Greater Cincinnati hospital expansion to create up to 50 jobs

Barrett J. Brunsman Staff reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier

 

A multimillion-dollar expansion at Bethesda Butler Hospital in Hamilton is expected to add 38 beds and create up to 50 jobs, most of which will be for nurses.

 

TriHealth, which bought the hospital in 2012, expects to break ground in the next few weeks for a two-story inpatient building that will encompass 45,000 square feet.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/04/18/greater-cincinnati-hospital-expansion-to-create-up.html

If you haven't recently, take a walk along Fourth Street. There's so much construction activity, it's almost impossible to keep track of all the projects. I just noticed 3 West Fourth St is being worked on, with holes being busted through the formerly windowless wall. Any day a windowless wall gets windows is a happy day:

 

^ I've not heard what is going on here. I do know that the garage on the ground floor (entrance off Ogden Alley) has been closed to parkers and replaced with construction dumpsters. Could they be turning this space into additional parking?

On the 4th Street sidewalk modernization project, this update came out this morning:

 

"The construction on the paver project is delayed as we are awaiting final determination from the city regarding the light poles and the associated power located in the concrete slab.  Until we have this, we will not be able to proceed. Construction will resume as soon as we receive resolution from the city."

 

 

Cool Places: Paycor’s bright, open headquarters in Norwood

Tom Demeropolis Reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier

 

 

Paycor Inc. searched for years to get the right deal for its new headquarters campus in Norwood.

 

After breaking ground on the building in December 2012, the payroll processing and software development company moved its employees into its new space at the beginning of April.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2014/05/cool-places-paycor-s-bright-open-headquarters-in.html

It is a subscriber article, so not much else to read.

 

Hyde Park condos selling before they’re built

Tom Demeropolis Reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier

 

PHOTOS:  http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/gallery/28351?r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bizjournals.com%2Fcincinnati%2Fblog%2F2014%2F05%2Ftake-a-look-inside-the-luxury-condos-of-2770.html

 

The latest luxury condominiums coming to Hyde Park are already selling fast, and they’re not even on the market yet.

 

Rick Greiwe, principal of Greiwe Development, released new details of 2770 Observatory, a 30-unit condo project at the intersection of Observatory and Shaw avenues, and along the south side of Linshaw Court. Originally, plans called for 38 units, but after meeting with prospective buyers, the developers reworked the mix of units, lowering the total number but making them larger.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/print-edition/2014/05/02/hyde-park-condos-selling-before-they-re-built.html

Damn, I was thinking it'd be more like the new buildings in Mariemont.  This is the same old Banks, Delta Flats, Oakley Station, CR Architecture blandness that's been done to death.  It makes no attempt to engage the street or to take advantage of a very prominent street corner.  All I see are garage entrances and unresolved "green space."  Is there any pedestrian entrance to the building that's not down some driveway? 

Those are some luxury condos. Damn. $695,000-$2,000,000 each.

 

5 of the 30 are already sold.

Well if the exterior materials are anything like the green thing that went up on Erie a few years ago, it will be much higher quality than The Banks.  Exterior materials matter more than form. 

It looks like lick-and-stick veneer stone and some sort of wood to me.  It's the kind of thing I'd expect to see on a Panera in Mason.

It looks like lick-and-stick veneer stone and some sort of wood to me.  It's the kind of thing I'd expect to see on a Panera in Mason.

 

And I'm sure that's why people are paying $700,000 to 2 mil for them...  :roll:

 

Given Griewe's history of success in Mariemont, I think we can expect this project to be equally nice.  I'm not troubled at all by the renderings, although I do agree that they could treat the corner of Observatory and Shaw with a little more distinction.  I think the scale is right, the materials will be high quality, and the landscaping and finishes on the building will be top notch.

The Mariemont condos are very high quality inside and out.  I expect the same of this project.  However, it is a shame that this came at the expense of the beautiful old apartment building that was previously on the corner of Observatory and Linwood. 

I have little doubt that they'll be pretty nice on the inside, but then most suburban mcmansions are pretty nice on the inside too, and they can easily get into that price range.  Besides, they're paying a lot extra for being within walking distance to HP Square, as well as sizable underground parking garage.  There's no doubt that they're big too.  Does anyone know how many apartment units were torn down to make way for this?  I assume the buildings on Linshaw had at least four apartments each, and maybe some had six.  The building on the corner though had to have at least eight, but I don't really know for sure, those would be pretty big units.  There's a definite loss of affordable units in the neighborhood with this project. 

