Hamilton County is repainting their administrative building downtown across from the courthouse.

 

Probasco Fountain renovation & relocation underway.

 

http://www.cliftoncommunity.org/probasco-fountain-restoration-and-relocation-begins/

I am surprised no one has picked this up yet, probably needs its own thread.

 

A $50 million residential development being proposed at the corner of Central Parkway and Walnut Street could include a grocery store

 

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/morning_call/2014/08/developer-pitches-downtown-grocery-space-to-kroger.html

 

 

It's been mentioned in the Streetcar thread and the Urban Grocery thread. I don't think it's nearly close enough to warrant its own thread. It seems like more of an idea being floated around.

Shocked, just shocked that Winding Walks of Sayler Park hasn't been getting a lot of attention. The first new housing in 50 plus yrs (mostly like or not) in this OH river 'hood

 

http://www.windingwalks.com

^Wow. Those homes look nice!

^ Awful cul-de-sac development though, completely out of character and disconnected from the street grid.  Looks like they're at least making sidewalk connections to the Cherokee/Sayler corner, but it's still straight out of the suburban playbook.  The designs of the houses look interesting, but the proportions seem strange to me, like they took some bigger houses and shrunk them down by 20%.  The ones with two-car garages look like carriage houses. 

Wow, I had no idea about this subdivision going in.  The house designs look great.  Kinda sad to see one of the last farms inside the City limits developed though.  Looks like the family had 26 acres.

Look at Smitherman mugging in that group photo! 

Couldn't think of a place to put this but:

 

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2014/09/02/baldwin-building-conversion/14972357/

 

The old Baldwin Piano building is going to be partially converted into apartments.  The building is a touch isolated but pretty close to everything - its a nice location.  Quick bus ride to downtown/otr and walk to Mt Adams too.

It looks like where "Play" was downtown a new bowling alley is going in. This could work downtown.

Just in time for winter, The Locker Room is adding an outdoor patio...

It looks like where "Play" was downtown a new bowling alley is going in. This could work downtown.

 

That's actually pretty perfect for the space. I hope they make into a quality bar / bowling alley though.

 

Big residential development planned for Cincinnati’s East Side

Tom Demeropolis Reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier

 

Developers are waiting on final approvals for a large residential development that will bring more than 60 single-family homes and more than 200 apartments to the California neighborhood of Cincinnati.

 

Harbor View Holdings LLC is working to develop about 40 acres of land along the southeast end of California Golf Course. Plans for the development, which does not have a finalized name yet, call for between 62 and 64 single-family houses and a 212-apartment project from North American Properties.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/09/16/big-residential-development-planned-for-cincinnati.html

^ Very suburban, but here's the deal. It's gonna get built somewhere. It's just a fact of life unfortunately. I'd rather have it in the City than in Deerfield township.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2013/10/01/columbus-developer-to-build-apartments.html

 

The buildings mentioned in this article are still listed for sale online.  The developer, Peak Property Group, received around $1.5MM in historic tax credits from the State of Ohio in the last disbursement for the rehab of these buildings...but almost a year later nothing.

 

I imagine financing somehow fell through even with the additional tax credit equity. Hopefully a different developer can jump on these buildings soon.

 

When the Mchanns (spelling?) store closed on Race i assumed it was for the rehab of the building into apartments but that was months ago.

Someone post the link for the story(On Business Courier). The City of Cincinnati has proposed a beergarten in Mt. Airy Forest and other changes, Renovation of Westwood Town Hall and a new grocery store for Avondale with 60 apartments near it.

 

About time someone has done things to Mt. Airy Forest. That place is so undervalued as it is the largest urban park in the Country. I suggest they add more security there because of the rampant bad things that happen there. The Townhall area has been neglected for an amount of years and I am glad the city is renovating it. The grocery store and apartments in Avondale seems interesting.

Someone post the link for the story(On Business Courier). The City of Cincinnati has proposed a beergarten in Mt. Airy Forest and other changes, Renovation of Westwood Town Hall and a new grocery store for Avondale with 60 apartments near it.

 

About time someone has done things to Mt. Airy Forest. That place is so undervalued as it is the largest urban park in the Country. I suggest they add more security there because of the rampant bad things that happen there. The Townhall area has been neglected for an amount of years and I am glad the city is renovating it. The grocery store and apartments in Avondale seems interesting.

 

Formerly the largest in the country. Phoenix has a whole mountain they call a city park. ;-)

You mean a "Sprawl" park :wink:

Someone post the link for the story(On Business Courier). The City of Cincinnati has proposed a beergarten in Mt. Airy Forest and other changes, Renovation of Westwood Town Hall and a new grocery store for Avondale with 60 apartments near it.

 

About time someone has done things to Mt. Airy Forest. That place is so undervalued as it is the largest urban park in the Country. I suggest they add more security there because of the rampant bad things that happen there. The Townhall area has been neglected for an amount of years and I am glad the city is renovating it. The grocery store and apartments in Avondale seems interesting.

