September 20, 200915 yr These buildings and this neighborhood was designed and built sustainably, and it takes very little effort to meet LEED certification. Exactly. Redeveloping and repopulating OTR in the sustainable way in which it was originally built is easily the most green thing the Cincinnati region could do.
September 20, 200915 yr 1400-1416 race street is being converted into commercial office space and is out for bid right now. the bid is just to "white-box" the building. This is a great block of buildings, and some office tenants sprinkled in through that area would add a great mix of users. Race Street through OTR might be the greatest opportunity there is in Cincinnati for reuse of tremendous architectural gems and economic returns.
September 21, 200915 yr I know that the Belmain project on Main is aiming for LEED. They recycled doors in the project (were they from when the place was functioning as apartments?), used low-OV paints (courtesy of Park+Vine)...
September 21, 200915 yr It will be LEED certified however that doesn't happen until it receives its CO
September 29, 200915 yr Does anyone have a handy list of what phase 3cdc is on, what is included in that phase, and what project are going to start next? I am a little lost. Phase 4. John Hueber Homes between 1400 and 1500 Race St Phase 2 of City Home B2B between the 1400 and 1500 on Elm Northpointe Group between the 1400 and 1500 of Vine rental Mercer Commons Of course there are many other things that could be announced as well as the other projects like Wash. Park. The biggest difference will be added commercial tenants and there is a new commercial agent on the project, Terri Danzilo. Properties are still left in each of the previous phases although some buildings are completely sold out including Duncanson and Bremen. If someone wants to update this . . . A good overview Gateway Quarter PHASE ONE Gateway Condos 21 condominiums; 11 sold or under contract Average price: $193,511 Four retail stores City Roots urban gardening store, 1133 Vine Gateway Quarter Sales Center, 1135 Vine Segway, 1150 Vine PHASE TWO Gateway Arts Building 12 units, leased to house Art Academy students Duncanson Lofts 25 condominiums; 17 sold or under contract Average price: $112,042 Five retail stores Metronation clothing and home décor retailer, 1213 Vine Lavomatic Café restaurant by Jean-Robert, 1211 Vine Incredible Creations hair salon and barbershop, 1209 Vine Mahatma jewelry and accessory shop, 1205 Vine Switch lighting store, 1207 Vine Duveneck Flats 15 condominiums; 11 sold Average price: $148,971 One retail store A Lucky Step furniture store, 1220 Vine Bremen Lofts/Centennial Row 65 condominiums; 46 sold or under contract Revised: Bremen has 17 and is fully sold out, Centenial has 8 and 1 sold - via the all knowing Mr. Redmond. ;-) Average price: $152,952 PHASE THREE (under construction) 106 condominiums 14 sold Retail 15,000 square feet planned 3,230 square feet leased to home furnishings retailer Joseph Williams Home, 1232 Vine To read more: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20081102/BIZ01/811020352/1001/biz http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,16431.msg339693.html#msg339693
September 30, 200915 yr Cincinnati approves funding for Gateway's fourth phase http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/09/cincinnati-approves-funding-for.html By Kevin Lemaster | Building Cincinnati, September 29, 2009 Last week, Cincinnati City Council unanimously passed two ordinances to help fund the $10.6 million fourth phase of the Gateway Quarter project at 1401, 1405, 1411-1423 and 1437 Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine. The first ordinance authorizes city manager Milton Dohoney Jr to enter into a tax increment financing (TIF) funding agreement of up to $3.88 million with Gateway, II LLC (3CDC) to support debt service on the project's $5.4 million residential loan, for a period of up to 18 years. 3CDC will reimburse the City based on the performance of the project, and payments cannot exceed annual debt service on the residential loan less net operating income. The second ordinance establishes a new $960,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) project account – to be drawn from four existing CDBG accounts – to bring the buildings up to code before rehabilitation begins. Being developed jointly by NorthPointe Group and HGC Construction, the Lofts at 1415 project will include 32 market-rate rental units, 14,625-square-feet of commercial space, and a 30-space parking lot. Interior demolition already has begun. Resolution of support Also last week, council unanimously passed a resolution supporting 3CDC's efforts to receive Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits (OHPTC) for the redevelopment of Mercer Commons, the Cincinnati Color building, and the Germania Beer Hall, all in Over-the-Rhine. Equal to 25 percent of qualified renovation and rehabilitation expenditures, the tax credit is refundable when the project is complete and generating tax revenue back to the state. Approximately $120 million is budgeted for the third OHPTC funding cycle, with an application deadline of December 31, 2009. A resolution of support from the local government is helpful in the OHPTC's evaluation point system.
