Could have been a pet as well but was for sure very "grave" like. 

While I'd be all for it, the problem with residential in this parcel would be Cincinnati Barge & Rail Terminal directly across the street. Owners at Twain's Point have voiced their displeasure with the noise that regularly comes from them. Could be a hard sell...

Could have been a pet as well but was for sure very "grave" like.

 

Pretty sure that was a marker to remember where a guy's body was found. Couldn't find any info on the web when I searched, but I vaguely remember it happening at some point in the 90's.

 

 

Thanks for the info! After running by it for years I had always been curious but clearly never really stopped to check it out more.

Luxury condos coming to downtown Cincinnati

 

 

A Covington-based real estate company plans to build six luxury condos in downtown Cincinnati.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/08/exclusive-6-luxury-condos-coming-to-downtown.html

Funny to see someone say this about the CBD: “Over-the-Rhine is hot right now, but there’s a lot of noise at night. Here, you’re close enough to the action, but you can go home and not have all the stuff that’s going on in Over-the-Rhine.”

 

In the long run this is probably going to invert. OTR will be the quieter neighborhood with million dollar townhomes and upscale restaurants and cocktail bars, while the CBD will have apartment towers and trendy nightclubs.

I just think that quote shows she doesn't quite "get it" when it comes to living in an urban area, but whatever.  I'd rather be surrounded by all the activity in OTR as compared to the northern CBD which is eerily quiet except for its roving bands of junkies at night.

 

I'm glad this development is happening though, it's just the kind of thing the northern CBD needs to add vibrancy to the streets at different hours of the day. Need a lot more of it!

Out of the 6 places I've lived in Cincinnati, my condo in OTR is the quietest. The loudest was living on Hollister Street followed closely by Daniel's Hall, then UPA (don't ask why I lived there, I regret it), Victor Street, and then my house during grad school on Flora Street. All of those had constant sirens, people screaming, drunk college students, drunk homeless people yelling, etc. at all hours. My condo in OTR gets a little bit of all those things but is secluded enough for them to be greatly subdued.

The Wendy's on 4th Street is leaving

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/10/last-of-the-big-three-burger-joints-pulls-out-of.html

The City is conducting a "Hyde Park East Master Plan": http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/planning/planning-projects-studies/hyde-park-east-master-plan/

 

It looks like they have some good ideas (curb bumpouts, reducing travel lanes, traffic calming, pedestrian pathway up hill to the Observatory)... but there is also a lot of talk about adding more surface parking, potentially replacing the tennis court(s). The only problem with parking in this area is that most of the parking is free. The district needs to do a better job of managing prices (and expectations) so that folks pay for parking at times of high demand. Adding more free surface parking won't solve it.

 

I'm also amazed that in the section where they talk about improving the streetscape, there is no mention of burying the utility lines.

 

Plan: http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/planning/assets/File/Hyde%20Park%20East_Draft%20Plan_5_25_16_Full.pdf

 

Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/hpepriority

Does anyone know what is being developed at Court and Walnut? There has been discussion that G.C. has been selected for a residential new build construction. From what a source told me is that its going to be a 15 story building. I haven't found any information and I don't know of any firms in town doing the design work.

Huh, if true I wonder if this is the "not ready for public notice" project that the article in the Business Courier regarding the Flynn/Cranley tussle is about?????

There have been rumors circulating for years about a new building at Central Parkway and Walnut (and/or Court and Walnut), possibly with residential above, possibly with Kroger at the base. My personal opinion is that Kroger should build a new store at this location with apartments above, and then close their OTR store and allow 3CDC to redevelop that site. But that's all speculation.

EXCLUSIVE: Jeweler buys downtown building for expansion

Apr 2, 2015, 6:32am EDT

Tom Demeropolis Senior Staff Reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier

 

 

Richter & Phillips Co., which has been in downtown Cincinnati for nearly 120 years, is moving.

 

Right across the street.

