Posted February 20, 200421 yr I used to work in Lockland, and I've been through Lincoln Heights many times. It struggles. This sounds like an ambitious plan, but I wish them luck... Village devises development plan By Steve Kemme The Cincinnati Enquirer Paul Phillips Jr. sits with three of his daughters, (from left) Jocelyn, 17; Amber, 13; and Tanisha, 18, at their home in Lincoln Heights. Phillips, 41, has been a resident of the village his whole life. The Cincinnati Enquirer/ERNEST COLEMAN Some of the pieces of property don't look too promising right now. One is a grassy lot littered with discarded bottles, paper cups and other trash. Another is a tract with a sprawling, boarded-up brick building that had been a community center. Another is a large chunk of an industrial park that was a graveyard for hundreds of junk cars. E-mail [email protected]
February 20, 200421 yr Ah, the blackest city in the Midwest (stastically). So so sad story :(. I'm glad they are atleast thinking of redeveloping Lincoln Heights. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 20, 200421 yr Author Yeah, what you said. They are surrounded by Lockland, which still struggles but has done a few things as far as small businesses go. Woodlawn has developed quite a few new things and is on the upswing. And Wyoming...well, they won't get there quite so quickly (who will), but there's no reason the people of Lincoln Hts. can't redevelop. I've been getting a ton of shitty e-mails from this kid from Elmwood Place (due to my take being posted on the city web site), but what the hell are they doing. Buying aluminum siding for everyone and paying Rumpke to dump garbage on their streets? I find the struggling areas infinitely more interesting than the areas that have little or no problems. And I am very pro-effort. I'm anti-"We have a sense of community, but we don't give a shit about absentee landlords or people who don't keep up their property". [/rant]
February 22, 200421 yr I've been getting a ton of shitty e-mails from this kid from Elmwood Place (due to my take being posted on the city web site)' date=' but what the hell are they doing. Buying aluminum siding for everyone and paying Rumpke to dump garbage on their streets?[/quote'] Hahahaha lmao....
April 21, 200421 yr Author This is the place to post random developments, buildings going up, etc. that you notice in your day-to-day travels--you know, the kind of small-scale stuff that doesn't make the newspapers.
April 21, 200421 yr Hopple Crossing is going to have a 5/3 bank branch, a pretty convenient, on-off the highway location. Hebrew Union College on Clifton Ave. is in the middle of a big expansion project. Construction is moving along quicky. The original structure is an attractive 1920s brick building. The addition is going to be brick, but in a more modern design and will include a clock tower. UC construction seems to be moving along nicely as well. The new baseball stadium looks nearly complete and the new food court and theater in the Tangeman University Center opened this week.
April 21, 200421 yr Author Cool. Interesting to know. Mercy Hospital in Fairfield (S. Gilmore and Mack) is expanding. There has been quite a bit of new construction up there in the last few years, and it looks like it will continue.
April 30, 200421 yr Author The new Springfield Twp. fire station and addition to the administration building is coming along nicely. This is a replacement for the existing station, which is down by Winton and Cross County. This building is farther north, near Winton and Compton (just south of Brentwood Bowl): Also, has anyone been through Woodlawn lately? Driving north along Rt. 4, it was nothing but condos along the west side. There has been a streetscape improvement, and the corner at Rt. 4 and Glendale-Milford has now got a shitload of retail.
April 30, 200421 yr ^ So that's what that building is. The last time I was home, I had to go to my dentist, who is just up Compton there. I drove past that and was wondering what it was. Did they ever find a stable tenant in that plaza next door since the video store left?
April 30, 200421 yr Author Jeebus...is your dentist Dr. Hill? He's my dentist! I didn't really look much at the plaza. I know that there are BIG, ambitions plans for the entire Winton Rd. corridor, though. If you get bored, go to Springfield Twp. Zoning and click on the streetscape plan link in the left frame. The PDF is a bit hard to read, but it gives you some ideas. Pretty much all they've started on is the civic complex.
April 30, 200421 yr ^ No, Dr. Ventker. He's retiring soon, he's getting up there a bit. They may be in the same building, it's a little ugly brown building across from the Kwik & Kold exit.
April 30, 200421 yr Author It's in that little strip center off the road (Compton) just west of that shitty drive thru. My dentist is there, as well as the surgeon who pulled out my wisdom teeth (same complex). Maybe I'm thinking of someone else. My dentist is in that long commercial park, and he's also slightly effeminate (but married). You must have dental care somewhere else.
May 3, 200421 yr Can I post pictures of all the new sprawly Kings Mills, Deerfield and West Chester subdivisions here? :D
May 17, 200421 yr Here's a great article that ran in the Enquirer today about a guy who transformed an old paint factory in downtown Cincinnati into condos. He lives there and it sparked the rehabbing of the whole block. http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/05/17/loc_loc1a.html (Sorry for just posting the link, there are some pictures and info boxes that are interesting)
May 17, 200421 yr I've been in there as well. Nice place. I think they are having trouble selling the lower 2 units due to the fact that they don't include parking, while the other 3 do.
May 17, 200421 yr Author Two more that I noticed: (1) Wrights Summit, Ft. Wright KY Is located off of Dixie Highway near the intersection with Kyles Lane, just east of the I-71/75 interchange. It will feature 200,000 sf of Class A office space and three luxury auto dealerships. The parcel has been vacant for about 15 years. (2) Buttermilk Town Center, Crescent Springs KY Rich, are you familiar with this parcel? It's been in the news a lot lately...specifically the people who are being given a pittance to move out of a mobile home park. From the one rendering I've seen, it looks like an extremely elongated strip center fronted by massive surface lots. :(
June 19, 200420 yr Author The groundbreaking for the long-awaited National Guard Armory in Woodlawn is today. Here's an article from the 6/19/04 Enquirer about it: Work to begin on Guard armory By Liz Oakes See more in archive of The Cincinnati Enquirer WOODLAWN - The village plans to break ground today on a long-planned $15.5 million National Guard training and community center that will eventually shutter armories in Hartwell and North Avondale. "Our (recreation) programs have really grown. We're in need of a place for our kids and adults," said Marjie Dogan, Woodlawn's director of community services, parks and recreation. Dogan said the village began working with the National Guard in October 2001 to bring a community center to the village, which now runs some programs out of the municipal swimming pool offices. Woodlawn is spending about $2 million from its general fund toward the 113,000-square-foot center. The federal government is providing $10.1 million and the state, $3.4 million. E-mail [email protected]
June 19, 200420 yr The project that is in crescent springs will sit on the space behind a current strip mall. It will have highway visibility, but the two major anchors are a remkes supermarket and somekind of furniture store. As well as several other smaller stores. This project is pretty much useless I think. The project in lakesidepark or where ever the dillards is, is going to be 10X better than this development. They even kicked out atleast 100 mobile home residents who currently live on the site. Construction is supposed to start sometime in july. about that dixie hwy and kyles project. they are currently finishing up on a decent looking 3 story building, so the new project will beefin that area up with buildings.
June 19, 200420 yr Author ^ Yeah, I see the Wright's Summit development quite often. My nephew plays soccer (and goes to school) at St. Agnes right across the street.
November 19, 200420 yr Author I was just in this area yesterday...from the 11/19/04 Enquirer: Each day, 54,000 vehicles travel through the Ridge Road/Highland Avenue intersection, making it a good spot for retailers. Without sidewalks, it's tough for pedestrians. This view is of Highland Avenue. The Enquirer/Ernest Coleman Columbia Twp. aims to keep its retail corner productive By Steve Kemme The Cincinnati Enquirer COLUMBIA TOWNSHIP - The most difficult part of April Moore's daily commute from Winton Terrace to the clothing store where she works near Ridge and Highland avenues occurs after she gets off the Metro bus. With no sidewalks, she has to walk through grass or mud. Then she has to wait at the busy intersection of Ridge and Highland, where cars turn every which way and motorists aren't accustomed to seeing pedestrians. Read more: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041119/NEWS01/411190434/1056
November 19, 200420 yr Traffic there is just horrible. when I leave Home Depot during busy hours, I'll just take the back way through Norwood, or use Kennedy/Duck Creek/Oaklawn/Madison - anything to avoid the stupid left turn onto Ridge. I assume they'll coordinate these plans with the Kennedy connector referred to in this post from montecarloss on the new Millworks development, and really fix that area.
November 19, 200420 yr Author Yeah, I got stuck in a decent jam there myself, and it wasn't even rush hour. I was trying to jump on the westbound Lateral--nice idea but I would've saved more time going any number of ways. I'd also like to concentrate on the end of the article--specifically about "should the area cater to more upscale clientele"? I say no. You already have multiple developments nearby with more upscale offerings, and one more with Millworks coming. There are plenty of folks who live around there who are going to be completely priced out of the market with nowhere to shop. I guess I'm saying that a place is neither "upscale" or "trashy". The two aren't mutually exclusive. Ridge and Highland can be improved in a way that suits the broader community.
November 19, 200420 yr The area isn't trashy, but it isn't exactly inviting. The boxes and the mayhem on the roads are intimidating and off-putting. It's hard to feel attached to the area. I think ideally, I'd love to see a Pleasant Ridge/Columbia cooperative plan of some sort. The Ridge & Montgomery area has so much charm, cool street-level retail (the Ridge Market is a great place to shop, hopefully it will keep growing), nice buildings, and it's just up the hill. I don't know how to affect it, but if the Columbia area could echo some of the architecture, provide the large stores that Pleasant Ridge can't, but somehow feed off each other, I'd love to spend time there. Maybe that's impractical, and there is some physical separation between them - but it's a great area that I'd love to see thriving. I'd agree with a moderate price point - it's in a great location for it, spaced well away from other large-store shopping areas.
November 19, 200420 yr Author ^ I agree with everything you had to say. Montgomery and Ridge is infinitely better. I don't know how they could ever get to a point where Ridge and Highland becomes that way. I fear that the junction of two highways there and the clusterf*ck of on- and off-ramps has resigned this general area to being just what it is. It could be better, but I think it's going to have to retain it's big box character and its sense of being just some place you're really unable to ever love.
November 21, 200420 yr i just moved into this area this weekend. we finally closed on our house in pleasant ridge. as much as the bargain stores don't appeal to me, there is a need for them in this area. i'm always looking for a bargain so a tj max/marshalls/ross (do they even have them in ohio?) would be a good fit. or an outlet store or 2. we have all the fast food we could use, except a dunkin donuts which i would welcome :) te traffic is horrible day or night so i tend to avoid that exit off 71. im sure i'll have lots of ideas after a few months.
November 22, 200420 yr oo screw dunkin donuts if you live in p ridge. Pleasant Ridge donut shop or something right next to the rec center has the best donuts i have ever had. You should try it!
November 22, 200420 yr oo screw dunkin donuts if you live in p ridge. Pleasant Ridge donut shop or something right next to the rec center has the best donuts i have ever had. You should try it! i really wish you hadn't told me that.
December 17, 200420 yr Author Well, it's been ten months and I haven't heard a damn thing about anything. Lincoln Hts. doesn't have a website and Hamilton Co. doesn't have anything about Lincoln Hts., either. Anyone want to visit there with me? :D
December 17, 200420 yr For my previous job, I had to go to the Lincoln Heights city building a few times. Everyone I came in contact with there was unbelievably nice and seemed to be dedicated, unfortunately it just seems like they just don't have the means. The city building itself is pretty clear evidence of that. I certainly wish them luck and hope some of their plans become reality. Also, while we are talking about Lincoln Heights, maybe someone can give me a little background about a couple stories I've heard about the city. First, I've heard that Evendale more or less "stole" GE away from Lincoln Heights. Is there any truth to that? Also, I hear that Lockland built a fence between the two cities for racial reasons. What's up with that? Is it still there?
