April 10, 200619 yr Wow, thats the worse crap you've ever posted, especially the first house, ugh! The news from Milford is most interesting, I have never even realized it was on the Little Miami. I really should do a thread on Milford.
April 10, 200619 yr Bartlett Building remodel will include restaurant Chicago firm that paid $8.2M to invest $4M more Cincinnati Business Courier - April 7, 2006by Laura BavermanStaff Reporter A Chicago real estate investment firm has paid $8.2 million for the Bartlett Building downtown, and will invest up to $4 million on renovations to the 18-story building. Plans include a $500,000 upgrade to the lobby and transformation of the vacant grand ballroom on the building's mezzanine level to an upscale chain restaurant.
April 10, 200619 yr Dear god, the "Brantly" is awful. One of the ugliest houses I've ever seen. How can that possibly be the same company that's building these:
April 10, 200619 yr Nor would I. The City West designs are intended to evoke the Italianate architecture of the historic buildings in the West End, many of which were torn down for the projects that City West is replacing. My point was they are much more aesthetically pleasing than that nasty "Brantly" tract house.
April 10, 200619 yr Good design does not equal innovative ... and vice versa. Don't go citicizing City West, you will make enemies quick on this board!
April 10, 200619 yr I know it doesn't equal innovative but I just think they could have done better with the design. City West looks bland compared to a lot of the buildings in OTR and the West End. I'd definitely prefer City West buildings over subdivision houses with siding, I'm just bitter because sometimes I wish I was an architect and developer that could design everything my way but believe me I appreciate what they've done to that area, it's a big improvement from what it was.
April 18, 200619 yr Author Top story From the 4/17/06 Cincinnati Business Courier: Insider Price Hill boosts proposal to get bigger, better Kroger Cincinnati Business Courier - April 14, 2006 by Dan Monk You can't fault their effort, those Price Hill boosters. Neighborhood leaders are pulling out all the stops to persuade the Kroger Co. to build a larger and prettier replacement store for its aging Enright Avenue facility. Last summer, Kroger spent $713,000 to acquire seven properties for the project. Kroger spokesman Art Wulfeck said the company plans to double the size of its East Price Hill store and add a gas station at the corner of Enright and Warsaw avenues. http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/04/17/tidbits1.html Round-up: Cincinnati and inner burbs AVONDALE Demolition of 31 Landon Ct. is supposed to happen soon. It may have happened already. (I haven't been in the area recently.) The structure was condemned in January but has had problems for even longer. AVONDALE The Cincinnati Recreation Commission has approved a request from the Victory Neighborhood Services Agency, Inc. organization to rename the Avon Center Building located at 870 Blair Avenue the C. Kenneth Davidson Language and Arts Academy. A letter of support from the Avondale Community Council was received prior to the Commission meeting. This name change will honor a former President CEO, whose vision and hard work led to the transformation of the Avon Center Building which benefits Avondale and surrounding communities. This will be considered by the City Planning Commission and will also require approval by council. CITY City Council voted unanimously (minus Berding, who was absent) to move $95,000 extra dollars into the Greenspace Program. The following nine gateway sites will now get attention from the Parks Department. These will expand the total number to 37. * Columbia Pw and Tusculum Ave * New Queen City median, between White St and Sunset Ave * Queen City Ave at State Ave (two triangles) * Remainder of Queen City Ave (not sure what this means) * FWW trench and downtown street grid * FWW at Third St * Broadway at Pete Rose Way * Morton Triangle/North Bend Rd List of all Cincinnati gateways, funding, and maintenance DOWNTOWN Red Cross seeking bigger new home Kentucky Post, 3/18/06 The Cincinnati Area Chapter of the American Red Cross is looking to move from its home of 55 years in downtown Cincinnati. Red Cross officials say its current 35,000 square-foot location at 720 Sycamore St. has become too small for its operations, which include 55 full-time and 35 part-time employees. Sara Peller, CEO of the Cincinnati Red Cross, said the agency is looking for property on which to build a 60,000 square-foot disaster operations center, which could serve as a hub for relief operations during disasters. She estimated the cost at $10 million to $11 million. The new center would need 200 parking spaces, which could limit the options in downtown Cincinnati. (See also: Cincinnati Enquirer: Red Cross wants bigger building (3/20/06) ) EAST END As mentioned in this post Merivale Station LLC (Gerald Burns) plans to build a new single-family structure on the lot at 2050 Eastern Ave. I don't know if those plans are still going to happen. What I do know is that the home on the property has been condemned, and Burns has applied for a demolition permit. EAST WALNUT HILLS 2523 Ingleside Ave, a single-family home built around 1890, has been rehabbed for sale. I know, these photos suck. HYDE PARK A new restaurant is going in that little strip in East Hyde Park, on the 3500 block of Erie Ave. I'm not sure what it will be. MADISONVILLE The city is demolishing these blighted 1890s commercial buildings at 4821-4823 Whetsel Ave. MADISONVILLE The ordinance changing the zoning at Kenwood Towers and Kenwood Bluffs passed unanimously in city council, with Berding absent. This zoning change allows Cornerstone-Kenwood Towers, LLC, to renovate the buildings at 5445 Kenwood Rd into congregate housing for seniors and empty nesters. MT. AUBURN I'd say that 126 Valencia St has improved quite a bit over the last couple of years. Most of the heavy work was done by K&K Renovations. MT. LOOKOUT Fritzsch Custom Builders is doing a project at the end of Krogervalley Dr. NORTHSIDE The foreclosed property at 4116 Kirby Ave., which has been vacant for a year and a half, has been purchased by an out-of-town investor. NORTHSIDE Another foreclosed property, 4331 Beech Hill Ave., has been purchased by an out-of-town investor after being vacant for 16 months. PRICE HILL Price Hill Chili planning to expand its lounge Price Hill Press, 4/12/06 A Cincinnati landmark is reinforcing its roots in Price Hill. The Beltsos family, owners of Price Hill Chili, 4290 Glenway Ave., is adding on to the restaurant that began nearly four and half decades ago as a small chili parlor with 12 stools and four tables. "Just investing in the neighborhood," said Sam Beltsos, who co-founded Price Hill Chili with is father-in-law, Lazaros Nourtsis, in 1962. RIVERSIDE Work is beginning to repair the back portion of 3545 Wisconsin Ave., which suffered severe fire damage last June. Work will involve demo and reframing of the entire back of the house. COVINGTON Children Inc. gets new space Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/12/06 Northern Kentucky's largest child-care provider is moving its headquarters to a larger building in June with the help of $1 million in industrial revenue bonds. The new building will enable Children Inc. to provide staff training and other programs in-house instead of leasing space. Covington City Commission approved issuance of the bonds Tuesday night. ... Children Inc. is spending $1.5 million to purchase, renovate and equip a two-story building at Fourth Street and Madison Avenue now occupied by doctors' offices, Hulefeld said. The agency will do a capital campaign to raise the money for payoff. The 10,000-square-foot building would become Children Inc.'s central offices, and the agency would keep its headquarters at 11th Street and Madison Avenue, Hulefeld said. DAYTON Rebuilt church will open Sunday Cincinnati Post, 4/15/06 Exactly 27 months after fire gutted its historic building, the First Baptist Church in Dayton, Ky., is opening its rebuilt sanctuary Sunday. The fact that the day is Easter and that the project has been completed debt free should make the homecoming all the sweeter, said church leaders. A sunrise service will be held at 7:30 a.m. and an Easter musical will follow at 10:45 a.m., the first service in the new sanctuary, which has a capacity of 300, five times the size of the current congregation. LINCOLN HEIGHTS Valley Home residents think cleanup is sign of out with the old, in with the new Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/19/06 Longtime Valley Homes resident Rhonda Barry was one of more than 60 people Saturday clearing trash, beer bottles and dead animals from the World War II era, wood-frame apartment complex. "It looks so much better. It was horrible, and if you look down the street now you don't see trash," Barry said. The apartment complex along Medosch Avenue, owned by a cooperative of residents, is in need of repair. Water and sewer pipes often back up and electricity sometimes goes out, residents said. NEWPORT City moving very close to expanding East Row Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/14/06 Newport is one step away from expanding the East Row Historic District. After zoning meetings and public hearings last year, the first step of a possible three-step expansion could be voted on at the city's next commission meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the Newport City Building, 998 Monmouth St. "This is something the Preservation Commission and the Board of Commissioners have wanted to look at for a long time," said Emily Jarzen, Newport's historic preservation officer. "The city, as well as those in the area, are very interested." First in line are the 900 blocks of Park Avenue and Monroe Street. NEWPORT Historic sidewalk 'lights' restored Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/14/06 Walking through historic parts of Newport, it's easy to get a feel for what the older homes looked like and how they must have appeared. Sometimes smaller details tell more about how the people lived in late 19th century Newport - such as how dark it could be. That's the case with the sidewalk outside 530 Washington Ave. It's closed for renovation; when it's finished a series of small glass rounds will twinkle up from the sidewalk. They are vault lights. NEWPORT House becomes TV star Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/20/06 In 2005, the city of Newport issued 521 building permits - 401 for residential housing - and the results of the work at one house are garnering national attention. The restoration of 543 E. Fourth St., bought and rehabbed by married architects Deanna Heil and Jim Guthrie, has been featured on HGTV's Generation Renovation and will be featured on the DIY network this summer. "Any time the city receives favorable media attention, especially for a project like this, it's a great thing for everyone. It showcases the fact that the city is dedicated to revitalizing its housing stock and that we are fortunate enough to have people like Jim and Deanna and countless others who are renovating Newport property," said Brian Steffen of the city's code enforcement department. Steffen added that the permits throughout the city represent about $14.3 million in construction spending. The building at 543 E. Fourth had been used in the past as a 10-unit apartment building. In 2002, the structure caught fire and sustained extensive damage. It sat vacant and exposed for 18 months until Heil and Guthrie bought it. They were familiar with the lot because they had rehabbed the home across the street and lived there since 1991. NORWOOD Shepherd Chemical Company has been buying houses near the intersection of Orchard and Highland. Presumably, this would be for them to expand their facility now, or later in the future. Round-up: Outer burbs and metro counties ALEXANDRIA Neighbors concerned over nearby Fischer Homes development's quality Kenton Community Recorder, 4/13/06 Some residents of Country Grove subdivision in Alexandria are aggravated over a developer's plans to build 74 houses next to theirs in an area off Persimmon