Great photo.  RIP Smitty's. 

Smitty's just moved further up Vine Street north of Liberty

Great shot, i like how you got Union Terminal in the distance!

 

The sidewalk along the east side of Main St just south of 13th St has been rebuilt with a bumpout. They've left room for tree plantings (which I assume will be planted this spring). Overall, it's a much nicer sidewalk than what was there previously! Anybody know how much more of Main St is getting this treatment? Would like to see more bumpouts like this throughout the city!

 

 

 

 

Yes, I think I posted details in the Liberty Street Road Diet thread awhile back. In summary, Main will be getting new bump-outs at every crosswalk between 12th and Liberty, and bumped-out bus stops at 13th (pictured above) and Orchard Street. I'm told that Urban Sites is managing this work, so they will probably be doing one section at a time as their building rehabs are completed.

Yes, I think I posted details in the Liberty Street Road Diet thread awhile back. In summary, Main will be getting new bump-outs at every crosswalk between 12th and Liberty, and bumped-out bus stops at 13th (pictured above) and Orchard Street. I'm told that Urban Sites is managing this work, so they will probably be doing one section at a time as their building rehabs are completed.

 

Thanks - found your post on that thread that has some more info on the project: https://www.urbanohio.com/forum/index.php/topic,16504.msg879132.html#msg879132

Link to the traffic calming design schematic for Main Street: https://cincinnati-oh.gov/dote/dote-projects/main-street-over-the-rhine-streetscape/design-details-main-street-phase-2/

Link to the traffic calming design schematic for Main Street: https://cincinnati-oh.gov/dote/dote-projects/main-street-over-the-rhine-streetscape/design-details-main-street-phase-2/

Excellent! That's even better than I had hoped (DOTE has been so underwhelming lately). I'm glad to see they're doing the bumpouts on BOTH sides, since that will create the narrow pedestrian crossings that will help naturally slow traffic and make it safer for pedestrians.

So Michael Moore resigned? 

Yes, he took a job in another city, closer to his hometown.

So Michael Moore resigned? 

I see Don Gindling is serving as interim director: https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/dote/about-transportation-engineering/office-of-the-director/

 

Any sense of whether Moore's departure is good news, bad news, or no news?

Michael is a good guy and I think he really understood the value of road diets, complete streets, bike infrastructure, transit, etc. However he was also careful not to rock the boat too much under this administration. That's how he was able to stick around while most of the other Mallory-era department heads resigned years ago. During his time under Cranley, we got the Short Vine woonerf finished and the Liberty Street & Main Street projects moving forward.

 

Based on my interaction with many of the staff members at DOTE, many of the traffic engineers are stuck in a 1980s "move as many cars as possible, as fast as possible" mentality, and that's not going to change until we have an administration that values pedestrians and transit riders and bike commuters as much as drivers. I don't think even a great department head can do much to change that until we get a Mayor and City Manager that are also on the same page.

Michael is a good guy and I think he really understood the value of road diets, complete streets, bike infrastructure, transit, etc. However he was also careful not to rock the boat too much under this administration. That's how he was able to stick around while most of the other Mallory-era department heads resigned years ago. During his time under Cranley, we got the Short Vine woonerf finished and the Liberty Street & Main Street projects moving forward.

 

Based on my interaction with many of the staff members at DOTE, many of the traffic engineers are stuck in a 1980s "move as many cars as possible, as fast as possible" mentality, and that's not going to change until we have an administration that values pedestrians and transit riders and bike commuters as much as drivers. I don't think even a great department head can do much to change that until we get a Mayor and City Manager that are also on the same page.

 

Yeah... that was the sense I got as well. In my few interactions with Moore he seemed like a nice guy with the right priorities, but limited ability to bring about transformative changes (based on the current administration, lack of funding, etc).