 

Anyway, the trouble is that there's a quantity over quality preference, so the quality of the exterior is what usually suffers.  I'm actually not particularly impressed with the quality of the building at Erie and Shaw, mainly because they left the spacers exposed between the stone (slate?) panels. That may just be an aesthetic decision, but it makes the building look unfinished.  It is high quality, I'll grant that, but it's also a much smaller building so I think they could splurge just a little more.

 

Roll your eyes if you want at the Panera comment, but that IS veneer stone in the renderings.  It can't really be anything else nowadays, but the point is they chose a particular fieldstone look that's used all the time in strip-malls and suburban buildings.  It's all over the new developments in Norwood, and that new UC Health building on I-71 near Kennedy Avenue.  It's not something you see much in the city, let alone Hyde Park, even in new construction. 

I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt that materials and build quality will be high given their history of success in Mariemont. As for the building form, that corner is a weird spot. I work across the street and it's a busy intersection that is awful for pedestrians due to weird traffic light timing, crosswalk lighting, intersection shape, etc. The former building didn't celebrate that corner and rightfully so as it's an awful corner for pedestrians. I think being set back and not being built to the corner is actually fine in the context this building is being built. Hyde Park, outside of the square, isn't super urban. It's dense, but the buildings have lawns and that is typical of the neighborhood and it works because it's very much a residential area. Even the small apartment buildings scattered around the area are set back and work well with the single family homes. I think the scale and placement of this project will have a similar level of contextual success. With the exception of the complete lack of entrance off of Observatory (or what appears to be a lack of entrance from the renderings). The old building had a decent walkway with nice tall oak trees and did well to anchor that spot. I'd like to see a site plan to be able to better understand how it works with both Observatory and the the rest of the vicinity.

^ You're right that the old building didn't address the corner either, but I'd say because it was pretty tall and significantly set back from the street, it disassociated itself from the surroundings enough to be like an object in a park.  At that point it doesn't matter so much what's happening around the perimeter of the property.  That's not unlike some of the bigger mansions farther down either side of Observatory. 

 

In this case however, the building is getting close enough to the edges of the property that it's starting to communicate with the sidewalk and the street, and it's doing so uncomfortably.  It's sort of like how the casino interacts with Reading Road and Court Street.  It gets close, but it's completely disconnected visually and it just looks unresolved.  It's like they took a building meant to be out in an open field, and pounded on it until it would fit into that particular available site.  2801 Erie doesn't come up to the sidewalks either, but it maintains a consistent setback.  It's a rectangular building on a rectangular lot.  The same is true of the new buildings in Mariemont, and that's a much more pleasing and urban (not to mention urbane) treatment. 

 

Here the lot comes to more of a point at the corner, so there was an opportunity to play up the angularity of the design with something equally pointed, to have the building take on the angled shape, or perhaps to soften it with a rounded element.  Instead it's designed for a square site and the landscaping buffer is just leftover useless space.  Even if they didn't do anything with the buildings themselves, they could carve out a little of that point into a public amenity, like put some paving stones out, a few benches, or make the retaining walls something people can sit on, even put in a little fountain to help counter some of the traffic noise. 

 

Instead of trying to make the corner a little better, the building is surrounded with sloping berms to the sidewalk and retaining walls above (an odd reversal of the usual trend on hilly sites where the retaining wall is at the sidewalk so there can be a flat lawn above), which only sends the signal "people do not go here, this is a buffer zone, keep out!"  It's not as bad as the Drexel at Oakley, but it's definitely turning its back to the street, if not to all three streets.  It's hard to tell, but it looks to me like the main entrance faces Knox Presbyterian's parking lot. 

You're definitely right about the landscaping strategy doing the building no favors of becoming a part of the surroundings. Hopefully these images are preliminary enough that things could change.

 

The entrance does appear to face that parking lot with the building itself being like a skewed U shape facing all three streets.

 

 

A 4th Street sidewalk modernization project, between Vine and Walnut Streets, began on Monday, April 7th. Construction is cheduled M-F 7-4 and is divided into 7 separate phases, each at 4 – 5 weeks. It will start at Vine Street (Phase 1) and move east to Walnut Street (Phase 6), in that order. During phase 4, 5, and 7, construction is broken down into an A and B phase allowing for a portion of the sidewalk to remain open at all times. Phase 7 is the main staging area during the project and will be the last phase to be complete. The park area, Phase 7, will be closed to pedestrians for the majority of the project. Building entrances and entrances into the retail stores and banks will remain accessible to the public.

