Looks like a hotel. I know nothing about Ndukwe other than what has come out in the Sittenfeld trial, and he doesn't come across well. 

1 hour ago, ucgrady said:

Looks like a hotel. I know nothing about Ndukwe other than what has come out in the Sittenfeld trial, and he doesn't come across well. 

Failure as a developer and blaming all his failures on city hall. Sorry but have worked with him, big mistake. Never prepared always big ideas, never ready to actually execute. 

On 6/8/2022 at 10:15 AM, ColDayMan said:

New residential subdivision in Avondale set for approval

 

Cincinnati City Council is set to give final approval today to a new single-family subdivision in Avondale, agreeing to spend at least $1 million to build a new road to the homes that will be on Alaska Avenue.

 

Council members considered the nearly $7 million project at two successive budget committee meetings on Monday, June 6, and May 31, a new procedure for developments to give council members and the public more time to examine them after years of last-minute approval requests by previous administrations.

 

They were supportive of the mostly market-rate development, which will bring 18 new single-family homes, with three- to four-bedrooms and 1,300 to 2,900 square feet each to 3584 Alaska Ave. The first phase will have eight homes and 10 more will follow.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/06/08/avondale-subdivision-approval-coming.html

 

I was thinking about yield streets so I looked at this project again. I found the cross section of the street on the site plan listed by the city. The curb to curb distance is also listed at 25' and total right of way at 50'. I think this is too narrow by city standards so parking will only be allowed on one side of the street. Big missed opportunity for a yield street. It also could have been a great opportunity for bioswales, especially since this small street has 7 storm drains.

On 4/14/2021 at 1:54 PM, ColDayMan said:

UC’s Digital Futures Building topped off in Uptown

 

 

The development and construction team, along with the University of Cincinnati, celebrated a milestone in the construction of the Digital Futures Building in the Cincinnati Innovation District.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/04/14/ucs-digital-futures-building-topped-off.html

 

Facade panels are getting installed now on the "Digital Futures Building" (don't really like that name, so I'm hoping UC comes up with something better). I'll reserve judgment until it's fully installed, but at least initially I think I like the dramatic, dark panels.

1 hour ago, jwulsin said:

 

Facade panels are getting installed now on the "Digital Futures Building" (don't really like that name, so I'm hoping UC comes up with something better). I'll reserve judgment until it's fully installed, but at least initially I think I like the dramatic, dark panels.

 

The still haven't finished the rain screen install on the first building in the development. Talk about major back log on building material. 

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/09/28/niosh-facility-unveiled.html
 

Rendering has been revealed for the NIOSH facility. 

^More on that...

 

What massive NIOSH facility will look like as City Council sells needed property

 

Cincinnati City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to sell four pieces of property it owns in Avondale for $3 million so the federal government can develop a major National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) campus.

 

The $110 million NIOSH campus, which falls under the Centers for Disease Control, will take over the Cincinnati Parks Operations Center, three vacant parcels at 3139 Reading Rd., all of Hickman Avenue between Harvey Avenue and Reading Road and a portion of the Reading Road right-of-way between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive East and the former Union Street.

 

The campus will be developed between MLK Drive, Reading Road, Ridgeway and Harvey avenues.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/09/28/niosh-facility-unveiled.html

 

I didn’t realize the city would be vacating Hickman and they would be building on top of it for this. All told that is ~1150 ft north to south distance with no connection between Reading and Harvey. The facility will be fenced, so no pass through will be possible even for pedestrians. Great for the jobs and investment but the design is counter to the goal trying to build up walkable areas on all sides of it

Edited September 29, 20222 yr by thebillshark

Additionally there is supposed to be a transit center being built on Harvey as part of UC Health project.  I can’t visualize at this point how the busses are going to get back and forth to that from Reading. If they are going to use Ridgeway, it is going to need to be beefed up to handle the traffic and the  Ridgeway intersection with Reading will need to be improved. I don’t see that as part of the NIOSH plans here, and I wonder if there is still opportunity for that now that the land is sold.
 

Also Wasson Way is just on the east  side of Reading here so a strong connection could be made along Ridgeway from Wasson Way to the transit center on Harvey and through that block west over to Albert Sabin Way if they plan for it. 

3 hours ago, thebillshark said:

I didn’t realize the city would be vacating Hickman and they would be building on top of it for this. All told that is ~1150 ft north to south distance with no connection between Reading and Harvey. The facility will be fenced, so no pass through will be possible even for pedestrians. Great for the jobs and investment but the design is counter to the goal trying to build up walkable areas on all sides of it

 

Yeah. I'm angry about the 100' setback requirement, which just seems incredibly short-sighted. The EPA building at MLK/Vine is similarly hostile to pedestrians and the surrounding area, but that was built in '70s. I wish we could have learned from the lessons over the last ~50 years. The Federal Government should be leading on forward-thinking design. This is the opposite of visionary, sustainable design. Here's the NIOSH site, with ~100' setback shown in green.

 

Office buildings are a great way to shield greenspaces from noise pollution. Who in their right mind is ever going to hang out in that park at the corner of a 10 lane and a 7 lane car sewer???

I am not defending the design, but these are Federal Government requirements for safety reasons, the city really has no control of it. 

As much as I like jobs going in the city, maybe this is a better fit for Clermont or Warren County if they need these setbacks. 

19 minutes ago, jwulsin said:

The EPA building at MLK/Vine is similarly hostile to pedestrians and the surrounding area, but that was built in '70s.

reminds me of the Covington IRS building, NIOSH might be prettier to look at than that, but the enormous fenced off area creates a barrier in the neighborhood 

 

16 minutes ago, Dev said:

Who in their right mind is ever going to hang out in that park at the corner of a 10 lane and a 7 lane car sewer???

As I understand it, it won’t be accessible to the public 

 

23 minutes ago, ryanlammi said:

As much as I like jobs going in the city, maybe this is a better fit for Clermont or Warren County if they need these setbacks. 

 

I wouldn’t go that far, the jobs are strong and you don’t have to offer tax incentives to get/retain them, I think you gotta do what you can to make it work somehow

We had an opportunity to remake this corner of Avondale in a smart, safe, inviting way. That ship has largely sailed with so much of the new construction already parceled out and being built, and this will continue to be a highway for single occupancy vehicles for the next 50+ years. 

 

The institutions in the area have no real desire to pedestrianize the area. They obviously don't want people to be hit by cars, but they just don't have the vision to actually help steer this area in the right direction and the city is largely useless in this regard. It's a shame that the School of Planning is not utilized in a real way to impact the built environment around UC. From my experience, they do some good thought experiments and some cool designs, but there is not real integration with the city's planning department. 

Would a Federal Building in Washington DC also have these same requirements? I have to imagine DC would be a much different city if that was the case.

For those unfamiliar with what once anchored this site. it was quite an imposing structure in person. I still cringe driving by that location and miss seeing it.

 

https://loc.getarchive.net/topics/columbian+school

2 hours ago, thebillshark said:

As I understand it, it won’t be accessible to the public 

That was my understanding as well. That means that it will only be accessibly to the workers there, who would use it at lunch or for special events, accept they probably won't bother, so it will be completely empty for almost all of its existence.

Why does NIOSH get this corner?

If this area is destined to be this car-centric, I wonder if it's possible to get EPA to move into the area too. Their current location at MLK & Jefferson is one of the best pieces of real estate in the region. It would be better used as an NBA arena or BRT transit center.

 

 

7 minutes ago, Miami-Erie said:

Why does NIOSH get this corner?

They want to be in close proximity with the medical centers, university as well as the EPA. NIOSH does alot with the CDC these days hand in hand. It makes sense to consolidate them in this area. Plus even though we are losing this piece of land for NIOSH, we will be gaining new land/property in pleasant ridge and Mount Lookout/East End. 

Edited September 29, 20222 yr by savadams13

On 9/29/2022 at 11:43 AM, Chas Wiederhold said:

Would a Federal Building in Washington DC also have these same requirements? I have to imagine DC would be a much different city if that was the case.

 

Most of those are grandfathered in. I would imagine a new federal building would be built in the Maryland or Northern VA suburbs. 

Anybody else notice that they started gutting the Cincinnati Children's building on the parcel in-between Reading, Taft and Oak? Might've missed the plans for this one.

2 minutes ago, tonyt3524 said:

Anybody else notice that they started gutting the Cincinnati Children's building on the parcel in-between Reading, Taft and Oak? Might've missed the plans for this one.

