Judging by the aerial rendering it's the lot between 12th/Elliot and Sycamore/Bunker Alley.

The scaling seems pointless and a waste of more potential units.  Also hope that grass in one of the pictures isn't some of their land, no need for that with Ziegler park a block away.  Literally anything is going to be better then the current surface lot though so I hope some of the locals don't kill this project like they seemingly did with Elm and Liberty. 

The scaling seems pointless and a waste of more potential units.  Also hope that grass in one of the pictures isn't some of their land, no need for that with Ziegler park a block away.  Literally anything is going to be better then the current surface lot though so I hope some of the locals don't kill this project like they seemingly did with Elm and Liberty.

 

There will undoubted be *outrage*... it doesn't fit in with the giant parking garage across the street!

There's room for improvement but I don't mind it. I think the terracing was done to provide a transition from Central Parkway scale to OTR scale. The density is what is needed and a 7 story building at the corner will really help connect Pendleton to OTR.

My initial thought was that it was boring but i think that is what is needed in the new architecture at this scale since attempts to make it 'less boring' usually result in the 'multi building faux historic cornices look' that is a fake busy mess. If this was done in solid, real materials and even concrete it could look nice in its setting without clashing with the Woodward and other real historic buildings. It has a massive re purposed industrial look that i think works well for the large open infill spots. It could be larger, it could be denser, it could be a lot of things but thank God it isnt another big building pretending it is a block of little buildings. The good news is an out of town group is doing it and may bring a different insight and that may lead to a more diverse group of ideas and projects from even more.

 

EDIT: By 'attempts to make it less boring' i meant by NIMBY meddling or the Historic District rules not by the architects.

 

I don't know how any Nimby could reasonably be against this project. It is surrounded by business, retail or mulitfamily so no homeowner should be able to have any qualms. As for height there are 7 story buildings across the block against Central Parkway and a 6 story high parking garage across the street. If you want to complain about design, fine, but there is no reasonable argument against the size of this project with Hamilton County building and garage to the Southwest and the huge Woodward building to the North. This is one of the few sites in the historic district where fine grain urbanism isn't really required due to the existing parking lot location and the lack of any real adjacent context. This is one location where density should really be maxed out.

 

This project would be a gigantic improvement over the surface lot that exists and would help tie OTR and Pendleton together, which would be good for businesses on Main Street and Broadway. Win Win for everyone, get it built before another recession hits...

It looks like they lopped off the top of Atrium One and plopped it on the ground.  The skeletal form has a very 80s or early 90s PoMo feel to it, but then the staggered infill windows brings in an extra layer of dated early 2010s rhythm.  The two-story base doesn't really bother me, but the stair stepping doesn't actually achieve anything since the red part of the building pops back up in the background.  Yet another case of a deconstructed rather than punctuated corner. 

It looks like they lopped off the top of Atrium One and plopped it on the ground.  The skeletal form has a very 80s or early 90s PoMo feel to it, but then the staggered infill windows brings in an extra layer of dated early 2010s rhythm.  The two-story base doesn't really bother me, but the stair stepping doesn't actually achieve anything since the red part of the building pops back up in the background.  Yet another case of a deconstructed rather than punctuated corner. 

 

I get you on the staggered windows. I wish they just went with modern full industrial casements and dropped the trendy stuff as it give it a stuck in an era look before it even gets built.

 

I'll never understand the argument against height. I'm sure that many in the past would have loved to build up, but that was before elevators were invented so it was a bit prohibitive.

There's room for improvement but I don't mind it. I think the terracing was done to provide a transition from Central Parkway scale to OTR scale. The density is what is needed and a 7 story building at the corner will really help connect Pendleton to OTR.

Unless I'm looking at the rendering wrong, the terracing faces north, away from Central Parkway.

I don't know how any Nimby could reasonably be against this project.

 

The NIMBYs will always find a reason.

There's room for improvement but I don't mind it. I think the terracing was done to provide a transition from Central Parkway scale to OTR scale. The density is what is needed and a 7 story building at the corner will really help connect Pendleton to OTR.

Unless I'm looking at the rendering wrong, the terracing faces north, away from Central Parkway.

 

You're looking at the rendering wrong. Look at the third picture. The building that used to house a charter school on Central and Sycamore is in the top of the frame.  This is the view of the third rendering: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cincinnati,+OH/@39.1090645,-84.5114666,204a,35y,90h,39.39t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x884051b1de3821f9:0x69fb7e8be4c09317!8m2!3d39.1031182!4d-84.5120196

Awesome, a food truck. 