 

Who is doing this project? ie. who is sending out the updates about it? The private property owner? DCI?

The property manager.

New over priced condos in Hyde Park

get yourself a 1 bedroom for about $700k

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2014/05/05/new-hyde-park-condos/8750147/

Not that they're cheap, but "get yourself a 1 bedroom for about $700k" completely ignores the fact that it's almost 2,000 square feet and is in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city. It's not like you're getting a 500 square foot condo by nothing for that price.

^ Thank you. I'd written a whole response to that "over priced" quote but it was too angry to post.

New over priced condos in Hyde Park

get yourself a 1 bedroom for about $700k

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2014/05/05/new-hyde-park-condos/8750147/

 

Pointless comment. What's overpriced to you isn't overpriced to someone else. I'm sure the market will bear the cost of these units, in which case, they might be underpriced.

you can get the same square footage for under $100k & your house guests won't have to sleep on the floor.

You can get a basement, front porch, yard & private garage to boot.

overpriced

^ Not for new construction in Hyde Park, or even old construction.  Hyde Park is supply constrained (more people want to live there than there are units available) ergo price goes up. 

Not only that, but they're specifically aimed at people who no longer want a basement, front porch, yard, and private garage to take care of. That smallest unit is $360/square foot which, for Hyde Park, really isn't a ton. It's an expensive neighborhood to live in and it's new construction.

 

In order to get what you're saying Quimbob you'd have to leave the neighborhood and live nowhere near it. This is being marketed specifically towards people who owned homes in Hyde Park or Indian Hill and are now empty-nesters who don't want to take care of a house. It's not overpriced, you're just incapable of viewing the project for what it is.

Objects can be overpriced even if they sell at market rate. I think Cadillac’s and Chryslers are overpriced because they’re fairly ugly and unreliable compared to what you could get for the same cost. It really comes down to a matter of taste – but I’d agree that these condos are overpriced because you could do much better with that amount of money, even in the same neighborhood. It’s a relative and objective term, and everyone is allowed an opinion.

 

And for the record, I looked at two 3 bedroom houses within a few blocks of this building a few years ago for under $200,000, though everything is around $300,000 now (they probably would have been a good buy, in hindsight). Still, I think you could do much better for $700,000 in that same neighborhood, but some people prefer to not have a yard or maintenance needs and don't have visitors or any need for a second bedroom.

^ And don't discount the value of being within quick walking distance of the square.  Apartment rents go up precipitously on the square itself, and there's still a premium within a few blocks as well.  Yes you can find some cheap apartments or even a few houses pretty close buy, but they're old and cruddy in a number of ways.  To bring them up to the equivalent level of finish and amenities, you're going to spend bank.

Exactly. You CAN find houses that are cheaper around the neighborhood but they're not going to be fully updated with high end finishes like this will more than likely have. I've worked so much in the neighborhood that I know if you buy one of those smaller homes and want it completely one hundred percent up to date with high end finishes you're going to end up spending just as much but then you're left worrying about maintenance on the exterior of the house, extra bedrooms these clients will no longer want, a yard, a driveway, flower beds, trees, a garage, attached or detached, etc. You're paying for something brand new, a block from the square, and completely removes all of these daily annoyances associated with a home. And there are a LOT of wealthy people who want exactly that. Just because it's not your taste doesn't make it overpriced.

you can get the same square footage for under $100k & your house guests won't have to sleep on the floor.

You can get a basement, front porch, yard & private garage to boot.

overpriced

 

This statement is inherently anti multi-family/pro-single family.

 

Just because you can get a small house with a yard & porch for cheaper doesn't mean it's better. A ton of people don't want a yard they have to maintain. Or a porch they have to refinish, etc.

 

Urban living is a choice because not everyone wants a single family house. Hell- we need more high quality multi families.  If this person moves from Indian hill to Hyde Park and spends money in the city I'm thrilled. I don't care if they bought their 2000 square foot high end finishes condo for 700k or $1 million.

Cincinnati's vision in Uptown: More people, more retail, more new businesses

 

More people living in Uptown, key intersections anchored with mixed-use buildings, pedestrian-friendly streetscapes and a technology corridor along Reading Road.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/05/13/cincinnatis-vision-in-uptown-more-people-more.html

Construction on Northside apartments to start in summer

Bowdeya Tweh, [email protected] 6:10 p.m. EDT May 14, 2014

 

Construction is expected to start this summer on a Northside redevelopment project that could add 131 apartments at sites of a former lumberyard and bowling alley.