It's being razed.

4 hours ago, tonyt3524 said:

Anybody else notice that they started gutting the Cincinnati Children's building on the parcel in-between Reading, Taft and Oak? Might've missed the plans for this one.

Yep the old Bethesda Oaks Hospital is finally coming down...

On 5/31/2022 at 8:43 AM, The_Cincinnati_Kid said:

Cincinnati Children's Hospital to vacate, demo aging Oak Building in Avondale

By Liz Engel  –  Staff reporter, Cincinnati Business Courier

May 31, 2022 Updated May 31, 2022, 8:19am EDT

 

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital plans to vacate — and later demolish — one of the oldest buildings under its ownership umbrella, a measure that includes relocating about 150 employees, including those at the Gamble Vaccine Research Center.

 

The medical center said in a release Tuesday it will vacate and eventually demolish the Oak Building, located at 619 Oak St. on the corner of Reading Road, in Avondale. Cincinnati Children’s said it is no longer cost efficient to operate the aging 461,000-square-foot facility, much of which dates to the 1920s.

 

About 150 employees, many in medical research, will move to nearby locations in the neighborhood by the end of June.

 

MORE

 

 

@tonyt3524- there was an article earlier this year about the plans for demolitions. At the time, it said that "Cincinnati Children’s has not determined a timeline for demolition or a future use for the site, which spans more than 6 acres, officials said." Also from that article, "Children’s said it plans to vacate and demolish other neighboring buildings on the campus, including the Oak Professional Building at 620 Oak St., as well as a utility building and an already decommissioned June Street garage."

 

I'm not sure if anything has been announced since then about what might get built on the site. 

Oak,Taft, and McMillan would be a perfect place for a cap over 71

On 10/12/2022 at 9:20 AM, jwulsin said:

I'm not sure if anything has been announced since then about what might get built on the site. 

Can't imagine anything being built besides a shiny new medical complex. 

 

23 hours ago, zsnyder said:

Oak,Taft, and McMillan would be a perfect place for a cap over 71

What would the cap be used for? It'd be a fresh slate for the "vibe" of the area since everything immediately around 71 became blighted. 

What's the maximum length a tunnel/cap can be without requiring all the super expensive ventilation equipment?

This was one of the slides from the Fort Washington Way presentation last week, although I'm not really sure how to interpret it. I tried reading NFPA Section 502, but it's behind a paywall.

 

The designs presented last week only use about 1/3 of the easternmost and westernmost blocks. Using Google Earth, I measured the distance to be ~1300ft.

  

 

 

I noticed this morning they're finally clearing out the southwest corner of MLK/Reading. Have we seen site plans for this?

 

 

Also, I'm a little surprised with all of the housing demand from UC that Stetson Square hasn't finished the last phase of their development on the corner of MLK/Eden.

On 10/14/2022 at 1:20 PM, jwulsin said:

What's the maximum length a tunnel/cap can be without requiring all the super expensive ventilation equipment?

NFPA 502 - Chapter 11.1.1* Emergency ventilation shall not be required in tunnels exceeding 240 m (800 ft) in length, where it can be shown by an engineering analysis, using the design parameters for a particular tunnel (length, cross-section, grade, prevailing wind, traffic direction, types of cargoes, design fire size, etc.), that the level of safety provided by a mechanical ventilation system can be equaled or exceeded by enhancing the means of egress, the use of natural ventilation, or the use of smoke storage, and shall be permitted only where approved by the authority having jurisdiction.

 

In other words, if all the traffic is going the same direction per tunnel and you give the smoke a pathway to get out, you don't necessarily need one. 

This looks like a rather large development going into the Innovation District. 550k of lab space and up to 400 housing units.Ed Riguad development company.

 

https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/planning/planning-projects-and-studies/active-ongoing/proposed-zone-change-to-a-planned-development-in-avondale/

2 hours ago, ucnum1 said:

This looks like a rather large development going into the Innovation District. 550k of lab space and up to 400 housing units.Ed Riguad development company.

 

https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/planning/planning-projects-and-studies/active-ongoing/proposed-zone-change-to-a-planned-development-in-avondale/

Rendering of the site.