Grove Pike. About 15 residents from the Country Grove subdivision showed up at the Thursday, April 6 council meeting to ask about Fischer Homes' plans to build a subdivision behind their homes.Ken Sanker, of 40 Bittersweet Drive, said he was concerned of the quality of the houses, and that some of the homes could be built on concrete slabs. He said he would like the homes to be on more land and start upwards of $200,000, which would be closer in price to many of the homes in Country Grove. The Alexandria area already has enough moderately priced homes like the ones being planned by Fischer, Sanker said. ALEXANDRIA Campbell development raises concerns Kenton Community Recorder, 4/13/06 Residents along Moock Road are concerned about what the addition of 230 units of rental housing would mean to traffic, water runoff and sewers in the areas of Southgate and Wilder. Residents of the existing housing on the road told the Campbell County and Municipal Planning and Zoning Commission about their concerns at a public hearing Tuesday, April 11. The purpose of the hearing was for a request to change the zone for a 13-acre portion of 30 acres where an Indianapolis-based development company wants to build multi-family housing. The 13-acre portion in question is now zoned for single family residential use. The 30 acre development would be located between Evergreen Cemetery and Moock Road near the intersection of Moock Road with U.S. 27. Rent on the proposed units would range from $580 per month for one bedroom, up to $855 per month for three bedrooms, said Mike Roderer, development associate for Herman & Kittle Properties, Inc. There would be 64 one-bedroom units, 104 two-bedroom units, and 62 three bedroom units. BETHEL New ordinance to help rundown buildings Community Journal Clermont, 4/13/06 Officials are taking steps to make sure what is just a nuisance today, doesn't become something more tomorrow. Bethel council's planning commission is currently looking into putting a nuisance ordinance into effect for structures in the village. "This is part of preparing for growth in the village," said Mike Shiverski, village administrator. "Before developers come in, we need to have a plan of attack for handling new growth." BURLINGTON Fire training center will cost less Boone County Recorder, 4/13/06 Plans for Boone County's proposed fire training center have been scaled back. The project will now cost an estimated $2.4 million, down from about $3 million. "I still think it's going to fill a need that we currently do not have, without question, with the burn building and the tower," Point Pleasant Fire Chief Mike Giordano said. BURLINGTON Library construction gets official start Boone County Recorder, 4/13/06 Boone County's largest library should be completed near the end of next year. On Monday, the Boone County Public Library hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the facility that's being built at the former Flick's Foods location on Ky. 18 in Burlington. Work had begun earlier at the site. The facility is costing $10.5 million to construct. "We truly are blessed here in Boone County to have the tax base that can provide revenue for outstanding facilities," Boone County Judge-Executive Gary Moore said. CAMPBELL COUNTY Residents want green space protected Campbell Community Recorder, 4/13/06 Campbell County residents sent a message to planning officials that they don't want to see development ruin the rural character of the southern portion of the county. People penned hundreds of their thoughts on how the county should manage its future onto poster-sized sheets of paper in the cafeteria at Campbell County High School Thursday, April 6, the second of two meetings to gather public comment on the Campbell County Comprehensive Plan update. The input will be used to help planners update the recommended plan of action for the next 20 years. Controlling the affects and locations of development and protecting green space was at the top of most people's wish list. COLD SPRING City considers take over of streets Campbell Community Recorder, 4/13/06 Residents of the condominiums off Chardonnay Drive will have to wait for the Monday, April 24 Cold Spring City Council meeting to find out if the city will take over maintenance of their streets. The development was built with private streets, and residents have to arrange and pay for their own street maintenance including snow removal and repairs.They have asked the city to take over maintenance. The results of a geotechnical report previously asked for by council on the thickness and integrity of the roads in the development were revealed at the Monday, April 10 council meeting. DELHI TWP. Township adds rugged park property Delhi Press, 4/12/06 Only the most dedicated hikers likely will enjoy the latest addition to the Delhi Township Park District. Township trustees approved the purchase of almost 40 acres along Bender Road. The purchase price is $1 and the seller is the Hamilton County Park District. Jack Sutton, park district director, said his agency bought the land in 2003 with help from a Clean Ohio grant. The county park district paid $145,295 for one 28.9-acre tract and $55,400 for the adjacent 11 acres, Sutton said. With the grant proceeds, the park district share was $57,125 and $20,678 respectively. FT. THOMAS A new home is being built at 109 Hawthorne Ave and will be sold for $477,000. I'm not sure if the drawing is a stock image or if the house will look something like this. FT. THOMAS Highlands renovation begins, change orders in Fort Thomas Recorder, 4/13/06 Construction for the first phase of the Highlands High School renovation is underway. That's the good news. The bad news is just a week into the project architect Mark Isbell of Tate Hill Jacobs: Architects has brought up the topic of change orders, which means the price of the project is more than first anticipated, to the Fort Thomas Independent Schools Board of Education. Change orders come from unforeseen issues with construction. Isbell said the cable and telecommunication lines run underground from the high school to the middle school and construction teams need to separate those lines. FT. MITCHELL Spring brings construction The Community Recorder, 4/13/06 Construction crews are working to repave Brice Avenue in Fort Mitchell. Public Works Director Bob Zerhusen expects the project to be finished by the end of the month, weather permitting. The repaving is one of many road construction projects in the works now that temperatures have warmed up. FT. WRIGHT Planning commission delays form district decision The Community Recorder, 4/13/06 After months of land use studies and document preparation, the city will have to wait a little longer for the decision on their proposed Town Center Form District plans. The Kenton County Planning Commission voted at their April 6 meeting to recess the applications until a special meeting, saying the issue was too large to discuss during a normal meeting, especially with other items on the agenda. "I had a list of questions before tonight, and now I have even more," said commissioner Paul Darpel after the presentations. "I just feel that this is such a large issue, and so unique, that it deserves to be looked at more closely, and that is something that may not be afforded to us tonight." GREEN TWP. (Dent) Three stores coming to Manchester Plaza Western Hills Press, 4/12/06 Eventually shoppers will have three new retail stores to patron in the Manchester Plaza. Michael Boeckermann, the fire prevention officer and building inspector for the Green Township Department of Fire & EMS, said the old Kroger building is being sub-divided into three new stores. Two tenants have signed leases with the H.L. Libby Corp., the Pennsylvania-based owner of the strip mall, and the third tenant has not yet been determined. Boeckermann said an Aldi food store is expected to open in one of the three spaces sometime in the early fall, and a Dollar Tree is scheduled to open there in July. HAMILTON Main Street building demolished Hamilton JournalNews, 4/12/06 The Cinema Lounge at 515 Main St. was demolished Tuesday in a cloud of dust and splintering wood. Several sources, including the Vickers Wrecking crew tearing down the old bar, said the property is in the process of being transferred to Dr. Louis Barich, who keeps an office several doors down. Barich, however, could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening. Tony Traub, the owner of the Old Moose Event Center at 333 S. Second St., said he partnered with Barich on the project. “He’s more interested in cleaning up the area,” Traub said about the partnership. “That place was a blight on the area. His incentive was to get it down. My incentive was to take the liquor license and transfer that to the Old Moose Center.” HAMILTON Veteran's home picked for renovation Hamilton JournalNews, 3/19/06 A Hamilton resident has been tapped as the first to be assisted as part of a nationwide program to help disabled veterans remodel their homes for easier accessibility. The home of Shelby Bowling, a 69-year-old Cleveland Avenue resident, will be one of the first two pilot sites across the nation to be part of Homes Eliminated of Restrictions and Obstacles. Project HERO is a joint venture of the International Code Council Foundation, Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Disabled American Veterans. HIGHLAND HEIGHTS Bluegrass Center may get new tenant Campbell Community Recorder, 4/13/06 It's may be the ideal location for the Family Life Vision Center and the ideal business for the Bluegrass Center, but the perfect couple doesn't make for an easy move. At the Tuesday, April 11 Highland Heights Planning Commission meeting David Zimmer, owner of The Zimmer Construction Company, received the commission's approval to continue working with city administration to possibly build a new office building for the Family Vision Center in the Bluegrass Center on U.S. 27. No paperwork has been filed with the city. INDEPENDENCE Debated use of land continues along Ky.17 in Independence Kenton Community Recorder, 4/13/06 The future of a small parcel of land across from Simon Kenton High School is still undecided, even after the Kenton County Planning Commission approved a zone change from residential to neighborhood commercial. The 2.4 acre area, nestled between the current Ky. 17 and the planned new Ky. 17, is still the subject of speculation between the five property owners and the Kenton County School Board. The board would eventually like to use the land to accommodate the growth of Simon Kenton, including additional parking. The owners of the property hope to use the zone change to build two small offices on the site. The Independence city council will have final approval of any zone change. INDIAN HILL Remington wait almost over Indian Hill Journal, 4/13/06 If it's not clear yet just what's going to snarl Remington Road traffic this spring, it will be clarified significantly April 20. That's when Sunesis, the firm contracted by the Ohio Department of Transportation to replace aging box culverts on Remington Road, has its pre-construction meeting with ODOT officials. "We'll schedule the job at that meeting," said Carl Fritschi, a Sunesis vice president for estimation. Fritschi couldn't think of any potential snags that could arise at the pre-construction meeting that would cause a delay in the firm's projected late-April, early-May starting date. LEBANON Center of History Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/23/06 A post office that has been unused for more than a decade is being reincarnated into a hub of art, history and community activity. "Because Lebanon is known for being historic, we would like to make our museum a focal point ... and it will give real meaning to the term, 'Historic Lebanon,'" said Bill Duning, president of the Warren County Historical Society. The 70-year-old post office is next door to the society's headquarters and museum along South Broadway Street near Ohio 63 in the heart of the downtown historic district. The group already has raised and spent $1.8 million in local donations to acquire, renovate and connect the buildings. If the society secures an additional $225,000 from