What you probably clicked on was the "summary" at the bottom. At the top of the article, it linked to the full plan (well, a page that had a dropbox link).

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3zcj80nkk43fii3/c15702RptBook161101finalx3.pdf?dl=0

In reference to the new MLK interchange they leave much of this area out of the study, which I assume is because it is already privately owned and probably has plans already. I remember reading that somebody was snatching up many of the properties around that section of MLK. The one quote I hope sticks is "Drive thrus and other strip development commonly associated with highways should not be permitted". If they just keep this rule intact and focus development around MLK to not be too suburban in style like Oakley has done, that alone will be great for the neighborhood.

Looks like nothing big or mid-sized is slated to happen in the area in 2017 other than the MLK interchange opening.  But I'm sure we'll get a few more rounds of hype.

 

Wrong (construction has begun on this project): http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/port-partnering-on-proposed-walnut-hills-apartment-project

 

Wrong (planning phases, construction to begin in 2017): http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/08/26/exclusive-13m-mixed-use-development-coming-to.html

At least yer polite about it. WRONG!

[quote author=brian korte link=topic=25765.msg828534#msg828534 date=1479740928

Wrong (construction has begun on this project): http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/port-partnering-on-proposed-walnut-hills-apartment-project

 

Wrong (planning phases, construction to begin in 2017): http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/08/26/exclusive-13m-mixed-use-development-coming-to.html

 

It's taken ~3 years for construction to begin at the Windsor School. I'm glad to see they've finally started working, but my god, what a slow process.  Until ground is broken on the other project, I won't hold my breath.

Looks like nothing big or mid-sized is slated to happen in the area in 2017 other than the MLK interchange opening.  But I'm sure we'll get a few more rounds of hype.

 

Wrong (construction has begun on this project): http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/port-partnering-on-proposed-walnut-hills-apartment-project

 

Wrong (planning phases, construction to begin in 2017): http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/08/26/exclusive-13m-mixed-use-development-coming-to.html

 

The project on McMillan has definitely not broken ground.  I drove by the site yesterday.  We saw the old house demolished for Suzy Wong Phase III (across from Purcell) last year or maybe more than a year ago with no progress since, so we'll believe it when we see it.  Meanwhile, the closing of the Kroger is still rumored. 

 

Work on the apartment conversion of The Baldwin Building is well underway, but that is not really in Walnut Hills. 

 

 

The story he referenced is about the Windsor Flats apartment, not Baldwin. There's a ton of work going on everyday on the Windsor site.

^Yes I know that.  I haven't been down that street in several months so I didn't know the school was being worked on.  But the Baldwin Building is the only truly big project actually underway, but as should be obvious, it is not really in Walnut Hills. 

 

Also, I meant to post this a month or two ago, but the big complex on Beecher (between Beecher and MLK, so will soon have excellent visibility from exiting interstate traffic) is for sale:

https://www.sibcycline.com/Listing/CIN/1491501/830-846-Beecher-St-Walnut-Hills-OH-45206

 

The lip service about not wanting to displace long-term residents is just that.  This listing explicitly suggests redevelopment of the block, so say good-bye to these residents. 

 

Forgot about this guy, where there are heavy construction equipment currently moving earth and they've cleared the site (sadly tearing down a beautiful big house): http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/01/exclusive-13-5-million-apartment-project-planned.html

But the Baldwin Building is the only truly big project actually underway, but as should be obvious, it is not really in Walnut Hills. 

 

Work on the apartment conversion of The Baldwin Building is well underway, but that is not really in Walnut Hills.

 

It "really" is in Walnut Hills. From: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2016/04/04/developer-plans-100m-investment-walnut-hills/82620432/

 

Bringing more people to this part of Walnut Hills – whether they are living at Baldwin or business professionals using Eden Park or the new pocket park during the week, it’s all about making the area more of a destination.

 

Company officials expect the apartment building to house about 280 people. That’s a big influx of people at the neighborhood’s south end. Neighborhood development groupsincluding the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation have been working over the last four to five years to stabilize and improve areas such as the Peeble’s Corner Business District at the core of Walnut Hills.

 

Kevin Wright, executive director of the foundation, describes this era as an exciting one for the neighborhood.

