^thats a good point. The first time i drove through that intersection, i laughed my a$$ of at the billboards. Tacky as hell!!

You would have to watch that advertisement on empty storefronts.

 

This could be done through a lease agreement in that the owner has final say in what is displayed much the same way that we will put in any painting of the facade or sign displays must have the approval of the property owner.

From the 6/14/07 Enquirer:

 

 

Catholic college moving to OTR

BY QUAN TRUONG | [email protected]

 

OVER-THE-RHINE - A Catholic college will move one of its two campuses here from North Fairmount, in hopes of bringing higher education to those who need it most.

 

Chatfield College officially opens its campus here Friday near Findlay Market.

 

"I'm so happy to have them," said Walter Reinhaus, president of the neighborhood's community council. "We have so many people in the neighborhood who need additional education and need to be around the environment of careful and higher thinking that academia offers - to have them come here, it almost brings me to tears."

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070614/NEWS0102/706140318/

 

Gateway Quarter project making mark on Vine St.

BY LUCY MAY | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER

June 15, 2007

 

OVER-THE-RHINE - Gateway Quarter along Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine has more than 35 percent of its condominiums either sold or under contract and is selling and leasing commercial space even faster.

 

The project has transformed the corner of 12th and Vine streets, once a notorious crime center in the historic neighborhood.

My wife and I were down at 12th and Vine a couple Saturdays mornings ago to check out Park+Vine. We just couldn't get over the energy in the area. When they put the street car in, The Q (I saw someone else call the Gateway Quarter this, sounds good) will be off the charts. We're more adventurous than average I think but two years ago theres no way we'd be walking around there.

yup...'The Q' is pretty much the preferred name for the area.  I have heard multiple people refer to it as that...and they are now using it on signage and what not.

In all, 93 condo units are being developed along Vine Street, with 34 sold or under contract. And 10 of 13 commercial spots are either sold, leased or under letters of intent.

 

Pichler said: "I'm guardedly optimistic about the continued sales and success. And the great thing is we own 100 buildings. If the sales are successful, and the debt reloads our financials, we can develop some of the other 100 that we own. The pieces are in place."

 

To me, it is amazing that they have 10 of 13 commercial spaces leased.  However, as per the quote above, the condo sales are what is really critical to keep moving.  36% is pretty good, especially if that includes Gateway I, which was poorly designed and lagging in sales.

 

 

I don't know, personally I liked the Gateway Condos. During the tour my favorite condo was a second floor walkup at the corner of 12th and Vine that had two bay windows. It was small, a loft but it was "only" 135k. After seeing CBT condo prices that seems like small change.

 

http://www.gatewayquarter.com/DUNC_FloorPlan.html

^ I believe jskinner is referring to the original Gateway condos that are right next to the Gateway Garage (that lots of people refer to as the "Kroger Garage").  I agree with him that those floor plans are poorly designed. 

 

The rest of the condos (the rehabbed ones) in the Gateway Quarter are pretty cool.

 

To me, it is amazing that they have 10 of 13 commercial spaces leased.  However, as per the quote above, the condo sales are what is really critical to keep moving.  36% is pretty good, especially if that includes Gateway I, which was poorly designed and lagging in sales.

 

 

One reason that the commercial space has been leased so fast is because he owners are making concessions on these spaces.  I spoke with three store owners; they all confirmed that they had received 'considerable' concessions in rent for the first 6-12 months of the lease.  I didn't ask for specifics, but that was the consensus.

 

To me, this is a good sign.  3CDC seems to be doing everything right.  Occupied retail space will  draw more (middle to high income) residents.  More residents will sustain the retail.  I am hoping that the rumors of a Dewey's Pizza and a Christian Morlein beer hall come to fruition.

 

I have been spending a lot of time lately bumming around the Q.  I am impressed with what has been done.  The neighborhood is not as crime infested as it used to be.  The renovations are beautifully done.

 

There are only a few things that I can see as holding the neighborhood back:

 

1. Location of the Drop in Center, Recovery Hotel, and Buddy's Place. (aka Buddy Gray's Legacy)

2. Public Perception

 

The neighborhood has not yet 'turned the corner' but it appears to be rapidly approaching the corner (if you will).  The addition of the Streetcar system and a few more highly publicized business openings would put the project over the top!