Queen City Hills plans massive development anchored by labs in Avondale

By Chris Wetterich  –  Staff reporter and columnist, Cincinnati Business Courier

Jan 30, 2023

 

A development group has submitted plans to the city of Cincinnati for a major project on 7.8 acres in Uptown, with commercial development and research labs, up to 400 housing units and street-level retail space.

 

The 5.85-acre project, which will be developed by Queen City Hills LLC, will be located at the southwest corner of Reading Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Avondale. The ownership group of Queen City Hills includes Ed and Carole Rigaud, David and Patricia Foxx, and Albert and Liza Smitherman.

 

Ed Rigaud could not be reached for comment.

 

MORE

 

I mistook that image for some early concept of what's already going up on the southeast corner along MLK. It looks like a literal reskin.

RIP Duel Manor.  That place was appalling.  

I get off of this exit everyday for work.

 

It's always pretty packed going toward the hospital areas but I am always the only car ever turning left (facing south) across the bridge to Walnut Hills.

 

I think they are looking for developers on the North East quadrant of MLK and I-71. It will be interesting how much more traffic there is when this all gets developed. Not sure how many people are in the two buildings they just completed.

13 hours ago, zsnyder said:

I mistook that image for some early concept of what's already going up on the southeast corner along MLK. It looks like a literal reskin.

Snark aside, this seems like a pretty good site-specific layout.

 

The renderings clearly only show massing, so a lot of design details are uncertain. Whether or not the final design will be attractive remains to be seen.

 

The project description says a "two-level structured parking garage will a podium deck is planned to serve the proposed buildings." The site slopes down slightly from Reading to Vernon Place and it looks like the "ground level" will be at Reading, with the parking structure partially exposed on the "downhill" sides. Overall, seems like a pretty good layout to me. 

More details on the project are in the planning commission packet: https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/planning/about-city-planning/city-planning-commission/feb-3-2023-packet/

 

That wasn't snark, it was my genuine first read. The footprint and massing, at least from that angle, is virtually the same, including elevation changes (for the garage) from street level to the center of the site, as along MLK on the SE corner.

My reference to reskin was simply to reinforce the above. I would hope that's not what we'll see.

In general I kind of feel in this area we need to get larger buildings. I'm sure it's all economics at this point with how fast can they fill it up, but this area is ripe for 15 story buildings and what are we getting on the first one, like a pair of 8-10 stories and this one 4 stories?

 

With all the government money involved in site preparation and aggregation I guess I just feel it should have taller buildings to habitat more employees.

 

The Uptown Consortium obviously knows way more about all these details of course but with the massive blocks on such a huge intersection I guess I just feel a bit underwhelmed by all of this. They should shoot higher.

 

The same goes for that block on McMillan / Taft / Vine Street in Uptown. I feel they should at least get a 20 story building there. Land is at a premium... just my thoughts, I know economics is the role but it seems like an Oakley type planning though obviously at a better scale, just not what it SHOULD be.

 

Also a caveat, I know there is a lot of room for expansion along 71 and the MLK Corridor besides the 5 or so mega blocks, but isn't one getting taken up by NIOSH and then we have this second one with a 4 story, so now down to 3 blocks left with the biggest building maybe being 120 foot tall in the second largest employment center in the region?

Edited January 31, 20232 yr by IAGuy39

1 minute ago, IAGuy39 said:

In general I kind of feel in this area we need to get larger buildings. I'm sure it's all economics at this point with how fast can they fill it up, but this area is ripe for 15 story buildings and what are we getting on the first one, like a pair of 8-10 stories and this one 4 stories?

I think much of time for the 15-20 story tall office tower has passed at this point. Lab buildings such as this do not lend themselves to tall structures. 15-20 story offices structures are a tough sell right now even in urban centers. Outside of tall apartments, you typically are not getting much height out of the buildings. I think this is a great project that could develop a lot of biotech jobs and create a biotech corridor which would be great for the future. 

Queen City Hills: More details emerge on huge Avondale project as it clears first city approval

 

A few more details emerged on the massive Queen City Hills project slated to be developed in the southwest corner of Reading Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, with the Cincinnati Planning Commission unanimously approving a needed zoning change Friday.

 

Developers plan commercial development and research labs, up to 400 housing units and street-level retail space on about 5.85 acres of the 7.8-acre site. Commissioners approved the rezoning of 15 properties to a planned development.