 

“The Baldwin project will serve as a fantastic gateway project and complement to the work we’re doing, as well as to one of our biggest assets – Eden Park,” Wright said. “It feels as if just about every corner of the neighborhood is beginning to see catalytic investment.”

The Baldwin Building is closer to Mount Adams than it is Walnut Hills. Of course Kevin Wright wants to claim it for WH, because that's how the WHRF makes themselves look good. The other project you linked to on Woodburn is East Walnut Hills, which also has the church replacement project on Cleinview about to begin. There is now fencing around the church, so I expect demolition to begin soon there.  I believe the final house of the 'city series' on Cleinview is under construction.  That's a really great project, and Cleinview is an amazing little street, but again that's EWH not WH. 

 

I have heard several good things about both the BBQ spot and the Tarantino themed bar on McMillan, and I'd like to check them out soon.  My friends went to both this weekend, and said they were great but both were basically empty when they were there.  Some advertising might help, as I don't think most people are aware that these places even exist.

It may be closer geographically to Mt. Adams but it's a lot easier toget to WH from there by going straight up Gilbert that it feels a bit more attached to WH than Mt. Adams to me. Also it's at the bottom of the hill almost, which is like not a "Mount" at all, but perhaps more of a "Hill" but I could just be getting pedantic.

The Baldwin Building is closer to Mount Adams than it is Walnut Hills. Of course Kevin Wright wants to claim it for WH, because that's how the WHRF makes themselves look good.

 

This is the official Walnut Hills boundary map from the City of Cincinnati, who uses it for determining through which entity to distribute funds (like WHRF) for what areas: http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/planning/linkservid/B57BF739-E4DE-A321-8E29E1ACF9C3045D/showMeta/0/

 

I did not know that the Art Museum is technically in Walnut Hills...

It's like how the 400-500-600 blocks of Klotter are technically in Over-the-Rhine, despite being in the 45214 zip code, and a farther walk from Findlay Market and OTR proper than the 200-300 45219 blocks of Klotter.  The guy who owns the building at the corner of Ravine and Klotter had the temerity to put an "OTR" mosaic on the front of his building. 

According to this article, federal new market tax credits awarded to the Cincinnati Development Fund and Uptown Consortium will be used to incentivize private developers to get to work in Peebles Corner (which we can safely assume means the Paramount Theater building but who-knows-what-else) and the vaguely-described MLK interchange area.  This explains some of the delay, but we still do not have a timetable for any of this stuff.  So it could easily be 2018-2019 before any of this is really happening. 

 

http://www.wcpo.com/news/insider/two-major-funding-announcements-could-make-2017-a-huge-year-for-cincy-neighborhood-development

New, rehabbed single-family homes coming to Walnut Hills

 

 

The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority, in partnership with the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation, is rehabilitating three historic vacant homes as well as putting six factory-built homes, the first of their kind in Cincinnati, in the Peebles Corner section of the neighborhood.

 

Renovation of the existing homes began on Tuesday and the first of the manufactured homes – known as “Unibilt” – was delivered. The port’s REACH program – Rehab Across Cincinnati and Hamilton County – is investing $1.5 million in the site from the Hamilton County Land Reutilization Corp., the land bank the port manages.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/11/30/new-rehabbed-single-family-homes-coming-to-walnut.html

Terrible news for Walnut Hills as Kroger announces they will close the McMillan Ave store in March when the University Kroger opens. As a Walnut Hills resident who frequently shopped at that Kroger I'm not pleased. And I'm more likely to drive to Newport than the short Vine store.

 

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2016/12/02/kroger-shutter-walnut-hills-store/94803062/

 

Hoping the city and WHRF have big plans for that site.

Dang that's tough.  But that is a lot of money they were losing at that store if true.  They need to repopulate that area and figure something out for the immediate area but it may take awhile to get a grocer back in there.

The brand new Kroger is a mile away.  There really isn't a need for both of them especially when the Walnut Hills one has been losing money for two decades. 

The silver lining to this is that it opens up a huge potential redevelopment site next to the Paramount Square rehab.

It hasn't exactly been a well-kept secret that Kroger planned to close the WH store when the new Corryville one opened. John is exactly right about there being a silver lining. We can get rid of the hideous blank wall on McMillan Street and replace it with something that actually interacts with the street.

Agreed, the blank side wall of the Kroger harms the restoration potential of the buildings across the street, which is perhaps the best block of commercial buildings in the whole neighborhood. 

The silence of the city and the array of non-profit development groups is deafening.  So in worst-case scenario, this was all a setup for Vandercaar or Ndukwe or Towne or whoever to usher in a yuppie tsunami, at the expense of long-time renters who were paid all this lip service over the past 5-10 years.   

Sucks for the residents who don't have cars.

 

That said this should be seen as good development news imo.  A project like thr gantry in North side with ground floor retail and upstairs  apartments will be jist what that block needs. 

 

I also believe that mini mom and pop markets and grocers would fit right in with the absence  of kroger. 

 

Sucks for the residents of that area,  but long term wise it opens a critical block begging for high density development.

I would love for the residents sake a new, big mixed-use development with an Aldi's or Fareway on the ground level.  That said, who knows if it will be financially feasible, need to add more residents there.  With all of this said, I bet it will take a long time for something to happen there, though I could be wrong and like Jake said, the non-profit whispers could have been cooking something up with developers for awhile there.

More on this...

 

Kroger closing Cincinnati store

 

 

Kroger Co. is closing its Walnut Hills store.

 

The downtown-based grocery giant is closing the store, located at 954 E. McMillan St., when its new University Plaza Kroger opens in Corryville in March 2017. Kroger (NYSE: KR) said the Walnut Hills store has lost significant profits for more than 25 years and has been profitable only one year since 1991.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/12/02/kroger-closing-cincinnati-store.html

My guess is whatever redevelopment happens would be something like this on Short Vine:  https://goo.gl/maps/ySaDMZ3qxi32  It's a large block; you could fill in all the street walls on McMillan, Kemper, and Gilbert with pretty deep buildings and still have a lot of room in the middle for parking. 

Closing Kroger's Walnut Hills store was long known - yet people are still outraged (in the Facebook comments about it). While there is understandably concerns about the area becoming a food desert, it's a private company that is bleeding money on that store. With deflation in food prices strapping the budgets of Kroger and other grocers, this was a no-brainer decision.

 

In related news, Houston has tried to give $3 million in subsidies to any grocer to operate in its food deserts with no success.

 

Could this be marketed to a place like Aldi or Bottom Foods (I think that was the company that operated in Youngstown?).

The new people that move in will probably eat out every meal.

I saw some Facebook commenter say that a Whole Foods could move in. While doubt that would actually happen, that would be the ultimate way for WF to troll Kroger.

^I've heard that Kroger tends to intentionally make it difficult for competing groceries to occupy old Kroger stores. At least that's the story for the old College Hill Kroger, which was vacant for 20 years or more despite being a marketable property. The last thing you want to do is aid your competition.

They like to tear them down or wait a really long time to lease them. When they do lease, they go to a hardware store or general merchandiser.

^I've heard that Kroger tends to intentionally make it difficult for competing groceries to occupy old Kroger stores. At least that's the story for the old College Hill Kroger, which was vacant for 20 years or more despite being a marketable property. The last thing you want to do is aid your competition.

 

Kroger won't have a choice with this one:

 

Kroger does not own the building or property at 954 E. McMillan St.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/12/02/kroger-closing-cincinnati-store.html

^Ownership does not necessarily matter. Some big box retailers will lease former stores for a decade or more to keep  competitors out. I can think of a couple examples where Walmart exercised their lease extension options years after they had relocated.

Paying rent on an empty space sucks, but sometimes you lose less money than by staying open. Or you do it for other strategic reasons such as stopping competitors. Giant Eagle actually bought an old store that they were previously renting *after* they shut it down.

realistically, I don't think any grocery store is chomping at the bit to open a grocery store in Walnut Hills. I don't see them continuing their lease to hold anyone out.

Dirt is finally being moved for DeSales Flats Phase 2.  The site is fenced off and prep is underway but it does not appear that any foundation work has begun.  This project will be 90~ units, most of them 1-bedroom units. 

 

Nearby the short protestant church is being demo'd for houses/condos on the south side of Madison at Hackberry or Cleinview. 

