of ODOT, I don't see a favorable stance happening anytime soon.

Relish Group closes Grammer’s By: Jenny Kessler March 7, 2011 – 5:29 pm Grammer’s bar, established in 1872 and a veritable Over-the-Rhine institution, has announced its closure today. The 132-year-old establishment was known for years as a home away from home for Cincinati’s German population, hosting everyone from the Cincinnati Symphony to the Reds. Grammer’s re-opened in the late winter of 2008, serving beer and a variety of German foods. Martin Wade, local restaurant investor, purchased Grammer’s from former city councilman and Over-the-Rhine raconteur, Jim Tarbell, who had owned it since 1984. It was the oldest pre-Prohibition German restaurant to remain in Over-the-Rhine. Although tts recent history is one of hipsters and late night dance parties – a decidedly different crowd than the German Singing Baker society to which the space was once home.

Ugh you guys are going to take up all the parking on my street this weekend aren't you!? :cry: