February 23, 200718 yr Author From Northeast Suburban Life, 2/20/07: Montgomery planning commission OKs Twin Lakes site plan MONTGOMERY - Residents of the Forestglen neighborhood can still stop plans for expansion of Twin Lakes, but their task is a little more difficult. After months of deliberation, Montgomery Planning Commission Monday unanimously approved the final site plans for the senior-living organization's proposed 2.6-acre development, temporarily deemed as the '"Garden Homes." Twin Lakes wants to build 13 homes between Hopewell and Schoolhouse roads. The plans have been before the commission since July. MORE: http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/C2/20070220/NEWS01/702200314/ From the 2/22/07 Alexandria Recorder: Premium homes proposed for Alexandria BY CHRIS MAYHEW | COMMUNITY RECORDER STAFF WRITER ALEXANDRIA - A group of developers is planning to create a 34-lot subdivision near Main Street in Alexandria where custom homes could be built with prices starting around $300,000. "We're thinking the low end is going to be about $300,000 based on the square footage," said Jim Doepker II, one of three co-owners of Fort Thomas Partners, which has proposed the plan. The subdivision would access Main Street by extending Jefferson Street southward. A portion of Jefferson Street would be rerouted to the east, away from St. Mary School's gym. The preliminary site plan was unanimously approved Tuesday, Feb. 20 by the Alexandria Planning and Zoning Commission. The site for the new subdivision was chosen because it has direct access to the center of town, and multiple schools are nearby, Doepker said. "We felt like there was a need for this type of development in this area," he said. MORE: http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070222/NEWS01/702220313/1002/RSS01
February 26, 200718 yr Author From the 2/19/07 Enquirer: Winton Road improvements may open way to redevelopment BY JANE PRENDERGAST | [email protected] SPRINGFIELD TWP. - Busy, tired Winton Road will start getting a more than $9 million spruce-up as soon as the weather warms a little. While the Hamilton County Engineer's Office oversees the widening project, the township's throwing in some extra dressing in new lighting and colored, stamped sidewalks. Officials hope aesthetic improvements along their repaved and widened main drag will help boost the township's image and attract new development. Some new life already has appeared in the last year or so - a Panera Bread, the new Kroger across the street in the renovated Brentwood Plaza shopping center and Cincinnati Financial Corp.'s purchase of the former Kroger for an off-site, backup data center. The store had been empty since 2005. A Chipotle and Walgreens are in the works now. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070219/NEWS01/702190396/ From the 2/23/07 Oxford Press: Municipal Building: City turns gaze back to 'Pedro's site' and others By Sean Strader Staff Writer Friday, February 23, 2007 Several years after first looking at the former "Pedro's property" as a promising site for its new municipal building, Oxford City Council returned its gaze to the 44 E. Park Place lots Uptown as the prime location. Council instructed city staff to contact the property owner and begin discussions about acquiring the property, which could lead to a multi-story building for city offices, including police and court facilities. However, council and city staff acknowledged several hurdles, including the fact that the owner is in the midst of planning to construct a new building on the site. City Manager Jane Howington said that the Pedro's site would be one of the costliest options available, estimated by city staff to be in the range of $13.8 million for the entire project. MORE: http://www.oxfordpress.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/02/21/op022307municipal.html
February 26, 200718 yr Despite the HAPC's judgment, several members of council indicated Tuesday that they would be in favor of razing the current municipal building... Why appoint the committee if you arn't going to respect their decisions? If this was anyone but the city, HAPC's decision would be final.
February 26, 200718 yr Author Round-up: City of Cincinnati LOWER PRICE HILL 2144 W Eighth St, which is condemned, has been recommended for barricade. PRICE HILL Donor gives $2M to Elder Cincinnati Enquirer, 2/23/07 Elder High School has received a $2 million cash donation, half of which will be used to help complete the Panther Athletic Complex. Principal Tom Otten made the announcement this week to the school's faculty and staff. The donation was given by an anonymous family to the all-boys Catholic high school. "The gift was designated to support two essential needs that were identified in the school's recently completed planning process - Elder's Passport to a Secure Future," Otten said in a statement. "Representatives of the family had been in touch with us since last fall inquiring about our needs." One million dollars will go to the Faculty Enrichment Fund, which provides professional development and supplements the diocesan-provided retirement plan. SOUTH CUMMINSVILLE 1760 Powers St, which I mentioned in May 2006, may be going into pre-prosecution. Parts of the house are now collapsing. I really don't see a future for this house--it was purchased for $5,000 and not a thing has been done with it since. Round-up: Metro ALEXANDRIA New drugstore in works off Viewpoint Alexandria Recorder, 2/22/07 A developer's plan to build a Walgreens pharmacy and store at the intersection of U.S. 27 and the southern entrance to Viewpoint Drive was approved by the Alexandria Planning and Zoning Commission by a 4-2 vote Tuesday, Feb. 20. The commission's vote excluded any approval for a request for sign variances and a parking setback variance. The store would be 14,820 square feet with a drive-up pharmacy window, and be built on about 1.8 acres of land adjacent to U.S. 27. Commission members Susi Thomas and Diane Taylor voted against the development plan. Taylor said she was not comfortable with a secondary direct right turn only entrance and exit from the store's parking lot to U.S. 27. ALEXANDRIA Gas station developer back with revised plan Alexandria Recorder, 2/21/07 Six months after Alexandria City Council turned down a plan to build a gas station at Poplar Ridge Road and U.S. 27, the developer is back with a modified plan. Three members of Alexandria City Council voiced their concerns at a Tuesday, Feb. 20 Alexandria Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing that a revised plan to build a Speedway convenience store and gas station would congest traffic at the intersection. Council voted down a site plan that included two direct entrances from the proposed station onto U.S. 27 in August 2006. The modified plan included only one direct entrance onto U.S. 27, and a proposal to widen Poplar Ridge Road where it borders the station's property, including wider turning radiuses from U.S. 27 onto Poplar Ridge. ANDERSON TWP A public hearing on the Clough Pike Business District Redevelopment Plan on February 26, 2007, before the Anderson Township Zoning Commission. The commission will provide recommendations to the township trustees for their review. The Township Trustees will then hold a later public hearing. The date for that hearing has not been announced. BLUE ASH Blue Ash approves rec center contract Cincinnati Enquirer, 2/23/07 City Council is moving forward with plans for a major expansion of the Blue Ash Recreation Center to start late this year. On Thursday, Council approved a construction management contract with Schumacher Dugan Construction Inc. of West Chester. The contract will pay up to $20,300 a month during construction, which is expected to take about a year. The expansion is one of several projects, including the purchase of the Blue Ash Airport site for a park, that council promised voters if they approved an increase in the city's earnings tax last fall. The approximately 130-acre airport park is to break ground in a couple of years. The 0.25-percentage point earnings tax increase to 1.25 percent went into effect in January. It will generate an additional $5 million a year. Cincinnati Enquirer: Blue Ash rec center on agenda (2/22/07) COLD SPRING Cold Spring library throws reopening celebration Campbell Community Recorder, 2/23/07 The Cold Spring Branch of the Campbell County Public Library is throwing a reopening party from 1-5 p.m. Sunday, March 4. "It really is just a celebration," said Dave Anderson, the branch's director. The branch has been closed for renovation since the Thanksgiving weekend. It will open to the public Monday, Feb. 26. The hope is the grand opening will attract people who may not know what the library offers, or bring back people who haven't been there for a while, Anderson said. Several changes have been made at the Cold Spring Branch in the last year, included adding Sunday operating hours. DAYTON Metal firm moving to city Cincinnati Enquirer, 2/19/07 Tax incentives and possible property acquisitions may help Dayton foster more industrial growth. An incentive package including additional off-street parking and payroll tax breaks enticed Metal Solutions to move from Florence to Dayton and bring its 25 employees. The metal fabricator will open at Second Avenue and Main Street in the next two months and has plans to add at least 15 employees in the next two or three years. The city has talked with property owners along Third Avenue near Kenton Street about acquiring seven properties to construct a building for another company, said city administrator Dennis Redmond. The goal is to build the tax base as well as the image of Dayton, Redmond said. DEERFIELD TWP Mini-Y to open in Deerfield on May 8 Pulse-Journal, 2/22/07 Warren County residents beware — there are no more excuses for not going to the gym. Deerfield Twp. trustees on Tuesday night approved a change of use request for a YMCA Express on Montgomery Road in the former CVS Pharmacy location. Countryside YMCA Executive Director Mike Carroll the 10,400-square-foot fitness facility will be a "very focused, quick-in-quick-out" workout center. The mini-Y also will offer cardio and strength training, fitness classes, pilates, yoga and other programs. There is space for child care and lockers and a conference room for community group use. The opening date is May 8 and Carroll said membership rates will be revealed and sign up will start March 1. Countryside in Lebanon previously had agreed to operate a community recreation center that would have been built and owned by Deerfield Twp. Township trustees decided against that proposal. DEERFIELD TWP Park to get a little greener Community Press Mason-Deerfield, 2/24/07 Additional landscaping to Cottell Park at Irwin-Simpson and Snider Roads should make Deerfield Township's "crown jewel" greenspace more pleasing to the eye by mid-March. The township is contracting with Natorp's to add new landscape elements to the island, parking areas and entry ways to the park. Project cost is expected to be $14,500. Cottell's main entrance off of Irwin-Simpson Road will get a significant dressing up. The proposal calls for dozens of various plants centered around a sign flanked by two Winter King Hawthorn trees. According to Natorp's, the trees with silver-gray bark will be between 25-35 feet tall when mature. White flowers bloom on its branches in the spring and bright red fruit can last into winter. FORT THOMAS Highlands athletic facilities to be upgraded Fort Thomas Recorder, 2/20/07 Improvements are underway for Highlands High School's athletic facilities. The softball field will soon have dugouts, a new shed and more fencing around the perimeter. The track and soccer facilities will have a new shed to store equipment. A Title 9 evaluation on Wednesday, Jan. 24, pointed out inconsistencies between the baseball and softball fields. Title 9 is a law that prohibits sexual discrimination in education, meaning that everything for men and women, including sports facilities, must be equal. However, according to Athletic Director Dale Mueller, the evaluation is not why the district is moving forward with the improvements. "The renovation isn't something to meet the audit, the plan was in place well before it," Mueller said. INDEPENDENCE Contract awarded for fire station Kentucky Post, 2/22/07 The Independence Fire District on Wednesday awarded the contract for its new fire station on Cox Road to Century Construction of Erlanger for $1,162,000. "We hope to sign the contract this week and get a completion date then," said Independence Fire Chief Richard Messingschlager. "We expect to have it finished by the end of this year." The new fire station No. 2 replaces one that had been on the same site. When it opens in early 2008, it will be staffed 24 hours. Messingschlager said the fire department plans to hire six additional firefighters to staff the station. Architects Robert Ehmet Hayes and Associates, Fort Mitchell, designed the new firehouse, which is the same design as fire station No. 3 on Richardson Road that opened last year. That fire station was built by Ashley Construction. LOVELAND Tech firm moving to downtown Loveland Cincinnati Business Courier, 2/21/07 The small-town feel of downtown Loveland has lured a local technology company away from Mason, the city said Wednesday. HarvestInfo Inc. will move its 42 employees to a building on Karl Brown Way owned by the Loveland Community Firefighters Association, according to a news release. Downtown Loveland's historic district, with its restaurants and proximity to the Little Miami Bike Trail, convinced the company to make the move, CEO Scott Bailey said in the release. "I believe that the relocation of HarvestInfo to downtown Loveland absolutely validates the planned job creation and redevelopment initiatives in our historic district," said Assistant City Manager Jeff Wright in the release. The company, which develops applications for online advertising, shopping, search and directory technologies, is currently located on Courseview Drive in Mason. LOVELAND Loveland releases new rec center report, council approves Loveland Herald, 2/19/07 The final report on Loveland's proposed recreation center is open for review. City council approved the report at its Feb. 13 meeting. "This is a big move for the city," said Vice Mayor Joe Schickel, chairman of the Recreation and Aquatic Center Committee. "We're moving toward a recreation center and I just want to express my excitement and optimism for these steps we've taken." The report, prepared by Brandstetter Carroll Inc., an architecture firm based in Lexington, outlines the plans of how the city will finance and develop the proposed recreation center. The plans could be altered in the coming months, yet they definitely "set a path," City Manager Tom Carroll said. MARIEMONT Sealed bids are being accepted by the Villiage of Mariemont for the proposed new pavilion at the Mariemont Swim Club. Bids are being accepted until March 8, 2007. MILFORD New owners, same values Milford-Miami Advertiser, 2/20/07 That bright pink building at five-points in Milford probably won't be as noticeable soon. Tom Seaman, the new owner of By Golly's, said he plans to paint the building and renovate the inside after the grand reopening March 10. "We have some plans to change the place, but because of zoning issues I can't say how yet," Seaman said. Cathy Hoskins took over the business in 1989 and painted the building pink with palm trees, giving it a Jimmy Buffett theme. "People that lived here for years didn't seem to think it was a restaurant and tavern," said Hoskins, who still works at By Golly's as the kitchen manager. "I thought 'Well, if you paint it pink they'll figure out something.'" SYMMES TWP Sports Club in Symmes Township redefines itself in expansion Cincinnati.com, 2/13/07 In the six years Five Seasons Sports Club has been open in Symmes Township the main features of the club were tennis and the large pools. But since the $1 million renovation was completed in December 2007 the club is creating a new image, said Director of Membership Rebecca McAllister. By quadrupling the amount of fitness equipment and fitness programs and adding a organic cafe and sports bar, the club is now a “high-end sports club,” said McAllister. “Mainly the research we did showed this is what our demographics wanted,” McAllister said. “Membership has started to increase since the expansion.” The club, located at 11790 Snider Road in Symmes Township, is one of seven Five Seasons clubs located in Ohio, Northern Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. It is the first club expanded in the group. TAYLOR MILL Money sought for Taylor Mill sidewalks Cincinnati Enquirer, 2/21/07 City officials here are applying for $1.3 million in grant money for sidewalks to link residents along busy Taylor Mill Road (Ky. 16) with recreational and shopping areas "We want to tie together all the subdivisions along that main thoroughfare," said Taylor Mill Administrator Jill Bailey. "Ultimately, we want to have sidewalks from the southern tip of the city limits all the way north to Remke (Markets). It would be roughly 3.3 miles when it's finished," she said. Last year, Taylor Mill received $150,000 in federal money paid through the state to build sidewalks from the southern point of Pride Park - Taylor Mill's signature park - north to Wolf Road. The design is almost complete, Bailey said, and the city is obtaining easements from property owners along that section of Ky. 16. TERRACE PARK For Terrace Park, tradition trumps new Cincinnati Enquirer, 2/19/07 The Terrace Park Community Building has served a variety of functions since its construction in 1890: church, village council chambers, school, mayor's court, firehouse, dance hall, wedding reception hall and community meeting center. The landmark on Elm Street is near the end of a $400,000 restoration that will enable it to continue as a center of community life for years. A new fire station is being built for $1.3 million on adjacent property that was donated by the late Ellis Rawnsley, a former Terrace Park fire chief and community historian. The Fire Department will move from its cramped quarters in the community building into the new fire station in early April. Village officials rejected the idea of demolishing the community building and replacing it when this $1.7 million project was conceived. "We might have been able to find reasons to tear it down and start from scratch," Councilman Jeff Koreman said. "But we felt there was too much history there. It reflects the attitude and mores of the village."