the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission this spring, the society would be able to house administrative offices, its growing art collection and other artifacts in the extra 4,375 square feet the post office provides. Public meetings, art galleries and traveling exhibits also would be held. MIDDLETOWN MIDDLETOWN 220 HOMES PLANNED ON 150-ACRE SITE Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/16/06 Maple Street Homes, a division of the Fischer Group, has opened a new community on 150 acres at Manchester Road and South Dixie Highway, northeast of Middletown. Called Sawyer's Mill, the subdivision, developed jointly with Beazer Homes, calls for up to 220 homes priced from $140,000. ... Maple Street is planning to build from two different home plan collections. Its Hometown Collection, starting at $140,000, with three and four bedrooms and up to 2,400 square feet, and its Parkside Collection, which includes ranch and two-story designs, priced into the $200,000s with up to five bedrooms and 3,000 square feet. Amenities include a waterfall and stone entry, walking trails, playgrounds, boulevard streets and wooded home sites. Build-out of the development is expected to take five to eight years. MONROE Council puts trail on right path Middletown Journal, 4/12/06 Residents can look forward to more space to enjoy the great outdoors in the future. City Council Tuesday authorized the development of 13 acres of land for a park that will feature walking trails and possibly an arboretum and community gardens. Monroe will lease the park — located on Ohio 4 near a city fire station — for $1 a year from the Butler County MetroParks. MONROE BMX track may kick up dust in Monroe Hamilton JournalNews, 4/13/06 Dirt mounds and bikes could become the focal point of one community park if the city decides to play host to an increasingly popular extreme sport. For years, Monroe residents have expressed an interest in operating a Bicycle Motocross track in the city. Now, with the development of a 28-acre sports park under way, that may finally happen. If approved, 3 acres of land and 4,000 cubic yards of dirt at the Monroe Crossings park will come together to form a BMX track that would be operated by local parents. The track — which also would feature a starting gate, audio system and fencing — would be an added amenity to the city’s recreation options, said Jay Stewart, Monroe’s development director. MT. HEALTHY School's courtyard getting makeover Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/12/06 What was once an eyesore at Mount Healthy High School could become a point of pride. The Kull Courtyard at the center of the U-shaped high school was overgrown with weeds, its walls crumbling, for several years. Dozens of students, teachers and community volunteers more than a year ago began clearing it out, tearing up old bricks and walls and yanking out the weeds. But money wasn't available for much else. "It's a big mud ball," says Brian McFee, assistant principal. That's about to change. On Saturday, Harrison Concrete Inc., in Harrison, will pour donated concrete in much of the courtyard. And volunteers and others will build a new, 35-foot outdoor stage, walkways and a picnic area with tables. SPRINGDALE SPRINGDALE 5.3 ACRES ACQUIRED FOR $5M RETAIL CENTER Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/19/06 Developer Myers Y. Cooper Co. has acquired 5.3 acres along Springfield Pike from the city of Springdale for a $5 million neighborhood retail center called Springdale Town Center. The 45,000-square-foot retail center, along the east side of Springfield Pike between Kemper Road and Peach Street, will include restaurants and neighborhood businesses, said Jeff Baumgarth of Myers Y. Cooper. The project, which will include off-street parking for 250 vehicles, will use brick and wood materials and shingle roofs to tie in with the brick sidewalks and period street lighting. Plans call for three existing businesses, Domino's Pizza, Tri-City Cleaners and Springdale Laundry, to remain and relocate. SYCAMORE TWP. Chrisman Homes has completed this project at 8485 Wilton Ave. THIS is $449,900?!?!? SYCAMORE TWP. Levy OK may mean a new firehouse Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/12/06 Proceeds from the proposed Sycamore Township fire services levy could help build a new firehouse on the township's north end, Acting Administrator Rob Molloy said Tuesday. The new building would sit on part of an 18-acre site trustees bought last year for athletic fields on Deerfield Road. It would replace another firehouse on Solzman Road that is falling apart and has a crumbling roof, Molloy said. SYMMES TWP. SYMMES TOWNSHIP 2 OFFICE COMPLEXES UNDER DEVELOPMENT Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/9/06 Robert Lucke Interests Inc., a division of Robert Lucke Homes, is developing two office complexes. The first, which will consist of seven office buildings, is in Sycamore Township off Cornell Road. The single-story development will eventually house at least 30 companies. The second, Greenbrier, is on Thornberry Court off Tylersville Road in Mason. Also a single-story complex, it has four buildings. All the office spaces can be customized to the purchaser's requirements. SYMMES TWP. Park dedicated to '99 tornado victims Northeast Suburban Life, 4/12/06 State, county and local officials gathered Sunday at the corner of Montgomery and East Kemper roads to mark April 9, 1999. That's the date a tornado roared across the area at dawn, killing four people. On its anniversary seven years later, with the sun shining brightly, officials dedicated the memorial park that will remember them. TAYLOR MILL Residents respond to land use study Kenton Community Recorder, 4/13/06 If the public forums are any indicator, the responses to the city's land use study for Taylor Mill Road are as varied as the plans themselves. Woolpert Inc., the Ohio-based company hired by the city to conduct the land use study, held public forums on Tuesday, April 4 and Wednesday, April 5 to get public input on the three main plans. The study, which was split into three phases, focused on the area south of the I-275/Taylor Mill Road interchange down to Walnut Drive, including the Shoppes of Taylor Mill. Over a hundred residents attended both days of the forum, and were encouraged to ask questions of the Woolpert representatives, and leave comment sheets, which will help to guide the process. "You can't really develop in a community without getting to know the community," said Katie Bower of Woolpert. "We have a wide range of plans here, and hopefully everyone can find something they like, which will help us as we move forward." WEST UNION Dedication ceremony held for Satterfield Park West Union People's Defender, 4/12/06 A dedication ceremony was held on March 31 at 1 p.m. for the Martha J. Satterfield Memorial Park, a project of the West Union Beautification Committee and the Village of West Union. The park site is located on state Route 247, across from Rock Springs, and the ceremony will be held next to Timber Ridge Apartments. “We are having the dedication at this time, hoping that Mr. Satterfield will be able to attend,” said Judy Kirker, of the committee. Bob Satterfield donated approximately 12 acres for the park in memory of his wife, Martha, a former long-time Girl Scout leader and noted member of the community. Initial funding for development of the park has been obtained through a NatureWorks grant. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Real Estate and Land Management (REALM) will coordinate the grant activity and work with the village throughout the project. The funding so far obtained will finance roadways and picnic areas. A new street called Jane Street is being developed north of William Street, off of Logan’s Lane. The street will continue through the park to join state Route 247.
April 18, 200619 yr For 449,999 that house better have a revolving book case that leads to a secret room where you take a mine cart to an underground facility that houses the batmobile!
April 18, 200619 yr I'm guessing the new subdivision in Middletown will technically be in Franklin Township, right? The article is too vague.
April 18, 200619 yr For 449,999 that house better have a revolving book case that leads to a secret room where you take a mine cart to an underground facility that houses the batmobile! Kenwood-Symmes-Montgomery are priced very affordably (insert sarcasm smiley here)
April 18, 200619 yr Author I'm guessing the new subdivision in Middletown will technically be in Franklin Township, right? The article is too vague. I think so. It says "northeast of Middletown", so I guess it would probably be Franklin Twp. You're definitely more familiar with the area than me.
April 19, 200619 yr that Norwood house story is pretty interesting. Hopefully I will be able to catch that show.
April 19, 200619 yr ^ I know the owners, Deanna and Jim. They are really great people. They saw the promise of Newport before many others did. Newport is very fortunate to have them as caring residents and as talented architects and rehabbers ... although I wish they had chosen OTR instead! :)
April 19, 200619 yr Very true but why pass up an opportunity where a state government (KY) is throwing all kinds of money at you to boot. KY seems to have nothing better to do with their money (like school systems) than to push all of their state funds into Nky and Louisville.
April 20, 200619 yr (we cant let random cleveland developments thread pass this one up in size. keep posting!!!!!) dont act like you dont know what i am talking about. :box:
April 23, 200619 yr I thought I'd provide some crap this time since grasscat has taken on so much more. This is infill in Hamilton, I have to say I would have preferred the vacant lot:
April 23, 200619 yr Author After a two-year wait, the Uptown Towers are going to undergo a MAJOR renovation, for which they are currently seeking RFPs. The renovation includes 13,000 square feet of ground floor retail space and a 25,000 square foot four story office building. The project includes a 100-space underground parking garage for use by the tenants and a 155-space surface parking lot used primarily by City employees. The city is chipping in with a $1.8 million loan. This renovation will retain affordable and low-income housing. The city is still trying to sell 2147 Central Ave, the former Citizens' Committee on Youth building that was mentioned earlier in this thread. Recently, council repealed the first ordinance that put the property on competitive bid sale for a minimum price of $81,000. They repealed this ordinance due to heavy vandalism on the structure that has lowered its fair market value to $35,000. The vandalism included two burglaries during which 85 percent of the plumbing was removed. (This according to Chris Bortz.) A new ordinance authorizing a competitive bid sale, starting at this price, was passed unanimously by council. Also, the Horace Street Stairway will be closed down and removed. These steps go from the Bank/Linn intersection down to Horace St. The reason for the closure is a request from the Dayton Street Neighborhood Association. Their claim, in a May 2005 letter to the DOTE, was that Horace St is basically just a glorified alley which allows Dayton St. residents to access their garages. They felt the steps were inviting drug dealers and prostitutes to come down into that area and ply their wares with inpunity. While considering the effects of such a closure, the city posted a sign for three months alerting users to the possible closure, with a telephone number for feedback. DOTE received two calls, both requesting closure. The city also sent out 332 mailers, receiving 15 replies with only 1 supporting keeping the steps open. The Dayton Street Neighborhood Association voted unanimously to support closure in September 2005. In February 2006, the West End Community Council voiced their support. And from the various city departments, the recommendation is that closure will cause no significant harm. This is currently in the Vibrant Neighborhoods committee, with no timetable for a decision. 417 Hopkins and 434 Elizabeth have new owners. There is no evidence of rehab. 417 Hopkins looks like it could fall over in a stiff wind.