September 30, 200915 yr If someone wants to update this . . . Here is the updated list. Holly and Stacy are only 1 away already from tying the number of units sold in the entirety of last year with total dollar volume significantly higher (and all that in a "down" market) Plus, the Q has a new commercial agent, Terri Danzilo to replace Kathleen Norris. She is doing a wonderful job in expanding the scope of commercial offerings in the Q. Gateway Quarter PHASE ONE Gateway Condos 21 condominiums; 11 sold or under contract 13 sold with a couple of contracts probably coming in very shortly. Retail in Gateway Building includes Link Realty Soapbox Media Coming soon (Cabinet company) and several others I can't think of right off the top of my head. PHASE TWO Gateway Arts Building 12 units, leased to house Art Academy students retail City Roots Park & Vine Duncanson Lofts 25 condominiums; 17 sold or under contract Sold Out 7 retail stores Metronation clothing and home décor retailer, 1213 Vine Lavomatic Café restaurant by Jean-Robert, 1211 Vine Incredible Creations hair salon and barbershop, 1209 Vine Mahatma jewelry and accessory shop, 1205 Vine Switch lighting store, 1207 Vine Mica 12/V Creative Solutions Office Furniture (although not in this building, I do not feel right about not mentioning one of my favorite stores OUTSIDE) Duveneck Flats 15 condominiums; 11 sold One Two retail store A Lucky Step furniture store, 1220 Vine Senate (coming soon) Bremen Lofts/Centennial Row 65 condominiums; 46 sold or under contract Revised: Bremen has 17 and is fully sold out, Centenial has 8 and 1 3 sold - via the all knowing Mr. Redmond. ;-) PHASE THREE (under construction) 106 condominiums 14 sold Trideca 9 Units-6 sold Lackman 7 Units-1 sold 14th and Vine 9 Units-5 sold Goodfellows Hall 5 Units- 2 sold Falling Wall 6 Units- 1 sold Mottainai 8 Units-6 sold City Home 6 Condos-2 sold or under contract 5 Homes-none sold yet Bellmain 16 Units (just finishing const) Retail 3,230 square feet leased to home furnishings retailer Joseph Williams Home, 1232 Vine For more information about the retail availability, call Terri Danzilo at 621-4283
September 30, 200915 yr There is so much more rehab than new const. There are certain buyers who only want to look at new const and will not even consider a rehab so it is great that we have a mix of both.
September 30, 200915 yr There are certain buyers who only want to look at new const and will not even consider a rehab so it is great that we have a mix of both. I couldn't agree more...some people just want new construction, but I think that new construction needs to have a bit more in terms of amenities. For example, if I'm buying a new unit then I'm going to expect more storage space, a lobby area, nice outdoor space (balcony/patio or rooftop amenity), or fitness room. In OTR I think one thing that all projects should be doing is maxing out the use of their rooftop space. 14/V could have had a community garden on its roof, in addition to the four rooftop decks, that could have been used by all the residents based on their interest. Seems like an easy amenity to add in...especially with new construction.
September 30, 200915 yr I agree with you sir. I absolutely love units with decks/outdoor spaces. Its always good to be able to step outside and get a whiff of fresh air.
October 1, 200915 yr Seems like an easy amenity to add in...especially with new construction. In some cases it wasn't that easy, for example right now a rooftop deck is being built by a resident that was not originally in buildout plan but space was set aside for just such a thing. Two other slots on the roof are available to two other residents if they wish to exercise that option. So some of the space you are looking at that doesn't have a deck on it now, may actually be spoken for. As for the community deck, we call that space NEON'S. :wink:
October 1, 200915 yr One thing that I'd like better with NC VS rehab is the energy efficiencies involved. Other than that, I'll lean historical any day of the week.
October 1, 200915 yr Trinity Flats on 9/1/2009: The Mercy Housing refurbishment has also created this delightful little outdoor space along 12th Street. Also from 9/1/2009. City Home from 9/1/2009: I took a ton of photos all throughout OTR which can be seen in a complete photo thread here: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,20845.0.html
October 1, 200915 yr One thing that I'd like better with NC VS rehab is the energy efficiencies involved. Other than that, I'll lean historical any day of the week. Not if you count the embodied energy in existing buildings and the energy required to build new. The amount of energy required to create new buildings takes decades to recoup, even with high energy efficiencies. And if you have shared party walls and minimal insulation upgrades, rehabbed buildings can easily meet or exceed energy code requirements.
October 1, 200915 yr I noticed the buildings next to trinity are being renovated. Are these a part of the flats or more new ones?
