Getting all these players on board would be a quite a challenge. Throw in 3 community councils, nonprofits, developers, etc and you'll have enough entertaining meetings for a lifetime.  It's definetly a unique area due to the significant amount of daytime courthouse parking and future nighttime resident parking. There's definelty been an increase of courthouse workers parking in prospect hill since pendelton went to a resident permit.  Time to look at adding a basement garage I guess.

A lot is probably in the air right now, especially before they go through historic reviews to be eligible for historic tax credits. The interior rehab will likely be heavily impacted by this review.

Theatres are revenue generating [i[if[/i] they have a valid business model and good programming. Which the SCPA does not have. And with The Emery around the corner and what they will be doing at the old Greg's Antiques building, the area seems to be tapped out on theatres... unless it could be a movie theatre?

 

What's the plan for Greg's Antiques building? Very interesting space. I went to their closeout sales.

 

I heard awhile back that there were plans for some sort of live music venue there. This was awhile ago and I don't know if that's the current direction the space is headed, but it would certainly be a good fit.

Also, this meeting was not required. He came to the community and very openly said, "what do you want". He was very straighforward and I think he really does want to do right by the community.

 

I'd like to add that I'm super impressed by both this project and the developer's overall attitude, I hope that everyone can workout a good solution with parking and hopefully having someone as influential as Tarbell involved would help.  Hopefully this will be a model adaptive reuse for other old institutional buildings in Cincinnati that would otherwise be torn down.

I'm not surprised that he wants to have enough parking to give a space per bedroom.  In theory it's great to push for less parking in OTR, but at the current stage, most of the people who are moving to OTR have cars and need to do something with them.  Living in a building in OTR that does not have enough parking for all of the units, I can tell you it is a big deal in both directions; the folks who don't have it have to look for ever-decreasing street parking or pay for monthly passes (and there are not many options in that regard), while the folks that do have it are obviously very thankful.  From a business perspective, it is going to be very helpful to their ability to lease the space if they have ample parking. 

 

 

People need to be realistic here: Cincinnati is still a city in which most people require a car, especially those who can afford paying $800+/mo in rent. If you think the majority of the residents are going to be able to walk, bike, or take transit everyday you are fooling yourself. It is only natural that the developer should shape his project to meet this need. It is simply what the market demands here and if people want to see this project succeed, they need to be flexible to this.

 

I can assure you one of the reasons why The Emery apartments have been consistently full (even with historically higher-than-average rents)is because each resident has a reserved parking spot. I'm sure the developer has looked to this project as it's similar in scope and has been wildly successful (at least on the residential component)

It is amazing how people speculate what a developer should do with a property they just acquired. They have announced it will be converted to residential use.

 

So some want an old gym to be leased out to a fitness center. That is just great for the increased traffic and disturbance to the residents of the building.

 

I don't know how a swimming pool got on the 5th floor but it is obvious to me that will go. The one plan for preserving a running track around a gym for resident's use is commendable but I believe once the engineers/architects get done with their analysis that will disappear also due to noise, effect on unit space, etc.

 

Those huge hallways and staircases in the pictures already tell me they occupy much of the gross space of the building, reducing the net apartment space. I will not be surprised if somewhere they announce tearing out the stairways and installing elevators with a much smaller footprint. There will certainly be a huge cry then about destroying the architecture.

 

But it is up to the developer to determine their best course of action. Sure anyone can contribute ideas and suggestions. A lot depends on how they will market the property, urban living with close proximity to the streetcar no car required, or upscale with lots of amenities. Not enough has been divulged yet to determine.

 

 

 

Not always the case. The community should have a big say here. Too often, developers are more concerned with the bottom line. With this, and many other developments, it's the difference between making a huge profit or making a decent sized profit. When it comes to what the community gets in those 2 scenarios, the differences can be jarring.

 

Who is the community?

It is amazing how people speculate what a developer should do with a property they just acquired. They have announced it will be converted to residential use.

