Downtown Garfield Suites to become DoubleTree

Dec. 18, 2013 

Written by The Enquirer

 

 

The 153-room Garfield Suites Hotel in Downtown has been sold to Cincinnati Lodging Associates, which plans to convert the 16-story building into a DoubleTree Suites hotel.

 

Terms of the sale were not disclosed. The deal was announced by Columbus-based CBRE Hotels, acting as the exclusive advisor to Garfield House Limited Partnership. Cincinnati Lodging is a joint venture of Sun Development, Hotel Capital and Silver Rock.

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20131218/BIZ/312180184/Downtown-Garfield-Suites-become-DoubleTree

Tax credits to bring $71M in investment to historic Cincinnati sites

Tom Demeropolis Reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier

   

 

A total of eight historic buildings in southwest Ohio were awarded Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits Friday that are expected to leverage about $71 million in private investments.

 

“The Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit strengthens local communities by restoring a piece of its history,” said David Goodman, director of the Ohio Development Services Agency. “These projects help enrich cities across Ohio, preserving the character and charm of buildings that may have otherwise been demolished.”

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2013/12/20/tax-credits-to-bring-71m-in.html

Good slideshow...

 

10 commercial projects worth watching in 2014

January 22, 2014

 

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=AB&Dato=20140122&Kategori=NEWS06&Lopenr=301220143&Ref=PH

Toward the end of that slide show was a photo which depicts a project I've yet to see any mention of here.    :?  Though large in scale it's not even all that's been going on in that area. 

 

For about 15 years (1956 to circa 1971) Swifton Shopping Center was a retail Mecca, so busy that its vast parking lot was usually full and extra traffic signals were installed along Seymour Ave at its eastern entrance.  Old bus route maps from "pre-Metro" days show that lines had once been added or re-routed to there from as far away as Price Hill.  A combination of factors spelled doom:  the arrival and expansion of suburban malls, and the radical demographic shifts and neighborhood decline in Bond Hill as well as - to a lesser but notable extent - Roselawn.  For years the once-bustling shopping center sat nearly vacant, its anchoring department store (Elder-Beerman, later Elder-Beerman Outlet) one of the few tenants.  Two attempts to rejuvenate it complete with name changes also fell flat.  Last fall the bulk of Swifton fell to the wrecking ball - at year end the entire area between anchoring structures had been cleared.  The proposed Midpointe (sic) Crossing (how imaginative is that  :laugh:) is said to be a multi-purpose "campus" of retail as well as office and residential space. 

 

A property across Seymour may have housed the big Zayre store eons ago.  More recently it was the location of a nightclub where on any given day a shooting would be part of the events of the evening.  :roll:  Now it, too, has bitten the dust - thanks in this case to a Duke Energy grant.  Plans are afoot to bring in offices to this spot.

 

At first glance these ambitious undertakings would appear to be DOA.  But, not so fast!  Just up the road a piece we have successful redevelopment of the former Longview State Hospital parcels.  The new Graeter's ice cream factory, a diploma-mill "college," and FedEx have all comfortably settled in around Seymour and Paddock.  A "baseball academy" has been established to complement the diamonds in Roselawn Park where tournaments are now often held.  While all eyes (at least in this thread) have been mostly trained on downtown, OTR, Corryville, and Oakley, developments that at least hold the potential for bringing exciting positive change farther north are taking root. 

 

County decides on new home for crime lab

Chris Wetterich Staff reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier

 

Hamilton County will accept and renovate the 500,000-square-foot building that once housed the former Mercy Franciscan Hospital in Mt. Airy and turn it into a new crime lab.

 

County Commission President Chris Monzel announced the unanimous acceptance at Wednesday morning’s commission meeting.

 

“This is a great example of a public-private partnership,” Monzel said.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/01/29/county-decides-on-new-home-for-crime-lab.html

Good for the County on saving money, but really really hope the board of elections does not move there too.  There has got to be some other County office or service that can move there instead.