 

I guess my last post was a poorly constructed. My favorite affordable condo was that corner unit in the Duncanson Lofts, but I guess I’m in the minority liking the Gateway Condos Connected to the Kroger Garage. My wife doesn’t really care for them either but for some reason I really like them. The unit on this years tour wasn’t my favorite, but last spring during the OTR construction tour the unit they had the open house in was larger and had more natural light.

I spoke with three store owners; they all confirmed that they had received 'considerable' concessions in rent for the first 6-12 months of the lease.

 

This happens more than you think in more areas than you could imagine.  Many concessions are given in the front end of a lease for a variety of reasons, to attract a highly desirable tenant or to help a newer business get off the ground to ensure that they will be able to fulfill their long term lease obligations.  But many times what seems to be a concession, really isn't, and the benefit gained in the short term may be made up in the long term by rent escalators.

 

My point is, do not read a perceived concession necessarily as a sign of weakness.  I would give someone like Jean Robert all sorts of concessions to move into one of my spaces if it will help draw other tenants at a higher prsqft price as well as help drive condo sales.

^ I didn't mean to give that impression of weakness.  I think that they are doing everything right!

 

 

^ I didn't mean to give that impression of weakness.  I think that they are doing everything right!

 

nor did I mean to give the impression that you were.  They are doing everything right, and the proof is in the number of condos sold and the signed leases.  Vine was one of the last places I thought would turn around, and here we are, it is leading the pack.

North Rhine Project could lead to 54 affordable units

Building Cincinnati, 6/12/07

 

Over-the-Rhine Community Housing (OTRCH) has applied for $7 million in tax credits which could lead to the creation of 54 affordable housing units in the neighborhood.

 

The federal tax credits, which are distributed in Ohio through the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA), are awarded each year for 10 years. The housing credit can be deducted from the owner's (in this case OTRCH) federal taxable income.

 

OTRCH plans to use the funds to rehab 12 scattered site buildings and create 54 rental units and 5 or 6 commercial spaces.

 

Sixty percent of the rehabbed units will be affordable to households with incomes below 50% of the Area Median Gross Income (AMGI). The remaining 40% will be affordable to those with incomes at or below 60% of the AMGI.

 

The total project cost is $8.5 million.

 

On May 9, City Council passed a resolution supporting the application.

 

The OHFA is scheduled to announce the accepted applicants on August 1.

 

Sarah Allan, project manager for OTRCH, says that work would hopefully start in summer 2008 if the tax credits are received.

 

 

What buildings?

 

There are sixteen buildings according to the Council resolution, twelve according to Ms. Allan. The sixteen from the resolution are:

 

* 145-147 Mulberry

* 209 Mulberry

* 211 Mulberry

* 53 E. Clifon

* 216 E. Clifton

* 220 E. Clifton

* 228 E. Clifton

* 202 Peete

* 208 Peete

* 210 Peete

* 219 Peete

* 1902-1904 Vine

* 1930 Vine

* 1931 Vine

* 1636-1638 Main

* 6 Findlay

 

http://buildingcincinnati.blogspot.com/2007/06/north-rhine-project-could-lead-to-54.html

 

i always thought otr redevelopment would be a right hook, not a push up the middle.

That was the brilliance of what 3CDC did...they went into the most difficult areas first.

they had unlimited money

or so it seemed

LOL, yeah that does help.  And a strong backing from civic leaders.

they had unlimited money

It's all loans, and all the loans must be paid back.  Thus the Pichler quote saying that they can put the money from condo sales into the next phase.  It all comes down to selling the condos, and that is still in the air.

It all comes down to selling the condos, and that is still in the air.

I don't know if we can really say that it is up in the air anymore.  The straight up the middle approach was a bold, risky, and expensive approach, but from what we are seeing with sales of both residential and commercial on this project, it is paying off.  And it is paying off for more than just 3CDC and the builders, it is attracting people to the area, it is giving us all positive press.  And now when people say "otr may be turning around but Vine is a mess" we have this project to point to, and a whole lot more is coming.

 

i always thought otr redevelopment would be a right hook, not a push up the middle.

From the way things had been shaping up, I thought it would all start on the perimeters and work inward, and that had begun with City West to the west, Main to the east, the hillsides to the North, but now we have gateway to the south punching straight up the middle while all of this other redevelopment is going on.  Now even this still leaves us with a weak area of E. Clifton, and McMicken but once again, Liberty redevelopment to the south, Mulberry and Prospect Hill to the north pushing down, Main pushing up from the South east (now past Liberty with Vernon Rader), and efforts by the brewery dist to the West, these two streets will fall into someone's sights soon.