February 26, 200718 yr Round-up: City of Cincinnati ANDERSON TWP A public hearing on the Clough Pike Business District Redevelopment Plan on February 26, 2007, before the Anderson Township Zoning Commission. The commission will provide recommendations to the township trustees for their review. The Township Trustees will then hold a later public hearing. The date for that hearing has not been announced. I was wondering where this has been, Rando and i would definetely like to know what happens with this...after all , we developed the plan..
February 26, 200718 yr ^ I helped with this too. Does anyone know more about this at all? I would really like to know where/when this is going to happen. EDIT N/M I found it! "The Anderson Township Zoning Commission meets at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26, at the Anderson Township Government Center, 7954 Beechmont Ave. Call 474-5123 or E-mail [email protected] for information." I'll be there.
February 26, 200718 yr This weekend my girlfriend and I were looking at townhouses and came across these. I've seen them being built for a while, but no topic here about them. We stopped in and took a look and they seem extremely nice. Prices start in the high 200's. 2 bedroom, 2 and half bath, with options to add a possible 3rd bedroom and 3rd full bath if you wanted. Quality seems nice and the standard materials are pretty high end, granite, hardwood floors, upgraded carpet, etc are all the default. Good location too, close to downtown, but also far enough away to be affordable. Plus they still qualify for the City of Cincinnati tax abatement (which saves roughly 3700$ a year on these units) http://www.mvresidential.com/reserve/reserveatspindlehill.php Does anyone know much about the builder? This is their first residential project. Previous projects include the rental communities Trellises and The Columns on Wetherington in Northern Kentucky. Both seem like top notch projects, I've not lived in either but I've toured both and they were quite nice (and pretty reasonably priced for the area). The developer lives in Hyde Park and his wife was at the model when we stopped in Saturday. Very friendly and gave us tours of both completed and units mid-construction so we could check out build quality, etc. I'm currently considering joining the ranks of homeowners and leaving the world of renters and this place has me pretty interested. Nice small development as well, total of 24 units, 50% sold right now (about 30-40% of the units are complete).
February 27, 200718 yr I was wondering where this has been, Rando and i would definetely like to know what happens with this...after all , we developed the plan.. Yeah...I've been trying to keep an ear out for this, but it's on the other side of town as me so I don't often get the info I would like. But nonetheless, it should be interesting. I have heard that they have begun implementing aspects of the plan we submitted. First, Clough Pike....then Delhi Pike....next up Glenway Ave (Cincy is straight up getting it nuts rocked off by UC Planners)!!!
March 1, 200718 yr Theater prepares for second act BY JANE PRENDERGAST | [email protected] SHARONVILLE - The old Act One Theater could start looking different as soon as spring now that arts supporters have a financial commitment from the city. Built in 1920, the downtown theater needs major renovations to become the regional performance center envisioned by the Sharonville Fine Arts Council. Supporters have been hoping for years, but now are finishing the details of a contract with the city that will give them $150,000 to start work on the dilapidated, city-owned building. While some questioned whether the investment would be worth it, Mayor Virgil Lovitt pointed out that the $150,000 is the same amount it would cost the city to demolish the building. He, too, thinks the Act One could someday be a downtown draw and a catalyst for more redevelopment. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070301/NEWS01/703010393/1056/COL02
March 2, 200718 yr Author From Northeast Suburban Life, 2/23/07: Office park proposal OK'd by Sycamore Twp. BY ROB DOWDY | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER SYCAMORE TWP. - After several conceptual drawings and numerous meetings with residents and trustees, the office park development on the southeast corner of Fields Ertel Road and Reed Hartman Highway will soon become a reality. Sycamore Township trustees unanimously approved the proposed zoning change from residential to office for the property during its Feb. 22 meeting, paving the way for the new development. The meeting was unusually well-attended, but most of the audience was filled with Sharonville residents interested in the development because it will be built so close to their homes. The office park will consist of 50,000 square feet of office space in a total of three buildings and two retention basins. MORE: http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070223/NEWS01/702230355/1084/Local From the 2/26/07 Enquirer: Residents fight city's development plans Traffic, safety issues worry neighborhood BY FEOSHIA HENDERSON | [email protected] MONTGOMERY - It's a battle becoming more common as businesses and homes creep closer together in the suburbs: how and where to build new developments. In Montgomery, a handful of vocal Forestglen subdivision residents have tried to convince the city not to approve expansion plans of the Twin Lakes senior living center across the street, off Montgomery Road. But on Feb. 19, the city planning commission approved those plans, which include a new access road just across from the subdivision. Residents say that road will create an unsafe intersection and said their next fight might be in Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas. At issue isn't the 13-unit development, but the road that would lead into Twin Lakes. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070226/NEWS01/702260378/1056/COL02
March 2, 200718 yr Author From the 2/26/07 Enquirer: Sycamore residents say halt business expansion Protection sought for homes in Kugler Mill Road area BY FEOSHIA HENDERSON | [email protected] SYCAMORE TWP. - Sycamore Township residents know their efforts to reverse a township-approved zoning change on Kugler Mill Road won't stop a planned medical development there. But they want to make a point that business development should stop on that residential area that intersects Montgomery Road. "We know we cannot stop it, nor do we want to stop development in general," said resident Christine Willis. "This is about the continued intrusion of business (in residential areas)." Willis, who lives on nearby Timberknoll Drive, helped organize the petition drive that would let township voters decide whether a parcel on Kugler Mill near Montgomery Road should be rezoned for office use instead of residential. If successful, the referendum would go on the November ballot. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070226/NEWS01/702260382/ From the 2/26/07 Cincinnati Business Courier: Kroger shops Harrison to build marketplace store Grocery would anchor center with retail, restaurants Cincinnati Business Courier - February 23, 2007 by Lisa Biank Fasig Staff Reporter In a sleepy corner of Harrison, not far from where Wal-Mart has been battling to build a supercenter, a local developer is planning a 58-acre retail center that likely will include a Kroger Marketplace, shops and restaurants. The project, called The Shoppes at Harrison Marketplace, would be built along Interstate 74 just south of the New Haven Road exit. It's nestled among a clump of residential streets and adjacent to the Harrison Square Shopping Center, where a traditional Kroger now operates. That grocery would be a Kroger Marketplace store, said company spokesman Art Wulfeck, who confirmed Kroger is looking into the site. He said the store would replace the existing Kroger next door and open in late 2008. Marketplace stores, at about 110,000 square feet, combine traditional groceries with furniture, linens and dinnerware. Kroger introduced the concept to Cincinnati in 2006 with stores in Liberty Township and Lebanon, and plans at least eight more, including one in Middletown this spring and Newport in 2008. MORE: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/02/26/story6.html
March 3, 200718 yr Author UPDATE: City council approved the 15-year tax abatement on Wednesday. From the 2/26/07 Cincinnati Business Courier: Madisonville could land $91M retirement village Cincinnati Business Courier - February 23, 2007 by Dan Monk Senior Staff Reporter An Indianapolis developer is seeking tax breaks to help it finance a $91 million retirement center that would bring more than 100 new jobs to Madisonville. The Stratford at Kenwood Road project would involve the demolition of the Kenwood Towers apartment complex on Kenwood, north of Madison Road, according to documents obtained from the city of Cincinnati. That would free up a 16-acre wooded hillside site that would feature five upscale housing towers, ranging from three to 10 stories, and 28 retirement cottages. City officials say Madisonville has seen an increase in leasing activity; a Saab dealership recently completed a "major investment to renovate their space," and at nearby Madison and Whetsel, Cervay said the city is trying to assemble a site to attract a mixed-use, housing-over-retail development. MORE: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/02/26/story3.html From the 3/1/07 Enquirer: Muhlhauser Barn to be rustic shelter Township will spend $1.6 million to rebuild it in a park BY JESSICA BROWN | [email protected] WEST CHESTER TWP. - This Butler County township will spend $1.6 million to rebuild a historic barn. Township trustees decided it's worth the money because the 1800s-era Muhlhauser Barn is beloved by many. It's a piece of township history, leaders say. "It's the belief of the board of trustees that reserving some small amount of our historic heritage gives the community more depth and more substance," said Trustee Catherine Stoker. "We can't afford to preserve everything, but preserving a modest amount gives some perspective to people." The barn will be re-erected in Beckett Park and will become an enclosed rustic shelter suitable for reunions, receptions and community events. Construction is expected to start by the end of March and end in October. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070301/NEWS01/703010382/1056/COL02
March 5, 200718 yr Author From the 3/2/07 Enquirer: PHOTO: Fort Thomas began negotiations with Veterans Affairs to buy 10 vacant homes that housed officers years ago. They likely will be auctioned in the fall. Enquirer file City to buy historic homes BY SCOTT WARTMAN | [email protected] FORT THOMAS - The city of Fort Thomas plans to make Tower Park a destination. The park is the site of an old military fort. Remaining are homes and a mess hall that has been converted into a community center. Across South Fort Thomas Avenue are the buildings that housed the bars and stores that catered to the soldiers 100 years ago. It's called the Midway Business District. The buildings still house bars and restaurants, but the large officers' homes, which still belong to the U.S. government, sit vacant. The city this week began negotiations with Veterans Affairs to buy the 10 homes. They likely will be auctioned in the fall. The city also will attempt to designate the Midway buildings a National Historic District. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070302/NEWS0103/703020381/1059/rss13 From the 3/3/07 Enquirer: Firms want offices in Carnegie BY SCOTT WARTMAN | [email protected] Four companies want to use the former Andrew Carnegie-endowed public library in Newport as office space. The city will pick one of them soon. City officials and business owners see the ornate 1902 library as a key piece of real estate about a block away from Newport on the Levee. Proposals have been submitted to the city by a law firm, an architect, a developer and a warehousing and moving business. All want to use the library for administrative offices, said Ryan Wyrick, Newport economic development director. Newport's city manager will recommend one of the proposals to the city commission this month, Wyrick said. The proposals would take from a few months to 1½ years to complete, he said. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070303/NEWS0103/703030384/1059/rss13
March 5, 200718 yr Author Norwood: Edwards Road office development The five houses north of the Gold Star Chili (Edwards and Williams) have been demolished. A two-story office building will be built there. No tenants have been announced. Round-up: City of Cincinnati CLIFTON 3545 Vinecrest Pl is going into pre-prosecution hearings. The two-family home has been ordered vacant and the trustees of the property, who are relatives of the deceased owner, have failed to obtain a VBML. COLLEGE HILL Working in Neighborhoods will be demolishing the troubled house at 5836 Saranac Ave and will rebuild on the site. No date is known for demolition or construction, though demolition will likely be rather soon due to the threat of prosecution by the city (should the current property not be kept up). COLLEGE HILL Glenview-Meryton group calls for speed bumps Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/4/07 Residents near the intersection of Glenview and Meryton avenues in College Hill are fed up with drivers treating their streets like a set of racetracks. So, they have formed the Glenview-Meryton Speed Control Group. Their goal: To have the city of Cincinnati install speed bumps while the intersection is being repaved. For more information on the group, contact William J. Pellman at [email protected]. COLUMBIA TUSCULUM 4191 Eastern Ave was razed by the City. This 648-square-foot house, built around 1875 as part of the Undercliff subdivision, was first ordered vacant in late 2004. PPH papers were issued with no response. The deteriorating house became the home of squatters and was finally condemned in March 2006. It was declared a public nuisance 4 months later. There was no response, so the City took action. COLUMBIA TUSCULUM Across the street, 4192 Eastern Ave was also razed by the City. This house was destroyed by a fire in July 2004. Somehow it took TWO AND A HALF YEARS for the City to get this torn down. EVANSTON 3056 O'Bryon St has been rehabbed as affordable housing. This home suffered quite a bit of fire damage last summer. EVANSTON 3347 Bonaparte Ave has had a total makeover. EVANSTON 3039 Hackberry St has been razed by New Christian Life Baptist Church, which is next door. This property had a long history of vacancy and of being used as a drug house. PRICE HILL Dunham to feature new aquatic playground Price Hill Press, 2/22/07 The sounds of children laughing and splashing around in water will soon replace the noise of bulldozers and construction equipment at Dunham Recreation Center. Cincinnati Recreation Commission is in the process of building a new water playground at the 