haha.  I was hoping this would go unnoticed.  That study is...embarrassing, for me at least. 

 

Yes, it was done by students.  Yes, the graphics are awful.  Yes, I was involved.  It was a studio project in which we mostly did a feasibility analysis of development for the City of St. Bernard.  It was done in 2008.  I wouldn't put much, if any, weight behind it. 

I also don't know how the City is using it.  If they were to do any development at that intersection, they could use some of the data from the plan, but shouldn't use the site plan as any real basis. 

Sorry for calling you out. :)

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2012/09/3cdc-buys-3-downtown-buildings-for-10.html

 

I have wondered for some time why these buildings always sat vacant.. maybe new rivier development will make them more appealing.

With Fort Washington Way caps, they could connect pretty seemlessly with the Banks.

Yes those would make great living spaces currently with great access to riverfront park as well as entertainment and stadiums.

 

with FWW caps it would make it all that more attractive.  I imagine itll be some time though before anything happens with them based on the comments made in the article by 3CDC staff.

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2012/09/3cdc-buys-3-downtown-buildings-for-10.html

 

I have wondered for some time why these buildings always sat vacant.. maybe new rivier development will make them more appealing.

 

This is good news. Even if no development is imminent, at least 3CDC will stabilize the structures. These seem like they'd be prime-location condos - maybe the best location downtown between The Banks and downtown. And they would remove some eyesores that nearly every Reds/Bengals visitor sees.

Fantastic news, there's so little of that kind of fabric left downtown aside from West 4th Street.  3rd Street used to be a wall of buildings just like those.  Take a look at this picture of 3rd and Race from just before Ft. Washington Way was built.  It's amazing how much was lost. 

 

This looks like the south side of 3rd, am I correct?

I'm pretty certain it is based on how the sun is shining.  I think that's the bridge into Dixie Terminal on the far left above the parked truck.  So all these buildings are where the highway trench is now. 

I feel like deleting 1958-2008 would be a great thing for urban america.

 

This is great news!  That owner has, for whatever reason, refused to sell those buildings or invest in them for 30-40 years.  Anything they put there should be a slam dunk, I would vote for residential over retail.

Per the article, these buildings are little more than shells/facades.  Wouldn't it be cool to preserve the current buildings as a base for a residential tower ala the Hearst Tower in NYC?  That way you get to preserve the historic buildings and the maintain the curb appeal of their wonderful, human scaled architecture, while significantly increasing the density and visibility of the site.

That is basically what the long-term plan is for the Atrium builidngs -- that they will at some point be extended south, but no doubt in a different architectural style.  I don't remember anything going on in those buildings since the early 1980s when Atrium I opened.

well it's clearly not the plan anymore... they just sold the buildings they owned to 3CDC...

Yeah, how "long term" was the long term plan? 

They demo'd the buildings for Queen City Square back in like 1981, except for that one that stuck around until about 2000.  Originally Queen City Square was going to be "Atrium III", at least according to my mom, who told me that in the mid-80's when she worked in Atrium 1.  So yes, the pace of development in that area is glacial, but there definitely are plans. 

 

I do remember in an article around the time of the convergys deal that new office construction on the 3rd St. side of the block was definitely still being considered.

Great news about those buildings. Here's a pic I took of them in 2009 during a visit to Cincinnati from NYC:

 

 

Ever since I first noticed them, I feared they'd eventually get knocked down in favor of some badly-designed high-rise development. Nice to know they'll be preserved.

Eagle Hospitality, Blackstone Reach Compromise: Sell Instead of Foreclose.

http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2012/09/10/eagle-hospitality-blackstone-reach-compromise-sell-instead-of-foreclose/?mod=dist_smartbrief

 

Eagle Hospitality Properties Trust, owner of 13 upscale U.S. hotels including the Cincinnati Landmark Marriott, struck a deal with its debt holder to avoid foreclosure.

 

Eagle and Blackstone BX +0.44%Group agreed to a compromise to be announced Monday in which Eagle will market the 13 properties for sale. Blackstone will accept as payment an undisclosed sum that is less than the mortgage’s face amount but still more than what Blackstone paid to buy the loan earlier this year. Any proceeds in excess of Blackstone’s take will be divided among Eagle’s other creditors and equity holders.

 

All told, Eagle’s hotel portfolio spans 3,538 rooms. It includes eight Embassy Suites hotels, the Hilton Cincinnati Airport and the Chicago Marriott Southwest at Burr Ridge. The portfolio registered an average rate of $126 and average occupancy of 75.4% in the past year. Revenue per available room increased by 7.1% in that time.

 

Eagle, which is owned by private equity firm AREA Property Partners, had faced a due date Sunday for the $606 million mortgage on its properties. Eagle was in a bind because it couldn’t refinance the mortgage, given that the value of the hotels had declined markedly since AREA bought Eagle in 2007.

