January 5, 200916 yr Lebanon to get the kinks out with downtown streetscape By Elaine Trumpey, Cincinnati Enquirer, January 5, 2009 LEBANON - This city's historic downtown, noted for its antiques shops and the Golden Lamb restaurant, is giving itself a $2 million face-lift. Sidewalks in the historic district are showing their age. Concrete portions are breaking up. Cracked and uneven brick-paved stretches also threaten to trip up pedestrians. It's no wonder. Lebanon's streetscape is a product of the 1970s. For much of the next two years, starting this spring, shoppers will be finding their ways around construction along Mulberry and Broadway streets. The work - to be complete by September 2010 - is being done about one block at a time to keep the inconveniences to a minimum. Plans call for suspending construction near the holidays, a shopping season critical to merchants. The contractor also must make sure work areas are safe for the city's popular festivals, which will be held as scheduled this spring and summer. The project goes beyond cosmetic changes. Storm sewers will be replaced and underground electrical lines upgraded, which will help ensure the long-term future of the downtown district, said City Manager Pat Clements.
January 16, 200916 yr Former rehabbers build Cincinnati apartment portfolio Once known as buyers and renovators of dilapidated homes, twins Mitch and Matt Painter now put their dollars in long-term investments. A 1918-built Hyde Park property called the Porterhouse brings their portfolio of apartment holdings to 137 units. They plan to purchase more than 100 additional units over the next year in locations such as Hyde Park, Mount Lookout and Clifton. The twins’ strategy is to find well-maintained properties with strong occupancy and below-market rent. They pump funds into energy efficiency methods and upgraded appliances and then increase rents as much as 10 percent. At the 26-unit Porterhouse on Madison Road, purchased in October for $1.7 million, the Painters will convert maids quarters in the basement into two-story, three-bedroom units. “We’re being really strategic in what we buy and trying to predict future need,” said Mitch Painter, president of Painter Development Group. He started the renovation company, Keystone Properties, at age 18 as a student at the University of Cincinnati. His brother Matt joined him after his graduation in 2003. Through 2007, the pair rehabbed about 20 homes a year and owned and managed several apartment buildings. Since that time, they’ve targeted apartment properties. They bought a vacant seniors building in Roselawn for $250,000, spent a year leasing the 35 apartments and sold the property for $771,000. They’re focusing on Hyde Park and Mount Lookout buildings now, but could soon target senior apartments and government-subsidized housing. MORE: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/01/19/story8.html
January 16, 200916 yr West Clifton Avenue Road Improvements http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/city/downloads/WestCliftonImprovement.pdf As part of the City of Cincinnati’s ongoing investment to the neighborhood of Clifton Heights, the Department of Transportation and Engineering has begun improvement work on West Clifton Avenue from West McMillan Street to Vine Street. Crews of the Fred A. Nemann Company will narrow the roadway from Klotter Avenue to Ohio Avenue; construct a retaining wall; install rock fall protection; install a new traffic signal; construct concrete curb ramps walks and base pads; resurface the entire roadway; and conduct miscellaneous other work. This work should end by September 2009. The contractor will complete the maintenance in phases, and will normally work from 7 am to 5 pm, Monday through Thursday, although occasionally work may extend beyond 5 pm and may even continue over the weekend. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction for the duration of the project. Motorists are urged to reduce speed and use caution when driving through the construction area. The Department of Transportation and Engineering oversees the rehabilitation and improvement of the City of Cincinnati’s infrastructure. The Department also provides transportation planning, design, engineering services, structural and geotechnical services, right of way regulation, and construction management. It is the clearinghouse for all City and regional transportation functions, and serves as a liaison to the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority. For more information about the department, visit http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/dote
January 16, 200916 yr ^ As part of the West Clifton project the old stone incline foundation is going to be converted to a bus stop as well.