April 23, 200619 yr ^Glad you asked, it is in Verlyn Place. The seventh home down is the red brick house on the right of the above picture: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=8424.0
April 24, 200619 yr Also, the Horace Street Stairway will be closed down and removed. These steps go from the Bank/Linn intersection down to Horace St. The reason for the closure is a request from the Dayton Street Neighborhood Association Bust the people that use the steps for illegal purposes, not the steps!! :x
April 24, 200619 yr Author Top story No top story this week. Round-up: Cincinnati and inner burbs AVONDALE Southern Baptist Church has purchased 810 Mann Pl and is in the process of fixing it up. This property has been vacant for at least a year. The church owns several properties in the vicinity of its building at 3556 Reading, including many on Lexington Ave. AVONDALE 3006 Reading Rd is getting a new facade and windows. AVONDALE Charles Stuart Homes has rehabbed 18 Glenwood Ave into clean and safe affordable housing. (after only) AVONDALE TBGB LLC is currently rehabbing this cool structure at 658-660 Crown St. COLLEGE HILL 1447 Aster Pl has had a complete overhaul. COLUMBIA TUSCULUM A new single-family home will be built at 485 Stanley Ave (corner of Stanley and Handman). DOWNTOWN STUDIO BUILDING SOLD FOR $1.2M TO MARSH Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/23/06 The Studio Building at 333 E. Eighth St. has been sold for $1.2 million to advertising/branding consulting company Marsh Inc., which plans to occupy all three floors of the 12,480-square-foot structure built in 1913. Studio Building Realty LLP was the seller; the transaction was brokered by Grubb & Ellis/West Shell Commercial. EAST PRICE HILL 356 Elberon Ave was flipped. It was purchased from Fannie Mae on March 17 for $14,000, and then resold three days later for $20,000. The seller is a known property hoarder. FAIRVIEW 2557 W McMicken Ave has been purchased after having been foreclosed on three months ago. The building has been vacant for a year or more and was condemned by the city after evidence of squatters was found there. The buildup of trash has been unbelievable. HYDE PARK Traffic concerns part of city funding request Eastern Hills Journal, 4/19/06 The Hyde Park Neighborhood Council paved the way for traffic improvements at its April 11 meeting. Council selected the following three projects for Community Priority Requests funding: * Installation of a traffic light at Observatory and Michigan avenues. * A traffic study to improve traffic flow at the intersection of Edwards, Wasson and Madison roads. * Replacement of the curb on Monteith Avenue between Wasson Road and Victoria Avenue and the installation of a curb on the south side of Grandin Road east of Edwards. Funding for the Community Priority Requests comes from the city of Cincinnati. NORTHSIDE A man who also owns a couple of Mt. Healthy apartment buildings has purchased 4423 Ammon Ave, which has been vacant for nearly a year. The property was purchased for $14,000. NORTHSIDE Working in Neighborhoods is continuing to rehab 4235 Fergus St. PRICE HILL 1707 Iliff Ave now has an owner after being lender-owned and vacant for 8 months. This (potential) beauty was purchased for $10,100. QUEENSGATE Kao awarded state R&D loan Cincinnati Business Courier, 3/27/06 Kao Brands has been awarded a $1.35 million Ohio research and development loan to expand its R&D facility in Queensgate. The company plans to spend more than $1.8 million to build an 8,600-square-foot addition to its 60,000-square-foot R&D center, and spend another $5 million to $6 million on machinery and equipment. The 10-year loan has an interest rate of 2 percent, and Kao expects to create two new jobs and retain 372. The personal care products manufacturer, formerly Andrew Jergens Co., is a subsidiary of Japan-based Kao Corp. SOUTH FAIRMOUNT The owner of 1549 Fairmount Ave is being forced to make some repairs to bring the derelict property up to VBML standards. This two-family has been condemned and vacant since November 2004. SOUTH FAIRMOUNT Rather than fix the two-family at 1705 Westwood Ave or bother with a VBML, the owner will demolish it. It's been condemned for a year. Ahh, the slow death of South Fairmount continues.... WALNUT HILLS Calbre LLC has purchased a portion of Marquis St from the city for $3,600. They plan to use it as green space for now, but they do own a pretty large tract adjacent to it (fronting on Florence Ave) on which they may construct an office building in the future. This parcel ties in with those plans. WALNUT HILLS Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity has bought the residential vacant land at 2329 May St for $5,000. COVINGTON 1805 Euclid Ave has been rehabbed inside and out. (after photo only) COVINGTON Children Inc. ready to expand Kentucky Post, 4/17/06 The largest early education and child-care provider in Northern Kentucky is about to get even larger. Children Inc., a Covington-based nonprofit that specializes in education-based child development, child care and after-school programs, is moving its central offices into a two-story building at Fourth Street and Madison Avenue. The Covington City Commission approved a $1 million industrial revenue bond issue last week to help with the $1.5 million cost of purchasing and renovating the building. COVINGTON (Latonia) Melvin: Neighborhoods play key role in city's economic success Kenton Community Recorder, 4/20/06 Although Covington's major economic development projects focus on the riverfront and downtown, city officials haven't forgotten about the neighborhoods' economic needs. "We look at the city of Covington as a whole," said Economic Development and Community Relations Director Gail Melvin. "It's not just downtown. "Even though a lot focuses on downtown, there is a lot of interest in this area as well as the residential area in South Covington," she told Latonia residents at an April 12 community meeting. She touted the development opportunities at the southern ends of KY 16 and KY 17, and the upcoming expansion of Fidelity Investments' Latonia campus. COVINGTON (Latonia) Residents ask officials to fix dangerous road Kenton Community Recorder, 4/20/06 The Winston Avenue corridor is dangerous for pedestrians, residents say, and they're afraid that more people will get hurt if changes aren't made. Four pedestrians have been hit on that stretch of Ky. 16 during the past three years. One driver ran a stoplight, and the others hit pedestrians while turning onto the busy five-lane state route. "Something needs to be done before someone is killed on that stretch," said Debbie Stuart, 42. LUDLOW Talks on Ludlow plant cleanup Kentucky Post, 4/17/06 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has spent $1.9 million cleaning up the former M.J. Daly chemical processing plant in Ludlow. And the job's not finished. EPA officials plan to meet with Ludlow city officials this week to talk about finishing the cleanup, City Administrative Officer Brian Dehner said. They will review drawings of a parking lot for 20 to 30 vehicles and a small park the city wants to create on the industrial site. NEWPORT 607 E 9th St has had major work done. Bexar IX LLC did the rehab on this property formerly valued at $61,100. NEWPORT 839 Overton St has been rehabbed and now fits in nicely with the surrounding neighborhood. NEWPORT Newport gives green light to expand district Kentucky Post, 4/18/06 Newport commissioners have given preliminary approval to expand one of the city's most successful historic districts. The city commission voted Monday to expand the East Row Historic District, which is now bounded by Washington Avenue on the west, Oak Street and Linden Avenue on the east, Second Street on the north and 10th Street on the south. The proposed expansion would extend the district to the 900 block of Monroe Street and Park Avenue and include an additional 52 properties, most of them residential, said Emily Jarzen, Newport's historic preservation officer. The Newport Historic Preservation Board wants to expand the district to ensure that any remodeling of homes or new construction is subject to review by the board. Round-up: Outer burbs and metro ALEXANDRIA Annexations considered Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/21/06 Alexandria City Council approved an intent-to-annex order Thursday, which could enable a 74-unit Fischer Homes subdivision to be built. The single-family-home subdivision would be east of Persimmon Grove Pike, south of the Country Grove neighborhood. Though the project would sit on many more acres, Fischer wants Alexandria to annex 15.6 acres because part of the subdivision overlaps land outside city limits. Now the matter will go before the city planning commission, which will make a recommendation to council. Mark Lehmann, project planner for Fischer, said houses in the development would range from 1,700 to 3,000 square feet, with prices starting in the $160,000 to $175,000 range. The next City Council meeting will be 7 p.m., May 4 at the city building at 8236 W. Main St. BATAVIA TWP. Township makes plans for new park Community Journal Clermont, 4/19/06 What's a park without a playground? With the opening of the new administration building a little more than a month away, officials in Batavia Township are looking to start the next phase of the park land with help from a community development block grant. BLUE ASH Here's a small rendering of the Towne Square Lofts. (Background article) BURLINGTON Drug treatment center progressing in Boone Boone County Recorder, 4/20/06 Newport-based Brighton Center Inc.'s drug treatment facility for women in Boone County should open by March 2007. The facility is being built on land in Florence that's owned by Gateway Community Technical and Community College where the school has a campus. The treatment center's main entrance will be off of Weaver Road. "Everything is ready to go. ... We should close in May and we should have a groundbreaking very soon after that," Bob Brewster, Brighton Center's executive director, told the Boone County Fiscal Court on Tuesday. CAMPBELL COUNTY Preserving farmland a key Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/19/06 After nearly 60 years of continual loss of farmland, Campbell County's land and farming economy is "surprisingly stable," farmers learned Tuesday. Hoping to keep it that way, farmers urged county government Tuesday to include land preservation in the county's updated five-year comprehensive plan. About 40 Campbell County farmers gathered Tuesday night in the cafeteria of the Campbell County High School to hear the results of a survey study conducted in 2005. What they heard left them feeling good, but also has them eyeing the future. CLEVES 3 Rivers considers building to downsize Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/21/06 Leaders in the Three Rivers School District want to shrink the system from five schools to two by building two larger schools over the next few years. It'll take voter approval to make it happen. The school board is considering putting a question on the ballot in August or November to permit the district to issue bonds for the new buildings. Constructing two new schools may cost between $50 million and $53 million. COLD SPRING District looks for ways to fund school Campbell Community Recorder, 4/20/06 Campbell County School District leaders expect to break ground this July on an elementary school in the Cold Spring Crossing shopping center area. The district is pinning its hopes for funding the 700-student school through an expected increase in state assessment money because of expected growth in the county, said Superintendent Anthony Strong. Strong estimated the school will cost $18-$19 million, and the bidding process for the project won't be advertised until mid-May. COLERAIN TWP. Developer John Allen will be building an 88-home subdivision called Blue Meadow Farms on an extension of Blue Meadow Ln. This street could eventually be extended to meet up with a street in the recently approved Summercrest subdivision, being built by Inman Developers off of Springdale Rd, approximately across from its intersection with Sheits Rd. (Summercrest in red) Also, George Thomas Homes is going to be building 2 single-family landominiums on 7.18 acres called Whispering Pines. This development will have a private street with access from Blue Rock Rd and will cater to the elderly and empty nesters. ERLANGER Erlanger to approve zone change Erlanger Recorder, 4/20/06 After three years in business, Airport Towing is finally making it legal. City council will likely approve a zone change from Industrial Park-1 to Industrial Park-4 for the company's 6.7-acre site on Kenton Lands Road. Airport Towing repairs and tows tractor trailers, trucks and automobiles. But the current IP-1 zone doesn't permit automobile towing, which neither the city nor the company realized until a competing towing company in Crescent Springs complained two years ago. ERLANGER Turkeyfoot contractors fined Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/23/06 Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials plan to assess at least $280,800 in delay penalties to the highway contractors responsible for the first two phases of widening Turkeyfoot Road. Elmo Greer & Sons of London faces $224,800 in penalties for the $8.1 million Phase 1, a 0.36-mile stretch from Linden Woods Drive to Autumn Road, which the Transportation Cabinet considers essentially complete. Greer's work was finished 281 days late, according to the Cabinet. Through today, Fort Wright-based Eaton Asphalt faces $56,000 in penalties for the $7.6 million, 1.5-mile Phase II between Dudley and Autumn roads. That penalty amount will click upward at a rate of $800 per day. It resumed April 1, when the construction season officially resumed after the winter ERLANGER Developer builds for the future Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/23/06 With a $14 million bet on the table, Chip Tappan is rolling the dice on warehouses. Building them, that is, side by side next to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport on Donaldson Road in Erlanger. His company, Tappan Properties, broke ground the week before last. He expects the buildings to be finished in the winter. The gamble lies in the fact that, so far, Tappan doesn't know who will be taking out leases on the 259,800 square feet of space projected for the Donaldson Road Center II. Projects like this put the "spec" in speculative. "You build the shell first and talk to your prospective tenants later," Chip Tappan said last week. "Hopefully, when you finish you'll have a certain percentage of the space leased." ERLANGER Rehab center decision due Monday Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/21/06 Transitions Inc. hopes to learn Monday whether its 15-month search for a place to build a drug and alcohol recovery center for men is finished. On Monday, the Erlanger Board of Adjustments will consider a variance that would clear the way for construction. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the city building, 505 Commonwealth Ave. Transitions, a Bellevue-based recovery program, wants to build the center on a 5-acre site at 306 Pleasure Island Drive off Ky. 17 and south of Interstate 275. It is across Ky. 17 from the Fun Center at Pleasure Isle, an indoor soccer and gymnastics facility scheduled to open next month. The nonprofit agency is facing an April 30 deadline to find a place to build the center or lose state funding for it. Cincinnati Enquirer: Sports field or rehab center? (4/21/06) Erlanger Recorder: Transitions forum leaves more questions (4/20/06) Kentucky Post: Center meets more resistance (4/19/06) Cincinnati Enquirer: Rehab center meeting is tonight (4/18/06) FAIRFIELD Fairfield would raze 11 flood-prone homes Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/20/06 This city wants to spend at least $1.3 million to buy and demolish 11 more flood-prone homes near Pleasant Run Creek. Meanwhile, city leaders are planning a flood wall in the area that could cost millions more. The projects would be the latest efforts by a city where more than $26 million, mostly in federal money, has been spent on flood control since August 1979. That's when flash flooding affected more than 300 homes and businesses near the creek. Another, smaller wave of flooding damaged 100 homes during Father's Day weekend in 2003. FORT THOMAS 93 Taylor Ave has been restored. FORT THOMAS The Carriage House apartments (off of Newman Ave near Hunteman) are being converted to condos. FORT THOMAS Zoning panel OKs change for condos Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/20/06 The Fort Thomas Commission approved a zone overlay Wednesday for a new 65-unit condominium project off Blossom Lane. In March, City Council unanimously approved an intent-to-annex ordinance for 3.7 vacant acres next to Highland Country Club. That land is part of the overall 14 acres south of Blossom Lane where Centerline Development has planned the project. But the development required an overlay change from single-family zone to residential cluster. ... The commission's recommendation will go to City Council, which will have the final say on the zone change. FORT THOMAS Officials hoping governor supports Highlands project Kentucky Post, 4/22/06 Fort Thomas school officials are cautiously optimistic that the $1.4 million in state funds earmarked for renovations of the Highlands High School auditorium will escape Gov. Fletcher's line-item veto. Fletcher is expected to make veto decisions on the state's $18.1 billion budget on Monday. Either way, the district will break ground May 17 on phase one of what could be a total $17.8 million in improvements to the high school. Of that, $14.1 million is already approved. The auditorium is in phase two, but its funding is tentative. FORT WRIGHT These townhomes are being built on Lookout Heights Dr and appear to be in the $150K-$200K range. FRANKLIN Stadium project seeking federal grants Middletown Journal, 4/19/06 If state officials give the green light, the Franklin City School District may be on its way to renovating the bleachers at its stadium. At Monday’s work session, the Board of Education discussed preparing a resolution in which the district, in partnership with the city of Franklin and Franklin Township, would seek to receive between $250,000 and $300,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding from the Warren County Commission for the project. The project, which would entail renovating the bleachers and moving the press box in the school stadium in Community Park, is estimated to cost about $600,000, according to Interim Superintendent Steve Buerschen. GEORGETOWN Out with the old on Kenwood Georgetown News Democrat Dale Bonar, of Georgetown, has purchased the land at the corner of North and Kenwood streets. The two old buildings standing there will be demolished and removed from the property as soon as possible. Bonar is planning to build four new apartment buildings on the lot. He said, “Council sure was happy to hear my plans for this property.” The apartments will be geared toward middle income residents. They will be what Bonar describes as “user friendly.” GREEN TWP. (Monfort Heights) Condominiums will not be developed on North Bend Rd across from Ridgewood Ave as originally planned. Instead, some sort of church facility is going to be built there. HANOVER TWP. (Butler Co.) Want to buy a drive-in movie theater? Dayton Daily News, 3/26/06 Butler County's last drive-in movie theater, one of only a handful in the country open all year long, is up for sale. Its owner says it's not likely a buyer will continue the operation. The Holiday Auto Theatre has been open on Old Oxford Road since 1948. But, after fighting with the county for seven years to add more screens needed to make the business viable, it's likely this will be the end of an era, owner Fred Baum said. The property is listed for $650,000 with Re/Max Alpha of Oxford. HIGHLAND HEIGHTS New firm may get Lakeside Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/21/06 A Villa Hills-based company hopes to purchase the rights to operate Lakeside Heights Nursing Center and start anew. Tower Holdings LLC filed a notice of intent with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services to acquire the 286-bed facility. The notice lists the address as 943 Apple Blossom Dr. in Villa Hills and George Hagan as the manager. Business filings with the state show Cincinnati lawyer R. Keith Frederick as the registered agent. INDEPENDENCE Audit reveals homes avoided sewer fees Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/19/06 This fall, 269 homes in Independence may receive a $280 annual sewer bill for the first time. An audit conducted by City Attorney Jed Deters found that for the past 10 years some homes in Cherokee Acres and Independence Ridge have not been billed for the Fowler Creek sewer system installed in the mid-1990s to service the east side of town. Some City Council members say the homes should be charged retroactively as far back as the law allows; others say they should be billed only for future years. Officials can't explain why the city didn't assess and start billing these homes in the 1990s like the other 1,700 homes on the system. INDEPENDENCE Simon Kenton, neighbors at odds Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/21/06 Whether a 2.4-acre parcel on Ky. 17 across from Simon Kenton High School will become part of the school's campus or house businesses will depend on the court system and the property owners. The Kenton County School Board wants to add the property to Simon Kenton's campus. The property's owners submitted a development plan that calls for the two houses on the property to become office space. The school board has filed lawsuits against one of the property owners, asking that part of the property be condemned and acquired through eminent domain. Gailen Bridges, who owns part of the land, said he plans to open a branch of his Covington law firm in one of the houses. The other would be used for a home design company, he said. LEBANON Groundbreaking a dream come true for Bethany UCC congregation The Western Star, 4/20/06 Turning over a couple of shovels of dirt signaled the beginning of a four-year dream for the congregation of Bethany United Church of Christ in Lebanon. In February 2002 the church contracted with an architect to develop plans for preserving and modernizing the Rock School House on Ohio 123 near Interstate 71 in Lebanon. Their dream is finally beginning to become a reality with the anticipation of the county issuing the final building permit this week for construction to begin. MARIEMONT Hope for greener village grows with tree farm Eastern Hills Journal, 4/19/06 Next to the new Mariemont Maintenance Department building is an unused plot of ground. This land was set aside for residents to plant saplings, said Sue Singleton, staff assistant at the village office. She said this is one way for children to get involved with the village tree program and understand the village's desire to be part of Tree City USA. MT. ORAB X-Mil breaks ground on new facility Georgetown News Democrat Brown County officials, Mt. Orab village officials and the staff of X-Mil Inc. gathered in Mt. Orab on the morning of April 13, to take part in the ground breaking ceremony for the new X-Mil facility. The new facility will be located on Homan Way, a new access road being developed off of Brooks Malott Road in the village of Mt. Orab. Construction on the new facility is slated to begin May 1 and X-Mil hopes to have the new facility complete by the end of September. RIPLEY Logan’s Gap still unoccupied Georgetown News Democrat Chief Logan’s Gap, a once popular camp site and recreational area on Scoffield Road just outside of Ripley, continues to catch the eye of developers who have expressed interest in restoring the site. Despite the interest shown over the past several years, Chief Logan’s Gap remains unoccupied and for sale. More than five years ago, Chief Logan’s Gap attracted hundreds of people every year, drawing campers from other states who scheduled their summer vacations to enjoy the recreations at the campground along Eagle Creek. Faced with financial difficulties and lack of adequate raw sewage removal, Chief Logan’s Gap was foreclosed on more than five years ago and is now owned by Capital Crossing Bank in Boston, Mass. RIPLEY Ripley River Walk on hold Georgetown News Democrat Construction of the River Walk project that is expected to solve erosion problems caused by the Ohio River, as well as improve the view of Front Street in Ripley, has been put on hold due to the concerns of a U.S. taxpayer, according to Ripley Administrator Charles Ashmore. Ashmore said the taxpayer who objected to the River Walk project does not reside in the village of Ripley. However, any U.S. citizen does have the right to contest a project being funded by state or federal tax dollars, such as the River Walk project which was approved for a federal grant in the amount of $1,650,907 that was to be administered by the Ohio Department of Transportation. “We’ve had a concerned citizen, not of Ripley, with concerns about the River Walk project and the damage (it will cause) to the history of Ripley,” said Ashmore. The concerned taxpayer’s objections were said to have been received by the Ohio Historical Society and the Ohio Department of Transportation and have been successful in threatening the completion of the River Walk project. SHARONVILLE Photo: Hotel opens in July Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/23/06 Construction on the 180-room Drury Inn & Suites hotel at East Sharon Road and Interstate 75, Sharonville, is moving toward completion this summer. A spokesman for the St. Louis-based hotel chain said the seven-story hotel, employing 30, is slated for a late July opening. Cracker Barrel and Ruby Tuesday restaurants planned as part of the Drury Inn project are already open. Drury, which has two hotels in Columbus, one in Dayton and another opening later this summer in suburban Columbus, features a number of free services aimed at business travelers, including free high-speed Internet, free daily hot breakfast, rooms and suites equipped with refrigerators and microwaves, and nightly manager's receptions. SYCAMORE TWP. (Kenwood) Eagle Land Development will be building a 10-lot subdivision called Asbury Place on 3.55 acres off of Galbraith Rd. SYCAMORE TWP. Neighbors back in front of zoning board Northeast Suburban Life, 4/20/06 Neyer Properties, a development company, was scheduled to appear before the township's Zoning Board of Appeals Monday, April 17, to request a conditional use permit that would increase parking for Moeller High School. Neyer wants to begin clearing two lots on Kennedy Lane that abut Moeller's property line and give them to the school. Moeller officials have said the much-needed parking area will add to the safety of students forced to park throughout the neighborhood and Montgomery Road, as well as cut down over flow parking that spills over onto the community streets. SYCAMORE TWP. Carstar adding space in Sycamore Cincinnati Business Courier, 3/27/06 The Carstar Automotive outlet in Sycamore Township is adding a 3,500-square-foot addition at its Kemper Road site. The expansion will allow the collision repair shop to move from the space it currently shares with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Enterprise will then expand into the vacated space. The Sycamore Township outlet is one of three locations operated by franchisee Sanfillipo Collision Group. The other two sites are in Western Hills and Harrison. Joe Sanfillipo III, director of store operations, said in a news release that the group purchased the site, formerly the Bob Williams Dealer Group body shop, in 2005 after leasing it for two years. The new building will include an estimating bay, training room and upgraded customer waiting area. They're building such CRAAAAP!!! AMELIA This home is on Whispering Trees Dr. Where the fuck are the trees? INDEPENDENCE 3301 Summitrun Dr. Just clumsy and wrong. LEBANON 538 Lookout Ridge. What's the deal with all of the dead space between the second-story windows. (Most current builders address this by adding 35 gables.)