 

Rick Fehr, one of the co-owners of the family-owned jewelry store, said the business is moving across Main Street from the Gwynne Building to 601 Main St.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/04/02/exclusive-jeweler-buys-downtown-building-for.html

 

 

Fast-growing architecture firm (finally) finds downtown HQ

 

Reztark Design Studio, which has outgrown its 6,000-square-foot space at 308 E. Eighth St., signed a seven-year lease for the top two floors of 601 Main St., which Richter & Phillips Co. purchased in March 2015 for its new downtown jewelry store. Richter & Phillips will be located in the first floor and use some of the basement space, as well.

Round 16 Ohio Historic Tax Credit applications, winners to be announced before June 30.

 

Historic Tax Credits announced:

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2016/06/28/tax-credits-could-spur-89m-cincinnati-development/86426414/

 

Cincinnati projects awarded are:

Corsley Building - Camp Washington

Markey Square II - Over-the-Rhine, multiple buildings around Findlay Market

Strietmann Biscuit Co. Building, Over-the-Rhine

Film Center Building, Over-the-Rhine

771 and 772 E. McMillan Ave., Walnut Hills

 

Usually the Tax Credit program has a separate pool for smaller projects. All of these recipients are for projects that are over $1 million in total cost. Does anybody know if the State had the "small project pool" for this round?

Usually the Tax Credit program has a separate pool for smaller projects. All of these recipients are for projects that are over $1 million in total cost. Does anybody know if the State had the "small project pool" for this round?

 

Yes, absolutely. There are pools for small and intermediate scaled projects.

Does anyone know what is on top of this street poll? it was just installed. You would think it was a camera but it has no windows.

Yes, it's a 36' tall, 12" diameter cell tower that you'll start to see all over town as the wireless carriers phase out the tall cell towers we've seen forever. In Cincinnati, they generally can't be closer than 300'. FCC rules require all jurisdictions of local government to allow for these in the right-of-way although we can make rules as to where they go and standards of quality and design. City Planning Commission passed rules and design guidelines a couple of weeks ago. Now at City Council.

The boxes at the base of those towers (I assume there are power and data racks in there) are pretty loud. Most of the time I hear them before I see the poles.

The cooling fans in the boxes are what makes noise, and the city is only permitting them if poles can't be used for the whole installation. The equipment on the poles is air-cooled by the large rectangular vanes which sort of act like radiators. If you feel one is too loud, call Cincinnati DOT. They have the power to regulate nuisances from these.

Huh, they recently put one of these on Kenwood Road at the north edge of downtown Blue Ash.  I thought it was a lightning detector or maybe a small-format tornado siren.  Totally bootleg install in that case too, they jammed a wooden utility pole in with overhead electric feeding it, plus all the boxes and conduit, electric meter, cut-off switch, and all the other garbage, none of it painted or anything.  All this while they're redoing the streetscaping.  One step forward one step back.  The one jmblec2 posted is much nicer, though why can't they put it on an existing pole?  The city's downtown light poles are pretty tall, but maybe the city doesn't lease space on them, or does the equipment need to be at the very top to ensure there's no signal "shadow" from the pole itself in a side-mounted situation? 

Cincinnati is probably ahead of most suburbs on regulating these. Our city actually hired an attorney from California to push back against what the industry wanted, and he was on a speaker phone for at least an hour in each of two meetings. I don't think the industry is very happy with the changes the city demanded -- there must have been half a dozen industry reps at each CPD meeting. Cincinnati is also requesting that this equipment be co-located on city MOLT poles and others wherever possible or desirable.

The three "courtyard houses" at the end of Paul Street in Evanston (sorry, Hyde Park Adjacent) are progressing slowly.  Two are sold with one finished and occupied.  So it goes from completely done on one side to just mud on the other.  At least they got the new street hammerhead built so the mud isn't as bad. 