The straight up the middle approach was a bold, risky, and expensive approach, but from what we are seeing with sales of both residential and commercial on this project, it is paying off. 

 

I have not lived in Cincinnati for a few years now after graduating from UC's planning program, but I can tentatively say that this is the death knell to the OTR as we knew it as a ghetto. There are too many properties being purchased and consolidated, and with the completion of Fountain Square, I would predict that Vine will gentrify up to Liberty in the next 5 years.

 

However I don't think the entire OTR district will "boom" so to speak. Cincinnati's housing absorption rate is not very fast. The OTR district has an enormous stock of buildings, way more than a 2-million-ish midwestern metro could absorb in even 10 years. Being optimistic, I would hope that OTR becomes a very vibrant restaurant and cultural district, fulfilling the dream of having a large, continuous flagship urban neighborhood that Gaslight Clifton, Northside and Mount Adams have attempted to be but couldn't-quite because of their limited size and geographic/topographic isolation.

 

I don't see OTR as becoming a true built-out 24 hour urban neighborhood for 15-20 more years. However, if things continue to go well for it, I think in that 20 year time frame the district has the potential to rival any in the midwest, if only because it is so completely intact. You simply cannot build today what OTR offers. In fact I think that a lot of people in Cincinnati's leadership can't quite visualize how dramatic this change will be. Because of the intact historic density, at an optimum population level it would be difficult to tell on the street if you were in Cincinnati or Chicago. All it will take is the patience to let Cincinnati's population fill it up.

 

I think what 3CDC is attempting to do by going up Vine is not so much providing a new "development beachhead" but attempting to use development as a "smart bomb" (forgive the insensitive analogy) to plow the blight right in half.

Cincinnati's housing absorption rate is not very fast.

Cincinnati's as a whole no, Gateway yes.  The plan was that 30-35 units would be sold this year, they are already at 40 and even more are right on the verge. 

I just walked across the street from the guy using drugs.  Perhaps I should have called the police, but the only victim of his crime was himself.

Not true. Pole the people who refuse to come down here, not just to live, but to go to a store, attend a play, or simply drive down a street.  These people they are a drain on city services.  What other run could that ambulance be on while carting this drug abuser away?  And I bet this wasn't the first time.  Who else could that doctor be treating?  The victim to this crime was all of us.

my mistake, missed that

^This has already been posted here:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=2568.msg191013#msg191013

this does not appear to include the new construction they are proposing.  As described to us, it would be market rate condos but with a soft second.  This would go on the corner of Mulberry and Main, both north and south side, and extend down into Peete.  It appears that each will have a garage to ease the bottleneck at that section of Mulberry.  GBBN are the architects.

Over-the-Rhine Community Housing is featuring some of their past and present projects on their website:

 

http://www.otrch.org/programs/projects.html

^I noticed the same thing...

streetcar=1.9 billion in economic development.

streetcar=1.9 billion in economic development.

 

What are you trying to say?

streetcar=1.9 billion in economic development.

 

What are you trying to say?

 

I just wanted to underscore the impact the streetcar would have on downtown and over the rhine

Good news for 3cdc's retail http://www.gatewayquarter.com/Retail.html 59% are leased

Smith Foundation to demolish neglected OTR properties

Building Cincinnati, 7/3/07

 

The Smith Foundation has applied for demolition permits to demolish five buildings in Over-the-Rhine.

 

On the chopping block are 208-214 W Liberty Street and 1711-1713 Elm Street.

 

The properties on Elm were built around 1880. 212 Liberty was built around 1865 and 214 Liberty was built around 1885. 208 Liberty is a newer commercial space.

 

This is property of Smith Foundation Properties (Gale Smith), which began buying properties in the early 2000s.

 

The purpose was to rehabilitate the buildings in one of Over-the-Rhine's worst stretches and to make them a viable part of a new, revitalized Over-the-Rhine.

 

Instead, the strategy appears to have been to let the buildings disintegrate and then to demolish them.

 

No plans for redevelopment of the newly-created vacant lots or any of Smith's other properties in the immediate area have surfaced.

 

According to its website* , Gale Smith is the President and Treasurer of the Smith Family Foundation, which is a non-profit serving the needs of local youth.

 

The Smith Family Foundation offices are on the 200 block of W Liberty Street.

 

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW

GOOGLE AERIAL MAP

 

* The website looks like it hasn't been updated in a while. This seems pretty commonplace with non-profits' websites.