Large luxury condos coming to historic OTR building

 

Each of the three upper floors at 100 W. Elder St. would feature a single unit of about 2,000 square feet. By comparison, other condos coming on the market in OTR typically encompass 800 to 1,200 square feet, he said. [...]

 

The project needs city approval, but no historic tax credits will be sought, said Badger, who operates OTR-based City Lofts with business partner Jim Martin.

 

Badger expects the units would sell in the $650,000 to $700,000 range.

Large luxury condos coming to historic OTR building

 

Each of the three upper floors at 100 W. Elder St. would feature a single unit of about 2,000 square feet. By comparison, other condos coming on the market in OTR typically encompass 800 to 1,200 square feet, he said. [...]

 

The project needs city approval, but no historic tax credits will be sought, said Badger, who operates OTR-based City Lofts with business partner Jim Martin.

 

Badger expects the units would sell in the $650,000 to $700,000 range.

 

I have pictures of that building when the back collapsed (or was torn down, not sure). 

 

 

Large luxury condos coming to historic OTR building

 

Each of the three upper floors at 100 W. Elder St. would feature a single unit of about 2,000 square feet. By comparison, other condos coming on the market in OTR typically encompass 800 to 1,200 square feet, he said. [...]

 

The project needs city approval, but no historic tax credits will be sought, said Badger, who operates OTR-based City Lofts with business partner Jim Martin.

 

Badger expects the units would sell in the $650,000 to $700,000 range.

 

That's an interesting building, especially since it had the entire north-facing facade removed. Sounds like they'll be keeping those floor-to-ceiling windows on the north facade, and the historic windows facing Elder and Race.

Moved the conversation about OTR's evolution to the Changing Perceptions of Urban Neighborhoods thread.

Talk of racial profiling and resentment of the poor, IS off topic. I'm describing some reasons for OTR's development, it patterns, and the lack thereof in some quarters. This is all too close to the bone for some, I see. Limiting yourself to talk of committee reports, zoning variances, and "massing" leaves you largely unable to explain OTR's development past or future.

Talk of racial profiling and resentment of the poor, IS off topic. I'm describing some reasons for OTR's development, it patterns, and the lack thereof in some quarters. This is all too close to the bone for some, I see. Limiting yourself to talk of committee reports, zoning variances, and "massing" leaves you largely unable to explain OTR's development past or future.

 

This topic is about actual development, not the politics and such behind how we got here. That's a separate topic. For someone like me who lived in OTR for several years and has since moved away, I still try to keep up with development and that's hard to do when the development threads are so far away from talking about development.

Sorry, I didn't realize that this was a hobby for some. I thought it was actually about OTR as a real living place.

^There are different areas of the forum. This topic is for "development and news". If you want to discuss the "why" of redevelopment, you can go to the "Changing Perceptions of Urban Neighborhoods" thread.

 

These types of discussions sometimes get heated and distract from the intent of this topic.

1500 block of Race Street:

 

 

From left to right, that's Rennen & Beecher Flats (under construction), The Allison (completed), Abington (completed), and a future Race & Liberty development.

 

Another view of Rennen & Beecher Flats, featuring Taft's Ale House:

 

Great photos.  Not a single derelict roof to be seen. 

what a missed opportunity to not put the stadium right there.

Amazing how much work has been done and how much more is to be done to fill in all the gaps from demolition.  Will be interested to see what they do at Race / Pleasant / Elm and Liberty.  Guessing they may go for office space as they have those two lots owned now correct?  Will probably see some underground parking there too, I think billshark had posted something like this before and I think it would be a good idea there.

Amazing how much work has been done and how much more is to be done to fill in all the gaps from demolition.  Will be interested to see what they do at Race / Pleasant / Elm and Liberty.  Guessing they may go for office space as they have those two lots owned now correct?  Will probably see some underground parking there too, I think billshark had posted something like this before and I think it would be a good idea there.