I think if it doesn’t block the view of the Bell Event center steeple from the west looking across OTR then it is OK. It’s pretty tall but there is also an elevation difference between the two so it might be OK.

I'll be the NIMBY:

 

Probably block some of my skyline view from 14th and Sycamore. Same for some units at 1310 Sycamore.

Awesome, a food truck. 

 

 

*Food Truck Not Included....Closed Course.. Professional Driver

 

I'll be the NIMBY:

 

Probably block some of my skyline view from 14th and Sycamore. Same for some units at 1310 Sycamore.

 

I don't think it will. It seems like this building would be shorter than the existing building at 1100 Sycamore.

It'll definitely take a chunk out of our view to Mt. Auburn and Salem Church.  If it were a better looking building...

 

I'll be the NIMBY:

 

Probably block some of my skyline view from 14th and Sycamore. Same for some units at 1310 Sycamore.

 

I don't think it will. It seems like this building would be shorter than the existing building at 1100 Sycamore.

 

I'll try to get a snapshot from the 4th floor at 1400 Sycamore tomorrow. It is elevated from 12th. Pretty good view from up there now.

Also, a 5 story mixed use building, with (I believe ground floor retail) was proposed for 1518 Race St (the vacant lot right next to the church on race).

 

Its in the latest HCB....Definitely feel like development is speeding along quite well in OTR as of late.

^Incidentally, 1514 Race is zoned "410 Motel & Tourist Cabins".  Is that thing actually a hotel? 

https://wedge.hcauditor.org/view/re/0810004044900/2017/summary

I know someone who rented a unit as an Airbnb. I don't know if it's a full time Airbnb, if the whole building is, or if it was just that unit occasionally.

AirBNB is kicking butt in OTR from what I see. Mike Uhlenhake's Orchard Street Unit (2) is one of the best and booked most days year round.

I really like this quote in the letter from Graham Kalbli in reference to the Race Street project:

 

"I urge you to approve this Project, as it robustly and successfully addresses the design guidelines for the district. Further, I urge the city to take a principled stand, to countermand some of the voices in the neighborhood, who are not trained in architecture or design, and who continue to thwart growth, progress, and redevelopment in the neighborhood by opposing creative developments such as the one proposed for 1518 Race Street."

 

We need to get the density of projects correct now, because we are filling many of the remaining empty lots and only have one shot to get it right for the foreseeable future.

Could we send all the naysayers and Margy Waller on a three hour tour out to sea... We will just end up with crappy brick front face facade two story buildings from Towne Properties all over OTR if they had there way.

I suppose that there isn't really much chance of obstruction.

^That photo shows my point, between Woodward Highschool and 1100 Sycamore, the height is already in that part of the neighborhood so there should be NO reason for nimby's to complain about height (though everyone has a right to complain about pointlessly staggered windows instead of a simple factory window aesthetic similar to what was installed in Baldwin).

On 1518 Race, it was already denied so I wonder what they come back with to make it work?

 

Great news on the Sycamore project, hopefully that gets passed!

I don't think it was denied. It was recommended to be denied. The HCB meeting is on the 10th I thought. I'm out of town but if I were here, I'd definitely be attending that meeting and trying my best to channel what Graham Kalbli said (see above post by ucgrady[/member])

^ I just now looked at the HCB packet for 1518 Race, and what is hilarious is the owner of the building to the south is writing to oppose it, when his building is very similar in massing and style.  Talk about NIMYs in glass houses throwing rocks.

 

Also, Platte looks like they are almost exactly replicating the design aesthetic that they used at 1218 Race, which was approved last year but has not yet begun construction.

 

https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/buildings/historic-conservation/historic-conservation-board/september-10-2018-staff-report-and-attachments/

There was a hcb meeting today at 10:30 am about the 12th and Sycamore project, any updates on what the board said about the design?

I can say nobody around the office who I shared the renderings of 12th and Sycamore with think it's a good looking design.  And this is an architecture firm.  It would actually look just as appropriate in a Mason office park, it's that generic and dated. 

You see I thought architects loved this stuff!

So it appears from what I’ve learned is that the hcb called for the developers of 12th and sycamore to go back to the drawing boards and involve more community engagement for this project.

 

I think that this could be a good thing and a good call from the hcb. The current design of this project is quite horrendous tbh for the historic district.

So...not to be annoying but anyone hear about the fortus elm and liberty project? Did it die again...?

Just came across these original renderings for Mercer Commons. Interesting to see how the project changed from this original plan.