April 24, 200619 yr Talk about an update, thanks. I sure hope the Holiday Drive-In can survive, only a mile out of town, its mainly a Hamilton attraction.
April 24, 200619 yr >Also, George Thomas Homes is going to be building 2 single-family landominiums on 7.18 acres called Whispering Pines. This development will have a private street with access from Blue Rock Rd and will cater to the elderly and empty nesters. That's where my grandmother grew up, on that farm. It looks like her house is toast.
April 26, 200619 yr Author ^ Aren't you the same person who was in favor of the 13th St drug barricade? One note I forgot to add....bids on 2147 Central are due 5/26 at noon. So we should know an owner shortly thereafter. I honestly don't see this property drawing much interest.
April 26, 200619 yr ^Folks to whom the outside of a house isn't very important...folks who pretty much want to be left alone, like to drive into their house and be surrounded by nice stuff, not have to walk through the rain or cold...folks who don't like the noise from neighbors, don't really care about neighborhoods one way or another, just like to go to their jobs in the morning, come home at night, and have a safe place to raise a family. Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks, as it were.
April 27, 200619 yr I drove through Walnut Hills today and noticed that the land on the north side of W.H. Taft, across from the Alexandria Apts. has all been graded (that crappy beeper store is still there). Does anyone know what is going to go there?
April 28, 200619 yr ^ The new Douglass school. Grasscat, in doing more research, the new Douglass school is going to be built on the block kitty-corner from the Alexandria, bounded by Taft, Kemper, Park and Yale Sts. The block I was talking about was the one to the west of that between Kemper and Gilbert. The Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation owns the parcel on which the old apt. building in the picture used to sit (it was torn down recently). Private entities still own the piece of crap garage and the old beeper store. Any insight as to what might be happening there? I hope the WHRF is trying to get the other two sites
April 28, 200619 yr Author ^ Oh...those sites? I have no idea. I knew they tore those down (the apt. building, I will miss), but I haven't heard about anything as far as that site goes. I have the feeling they just tore them down because they were blighted. They might try to put the land on the market. With the new school and the proximity to Gilbert Ave, it may be attractive for some sort of development. It's all zoned commercial.
April 28, 200619 yr a LENGTHY six foot chain link fence is being put up around the entire Over The Rhine block bounded by Race, 14th and Pleasant Sts. I asked the fella doing the work about it and he said he didn't know. The block is mostly empty, a couple of abandoned buildings. Security or new construction site, anyone know? I don't know how to research stuff like that.
April 29, 200619 yr a LENGTHY six foot chain link fence is being put up around the entire Over The Rhine block bounded by Race, 14th and Pleasant Sts. I asked the fella doing the work about it and he said he didn't know. The block is mostly empty, a couple of abandoned buildings. Security or new construction site, anyone know? 3CDC is hiring contractors to secure their sites, boarding windows, putting up fencing and installing glaring lights. Among their properties, they have almost this entire block.
May 1, 200619 yr Author Top story The real one was the story about the Lewisburg condos a couple of days ago. This one's, well, the biggest remaining. From the 4/30/06 Enquirer: Plans come in for sports spot City is seeking redevelopment ideas for its aging 64-acre site BY BRENNA R. KELLY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER FLORENCE - By Monday, city officials will know whether anyone wants to develop the World of Sports site into a new residential, shopping or office complex that will include recreation. Thirty-six developers received copies of the city's guidelines for redeveloping the 64-acre complex near Interstate 75. However, only five attended a mandatory meeting last month, said Rick Lunnemann, the city's community development director. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060430/NEWS0103/604300369/1059/rss13 Round-up: Cincinnati and inner burbs AVONDALE Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity has purchased the vacant lot at 215 Northern Ave. CAMP WASHINGTON Land in the vicinity of Spring Grove Ave and Brashears St has been purchased for $1,000,000. This is the area around the Harvey Brothers metalworking business. Currently, this site looks like it holds a lot of "junk". I don't know if this is a plant expansion or if some new business is coming. CLIFTON HEIGHTS Friars Club leaves Clifton building due to high costs, space constraints The (UC) News Record, 4/26/06 They've occupied the 60,000-square-foot building for more than 76 years and now the Friars Club has decided to move by June 30, according to Mike Besl, executive director for the club. The organization has operated from its location at 65 W. McMillan St., near the University of Cincinnati, since 1930. High maintenance costs and inadequate space have become an undeniable burden for the Friars Club, a non-profit organization that offers sports and educational programs for at-risk children, Besl said. DOWNTOWN Streamline for success Cincinnati Post, 4/24/06 From the City of Cincinnati's point of view, providing financial assistance to Manna Vegetarian Deli was a perfect use for part of the $2.4 million the city had set aside to help small businesses. Manna owner Eric Lusain had moved his business from Hyde Park to Seventh and Walnut in downtown Cincinnati in early 2002 and was looking for more space to accommodate a growing business a couple of years later. At that point, Lusain contacted the city and began the process of securing a $175,000 loan from the Grow Cincinnati Fund that allowed him to purchase the building at 633 Main St., where he renovated what had been the old Acres of Books building into an inviting little restaurant with a kitchen that is better suited to handle his daily food preparation for four pre-schools that are customers of his Healthy School Catering operation. EAST PRICE HILL A man who owns rundown properties all over town has purchased 2912 Warsaw Ave for $26,900. The single-family had been in foreclosure and unoccupied for several months. EAST WALNUT HILLS 2715 Hackberry St is in the middle of a transformation that will see it converted from a two-family to a single-family home. This house was built around 1875. EVANSTON 3555 Evanston Ave has an owner after being bank-owned for 9 months. This was a bargain--assessed at nearly $100,000 and purchased for $37,500. HYDE PARK Leader's goal: Improve Hyde Park Square Eastern Hills Journal, 4/26/06 Lori Wellinghoff is no stranger to Hyde Park Square. She can frequently be seen walking her Labrador retriever, Stoli, in the business district. She is now taking an active role in promoting this district. She was recently elected the new president of the Hyde Park Square Business Association. The owner of DIGS, which specializes in real estate, design and renovation, Wellinghoff said she wants to create an enthusiasm for the Square through events and cooperation among the business owners. MADISONVILLE The rehab on 5112 Ward St is complete, bringing one more unit of affordable homeownership units on line. MADISONVILLE 5721 Whitney Ave has been upgraded. Once valued around $64,000, its owners are now trying to get $159,900 out of it. I'm not so sure they will. MADISONVILLE The RMD Investments rehab of 6014 Clephane Ave. is complete. (no photo) OAKLEY Seven Hills Properties is tearing down the apartment building at 4120 Allendale Dr. Apparently there were just too many problems with the structure and they plan on building from scratch. They are also going to take down 4131 Allendale, but I don't know why or what their plans are for the site. (4120 and 4131 Allendale) OAKLEY Oakley Park to have picnic area Eastern Hills Journal, 4/26/06 Q. What are the plans for Oakley Park now that the shelter house has been torn down. A. A new picnic shelter may be up before the beginning of the summer, Cincinnati Recreation Commission employee Greg Pierson said. "It will be a shelter with several picnic tables that could host a family gathering," said Pierson, who is a service area coordinator for Oakley. The picnic shelter will be built close to the fenced in area near Paxton Avenue near the pool, Pierson said. PRICE HILL The new owners of 1278 Quebec Rd have started work on the property. They're starting on the exterior with the porch. They have a lot ahead of them. ROSELAWN New Birth Christian Center is renovating the 8000-square-foot building at 7648 Reading Rd. They have a location in Glendale. I have no idea what they plan to do here. UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS Demolition permits have been issues for 2813 and 2817 W McMicken Ave. They may even be demolished by now. I can find no reason for their demolition. The owner owns office buildings and apartments in the area on Central Parkway, Marshall, W McMicken and Enslin. WESTWOOD Woodcrest Park: A building permit to begin 2389 Oaktree Pl is in route. COVINGTON Home Investors 101 LLC has rehabbed this house near MainStrasse at 314 W 7th. (after photo only) COVINGTON City wants higher fines for property violations Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/28/06 City officials here want to increase the penalties for persistent offenders of Covington's property maintenance code. Violators now pay a fine of $100 a day for each violation up to a maximum of $5,000. On May 9, Covington City Commission will consider an ordinance that would double that maximum to $10,000. The penalty for violators who incur two or more citations for the same property within a 12-month period would be $20,000. "Where this comes from is the CSX hearing where some might argue that CSX has decided that perhaps it's more economically feasible to pay a $5,000 fine instead of remedying the problem," said City Solicitor Frank Warnock. DAYTON Not the most thrilling rehab, but 221 Lindsey St does look a hell of a lot better. DEVOU PARK Exciting times for museum Cincinnati Post, 4/29/06 There is big news from the home of the two-headed calf. But this time, instead of preserving Northern Kentucky history, Devou Park's Behringer-Crawford Museum is making it. With the successful acquisition of major grants from the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the Department of Transportation (totaling approximately $2.5 million) to go along with corporate and individual donations, the museum now has the funding to complete its displays building - already under way. The new addition, featuring exhibits designed by Murphy-Catton (based in Walton, Ky.), will explore Greater Cincinnati's growth via its transportation history - from footpaths through the foothills to the area's current superhighways and bridges. NEWPORT 1026 Washington Ave was actually more visually interesting before the remodel. NEWPORT City sought skater input; they oblige Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/28/06 Julian Maney, a 14-year-old freshman at Newport High School, perched his skateboard atop a wall outside the Newport City Building on Thursday. Then he tried to ride along the edge of the wall as if it were a rail, the board diagonal to the ground, Julian grinning all the while. Brandon Warrick, 15, watched and laughed. "This is what they want to get rid of," Brandon said. "They don't want skateboarding on the streets anymore." That's the message Newport city officials sent out at an informational meeting Thursday, where kids like Julian and Brandon were invited to share their thoughts on what kind of skatepark the city needs. Cincinnati Enquirer: Skaters invited to help design park (4/27/06) NORWOOD Lindner gives $1.2M for Norwood park Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/26/06 Cincinnati financier Carl Lindner has once again opened his wallet to help Norwood, the city where his family moved when he was a boy. Lindner and his wife, Edyth, have donated $1.2 million to the city to improve Waterworks Park and maintain it in the future. Mayor Tom Williams announced the donation at Tuesday night's City Council meeting. In gratitude, City Council voted Tuesday to rename the Harris Avenue park Carl H. and Edyth Lindner Park. Round-up: Outer burbs and metro ALEXANDRIA City leaders tackle growth questions Alexandria Recorder, 3/30/06 Growth tied together the list of questions fielded by Alexandria and Cold Spring city officials during a Tuesday, March 28 gathering. Members of the local business community and other government leaders talked with Alexandria Mayor Dan McGinley and Cold Spring Councilman Rob Moore during an event sponsored by the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. ANDERSON TWP. ANDERSON TOWNSHIP PAUL HEMMER OPENS $10M OFFICE