80-acre complex off Guerley Road. "This will be the biggest water facility Cincinnati Recreation Commission has," said Jeff Koopman, supervising engineer for the recreation commission. "It will be a first-class facility." He said depending on the weather, R.E. Schweitzer Construction Co. should have the water park completed and ready for use sometime late this summer. RIVERSIDE The condemned house at 3602 Hillside Ave is being prepped for demolition and should be down within the next few weeks. WALNUT HILLS The new townhomes at 2904-2910 Park Ave are on the market again. The listings mention "elegance" but they're all listed at around $140,000. All three also show as pending. I don't even know if these have started construction yet. I know that I had my doubts about them as of last June. LAST UPDATE (6/20/06) WALNUT HILLS 3036 Gilbert Ave has been rehabbed. Round-up: Metro ANDERSON TWP Playground honoring Marcus in works Cincinnati Enquirer, 2/25/07 Efforts to raise money for an Anderson Township playground that will memorialize Marcus Fiesel have been so successful that construction to finish the playground will begin this spring. Nearly $400,000 has been raised to build the playground in Beech Acres Park on Beechmont Avenue. It will accommodate children with physical and mental disabilities. Part of the playground will be dedicated to Marcus, the 3-year-old developmentally delayed boy whose foster mother, Liz Carroll, was convicted last week of murdering him. The murder trial of his foster father, David Carroll Jr., is scheduled for March 19 in Clermont County Common Pleas Court. "Not in our wildest dreams did we think we'd get the money we needed this quickly," said Duffy Beischel, an Anderson Park District commissioner. About $70,000 was raised in a campaign initiated by Clear Channel Cincinnati and WLWT television for a memorial for Marcus in Anderson, Beischel said. ANDERSON TWP Anderson approves Target store additions Forest Hills Journal, 2/27/07 Anderson Township will soon have a bigger Target Store on Beechmont Avenue. The township's zoning commission approved two additions to the store at 8680 Beechmont Ave. during its Feb. 26 meeting. The additions will be on the front and west side of the store, said Steve Sievers, township director of development services. Sievers said the building will be expanded to about 135,000 square feet. "Part of (Target's) desire is to get more storage under their roof and enlarge the sales portion," Sievers said. BATAVIA Homeless shelter finds new home Community Journal Clermont, 2/26/07 The James Sauls Homeless Shelter is on the move. Batavia Township Trustees donated two acres of land by the fire department, which will allow the shelter to move from trailers they are currently housed in on Hospital Drive. "Batavia Township just really stepped up to the plate," said Billie Kuntz, executive director of Clermont County Community Services. For the last two years, Kuntz and other staff members have been seeking a new location for the shelter. When Batavia Township Trustee Archie Wilson became more aware of the needs at the homeless shelter, he felt compelled to help where he could. BETHEL Bethel council narrows choices for municipal building engineers Clermont Sun, 3/2/07 The Bethel village council has unofficially narrowed their choice of engineers for the construction of the new municipal building. After a presentation by McGill Smith Punshon, Inc. at the Feb. 26 meeting, the council made a decision to narrow the field from five to two. McGill Smith Punshon representative Randy Merrill presented his company to the village. "Our roots really run deep in Bethel," said Merrill. "Not only am I from Bethel, but over our history, we've employed over 55 people within an eight mile radius of Bethel. Not only that, but four of our owners are from Bethel. I can't tell you how excited I am to do this. This project means a lot to us." Previous projects described included the Union Township Public Library. Merrill said that community involvement is "crucial" to the process, noting that it is the community that is left to utilize the product once the construction is completed. "I don't want to disappoint you," said Merrill. "I don't want to disappoint them. I expect to try the hardest on this project than I've tried on any other project." CHEVIOT What is planned for old Hillebrand building? Western Hills Press, 2/21/07 Q: Milt Stevens and Kerri Stowe Danner both wrote in inquiring about the old Hillebrand nursing home in Cheviot. ... A: "The building is going to be a nursing home again," said Cheviot Mayor Samuel Keller. He said the new nursing facility is scheduled to open in April, and the city is looking forward to the property once again being a viable part of the Cheviot community. James Troehler, a project manager who specializes in health care facility renovation and design, is overseeing the construction for Ron Bommer, who opened the original Hillebrand nursing center and has owned the property since. Troehler said crews have been working at the building since August, completely renovating the space and adding new electrical systems, new windows and a security system. A new generator has also been installed, as well as new sewer lines. CLEVES Pro-tax push starts Sunday Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/2/07 The Three Rivers School District will kick off its "New Schools" initiative with a program at 2 p.m. Sunday at Fernbank Park in Sayler Park. The district has placed a 1 percent earned-income tax on the May 8 ballot to build a pre K-6 school. The program will include speakers, Miami Heights students leading the Pledge of Allegiance, C. T. Young students singing patriotic songs and Three Rivers Middle School cheerleaders leading cheers. Residents can sign up to volunteer for the school-issue campaign, as well as sign an attendance sheet to become eligible for prizes. Information will be presented, and residents can pick up literature about new schools. Children's activities, supervised by Taylor High School's football team, will be provided. Western Hills Press: 3 Rivers hosting meeting on new facilities (2/22/07) EDGEWOOD School planning inclusive Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/2/07 Now is the time for staff at Turkey Foot Middle School to dream big - and some of those dreams could come true. Kenton County School District officials met in the cafeteria with all the school's employees Wednesday, the first of several meetings that will result in the construction of a new middle school behind the current one. The process, known as "quality school design," gets school staff involved in the vision from the beginning. "The architects are going to follow the lead of the people who work here each day," said Superintendent Tim Hanner. The firm Piaskowy & Cooper of Covington has been hired to design the building. It designed Caywood Elementary, which opened next door in August 2005. FORT WRIGHT Fort Wright council unveils design plans for Battery Hooper Park Erlanger Recorder, 3/4/07 It's been five years in the making, but big-time improvements appear to be headed to Battery Hooper Park. After collecting citizen input, securing property right of ways and easements, and hiring a design firm, CDS Associates, the city is on the verge of bringing the park "full circle" to become the "signature park" the city has long deserved, said Mayor Gene Weaver. Design plans for the park were presented during a special meeting at the city building on Wednesday, Feb. 28. The centerpieces of the park will be a replica Civil War-era battery located at the front entrance and a 350-capacity amphitheater. But city administrator Larry Klein said the park would embody more than just an amphitheater, park shelter, picnic shelters, walking trails, and ample green space with plenty of views. "It will create community pride," he said. GREEN TWP Celebration begins Rybolt Rd. project Cincinnati Enquirer, 2/25/07 After being delayed by snow, rain, sleet and ice, the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Rybolt Road realignment project in Green Township is set for 10 a.m. March 1. The ceremony will take place on Hearne Road, just to the west of the intersection of Hearne Road and Harrison Avenue. The $6.6 million project is designed to add lanes and move Rybolt Road to ease traffic congestion and erase gridlock in this growing section of the township. Construction is to be completed by December. HAMILTON City OKs selling of Hanover Street land Hamilton JournalNews, 3/2/07 A local business and property owner is allowed to sell a portion of his Hanover Street land, Hamilton City Council decided Wednesday night. Late last year, Community Behavioral Health — a subsidiary of Fort Hamilton Healthcare Corp. specializing in alcohol, drug and mental health treatment — purchased the vacant Ringel's warehouse on Hanover Street. The warehouse is adjacent to a lot owned by Brohet, a company affiliated with Bob Brown, president of Robert M. Brown Construction and Development. CBH wanted to buy the 12,000-square-foot adjacent property to build a parking lot, but Brown needed permission from council first, according to a purchase agreement he entered in 2000 after buying three city-owned lots along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between Walnut and Hanover streets. City council amended the agreement Wednesday to allow the sale to take place. INDEPENDENCE Fire station to go up on Cox Road Cincinnati Enquirer, 2/27/07 Century Construction has received a $1.16 million contract to replace Fire Station No. 2 on Cox Road. Completion is scheduled for this year. The Independence Fire District plans to staff the station around the clock in early 2008 with an engine crew, Chief Richard A. Messingschlager said. The station, designed by Robert Hayes and Associates, will be similar to Fire Station No. 3 on Richardson Road, which was replaced last year. The latest fire station is part of a 3-year-old plan to improve fire and EMS service. The plan also calls for more staff, advanced life support service and equipment. INDPENDENCE Asking price $1.3M for former library Kentucky Post, 2/27/07 Now that the Kenton County Public Library has settled into its new location on Walton-Nicholson Road, the old library building in Independence is on the block. The Independence branch closed just before the new year, and it took weeks to move all the books and sundries to the new, $8 million William E. Durr branch near the intersection of Ky. 17 and Ky. 16. Now the library is looking to sell the vacant old branch for $1.3 million. The 7,000-square-foot space is little more than a decade old, perfect for retail or office space, said library director Dave Schroeder. METRO Baseball fields get manicure in snow Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/4/07 It's a rare sight to see people on a baseball diamond when heavy snow is falling. But on Saturday, about 250 people descended on 46 Greater Cincinnati fields to recondition them. "It's an uplifting feeling to have people come out in the snow to do something outdoors," said Jared Simmons, Give Back Cincinnati New Opportunities director. Simmons' organization partnered with the Reds Community Fund, National City Bank and the Cincinnati Recreation Committee, investing nearly $600,000 for Reds' Field Day. National City Banks also presented the Reds Community Fund with a $364,000 donation. Before the renovations you could see the footprints around home plate where kids were practicing and there was glass and rocks everywhere, said Charley Frank, executive director of the Reds Community Fund. "The fields were devoid of hope," Frank said. MT ORAB Mt. Orab develops TIF map Georgetown News Democrat, 3/4/07 The county's fastest growing area depends heavily on a program for funding infrastructure known as Tax Increment Financing, and Mt. Orab is taking steps to ensure that its numerous TIF districts are being handled properly. At their meeting Tuesday, Feb. 20 Mt. Orab Village Council unanimously approved Sheila Lung as the village TIF director, on the recommendation of Mayor Bruce Lunsford. Lunsford also told council about a map of the village TIF districts and discussed a computer system, or lack thereof, designed to deal with that type of zoning. Lunsford informed council the village is required by Ohio to appoint a director over TIF activities, and he said a qualified candidate already worked in the Mt. Orab administrative offices. According to Lunsford, Lung will continue to act as a BPA Clerk and Assistant Tax Clerk for the village while serving as TIF director. He said Lung has had some experience with TIF districts in Clermont County and will be a contact for state correspondence . The appointment of a TIF director not only fulfills a state requirement, but is important to keep the growing number of TIF districts in order, Lunsford said. "It is important to keep that stuff straight," said Lunsford. "There's a good bit at stake." NEWPORT Newport has received a $1,300 grant from the Campbell County Conservation District. This money will be used for the planting of trees and shrubs in the city's upgrade of Phelan Park, which will occur later this year. SILVERTON Silverton to Conduct Comprehensive Plan Cincinnati.com, 2/21/07 The City of Silverton has contracted Kleingers & Associates to facilitate a comprehensive land use plan. A steering committee composed of residents and merchants has been formed to study land use practices in the City and make recommendations for short, intermediate and long-term land use objectives. Specific attention will be directed to the City’s gateways; its downtown; and overall economic development. The Silverton Downtown Revitalization Study, commissioned by Silverton Development, Inc. in 2004, will be incorporated into the comprehensive plan document. The process will take nine to twelve months to complete. The plan will be offered for public feedback prior to official adoption by City Council. SYMMES TWP Symmes master plan recommendation set for March Northeast Suburban Life, 2/27/07 Trustees are anxiously waiting for a recommendation by an ad hoc steering committee that will lead to the creation of a master plan for Symmes. The township master plan will serve as a management tool, with a list of overall goals and objectives for every aspect of the local government, from roads to cemeteries. The plan will be evaluated each year, but is considered a 10-year "living document." During the steering committee's Feb. 22 meeting, five teams of companies gave presentations in hopes of being given the reigns to Symmes' master plan conception. The committee will choose one of the five teams to help create the township's master plan. Trustee Ken Bryant, who attended the meeting as an observer, said the presentations went well. He said the committee, which consists of township residents, has put a lot of thought into the criteria with which they will base their decision. "I am pleased with the process and I am pleased with the caliber of the people on the committee," Bryant said.