 

The $16 million project for Indianapolis-based Milhaus Development will build the Gantry apartments and 8,000 square feet of retail space near Hamilton Avenue and Blue Rock Street.

 

The site will house two four-story buildings — one with 8,000 square feet of commercial space — and one three-story building. Buildings will be at Hamilton and Blue Rock, Langland and Knowlton streets and at 1518 Knowlton St.

 

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2014/05/14/northside-gantry-project/2139290/

Ammo factory near bike path could become lofts

Sheila McLaughlin, [email protected] 6:20 a.m. EDT May 16, 2014

 

HAMILTON TWP. – It's nearly impossible to fathom that anything useful could come of the hulking monstrosity towering above the Little Miami Scenic River and bike trail.

 

It sits on a little more than 14 acres that will soon be the site of a massive federal chemical and lead cleanup.

 

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/2014/05/15/peters-cartridge-factory-restored-apartments-bloomfield-schon/9144551/

The building is amazing, but I've always been wary of the desirability for loft living in such an isolated location with zero amenities (aside from the bike trail), and nothing but exurban fringe crap development in every direction.  If they can make it self-contained enough with some shared services that play into the bike trail and through car traffic (which there's a fair bit of) then maybe there will be a critical mass of activity.  I'm surprised and pleased that the township is being accommodating with the zoning, I just hope that the environmental remediation doesn't strip away the surrounding vegetation leaving a barren moonscape.  Either way, if they can make this work then it would be a huge win. 

I can see that being popular with empty-nesters who want loft architecture but don't want to move back to the city.  I'd rather see this use than have it continue to decay and eventually condemned.  And Bloomfield will do a great job.

 

I had no idea how close to I-71 that building is.  It feels completely out in the country when you're on the bike path.

^agreed. Such a cool building, and hopefully they can make it work, despite its unusual location. Is it in the Kings Mills school district? I wonder if they could successfully market the condos to families with kids who want to live in a community with shared spaces/services. The location seems like a tough sell to kidless young professionals or empty nesters (the first folks who typically are looking to live in a building like this).

Yeah this is exciting.  It really might work for the retail stuff on the ground floor with the bicycle traffic and people living there.  It will be really interesting to see what happens, and is really cool they will be able to preserve the buildings.  Seeing those pictures makes me wish they could have been a part of the Oakley Station redevelopment.  Those buildings looked a lot like these, and similar uses.  It would have been cool to see those preserved and reused in this same way.  Hopefully this project is just another in a long line of developments by this company, because I'm sure there are plenty of old factory and warehouse buildings around that can be reused in this same way. 

Macy's looking to revive its downtown Cincinnati store

By: Dan Monk

Posted: 2:53 PM, May 16, 2014

 

CINCINNATI - Macy’s Inc. is looking to revive its downtown Cincinnati store with a new merchandising mix geared to millennials, those 20-something shoppers that the company has identified as a key demographic for future growth.

 

]http://www.wcpo.com/money/local-business-news/macys-inc-m-looking-to-revive-its-downtown-cincinnati-store]

 

Great news to see that they are still very committed to downtown.

 

On the 4th Street sidewalk modernization project, this update came out this morning:

 

"The construction on the paver project is delayed as we are awaiting final determination from the city regarding the light poles and the associated power located in the concrete slab.  Until we have this, we will not be able to proceed. Construction will resume as soon as we receive resolution from the city."

 

Latest update: "The light pole issue has been resolved and construction will resume on the 4th Street sidewalk project, on Tuesday, May 27th."

Macy's looking to revive its downtown Cincinnati store

By: Dan Monk

Posted: 2:53 PM, May 16, 2014

 

CINCINNATI - Macy’s Inc. is looking to revive its downtown Cincinnati store with a new merchandising mix geared to millennials, those 20-something shoppers that the company has identified as a key demographic for future growth.

 

]http://www.wcpo.com/money/local-business-news/macys-inc-m-looking-to-revive-its-downtown-cincinnati-store]

 

Great news to see that they are still very committed to downtown.

 

 

Hipsterdom and nerdery are definitely hurting some of the old go-to looks of mass merchandisers such as logo wear, khakis and polos. But if a store can adapt using its current branding and locations, then it doesn't hurt anymore. Macy's does have that kind of New York appeal too.