 

Eddie Rigaud, who is developing the project with his father, Cincinnati entrepreneur Ed Rigaud, and other partners, including David and Patricia Foxx, said there will be 30 feet of sidewalk around the property to make it more pedestrian friendly. A parking garage will be partially submerged, and there will be a community benefits agreement with Avondale.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/02/03/queen-city-hills-details-avondale-project.html

 

I hope this project, The Node project on the Northeast corner and Niosh are all under construction at the same time. Would be wild to see the amount of construction equipment, cranes, etc. I believe last I saw The Node was going to start later this year. Also wonder when we’ll see a hotel going in.

Queen City Hills project gets a name, jobs estimates

By Chris Wetterich  –  Staff reporter and columnist, Cincinnati Business Courier

Mar 1, 2023

 

The massive Queen City Hills project in the southwest corner of Reading Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Avondale has a name.

 

The developers call it the Biotech Cincinnati Life Science Research Park for Innovation.

 

The Queen City Hills team has been tight-lipped about the project details, including the identity of an expected partner for the biotech research element. But they did tell Cincinnati City Council, which rezoned the property Wednesday, a little more about it.

The unnamed partner will employ 600, with an expected annual salary of $70,000 per year, Rigaud told council members at a Tuesday committee meeting. He added that the expected assessed value of what they will build there is in the $250 million range.

 

MORE

 

1 hour ago, The_Cincinnati_Kid said:

The developers call it the Biotech Cincinnati Life Science Research Park for Innovation.

 

Dear lord that's a mouthful. Really hoping this means there will be no attempt to brand/market this project by name, and simply let it be referred to by the anchor tenant(s). 

Ha! When I first read "Biotech Cincinnati Life Science Research Park for Innovation" I thought it had to be a catchy sounding acronym but BCLSRPI isnt great either... 

 

That being said - It feels like that CTI Lab Space is going here? 

Edited March 2, 20232 yr by wjh2

Avondale Development Corporation has issued an RFP for the "Gabriel's Place" site on Reading Rd (and Glenwood Ave). The RFP specifies the role of Moody Nolan in the project:

 

Quote

Moody Nolan, Inc. developed the conceptual drawing attached hereto (shown in Exhibit B: Proposed Redevelopment Renderings). Moody Nolan is permitted to be the design professional component attached within this RFP (i.e., Architect of Record (AOR)). Offeror is allowed to provide their designer to further design concepts for feasibility. However, Moody Nolan will be the AOR for the overall project and may also provide conceptual test-fit for the Offeror.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ac407254611a03e049ba4b6/t/64a5aec2259311321e30f3b6/1688579969404/Gabriel's+Place+-+Request+for+Proposals+JULY2023

Edited July 5, 20231 yr by jwulsin

Cincinnati Children’s to build new $42M research pavilion in Avondale

By Liz Engel  –  Staff reporter, Cincinnati Business Courier

Jul 24, 2023

 

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital plans to build a new 45,000-square-foot, three-story building in Avondale to house one of its signature programs. Construction on the $42 million project – the second new facility the health system has announced this month – could start early next year.

 

The Winslow Research Pavilion, as it will be called, is slated for 2850 Winslow Ave., near the Interstate 71 interchange with Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, roughly a mile from its main campus on Burnet Avenue. It will serve as the new home of the Gamble Vaccine Research Center. The Discover Together Biobank and a freezer archive used for long-term cold storage of samples will also relocate to the space. 

 

Construction will begin in early 2024, pending approvals for design, zoning and permits. Cincinnati Children’s hopes to occupy the building by mid- to late-2025.

 

MORE

 

Avondale's Country Meat Co. Market Place to open this fall

 

A grocery store planned for a Cincinnati neighborhood long considered a food desert is nearing an opening date. The owners of the business said they hope it will serve as a source of community pride while also offering a place for residents to shop for fresh produce, meat, baked goods and more.

 

The Country Meat Co. Market Place, which will be operated by Tennel Bryant and Chanel Bryant, owners of Findlay Market-based butchery Country Meat Co., will open in September in the refurbished Avondale Town Center, a former strip mall, at 3529 Reading Road.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/07/25/avondale-food-desert-grocery-opening-soon.html