 

So some want an old gym to be leased out to a fitness center. That is just great for the increased traffic and disturbance to the residents of the building.

 

I don't know how a swimming pool got on the 5th floor but it is obvious to me that will go. The one plan for preserving a running track around a gym for resident's use is commendable but I believe once the engineers/architects get done with their analysis that will disappear also due to noise, effect on unit space, etc.

 

Those huge hallways and staircases in the pictures already tell me they occupy much of the gross space of the building, reducing the net apartment space. I will not be surprised if somewhere they announce tearing out the stairways and installing elevators with a much smaller footprint. There will certainly be a huge cry then about destroying the architecture.

 

But it is up to the developer to determine their best course of action. Sure anyone can contribute ideas and suggestions. A lot depends on how they will market the property, urban living with close proximity to the streetcar no car required, or upscale with lots of amenities. Not enough has been divulged yet to determine.

 

 

 

Not always the case. The community should have a big say here. Too often, developers are more concerned with the bottom line. With this, and many other developments, it's the difference between making a huge profit or making a decent sized profit. When it comes to what the community gets in those 2 scenarios, the differences can be jarring.

 

Who is the community?

 

?? OTR and Pendleton Residents? Cincinnati Residents? Potential tenants would count, too, I guess.

The teeth-gnashing is expected and understandable but at the end of the day Core owns the entire city block and (fingers crossed) saving the building and filling it with market-rate tenants. Sad to lose the western half of the park but it's hard to imagine or suggest a feasible alternative that provides parking adjacent to the building (not across the street).

 

 

The park isn't used very much.  There aren't very many kids in the area.  Also it's not an "old" park, they tore down a block of row houses to create it in the 1930s.  That's why it doesn't have the huge trees or charm of Washington Park.  Ideally it would be renovated to the level of Washington Park, and perhaps Woodward St. would be restored between Sycamore and Broadway, but we are not losing a park of the level of Washington Park. 

 

 

Just out of curiousity, why aren't said Pendleton residents as concerned about the still-rampant drug sale and use, open alcohol consumption, loitering, and constant litter that plagues the area around Ziegler Park? On my way home from work, I've regularly been stuck behind cars on 13th street trying to complete a, erm "business transaction" in daylight with little regard to the traffic pattern.

 

Mitigating these problems are as important to this project as parking is. People aren't going to want to live across the street from here if people are openly consuming 40 ouncers of malt liquor and blaring hip-hop from their cars on a daily basis.

 

Just my 2cents.

If you'd like to listen to the meeting to hear John Watson in his own words, there is an audio link at the bottom of the OTR Blog's summary:

Summary:

http://www.blogotr.com/otr/summary-of-former-scpa-development-meeting-01092013/

Audio:

http://www.blogotr.com/otr/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/20130109-184002.m4a

Stop fiddling with the microphone!!!

The park isn't used very much.  There aren't very many kids in the area.  Also it's not an "old" park, they tore down a block of row houses to create it in the 1930s.  That's why it doesn't have the huge trees or charm of Washington Park.  Ideally it would be renovated to the level of Washington Park, and perhaps Woodward St. would be restored between Sycamore and Broadway, but we are not losing a park of the level of Washington Park. 

 

 

 

Agreed... I'd rather see Ziegler Park "cleaned up" and extended North to 14th Street, which would make it about 1/4 the size of Washington Park by my estimation.

 

Core could also buy up the parking lot on the south side of SCPA between 12th and 13th.

The park isn't used very much.  There aren't very many kids in the area.  Also it's not an "old" park, they tore down a block of row houses to create it in the 1930s.  That's why it doesn't have the huge trees or charm of Washington Park.  Ideally it would be renovated to the level of Washington Park, and perhaps Woodward St. would be restored between Sycamore and Broadway, but we are not losing a park of the level of Washington Park. 

 

 

 

Agreed... I'd rather see Ziegler Park "cleaned up" and extended North to 14th Street, which would make it about 1/4 the size of Washington Park by my estimation.

