July 12, 200618 yr New homes coming soon Will be for low-income families BY SCOTT WARTMAN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER NEWPORT - New homes that will be sold to people with low incomes soon will be built on vacant lots throughout Newport. Newport's Housing Authority and Brighton Properties will start construction in October on the first of 54 homes that will be financed with $28 million the authority received in 2000. The authority is in the process of buying the final property for the project from the city, a vacant lot at 729 Central Ave. where a condemned house once stood. The homes will be sold to people who fall below 80 percent of the average median income. They will have $10,000 to $35,000 of the mortgage forgiven if they stay in the home longer than five years. MORE: http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20060712/NEWS0103/607120391
July 12, 200618 yr Everything went fine. Some of the guys in my office gave the presentation. The SPI plan basically is trying to allow this area to grow a little more effectively. Tarbell is on the Planning Commission and he asked questions like “are there any possibilities for mixed-use in the area?”. I was supprised to hear that the possibility has been thought about by developers and there is a possibility that a mixed-use office/retail establishment could be in the near future. The Commission also asked if any plans have been submitted in the area. It sounds like something is going in at the old Franks, and apparently 3 more properties including the old K-mart are very close to being redeveloped. They want to make sure that the policies are on the books before those developments go through. Most of the policies deal with unifying the building setbacks, increasing the billboard spacing, signage height and area requirements, streetscape requirements, parking standards and pedestrian circulation. The pedestrian circulation one kind of made me think. They have already put sidewalks along the road. They are making all new developments have pedestrian walkways from their main entrance to the public sidewalk. This seems like a good idea, but, will people really use them. These are still mostly big box stores and most people still drive to get there. Oh h well I guess it is better to have them and only a few people use them. They also gave recommendations to the township that included: streetscape design elements, BRANDING elements (already being developed), underground utility possibilities, and the possibility of adding an access road that would relieve some of the traffic at the ridge/highland intersection. Overall I think that the SPI strategy will have a moderate effect on the area and it looks like it has the support of the trustees and the Planning commission…Good luck to them…So what do you guys think??....DOES THIS STUFF WORK?????
July 12, 200618 yr They have already put sidewalks along the road. They are making all new developments have pedestrian walkways from their main entrance to the public sidewalk. This seems like a good idea, but, will people really use them. These are still mostly big box stores and most people still drive to get there. Oh h well I guess it is better to have them and only a few people use them. There are plenty of pedestrians around the Ridge and Highland area, most are bus riders walking to and from the stores; hence, all the dirt paths worn by all the foot traffic.
July 12, 200618 yr The area is still very auto dependant. There's not much housing stock in Columbia Township so you dont get the type of foot traffic from people walking from their house to a local store. If people are walking on those streets, 90 percent of the time it's probably because they got off of a bus. I don't consider sidewalks around Ridge and Highland to be some great breakthrough achievement..the best thing they can do is improve the businesses around there in my opinion... What good is sidewalks and branding if you don't have much driving it economically? With the center of cincinnati being built it would probably be hard for that area to compete. It does have a great advantage though in the ungodly amount of traffic it gets stemming from the ridge road exit on 71.
July 13, 200618 yr From the Journal-News: Fairfield stadium project seeks donors School board cannot put money toward the project, so about $3M must be raised privately. By Andrea Yorke FAIRFIELD — One man’s journey to get a new home for the Indians has no money yet, but plenty of passion. Nick Dadabo of Fairfield wants a new stadium built to serve Fairfield High School’s athletic and music programs. Dadabo said the project would cost an estimated $3 million. The money needs to be raised privately because the school board has indicated it cannot put money toward the project. He would like to set up a fund so anyone making donations can use it as a tax deduction. “It’s going to be a great investment, and they’ll get a tax write off on this investment,” he said. “I’ve talked to hundreds of people who say ‘let me know when you are going to have a meeting.’” Dadabo said he is in the process of organizing the community to come together to see potential plans for the stadium. He hopes the meeting will take place by the end of the summer. MORE: http://www.journal-news.com/local/content/news/stories/2006/07/12/HJN071306Stadium_s.html
July 13, 200618 yr What good is sidewalks and branding if you don't have much driving it economically? I think at this point, the money spent on sidewalks and branding is to more about making the area more attracive for the potential retail, restaurant, and office tennants they want to lure to the area rather than drawing pedestrians into to what is already there.
July 13, 200618 yr I think adding the sidewalks was definitely a good move. I saw so many people walking through mud.
July 17, 200618 yr Author Update From the 7/13/06 Cincinnati Business Courier: Housing project wins $750K credit Cincinnati Business Courier - 12:46 PM EDT Thursday A Cincinnati project to develop low-income housing has received a $750,000 tax credit from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. Developer Navarre Garrone received the credit for projects on Gilbert Avenue, Vine Street and Hewitt Avenue in Cincinnati. Almost $22 million in housing tax credits were announced Wednesday by the agency, for projects around the state that will develop and renovate affordable housing. "The Housing Tax Credit Program is a critical source of funding for developers to invest in their communities, and provides housing options to moderate- and low-income Ohioans and their families," Douglas Garver, executive director of the agency, said in a news release. Forty-two projects received credits this year, chosen from 143 applicants, the agency said. Navarre Garrone was the only local developer to make the cut. In exchange for the federal income tax credits, owners must maintain affordable rents and limit occupancy to moderate- and low-income renters for 30 years. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/07/10/daily45.html?from_rss=1 Top story The article that The_Cincinnati_Kid posted a few days ago regarding home construction in Newport is the major story. This one, from the 7/11/06 Kentucky Post, is also pretty interesting. Despite all the raves that "Newport" gets (which, in actuality, means "Newport on the Levee"), the commercial properties of Monmouth and York streets still suffer and could be doing a whole lot better. Proposal spruces up Monmouth St. By Luke E. Saladin Post staff reporter The Newport City Commission wants to give Monmouth Street a facelift. Newport Main Street Coordinator Bob Yoder on Monday presented a plan for two programs he hopes will improve the look of buildings along the Monmouth Street corridor. The first is a facade improvement plan that will offer a matching grant of up to $15,000 for businesses and community property owners interested in renovating the street facades of their buildings. The total project cost must exceed $2,000 to qualify. The other is a downtown beautification match grant in which owners may receive a 50 percent matching grant of up to $250,000 to help pay for plan materials, planting containers, landscaping materials and other equipment to improve the look of the building. Yoder said similar programs have been successful in other communities. MORE: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060711/NEWS02/607110361/1014/NEWS02 Also of note New Richmond never gets no love. From Community Journal Clermont, 7/12/06: New Richmond plans revitalization BY LIZ VERNON | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER NEW RICHMOND -- New Richmond residents know their village has quite a history. And now, they are remembering -- and using -- that history as they plan for the future. An executive committee -- made up of Ray Perszyk, village council member; Jill Cochran, executive director of Renaissance New Richmond and Dr. Clark Lawrence, an adjunct professor with the University of Cincinnati -- has been working to revitalize the village's downtown area, the area they call the "island" between U.S. 52 and the Ohio River. MORE: http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060712/NEWS01/607120580/1002/RSS01 Round-up: Cincinnati and inner burbs Includes the city of Cincinnati's neighborhoods, Bellevue, Covington, Dayton, Elmwood Place, Ludlow, Newport, Norwood and St. Bernard. DOWNTOWN Urban Sites has purchased 125 E Ninth St for $410,000. Future project? CAMP WASHINGTON Some type of work is going on at the corner of Hopple and Garrard streets (that abandoned fast-food restaurant looking place). CLIFTON HEIGHTS 2310 Wheeler St is currently being demolished and cleaned up by the city. The building was so unstable that it was in danger of collapse, bricks were falling and the neighbors were getting pissed. A fire on site didn't help matters. The demo had to be done by hand to get it down to the first level. This building was constructed in 1883. The building's owners live in West Chester Twp. COLLEGE HILL 2037 North Bend Rd was demolished. This home was built in 1822! The structure was vacated in 2002 and condemned in 2004. It wasn't maintained and was left wide open and exposed to the weather, further damaging it. COLUMBIA TUSCULUM Boulevard Custom Homes will also be building single-family homes at 3207 and 3209 Golden Ave, next to the one they're currently building at 3211 Golden. (3211 Golden Ave rendering) CORRYVILLE I don't believe I've mentioned it, but the multi-family at 2915 Highland Ave is undergoing a complete rehab. It was ordered vacant by the city in early 2005 and hasn't had any tenants since. EVANSTON After 13 months on the market, 2016 Clarion Ave was sold. It also appears that most of the three-year-old fire damage has been fixed, including the siding and downspouts. LOWER PRICE HILL The city will tear down 2396 Warsaw Ave, built around 1865. It has been vacant since at least 2001 and condemned in early 2005. After a public hearing, the house was declared a public nuisance in September 2005. The city barricaded it about three weeks ago. MADISONVILLE 5018 Mathis St will be demolished after suffering heavy fire damage in late May. MADISONVILLE 4341 Normandy Ave has been rehabbed for resale. This bungalow was a vacant property for the last couple of years. MADISONVILLE Starfire campaign raises $3M for new facility Cincinnati Business Courier, 7/12/06 Starfire, a nonprofit group serving disabled teenagers and young adults, said it has raised $3 million for a new facility and endowment. As a result, the group has received a $250,000 Kresge Challenge Grant, Starfire said in a news release Monday. The new 7,500-square-foot facility in Madisonville, Starfire's first permanent home, will include a kitchen for cooking classes, said Lynn Thesing, executive director. The group also will use some of the money to establish its first-ever endowment fund. Major donors to the group's campaign include Carl and Edyth Lindner, National City Foundation, the Nippert Foundation, the Farmer Foundation, the Sutphin Family Foundation and Bob and Sandy Heimann, the group said. Starfire provides activities that help young people with disabilities participate in the community. The Cincinnati-based group has 500 members and more than 100 volunteers. MT. AUBURN After 8 months on the market and vacant, 278 Dorchester Ave has been purchased by a West Chester Twp. investor. MT. WASHINGTON Front Porch Homes will be building a new single-family home on a vacant lot at 5938 Cambridge Ave. Homes in this neighborhood are generally Cape Cods from the 1940s and early 1950s. MT. WASHINGTON Neighbors try to purchase wooded area Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/14/06 To prevent 4 wooded acres in the middle of a Mount Washington subdivision from being developed, some residents are trying to raise enough money to help the Hillside Trust buy the property. The Hillside Trust, a nonprofit group that promotes responsible use of the Cincinnati's hillsides, has applied for a state grant for two-thirds of the $175,000 sale price. The residents, who must raise the rest of the money, are holding an auction fundraiser from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of the Mount Washington Kroger store, 2120 Beechmont Ave. Bid items include a used Saturn, original art and prints, jewelry, hardware, Reds' tickets, crystal, hardware, collectibles and restaurant gift certificates. There also will be a free cookout. Black Hawk Land Development LLC of Blue Ash bought the 4 acres in January for $120,000 with the intention of building 16 houses. Forest Hills Journal: Auction planned to save wetland (7/12/06) NORTHSIDE 4115 Jerome Ave has been rehabbed for resale. RIVERSIDE 3800 Kistner St will be demolished by the city. This structurally deficient building was ordered condemned a year ago. SOUTH FAIRMOUNT The city is razing 1726 Esmonde St. The owner was trying to sell it so that the building could be salvaged. I don't know if the building is still standing. WESTWOOD After 16 months, someone has finally purchased 2184 Harrison Ave for $15,000. The new owner has a lot of sh!tty properties around the city and has had a lot of court action over evictions, indicating that he's renting to the low end of the socioeconomic scale. Probably a lot of Section 8. BELLEVUE 159 Van Voast Ave has been rehabbed. BELLEVUE Hotel closer to permanent check-in Campbell Community Recorder, 7/13/06 Central Kentucky Design Inc. is one step closer to opening the only hotel in the city. At a public hearing Thursday, July 6 the Bellevue Planning and Zoning Commission recommended that the Stage II plan for a Holiday Inn Express be accepted by the city council, but not without a few conditions. When the commission passed plans for Stage I it stipulated that the development would need to create a sidewalk to Riviera Drive, change plans for a parking lot to give five feet of clearance for a city street's right of way, get a land disturbance permit from the sanitation district, get certification for water and sewers, schedule a development of Stage II and provide a geotechnical report of lot five. The hotel will be located on lots four and five of Landmark Drive. Joseph Hoh, an engineer with Cardinal Engineering, who is representing Central Kentucky Design Inc., said a couple of those requirements could not be met yet. He said the land disturbance permit from the sanitation district had not yet been received. "It's beyond our control," he said. He said plans were submitted to the sanitation district weeks ago, but it is a long process that can take weeks or months. NEWPORT Cutter's River View Townhomes are on the market for $454,900. NEWPORT Two-way Monmouth Street not a priority for Newport Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/13/06 Monmouth Street, Newport's main thoroughfare, won't become a two-way street anytime soon. That could be good or bad, depending on whom you ask. Some business owners say a two-way street would bring more traffic to the businesses further south. Others see it as creating gridlock. For seven years, the city has debated making Monmouth, now one way north, a two-way street. City planners say they will continue to study the possibility, but the proposal no longer is part of their five-year plan. Round-up: Outer burbs and metro ALEXANDRIA Need for new gas station questioned Alexandria Recorder, 7/13/06 Opponents of a gas station proposed for U.S. 27 and Poplar Ridge Road don't believe another gas station is needed in the area. Alexandria City Council listened to comments from several concerned neighbors and a proposal from representatives of Speedway SuperAmerica on July 6 during a public hearing. Council will vote Thursday, July 20, on a recommendation to rezone property from a residential to highway commercial usage where the gas station could be built. From gas to groceries the company provides a service to its neighbors, said Linda Casey, a spokeswoman for Marathon Petroleum Co., of which Speedway SuperAmerica is a wholly owned subsidiary. "We do strive to be a good neighbor," she said. ALEXANDRIA Developers want to add homes Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/12/06 In anticipation of growth in southern Campbell County, a developer plans to add 97 homes to a growing subdivision just outside Alexandria's city limits. The Ponde Creek subdivision began six years ago off Pleasant Ridge Drive and Licking Pike. Ponde Creek already has 90 homes, developers say. The new homes would be built between Pleasant Ridge and Maddox Road. Developers James Berling and Jim Wenstrup say proximity to Campbell County High School, the expansion of U.S. 27 in southern Campbell County and the completion of a sewer plant in Alexandria will draw more people to the area. "I think the future is improving there with the sanitation getting their plan, the school being there and the road being finished," Wenstrup said. The homes will start at $170,000. The lots will retain a pastoral setting, Berling said. ANDERSON TWP. Park idea based on needs of two children Forest Hills Journal, 7/12/06 Sitting in their wheelchairs, Nick and Emma Lockwood can watch their friends play but they won't be able to join them for a while. In Anderson Township, the dream of a playground they can use is on its way to becoming a reality. Nick and Emma, along with their parents, have agreed to become the "faces" of need for the All-Inclusive Park, said Amy Mollette, park district communications director. Anderson Park District Executive Director Molly McClure said the development of the Beech Acres Inclusive Playground is well under way. ANDERSON TWP. The joy of building at Mercer's Pointe Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/16/06 Work on Mercer's Pointe, a custom-home development at Clough Pike and Newtown Road, is about 40 percent complete. The project will include 10 homes to be built by Loveland-based Eagle Custom Homes Inc. They will run from $550,000 to more than $1 million and have 3,000 to 6,000 square feet. Construction is done on one home and has begun on three others. All of the homes are expected to be completed by next year. Three of the homes have been pre-sold. Mercer's Pointe is on land that was originally owned by Marion Rombauer Becker, co-author of the best-selling "Joy of Cooking" cookbooks, said Doug Feagles, president of Eagle Custom Homes. He said the property was purchased from Ethan Becker, son of the author. Eagle Land Development, a sister company to Eagle Custom Homes, also took steps to preserve the natural land surrounding the development. Those efforts included donating about 1½ acres to the township for green space and having an underground storm water retention system installed to help save trees and preserve green space. AURORA Aurora mayor: giving away square will get more parking Dearborn County Register, 7/14/06 Aurora city officials want to give a city-owned square and several alleys to developer Doug Anderson, said Aurora Mayor Donnie Hastings this week. The lot is one of six located in the centers of each downtown block. They were laid out in the original city plat to remain perpetually public property. Most are used for public parking, although one contains a playground. The City of Aurora is working with its attorney Kim Schmaltz, Dillsboro, to make the property transfer legally, said Aurora Mayor Donnie Hastings. Schmaltz had not returned phone calls by early afternoon Wednesday, July 12. The square is in the center of the block bordered by Main, Second, Importing and Judiciary streets. Anderson owns a number of properties on Second and Judiciary streets, where he plans to build a condominium complex. BOONE COUNTY 'High Impact' church on way Kentucky Post, 7/13/06 What Boone County needs is a lot more churches. That's how the Kentucky Baptist Convention sees it, anyway. The convention plans to spend $100,000 to help create one of its "High Impact" churches somewhere in southern Boone County. Lead Pastor Mike Osborne said he's planning on having the first meeting of the church, called Journey, on Sept. 17. COLD SPRING Condos, retail for Cold Spring Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/10/06 Condominiums and retail will fill out empty space along U.S. 27 across from Meijer if a developer's plan becomes reality. The Gallenstein Co. of Crestview Hills has 84 acres under contract and has preliminary plans for about 300 condos and buildings to house stores and restaurants. Specific designs for the condos and buildings aren't complete, said Paul Darpel, a lawyer for the Gallenstein Co. Preliminary plans submitted to the city call for the condos close to the AA Highway and about six buildings with two larger retail structures along U.S. 27, Darpel said. "We don't have end users yet," Darpel said. "The Cold Spring area is a great and growing area. There is a lot of interest from a lot of people. We are hoping to bring in a development that gets the attentions of some good end users." CRESTVIEW HILLS Bank plan put to city officials Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/12/06 City officials heard plans Tuesday for a bank branch proposed for the intersection of Turkeyfoot and Mall roads. Banker Mer Grayson, along with engineer Jim Berling and Tom Gallenstein of Gallenstein Construction, presented plans to the city's Economic Development Committee for a new banking center/branch of the Central Bank of Northern Kentucky to be located on the southwest corner of Mall Road next to Gallenstein's existing office building. The bank's main branch is off Interstate 75 at Turfway Road in the Turfway Ridge Office Complex. Grayson, who serves as president of the Lexington-based bank, said the proposed branch would be a nice addition to the city because there are not many banks in the vicinity, and only two on Turkeyfoot, he said. The bank is working with the Department of Transportation on access to some of the land, located on state right-of-way, he said. The plan includes a 2,500-square-foot building; a right in/right out only access point off Turkeyfoot; and an additional curb cut on Mall Road, across from the new Crestview Hills city building. DELHI TWP. Stop sign request goes to trustees Delhi Press, 7/12/06 Trustees were expected to act tonight, July 12, on a recommendation to limit parking instead of putting in the four-way stop sign residents had requested. Patty Trotta, Assisiknoll Court, helped organize a petition drive asking trustees to change the two-way stop to a four-way stop at her street and Riverwatch Drive. Bob Bass, township public works director, said a study of that intersection doesn't warrant the residents' request. Both sides were to have a chance to give their views at a public hearing at tonight's trustee meeting at 7:30 p.m. ERLANGER Center faces 'paper war' Cincinnati Post, 7/15/06 The legal battle over whether to allow a drug and alcohol addiction recovery center in Erlanger is likely to be a "paper war," according to two attorneys involved in the case. Erlanger resident Diane Brown, who practices law in Ohio, is volunteering to help a group of Pleasure Isle Drive residents appeal the approval for a 100-bed men's recovery facility on that street. "We're probably not going to have oral arguments in this case," Brown said. "At the end of next week, we will see the judge and set the briefing schedule. We're expecting that briefs will have to be submitted by late August." Crestview Hills attorney Joe Conley, representing the citizens group, told the Post that a visiting judge has been assigned to the case. FAIRFIELD The city of Fairfield is currently seeking bids for the Winton-John Gray intersection project. The project will add a right-turn lane from southbound Winton Rd onto John Gray Rd. It will also add a mast-arm traffic signal at the intersection. Bids are being accepted until July 31. FLORENCE Alexander's center cleaned Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/13/06 Two days after Florence issued code violations to the Alexander Community Center, jail work crews spent Wednesday clearing brush, hauling trash and cutting the center's grass. The code violations came after a complaint about the Main Street building that has been empty for more than a year after NFL football star Shaun Alexander announced plans to expand and renovate it. Today, weather permitting, crews plan to paint over graffiti covering the outdoor pool and board up broken windows. Durran Alexander, who handles the center for his brother, said Wednesday that he thought that he had 30 days to correct the violations the city notified him about last month. He had 14 days. "I missed it," he said. "I admit it." Florence Recorder: Residents anxious for Alexander Center (7/13/06) Cincinnati Enquirer: Good intentions weren't enough (7/11/06) FORT THOMAS Cutter Construction has been purchasing residential lots around the 100 block of Hawthorne Ave for their Hawthorne Acres subdivision. Expect these homes to start at $500,000. Cutter is the same outfit who built Wiedemann Hill and Wiedemann Estates, as well as the River View Townhomes in Newport. FORT THOMAS Grant funds Fort Thomas walking, bike path Kentucky Post, 7/13/06 Eric Haas stopped riding his bicycle to work along Memorial Parkway in Fort Thomas because it just got too dangerous to share the street with