 

In addition, Blackstone bought Eagle’s mortgage at a discount last May from Maiden Lane, the Federal Reserve-controlled entity overseeing the assets and loans of now-defunct Bear Stearns. Blackstone could have moved to foreclose on Eagle’s hotels once the mortgage’s due date passed without payment this week.

 

Marc Beilinson, Eagle’s chief restructuring officer, declined to say how long Eagle’s sales process will last. “It’s a great outcome that is beneficial and allows Eagle to enter a robust, wide-ranging marketing program with the opportunity of paying off Blackstone at a meaningful discount” to the debt’s face value, he said.

 

Eagle Hospitality's Properties:

Cincinnati Landmark Marriott (321 rooms)

Chicago Marriott Southwest at Burr Ridge (184 rooms)

Hyatt Regency Rochester (336 rooms)

Embassy Suites Hotel Columbus/Dublin (284 rooms)

Embassy Suites Hotel Cleveland/Rockside (271 rooms)

Embassy Suites Hotel Boston at Logan International Airport (273 rooms)

Embassy Suites Hotel Denver-International Airport (174 rooms)

Embassy Suites Hotel Phoenix-Scottsdale (270 rooms)

Embassy Suites Hotel Tampa-Airport/Westshore (243 rooms)

Embassy Suites Hotel & Casino San Juan (299 rooms)

Embassy Suites Hotel Cincinnati-RiverCenter (226 rooms)

Hilton Glendale (351 rooms)

Hilton Cincinnati Airport (306 rooms)

 

 

Where is the Cincinnati Landmark Marriott?

I have never heard ANYONE refer to it as Landmark Marriott, but the Marriott RiverCenter in Covington has 321 rooms and, as they're also selling the Embassy Suites RiverCenter, I think it's likely that's the one.

It is the RiverCenter one, that was Corporex's official name for it. 

I had forgotten all about this project, I guess it didn't get a lot of press, or I wasn't paying attention!

 

A Housing Project Upgrade Done Right

Kaid Benfield10:15 AM ET

1 Comment Courtesy of City Studios  

 

Lincoln Heights, Ohio, is about a dozen miles north of Cincinnati. It contains around 4,500 residents, 98 percent of them African-American. In fact, according to a community website, it was the first self-governing African American community north of the Mason-Dixon Line and at one time the largest. But household income is low, and only about a third of the town’s single-family homes are owner-occupied.

 

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2012/09/housing-project-upgrade-done-right/3293/

 

 

Follow up:  The project is obviously a lot better than what was there before, but has a very "Levittown-y" look to it.

 

Oh yes I've been by there, and there's a similar development in Carthage too.  What I find odd about it is that these very low-slung houses are on lots with such big setbacks.  It really hurts the feeling of community, partly because the scale is just so out of whack. 

This sign (and another just like it) is now posted at the surface parking lot on the northeast corner of Ninth and Walnut, across from the library and the YWCA building. I walk by there all the time and have never noticed them before today. A development on that surface lot would be most welcome, but what's with the 14-story limit?

 

Regardless, that ugly lot would be a nice one to rid downtown of once and for all.

 

I walked by this lot today and the For Sale signs are now down.

I drove through Lockland and got a quick look at the Stearns and Foster building.  It looks like the exterior wall on the southeast corner collapsed. I thought I heard about another fire there a couple of weeks ago, but I couldn't find anything with a quick search.  So if the current owners can't afford to deal with it who gets stuck with the bill? 

here's a partial tour of the AAC

 

http://www.blogotr.com/otr/a-tour-of-the-art-academy-of-cincinnati/

http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2012/10/council-supports-historic-tax-credits.html

 

"308-316 Main Street, recently acquired by the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) for a $9 million project to create five condominium units and two commercial storefronts"

 

nice to see a plan is underway for those buildings

http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2012/10/council-supports-historic-tax-credits.html

 

"308-316 Main Street, recently acquired by the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) for a $9 million project to create five condominium units and two commercial storefronts"

 

nice to see a plan is underway for those buildings

 

Walnut Hills could really benefit from those tax credits which could really help jump start the revitalization in the main business district. I hope they get it.

^ I'm optimistic that Walnut Hills will be the next targeted neighborhood for massive redevelopment. Not quite to the scale of OTR/DT with 3CDC heading up most of the large projects, but still a focus on that neighborhood in the near future.

^ I'm optimistic that Walnut Hills will be the next targeted neighborhood for massive redevelopment. Not quite to the scale of OTR/DT with 3CDC heading up most of the large projects, but still a focus on that neighborhood in the near future.

 

I agree and since Walnut Hills doesn't have a 3CDC, although the WHRF is doing great work with limited resources, WH needs these tax credits more than any of the proposed projects. Also think it can spur additional private investment allowing for a better ROI. Hope the state sees that.