January 16, 200916 yr Clifton arts center wins $1M grant for renovation Friday, January 16, 2009, 11:07am EST Business Courier of Cincinnati The Clifton Cultural Arts Center said it has received a $1 million gift that will allow it to renovate its historic building on Clifton Avenue. The gift, from an anonymous donor, will be combined with a $250,000 grant from the city of Cincinnati to allow the center to proceed with the project, according to a news release. The Clifton Cultural Arts Center was founded in 2004 to preserve and utilize the 102-year-old Clifton School and adjacent McDonald Estate Carriage House. The center offers arts and cultural programming, classes, performances and exhibitions. http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/01/12/daily76.html
January 19, 200916 yr Marriott opens Florence hotel http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090119/BIZ01/901190334/1055/NEWS A new $10 million SpringHill Suites by Marriott has opened at 7492 Turfway Road. The 101-suite hotel is geared toward business and leisure travelers, and daily rates begin at $129, said Karen Bennett, the hotel's director of sales. She said the four-story hotel offers free shuttle service to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, high-speed Internet access, an indoor swimming pool and whirlpool as well as a fitness center. "We offer services tailored to the Gen-X crowd as well as the leisure traveler," Bennett said. Contact: 859-371-3388 or www.marriott.com/cvgsf. Extended-stay hotel opens off interstate http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090119/BIZ01/301190010/1055/NEWS Value Place, an extended-stay hotel, has opened at Interstate 71/75 and Turfway Road. The 124-room hotel's weekly rate is $209, said Heather Hogan, a spokeswoman for Value Place. The hotel includes units with full kitchens, laundry rooms and Internet access among its features. Contact: 859-371-0611 or www.valueplace.com.
January 19, 200916 yr Newtown traffic getting big help The village will take a big step this year toward eliminating the huge daily rush-hour traffic backups that occur on its major roads. A section of Round Bottom Road will be widened and repaved from the railroad tracks between Main Street (Ohio 32) and Valley Avenue to the north corporation line of Newtown. The project will cost $365,000. After the project is completed in late April or early May, new traffic lights at Valley Avenue and Round Bottom Road and at Valley and Church Street will begin operating, Newtown Vice Mayor Ken Pulskamp said. The state is paying for 70 percent of the project; the county, 20 percent; and Newtown, 10 percent. Traffic backups have been a problem for decades in Newtown, which is a crossroads community for commuters in Anderson Township and Clermont County and for commuters turning from Wooster Pike in Columbia Township onto Newtown Road, which becomes Church Street. MORE: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090119/NEWS01/901190347/1055/NEWS
January 20, 200916 yr Blue Rock Flats bringing more condo options to Northside http://www.soapboxmedia.com/devnews/bluerockflats0120.aspx Kurt Platte Architects and Black Rock Construction are quietly creating five new condo units in a historic Northside building. Work began three months ago on Blue Rock Flats at 1726 Blue Rock Street, with units listed from between $99,000 for one-bedroom first floor units to $145,000 for the two-bedroom penthouse. "We were attracted to the area by the diversity and open mindedness of the residents and the hipness of the neighborhood," Platte says. "The building shell has great character with its pale brick and cast stone lintels. And it's unusual to find a property in a dense urban setting that has space for off-street parking." The building, which had housed multi-family apartments, had to be gutted to create a new layout. "In order to create a third floor penthouse we tore off two-thirds of the roof, reframed the middle of the third floor with a flying roof, leaving the back one-third of the third floor as an open roof terrace surrounded by brick walls," Platte says. "We eliminated the interior stair to maximize the floor area and built an exterior rear stair with private outdoor garden decks." Platte was able to save as much of this historic fabric as possible. "We found wood floors on the first floor that can be refinished," he says. "We found 4-by-8 old original pocket doors that we will use as the front door at the sidewalk level, replacing some tacky aluminum infill door and rotten sidelight. The brick we exposed from the interior is great looking and adds so much character. We exposed more than we originally planned because it was that attractive. The chimney pots at the third floor rooftop terrace were able to be saved." A barn on the rear of the property will be converted into a live/work artist loft. Platte estimates that the project will be completed by April or May.