According to a large sign in the window.. McHanns is closing downtown on Race. 

 

As you may recall McHanns is located in one of the buildings that is pending a renovation by Peak Property Group out of Columbus... I wonder if the proposed renovation of the building is why they are closing? Or it is a testament to the state of retail downtown.  Any speculation? 

 

FWIW, the buildings are still listed as under contract, and not officially sold, online. 

According to a large sign in the window.. McHanns is closing downtown on Race. 

 

As you may recall McHanns is located in one of the buildings that is pending a renovation by Peak Property Group out of Columbus... I wonder if the proposed renovation of the building is why they are closing? Or it is a testament to the state of retail downtown.  Any speculation? 

 

FWIW, the buildings are still listed as under contract, and not officially sold, online. 

 

The Hahn family is selling/owns the building, I would assume that stipulation of the sale is they would move out.

In my recent UrbanCincy article, I compiled a list of all the major residential projects happening in the CBD, OTR, and Pendleton:

 

Most recently, the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) announced a new development at 15th and Race that will include 57 new residential units and retail space; the exact mix of condos and apartments has not yet been announced. 3CDC is also proceeding with the three-phase Mercer Commons development, which will include a grand total of 126 apartments and 28 condos.

 

Other projects moving forward include:

 

• The new tower at Fourth and Race will contain 300 luxury apartments and a 15,000 square foot grocery store. Developer Flaherty & Collins will begin demolition of the site’s existing parking garage, often called Pogue’s Garage, in the first half of 2014.
  
• Phase two of The Banks is expected to finally break ground in 2013 2014, adding 305 new apartments and 21,000 square feet of retail space.
  
• Developers of the Fountain Place retail building want to add 180 to 225 residential units above the existing Macy’s department store.
  
• AT580, formerly known as the 580 Building, is being converted from office space into 179 apartments. The existing retail spaces on the first and second floors will remain.
  
• A new tower above the Seventh and Broadway Garage will feature 110 high-end apartments. The target demographic for these units will be empty-nesters and older professionals looking for downtown living, according to Rick Kimbler, partner at the NorthPointe Group.
  
• Three buildings on Seventh Street, which have been purchased by Peak Property Group, will be converted into 75 apartments and 15,000 square feet of retail space.
  
• Broadway Square, a $26 million development in Pendleton, will feature 39 apartments and 40,000 square feet of retail space in first phase. Developer Model Group will add at least another 39 apartments in the second phase of the project.
  
• The Ingalls Building will be redeveloped into 40 to 50 condos and ground-floor retail space by the Claremont Group.
  
• The Schwartz Building, formerly vacant office space, will be converted into 20 apartments. Developer Levine Properties cited the building’s location along the Cincinnati Streetcar route as a driving factor for the renovation.
  

 

In total, this will add about 1,500 new residences to the urban core (a combination of one and two bedroom units), and perhaps around 2,000 new residents.

Two former big box stores (Golf Galaxy and Garden Ridge) will be demolished to may way for different big box stores in Eastgate.

 

This basically sums up everything that's wrong with the current sprawl development model. The existing buildings are about 10 years old and are already being demolished and replaced, mostly because they want to re-orient the site. How important is the orientation of the buildings, really? It's going to be a big box surrounded by a sea of parking. You will be able to "see it from the highway" no matter which way the buildings are facing.

Discussion of the demolition of 116 W. Third Street has been moved to the Cincinnati Demolition Watch thread.

Foot traffic is so tenuous in strip malls these days that everything has to be perfect or people won't get out of the car. Everything with strip malls is motivating people to slow down for a second and getting out of the car.

Cranley said in his media press conference today that Catholic Health Partners is looking at Bond Hill for a new HQ (Presumably the site of the old Showcase Cinemas?).  While that is way better than them moving to Blue Ash or West Chester, it is disappointing they are leaning to not build within the CBD. 

