June 6, 200619 yr In addition to the streetscaping, the township will eliminate the many entrances to existing retail centers and connect the centers with roads and parking. Shoppers will no longer need to get in their cars to travel from Home Depot to Value City. What? They expect people to walk with things they bought at Home Depot to Value City??? That's a joke.
June 6, 200619 yr That will be a very interesting plan to see...making that area invitingly walkable would be quite an accomplishment.
June 6, 200619 yr In addition to the streetscaping, the township will eliminate the many entrances to existing retail centers and connect the centers with roads and parking. Shoppers will no longer need to get in their cars to travel from Home Depot to Value City. I'm curious about that quote myself. I know the goal is to improve the overall look and pedestian friendliness of the area, but I almost wonder if they meant you would be able to get from one to the other without having to drive on Ridge or Highland via new access roads. Sidewalks don't make Value City and Home Depot any closer together. Here is the link to the Ridge & Highland Business District Corridor Study that was done in 2004. It is interesting to see some of it start to get implemented: http://www.columbiatownship.org/ridgenhigland.pdf
June 8, 200619 yr Here are a few pics I took today.... My project in Hyde Park is finally underway. The first five units are under construction; we have a contract in on the yellow house in the pic as well, so add one more to the tally for a total of 7 new homes! Work continues on the little project at the PNC Center This building next to The Lofts at 18 E. 4th. really got a nice clean up! Two new homes on Eastern Ave. The closest is already occupied. P&G's new hangar
June 9, 200619 yr Author Thanks for the update on your project, TCK. Please feel free to toot your own horn as much as possible on your projects!
June 9, 200619 yr I will double check with my partner, but I believe we went with Hardi-Plank siding. If you don't know what it is, it is a composite product that looks very similar to wood and comes in about as many colors as vinyl.
June 9, 200619 yr I will double check with my partner, but I believe we went with Hardi-Plank siding. If you don't know what it is, it is a composite product that looks very similar to wood and comes in about as many colors as vinyl. Yep, I know all about it. In fact, I was going to recommend it if you hadn't planned on using it.
June 9, 200619 yr That house on Eastern Avenue is awesome... I usually don't like siding but that house looks exceptional. I would have also added windows on the side of the house (If that's new construction) but it's still really cool. How much did they want for it?
June 9, 200619 yr That house on Eastern Avenue is awesome... I usually don't like siding but that house looks exceptional. I would have also added windows on the side of the house (If that's new construction) but it's still really cool. How much did they want for it? The sign did not say, it was a FSBO and only had a phone number. Also, they probably left off the windows due to another house being built next door, just my guess though.
June 10, 200619 yr 1st hotel in years proposed for Bellevue Post staff report Bellevue, Ky., hasn't had a hotel since the early 1900s, but it could be getting one in the near future. A developer has proposed building a three-story, 73-room Holiday Inn Express on a vacant lot on Landmark Drive behind a Frisch's restaurant and next to the Bellevue Medical Arts Building in the Northern Kentucky city. The hotel would be about 14,000 square feet on a two-acre site. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060609/NEWS01/606090348
June 12, 200619 yr Author Top story From the 6/5/06 Cincinnati Business Courier: Jewish Hospital expansion may cost Alliance $50M Dollar amount appears in Christ Hospital court filing Cincinnati Business Courier By James Ritchie Staff Reporter The Health Alliance may spend $50 million to expand Jewish Hospital in Kenwood. The Courier in May reported that the hospital group's board had agreed to pursue several parcels south of the Jewish campus for a total of as much as $9.1 million. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/06/05/story8.html?from_rss=1 Also of note From the 6/10/06 Middletown Journal: Planning Commission may extend hotel project An extension for the plan was requested after the death of Sybaris Place Project owner. By Thomas Gnau Staff Writer The Middletown Planning Commission on Wednesday will consider extending a preliminary development plan for a proposed hotel-restaurant-office complex southeast of Towne Boulevard and Cincinnati-Dayton Road. Martin Kohler, city planning director, said preliminary development plans can expire after two years if developers don’t take action. The project — dubbed “Sybaris Place” for a planned hotel — was granted preliminary Planning Commission approval in April 2004. http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/06/10/mj061006Planning.html Round-up: Cincinnati and inner burbs AVONDALE A new $140,000 home will be built on the vacant lot at 518 Hickman Ave. It is currently listed, though no permits have been applied for as of now. If it comes to fruition, it's great that someone's willing to take a chance on market-rate housing in that part of Avondale. CARTHAGE Cincinnati Housing Partners has finished its rehab of 222 W 69th St and now has it listed. CLIFTON HEIGHTS A man bought 2103 Clifton Ave as well as an adjacent structure on Zier Pl in late April. The property had some structural issues and there is a dumpster on site. I don't know if this will be a full-blown rehab or just a shoring-up of the building's structural integrity. COLLEGE HILL McAuley prepares for new theater Hilltop Press, 6/7/06 McAuley's future is golden. In three years, the high school will celebrate its 50th anniversary, and plans are already under way to make the celebration unforgettable. A centerpiece in the celebration will be a new theater, which will replace the 1,000-seat auditorium used by students since the high school was built in 1958. The new theater will complement a $5.3 million gymnasium and science lab project completed by the school two years ago. EAST PRICE HILL 935 Woodlawn Ave is being cleaned up by new owners. The place had been vacant since early 2005 and had owners who lived out of the region. EAST WALNUT HILLS Here's a photo of the condo project at 1715 E McMillan St. Unfortunately it's from a month ago, but this gives you some idea of what it will look like: EAST WESTWOOD After sitting vacant for nearly 9 months due to foreclosure, 2022 Harkness St has been purchased. HYDE PARK 3522 Victoria Pl is being converted from a two-family to a single-family. LOWER PRICE HILL Safe playground movement expands in the city Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/8/06 A children's injury-prevention program that started in Avondale in 2000 is taking hold in Lower Price Hill. The Injury Free Coalition for Kids kicked off its prevention program in Lower Price Hill Saturday by building a playground at 2127 W. Eighth St., near Oyler Elementary School. The building crew included employees and volunteers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Injury Free Coalition for Kids, Cincinnati Recreation Commission and community volunteers. The aim was to put in new, safe equipment and safety surfacing to help reduce injuries. The playground was the first of several to be built in Lower Price Hill. In Avondale, six have been built. MADISONVILLE Flood control project enters next phase Eastern Hills Journal, 6/7/06 Residents in Madisonville may soon reap the benefits of a flood control project. The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation that will provide $5,650,000 for a Duck Creek flood control project and $800,000 for a Mill Creek flood control project. The legislation is now awaiting the U.S. Senate's approval. U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt requested the funding, which is part of a four-phase flood control project. The improvements will extend from Steel Place to Madison Road, said Ralph Johnstone, storm water management utility superintendent for the city of Cincinnati. The improvements will include levies, additional walls and closure gates, he said. A closure gate is similar to a railroad crossing. A gate would stop traffic in the event of a flood emergency. MILLVALE 3070 Moosewood Ave was purchased for $7,600 last August and has been rehabbed. It had long been vacant and unsafe. The sellers are trying to get $84,900 for it. I don't see it, not in this location. MT. AUBURN An investor has purchased 2123 Highland Ave after it had been owned by Lasalle Bank for six months. I believe the two-family is tenant-ready. MT. LOOKOUT This could possibly be a rendering of the townhouse project at the teardown site at 752 Delta Ave. Of course, it could also be a generic filler pic that bears no resemblance to the finished product. Though by the shape of the site and how deep it goes back away from the street, I fear this project will be attached townhomes running perpendicular to the street with parking in between. :( Anyhow, only one of these is currently on the market, and it's priced at $374,900. MT. WASHINGTON Rookwood homes has purchased 10 vacant residential lots in and around the 5400 block of Beechmont Ave. Rookwood usually does upscale development for people with money. I wouldn't expect that on a thoroughfare as busy as Beechmont, so I'll be interested in seeing what the develop. NORTHSIDE The bank has done a nice looking rehab at 4125 Apple St and it's on the market as affordable housing. OAKLEY Security Systems moves to Cast-Fab site Cincinnati Business Courier, 6/8/06 Security Systems Equipment Corp. said it has moved its offices and manufacturing plant to its parent company's headquarters in Oakley. Cast-Fab Technologies has added 500,000 square feet to its plant and offices at the former Milacron site on Forrer Street to accommodate the move, the company said in a news release. The foundry and fabrication shop also moved a large amount of its pattern storage off-site to a leased warehouse. Security Systems, which designs and manufactures security products and integrated drive-up equipment for the financial services industry, was formerly located on Garrard Avenue in Camp Washington. PRICE HILL The city is finally making the owners of 1236 Rosemont Ave address their porch issues. PRICE HILL Due to inaction on fixing this problem property, 1242 Beech Ave will be demolished. RIP, 1890-2006. RIVERSIDE After receiving about $100,000 in fire damage in late April, 4430 Intersection St has been demolished. SOUTH FAIRMOUNT 1617 Knox St, condemned and in terrible shape, was demolished. This two-family was built in 1927. Having this condemned building on their hands and either not having the money or the inclination to fix it, the partnership dissolved and the bank foreclosed. SOUTH FAIRMOUNT 2479 Thompson Ave will be demolished after being vacant off and on for nearly five years. The owner went to court on this property late last year and was given a 180-day suspended sentence, $200 fine and a whopping $184 "restitution" to the city after pleading no contest. WALNUT HILLS K&K Renovations has finished their renovation of 2303 Park Ave. This former three-family is now a single-family. Bought for $69K, selling for $400K. WESTWOOD 2195 Harrison Ave may be demolished, and that's a real shame. This beautiful three-family eventually (quite literally) became a garbage dump. Hopefully it can be saved. WESTWOOD Steve & Barry's opens at Glenway Crossing Cincinnati Business Courier, 6/7/06 Steve's & Barry's University Sportwear, which specializes in casual wear like jeans, polo shirts, athletic pants, chinos and licensed products for colleges and universities, is opening its third local store at Glenway Crossing in Western Hills. The New York-based chain said its new 71,000-square-foot store is its 14th in Ohio, and will employ about 100. Other local outlets are in Cincinnati Mills and Eastgate Mall. The Glenway Crossing store opened Wednesday with a sale featuring all items priced at $7.98 or less. Steve & Barry's operates 124 stores in 31 states. WINTON PLACE It is confirmed that the Winton Place Development Corporation is rehabbing 4646 N Edgewood Ave. COVINGTON 332 E 18th St has been rehabbed. (after only) COVINGTON COVINGTON: JILLIAN'S FINISHES $275,000 REHAB Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/4/06 Jillian's has completed a $275,000 overhaul of its Covington location. The entertainment-restaurant chain spent the money on improvements to its 12,000-square-foot game room. The room now offers 28 "redemption" games that dispense tickets that can be redeemed for prizes. It also has 16 video games. A unit of JBC Entertainment Corp. of Louisville, Jillian's said it plans to improve seven of its 20 outlets in the next three years. LINCOLN HEIGHTS 1285 Behles Ave has been rehabbed throughout, and is on the market for $84,900. (after only) LOCKLAND Cincinnati Housing Partners in nearing completion of a new home at 608 Walnut St. The listed price is $125,000. This new construction comes in a pretty rough area of Lockland on a block that's half empty. LOCKLAND Cincinnati Housing Partners is also nearing completion of 621 Mulberry St. The asking price for this one is $125,000. NEWPORT 835 Maple St has been restored and is on the market for three times its assessed value. (after only) NEWPORT 1122 Central Ave has had a total rehab and looks fantastic. (after only) Round-up: Outer burbs and metro ALEXANDRIA Council could bring entire development into city Alexandria Recorder, 6/8/06 Alexandria City Council is considering an ordinance to annex a piece of property that would be part of a planned development of 74 single family homes off Persimmon Grove Pike. Council considered two ordinances relating to the development for the first time during the June 1 meeting, one to rezone part of the property, and another to annex the property. There was no further discussion of the development by council during the meeting. Council is expected to vote on both of the ordinances at the next meeting on June 15, said Councilman Stacey Graus. The developer, Fischer Homes, had asked the city to annex a 15.6 acre portion of the development, which would be built in the unincorporated county, and review the zoning for the land. Another part of the development is already in the city. ALEXANDRIA Gas station proposal fuels traffic concerns Alexandria Recorder, 6/8/06 A proposed 12-pump gas station has one Alexandria councilwoman fuming. Councilwoman Barb Weber said the intersection of Poplar Ridge Road and U.S. 27, where a new Speedway SuperAmerica is being planned, is already too congested with traffic. Weber made a motion at the Thursday, June 1 meeting to not accept a rezoning request for the gas station, saying she was concerned about traffic levels and unsafe entrances onto U.S. 27. Weber wanted to override a stipulation-filled recommendation from the city's planning and zoning commission to approve the developer's rezoning request. ALEXANDRIA Medical building planned Alexandria Recorder, 6/8/06 A developer's plans to build up to five professional buildings off Commercial Circle Drive would bring jobs and more payroll tax benefits to the city, according to city officials. Alexandria's Planning and Zoning Commission approved a site plan at a Tuesday, June 6 meeting for a doctor's building. It's the first of five commercial buildings planned for eight acres off U.S. 27. The location is neighbored by a gas station, salon and spa, car dealership and chili parlor. ALEXANDRIA Boarders, supporters lobby for skate park Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/9/06 No matter where they go, teenagers armed with skateboards in Alexandria often get run off by property owners or police. That is why a group of teens and some parents started writing letters and lobbying city leaders last month to build a skate park for them The city is taking them seriously and officials say they will research what a skate park would involve. ANDERSON TWP. Trail curiosity could hurt residents Forest Hills Journal, 6/7/06 As construction begins along the Five Mile Trail, residents are curious to a flaw. Anderson Township and Ohio Department of Transportation officials are asking residents to not explore the trail's construction site, between State and Newtown roads. Construction on the trails began in late May to create a hike-bike path that will serve as the "spine" of the Anderson Trails network. Those trails provide sidewalks and walking paths throughout the township. "I know people are curious, but we do have safety concerns about the steep ditches, heavy equipment and uneven terrain, and are asking residents not to venture in that area," said Steve Sievers, director of the Development Services Department. ANDERSON TWP. Memorial still needs money Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/11/06 As of today, a 7-foot bronze statue dedicated to firefighters has been standing for a year, but the Anderson Township Firefighters Memorial - which surrounds the statue - remains unfinished. Since 2001, a memorial committee has been raising funds to honor firefighters who have died and those who are still serving. The committee has raised $125,000 to complete the first phase. The focal point of the memorial is the bronze statue of a firefighter holding a baby. Behind the statue are three flagpoles. The statue will be surrounded by trees, flowers, benches and walkways in a 75-by-75 foot section of Beech Acres Park. With additional money, the names and faces of five deceased firefighters and an eternal flame will be the finishing touches. The memorial committee is trying to raise an additional $75,000 and hopes to have the final pieces in place by next spring, said firefighter Mark Owens, the committee's chairman. BATAVIA Building latest addition for growing campus Community Journal Clermont, 6/7/06 The dedication of the West Woods Academic Center at UC Clermont is just the latest in a series of new programs and physical expansions at the college to meet increasing enrollment. The West Woods Academic Center, a two-story, 14,000-square-foot building addition, has six high-tech classrooms, a student lounge, 20 full-time faculty offices and extra space for adjunct professors at the Batavia campus. The building was dedicated at UC Clermont's annual community breakfast May 18 and was attended by a variety of community and university officials, including University of Cincinnati President Nancy Zimpher and UC Clermont Dean David Devier. Zimpher said the extra space for adjunct faculty will be looked at with envy by faculty members at the uptown campus. BETHEL Health care center to expand in Bethel Bethel Journal, 6/8/06 Construction is expected to start this week on a new building for Brown County Regional Health Care. The new building -- at Union and Bone streets -- will house four physicians, doubling the number of physicians at the current health-care facility in Bethel, said Neal Cotter, facilities manager. "There will also be space for the occasional specialist to float through a couple times a week," Cotter said. Although larger, the focus of the new facility will stay the same. BURLINGTON Animal shelter renovation to begin soon Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/9/06 Soon people and animals will have more room in the Boone County animal shelter. Construction is about to begin on a 1,600-square-foot addition that will include a medical area, a processing area and allow the shelter to double its space for cats. "We're all really excited," said Beckey Reiter, executive director of Boone County Animal Care and Control. "We've been planning this for a couple of years." The shelter secured more than half of the money for the $209,000 project. COLERAIN TWP. This ugliness is being built by Schneller Homes at 7810 Sheed Rd. EVENDALE Evendale Elementary held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new school in late April. This new construction is part of Princeton's Elementary Facilities Plan. FAIRFIELD FAIRFIELD: CENTRAL ROLLER RELOCATES ITS PLANT Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/4/06 Central Roller of Cincinnati Inc., manufacturer of industrial rubber-covered rollers for printing and other industrial uses, has doubled its space by relocating to a 23,000-square-foot building at 4866 Factory Drive, Fairfield. The 20-year-old company, which employs 21, was at 5525 Vine St., St. Bernard. Owner Pat Finley said the company has invested about $700,000 in the new building, which includes 7.5-ton bridge cranes for larger roller applications. FORT THOMAS Council approves townhome zoning Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/9/06 A development of 65 townhomes near Highland Country Club will begin construction now that Fort Thomas City Council approved a zoning change this week. The change is for the 14 acres of the development and the annexation of part of the property beyond city lines. Grading on the site near Blossom Lane will likely start in 30 days, said Tim Reese, owner of Center Line, the developer. The townhomes will likely go to market in December, he said. "In a lot of the Fort Wrights, Fort Thomases and Fort Mitchells, when land becomes available, you have to be creative," Reese said. "People want to live in those communities." The council annexed 3.7 acres and changed the zoning requirements for lot sizes and setbacks to allow for townhomes. INDEPENDENCE Independence considers planning study Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/7/06 The city of Independence is considering entering into an agreement with the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission to study its downtown area. But the price tag - which could top $100,000 for the two phases of the study - has some council members worried. Council voted 4-2 against a proposal to enter into an agreement, with the dissenters saying they needed more information before making a decision. The matter will be further discussed at the next city council meeting, 7 p.m. June 19, at the city building, 5409 Madison Pike. Keith Logsdon, a planner with the NKAPC, said the study would be necessary to help "lay out the city for decades to come." INDEPENDENCE Furlong Hill development gets early OK Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/9/06 More development looks to be on the way here. City Council approved, on a first reading, a recommendation from the area planning commission this week that would make way for a residential and commercial development. Furlong Hill would sit on 62 acres between Mount Zion, Bristow and Sawmill roads. About 37 acres would be residential, with 36 condominiums and 54 patio homes. Residents in the area say the city and planning commission have worked with