cars and trucks speeding by at more than 45 mph. Thanks to funding from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, though, Haas and other cyclists, as well as pedestrians, will have a safe route to travel along the parkway in about a year. The city of Fort Thomas received $200,000 last week for construction of the Fort Thomas Memorial Pathway. The walking and biking path will run 5,300 feet along the east side of Memorial Parkway from Clover Ridge Avenue north to the Newport city line. Haas, chairman of the Fort Thomas Public Works Committee, said the Fort Thomas Memorial Pathway has been talked about for at least 10 years ago and he is ecstatic to see it finally coming together. FORT WRIGHT Ft. Wright inspiring neighbors Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/10/06 Just days after Fort Wright approved a new zone aimed at attracting quality development to Ky. 17, officials in other Kenton County suburbs are considering similar action. "I think Park Hills, Crescent Springs, Independence, Taylor Mill and Erlanger have talked about a form district," said Fort Wright Administrator Larry Klein. "It hasn't necessarily been discussed at a council level, but officials in those cities have copies of (Fort Wright's ordinance). They've talked about it with us." After months of study, Fort Wright City Council approved a town center form district Wednesday.It encompasses 238 acres on both sides of Ky. 17 from Interstate 275 north to Howard Litzler Drive. Unlike traditional zoning, a form district focuses less on uses and more on how buildings within an area relate to one another, said Keith Logsdon, deputy director of long-range planning for the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission. "One of the key components of (a form district) is that it's designed to create an environment where one use complements the others," Logsdon said. GOLF MANOR 6418 Mayflower Ave has had a makeover. HIGHLAND HEIGHTS Elementary prepping for final year Campbell County Recorder, 7/13/06 Highland Heights Elementary School leaders are preparing to commemorate the final year of the institution's 76 year history. "We're going to have some kind of kick-off ceremony on the first day of school that we can carry on throughout the year," said Principal Donna Schulte. Students return to school Aug. 7. Everything's still in the planning stages, but the school hopes to have an open house and invite anyone who graduated from the school to come back and see it off at the end of the year, Schulte said. Reactions to the closing of the school and the opening of a new 700 student elementary school in Cold Spring have created mixed reactions, Schulte said. HILLSBORO Review shows city’s debt limit at $4 million Hillsboro Times-Gazette, 7/14/06 The city of Hillsboro potentially has just over $4 million in unvoted new debt to fund a safety building, according to a study of the city’s finances by a Cincinnati law firm. Hillsboro City Auditor Gary Lewis presented members of Hillsboro City Council with a letter from Peck Shaffer law offices in regard to his request for a review on the city’s debt limitation. “In summary, the city may issue approximately $4,009,786 of unvoted new debt,” said Brenda Wehmer, an attorney with the law office, in the letter to Lewis. Lewis told The Times-Gazette this week that the debt limitation review shows “the ability for us to issue bonds to take care of things; for instance, a new safety building. HILLSBORO Lowe’s set to open doors Friday Hillsboro Times-Gazette, 7/12/06 Though Hillsboro’s newest store hasn’t even opened its doors yet, customers are already stopping in to see if they can get a look at the merchandise. Kim Rosa, manager of the Hillsboro Lowe’s store, said for the past few weeks customers have been stopping by to see if the store is open. “About 30 people every day,” Rosa said. “Starting from the time we’re here in the morning until late in the evening. Most customers want a peak.” The store will officially open its doors July 14, with a grand opening celebration planned for July 19 with local dignitaries and civic groups expected to attend. LIBERTY TWP. Royal Redeemer Lutheran begins fund drive Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/16/06 Royal Redeemer Lutheran Church has started a three-year $4 million fund drive to build an addition. Since opening in 1992, the church on Dutchland Parkway in Liberty Township has grown to 250 members. Plans include a multipurpose room that would expand worship space on Sundays to accommodate as many as 1,000 churchgoers at two worship times. Groundbreaking would be in the summer of 2007, said Pastor Joel Morgan. Information: 513-779-4740. LOVELAND Proposed skate park hits $15K funding speed bump Loveland Herald, 7/12/06 It's no secret that the city has wanted a skate park since 2003. Once city council approves the latest concept drawing of a proposed Loveland skate park this month, it will be open to bidding contractors, according to Josie Bellissemo, assistant to City Manager Tom Carroll. Eight residents attended a meeting, July 5, regarding the skate park. Council gave the OK to Patrick Hoagland, a principal with architectural firm Brandstetter Carroll Inc., who exhibited the layout to Phase 1 of the skate park. Hoagland estimated Phase 1 will cost $95,000 to build, for a total of $170,000 after Phase 2 is built, which completes the skate park's construction. The city has about an $80,000 budget to work with. MADEIRA HHP Homes has purchased 7256 Longfield Dr, built in 1961. We're probably looking at a renovation instead of a teardown, since that's what HHP usually does. MADEIRA Madeira not trailing behind on recreation Indian Hill Journal, 7/13/06 The city of Madeira will soon break ground on a new walking and jogging trail at McDonald Commons. The paved trail, which will be about four-tenths of a mile, will circle the perimeter of the athletic fields at the park. ... A grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Recreational Trails Program will provide $120,000 in funding for the trail. The city of Madeira will pay between $30,000 and $40,000, according to Moeller. MADEIRA Madeira sidewalks eyeballed Suburban Life, 7/12/06 Although a new plan isn't concrete, the city is considering improving and adding sidewalks. "The (city's) Public Works Committee has been discussing amending the existing code on sidewalks to have the city take over maintenance responsibility for all sidewalks within the public right of way," said City Manager Tom Moeller. "In addition, there is the discussion of setting aside funding on an annual basis to extend sidewalks along the major roads where presently none exist." This would cost an estimated $50,000 a year, Moeller said. The city is looking into a federal grant called the Safe Route to Schools program, in which funding is provided through the Ohio Department of Transportation for the development of new sidewalks around elementary schools. MIAMI TWP. (Hamilton County) Homes by Gerbus plans to build a 28-unit townhome development called "Neumann View" on 4 acres near the 7500 block of Bridgetown Rd. The townhomes will be in seven four-unit buildings. MIDDLETOWN Center cuts construction costs Middletown Journal, 7/16/06 By the end of this month, the old John XXIII Elementary School on Central Avenue is scheduled to go down to make way for the long-awaited senior center. What will go up, however, is smaller in scale — and less expensive — than originally planned, said John Stugmyer, the finance director for Middletown Area Senior Citizens Inc. Construction is slated to begin in mid-September, and the organization hopes to move into the new facility by the fall of 2007, Stugmyer said. Original plans called for amenities such as a post office branch that could be used by the general public, those have been mostly jettisoned in favor of facilities that serve the seniors, Stugmyer said. The new center will cost about $4.4 million, instead of the original $7.5 million price tag. So far, $1.3 million has been pledged, and “there is more money out there for us to get,” said Stugmyer. MT. HEALTHY Mt. Healthy schools bring levies to voters Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/11/06 Mount Healthy City Schools will ask voters to approve a $33 million bond issue for school construction and consolidation. The school board voted unanimously Monday to put two levies on the November ballot. Together the package will amount to 5.9 to 6.2 mills, which for the owner of a $100,000 home would cost $180 to $200 a year. The exact amount of mills has yet to be calculated. The district is building to two elementary schools and a combined middle and high school building. The project probably won't be complete until 2010, said Superintendent David Horine. READING A new $200,000 home is being built on a vacant lot at 235 Riesenberg Ave, near Koenig Park. SPRINGFIELD TWP. Cincinnati Renovations LLC has purchased 4 Ridgeway Rd for $42,000 for a rehab. SYCAMORE TWP. Moeller throws in towel on lights Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/15/06 Moeller High School gave up a year-long fight Friday to build 60-foot-high light poles around a new athletic complex. The Catholic high school in Sycamore Township sued the township's zoning board last year after the board rejected a plan to install the lights as part of the $2.5 million complex. Residents near the school complained the lights would be disruptive and would hurt property values. Hamilton County Magistrate Richard Bernat sided with the township and residents in a decision last month, and Common Pleas Judge Charles Kubicki backed that ruling Friday. School officials could have filed objections with Kubicki, which would have kept the fight alive, but they decided against it. They're building such CRAAAAP!!! BURLINGTON This looks like one of those crappy "townhouse" units you see built in the suburbs, especially ones built in the 1970s and 1980s. Only this is the single-family form. No imagination whatsoever. 2199 Bluegrama Dr. $229,500. MASON I don't know what it is about this one that I hate so much. I just hate it. At least the garage is hidden. However, you can only access the front door from the driveway. Sidewalks are non-existent. 6809 Lexington Park Blvd, $374,900.
July 18, 200618 yr that was my first response as well. Regardless, these threads really give me something to look forward to on Mondays. Thanks Grasscat!
July 20, 200618 yr Author Not a whole lot to report. Just a couple of small things. Nothing much happens in this neighborhood, and that's pretty sad. Dale Mallory has sold 925 Dayton St, a derelict property that he's held for 3 years. During that time, he did absolutely nothing with the property except a few half-assed attempts at keeping the city off of his back. The new owner bought the property for $25,000. She intends to first get a VBML and then to eventually rehab the house for single-family occupancy. 929 York St is being rehabbed.
July 22, 200618 yr I did not even know they were replacing the one that sank. Good news though, downtown needs somewhere to dock boats, even on a small scale. BB to manage new Cincinnati Riverfront Marina Cincinnati Business Courier - 2:42 PM EDT Friday BB Riverboats said Friday that it has been chosen by the Cincinnati Recreation Commission to manage the Cincinnati Riverfront Marina opening July 25. The marina, at the base of the Roebling Suspension Bridge on the Cincinnati riverfront, will have 480 feet of dock space and can accommodate 10 to 20 average-sized pleasure boats, according to a news release. The marina will be open every year from the end of May until mid-November, depending on weather conditions. BB Riverboats, based in Newport, operates cruise and excursion boats on the Ohio River. MORE: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/07/17/daily64.html
July 23, 200618 yr "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." :D :D Woah, big townships... impressive! Where have we seen that before?
July 24, 200618 yr Author Top story I guess the building wasn't worth saving, but a private surface lot in an already iffy business district...well, who knows. From the 7/21/06 Enquirer: County to build parking lots City to split costs for work to help develop Monmouth Street BY SCOTT WARTMAN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER A former private swingers club is among sites that will become Newport parking lots by fall. The Campbell County Fiscal Court approved 3-1 Wednesday an agreement with Newport to look at the city's parking needs and build lots on the sites of the former Pure Social Club at 1027 Monmouth St. and a vacant used car lot at 1002 Saratoga St. County and Newport leaders say development in the Monmouth Street area has created a need for parking. The county's plan to build a new $9.5 million administration building at 11th and Monmouth within the next three years had the fiscal court looking for more parking, said county administrator Robert Horine. The 65 parking spots planned for that site likely will be used for customers, he said. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060721/NEWS0103/607210395/1059/rss13 Also of note I thought this would turn out to be a lot more interesting, considering that they tore down an entire neighborhood to build this. Who knew that "Springdale Town Center" would be a run-of-the-mill strip mall with run-of-the-mill tenants? And 250 parking spaces? For whom? From the 7/23/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: The Springdale Town Center, which faces Springfield Pike on the corner of Kemper Road, is a $5 million center set to open by the end of the year. Some tenants include Domino's Pizza, Tri-City Cleaners and Springdale Laundry. The Enquirer/Tony Jones Readying for year end BY MIKE BOYER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER SPRINGDALE - Work is progressing toward a year-end completion of a new neighborhood retail center at Springfield Pike and Kemper Road. Called Springdale Town Center, the $5 million retail center is being developed by Myers Y. Cooper Co. Among the planned tenants, three existing businesses are Domino's Pizza, Tri-City Cleaners and Springdale Laundry. The, 45,000-square-foot center will have parking for 250 cars and brick sidewalks and period lighting to tie into the streetscape along Springfield Pike. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060723/BIZ01/607230343/1076/rss01 Cool. Well, cool in a way. Actually, I'm hoping this doesn't happen. From the 7/20/06 Enquirer: County to buy Reds some new green BY KIMBALL PERRY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER If the Cincinnati Reds don't make the playoffs this year, they'll play on new grass next year. Hamilton County Commissioners on Wednesday approved a $303,443 contract with Cincinnati-based Motz Group Inc. to rip up the existing turf at Great American Ball Park and reseed the field. If the Reds are still playing Oct. 9, though, the turf replacement will have to be delayed one year, said Eric Stuckey, assistant Hamilton County administrator. For the Reds to be playing that late in the year -- their regular season ends Oct. 1 -- they would have to make the playoffs. The Reds are leading the chase for the National League wild card spot, two games ahead of the L.A. Dodgers before Wednesday's games. If the Reds don't make the playoffs, Motz will tear up the field, reseed it and then place a "seed blanket" over the field that will protect the grass through the winter, Stuckey said. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060720/NEWS01/607200384/-1/rss Round-up: Cincinnati and inner burbs Includes the city of Cincinnati's neighborhoods, Bellevue, Covington, Dayton, Elmwood Place, Ludlow, Newport, Norwood and St. Bernard. HYDE PARK Hyde Park streets to be repaved this year by city Eastern Hills Journal, 7/19/06 Hyde Park will pave the way this year in street repairs. Cincinnati communities are on a three-year cycle of rehab improvements, according to Cincinnati city engineer Don Rosemeyer. This year Hyde Park will be among 15 to 16 communities to have its streets repaved. The following streets in Hyde Park will be rehabbed this year: * Breen Street from Elmhurst to Grandin. * Downing Drive from Westgate to the west end of the street. * Freeland from Herric to Grandin. * Hamshire Avenue from Michigan to Edwards. * Herrick Avenue from the south end of the street to Torrence. * Lower Grandin Road from the south end of the street to Edwards. * Marburg Avenue from Erie to Railroad. * Morton Avenue from the south end of the street to Observatory. * Pape Avenue from the east end of the street to Pinehurst. * Raymar Boulevard from Erie to Victoria. * Raymar Drive from Raymar Boulevard to Victoria. * Springer Avenue from Delta to Grace. * Torrence Lane from Elmhurst to Torrence Parkway. * Victoria from Paxton to Shaw. MADISONVILLE Open-air market takes off Eastern Hills Journal, 7/19/06 In its sixth week, the Market in Historic Madisonville is already a burgeoning artisan community. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday until October, the grassy portion of a parking lot beside the Salt of the Earth Cafe is transformed, as street vendors selling everything from organic produce, to homemade candles, to handmade sterling silver jewelry line the lot just off Red Bank Expressway. "We're getting more traffic now," said Kevin Foster, owner of Kevin Foster Studios. He and his partner Frances Sheard sell greeting cards made from his photographs. "It's starting to pick up a little bit." MT. AUBURN 263 McCormick Pl has been rehabbed, but it's also been stripped of its charm. MT. WASHINGTON Community wants historic designation Forest Hills Journal, 7/19/06 Mount Washington would like its water tower to be a historic landmark. As part of a strategic plan for the community, committee members have made a recommendation to try and get a historic designation for the tower, which began service in 1940. "The idea is to recognize it as a landmark for the community and try to make sure it is preserved in some fashion," Mount Washington Community Councilman Bryan Snyder said. Snyder said they will make an effort to get the National Register of Historic Places to designate the tower as a historic spot. "It's obviously the most visible landmark in the Mt. Washington community," Snyder said. "It's part of the community council logo (and) pretty much in the center of town." NORTH AVONDALE New owners are in 3959 Dickson Ave and are doing some minor cosmetic repairs. They purchased this house for about 2/3 of its assessed value. NORTHSIDE 4578 Hamilton Ave was purchased by an investor for $11,000. This investor has no history. The home needs a ton of work, though I don't believe it is condemned. PRICE HILL Following foreclosure and 14 months of sitting empty on the market, 1274 Quebec Rd was purchased by an investor for $27,000. This property was vacated by the city in 2005 and was condemned a couple of times before that. The new owner lives in Independence and owns a run-down property in Camp Washington. This may become a Section 8 property if it comes up to code. PRICE HILL Apartments damaged in Iliff fire Price Hill Press, 7/19/06 Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the blaze that broke out in a second-floor apartment at the corner of Iliff and Glenway avenues. One firefighter is recovering from minor first degree burns he received on a small area of his face and neck. According to Cincinnati Fire District Chief Howard Reed, shortly before 10 p.m. Monday, July 10, fire companies responded to a two-alarm fire that broke out in the three-story building at 4018 Glenway Ave. The building has a restaurant, The Fish and Wings Pit, on the first floor and vacant apartments on the second and third floors. "On our arrival we found heavy fire coming from two windows on the structure's second floor," Reed said. WALNUT HILLS After 6 months on the market 2310 Kenton St was purchased by Trudy Johnson for $11,500. Johnson owns a couple dozen properties in the city, all in at least decent shape. Evictions are rare. This property is not condemned, so maybe it can be brought back up to habitability pretty quickly. WESTWOOD Wells Fargo was unable to unload 2628 Harrison Ave for a year and ended up selling it for a $7,000 loss ($63,000). The buyer was an investor who owns a few decent properties, Herstle Bridges. This three-family was probably a farm house when it was built in 1890. WESTWOOD Montana widening plan is ready Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/18/06 Cincinnati engineers will present plans for widening Montana Avenue to the Westwood Civic Association at its monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. today at Westwood Town Hall. If approved, the project would widen lanes from Farrell Drive to Boudinot Avenue - a distance of 1.7 miles. The city would also add some left-turn lanes. COVINGTON This two-family at 416 Watkins St has been rehabbed. (after only) COVINGTON Church to fight zoning denial Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/20/06 Fellowship Church of God plans to appeal a city vote that stops the non-denominational church from building a 3,600-square-foot sanctuary on a May Street lot, the church's lawyer says. Church lawyer Eric Emerson said the appeal will be filed in federal court under the Religious Land Use and Institutional Persons Act. The six-year-old federal law states that religious institutions must be afforded the same property use rights as secular institutions, he said. After more than an hour of debate and two 2-2 votes Wednesday, the Covington Board of Adjustment found itself deadlocked on whether to approve a conditional use permit. Pat Lance and board chairman Steve Casper voted in favor of granting it, while Elzie Barker and Heidi Arnold were opposed. Round-up: Outer burbs and metro ALEXANDRIA Residents ask developer to upgrade plans Alexandria Recorder, 7/20/06 Some residents of an existing subdivision want a developer to change it's tune on a planned housing development off Persimmon Grove Pike. The residents say they want the developer to upgrade the type of housing it would offer in Whistler's Point, a planned 74 home development. About 15 residents of the Country Grove subdivision, and representatives of the developer attended an Alexandria City Council public hearing on Thursday, July 13 at the city building. Council is considering zoning and annexing a 15.6 acre portion of the more than 30 acres of land the new development would be built on. AMELIA Some residents having problems with dog park Community Journal Clermont, 7/19/06 While some residents are enjoying the new dog park in Spencer Shank Memorial Park, others are finding it's causing more problems around their homes. A few residents of South Deer Creek Drive, whose back yards back up to the park, said dogs whose owners bring them to the park have been coming in to their back yards. And, they said the problem has gotten worse since the new dog park was completed a couple of weeks ago. "It's happened for years now," said one resident, Mendy McKinnis. "People will cut through your yard. They'll let dogs through your yard." The fenced-in dog park means "there's going to be way more dogs now," she said. ANDERSON TWP. New hospice facility to bring comfort Forest Hills Journal, 7/19/06 For the staff and volunteers of Hospice, bringing comfort doesn't stop with fluffing pillows for patients. At Hospice of Cincinnati, caring for a patient, also means caring for their family. Sofas fold out to create beds, medical equipment hides behind oak cabinet doors, television armoires recess into the walls to provide more space for family and friends to spend time with their loved one. Hospice of Cincinnati will open its newest facility, the Inpatient Care Center at Mercy Anderson Health Plaza June 16. ANDERSON TWP. New park, ride facility opens Forest Hills Journal, 7/19/06 It will be more than just a ribbon-cutting ceremony. One of the planned activities for the grand opening celebration of the Anderson Center Station involves a Metro bus driving through a symbolic ribbon. At 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, July 19, officials will open the park and ride for business. Later, an open house for commuters will be 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and will feature light refreshments and tours of the facility. The station features a climate-controlled transit hub/after-hours meeting lodge, 195 parking spaces, and bike racks for commuters, township spokesperson Nancy Caine said. It will also feature free wireless Internet service thanks to a Metro partnership with Project Lily Pad, she said. BATAVIA TWP. New community center dedicated Clermont Sun, 7/21/06 The Batavia Township Board of Trustees dedicated the new community center July 16. "This beautiful new community center, with office and meeting space, was the result of a good set of contractors, a good architect, a good township, and a lot of good people who really wanted to make a difference," said Batavia Township Trustee Archie Wilson. The dedication ceremony began with a ribbon cutting ceremony, with introductory remarks by Clermont County Historian Richard Crawford. Despite the heat, the open house and ceremony attracted about 75 people. Attendees were invited to tour the new $1.4 million, 6,000 square foot building before enjoying ice cream, cake and other refreshments. BURLINGTON Historic home opening as B&B Boone County Recorder, 7/20/06 A vacant 19th-century Burlington home is being turned into a bed and breakfast. Burlington resident Gary William Louis Fetick is planning to open the Lady Burlington Bed, Breakfast and Dinner Guest Home at the Foster-Sanford-Ionescu House on Aug. 1 with a 12-day open house. The home is located in downtown Burlington at 5982 Jefferson St., behind the old Boone County Courthouse. "I want to give something back to the community," said Fetick, who retired from Procter & Gamble where his duties included cleaning executive offices and later helping care for the company's aircraft. "And I love people and I love to entertain." The circa 1831-1832 home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has Federal style architecture updated with Greek revival style. CAMPBELL COUNTY A classroom