October 2, 200915 yr One thing that I'd like better with NC VS rehab is the energy efficiencies involved. Other than that, I'll lean historical any day of the week. Not if you count the embodied energy in existing buildings and the energy required to build new. The amount of energy required to create new buildings takes decades to recoup, even with high energy efficiencies. And if you have shared party walls and minimal insulation upgrades, rehabbed buildings can easily meet or exceed energy code requirements. I was referring to monthly utility bills!
October 3, 200915 yr Last week, Cincinnati City Council unanimously passed two ordinances to help fund the $10.6 million fourth phase of the Gateway Quarter project at 1401, 1405, 1411-1423 and 1437 Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine. This would be the block of Vine with the Kroger. They are getting closer to Liberty. Based on this thread I figured this lower part of OTR was gentrified enough to actually get out of the car and walk around in. So I went there today and walked around the neighborhood, mostly the streets between Vine and Main, where that old Catholic church is at...Walnut Street and the smaller streets paralleling it. Had coffee at that coffee shop & roastery on Central Parkway (and saw a postcard for a photo show at the Betts House featuring Sherman who posts here) . Also noticed that Know Theatre, which might be interesting to visit one of these days. You can see how the area is changing. Still a lot of scary/poor black people around, but its becoming more white, mix of hipster/yuppie types. And seeing the new renovations creeping up north from Central. Yet it's interesting to see how there appeared to be already a lot of infill or new construction from maybe years ago on these eastern blocks, sort of in a townhouse style to fit in with the neighborhood. Not sure if that is market rate or a mix of subsidized and market rate. I'm wondering if the plan is to work on the Vine/Walnut/Main corridor first, and the move to the Race/Washington Park area next, because Race didn't seem to be getting this redevelopment to the same degree Vine has been.
October 4, 200915 yr I figured this lower part of OTR was gentrified enough to actually get out of the car and walk around in :shoot: :shoot: :shoot: . So I went there today and walked around the neighborhood... wtf? lol ... nonetheless I commend you for coming down to check out the progress!
October 4, 200915 yr Based on this thread I figured this lower part of OTR was gentrified enough to actually get out of the car and walk around in. Ummmm, ok. You can see how the area is changing. Still a lot of scary/poor black people around, but its becoming more white, mix of hipster/yuppie types. And seeing the new renovations creeping up north from Central. Wow, I can't believe what I just read. I'm wondering if the plan is to work on the Vine/Walnut/Main corridor first, and the move to the Race/Washington Park area next, because Race didn't seem to be getting this redevelopment to the same degree Vine has been. Yes, the Washington Park and Race Street area will be next for 3CDC. Although with all the success there are other major investments lurking that will be funded by non-3CDC sources so stay tuned for that.
October 4, 200915 yr You can see how the area is changing. Still a lot of scary/poor black people around, but its becoming more white, mix of hipster/yuppie types. And seeing the new renovations creeping up north from Central. Do what now....
October 5, 200915 yr I commend you for coming down to check out the progress! I plan on coming down more often to walk the neighborhood. I wan't much on Vine this time around. so that's next. I'm also thinking of catching a show a that Know Theatre if they have one that sounds interesting. I am going to spend more time this year in Cincy for performing arts things. Yes, the Washington Park and Race Street area will be next for 3CDC. The blocks on Race facing the park will be primo addresses when they are renovated. From what I know of Chicago and Louisville park frontage always commands a higher rent or sales price (probably the same all over).
October 5, 200915 yr It's good you made it down here. Main Street was the hub of action pre-2001 riots, and although it lost some of its luster after the incident, it is rebounding. I think it could stand to have a refreshing -- some of the lamp posts are no longer painted green, for instance, but it is on the up and up. Two new galleries and a shop just opened up in the 1300 and 1400 block just the past month alone. You should stop in at Iris Book and Cafe in the 1400 block -- I think you'd like that a lot. Vine Street is where the action is at for now. The 1400 block is being restored at the moment, so expect some drastic changes up there towards Kroger's. As others have said, look for big changes at Washington Park soon. You won't find hordes of homeless people and sex offenders residing there, especially once the new school for performing arts opens. As a side note, there is a "Find a Sex Offender Near You!" app for the iPhone. There are like oddles near Washington Park, with addresses like, "Behind Dumpster," "In Alley," and so on!
October 5, 200915 yr ^ The Know Theatre is great. I'm a really conservative guy and have gone there a number of times, even volunteered there a lot when they moved to their current location, and always enjoyed it. On a side note, George Zamary sits on the Knows Board of Directors and is running for city council. Very pro-Streetcar, lives downtown, and is very much so an urbanist who supports development in the core. I recommend that anyone watching the Gateway Quarter with approval consider voting for Zamary.