them. INDIAN HILL Detoured traffic becomes 'Spooky' Indian Hill Journal, 6/8/06 With Remington Road closed off and on throughout the year because of several road and construction projects, residents and police are facing increased traffic on other streets. Jane Randolph, 79, lives on Spooky Hollow Road and said her road used to be a quiet country road, but since the Remington Road closure, all that has changed. "It's sad ... We can't get out of our driveway," she said. Jane's husband, Guy Randolph Jr., said speeding on their road has always been a common occurrence, but has become "dangerous" since Remington Road was shut down. LATONIA LAKES Habitat home built during blitz Kenton Community Recorder, 6/8/06 At 7 a.m. on Monday, June 5, the lot at 6151 Clubhouse Lane was just a concrete hole in the ground. But by 11 a.m., it was beginning to look like a home. The walls were up, and dozens of construction workers were installing a roof on the 1,100 square-foot house, which is scheduled to be finished on Friday. "I've never seen a house go up this fast," said Edgar Roland, 27, who will move into it later this summer with his fiancee, Jamie Back, and their three children. The Drees Company and Tri-State Habitat for Humanity are building the house in just five days. It's part of the annual "Home Builders Blitz," where Habitat partners with local homebuilders across the country to build homes in a week. This year, about 1,000 new homes will be built. LEBANON LEBANON: FRISCH'S BUILDING RETRO RESTAURANT Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/4/06 Frisch's Restaurants Inc. is building a 172-seat Big Boy restaurant at 1330 Columbus Ave., Lebanon. The new $2.3 million-plus restaurant, which will feature the chain's new retro look, will replace the older Big Boy farther south at 745 Columbus Ave. The new store is slated for completion in October. Frisch's acquired the 1.5-acre cite in February for $499,000 from Watson Crossing Three LLC. LEBANON Arts Council eyes a Lebanon outdoor performance pavilion The Western Star (Lebanon), 6/8/06 The Warren County Arts Council wants to build an outdoor performance pavilion in Lebanon. The council will unveil its architect’s plans for a band shell — capable of accommodating a symphony orchestra — at its gala at the old post office on South Broadway Saturday. No site has been chosen for the pavilion, council founder Larry Stone said. “We’re at the first step here of just throwing this out there to the public,” Stone said. “We think it’s a way of bringing the community together.” Stone said the council is still figuring the costs of construction. He said funding for the pavilion would likely come from a variety of sources including corporate and individual donors and government and foundation grants. LOVELAND GROWTH OF EADS FENCE PROMPTS RELOCATION Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/27/06 Eads Fence Co. Inc. has pulled up stakes and moved to a 6-acre location in Loveland's historic downtown. The company's new showroom at 131 Broadway, which it believes to be the largest indoor display of fencing materials in the Midwest, features fences of ornamental aluminum, PVC and wood. Deer fencing and gated entry systems are also available. President Dale Eads said that the company outgrew its former quarters at 250 E. Kemper Road. Since the move, Eads has doubled its staff and has plans for continued growth. "If it's new, unique or custom, and related to fences, we have our hands on it," he said. MONTGOMERY Montgomery delays decision on a dog park Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/5/06 City officials have decided to delay a decision on a new dog park after residents who oppose it vowed to put the issue on the November ballot. Council made the decision last week, postponing any dog park discussions until the parks and recreation commission finishes a comprehensive review of the city's park system, including studying "off-leash recreational areas." That study should be finished by the middle of next year, officials said. Montgomery has been considering creating a 1½-acre dog park within Pioneer Park on Deerfield Road. Some residents don't want the dog park because they say it would harm the park's character. Montgomery's action was a result of a resident-driven petition drive to place two proposals on the ballot aimed at quashing the dog park, according to the city. MT. HEALTHY Mount Healthy plans consolidation Hilltop Press, 6/7/06 The Mount Healthy School District is trying to work out the details of its plan to reconfigure district schools, but officials are missing a vital piece of information. "We still don't know exactly how much money we are going to get from the state," said Superintendent David Horine. "We should hear any day." The Ohio School Facilities Commission is the agency Horine is waiting on, and the plan to consolidate and reconfigure building hinges on how much money the state will actually give the district. Mount Healthy officials want to consolidate the district's buildings, saying enrollment has declined and downsizing the district would save money. The board has a ballpark figure for its plan: it expects the state to kick in about $60 million, or 71 percent of the cost of the plan. The rest of the money would come from a bond issue, which would need voter approval. NEVILLE Dedication park and walking trail, ODNR boat ramp celebrated Clermont Sun, 6/9/06 The Village of Neville dedicated a new park/walking trail and boat ramp on June 4. The celebration marked the dual dedication of the Village of Neville’s new riverview park/paved walking trail and the adjacent Washington Township/Ohio Department of Natural Resources Ohio River boat ramp. Both facilities will provide new and convenient access to the Ohio River for the residents of southeastern Clermont County. During the official opening, Neville Village Mayor Betty Lucas thanked all those who had a hand in making the day possible. RICHWOOD Building's future still undecided Kentucky Post, 6/6/06 The owner of the Richwood Flea Market says it's "probable" that the storm-damaged building that houses the flea market will be torn down and a new building constructed to replace it. Mike Stallings, who along with his brother, Mark, owns the popular Northern Kentucky flea market just north of the Richwood exit on Interstate 71/75, said rebuilding plans are being developed. It has yet to be decided, however, if the building that was damaged by high winds April 2 will be left standing and repaired or torn down to make way for a new building. "It's possible, but not probable, that the current building could be repaired," he said. "A final determination will be based on what we arrive at with our insurance company." Stallings said he hopes to have a decision by July 1. RIPLEY Feedback mixed on Front Street River Walk project Georgetown News Democrat Construction is underway for Ripley’s River Walk project, a project estimated at $2.17 million that is expected to improve the look of Front Street in Ripley and remedy erosion problems along the Ohio River. Over the past few weeks, employees of the Village of Ripley have worked strenuously to relocate electric lines and install new water lines on Front Street to prepare for major construction by the Ohio Department of Transportation. Before ODOT is able to begin construction on the project, approval must first be given by the Ohio Historical Society, who received a complaint from a U.S. taxpayer in regard to the project. The unnamed taxpayer, who felt the River Walk project would destroy the historic value of the Ohio River banks in Ripley, is not a resident of Ripley, according to Ripley Administrator Charles Ashmore. As of June 5, Ashmore still awaited the “go ahead” from the Ohio Historical Society to allow ODOT to begin construction. WILDER New hotel open Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/30/06 A new 65-room Country Inn & Suites by Carlson is open at 10 Country Drive in Wilder. The hotel has a heated indoor swimming pool, whirlpool, fitness center and high-speed Internet access. The hotel is about 15 minutes from downtown Cincinnati and 15 minutes from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport. WOODLAWN WOODLAWN: GENERAL ADVERTISING BUILDING NEW CENTER Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/4/06 General Advertising Products Inc., a family-owned distributor of promotional apparel and other products, is building a new $1.2 million office and warehouse off Glendale-Milford Road and Springfield Pike in Woodlawn. The 14,000-square-foot building, to be completed in the fall, will replace a smaller building at 255 W. Crescentville Road, Springdale. A spokesman said the company, owned by Bruce Howland, needed more space to expand its sales and distribution. Basco is general contractor for the one-story structure facing onto Grueninger Way.
June 13, 200619 yr Does anyone know what the total hi-rise proposels/approved and under construction are?
June 14, 200619 yr A little more info on the Bellevue, KY hotel.... Hotel proposed for Bellevue Cincinnati Business Courier - 1:20 PM EDT Tuesday Bellevue City Council on Wednesday will discuss a proposed Holiday Inn Express hotel close to the city's riverfront. The 73-room hotel would be built on a vacant lot on Landmark Drive, according to published reports. Central Kentucky Design, a Berea, Ky., firm, submitted the plan for the two-acre site. For more information: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/06/12/daily17.html
June 20, 200618 yr Delta Avenue progressing Retaining wall built at Mt. Lookout home site; Developer works around hillside constrictions BY JEFF MCKINNEY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER MOUNT LOOKOUT - Construction of 10 luxury townhomes along Delta Avenue geared to downtown executives is expected to be finished by January. Work on the development, Delta Knoll, comes after the developer made concessions on the project to address some surrounding residents' concerns. Martin Bruemmer, owner of Wakefield Development Inc. in Mount Lookout, said the townhomes will be priced from $374,000 to $389,000. He said each unit will be just larger than 1,800 square feet with two bedrooms, an office and a two-car garage. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060618/BIZ01/606180367/-1/back01
June 20, 200618 yr Author Top story From the 6/15/06 Kentucky Post: Bellevue approves plan for new hotel Post staff report Bellevue City Council approved the stage one development plan for a Holiday Inn Express to be built on Landmark Drive, behind Frisch's restaurant on Riviera Drive. "It will be our first hotel in many, many years," said Bellevue Mayor Jack Meyer. The Holiday Inn should open next spring. Council also approved a commercial plan for retail, commercial and office space at the southwest corner of the Harbor Greene condo and commercial development. The area will house Gold's Gym. Other tenants have not been announced. The first phase of Harbor Greene, with 38 upscale condo units, is complete, and tenants have started buying and moving in. When complete, the development will have 110 condos. The developer, the Ackerman Group, plans to start the second residential section this fall, said Meyer. MORE: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060615/NEWS02/606150357/1014 Also noteworthy From the 6/18/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: Steve Chuke, the owner of the Jewel King Jewelers, stands inside of the new apartment above his shop on Monmouth Street. The Enquirer/ Ernest Coleman City spurs new Monmouth Street apartments BY SCOTT WARTMAN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER The upper floors of many buildings along the Monmouth Street business district have been used as storage for years. Now some property owners are turning those spaces into apartments and offices. The reason is simple: Business and city leaders want more downtown residents. "I would like to see every upper store in the district being used either for housing or businesses," said Newport's Main Street Coordinator Bob Yoder. "I think second-story upper floors in downtown commercial districts in general are often underutilized assets." MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060618/NEWS0103/606180379/1059/rss13 Round-up: Cincinnati and inner burbs AVONDALE After six months of being empty and on the market, an investor has purchased 634 Lincoln Ave. BOND HILL See the Camp Washington post below for the particulars. The same goes for 6606 Paddock Rd, the former Mill Creek Psychiatric facility. CAMP WASHINGTON City Manager Rager has proposed an ordinance that would allow the city to apply for and to accept up to $5,000,000 from the state's Job Ready Sites Program to develop the Crosley Building property at 1333 Arlington St. The building's owner, and the city, are looking at possibly rehabbing this building into a high-tech office building or research facility. If money is awarded, the city must match 25%, which will come from either the private sector or budgeted from the Department of Community Development. Property acquisition costs will be included in the grant. This ordinance is currently in Finance Committee. EAST PRICE HILL Talbert House has purchased 685 Hawthorne Ave for $49,000. Like its properties on Purcell and Grand avenues, this will be used for transitional housing for addicts. The building contains two units. EAST PRICE HILL After being lender-owned for a year, 748 McPherson Ave has been purchased for $32,000. EAST WALNUT HILLS The homes at 1414 and 1416 Locust St have been demolished as part of the Bulluck Terrace condo project. EAST WESTWOOD The vacated home at 3679 Fyffe Ave has been purchased by investors. EVANSTON 1610 Clarewood Ave is a former VA-owned property that had been vacant for 14 months before being purchased by an investor. HARTWELL 141 Hereford St has been vacant for over two years. Local kids have used it as a clubhouse and local drug users have stolen the some of the siding and plumbing. The owner pleaded no contest in Housing Court last August, receiving a one-year probation and a $380 fine. In February, the building was declared a public nuisance. The building is now in the demolition bidding process and will be razed. (no current photo) HYDE PARK Vet maintains memorial city spot Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/14/06 Because it's Flag Day, some people will make a special effort today to display the Stars and Stripes. Nick Mancini does it every day. In the morning the gray-haired, 82-year-old World War II veteran raises the U.S. flag on a city-owned traffic island at Observatory Avenue and Herschel View Way in Hyde Park. In the evening, he lowers it. Year-round, he faithfully tends to the flag. "No matter how cold it is, he's over there," says his wife, Donna, 72. LOWER PRICE HILL 644 Neave St has been purchased. This long-vacant building has been a center for drug activity and prostitution. The current owners are applying for a VBML and making the necessary repairs to meet those standards. (644 Neave is the green/gray one on the left) MADISONVILLE Clifton Investment Properties has rehabbed 6116 Conover St, a two-family built in 1880. This home had been vacant for much of 2005. MADISONVILLE O'Bryonville Animal Rescue has closed on 5619 Orlando Pl. This new space will be renovated as a shelter for cats as well as a spay/neuter clinic. They expect to move into the building in Fall 2006. MT. WASHINGTON McNicholas High School getting a facelift Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/17/06 The first major renovations at Archbishop McNicholas High School in 36 years are under way, scheduled to be completed by August. The first phase included demolishing the old weight room, clearing trees, erecting a retaining wall at the site of the new gym, and installing pavers and lamp posts. Phase two will include renovating the school media center, placing a Celtic cross at the Beechmont Avenue entrance and remodeling the Chapel of St. Joseph. Walt Schaefer, school communications director, said this phase will be completed in time for the start of the 2006-2007 school year. NORTHSIDE 1518 Chase Ave is in the midst of an overhaul. PLEASANT RIDGE 3327 Arrow Ave has had a makeover. Trippy! PRICE HILL Elder High School (Archdiocese of Cincinnati) has purchased 1015 Regina Ave for $20,000 and will demolish it. The shotgun house was built around 1890. SOUTH FAIRMOUNT The owner of the vacant building at 1666 Queen City Ave has begun a total rehab of the residential portion of the building. Sadly, there are no demolition permits for the commercial portion.... WALNUT HILLS Some new townhomes are coming to vacant residential land at 2904-2910 Park Ave (corner of Park and Chapel). It appears that there will be four built. Each will be three stories, 1500+ square feet with two-car garages. Prices will be in the mid $130s. However, there is a question whether or not these will even be built. The developers also own the derelict building at 1000 Chapel, right next to the new development. The city is pursuing a criminal case on it, and the owner is claiming she has filed bankruptcy. How can she possibly be expected to see this project through? (rendering and 1100 Chapel) WALNUT HILLS The townhomes at 830 Lincoln Ave (Lincoln and Melrose) are still on the radar. It seems like they've been having trouble getting it through the Historic Conservation Board. The townhomes will be in two groups. One group of four units will face Melrose and the other group of three units will face Lincoln. Garages will be in the rear. The design is based on a standard Drees prototype, so don't expect anything new or interesting here. WESTWOOD School builds to keep up with tech-savvy teenagers Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/13/06 It's a high-tech, visual world for many high school students, and Mother of Mercy High wants to be on top of it. That's why the 90-year-old Catholic girls' preparatory school is embarking on a $4 million expansion and renovation. Construction begins in August on a wing that will add computer labs, wireless Internet capabilities, a bigger and better-equipped library/multi-media center, a TV studio with digital cameras and a high-tech presentation center. The school also will expand parking, paint and restore its historic facade, and revamp its counseling center. Private donations will ultimately pay for it all, school leaders said. So far, donors have given more than $1 million. COVINGTON School's 'Historic' designation helps restore building - for senior housing Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/18/06 The former Fifth District School building has joined the National Register of Historic Places. And that designation is helping a developer restore the Peaselburg neighborhood landmark into subsidized senior housing. Walnut Hills-based The Model Group plans to create 24 senior housing units with a $4 million-plus historic renovation to start next month. The project will be called Academy Flats Senior Housing, because the building will retain the school building's charm, said Robert Maly, Model Group's vice president of development. NEWPORT Historic District to be expanded Kentucky Post, 6/19/06 After years of debate on the issue, the Newport City Commission has approved a plan to expand its East Second Street Historic District. The city had looked at expanding the district several times in the past, most recently in 2000, but each time opposition or procedural formalities killed the issue before the city could vote on it. The district now includes about 1,000 homes and is bounded by Second Street to the north, Ninth Street to the south, Washington Avenue to the west and Oak Street to the east. The change adds 36 properties to the district. The additional properties are located 300 and 500 block of Second Street. Cincinnati Enquirer: Historic protection for homes advances (6/14/06) NEWPORT Newport gets new turf Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/18/06 Artificial turf is coming to Newport High School football stadium. The athletes are excited. And the cost is less than first thought. The School Board has accepted a bid of about $475,000 from Pennsylvania-based Sprinturf. Work will begin Tuesday and should be complete by Aug. 4. Round-up: Outer burbs and metro ALEXANDRIA District moves ahead with new school Alexandria Recorder, 6/15/06 The Campbell County School District Board of Education has found the money it needs to pay for a planned elementary in the Cold Spring Crossing shopping center, and will temporarily exhaust its potential to borrow. The board voted 3-2 vote to approve an $18 million sale of bonds during a Friday, June 9 meeting. Construction bids were also approved by the board, and building is expected to begin in July. The district is selling property to help pay for the school. The sale should give the district about $380,000, almost the same amount a tax levy defeated in December of 2005 would have generated in its first year, said Superintendent Anthony Strong. "When the tax levy failed, the need for a new school didn't go away," he said. ANDERSON TWP. Record grant to aid intersection Forest Hills Journal, 6/14/06 Money Anderson Township received on Thursday, June 8, will be used to help speed the traffic flow through the Beechmont-Five Mile Road intersection. The $2.75 million grant from the Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments is thought to be the largest grant the township ever received. Funds from the grant will be used to create a "continuous flow intersection" at Beechmont Avenue and Five Mile Road. According to the township's press release, the redesigned intersection would allow traffic to move through the intersection more quickly by allowing drivers in the left-turn lane to proceed through the intersection at the same time as straight ahead traffic. BOONE COUNTY (Constance) Marina planning floating tiki bar Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/18/06 Boaters along the Ohio River can look forward to a floating "tiki" bar. Owners of the Constance Marina, on River Road in Boone County, are planning to build a floating bar where boaters can have a drink and gather with other boaters. The final inspection of the barge has been completed and a liquor license acquired, said Dave Landwehr, who with his wife, Natasha, has owned the marina for two years. "Eventually we'd like to build another barge ... for a kitchen," he said. Landwehr, 35, said he worked with the Army Corps of Engineers for approval on the project. He hopes to have it open by spring. The bar will accommodate about 100 people and will serve mixed drinks and beer. BURLINGTON Play zone may bounce into N.Ky. Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/16/06 A place for kids to jump, play and just expend all that energy soon could be coming to Boone County. Jump!Zone, a large indoor play center filled with moonwalks, jumpers and bounce houses, could share a building with Steve's Heating and Cooling on Constitution Drive in Florence. Steve Ireland, president of the heating and cooling company, has asked Boone County Planning Commission to allow the center to use 10,000 square feet of lease space in his building. On Wednesday, a Planning Commission committee will decide whether the change to the building is major or minor, said Boone County Planner Patty Bachman. If it's minor, commissioners would review a site plan for the project. If it's a major change, the Commission would hold a public hearing and the commission would have to approve the change in the concept development plan. COLD SPRING Cold Spring the home of planned grade school Kentucky Post, 6/13/06 Construction of a new elementary school building in Cold Spring will begin at the end of this month, now that the Campbell County Board of Education has awarded a construction bid for the project. The board Friday hired Stephen Gross and Sons of Hamilton, Ohio, to build the new school for $13.672 million. The new school, which will replace aging Highland Heights Elementary, will be built on a 20.2 acre site in the Cold Spring Crossing shopping center that the board paid $2.65 million for. Home Depot, Kohl's and Kroger anchor the center, located off U.S. 27 near its intersection with the AA Highway. The school board raised property taxes last year, saying extra revenue was needed to pay for the new school. But opponents of the increase successfully petitioned for a ballot referendum and it was soundly rejected by voters in a special election in December. COLD SPRING 1 fire station closes, 1 expands Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/16/06 A dwindling number of volunteer firefighters led this week to a fire station in Highland Heights closing and the completion of a $1 million addition to a fire station in Cold Spring. The Central Campbell County Fire District completed the 5,500-square-foot addition of two garage bays and office space to the fire station off Alexandria Pike in Cold Spring. The added space allowed them to close the station in Highland Heights on Renshaw Road and move the equipment to the expanded station. The Highland Heights station was staffed solely by volunteers after July 2000 when the Highland Heights and Cold Spring fire departments merged to form the Central Campbell County Fire District. CRESTVIEW HILLS City working to widen Turkeyfoot The Community Recorder, 6/15/06 City officials have gotten the ball rolling on a $500,000 road project that they say would ease congestion on Turkeyfoot Road. They met with state transportation officials and legislators on June 1 to discuss adding a right turn lane onto Thomas More Parkway from northbound Turkeyfoot, and lengthening the left turn lane onto Mall Road from northbound Turkeyfoot. Councilman Frank Sommerkamp, chair of the Public Works Committee, said the officials were "very receptive. "There was absolutely no question about the validity of needing this," he said. "The question is, how are we going to pay for it?" ERLANGER City rejects Lakemont bids, park plans on hold Erlanger Recorder, 6/15/06 Construction on the 32-acre Lakemont Park will probably not begin this summer, as previously planned. City officials have rejected four bids for construction on the first phase of the park. They plan to hold a series of meetings this summer to decide the next step. Chief Administrative Officer Bill Scheyer said the bids, which ranged from about $240,000 to nearly $300,000, were higher than the city had anticipated. That's partly due to increased fuel costs. But Scheyer said the city had also underestimated the cost of the park during planning. The total cost of the park was estimated this spring at $700,000. FLORENCE Ky. gets Logan's Roadhouse Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/13/06 Logan's Roadhouse, a Nashville, Tenn.-based chain of restaurants that offers mesquite-grilled, aged steaks, 15-minute lunches and peanut shells on the floor, will open late this month on Houston Road in Florence. It's the first local restaurant for the chain of 130 company-operated restaurants and 23 franchised outlets in 19 states. Logan's Roadhouse is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the publicly traded CBRL Group, which is the parent company of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. The restaurant, which will open June 26, attempts to re-create an American roadhouse from the 1940s and 1950s, spokeswoman Julie Davis said. FLORENCE Senior center proposed Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/14/06 The city wants to build a new senior center and park on U.S. 42. In her state of the city and budget address Tuesday, Mayor Diane Whalen said the city plans to apply for a grant to help fund a senior center that would be built on the site of the old city building. The location, which is on a bus line and near several residential complexes for seniors, is perfect for a center, she said. The city has been trying to decide what to do with the 4-acre site since it tore down the building about three years ago. FORT THOMAS Highlands renovation moves forward Fort Thomas Recorder, 6/15/06 One of the city's most prominent landmarks now looks like a construction site, and the Fort Thomas Board of Education couldn't be more excited about it. "It looks less like a school now...," said school board chairman Brad Fennell, of Highlands High School, which is undergoing renovation. The inside of the school now looks drastically different from when students left for summer break. "They've started demolition internally," said Mark Isbell, an architect with Tate Hill Jacobs: Architects. GREEN TWP. (Bridgetown) Oak Hills buys land next to high school Western Hills Press, 6/14/06 Oak Hills Local School District has purchased property near the high school. The Oak Hills board of education OK the purchase of three parcels just north of the high school at last Monday's board meeting. Oak Hills Assistant Superintendent Michael Amos said the district closed on the deal last Tuesday. The district is paying $330,000 for about 1.2 acres of land at 3326 and 3354 Ebenezer Road. The property at 3354 Ebenezer Road consists of two parcels. ... Amos said the school district does not yet have plans for the property. "No decision has been made right now," he said. "It's for future development and as the need arises." HEBRON Hebron Baptist Church is born again Kentucky Post, 6/14/06 Looking for the former site of the Hebron Baptist Church now might require dodging a plane or two. Or peering through two feet of concrete. The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport demolished the church, along with about 200 houses, to make way for its newest runway, which opened in October. But the church has taken that setback in stride. In fact, it seems not a stretch to say it's worked out for the best. The church has resurrected itself into a new, $3.7 million building on North Bend Road near Burlington. Motorists on the busy highway can see the huge, red brick building from at least half a mile away, giving the church great visibility. And that visibility has brought in new members. LEBANON Outdoor pavilion plans unveiled The Western Star (Lebanon), 6/15/06 The Warren County Arts Council unveiled its plans for a new outdoor performance pavilion in Lebanon. Although no location is set for the pavilion, architect Bill Cullen of BC3D Design in Turtlecreek Twp. conceived the 3,500 square foot venue to blend in with downtown Lebanon’s historic buildings. “We wanted it to be within walking distance to downtown shops,” Cullen said. Cullen estimated construction costs for the pavilion would be about $500,000. Arts Council founder Larry Stone said the pavilion plan is still in the early stages and the final look of the structure could change depending on its location. MADEIRA City to look at its land design Suburban Life, 6/14/06 After more than 20 years, Madeira is updating its land use plan. A public hearing on the revised plan will be 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 26, at City Hall, 7141 Miami Ave. "We started getting a lot of subdivision development and people selling large tracts (of land)," said Assistant City Manager Kim Lapensee about the need for an updated plan. "We have had three subdivisions in a row come in." Lapensee said these subdivisions include Shawnee Reserve, Fox Chase and Camargo Canyon. "With all of the increased development activity, we thought it was about time to look at the land use plan and make sure our goals were the same as they were in 1984," she said. MIDDLETOWN Planners give hotel developers six more months Middletown Journal, 6/15/06 Middletown Planning Commission breathed new life Wednesday into a preliminary plan to build a hotel and independent living facility southeast of Cincinnati-Dayton Road and Towne Boulevard. Six months of new life, to be exact. Now it’s up to developer RFK&K Group and the owners of Sybaris Suites to decide the next step. Since 2000, city planners have considered developers’ unfolding notions on what to build on the approximately eight-acre site. The commission approved a preliminary plan to build a Sybaris Inn, senior citizen housing and an addition to an existing assisted care facility — now known as The Gables at Middletown — in April 2004. City Council approved that plan two months later. Since then, however, little has been done. Preliminary plans expire after two years unless developers proceed to a final development plan, said Martin Kohler, Middletown planning director. MIDDLETOWN Farmer's Market may take root downtown Middletown Journal, 6/18/06 Downtown Middletown is about to get greener. Rowland Produce and city officials are working on bringing a small farmer’s market to the downtown area. The market may take root first in the city bus parking area, northeast of First Avenue and Broad Street, in two to three weeks, said Judy Bober and Walker Rowland, who with his daughter Mary has operated a produce business for about five years at 6263 Germantown Road. From there, the market could move to Governor’s Square, a patch of land that will soon be a park northwest of Central Avenue and Broad, said Bober, local activist and assistant to entrepreneur Perry Thatcher. “The whole idea is: We want quality,” Bober said. “We don’t want a flea market.” NEW RICHMOND Habitat for Humanity home built in a week Community Journal Clermont, 6/14/06 According to Paul Marian, who works with Habitat for Humanity, it takes about three or four months to build a home. But Adam and Kelly Mathews' new home in New Richmond was built a little more quickly -- in just one week. This home was one of three local homes -- the other two were in Latonia Lakes, Ky., and Lawrenceburg, Ind. -- built as part of the Home Builders Blitz, an event where 1,000 Habitat houses across the country were built in one week, June 5 to June 9. Adam and Kelly and their children -- Brooklyn, 9, Ashley, 6 and Gabriel, 3 -- are expected to move in to the new home within the next couple of weeks. This particular home was built by Habitat and the Clermont County Home Builders Association. OHIO COUNTY Red Wolf seeks final OK for Ohio Co. site Dearborn County Register, 6/16/06 Work at the Red Wolf Sanctuary’s future site along Arnold’s Creek in Ohio County is on hold as Paul Strasser seeks final approval for a special exception for the 452-acre property, he said. Strasser, who operates and manages the non-profit sanctuary with his wife Dr. Jane Strasser, was granted a preliminary approval for a special exception to use the site as a wildlife sanctuary by the Ohio County Board of Zoning Appeals in October 2004. His request for final approval will come before the BZA during its 7:30 p.m. meeting Thursday, June 22, in the conference room at the Ohio County Courthouse. The request was discussed by BZA members at a recent meeting as well, said Ohio County Building and Zoning Inspector Alonzo Bowling. “They asked for a set of plans. ... They want to see the whole layout,” said Bowling. Plans for the site, located off Ind. 262 by Arnold’s Creek, include large enclosures for the sanctuary’s animals, currently housed at its original site near Dillsboro. The sanctuary’s move is needed because it has outgrown the 22 acres there, said Strasser. SOUTHGATE Southgate holds first reading of zone change Campbell Community Recorder, 6/15/06 The city is one step closer to having a new apartment development in its limits. At a Wednesday, June 7 meeting city council held the first reading of a zone change for a 13 acre site on Moock Road recommended by the Campbell County and Municipal Planning and Zoning Commission. The zone change, from R1E to R3, is a change from single family residential to multifamily residential. Herman & Kittle Properties, Inc., has expressed an interest in building 230 rental units on the site. Residents of both Southgate and Wilder spoke against the measure. They said they were concerned about possible problems with the sanitary sewer system, storm water run off and possible problems with crime. SPRINGFIELD TWP. (Finneytown) Religious book store moves into Finneytown Hilltop Press, 6/14/06 St. Francis Bookshop, a Catholic business in Over-the-Rhine for over 56 years, has relocated. Closing its doors on Vine Street on April 29, the shop opened its newly remodeled home at 8621 Winton Road in Finneytown May 10. While the new address is a recent development, the bookshop's desire to move is nothing new. "I have been pushing for a location change for five or six years," said St. Francis' manager Mark Utley. He pointed out the Over-the-Rhine's 2001 riots and general crime problem as issues that have long deflected walk-in business. Further, the location's religious demographic clashed with the book shop's focus. "It wasn't really serving the neighborhood. There is not a huge Catholic population (in Over-the-Rhine)," Utley said. SPRINGFIELD TWP. (Seven Hills) The township is working with Forest Park to find ways of improving the Seven Hills area for development. According to the Springfield Township Business Association, the area faces many hurdles, including having its main thoroughfare, Hamilton Ave, as a two-lane road. STONELICK TWP. Teen Challenge building new facility Community Journal Clermont, 6/14/06 Thanks to a new building and an extension of sewer lines, Teen Challenge Cincinnati will soon be able to house more students and staff members. The new building, a residential facility, will be used to house re-entry students -- those who have finished the program, but still live on-campus and work in the area -- staff members or interns, said George Martin, executive director. There currently are four staff members living on-site. It can hold up to eight people. Each two-story unit in the residential building has four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, kitchen, dining and living rooms and an outdoor deck. Construction began in December and the building should be finished by August. TAYLOR MILL Commission to hear proposed land use plan Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/16/06 A land use plan for 260 acres south of the Interstate 275 and Ky. 16 interchange will be presented to Taylor Mill City Commission at a special meeting Tuesday. The area extends from the I-275 and Ky. 16 interchange to the Taylor Creek subdivision in the south, east to Walnut Street and west to Taylor Mill's border with Covington. It includes the Shoppes of Taylor Mill, where most of the city's retail is concentrated. City officials plan to adopt it by June 30, City Administrator Jill Bailey said. If adopted, the study will likely be incorporated into the five-year update of the Kenton County comprehensive plan that's scheduled to be finished by December. City officials have said the study is driven largely by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's plans to build a realigned, wider Ky. 16 from the I-275/Ky. 16 interchange for 4 miles south. "We don't want the city of Taylor Mill to be a Colerain Avenue or Dixie Highway," Bailey said. Cincinnati Enquirer: Forum asks for land development input (6/14/06) UNION Union bank goes 'green' Boone County Recorder, 6/15/06 A Northern Kentucky Bank is "going green" to become an environmentally conscious member of the community. The brand new Union PNC Bank located at 8810 U.S. 42 opened its doors for business May 15. The state-of-the-art facility will hold its grand opening the second week of June. The new branch eschews tradition by boasting high ceilings, open spaces and ample natural light. More than 50 percent of materials used to build the branch originated from recycled materials. Operating costs will be reduced by 45 percent with use of super-efficient heating and cooling aided by thick double-paned glass. Even plants chosen for landscaping require less water. According to corporate communications senior specialist Alan Aldringer, PNC is committed to becoming an industry leader. WALTON House saving grant awaited Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/12/06 The city is waiting to hear whether it will receive a $300,000 transportation enhancement grant from the state to buy the Abner Gaines house, a Federal-style brick house built in 1814. City clerk Peggy Gray said Walton applied for the grant in March. "I guess no news is good news," she said. "We don't know when we could hear back from them." The 2½-story building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is on a 7.6-acre tract with outbuildings. The city hopes to refurbish the house and turn it into a museum dedicated to Gaines, who helped found the city and started the first stagecoach line between Walton and Cincinnati. WYOMING Judge halts controversial pool project in Wyoming Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/17/06 A judge dived into Wyoming's swimming pool battle Friday when he barred the city from starting work on a new Family Aquatic Center. The ruling in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court is a victory for residents opposed to the project and a setback for city officials who had hoped to hire a construction company Monday. Judge Norbert Nadel heard more than two hours of arguments about the pool before granting the residents' request for a temporary restraining order. The order remains in effect until June 28, when the city of 8,261 residents gets another chance to make its case. Opponents want the project halted until residents can vote this fall on where to build the $3.4 million pool. City officials say City Council has approved the project and any delay could cost thousands of dollars. Cincinnati Enquirer: Wyoming pool foes go to court (6/15/06) Tri-County Press: Wyoming pool may go to voters (6/14/06) Cincinnati Enquirer: Wyoming pool battle heats up (6/14/06) Cincinnati Enquirer: Pool foes push petition (6/12/06) They're building such CRAAAAP!!! Okay, these aren't so ugly, but they're extremely busy designs. 4423 Brighton Ln, West Chester Twp. You rarely see such a large patch of uninterrupted siding. 5052 Elk Fairways Dr, Liberty Twp.
June 20, 200618 yr Wow - this was a pretty involved update! Good to see at least some noise about that north-of-Peebles-Corner area...even if nothing comes of those two projects (Park at Chapel and Lincoln at Melrose), it's nice to see the interest...with time, and with the continued development sneaking north up Park and Kemper, hopefully it's just a matter of time. Few things would make me happier than seeing the revitalization of Peeble's Corner. Doesn't have to yuppify - just revitalize enough to get non-check-cashing/pawn-shop businesses in. OK, they can yuppify the Kroger's anytime they like, though...
June 21, 200618 yr Good opinion piece from The Post on all the Covington projects..... Finding a strategy in Covington Would-be homebuyers paging through last Saturday's Real Estate Weekly saw this small ad: "Loft condos, 800 Banklick St. in Covington, $139,715-$326,000." For long-time Northern Kentuckians, any part of the ad would have been worth a double-take. New loft condos? For $300,000? In the western side of Covington? But then they wouldn't have been paying attention lately. To paraphrase Covington's new slogan, there is a lot happening in the old river city. Everybody knows about the Ascent at Roebling's Bridge, the glass-enclosed condo tower being built a block south of the riverfront. But there's also the Pulse, the $13 million, 64-unit condo complex between Banklick and Russell streets for which a sales office has just been opened. The library is talking about expanding. The road to connect Ky. 17 to Fidelity Investments' complex is under way. Demolition of property for the long-awaited reconstruction of 12th Street is to begin this summer. And two downtown redevelopment plans pushed by private developers - Covington Square and Times Star Commons - call for more than a $110 million worth of buildings within a few blocks of each other, including condominiums, offices, retail shops, a hotel, a performing arts center, an outdoor theater and a year-round indoor-outdoor farmers market. MORE: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060620/EDIT/606200311/1003
June 21, 200618 yr Author Yeah, this is great. A car lot. I'll be interested what "design" they'll come up with for...A CAR LOT. Sweeney plans new car lot for Frank's BY LIZ CAREY | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER COLUMBIA TWP. -- If Columbia Township trustees approve Mark Sweeney's proposal, the vacant Frank's Nursery and Craft lot will become his only car lot. Sweeney, who is related to auto dealership owners Jake Sweeney and Walt Sweeney, brought his plans for a new car dealership on Highland Avenue to the trustee's meeting June 13. Sweeney said his purchase of the lot is under contract at this time... http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060621/NEWS01/606210735/1002/RSS01
June 22, 200618 yr Oh god not another car lot... LOL Some of those quotes in PRidgeFlyer's post are hilarious. Who the hell goes to KMart anymore? Someone actually drives from Columbia Township to Forest Park to shop at KMart? That person is offically a "HOOSIER". Just like Cincinnati's own Raymond Babbitt said, "KMart Sucks".
June 22, 200618 yr A few random pics from yesterday around town.... The crapshack that will become the check cashing place The student housing development near UC's campus The condo conversion project in Walnut Hills Another building on the next block, not sure if it is just a facelift or a conversion, but a welcome change. This area is really starting to get some attention!
June 22, 200618 yr Author I know they are putting extra ground-floor retail in that last pic. I don't know about the rest of the inside.
June 23, 200618 yr That building is the Eckert. Used to be a hotel, and is now apartments. A good friend lived in the 1st floor unit on the right. Had 14' ceilings...interesting about the retail...