December 17, 200420 yr Author Here's the Lincoln Hts./GE/Evendale saga: Industrial growth in the Mill Creek valley led to the formation of Lockland. An influx of black workers into Lockland led to the creation of new housing for blacks on the periphery of Lockland, of which "Lincoln Hts." was the name of one of the subdivisions. Lincoln Hts. remained relatively unimproved, with unpaved streets, no water or sewers, etc., but continued to attract black residents whose suburban options were very limited. The citizens sought incorporation and began referring to the entire area as Lincoln Hts. With the large amounts of open land and the coming of WWII, the upper Mill Creek valley became the site of many defense plants (the largest of which was Wright Aircraft). Wright has a large workforce and built a lot of nearby housing, including public housing in Lincoln Hts. After the war, Wright became GE. All of the neighboring villages wanted to annex the property to increase their tax base. Recently incorporated Lincoln Hts. (1946) was one of them. White interests weren't so keen on the idea, so an entirely new community called "Evendale" was created for this sole purpose and incorporated in 1950. It was fought in the courts, who ruled in favor of Evendale. This ruling pretty much sealed Lincoln Hts. residents' doom as far as being able to annex any industrial property to add to their tax base. As for the "fence", I've never heard anything about that and I've never seen any evidence of one.
December 17, 200420 yr I think Lincoln Hieghts is starting to turn around. They're in the Princeton school district which is a plus, they are building some new homes for more middle waged people, they just got out of a financial emergency with the state, and a new low income health care facility was recently completed. As for there being a fence between Lockland and Lincoln Hgts., it does not exist. It could have in the past but there is not currently one up. Lockland has a decent black population itself so it would make no sense to have a fence up for racial purposes.
January 19, 200520 yr Author This actually sounds like a decent plan...from the 1/19/05 Kentucky Post: Council likes preliminary design Fort Thomas site 'strategic' to city By Denise Wilson Post staff reporter Fort Thomas City Council recently got a firsthand look at the preliminary design to develop its Towne Center and Citizen Bank properties off North Fort Thomas Avenue. Cardinal Engineering Corp. and members of a five-member committee -- which includes City Administrator Jeff Earlywine, Assistant City Administrator Jay Treft, and representatives from Citizens Bank and Fort Thomas Enterprises -- earlier this month presented the Towne Center Revitalization Plan and a report on the project to council. Cardinal Engineering Corp. of Wilder was paid more than $30,000 by the city to develop a new design plan for the two properties at the intersection of Lumley Avenue and Miller Lane. Fort Thomas Enterprises, a private corporation run by resident Bud Pogue, owns about two-thirds of the block; the city owns the rest. http://www.kypost.com/2005/01/19/towne011905.html
January 28, 200520 yr I can't remeber which building it is,might have to go and take a looksee. Old Fairfax Ford Plant Being Destroyed Reported by: 9News Web produced by: Mark Sickmiller Photographed by: 9News 1/28/2005 12:25:39 PM A big chunk of Fairfax history will soon be gone. Demolition began Friday morning on the old Ford transmission plant on Red Bank Road. The 564,000 square foot facility is being knocked down as part of a redevelopment project headed by the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority.
January 28, 200520 yr I did some consulting work on this project, it is going to be a mixed use, office and retail development. I can't say too much, but the developer is from out of town and has tons of capital, and the grant was made for Clean Ohio money (brownfield grants from the State) about a year and a half ago. I would give this project a good chance of coming to reality especially since they are going ahead with demolition. And yes, the widening of Red Bank was a big factor in this project. Mainly as a local match to leverage the State funds, which is a big part of the State deciding who gets the $$$.