October 5, 200915 yr ..You won't find hordes of homeless people and sex offenders residing there, especially once the new school for performing arts opens. I really don't see that changing just because the school opens.
October 11, 200915 yr Big dream in bad times http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091011/BIZ01/910110356/1055/NEWS/Big+dream+in+bad+times By Dan Horn • [email protected] • October 11, 2009 Terry Lee sits alone behind the counter of his garden store, waiting. It's a gloomy February afternoon and he hasn't seen a customer all day. This isn't shocking, given that he's trying to sell wind chimes, patio furniture and hummingbird feeders to people shivering under parkas and overcoats. Winter is tough on everyone in the garden business and Terry's store, Outside, is no exception.
October 12, 200915 yr Being a renter in an apartment in Clifton, Outside does not offer many items that I can use. As I stated in another thread, much of what I saw during a spring visit to the store was plastic items. Personally I have banished most usage of plastic in my life, so it's difficult to patronage his business. I will stop by this week to see if I find anything new that fits some long-term plans for balcony planters.
October 12, 200915 yr Ouch. That is a depressing article. But it's hard to take much from the narrative about "Outside." As others have pointed out, it's such a weird concept for a neighborhood like OTR that it might eventually fail in the best of times. Obviously, I have no desire to disparage the owners of the store, because their enterprising spirit should be praised and celebrated. But sometimes a business model just doesn't work.
October 12, 200915 yr What's your keyboard made of? Put it this way: if there's an alternative, I go for it. Currently, there aren't alternatives to the keyboard that's built into my laptop. So I'm not going to buy plastic cutlery, plastic plates, plastic picnic kits--because alternatives are absolutely available.
October 12, 200915 yr Terry Lee sits alone behind the counter of his garden store, waiting. Neon's will be purchasing all of their grills from OUTSIDE (which we were going to do before the article). This is a great store and even if there is something that you do not see, Terry can order it. When you get ready to do your Christmas shopping, remember Terry Lee and all of the retailers at the Q. I almost forgot, he has some grilling sauces that are amazing too. There is more to that store than you might think.
October 12, 200915 yr ^I visited just a couple months after he opened, so I look forward to finding something upon my visit. Michael, have those grills already been ordered? If so, it seems that the outlook for his store is even more grim. And if not yet, will you do it before the end of the year, so his store survives?
October 12, 200915 yr I just bought a door mat made of recycled truck tires from OUTSIDE today. It is a good store, and I don't find it a strange concept at all for an urban area. I've also bought a very small charcoal grill from there, and a nice small metal table and two chairs (the exact same nice ones that are on fountain square) from him, and they are designed to fit nicely on my small city balcony. He's not exactly stocking porch swings, you know.
October 12, 200915 yr As I mentioned on the Enquirer site, I think that 3CDC might consider a free Saturday shuttle loop between Findlay market and Gateway, with stops only at Gateway and the market (just until the streetcar is operating!). Findlay needs more parking, Gateway has some of that. Park and shop at Gateway, take the convenient shuttle to Findlay and back (or vice versa). Gateway can really benefit from the large audience Findlay has, and people who haven't been to OTR lately won't find Gateway threatening, and will find the new development along the route a fascinating dinner subject with others who remain blind to what is happening. So I think Findlay, Gateway, and 3CDC/developers all win, and could be asked to help fund it.
October 12, 200915 yr I just bought a door mat made of recycled truck tires from OUTSIDE today. It is a good store, and I don't find it a strange concept at all for an urban area. I've also bought a very small charcoal grill from there, and a nice small metal table and two chairs (the exact same nice ones that are on fountain square) from him, and they are designed to fit nicely on my small city balcony. He's not exactly stocking porch swings, you know. Hey, thanks for the heads up. Actually, I'd be very interested in a recycled doormat. Might even get it tomorrow!
October 12, 200915 yr Michael, have those grills already been ordered? If so, it seems that the outlook for his store is even more grim. And if not yet, will you do it before the end of the year, so his store survives? I doubt our grill order will make or break OUTSIDE. My point was that we will support Terry Lee and everyone else's support combined is what will make he and all the other retailers in the Q a success.
October 13, 200915 yr I think all the retailers could learn a lesson from Park + Vine. They have events/classes constantly. I was there a few weeks ago and there were chickens in the store for a class on how to raise backyard chickens, and I am getting email notices all the time about specials and meetings at the store. These events keep him in the news and give him tons of free advertising. Thus P+V has become a destination of sorts.
October 13, 200915 yr ^ I agree about P + V. Not only do they have these events, they also carry items for every day use.