 

http://buildingcincinnati.blogspot.com/2007/07/smith-foundation-to-demolish-neglected.html

 

More stuff being reviewed next week at the Historic Conservation Meeting.

 

Good morning. The Historic Conservation Board's lengthy agenda for Monday's meeting includes 3 preliminary design reviews for projects on Vine St. They include demolition, infill, rehab and new construction.

 

SWC 14th & Vine: demo of 1311, 1333 & 1335 Vine--noncontributing buildings with noncontributing front additions, and replacement with a new building

 

1332 Republic: rehab of garage building, 2-story addition on top.

 

NEC Vine & Mercer: Demo of rear additions to 1338 & 1342 Vine (facing alley). Replacement with new buildings. Infill construction on parking lot site at 1326. Rehab of 1332, 1338 & 1342 Vine.

 

1232 Vine: Rehab, rooftop dormers, elevator tower.

 

The parking lot proposed for the Empire Theater site also will be on the agenda.

 

For more info, contact the HCO at 352-4890.

 

OTR transitional housing moving to McMicken

Building Cincinnati, 8/14/07

 

45-47 E McMicken Avenue

 

City Council has voted unanimously to extend a forgivable loan to Over-the-Rhine Community Housing for an affordable housing project.

 

The loan of $881,000 comes from federal HOME funds and will be used to rehab the building at 45-47 E McMicken Avenue into transitional housing.

 

The completed building, called McMicken Transitional Housing, will include nine efficiency apartments and three one-bedroom units. An on-site office will be staffed by representatives from the Drop Inn Center.

 

Units will be made available to people with a gross income at or below 60 percent of area median income.

 

Transitional housing had been located at Twelfth and Elm streets. That site was demolished for the future School for the Creative and Performing Arts.

 

Construction on the new site is expected to cost just over $1 million. The funding gap will be closed with a $134,000 grant.

 

Completion should be expected in about a year.

 

Federal HOME grants are given to states and localities to create affordable housing for low-income people.

 

The program, which is administered by HUD, allocates about $2 billion per year.

 

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW (looking west)

GOOGLE AERIAL MAP

 

SWC 14th & Vine: demo of 1311, 1333 & 1335 Vine--noncontributing buildings with noncontributing front additions, and replacement with a new building

1333 and 1335 Vine are very old and are "contributing" to the historic district.  They are old style townhouse type buildings that were built set-back from the street.  later additions on the front make them look ugly and modern.  I think it is a mistake to demolish them.  I am curious as to the proposed replacement.  This would be the first new building on Vine Street north of 12th in decades.  I will try to attend the hearing.  Looks like a very full agenda for 3CDC Vine Street, even including the Empire Theater site. Wow.

 

1311 Vine is definitely contributing, and I see no reason at all to demolish it.  Maybe I can take some photos of these existing blgs tomorrow and post them.

 

1311 Vine.  This must be on the demo list by mistake?  If the Board approves this they are nuts:

 

 

1332 Vine, proposed to remain:

 

 

1331, 1333 and 1335 Vine:

 

 

North side of 1335 Vine, facing 14th Street:

 

 

Garage on 14th and Republic which is proposed to have 2 stories added on top:

 

 

 

 

Tender Mercies to rehab Harkavy Hall

Building Cincinnati, 8/15/07

 

(NOTE: In a story last week, I posted about Tender Mercies, Inc. being awarded federal tax credits for their Harkavy Hall project. Tender Mercies CEO Bren Blaine has provided me with more information on the project, which I didn't have at the time.)

 

Harkavy Hall, provided

 

Tender Mercies plans on beginning the rehabilitation of its Harkavy Hall building in May 2008.

 

The building, at 24 W Twelfth Street, currently contains permanent housing for 30 formerly homeless, severely mentally ill people. It also contains communal facilities, laundry facilities, a barber shop and a common area for residents.

 

As part of the $4 million project*, the entire building will be gutted and rebuilt to code, with an elevator, fireproof stairwells and ADA accessability. More modern and efficient HVAC will also be added.

 

The 30 single-room occupancy units will be reconfigured, and an unusable basement will be finished and will include an office, storage space and a new barber shop.

 

The structure's historical facade will also be restored.

 

Residents will be moved to one of Tender Mercies' other five buildings during construction.

 

Funding for the project comes from Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Historical Tax Credits, private foundations and individual donors.

 

Construction should be completed by the end of 2008.