June 24, 200618 yr Author Recreation area? "We'll see you later, honey. We're heading to the recreation area for a little while." IT'S A f$&kING PARK! From the 6/23/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: From left: Tyra Jones, 5, Naima Miller, 4 and Reyna Houser, 5, enjoy the new equipment. The Enquirer/Craig Ruttle Renovated West End park reopens Makeover took two years, cost $120,000 BY ALLEN HOWARD | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER WEST END - Cincinnati's oldest park Thursday became its newest park. Laurel Park, opened in 1905, reopened after two years and $120,000 worth of renovations - much to the delight of Joi McNeill, 13. "This is a big plus for this area,'' said Joi, a resident of nearby City West who is a student at the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Over-the-Rhine. "This is more like what a playground should be. It looks safe and clean.'' There is a climber play set (a playground safe-equipment apparatus with a double deck above circular slides, and hand rails), two new basketball courts, new swings, picnic tables, grills, a new fence, sidewalks, drinking fountain and a refurbished ball field, said Jim Garges, director of the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, which owns the 10-acre park. The Laurel Recreation Area Laurel Park: will now be known as the Laurel Recreation Area. Location: It comprises 10 acres, bordered by West Liberty Street to the north, John Street to the east, parts of what is left of Laurel Homes housing complex on the west and the new City West housing development to the south. History: One acre purchased for the park by city of Cincinnati in 1905, transferred to the Cincinnati Recreation Commission in 1927. Additional land purchased in 1937 MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060623/NEWS01/606230376/1056
June 26, 200618 yr Author Top story Here's a story about the park land being created on the Wyoming/Lockland border which I've mentioned in the past. This is a strange area. A trip over the tracks is like going from Mayberry to the DMZ. If you've never been there, it's worth a look before they tear these down. From the 6/23/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: Regina Wilson (left) and Lajunta Stearns sit on the sidewalk on Elm Street in Lockland. Their houses are among those that will be torn down in a joint Lockland-Wyoming project. The Enquirer/Leigh Patton Homes on track to be razed Lockland, Wyoming join in project to beautify border area BY JANE PRENDERGAST | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER LOCKLAND - The railroad tracks between here and Wyoming divide very different places. To the east, Lockland's an older Cincinnati suburb struggling financially with lost business and population. Just to the west sits Wyoming, where schools are nationally recognized and the median family income is almost $60,000, more than twice Lockland's. But officials in both towns are working together to tear down 17 small houses along the tracks, some built more than 80 years ago as housing for railroad workers. Many of the houses are run-down, and some have begun to attract crime. Those factors prompted the city of Wyoming to pitch in about $100,000 to buy and level property that isn't in the city. In fact, the idea started with Wyoming officials, who helped write the grant proposal. Their Lockland counterparts are OK with that because they think the project benefits both communities. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060623/NEWS01/606230378/1077 Also of note From the 6/23/06 Enquirer: Rehabber-turned-restaurateur has illuminating idea for bistro BY SCOTT WARTMAN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER NEWPORT - Before the light bulb, the dark, musty basement of the pharmacy at the corner of Sixth and Washington streets relied on the iron and glass vault lights to let in sunshine. These lights have become a curiosity as the former pharmacy is transformed into a restaurant by Fred Breitfelder of Newport. It is expected to open in fall 2007. The vault lights, on the sidewalk outside the building, use glass circles cut in an iron grate to allow sunlight into the cellar. "They are popular in New York where there are a lot of subways," Breitfelder said. "In this part of the country, they are rare." MORE: http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20060623/NEWS0103/606230368 Cool. From the 6/20/06 Cincinnati Business Courier: Lindner gift to help library branches merge, expand Cincinnati Business Courier - 4:54 PM EDT Tuesday Two outdated inner-city library facilities are closer to getting a new home, thanks to a gift from local businessman Carl Lindner Jr. Lindner contributed $100,000 to help the Roselawn and Bond Hill branches of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County merge and move to a bigger space, the library said in a news release. The library is negotiating a lease with the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency that would allow the two branches to consolidate at a space in Jordan Crossing (formerly Swifton Center) in Bond Hill. If that happens, the combined branch will have 12,000 square feet of space, versus about 8,200 now, a greater selection of materials, a program room and a specially designed teen area. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/06/19/daily23.html?from_rss=1 Round-up: Cincinnati and inner burbs AVONDALE Wow! The condo conversion at 610 Maple Ave is complete. There are now four condo units ranging from $172,000 to $178,000, in a building that was assessed at $65,000 before the conversion. All four units are still available. Nice idea, but I don't see where the market is in this area. (You can't really tell much from these photos.) AVONDALE The Zoo is tearing down 3437 Larona Ave, one of the few remaining homes on that street. BOND HILL The ordinance to allow the city manager to apply for and to accept up to $5M in Job Ready Sites Program grants for the cleanup of the former Mill Creek Psychiatric facility at 6606 Paddock Rd passed unanimously. CAMP WASHINGTON The ordinance to allow the city manager to apply for and to accept up to $5M in Job Ready Sites Program grants for the cleanup of the Crosley Building at 1333 Arlington St passed unanimously. CARTHAGE The city has voted to extend a float loan of $507,284 to Cincinnati Housing Partners, Inc., to build a new commercial building for the Cincinnati Credit Union at 7000-7004 Vine St. This loan will cover a 30-month construction period with 0% interest. The terms of the contract, which still must be approved by HUD (I believe), state that the project should be completed no later than August 31, 2007. CLIFTON HEIGHTS 321 Warner St has been rehabbed. This is a house that was vacant since 2004. COLLEGE HILL City council has approved an ordinance allowing the city manager to extend a loan from federal HOME funds, in the amount of $750,000, to the Salvation Army Booth Residence at 6000 Townevista Dr. The Salvation Army is currently renovating this building at a cost of $12,487,517, and it will provide 150 units of affordable senior rental housing. The money will be disbursed through the city's Rental Rehabilitation Program as a 41-year loan at 1% interest. HUD approved of the project earlier this year. COLUMBIA TUSCULUM Boulevard Custom Homes is building a new single-family home at 3211 Golden Ave. The home is priced at $649,900. COLUMBIA TUSCULUM The Alexus Properties development will feature six townhomes, not three as I originally reported. These will be at 623-633 Athens Ave. Three are listed at $549,000, with one pending. EAST WALNUT HILLS Councilman Cecil Thomas has motioned to close the Collins Ave steps, after he and other members of council discussed this with residents of Keys Crescent. The steps are crumbling and in disrepair, it is overgrown and lacks lighting. Thomas reasons that this will lead to crime, as it provides for places to hide and is also a direct route of criminal escape. Public Works reports that they are little used. The residents of Keys Crescent have offered to remove the steps at no cost to the city. This motion is currently in the Vibrant Neighborhoods committee. EVANSTON The owner of 3054 O'Bryon St has decided to tear down the house (built 1870) instead of rehabbing it, as he had planned to in May 2005. The house was condemned May 2006. MADISONVILLE Miami South Inc. will build a new single-family home on the vacant lot at 5315 Glenshade Ct. MT. AUBURN An investor has purchased the two-family at 2133 Highland Ave after a lender had held it for 13 months. MT. LOOKOUT Here is a rendering of the new home being built at 1019 Kinmont Ave, the site of a teardown. Chrisman Custom Builders is building this, and it's listed at $499,900. NORTHSIDE 4307 Hays Ave is being rehabbed for resale. This home was vacant last year. Interesting story on this one--in August 2005, the owners were cited for having pit bulls, snakes, a python AND A FREAKING ALLIGATOR inside the house. They were also cited because the side wall was being held up by a car jack. PRICE HILL Elder complex may be ready this fall Price Hill Press, 6/21/06 Elder High School athletes could be playing their home games at the Panther Athletic Complex as early as next school year. Jim Daffin, a 1971 Elder graduate and one of seven trustees for the Panther Athletic Complex Fund, said development of the high school's new sports facility is going well. "We're trying to accomplish some uses for the 2006-2007 school year," he said. "We have people working up there every day." He said all the grading work on the site is complete, and last week construction crews were expected to begin putting in the curbs and gutters for the entrance driveway and parking lots. PRICE HILL Council has voted to accept $3.6M from the Otto Armleder Memorial Trust for a new regional aquatic center to be built at the Dunham Recreation Complex. The "Otto Armleder Memorial Regional Aquatic Center" has been in the works since 2000, when the Public Recreation Commission first sought funds. SOUTH FAIRMOUNT An investor has purchased 1665 Westwood Ave, a two-family that had been vacant for a year and a half. He paid a cool $7,000 for it. COVINGTON Covington library needs space Kentucky Post, 6/19/06 Erlanger has its new library and Independence has a library building under construction. Now, the Kenton County Public Library Board is turning its attention to Covington, and a possible expansion and renovation of the Mary Ann Mongan branch, located on Scott Boulevard. "We need more space," Kenton County Library Director Wayne Onkst said. "We've outgrown this building, which is 35 years old now." Onkst said the library would like to stay at its present site. COVINGTON Church zoning decision waits Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/23/06 Tonia Ford doesn't want a church behind her house. Not because it's a church, or because of its steeple, but because of all the people it might bring to her neighborhood. "I'm a Christian. I believe in God," Ford said Thursday, a day after Covington's Board of Adjustment tabled the question of whether Fellowship Church of God should be allowed to build a 3,600-square-foot sanctuary on a May Street property. "I love God. I love Jesus," added Ford, of South Linden Avenue. "But I don't want a church in my backyard." She fears crowds on Sundays and Wednesday evenings from the growing church. The proposed building would seat 180 people and have 54 parking spaces on about an acre, west of May Street between Linden and West 16th Street. NEWPORT Last week I mentioned the new multi-use field that was being installed by Newport Independent Schools. Here's a rendering of what the actual field will look like. They are expecting this to be finished by August 4. Round-up: Outer burbs and metro ABERDEEN Aberdeen village jail discussed Georgetown News Democrat Keeping drunk drivers off the roadways and jail time for village offenders has been an ongoing problem for all village police departments throughout Brown County over the past two years. Not only has the inability to house prisoners at the Brown County Adult Detention Center, in Georgetown, caused villages in the county to enter contracts with surrounding counties, such as Adams and Clermont, for the housing of prisoners, but it has also caused a few villages to research the possibility of opening their own temporary holding cells to house village offenders. During Aberdeen’s June 19 council meeting, Aberdeen Police Chief Joe Euton presented council members with information regarding the possibility of Aberdeen constructing temporary holding cells for the housing of prisoners. “We’re looking at an ‘L’ shaped holding area with one cell on the west corner (of the administration building) and two cells on the north corner,” said Euton. ALEXANDRIA Gas station proposal gets hearing Alexandria Recorder, 6/22/06 A zone change that would affect a proposed gas station will receive a public hearing. Alexandria City Council voted unanimously at its June 15 meeting to hold a public hearing on a zone change from residential to commercial for property at Poplar Ridge Road and U.S. 27 where a 12-pump gas station is planned. Speedway SuperAmerica has proposed a 3,900 square foot gas station for the location, which would include a convenience store. More information on the project is needed before taking a vote, said Councilman Stacey Graus, who requested the public hearing. ALEXANDRIA Public hearing planned for Fischer development Alexandria Recorder, 6/22/06 Alexandria City Council has postponed voting on two ordinances related to a proposed development off Persimmon Grove Pike. Councilman Ellis Lang stopped a scheduled vote on a recommended zone change from the city's Planning and Zoning Commission at the Thursday, June 15 city council meeting. Lang proposed tabling the issue and having a public hearing. The hearing was approved by a vote of 4-0 with two council members abstaining, Ron Johnson and Stacey Graus. The developer, Grand Communities, which is part of the Fischer Group, wants a zone change for 15.6 acre piece of property council is considering annexing into the city. ANDERSON TWP. Anderson homes geared to executives Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/25/06 Construction is expected to begin this fall on a subdivision that will include 28 single-family homes along Eight Mile Road near Clough Pike. Houses at the $22 million development, The Woods of Anderson, will be built on 26.2 acres, said Mark Bradley Zaring, president of Mark Bradley Homes of East Walnut Hills. The township's trustees and its zoning commission have approved the project. Zaring said the houses will cost from $550,000 to $1 million and be from 3,500 to 7,000 square feet. They will be marketed to move-up buyers and corporate executives relocating to Greater Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky. BATAVIA New Batavia administration building open Community Journal Clermont, 6/21/06 After 21 years, the Batavia Township family has packed up and moved to a new home. The township administration and zoning departments moved to the new administration building June 9. The building is on the park land purchased last year. "The building is very warm, inviting and friendly," said Rex Parsons, administrator. "We've had residents and builders stop by and everyone seems to really like it." The new building is 700,000 square feet, which is similar in size to the old building, but this time administration won't be sharing the building with other departments as they had in the past. BURLINGTON Petfest will help county dog park Boone Community Recorder, 6/22/06 The annual Petfest in Boone County will help raise money for the county's dog park. The event is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Boone Woods Park, Shelter No. 3, Burlington. For various amounts of money, pets can have their photograph taken in a beach scene or bob for tennis balls in a "duck pond." There is an agility course, a microchip clinic and nail trimming. The event is sponsored by Friends of the Shelter, an organization supporting Northern Kentucky animal shelters. "We need money for that dog park because we're just not getting it yet," said Laurie Delaney, an assistant veterinarian technician at the Boone County Animal Shelter. "We need to get that thing going." COLD SPRING District selling Highland Heights Elementary Alexandria Recorder, 6/22/06 The Campbell County School District will put a for-sale sign up on Highland Heights Elementary School. Highland Heights Elementary will become surplus property after it is closed at the end of the 2006-0' school year, said Superintendent Anthony Strong. Opened in 1930 as Dale Elementary, Highland Heights Elementary received its current name in the 1960s. About 320 students attended the school during the now-completed school year. The expected completion of a new elementary in the Cold Spring Crossing shopping center by the time school begins for 2007-08 will eliminate the need for Highland Heights Elementary. COLERAIN TWP. Church pays off expansion in three years Northwest Press, 6/21/06 Friendship Baptist Church has a lot of reasons to celebrate this year. Not only does 2006 mark the 57th anniversary of Friendship's founding, but also the end of the Church's debt on the three-year-old fourth phase Adult Education building. Completed in May 2003 at a cost of $2.2 million, the Adult Education Building was constructed "to provide additional Sunday school space and improved nursery facilities," according to Friendship's Pastor Gary Jackson. It was initially assumed that recouping the investment in the new building would take much longer than it did. CRESTVIEW HILLS Turkeyfoot jam help sought Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/23/06 To ease some major bottlenecks on Turkeyfoot Road, Crestview Hills officials have asked the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to add a northbound turn lane and lengthen another one on the busy state route. "We have to find a way to move traffic on Turkeyfoot," Councilman Frank Sommerkamp Jr. said. He said traffic has increased since Crestview Hills Town Center opened in October. Even more traffic is expected when the Turkeyfoot Road expansion south of Dudley Road is finished. In a recent letter to the Northern Kentucky state highway office, city officials asked the state to consider adding a right-turn lane from Villa Madonna Drive to Thomas More Parkway on northbound Turkeyfoot. Traffic should increase next year when Columbia Sussex moves into its new 200-employee headquarters off Centre View Boulevard, Sommerkamp said. The city also wants the state to lengthen the left-turn-only lane from northbound Turkeyfoot onto Crestview Hills Mall Road. DEERFIELD TWP. Deerfield park to get wholesale makeover Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/21/06 Officials are spending more than half a million dollars to improve the township's most popular park. By the end of September, the 46-acre Cottell Park at Irwin Simpson and Snider roads will be sporting its first restrooms and a new parking lot. New sewer lines, heating and air-conditioning system will be put in the Snyder House. The historic home can be reserved for weddings and other events. ELSMERE NoWare gives gamers somewhere to interact Erlanger Recorder, 6/22/06 The newest addition to The Dixie business district is helping defy the myth that video gamers are antisocial couch potatoes. NoWare Computers and Gaming brings video game fans together in one place for social interaction, friendly competition, and a wide variety of video and computer games. The company recently moved to Elsmere from Dream Street in Florence. "What we sell mostly is the social aspect," said CEO Ralph Chaffin, 57. "The beauty of this place is once you end the game, you can discuss strategy and exchange tips." ERLANGER Developer proposes offices on Triple E site Erlanger Recorder, 6/22/06 An Erlanger developer is in the process of buying the Triple E Swim Club and intends to turn it into a 40,000 square-foot office complex. City council gave its vote of confidence on June 20 to preliminary plans for the site drafted by Terrace Holdings, LLC. "We have a lot of work to do, but at this point in time I don't have a particular problem with it," said Mayor Marc Otto. Council's nod of approval clears the way for developers to seek the necessary zone changes and draw up more detailed plans for the 2.1-acre site. FORT THOMAS Tennis courts reopen after renovation Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/19/06 They're back, and better than ever. The city of Fort Thomas and Fort Thomas Recreation have reopened Tower Parks' six tennis courts following a four-week, $65,000 renovation. Recreation department director David Buerger said the courts' refurbishment was part of parkwide improvements that included $130,000 in lights for the baseball field. Additions were financed by a Tower Park Enterprise Fund. The courts were constructed 32 years ago, by Buerger's estimate. While staff members recoated the courts over the years, this was the first major overhaul. FORT THOMAS Stage may get $1M overhaul Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/23/06 Visitors to Tower Park often pass - possibly without much thought - an inconspicuous, weathered stage facing a grassy knoll and stone steps. This 80-year-old amphitheater may get a $1 million overhaul and be the site of an array of outdoor performances if a group of Fort Thomas residents led by Dan and Flo Grey get their wish. The annual Fourth of July celebration in the park may bring the amphitheater one step closer to its rebirth. The Greys helped start "4th at the Fort" in 2003 to raise money for the project. To date, the festival has raised $30,000. The business community and citizens fund the event. "We took it on as a project," Dan Grey said. "We feel there could be so many possibilities at the amphitheater. We envision there could be weddings, plays and anything you wanted. We want to make it a focal point of the community." FORT WRIGHT City project people-friendly Kentucky Post, 6/19/06 Imagine a two-story Walgreens with offices on the second floor, windows in the building, no pharmacy drive-thru and parking in the rear. It may sound like a vintage version of the popular drug store found in an urban core like downtown Cincinnati, but it's actually part of a vision for the city of Fort Wright - a suburban enclave outside Covington with a population of about 5,600. "We don't want the prototypical Walgreens that you can get in anywhere USA," Fort Wright Administrator Larry Klein said. Residents and city officials were caught by surprise when Wal-Mart burst into the sleepy city in 2000 with plans to build one of its trademark big boxes along Ky. 17. Although they couldn't stop the discount retailer from opening its doors in 2004, the community decided that future development on roughly 240 acres along the busy corridor would be different. "I think the community feels like we want to determine our own destiny," Klein said. FORT WRIGHT Proposal hinges on form vote Community Recorder, 6/22/06 The city's upcoming decision on Town Center Form Districts may already have an impact on one proposed development. James Titus, of Dunn & Titus professional service design firm, presented preliminary plans to the city council at their June 7 meeting for 66 luxury condominiums that would sit on Madison Pike. The condos, which would be for seniors 55 and up, would sit on a 7.2 acre site, within the area currently under consideration by the city for the form district zone change. The city is expected to hold a second reading and final vote on the form district zone change at the July 7 meeting. Depending on the outcome, the developers would then have to submit their design plans to the council before beginning construction. Titus said they plan to break ground in September, for the first of three buildings in the complex. The complex will be gated, and accessible by security cards for the residents. HEBRON Bonfiglioli plans new Hebron home Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/25/06 In business, some problems aren't bad problems to have. Consider the plight of Bonfiglioli USA, an arm of a 50-year-old transmission maker in Bologna, Italy. Its U.S. headquarters occupies a leased building in Hebron so small that it is keeping the company from hiring new employees. Without new employees, it can't develop its service department or staff a new product line. "We started out here four years with about $5 million in sales, and we're expected to