March 7, 200718 yr Citirama back in fall to tout homes THE ENQUIRER Citirama returns this fall to Westwood, to the second phase of Brodbeck Place off Westwood Northern Boulevard. The project, designed to call attention to new construction within city limits, will focus on eight houses in the new subdivision. Brodbeck Place ultimately will be filled with 24 single-family houses, Mayor Mark Mallory said Tuesday. "When anybody builds new homes in the city of Cincinnati, they sell," he said. "People want to live here." The city offers 15-year tax abatements on any new construction. Westwood was home to Citirama in 2003 also, with Woodcrest Park along Queen City Avenue. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070307/NEWS0103/703070459/1273/rss13
March 9, 200718 yr Author Both kind of out there, but in the metro. From the 3/5/07 Dayton Business Journal: Builder has $60M condo project on tap Dayton Business Journal - March 2, 2007 by Yvonne Teems DBJ Staff Reporter A local home builder is launching a $60 million condominium project on a golf course about 50 miles southeast of Dayton. A company traditionally linked to custom homes, HBS Development is building White Oak Reserves at White Oak Golf Course, a 300-unit condo and attached patio home development, in Sardinia in Brown County. The company bought the 60-acre course last summer and will start construction in July, moving in its first buyers in the fall, said Chris Johns, vice president of HBS. White Oak Reserves is a two-phase, multi-year project that will sell about 30 units per year, Johns said. Phase one will build 74 two-story townhouses and 50 ranch-style patio homes, while phase two will build 180 patio homes. All homes will start between $215,000 and $225,000. MORE: http://dayton.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2007/03/05/story3.html From the 3/5/07 Enquirer: $40M sought for lake Williamstown project pitched to Congress BY PATRICK CROWLEY | [email protected] WASHINGTON - Congressman Geoff Davis said it could be "the crown jewel of Northern Kentucky," an expansion of Lake Williamstown that would improve and expand the region's economy, recreation and access to drinking water. All that backers need is $40 million. The top two elected county officials pushing for the expansion - Pendleton County Judge-executive Henry Bertram and Grant County Judge-executive Darrell Link - took their funding plea to Washington, D.C., last week, accompanied by members of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. The county officials are hoping to persuade federal and state officials to spend $40 million to expand the 350-acre lake, which is now solely in Grant County, to 1,300 acres into eastern Pendleton County. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070305/NEWS0103/703050390/1059/rss13
March 9, 200718 yr Development finds space in Mt. Lookout Neighborhood with few empty spaces to get some homes BY JEFF MCKINNEY | [email protected] March 8, 2007 PHOTO: The new homes will be three stories, with three or four bedrooms, two-car attached garages and decks on the first and second floors. THE ENQUIRER/ERNEST COLEMAN MOUNT LOOKOUT - Construction on six new homes along Athens Avenue off Grandin Road is expected to be completed by early next year. The single-family homes at the development, called Lookout Terrace, will run from $499,000 to $529,000. Each of the three-story homes will be 2,400 square feet with three or four bedrooms, a two-car attached garage and decks on the first and second floors. The project will be at least the second development started in the last nine months in Mount Lookout, where land for new construction is scarce, home builders say. In 2006, the Cincinnati Business Development and Permit Center granted permits for 10 new homes to be built in Mount Lookout in 2006, up from eight in 2005, said Amit Ghosh, the city's assistant director of buildings and inspections. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070309/BIZ01/703090335/1076/BIZ
March 9, 200718 yr Sounds like a pretty good trade off....Wal-Mart instead of a Nordstrom! I know that Nordstrom was being demanding, but still...isn't there some middle ground between Nordstrom and Wal-Mart?? Nordstrom once eyed Fairfax for store LISA BIANK FASIG | [email protected] March 9, 2007 FAIRFAX - Years ago, before investing $11 million in cleanup costs and signing Wal-Mart as an anchor tenant, the developer Regency Centers met with Nordstrom to bring its first area department store to Red Bank Road. The area had promise, after all, Regency Vice President David Birdsall told hundreds of developers Friday at the monthly UC Real Estate Roundtable breakfast. More than 280,000 people lived in the immediate Fairfax village area, near Indian Hill and Hyde Park. Twice as many households earned $100,000 a year than did those in Norwood and Kenwood. And about $10 million in road improvements were being planned. Still, the project was not an easy sell, what with a BMW repair shop and Big Papa's Audio being the only nearby retailers along the largely industrial stretch. And competition was emerging to the north and south, with the Center of Cincinnati retail project, plans for Rookwood Exchange in Norwood and the Streetscape addition at Kenwood Towne Centre. http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/03/05/daily48.html
March 9, 200718 yr Plans drawn, rejected for former Oxford Wal-Mart site SEAN STRADER | [email protected] March 9, 2007 OXFORD - An end may be in sight for the empty "big box" at 419 S. Locust St., but new set of plans will have to be drawn up first. Planning Commission declined to approve preliminary designs for a mixed use development on the former Wal-Mart lot, which has been shuttered since May of 2005. The original plans were for a mixed-use Planned Unit Development featuring a 30,000 square foot commercial building facing Locust Street, as well as four rental apartment complexes in the back with space for up to 272 residents. However, the commission voted to table it with the understanding that substantial revisions be made to the plan. Several commissioners agreed that there needs to be a larger ratio of retail space to residential in order to qualify as a Planned Unit Development (PUD) in a General Business zone. "A PUD cannot be more than 40 percent residential," said commissioner Bill Brewer. "This doesn't meet the intent of a mixed-use planned development." MORE: http://www.journal-news.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/09/op030907planningweb.html
March 10, 200718 yr Offices planned at brewery Oldenberg site to hold Speedway HQ BY PATRICK CROWLEY | [email protected] Developer Jerry Carroll has embarked on a project to "breathe new life" into the mostly vacant Oldenberg Brewery property in Fort Mitchell. Carroll, the president and developer of the $170 million Kentucky Speedway in Gallatin County, has controlled the building since 2001. The brewery closed before that. Now, the only tenant in the building of nearly 50,000 square feet that sits on six acres next to Interstate 75 is a successful Montgomery Inn restaurant. Montgomery Inn will stay. But Carroll and his partners are planning a $2 million to $3 million investment in the former brewery. MORE: http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070310/NEWS0103/703100374
March 10, 200718 yr $8M medical-office building planned BY JEFF MCKINNEY | [email protected] CRESTVIEW HILLS - Paul Hemmer Cos. plans to begin construction on a surgery center and medical office building on Chancellor Drive at the Thomas More Centre. The $8 million project, to be called The Surgery Center, will include the renovation of an existing 24,000-square-foot building and a 10,000-square-foot addition to the building. The buildings will house all or some of the medical operations of 22 area doctors that have teamed up to finance the project, said Kathy Groob, spokeswoman at Paul Hemmer. The doctors plan to use the buildings to provide ambulatory surgery, outpatient and patient care services for a variety of specialty surgical procedures. The buildings also will become the home offices of The Surgery Center, Commonwealth Orthopaedic Centers, Neuroscience Associates of Northern Kentucky and Progressive Rehabilitation, all based in Northern Kentucky, Groob said. Work on the entire project is expected to be completed by year's end. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070310/BIZ01/703100432/1076/BIZ
March 12, 200718 yr Author Winton Place: Restaurant Depot wins tax exemption RD America, Inc., has won a 15-year property tax exemption to build a new warehouse at 4501 W Mitchell Ave. The ordinance to execute the Community Reinvestment Area Agreement, which will reduce the tax liability by about $1.1 million over the life of the agreement, was passed at the February 7 meeting of city council. Restaurant Depot, a subsidiary of RD America, Inc., is a member's-only warehouse that sells equipment, food items, and supplies to the food service community. Membership is free with either a state resale certificate or proof of representation of a non-profit. The 55,000-60,000 square foot facility is expected to cost $4.9 million to build and will also include an 85-space parking lot. Construction will involve the demolition of existing structures (pictured) on the site. It should be completed and open for business in September 2007. Sycamore Twp: 7916 Montgomery Rd Rubin Pachulski Properties is seeking PUD II approval from the Sycamore Township Zoning Commission that would allow them to build a 3,000-square-foot retail building at 7916 Montgomery Rd. PUD II is a zoning designation whose net density or intensity requires both Sycamore Township Zoning Commission and township trustee approval. The case will be heard March 12, 2007 at 7 PM. The building is being designed by FRCH Design Worldwide. Possible future demolitions The City wants to transfer $40,000 from the CDBG Strategic Housing Initiatives Program account to the CDBG Receivership Program account. Doing so would allow the City to abate public nuisances on two single-family units. The first application submitted into the Receivership Program was for 535 Wilsonia Ave, submitted by Price Hill Will. The second application is for 4668 N Edgewood Ave, submitted by the Winton Place Development Corporation. An ordinance authorizing this transfer is currently in Finance Committee, with no timetable for return. (535 Wilsonia and 4668 N Edgewood) Round-up: City of Cincinnati COLUMBIA TUSCULUM 3629 Woodridge Pl was supposed to be razed by Andrew James Custom Builders a couple of months ago, but they haven't gotten around to it for some reason. Ostensibly, this is a teardown project. The current house is just under 50 years old and was assessed at $190,940. COLUMBIA TUSCULUM 4195 Eastern Ave was razed by the City. The homes was condemned about a year ago and was declared a public nuisance in July. Intent to Raze came four months later. COLUMBIA TUSCULUM 4330 Eastern Ave (1887) was razed by the City. This house was condemned due to fire damage sustained in 2005. Later there was water damage from a plumbing leak. The building owner had trouble with his insurance company. The City could not wait. It was declared a nuisance in July 2006 and the Intent to Raze came four months later. EAST PRICE HILL 1811 Quebec Rd (1865) has been purchased for $13,200. It will be demolished in the future to make more room for the Panther Athletic Complex. HYDE PARK East Hyde Park Commons rededication in April Eastern Hills Journal, 3/5/07 The Cincinnati Recreation Commission will rededicate East Hyde Park Commons next month. However, the city plans to do more than just a dedication. The annual Easter egg hunt will follow the ceremony, and a professional jump-rope champion will provide entertainment. "We want to make it special," said Greg Pierson, a service area coordinator for the Cincinnati Recreation Commission. "We wanted to do something special to bring people to the park." The event will start at noon Saturday, April 7. The Easter egg hunt will follow at 12:30 p.m. The park is located at the corner of Marburg and Erie avenues. Marcus Taylor, who appeared in the movie "Jump In" and was also 2004 Jumprope World Champion, will also provide a demonstration. LINWOOD 4488 Eastern Ave (1885) has been razed by the City. This house was condemned in 2003. It was declared a public nuisance in July 2006 and the Intent to Raze was posted four months later. It's believed that the owner was deceased. MADISONVILLE 4100 Whetsel Ave has been rehabbed for resale. $97,000. NORTHSIDE 4574 Hamilton Ave is set to go into pre-prosection hearings. The house was ordered vacant in August 2006 and no VBML has been obtained. The steps and the retaining wall are shot and the plumbing is bad. NORTHSIDE 4338 Beech Hill Ave has been rehabbed. NORTHSIDE 4372 Virginia Ave has been rehabbed for resale. $89,900. PLEASANT RIDGE The rehab and conversion from two-family to single-family has been completed at 5745 Doerger Ln. PRICE HILL 4668 Rapid Run Rd has been razed by the county and by the Metropolitan Sewer District to alleviate chronic flooding on the property. The site was re-graded and will be grassed. Round-up: Metro BELLEVUE Historic group wins windows argument Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/9/07 The antique stained glass windows of the 100-year-old vacant St. Anthony of Padua Church will stay. That's good or bad depending on whom you ask. Bellevue's Historic Preservation Commission voted to reject the church's application to remove eight stained-glass windows. The parish of Divine Mercy, which is trying to sell the church, wanted to move the windows to another church still being used for worship. St. Anthony's is in a national historic district, which requires approval from the city's Historic Preservation Commission for façade changes. Preservationists wanted the colorful depictions of saints, Jesus and Mary to stay in the church and said the windows are a valuable piece of history. Others believe the church has a right to do with its property as it sees fit. COLD SPRING New school for new year Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/10/07 Just days after being named principal of Crossroads Elementary, Kim Visse took a tour of the new school Tuesday with Campbell County Schools Superintendent Anthony Strong. Crossroads is being built on 22 acres in Cold Spring Crossing shopping center on U.S. 27. It will open Aug. 13. The school will offer preschool through fifth grade with 75,000 square feet and will hold up to 750 students. It will be one story with 29 classrooms, a gymnasium, library, cafeteria, computer labs, music room and art room. Strong expects several classrooms to be finished by June, at which time the district can begin moving in furniture. Students from Highland Heights Elementary (which will close in May), along with some from Cline and Campbell Ridge elementary schools, will attend Crossroads. Visse, 45, is a native of Campbell County who attended the district's schools growing up. She is currently the interim principal at Cline, a job she took after principal Shelli Wilson became associate superintendent of the district. COLD SPRING Can't judge library by its cover Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/5/07 The building looks the same from the outside - but inside, it's a different story. Patrons at the grand reopening of the Cold Spring branch of the Campbell County Public Library on Sunday were amazed at the change. "I love it," said Katie Schwierjohann, 9, of Cold Spring. "It looks so different. It's like a whole new place." The library opened Feb. 26 after a $600,000, three-month renovation of the public area. About 10,000 of the library's 14,600 square feet got a face lift. The drab blue-gray-and-white carpet and walls were replaced with brown carpet, new tile, and muted orange, yellow, blue and green walls. ELMWOOD PLACE Church to become community center Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/5/07 Elmwood Place's newest acquisition - a church the village will convert into a space for police, fire and community activities - will have an open house March 22. Mayor Richard Ellison is hosting the 6 p.m. event, hoping residents come to see what is envisioned for the old Wings of Deliverance Church building at 318 Maple St. The village borrowed $185,000 to buy the building. It will be converted to office and training space for the village's police and fire departments as well as room for the community to gather and its seniors to meet. The move is the latest in attempts to revitalize the village, viewed by Hamilton County