More luxury condos coming to Mariemont

 

 

The third and final phase of a luxury condominium development broke ground Oct. 5 in Mariemont, just steps from the Village Square.

 

Nolen Park, a 27-unit building to be built by Greiwe Development Group and North American Properties at Madisonville Road and West Street, will feature two- and three-bedroom units ranging from 1,500 to 3,500 square feet. The building’s exterior will mimic the village’s prevalent Tudor Revival architecture, but the interiors will feature open spaces and modern finishes.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2012/10/more-luxury-condos-coming-to-mariemont.html

FYI these are very nice

Great. Jordan and Emery are beautiful.

Those look nice. 

Kroger to invest $4.5M into Kenard store.

Lots more frozen stuff. Rearranged health foods.

Seems kinda weird to me. The management is what needs overhauled.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20121019/BIZ/310190156/Queen-City-Kroger-will-get-4-5M-makeover?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

Kroger to invest $4.5M into Kenard store.

Lots more frozen stuff. Rearranged health foods.

Seems kinda weird to me. The management is what needs overhauled.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20121019/BIZ/310190156/Queen-City-Kroger-will-get-4-5M-makeover?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

 

Opened in 1996, remodeled in 2005, remodeled again in 2013. I don't get it.

 

The selection at this store is already really good. Since it caters to several extremely diverse neighborhoods (including Clifton since the closure of Keller's IGA), they carry every variety of every product, from value-priced to high end. There are problems with long lines and inattentive staff at times, but nothing nearly as bad as, say, the Corryville store.

 

I do like the idea of incorporating the "natural foods" in the regular aisles.

Really happenin' Krogers get lots of attention -- resets, remodels, additions. A Kroger like that is a really good candidate for the Marketplace concept due to the diversity tasetell noted. The Kroger on the South Side of Columbus serves a somewhat similar market and has been doing well as a Marketplace for at least 4-5 years now.

What do they consider remodeling?  Does the rearrangement of all the product shelving at the Hyde Park Kroger earlier in the year count?  Otherwise that store is due as they haven't done anything since 2003 aside from adding the cheese/antipasto station and futzing around with the photo area and clinic near the entrance.   

That just sounds like what's called a reset. Remodeling is when they bust out the saws.

I wonder if the HP Kroger is considering moving into a new store at Oakley Station.

I wonder if the HP Kroger is considering moving into a new store at Oakley Station.

 

That's an interesting thought, though I suspect it's not Hyde Park-adjacent enough for them.

I wonder if the HP Kroger is considering moving into a new store at Oakley Station.

 

That's an interesting thought, though I suspect it's not Hyde Park-adjacent enough for them.

 

Yeah, that Hyde Park (Oakley) Kroger does crazy business at just about every hour of the week.  It'd be less than a mile to move to Oakley Station, but they'd be giving up a lot of ground to Hyde Parkers who can't be bothered to drive farther.

 

Of course, a true Hyde Parker would probably not be caught dead in something as low-end as something called "Remke" or "Meijer," either.  It always amazed me that there is/was a singles scene at the Hyde Park Kroger.

If he were still around Frank Zappa would have written a song about the Hyde Park Kroger.

I wonder if the HP Kroger is considering moving into a new store at Oakley Station.

 

That's an interesting thought, though I suspect it's not Hyde Park-adjacent enough for them.

 

I have to think that Remke would be interested in moving, though.  That would put them right off of the expressway and no longer at the forgotten end of the Hyde Park Kroger's plaza.

  It always amazed me that there is/was a singles scene at the Hyde Park Kroger.

 

This concept is pretty standard across urban cities. Strange, but not unique. I remember when I lived in San Fran for a summer during college, there was a Safeway that was always packed with singles Thursday evenings.

The Safeway on Wisconsin Ave in Georgetown is called the "Social Safeway" because of the singles scene there.  I've heard that farmers markets are kind of the new incarnation of this nationally, though.

I wonder if the HP Kroger is considering moving into a new store at Oakley Station.

 

That's an interesting thought, though I suspect it's not Hyde Park-adjacent enough for them.

 

I have to think that Remke would be interested in moving, though.  That would put them right off of the expressway and no longer at the forgotten end of the Hyde Park Kroger's plaza.

 

They have the one off of Ridge already on the other side of 71 from OC, it would be interesting to see if they would like to consolidate them into one.

  It always amazed me that there is/was a singles scene at the Hyde Park Kroger.

 

This concept is pretty standard across urban cities. Strange, but not unique. I remember when I lived in San Fran for a summer during college, there was a Safeway that was always packed with singles Thursday evenings.

 

Don't forget about the Friday night wine tastings that take place each week at Whole Foods. It's usually so packed for that event that I don't know how actual shoppers can get any shopping done.