 

These are listed as starting at $595K, but what I hear from neighbors is that they're more in the $700K+ range.  For three bedroom houses that's pretty lousy.  The same houses in Northside would cost half as much.  The construction quality seems alright, but there's some very weird design choices.  Like there's a front parlor/office with a large closet that can only be accessed from the foyer, and is too remote from the kitchen to be a dining room.  There's only a powder room in the hall so it can't be a guest bedroom either.  There's a large family room/great room that opens to the kitchen and breakfast area, which has big windows into the courtyard (behind the garage) but only one tiny door to the outside crammed in the far corner behind the dining table.  No French doors or anything.  The courtyard also looks at the neighbor's blank brick wall.  The kitchen itself is painfully tiny, like 10' x 12' and the master suite in back is also quite anemic with his and hers closets that are maybe 6' square.  On the second floor there's two pretty decent bedrooms each with their own private bath and a bonus room over the garage.  But since there's no hall bath you can't use the bonus room as another bedroom without building both a closet and yet another bathroom.  There's a full basement but only two tiny windows at the far back.  It's like they deliberately squandered every opportunity they had to make some nice moves.

 

https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/oh/cincinnati/2132-gold-street/pid_69900/ 

John Schneider[/member] - you wrote: "In Cincinnati, they generally can't be closer than 300'." Do you mean no two poles can be within 300' of each other? And what does "MOLT" stand for when you write "city MOLT poles"?

The courtyard also looks at the neighbor's blank brick wall.

 

That's actually a good thing.  Most of the houses in Newport were built this way, which was referred to as the "Newport Plan".  It's a way to ensure some privacy in a neighborhood where the houses are only a few feet from each other.

John Schneider[/member] - you wrote: "In Cincinnati, they generally can't be closer than 300'." Do you mean no two poles can be within 300' of each other? And what does "MOLT" stand for when you write "city MOLT poles"?

 

Yes, they generally must be at least 300' apart. A MOLT pole is the tall light tower used in the central part of downtown Cincinnati. Because of the slanted-down light heads atop them, some people call them cobras.

Only a half bath that isn't in a bedroom. Terrible for entertaining.

A big stink was raised up north when these smaller cell towers started to be constructed in subdivisions in utility easements (e.g. front yards) with otherwise no other overhead utilities.

 

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/liberty-township/2015/12/10/four-permits-install-cell-poles-liberty-twp-revoked/77119566/

http://www.journal-news.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/liberty-twp-passes-new-cell-tower-rules/nrLWy/

4th and Race Project.

 

You know its a shame that the original project didnt happen. At least Flaherty used RTKL and they created something nice. What is with 3CDC and the City using Preston Partnership? This is the same firm that gave us the ugly "Radius" eyesore at the banks. I can think of four firms in this city alone that could have created something ten times better for this development. Hope the Urban Design Review board really sticks it to them to redesign it.

 

Just another rant, I really hope this doesn't start looking like the 84.51 building. We don't need two building on Race St. with an identity design crisis.

MOLT has to stand for something.  They have a bunch of other acronyms but no explanation as to what they mean.  I bet there's a way to tease out the meaning from the descriptions below. 

 

MOT

The term "MOT" refers to the single legged traffic support poles in the CBD that are painted

beige. These poles are twenty-one feet tall.

 

MPT

The term "MPT" refers to the three legged traffic support poles in the CBD that are painted

beige. These poles are twenty-one feet tall.

 

MOL

The term "MOL" refers to the single legged street light support poles in the CBD that are painted

beige. These poles are fifty feet tall.

 

MPL

The term "MPL" refers to the three legged street light support poles in the CBD that are painted

beige. These poles are fifty feet tall.

 

MOLT

The term "MOLT" refers to the single legged combination traffic support/street light support

poles in the CBD that are painted beige. These poles are fifty feet tall.

 

MPLT

The term "MPLT" refers to the three legged combination traffic support/street light support poles

in the CBD that are painted beige. These poles are fifty feet tall.

 

MOIN

The term "MOIN" refers to the single legged street sign support posts in the CBD that are

painted beige. These posts are eight feet tall.

 

MPIN

The term "MPIN" refers to the eight foot three legged street sign support posts in the CBD that

are painted beige.

 

BOOM

The term "BOOM" refers to the horizontal structural channel support for traffic control devices

used in the CBD. The booms come in sizes ranging from one bay to continuous booms that

extend across the entire roadway. These items are painted beige and are attached to either

MOT, MPT, MOLT, or MPLT poles.