January 27, 200916 yr Taft Stettinius center finished PHOTO: http://cmsimg.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=AB&Date=20090127&Category=BIZ01&ArtNo=901270362&Ref=AR&Profile=1055&MaxW=180&Border=0 On Monday, the Downtown law firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister celebrated the completion of The Taft Center, a new corporate event facility on the second floor of the U.S. Bank Tower on Fifth Street. The space, which spans roughly 7,000 square feet and overlooks Fountain Square, will be used primarily for client meetings, conferences and other community events, the firm said. "We've created a state-of-the-art center that can be used by our firm, our clients and the community for meetings and activities downtown - all with a front-row seat to one of the most exciting views in the city - Fountain Square," said Edward D. Diller, partner-in-charge of Taft's Cincinnati office. The center was designed by KZF Design Inc. and built by Messer Construction Co. Taft employs more than 400 lawyers and legal professionals in offices in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Dayton, Ohio; Indianapolis; Northern Kentucky; Phoenix; and Beijing. MORE: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090127/BIZ01/901270362/1055/NEWS
January 27, 200916 yr ^Here are a couple of good photos from Kevin LeMaster at Soapbox; and his more comprehensive article... Innovative Taft Center opens on Fountain Square http://www.soapboxmedia.com/devnews/taftcenter0127.aspx Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP has opened the Taft Center, and innovative meeting, conference, and event space on the second floor of the U.S. Bank Tower downtown. The 7,200-square-foot space, designed by KZF Design and built by Messer Construction, includes a 120-seat theater-style conference room, a catering kitchen, and smaller meeting rooms and sitting spaces. Each room is equipped with Tightrope streaming content, Wi-Fi, and high-tech electronics for international conferencing, much of which can be hidden from view when not in use. Cameras are positioned around the conference room, and microphones can drop from the ceiling to allow everyone to hear the conversation. "The idea is just to make it seamless, easy, and convenient for our clients, our guests, and our attorneys," says Ann McDonough, director of business development and strategic marketing for Taft. The use of banding and the incorporation of a "Taft Red" color scheme are unifying features throughout the bright, flexible, open space. "This just has a different feel," says Edward Diller, partner-in-charge of Taft's Cincinnati office. "Our attorneys are creative and have great ideas about stuff, and about community things, and I think that this enhances that." The most unique feature is the 1,200-square-foot "living room", a less formal space with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Fountain Square. Not only does it provide a great view of the square, but those on the square can see things happening on the screens inside. "It's energy in and energy out," Diller says. "That's the way we want it to be." Last year, the firm extended their lease for five floors in the tower through 2023. "You get noise from the traffic, you get noise from the square," Diller says. "But you know what, it's part of the energy of the city. The business we find ourselves in, it is the business of making sure that we're connected to the city and what's going on, and that our clients feel that we're part of a vibrant community, which we are. We want to make sure that we emphasize that in everything we do."
January 28, 200916 yr Author ^ Full disclosure...the article was mis-labelled. Only the first photo is mine. The second one was taken as a promotional photo by a professional photographer hired by Taft. In fact, I think the Enquirer ran that same photo today.
January 28, 200916 yr I was wondering about that. I thought that the Enquirer ripped one of your photos from you, but it makes sense that they didn't take the time to snap a single photo and relied on a press release and provided photo alone.
January 30, 200916 yr University sells historic building By Laura Baverman, Cincinnati Enquirer, January 29, 2009 Lighthouse Youth Services has purchased a historic McMillan Avenue building and will move its 120-person staff there in April. Listed on the National Register for Historic Places, the building was constructed for the Gruen Watch Co. in 1919. Union Institute & University bought it and a building across the street in 1989 to use as its corporate headquarters. The $3.4 million investment will allow Lighthouse, which provides services and counseling to families in crisis and foster care to abused or neglected children, to bring all of its programs under one roof. "It creates a place that is central for our customers and gives us an opportunity to grow," said Bob Mecum, president and CEO of the agency. Union announced in June 2006 its plans to sell the two buildings and beef up its nontraditional degree programs. Negotiations with a private investment group allowed it to sell the larger building, at 55,000 square feet, for $3.95 million and lease it back in 2007. Lighthouse put the second building under contract in January 2008. It has spent the last year raising capital dollars to fund the purchase.
January 30, 200916 yr I'm having a hard time picturing where this building is at along McMillan. Anyone know which building this article is referring to?
January 30, 200916 yr I'm having a hard time picturing where this building is at along McMillan. Anyone know which building this article is referring to? It is the Tudor building in Walnut Hills
February 3, 200916 yr Neyer project wins green seal http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090203/BIZ01/902040301/1055/NEWS Neyer Properties' Red Bank Crossing II office building in Madisonville has achieved the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The council rates buildings based on energy efficiency, indoor air quality, water savings and construction waste reduction.