 

CareSource in Dayton is a company in the same field (i believe they run similar lines of business), and they chose to build in Daytons business district and have expanded their since.  Would be great if CHP would do the same here.

^Bond Hill could use some investment and jobs too, you know. CHP's current location is way on the periphery of downtown, so it's not like they're a major contributor to the daytime vibrancy of the CBD.  If their headquarters can jump start some action at either the former cinema site or Swifton Commons, I think that would be great.

^^ I do not disagree with that, the area has made some strides but has a ways to go and CHP would help.  Definitely better than them bolting for the suburbs. 

 

I view their move as similar to Paycor's... (although Paycor chose Norwood).  Both were on outskirts of CBD. 

^  Disappointing news, indeed, that Catholic Health Partners chose not to move into the CBD.  (What a welcome addition to downtown their new HQ would have been!).  Nevertheless, if the Bond Hill site proves more than just a business-rumor, it's not necessarily all bad--and that's because of two major reasons:  not only will this health-giant remain within Cincinnati proper (vs. Blue Ash or West Chester) but that it has also chosen to remain in the Cincy metro rather than being lured away, in a major business-coup, to Kasich's Columbus.

I'm going to be honest, Bond Hill shouldn't be getting half the attention the crumbling Victorian Neighborhoods in the core should get.  The Port and Cranley don't understand what will really sell Cincinnati, they should instead be focusing their attention on Price Hill, Walnut Hills, Camp Washington and other first ring neighborhoods before they are gone.  1930s version of contemporary suburbia doesn't sell the city - what sells the city is what's unique and in Cincinnati its its Victorians.

^Honestly, that's a really stupid comment.  Only neighborhoods with pretty architecture should get attention and resources? Bond Hill has two massive redevelopment sites that are currently dead zones, and non-productive scars on the urban landscape.  Maybe you haven't noticed, but jobs and residents have been sprawling out from the city for decades.  A lot of this is the result of people preferring new construction over older homes/office buildings.  In a city that is pretty much built out, these large redevelopment sites allow the city to compete with the suburbs by providing areas for new construction.  Of course we should be focused on bringing back our inner core neighborhoods, but I'm not sure how that is relevant to the relo of Catholic Health Partners.  What are they supposed to do, move their headquarters into a street of old abandoned homes in Price Hill?

 

We HAVE to get away from the notion that some parts of the city are unworthy of investment because they don't contain pretty buildings and parks.  Cincinnati's boundaries are small enough that pretty much every neighborhood in the city limits has urbanity and character.  Have you ever been to some of the residential areas of Bond Hill? There are some charming streets there as well as in Roselawn, Pleasant Ridge, Kennedy Heights, and many of the other '1930s version of contemporary suburbia' neighborhoods you speak of. 

^^I wouldn't place blame on Cranley for CHP considering Bond Hill. His #1 priority should be keeping them in the city proper. If CHP doesn't want to be downtown (to which there are many downsides) then he should be pushing for the Bond Hill site.

 

I agree with your inner suburb priorities, but we can't pretend that CHP doesn't have their own agenda and Bond Hill has a great site for new headquarters. It's not as if Cranley proposed they move from their current site and to consider Bond Hill.

I'm going to be honest, Bond Hill shouldn't be getting half the attention the crumbling Victorian Neighborhoods in the core should get.  The Port and Cranley don't understand what will really sell Cincinnati, they should instead be focusing their attention on Price Hill, Walnut Hills, Camp Washington and other first ring neighborhoods before they are gone.  1930s version of contemporary suburbia doesn't sell the city - what sells the city is what's unique and in Cincinnati its its Victorians.

 

And FYI, the inner neighborhoods ARE getting much more attention and money than the outlying neighborhoods.  In the latest allocations of Focus 52 money alone, Walnut Hills received close to $6 million!