I'm not sure if these are "MOLT" poles or not... but on 4th Street, they've installed two of the new cell towers directly adjacent to the tall light poles. Is the City not able to put the cell towers on those existing light poles?

 

The base station for the cell tower at 4th and Plum is extremely loud. I just recorded <a href="https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNWI8ZQo7Zw_GwMvDovFrgvVfsZ42U-UuHj5Zf5Qm0rAqB9aVMcz8OAfWfka6zwAQ/photo/AF1QipPxKqyscgoQg2oiX_mA-qKzT03DKOLg1rDIQyMw?key=cWpvS2YweUN6VW51akhZbVdMWXo1N3c0VzBwcWdB">a video</a> where you can hear the noise.

 

Here's a photo of the tower just to west of the light pole at 4th and Plum:

 

Here's a photo of the tower just to the west of the light pole at 4th and Race:

We cannot force them to use city poles. Call Cincinnati DOT to register noise complaints

4th and Plum was exactly the box I was talking about when I said they seem really, really loud - I walk by it almost daily. I noticed they don't all sound like that so I think that one may have an issue that causes the fans to run at 100% all the time - I'll try out the city's app to report it, I've actually had some good luck with it in the past.

Rural and suburban areas still need the big towers correct? The range on the smaller poles isn't as high I'm assuming.

Wanted: Land to build $110 million federal research lab

Jun 30, 2016, 4:17pm EDT Updated Jun 30, 2016, 4:41pm EDT

Barrett J. Brunsman

Staff reporter

Cincinnati Business Courier

 

A $110 million research laboratory to be operated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health will be built in Cincinnati’s Central Business District or adjacent areas to the north and east, including Uptown, the federal government revealed today.

 

NIOSH, which recommends ways to prevent injuries, illnesses and deaths related to work, will require at least 10 acres to consolidate the Robert A. Taft Laboratory on Columbia Parkway in the East End and the Alice Hamilton Laboratory on Ridge Road in Pleasant Ridge.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/30/wanted-land-to-build-110-millionfederal-research.html

^That is AWESOME news for the city. I think Uptown (MLK-Reading intersection) is the best candidate considering the proximity to UC, the EPA, and the rest of the Uptown institutions.

 

I like what the GSA is setting out as an ideal site:

The GSA said today that preference would be given sites that are near restaurants, lodging, green spaces, bike paths and financial institutions. Also a key consideration is access to public transportation.

 

The big question in my mind if whether the Uptown Consortium can get their act together to use this as a catalyst for transforming the MLK corridor into a mixed use, vibrant streetscape. 

lots of feds take the bus because it is free for them.

article states that the site needs a 215K square foot building. how large is the empty hotel / department store building at 6th and vine, whose name is escaping me at the moment? It would be amazing if that was repurposed into a federal building.

article states that the site needs a 215K square foot building. how large is the empty hotel / department store building at 6th and vine, whose name is escaping me at the moment? It would be amazing if that was repurposed into a federal building.

 

That's a really interesting idea, bout I would imagine one advantage of them doing what they're doing is being able to design a modern lab facility from scratch. Plus, if Uptown Consortium doesnt score a win on this one for the "Reading Road Tech Corridor" they may as well stick a fork in that whole concept.

NIOSH will end up near the MLK interchange. There is no suitable downtown site for them.  GSA just has to follow procedure for now.

Residents pan developer's mixed-use plan in Oakley

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2016/07/06/residents-pan-developers-mixed-use-plan-oakley/86739442/

OAKLEY — A real estate developer's plan to add an eight-story building with new apartments and commercial space near the business district's core received a thumbs-down from residents Tuesday.

 

The Fortus Group wants to build one structure with 122 apartments, 4,500 square feet of restaurant space and a 177-space parking garage at the corner of Madison Road and Taylor Avenue. The L-shaped development on the ⅔ -acre site, adjacent to St. Cecilia Catholic Church and School, would replace a shuttered Fifth Third Bank branch.

 

The first-floor restaurant space would line Madison and offer outdoor seating. The garage would be partially built below grade.