February 5, 200916 yr State helps pay for Kahn's site cleanup Ohio is giving Hamilton County a $277,880 grant to kick-start cleanup of the former Kahn's plant in Camp Washington. The Sara Lee Food and Beverage Co. sold the 16-acre property on Spring Grove Avenue to Hamilton County for $7 million. The county's original plans to build a jail there were scrapped when a tax increase was defeated by voters. Now the county is seeking to sell the land for redevelopment. First, though, it must identify and clean up any environmental hazards on the property. The Clean Ohio Assistance Fund grant will fund an environmental assessment. The county hopes to secure additional funds later to help with cleanup and building demolition. The grant will be finalized in March. MORE: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090205/NEWS01/902050305/1055/NEWS
February 11, 200916 yr Plans for Springdale concert site firming up The 1,200-seat concert venue planned to occupy the old Cort Furniture store in Springdale will come to fruition this fall, its developers say. Gary Burbank and Pete Zimmer, partners in the last remaining Burbank's barbeque joint in Sharonville, plan to invest up to $2 million to convert the 35,000-square-foot space. They've spent the last three years raising money from investors, with about $300,000 left to go. Aimed at baby boomers, the facility will host 35-50 national acts a year as well as private events such as weddings, after prom gatheringsand corporate functions. The concept is inspired by the Pepsi Cola Roadhouse, a casual concert center near Pittsburgh that hosts non-headline performers and serves dinner. MORE: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090210/BIZ01/902110303/1055/NEWS
February 11, 200916 yr This actually doesn't seem like a half bad idea and there are plenty of boomers out there that would pay to see third tier acts in the suburbs.
February 12, 200916 yr Is this the same port we're talking about here? River Trading Co. wins federal coal contract Coal sales and shipping firm River Trading Co. Ltd. has been awarded a $26.9 million contract to provide bituminous coal to the federal government, according to the Department of Defense. The job is scheduled to be completed by May 2010. The coal will be used by the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies, according to the notice. Read full article here: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/02/09/daily50.html
February 12, 200916 yr I don't think so. This is located at the "foot" of Baymiller south of Mehring Way.
February 12, 200916 yr GOT COAL? http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=qhg5dw7ypbvn&style=b&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=35229555&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1
February 13, 200916 yr Hamilton County sites could see greener days Bids offer new uses for fairgrounds, Kahn’s plant Hamilton County’s sale of surplus property could pay dividends for the local environment. That’s the surprising result of a bidding process in which developers proposed new uses for the old Kahn’s plant in Camp Washington and the 18-acre Carthage Fairgrounds. One proposal would convert the former slaughterhouse into a recycling center that annually would divert up to 225,000 tons of construction materials from local landfills. The other proposal would replace the 154-year-old fairgrounds with a massive treatment and storage facility that would prevent sewer overflows, restore natural wetlands in the upper Mill Creek and even provide new office space for research and tech firms. “These proposals offer an interesting twist on the complexities of dealing with an urban environment,” said Barry Strum, a senior economic development adviser for the county who is managing the bid process. “It’s invigorating to think that you could address a number of issues at the same time.” MORE: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/02/16/story1.html
February 13, 200916 yr ^ I like the recycling center idea for Kahn's. It is in a great location, and is a really, really massive building. I wasn't so fond of tearing it down to build the jail there... It seems like it's in decent shape.
February 13, 200916 yr The MSD conversion would seem like a great use for the fairgrounds and perhaps they could become a permanent sponsor of a new fair somewhere further out on the west side.
February 20, 200916 yr Cincinnati, College Hill celebrate groundbreaking for new LEED fire station http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/02/cincinnati-college-hill-celebrate.html The City of Cincinnati has broken ground on the new Fire Station 51 at 5801 Hamilton Avenue in College Hill. The new $3.8 million, 12,000-square-foot facility replaces the existing College Hill fire station at 1654 Marlowe Avenue, built in 1914. The first "single unit" fire station built by the City since Over-the-Rhine's Fire Station 5 in 1958, the firehouse will accommodate one engine company and will feature an oversized apparatus bay to house additional future resources. The project is the combined effort of the City's Facilities Management Division of the Department of Public Services; architects Moody • Nolan, Inc.; engineers Dynamix Engineering, Ltd and CDS Associates, Inc.; and landscape architects Groundwork Design Collaborative, LLC. "With this new firehouse, the Cincinnati Fire Department will be better able to serve the community," says Fire Chief Robert Wright. "Firefighters will also have an opportunity to directly interact with residents of the College Hill neighborhood." Fire Station 51 also is being constructed to U.S. Green Building Council LEED Silver standardsand will include the use of natural light, low flow plumbing, rain gardens, pervious pavement, rain water collection that will fill the pumper truck, and vegetative and reflective roofing. Construction should be completed in 2010. This is the second fire station replacement project undertaken by the City in the past two years. Fire Station 9, completed in 2008 in Paddock Hills, was the City's first LEED-certified public building and its first new fire station since 1982.