 

Core could also buy up the parking lot on the south side of SCPA between 12th and 13th.

 

Well, with some 200 or so people to move in immediately next door, I'm guessing the park would get utilized a lot more. Plus, the potential is far greater here than Ziegler for events, etc. The space can be Pendleton's smaller version of Wash. Park.

The design or lack thereof of this park space is one reason why it isn't used much.  Sort of like how Burnett Woods is way underused because it's woods and it doesn't meet any of its surrounding streets at grade.  Washington Park is popular in part because it is level.  This park is on a slight slope toward the edges and doesn't meet surrounding streets in such a way as to suggest it is a public park.  Also because Woodward St. was taken out along the school's north edge it always appears to be the school's land, not public land. 

 

If Woodward St. were restored and some sort of clear distinction made between the parking lot and what remains of the park it will be more recognized as public space.  But since we're hearing that the part that remains will face toward Broadway and away from Sycamore, which is the busier street, I'm not too optimistic. 

He did bring two examples that were mirror images of eachother. So the park could be on Broadway or Sycamore based on the current designs. Public input could probably encourage him to put the park facing Sycamore.

His intent seemed to be to put it on sycamore to preserve the neighborhood feel on Broadway.

 

Also, it's crazy to tell him, you need to buy more land even though you already bought enough.

 

Also, I just realized this and Mercer Commons apartments (which are 120 apartments) will be coming online in the same summer (290 apartments opening in the same summer). Are people actually moving into the city for these developments, or just being shifted from HP Oakley & Mt Adams to OTR?  What do people think? What can the city do to make sure it's a net gain & not just a shuffle. If people are moving from HP to OTR, what are some ways the city could get suburbanites to back fill Oakley & HP, etc. in greater numbers or get property owners to clean up older Oakley apartments etc.?

I'd imagine there are several people moving to OTR and downtown from those neighborhoods, but from what I've seen when talking to people who live there, many have moved there right out of college and from different regions. Obviously we won't know everything for sure in terms of net gains/losses until the next census, but it would appear that all the neighborhoods you've mentioned are also prospering in their own way which would suggest it's more than just people shifting around.

It is amazing how people speculate what a developer should do with a property they just acquired. They have announced it will be converted to residential use.

 

So some want an old gym to be leased out to a fitness center. That is just great for the increased traffic and disturbance to the residents of the building.

 

I don't know how a swimming pool got on the 5th floor but it is obvious to me that will go. The one plan for preserving a running track around a gym for resident's use is commendable but I believe once the engineers/architects get done with their analysis that will disappear also due to noise, effect on unit space, etc.

 

Those huge hallways and staircases in the pictures already tell me they occupy much of the gross space of the building, reducing the net apartment space. I will not be surprised if somewhere they announce tearing out the stairways and installing elevators with a much smaller footprint. There will certainly be a huge cry then about destroying the architecture.

 

But it is up to the developer to determine their best course of action. Sure anyone can contribute ideas and suggestions. A lot depends on how they will market the property, urban living with close proximity to the streetcar no car required, or upscale with lots of amenities. Not enough has been divulged yet to determine.

 

My Lord. God forbid anyone would be allowed to exchange ideas without someone coming along and telling us to quit thinking outside the box and get back in line.

 

The developer is working with the community on this project to a degree, especially on the parking situation. It seems that roughly half of an adjacent park/green space will be converted to parking.

 

And obviously you have no clue on how a redevelopment of this type can occur while preserving the existing architecture. Thank God the developer that purchased the property is expert in these matters. All you can envision is gutting the place and starting over. Egads.

I'd imagine there are several people moving to OTR and downtown from those neighborhoods, but from what I've seen when talking to people who live there, many have moved there right out of college and from different regions. Obviously we won't know everything for sure in terms of net gains/losses until the next census, but it would appear that all the neighborhoods you've mentioned are also prospering in their own way which would suggest it's more than just people shifting around.