PARK Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/30/06 Paul Hemmer Companies, one of the region's largest industrial and commercial real estate developers and contractors, last week opened a new $10 million office park along Five Mile Road at the intersection of Beechmont Avenue. The project, known as the Anderson Professional Centre, includes two buildings with 73,000 square feet on 5 acres. About 39,000 square feet has been leased to Group Health Associates, Dr. Beach Psychiatric Associates, The Urology Group and ReMax Results Plus, said Kathy Groob, Hemmer spokeswoman. She also said the company is seeking tenants for the remaining 34,000 square feet. BETHEL BCRH to construct in Bethel Georgetown News Democrat Brown County Regional HealthCARE has announced plans to construct a new medical office building in Bethel. The announcement to construct the new facility came during the April 24 meeting of the BCRH Board of Trustees. “If we don’t change, we don’t grow. And if we don’t grow, we actually aren’t living. We’re growing in Bethel, so we must change,” said Mike Patterson, BCRH CEO, of the plans to construct a new Bethel office. During the meeting, the board approved the issuance of bonds totaling more than $783,000 for the construction of the new facility. The building will be the new home of Bethel Regional Family Health on Union Street in Bethel. BOONE COUNTY Farmers market set to upgrade and expand Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/28/06 Customers at the Boone County Farmers Market will find more variety this year and in two months, a whole new market. For the first time the farmers market will be open to vendors outside Boone County. The farmers market association has decided to accept members from eight Northern Kentucky counties. "It was largely due to demand," said Coy Wilson, farmer's market manager. "They got so many requests." The Boone market consistently has the most sales of any farmers market in the state, Wilson said. The market opens for the season Saturday in its usual location on Ky. 18 between Burger King and the Boone County Cooperative Extension Office. But in July it will move next door to a $1.1 million facility that includes a demonstration building for cooking classes and a formal garden. BURLINGTON Library construction gets official start Boone County Recorder, 4/27/06 Boone County's largest library should be completed near the end of next year. On Monday, the Boone County Public Library hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the facility that's being built at the former Flick's Foods location on Ky. 18 in Burlington. Work had begun earlier at the site. The facility is costing $10.5 million to construct. CAMPBELL COUNTY Proposed trail possible in Campbell County Campbell County Recorder, 4/27/06 Residents are trying to blaze trails through southern Campbell County with the proposed Stonehouse Trail project. "The trail would allow families to get out of the house and be together as well as to get people out and exercise," said Craig Chaplin, head coach of cross country and track at Pendleton County High School. "The proposal started two or three years ago at a meeting and the top priority of the Camp Springs community was to retain the rural character of Camp Springs," said Debbie Buckley, project manager. In the letter to residents, Buckley outlined the trail. The tentative map indicates a trail that will incorporate the twenty-nine historic stone houses in Camp Springs. Covered bridges are in the plans for Lower Tug Fork and Four Mile roads. CRESTVIEW HILLS City building ahead of schedule The Community Recorder, 4/27/06 The new city building is several weeks ahead of schedule, and officials are hoping for an early August move-in date. "It will definitely finish on time, and we would be optimistic in saying we could get them in there by the beginning of August," said Valerie Webster, vice president of Endeavor Construction. The bulk of construction on the 12,000 square-foot building is finished. Electric and plumbing are in, wall partitions are up, the first round of drywall is up, and some walls are already insulated. Webster said that's due to a combination of factors, including mild winter weather and the efficiency of the construction team and its subcontractors. Construction began in October, and was originally scheduled to end in mid-August. It is now several weeks ahead of schedule. DEER PARK Eyer Construction did the rehab on this house at 4167 O'Leary Ave. DELHI TWP. Dirt is moving in the vicinity of the 4400 block of Mt. Alverno Rd, across from its intersection with Paul Rd. This land consists of three residential-zoned acres. There are currently no building permits. DELHI TWP. Five streets slated for parking bans Delhi Press, 4/26/06 Residents of five township streets were to have an opportunity to voice any concerns they have about a proposed parking ban at tonight's trustee meeting. If they couldn't attend the April 26 meeting, residents can call or write township officials with their concerns. The township is considering restricting parking in the cul-de-sacs of Thunderhill Lane and Woodyhill Drive. Fire lanes also would restrict parking on Eaglepoint, Fairdale and Redstar courts. ELSMERE Condos leaves more questions Kenton Community Recorder, 4/27/06 The city council is expected to reach a preliminary decision on the building of condominiums near the southern end of Turkeyfoot Road within the next month, according to discussion from a council work session on April 25. The condos, which were originally proposed by homebuilder Shawn Egan of Wedgewood Homes in March, are expected to contain around 230 units, as well as a clubhouse and swimming pool. Egan said the price of the condos would likely range from $90,000 to $150,000, and the total project would cost an estimated $30 million. "This land has been for sale for ten years, and the city is getting nothing off of it," said Egan, who presented preliminary drawings of the condos at the work session. "With the cost of this project, the city would gain a pretty substantial tax base, and it would be good for the community." However, the council voiced some concerns, mainly centering around the zone change for the land, which is currently zoned for industrial use. ERLANGER Board approves Transitions permit Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/25/06 The city's Board of Adjustments approved a conditional-use permit Monday night that will allow Transitions Inc. to open a drug and alcohol recovery center for men on Pleasure Isle Drive. The decision comes just days before the April 30 deadline the nonprofit had to find a site for the center or lose state funding. The board heard from people on both sides of the issue for more than four hours before voting 3-2 to approve the permit. The board has the final say. Kentucky Post: Transitions Inc. buys Erlanger site (4/26/06) Erlanger Recorder: Board approves recovery center; some dismayed (4/27/06) ERLANGER Two-pronged health center to be unveiled Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/29/06 Erlanger-Elsmere Schools' family resource and school-based health centers will show off their new digs at an open house and dedication Tuesday. The new 900-square-foot building, which was built next to Dorothy Howell Elementary on Buckner Street in Elsmere, will give both centers more secure and usable space, said Superintendent Mike Sander, as well as better visibility and more ample parking. "A lot of people in the district don't know all the services offered by these centers," Sander said. "With this new space, more people will be able to take advantage of the great things they're doing." Construction of the building was complete early this year. The district paid for the $75,000 site mainly with money it received last year from the sale of Rosella Porterfield Park to the city of Elsmere. FAIRFIELD Arts center tries to be welcoming Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/27/06 There's one message Heidi Schiller wants to get out about the year-old Community Arts Center. "It's a place where friends can meet, where families can socialize," said Schiller, the center's director since January. Schiller this week updated council members on the business plan for the center, which will operate for its first full year in 2006. The community must see the center as an integral part of Fairfield, especially the downtown Village Green campus that includes the center, library and park, Schiller said. People must feel comfortable there and not intimidated by it being a "culture" center. FLORENCE Drug treatment center progressing Florence Recorder, 4/27/06 Newport-based Brighton Center Inc.'s drug treatment facility for women in Boone County should open by March 2007. The facility is being built on land in Florence that's owned by Gateway Community Technical and Community College where the school has a campus. The treatment center's main entrance will be off of Weaver Road. "Everything is ready to go. ... We should close in May and we should have a groundbreaking very soon after that," Bob Brewster, Brighton Center's executive director, told the Boone County Fiscal Court on Tuesday. The facility will be one of the state's Recovery Kentucky centers, a program Gov. Ernie Fletcher announced last year that seeks to have such facilities across the state. FORT MITCHELL Hemmer to renovate HQ Cincinnati Post, 4/26/06 The Paul Hemmer Companies has announced plans to expand and renovate its headquarters on Grandview Drive in Fort Mitchell and break ground for two other projects in Hebron and St. John, Ind. Once the office expansion and renovation is completed by the latter part of this year, the Hemmer Companies will occupy about 32,000 square feet of the Hemmer/Park 75 office building that has a total of about 100,000 square feet. Hemmer now occupies about 20,000 square feet in the building, its headquarters since 1988, said Kathy Groob, vice president of Hemmer. The building is just west of I-75 and had been distinctive because of its blue neon sign, which was removed last year. FORT MITCHELL Officials pare down plans for new city building The Community Recorder, 4/27/06 Expanding a city building doesn't come cheap, but city officials say $5 million is too much to spend. They're redrawing plans for a city building expansion to keep costs in the $3.5 million range. "I just couldn't justify spending five million dollars," said Mayor Tom Holocher. Holocher and officials will cut out some planned renovations to the existing building, build smaller council chambers than planned, and make a few other adjustments to keep costs down. FORT THOMAS School board, city council discuss James Ave., construction Fort Thomas Recorder, 3/30/06 Construction was the hot topic at a joint meeting of the Fort Thomas City Council and Fort Thomas Board of Education, Monday, March 27. One project both the city and the school board hope to work together on in the future is a project that would improve James Ave. The street may be converted into the main automobile entrance to Highland Hills Park. But in order for that to happen the street will need to be drastically improved and lengthened into the park. Because the street is located next to Ruth Moyer Elementary School, the city would like to work with the school board to add a drop off location for students. "(This project has been) put on the list with all the other needy, high priority projects," said City Administrative Officer Jeff Earlywine. FORT THOMAS Commission OKs condo development Fort Thomas Recorder, 4/27/06 The Planning and Zoning Commissioned OK'd plans for a condo development on property currently owned by the Highland Country Club at its Wednesday April 19 meeting and public hearing. Commissioners Bob Heil, Dan Gorman and Tim Schneider excused themselves from discussion and voting on the issue because they are members of the country club. Remaining members Laura Randall, Dan Fehler, Jeffrey Rosenstiel and David Wormald decided the development, The Fort Thomas Overlook Townhome Community proposed by Centerline Development off of Blossom Lane, is consistent with the use decided in the city's comprehensive plan. GEORGETOWN Courthouse committee selected Georgetown News Democrat Should Brown County construct a new courthouse? This is a question Brown County officials have faced for the past several years. To answer the question, the Brown County Commissioners have selected a Courthouse Steering Committee that will search for grants, review possible building sites and conduct feasibility studies to determine the possibility of constructing a new courthouse in Brown County. Currently, Brown County’s court system operates from three separate facilities in Georgetown. The Brown County Court of Common Pleas, located 101 So. Main Street, utilizes the historic county-owned facility. Brown County Municipal Court operates from a county-owned facility, located 770 Mt. Orab Pike. The county currently leases space, located on State Street, to house Probate/ Juvenile Court. A new courthouse would allow all court systems