February 20, 200916 yr Land bank to sell Mount Auburn lot for new SFD http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/02/land-bank-to-sell-mount-auburn-lot-for.html Cincinnati City Council has approved unanimously the sale of surplus Mount Auburn property to Davenport Realty Group, LLC through the Cincinnati Land Reutilization Program (CLRP). The developer will purchase the property at 2200 Loth Street for the fair market value of $1,000, with plans to build a new single-family home. The City has owned the land since 2004, and auditor records show that the lot has been vacant since at least 1996. CLRP, established by council in 1996 to return abandoned property to tax-generating use, is managed by the Department of City Planning.
February 23, 200916 yr Project aims to inspire vitality This small city bordering the bustling Kenwood commercial area will complete a major project this spring designed to help rejuvenate its central business district. In mid-March, the new traffic lights at Montgomery and Plainfield roads, the heart of Silverton's business district, will begin operating. Volunteers will plant shrubs, flowers and other greenery on the empty lot at the northeast corner of that intersection. The lot had been occupied by the Lite-House Inc. But the store closed and the building became an eyesore. It was condemned and torn down last year. "You're going to see a completely different downtown Silverton," Mayor John A. Smith said. "It's just the beginning of the revitalization of the business district." MORE: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090223/NEWS01/902230368/1055/NEWS
February 23, 200916 yr Blue Ash soon to unveil bigger, better rec center Renovation set for July completion to increase size nearly 50 percent The 2009 Blue Ash community calendar bears the whimsical title "Extreme Makeover Rec Center Edition." Actually, "extreme" is an understatement. As makeovers go, the $12.8 million renovation of the Blue Ash Recreation Center qualifies as a super-ultra-colossal makeover. When the project is completed in July, the center's size will have grown from 85,000 to 120,000 square feet. It will have a new and larger gym, a two-story fitness facility with an indoor track, new locker rooms, a large game room, a café and other amenities. MORE: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090223/NEWS01/902230367/1055/NEWS
February 28, 200916 yr For any UO'ers that dabble/interested in real estate investment in the cincinnati area, A 4 unit apartment building came up on the foreclosed FHA/HUD site this week. Starting bid 480.00. I'm not familiar with Cincy, just came across it and thought i'd point it out. It seems close to UC and the Zoo. http://hud1.towerauction.net/cgi-bin/e24_select_property.cgi?id=411184586&office=e24&state=OH
March 3, 200916 yr Center Hill Commerce Park could bring $50M in investment, 500 jobs http://www.soapboxmedia.com/devnews/centerhill0303.aspx The City of Cincinnati has obtained a Covenant Not to Sue (CNS) from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for the Center Hill landfill in Winton Hills, making the site shovel-ready for redevelopment as the Center Hill Commerce Park. The 60-acre site, located less than a mile west of the I-75 Towne Street exit at the intersection of Center Hill Road and Este Avenue, could support up to 500,000 square feet of new light industrial space. "We're promoting a dense, light industrial business park, but recognize that some aspects of the site may not cooperate with this vision," says Michael Cervay, director of the city's Department of Community Development. Cervay says that, at maximum density, the site could leverage $50 million in private investment and create 500 new jobs. This level of development would bring the city over $1 million in annual property tax revenue and just under $500,000 in earnings tax revenue. Between 1953 and 1977, the site was used as the primary landfill for the city's residential, commercial, and industrial waste. Because no constructed liners were used to protect the soil during the site's use as a landfill, six years of environmental investigation and remediation was required. The city has paid approximately $1.7 million and has leveraged more than $2.4 million in assessment cleanup costs to date. The CNS is a key step in attracting future end-users, as it provides them with liability relief, Cervay says. "This liability relief and the cleanup required to obtain it are critical to unlocking more affordable financing and insurance options for businesses interested in the location but wary of implications of locating on a brownfield," he says. The city is currently conducting a geotechnical analysis of the property to further ensure prospective end-users that the site is ready for construction.