 

There might be people moving to OTR from Hyde Park or Mt. Adams.  However, there might also be people moving to Mt. Adams from Loveland, or Hyde Park from West Chester. So it could still be a net positive for the city.

Looks like it is going to be an AC Hotel, the first of its kind in the US:

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2013/11/18/ac-hotel-by-marriott-coming-to-former.html

 

Great news! I'm still curious to see where the hotel's parking will be located. Maybe they can buy some of the lots on the south side of the building at build a garage there. Or, they could do a land swap -- build a new garage where Ziegler Park is located, and give the city the former SCPA playground to develop into a nice park.

Is there two different models for an AC hotel? One suburban , one urban?

So in the Crosley Building thread it was mentioned that the hotel deal has fallen through for this project and it will indeed end up being apartments. Is this accurate? And if so is there any recent information out there about the residential version of the project?

I haven't seen any articles yet - I live right behind it and follow progress through neighborhood meetings. They will be presenting their plan tonight in our meeting. They already have put stakes in the ground on the green space to show how much of it they plan to use for a 2 level parking system off of Sycamore (the developer refuses to have residents walk across the street from the city lot already there). The hotel developer had until January or February to come up with the money to purchase, but did not. CORE decided not to give him anymore time - I believe this is why the AC Hotel in Liberty Township was announced.

They already have put stakes in the ground on the green space to show how much of it they plan to use for a 2 level parking system off of Sycamore (the developer refuses to have residents walk across the street from the city lot already there).

 

F that. Wait until a developer wants to do right by the building & land.

I haven't seen any articles yet - I live right behind it and follow progress through neighborhood meetings. They will be presenting their plan tonight in our meeting. They already have put stakes in the ground on the green space to show how much of it they plan to use for a 2 level parking system off of Sycamore (the developer refuses to have residents walk across the street from the city lot already there). The hotel developer had until January or February to come up with the money to purchase, but did not. CORE decided not to give him anymore time - I believe this is why the AC Hotel in Liberty Township was announced.

 

The hotel was never going to happen. I had been saying for months it was a scam- the guy putting it together was a bit looney. He was promising to program the theater every weekend? No way. He said there'd be a 24 hour fitness and a Hard Rock Cafe, plus he said he'd fix and use the two pools in the 5th floor that haven't had water in them since the 1960's.

 

I hope Pendleton residents realize they have a great opportunity with this apartment building. The city parking lot  behind Main Street is way too small and way too full for apartment residents. 160 apartments? That lot is only about 160 spaces and is probably 80%-90% full on week days.

 

The lots to the south are privately owned.

 

A lot of residents dont realize, that entire field was a black asphalt parking lot until the 1970's. before the asphalt it was once a city block that was demolished. It's a piece of privately owned land, having only 1/3 of it disappear so that the building can be fully rehabbed and filled is worth the loss of some green space. Also, Ziegler Park is going to receive a great multi million dollar renovation including a small expansion adding more green space.

 

Pendleton would be wise to accept the loss of a small section of that field to ensure a great asset is renovated.

They already have put stakes in the ground on the green space to show how much of it they plan to use for a 2 level parking system off of Sycamore (the developer refuses to have residents walk across the street from the city lot already there).

 

F that. Wait until a developer wants to do right by the building & land.

 

Wrong. That building and lawn are his private property. He bought it- anyone could have bought it but no one will. Hell- he was THE ONLY BIDDER AND PAID ONLY $1.3 million for the whole thing. That shows how 95% of developers didn't even want the building and field for that cheap price. The parking lots across the street costs more than that.

 

Some people don't realize that guy is a savior to a crumbling building. Has anyone looked at it lately? It's in horrible shape- some Pendleton residents  would rather have it sit empty for 10 years than to lose a small portion of a field that isn't historic, and that they don't own.

^ Couldn't the city lot have a garage built on it?

 

Pendleton would be wise to accept the loss of a small section of that field to ensure a great asset is renovated.