underused Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/20/06 Fifty acres of woodland in A.J. Jolly Park in southern Campbell County has grown into what some teachers say is an exciting field trip destination for students. More than $100,000 has been spent on exhibits at the Campbell County Environmental Education Center since the building was constructed in 2003. Yet for most of the year, the center is underused, said center manager and Campbell County environmental extension agent D.J. Scully. He wants more people to take advantage of the free programs and learn about the environment. The Campbell County Extension Service has managed the center since 1998, when it began leasing the 50 acres for $1 a year from the county. CLEVES A lot of questions on Cleves project Western Hills Press, 7/19/06 About 70 people packed into the Cleves Council chambers last week to learn about plans for a 203,000-square-foot commercial development on 52-plus acres at the west end of the village. The rumor is that the development is a Wal-Mart. The developer, Regency Centers Inc., will not confirm the large tenant for the development. Rezoning of the Harmony Fields, which the village is selling to the developer for the relocation of Cooper Avenue as part of the commercial project, will be discussed at a meeting of the Cleves Planning Commission at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at the municipal building, 101 N. Miami Ave. At last week's meeting, David Birdsall, vice president of Regency Centers, told residents the plans are still extremely preliminary, and that his firm wanted to hear the concerns of the people who live near the proposed development so plans can address any potential problems. CRESTVIEW HILLS Bigger building welcome Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/18/06 Next week, the city administrative offices will move into a new $2.6 million building with five times the space that workers now occupy in two buildings. The move was delayed about a week because of some delivery problems with hardware, but otherwise, the project has gone smoothly and has come in on budget, city officials say. "I think people will be very happy with the facility we've built," Mayor Paul Meier said. The Lakeside Park/Crestview Hills Police Authority will move in by mid-August, after crews tear down the old city building next door and convert the site to a parking lot, City Administrator Dan Groth said. CRESTVIEW HILLS Company to develop Mall Road sites, pay to widen intersection Community Recorder, 7/20/06 The last remaining vacant lots on Crestview Hills Mall Road will soon be developed, city officials announced on July 13. Gallenstein Companies, which developed and owns the Crestview Hills Professional Center, will develop the land on both sides of the office building, located at 25 Crestview Hills Mall Road across from Applebee's. "With the mall and what Crestview Hills has done in their city, this is one of the best sites for office space in Northern Kentucky," said Paul Darpel, attorney for the company. A 2,500 square-foot Central Bank of Northern Kentucky branch will be built on the corner of Mall and Turkeyfoot roads. A second office building will be built on the other side, closer to Crestview Hills Town Center. Plans call for another bank to occupy the ground floor. DELHI TWP. Trustees opt for status quo at intersection Delhi Press, 7/19/06 Based on input from residents, trustees have decided no action is the best action. Last month, a group of Assisiknoll Court and Riverwatch Drive residents had petitioned trustees for a four-way stop sign at that intersection. Township officials deemed the intersection didn't warrant the four-way stop based on traffic patterns. Instead, the proposal was a parking limit on Riverwatch Drive. At the July 12 trustee meeting, trustees decided not to do either, at least for now. "I think the decision is appropriate," said John Wainscott, Assisiknoll Court. ELSMERE 29 Spring St has been rehabbed. (after only) EVENDALE Evendale may finish farm early Tri-County Press, 7/19/06 The village may decide it would be better to complete the Gorman Heritage Farm sooner rather than later by dedicating an additional $15,000 to remodeling the farmhouse this year. Mayor Don Apking asked council at last week's meeting if it would approve an additional $15,000 to remodel Gorman farm, even though the village had previously designated $40,000 toward the project. He said the village has spent about $31,000 on the renovation, and the additional funds would go toward finishing the electrical, plumbing and heating work the home needs, as well as a new sign. Council didn't vote to approve the additional money, because Apking's announcement at the council meeting was the first they'd heard of it. FLORENCE Secession effort won't stall plans Cincinnati Business Courier, 7/14/06 The Health Alliance is moving forward with plans for an open-heart surgery program at St. Luke Hospital West, despite the St. Luke board's efforts to leave the hospital group. The Alliance filed an application for a Kentucky certificate of need on May 30 and submitted additional documents at the end of June. Administrators expect a decision in October. They want to spend $2.7 million on equipment and renovations to start an open-heart surgery and angioplasty program at the Florence hospital in fall 2007. If approved, the heart program would be the 11th in Greater Cincinnati and the second in Northern Kentucky, competing with St. Elizabeth Medical Center, which plans to fight the certificate. The most recent to open in the area was at Mercy Hospital Anderson in March. FLORENCE Stores playing musical chairs Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/2/06 The busy Houston Road shopping area in Florence is about to get even busier. Several new stores are set to open in vacant buildings - including the old Wal-Mart - and several new buildings are being built from Turfway Road to Burlington Pike. When the new Wal-Mart Supercenter opened in May at the south end of Houston Road, the discount retailer's old 115,000-square-foot red, gray and blue building was left empty. The building, which is owned by Pine Tree Commercial Realty, will be home to at least three new stores that will open after the old cinder-block building gets a makeover. "In many instances around the country, Wal-Mart had the reputation of simply moving their operations a quarter mile down the road and leaving their old building vacant," said Rick Lunnemann, Florence's community development director. "We were wanting to not allow that to happen in Florence." FORT WRIGHT Cities move closer to highway commercial zone Community Recorder, 7/20/06 A partnership between Edgewood and Fort Wright that would allow a seven-acre site south of I-275 to be zoned highway commercial is one step closer to becoming a reality. The Shoppes of Edgewood originally applied to the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission (NKAPC) in May to have the zone changed, with hopes of commercial development. The proposed site, which sits in front of New Perceptions Inc., sits in both Edgewood and Fort Wright, meaning both cities would have to approve any zone changes prior to work being done. Edgewood's city council voted unanimously on July 17 to approve the change, while Fort Wright is expected to have a second reading and vote on the ordinance at their August 2 meeting. "Neither city has enough acreage alone, so it has to be a partnership to work," said Fort Wright city administrator Larry Klein. "The only zone that the cities have in common that would be appropriate is a highway commercial zone, so that is what we're going with." Tim Tyson, who spoke on behalf of the applicants at the July 5 Fort Wright council meeting, said that New Perceptions has been a willing partner in the planning process. Part of the plans call for relocating entrances along Sperti Drive, as well as adjusting the parking of New Perceptions employees. "They are actually a co-applicant, and they have been very supportive of us throughout this," said Tyson. "This is going to be a benefit for everyone involved." GREEN TWP. Senior center getting new roof, parking lot Western Hills Press, 7/19/06 The Green Township Senior Center will receive some needed improvements later this summer. The township trustees recently approved a resolution to advertise for bids for the four components that make up the senior center improvement project. Those components include repaving the parking lot, repairing sidewalks and replacing parking lot lights; replacing interior doors; installing a new roof and siding; and building a new storage shed. Fred Schlimm, Green Township director of public services, said work at the center, on Epley Road in Monfort Heights, should begin later this summer and hopefully wrap up by the end of October. MANCHESTER TWP. (Dearborn County) After months of debate county OKs zone change Dearborn County Register, 7/21/06 Dearborn County Commissioners changed their minds and decided to pass a zone change request from agricultural to residential for Sun Valley Acres after hearing almost two hours of opposition and support for the zoning change from residents near the proposed development and developer Tom Kent Tuesday night, July 18. Commissioners failed to pass the zoning change request for the 174 acres at the intersection of Ind. 48 and Ind. 148 Tuesday, June 20. The unanimous change in zoning came to the dismay of 35 residents at the meeting and to the satisfaction of Kent, who plans to turn the Manchester Township land into a 180 unit residential site. The zone change request comes after months of meetings. It was first introduced at the Dearborn County Plan Commission meeting in March. During the meeting, Kent proposed a subdivision based on high density plans. The commission members then asked Kent to amend his high density plans for the proposed subdvision. MARIEMONT From dirt floors to new doors Eastern Hills Journal, 7/19/06 After spending many years in a barn, the Mariemont maintenance staff finally received a new dream home in April. The maintenance building is now located at 5851 Mariemont Ave. On Saturday, July 22, the maintenance department will have an open house. From 2 to 5 p.m. residents can meet the staff members, see the new maintenance building, and nibble on finger sandwiches. The old location was a dairy barn from 1923 on 6980 Kingbridge. The building is used to house equipment used by the Mariemont maintenance department. While no time for the event has been determined, they will auction off old equipment Saturday, July 29, at the barn. "The old building was too small and we have been looking to relocate for years," said John Scherpenberg, maintenance superintendent. MELBOURNE Ballpark gets lights Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/17/06 After four years, teams that play at the Pendery Park ball fields in Melbourne are finally starting to see the lights. Lights have been erected on three of the fields at the Campbell County complex that sits between Ky. 8 and the Ohio River. Lights will be installed on a fourth field later this summer, said Mike Combs, a district supervisor for Campbell County Knothole Baseball. "It's a heckuva benefit to have lights," said Combs, who is also a member of the Campbell County Board of Education. "We can have so many more games and so many more teams can play. The circle just keeps getting bigger and bigger." In addition to youth baseball teams, three high schools - Campbell County, Bishop Brossart and Silver Grove - also play on the ball fields. All told more than 100 teams use the fields each season. The Campbell County Fiscal Court developed the complex in 1997 on land donated by the Williams family of Cincinnati, whose business interests include ownership stakes in Western & Southern Insurance and the Cincinnati Reds. The complex also has soccer fields, walking and bike trails, a picnic ground, concession stand and playground equipment. MILFORD Promont House work set to be finished this month Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/23/06 The repainting of the exterior of the Promont House Museum in Milford might be finished by the end of this month. A $200,000 state grant is covering the cost of painting the Italianate-Victorian house, which includes a four-story tower. The money also will pay for repairs to windows and decorative iron work on balconies, as well as landscaping. The exterior was last painted in 1972. The old lead paint was stripped in June, and workers began applying the new off-white color this month. Built 1865-67, Promont was home to the only Clermont County native to serve as governor of Ohio, John M. Pattison. The museum at 906 Main St., which is run by the Greater Milford Area Historical Society, remains open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is $5, or $1 for children 12 or younger. Information: http://promonthouse.org or 513-248-0324. MT. HEALTHY Owl football could be back at Morris Hilltop Press, 7/19/06 Mount Healthy gave Morris Field a rousing send off last year, but football fans will probably find themselves back in the stands at the historic field this season. Mount Healthy High School intended to kick off its first season in the Fort Ancient Valley conference on a newly improved field behind the high school. The Mount Healthy Athletic Boosters raised about $900,000 through bingo since 1992 to build a track and install a scoreboard, lights, press box and home bleachers in the past. This summer's project was necessary to host larger home crowds expected in the new league. Visitor bleachers were installed last summer, and the second phase of improvement called for a field house with rest rooms, concession stand and team rooms. But the project has been stalled by planning problems and a glitch in the permit process that might push construction back. MT. HEALTHY Taft announces aid for new schools Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/20/06 Gov. Bob Taft came to Mount Healthy High School Wednesday to announce state assistance for 29 school districts planning new buildings, including $57.2 million to help Mount Healthy build three schools. Mount Healthy's school board will probably vote next week to place a $33 million bond issue on the November ballot to pay the local portion of its $90 million construction project. If voters approve the issue, it would raise taxes on a $100,000 home by $180 to $200 a year. The district plans to reorganize its eight school buildings into three larger, more modern ones. Taft joked with the audience of about 200 adults and children that he hoped the new buildings come with air conditioning. Taft's event was held in a sweltering snack room next to the high school cafeteria. "For many years, Ohio neglected its schools. Now we're working hard to make sure every child has a safe school," Taft said afterward. Hilltop Press: Mt. Healthy schools working on bond issue (7/19/06) NEW RICHMOND Residents comment on plans for future Community Journal Clermont, 7/19/06 A few New Richmond residents are working on plans for the village's future, and at a meeting last week, the public got a chance to hear these plans and give their input. The executive committee, who's working on planning the future of "New" Richmond, gave a presentation on the project Thursday, July 13, at the Boys & Girls Club. The executive committee is made up of Ray Perszyk, village council member; Jill Cochran, executive director of Renaissance New Richmond, and Dr. Clark Lawrence, an adjunct professor with the University of Cincinnati. They've been working to revitalize the village's downtown area, the area they call the "island" between U.S. 52 and the Ohio River. "Economic development is necessary for a community such as ours to renew itself and grow," said Mayor Terry Durrette. The goal of these plans is to develop the core of the village by bringing more housing and businesses into that area. This includes having restaurants and entertainment available -- both for the residents who already are there as well as a means of attracting tourists. PARK HILLS Engineers begin work on Park Hills sidewalk, road projects Community Recorder, 7/20/06 Engineers hope to break ground on a sidewalk and a road project by the spring. A 1,400-foot stretch of Dixie Highway in front of Notre Dame Academy will get a new five-foot-wide sidewalk, and a 1,100-foot stretch of Mount Allen Road will get a much-needed facelift. "I think we'll probably be going through the design all the way through fall, and go to bid next spring --design this year, and construction early next year," said engineer Rob Keller, of local engineering firm Bayer Becker. On July 10, city council approved $52,000 to begin the design and engineering. About $28,000 is planned for the sidewalk design, and $24,000 for the Mount Allen Road design. RIPLEY Riverfront project is cause of much excitement, some concern in Ripley Maysville Ledger Independent, 7/18/06 The Ripley River Walk, under construction along Front Street, is the topic of a lot of excitement and a lot of concern in the historic river village. According to Charles Ashmore, Ripley's village administrator, construction on the Ripley River Walk began July 12. The 1,700-foot path will include new pavement, underground utilities, planters, benches, wrought iron fencing, scenic overlooks and enhanced docking. Ashmore predicts the walk will be a big boost for the community. "The River Walk is a tremendous asset to a very visual and very historic part of the village," he said. He expects the walk to boost tourism. SYCAMORE TWP. School told 'no' on parking lot Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/18/06 After nearly three hours of discussion Monday, the township's Board of Zoning Appeals rejected Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy's plan for a parking lot at Snider and Kemper roads. The vote was 3-2. Board member Libby Shaffer, who voted against the lot, said it was too large and would hurt the character of the surrounding residential area. "I think the local impact would be very negative," Shaffer said. About 100 Sycamore and Symmes township residents who opposed the off-campus lot near their Snider Road homes were at the meeting. Residents' concerns about the lot ranged from increased traffic and lowered property values to water runoff and student safety. WILLIAMSBURG Well-traveled access to Williamsburg may close Clermont Sun, 7/21/06 Opinions and ideas concerning an intersection near Williamsburg are flying faster and thicker than rush hour traffic after a state decision was announced to close down the McKeever Pike crossing at state Route 32. The closing was publicly announced in late June by a sign posted at the intersection, but public sentiment concerning the possible closure has been anything but supportive of the notion, which would, according to local officials, cut off a well-used and vital access for residents and industrial traffic. "ODOT made a decision to close the McKeever Pike intersection at state Route 32," said Williamsburg Mayor Mary Ann Lefker. "As you can imagine, we're very opposed to this. That's a direct access to our village from state Route 32. It links the highway directly to our industrial district. If trucks are forced to take an alternate route, it's not a good thing. Anybody who looks at the north side of McKeever, there are a large number of houses that way that would force people to find other routes to state Route 32 that aren't good alternatives. The effect on our village would be devastating." According to Bari Henning, a Williamsburg Township Trustee, an announcement concerning the road closure was received by the the trustees late last year, but nothing had been heard since that time concerning the fate of the road. According to Henning, township correspondence in November concerning the closure announcement received no response from the state, until the sign posted in June announced the closure by July 10. WILMINGTON Parkside South development begins Wilmington News Journal, 7/20/06 Drainage areas and the initial streets for phase 1 of Parkside South have been cut in, and this week the first delivery of sewer line structures is scheduled for the mixed-use development located in Wilmington, said developer Gage Behunin. The first phase consists of opening up 25 home lots, two acres of land zoned R-3 (multi-family residential) and about 12 acres of land zoned for light industry. This initial phase also involves approximately 2,500 feet of roadway, Behunin said. The Parkside South development off state Route 134 South adjoins the Lytle Creek Nature Preserve, the city’s new 127-acre nature park. Behunin learned from his son-in-law who works for DreamWorks, a Disney production company, that DHL was going to establish its North American air and ground hub in Wilmington. For its films, DreamWorks utilizes Technicolor Inc. at the air park. “He let me know there was going to be a need for housing,” Behunin said last week during a visit to Wilmington. WILMINGTON City, developer at odds over sewer Wilmington News Journal, 7/21/06 City hall and a residential developer continue their efforts to hammer out an agreement on the means of financing a new sewer main necessary if the Wilmington subdivision Country Oaks expands. An earlier proposed agreement between the two parties, scheduled for a city council vote in mid-June, was not adopted when a final reading of the legislation got postponed. At issue is how much the city should financially contribute for the installation of a sewer main that would extend from an existing sewer line near McD's Pub to the northern end of the development property fronting North Nelson Road. The latest proposal says "the City will contribute $115,000 to the construction cost" of the sewer extension project. Wilmington City Councilman Scott Kirchner views the latest proposal as "providing a subsidy to a private developer with funds out of the Sewer Enterprise Fund." WOODLAWN Village seeks input on vision of future Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/23/06 It has been nearly 40 years since this village had a real plan for its future. Since January, officials have been starting to fix that, hiring a planning firm and surveying residents. Monday, people have a chance to weigh in at an open house. "We don't want to write a plan that gets stuck on the shelf," said Della Rucker, senior community planner for Edwards and Kelcey, a Fairfax consulting firm. "Plans don't get stuck on the shelf if the people of the community have a stake in them and get their hands into them." Chief among the issues already clear from resident surveys is that Springfield Pike needs work, said Evonne Kovach, village manager. It stretches between Wyoming and Glendale and is home to everything from a Dairy Queen and 200-year-old Century Inn restaurant to a few homes and some abandoned businesses. "Springfield Pike is what people think of when they think of Woodlawn," Kovach said. "So this is the area where we need to tell people who we are." WYOMING Shelter is latest park perk Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/18/06 The new shelter in Foster Memorial (sometimes called Grove) Park should be finished and ready for use this weekend after public works crews finish coating it with a weather sealant. The structure is the latest in a series of improvements to the park that started in 2005 with a $40,000 playground. Picnic tables are coming soon, City Manager Bob Harrison said, and new fencing along the north and west sides of the park should be in place by the end of the summer. Planned for next year: better signs, new fencing along the east and south sides of the ball fields and new water fountains. WYOMING Wyoming pool petitioners get a say in review Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/19/06 Two of the most vocal opponents of the city's plan to build a $3.4 million pool now sit on a committee to review the petition their group wants on the ballot. Mayor David Savage appointed Jo Potvin and Kevin Cooper to the petition review committee, which otherwise consists of the three regular members of council's law committee. The group must have a public hearing on the Concerned Wyoming Citizens' petitions that say the pool must be built in Wyoming, not in neighboring Woodlawn next to the current recreation center. The hearing, according to the city charter, must happen before the committee reports to council at council's next meeting Aug. 21. That report could include suggested changes in the wording of the petition. A date for the public hearing has not yet been set. Savage said he picked the two activists because it seemed appropriate. "It was a considered decision," he said Tuesday. "They obviously have a stake in the outcome, so it only makes sense." Tri-County Press: Resident dives into different pool plan (7/19/06) WYOMING Petitions may seek closing Cooper, Wentworth Tri-County Press, 7/19/06 Melissa Kennedy says closing at least two railroad crossings from Wyoming into Lockland is a "no-brainer." With parks on both sides of the tracks near Wentworth Avenue and Cooper Road, Kennedy said she worries about children walking along the busy roads to get to the playground. Closing Cooper and Wentworth at the railroad tracks would create cul-de-sac neighborhoods on both sides of the tracks, she said, ridding the roads of heavy cut-through traffic. It would also divert traffic to the Wyoming Avenue business district -- bolstering business for both Wyoming and especially Lockland. WYOMING Expansion plans continue for Village Green Park Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/23/06 Village Green Park will get a bigger parking lot once the city tears down a house it recently acquired, while another property deal could lead to an expansion of Crescent Park. The City of Wyoming spent $80,000 for the house at 517 Oak Ave., which is next to the park. The city also paid $108,000 for a retail and apartment building at 336 Crescent Ave. The city will look for a tenant for that building until it can apply next year for a state grant to buy another nearby site. Those will help the city finish its expansion of Crescent Park along the railroad tracks, Harrison said. They're building such CRAAAAP!!!! HEBRON Wow. Is this one just dull or what? 2748 Fister Place Blvd, $154,900.