March 3, 200916 yr Woodlawn looks to spruce up corridors http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/03/woodlawn-looks-to-spruce-up-corridors.html At a February 26 open house, the Village of Woodlawn unveiled preliminary drawings for its Woodlawn Streetscape and Gateway Design Plan, part of a concerted effort outlined in the village master plan to present a high quality natural appearance along its major corridors. Prepared by CDS Associates, Inc., Williams International, Inc., and Brownstone Design, the Plan builds upon the "Beautiful Woodlawn" theme, representing the village's ample parkland and mature trees. Gateways were identified by traffic counts, visibility, and visual impact, and were separated into three categories: Three major gateways: Springfield Pike and Congress Avenue (OH-747), Glendale-Milford Road and the east corporation line, and Springfield Pike near McLean Street Five secondary gateways: Chester Road and the east corporation line, Wayne Avenue and the corporation line, Leacrest Road and Mayview Forest Drive, Leacrest Road and Riddle Road, and Sheffield Road and the west corporation line Two tertiary gateways: Leacrest and Grove roads and Springfield Pike and Barron Drive Landscaping would be placed at the interection of Springfield Pike and Glendale-Milford, Riddle, and Grove roads. Visioning meetings leading up to the village master plan found that visitors get a negative impression from the sterile appearance of the major arteries, the visual clutter, the lack of maintenance of existing landscaping, and the dated, scattered gateway markers. This lack of cohesive gateway elements was found to perpetuate perceptions of Woodlawn as an undifferentiated place between the two prominent communities of Glendale and Wyoming. The master plan calls for the Woodlawn Streetscape and Gateway Design Plan to be fully implemented by 2012.
March 4, 200916 yr Roselawn seeking business district input http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/03/roselawn-seeking-business-district.html The Roselawn Community Council (RCC) is asking residents to give their input into the neighborhood business district. A survey, available on the RCC website, asks residents what types of businesses, restaurants and housing they would like to see in the neighborhood and asks them to identify the top three issues facing the district, including a lack of options, crime, blight, and loitering. The survey also asks for feedback on what should be developed on the vacant property on the northwest corner of Reading and Section roads, formerly Chili-Time. Residents are asked to print and fill out the survey and submit it at the next RCC meeting on March 12.
March 8, 200916 yr Green Twp. set to build big park http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090308/NEWS01/303080019/1055/NEWS Two hundred years after its founding, Green Township is about to build its biggest park yet on property formerly owned by the late Marge Schott. The site on Diehl Road is host to the Unnewehr House, the childhood home of Marge Unnewehr before she became Marge Schott, Cincinnati Reds owner, philanthropist and one of the city’s most controversial public personalities. Click on link for article.
March 10, 200916 yr Hamilton County wins $278K Clean Ohio grant http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/03/09/daily15.html The Ohio Department of Development awarded Hamilton County a $278,000 Clean Ohio Assistance Fund grant to assess a Camp Washington brownfield site. The county will use the money to conduct a phase II assessment on the property at 3241 Spring Grove Ave., including installing monitoring wells and doing soil borings. The goal is to determine the environmental condition of the property and what kind of remediation it might need. The grant is part of $550,000 in Clean Ohio funds announced Monday by the department.
March 10, 200916 yr $10.2M St. Leger Place rental project seeks tax credits http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/03/102m-st-leger-place-rental-project.html Cincinnati City Council soon will consider a resolution of support for Model Property Development's (Model Group) St. Leger Place Apartments project. The developer is seeking Low Income Housing Tax Credits from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) to acquire and rehabilitate the building at 3257 Gilbert Avenue in Evanston, creating 49 affordable rental units. Thirty percent of the units will be affordable to households earning at or below 60 percent of the area median income (AMI), 60 percent will be affordable to households earning at or below 50 percent of the AMI, and 10 percent of the units will be affordable to households at or below 35 percent of the AMI. The Evanston Community Council has been working with Model Property Development to plan the $10.2 million project. This year, the state has only one application round for the tax credits, and a resolution of support for the project would give the project an advantage in the OHFA's competitive scoring system. The deadline for applications is March 19, and funded projects will be announced July 2. Since 1987, OHFA has awarded approximately $348 million in housing credits to more than 1,400 properties, resulting in the creation of more than 75,000 affordable housing units.