 

Couldn't agree with you more - it would be nice if an agreement to build a garage on one of the many parking lots, including the privately owned Levine lots, but there is just too much money to be made off of them for the owner to even consider a sale that would be for a feasible dollar amount. The city definitely doesn't have money for a garage across the street - they are stretching to even redo the seventh st garage.

 

Unfortunately several property owners are seemingly against any use of the green space for parking. It gets maddening arguing with them at meetings - I know the owner of CORE has had his fill and wants to move, but has to compromise in order to get community support for the zoning change.

The park space north of SCPA was a typical OTR block until it was purchased by the city or park board and torn down in the 1930s.  There was a movement across the nation to do this sort of thing because kids had recently been kicked off city streets by new laws concocted by the auto industry. 

 

I'm not a fan of parks and green spaces in cities that are mostly empty like ours.  Most city parks around Cincinnati see virtually no use since people are inside watching TV all the time.  Go for a hike in Caldwell Park or Laboiteaux Woods or Mt. Airy Forest and you virtually have the place to yourself. 

The park space north of SCPA was a typical OTR block until it was purchased by the city or park board and torn down in the 1930s.  There was a movement across the nation to do this sort of thing because kids had recently been kicked off city streets by new laws concocted by the auto industry. 

 

I'm not a fan of parks and green spaces in cities that are mostly empty like ours.  Most city parks around Cincinnati see virtually no use since people are inside watching TV all the time.  Go for a hike in Caldwell Park or Laboiteaux Woods or Mt. Airy Forest and you virtually have the place to yourself. 

 

Again, the best case scenario would be a land swap where the grassy lot north of SCPA could be developed as a great new park. Meanwhile, Ziegler Park and the surface lot next to it could be redeveloped with a parking garage and retail/residential.

 

Pendleton would be wise to accept the loss of a small section of that field to ensure a great asset is renovated.

 

The city definitely doesn't have money for a garage across the street - they are stretching to even redo the seventh st garage.

 

So make a deal w/ the developer to build a garage there. They already want to build a garage anyway.

 

The park space north of SCPA was a typical OTR block until it was purchased by the city or park board and torn down in the 1930s.  There was a movement across the nation to do this sort of thing because kids had recently been kicked off city streets by new laws concocted by the auto industry. 

 

I'm not a fan of parks and green spaces in cities that are mostly empty like ours.  Most city parks around Cincinnati see virtually no use since people are inside watching TV all the time.  Go for a hike in Caldwell Park or Laboiteaux Woods or Mt. Airy Forest and you virtually have the place to yourself. 

 

Wouldn't bother me if they wanted to rebuild the block as buildings, but slapping a garage on the space next to a nice historic building is no good.

 

Pendleton would be wise to accept the loss of a small section of that field to ensure a great asset is renovated.

 

The city definitely doesn't have money for a garage across the street - they are stretching to even redo the seventh st garage.

 

So make a deal w/ the developer to build a garage there. They already want to build a garage anyway.

 

 

If you spent $1.3 million on a building & lot, and were going to invest another $20-30 million rehabbing it, why would you then take your money to build a public garage on city land that you wouldn't have 100% control over? Or if you did have 100% control over, you realize Merchants of Main and every other Main Street business would be furious. There's no indication the city is gonna build a garage or give him the land to build his own garage. Sadly, we almost all still have cars... And those same Pendleton residents against the field having parking would be FURIOUS if 160 cars started parking on 14th & Broadway.

I guess Tom must follow this forum pretty actively...

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/05/05/ac-hotel-by-marriott-not-coming-to-former-scpa.html

 

 

 

Pendleton would be wise to accept the loss of a small section of that field to ensure a great asset is renovated.

 

The city definitely doesn't have money for a garage across the street - they are stretching to even redo the seventh st garage.

 

So make a deal w/ the developer to build a garage there. They already want to build a garage anyway.