 

Yes I still think it would be a good idea too. https://cincinnatiideas.com/liberty-and-race-underground-garage/ There’s just so much potential development that could be served by a garage in the immediate area in all four directions there. In between two streetcar stops too- i know there are many garages along the streetcar route but one here could be a psychologically obvious option to someone that wants to visit OTR and ride the streetcar. A garage will most likely be part of any Vine Street Kroger redevelopment, so we’ll see if this location would still be in the running if one gets built over there.

 

I also would like to see a parking garage go in above the streetcar maintenance and operations yard. This could serve Findlay Market, Rhinegeist, and surrounding development. They could also enclose and heat the ground floor where the streetcars are kept in order to keep them operating those weeks with below zero winter nights.

Sorry, I didn't realize that this was a hobby for some. I thought it was actually about OTR as a real living place.

 

Of which there are many aspects. This is simply to discuss the development end of that spectrum.

 

And trying to pin this as a mere hobby for some for wanting to separate topics is a bit insulting. I owned and invested in OTR after frequenting it in college and watching it grow and evolve and was involved on a daily basis with many aspects of its existence. It was a huge part of my life and one that I miss dearly now that i live hundreds of miles away. But the fact of the matter is that this thread is only about actual physical development, proposals, construction, etc. Otherwise it becomes very challenging to find updates for specific projects when you have to search through dozens of posts about other aspects of the neighborhood's revival (which are equally important conversations, just not for this specific thread).

On March 3, 3CDC bought 1732 Vine St.:

 

Look at this acceleration of property values until "5B3G" lays an egg and hands off to 3CDC:

On March 3, 3CDC bought 1732 Vine St.:

 

Look at this acceleration of property values until "5B3G" lays an egg and hands off to 3CDC:

 

That's a great building, a lot of intact fabric on the inside (at least as of 2010 or so). I had done renovation plans for one of those previous owners but they couldn't put financing together at the time. Still has a vault in the basement.

What does he mean by "Lays an egg and hands off to 3cdc?"

What does he mean by "Lays an egg and hands off to 3cdc?"

 

Dropped the ball.

 

"I never realized how much we rely on idioms."

Topic moved to:

https://www.urbanohio.com/forum/index.php/topic,27051.0.html

 

Keep this thread about developments, thanks.

3CDC, Model Group and Cornerstone reveal latest OTR project

 

 

Three Over-the-Rhine developers have completed a major $17 million affordable housing project in five historic buildings.

 

The Cincinnati Center City Development Corp., the Model Group and Cornerstone Renter Equity renovated previously vacant buildings for the Abington Race & Pleasant project, which includes 50 residential units that are affordable for families at or below 35 percent to 50 percent of the area median income. In 2017, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development listed $37,350 as 50 percent of the area median income for a family of four.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/03/30/3cdc-model-group-and-cornerstone-reveal-latest.html

Samuel Adams Tap Room coming to OTR

 

Samuel Adams will open a taproom across the street from its brewing operations in Over-the-Rhine.

 

The nearly 9,000-square-foot taproom will be located inside the Film Center at 1632 Central Parkway, which is also home to 44 luxury apartments that recently opened.

 

“We’ve been dreaming of opening a taproom in the neighborhood since we purchased the brewery 21 years ago so we could share our beers with local drinkers,” Samuel Adams founder and brewer Jim Koch said. “However, our main focus up until now has been to continue to improve and enhance our brewery capabilities. Now, I’m thrilled to see this dream finally become a reality.”

 

The space will incorporate on-site brewing and feature both indoor and outdoor space with a variety of beers on tap including the Cincinnati-inspired 513 lager, Boston Lager and Summer Ale. Growlers and crowlers will be sold in addition to single servings.

It's a bit comical that the law dictates that they have to brew the beer on-site instead of just wheeling kegs across the street. 

Maybe I’m just overly hyped, but am I crazy for thinking that Sam Adams opening up a tap room in otr is a HUGE deal?