July 24, 200618 yr It's amazing that having half your facade be a frickin' garage door can look attractive to people...just an aesthetic that I don't understand... Thanks for the update, as always!
July 27, 200618 yr A rehad on Sycamore, just a block away from last years infamous rape. This neighborhood will be completely vinyl soon. :(
July 27, 200618 yr Just another update on my Hyde Park project, Summit Commons. These things are going up unbelievably fast. All the walls and trusses come in pre-built on trucks (windows, framing, and tyvek already in place), the process is quite amazing. And to answer a previous question, the siding will definitely be Hardi-Plank. We will be starting the unattached house, between the new construction and the yellow house very soon.
July 27, 200618 yr The one second from the last, that's my weekend house. I can't wait until its done :]
July 27, 200618 yr And to answer a previous question, the siding will definitely be Hardi-Plank. Cool, will the residents be allowed to paint them?
July 28, 200618 yr Cool, will the residents be allowed to paint them? Yes, once they buy them, they can do whatever they want to with them.
July 31, 200618 yr Author Top story Nothing major to report here. Sorry. Also of note I found this idea kind of interesting. From the 7/26/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: Union Township's Fire Department is housed in Clermont County's water tower. There's an open house Tuesday. The Enquirer/Carrie Cochran PHOTO: David Noell, with ADCM, Jeff Doering, of K4, and Fire Chief Stanley Deimling outside the new Fire Department headquarters. THE ENQUIRER/CARRIE COCHRAN Firefighters to live in tower 'There have been a lot of people asking, "Are we going to be able to get in and see it?" ' BY BARRETT J. BRUNSMAN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER UNION TWP. - No, the windows aren't there to check on the water level. They simply let in light to the bedrooms and offices of township firefighters, who on Aug. 8 will take up residence inside Clermont County's new water tower. The three floors built into the base of the 130-foot tower will be headquarters for the 60 full-time members of the Fire Department. "There's been a lot of interest in this project," said township Fire Chief Stanley G. Deimling, because people driving by or using Veterans Park across Glen Este-Withamsville Road have noticed the windows. "There have been a lot of people asking, 'Are we going to be able to get in and see it?' " The public will get that chance Tuesday during a 4-7 p.m. open house. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060726/NEWS01/607260346/1056/rss02 Cool. From the 7/28/06 Cincinnati Business Courier: World Changers coming to Avondale Cincinnati Business Courier - July 28, 2006 Some 180 teenagers from across the nation will converge on Avondale in the coming week, part of a national program in which teenagers do construction work in underprivileged neighborhoods. Sixteen homes on Forest, Irving and Lossing streets will be spruced up by the teens, brought to town by World Changers, an initiative of the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. The group is partnering with the Uptown Consortium, a nonprofit redevelopment organization funded by local hospitals and the University of Cincinnati. This is one of 93 different construction projects planned by the World Changers group this year. The teens will live at Rockdale Academy from July 29 to Aug. 4. They'll spend the week painting, planting and hanging drywall in 16 Avondale homes in need of repair. Most of the homes are owned by senior citizens. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/07/24/daily70.html?from_rss=1 Round-up: Cincinnati and inner burbs Includes the city of Cincinnati's neighborhoods, Bellevue, Covington, Dayton, Elmwood Place, Ludlow, Newport, Norwood and St. Bernard. AVONDALE The Faith Temple Apostolic Church of God is expanding its building at 825 Rockdale Ave by 6000+ square feet. AVONDALE Fire repair will begin soon on 2909 Vernon Pl. This was the site of a three-alarm fire last may that did extensive damage to all three floors (approx. $600,000). Sixty firefighters were required to handle the blaze. Two of them were injured, though not badly. The building is currently used as an office. BOND HILL 1302 California Ave is being demolished for some reason, none of which I can find. The home was built in 1894. CALIFORNIA A new single-family home will be built at 477 Sutton Ave. I believe this is part of the vacant, two-acre residential lot at 465 Sutton. COLLEGE HILL Sewer work will disrupt North Bend neighborhood Hilltop Press, 7/26/06 The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD) is replacing an old and outdated sanitary sewer line in College Hill. The existing sewer line is too small to handle current wastewater flows, especially during wet weather when storm water infiltrates the line. This excess flow can result in sewage backups into people's basements and sewage overflows from manholes. The project began Monday and will last for four to six months, depending on weather and the contractor's schedule. Final restoration should be complete by December 2006. Construction of the new sewer will begin at North Bend Road and Witherby, run south across the large vacant lot, jog to the west, proceed south on Connecticut Court to the cul de sac, and continue to Belmont Avenue. COLUMBIA TUSCULUM This old church building at 4267 Eastern Ave has been purchased by someone who resides in Batavia. This person also owns two other properties on Eastern--one in Columbia Tusculum, and the other in Linwood. I'm not sure why this is noteworthy, but it strikes me as odd that anybody would buy this building. This structure was built around 1885. COLUMBIA TUSCULUM Four new single-family townhomes will be built at 577 Delta Ave (between Kleybolte and Delta Terrace). These are being done by some outfit from Las Vegas. No prices or renderings are available yet. HYDE PARK First mentioned in my post on 11/27/05, a new single-family home will be built at 3798 Broadview Dr. A rendering is now out. The house is due to be completed around December and is listed for $788,000. HYDE PARK Car wash plans revived Eastern Hills Journal, 7/26/06 A renewed battle between a car wash developer and residents will likely not be a clean one. The developer has resubmitted a plan for a facility on Wasson Road. The city will have a hearing Thursday, July 27. "The issue before me is whether to permit a car wash on a street which is not designated as an arterial street," said zoning hearing examiner Steven Kurtz. The developer, Wasson Road Realty II LLC, has asked for what is called a special exception or variance of the current zoning code regulations. The proposed site is at 3015 Wasson Road. LOWER PRICE HILL 675 State Ave will be demolished. The building was declared a public nuisance in May, as it's pretty much been condemned for the last few years. The structure, which was built around 1900, isn't worthy of saving. MADISONVILLE The former HUD property at 4220 Erie Ave is now in the hands of an investor after 9 months. MT. LOOKOUT A $1,000,000+ home at 1000 Edwards Rd will be knocked down, for some reason. This bad boy is 5587 square feet, 14 rooms, 3.5 baths. The total land area here is 3.6 acres. The people demolishing the home live on 2.7 acres on adjacent Nita Ln, in a 9000-square-foot $3,000,000+ mansion. I couldn't imagine why they would tear it down unless they were going to build a newer, larger home in its place. GOOGLE MAPS: See an aerial of this bitch MT. LOOKOUT Mt. Lookout Square still on council's radar Eastern Hills Journal, 7/26/06 While three new members will join the Mount Lookout Community Council, the group will face the same hurdles as the last group. Council President Will Brown said they will tackle the Mount Lookout Square again. "More than anything I think that the development of the Mount Lookout Square is high on our list," Brown said. "We'll be working on the development of a plan, kind of like a master plan for Mount Lookout Square, developed in coordination with the city of Cincinnati." For Brown, the focus will be getting the project up and running. With money left over from a parking study, the organization has chosen Vivian Llambi and Associates to do streetscape designs for Mount Lookout Square. MT. WASHINGTON PLAN UP FOR REVIEW Forest Hills Journal, 7/26/06 The steering committee for the Mt. Washington Strategic Plan is preparing a copy of the strategic plan for review by the Mt. Washington Community Council and area businesses. A draft copy of the plan will be available for review in August, and several open house meetings will be scheduled to discuss the plan. The meeting dates have not yet been set. NORTH FAIRMOUNT 2602 Linden St will be torn down by the city. The building was condemned in February 2005 because it was literally falling down. The city declared it a public nuisance in September 2005 and declared the intent to raze in June 2006. This home was built in 1888. (No photo. The home was situated in such a way that the roof was at the same elevation as the roadway. The property had gone back to nature, so weeds and other vegetation growing along the fence line made it invisible. Trust me, it was terrible. I saw it last winter.) NORTHSIDE After being lender-owned for a year, 3911 Apple St has been assumed. I don't know if the new owner will live there or will use the property as an investment. The single-family home has been ordered vacant and is under a VBML. NORTHSIDE Cars keep landing in his yard Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/26/06 Chester Davis stopped counting at 110. He says that's how many cars flew off the road near his home since Hamilton Avenue was resurfaced in 2005. "That's counting hits and spin-outs and hit-and-runs," he said. Because most are not reported to police, the official count is much lower: 14 accidents in the first three months of 2006 - only five short of the total for all of 2005. "There were two last night," he said Friday, sitting on his wooden porch, recently rebuilt after a wayward car took it down. Broken bricks piled beside the porch at the rental house next door, which Davis also owns, testify to the speed of southbound traffic rounding the curve north of Glen Parker Avenue. OAKLEY 3235 Berwyn Pl was the real dog of the street before it was cleaned up. It's still pretty modest at $119,500 on a street of homes approaching $200K. RIVERSIDE It took nearly 4 years to get 3796 Hillside Ave torn down after it suffered fire damage in late 2002. It could have been salvaged, but the owner's wife died and, lacking funds, moved out of the metro. The property became overgrown and neglected, and someone stole some of the siding. The building was finally condemned and then barricaded early this year. This home was from the early 1870s. WALNUT HILLS After Wells Fargo hadn't been able to unload it for 18 months, the two-family at 2330 Kenton St has been purchased by an investor for $11,600. The new owner lives in Over-the-Rhine and owns a few properties that are in pretty good shape. The building is not condemned, but it probably needs a little work to get it up and running. Even so, this won't be rented to someone who has too many housing options. This house was built around 1885. WESTWOOD Residents helping develop plan for Montana Western Hills Press, 7/26/06 City engineers and neighborhood residents are working to develop a Montana Avenue improvement plan that addresses traffic safety and citizens' concerns. Representatives of Cincinnati's transportation and engineering department attended the Westwood Civic Association meeting last week to present a revised plan for widening Montana Avenue, from Boudinot Avenue to Farrell Avenue. Don Rosemeyer, Cincinnati's city engineer, said engineers revised their original proposal after receiving public feedback from an open house in March. "We and the community agreed to set up a smaller working group to develop a concept that met safety objectives as well as the needs of the community," he said. Engineers and a committee of residents have been tweaking the initial plan, which called for adding left turn lanes at several intersections, softening curves and increasing the width of Montana. COVINGTON 613 Watkins St has been rehabbed. (after only) COVINGTON 802 Willard St has been restored. It's currently a two-family, but has been and could be a large single-family. (after only) COVINGTON 1816 Scott Blvd looks fantastic. Rehabbed for resale. (after only) COVINGTON The same people who did the 1816 Scott rehab have done 2223 Scott Blvd in Wallace Woods. (after only) NEWPORT This little house at 329 E 2nd St in has been rehabbed. NEWPORT 51 off-street parking spaces coming to Monmouth Kentucky Post, 7/27/06 Visitors on Monmouth Street in Newport will soon have more parking options than those just on the street. That's because the Campbell County Fiscal Court and Newport City Commission this week signed an interlocal agreement that is expected to add 51 off-street parking spaces to the south end of Monmouth. The agreement, approved by the Fiscal Court last week and Newport on Tuesday, calls for the two entities to each contribute a parcel of land to the project. Newport will provide property it owns at 1002 Saratoga St., while the county will use property it purchased this week for $180,000 at 1027 Monmouth - the former home of the Pure Social Club, an adult swingers club that closed after it was damaged by a fire earlier this year. Newport purchased the Saratoga property for $182,000. Cincinnati Enquirer: Newport, county to study parking (7/25/06) NEWPORT Fourth Street Elementary is getting a make-over! Newport Independent Schools newsletter, summer 2006 Anyone driving by Fourth Street Elementary will notice a flurry of activity underway - crews are working feverishly to install new green-space, playground equipment as well as putting a fresh coat of paint on the exterior trim. In addition, the interior of the school is being repainted with brighter colors and new flooring is being prepared for the cafeteria. Meanwhile, architectural drawings are being made to upgrade the library facilities. Round-up: Outer burbs and metro ADAMS COUNTY Adams County builds schools Portsmouth Daily Times, 7/25/06 Adams County is getting three new elementary schools and will renovate the three high schools and Career Technical Center, thanks to the Classroom Facilities Assistance Program. Gov. Bob Taft announced last week that the Adams County School System was one of 29 school districts approved for funding under the state's Rebuilding Ohio's Schools program, established as part of the Ohio School Facilities Commission. The governor's office reports that the cost will be $56 million, with the state picking up 93 percent of it. However, according to Superintendent Pat Kimble, the price tag actually is higher than that. “When you add the state funding and the funding from Locally Funded Intervention, it will total $72 million,” said Kimble. The board passed a bond issue in May to provide the local share of the original $56 million. ALEXANDRIA Council blocks plan for gas station Alexandria Recorder, 7/27/06 Alexandria City Council rejected a developer's plan to build a gas station on property at Poplar Ridge Road and U.S. 27 at its Thursday, July 20 meeting. Council voted 5-0 to approve a zone change for two properties from residential to highway commercial without approving the city's Planning and Zoning Commission's recommendation to go ahead with the site development plan for a gas station. On the advice of City Attorney Michael Duncan, council then gave a first reading on an ordinance to reflect the exclusion of the planning commission's recommendation. A new development plan will have to be submitted to the city before any building could take place, Duncan said. Speedway SuperAmerica wants to work with the city to move ahead with the gas station project. ALEXANDRIA 9 acres won't be built upon Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/27/06 Nine acres near the Parkside subdivision, across from A.J. Jolly Park, likely will remain home to beavers and bobcats for years to come. The Campbell Conservancy acquired the land in December and, along with Northern Kentucky University, will work to improve its habitat. A walking trail is proposed to run along the stream that winds by Parkside. The land is the first to come into the conservancy's possession since it was formed by Campbell County Fiscal Court in 2000. As more developers and landowners seek to preserve green space, the conservancy could serve as a way to maintain undeveloped pieces of property as well as create recreation areas, said David Peck, conservancy chairman. The property is on Race Track Road across from the Campbell County Environmental Education Center. AMELIA Groundbreaking Monday for seniors' apartments Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/30/06 Ground will be broken Monday for a $1.5 million apartment complex for low-income seniors. The Thomaston Meadows complex, which will accommodate 13 households, will be built next to the Thomaston Woods apartments at 338 Amelia-Olive Branch Road. Construction is expected to take a year, but seniors interested in living there have already signed up, said Robert Lowery, president of the Thomaston Woods Senior Housing Corp. The complex for seniors and the existing 100-unit complex for other low-income people were developed by St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Terrace Park. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will provide most of the funding for the seniors complex, while National City Bank of Cleveland lined up a $130,000 grant through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati. BLUE ASH Landos give options for living in Blue Ash Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/23/06 Work has begun on a development that will include 42 landominiums at the corner of Monroe Avenue and Cooper Road. The project, to be known as Park Manor, will be the second-largest residential development planned this year for construction near the city's downtown. Landominiums at Park Manor will range from roughly $650,000 to $700,000, will have 3,200 to 3,400 square feet and include five floor plans, said Bernie Kurlemann, a spokesman for Park Manor LLC, the project's developer. Judy Clark, the city's economic development director, said Park Manor will join the Lofts at Towne Square as the first major developments being built near the city's downtown in the last eight to 10 years. CAMPBELL COUNTY Buildings sold to fund new school Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/26/06 Campbell County Schools is unloading two elementary school buildings, grossing almost $500,000. The school board voted Monday to sell the old A.J. Jolly Elementary for $100,000 to a businessman and Highland Heights Elementary to the city of Highland Heights for $385,000, according to Superintendent Anthony Strong. The money will finance the first year of bond payments for the new elementary school under construction off the AA Highway in Cold Spring, Strong said. That school is scheduled to open in August 2007. Highland Heights Elementary will remain open for the 2006-07 school year. CLEVES More questions on Cleves development Western Hills Press, 7/26/06 As plans for a new shopping center in Cleves become more concrete, harmony is being swept out of the village. About 40 residents gathered at the municipal building July 20 to discuss zoning changes to Harmony Field and flooding they say continually fills their basements and backyards. The field on Cooper Road near U.S. 50 will soon be leveled to make way for what some say will be a Wal-Mart supercenter, restaurants and a bank. Nick Clayton, who's coached the Cleves Stars baseball team for 24 years, is disappointed locals will have to find somewhere else to play. But Clayton's not just concerned about losing a place to play -- he said the field is an essential home to excess rainfall and drainage that pours from the hills surrounding Cleves. CRESTVIEW HILLS Real estate firm converting apartments into condos Kentucky Post, 7/29/06 A familiar name has started a new Northern Kentucky real estate business with a bang. But it's not who you might think it is. Schilling Properties, LLC, formed in March of this year by three Northern Kentuckians, announced its first investment transaction this week. The company - owned by brothers Scott and Jay Schilling and their partner, Steve Ginter - is purchasing eight buildings in the Grandview Summit apartment complex in Crestview Hills with plans to convert them into condominiums, Scott Schilling said. He said that there is often confusion over who he is because there are two other Scott Schillings in Northern Kentucky with connections to the real estate business. One is a member of the family that owned the Beverly Hills Supper Club, which burned in a tragic 1977 fire. A second is married to Susan Huff of the Northern Kentucky-based Huff Realty family. FAIRFAX 3907 Watterson Rd has been rehabbed for resale. FOREST PARK CONDEMNED HOUSE BOUGHT Hilltop Press, 7/26/06 A home at 919 Glasgow Drive that was badly damaged by a fire on March 20 has been purchased. Forest Park officials planned to demolish the house because it has remained in disrepair and represented a threat to the health and safety of the neighborhood, according to Forest Park council minutes. But Beckman Construction has recently bought the property, so council decided to postpone the demolition. While the owners are on notice that the city won't tolerate the house remaining in its state of disrepair, city officials said at the July 17 council meeting they have reason to believe the property will be properly restored. FORT THOMAS Eight buildings get makeover Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/22/06 Scaffolding will soon surround some Fort Thomas buildings as owners use grant money to refurbish the exteriors. All eight buildings using the $150,000 state grants awarded in November for façade improvements will start repairs within two months, said Michelle Frisch, Fort Thomas' Renaissance manager. Many expect the cosmetic improvements to attract business and people. "It is to improve the economics in Fort Thomas and lure more people to downtown," Frisch said. The projects include restoring some of the original look of the former Highland Theater, which now houses a barbershop and jewelers in the center of town. Other buildings getting improvements are the Towne Center, the Nevada Building, Bowman Dentistry, Olde Fort Pub, Best Furniture, Fort Thomas Pizza and Realty Executives Elite. HEBRON Old cemetery found at CVG airport Boone Community Recorder, 7/27/06 A family cemetery found at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is going to be moved. Tombstones belonging to the Popham family were found last year when survey work was being done for a road, according to Bill Martin, the airport's senior director of planning and development. The cemetery is southeast of the airport's middle north-south runway and west of DHL's facility. It has 15 graves. The Kenton County Airport Board on July 17 approved hiring Florence-based Environment and Archaeology, LLC, to move the cemetery. Martin said it's not uncommon to find such things. HIGHLAND HEIGHTS Congregation transforms firehouse into its new home Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/29/06 Heart of Worship Church of God is meeting in a former firehouse at 916 Renshaw Ave. This week, the church began renovations to make the space more like a sanctuary. "It's not felt like a firehouse to us because of the very spiritual services we have, but the appearance is still a lot like a firehouse. We're hoping to change that," said Pastor Lewis Combs. The church has been meeting in the firehouse since January when it sold its Covington location to the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center for an outdoor sculpture garden. HILLSBORO City moves forward on safety building Hillsboro Times-Gazette, 7/28/06 Members of the Hillsboro City Council's property maintenance and restoration committee took the next step in obtaining a new safety building Wednesday evening by narrowing down probable architecture agencies from eight to three. Committee members Kevin Chamber, Bonnie Parr and Kevin Shoemaker were all in attendance, in addition to Hillsboro Mayor Dick Zink and Safety and Service Director Ralph Holt. Committee chairman Kevin Chambers excused himself from the selection process, stating that he had a probable conflict of interest. Chambers said his father is employed by an agency that has property up for consideration for possible purchase by the city for construction of the building. Parr and Shoemaker discussed with Holt and Zink the firms that had submitted applications for consideration for the project. Parr and Shoemaker had each reviewed booklets submitted by the interested agencies prior to the meeting, and then Holt read off a questionnaire with a point system that was compiled by the mayor's office on each firm. The committee chose Kellam and Associates Inc. of Columbus, Cole and Russell Architects Inc. of Cincinnati, and WDC of Springfield. INDIAN HILL Marino Homes is beginning their new subdivision, the Woods of Indian Hill. It appears there are nine lots, one of which has sold. Four homes are currently listed from $1.25M-$1.38M. MADEIRA Madeira sidewalk improvement eyeballed Indian Hill Journal, 7/27/06 Although a new plan isn't concrete, the city is considering improving and adding sidewalks. "The (city's) Public Works Committee has been discussing amending the existing code on sidewalks to have the city take over maintenance responsibility for all sidewalks within the public right of way," said City Manager Tom Moeller. "In addition, there is the discussion of setting aside funding on an annual basis to extend sidewalks along the major roads where presently none exist." This would cost an estimated $50,000 a year, Moeller said. The city is looking into a federal grant called the Safe Route to Schools program, in which funding is provided through the Ohio Department of Transportation for the development of new sidewalks around elementary schools. MASON CITY ADDS PARKING TO PINE HILL LAKES Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/28/06 Gone are the days of jockeying for a parking place at Pine Hill Lakes Park. The city added 70 parking spots to the popular park - the site of the summer Sunshine Concert series on Sundays. The park previously had 52 spots, forcing some people to park on the grass for concerts. The new parking area will be paved and ready to use by the weekend. MIAMI TWP. (Clermont County) Christian Center Academy moving to Miami Twp. site Milford-Miami Advertiser, 7/26/06 After almost 20 years, Christian Center Academy soon will have a new home. The pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, private, non-denominational Christian school, which has students from all over the area and is in Eastgate, will be moving to the House of Restoration on Ohio 131. The school will be moving Aug. 1, administrator Pamela Walling said. The first day of school is Aug. 23. The planning process for this move began in February, after it was mentioned to the children's pastor at the House of Restoration that the school was looking for a new location. MIDDLETOWN Staff excited about new MUM campus center Middletown Journal, 7/28/06 Lots of colors. Red. Blue. Yellow. Big storefront windows. High ceilings. Open space with lots of natural light. The trendy TV lounge will soon to be occupied by overstuffed couches. And students. The staff at Miami University Middletown are anticipating the new campus center packed with students. ... Construction began on 21,600-square-foot, $2.5 million center last year. The project should be complete by Oct. 2, Mack said. MILFORD TWP. (Butler County) Talawanda gets sneak peek at new school Hamilton JournalNews, 7/29/06 Approximately 350 students in the Talawanda School District will begin the 2006-07 school year in a new, state-of-the-art building. Bogan Elementary School officially opens Aug. 29, but community members can get a preview at an open house scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 26. A dedication ceremony is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Aug. 28. “It’s a wonderful facility ... just first rate,” said board member Bob Sherman. The school’s name came after months of discussion, a petition with more than 300 signatures and numerous phone calls asking district officials to name the building after a man who some say unified the district. RABBIT HASH Duke cleans up landmark Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/28/06 One of Boone County's most recognized landmarks got a face-lift recently thanks to a good neighbor. As part of its ninth annual Global Service Event, Duke Energy chose the Rabbit Hash General Store for one of many service projects by employees. About a dozen Duke employees from the East Bend Power Station in Union volunteered to repaint the exterior of the General Store. The store has operated at the same location along the Ohio River since 1831. The group washed, scraped and painted the store, giving it a refreshed look in time for its 175th anniversary celebration this year. It was the first time employees at the Cincinnati-based Duke got involved since it merged with Cinergy in April, said Duke representative Kathy Meinke. "We do anticipate the (community service) will continue." SPRINGFIELD TWP. Township voters can expect road levy Hilltop Press, 7/26/06 Trustees are in the process of deciding whether to put a road levy on the November ballot. The township has an existing, continuing 1 mill road levy that generates about $550,000 a year. "The money that levy generates is enough to allow for a 40-year resurfacing cycle," said township Administrator Mike Hinnenkamp. "We have a lot of older streets that need repairs now and our goal is to get to a 20-year resurfacing cycle." Another consideration, Hinnenkamp said, is that the road department is relying more on funds from the township's general fund to sustain its budget. SYCAMORE TWP. CHCA asks for a lot, gets nothing Northeast Suburban Life, 7/26/06 With the Sycamore Board of Zoning Appeals refusing to accept Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy's parking lot proposal, the academy must decide in the immediate future whether it will appeal the decision. The school's parking lot expansion would add about 300 parking spaces, about half of which would be used by students on a regular basis. Head of School Randy Brunk has said the remaining spaces would be used for special events about 10 or 12 times during the school year. The Board of Zoning Appeals last week voted 3-2 to deny the proposal, which would have placed a school parking lot in a residential area on Snider Road. SYMMES TWP. Land is being assembled on the 1100 block of Enyart Rd. Enyart Property Development (not sure who these folks really are) have assembled five parcels, which are a little over 8 acres. The property currently contains two homes. (Land is at the top of the 90-degree bend of Enyart Rd, right side of the map) GOOGLE MAP WARREN COUNTY Camp Kern acquires 100 acres Dayton Business Journal, 7/27/06 YMCA Camp Kern spent $1.1 million on a 100-acre parcel of farmland to expand its property. The Warren County education, retreat and summer camp organization bought the farmland to protect the area from future development. The purchase brings the camp's total acreage to 525 acres. Camp Kern will pay for the land with fundraising and the potential sale of a 40-acre parcel. The purchase comes after the camp opened its $1 million conference center and assembly hall last year. Part of the Greater Dayton YMCA, the 96-year-old camp hosts 30,000 guests each year and has an operating budget of $2.6 million. It offers year-round programming in outdoor education, conference events and retreats, corporate team building, summer camps and equestrian programs. WILLIAMSBURG TWP. (Clermont County) Residents, trustees want median to stay Community Journal Clermont, 7/26/06 The Ohio Department of Transportation is trying to close part of a roadway in Williamsburg Township, but that won't happen if the residents have anything to say about it. The section of Ohio 32 by McKeever Pike has become a safety issue, according to many, and one possible solution is to close or remove the median there. The main problem: Drivers have trouble turning left onto either of those two roads. While the only signs up at that point are street signs, Williamsburg Township Trustee Jim Taylor said some residents had complained the street signs obscured their view when trying to turn. "ODOT had originally planned to take that median out," said Sharon Smigielski, public information officer with ODOT. "It was a safety-related issue because a high rate of accidents occurred there." WILMINGTON ESD building being considered Wilmington News Journal, 7/27/06 A female incarceration facility is not the only idea floating around for the Southern Ohio Educational Services Center building on Laurel Drive near the Laurel Oaks Career Development Center. Clinton County Commissioner Randy Riley said Wednesday afternoon the commissioners also are considering the space be used for a juvenile detention facility or as another location for the alternative school, which presently is located near the Clinton County Courthouse. He also said the commissioners may decide to sell the property. Riley said the juvenile detention facility is something county officials have known is needed for quite some time. He explained the county uses both West Central Ohio Juvenile Detention near Troy and South Central Ohio Juvenile Detention in Chillicothe to house juvenile offenders. WYOMING Wyoming to buy two homes Tri-County Press, 7/26/06 Wyoming officials are buying two homes that were on the market to possibly expand a park being built at the end of Worthington Avenue. Worthington Avenue was closed at the railroad crossing a few months ago and a new park is now under construction there. The city plans to buy the homes at 517 Oak Ave. for $80,000 and 336 Crescent Ave. for $108,000. While the property may be used for the park or for parking spaces, the city economic development commission is currently reviewing the best possible use of the land. WYOMING Court rules; pool on its way Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/27/06 Construction could start within days on the $3.4 million community swimming pool, a project whose price tag and location have divided this city for months. The Ohio 1st District Court of Appeals on Wednesday overturned a lower-court injunction that had stopped the city from moving forward with the Family Aquatic Center. By noon, Acting City Manager Jenny Chavarria, the city's finance director, was signing the contract with low bidder Perkins/Carmack Construction of Milford. Officials expect the work to start any day, Councilwoman Vicky Zwissler said. Next, she said, it will be important to try to communicate with all residents about what has happened, what led the judges to rule in the city's favor, and to try to stick to the facts and remove the emotion and rumors that have circulated throughout this city of 8,200 for six months. "I don't believe that there is any winning or losing here," she said. "I think it's really unfortunate that our city had to go down this path. I think as a community we have endured more than we should have had to endure." The court's decision likely will be the end of Wyoming Concerned Citizens' legal efforts to stop the pool, said their lawyer, Steve Goodin. But it's only the beginning of a fight that he predicted would be "political suicide" for some City Council members. Cincinnati Enquirer: Wyoming signs pool contract (7/26/06) Cincinnati Enquirer: Wyoming awaits key pool ruling (7/26/06) Cincinnati Enquirer: Appeals judges hear Wyoming pool case (7/25/06) They're building such CRAAAAP!!!! NOTE: This feature is going to go away for a little while. How many times can I say that a garage door takes up two-thirds of the facade? I'm getting a little bit repetitive. So I'm currently seeking ideas for something to replace this section. If you have any, PM them to me. LIBERTY TWP. Wow...three garage doors. I bet that garage is the size of my entire house. 6638 Red Pine Dr. MILFORD WTF?!? Where's the rest of the house? ;) 979 Apple Blossom Ln.
July 31, 200618 yr I always look forward to the "They're building such CRAAAAPPP!!!" feature, but I understand it seems repetitive...but just promise that when you happen across particularly egregious examples, you'll still throw them out for us! First mentioned in my post on 11/27/05, a new single-family home will be built at 3798 Broadview Dr. A rendering is now out. The house is due to be completed around December and is listed for $788,000. Wow...browsing through the homes on the auditor's site, that's almost $300K more than any sales on the street...wow...
July 31, 200618 yr This short street, Vernon Place, was the most exclusive street in the city at one time. Now several of the remaining mansions are used for storage, and unfortunately, 2909 Vernon Place may not be saved. Even if it is saved, the insurance is not enough to restore the extensive wookwork detail that burned inside. This Colonial Revival frame residence was built approx. 1896 for Edwin C. Goshorn (b 1844). The architect was as F.M. Wakefield, Boston. Mr. Goshorn was in the white-lead business as owner (with family members), of the Anchor White Lead Company. 100 years ago, his residence was considered one of the "most beautiful and attractive homes in the city". Now it sits forgotten in a neighborhood in the middle of huge changes and developments.
August 1, 200618 yr Top story LIBERTY TWP. Wow...three garage doors. I bet that garage is the size of my entire house. 6638 Red Pine Dr. MILFORD WTF?!? Where's the rest of the house? ;) 979 Apple Blossom Ln. It sadly just represents how much our culture is a *ick measuring contest, to see who has the bigger SUV :cry:
August 3, 200618 yr CHCA parking lot fight may end up in court BY FEOSHIA HENDERSON | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER SYCAMORE TWP. - Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy's effort to build a new parking lot at Snider and Kemper roads could go to court. The school's executive committee is set to meet today to decide whether to take the fight to Hamilton County Common Pleas Court after township zoning officials last month took a preliminary vote to deny a permit for the lot. The academy would seek to overturn the zoning board decision, when it is final. "We'll recommend an appeal," said Head of Schools Randy Brunk. The zoning board's 3-2 vote followed heated opposition by a group of homeowners in surrounding Sycamore and Symmes townships. They argued the parking lot would hurt the residential character of the area and could be a safety risk as students would have to cross the busy Kemper Road intersection to get to the high school. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060803/NEWS0102/608030369/1058/NEWS01
August 4, 200618 yr These better have a fantastic view, cause they look like crap for $450K! They do have a very good view. This is view is real close to these homes.