 

Here's my one wish for Mercer Commons: that they leave Rodney Alley paved in brick.

 

###

 

Here are all the renderings: http://overtherhine.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/the-most-recent-mercer-commons-renderings/

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

 

8

9

10

11

12

13

Update on the Columbia building on Walnut.

 

3cdc updated there projects, and added the Columbia building project recently. This is the exert;

 

The Columbia, which sits at the corner of 13th & Walnut streets, is a complete renovation of 32,000 square feet of an existing historic building. 3CDC is the owner of the building, also serving as the developer of the project, which will yield 36 apartment units and four first-floor commercial spaces upon completion. The project is part of 3CDC’s larger strategy to develop quality mixed-income residences in the heart of OTR. Of the 36 units, 8 will be made available to persons or families at 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Completion is expected by June of 2019.

 

https://www.3cdc.org/project/the-columbia/

 

I'm excited for this project. It will hopefully liven walnut st a bit more, and push out the few remaining drug dealers that still try to deal on that corner for whatever reason to suburban families.

 

Yes that is a big help to Walnut.  Get that building rehabbed and get retail/restaurant/bar/whatever in the ground floor of this building and The Stafford across the street and Walnut has a lot more life. 

The original circa-2006 plans for Mercer Commmons was tearing everything down and building a school to replace Rothenberg, which was itself going to get torn down. 

The original circa-2006 plans for Mercer Commmons was tearing everything down and building a school to replace Rothenberg, which was itself going to get torn down. 

 

I had forgotten about that. Really glad that didn't happen

The original circa-2006 plans for Mercer Commmons was tearing everything down and building a school to replace Rothenberg, which was itself going to get torn down. 

 

I had forgotten about that. Really glad that didn't happen

 

 

CPS still got to tear down 5-6 buildings at the SE corner of 12th & Elm for SCPA while replacing much of the parking lot section of that block...with a parking lot. 

 

Then they got to tear down a few buildings on Main to create Rothenberg's parking lot plus fill in some brewery tunnels. 

 

Dos anybody have any information about the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on Race Street, just south of the Liberty/Race streetcar stop? Scaffolding recently went up, so I assume they're just doing a renovation?

Dos anybody have any information about the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on Race Street, just south of the Liberty/Race streetcar stop? Scaffolding recently went up, so I assume they're just doing a renovation?

They wrote in to the HCB in opposition to a few recent projects, so I assume they're not going anywhere.

Dos anybody have any information about the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on Race Street, just south of the Liberty/Race streetcar stop? Scaffolding recently went up, so I assume they're just doing a renovation?

They wrote in to the HCB in opposition to a few recent projects, so I assume they're not going anywhere.

 

I disapprove of their scaffolding, it "towers over the 2-story building next door".

 

Renner & Beecher Flats update:

 

^looks great, good project. Appreciate the granularity. The one thing about it is that the uniform height along Race does stick out a little bit- it seems a variation in heights between buildings is a defining feature of Over the Rhine.

When all of the vacant lots are filled in, we will be kicking ourselves that we filled them with 2 or 3 story buildings instead of maxing them out with 4 or 5 story buildings.

When all of the vacant lots are filled in, we will be kicking ourselves that we filled them with 2 or 3 story buildings instead of maxing them out with 4 or 5 story buildings.

 

I guess if 3cdc really wanted to in the future, they could maybe take that empty lot (that i'm guessing is used for residential parking behind the buildings), and build some type of narrow dense structure that's taller in that space?

 

On a side note, it's sort of crazy to think that 4 years ago, that block was mainly a grassy field, with 1 collapse historic structure, and a block down was a church that was almost demolished, and is now one of the most successful microbreweries in cincy.

 

 

 

 

What’s in the final OTR parking plan sent to City Council?

 

Residential parking permits for Over-the-Rhine south of Liberty Street would cost $60, the city would sell an unlimited number of them and there would be 500 on-street spaces available under a parking plan Acting City Manager Patrick Duhaney sent to City Council on Thursday.

 

The special parking plan for the neighborhood reverses a previous concept that would have capped the number of permits issued and charged $120 per permit per year. Both versions charge low-income residents in subsidized housing $25 per permit.

 

But there’s a catch: In the ordinances Duhaney sent council, the city manager would have the authority to raise or lower the price of permits.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/09/14/what-s-in-the-final-otr-parkingplan-sent-to-city.html

In a memo sent out today, 3cdc is trying to purchase the alabama fish bar building on race st in otr, and wants to own and redevelop the property