 

 

If you spent $1.3 million on a building & lot, and were going to invest another $20-30 million rehabbing it, why would you then take your money to build a public garage on city land that you wouldn't have 100% control over? Or if you did have 100% control over, you realize Merchants of Main and every other Main Street business would be furious. There's no indication the city is gonna build a garage or give him the land to build his own garage. Sadly, we almost all still have cars... And those same Pendleton residents against the field having parking would be FURIOUS if 160 cars started parking on 14th & Broadway.

 

There would be multiple ways to work out a deal, transferring ownership being one. The lot could be transferred w/ the stipulation that X number of spots be publicly available.

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/print-edition/2013/03/08/two-plans-for-scpas-renovation-in-the.html

 

Here is the original apartment concept.  155 units ranging from 550 to 1600 sq feet. 

I live maybe 100 feet max from the building. The greenspace is woefully underutilized unless you are looking to drink out of paper bags and strew trash around. No ifs and or buts, unless you mean cigarette butts, of which there are plenty.

 

While I can sympathize, to an extent, with residents who get a grassy football field as essentially their free front yard, the fact is that is not theirs and never has been. Planting and pruning rose bushes is nice, but it doesn't confer clean title.  The fact that a handful of residents will no longer have an unimpeded expanse of green space in which to allow their high strung canines to roam freely is a small price to pay in order to save an amazing albeit vacant and deteriorating building.  And let's not forget--there will still be green space. And it will be improved, as opposed to a rusty basketball rim sitting in stagnant water, and crumbling asphalt paths leading nowhere.

 

At the last meeting with Core, there were a few vocal opponents who vowed that "not one inch" of green space would be given up!

 

The Core folks left the meeting with no interest in that hornet's nest, and gave the Hotel developers an option. Now that that has expired, we are back to the drawing board, with only the passage of time (and deterioration). Let's not make the same mistake.

Can the owners develop the land now or in the future?  Seems like there is plenty of land there to do a block of apartments surrounding a parking garage like Mercer Commons. 

Can the owners develop the land now or in the future?  Seems like there is plenty of land there to do a block of apartments surrounding a parking garage like Mercer Commons. 

 

At the very least, the garage should be positioned so it can be hidden in this way in the future.

Does anybody have information from last night's Pendleton Community Council meeting? Wasn't there supposed to be a presentation on the apartment project?

Does anybody have information from last night's Pendleton Community Council meeting? Wasn't there supposed to be a presentation on the apartment project?

 

Aiming for 150ish units 650-1500 sq ft efficiency/1&2bdrms with rent around $1 psf. Filing for a tax abatement with the city to fund building a 2 tier parking structure with an entrance from Sycamore on the bottom and Broadway or 13th to the top (no ramps to keep cost down). This plan also requires selling the remaining ~1.9 acres of green space to city/park board for appraisal value of $560k. There was contention on # of spots - currently would be 205, but would be willing to reduce with code variance agreement by city. If tax abatement and sale of green space do not occur there would be a surface lot and ~1.2 acres of green space remaining.

 

Amenities include rooftop deck, patio, full gym (no pools), bike storage, meeting rooms. Current gym will be divided into 2 level lofts. Theater will be sectioned off to try for an agreement for lease (currently talking to Shakespeare company), but would be divided into apartments if no agreement. Library will be one unit with bookshelves left intact.

 

Motion was made to vote for support letter, but then the typical 4 or 5 individuals always slowing progress motioned to table the vote. Vote will now be next month.

I was there last night.  Didn't snap a picture of the proposal but should have.  He takes away .44 acres of the 2.3 acre green space for a two level parking garage.  It's a great plan, but a few crazy people prevented a vote in support of the concept. 

 

The rents they announced were very reasonable. I actually think they are under pricing compared to what people are paying in OTR nowadays.  basically just about $1.10 per square foot.

 

Core also proposed:

Putting a deed restriction on the green space preserving it as green space forever (some in the community STILL weren't even happy about that- they wanted it to be entirely given away for free to the park board)

Selling it to the City for the City's appraised value of $500k

Putting in a $50K matching grant for maintenance or upgrades to the green space.