August 6, 200618 yr From the Rumor Mill I was in Cincinnati for the weekend, and picked up a couple thinks from the rumor mill. I can't speak to the accuracy of either of these. The first: Someone may be considering putting an Italian restaurant in the Lytle Park area. The most recent location I had heard for this was the old police precinct building on the 300 block of Broadway (down the street from the University club). A had also heard a similar rumor on an earlier trip, where the location being considered was on the building at 550 fourth st. The second: Someone is considering adding several floors (I think I heard 6) to the existing building bounded by Butler, Culvert, and Third street for loft style condos. I heard that they have even done a model within the building on one of the existing floors. I drove by this morning. On the east side entrance, there is a sign that says "The Edge Sales Office" (this could be unrelated). Driving down butler, you can see what looks a loft unit that has been created out of two existing floors of windows up on the North West corner of the building. You can clearly see what looks like new double height windows that are obviously newer than the rest of the building, and what looks like finished space inside. I've included a map image for reference:
August 7, 200618 yr Author Top story From the 8/4/06 Enquirer: City to add office complex First building on target for '07 BY CINDY SCHROEDER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER FORT MITCHELL - Grandview Drive is getting another office complex. Florence-based B.O.L.D. Homes Inc. plans to build Grandview Office Centre, a 108-unit office condominium complex at 260 Grandview Drive, during the next four years, said Mike Kegley, the company's co-owner. The first of seven buildings should be ready for occupancy after the first of the year, Kegley said. The two-story buildings will have brick, siding and stone exteriors, and some will have basements. During the past week, crews have been clearing a 12-acre site between the Mitchel's Park apartments and Paul Hemmer Companies' Park 75 office park. Five acres will be left for a wildlife habitat and passive recreation, Kegley said. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060804/NEWS0103/608040371/1059/rss13 Also of note From the 8/3/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: Gavin Newton, with his wife, Stacy, and son, Rohan, converted this Victorian home in Bellevue from three rental units into a single-family home. The Enquirer / Ernest Coleman Incentives create parking, reduce rental units BY SCOTT WARTMAN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER BELLEVUE - Bellevue wants more off-street parking and fewer rental units. Since 2004, the city has paid property owners to reduce the number of rental units in a building and convert multifamily homes to single-family. The going rate is $2,500 per unit eliminated. The city also has paid $500 for each off-street parking space built for residences since 2005. Funding for rental conversions has been raised this fiscal year by $14,000 to $39,000 and another $5,500 has been allocated to the off-street parking program, raising it to $13,000 this year. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060803/NEWS0103/608030415/1059/rss13 Cool. An interesting story on Hazelwood from the 8/2/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: Wilma Byrd walks her dog in the Hazelwood neighborhood in Blue Ash. Byrd is the third generation - and her four children the fourth generation - to live in the historically black neighborhood. The Enquirer / Leigh Patton PHOTO: George and Chris Giles live in Hazelwood across the street from Zion Hill Baptist Church, which Chris' father, Leroy Battle, helped build in the 1940s. THE ENQUIRER / CARRIE COCHRAN PHOTO: Kindergarten teacher Barbara Berghausen stands with the morning class (above)... PROVIDED PHOTO: ...and the afternoon class at White Oak Elementary in Hazelwood in 1950. At that time, the classes were segregated; the school is now closed. PROVIDED Hazelwood more multicultural Blue Ash neighborhood had humble start, but now, many covet its lots and houses BY FEOSHIA HENDERSON | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER BLUE ASH - Chris and George Giles have lived in Hazelwood since the 1940s and remember when few homes had indoor bathrooms and residents of this Blue Ash neighborhood drew drinking water out of wells. "Hazelwood was really rural. There were outside toilets. When my father built this house, it had one of the first inside bathrooms," Chris Giles, 71, said while sitting in the dining room of the couple's small, one-story home on Labelle Avenue. Their home sits just across the street from Zion Hill Baptist Church, which her father also helped build in the 1940s. Hazelwood isn't the type of neighborhood you picture in this affluent northeastern Hamilton County suburb, and you might just miss it if you don't spot that small sign on Cornell Road announcing the 99-acre "Hazelwood Community." It's the only predominantly black neighborhood in Blue Ash, a city where just 627 of 12,513 residents are black. And while homes in the city that sits in the desirable Sycamore School District sell at an average of about $250,000, homes and lots in this neighborhood go for $45,000 to $185,000. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060802/NEWS01/608020358/1056/rss02 Update East Price Hill: Warsaw/Enright Kroger There will be a public hearing before the Economic Development Committee regarding the Warsaw/Enright Kroger on September 5, 2006. At issue is rezoning the land between Warsaw, Enright, Van Vey and McPherson avenues to CC-A Community Auto-Oriented District to allow for the expanded Kroger with gas island. This was approved by the City Planning Commission on July 7. My God. I didn't know they were going to front the parking on Warsaw Ave. WHAT A TERRIBLE IDEA!!! Update Report rejects car wash proposal Examiner cites property values, noise BY STEVE KEMME | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER OAKLEY - A Cincinnati zoning hearing examiner has rejected a developer's proposal to build a car wash on a small vacant lot at Wasson Road and Paxton Avenue in Oakley. In his report, Steven Kurtz said the car wash would hurt property values of nearby homes and create too much noise, nighttime light and traffic. The ruling delighted residents who have been fighting the proposal for a year. "We're thrilled," said Lynn Schnirring, whose backyard on Portsmouth Avenue in Hyde Park abuts the site, at the southeast corner of Wasson and Paxton. "It shows what can happen when you have a groundswell of support." MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060804/NEWS01/608040393/1056/rss02 Round-up: Cincinnati and inner burbs Includes the city of Cincinnati's neighborhoods, Bellevue, Covington, Dayton, Elmwood Place, Ludlow, Newport, Norwood and St. Bernard. AVONDALE Young people come to help repair homes Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/1/06 During one of the hottest weeks of the summer, more than 180 high school and college students from eight states, including Ohio and Kentucky, are working to rehab and improve 16 homes. "It's a little hot," said Mike Melton, 21, who was working with other young people to replace a porch at a home in the 3500 block of Lossing Street. "You've just got to take a lot of breaks and drink lots of water. It's not about our comfort. It's about serving God." Melton, a senior at Louisville's Boyce College, is a volunteer with World Changers, a project of the North American Mission of the Southern Baptist Convention. Students spend a week in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods sprucing up homes. BOND HILL 1962 Northcutt Ave has been renovated, and somehow manages to look worse. I think it's the choice of front windows. BOND HILL 1309 Regent Ave had been held by Fannie Mae since November 2004 until it was purchased in late June for $13,500 by a man from Golf Manor. At the time this was vacated by the city in early 2002, it was a high gang and drug area. Inspectors required police escorts to check out the building. This continued throughout 2004 and 2005, when it was finally condemned. The front facade is structurally failing. Umm...I'm not sure how good of an investment this was, but it is a pretty cool, historic house (1894). CAMP WASHINGTON Hilvers Catering will be tearing (or may have already torn) down 1069 Marshall Ave (two-family, 1896) and 2734 Colerain Ave (three-family, 1880). These structures have been owned by the company for some time. It's likely that their demolition means expanded parking space. (1069 Marshall and 2734 Colerain) CARTHAGE The $507,284 float loan from the city to Cincinnati Housing Partners passed unanimously in council. This will be used for the demolition of 7000-7004 Vine St and the construction of a new Cincinnati Credit Union on the site. COLLEGE HILL 1751 Cedar Ave is being demolished for some reason, even though nothing appears to be wrong with it. Maybe they just want to expand the yard of their property next door. The house being demolished is listed as being built around 1865. COLLEGE HILL After 13 months vacant and owned by Wells Fargo, 5731 St. Elmo Ave has been purchased by an investor. COLLEGE HILL 1126 Cedar Ave had many code violations. The property went into foreclosure and has been purchased by an neighborhood resident who is bringing it up to code. COLLEGE HILL Saint Clare Parish Center Opens College Hill eNewsletter, 7/27/06 St. Clare Church celebrated the Grand Opening of its new Parish Center with a party after Saturday afternoon mass. After years of preparation and nine months of construction, the building is ready to use. Fr. George Jacquemin, St. Clare's pastor, blessed the building for the assembled parish members, and Bob Ebbeler, president of the church Parish Council, cut the ribbon stretched between the doors. Inside, parishioners enjoyed refreshments, checked out the building, and heard from College Hill Director of Community Development Martin Weldishofer, who called the building a gain for the neighborhood. The Parish Center, which includes a gym and stage space, will soon be available for rent to community groups. You can tour the center on August 1, when it will be open to the public as part of the National Night Out/College Hill Block Party. COLLEGE HILL Children's site will add space, inpatient beds Cincinnati Business Courier, 7/28/06 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center will expand its College Hill campus to add outpatient capacity and free up inpatient space at its main location. In the near term, the addition will probably allow Children's to increase the number of psychiatric outpatients it sees in College Hill and at its main location in Corryville by 50 percent, to more than 20,000, said Dr. Michael Sorter, director of the child and adolescent psychiatry division at Children's. Within the next few years, the number could reach 30,000. COLUMBIA TUSCULUM 4390 Eastern Ave should be razed any day now, if it hasn't been already. This single-family, built in 1877, has been in various states of vacancy and/or condemnation since 2002. A public hearing in March 2006 resulted in the building being declared a public nuisance, and the intent to raze came down last month. The owners own several sh!tty properties in the area, and there have been foreclosure issues on some of their properties. Unfortunately, the Clerk of Courts site no longer allows one to access any information whatsoever. Bastards. EAST END 3926 Feemster St, long vacant, has been razed. The value of the house fell to the value of the land, so it was cheaper to just tear it down. The frame house was built in 1896. EAST PRICE HILL EAST PRICE HILL PRIDE Price Hill Press, 8/2/06 A group of East Price Hill residents recently spent a Saturday afternoon sprucing up their community. About 30 volunteers came together and spread more than 250 bags of mulch in the gardens and flower beds along the Warsaw Avenue business district. The beautification effort was organized by East Price Hill Improvement Association member Patti Hogan. Seven large planters were also recently added to the streetscape on Warsaw Avenue. EAST WALNUT HILLS/EVANSTON (O'Bryonville) Park backers seek to match funds Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/1/06 A neighborhood group is trying to raise $1 million to match a Cincinnati Park Board grant so they can rehabilitate an East Side community park. The park is Owl's Nest, a 10.5-acre neighborhood park that sits near O'Bryonville, East Walnut Hills and Evanston. The grant was made to the Owl's Nest Advisory Council, a group of residents from the three neighborhoods. The group will receive $600,000 from the Cincinnati Park Board over the next two years and the board is projecting it will give another $400,000 to the council in 2009. The Cincinnati Recreation Commission, which operates part of the park, will pay for renovations to the ball fields and take care of maintenance. EVANSTON The city will not be installing stop signs or traffic signals on Hewitt Ave at its intersection with Fairfield or Trimble avenues, because traffic counts and accident records do not indicate a need for one. The city also does not install stop signs to control speeding. The residents will, however, see the installation of two additional speed limit signs and focused speed patrols. MADISONVILLE Transformed Properties has done a total rehab on 4918 Roanoke St. MADISONVILLE Business owners hope open-air market takes off Eastern Hills Journal, 8/3/06 In its sixth week, the Market in Historic Madisonville is already a burgeoning artisan community. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday until October, the grassy portion of a parking lot beside the Salt of the Earth Cafe will be transformed, as street vendors selling everything from organic produce, to homemade candles, to handmade sterling silver jewelry line the lot just off Red Bank Expressway. "We're getting more traffic now," said Kevin Foster, owner of Kevin Foster Studios. He and his partner Frances Sheard sell greeting cards made from his photographs. "It's starting to pick up a little bit." Foster said the booth allows him to market his pictures of the flowers in his backyard, as well as landscapes from upstate New York and Colorado. It's also a way for them to connect with the community Sheard said. NORTHSIDE 4165 Pitts Ave has been restored for resale. NORTHSIDE 4273 Williamson Pl has been fully rehabbed. NORTHSIDE 1525 Lingo St is in the midst of a rehab. And it needs it. NORTHSIDE 4034 Colerain Ave was vacated by the city in July 2005, then lost to foreclosure in September 2005. Nine months later, it was purchased for $14,900 by Douglas Hafner. I may be wrong, but I believe this is the same Doug Hafner who is co-owner of Honey in Northside. The house, built around 1880, is over 2000 square feet. NORTHSIDE No new traffic signal for Hamilton and Glen Parker avenues is coming. However, overhead curve warning signs with flashing warning lights are coming soon, and changes in the pavement type are being investigated to try to cut down on accidents around that curve, especially when the pavement is wet. An abandoned plan for straightening out the curve may also be revisited. RIVERSIDE Gas leak caused building explosion Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/2/06 An apparent natural gas explosion destroyed a vacant Hillside Avenue home Tuesday morning and damaged several neighboring houses. The structure was engulfed in flames before it collapsed. Black smoke could be seen for miles. No one was seriously injured, but the explosion blew out windows of adjacent homes and threw debris from the demolished building through the neighborhood. Nancy Smith, 70, and six grandchildren were home next door when the explosion occurred about 10:30 a.m. at 3657 Hillside Ave. " A cross between a bomb and an airplane hitting the house," Smith recalled Tuesday afternoon. "It slid me off a chair. I've never seen anything like this in my life." Cincinnati Enquirer: 'It sounded just like a bomb' (8/1/06) ROSELAWN Keystone Remodeling has gone to work on the apartment building at 1873 Losantiville Ave. This building was condemned last November and has been vacant even longer than that. Aside from general rehab work, Keystone will also be enlarging the units by reducing them from 9 to 5. SOUTH FAIRMOUNT 2225 Moellering Ave has been demolished. The building began collapsing a few years back and was seemingly abandoned. The city ordered it condemned in late 2005 and it was declared a public nuisance in May 2006. Before the city could get around to tearing it down, someone else did it for them. (Watching a property being reclaimed by the earth....) WESTWOOD 2790 Morningridge Dr, which burned in a fire a year ago, will be torn down. The house, built in 1974, was basically just a shell with a tarp for a roof. The owners were going through bankruptcy and lost the house to foreclosure. Still, it took the city 1 YEAR to tear down a burned down house. The now-vacant lot is now listed. WESTWOOD After the bank tried to move 3143 Sunshine Ave for 14 months, it was purchased by an investor for $11,800. This owner owns a a few dozen marginal properties, mostly in the South Fairmount, East Westwood and Westwood areas. His eviction record is extensive. WESTWOOD Work starts on Mercy's tech center Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/2/06 Mother of Mercy High School in Westwood will break ground on its new technology center at 4 p.m. Thursday. Mercy plans to build a 9,000-square-foot addition for technology education and expand parking. The 90-year-old girls high school will gain a library/media learning center, multi-media space for television and facilities for computerized graphics. The Sisters of Mercy, with a motherhouse in Walnut Hills, operate the school. COVINGTON After being on the market for 15 months, the two-family at 1503 Scott St was purchased for $72,900. It appears that the new owner will be a resident. She paid $12,000 more than the previous assessed value. COVINGTON After Fannie Mae had the house vacant and on the market for more than 6 months, the single-family at 2037 Pine St has been purchased by an investor. COVINGTON Controversial grocery store may be evicted Kentucky Post, 8/1/06 A building in the heart of Covington's Mutter Gottes neighborhood that police and other city officials say has been a persistent source of problems, has been purchased by three partners who have begun cleaning it out so it can be renovated into upscale apartments and - perhaps - condominiums. But the owners have not yet made a decision on whether they will evict the building's highest-profile tenant, Mac's Food Market, a convenience store at the corner of Sixth and Russell. The grocery has been owned for many years by James Parrott, who in 1997 pleaded guilty to 12 counts of drug trafficking and conspiracy for selling prescription painkillers, often from his grocery store. "He has asked if he can stay, and we're looking at any and all options," said Tom Miller, one of the partners buying the property. Miller said he and his partners bought the building in June for $236,500 at a court-ordered auction that was held to liquidate the assets of Parrott and his wife, Evelyn, who have filed for divorce. Miller said he and the partners - Ken Perry, who works in the real estate business in Campbell County, and Raymond McFall, who owns other rental property - have not made any final decisions about how the property will be redeveloped. COVINGTON Holiday Inn renovated Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/6/06 The owners of the Holiday Inn Riverfront Covington have completed a $3 million renovation. The work on the hotel, at 600 W. Third St., included a new arched carport, stonework, lighting, paint and, inside, flat-screen TVs, granite bathroom counters and new bedding in the 155 guest rooms. Guests no longer have to enter the hotel through a back door. The restaurant has a new lunch and dinner menu. COVINGTON (Latonia) 108 E 41st St has been rehabbed. (after only) LUDLOW Grants will help improve streetscape Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/4/06 The city has received two grants from the state to improve the streetscape downtown and repair Locust Street near Ludlow Christian Church - soon to be the Ludlow Municipal Center. The city was awarded grants of $350,000 and $55,000. NORWOOD 1817 Maple Ave has been renovated. ST. BERNARD HHP Homes has done a fantastic rehab of 149 Church St. Round-up: Outer burbs and metro ALEXANDRIA Will rezoning attract business? Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/3/06 A developer hopes to attract businesses to his Summerlake development to serve the anticipated growth. The type will depend on the market, said Brandon Bray, managing member. Alexandria's Planning Commission recommended this week that a 2-acre parcel in front of the development and about 15 acres across U.S. 27 be zoned highway commercial. If City Council annexes the property and approves the recommendation, 57 types of retail sales and services could go there, including grocery stores, art galleries and funeral homes. Alexandria's comprehensive plan intends for land along U.S. 27 to be zoned highway commercial, said John Jewell, chairman of Alexandria's Planning Commission. No tenants have been signed or buildings designed, Bray said. About 7 acres of the property is developable. Bray said he has had discussions with Dollar General. The site also could be ideal for a new branch of the Campbell County Public Library, Bray said. The library is considering the Alexandria area but no site has been chosen, spokeswoman Kiki Dreyer Burke said. AMBERLEY VILLAGE An oasis in flux Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/31/06 There's not much more to Amberley Village than trees and homes, most of them upscale and on large lots. It's an oasis of wealth and green space, a "destination" neighborhood where people stay once they move in. The village was incorporated in 1940 because residents wanted zoning authority to ensure they could control the rural nature of the community. But changes are coming. Village officials are working to help surrounding communities, many of them poorer, so Amberley Village can remain a spot where people aspire to live. Cincinnati Enquirer: Amberley Village's rankings (7/31/06) ANDERSON TWP. Recycling money to benefit Hillcrest Cemetery Forest Hills Journal, 8/2/06 Money made from recycling material in Anderson Township will help maintain Hillcrest Cemetery, following a vote by township trustees July 20. The measure would allow the township to contract with Abitibi Consolidated, a recycling company out of Canada, and direct the proceeds to Hillcrest Cemetery Coalition. Township Administrative Assistant Suzanne Parker said the township had been working through Rumpke to handle recycling, but recently switched programs when Abitibi approached them. Abitibi would provide the township with free paper bins and free pickup, then send the township a check equivalent to $20 per ton of paper. "Last year, we estimate the program would have raised between $2,500 and $3,000," she said. "That money will be used to purchase equipment for the cemetery like lawn mowers." ANDERSON TWP. New subdivision goes to county for approval Forest Hills Journal, 8/2/06 A new 13-unit subdivision proposed for Anderson Township will go to the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission Aug. 3. The proposed Forest Trails subdivision, the first subdivision to be considered in the township this year, would be located off Forest Road, between Andersonglen Drive and Merritt Grove Lane, if approved. In a letter to the planning commission, Anderson Township Development Services recommended approval of the development provided the plans include sidewalks along the south side of Forest Road and on one side of the interior of the development to further the Anderson Trails Plan. Additionally, the plan calls for finding a new name for the subdivisions street, as a Forest Trails already exists in Union Township. According to Sievers, this smaller type of subdivision is becoming more common in the township. BURLINGTON Center: 2 opt out, 7 say yes Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/5/06 A second fire department has told Boone County it doesn't want to be part of a new fire training center. Union Emergency Services, which provides fire and EMS protection to the city of Union and the Union Fire Protection District, says it needs to focus on building a new fire station and buying new equipment to serve its growing population. "This is not a negative opinion of the project ... but purely an economic business decision," the board said in a statement issued after its unanimous decision. Director Mike Morgan, who was on a committee that worked for the center, said it all came down to timing. "Union has so many things staring at us right now," he said. At the same meeting, the board decided to seek bids for the department's new building; this week Union got a new ambulance; and in three months it will get a new fire truck. CLEVES Last push for 3 Rivers bond issue Western Hills Press, 8/2/06 Three Rivers Local School District residents have six days to figure out whether they are for or against a $54.5 million plan to build two new schools. The district is requesting approval of an 8.44-mill bond levy on the special election ballot Tuesday, Aug. 8; 7.94 mills are for the bond levy and 0.5 mills are for a permanent improvement levy to maintain and repair the new buildings. District officials said consolidating from five buildings to two school buildings would save the district about $2.5 million each year in operating costs. The new schools would also improve the educational environment for students and teachers and add value to the community. District resident Mike Harman said he opposes the bond issue because it will significantly increase real estate taxes. "People in Three Rivers want more responsible spending and less waste," he said. COLERAIN TWP. Work crews have torn up the old Marathon station on the northeast corner of Galbraith and Pippin roads. The site is now fenced in and foundations have been poured. That property, plus an adjacent residential property, were purchased by Speedway some time ago. Plan on seeing a Speedway there in the future. DELHI TWP. Seton to have home field advantage Delhi Press, 8/2/06 They're building it