reach $38 million this year," plant manager Mike Kanoza said. The solution? A new building, three times the size of the one it's in now. Two weeks ago, Bonfiglioli officials broke ground on a $6.2 million, 83,000-square-foot building in the Airpark West industrial park in Hebron. The occasion rated the appearance of Bonfiglioli's founder and chairman, Clementino Bonfiglioli from Italy. He called the new plant "very significant." Bonfiglioli USA hired Paul Hemmer Cos. of Fort Mitchell to build the facility. It expects to occupy the building in February. INDEPENDENCE Locked 'n' loaded and ready to go Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/19/06 There's a buzz among gun enthusiasts in Northern Kentucky. The area's newest indoor pistol and rifle range is open to the public. Shooters Supply and Sporting Goods opened its 10,000-square-foot location in Independence on Friday to the delight of many in the gun community. "It was hard to get stuff done for trying to answer the phones to let people know that, hey, we're still working on it, we'll be open soon," said Homer Cole, president of Shooters Supply. "The response has been fantastic." Cole, of Independence, said that while the road was rocky and construction problems delayed the opening two months, the end product is worth it. He said the indoor range is the only one of its kind in the Tristate that allows the public to shoot large-caliber rifles. INDEPENDENCE Independence agrees to land use study Kenton Community Recorder, 6/22/06 The city council agreed to look into a land use study for downtown Independence that would include a market analysis. After discussion on the funding at previous meetings, the council voted 5-1 at the June 19 meeting to begin moving forward with the study, although the city has yet to commit money or sign a contract. The study, which was proposed by Keith Logsdon and the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission (NKAPC), will attempt to identify the downtown area of Independence and areas suitable for development, as well as determine the types of developments that would work best within the community, both residential and commercial. Logsdon had originally stated that the city would be wise to commit to the study now, before the new Ky. 17 is completed. He said that the study would help to guide the developments sure to occur along the new road. However, council member JoAnne Cobble said that the timing of the study shouldn't be a deciding factor for the council, saying that the development expected along the new 17 may be on a smaller scale than many people think. She pointed to 2001 as an example, when the city opened a new three-mile stretch of Ky. 17, and there currently is only one business to locate there [The Fun Center at Pleasure Isle]. INDIAN HILL These three homes are being built in a minor subdivision in the area of 7965 Remington Rd. I believe Stonehenge Homes is building these. In the order shown below, the price tags are $1.65 million, $1.5 million and $950,000 (for the help). Who says there's no affordable housing in Indian Hill? LAWRENCEBURG L’burg library expansion moves forward Aurora Journal-Press, 6/22/06 Although worries about property tax income and “circuit breakers” kicking in could still pose problems for the Lawrenceburg Library District, bonds have been sold to expand the main Lawrenceburg branch. The bonds were sold Wednesday, June 7, and the closing was Thursday, June 15, said library director Sally Stegner. “The annual payment comes to $624,000, which is under what we had agreed with the city in our agreement,” said Stegner. Lawrenceburg signed an agreement to make the payments with riverboat gambling revenue from its development agreement with Argosy earlier this year, and the agreement had a “not to exceed” clause, said Stegner. The $5.5 million bond issue will provide for expanding the collections for adults and children, providing a covered loading area and garage for the bookmobile, as well as renovating the former railroad depot into a meeting space, she said. LOVELAND School growth won't tax residents Loveland Herald, 6/21/06 A 10-year expansion plan for the Loveland City School District could cost up to $10 million in the next decade. There's good news for taxpayers -- the district will be able to carry out its plans using the 5-mill permanent improvement levy passed in 2004. According to the plan, about 22 additional classrooms will be needed by 2016 to accommodate growth. The district expects a 257 student upswing in enrollment during that time, increasing the number of students to 4,795, according to a study the district commissioned. MARIEMONT Museum would be area's first Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/19/06 About 40 years before Christopher Columbus arrived in America, Fort Ancient Indians settled on a promontory above the Little Miami River in what is now the southwestern part of Mariemont. These American Indians lived in a large village there for more than 200 years and then mysteriously vanished. Mariemont wants to honor the legacy of these inhabitants by creating a museum in a proposed new village administration building. The museum would house some of the thousands of American-Indian artifacts that have been excavated since the mid-19th century from those grounds, near the Mariemont Pool on Mariemont Avenue. MILFORD Valley View to acquire more land from city Milford-Miami Advertiser, 6/21/06 The Valley View Foundation is another step closer to ensuring the preservation of the land along the East Fork of the Little Miami known as the Bottoms. An ordinance approved by Milford City Council at their meeting Tuesday, June 6, authorized the sale of 24.109 acres of land to the foundation for $151,901. Another ordinance approved the lease of additional acreage with a purchase option for remaining land the foundation plans to eventually acquire. Council member Jim Antell said the city will retain 11.95 acres of land adjacent to Milford's Waste Water Treatment Plant, but an ordinance authorizes the Valley View Foundation to use the land. "We're keeping around 11 acres up near the water treatment plant, but Valley View has access to that property," said Antell. "We're going to retain ownership for future expansion for water treatment plant." MONTGOMERY All's Weller that ends Weller Northeast Suburban Life, 6/21/06 A city construction project on Weller Road will increase traffic on the road for about two months starting in mid-July. City officials warn local drivers not to be too upset, because it could have happened twice. City Manager Cheryl Hilvert said the road project is necessary to correct the drainage problems on the north side of the road. She said workers will replace the water main under the road, install a storm sewer and a new curb as well as resurface Weller. "There's aesthetic improvements, but also structural improvements," Hilvert said. MT. HEALTHY Mt. Healthy to discuss school changes Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/22/06 School officials will talk next week about adding a few items to a proposal that would shrink the number of school buildings in the Mount Healthy school district from eight to three. The Ohio School Facilities Commission would pay $57 million of the $80 million to build two schools for grades K-6 and one building for grades 7-12. But the plan doesn't include money for an auditorium in the 7-12 building or for sloped roofs. Architects also say the district should have a contingency fund in case there is a rapid rise in the cost of construction materials. MT. ORAB Mt. Orab approves subdivisions Georgetown News Democrat The Village Park playground renovation and approval of two new subdivisions were the main topics at the Mt. Orab Village Council meeting Tuesday, June 13. ... Lunsford also brought two subdivison contract layouts before the council for their approval. The first subdivision is Beacon Hill fourth edition-section one. The subdivision will be entered through Woodland Crossing or Liming Farm Road. The subdivision will contain 37 lots on 28.4 acres. ... A second subdivision, Mt. Orab Estates Three-section three, was also brought before the council for approval. The subdivision will be located off Day Road as an extension of Robin Road near state Route 32. SOUTHGATE Housing plan controversial Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/22/06 Temperatures rose Wednesday in Southgate's small council chambers when about 50 property owners turned out to oppose a 230-unit apartment complex proposed for 30 acres at Moock Road and U.S. 27. Council approved 3-0 a zone change for 13 acres of the property to multifamily housing. The rest of the property already was zoned for multifamily. Residents are concerned that the complex will bring crime, lower property values, add a hefty amount of traffic, overtax the utility system and create more flooding in a nearby creek. Many were against the large number of rental units, which brings a more transient population. "I would think the city would encourage property ownership and people who want to put down roots and stay in town," resident Jim Ling said. TERRACE PARK This new construction at 705 Miami Ave will set you back a cool $1.449 million. Four bedrooms, 5.5 BATHS. WILDER Fitness, golf go together Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/19/06 Town & Country Sports & Health Club is known for its swimming, soccer and fitness amenities. Add golf to the list. Town & Country Golf, a driving range and 18-hole miniature golf course adjacent to the health club at 1018 Town Dr., is the club's newest acquisition. Owner Kevin Molony said the club purchased the 7 acre, 6-year-old golf facility in May for an undisclosed amount and is now engineering $75,000 in upgrades. Molony plans to replace mats on 21 covered tee boxes and upgrade the heating system for year-round play. Other improvements include a short game area (a synthetic turf putting green and a chipping area with a sand trap), leveling of a hill on the range's side, and uprighting a parcel of drooping net protecting vehicles on I-275 from balls. WYOMING 409 Pendery Ave has been rehabbed for resale. WYOMING Wyoming OKs pool contract Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/20/06 Much to the confusion of some residents, City Council on Monday night went ahead with plans to build a new pool. Sort of. In the latest step in the controversial $3.4 million pool, council members voted to give City Manager Bob Harrison the authority to sign a contract with the lowest bidder, Perkins Carmack Co. That decision came after 60 minutes of testimony from opponents and supporters of the project. But he can't, at least right now. That's because the opposition group, Wyoming Concerned Citizens, last week got a temporary restraining order. That order stays in effect until at least June 28, when a hearing takes place on whether to extend it. The group wants the pool built in Wyoming, rather than on the recreation center site 200 feet outside the city limits into Woodlawn, and wants it to cost no more than $3 million. They're building such CRAAAAP!!! MASON How the hell do I get in? The good news is that you don't have to worry about solicitors. 3563 Pebble Creek Ct. LOVELAND I don't understand this cantilevered section. I get the three gables weren't enough--they had to thrust one out at you and get in your face. Okay, I get it. 6049 Chamblee Dr.
June 27, 200618 yr The thrift store in downtown Hamilton is going out of business because the nun who ran it died. The mayor bought the building last fall and plans a rehab. He said he will be patient and get the best tenent for downtown. The building is in the 200 block of High between the Mehas Music Building and the Cozy Cafe. The Mehas Building is terrible 60's clad, the Cozy building is wood clad over brick. I don't have much faith that the mayor knows much about urban design, he lives in a sprawled westside neighborhood, just a couple "blocks" away from this $350,000 home on .75 acre.
June 27, 200618 yr EAST WALNUT HILLS Councilman Cecil Thomas has motioned to close the Collins Ave steps, after he and other members of council discussed this with residents of Keys Crescent. The steps are crumbling and in disrepair, it is overgrown and lacks lighting. Thomas reasons that this will lead to crime, as it provides for places to hide and is also a direct route of criminal escape. Public Works reports that they are little used. The residents of Keys Crescent have offered to remove the steps at no cost to the city. This motion is currently in the Vibrant Neighborhoods committee. Good lord. If you want to live in a gated community, then move to a gated frickin' community. If you're on foot in that area, the Collins steps are a really pleasant way to get up to East Walnut Hills, Evanston and O'Bryonville. The alternatives are going out of your way up Taft all the way to Hackberry, then back down Madison, or else down Taft, back up Torrence, then back over on Madison. Crime? Really? How many actual, you know, crimes have there been on Keys Crescent where the perp escaped via the stairs? Next motion by Cecil Thomas: Gates at the two Keys Crescent entrances; then close off the dangerous steps leading to Mt. Adams (because it leads to crime); and then gates for Martin Drive, Parkside, Paradrome, Ida, Wareham and Monastery. Christ.
June 27, 200618 yr There are steps from Collins to Keys Cresent? Wow, I need to check those out! Looks like I better hurry. Riverviewer is right, this motion is moronic. While your at it, remove all the sidewalks.
June 27, 200618 yr Author ^ That's what I was thinking. And also remove the roads because a criminal might steal your car and use those roads to escape. This ranks right up there with charging property owners for graffiti removal as Thomas's best (worst) idea. And, as usual, the rich people on one street are going to decide what's good for an entire neighborhood.
June 30, 200618 yr Big-box center plan filed BY JON NEWBERRY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER Plans by Vandercar Holdings to develop a big-box retail center on River Road in Sedamsville - a la its Center of Cincinnati in Oakley - were submitted to Cincinnati City Council this week, along with a proposed sale of city property needed for the project. Under the proposal, the city would sell up to 22 acres along the south side of River Road near Fairbanks Avenue to Vandercar affiliate Coldstream Interests LLC for $1.8 million. Vandercar needs the city property to complete its 68-acre development site. Relations between Vandercar and the city have been prickly in the past, with the city believing Center of Cincinnati fell short of what was promised - and because Vandercar sued the city over tax incentives and won. The current proposal calls for the use of future tax receipts from the project to pay for related infrastructure improvements. Read more here: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060630/BIZ01/606300357/1076/BIZ
June 30, 200618 yr ^Isn't that near a sewage treatment plant or something? I used to live in Sedamsville...I can't picture ANY kind of development there.
July 3, 200618 yr Author Update East Walnut Hills: The Collins Avenue steps are saved The city has a lengthy process for the closure of public steps. Signs were posted on the site in January with a contact number for citizen input. Mailings were sent out to residents, businesses and schools in the affected area. The East End Community Council and the East Walnut Hills Assembly were notified. Not surprisingly, residents of the East End were more likely to favor keeping ths steps open. They cited access to public transportation and the business district as their main reasons. Residents of East Walnut Hills were more likely to favor closure. They cited crime and litter as their main arguments. Business owners in O'Bryonville objected to closure. City agencies and utility owners were briefed to find out if the steps' removal would cause any harm. The city's DOTE objected to the closure due to the break in the city's predestrian transportation system and the unbearably long walk this closure would force onto residents of the East End. The police chief was notified and provided information regarding the steps and public safety. He indicated that there was no evidence of an increase in crime that could be linked to the steps and didn't voice an opinion on the closure. However, he did indicate in a June 9 memo to DOTE that he did in fact believe that there was evidence of drinking and sexual activity on the steps and that on Keys Crescent alone there had been 4 burglaries, 4 petty thefts and one auto theft. Since no consensus was reached through this process, the city decided to keep the steps open based on the following: 1. Public access, including hillside steps, is generally a benefit and consistent with a walkable and connected community. A good pedestrian system can also promote visibility and safety, a sense of community, and physical health. Stairways are an extension of the sidewalk to allow connections across Cincinnati’s challenging terrain. Sidewalks are integral to an urban environment, as opposed to an unwalkable suburban environment. Whenever possible and reasonable, maintaining pedestrian access is preferable. 2. Some of the community concerns regarding the safety, visibility, sense of ownership, and condition of the steps will be addressed through the repairs and improvements that are planned for these steps. Administration will consult with the Community Police Partnering Center and the Cincinnati Police Department to ensure that the design incorporates as many of the concepts of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design as possible. The city was planning on repairing these steps this year anyway, so now this project will be fast-tracked and I'd expect to see some action some time this summer. Top story From the 6/28/06 Eastern Hills Journal: Streetscape improvements under review Oakley proposes wider esplanade, better parking BY FORREST SELLERS | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER OAKLEY -- The community of Oakley is considering a wider esplanade, improved parking and an identifiable gateway as part of its new Streetscape design. Jack Martin, a principal architect for the city of Cincinnati, presented some of the design proposals during the June 5 Oakley Community Council meeting. Some of the improvements include: * A review of parking in the square to determine whether angled or parallel parking would be the most efficient. * An esplanade that would be 10-feet wider on both sides providing more of a buffer zone. * A gateway that could incorporate signage, a statue or landscaping features. MORE: http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060628/NEWS01/606280484/1002/RSS01 Also of note From the 6/27/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: Zoe Holm, 2, is pushed by her grandmother Pat Holm at East Hyde Park Commons. The city recently made improvements to the park, where a brick wall sculpture was torn down in 2003 because it was thought to be unstable. The Enquirer/Leigh Patton Demolished sculpture wall forgotten at improved park BY STEVE KEMME | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER The little Cincinnati park at Erie and Marburg avenues today bears no scars from the battle that erupted more than two years ago over a brick sculpture paid for by residents. To the consternation of some who loved the work of art and the satisfaction of others who disliked it, the city in late 2003 dismantled the 15-year-old sculpture designed by Greek-born artist Athena Tacha. The sculpture, called "Double Star: Antares," was a series of 27 brick walls that formed a double star, a tribute to the double star discovered at nearby Mount Lookout Observatory. The sculpture also served as a maze for children to walk through. But the city feared the sculpture would collapse because of instability. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060627/NEWS01/606270367/1056/rss02 WTF? New construction in North Fairmount? It's true! Homes are listed at 1816 and 1818 Carll St. The homes will feature 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a fireplace and a third-floor loft space. Apparently, there will be no garage provided. The asking price for each house is $140,000. Will anyone buy these? Not likely. The highest-valued home in the area is $85,000. The majority are well less than $50,000. WTF?!? II From the 7/1/06 Enquirer: Day-care center quite a crib BY JANICE MORSE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER DEERFIELD TWP. - This place goes way beyond a blankie, cookies and milk. The Crème de la Crème national chain has picked Warren County for its first deluxe day-care center in Ohio. The $6 million, 21,000-square-foot center designed to look like a Victorian village is slated to open in April. Among its features: a computer lab, library, dance studio and a mock TV studio. Kid needs a haircut? They do that, too. No other facility in the region is this elaborate, state and local day-care experts say. Of course, all those amenities will come at a premium price. Costs could run as much as $1,600 a month, compared with an average cost of $764 for infants, $664 for toddlers and $572 for preschoolers at day-care centers in Warren County. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060701/NEWS01/607010347/1056/rss02 Round-up: Cincinnati and inner burbs CLIFTON HEIGHTS 315 Warner St was sold to an investor at auction for $60,000. The investor, who lives in Milford, also owns a decent building on Rohs St. This building, at Warner and Victor, has been vacant since at least 2004. There is no word on when work to make it inhabitable will begin. CORRYVILLE The city is making the owner address some issues with 2700 Vine St. These issues include steps, masonry repair/tuck pointing and fire doors. The owner had planned early this year to convert the building to condos. Due to cash flow problems, that plan has been temporarily scrapped. EAST WALNUT HILLS The owners of 1379 Myrtle Ave are converting it from a three-family to three condo units. Work has not begun. HARTWELL The city will demolish 320 Oxley St, a shotgun shack built around 1905. This structure has been condemned since 2004. I think the owner died. HYDE PARK 3521 Larkspur Ave was extensively renovated to take advantage of its Hyde Park address. MADISONVILLE 6200 Chandler St had been declarded a public nuisance and condemned. Though the owner was issued building permits to fix the place up in May, he has yet to begin and hasn't responded to attempts by the city to reach him. An Intent to Raze was mailed and posted and is out for bid. MT. AUBURN Excel Development Company has purchased a few sites in the Auburn/Hollister area, including a couple of vacant lots. Excel which provides affordable, independent housing for those with mental illness who qualify for rent assistance. Housing is purchased through Ohio Department of Mental Health capital funds. Excel operates 300 scattered-site apartments throughout the county. MT. WASHINGTON The Mt. Washington Wetlands Preservation Group will apply for Clean Ohio Fund money to acquire four acres of land located south of Ronaldson Road and north of Wilaray Terrace. This land would become protected greenspace. The deadline for applications for Clean Ohio Fund money is July 14, 2006. MAP NORTH FAIRMOUNT 1641 Pulte St has been purchased from LaSalle Bank after being on the market for 9 months. This two-family went for a cool $11,500. The new owner has been evicted from residences and has been in court for misuse of credit cards. Now he is a homeowner? This is the kind of stability that North Fairmount needs. OAKLEY 3823 Isabella is getting ready to be renovated. I'm still not sure if this will be a conversion from a two-family to a single-family or not, but that has generally been the neighborhood trend. PRICE HILL This building at 3928 Glenway Ave has been purchased. It's slated to become a Speedy Refund Income Tax Service. I don't know if this has taken place yet. WESTWOOD Queen City Ave. site will become condos Price Hill Press, 6/28/06 Q: Tom Burg wants to know what's the story is with the construction taking place on Queen City Avenue near Sunset Avenue. A: Darryl Edwards, a building inspector for the city of Cincinnati, said the construction on Queen City, just west of Sunset Avenue, is the beginning stages of a proposed condominium development by M/I Homes. He said while he does not yet have a finalized plan for the project, which is being called The Bluffs at Woodcrest and sits on the border of Westwood and Price Hill, the developer did receive approval from the city to begin work. "They have an excavation and field permit allowing them to move dirt and prepare for streets," Edwards said. "They're digging." He said M/I Homes will eventually need to submit final development plans for approval. Right now he said the preliminary plan shows the potential development of 10 buildings, creating the possibility for 70 condominium units. CHEVIOT After being listed by the mortgage company for 13 months, 3952 Washington Ave has been sold to an investor for $45,000. COVINGTON Residents voice concerns about city's future Kenton Community Recorder, 6/29/06 Covington residents want more green space, less rental property, and reassurance from city officials that a long-term plan being drafted for the city will actually happen. Residents vocalized those and other ideas during a two-hour planning session in Latonia on June 21. It was the third in a series of seven meetings to gather residents' input on where Covington is, and should be, headed. Wherever it's headed, Latonia residents want to make sure their neighborhood is included. "From our perspective, there's no commitment to Latonia," said Paul Patton, 59, a resident for 38 years. "It's only from Fifth Street north." COVINGTON Clock tick-tocks again Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/1/06 At 2 p.m. Friday, Mayor Butch Callery re-started a famous Covington landmark - the historic clock in front of Motch Jewelers at 613 Madison Ave. In 1871, M.C. Motch, the store's founder, purchased the clock to mark the location of his downtown business and make a contribution to Northern Kentucky's commercial center. The timepiece has wooden hands that still keep time. Artists Paul Tribble and David Rice, both from the Covington Arts District, recently restored the 135-year-old clock to its original grandeur. COVINGTON (Latonia) 112 W 32nd St has been rehabbed. (after only) COVINGTON (Latonia) 213 W 34th St has been rehabbed. (after only) NEWPORT Skateboarders try test run at City Hall Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/28/06 Skateboarding ramps and equipment and a crowd of skaters filled the parking lot of City Hall Tuesday night. But instead of chasing them away, Newport leaders were observing and asking questions. The city invited skaters to the two-hour event, where the American Ramp Co. set up a variety of equipment for them to sample and give feedback about what they would like to see in a skate park. Representatives from the company also gave demonstrations. "We're in the beginning stages of planning for a skate park ... and wanted to see what type of interest there is," said Nick Rouse, Newport's parks and recreation director. "We want feedback from the skaters because we don't want to spend a lot of money on a park that won't be utilized." Cincinnati Enquirer: City wants skate park input (6/26/06) NORWOOD The industrial building at 4817 Section Ave is a pile of rubble. I have no idea why it was torn down or what will take its place. Round-up: Outer burbs and metro ALEXANDRIA City to build restrooms at community park Alexandria Recorder, 6/29/06 The city's Park and Recreation Committee is moving ahead with plans to build restrooms at the Alexandria Community Park. The restrooms would be built adjacent to the children's play area and the front parking lot, said committee member Jeff Leuderalt. In addition to handicap accessible men's and women's restrooms, the 475 square foot building would include a concession window area for special events at the park, Leuderalt said. The building would include a decorative split-face block material on the first four feet from the ground, and transition to a steel wall that would meet with the roof, said committee member Jason Decker. AMBERLEY VILLAGE New JCC two years from becoming reality Northeast Suburban Life, 6/28/06 Construction of the $38 million "state of the art" Jewish Community Center will begin this October in Amberley Village on the property formerly owned by the Rockdale Temple. Site work and demolition have begun as phase one of the project gets under way at the Ridge Road location just off Ronald Reagan Highway. Mark Rothschild, chief executive officer of the JCC, expressed enthusiasm about what the new 136,000 square foot JCC will bring to the community when it opens in the winter of 2008. "Our new community center will provide several exciting opportunities for people of all ages and interests. Not only will there be extraordinary fitness and wellness facilities, but our new building will feature an un-paralleled theater and multi-purpose auditorium as well as rooms and spaces for educational, cultural, social and recreational programs." AMELIA DWH Investments offers new housing option for adults Community Journal Clermont, 6/28/06 For Amelia residents 40 and over, housing options are increasing with the introduction of the "Courtyards at Olive Branch," a ranch condominium development tentatively set to open in September 2006. George Husted, operations manager of DWH Investments, Ltd., the company building the complex, modeled his idea from a New Richmond housing community. "This is not just a senior community," Husted said. "The idea was to create something like the Steamboat Trails in New Richmond, housing for (senior) adults with limited budgets." Husted felt inspired to market housing to older adults who might otherwise be forced to accept sub-par apartments and condos due to financial difficulties. CLERMONT COUNTY Bond: Four schools, no sports facilities Community Journal Clermont, 6/28/06 The West Clermont Local School District will return to voters in November to ask for funding to replace four elementary schools -- Amelia, Withamsville-Tobasco, Brantner and Summerside -- but will not ask voters to pay for new athletic facilities as Glen Este and Amelia high schools. At their meeting June 20, the West Clermont school board voted to have district Treasurer Alana Cropper certify the amount of mileage necessary to replace the four schools to begin the process of getting the issue on the November ballot. The board authorized Cropper to submit the issue to the Clermont County Board of Elections at their meeting June 26. Superintendent Dr. Gary Brooks said the cost of replacing the four buildings has gone up since the district attempted to pass a bond issue last November. The board decided to place all four schools back on the ballot without the athletic facilities after a recent community survey showed a lack of support by residents for those renovations. COLD SPRING Work starting on school Campbell County Recorder, 6/29/06 Work will begin in early July on a modified version of Campbell Ridge Elementary in the Cold Spring Crossing shopping center. The Campbell County School District Board of Education and local political leaders dipped shovels in the dirt during a Monday, June 26 groundbreaking ceremony. The school district has had the foresight to build the school in anticipation of growth, said Campbell County Judge-executive Steve Pendery. The 700 student Campbell North Elementary School will be about five miles north on the AA Highway from Campbell Ridge Elementary. The school's nearest neighbor in the shopping center will be Home Depot. DEERFIELD TWP. Deerfield Twp. shapes up plan for Life Time Fitness Cincinnati Business Courier, 6/26/06 Deerfield Township is the spot for a new 128,000-square-foot Life Time Fitness Center, the first of its kind in Greater Cincinnati. Life Time, a publicly traded company with 46 facilities nationwide, would not confirm the selection of the township for its next site. But Deerfield's director of community development, Lois McKnight, said plans were approved May 16 for a facility on the southeast corner of Socialville-Foster and Wilkins roads. Life Time has announced in published reports that it will open eight new centers in 2007. Each center typically costs about $23.5 million, including land acquisition, construction and equipment. Based in Eden Prairie, Minn., the company operates one facility in Ohio, at Easton Town Center in Columbus. But among expansion plans for seven new sites in 2006 is a facility in Dublin, Ohio. ELSMERE NoWare gives gamers somewhere to interact Erlanger Recorder, 6/29/06 The newest addition to The Dixie business district is helping defy the myth that video gamers are antisocial couch potatoes. NoWare Computers and Gaming brings video game fans together in one place for social interaction, friendly competition, and a wide variety of video and computer games. The company recently moved to Elsmere from Dream Street in Florence. "What we sell mostly is the social aspect," said CEO Ralph Chaffin, 57. "The beauty of this place is once you end the game, you can discuss strategy and exchange tips." ERLANGER Dixie Highway business plans expansion Erlanger Recorder, 6/29/06 One of the few vacant lots left on Dixie Highway may not stay that way for long. City council gave its preliminary approval on June 20 of a business owner's plan to expand his company onto the site. "That property has been vacant for so long, I think we need to do something," said Councilman Paul Hahn. Darrell Sallee plans to build a 12,000 square foot, 75 foot by 160 foot building on a vacant lot in the 4200 block of Dixie Highway next to Hagedorn's Appliances. FLORENCE Holiday Inn will be new prototype Florence Recorder, 6/29/06 The new Holiday Inn planned off Freedom Way near U.S. 42 will be the new prototype only used in about five other locations in the U.S., future general manager Don Castle said. Castle said groundbreaking on the project would likely be next month and construction would take 12 to 18 months to complete. The hotel will have about 90 rooms and feature a full-service restaurant and bar as well as an indoor pool, fitness room and gift shop. Castle said the new prototype will feature a new style and appearance for the inside and outside of the hotel. He mentioned that it would be similar to the Holiday Inn in Santee, South Carolina, photos of which are available at www.holidayinn.com. GEORGETOWN, OH Georgetown wants to force annexation Georgetown News Democrat Surrounded by the usual business, Georgetown Council discussed two topics that would result in big changes for home owners in, and around, the village. Annexation was the first topic. An Ohio Supreme Court decision has drawn the attention of members of council. This decision, according to administrator Kelly Jones, gives municipalities the authority to cut off utilities (water and sewer) from those who are outside of it’s boundaries, “if those customers do not allow their property to be annexed.” The example discussed was Georgetown Station subdivision which is not in the village. Now, according to Jones, the developer who wants to do phase II cannot proceed because village ordinances do not allow village utilities to be extended to properties that are not annexed into the village. Without the annexation of phase I, phase II cannot go forward. HILLSBORO HFD modular building arrives Hillsboro Times-Gazette, 6/30/06 Six months after the Hillsboro Safety Building was evacuated for safety and health concerns, new housing for the city’s firefighters and EMS personnel arrived Thursday afternoon. Initially, the city planned to have the modular placed parallel with South High Street so that all parking spaces could be used on Gov. Trimble Place. Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Ralph Holt told The Times-Gazette Thursday that to be in accordance with fire codes the building is required to sit at least 22 feet away from the safety building. The modular is currently situated perpendicular to South High Street. Several members of the Hillsboro administration, council members and members of Hillsboro Fire and Rescue and the street department were in attendance for the delivery and installation of the building, while the Hillsboro Police Department directed traffic. INDIAN HILL Teamwork saves Indian Hill big bucks Indian Hill Journal, 6/29/06 By cooperating with the Ohio Department of Transportation, Indian Hill will save about $100,000 on a road project the village already planned to do this year. City Manager Michael Burns said the village intended to build a pier wall along Ohio 126, or Remington Road, between Loveland-Medeira Road and Montgomery Road. Councilman Eppa Rixey said the pier wall is meant to protect motorists from landslides on the road. At approximately the same time as the village's project, ODOT had planned to replace bridge culverts on the same road. George Kipp, project manager for Indian Hill, said culverts, which allow water to run underneath the road, will be replaced by a singular culvert. He said this will allow for better water flow and decrease the debris that could get caught on the center section of the culverts. If the projects were done separately, Remington Road would have been limited to one lane of traffic for an extended time. With the joint project, Remington Road will closed completely for about three months. LOVELAND City to open historical homestead Loveland Herald, 6/28/06 There are few towns that know where their settlement started, and Loveland is one of them, said resident Donna Lajcak, who is an advocate for honoring the Paxtons, a prominent family that resided in Loveland during the 1800s. One of the Loveland's historical landmarks is the White Pillars Homestead, which sits on Thomas Paxton Way off Ohio 48. The homestead sits inside the 2,000 acres that Col. Thomas Paxton, who served in American Revolution, owned in Loveland. The homestead has been open to public only twice -- once for the city's bicentennial in 1996, and once for the Loveland Historical Society's historic home tour in 2002 -- since the city purchased it from a private owner, Lajcak said. She is a member of the White Pillars Homestead committee. Recently, the city refurbished the exterior of the homestead, replacing the shutters and windows. Because of this upgrade, the committee will open the homestead from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. the Fourth of July. MARIEMONT Mayor envisions new building, history museum Eastern Hills Journal, 6/28/06 When Mariemont Fire Department employees need to respond to an emergency call, they always have a slight delay in action. Before firefighters on duty can get dressed, the single fire truck must pull out of the garage. It's not a ritual or policy of the fire department. When parked, the fire truck rests about 3 feet from one of the garage's walls, which leaves no room for the firefighters, whose attire hangs along that particular wall. The lack of space isn't limited to the fire department's garage. The building -- circa 1960s -- is compact in all aspects. MARIEMONT Next steps on West Street: Plan, implement Eastern Hills Journal, 6/28/06 Plans for changes to West Street hinge on a coming together of three partner organizations -- Mariemont village, school board and a shopping center developer. After tabling discussion at the meeting Monday, June 26, Mariemont Village Council will have the second reading of an ordinance to eliminate parking, stopping or standing on West Street at its next meeting, July 10. In light of council's decision to eliminate parking, Mariemont City School District Board of Education members decided to go forward with their portion of the proposal to change the street's traffic flow. At the June 20 school board meeting, board members agreed to more forward on final drawings of the proposed changes to their parking area and begin the process of getting a final cost estimate. MASON New playground to combine fun, safety Community Press Mason-Deerfield Twp., 6/28/06 In the coming weeks, the children of Mason will be treated to a new and improved Corwin M. Nixon Park, complete with a Spacenet and rubber flooring. Parks and Recreation Director Michael Hecker said the new playground at Nixon park will be about "four times" larger than the previous play area and will include slides, rock climbing, shaded areas and a Spacenet, which is a structure 18 feet high with cable netting children can climb. Hecker said the playground will have a rubber floor similar to the one at Pine Hill Lakes Park that will require less maintenance and will provide more safety than a mulch ground. City Manager Scot Lahrmer said the city put the new playground on its 2006 budget because the play equipment at the park was about 11 years old. MIAMI TWP. (Hamilton County) Light will shine at Bridgetown, Shady Western Hills Press, 6/28/06 Let there be light! After years of wrangling with state and county officials over the need for a traffic signal at Bridgetown Road and Shady Lane, Miami Township trustees are thrilled to be getting a traffic light at the intersection. Miami Township Trustee Joe Sykes said officials with the Hamilton County Engineer's Office told him that traffic has increased through the intersection to the point that the signal now meets state requirements and the project is under way. Jay Hamilton, traffic planning engineer for Ohio Department of Transportation District 8, said work installation should be complete by the end of August. Hamilton said ODOT did traffic counts at the intersection at the request of a resident. He said the agency also placed counters at Bridgetown Road and Dogtrot Road, and were surprised to find that traffic increases now warrant a signal at that intersection as well. MONTGOMERY Garry Brasch Custon Homes has purchased the 1956 ranch at 9735 Ross Ave for a teardown. This will be the site of a high-end home. MONTGOMERY Inman Developers project at 7990 Elbrecht Dr will cost $798,900. The MLS lists this address as "7987 Albrecht" if you want to look it up. There is no rendering. MONTGOMERY Inman is building a $869,900 home at 10369 Deerfield Rd in a small 4-lot area called Bartlett Farms Estates. Four bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 3 car garage. MONTGOMERY Cooper Road bridge set to close Northeast Suburban Life, 6/28/06 Moved from its original start date, June 7, construction on Cooper Road bridge begins July 5. Businesses nearby the bridge might be affected by the Ohio Department of Transportation's construction; particularly Pipkin's Fruit and Vegetable Market, which is less than a mile from the bridge. "We don't have any control, so we'll have to deal with it," said Bill Smith, a manager at the market. Its owner, Ben Pipkin, doesn't have any qualms either. "I understand what (ODOT) have to do," he said. "I'm glad they're keeping one lane open for the summer ... and not closing it for a long time." ODOT's goal is to increase vertical clearance (18 inches) for vehicles on Interstate 71 that pass underneath the bridge, Montgomery's public works director Bob Nikula said. NORTH BEND NORTH BEND RYAN HOMES ABOUT TO BEGIN SUBDIVISION Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/2/06 Ryan Homes is about to begin building 34 single-family attached homes in a new subdivision called Fox Hills overlooking the Aston Oaks golf course in North Bend. The 3,000-square-foot units, beginning at $240,000, are three-bedroom, 2½ bathroom homes with 9-foot ceilings and vaulted great room. "It's the first time we've built these type of townhomes on the west side,'' said Pam Schreiter, Ryan Home sales manager. Ryan has sold six units in the month since opening a sales office on site. Ryan has several developments on the east side of Cincinnati featuring the single-family attached homes, which have many of the conveniences of a condominium without the condo fees. Among them are Landings of Terrace Ridge near Milford and Ivy Hills Reserve near Newtown. RIPLEY River Walk project is a ‘go’ Georgetown News Democrat Plans to move forward with the River Walk project have finally been approved, according to Ripley’s village administrator, Charles Ashmore. “It (River Walk project) is totally approved,” said Ashmore. “The only thing we’re waiting on now is a construction schedule.” Ashmore said he received final approval from the Federal Highway Administration Tuesday morning. After receiving the approval to move forward with the $2.17 million project, Ashmore spent the rest of the day leading his team of village employees in work on Front Street. RISING SUN Wildlife sanctuary cleared for relocation Aurora Journal Press, 6/29/06 With its special exception now granted by the Ohio County Board of Zoning Appeals School, the Red Wolf Sanctuary and Raptor Rehabilitation Center near Rising Sun could be open for tours come January 2007. That is the timeline owners Paul and Jane Strasser, Dillsboro, gave to the BZA Thursday evening, June 22, before the board’s unanimous vote to give final approval for a special exception for use of 452 acres off Ind. 262 as a wildlife sanctuary. The vote followed about an hour and a half of discussion by the board and 26 people in attendance, including two of the three Ohio County commissioners, who both spoke in favor of the plan. The special exception was needed because the property is zoned A-1 agriculture and is in the flood plain, said Alonzo Bowling, zoning and building inspector. The use as a wildlife sanctuary is allowable in both, but the BZA needed to review the site plan and if decide the use is appropriate, he said previously. SOUTHGATE Apartment foes start legal fund Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/27/06 Residents here who oppose a proposed 230-unit apartment complex now have a legal fund to hire an attorney. About 80 residents filled Southgate's community center Monday to hear details at a special meeting on the complex proposed for 30 acres at U.S. 27 and Moock Road. A week earlier, about 50 residents spoke out against the complex to City Council. Some residents started soliciting donations through www.savesouthgateky.com to hire an attorney to oppose the zone change for the apartment complex. The residents are concerned the complex will lower property values, increase crime, burden utilities and create flooding problems. SPRINGDALE The city is currently accepting bids for the Springdale Community Center renovation. They will be accepting bids until July 11, and the project must be completed by October 31, 2006. So obviously this isn't a huge project. WILMINGTON Go north, city planners recommend Wilmington News Journal, 6/30/06 Steering new housing projects to tracts adjacent to Wilmington’s north end would be sound policy, a community planner says. Community development experts and land use professionals gave a status report at city hall Thursday on a comprehensive plan they are drafting for the city of Wilmington. A main goal in updating the city’s comprehensive plan is to help Wilmington officials learn what must happen to the local housing stock to attract non-residents who work here to relocate, said Brad Schwab, director of the Lebanon office of McKenna Associates. Also speaking was Brian Forschner, senior planner with McKenna Associates. He said a parks analysis suggests Wilmington needs more neighborhood parks. Schwab said he is “intrigued” by the rail line that runs near Wilmington’s east end commercial district. He said if the city were lucky enough to get the rail line extended, that would result in a confluence of the rail form of transportation, an airport and a bypass interchange leading directly to I-71. WYOMING Wyoming's aspirations for new pool take a dive Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/1/06 A judge Friday ruled in favor of the Concerned Wyoming Citizens, the activist group whose members don't want the proposed $3.4 million Wyoming Family Aquatic Center to be built at the city's recreation center because it is in Woodlawn, 200 feet outside the Wyoming city limits. Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Norbert Nadel said the pool should not be built until residents have a chance to vote on the issue in November. Any vote months from now "would be absolutely meaningless" if the city already has started the pool, Nadel said. Friday's hearing was much shorter and less dramatic than Wednesday's, which lasted five hours. This time, there were no tears from the witness stand, no talk of racial undertones and no comments about who might be behind www.concernedwyomingcitizens.com, a Web site that urges readers to make fun of the concerned citizens. "Why wait," it says, "mock now." Cincinnati Enquirer: Judge backs Wyoming pool foes (6/30/06) Cincinnati Enquirer: Wyoming pool ruling due soon (6/29/06) Cincinnati Enquirer: Wyoming says delay will swell pool costs (6/28/06) They're building such CRAAAAP!!! CARLISLE This is ass. Richbrook Homes. 8019 Timberwind Trail.