 

Formerly the largest in the country. Phoenix has a whole mountain they call a city park. ;-)

Someone post the link for the story(On Business Courier). The City of Cincinnati has proposed a beergarten in Mt. Airy Forest and other changes, Renovation of Westwood Town Hall and a new grocery store for Avondale with 60 apartments near it.

 

About time someone has done things to Mt. Airy Forest. That place is so undervalued as it is the largest urban park in the Country. I suggest they add more security there because of the rampant bad things that happen there. The Townhall area has been neglected for an amount of years and I am glad the city is renovating it. The grocery store and apartments in Avondale seems interesting.

 

We like to pretend Mt. Airy is the largest urban park in the country, but let's be real.  it's not even close.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_urban_parks_by_size

I think it depends on your definition of "urban park". In no way should a mountain on the outskirts of a major city be considered an "urban park" in my definition. I would at least require that it is surrounded on most/all sides by significant development and is mostly land that could fairly easily be developed if it were allowed.

 

EDIT: I haven't looked through the list to determine whether Mt. Airy is the largest. I would be surprised if it was even by my definition. But to include a large mountain on the edge of the urban sprawl of a city an "urban park" seems kinda silly.

I think it depends on your definition of "urban park". In no way should a mountain on the outskirts of a major city be considered an "urban park" in my definition. I would at least require that it is surrounded on most/all sides by significant development and is mostly land that could fairly easily be developed if it were allowed.

 

My Airy Forest was kind of the same thing when it was established at the largest "urban" park in the country.

Is it the largest urban forest?

No.  You'd have to go about an hour and a half south to see the actual one aka Jefferson Memorial Forest in Louisville.

http://city-egov.cincinnati-oh.gov/Webtop/ws/council/public/child/Blob/40858.pdf?rpp=-10&m=1&w=doc_no%3D%27201401157%27

 

Building at the corner of sixth and race slated to get converted into 62 market rate apartments. An affiliate of Eagle Realty Group is leading the project.

 

They also own the building on the adjacent corner with the Walgreens on the first floor. Hopefully this projects comes to fruition...the city memo states that they are planning on trying to get historic tax credits to help finance the project. I hope they proceed with construction regardless and do not wait around for months and months applying to get tax credits.

The lower facade is a tragedy, but the remainder of the building is solid.

Is that the tower that's above the CVS?

 

Edit: Never mind, Sherman's comment answers that question.

Yeah the first floor on that building looks terrible... same for the building it sits next to along Race with "The Chong" as the retail tenant. Hopefully once Dunnhumby gets finished that will spark some new life into that corridor of Race.

When did that lower facade happen? The 2nd and 3rd floors are vaguely art deco/moderne, but that mainly blank first floor just kills its potential.

The Chong is an interesting store. The guy who owns the store owns the entire building and has since 1993. I have no idea what the upper floors are, but with those tiny windows it must be an awful space to be in.

 

There's some charm to this stretch of Race because of the ugly 1950's architecture.

 

^ As for the CVS, the building it is in was built in 1950 per the county auditor, which looks about right. It seems to have a different owner than the tower portion, even though it looks like one building. The building The Chong is in was built in 1865 per the auditor, but it seems like something was demolished and The Chong building was built in its place, unless it was a fairly substantial 1950's remodel. Sanborn maps would probably be more accurate.

If you didn't know, J.J. Newberry was a 5 and 10 store. It was founded in 1911 and peaked around 1960. It was later purchased by McCrory and slowly declined as McCrory slowed in sales. Most of the remaining 300 stores closed in 1997.

 

The Cincinnati location closed in April 1997. From http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1997/02/06/bus_newberry.html and http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-67902304.html:

"The Cincinnati stores - in downtown and at the troubled Swifton Commons shopping plaza - are two of 300 stores that its parent company, McCrory Corp., is shuttering as it tries to emerge from bankruptcy protection. The move will leave New York-based McCrory with 160 stores."

 

IMAGES (click to view)

 

http://www.hamiltoncountyauditor.org/VintagePhotos/077-0002/Photo1968_077-0002-0029-00.jpg

 

http://www.hamiltoncountyauditor.org/VintagePhotos/077-0002/Photo1968_077-0002-0029-00_1.jpg

Hold on Everybody, let's clear something up.

 

The tower and the building on the corner that has the CVS are actually two separate buildings with two separate owners, despite the fact that they have one solid facade wrap.

 

W&S is going to rehab into 60 apartments the tower and storefront that currently has a hair salon type store.  NOT the 3 story corner building that has the CVS.  That is a different owner.

 

I'm wondering if they will remove the facade as part of the renovation.

So when does Cranley give tax breaks to his dad to renovate his building on that block?

So when does Cranley give tax breaks to his dad to renovate his building on that block?