officials as a model of how the older, inner suburbs - the so-called "First Suburbs" - can be remade to attract or keep residents in Hamilton County. Ellison also is hoping to get volunteers for a project he thinks will attract small businesses to the village. Ellison wants to have several of the now-vacant storefronts on Vine Street - the major street through the village - painted with scenes of what each store could be. For example, he wants volunteers to draw a scene of children eating ice cream in what could become an ice cream shop. The same for barber shops and other businesses. GEORGETOWN, OH So. Hills Career Center deals with contruction project speed bumps Georgetown News Democrat, 3/11/07 Despite a shoddy workmanship nightmare that Construction Manager Bob Hart termed "criminal," the Southern Hills Joint Vocational School completely revamped facility is still expected to be top notch by its dedication date next spring. In fact, Hart gave a more-or-less optimistic outlook on the overall project at the SHJVS board of education meeting Wednesday, Feb. 28, as he and the project's lead architect, Bob Bartel, gave the board an update on the district's financial standing. "The number of issues outstanding has been reduced to just a few," said Hart. The board was presented with a new master plan that had been revised to include changes to Locally Funded Initiatives as well as numerous spreadsheets concerning the project's financials. He gave the board a look at the committed hard costs as well as potential costs that arise when contractors submit change orders. Change orders, alterations of estimates from bid-winning contractors, were a hot topic for discussion at the meeting. Board member Kenneth Kelch asked if the amount and costs of the change orders presented so far are typical for projects of this size. "It seems to me like those change orders are a little high," said Kelch. GEORGETOWN, OH Airport: Extreme makeover in the works Georgetown News Democrat, 3/11/07 The Brown County Airport may be getting a facelift thanks to a combination of FAA grant money and local funds. According to Grant Coordinator Dorothy Ferris, the county will only be responsible for about $30,000 of more than $600,000 that will go toward maintenance, renovations, demolitions and new construction. "If everything goes as planned," said Ferris, "by the end of the year a great deal will have been accomplished." Ferris said the county received approximately $150,000 a year over the past few years for airport improvement, but budget constraints and a variety of other issues have prevented the money from being spent. Now that some $590,052 has amassed, the county is looking to use the funds on major projects that will almost instantly benefit the current travelers who pass through the airport, as well as allowing for future growth. Ferris said Brown County is required to put up five percent, while the FAA covers the other 95, allowing the airport to undergo significant improvements with little cost to taxpayers. In addition to sealing cracks, restriping and renumbering the runway, the county is planning to demolish an obstructing house near the runway that was purchased, along with its adjoining property, by the county last year. GREEN TWP Green Township buying homes on Ebenezer Western Hills Press, 2/28/07 The township will raze two homes on Ebenezer Road to make room for roadway improvements at the Ebenezer and Hutchinson Road intersection. Members of the Green Township Board of Trustees voted Monday, Feb. 26, to purchase a home and 0.25 acres of property at 3895 Ebenezer Road for $90,000, and a home and 0.22 acres of land at 3915 Ebenezer Road for $87,000. The properties sit across from where Hutchinson Road runs into Ebenezer. "When we got involved with the Legacy Place issue and supported the program we told the citizens of our community that we are going to be upfront and out in front of traffic issues," said Trustee Chuck Mitchell. "The purpose of these two purchases will be to fix that intersection and make the necessary roadway improvements so the traffic will be able to get through there much easier and safer because it's not the safest of intersections right now." (3895 and 3915 Ebenezer) GREEN TWP Bengals help Oak Hills get turf Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/6/07 The Oak Hills Athletic Boosters have surpassed their goal of raising money to install synthetic turf, with help from the Cincinnati Bengals and the National Football League Youth Football Fund. Bengals kicker Shayne Graham joined team mascot, “Who Dey” and Ben-Gals cheerleaders to present a $250,000 check Tuesday at a student assembly at Oak Hills High School. The NFL Youth Football Fund is a non-profit foundation established by the NFL and the NFL Players Association. It was the second major contribution in a week. Last Tuesday, John Maher, a member of the Oak Hills Class of 1972, contributed $100,000 to the Home Field Advantage fund. Those major contributions bring the fundraising total to more than $700,000 and sets the stage for the turf to be installed by Aug 1. HAMILTON Center is growing in Hamilton Hamilton JournalNews, 3/10/07 The Butler County Educational Service Center is expanding its facility and bringing more jobs to the city. Three years ago, the center relocated to Hamilton from Fairfield and now plans to expand its facility by adding 6,180 square feet. The expansion includes consolidating the Middletown and Hamilton Help Me Grow programs at the Fairgrove location, which will bring 15 jobs into the city and retain 30 currently in the program. "We have been successful in adding almost 100 jobs to the city's work force over the last three years," said Mike Ingram, assistant superintendent for programs. Construction is expected to begin this spring be done by July 1. "It will consolidate two offices into one and will be a modern, functional office designed by the Help Me Grow staff," Ingram said. "It centralizes its operation ... everyone will be under one roof." MADEIRA Madeira OKs artificial turf funding Suburban Life, 3/5/07 The Madeira City Council has approved funding for artificial turf at Madeira High School. As part of a "Joint Use and Operation Agreement" with the Madeira City School District, the city of Madeira will pay $50,000 per year for five years in exchange for more than 1,000 hours of field use for both recreation and community activities. City Manager Tom Moeller said the other portion of funding for the artificial turf will come from private donations. "For the city, Field Turf was by far the least expensive option for meeting the city's recreational space needs," said Steve Shaw, a former council member who is serving on a Field Turf Steering Committee. "For the cost of maintenance of a natural grass field, the city will have use of this field for at least 50 percent of the available time." MT ORAB Mt. Orab council annexes more land Georgetown News Democrat, 3/11/07 Council members approved plans to build single family housing in two different subdivisions at Mt. Orab's Village Council meeting Tuesday, March 6, with a unanimous vote. Council voted to allow Mayor Bruce Lunsford and fiscal officer Michael Boyd to sign documents approving of plans for the development of the two subdivisions. The two subdivisions in question are Grant's Crossing Subdivision number two, located off Grant Road, and Briar Creek Subdivision number one, located off E. Main and Briar Street, directly to the west of the Briar Creek apartment complex. Council agreed to plans to build 24 housing lots in Grant's Crossing, and 21 housing lots in Briar Creek. The plans for the Grant's Crossing Subdivision have been in the works for a long time and will be developed by Bob Grant, of Hillsboro. The Briar Creek Subdivision was bought from Joe Glover, and is an area directly to the west of the Briar Creek apartment complex. NEWPORT 800 Monmouth Street Renovation Go2Newport.com, 3/8/07 The renovation of the circa 1925 historic building at 800 Monmouth street is still underway. Century recently completed the first and second floors for the Housing Authority of Newport's offices. We next completed the parking lot renovation and exterior demolition. Currently we are restoring the exterior which includes installing granite panels, repairing the existing terracotta, installing a new canopy, new windows, new storefront and framing. We are also renovating the first floor for future tenant use. This "white box" will showcase the space for prospective tenants. NORTH COLLEGE HILL Rehab agency coming to NCH Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/5/07 As in many first-ring Cincinnati suburbs, officials here are concerned about deteriorating housing and its impact on the city's image and its ability to attract new businesses and residents. So they've decided to work with Cincinnati Housing Partners Inc., a nonprofit group that for more than two decades has rehabbed houses and built new ones in Cincinnati and its suburbs. The plan for North College Hill calls for six new or rehabilitated houses this year. The houses are part of a broader redevelopment effort in the city, one that includes a study of its business district and an updating of the master plan, originally written in the 1960s. "This is a comprehensive approach to community revitalization and is based on the belief that good housing promotes family stability, creates positive environments for children and contributes to success in the job market," Mayor Dan Brooks said in a statement. PRINCETON CITY SCHOOLS Community forums will address Princeton’s future Cincinnati.com, 3/9/07 The Princeton City School District is studying the possibility of building new middle and high school facilities. The district has hosted nine community input sessions and will now hold two community forums to present the findings of those sessions. The first forum will take place at Sharonville Elementary School, 11150 Maple St., at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21. A second forum will be held at Woodlawn Elementary, 31 Riddle Rd, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27. In addition to hearing what was said at the community input sessions, attendees to the forums will also see potential site plans, and they can share their reactions and opinions about the future of the schools. SPRINGDALE Springdale Town Center opens for business Tri-County Press, 3/1/07 The new 45,000-square-foot Springdale Town Center shopping center on Springfield Pike officially opened its doors Wednesday, Feb. 28. Some tenants have already occupied space at the new neighborhood shopping center, including Subway, Tri-City Cleaners, Andy's Laundry, Nina's Florist and King's Wireless. The center, on which workers began construction in April, is 45 percent occupied. Karma Salon and Riley's Family Restaurant plan to open soon. "We're excited. We think it's very nice, there's good traffic count and the city is excellent to work with," said Ken Riley, who owns the family restaurant with his wife, Gloria. SYMMES TWP Session is Thursday on levy for ex-Rozzi site Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/11/07 The public can discuss a proposed tax increase to allow Symmes Township to buy the 50-acre Rozzi's Famous Fireworks site between Lebanon and Union Cemetery roads at a special meeting this week. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Symmes Township Safety Service Center, 8871 Weekly Lane. The township proposes installing athletic fields at the site. The 30-year, 0.9-mill levy would raise $527,000 a year and cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $28 a year.
March 12, 200718 yr Pinning hopes on Kroger They're sticklers for getting look right BY JANE PRENDERGAST | [email protected] March 12, 2007 EAST PRICE HILL - There's a reason people in this struggling neighborhood have spent more than two years watching every move Kroger tries to make. They know that their new supermarket could have a huge impact on the success of not just the section of Warsaw Avenue it's going to face, but on all of surrounding East Price Hill. So they argued with officials of the nation's largest chain of traditional grocery stores about landscaping and the placement of gas pumps. They want Kroger to promise to keep litter picked up, carts contained and some parking free for other area businesses. They're concerned about the parking lot lights being too bright. Now, they're asking Kroger to tweak the plan for the new store's façade. For the third time. "It was just a big, long, straight ugly box," said Bob Greenlee, a member of the East Price Hill Improvement Association. "We don't want a big, long, straight, ugly box." MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070312/NEWS01/703120407/1077/COL02
March 16, 200718 yr Author From the 3/12/07 Eastern Hills Journal: Oakley plan geared toward pedestrians BY FORREST SELLERS | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER OAKLEY - Oakley isn't standing still when it comes to pedestrian improvements. Once again the neighborhood council will put in a request for city funding which would benefit the business district. Each year Cincinnati allocates funding toward improvements of a business district within the city. Last year Oakley applied for $600,000 in funding. Although the funding was not approved, Oakley Community Council member Matt Jones said Oakley will submit another request this year. The plan would be to extend a portion of the sidewalk in the business district, enhance the esplanade and alleviate certain traffic issues. The esplanade is a small, park-like area in the business district. "We would like to make it more pedestrian-friendly in the business district," Jones said. Jones said the improvements would cost from $400,000 to $600,000. MORE: http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070312/NEWS01/703120430/1090/Local From the 3/9/07 Milford-Miami Advertiser: PHOTO: This is the building under construction where the Old Milford barbershop used to be before it burned in December 2004. The owner, Steve Early, hopes it will be completed by June. DANNY CROSS/COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF New building designed with old style BY DANNY CROSS | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER MILFORD - The new building going up at the corner of Main Street and Garfield Avenue will bring with it a sense of Old Milford. The architectural firm which designed the building, Steinkamp, Steinkamp and Hampton Architects, is a Milford-based company that understands the historical significance of the downtown area, said Robert Steinkamp. The building housed the original Masonic Hall and dated back to 1849, said Steve Early, who purchased the lot after a fire destroyed the building in late 2005. "It was a very nice early building," said Early. "It was sort of the important key to the downtown area." The 3,000-square-foot building will provide retail shops on the first floor and office space on the second and third. Early said he hopes the building will be completed by June. The design has drawn praise from city council. City Manager Loretta Rokey used a rendering of the building as an example of how the city could develop Water Street without altering the area's cosmetic image. MORE: http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070309/NEWS01/703090351/1119/Local
March 17, 200718 yr The Oakley article says nothing and the news about the Newport building is an absolute disgrace. that is all.
March 17, 200718 yr Complex denied zoning change BY MIKE BOYER | [email protected] Plans for a multimillion-dollar office-retail complex off River Road in Sedamsville were dealt a setback Friday when the Cincinnati city planning commission refused a zoning change sought by the developer. Vandercar Holdings in Madisonville has proposed a mixed-use development called "The Yards" with a possible large retail store, smaller retail space and a multi-story office building or hotel and multi-screen cinema on 65 acres of former railroad property wedged between River Road and Southside Avenue. Vandercar, which developed the Center of Cincinnati in Oakley, acquired the last 22 acres for the River Road project last summer from the city for $1.8 million. Read more: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070317/BIZ01/703170349/1076/BIZ
March 17, 200718 yr On paper it sounds like a good project...I wonder specifically why the commission voted this down.
March 17, 200718 yr The Oakley article says nothing and the news about the Newport building is an absolute disgrace. Well haven't we come to expect this kind of action out of Newport...