January 28, 200520 yr Author Here's what the Enquirer reported today (1/28/05)...it offers a couple more details: Red Bank developer starts site demolition Construction crews today will begin demolishing the Ford transmission plant on Red Bank Road, a site that will be rebuilt as a large retail and office complex. The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority helped secure $3 million from the state's Clean Ohio fund for demolition and cleanup of the Fairfax factory. Developers expect the factory's foundation, dirt and groundwater will be cleared by October to allow construction of the project in 2006. The developer, Regency Realty Group, plans 360,000 square feet of shops and 50,000 square feet of offices at the site off Interstate 71. Regency is still finishing up plans for the type of retail tenant mix for the center, said David Birdsall, Regency's vice president of development. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050128/BIZ01/501280354/1002/BIZ
January 28, 200520 yr Author Red Bank Rd., between Erie/Brotherton and US-50. I'm glad this is happening--that thing's been vacant since 1979 (I think) and I'm all for brownfield redevelopment.
January 28, 200520 yr ^It was not all vacant since then. I worked there once delivering girl scout cookies..;)
January 28, 200520 yr The space inside was usually used just for storage. I had never seen so many cookies in my life. Since it's girl scout cookies i guess it was just temp every year. There was other things too, but I didn't know what they did. Most of the activity was in the back of this place. You could not se eit from Red Bank Rd. Do we really need more retaill? geez
January 28, 200520 yr Author I'm scared of what type of retail will end up there. It's not really in a pedestrian-friendly area. I'm assuming the look and the scale will be "suburban office park".
February 15, 200520 yr Author I thought this first project was pretty neat. I'll add more West End projects to this as they come along. The Turret Lofts Address: 1201-1217 Central Ave. Description: Building from 1883 Developer: Glacid Properties, Inc. Units: 15 loft condos Unit size: 1/2 BR, 1400-2000+ SF Status: For sale, $120,000-$200,000 http://www.huff.com/web/search/SearchDetails.asp?mls=914129&prop=1062154 Before & After: City West All you ever wanted to know about City West: http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cdap/pages/-3850-/ http://www.communitybuilders.org/what_we_do/projects/fp_lincolnlaurel.htm http://www.tcbinc.org/lincolncourt/ http://www.tcbinc.org/laurelhomes/ ColDayMan's City West pics: http://urbanohio.com/CinnWestEnd.htm Montecarloss's City West pics: http://www.pbase.com/montecarloss/west_end
February 15, 200520 yr That is a wonderful building. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 15, 200520 yr those chimneys flanking the dormers...wow...a great example of Cincys exuberant old architecture.
February 15, 200520 yr Author It's a go! From the 2/15/05 Kentucky Post: Redevelopment plan approved Fort Thomas OKs two upgrades By Denise Wilson Post staff reporter Fort Thomas City Council has given thumbs up to plans to redevelop the community's Towne Center and Citizen Bank properties off North Fort Thomas Avenue. Council told the administration last week that "generally speaking it looks like a solid redevelopment plan proposal and generally consistent with what they were hoping to achieve for that area," said City Administrator Jeff Earlywine. http://www.kypost.com/2005/02/15/fttom021505.html
February 16, 200520 yr Both of those look awesome. Great old architecture at the Turret, and very nice neo-traditional at City West. That's a huge project, too!
February 16, 200520 yr I am a little confused on the Turret Lofts project. About ten years ago that building was rehabbed into housing, condos I thought. I know people have been living there for at least ten years. Is it switching from rental to condo? Does anyone have any history on the project?
February 16, 200520 yr The site had been market-rate apartments but at some point in the past year the owner decided to go condo. I don't know if they did much to improve them aside from tearing down some walls to increase their size. I would like to see them fix up the exterior a bit. It wouldn't hurt to clean up the roof and masonry work.
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