Bullseye Bar & Fire Grill Downtown closed

Shauna Steigerwald 12:31 p.m. EDT May 29, 2014

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/newintown/2014/05/29/bullseye-bar--fire-grill-closed/9719107/

 

Downtown's Bullseye Bar & Fire Grill, 41 E. Sixth St., has closed. Its website lists the venue as "closed indefinitely" as of Wednesday.

 

The owners of El Coyote, which was at that location for about a year, re-branded and opened the new concept in March. It was designed as a more casual restaurant and night spot, a "flex-casual" concept with different experiences at different times of day.

 

I can't even keep track of all the restaurants that have cycled through there in the last couple of years: Cadillac Ranch, Cincy's on Sixth, El Coyote, Bullseye...

 

Seems like they're going after the wrong market segment, given their location. Being across from the Aronoff, CAC, 21C, Boca... you probably don't have many customers looking to ride a mechanical bull.

 

 

 

That and the space is quite large. The rent that spot must demand means these places have to have a constant stream of revenue and frankly they have all been pretty crappy places. With so many good alternatives within a block of this place I can't see it ever being successful until an entirely new concept occupies the space.

Since it was first Cadillac Ranch all the places after it were essentially re-treads with a different name...

 

It really needs to be split into two separate retail locations so you can cut down on the rent needed to be successful there. 

 

It was bullseye for like 2 months or so?  .. sheesh.

^I was just about to suggest that this might be better if divided into 2 spaces.  Maybe one of them could be a restaurant instead of a bar.

Since it was first Cadillac Ranch all the places after it were essentially re-treads with a different name...

 

It really needs to be split into two separate retail locations so you can cut down on the rent needed to be successful there. 

 

It was bullseye for like 2 months or so?  .. sheesh.

 

Bullseye had a very bizarre social media strategy. On Twitter, they were re-tweeting reports of crime in OTR and saying, "don't go to those Vine Street restaurants, stay near Fountain Square where it's safe!" When multiple people called them out, they actually defended it instead of apologizing.

 

I doubt this had much of an impact on their business, but it certainly made me and a bunch of other people never want to go there.

Since it was first Cadillac Ranch all the places after it were essentially re-treads with a different name...

 

It really needs to be split into two separate retail locations so you can cut down on the rent needed to be successful there. 

 

It was bullseye for like 2 months or so?  .. sheesh.

 

Bullseye had a very bizarre social media strategy. On Twitter, they were re-tweeting reports of crime in OTR and saying, "don't go to those Vine Street restaurants, stay near Fountain Square where it's safe!" When multiple people called them out, they actually defended it instead of apologizing.

 

I doubt this had much of an impact on their business, but it certainly made me and a bunch of other people never want to go there.

 

Wow ... are you serious?

Yeah I saw that happening and it made me desire going there even less than before, if that was even possible. It was written off as a "rogue employee" essentially but still. It was pretty ridiculous.

I had some friends that liked going there and went a handful of times and I didn't like it at all.  As a bar it was dark and not exciting at all, almost like a hole in the wall.  Igby's and Righteous Room, Main Street Bars, Mt. Adams and the Banks all have a lot more exciting bars than BullsEye.

^The outdoor patio is fun as a happy hour spot, but that's a function of the space itself, not the establishment.  I don't think I ever went there when it was Bullseye.

Bullseye Bar & Fire Grill Downtown closed

Shauna Steigerwald 12:31 p.m. EDT May 29, 2014

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/newintown/2014/05/29/bullseye-bar--fire-grill-closed/9719107/

 

Downtown's Bullseye Bar & Fire Grill, 41 E. Sixth St., has closed. Its website lists the venue as "closed indefinitely" as of Wednesday.

 

The owners of El Coyote, which was at that location for about a year, re-branded and opened the new concept in March. It was designed as a more casual restaurant and night spot, a "flex-casual" concept with different experiences at different times of day.

 

I can't even keep track of all the restaurants that have cycled through there in the last couple of years: Cadillac Ranch, Cincy's on Sixth, El Coyote, Bullseye...

 

I think you can in fact keep track of all of the restaurants that have cycled through there in the last couple of years and did in your post. ;-)

I can't even keep track of all the restaurants that have cycled through there in the last couple of years: Cadillac Ranch, Cincy's on Sixth, El Coyote, Bullseye...

 

 

Maybe it'll turn back into a Hallmark card store.