Maybe I’m just overly hyped, but am I crazy for thinking that Sam Adams opening up a tap room in otr is a HUGE deal?

 

I think at this point in OTR if Sam Adams DIDNT open a tap room there it would be more their loss than the cities as that space would be filled by someone fairly soon. It is good to see them do it, and with the big corporate brewing money it probably has a much better chance of being there long term which is a pretty big deal as nothing is sure in the world of development or retail. A stable anchor on the edge of OTR spells good things for the neighboring area as well if the residents let that happen.

 

I think it's great news for OTR and the Findlay Market area. Assuming they have some good food to serve up, I expect they'll do well at this location. Sam Adams is in a kind of interesting/unusual brand position, where it's unlikely to be any beer snob's favorite beer, but it is seen as one of the first large scale beer makers to make good beer. I suspect the Sam Adams tap room will be popular for folks who want to go out in OTR but want something a bit "safer/mainstream" (in the brand/experience sense) than Rhinegeist. I like the design of the tap room that is tied into the outdoor space. Should be a great spot to hang out as the weather warms up.

It would have been a really huge deal 5+ years ago. It's good now, but not huge. What would be a great result out of this is if SA/BBC decides to invest in the Brewing Heritage Trail, which I think would be smart of them as a way of bringing traffic to their new taproom. With big corporate money, the heritage trail could become a real tourism draw. And if that happened, it would help develop northern OTR much faster.

It's a bit comical that the law dictates that they have to brew the beer on-site instead of just wheeling kegs across the street. 

 

They don't have to. The tap room license (A1A) attached to a brewery can have it located up to a 1/2 mile away from the actual brewery http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4303#4303.021. Because of the scale of the production brewery, they cannot put out any small batches so that is more likely the reason for the small brewing setup.

Hopefully the tap room will be where they experiment with new recipes. The best will eventually wind up getting produced across the street.

^ Agreed. I would be far more interested in this taproom if they are tapping experimental stuff. If they just have their regular line of beer and seasonals, it'll be boring.

I think it's really cool and will really go over well for out of town tourists / people in town for meetings, conferences, weddings, etc. as it is very well known beer across America.  Maybe not so much for in town people like ourselves but none the less it is a great addition and hopefully can help better connect Central Parkway to Findlay Market in that area.

Don't they also produce Angry Orchard at the Samual Adams brewery? I know a lot of people, including my wife, who don't like beer so until Rhinegeist started their Cidergeist brand it was hard to get her to hang out there for too long. Different Angry Orchards on tap will help open this taproom up to a wider audience than beer alone.

Ribbon cutting for 15th & Vine is on Thursday, April 12.

Ton of construction activity throughout OTR. Here are a few photos from this morning:

 

15th St (between Elm and Central Parkway):

 

 

Central Parkway getting re-surfaced (near Liberty):

 

Wade/Kemp St condos nearing completion:

 

I love this building at the corner of Elm and Liberty... glad to see work being done on it:

 

 

Fancy single-family home on Pleasant with a "carriage house" in the back:

 

 

Corner of Pleasant/Green:

 

Corner of Race/Green:

 

 

 

Wow, the rear of the new construction on Wade is hideous. 

Check out 3CDC’s $19.5M office building in Over-the-Rhine: PHOTOS

By Tom Demeropolis  – Senior Staff Reporter, Cincinnati Business Courier

 

The 15th & Vine development project, a $19.5 million combination of new construction and renovation of existing buildings into an office and commercial building, is now complete in Over-the-Rhine.

 

Development, construction and city leaders celebrated the 55,000-square-foot mixed-use commercial project on Thursday. The structure runs from 1425 to 1437 Vine St. and also includes 5 W. 15th St.

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/04/12/check-out-3cdc-s-19-5m-office-building-in-over-the.html

Great to see all of the office space is already spoken for. 45,000 square feet is not insignificant. I am hoping it will be Companies from outside the basin.

Awesome, love seeing all the activity and investment!