July 3, 200618 yr NORTH FAIRMOUNT 1641 Pulte St has been purchased from LaSalle Bank after being on the market for 9 months. This two-family went for a cool $11,500. The new owner has been evicted from residences and has been in court for misuse of credit cards. Now he is a homeowner? This is the kind of stability that North Fairmount needs. Did they check at the closing to see if he paid for it with a credit card advance? Hmm... Regarding the Wyoming pool, I've talked with one resident who believes the anti-pool folks are a pretty small minority of the population, which means a vote by the people ought to spell victory for the pool supporters...I guess we'll find out!
July 3, 200618 yr City restores historic streets Crews replace bricks with century-old originals BY SCOTT WARTMAN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER NEWPORT - The few remaining brick streets in Newport have started to show their 100-year-old age. Cement fillings dot the brick roads where crews cut holes over the years to reach utility lines and perform maintenance. City of Newport work crews started last week replacing old bricks in the street. The city restored the one-block brick alley, John Street, behind city hall with original bricks taken from Newport streets over the years. "That is part of the history of the city," City Manager Tom Fromme said. "The brick roadways within Newport we feel can be saved and we want to do our best to save them. We have been accumulating them over the years." MORE: http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20060703/NEWS0103/607030371
July 4, 200618 yr Author Here's the only available map I've come across so far which depicts what portion of the land is controlled by the city:
July 5, 200618 yr I also like that the guy drives to the tri-county Sam's Club because it's supposedly cheaper than the one down the road in Oakley. Ridge-Highland plans make public debut County regional planning commission will hear comments July 6 BY LIZ CAREY | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER COLUMBIA TWP. -- The long process to approving zoning changes on Ridge and Highland is headed to the county. On July 6, the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing on the Columbia Township Special Public Interest Strategies Plan for Ridge Road and Highland Avenue at its offices, 138 Court St., in Cincinnati... http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060705/NEWS01/607050439/1002/RSS01
July 6, 200618 yr that paint job must be brand new, i've never noticed it before. the pole, however, has been there for quite some time.
July 6, 200618 yr Wow, I wouldn't even have guessed it had been there before, and I have driven by it about a million times. Just shows what you can do with a little paint and inspiration.
July 8, 200618 yr Author From the 7/7/06 Cincinnati Business Courier: City planning panel says no to Riverside retail center Cincinnati Business Courier - 4:20 PM EDT Friday by Dan Monk Senior Staff Reporter The Cincinnati Planning Commission is urging city council to reject a development agreement and sale of land for a riverfront big-box retail center on Cincinnati's west side. Oakley developer Rob Smyjunas wants to build 660,000 square feet of retail space on the site along with a 60,000-square-foot office building. The 68-acre site is a former rail yard south of River Road in Riverside and Sedamsville. Smyjunas is asking the city for tax-increment financing revenue to help pay for the project, and he wants the city to sell him a 22-acre lot for $1.8 million. Read more here: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/07/03/daily45.html?from_rss=1
July 9, 200618 yr It will be interesting to see if Smyjunas can pull this off. Remember he supposedly really screwed the City when developing the Center of Cincinnati. I hope some of them remember that and treat him accordingly (if it is true, I have no first hand knowledge of the details.)
July 10, 200618 yr I really hope this fails, I see this, if built, as really, really putting a dent in any Delhi Pike revitalization, and after driving on Delhi Pike yesterday I would feel really bad if that road goes farther downhill than it already has fallen.
July 10, 200618 yr Author Update Price Hill: Kroger's plan to upgrade store at Warsaw/Enright Kroger is looking to build a new 63,000 foot store with a gas island on the site of their aging current store. Currently, Kroger has purchase agreements with the owners of several property owners in the area bounded by Warsaw, McPherson, Van Vey and Enright. These closings are being held while Kroger seeks to obtain a zoning change for the property from SF-2 Single Family District and CC-M Commercial Community-Mixed District to CC-A Commercial Community Auto-Oriented District. Only a CC-A district will allow gas pumps. On May 24, city council passed a motion supporting a zoning change study for this area. The rezoning has the blessing of the East Price Hill Improvement Association and of Price Hill Will. The city planning commission heard this on July 7 and was expected to vote in favor of the rezoning. I do not know the outcome, but I'm 99% sure it passed. The city is currently working with Kroger on development assistance (funds). Kroger hopes to begin construction this year and complete the work in 2007. Top story Corryville: Three-unit condo coming near Stetson Square The vacant land along Rochelle St, between Eden Ave and Vaughn St, is going to be the site of a new three-unit condo. Building permits have been applied for but not yet issued. A subdivision plat has yet to be filed. Details are sketchy, but the development will have bay windows and cantilevered sections, and apparently the garages will be under the living units (creating two or three stories). No renderings are available. Here is the site as of June 9. The first pic is taken looking east on Rochelle with Stetson Square to my left. The second one is from Vaughn St, looking northeast at the Port-o-Lets on Rochelle St. Also of note From the 7/6/06 Indian Hill Journal: PHOTO: An artist's rendering of the pool at the new Jewish Community Center. PHOTO: The auditorium of the new Jewish Community Center will seat 800 people. PHOTO: One of the classrooms at the new Jewish Community Center. PHOTO: The new Jewish Community Center will include a fitness area. New Jewish Center two years from becoming reality BY PAULA MAXWELL | COMMUNITY PRESS CONTRIBUTOR Construction of the $38 million "state of the art" Jewish Community Center will begin this October in Amberley Village on the property formerly owned by the Rockdale Temple. Site work and demolition have begun as phase one of the project gets under way at the Ridge Road location just off Ronald Reagan Highway. Mark Rothschild, chief executive officer of the JCC, expressed enthusiasm about what the new 136,000 square foot JCC will bring to the community when it opens in the winter of 2008. JCC project director Art Paikowsky said that some $33.7 million toward the goal has already been raised through private donations and other gifts and endowments. A capital campaign enlisting the support of the public for the remaining project funding will be launched within the next few weeks. MORE: http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060706/NEWS01/607060351/1002/RSS01 Cool. From the Campbell Community Recorder, 7/6/06: PHOTO: The Marianne Theater on Fairfield Avenue was lit up for the first time in years on Wednesday, June 21. PHOTO SUBMITTED Marianne up in lights again BY KATIE WEITKAMP | COMMUNITY RECORDER STAFF WRITER BELLEVUE -- The Marianne Theater is now showing. On Wednesday, June 21 the Fairfield Avenue theater, which is under renovation, relit its marquee to make sure the electric and lights work properly. "I thought we were going to cause an accident," said Downtown Coordinator/Historic Preservation Officer Jody Robinson. "It was just wonderful." The theater has been owned by Jack Eck, a Newport resident, for about ten years. It was briefly open in that time and showed second-run movies, Robinson said. It has not been open for business for years. MORE: http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060706/NEWS01/607060451/1002/RSS01 Round-up: Cincinnati and inner burbs Includes the city of Cincinnati's neighborhoods, Bellevue, Covington, Dayton, Elmwood Place, Newport, Norwood and St. Bernard CLIFTON The long vacant home at 718 Martin Luther King (auditor 718 Dixmyth) has been purchased by a Ft. Thomas investor. The home has been vacant for a very long time. Hopefully the new owner will get this house cleaned up and occupied. COLLEGE HILL Work on 1449 Aster Pl is complete and the home is now on the market. A fire severely damaged this home last September. CORRYVILLE ML King Drive to gain lanes, become construction site Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/8/06 The city of Cincinnati will begin widening Martin Luther King Jr. Drive on Monday from five lanes to seven - a project that will close the curb lanes between Vine Street and Woodside Drive in Corryville. "We are endeavoring to have very minor disruptions," said Steve Niemeier, acting city traffic engineer. The project - slated to be done by Sept. 1, 2007 - will add one lane in each direction. The street currently has two through lanes in each direction plus a turn lane, which will be maintained. The sight distance at the intersection of King Drive, Vine Street and Jefferson will be improved. Traffic signals, sidewalks and lighting will also be replaced at a total cost of $4.7 million. Construction will likely be suspended when the University of Cincinnati resumes classes in the fall. EVANSTON 3642 Brooks Ave is being rehabbed for resale. This old frame house is approximately 126 years old. HYDE PARK 3561 Larkspur Ave is currently being rehabbed. Hyde Park address, Evanston house. HYDE PARK 3649 Marburg Ave has been rehabbed. I'm not a huge fan of the "all-siding" thing, but it does look somewhat better. MT. AUBURN HOLY sh!t!!! Before: Two-family, condemned in 2002. After: Single-family, on the market for $249,900. NORTHSIDE The rehab at 4133 Apple St looks a lot like the one at 4125 Apple I posted a week or two ago. They should look similar--they were done by the same people at the same time. This home has been vacant since at least early 2005. PLEASANT RIDGE The owner of 5745 Doerger Ln is changing the house from a two-family to a single-family. ROSELAWN Larger Summit hospital opening Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/8/06 Gov. Bob Taft and the state's top mental health executive on Friday opened the new $43 million Summit Behavioral Healthcare hospital. The 314,000-square-foot hospital will offer patients a modernized operation under a single roof, giving them more therapy and treatment services as well as easier access to activities for recovery. The National Alliance on Mental Illness in March scored Ohio as highest nationally for the quality of mental health care provided to its citizens, Taft said. "Now, Ohio will further distinguish itself by becoming home to the newest and finest psychiatric hospital in the country," he said. The state hospital will continue to serve 250 patients daily and admit more than 500 patients annually, said Laura Wentz, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Mental Health. WESTWOOD Mercy constructing new technology facility Western Hills Press, 7/5/06 Mother of Mercy High School is building on its past as it looks to the future. The school, founded in 1915 by the Sisters of Mercy, recently announced plans for major renovations and the construction of a new technology facility. On Aug. 3, the school breaks ground on a 9,000-square-feet addition dedicated to technology education. The new building will include a library and media learning center and multi-media space for television and other computerized graphic and digital disciplines. "The trustees, the faculty and staff came to the same conclusion last year, which was that while we currently exhibit a strong degree of academic excellence, we need to renew our existing facilities and consider new construction," said Sister Nancy Merkle, Mercy's principal. In addition to the new technology center, the school is adding more on-site parking and renovating the original 1918 classroom building. COVINGTON 322 W 19th St has been rehabbed. (after only) COVINGTON Museum gets $500,000 boost Kentucky Post, 7/4/06 Expansion of the Behringer-Crawford Museum in Covington has gotten another major boost - $500,000 in federal transportation enhancement funding. "If I sound excited, it's because we're real happy about this," Gary Johnston, president of the museum's board of directors. The grant was one of seven in Northern Kentucky - totaling near $2 million - announced by Gov. Ernie Fletcher's office. They were among 44 grants statewide totaling $11.9 million The funding comes from the federal government's Transportation Enhancement program, administered by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. COVINGTON Inner-city Oasis Cincinnati Post, 7/6/06 Bennie Doggett sat in the window of the new Oasis Outreach Center in Covington's Eastside neighborhood and watched teens hanging out on the corner where drug deals have gone down, where people have been shot and beaten up. "We're right in the midst of everything," she said during a break from moving office furniture into the three-year-old agency's first real home at the corner of Greenup and Robbins streets. "Shootings have occurred here in the past," Doggett said. "But we're claiming this corner now. We're serious. Those kids out there, they don't have a clue that we're going to be ministering to them. We're going to be in their business." Doggett speaks with a mischievous grin. There's a good chance those kids do have a clue that "Miss Bennie" will be on their cases. She headed the outreach and social service work at the now-closed Northern Kentucky Community Center in the Eastside for more than 18 years, and for the past few years she's been a neighborhood outreach worker for the Eastside working through the Community Action Commission. COVINGTON Health center Open House scheduled Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/8/06 One of the Northern Kentucky Health Department's busiest health centers will hold an open house 1-4 p.m. Sunday at its new location. The James A. Dressman Kenton County Health Center at 2002 Madison Ave., Covington, opened June 5. At 11,700 square feet, it's twice the size of the old center on Scott Boulevard and has off-street parking. Health officials say the center also has a larger waiting room, a more private area for patient check-in and larger examination rooms. The new location also has space for meetings and classroom instruction. It will offer better access to services such as childhood immunizations, WIC vouchers and women's cancer screenings, they said. The health board purchased the two-story medical offices building for $1.15 million a year ago and remodeled it to fit its needs. COVINGTON Old school gets new life Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/8/06 Sometime soon, the pigeons will be evicted from the 105-year-old Fifth District School building and, by next summer, senior citizens should be moving into 26 subsidized apartments. Padgee Rich, 72, who lives nearby on Woodburn Avenue, is pleased the birds will leave and her old school again will be used. "My mother went to this school, I went to this school, and my daughter went to this school," said Rich, a student in the 1930s. "So I've been through a lot of these rooms." Dozens of neighbors, developers and public officials attended a ceremonial nail-driving event to mark start of a $4 million rehab that has taken years to reach this point. It will be called Academy Flats Senior Housing. It will keep a schoolroom flavor inside and out, with apartments keeping the original slate chalkboards and high tin-stamped ceilings. NEWPORT 631 E 3rd St has been fully rehabbed. NEWPORT Builder sees future in condos Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/5/06 Perry Bush has found Newport a great market for upscale housing. The Mason-based developer built seven condos in 2001 from $360,000 to $450,000 and built one mansion in the Wiedemann Hill neighborhood. Bush now prepares to break ground on four more condos south of 15th Street and west of Monmouth. The condos, valued from $450,000 to $500,000, will be near the seven built in 2001 in the Grandview condo development, which has 17 units. The 4,000-square-foot condos will have views of downtown, Bush said. NEWPORT Thriftway site remains idle Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/5/06 The 4.7-acre lot on Sixth Street between Columbia and York streets hasn't changed much on the outside since Thriftway left two years ago. The 48,000-square-foot building stands silently in the heart of Newport's business district bearing the faded marks left by the grocer's sign. Many in Newport wonder about the future of this centrally located piece of real estate. The owners remain silent about their plans. But residents in Newport have speculated about what could go there. Round-up: Outer burbs and metro ANDERSON TWP. 780 Sutton Rd has been renovated and the lot's been cleaned up. ANDERSON TWP. Beechmont corridor upgrade includes, plants, curbs, paving Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/2/06 It's not exactly the greening of Beechmont Avenue, but it's a start. Anderson Township has built 16 landscaped curb islands along Beechmont Avenue to inject a little color into the expanses of asphalt that characterize this busy state highway corridor. The township road crew, some administrative staff and volunteers recently planted shrubs, day lilies and other flowers in these islands between the street and the parking lots. As part of this $110,000 project, the township replaced a quarter-mile of curbs on Beechmont, primarily between Salem Avenue and Nagel Road. The Ohio Department of Transportation soon will begin replacing a comparable amount of curbs on Beechmont. After the curb replacement, the state will resurface Beechmont Avenue (Ohio 125) from Cincinnati's eastern corporation line to just west of Interstate 275 in Clermont County's Union Township. BROWN COUNTY Eastern reviews new school designs Georgetown News Democrat The Eastern Local School District was given a “sneak peek” of what two proposed district buildings may look like Tuesday, June 27. Several school officials and community members came out to the high school library to review schematic designs and illustrations presented by Steed, Hammond and Paul Associates concerning planned construction projects that include a new high school and a new elementary in Sardinia. Steed, Hammond and Paul architect Kevin Kruez and his design team discussed various options for the design of the new structures and their appearance, and the designers answered numerous questions from the audience. “There are four things we feel are really important that we address as we design these buildings,” said Kruez as the presentation began. Kruez said that the buildings must be functional, attractive, have a reasonable initial cost and also maintain a reasonable “life cycle,” or maintenance cost. COLD SPRING Former Kmart site bought Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/7/06 After sitting vacant for three years, the former Kmart in Cold Spring will become the largest Furniture Fair location to date, company officials said. Fairfield-based Furniture Fair bought the 9.83-acre property at 3710 Alexandria Pike at the end of May for $4.3 million from the Teachers Retirement System of Kentucky. The company will refurbish the 95,000-square-foot building and likely open in the first half of 2007, said Rick Daniels, chief executive officer of Furniture Fair. Furniture Fair considered a Cold Spring location five years ago but didn't see enough of a market. From 2000 to 2005, Cold Spring's population grew by 34.7 percent to 5,255. The growing number of homes convinced the company to buy the Kmart location, Daniels said. COLUMBIA TWP. Ackerman is seeking to build a landominium development on 13.4 acres off of Wooster Pike (between Newtown Rd and Willow Run Lane). The 52 townhouse-style units will be built in 13 buildings of four units each. This property is the former home of the Friarhurst Retreat House, where friars held weekly retreats for over 60 years. These ended in 2005. The chapel, retreat house, original home and other small structures will be demolished. The project will be called the Friarhurst Landominiums, even though the reason for their name no longer will exist. CRESTVIEW HILLS City building move-in set for two weeks ahead of schedule Community Recorder, 7/6/06 By this time next month, the new $2.5 million Crestview Hills city building will be occupied by city staff instead of construction workers. "It seems like it's coming along pretty well," said Mayor Paul Meier. Endeavor Construction is set to hand the keys over to the city on July 17, about two weeks ahead of schedule. The city is planning a July 20 move-in date for its three full-time and one part-time staffers, as well as its elected officials. The following week, Endeavor will begin demolition on the current city building next door, which was built during the 1970's. DEERFIELD TWP. $79,000 in signs to identify Deerfield Community Press Mason-Deerfield Twp., 7/5/06 Within three months, Deerfield Township expects to have three new entryway signs and 20 smaller signs installed. The cost of the "identity" signs -- some $79,000. Trustee Lee Speidel said that may seem like a lot of money for signs, but for a community of Deerfield Township's size it's not. "We take care of close to 100 miles of road and have a yearly budget running upwards of $12 million," said Speidel. "Deerfield's getting to be a big place, the biggest community in Warren County." DELHI TWP. Trustees pass on soccer fields Delhi Press, 7/5/06 Trustees have opted not to renew the $1-a-year contract they had on property at Cleves Warsaw Road and Hillside Avenue. The lease and option to buy the land expired in June. Township Administrator Gary Schroeder said the property owner, Ferd Niehaus of Green Township, is anxious to sell the land. Originally, trustees were looking at the site for possible soccer field development. Schroeder said the site, at the southeast corner of the intersection, is not big enough to accommodate more than one large and one smaller soccer field. EDGEWOOD Dixie undergoes makeover Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/3/06 Dixie Heights High School is an island in the midst of torn-up land. The front and back of the property, along Dixie Highway south of Crestview Hills Town Center, are little more than piled-up dirt at the moment. Workers are busy laying the groundwork for a long-awaited athletic facility that will finally allow all the school's sports teams to play and practice on campus. "It is an enormous inconvenience that will lead to a wonderful facility," Principal Kim Banta said. She asked for the public's patience this summer, as the school periodically loses phone and electric service as a