 

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW

GOOGLE AERIAL MAP

 

* Actual construction costs: $2.8 million

 

http://buildingcincinnati.blogspot.com/2007/08/tender-mercies-to-rehab-harkavy-hall.html

 

What a great addition to the Gateway quarter, I would never think of moving around there now.

 

Tender Mercies to rehab Harkavy Hall

Tender Mercies already has a presence in the Gateway Quarter...Plus I think Tender Mercies is a pretty reputable and respectable organization and should be able to coexist with the recent development in that part of OTR.  They are certainly much more responsible than the Drop In Center.

Tender Mercies already has a presence in the Gateway Quarter...Plus I think Tender Mercies is a pretty reputable and respectable organization and should be able to coexist with the recent development in that part of OTR.  They are certainly much more responsible than the Drop In Center.

 

They traditionally have been a good neighbor.  Over the years they have helped fight drug dealing at that location by installing additional lighting, hanging the "Don't deal drugs here" banner over Republic Street, and by selling their tenants cigarettes and other sundries to take business from and drive the horrible corner store out of business.

Agreed with the last two posts.  They're just rehabbing the building and will continue to have 30 tenants.  They're not adding anything that's not already there except for a nicer looking building.

 

permanent housing for 30 formerly homeless, severely mentally ill people

I'm sorry but that would not be a good selling point to share to with my wife and son. You would think as the area became gentrified that these social service agencies would move to a more approriate area. With this development they are digging in and are going to stay for the long haul, just knowing that is enough for me.

Well, unless we plan on re-opening sanitariums, it is better that these people are housed and getting treatment than roaming the streets, homeless.

 

I don't really recall an instance of a person under Tender Mercies' care committing a violent crime against anyone.  In fact, the whole idea of Tender Mercies was to protect these mentally ill people from OTHERS in the neighborhood taking advantage of them.

 

While a SRO for the mentally ill is not my ideal neighbor, there are a lot worse neighbors you could have--a group home for convicted felons, for example.

 

 

While a SRO for the mentally ill is not my ideal neighbor, there are a lot worse neighbors you could have--a group home for convicted felons, for example.

 

 

Problem is there's probably IS a convicted felons home in OTR along with a sexual predator home, a drug abuse home, a wife beaters home, an ADD home etc. Aren't there like 200+ in the area?? Then throw in Maximillian and Jimmy Skinner and look what you have. ;-) The ultimate in diversity. That's why I can't see OTR ever turning a corner.

Overall, I am for whatever helps slow down the wanton destruction or speeds up the recovery of the building stock of OTR.  My buddy from Germany told me last week that OTR is a true Gem. (News to me HAHA!) His city  was almost completely destroyed in WW2, he said if there were areas like OTR where he lived there they would flourish over all others. To me this project is a speedbump and will slow down the recovery of the area.

It is not a speedbump.  With all due respect, some of you are speaking as though you have never been the Washington Park Neighborhood.  The people in that building are fine.  They are not the problem with the neighborhood in any way, shape, or form.  They are not dangerous.  This building is not a haven for drunks and convicts.  It is not a free handout for crack heads and convicts like at the drop inn center. 

 

As a society, we should be rooting for these people to make it.  These are the people who are either serious about recovery or are just not adapted to world that well. 

 

There is enough room for some service agencies to stay in Washington Park and I think that that a few Tender Mercies buildings should be in the plans for the area.  The redevelopment of OTR should include a mix of uses and income levels.  We should help the responsible service agencies, while focusing on finding solutions to the real problems of the neighborhood (like running the Drop Inn Center up I-75 to West Chester).

I'm sorry but that would not be a good selling point to share to with my wife and son.

One thing at a time.  The biggest problem has been that these very same people have been living here in buildings that are falling apart.  At least this is a forward step.  Same is true with low income, I have no problem with a diverse ecomomic community, but I do have a problem with a "slum" and now we are seeing building after building redone and contributing to the betterment of the community.  So long as the people are law abiding (and the ones who are not will be arrested) they should have a right to live here as well.  

 

30 formerly homeless, severely mentally ill people

It never said fellons, although I am sure some are but if they are actively seeking help and keep out of trouble, then if someone wants to help them, let them.  Just fix the building.

I remember Nick Spencer(where did he go?) complained quite bit about Tender Mercies and their clients causing problems near his bar. I got the impression they aren't much better than the DIC. Just the sheer number of agencies in OTR has got to be discouraging.