Agreed. In response to neilworms, we have plenty of neighborhoods that deserve equal attention that isn't just Over-the-Rhine, downtown and select neighborhoods with fancy architecture. There are some areas, like Northside, that have rather plain-jane townhomes with no architectural spiffyness that should receive equal treatment than some Victorian residence in Hyde Park. And a contemporary residence in Bond Hill or in all neighborhoods. Should areas be targeted for more intensive redevelopment efforts - and funding? Sure - the city should focus its limited resources on areas where the best return on investment can be had. And when we have large tracts of land available and open in Bond Hill - that is close to the interstate and population centers, we should go after that. It's why Graeter's chose to build a production plant in Bond Hill on the site of an old asylum instead of West Chester - because there was plenty of land to build out on.

Maybe they will go into that abandoned 13 story Trump tower on Reading Rd?

^  Most certainly, unlike his role in assisting in Paycor's move from Queensgate to Norwood, Cranley probably had little to do with CHP's choice of Bond Hill for its new HQ.  (After all, their  agenda was probably determined months ago.)  But, on the other hand, the loss of the HQ to the downtown does hurt.  In the end, let's just hope that Bond Hill is assuredly CHP's new location, still within the city.

I guess my frustration is that Cincinnati is literally sitting on a buried treasure that needs to be dug out.  A smart city would dig the treasure up first, then focus its priorities once it has claimed the treasure on fixing other areas - taking the resources gained from the "dig" to spread around investment to benefit everyone.  Also I said nothing about Hyde Park, that neighborhood needs no help from the city at all and ditto with Mt. Adams.

 

I'm all for the redevelopment of that site, but I don't think it should be a top priority until the city utilizes its severely underutilized  assets first.

The assets of our historic neighborhoods are not the same assets that a large development sight has.  I agree that we have some great residential and commercial buildings in our neighborhoods and business districts that need to be better utilized, but those assets are not able to be leveraged for relocating a major company.  If anything, keeping the company in the city should be a priority for anyone interested in revitalizing our historic neighborhoods, as jobs in the city = demand for residential in said neighborhoods (theoretically).

Um, why does Bond Hill "need jobs"?  Over-the-Rhine and the West End are within easy walking distance of Downtown, home to upwards of 100,000 jobs, yet both neighborhoods have been the site of chronic unemployment for over 50 years. 

 

What's more, Bond Hill *HAS* been the site of tens of millions in city investment since 2000, with little to show for it.  The crappy housing complex between Reading and the Cincinnati Gardens was funded in part with $15 million Cranley stole from the pension fund back in 2003.

Maybe they will go into that abandoned 13 story Trump tower on Reading Rd?

When I saw this news that's what I thought, though I didn't know its abandoned.  I drive by it every day and always think its weird to have a downtownish building right across the street from a subdivision.  Considering the size of their current HQ this is gonna be something huge.  Any idea of the sq ftage of the new paycor for comparrison?

 

Port authority makes plans for first neighborhood rehab project

Chris Wetterich Staff reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier

 

 

Thirty properties in Evanston are being targeted for rehabilitation or new construction under a plan by the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority to redevelop a portion of the neighborhood.

 

The port has 14 neighborhoods in Hamilton County where it plans to do neighborhood redevelopment work. This year, it plans to focus on Evanston, which is within Cincinnati, and St. Bernard, which is an independent village in the county. Those communities were chosen to go first because there are active partners already involved, including Xavier University in the case of Evanston.

 

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/02/19/port-authority-makes-plans-for-first.html

Looks like good news.  I hope it goes well so they can secure more funding.  I think the port being able to be effective will help equalize things and continue to spread development and redevelopment throughout the county.  I think this will help people's concerns with the CBD getting "too much" attention, and hopefully cool some of the emotional fires that flare up every once in awhile on that subject.  That way as things to continue to progress, hopefully people can get out of the way of that progress so it can be more effective.

The problem is that some people view anything east of 75 as the "East Side" or will count Evanston and St. Bernard as "central" and will still claim they get no investments in the "neighborhoods".