October 13, 200915 yr Absolutely. However, I know that retail neighbors try not to cross over on items that other stores are carrying. So, since Park + Vine carries outdoor composting units, perhaps OUTSIDE will never carry them, even though it would fit their store focus. Park + Vine *does* carry a lot of green items, so perhaps other businesses could build off that. Actually, I stopped by OUTSIDE last night. They have greenPOTS from EcoSource, which are eco-friendly planters made from rice hulls. I was told that they can order anything from that distributor, so I might be interested in another EcoSource item from them--particularly the coir line of large-scale planters made from coconut. Their 30.5” X 10” X 9” window box planter would be perfect for the balcony in the warmer months and the window sill in the colder months. Although I didn't see very much that at OUTSIDE that fit my lifestyle or living situation (e.g., can't really make use of a bird feeder or grill items), I'm glad that they had the EcoSource products. If they tapped into more green distributors, I most certainly would stop by more often. The key to Park + Vine's success is that they found their demographic and catered to them extremely well. I'd be curious to see what OUTSIDE's target demo is.
October 13, 200915 yr This business as presented in the article really screamed O'Bryonville, Hyde Park, maybe Northside, even Oakley or PRidge, but not really OTR.
October 14, 200915 yr 3CDC marches along Vine On October 13, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation presented the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation, known as 3CDC, with a $1.5 million low-interest loan for program-related investments. The money will be used to further development of the Gateway Quarter in its fourth phase, which stretches along the 1300 and 1400 blocks of Vine and Walnut streets. Read the remainder in the article above.
October 14, 200915 yr ^Nice write up. I am not really in favor of the Miami University center being in OTR. I've always felt it was just an opportunity to take kids from a rural campus and show them the front lines of poverty in a poor old downtrodden Cincinanti ghetto. Little seems to be accomplished by them being there, other than providing shock value to students who have probably never been exposed to the neighborhood at all.
October 14, 200915 yr It's an extension of the extremism that Buddy Gray was known for. http://streetvibes.wordpress.com/2008/11/14/buddy-gray-remembered-12-years-later/
October 14, 200915 yr Sherman and edale, you clearly have little grasp about the goals and happenings at Miami's Center for Community Engagement. And, by the way, the free market runs from Over-the-Rhine (as it did for 50 years). If not for massive public involvement, the transformation that is occuring now would not have happened.
October 14, 200915 yr I did as I stated I would do earlier; I talked to a few people from the Center off-the-record, and that is what I learned. While I understood that there were some positive developments from the Center, that was not my focus. My interest was their relation with 3CDC, which was poor because the Center seems to be an extension of Buddy Gray's interests -- which were pure socialist in function. Gray did nothing more than organize a following, buy up deteriorated buildings at no cost, let them decay further and open them up to squatters. I guess I could have asked the director, but then I would have received a canned response. That's not what I was wanting. As I mentioned in my post, what 3CDC is doing is not entirely free market, but it provides a positive return-on-investment. That's capitalism at work. That's how they receive loans from banks and from other organizations. If you can demonstrate that your project is a perceived net benefit to the neighborhood, that it can receive a positive ROI, and that your corporation/organization has a stable, positive cash flow, then it can receive a loan or assistance. That said, hoarding low-income tenants in one building does not return a positive ROI and is not a perceived net benefit anywhere. It has also been demonstrated that the government funding that goes into that (funding, not loans) results in a net loss because there is no ROI. Pure free markets have never existed. Pure socialist markets have never existed. At least in the states. But a mix, where the government and the loanee can benefit, is what is best for this situation. That's why I support 3CDC's Phase Four -- it features low-income housing mixed in with market-rate units, while still generating a positive ROI that is satisfactory to the banks and organizations that support 3CDC. It doesn't hoard low-income tenants in one building (e.g. Metropole, West End projects), and the land values in the 1400 block of Vine/Walnut are substantially cheaper than the 1200 block due to desirability and location.
October 14, 200915 yr And, by the way, the free market runs from Over-the-Rhine (as it did for 50 years). If not for massive public involvement, the transformation that is occuring now would not have happened. Exactly right. The free market is a figment of our imaginations.
October 14, 200915 yr ^If not for massive public involvement (highway policy, housing projects, section 8, etc. etc.) Over-the-Rhine wouldn't have declined in the first place.
October 14, 200915 yr And, by the way, the free market runs from Over-the-Rhine (as it did for 50 years). If not for massive public involvement, the transformation that is occuring now would not have happened. Exactly right. The free market is a figment of our imaginations. And the "common good" is only a fraction of a figment.
October 15, 200915 yr What's the point of the last two comments. I said nothing about the influence of the urban renewal public involvement era, nor did I say anything about the "common good."
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