 

Do you mean 37 W. 7th St.?  It got a TIF 10 years ago which appears to save it about $6,000/yr. in property taxes:

 

 

37 W SEVENTH ST

 

Note

1) 12-1-04 30 YEAR TIF ABATEMENT BEGAN 2003 THRU 2032

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you mean 37 W. 7th St.?  It got a TIF 10 years ago which appears to save it about $6,000/yr. in property taxes:

 

 

37 W SEVENTH ST

 

Note

1) 12-1-04 30 YEAR TIF ABATEMENT BEGAN 2003 THRU 2032

 

That's the CBD/OTR West TIF district that all of the properties are in, so there's no special treatment there. (There's also a CBD/OTR East TIF. As the Haile folks noted in their presentation regarding a Super SID, we already combine CBD and OTR in the same TIF district (well, two, east and west), so why not a SID also?)

Glad to see this building getting re-used.  I expected it to be done long before now, it is a large building, centrally located and really lends itself toward residential.  Does anyone know why it took so long?  Did the owner just not care/want to sell?

It has been owned by Eagle Realty (an division of the Western and Southern group) for a long time...surely they have had the capability to restore this building just have not acted on it until now.

 

Hopefully it actually happens and not an announcement followed by nothing.

You can figure out alot more by looking at the backs of these buildings. I was most shocked by the back of the Chong. The front may be 1950's but the back is more 1850's.

I dont think I ever realized how tall the 6th & Race tower that brought this topic up was either.  There should be some good views of the river valley from the upper floors looking to the west from up there.

^^^ On the back of the building just off to the right of the photo out of view is an old sign painted on the building that reads 'Burger Chef' (undoubtedly before my time).

 

Also, these buildings have great character and potential... i would think its only a matter of time before they are brought back to life.

In all my years, I never went back there and noticed how open that area is and how weird the alley layout is.

I think The Chong used to be The Kroger.

 

More downtown housing coming to this mostly vacant building

Sep 23, 2014, 4:25pm EDT Updated: Sep 23, 2014, 5:03pm EDT

Chris Wetterich Staff reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier

 

Eagle Realty Group plans to redevelop a mostly vacant building at Sixth and Race streets downtown and turn it into 62 market-rate apartments.

 

The Cincinnati City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee approved a tax exemption agreement for the project, which is kitty-corner from the new Dunnhumby Centre, on Tuesday.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/09/23/more-downtown-housing-coming-to-this-mostly.html

County looks to sell Times-Star building, other offices

Dan Horn, [email protected] 8:21 p.m. EDT October 2, 2014

 

 

The old Cincinnati Times-Star Building might soon be going through another transformation, this time from government offices to condos and apartments.

 

The historic building at 800 Broadway in downtown Cincinnati is the best-known and most marketable piece of real estate that Hamilton County officials say they could sell as part of a broad plan to consolidate their departments and employees.

 

Details of the plan are still under wraps, but county officials told The Enquirer several buildings could be sold and hundreds of workers could be moved to new digs in the next several years. Their goal is to use proceeds from the sale of their buildings to help pay for new offices, most likely at the old Mercy Hospital site in Mt. Airy.

 

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2014/10/02/county-looks-sell-times-star-building-offices/16585739/

Jobs & family services/alms & doepke would be amazing condos or apartments.

3CDC just closed on 1301 Walnut St. A fairly large apartment complex that I believe is full of low income residents. It will be interesting to learn their plans.

A blog post with some shots of the back of Chong

 

http://particularlyeverything.com/2013/09/06/cincinnati-cbd-off-the-beaten-path/

3CDC just closed on 1301 Walnut St. A fairly large apartment complex that I believe is full of low income residents. It will be interesting to learn their plans.

 

Very interesting that 3CDC is doubling down on the Walnut Street corridor rather than trying to move north.

Could they possibly be buying a low-income housing building to fix it up lightly, keep it low-income, and use these units to meet the 30 percent (or whatever it was) number of affordable units they agreed to?

If so that's actually a very clever way to approach it.  Mandating low-income units in new (or significantly renovated) construction leads to higher rents for the remaining market-rate units, which can price out more middle-income renters or buyers.  It also means smaller projects in general are disadvantaged compared to larger ones because economies of scale are more important for amortizing the construction costs of those low-income units compared to more expensive ones. Taking an existing building that's still mostly sound and bringing it into the fold, so to speak, is a good way to provide for lower income residents without causing displacement or other problems. 

Cincinnati Archdiocese renovates building to display archives, relics: PHOTOS

Oct 6, 2014, 3:24pm EDT

Barrett J. Brunsman Staff reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier

 

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati is renovating a downtown building constructed circa 1850 to house nearly two centuries of church history, which includes everything from original blueprints of nearly every local Catholic house of worship to ceremonial vestments worn in the 1820s by the first bishop of the city.

 

Working with Danis Building Construction and Chameleon Architecture, the archdiocese is nearing completion of an extensive interior renovation of what was once a private residence at 25 E. Eighth St.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/10/06/cincinnati-archdiocese-renovates-building-to.html?page=all