 

But I'm glad that the Port has some potentially worthwhile investments ahead outside of just the old Showcase Cinemas site in Bond Hill.

I drove by fairly quickly yesterday, but it looks like 223 W 4th Street had some construction fencing around it.  After some digging on the auditors website it looks like the property is owned by a holding company with a mailing address for the Uptown Rental Properties HQ.  Interesting if they are making a play downtown.  They own hundreds (if not thousands) of units uptown and on the east side.

I drove by fairly quickly yesterday, but it looks like 223 W 4th Street had some construction fencing around it.  After some digging on the auditors website it looks like the property is owned by a holding company with a mailing address for the Uptown Rental Properties HQ.  Interesting if they are making a play downtown.  They own hundreds (if not thousands) of units uptown and on the east side.

 

They have been tearing off the awful materials that were on the front entrance and they have exposed some very nice old details. They are in rough shape from being built over for so long but hopefully they can save some of it.

^Cool.  Hopefully they'll tear out the glass block windows on the second floor as well.

Took a run around Downtown/OTR yesterday, plenty of construction going on.

 

*Several Buildings on 12th in Pendleton

*crane is up at the garage at 7th and Broadway

*Dunhumby is 4 stories on 5th, 2 on 6th

*2nd street is torn up from Elm to Main

*Streetcar trench on race runs from Elder to the Parkway

I couldn't remember if there is a thread for Eden Park or not, but didn't see one.  Saw an update on this project:

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2014/03/cool-places-get-a-sneak-peek-of-the-eden-park.html

 

I was already excited about this project a lot.  Seeing the pics of the stained glass windows and mock ups of how it will look make me even more excited.  I can guarantee that place is gonna be swamped for Balluminaria, and during the butterfly shows every year.

Just a random question... but does anyone know any info on the building at 33 W 4th Street?

 

Pacel ID: 083-0001-0039-00 ... It is right next to the McAlpin Condos and across from where Tower Place is being redeveloped.  I walk past it going to and from work all the time and have wondered why it sits empty. 

 

Oddly enough a company bought it from the City in 2008 for $0 (according to the auditors site).. maybe there was a development agreement in place that fell through?

 

But the company name is MMF Realty, which is not registered with the state of Ohio, which is odd in itself.  The taxes on the building are paid, FWIW.

 

anyway, i didnt know if anyone else knew anything about the building or what its previous use was?

There was a Frisch's there on the first floor.  Makes you suspicious that they are holding it to combine with the red warehouse you see in the background for some sort of mega-tower development. 

The red warehouse in the picture (i believe originally for Pogues department store). is owned by Drury Development... which is the holding company for Drury Inns & Suites.. But they have owned it since 2000 and have done nothing but sat on it.  I always though both of these buildings would be great candidates for residential.

The red warehouse in the picture (i believe originally for Pogues department store). is owned by Drury Development... which is the holding company for Drury Inns & Suites.. But they have owned it since 2000 and have done nothing but sat on it.  I always though both of these buildings would be great candidates for residential.

 

I think you're going to see that small building torn down and replaced by a mid-rise luxury condo building.  You could have two condos per floor on the lower floors, then full-floor condos on the upper floors. 

 

 

The red warehouse in the picture (i believe originally for Pogues department store). is owned by Drury Development... which is the holding company for Drury Inns & Suites.. But they have owned it since 2000 and have done nothing but sat on it.  I always though both of these buildings would be great candidates for residential.

 

I think you're going to see that small building torn down and replaced by a mid-rise luxury condo building.  You could have two condos per floor on the lower floors, then full-floor condos on the upper floors.

 

Too bad its not taller, then they could just use the building that is already there... but is that just pure speculation, or you have reason to believe something like that is in the pipeline?

Look at how QCS is laid out with the lobby on 4th St. and the tower on 3rd St.  Same potential here.  The alley is in the way but a lobby-level bridge could probably cross over it.  And somebody with the big $ could probably get it close off anyway...the only thing back there is O'Malley's bar. 