March 18, 200718 yr Author From the 3/15/07 Enquirer: Newport protects old dump Landfill, closed in '80s, entices developers BY SCOTT WARTMAN | [email protected] Garbage thrown out by Newport residents decades ago has been rotting for 20 years underneath a 44-acre tract of grass in the middle of Wilder's industrial district. Plans to use some of the site for parking had Newport officials wanting protections from liability should someone build on top of the city's old landfill. The landfill was closed and capped with a clay top underneath soil and grass in the 1980s. The city of Newport pays about $30,000 a year to maintain the site by mowing grass and monitoring methane levels from vents, said Newport City Solicitor Mike Schulkens. Developer Wayne Carlisle wants to use 5 acres of the site for parking for a proposed light-industrial park that would be built on an adjacent 22 acres, according to the city of Wilder. The Newport City Commission approved a restrictive covenant this week ensuring that the city receive notice of and have input on any proposed development on the site. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070315/NEWS0103/703150384/1059/rss13 From the 3/15/07 Oxford Press: Oxford stepping closer to goal HAPC gives permission to demolish current building to build two new Uptown properties. By Sean Strader Staff Writer Friday, March 16, 2007 A stumbling block was removed from Oxford's search for new administration offices, police station and courthouse when the HAPC said the city could demolish the current municipal building. This advances council's current top option, which is to build two new Uptown facilities. The police and court facility would be built on the city's parking lot at Main and Park Place, while the city administration offices would replace the current municipal building at High and Poplar streets. "Based on years of planning and input from the public, we feel that these two Uptown locations are the best for the city," said Mayor Jerome Conley. Conley said the advantages to these sites are that they are Uptown and will save money because Oxford already owns all of the lots involved. However, the final decision on location has not yet been made. Council will vote to authorize the city manager to solicit bids for architects at council's upcoming meeting Tuesday, Conley said. MORE: http://www.journal-news.com/news/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/15/op031607municipal.html
March 19, 200718 yr Author Hyde Park: Summit Commons Hooray for The_Cincinnati_Kid!!! These look pretty near completion. TCK...what is the status as far as completion? Also, have they all sold? LAST UPDATE (9/8/06) Corryville: New townhomes on Rochelle, Eden and Vaughn (aka 189 Rochelle St) These upscale condos are looking as bland as their rendering, as I feared. The ones closest to the corner of Rochelle and Vaughn are already clad and seem to be only missing garage doors. The ones nearer Rochelle and Eden are still somewhat open to the elements. I have to say that I'm unimpressed by them aesthetically, especially when compared to the adjacent Stetson Square. I haven't seen the interiors. But, at $300,000+ and so many new options in the general area, are these things going to sell? LAST UPDATE (1/15/07) Walnut Hills: 2101 Florence Ave The new Cornerstone Broker Insurance Services Agency offices at 2101 Florence Ave have been completed. LAST UPDATE (1/15/07) Clifton: 3628-3636 Durban Dr Construction is getting nearer to completion on the three new homes at 3628-3636 Durban Dr. These are being built next to the Durban property on the 500 block of McAlpin Ave. Durban Dr, a cul-de-sac, is a private street. (Still, it must be at least a little bit cool to have a street named after you right next to your house.) So far I have not seen evidence of these homes being listed or bought. UPDATE Receivership Program At its March 14 meeting, City council passed unanimously the ordinance authorizing the transfer of $40,000 of CDBG "SHIP" funds to the account of the CDBG Receivership Program. This will allow the City to abate the problem properties at 535 Wilsonia Ave (Price Hill) and 4668 N Edgewood Ave (Winton Place). LAST UPDATE (3/12/07) Round-up: City of Cincinnati CLIFTON The City is taking action on 87 Juergens (1890). They have condemned the house due to a fire in December and are trying to work out ownership, since the owner is now deceased. It is likely that this will be razed. NORTHSIDE 4760 Hamilton Ave was razed a couple of months ago. This is one of the 22 properties that the City had transfered general fund money into its abatement/demolition account to raze. The building was sold at sheriff's sale. The owner received 180 days (suspended), 1 year of probation and $100 plus court costs. All for letting this building be a blight on the community for AT LEAST 5 years. UNBELIEVABLE!!! SEDAMSVILLE 2616 River Rd (1839) was demolished. There were some relatively minor code violations. I have noticed that the lot has been split and that the owner was seeking a zoning change allowing for the construction of a new single-family house. He probably demolished the house now to avoid having to meet code between now and when the zoning change is finalized. The demolished house is now on the back lot, and the newly-created vacant lot is the one that fronts on River Rd. WINTON PLACE 4729 N Egdewood Ave has been razed. It was condemned in November 2006 due to extensive fire damage. Round-up: Metro BETHEL Bethel's new municipal building gets closer to reality Clermont Sun, 3/16/07 Bethel Village Council is digging deeper into plans to construct a new municipal building, moving discussion to finalizing a budget for the facility to present to the winning bidders. After hearing from five engineering firms, the village has unofficially narrowed their choice to two, and will begin checking references in the near future. "Part of when we discuss funding for that building will be to figure out how much we need to spend for that building," said councilman John Swarthout. "While we don't want to build the biggest, fanciest place, we want to do it right, and not on the cheap. We want it to be nice and to spend the money to make it so. We want to put things into it that won't need replacing in 10 years. We want to do it right, but not be extravagant. We want to be pleased with it, and the village to be pleased with it and the surrounding are to be pleased with it." Swarthout said that the new structure should be functional, affordable but also durable and pleasing. Spending the money to do it right, he said, was an important part of the plan. Additional funding for the project may be gained from a relationship with the Bethel-Tate school district by building a new municipal building with room for offices for the school district. "All of these companies came in and said 'we made this and this and this,'" said Swarthout. "We want the company that makes ours in two years to say 'there's one in Bethel, we did that one.' We want this to be a good product and good building." BLANCHESTER Blanchester seniors need housing Wilmington News Journal, 3/15/07 A proposal for a new senior housing complex on Pansy Pike in Blanchester was on the agenda at the March 9 meeting of Blanchester Village Council. Dean Knapp, director of Clinton County Community Action, and a board member, Eli Yovich, presented to council a proposal for senior housing inside the village. "Basically, they want to build 40 two-bedroom units with attached garages," said Patti Loftin, fiscal officer for the village. The zoning issue for the property, located at 344 Pansy Pike, was addressed by Wayne West, chairman of the zoning board. West said the Planning Commission has recommended the zoning be changed from R2 to PD (planned development). Council approved a motion to place a resolution supporting the construction of a senior housing complex in Blanchester on its third and final reading. That motion and a motion to adopt the resolution were unanimously approved by council. BLUE ASH Blue Ash rec center renovation depends on funding Northeast Suburban Life, 3/9/07 Official plans for renovations of the Blue Ash Recreation Center are still undetermined. Will there be a new gym? How about a new running track? It's unclear. It depends on how much money the city has. Representatives from Michael Schuster Associates Inc., an architectural firm in downtown Cincinnati, and Schumacher-Dugan, a construction firm in West Chester Township, met with city officials recently. The firms were hired in February. Schuster presented designs of the new rec center to council and city administrators March 8. BLUE ASH Blue Ash Kroger construction timeline unclear Northeast Suburban Life, 3/13/07 Jennifer Goldschneider, who lives on Blackwood Court, wonders why construction machinery exists near Kroger on the 4000 block of Hunt Road. "I would be interested to know why there are a number of very large sections of pipe sitting around in the parking lot of the Blue Ash Kroger, together with earth-moving equipment and assorted trucks," she wrote in a e-mail. "If the pipes are part of the teardown and reconstruction of the Blue Ash Kroger store, maybe Northeast Suburban Life will have more luck getting information on the schedule for closure at the current location (and the opening of a temporary Kroger behind the library) than any regular customer." Sue Bennett, the city's public information officer, had this answer: "The pipes and equipment in the Kroger parking lot relate to the Kroger construction project ... not a general road construction project. Their expansion and reconstruction project requires an underground (under the parking area) storm water retention facility - hence the need for the pipes." Bennett added that Dan Johnson, the city's assistant community development director, said Kroger has not communicated when the construction project will begin. Reece-Campbell Inc. is managing the project. CAMPBELL COUNTY 2 sessions this month on comprehensive plan Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/18/07 Campbell County is updating its comprehensive plan, and will hold two open houses this month to seek residents' input about future land use. Sessions begin at 6 p.m. March 27 at Campbell County High School, 909 Camel Crossing, Alexandria; and attend 6 p.m. March 29 at the Southgate Community Center, 301 Walnut St. For more information, call Campbell County Director of Planning & Zoning Peter Klear at 859-292-3880. ERLANGER UDF expanding in Erlanger Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/12/07 United Dairy Farmers will build an expanded warehouse in Erlanger and add 40 jobs, the company said today. Norwood-based UDF said the new 104,000-square-foot building will be next to its current 126,000-square-foot warehouse on Crescent Springs Road. It currently employs 96 people there. Company officials said the access to interstate highways and quality of local workers made the Northern Kentucky location ideal. FORT WRIGHT Fort Wright council delays park vote Erlanger Recorder, 3/12/07 The design development plans for Battery Hooper Park are complete, but Fort Wright city council isn't ready to approve them just yet. Council members voted unanimously on March 7 to delay their approval of the project's design and estimated budget until more residents have had a chance to review the plans. To accommodate a large crowd, a special council meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. in the Saint Agnes Church gymnasium, According to city administrator Larry Klein, council will have the opportunity to vote on the park during the meeting if they so desire. "We'll have information set up with photos and drawings of the amphitheater for everybody to see," said Klein. Cincinnati Enquirer: Comments sought on Battery Hooper grant (3/18/07) MADEIRA Neyer Construction Breaks Ground on Gilson’s Engraving New Headquarters Cincinnati.com, 3/14/07 Recently awarded the contract for Gilson’s Engraving (www.gilsonsonline.com), Neyer Construction, Inc. is set to break ground on the new 7,380 square foot structure this month. According to the Madeira City Website (www.madeiracity.com) and City Manager Tom Moeller, the Gilson’s structure and Cottage Savings and Loan, to be located at the corner of Miami and Laurel will serve as a focal point for the city’s central business district (CBD). NCI will provide the general construction as well as the concrete and carpentry work. “When construction is complete later this summer, Gilson’s will have a new facility that is both aesthetically pleasing and one that stayed within budgets and on-schedule,” said John Neyer, President, Neyer Construction. In the near future, NCI will release a media advisory on the much anticipated groundbreaking of the Gilson’s facility that will include specific details and photo opportunities. MONTGOMERY Here is a rendering of the Buckhead Homes teardown project at 7810 Jolain Dr ($675,000). MONTGOMERY Kurlemann Homes is planning a teardown project at 7971 Wild Orchard Ln. The current home, built in 1958, was valued at around $160,000. The new home will be high-end. MONTGOMERY Council, Twin Lakes to discuss roadway Northeast Suburban Life, 3/15/07 Twin Lakes' next step in developing 13 new homes here begins Wednesday. Montgomery Planning Commission recently approved the senior-living organization's site plans for the development, which is slated to be built 2.59 acres between Hopewell and Schoolhouse roads. According to the commission, city officials must turn over property to Twin Lakes, which seeks to develop a roadway directly opposite of Forestglen Drive. The easement, as it's called, would align the two roadways. It is one of 13 conditions the commission established as part of its approval of Twin Lakes' plans. "If the easement doesn't go through, that may change things. It impacts a lot of the design," said Connie Schmitt, a spokeswoman for Twin Lakes. The first hearing on this easement will be at city council's March 21 meeting. SYCAMORE TWP Sycamore Twp. 'super shelter' inches closer to construction Northeast Suburban Life, 3/15/07 Since an out-of-control fire destroyed Bechtold Lodge several years ago, the township has been without a community meeting place. That all could change by this summer with the construction of a "super shelter" in the lodge's place. Trustee Dick Kent said the shelter project is in its final design stages. Once officials settle on a design, the project will go out to bid. The shelter would have restrooms, a fireplace and storage facility, dwarfing what the typical shelter has to offer. "They're pretty plain vanilla ... This will be much nicer," Kent said. SYMMES TWP Residents speak out about proposed levy Northeast Suburban Life, 3/17/07 After two tries, the Symmes Township trustees finally were able to hold a public hearing on the proposed tax levy and Rozzi's property purchase that was attended by more than just a handful of residents. While the crowd wasn't enormous, it did respond positively to the proposal and ballot issue. The trustees passed a resolution to put a 30-year, .9-mill levy on the May ballot during their Feb. 13 meeting. Money raised by the levy - estimated to be about $7.73 million - will be used for the development and purchase of the 51-acre Rozzi's Fireworks property. Township officials are hoping to transform the property into a sports complex, complete with soccer and lacrosse fields, baseball diamonds and various other amenities for residents of all ages. Township Administrator Gerald Beckman said the complex would solve the township's woes when it comes to finding adequate playing fields for the various youth sports teams in the area. WYOMING Group home may call Wyoming new home Tri-County Press, 3/16/07 City Council plans to discuss at its March 19 meeting the possible construction of a group home on Springfield Pike. That development, however, concerns Wyoming City School District board of education members. They fear the group home may end up costing the district additional dollars in education. The proposed plan would relocate 10 group home residents from a home in Avondale to a newly constructed 4,852-square-foot home at 1227 and 1229 Springfield Pike, near Chestnut Avenue. "Wyoming board of education supports a group home in Wyoming, but not with potential open-ended expense to our taxpayers," said board President Todd Levy.
March 19, 200718 yr Author From the 3/16/07 Enquirer: Kentucky Post: Alexandria set to annex 172 acres (3/14/07) Project would add 600 homes New sewer seen as likely stimulus BY SCOTT WARTMAN | [email protected] A proposed 600-home development may join the building renaissance in Alexandria expected with the completion this year of a new sewer plant. The development would be built over the next six years off Tollgate Road alongside the Arcadia subdivision, a 916-home development on the north side of Alexandria. Cincinnati builders Ameritek would construct it. City Council had the first reading Thursday night to consider the developers' request to annex the property. Planning Commission would make a recommendation, and the council would get a final vote. The lifting of the moratorium on home construction in the area when the new sewer plant is completed lured Ameritek to the 172-acre property just outside Alexandria's city limits, said Ralph Meierjohan, Ameritek president. The overburdened sewer system has impeded growth and led to a ban on new sewer tap-ins since 1996. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070316/NEWS0103/703160398/1059/rss13
March 20, 200718 yr Hyde Park: Summit Commons Hooray for The_Cincinnati_Kid!!! These look pretty near completion. TCK...what is the status as far as completion? Also, have they all sold? Alas, none are sold yet, but two are close. Build out is almost complete on two of the interiors with a third closing in fast. We are going to leave two units in the finished dryall phase until we sell one or two units, then complete the build outs. We also still have one unit left to build on the end of these five, plus, we bought another lot on Grandin a few months ago and are going to do another house there as well. We should also be closing next week on the dump behind the ones pictured above to tear it down and build yet another one (the house behind is in complete disrepair and is not worth even trying to save).
March 20, 200718 yr Also, some big news: I heard through the grapevine that Corporex is going to shortly announce plans to move forward with the final phases of the Baldwin Complex at the base of Mt. Adams. Plans will call for another tower of 250,000 s.f., similar in size to Baldwin 200 (the newer square one) although it will not look exactly like it and will likely be located adjacant to the LAGA building. A hotel will also be announced for the spot closer to I-71. My source said the office building will start construction very soon and will share a 4-5 story parking deck with the hotel. To help udnerstand the site, these will sit across Eden Park Drive from the Grand Baldwin and Baldwin 200 buildings, and between the LAGA building and I-71, south of the Milacron Building.