TriHealth move a boon for Baldwin complex, Walnut Hills

 

 

TriHealth’s move to Baldwin 200 could serve as a catalyst for other activity both on the Baldwin campus and in the Walnut Hills neighborhood.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/12/29/trihealth-move-a-boon-for-baldwin-complex-walnut.html

Prime Walnut Hills property hits the market

 

 

A prime development site in Walnut Hills is being marketed for sale.

 

Urban Fast Forward, a consulting and real estate firm specializing in urban real estate, development and retail district revitalization, is listing more than 1.7 acres of properties at the intersection of Gilbert and Lincoln avenues. Kathleen Norris, managing principal of Urban Fast Forward, is marketing the site as a development opportunity at a list price of $1.65 million.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/01/11/exclusive-prime-walnut-hills-property-hits-the.html

^Those have been boarded up for several months.  Sadly it's a pretty significant loss to the Gilbert Ave. street wall, since there is hardly anything resembling a street wall. 

That block is bizarre because at some point somebody put on a "storefront addition" that connects three buildings. I wonder what era that addition was constructed. It's hard to imagine today that at some point there was enough demand for street level retail on that block to justify the awkward additions.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1325898,-84.488012,3a,75y,73.55h,90.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1ODWpkE40KtXffBDSRhqwQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

All of the small storefronts along Lincoln, right at Gilbert, are also boarded up.  The similar storefronts that were built around by Suzy Wong Phase 1 have never been occupied.  Ten years have gone by since that complex went up and the only change was the rainbow-colored plywood mural. 

 

If it weren't for the Harriet Beecher Stowe House holding down the corner of MLK & Gilbert, this entire area would be doomed to more auto-oriented sprawl-type stuff.  Look for Gilbert to take on the charming character of MLK between Reading and Highland. 

In the Jan 20 Planning Commission Packet, on page 36 there's a proposal for Model Group to buy the property at 939 E McMillan (former Dollar City). It would be assembled with two other adjacent properties (to the east) to form ~150 ft of street frontage along McMillan. The first floor would have retail and a daycare. The upper floors (not sure how many) would have affordable housing. The project is contingent on Model Group receiving LIHTC or some other form of gap financing. 

 

http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/planning/about-city-planning/city-planning-commission/jan-20-2017-packet/

 

 

New housing planned for Walnut Hills

 

 

Cincinnati Union Bethel, the Model Group and Christ Church Cathedral plan to build dozens of brand-new apartments at a defunct Dollar Store site in growing Walnut Hills to house single parents pursuing post-secondary education similar to a project in Northern Kentucky.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/01/24/ew-housing-planned-for-walnut-hills.html

New windows are going into Old Baldwin, and they look great. They seem to match the renderings pretty closely, with an operable casement window.

 

So much of an improvement over the existing 80's-era plate glass, non-operable windows.

I noticed it on my drive down last weekend. It looks really great and I'm happy to see windows that open.

Had I not known, I would've guessed the building originally had fairly normal looking double-hung windows.  I guess because of its industrial nature the steel awning windows were a bit more appropriate/functional.

 

http://www.thebaldwin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/baldwin_bw.jpg

Cool old photo! Thanks for sharing.

Windsor School is almost finished.  Has a "now leasing" sign hanging out front and the parking lot is nearing completion. 

 

 

Rezoning could dictate what development comes near MLK interchange

Mar 3, 2017, 12:04pm EST

Chris Wetterich

Staff reporter and columnist

Cincinnati Business Courier

 

Aiming to protect parts of five blocks of Walnut Hills from fast-food drive-thrus and large commercial development in the wake of the Interstate 71/Martin Luther King Jr. Drive interchange, the Cincinnati Planning Commission voted to rezone the area on Friday.

 

The area bordered by Beecher Street and Foraker Avenue on the north, Monfort Street and Seminary Place on the east, Yale Avenue and Oak Street on the south, and Lincoln Place and Banning Alley on the west would see its zoning changed from commercial community-auto to commercial community-pedestrian if the Cincinnati City Council approves the change. The area is to the south of the new interchange, which is set to open later this year, and contains nine vacant parcels.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/03/03/rezoning-could-dictate-what-development-comes-near.html