and high school fast pitch softball is coming to Delhi Township next spring. With a major boost from Cheviot Savings Bank, the Seton Saints and Delhi Township trustees are joining together to bring the sport to Delhi Township Park. Seton will begin using Field 4 in Delhi Park as both their practice facility and their home field starting with the 2007 season. For the Saints, it marks the first time that they will have a home field with traditional amenities such as outfield fences, field dimensions matched to their sport and a scoreboard. "I see additional opportunities beyond those of having the field for practice and games," said Seton head coach Mary Agricola. FAIRFIELD Fairfield school district looks to get community input on facilities Hamilton JournalNews, 8/4/06 The Fairfield Board of Education may hire an independent consultant to help put together a community engagement group. The Ohio School Facilities Commission this fall will present its facilities recommendation to the district. The community engagement group would be part of the overall facilities evaluation process, but not part of the OSFC study, district officials said Thursday night. A presentation on community engagement was made to the board by Charlie Irish of Santa Rita Collaboration. If the district hires the company, Irish will organize and train a group of community members to be involved in facilities planning. “We go about it in a way that results in community ownership,” he said. “We believe the engagement process in a community needs to be led by a community.” FAIRFIELD Road closing for manhole work Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/3/06 John Gray Road will be closed between Hamilton Avenue and Mill Road in Fairfield and Springfield Township to install manholes until Aug. 18. Traffic will be detoured over Hamilton Avenue, West Kemper Road, Mill Road and John Gray Road. FALMOUTH Builder sought for park Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/3/03 Hoping to kick-start a project that has been talked about for years, state park officials will seek a developer to build a lodge at Kincaid Lake State Park in Pendleton County. With no commitment of state funding and a project estimated to cost as much as $12 million, the Kentucky Department of Parks hopes to entice a private company with a pledge to spend as much as $1 million on preparing a park site for construction. "We don't have the money to do the lodge, but we've got enough money to do some infrastructure," said recently appointed Kentucky Parks Commissioner J.T. "Jerry" Miller. "If we use that money properly it could go a long way to leverage some private capital investment." The state won't decide how much to spend on infrastructure until a developer shows some interest in the project, but Miller said the work could include improvements to the roads leading into the park. FLORENCE Produce Patch site to be redeveloped Florence Recorder, 8/3/06 The site of the former Produce Patch at 7570 Burlington Pike in Florence will soon be redeveloped after sitting empty for more than two years. Healthy Alternative Natural Food store as well as a medical chiropractic office plan to locate on the site pending official approval of the development by city council. The development plans were recommended by the Boone County Planning Commission with four conditions and the Florence Planning and Zoning Commission added another condition. The property owners must add a buffer yard along the back property line, driveway connections to adjoining properties, and fulfill several architectural conditions. They must also obtain a demolition permit before construction may proceed. FLORENCE Graeter's Ice Cream opens in Florence Florence Recorder, 8/3/06 A new Graeter's Ice Cream shop celebrated its grand opening on July 28 on Foundation Drive off U.S. 42 in Florence. "We're really excited about being here," said Zaki Barakat, president of the franchise the store belongs to. "We've been working on this store for about two and a half years." Barakat said he hoped the location served as a gathering place for the community, since it is accessible by foot or bike to surrounding residential neighborhoods. The Florence shop is the first Graeter's in the area to feature the store's new theme colors in shades of burgundy and creme, Barakat said. HAMILTON BTW closing irks petitioners Hamilton JournalNews, 8/6/06 The Booker T. Washington Community Center is temporarily closed to the public for facility upgrades, according to the center’s new director Sheila Jones. For the past two weeks, Jones and volunteers have been conducting an inventory of the facility’s amenities and working to assess program needs, Jones said. Meanwhile, scheduled events and meetings for local groups such as YouthBuild and Weed & Seed have continued. The center’s pool has also remained open. However, Jones said because cleaning and painting of the main facility are under way, the center will remain closed to the public until further notice. “As soon as we get everything done, we’ll be open, and with school starting soon we hope to get everything wrapped up shortly,” Jones said. “Of course the more hands we have on deck, the sooner that will happen. We’re always looking for volunteers.” HARRISON Two housing developments in the works for West Side Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/6/06 Local developers are planning two new housing developments for this fast-growing community on the West Side. The subdivisions, to be developed along Dry Fork Road off Interstate 74 next to the Miami Whitewater Forest, would bring a mix of about 785 housing units targeting house hunters ranging from young families with children to empty nesters to young professionals and move-up buyers. But both developments, valued at a combined $190 million, must still be approved by the city's planning commission and council, said Dan Brooks, Harrison's chief building official. It could take four to six months before the developers get final approval. Brooks said some residents have expressed concerns about the density of the projects, something that will be reviewed before final approval. He said the projects would be developed on nearly 247 acres of about 395 acres of farmland the city is considering annexing from Crosby Township. The development will include neighborhoods and amenities such as parks, three lakes and a cabana with a swimming pool. HEBRON Training center coming to Ky. Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/31/06 Bishop C.E. Hill passed through this area six times, traveling from his home in Texas to Pennsylvania, looking for a place to build a multicultural training center. He finally stopped here one of those six times and decided this is where it should go - even though friends told him he was crazy. "They said, "You don't want Kentucky. They used to use the (underground) railroad to get out of there," said Hill, who is black. This area has also seen some racial incidents in the last couple of years, including graffiti on Conner High School in Hebron, a cross burning in a Burlington yard and threats against some black Florence girls on a school bus. So why build it here? "You go where the travesties are most transparent," Hill said. LOCKLAND This double at 722-724 Walnut St looks way better. LOCKLAND After being vacant and lender-owned for 14 months, 731 Stewart Ave has been purchased by an investor for $10,000. This landlord has an extensive list of sh!tty properties. This one's not in bad shape, though I'm sure it will be once he moves tenants in. It's a whopping 708 square feet, too. LOVELAND City delays zoning amendment Loveland Herald, 8/2/06 According to Council Member Kate Showler, city council is targeting 13 stakeholders inside the West Loveland Corridor. With that said, the city tabled its decision to change the zoning of properties along West Loveland Avenue. The zoning alteration would change those properties from residential medium density (one household per half acre) to residential low density, meaning that only one household could sit on one acre, according to City Manager Tom Carroll. Council Member Todd Osborne proposed the zoning change because "the current zoning of residential medium density, which would allow one housing unit per 22,000 square feet of land, was not consistent with the Comprehensive Master Plan," according to a city memo. According to the master plan, "it is not foreseeable that this area will ever, or should ever, transition into other uses." MADEIRA Walking trail to be finished end of this month Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/6/06 A half-mile walking trail at McDonald Commons Park should be finished by the end of this month. The trail will go around the perimeter of the park. Total construction cost is $159,000. MARIEMONT West Street story winding down Eastern Hills Journal, 8/2/06 Full-time Starbucks Coffee employee Rob Kaiser said when he leaves work from the Mariemont Strand, a shopping center in the village, it's a "tight squeeze" on West Street during the Mariemont Elementary School hours. "I think if you remove the parking ... it'd be a good idea," he said. As the deciding factor, village council will vote on an ordinance at its Aug. 7 meeting that could help traffic flow on West Street. If approved, the ordinance "will restrict standing and parking at all times on both sides of West Street between Wooster Pike and Madisonville Road." Traffic congestion and safety issues regarding West Street have been raised, which caused village and school district officials to consider redeveloping the street's current usage. MILFORD Resident asks for help with speeding traffic Milford-Miami Advertiser, 8/2/06 Peaceful foliage forms canopies over Miami Avenue before it curves into Price Road in Milford. The speed limit is 25 miles per hour. But it's just 9 a.m. on a quiet weekday morning when a small pickup truck tears around the corner from Miami heading swiftly onto Price. That's just what Brittany Pastura was talking about when she described the road in front of her house to Milford City Council members July 18. If it sounded more like a race track than the serene haven it appears to be, that's what she meant. "Speeding is just atrocious," she said, as fas as 50 mph at times. "I take the speed limit very seriously," she told council. "So do we," Mayor Lou Bishop responded, asking Pastura to meet with the police department to see what can be done. Possible solutions could include speed limits or stop signs, repositioning of stopped patrol units and speed humps. MONTGOMERY Garry Brasch Custom Homes will be doing a teardown at 9580 Ross Ave. The home is not listed yet, but expect it to at least be $500,000+ . It will replace a 1700-square-foot ranch built in 1948. MONTGOMERY Montgomery group half successful Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/5/06 Residents seeking more voter control over Montgomery parks got both a victory and a loss this week when City Council validated one of their two initiative petitions. Council on Wednesday declared valid a petition that would require voters to approve the sale of or major changes to a park, recreational area or certain other green space. But a petition to make parts of Pioneer and Dulle parks city landmarks was declared invalid. That was because the petition's language was too vague and referred to non-existent city codes, Mayor Gerri Harbison said. "They referenced something that was not there," she said. Council made its decision with the advice of Law Director Terry Donnellon, Harbison said. NEW RICHMOND New Richmond takes steps to improve Front Street Clermont Sun, 8/3/06 The village of New Richmond is not wasting any time in taking steps to improve the appearance of Front Street. Two weeks after the kick-off meeting for the New Richmond economic development initiative and one week after forming a neighborhood block watch program, Mayor Terry Durrette said that he is encouraged by the number of community members who have expressed interest. One such resident is New Richmond life-long community member and economic expert Robert Lees, who addressed council at its July 25 meeting. According to economic development committee
August 7, 200618 yr For some reason, I have loads of comments this week! I'm just a chatty Cathy, I guess... - This College Hill place is a real treasure - glad we aren't losing it: - Very cool about Hazelwood...it's not far from where I work, so I've explored the neighborhood a number of times, and had no idea what it was, or why it was there... - This Bond Hill place looks like it use to be three stories, but then it sank: - The Evanston item: The city will not be installing stop signs or traffic signals on Hewitt Ave at its intersection with Fairfield or Trimble avenues, because traffic counts and accident records do not indicate a need for one. The city also does not install stop signs to control speeding. The residents will, however, see the installation of two additional speed limit signs and focused speed patrols. Er...if you lived there, wouldn't you prefer that they shut down the open air drug market at Hewitt and Fairfield first, and maybe worry about 38 in a 25 second? - Regarding 4273 Williamson Place in Northside - what a fantastic "before" picture! - "Watching a property being reclaimed by the earth...." That is hilarious... - And another treasure - wow... - Thank you thank you thank you for these - as always, they excessively appreciated!!!
August 7, 200618 yr Author I got a little out of hand this week. I'm surprised I didn't crash the software. Thanks for the comments. Your point on the Evanston article is spot-on. Speeding should be the least of their worries.
August 8, 200618 yr The House at 4390 Eastern Ave is down already -- It was owned by a man who owned 4371 Eastern (torn down a few months ago) and owns 4352 and 4358 (there are two houses at 4358 -- one behind the other). He died without a will but with 5 condemned houses. I was down there yesterday and 4358 is being emptied in preparation for tearing down. The demo permits have been pulled too. I lived down the street for 4 years and all of those properties have been vacant at least that long. Finally that part of Eastern is being cleaned up. There are a lot of decent houses down there too.
August 8, 200618 yr Not really a development, but I was downtown today and noticed the marquee to the Taft Theatre was pretty much destroyed, and it was fine yesterday. It looks like something either fell through it or someone ran into it with a tall truck. There was a truck-crane on site, but I could not tell if that is what did the damage or if it was there to help remove the marquee. I guess either way the Taft will be getting a new marquee sign!
August 8, 200618 yr That 708 square foot beauty in Lockland reminds me of the converted garage I lived in for a year in Athens. The landlord had the audacity to list the garage as a "cottage".
August 9, 200618 yr Author The city unanimously passed an ordinance allowing the city manager to enter into a contract of sale with the developers for the city-owned 22 acres on the 68-acre site. This happened despite the Planning Commission's pleas not to do so. Of course, this now means that the developer has to go back to the Planning Commission to apply for a change of zoning to a Planned Unit Development (PUD). That should be fun. For this meeting, they will have to submit a concept plan, as well as a final development plan (land uses, structures, pedestrian egress, etc.) They will also have to prepare a traffic impact study. Coldstream wants to designate this PUD as a TIF, which would remove it from the Riverside/Sedamsville/Price Hill TIF already formed by council. This would pay for improvements to the intersection at River Rd and Fairbanks Ave, which would likely be the entrance point to this monstrosity. TIF money would also fund the raising of the site out of the 100-year flood plain, to stabilize the soil, a retaining wall to stabilize River Rd, and sewer work. All three community councils are in favor of detaching this area from the TIF.
August 9, 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. The only way I woud support it is if they planned on providing residential growth to the area near Sedamsville/Riverside but that's absolutely not going to happen. Riverside and Sedamsville are a lost cause. Because of that, you are completely right; it will inhibit any kind of revitalization in Delhi.
August 9, 200618 yr Here is the story on my post from two above... Photo: A smash hit at the Taft Thomas Glover of Zeiser Construction cleans up debris Tuesday in front of Taft Theatre, where an attempt to secure some large ornamental stones on the roofline caused some of the stones to fall through the marquee. The sidewalk around the Fifth Street theater had been closed for construction and no one was hurt.
August 9, 200618 yr ^ Where was that house? I may have seen it before. It was on Palmer St., on the east side. It was the house that they used to set the music stage up against at Palmerfest. Amazingly I found some pictures from 2001 of it on athensmusican.net. For some reason the little house looks huge on this photo: And a close-up of my window unit:
August 10, 200618 yr Author I'm sure I've seen it, though no particular house comes to mind. Then again, there's a lot I don't remember from that period of my life....
August 10, 200618 yr It was kind of weird, living like a hermit in my own little house in the back of a bunch of others. People would come back and piss on the house all the time in the middle of the night, not realizing somebody lived in it.
August 10, 200618 yr Author So if you're wondering why I post this crap, it's because the West End is a close-in (downtown) neighborhood that is almost completely ignored by the city. Somebody has to talk about it, why not me? 417 Hopkins is finally getting rehabbed, at least to bring it up to code. The owner is not looking to occupy it soon, but a full-blown rehab could come at a later date. Work being done right now is on the exterior structural walls, the roof, the gutters and the downspouts. (417 Hopkins is fairly obvious) The Underground Sports Shop has purchased the building at 1221-1233 Findlay St (just west of the Findlay/Dalton intersection). I believe this building had been for sale for quite some time. I assume that they will be using the building for manufacturing purposes. The company does screen printing, embroidery, custom printed T-shirts, and all kinds of other athletic gear. They own a store at 3667 Central Pw.
August 10, 200618 yr So if you're wondering why I post this crap, it's because the West End is a close-in (downtown) neighborhood that is almost completely ignored by the city. Somebody has to talk about it, why not me? How true....keep fighting the good fight! We all appreciate it!
August 10, 200618 yr On a positive note, this beauty is going for $163,900 http://www.preferredgrouprealtors.com/displaylist.asw?listnum=1009072&mls=cincy What a great location too!
August 14, 200618 yr Author Top story From the 8/9/06 Eastern Hills Journal: Wider esplanade part of Oakley plan BY FORREST SELLERS | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER OAKLEY -- The Oakley Esplanade, a small park-like area in the business district, is a focus of upcoming improvements. The city of Cincinnati recently completed a study of the Oakley area. Oakley is now looking toward implementing some of the recommendations. "If we go with the plan the city has proposed, we're looking at enlarging the esplanade quite a bit," said Oakley Community Council member Bob Luthy. "As it stands now there is only one way to get to the esplanade and that is one crosswalk. Now we are going to have three." Other improvements include: * Parallel parking in the square. Luthy said an estimated 20 to 30 extra parking spaces would be created. * Widening of the sidewalks along Drakewood Drive, Allston Street and Isabella Avenue. * More clearly defined crosswalks at the intersection of Markbreit Avenue, Allston, Isabella and Madison Road. Luthy said an effort will be made to make the intersection more pedestrian-friendly. MORE: http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060809/NEWS01/608090530/1002/RSS01 Also of note Camp Washington: Dough Boy statue restoration McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory, Inc. will restore the Dough Boy statue In Valley Park from August 28-September 1. Tom Podnar will direct the restoration. He will also teach up to five residents how to clean and maintain the statue. Scott Monument in Northside will repair all the broken stone letters. Flagpole Manufacturers will install a new 35’ flag pole this summer. The cost of the restoration is somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000. The Dough Boy represents all the fallen Camp Washington soldiers who served in our world wars so we could enjoy freedom. Cool. From Suburban Life, 8/2/06: PHOTO: Jay Shatz, producer of "Desperate Landscapes," talks with Jason Cameron, and homeowners Paula and Tom Callahan, prior to taping a segment of the do-it-yourself television show. On July 27, the show was in Deer Park to renovate the front of the couple's yard. LIZ CAREY/COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF PHOTO: Paula and Tom Callahan, (seated in van) of St. John's Terrace, prepare to talk on-camera about the renovation of their home during the July 27 taping of "Desperate Landscapes." LIZ CAREY/COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF House gets make-over for local DIY show BY LIZ CAREY | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER DEER PARK -- Along the quiet tree-lined street, neighbors peered out from behind wrought iron porch columns to see what was going on. On St. John's Terrace, nothing much ever happens, so of course they were curious to see camera crews, spotlights and a crew of workers buzzing around Paula and Tom Callahan's Tudor-style home. One worker took to the area in front of the home's concrete porch, while others measured the garage door. For this segment of "Desperate Landscapes," a curb appeal remodeling show on the DIY Network, the Callahans will work with landscapers and others to refurbish their home, where they've lived since 1987. MORE: http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060802/NEWS01/608020714/1084/Local Update Not really an update, but a story from the 8/13/06 Enquirer regarding the Collins Street steps: PHOTO: Some East Walnut Hills residents gathered Tuesday to show their support for keeping the hillside steps open. The Enquirer / Craig Ruttle PHOTO: Led by Thomas Murphy III, 2, some residents of East Walnut Hills walk the steps after gathering to show support for keeping the walkway open and improving it. Opponents say the steps are responsible for increased crime. THE ENQUIRER / CRAIG RUTTLE Hillside steps divide neighbors BY DAN KLEPAL | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER EAST WALNUT HILLS - Cincinnati's 400 sets of hillside steps were built generations ago to link neighborhoods separated by steep terrain, and to bring people together. But one set of steps, a 300-yard walkway up a steep hillside from William H. Taft Road to an upscale street off Madison Road called Keys Crescent, has gripped this neighborhood in an argument over whether they should be closed. At the top of the hill, several Keys Crescent residents petitioned the city to close the steps last fall, saying they are rarely used, are in a state of disrepair and are responsible for increased crime involving the nine residences on the street. That led to dozens of residents at the bottom of the hill - people who use the steps to get to school, stores, bus stops or for simple exercise - to respond with an impassioned effort to keep the steps open. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060813/NEWS01/608130370/1056/rss02 Round-up: Cincinnati and inner burbs Includes the city of Cincinnati's neighborhoods, Bellevue, Covington, Dayton, Elmwood Place, Ludlow, Newport, Norwood and St. Bernard. AVONDALE After 10 months of being owned by Fannie Mae, an investor has purchased the multi-unit apartment building at 3508 Beldare Ave. It appears that this building was vacated by the city in early 2005. The new owner seems to have a good track record tenant-wise. AVONDALE The three-family at 3593 Bogart Ave has been declared a public nuisance. I think it has been entirely abandoned by its owner. No date has been set for its demolition. CAMP WASHINGTON The empty Hardee's at Hopple and Garrard will become a Chinese restaurant and will open in the fall. It is expected to be mostly a drive-thru place, but there will be some seating inside. EAST PRICE HILL Imago has purchased 744 Enright Ave as part of its Enright Ridge Urban Eco-Village. EAST WALNUT HILLS The rehab of 1371 Burdett Ave is complete. It's on the market for $205,000. That may be optimistic for a single-family home, where homes are in the $90,000-$130,000 range, and only duplexes approach this asking price. EVANSTON The home at 3343 Fairfield Ave has been cleaned up nicely. NORTH FAIRMOUNT Someone actually rehabbed a house in North Fairmount. Seriously. 