result of the construction. When complete, Dixie Heights will have a new, multipurpose stadium with features that don't exist now: Visitors' bleachers, a running track, artificial turf and a field wide enough for soccer as well as football. Previously, Dixie's soccer and track teams had to practice and compete elsewhere. ERLANGER 209 Clay St has been rehabbed. (after only) ERLANGER Pleasure Isle residents looking to raise money Erlanger Recorder, 7/6/06 Residents of Pleasure Isle Drive, the site of a proposed Transitions, Inc. drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, are holding a fundraiser to help cover their legal fees. The residents filed an appeal in the Kenton County Circuit Court on May 23 opposing the decision of the Erlanger Board of Adjustments to allow the center to be built. The residents argued that the 100-bed men's center is not a medical facility, and therefore shouldn't be allowed as a permitted use on the land. "I just feel this whole thing has been a flawed process," said Sandra Tattershall, who has lived on Pleasure Isle for nearly 25 years. "I just feel that the people at Transitions shouldn't have to sell their idea like they have been. They've had to be salesmen for this idea, and I don't feel that it's right. I'm just very upset at the 'top-down' nature of this, because we weren't really in the know about anything until is was almost too late." Tattershall said the residents have organized a concert at nearby Pioneer Park on July 16 to help raise money to cover the legal fees. The concert will feature the local classic rock band, Revolver, as well as food and refreshments. There will also be a bake sale, raffle and games available for guests. The fundraiser is scheduled to run from 2:00 p.m. until around 6:00 p.m., with the proceeds going towards the residents' legal fund. FAIRFAX The Emery Park COndominiums are complete and on the market. Built by John Hueber Homes, these attached condos are on Arrow Point Way just off of Wooster Pike. Units are going for $234,900-$259,900. FAYETTE COUNTY Lions Den to double size? Washington Court House Record Herald The Lions Den adult book store wants to double in size and move into a new facility that would be built across the street. But to do so, a permit is required for land in the area of U.S. Route 35 and Interstate 71. The Fayette County Zoning Board of Appeals will meet at 6 p.m. Monday in the Court of Common Pleas to discuss the issue. People will be able to offer their opinions to the board at this time, said Harold Skaggs, Fayette County zoning inspector. Fayette County Commissioner Bob Peterson said they are expecting a crowd, based on the questions they have been receiving. The commissioners are not in favor of expanding the business, since many developers have cited the Lions Den as a reason they chose not to build in Fayette County. “We’ve had developer after developer say it’s a great site, but with the Lions Den there, they won’t come...They’ve (the Lions Den) held that whole side of the interchange ransom,” Peterson said. The Lions Den wants to expand to 3,200 square feet and build a new facility across West Lancaster Road in what is now a vacant parking lot, Skaggs said. FLORENCE New park could soon get shelter house Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/7/06 Florence's newest park could soon get a shelter house. The city has applied for a state grant to build the shelter at Stringtown Park on Burlington Pike. The 8-acre park between Kathryn and Wallace avenues opened two years ago and is heavily used. Last week, City Council voted to apply for the $37,500 Land and Water Conservation grant which is awarded by the Governor's Office for Local Development. The city would have to match $37,500 to complete the $75,000 project. The shelter would have a steel frame, brick columns and electrical outlets. FT. THOMAS Long sidewalk to be fixed Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/5/06 A state grant will allow Fort Thomas to pave 5,300 feet of sidewalk along Memorial Parkway and give pedestrian access to and from Bellevue. The city received $200,000 from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in a safe-walking grant to pave a sidewalk and put in retaining walls on the north side of Memorial Parkway between Clover Ridge and Taylor Avenue. The sidewalk will connect with existing sidewalks on both ends. That means people can walk all the way to the riverfront in Bellevue from Fort Thomas, said Assistant City Administrator Jay Treft. It also connects houses around Clover Ridge with the center of town and Highlands High School, Treft said. GLENDALE Princeton shuffling schools Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/4/06 Byron Dickensheets carries around an accordion-like spreadsheet that makes it all look neat and simple. But there's nothing simple about packing and moving the contents of seven schools over the summer, said Dickensheets, the Princeton City Schools assistant project manager. More than 325 classrooms of desks, chairs, textbooks, teaching materials and extras, such as reading benches and teddy bears, need to be packed, stored and put in new buildings, he said. Princeton is preparing to open five new elementary schools in August. The district is building two more and renovating another to open in a year or two. GEORGETOWN, KY Toyota's Georgetown center earns Green Building honor Cincinnati Business Courier, 7/7/06 Toyota's North American Support Center, a regional training facility in Georgetown, Ky., won Silver Level Certification from the U.S Green Building Council and Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design green building rating system July 6. The expansion and refurbishment of the center's 98,000-square-foot facility met the council's required guidelines to ensure that the building followed the environmental needs for site development, material selection, water saving, energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality. "This center serves as a working model of environmental innovation. It's important that our operations reflect the company's values on being environmentally sensitive," Carol Caton, assistant general manager, said in a news release. Some of the keys to earning a silver certificate include: * A building powered by clean wind-generated electricity, * 25 percent of total building material content manufactured from recycled materials. Toyota teamed up with Lexington, Ky.-based Gray Construction to meet the LEED Certification Guidelines. GEORGETOWN, OH So what's next for Brown County General Hospital? Georgetown News Democrat The Brown County Regional HealthCARE Board of Trustees and administrative staff continue to research different options to fund the expansion project in Mt. Orab and the replacement or rehabilitation of Brown County General Hospital, in Georgetown. In April, BCRHC officials were permitted by the Brown County Commissioners to negotiate with a development company, backed by a group of investors, that would construct a new urgent care facility on a portion of the vacant land BCRHC owns in Mt. Orab, near state Route 32. Initial plans were the development company would assume the cost of constructing the facility and lease the new facility back to BCRHC over a period of approximately five to 10 years. However, the BCRHC Board of Trustees and administrative staff made it clear, during the June 28 meeting, they have not ruled out the possibility of financing the project on their own, rather than selling the property in Mt. Orab and entering a lease-to-own agreement. GRANT'S LICK U.S. 27 realignment snagged homeowner Campbell County Recorder, 7/6/06 It's been almost six years since Elmer Roseberry, 76, lost the house he built for his retirement to the U.S. 27 widening project. The house, built in 1990, has long-since been torn down, but a realignment of the planned widening to the west of Roseberry's former property will mean almost all of his former two acres will not be touched by concrete. "I guess they overlooked something," said Roseberry, who now lives on five acres in northern Pendleton County. The transportation cabinet hit a snag in its plans around a mobile home park near Roseberry's former home, which was located at 5856 U.S. 27. "The reason the realignment was changed some was that we ran into some engineering problems that necessitated a relocation due to septic and environmental issues at the mobile park homes," said Nancy Wood, a spokeswoman for District Six of the cabinet's department of highways. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is about halfway through its work on Phase I of the widening of U.S. 27 to four lanes over several miles south of Alexandria, which the cabinet is spending almost $25.7 million on. HAMILTON Churches come together on new homes Hamilton JournalNews, 7/2/06 It’s not your ordinary real estate transaction. Definitely not like any experienced by most homeowners. But the bottom line is this: Everybody’s happy. Maybe that’s because it all started with prayer. The Gordon Avenue United Baptist Church is crowded. There’s no elbow room in the former pool hall converted into a church in 1961. Last year, when church members noticed Calvary Missionary Baptist Church — just three miles down the road in Overpeck — was for sale, they decided to pray about it. “I didn’t even know it was for sale,” said Mike Gentry, Gordon Avenue pastor. “People were going to the (Calvary) parking lot praying.” Then Gentry met with Mike Carmody, Calvary pastor. The two congregations decided upon a plan. Gordon Avenue would purchase the 7,000-square-foot Overpeck church. Calvary would build a new facility for its growing congregation. Once that decision was made, normal sale protocol was cast aside. Gordon Avenue was invited to start using the premises even before money exchanged hands. HILLSBORO Lowe’s set for Hillsboro store grand opening Hillsboro Times-Gazette, 7/6/06 Lowe’s of Hillsboro will open the doors to the public at its newest location near the state Route 73, Careytown Road and Harry Sauner Road intersection on July 14, with grand opening festivities July 19. Karen Cobb, a public information officer for Lowe's, said the store is in the midst of its largest expansion in the company's 60-year history. In 2006, Lowe's will open 155 stores, including the Hillsboro location. Next year the store plans on opening its first stores in Canada. Cobb said with that type of expansion, Lowe's is opening a new store every three days, and scouts hundreds of locations each year in search of new sites. "We do extensive research before we consider a site in any community," Cobb said. "We literally take hundreds of factors into consideration." MADEIRA Madeira's challenge Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/25/06 Could Madeira become the downtown for next-door-neighbor Indian Hill? That's one possibility Madeira officials are weighing as they work to expand their own active - but disjointed and worn - downtown business district. Homeowners in affluent and purely residential Indian Hill often drive through Madeira to shop, and Madeira officials want them to stop and stay awhile. Madeira has always been a mainly residential suburb, with a core of specialty businesses off Miami Avenue. That main thoroughfare is home to boutiques, groceries, cafés and a few restaurants. But as this city shrinks in population - from 9,341 in 1980 to 8,330 in 2005, according to the most recent Census estimates in 2005 - officials must find ways to keep it from deteriorating. MIDDLETOWN City to launch $39K canal study Middletown Journal, 7/2/06 Wilbraham Road resident Gary Barge showed up at a City Council meeting and demanded action on a 2.5-mile, 13-year-old problem. Six weeks later, Barge said he was pleased to know the city has heeded his call for creating a plan to deal with the stagnant water issues of the historic hydraulic canal, which snakes through portions of the city’s west side, including the back yards of “The Canal People.” “I’m glad they’re getting the ball rolling, at least,” said Barge, one of “The Canal People” who spearheaded a petition drive to address the waterway. “At this point, anything is better than nothing.” At its regular meeting Wednesday, the council is expected to choose a firm that will spend the next eight to 10 weeks studying the hydraulic canal. Cambridge, Mass.,-based Camp, Dresser & McKee — the cheapest of the council’s two choices — will charge about $39,000 to conduct the study, which will eventually determine a plan of action. OXFORD Dozens barking for a dog park Hamilton JournalNews, 7/7/06 Charlene York sometimes drives an hour to take her 3-year-old Maltese named Putzi to a place where he can roam freely. “I think what’s nice is giving (Putzi) time to be off his leash and socialize with other dogs,” she said. “A dog park gives him more of an opportunity to socialize. I think people would like to have that opportunity.” With York, more than 100 people voiced their support for a dog park in the form of a petition to Oxford City Council last month. Organized under the name Friends of the Oxford Dog Park, the grass roots group is pushing for the creation of a four-acre dog park. The proposal would create a place where dogs could freely play in Oxford. Currently city law requires canines to be on leashes in public. York is hoping the city will designate a specific area for a dog park. If the group received the green light from the city, York said they would attempt to raise between $18,000 and $20,000 needed to construct the park. The fund-raising would include finding corporate sponsors as well as soliciting individual dog owners through dog washes and raffles, among other things. SPRINGFIELD TWP. (Pleasant Run Farms) Neighborhood slated for road work Hilltop Press, 7/5/06 A $600,000 road project in the Pleasant Run Farms neighborhood should be starting soon. Five streets were picked for the resurfacing project based on the township's pavement management program which rates street conditions. Streets on the list for work are * Belgreen Lane, * Blackhawk Circle, * Briarfield Court and * Broadhurst Drive, * along with the section of Elkwood Drive from Kemper Road to Deerhorn Drive. John Musselman, township service director said, work was scheduled to start this week. Completion is targeted for early October. SYCAMORE TWP. Parking plan fuels gridlock Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/7/06 Dozens of red and white "No Parking" signs popped up over the holiday weekend in yards along residential Snider Road through Sycamore and Symmes townships. But officials didn't put them up to ward off illegal parkers. Instead, homeowners planted them in opposition to Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy's plan to more than double its parking capacity with an off-campus parking lot at the intersection of Snider and Kemper roads. The signs alerted residents to a meeting later this month at which Sycamore Township officials could decide whether to let the project proceed. Melinda Griffith has signs in her yard, across the street from the academy's middle school. She worries the planned 304-space parking lot will increase traffic. TAYLOR MILL Cemetery to add funeral home Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/6/06 Floral Hills Memorial Gardens Cemetery will expand to include a funeral home on the grounds, the cemetery's owners said. "This is where the future of the business is," said Gary Brown, who will manage the daily operations. "It will serve as a one-stop shop for the community's needs." The project, which includes a $1 million expansion and refurbishing of the offices on site, should be started in two weeks, Brown said. "We are ready to move as soon as we get our permits," he said. "We're waiting on one more from the city and we'll be ready to begin." The cemetery and funeral home combination will be the only one of its kind offered in 17 Northern Kentucky counties, Brown said. TERRACE PARK Village breaks ground for emergency services building Eastern Hills Journal, 7/5/06 Officials, volunteers and citizens, many of whom are also volunteers themselves, were present last week to view the groundbreaking of the Terrace Park Emergency Services Building. The 7,800-square-foot facility, which was financed by a $2.1 million bond issue passed in 2004, will house the all-volunteer Terrace Park Fire Department, the last of its kind in Hamilton County. The village's emergency medical services unit will also work out of the building. Because of the nature of Terrace Park's emergency services, volunteerism was a central theme to the ceremony. WALTON City buying Gaines house Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/4/06 The city of Walton was awarded $300,000 in state money Friday to help buy the local Abner Gaines house, a Federal-style brick house built in 1814. Mayor Phil Trzop says the city will turn the house into a museum. "I just think it's so wonderful," Trzop said Monday. "We're going to make this Walton's version of 'My Old Kentucky Home.'" Trzop, who had been waiting to hear from the state since March, said the city would have bought the house whether or not the state funding had come through. But now, the town only will have to add $75,000 to purchase the house. "That's going to help a lot," he said. "We'd already bought the furniture for about $16,000. Now we have a place to put it all." WILDER Location leads to business boom in Wilder Campbell County Recorder, 7/6/06 Business in Wilder is booming, thanks to the city's location and improved roads. A new retail complex has brought in AA Liquor and Tobacco, Meade Chiropractic and Body Armor Fitness, set to open in the middle of July. A Subway restaurant that was once by the Shell Gas Station also moved to the new center, making way for a new business, AA Pizza. City Administrator Terry Vance said the city has approved plans for a McDonald's by the Waffle House on the AA Highway as well. "There are other businesses that you may not see as much," Vance said. "Andrews Laser Works moved to Wilder from Covington. It's behind the city building on a new road." He said the increase in businesses in Wilder has a lot to do with improvements to roads, space and the city's location. WILMINGTON City envisions R&D site Wilmington News Journal, 7/8/06 The city of Wilmington will apply for grant funds from the new Ohio Job Ready Sites Program. The city proposes to use the state dollars, if awarded, to improve a land tract off U.S. 68 South to make it a suitable site to build “a technology center and research laboratories business park.” The proposed site includes about 58 acres, and is on the same side of U.S. 68 as the Ahresty plant, near a city water tower. The spot would have access to water, sewer and rail, and would be near the DHL Air Park. If the city were to receive grant funds in the competitive program, the dollars would assist in the land purchase, the building of a road from U.S. 68 South to Cuba Road, and in running utilities along the new roadway, said Wilmington Director of Public Service Larry Reinsmith. In November 2005, Ohio voters approved a $2 billion public works and economic development bond package that included $150 million in bond proceeds to implement an Ohio Job Ready Sites Program. According to the state of Ohio Web site, the program is designed to spur the infrastructure improvement of large parcels of land and/or buildings that will be marketed to attract state economy-shifting development projects. In other words, the purpose of the program is to enable Ohio to build an inventory of sites to attract companies that offer good-paying jobs in the field of technology. Legislation approved Thursday by Wilmington City Council says the city proposes improvements to the land tract to make it qualify as an R&D site — a place for research and development. WYOMING Improvements continue at Foster Memorial (Grove) Park. In 2006, as part of a three year improvement plan at Foster Memorial, the City is installing a shelter and picnic tables, and replacing the entire fencing along the north and west side of the park. In 2005, the City installed a $40,000 playground, the equipment of which was paid for with grant funds, and it was installed by Public Works Crews. The final installment planned for 2007 includes the replacement of the fencing on the east and south sides of the fields, the replacement of both baseball backstops, and upgrading the water fountains in the park. Improved entryway signage is also planned. Foster Memorial Park is bookended by Durrell Avenue on the South, Waverly Avenue to the North, and Grove Avenue to the West. The organized recreational activities at Foster Memorial Park is primarily baseball, softball, and soccer. However the playground and picnic shelter provide an attractive and quiet locale for families to passively recreate. The shelter, which is currently under construction by Public Works crews, is expected to be completed next week. The fencing will be completed later this summer. WYOMING Wyoming asks that pool foes put up Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/8/06 The latest step in the battle over whether the city can start building a new pool: Wyoming wants the group trying to block construction to put up as much as $306,000 to cover potential cost increases caused by the delay while opponents try to get the issue on the ballot. City attorneys asked for the increased bond Friday in papers filed with the Ohio 1st District Court of Appeals, the second court to get involved in the fight over the proposed $3.4 million Family Aquatic Center. No hearing was set, but the city attorneys asked for the matter to be heard quickly. City officials still want to start construction so that the pool can open by Memorial Day 2007, a goal they say is less possible every day the court case continues. Bidders' monetary amounts expire July 29, so the city says costs will go up after that. If the city succeeds in making the Wyoming Concerned Citizens post a higher bond, that could end the group's legal opposition, said Steve Goodin, one of its attorneys. He said he will argue before the court that such a high bond effectively prices this group - and others like it - out of such processes. Tri-County Press: Judge: Don't jump yet, Wyoming (7/5/06) Tri-County Press: Residents rally around pool project (7/5/06) They're building such CRAAAAP!!! LOVELAND Monster gable over garage dwarfs rest of house. 106 Highcliff Ct. MASON The mix of materials and architectural styles on this one is unsettling. $274,900. 4355 Placepointe Dr.
July 12, 200618 yr I don't know if Grasscat has covered this one and I just missed it in his earlier posts, but: 2907 Glendora Ave (behind the Short Vine Dominos) is being rehabed and has a sign on the side saying "Affordable Loft Style Condos." Can't quite remember what Realtor is doing the listing but next time I go by I'll check
July 12, 200618 yr Author ^ So...how did the meeting go? BTW...here's the link to the study for whoever is interested (PDF, 8 MB): http://www.hamiltoncountyohio.gov/hcrpc/review/Ridge%20Highland%20SPI%20DRAFT%20061406.pdf
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