within the county to operate from the same building, which would eliminate confusion for members of the general public who are unfamiliar with the court system and reduce costs currently associated with the leasing of court space. GOLF MANOR Someone has purchased this vacant whatever-the-hell-it-is at 2700 Losantiville Ave. Maybe they intend to open a functioning business. GREEN TWP. (Monfort Heights) Dirt is moving along North Bend Rd, between Rackacres Dr and Crestnoll Dr. Rack Builders, developer of the adjacent Rack Acres subdivision, have owned this land for quite some time. It is zoned residential, so they may be getting ready to construct homes. HANOVER TWP. (Butler County) Drive-in's last days Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/29/06 The sun appears to be setting for the Holiday Auto Theatre near Oxford, one of the region's last surviving drive-in theaters. The nearly 60-year-old community icon is for sale and probably will not stay open under a new buyer. If it closes, there would be only three drive-ins left within driving distance of Cincinnati - one in Amelia, another in Wilmington, and one in Versailles, Ind. In 1979, the region had as many as 20 drive-ins. "I don't want to sell it, but I have no other alternative," said owner Fred Baum. "You can't survive as a single-screen drive-in anymore. It doesn't work." HIGHLAND HEIGHTS Nursing home to be emptied by weekend Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/27/06 The final four residents will move out of the beleaguered Lakeside Heights Nursing Center by the end of the week. Two residents are scheduled to leave today and two on Friday, according to Beth Crace, spokeswoman for the Cabinet for Health and Family Resources. The nursing home and cabinet social workers have moved about 140 residents from the facility since March 29, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid announced that funding would be pulled by April 28. State officials have cited the nursing home for neglect of patients. Most of the residents in the 286-bed facility were on Medicaid and had to find new lodging. Interim nursing home administrator Al Mollozzi couldn't comment on the efforts to correct Lakeside Heights' problems or the new management company that has expressed interest in buying it. HILLSBORO Board seeks input on HHS campus Hillsboro Times-Gazette The Hillsboro City Schools are asking the community to help them with two dilemmas – what to do with the current high school location once the new schools are completed, and whether or not an 1,100-seat gymnasium is sufficient. A community forum asking local residents to address those issues will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 10 in the high school auditorium. School board president Laura Bagshaw said last week that the board has already decided that the current high school will not be left standing vacant. “We don’t want the community to think that as a board we want to tear the building down,” Bagshaw said at Wednesday’s school board meeting. “We want to keep it, but we have to be able to afford it.” She said she understands the community wants to keep the building, but the board needs answers on what will go in the building if it’s left standing. INDEPENDENCE Mayor 'retires' zoning ordinance until next meeting Kenton Community Recorder, 4/27/06 A proposed ordinance that would establish a retirement community zone in the city was tabled at the request of Mayor Chris Moriconi, after the council members voiced numerous questions and concerns. The proposed ordinance, which would establish a zone within the city that would allow for retirement communities to be built, has now been tabled twice to address and clarify various areas of the text. "It's not that I'm against it, but I just want it done right," said council member Donna Yeager, at the April 17 meeting. "This is a new idea to the city, and we need to be thorough and precise before we move forward." Among the concerns of the council was the vague wording on parking and semi-public uses of buildings within the retirement community. The current text left loopholes for building owners to use the property for semi-public uses without conforming to the parking requirements set forth in other places in the ordinance. INDIAN HILL Kurlemann Homes is doing a teardown/rebuild at 8085 Shawnee Run Rd. The property sold for $630,000 (1.016 acre) in mid-March. The current home was built in 1956. INDIAN HILL Custom Build is building a new home on a 5-acre lot at 9755 Cunningham Rd. INDIAN HILL Natural history in the making Indian Hill Journal, 4/27/06 What it was is much less pleasant than what it will become. The Indian Hill Historical Society will present a look at Grand Valley, a concrete pit turned park, at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 30, at the Indian Hill Winter Club, Ohio 126. Event chairwoman Barb Hauck said the site was selected because of its representation as part of the past, as well as Indian Hill's future. "We look at the acquisition of this property as history in the making today," Hauck said. "It gives us an opportunity to put our membership, as well as their guests and friends, in front of this wonderful space. We're part of living history today. What a great opportunity to be involved in something today that will be a part of Indian Hill for years to come." MADISON TWP. (Butler County) Park project a team play Middletown Journal, 4/27/06 Five tennis courts, two baseball diamonds, two soccer fields, a playground, pond, picnic shelter, walking trail and a concession stand — the vision of the Madison Township Community Park is now becoming a reality. Township trustees have reserved $100,000 for the park, and the Butler County Commissioners granted $225,000 to purchase 32 acres — located directly behind the West Alexandria Road township administration building — from the Madison Local School District, said Township Administrator Bill McGuire. There still is much money to raise for the $1 million project that was first proposed more than a decade ago, McGuire said. MASON MASON ANIMAL HOSPITAL IS BUILDING NEW FACILITY Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/30/06 The Mason Animal Hospital, 424 Reading Road, broke ground last week on its new $1 million plus facility, a half-mile south of Tylersville Road also on Reading Road. Dr. Tim Wolf owns the veterinary hospital. The new 5,000-square-foot building will have five examination rooms, a larger reception and waiting area and parking for 33 cars. The new facility, to be completed in September, was designed and developed by HiFive Development Services Inc. MASON SKILLED CARE PLANS NEW CORPORATE OFFICE Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/30/06 Skilled Care Inc., the Mason long-term care pharmacy provider, is planning a new $4 million corporate office in the Tri-Way Industrial Park off of Snider and Western Row roads in Mason. The privately held company, employing 200, has outgrown its space at Cintas Boulevard and Western Row. The new 40,000-square-foot, one-story building on 8 acres will allow the company to consolidate operations now in Mason and in a smaller Blue Ash building, a spokesman said. Construction by Al Neyer Inc., should begin soon and be completed by year-end. METRO Neighborhoods program sprouts big crop of gardeners Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/1/06 For 25 years, the Civic Garden Center's Neighborhood Gardens program has been growing gardeners. Thousands of children and adults have learned about gardening and or have shared their gardening skills with others. Today, the garden center is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a spring gardens kickoff. Volunteers will gather at 8:30 a.m. to help build raised beds and open the gardens for the season. The event will continue until 2 p.m. Over the years, the program, which started in Over-the-Rhine, has helped create 65 gardens. This year there are 48 active sites stretching from Hamilton to Northern Kentucky. Sites include community gardens, school gardens, beautification projects and children's gardens. MIAMI TWP. (Hamilton County) Society to show off new HQ Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/26/06 The Cincinnati Astronomical Society has just completed its new Miami Township headquarters and wants to show it off to the public. The society also wants to get people interested in stargazing. May 6, there's an open house from 8-10 p.m. at the headquarters, 5274 Zion Road. Previously, the society had used a farmhouse on the site. "Visitors get to look through our telescopes," says Craig Niemi, public relations chairman. "They'll view the first quarter moon and Saturn with its wonderful rings." Four permanent telescopes in the facility are larger than most home telescopes. So far, light pollution has not been a problem, says Niemi, but as western Hamilton County becomes more developed, residential lighting could become an issue. NORTH COLLEGE HILL Street renamed to honor team Hilltop Press, 4/26/06 Council was expected to include renaming a city street as part of a special session April 25 honoring the high school basketball team. Kumler Avenue, which is off West Galbraith Road leading back to North College Hill High School, will be Trojan Way if council voted as predicted. The idea for the name change came from Mayor Dan Brooks. "It is an honor for our school district to have the North College Hill City Council recognize the accomplishments of our students and staff by renaming the street to the school Trojan Way," said Superintendent Gary Gellert. PETERSBURG Petersburg's new community center, library progressing Boone County Recorder, 4/27/06 This rural unincorporated Boone County community should have its new community center and library finished by August. "The majority of the building is under roof at this point in time," Eugene Weber, president of Hub Weber Architects, PLC in Covington, told the Boone County Fiscal Court April 18. The project is costing an estimated $2.5 million. The Petersburg Fire Protection District, a $500,000 federal grant, the county and Boone County Public Library are paying for the project. A section of the existing firehouse has been torn down. SHARONVILLE SHARONVILLE HOLIDAY INN I-275 TO GET $1.5M REMAKE Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/30/06 The Holiday Inn Interstate 275 North in Sharonville is about to embark on a more than $1.5 million renovation that could take up to 12 months. The 275-room hotel at 3855 Hauck Road was recently sold by Sharonville Hotel Corp. to Hauck Hospitality LLC, a private Florida-investment group, for $6.4 million. The new owners expect to release bidding packages soon for renovations, said Reddy Kummetha, general manager for the 30-year-old high-rise hotel. The renovations are expected to include new window treatments and carpet in rooms, new furnishings, improvements in the lobby and possible upgrades to the on-site pub and grill, he said. WYOMING Artisan Estate Homes is building a $749,000 home at 621 Springfield Pk (corner of Springfield and Jewett). This builder has built at Homearama. They're building such CRAAAAP!!! INDEPENDENCE This split-level design was popular around the time that the house I grew in was built. That house was built in the 1970s, and there are dozens of subdivisions with houses that look just like it. You don't get daring architecture for $123K. Cutter Ln. LIBERTY TWP. "We'll design a house around the leftover windows you've got in the back of your truck there." The Northside, by St. Lawrence Homes, Amberly Ct. MAINEVILLE Attempted Tudor. This is $240K? Hunters Cl.
May 1, 200619 yr EAST WALNUT HILLS 2715 Hackberry St is in the middle of a transformation that will see it converted from a two-family to a single-family home. This house was built around 1875. Hackberry's a great street. In the last ten years it's seen a boatload of rehabs south of Madison...though north of Madison, no so much...but that place has needed a rehab for a long, long time. I think what held it up was the asking price - I think it was listed for a while, but always in the mid-to-upper $100K range. Looks like the current owner picked it up for $70K off a foreclosure - that makes it make sense... Thanks for the update - good lord, it must take you a lot of time to put together!
May 1, 200619 yr I'm sorry to see the Friars Club leaving Clifton Heights. I played basketball for them in 7th and 8th grades and had a lot of good times in that gym. Any word on where they're relocating or what will come of the old building?
May 1, 200619 yr Author ^ According to the article, they don't currently have a home: In the mean time, without a facility, Besl said the club plans to offer sports at a neighboring school, St. Joseph, on Ezzard Charles Drive and the St. Francis Sareph Ministry on Vine Street.
May 3, 200619 yr Contruction of sidewalks has begun in this area. :clap: Right now they are working in front of Ridgewater Plaza, which is the strip mall area with bigg's, Lowe's and A.J. Wright's.
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