2567 Liddell St (a street where more homes are torn down than fixed up). MADISONVILLE Starfire raises $3 million for facility Eastern Hills Journal, 8/9/06 Mike Holmes and Steve Wietmarschen put their arms around each other's shoulders and smiled broadly as they looked around the construction site. The 22-year-old Anderson Township resident and the 49-year-old Blue Ash resident are fast friends, and the construction site will be the place they come to spend more time together. Juggling work, school and family, the two come to the Starfire Council of Greater Cincinnati to spend time with other members of the disabled community. With the success of a $3-million capital fund-raising campaign, the two friends will soon enjoy a new facility in Madisonville, one that will provide disabled teens and adults with a social circle in which to grow and a facility to learn the social skills to help them live more independently. NORTHSIDE 1754 Jester St has been rehabbed for resale. NORTHSIDE 4255 Virginia Ave has been rehabbed. (after only) NORTHSIDE 4316 Virginia Ave has been rehabbed for resale. The asking price of $124,995 is a bit high, though. NORTHSIDE The same company that did 4316 Virginia also did this one at 4381 Virginia Ave. Asking $92,000, also probably a bit high. NORTHSIDE It looks like a rehab of 4254 Colerain Ave is starting. They have demolished a detached garage structure, and I've also found that they're installing a new HVAC system. The house needs mainly cosmetic work. OAKLEY 4216 Brownway Ave is about to go through an extensive rehab, once the building plans are approved and the permits issued. RIVERSIDE 3623 Hillside Ave has been declared a public nuisance and was demolished by the city. Local residents tried to save the dilapidated building, which seems to have been abandoned. The two-family home was built around 1895. SEDAMSVILLE Everybody loves a bargain! Lender-owned (for 15 months) vacant two-family at 656 Sedam St for $4,500! Built around 1865--it's historic! I don't think this building's been lived in for years, and it's been ordered vacant by the city for at least the last five. The new owner says he plans on reselling it. Good luck! SOUTH FAIRMOUNT After six months of being lender-owned and vacant (by law), 2551 Norton St has been purchased for $11,000. The home has been vacant since at least late 2005, with many problems well before then. There is no indication whether or not the new owner plans on cleaning up the property. WESTWOOD Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity has purchased the vacant lots at 3107 and 3111 McHenry Ave. There are no current plans for construction there. COVINGTON Kenton library turns page to renovation, expansion Cincinnati Business Courier, 8/4/06 The Kenton County Public Library has begun preparations for a major renovation and expansion of its main branch in Covington that could cost up to $25 million. The Mary Ann Mongan Branch sits at Fifth Street and Scott Boulevard, in the heart of Covington's proposed arts corridor. NEWPORT 1129 Park Ave was rehabbed by P. Grayson Properties. NEWPORT City adds parking meters to business district Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/11/06 If you park on the streets in Newport's business district, bring more quarters. Parking meters have been installed to discourage people from parking all day in front of businesses. By the end of the month, meters will be placed up to Sixth Street between Saratoga and Central streets, said Capt. Phil Liles, patrol division commander with the Newport Police Department. Most of Newport's meters have been gone for about 15 years. Because spaces along Monmouth, York and Saratoga streets were free, people who work in downtown Cincinnati would park there all day, Liles said. Round-up: Outer burbs and metro ALEXANDRIA NEW TRAILS BLAZED Campbell County Recorder, 8/10/06 Three new walking and hiking trails have been made at the Alexandria Community Park. The trails will be named Doe Run, Fawn Run and Buck Run. ALEXANDRIA Sewers portend growth Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/10/06 The walls, reservoirs, pipes and pumps that will handle the sewage for the current and future homes around Alexandria continue to rise out of a muddy pasture off Ky. 10. After the Eastern Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant opens in August 2007, commercial and residential development is expected to follow. On Wednesday, Campbell County commissioners toured the plant, which is 60 percent completed. "The existing treatment plant has not had sufficient capacity to handle the existing flow, let alone more growth," said Campbell County Administrator Robert Horine. "We expect to see significant new residential development in the Alexandria area." ALEXANDRIA No vote expected on Alexandria zone change Alexandria Recorder, 8/10/06 The Alexandria City Council members who recused themselves from voting on a zone change recommendation at the July 20 meeting haven't changed their minds. Alexandria Mayor Dan McGinley asked councilmembers at the Wednesday, Aug. 2 meeting if anything had changed since the July 20 meeting. Council was left without a quorum during its July 20 meeting and could not vote on a recommendation to rezone 15.6 acres of property on Persimmon Grove Pike where Fischer Homes is planning to build a 74 home subdivision called Whistler's Point. At that meeting, several councilmembers recused themselves on the issue and then walked out of the room. ALEXANDRIA County may buy former city building Alexandria Recorder, 8/10/06 Campbell County is considering moving the county clerk's office from the Alexandria courthouse to the former Alexandria city building. Campbell County Fiscal Court was scheduled to consider a resolution to purchase the former offices of the City of Alexandria for $264,000 at a Wednesday, Aug. 9 meeting after The Alexandria Recorder went to press. "It would mean a lot better service to the entire southern county area," said County Clerk Jack Snodgrass. People end up lined out the door at the end of every month to get their automobile registration renewed. "Every time, they're outside and down the steps," Snodgrass said. ALEXANDRIA City considers skate park, wants restrooms first Alexandria Recorder, 8/10/06 Building a restroom in the city park could pave the way for more amenities there -- even a skate park, Alexandria city officials are looking into building a skate park, but members of the city's Park and Recreation Committee say restrooms at the Alexandria Community Park need to come first. "I think everything revolves around that," said Karen Minshall, director of the park and recreation committee. The city is moving ahead with plans for the restrooms, which include a concession window area for events. The expected completion date is the summer of 2007. The city is examining its budget to see where money for a skate park would come from, said Mayor Dan McGinley. AMELIA Low-income senior housing to be built Community Journal Clermont, 8/9/06 Soon, a housing development will be available to older residents in Amelia. A groundbreaking for Thomaston Meadows, a housing complex for low-income seniors, was held July 31. Construction has begun on the complex and is expected to be completed within a year, said Robert Lowery, president of St. Thomas Housing Corp., the project sponsor. St. Thomas Housing Corp. was founded by members of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Terrace Park, he said. The organization was responsible for the construction of Thomaston Woods, an affordable-housing apartment complex in Amelia, 17 years ago. A couple of years ago, "we realized there was going to be a growing need for senior housing." So Thomaston Meadows, a one-story, 13-unit senior housing complex, which will cost a total of about $1.5 million, was constructed nearby. BLANCHESTER Annexation of 116 acres approved by Blan council Wilmington News Journal, 8/11/06 Final approval was given for the annexation of 116 acres of land on state Route 28, across from the Villars land. Prior to the final vote, attorney Ron McHenry said the land is part of the estate of Hines Rober and is zoned industrial. "This has been before council a number of times and Marion Township trustees and county commissioners have approved the annexation," McHenry said. McHenry told council the land runs from state Route 28 to Dudley Road and back by the railroad tracks. "The developers are ready to start building," he said. Following a 30-day waiting period, a rezoning request will be taken to the zoning board. COLUMBIA TWP. Construction project begins Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/12/06 Reconstruction of four streets in the township's Ridgewood section will begin by the end of this month. The $800,000 project will include Blue Ridge Avenue, Brackenridge Avenue, Ridge Circle and Crest Ridge Circle. The project will be completed by the end of the year. Ridgewood is near Golf Manor. FAIRFIELD Fairfield contemplates a tax-free stadium Hamilton JournalNews, 8/10/06 Anyone interested in building a new stadium at Fairfield High School — without, it is hoped, a tax increase — mark your calendars. A public meeting on that topic is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. Aug. 23 in the Performing Arts Center at Fairfield High School. The purpose of the meeting is to gauge interest in forming a committee and a plan to build the stadium with public contributions and commercial sponsorships. “It’s time for us to have a public meeting to see if the interest is official, that there are people there that want to pursue this,” said Nick Dadabo, a Fairfield resident spearheading the project. FAIRFIELD School buildings being inspected Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/8/06 A building assessment of the Fairfield Schools by the Ohio School Facilities Commission is expected to begin soon. A team of architects and others will evaluate the condition of each building and provide enrollment estimates. A report to the district could be ready in October. It would be used to help decide which buildings need repair, if any should be replaced and when, Superintendent Robert Farrell said. FORT THOMAS Engineers looking for tech tenant Fort Thomas Recorder, 8/10/06 A former grocery and hardware store across from St. Stephen Cemetery has been revamped into the headquarters of an engineering firm. Kohrs, Lonnemann Heil Engineers moved to Fort Thomas to be part of Northern Kentucky University's Technology Triangle. "We were one of the first, if not the first, technology-type based businesses to move into the tech triangle," said Bob Heil, a senior electrical engineer and principal for the firm. KLH Engineers moved from Covington two and a half years ago into the Fort Thomas Executive Center, 1538 U.S. 27, Suite 11. Since then, a 17,000 square foot addition has been made to the front of the building's existing 30,000 square feet, Heil said. FORT THOMAS Renovation project moves ahead Kentucky Post, 8/10/06 The latest in a series of projects to beautify Fort Thomas's central business district moved a step closer to approval Wednesday. The Towne Center project will include renovation to the facades on the Citizens Bank and Convenient retail plaza commercial buildings on North Fort Thomas Avenue immediately south of the city offices; creation of a public plaza/gathering place with a clock tower; and traffic flow and landscaping improvements. The block is bordered by North Fort Thomas Avenue on the west, Lumley Avenue to the north, Hagedorn Lane to the east, and Millers Lane to the south. City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to send the project to the city's finance committee for further consideration, including various financing options. The finance committee will be asked to provide a recommendation to the council by its meeting of Tuesday, Sept. 5. Assistant City Administrator Jay Treft told the Post that the project has been in the works for several years, prompted by focus groups and other citizen feedback that the block in the center of town needed to become "a true focal point or town square. The citizens told us that we need to create a public gathering space," he said. FORT THOMAS Highlands redo on target Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/9/06 Administrators at Highlands High School say it will be business as usual when classes start Aug. 22 - with just a little dust here and there. The 80-year-old school is in the first phase of a $32 million renovation. Phase one is $17 million and started in the spring. When it's completed in December 2007, it will have accessibility for the disabled; new electrical, heating and cooling systems; new cafeteria, bookstore and nurse's office; four science labs; four lecture rooms; wireless classrooms; and a remodeled auditorium. During construction, the first floor (except the cafeteria and industrial arts classroom) will be closed. The school's breezeway entrances will be open. Other exits will be only for emergencies. GLENDALE Village will pay to fix sidewalks Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/9/06 If you live in Glendale and have a damaged sidewalk, the village will fix it for free this summer. It's cheaper for the village to pay for the repairs rather than to do the complicated process of billing each homeowner and splitting the costs among various owners, Village Manager Walter Cordes said. Council members decided Monday night to pay $48,000 for the fixing up of all concrete sidewalks in the village. That work will start Sept. 1 and last six weeks. GREEN TWP. JF North Properties will be making changes to the design of the Fox Ridge Estates subdivision, which was approved by the HCRPC in February 2006. In order to avoid the costly and time-consuming process of dealing with the Army Corps of Engineers with regard to the crossing of a stream on the property, the developer has instead decided to create two cul-de-sac streets instead of having a through street. The stream is approximately between lots 8-11 and lots 18-20. HAMILTON Hamilton’s heritage moving on schedule Hamilton JournalNews, 8/7/06 Renovations are well under way and Heritage Hall will be ready to open in conjunction with the new High Main Bridge. Heritage Hall, located inside the former Hamilton Municipal Building, will showcase Hamilton-related historical exhibits, which will be changed out twice a year. Carol Gabriel, director of the Butler County Historical Society, said the long-term goal is to bring the history of Hamilton to the public. “We have a lot of history, we just need to show it off,” she said. The first exhibits to be featured will be the history of the High Main Bridge and commerce along the Great Miami River. Plans also are being made for the museum to include an interactive section for children. HARRISON The Brittney Heights subdivision should be getting going just off of New Biddinger Rd, north of I-74. There are somewhere between 15 and 20 lots, all in the $60,000-$70,000 range. GOOGLE MAP INDEPENDENCE Proposed temporary light may help traffic flow in construction Kenton Community Recorder, 8/10/06 A slight delay in the construction of the new Ky. 17 has developer Jim Bertram concerned about the traffic flow on the existing Ky. 17. That's the reason Bertram, who is currently building Independence Village across the street from the Independence Town Center, is requesting city support to get the Kentucky Transportation Department to have a temporary traffic light erected at the entrance to the town center closest to the Independence Fire Department. " There will be a lot of traffic at this intersection once this gets rolling, and this would be a good way to ensure everyone's safety," said Bertram, co-owner of One-Eleven Developers. "The state said they would put a light in for us once the new [Ky.] 17 is completed, but we don't know when that will be. The light we put in now would be just temporary, but it would really help while all of this is going on." Bertram said the state had fallen as much as eight months behind schedule on the new road, but Greg Kreutzjans, the Kentucky Department of Transportation Branch Construction Manager for District 6, said the project is still fairly close to the original schedule. Cincinnati Enquirer: Cody Rd. decision awaited (8/9/06) LOCKLAND JIFFY PLANS TO OPEN DISTRIBUTION CENTER Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/13/06 Jiffy Fastening Systems Inc., a Lexington, Ky.-based supplier of power tools and other equipment to contractors, is planning a $1.5 million investment in a new 25,000 square-foot distribution center in Lockland. The two-acre site is on North Commerce Park Drive, off Interstate 75. Steve DeMoss, one of three brothers who own Jiffy Fastening, said the new building, which will employ between six and 10, should be open early next year. Jiffy Fastening received a 75 percent, five-year real and tangible personal tax abatement for the expansion from Hamilton County. LOVELAND Council room spiffing up Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/10/06 The remodeling of Loveland City Council chambers should start by Aug. 21. The $37,500 project involves new flooring and paint and moving the council dais. Another $10,000 was approved by council on Tuesday for furniture. Mayor's court will continue at City Hall during the work, but the Aug. 22 and Sept. 12 council meetings will move to the Loveland Safety Center, 126 S. Lebanon Road. MADEIRA Council has to decide if tennis has net gain Suburban Life, 8/9/06 The tennis ball is now in council's court. At its next meeting council will likely award a contract to repair its tennis courts. However, it will have to decide how much to spend and whether it wants to resurface the courts at both McDonald Commons and Sellman Park. "The courts at McDonald Commons are in poor shape," City Manager Tom Moeller said. "It's not very playable for competitive tennis because of the number of cracks in the surface. He said the courts at Sellman are in better condition but still need repair. Councilwoman Sarah Evans said the Recreation and Parks Board has recommended resurfacing the courts at both parks. MASON New Mason funeral home will offer more than just funerals Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/12/06 A once-controversial funeral home rising on Tylersville Road is expected to be open in October. When it does, it will become the city's first funeral home built on residential land. It also will be one of the few funeral homes that also can be reserved as a community center, not just for saying farewell to loved ones. The Mueller Parker Funeral Home will offer a convenient location for grieving families to hold both the funeral service and the wake, says owner John "Jack" Mueller of West Chester. The $2.5 million project at the corner of Tylersville Road and Fireside Drive will include a large community room that can serve as a gathering place for families after a service. The community room also be reserved by non-profit groups like the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. "If people don't want to have 80 or 100 people back at their house, or if they aren't affiliated with a church that can provide a space, this will work as a reception area," Mueller said. MASON Fitness center to be closed Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/9/06 Mason residents will have to make other plans for their fitness routines next week. The Mason Community Center will be closed for seven days for annual routine maintenance starting Sunday and reopening Aug. 20. The hardwood courts in the gym and the group fitness room will be resurfaced. Both pools will be emptied, inspected and undergo any needed maintenance. The fitness area will be cleaned and the equipment serviced. Meeting rooms will still be open for priority program registration Aug. 19. MIAMI TWP. (Hamilton County) Ameritek Custom Homes will build the second phase of Whispering Farms, which will consist of 37 single-family houses on 25.4 acres. These will be built along an extension of Chance Dr, just west of Whispering Farms Trail. GOOGLE MAP MILFORD Promont receives accurate facelift Milford-Miami Advertiser, 8/9/06 When the Promont House Museum was shopping for a fresh coat of paint, a "new" look was the last thing on anyone's mind. Now, most of that fresh coat is on as fall approaches and Milford's historic treasure nears the end of its $200,000 facelift. It's a little tricky to restore a house like Promont -- specifications had to be approved by the Ohio Historical Association. "The colors that we chose had to be historically accurate ... of course, historically, the house had no paint," said Promont House administrator Donna Amann. Amann said it's hoped that the new paint will help preserve the original brick and limestone. MT. ORAB Oak Hill Banks expands to Mt. Orab Georgetown News Democrat When Oak Hill Banks acquired Ripley National Bank offices in Georgetown and Ripley during October 2004, it made the commitment to open a third office in Brown County to be located in Mt. Orab. Oak Hill officials proved to Brown Countians on Aug. 3 they can keep a promise, as they celebrated the grand opening of their Mt. Orab branch with more than 50 in attendance. Attendees enjoyed food, friendly conversation, games and cash drawings following a brief ribbon cutting ceremony in recognition of the new office. "We're excited about this office," said Scott Hinsch Jr. president of Oak Hill Bank. "We're looking forward to being part of the community (in Mt. Orab)." NEW RICHMOND Riverview Barber open for business Community Journal Clermont, 8/9/06 The dream of two businessmen and the dream of a few members of the village came together when Riverview Barber opened for business Aug. 3. It's the first business to open in New Richmond since the village's economic development plan was implemented. And, it's the realization of something Doug Hammack and Jerry Oder have wanted to do for some time: Open their own barber shop. "It's two best friends fulfilling their dream," said Hammack. "Jerry and I have always wanted to have a barber shop together and that's what we're doing." SOUTHGATE Resident reconsidering lawsuit he filed Campbell Community Recorder, 8/10/06 A Southgate resident is reconsidering a lawsuit he filed opposing a zone change for a proposed housing development in the city. Jim Ling of Southgate filed the lawsuit in Campbell Circuit Court on July 26. The suit alleges that recent votes to change a property's zoning designation, made by the Campbell County and Municipal Planning and Zoning Commission and the City of Southgate, are not valid. Indianapolis-based developer Herman & Kittle Properties, Inc., plans to build 230 rental units on the Moock Road property. Ling alleged that the planning commission didn't have a quorum for a May 9 meeting when it voted to recommend the zone change because Commissioner Michael Williams had not been properly appointed. In an e-mail on Friday, Aug. 4 Ling said he had found that Williams had been properly appointed. SPRINGFIELD TWP. (West College Hill) Two new homes are being built at 2030 and 2034 Third Ave. Both are 3 bedroom/2 bath and will cost $119,900 each, and will probably be the nicest homes on the street. SYMMES TWP. BLONG MEMORIAL PARK SPECIAL MEETING Loveland Herald, 8/9/06 The bid for work on Blong Memorial Park will be awarded at a special meeting of Symmes Township trustees at 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 15. Trustees established the date at its regular meeting last week. TERRACE PARK BUILDING OVERHAUL Eastern Hills Journal, 8/9/06 Renovations to the Terrace Park community building began this week and will continue through mid-October. The upgrades include a new heating, ventilating and air conditioning system, new flooring and new windows as well as repairs to interior plasterwork along with new painting of the walls, according to David Johnson, a project associate at Cole and Russell Architects Inc., the design firm in charge of the project. A new access ramp and other improvements will also bring the building up to Americans With Disabilities Act standards. The renovation to the building, which was built in 1890, is part of a joint $1.5 million project that includes the construction of the emergency services building. Construction of that building began last month and is expected to be complete by spring 2007. Both projects are financed by a $2.1-million bond issue passed in 2004. UNION TWP. Tower open house draws huge crowd Community Journal Clermont, 8/9/06 When Union Township gives an open house, people notice. So when the fire department threw open the doors to its new station at Clough and Glen Este-Withamsville roads, visitors came, and came, and came. "I didn't think it would amount to gridlock," said Asst. Fire Chief Gary Auffart, Union Township Fire Department. The water tower soon will house Fire Station 51, the township's cable studio and more than two million gallons of water. The fire department hasn't finished moving in yet and the new pumper ordered isn't on site yet either, Auffart said. The department is moving in this month. Union Township Fire Department Chief Stan Deimling has said the new station would provide faster service to areas near the station. WILLIAMSTOWN Justice center moves forward Grant County News, 8/9/06 Grant County's new $14.3 million justice center is closer to becoming a reality after a site has been selected, and architects and a construction manager have been hired. The 40,000 to 50,000 square feet building will be built on the south end of Williamstown on three pieces of property that contain two historic homes and the Grant County Extension Service. The project development board, composed of Circuit Judge Stephen Bates, Circuit Clerk Shirley Wilson, Grant County Judge-Executive Darrell Link, Attorney Steve Howe and Garland Van Hook, with the Administrative Office of the Courts, chose those properties over two other downtown sites. The extension service will be re-locating farther north on U.S. 25 in the former business and sales office of Cherry Hill Mobile Homes. JRA Architects, of Louisville, have been hired to design the project and Codell Construction has been hired as a construction manager. WILMINGTON Farquhar closed Monday morning Wilmington News Journal, 8/11/06 Farquhar Avenue will be closed 7 a.m. Monday because of the demolition of the old Community Health Services building. According to Scott Henman, facility and security services manager for CMH Regional Health System, the Messer Construction and Cox Paving companies will be working on site Monday morning. In addition to Farquhar being closed, the left lane of Main Street also will be closed while the demolition takes place, Henman said. "This is a preventative measure just to ensure the safety of all motorists and pedestrians traveling on these streets," said Henman. He added those who normally use Farquhar to enter the hospital can travel to Hale Street, turn left there and then proceed to Main Street, turning left to the hospital entrance. WYOMING Wyoming Swim Club will close, go on sale Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/10/06 A day after the city started work on its new pool, members of the Wyoming Swim Club got letters saying the private facility would close at the end of this season and be put up for sale. A fixture in this community for 48 years, the club is on five acres at the end of Firewood Drive. It became a footnote in the fight over the new city pool because several organizers of the Concerned Wyoming Citizens, who took the city to court, were members of the swim club. City officials accused them of opposing the new pool to protect the swim club from losing members, but they insisted they were only trying to get the city to listen to residents. Cincinnati Enquirer: Pool work begins, opposition wanes (8/8/06)
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