March 11, 200916 yr Advance means St. Gregory streetscape can begin this spring http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/03/advance-means-st-gregory-streetscape.html The Mount Adams Business Guild will receive $50,000 in advanced capital funding through the Cincinnati Department of Community Development's (DCD) Neighborhood Business District Improvement Program (NBDIP) to enable it to begin the St. Gregory Street streetscape project, but burying the utility lines will likely have to wait until next year. In 2007, the Business Guild received $600,000 in NBDIP funding to improve the street between Hatch and Pavilion streets. Prior to the City's acceptance of bids for the work, the Business Guild requested that utilities be placed underground as part of the work. According to a memo to the Mayor and City Council from city manager Milton Dohoney Jr., the idea had previously been considered but had been ruled out due to its cost. "In older neighborhoods, it is frequently cost-prohibitive for property owners to connect to an underground system as this can require the entire structure to be rewired," Dohoney says. "Also, the additional electrical design and conduit and cable installation costs make the project too expensive, given limited capital resources for streetscape construction." Because of these costs, the Business Guild committed to paying the connection costs for any owner who couldn't afford it, and, in 2008, council appropriated an additional $150,000 for the project. However, Cincinnati Bell's underground wiring costs have skyrocketed since 2007, and test borings found bedrock only two feet below the street's sidewalks. "This makes the cost of trenching for utility conduits and underground vaults much higher than previously estimated," Dohoney says, adding that the project costs are now approximately $250,000 higher than originally estimated. Wait 'til next year Dohoney says that DCD typically scales down projects or recommends that they wait until the next round of NBDIP funding when costs exceed original estimates. In his opinion, the only practical way to reduce the scope of the project is to postpone the most costly portion, the burying of underground cables. Doing so would save approximately $200,000. "Removing this cost from the 2009 project makes the only additional funding needed $50,000 to cover the Department of Transportation and Engineering's construction management costs," Dohoney says. The $50,000 in NBDIP funding will come from the Mount Lookout Streetscape Phase I project, which isn't expected to proceed this year. Next year, the Business Guild will apply for an additional $200,000 in NBDIP funding to begin underground cable installation. Bids for the St. Gregory Street project have been received, and work is ready to proceed.
March 11, 200916 yr Cincinnati is one of the few cities I've been in, that when they want to streetscape a particular business district, they will leave the overhead wires intact to save money. Ludlow Avenue comes to mind...
March 11, 200916 yr From what I've heard, Duke charges quite a bit to move power lines. $20,000 per pole was the price they gave my hometown of Loveland when they added curbs and widened an old country road I lived on. Instead, the city just left the poles in the middle of the street and paved around them, closing them off with a curb of course - making little peninsulas.
March 12, 200916 yr Cincinnati rezoning could restore long-vacant East Price Hill building http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/03/cincinnati-rezoning-could-restore-long.html On March 24, Cincinnati City Council's Economic Development Committee will consider a rezoning that could lead to the redevelopment of an East Price Hill building that has been vacant for 17 years. Building owner Incline Place, LLC wants to change the zoning of 801 Mt. Hope Avenue and 2704-2706 W Eighth Street from RMX Residential Mixed District to RM-0.7 Residential Multi-Family District, which would allow for ground-floor commercial use with more than three residential units above. The two-family building at 2704-2706 W Eighth Street would be demolished to accommodate a garage addition for the mixed-use building. The City Planning Commission approved of the rezoning on December 19, and the East Price Hill Improvement Association has voiced its support. Denis Back has been retained as the project architect. 801 Mt. Hope Avenue, built in 1877, originally contained ground-floor commercial space and up to eight apartments above.
March 12, 200916 yr Cincinnati is one of the few cities I've been in, that when they want to streetscape a particular business district, they will leave the overhead wires intact to save money. Ludlow Avenue comes to mind... I agree, but in this case there is a legitimate reason: However, Cincinnati Bell's underground wiring costs have skyrocketed since 2007, and test borings found bedrock only two feet below the street's sidewalks. I talked with one of the city architects and it would be extremely expensive to cut through all the rock for utilities.
March 12, 200916 yr Interesting. It would be prohibitively expensive, I suppose, but are the $20,000/mile costs taking into account bedrock, or is that the average price for burial? I know that it was half that ($10,000/mile) by KU Utilities for some projects in Lexington.