 

At least in theory you could have the lobby I just described with a condo tower above it, then an office tower on the lot south of the alley.  Combined office/condo creates a complicated ownership situation that you pretty much only see in NYC and maybe Chicago. 

Just a random question... but does anyone know any info on the building at 33 W 4th Street?

 

Pacel ID: 083-0001-0039-00 ... It is right next to the McAlpin Condos and across from where Tower Place is being redeveloped.  I walk past it going to and from work all the time and have wondered why it sits empty. 

 

Oddly enough a company bought it from the City in 2008 for $0 (according to the auditors site).. maybe there was a development agreement in place that fell through?

 

But the company name is MMF Realty, which is not registered with the state of Ohio, which is odd in itself.  The taxes on the building are paid, FWIW.

 

anyway, i didnt know if anyone else knew anything about the building or what its previous use was?

 

 

After some more digging... MMF Realty (the owner of this property) is affiliated with Madison Marquette which redeveloped the McAlpin Condos.  It is still listed on their website as projects they are managing, even though its been since 2008 that they have done nothing but sat on the property. http://madisonmarquette.com/portfolio/property-listings/mcalpin-on-4th/

 

As you can see in the rendering on their website, this is the property.. pretty interesting.  It almost seems like they forgot they even own it.  They previously had an agreement with the city to develop the property, thats why they got the property for such a cheap price.  A shame it is just sitting there with so much going on around it.

 

(Sorry the picture is so large)

Does anybody know if there has ever been any discussion around floating homes on the Ohio River? Seems like a popular concept in a wide range of cities. Any reason why they wouldn't work well here in Cincinnati? A floating home seems like a good way to handle varying river levels.

 

http://www.inspirationgreen.com/floating-homes.html

A couple photos from the inside of the 33 W Fourth St building. Looks like a great space that could be well-suited for a wide variety of purposes.

^ My company looked at space in that building and considered moving there. The main issue is that it would've taken several months to build out the interior, and we needed something that was closer to move-in-ready.

A 4th Street sidewalk modernization project, between Vine and Walnut Streets, began on Monday, April 7th. Construction is cheduled M-F 7-4 and is divided into 7 separate phases, each at 4 – 5 weeks. It will start at Vine Street (Phase 1) and move east to Walnut Street (Phase 6), in that order. During phase 4, 5, and 7, construction is broken down into an A and B phase allowing for a portion of the sidewalk to remain open at all times. Phase 7 is the main staging area during the project and will be the last phase to be complete. The park area, Phase 7, will be closed to pedestrians for the majority of the project. Building entrances and entrances into the retail stores and banks will remain accessible to the public.

I was wondering what was going on when I walked by yesterday evening on my way back from the riverfront. Thanks for the info.

The sidewalk seemed fine when you walk on it... are there some underlying issues for this project or is it just to update the look?  It does seem pretty 80's when you actually look at it, but not like it is in poor condition.  Will it be new pavers that replace the current brick there or just concrete?

 

Any pardon my ignorance on re-doing sidewalks, but 7 months to do 1 block seems like an awfully long time... is that normal? 

The Fourth & Walnut Centre installed new pavers last summer/fall. And I'd expect the Marriott Renaissance (old Bartlett Building) to update their sidewalk before opening. Hopefully this will continue in the area as the sidewalk on the east side of Walnut between 4th & 5th streets is some of the worst downtown.

The Fourth & Walnut Centre installed new pavers last summer/fall. And I'd expect the Marriott Renaissance (old Bartlett Building) to update their sidewalk before opening. Hopefully this will continue in the area as the sidewalk on the east side of Walnut between 4th & 5th streets is some of the worst downtown.

 

I definitely agree with you on Walnut between 4th and 5th is a mess... once it is all uniform im sure itll pull together nicely.