March 21, 200718 yr Author ^ Thanks for the update, TCK. Good luck moving those units! The other news sounds cool as well! From the 3/21/07 Cincinnati Business Courier: Senior apartment community slated for expansion Cincinnati Business Courier - Wednesday, March 21, 2007 by Laura Baverman, Staff Reporter North Bend Crossing Seniors Community will begin a $25 million expansion this spring, adding 122 rental units for independent, assisted and memory-impaired living. Called Renaissance West, the new 140,000-square-foot facility will be located on West Fork Road, a quarter-mile west of North Bend Road near Interstate 74. It's set to open in the summer of 2008. "We feel that in senior housing you have to provide a continuum (that) starts with independent and ends with extended care. This is the middle link of that continuum of care," said Glenn Shepherd, the developer of the project. His development company, Shepherd Industries, opened North Bend Crossing, an 80-unit independent living condo community, in 2004. A third phase is likely to serve extended-care residents. MORE: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/03/19/daily28.html?surround=lfn
March 22, 200718 yr TCK, I believe you've answered this before, but how much are those places listing for?
March 22, 200718 yr TCK, I believe you've answered this before, but how much are those places listing for? $429,000 - $469,000. I love the final colors...will the steps be iron? The railings will be iron I believe.
March 22, 200718 yr Also, some big news: I heard through the grapevine that Corporex is going to shortly announce plans to move forward with the final phases of the Baldwin Complex at the base of Mt. Adams. Plans will call for another tower of 250,000 s.f., similar in size to Baldwin 200 (the newer square one) although it will not look exactly like it and will likely be located adjacant to the LAGA building. A hotel will also be announced for the spot closer to I-71. My source said the office building will start construction very soon and will share a 4-5 story parking deck with the hotel. To help udnerstand the site, these will sit across Eden Park Drive from the Grand Baldwin and Baldwin 200 buildings, and between the LAGA building and I-71, south of the Milacron Building. ill bet you all cant wait to see what this new building will look like! you thought everything corporex has done till now is crap...wait till you see this... (amazingly what they will actually build is 10 times more impressive than what they originally proposed) the hotel is news though. corporex will have its own little downtown over there before too long. horay for crap!
March 22, 200718 yr Also, some big news: I heard through the grapevine that Corporex is going to shortly announce plans to move forward with the final phases of the Baldwin Complex at the base of Mt. Adams. Plans will call for another tower of 250,000 s.f., similar in size to Baldwin 200 (the newer square one) although it will not look exactly like it and will likely be located adjacant to the LAGA building. A hotel will also be announced for the spot closer to I-71. My source said the office building will start construction very soon and will share a 4-5 story parking deck with the hotel. To help udnerstand the site, these will sit across Eden Park Drive from the Grand Baldwin and Baldwin 200 buildings, and between the LAGA building and I-71, south of the Milacron Building. Wow...that sounds great! Obviously its not downtown infill, but its economic development in the core! Thanks for the info!!!
March 23, 200718 yr the company i work for has worked with the new tenant in the past...a few of the renderings came through the office. imagine cornerstone... although i do applaud corporex for breaking from the "trying to look like the historic baldwin building yet looks like shit" motif.
March 23, 200718 yr West Side group kicks in resources for sports complex Indoor facility to house soccer, lacrosse, flag football BY DAN MONK | [email protected] March 23, 2007 A group of West Side sports enthusiasts will provide the money and muscle for a new indoor sports complex in Whitewater Township. Construction begins later this month on Rivers Edge Indoor Sports, a six-acre complex on Ohio 128 near Interstate 275. It will cater to athletes involved in indoor soccer, lacrosse and flag football. The $3.5 million, 77,000-square-foot facility will include three turf fields and an indoor recreation and seating area with wireless Internet access. One of the three fields will be a full-sized soccer field without walls - a design inspired by coaches who complained that indoor soccer players sometimes develop bad habits in the smaller confines of indoor games. MORE: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/03/26/story6.html
March 26, 200718 yr Author Reading: Demolition of Nivison-Weiskopf factory The Board of Trustees of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County are now accepting sealed bids for the demoliton of the Nivison-Weiskopf factory at Third and Voorhees streets in Reading. Demolition of the factory will give the City of Reading 10 acres of developable land, which they plan on marketing to biotech firms. The former director of UC's Genome Research Institute has said that the site could support a $50 million building with a $20 million per year payroll. Bids are being accepted until April 10. SEE THIS AREA ON WINDOWS LIVE SEARCH LAST UPDATE (1/22/07) Colerain Twp: Creekwood Estates Showcase Building & Design is building Creekwood Estates, a patio home subdivision, off of Colerain Ave near the Preserve. (Between Banning and Lapland.) Prices range from $129,900 for 2BR/2BA to $187,900 for 3BR/2BA. Here is a look at one of the completed ranch-style units. GOOGLE MAP AERIAL Carthage: Center Hill Commerce Park Cincinnati City council has accepted a general warranty deed from the Village of Elmwood Place, adding 6 acres to the Center Hill Commerce Park project. The land, which was formerly a landfill for the village, was promised to the City in a memorandum of understanding signed in 2004. That memorandum allowed the property to be bought, remediated environmentally, and then donated to the City. Municipal Code required the City council to formally accept the deed, which has now been done. Round-up: City of Cincinnati BOND HILL 1831 Garden Ln has been rehabbed and it looks pretty great. EAST PRICE HILL 1008 Purcell Ave (1890) has been declared a public nuisance because it's falling apart. I don't think anyone's lived here for a couple of years. EAST PRICE HILL 3222 Warsaw Ave has been declared a public nuisance and B&I have drawn up demolition specs. This one went to criminal court. That case is still pending. EAST WALNUT HILLS 423 Collins Ave (1875) has been declared a public nuisance, and the previous owner is dead. The new owner has claimed that he'd demo the house and clear the lot, but it's been a couple of months now. The City may step in and do it for him. FAIRVIEW 2438 W McMicken Ave (1880) has been declared a public nuisance due to cracks in the foundation, a plastic tarp roof that looks temporary at best, and its inclination to slide down the hill. This may be heading straight to abatement because the owner hasn't done a damn thing in years, and he's not likely to now. NORTHSIDE 1523 Lingo St, claims to be rehabbed. Let's see...assessed at $43,200 in 2005. Sold for $57,000 in 2006. Being offered now for $38,900??? They're going in the wrong direction! Maybe I'll buy it and then sell it for $10,000. NORTHSIDE 4125 and 4133 Lakeman St have been demolished by the City. These houses were two of the 22 recommended for hazard abatement by City council last fall, to be paid for by $250,000 property tax dollars from the General Fund. (4125 and 4133 Lakeman) NORTHSIDE 4130 Chambers St (1885) has been razed by the City. It was condemned in May 2006, declared a public nuisance in September and was ordered demolished in November. NORTHSIDE 4219 Williamson Pl is currently being rehabbed for sale. PRICE HILL Anonymous donor gives Seton $500,000 Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/23/07 The investment adviser slid an envelope across the table. Dan Ledford, Seton High School's president, lifted the flap and gasped. The envelope contained a cashier's check for $500,000. The anonymous, unsolicited gift will help the Catholic girls' school upgrade its computer technology to the tune of $300,000 and help pay $200,000 worth of student tuition. "I'm used to seeing checks made out as gifts to the school," Ledford said. "Checks that start with a five and are great gifts are for $50,000. "This check started with a five and the zeros just kept going. I've never seen anything like this." Neither has the school. Ledford termed the gift the largest unsolicited anonymous gift in the history of a school, which traces its beginnings to 1854. WEST END 527 and 529 York St are supposed to be razed soon. Work may actually still be ongoing. 527 has been condemned for several years. Prosecution stalled once it was found out that the owner was deceased. The same is believed of 529. Round-up: Metro ADAMS COUNTY Eulett Center receives $300,000 to build West Union People's Defender, 3/21/07 The Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission approved $300,000 at its quarterly meeting this past week for construction of the Eulett Education Center in Adams County, a project of the Cincinnati Museum Center. The state funds will combine with a prior state appropriation of $1.85 million to be used for construction of the new $2.3 million education center. The site is located on the Richard and Lucile Durrell Edge of Appalachia Preserve, which serves southwest and southern Ohio naturalists, educators, students and researchers, and includes four national natural landmarks. The 8,000 square foot education and training center will be equipped with a research laboratory, multipurpose rooms, state-of-the-art technology and overnight accommodations, creating an Adams County location for scientific research, business retreats and hands-on student learning. The design and construction of the new facility will incorporate local natural materials, employ local craftspeople, and will integrate with the natural topography of the site. The commission approval, coupled with the signing of legal agreements, allows the Cincinnati Museum Center to be reimbursed on a pro rata basis with funds appropriated in Am. Sub. H.B. 699 of the 126th General Assembly. Adams County General Assembly members who voted in favor of the bill include Senator Tom Niehaus and Representatives Todd Book and Danny Bubp. Hamilton County General Assembly members who voted in favor of the bill include Senators Robert Schuler, Patricia Clancy, and Eric Kearney, and Representatives Louis Blessing, Steve Driehaus, Jim Raussen, Bill Seitz and Tyrone Yates and former Representative Catherine Barrett. BROOKSVILLE Former high school building becoming community eyesore Maysville Ledger Independent, 3/20/07 Reading, writing and arithmetic ceased at the old Bracken County High School in 1998, but usefulness of the seemingly abandoned building is still on the minds Bracken County residents. Not exactly a gift horse, originally the school district offered it to the city of Brooksville for one dollar, an offer the city declined. It was then sold at auction to the highest bidder, and may have changed hands at least once since then. The owner listed in Bracken County tax records is Richard J. Hershner of Covington, said officials. "It is valued at $80,000 on our books," said Tracey Florer, PVA officer. Since 1998, vandals have been the only, be it unwanted, occupants of the brick building on Miami Street near the county courthouse, said Heather Brumley, one of several alumni who have been discussing the fate of the old school. CAMPBELL COUNTY Campbell seeks balance in land use Kentucky Post, 3/19/07 Campbell County Judge-Executive Steve Pendery says he hopes the county's new comprehensive plan for land use will strike a healthy balance between development and green space. "One is necessary for the other to thrive," he said. "We anticipate more growth, but we want to balance that growth with green space." State law requires counties to update their comprehensive plan every five years, and Campbell County will update its plan later this year. To get ideas from the public, the county has scheduled two open houses next week. The first will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 27 at Campbell County High School in Alexandria. The second will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 29 at the Southgate Community Center. "The open houses are designed to collect public input," said Pendery. "County officials have decided nothing about the plan so far. COLERAIN TWP Residents not happy with county's Blue Rock plan Northwest Press, 3/15/07 Hamilton County plans a $2 million safety project along an accident-plagued segment of Blue Rock Road, but a number of residents say the plan is not much of an improvement. About a dozen residents of Blue Rock Road between Galbraith and Sheed roads told Colerain Township trustees March 13 that they are unhappy with the county's plans for the road. Hamilton County traffic planner Tim Gilday said the improvements conform to recommendations from a corridor study completed in 2001, which looked at Blue Rock Road from Colerain Township to Harrison, identifying improvements needed along the busy road. Residents complained to trustees March 13 that the plan is flawed. Dorothy Carter told the board that the plan takes too many mature trees and suggested the road be widened on the west side of the street, where the county already owns a stretch of right-of-way. COLERAIN TWP Colerain Township to add to its greenspace collection Northwest Press, 3/15/07 Colerain Township's commitment to greenspace is growing by another half-acre. Clifton resident William J. Guentter Jr. has approached the township about donating property at the southwest corner of Poole Road and Woodthrush Drive. The Hamilton County Auditor's Office appraised the fair market value at $36,900. Colerain Township attorney James Reuter has cleared the title on the property and is doing the legal work so the township can accept the property. He said the lot is unimproved. "The grass has been mowed near the edges, but the lot has no buildings and has been reforested," he said. CRITTENDEN 1820 tavern is largely intact Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/24/07 Sitting off U.S. 25, in a wooded area seemingly apart from the rest of the world, the old Sherman Tavern is vacant, its windows broken and its paint peeling. The site, about 6 miles south of Crittenden in Grant County, is being developed, but that's for a new elementary school. No one is doing much to refurbish the tavern, which opened in 1820 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an example of an early inn. Now a group of about 20 in the county are hoping to change that. They want to help make the tavern a cultural learning center, something similar to the Farnsley-Moremen House on the bank of the Ohio River in Louisville. "There are a number of ways this historic site can be utilized for education, and there are sources for funding such projects," said Barbara Brown, president of the Grant County Historical Society. "The fact that the site is already on the national historic registry is an excellent asset when requesting financial funding from agencies. Such a 'learning lab' is successful in a historic house and site in Jefferson County ... (and it will) serve as a historical site of interest to all who cherish our culture and history." Nancy Howe, public information officer for the Grant County Schools, said plans for the elementary school do not include tearing down the tavern. DELHI TWP Red tape holds up veterans' memorial Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/23/07 The Wall of Honor has hit a wall of governmental regulations. Strings attached to a $100,000 grant from the state of Ohio have forced the wall’s sponsor, the Delhi Township Veterans Association, to scrap the project’s planned Memorial Day opening. The black granite monument is slated to contain the name of every township resident who served in the armed forces. “Now we’re shooting for the wall to be dedicated on Veterans Day,” said Jeff Lefler, the association’s secretary. The delay came after the project received public funds. Hamilton County regulations called for the filing of highly specified architectural drawings, “We had design drawings without specs,” Lefler said. He noted that the association already had contractors lined up. But that was when the project was going to be completely financed by private donations. EVENDALE Evendale wants to draft comprehensive plan Tri-County Press, 3/22/07 The committee seeking to review and draft a comprehensive master plan for Evendale will conduct its first meeting at 4 p.m. Monday, March 26, at the village municipal building, 10500 Reading Road. The meeting will be in the council library. Members of the committee include Mayor Don Apking, Councilmen J. Jeffrey Albrinck and Christian Schaefer, Planning Commission Chairman Dick Shaffer and Community Improvement Corp. President John Perazzo. FAIRFIELD Athlete training center pumps up Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/19/07 Construction will begin April 2 on a $425,000 athletic training center at Fairfield High