 

Did anybody attend this meeting? I'm curious to see the plans. It sounds like the only reason for opposition was due to the height, which is sad... since that density would do a lot to help Oakley. 

I hope that the developer and the community can reach a compromise that still adds a substantial amount of units (and this is adding a parking garage as well for the units). That end of Oakley Square has a lot of surface parking and two corners are car dealerships which takeaway from the continuation of the square.

 

There will be a lot of foot traffic between Oakley Station/Mad Tree/Oakley Square once the they are built out, hopefully these fill in.

 

On another note related to Oakley... it would be neat if there was some pedestrian improvements / lighting / public art added to the area where Madison Road dips under the train bridge. Some lighting and color would do a lot to liven that up when walking.

1.  Propose a project that is way too massive for the site & surroundings.

2.  Hold an open meeting and prepare for community backlash.

3.  Release "revised" site plan that is what you wanted all along, but makes it look like you compromised with city and/or community council.

4.  Profit.

 

 

8 stories is rather much for such a small site and with nothing remotely similar in scale nearby.  I think the tallest building anywhere near there is Voltage Lofts at Brotherton which is 5 stories tall, while most other buildings there are only two or at most three. 

 

This could be a case of asking for the moon and not expecting to get it, which makes what the developer actually wants more palatable to the community.  It seems you can't just go in with a reasonable proposal anymore because the busybodies have to shoot something down to feel good about themselves.  So if you want X you have to ask for X+1 and let the NIMBYs beat you back down to X.  Otherwise you ask for X and they beat you down to X-1 which is usually an economic non-starter.  Everyone loses regardless because the project has to go through more hassles and hearings, and the developer is always the enemy and the community councils are viewed as obstinate power brokers wanting nothing but unreasonable concessions.

 

Oakley is odd in that the square itself is at the end of the business district with a rather abrupt change to residential, with the most density a block to the east and a more commercial pattern.  The square is the most empty part of the district, and if anything that's where more development needs to happen.  Not that infilling parking lots or other automobile-oriented businesses farther east is a bad thing, it's just a very unbalanced business district that could use some thoughtful planning to better leverage its existing assets. 

On an unrelated note, did I miss a proposal for a new 16 story building at Court & Walnut?  It looks like the NE and SE corners are lots, but not sure which one will will have the 16 story building.  Also, it will be the new Cincinnati Standard Tower of first floor retail/restaurant, 8 story garage, 8 story apartments.  Other than that, I have no details and I'm just passing along what I was told. 

An 8 story building is a bit much

On an unrelated note, did I miss a proposal for a new 16 story building at Court & Walnut?  It looks like the NE and SE corners are lots, but not sure which one will will have the 16 story building.  Also, it will be the new Cincinnati Standard Tower of first floor retail/restaurant, 8 story garage, 8 story apartments.  Other than that, I have no details and I'm just passing along what I was told.

 

I posted this to my blog recently based on things I've read in the news up to this point but there hasn't been any "Breaking news" about a real life project that I'm aware of

 

https://cincinnatiideas.wordpress.com/2016/07/04/a-solution-to-downtowns-game-of-groceries/

Based on what I heard, this is a real project. 

 

It was proposed in 2014 as Central Parkway & Walnut, but I'd say Court & Walnut sounds better.  From the Business Courier:

 

Central and Walnut

In 2014, Blue Ash developer Rookwood Properties pitched a project for a $50 million residential development at Central Parkway and Walnut Street that could include a grocery store. According to a WCPO report, Rookwood Properties showed its plans to Kroger

Hyde Park resident Paul Houser said he feared approval of the building would set a bad precedent for the area.

 

"Does this open it up to other high structures?" Houser said. "It’s changing the tenor of the neighborhood."

 

Uhh...countless neighborhoods (including some in Cincinnati) have a building that is a little taller than the surrounding neighborhoods. That doesn't "open the door" for new highrise development.  Otherwise, the Vernon Manor, Alms Hotel, The Belvedere in North Avondale, and a more "recent" example, the Mid Pointe Tower would've brought mini-Central West Ends to Cincinnati.  Alas...