Planting 4 trees for every 1 large tree they tear down and 2 trees for every small tree they tear down as part of building the parking deck.

Rehabbing the building to Dept of Interior Historic landmark standards.

$1 per square foot per month (or even $1.15) is low for a newly remodeled apartment.  That's generally a good ballpark figure for a nice apartment in the city, regardless of size.  Think a well-kept old building, a freshly updated box from the 1960s or 70s, or even a really cheap newer apartment.  The devil is in the details of course, like what utilities are included, parking, etc. but for that kind of money I'd expect to see no utilities included, old windows simply repainted, and pretty cheap and bare-bones kitchen and bathrooms. 

They showed photos of their other properties.  I would consider it, nice quality- not the excellent finishes in new OTR development and not the condo quality apartments some people are building, but still nice and much better than the American Can building, which has pretty crappy finishes.  Maybe a bit nicer than the Emery finishes. Also, he made it clear parking would cost extra but didn't say how much.  I think as they get closer to leasing they may raise the price per square foot to around $1.25-$1.30. 

Auction planned at former SCPA, paving way for new apts

Bowdeya Tweh 12:17 p.m. EDT May 29, 2014

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2014/05/29/scpa-apartment-plans/9713445/

 

Construction crews have started to clear out the former Cincinnati performing arts school in Pendleton in preparation for a big auction of items inside.

 

The June 8 auction is part of a larger plan the building's owner has to redevelop the property that most recently housed the School for Creative and Performing Arts into apartments.

 

Indianapolis-based Core Redevelopment is working with Hilton Auctioneers to sell off items that include restaurant equipment, lockers, cabinets, furniture and other items. The June 8 auction begins at 10 a.m. at the 1310 Sycamore St. building.

 

Here's a link to the auction items: http://www.auctionzip.com/cgi-bin/photopanel.cgi?listingid=2124074&category=0&zip=&kwd=

Just walked the dog over there this morning.  I haven't seen the renderings of the parking structure yet, but it just seems like such a damn shame to lose any green space, or any trees,  to accommodate a parking structure when the ugliest parking lots in the city sit just across 13th Street directly opposite the building.  Those lots are strewn with broken glass, surrounded by warped chain link fence topped with rusty barbed wire, and form a gaping parking crater in the surrounding streetscape.  Disgusting.  I'm sure the new residents of the SCPA building when it's done won't appreciate looking out the window at them either. 

 

It looks like this was discussed up thread, but I wish they would build a parking structure on those lots.  Could the developer partner with the city and maybe the casino on that?  Could they team up with the Model Group doing the Broadway Square redevelopment directly in between the casino and the SCPA?  I think I heard safety cited as a reason for wanting an on-site garage.  How about installing cameras and hiring a security guard?  (I wonder how many units would you need to justify an expenditure like that?)  It just stinks to have to make compromises like this when it seems like there are alternatives.

Those lots make so much money. Last thing I heard is the owner wanted $1 million. Remember, the developer bought the SCPA & the entire field for $3 million. It's a bit sad to loose, but he's using less than 1/3 of the field for parking. Casino doesn't feel they need to build more parking, I doubt they'd partner.

Yes I know that the current plan is the most immediately feasible option and the developer is to be commended by taking on such a large project already and those lots are moneymakers... but.  You have to figure those lots will be developed into something eventually and that something will also require parking.  Just daydreaming but it would be nice to put in all the parking the area will need on those lots now.  Maybe you could throw a few floors of open plan office space on top, as more and more businesses are seeking the OTR name cache (Although I guess that location is technically Pendleton.) 

It's not really an alternative when you don't own the properties.  IMO, there are lots of parks around downtown and OTR.  Would love to see surface lots developed into parking, but in my view it's density, not green space, that makes OTR such a great place.  Here's hoping they get a workable plan in place and moving along!