School. The project will add 2,700 square feet to the school's 1,700-square-foot weight room. All but $50,000has been raised through cash contributions or donations of materials and labor, said Rob Amodio, interim assistant superintendent. "All we need is $50,000 more in cash," said Fairfield Mayor Ron D'Epifanio, a member of the committee. "That, or we need someone to step up and donate windows and doors." General contractor and committee member Wayne Huber said his firm would provide labor at no cost. FAIRFIELD TWP New animal shelter controversial Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/22/07 Some residents here are fighting what they say is a surprise plan to build Butler County's new animal shelter too close to their back yards. Voters approved a one-year property tax levy in November to raise about $3.7 million to replace the crowded 54-year-old Trenton shelter run by the Butler County Humane Society. But when residents of the Fairfield Ridge subdivision learned that plans call for the new shelter to be built near their homes - and not in Trenton as expected - several spoke out this week to Fairfield Township trustees. "We were told it would be two to three football fields away from our home,'' said Terry Marischen. "My house is one that would back up to the shelter. I don't own a dog. I don't want the noise. I will call every day if there is noise." Residents say they also are concerned about potential odors and unwanted traffic. Cincinnati Enquirer: Neighbors bark over animal shelter site (3/21/07) FAYETTEVILLE Fayetteville makes cuts on building project Georgetown News Democrat, 3/25/07 Plans continued regarding the new Fayetteville High School. The project is currently at an estimated $23 million budget, and is the biggest project to ever come to the Fayetteville region. The new school, which will house grades six to 12, had significant plan changes since the schematic design meeting held in October. Several areas were moved around to help lower the costs of construction, such as the softball field and the new school administration building. Overall, the project is now estimated to cost about $300,000 less than in October. Present at the meeting were project managers Rob Sum and Eric Steva, from Turner-Mag, who went over estimated numbers and floor plans and spoke about the next step in the building's development. The two managers feel the final cost could get even lower once they go to bids and see where they can get the best prices for materials and services. Among the plans discussed were those for a connecter between the main school building and the gym, several additional classrooms and ample room to allow for community growth. Superintendent Roy Hill feels it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to having enough room for the students. "We don't want to start out in new facilities and have modulars sitting out back," Hill said. GREENFIELD (Highland Co) Historical society plans restoration Hillsboro Times-Gazette, 3/20/07 The Greenfield Historical Society will hold a history dinner April 15 in the Travellers Rest to benefit the renovation of the Old Seceders Church/Two Room Schoolhouse. The Old Seceders church was built in 1935 by the Associate and Reformed Church, also known as the Seceders. It was used by the congregation until 1967 when they moved into their new home, just west of the church. The were then known as United Presbyterians and their new building is still standing at the corner of South Washington and South streets, the home of the Greenfield Masons. Cost for the dinner will be $15 per person, $25 per couple. Two seatings will be held, at 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at Home Building and Loan and Castle Hallmark. Tickets must be purchased in advance, as seating is limited. All proceeds from the dinner will benefit the restoration of the Old Seceders Church. In 1967, the United Presbyterians sold the old church to the Board of Education of the Greenfield Union Schools to be used as classrooms. It is assumed that this was when the building was divided into two rooms, thus giving it the name Two Room Schoolhouse, as is it known today. It was used for school purposes until 1884 when the school board sold it to Emma Miller, wife of E.H. Miller, a member of the Miller Banking family. The Miller family was an important element of the banking business of Greenfield from the 1850s until the Highland County Bank closed in 1930, a victim of the stock market crash of 1929. INDEPENDENCE Fire district to break ground on new station Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/21/07 The Independence Fire District will break ground tonight on a new Fire Station No. 2 on Cox Road. The ceremony will be at 6:30 p.m. at 740 Cox Road. The 5,061-square-foot station will be identical to fire station No. 3 that was replaced and opened a year ago. Completion is scheduled for this year. The Independence Fire District plans to staff the station around the clock in early 2008 with an engine crew, Chief Richard A. Messingschlager has said. The station is part of a three-year-old plan to improve fire and EMS service. INDIAN HILL Indian Hill continues to cultivate Grand Valley Preserve Cincinnati.com, 3/22/07 Grand Valley Reserve’s park ranger says Indian Hill’s “diamond in the rough” is slowly but surely becoming a polished place for residents to enjoy. After 33 years in law enforcement – the last seven as police chief in Indian Hill – Will McQueen says he’s excited for the future of Grand Valley, and his new role as the reserve’s manager. “This has been a win-win for me,” McQueen said. “It was time for me to retire, but I know a lot of people up here and I love the outdoors.” The Village of Indian Hill acquired the land, which previously was a gravel excavation site, and is now working on habitat reconstruction. There is a new Web site for the reserve on the village’s site at www.ihill.org. The reclamation project at Grand Valley has included adding bike and walking paths and creation of nests for natural species like the Osprey, a medium to large bird of prey. The reserve also has a few bald eagles, McQueen said. Cincinnati Enquirer: Track preserve's progress using new Web page (3/18/07) LOVELAND Loveland shooting range plans unclear Loveland Herald, 3/22/07 Owners of Shooters' Supply Shop are still hoping to build a shooting range here this year. Just where that will be exactly isn't clear. "We're trying to keep that under wraps until we get a conditional use permit," co-owner Marvin Mann said, referring to what Loveland Planning and Zoning Commission awards to building applicants. "We're negotiating construction costs," he said. Mann and co-owner Dan Lovett had intended to develop a range at 1425 Loveland-Madeira Road. The plans were snarled by appeals filed by Dave Miller, a resident who strongly opposed more guns in the city. LOVELAND Loveland skate park ready to roll Loveland Herald, 3/22/07 A ground breaking ceremony has been set for the city of Loveland's new skateboard park. The ground breaking ceremony will be held rain or shine at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, at Lever Park. The new skate park will cost $130,000, and is funded in by a $67,500 grant from the state of Ohio Nature Works program, a $3,000 grant from Duke Energy, and local income tax dollars. According to Mayor Rob Weisgerber, leveraging state and private sector money was critical to making this project move forward. "This skateboard park will be a wonderful new addition to Loveland's park system, and is made possible through a public-private partnership," Weisgerber said. Weisgerber noted that the city has also entered into a public-private partnership with the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati for the operation of a proposed recreation center in Loveland. He said, "Recreation has been such a primary focus for the city, and we can accomplish far more for our residents with partners like the state, Duke and the Y." Weisgerber noted that Loveland City Council started planning for this project more than five years ago, after teenage skaters in the community petitioned the City to build a place for them to legally skate. MACON (Brown Co) Eastern to make decision Georgetown News Democrat, 3/25/07 The Eastern Board of Education knows all too well that difficult decisions are a part of any major construction project. At its March 20 meeting the board discussed a climate control dilemma concerning geothermal heating and cooling systems for the planned Sardinia Elementary and Eastern High School buildings. Steve Hoyt, with construction management company Turner/DAG, had some good news about the outlook at the planned high school site, but had little information about the Sardinia project. Although Hoyt admitted the entire scope of information has not yet been prepared, he encouraged the board to make a permanent decision on design plans in an attempt to avoid potential costly delays. Geothermal heating and cooling systems work similar to residential heat pumps that utilize an exchange with outside air. Geothermals, however, use underground fluids to control the temperature of a building. Since underground temperatures are warmer than above ground in the winter and cooler than above ground in the summer, the fluid can be raised or lowered more efficiently, using less energy. While geothermal systems traditionally cost more to install, the costs can be recouped in energy savings over an extended period of time. Geothermal systems are not co-funded by the Ohio School Facilities Commission, however, and a less expensive traditional HVAC system is recommended by the OSFC. To install the geothermals at Eastern, the district would have to come up with the cash through a Locally Funded Initiative. Hoyt informed the board of two recent favorable developments at the high school site that make a geothermal system much more likely at that location. NEW RICHMOND Habitat for Humanity Groundbreaking Community Journal Clermont, 3/20/07 Clermont County Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent Builds, a multi-million dollar national Habitat for Humanity donor, will hold a public ground breaking for a new house at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 24, in New Richmond. The house, 309 Union St., is being built for Jeremy and Andrea Higgins who have two children, Sierra and Logan. Thrivent Builds is a volunteer and advocacy alliance formed as a partnership between Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Habitat for Humanity with funding provided by the contributions from three million Thrivent Financial members nationwide. "Thrivent is a Fortune 500 company and it's basically a financial company for Lutherans," said Gates Moss, the home's project leader. "It is a company that is very involved in the community." Moss said 65 percent of the total cost for the house is being provided by the national Thrivent Builds office with another 10 percent contribution coming from the local chapter while the remaining 25 percent is provided by habitat. SYMMES TWP Symmes looking for Meade House tenants Northeast Suburban Life, 3/19/07 Wanted: tenant to occupy historic home in Symmes Township. Occupants would be responsible for clean-up and maintenance. No rent or deposit necessary. While this deal may sound too good to be true, it's exactly what the township is offering a local non-profit organization that's looking for a new home, although it would be temporary. Trustee Eric Minamyer said the idea came about during the township's last meeting, when a consultant hired by Symmes to figure out the best current use for the Meade House, 11887 Lebanon Road, suggested renting it to a non-profit group that would maintain the property in exchange for a place of operations. "It's really a win-win for us and them," he said. The two-story home, which is vacant, was built in the 1900s and rests on about 24 acres of land. Symmes purchased the property in 2003 in order to preserve the home's history and the green space of the land. SYMMES TWP Residents speak out about proposed levy Northeast Suburban Life, 3/19/07 After two tries, the Symmes Township trustees finally were able to hold a public hearing on the proposed tax levy and Rozzi's property purchase that was attended by more than just a handful of residents. While the crowd wasn't enormous, it did respond positively to the proposal and ballot issue. The trustees passed a resolution to put a 30-year, .9-mill levy on the May ballot during their Feb. 13 meeting. Money raised by the levy - estimated to be about $7.73 million - will be used for the development and purchase of the 51-acre Rozzi's Fireworks property. Township officials are hoping to transform the property into a sports complex, complete with soccer and lacrosse fields, baseball diamonds and various other amenities for residents of all ages. Township Administrator Gerald Beckman said the complex would solve the township's woes when it comes to finding adequate playing fields for the various youth sports teams in the area. WYOMING Some Wyoming residents concerned about group home proposal Tri-County Press, 3/20/07 Several Wyoming residents came to the March 19 council meeting to hear about the proposed GraceWorks group home on Springfield Pike. But Mayor Barry Porter asked residents to refrain from voicing opinions until council conducts a public hearing at the April 16 council meeting. The proposed plan would relocate 10 group home residents from a home in Avondale to a newly constructed 4,852-square-foot home at 1227 and 1229 Springfield Pike, near Chestnut Avenue. Several residents did, however, ask questions of council. Ray Lippert asked why residents don't get to vote on the development. "Shouldn't the people decide?" he asked.
March 27, 200718 yr Author From the 3/23/07 Enquirer: City braces for big boom New stores, new subdivisions, new way of life coming BY SCOTT WARTMAN | [email protected] The world around Dave Kremer's grocery store will change significantly in the coming years. The Wal-Mart 300 yards away in the same Alexandria Village Green Shopping Center as his County Market will become a "Supercenter" next year. Fifteen hundred homes are expected to be built over the next decade by three developers on 500 acres of untouched woodland off U.S. 27 and Tollgate Road. The announcement this month of a 600-home development also planned off Tollgate Road has further divided Alexandria: Some residents welcome the growth while others want to retain the country setting. The expected influx of residents will help the 41,000-square-foot County Market co-exist with a 200,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter, Kremer said. "The more homes that are out here, the more that will be here to buy groceries," he said. "It will be good as long as the governmental bodies have a growth plan." MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070323/NEWS0103/703230456/1059/rss13
March 29, 200718 yr They have begun tearing down the former "Your Pet's Shop" at the intersection of Paxton, Wasson and Isabella roads in Oakley for the retail/office development mentioned earlier in this thread.
March 29, 200718 yr Target moving to Western Hills Plaza BY JESSICA BROWN | [email protected] March 29, 2007 WESTWOOD - A new Target likely will be coming to the Western Hills Plaza. The plaza owner, New Plan, intends to raze the empty Kroger and Media Play buildings at Glenway Avenue and Werk Road. It will build another, bigger Target there, replacing the one that sits about a mile south, near Glenway and Crookshank Road. The project is estimated to cost $10 million and is expected to be a rebirth for that shopping plaza, which includes a Sears, Old Navy and Bed Bath & Beyond, said New Plan's Michael Carroll. The new Target would be about 30,000 square feet bigger than the current store. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070329/NEWS01/703290354/1056/COL02
March 29, 200718 yr HOLY CRAP!!!! This is HUGE news...I wonder what in the heck is going to happen with the Target location that they are vacating just down the road. That site could end up really looking hideous after Target leaves!
March 31, 200718 yr Harrison: Hot spot for condos West Side building boomlet BY JEFF MCKINNEY | [email protected] March 30, 2007 PHOTO: Brent Warndorf of May Construction caulks around windows Thursday at MiamiTrace, a condo development in Harrison. The $12 million project, being built in phases, has a 2010 completion date. The Enquirer/Cara Owsley PHOTO: The condos sell from $124,900 to $166,900. Eighty-eight are going up in 11 buildings. The Enquirer/Carrie Cochran HARRISON - A Bridgetown builder and developer is constructing 88 condominiums along Dry Fork Road north of Harrison High School near Miami Whitewater Forest. The $12 million project, called MiamiTrace, will offer condos with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an attached garage. The condos, clustered in 11 buildings, will be priced from $124,900 to $166,900 and range from 1,200 to 2,400 square feet. Sixteen units have been built and five sold since mid-January. The project is expected to be done by 2010. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070330/BIZ01/703300356/1076/BIZ
March 31, 200718 yr ^This topic has been under extensive discussion here for some time: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=344.0
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