March 16, 200916 yr Miami Twp. plans $5 million project By Jennie Key [email protected] Residents in Miami Township can look forward to a new township center by the end of next year. Trustees have hired Michael Schuster Associates to design a new community center and fire station complex to replace the station and community center at Shady Lane and Bridgetown Road. The project, on about 7.5 acres, will also include a new ball field and a walking trail around the perimeter. Miami Township Trustee Paul Beck said the complex will cost about $5 million, and will be paid for using Tax Increment Finance money. Miami Township adopted a blanket TIF resolution in 1996, Beck said, which has allowed the township to pay for a number of projects, including the new roof on the senior center, a $500,000 expansion of the Mount Nebo Road fire station, a $300,000 maintenance building and the purchase of 34 acres on East Miami River Road for future park development. Read full article here: http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/C2/20090305/NEWS/903050351/
March 17, 200916 yr Cincinnati may sell surplus parcel to Northside CURC http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/03/cincinnati-may-sell-surplus-parcel-to.html The City of Cincinnati is considering the sale of a parcel of vacant City-owned property to Cincinnati Northside Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation (CNCURC) through the Cincinnati Land Reutilization Program (CLRP). The property, at 4210 Mad Anthony Street, would be used to construct a new single-family home and to provide off-street parking for the house at 1422 Chase Avenue. CNCURC has offered to pay the fair market value of $4,400 for the 0.1-acre parcel. The land has been vacant since 2004, and has been owned by the City since 2006. CLRP, established by council in 1996 to return abandoned property to tax-generating use, is managed by the Department of City Planning.
March 17, 200916 yr Reading eyesore readied for life sciences companies http://www.soapboxmedia.com/devnews/nivison0317.aspx Environmental remediation of a Reading eyesore is complete, and lots on the site of the former Nivison Weiskopf Box and Glass factory are being marketed for sale or lease as an addition to the Reading Life Sciences Complex. The 10.3-acre tract at Third and Voorhees street required $2.3 million in Ohio Job Ready Sites grants, a nearly $1 million commitment from the City of Reading, and smaller federal grants through Hamilton County and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to remediate hazardous buildings and soils and make the site shovel ready. Remediation included the demolition of 155,000-square-feet of condemned buildings and the cleanup of petroleum-contaminated soils. Infrastructure upgrades are now being made to the site. The adjacent 59-acre Reading Life Sciences Complex is home to more than 1,000 employees at three life science technology leaders, Patheon Pharmaceuticals, the University of Cincinnati Genome Research Institute, and Girindus America Mark Fitzgerald of LSR Consultants, LLC, the firm retained by the city to find remediation funding and to market the site, says that the Nivison Weiskopf property is being targeted specifically for similar end users. "The principal permitted uses on the site must comply with 'RD' zoning, which is research facilities and their accessory uses," he says. The new jobs will allow the city to recoup its investment in the project – and then some. "It's expected that 250 to 300 jobs could eventually be on site," Fitzgerald says. "This could generate up to $300,000 annually in earnings taxes, which could be applied to general city services." But to Fitzgerald, the project is about much more than jobs. "While creating new job and investment opportunities is the principal goal of this endeavor, the fact that this project eliminated an unsafe eyesore that posed a threat to the surrounding community should not be overlooked," he says.
March 18, 200916 yr Neyer Properties seeks rezoning for Red Bank site http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/03/neyer-properties-seeks-rezoning-for-red.html On March 24, Cincinnati City Council's Economic Development Committee will consider a rezoning request by Neyer Properties for a portion of Red Bank Crossing in Madisonville. The rezoning would change the property at 4430 Red Bank Road from MG Manufacturing General District to ML Manufacturing Limited District, allowing for The Goddard School pre-school and day care center to operate as a stand-alone use. The site's current zoning was assigned to accommodate the Gorilla Glue, Inc. facilities just to the north.
March 19, 200916 yr PNC Bank Sign Replacement http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/city/downloads/PNCBankSignReplacement.pdf The PNC Bank Tower will be replacing the large sign on top of their building downtown on Saturday, March 21, 2009. This replacement will be done via helicopter lifts and will require the closure of various streets in the vicinity. Street Closures and Times The following streets will close at approximately 7:30 AM and remain closed for the duration of the sign placement: Vine Street - from Second Street to Fourth Street Third Street – from Walnut Street to Race Street W Ogden Place – from Vine Street to Race Street Walnut Street – from Second Street to Freedom Way The following streets will be closed intermittently while the helicopter is in place over the PNC Tower: Fourth Street – from Walnut Street to Race Street In addition to these closures, Fort Washington Way traffic will be held by rolling road blocks while the helicopter crosses overhead as required by the Federal Aviation Administration. The sign replacement should be concluded by 6:00 PM at which time all streets will be reopened completely. Drivers are encouraged to reduce their speed and use caution when approaching the closure area. For information about the Department of Transportation and Engineering, visit: www.cincinnati-oh.gov/dote.
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