Now that the two largest plots along Liberty are getting developed Liberty and Elm (aka contrast) and this development let’s get all these smaller lots along Liberty developed!
 

Would love to see the Northeast corner of Liberty and Elm get developed soon but idk how hard that will be since there’s a billboard in that site and of course I want to see all these damn parking lots developed as well.  

 

1 hour ago, Ucgrad2015 said:

Would love to see the Northeast corner of Liberty and Elm get developed soon but idk how hard that will be since there’s a billboard in that site

Yup, Norton owns that lot which includes all the space in front of the billboard. The thinner lot behind the billboard is owned by the Landbank however

 

 

So much better!

Edited April 22Apr 22 by tonyt3524

Definitely better, but what is it gonna take to get some sort of a cornice on these modern builds? Just so damn bland!

Urban Sites increases size of pivotal OTR project

 

Community feedback at a recent public hearing has compelled a significant redesign and a rare increase in the size of a proposed new development in Cincinnati.

 

Urban Sites last fall unveiled its Lockard development for the southeast corner of Walnut and Liberty streets in Over-the-Rhine. The project is a mix of new construction and historic renovation.

 

The developer is partnering with Triversity Construction on the project. City Studios Architecture has the design contract.

 

Four historic buildings line Walnut Street at the project site; they have been vacant for more than a decade. All four originally had large rear structures, but three of those rear structures were demolished years ago. The only one with a surviving rear structure is the Grammer’s building at 1440 Walnut St., home to a historically significant German bar and restaurant that closed in 2011.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/04/22/lockard-urban-sites-over-the-rhine-redesign.html

 

not a bad fit...but I have to wonder what in the world kept this from being the original footprint? 
It seems, and maybe I'm just seeing what I want to in the media, that a public push for density is catching on.

The original design would have been more efficient. The new design adds additional corner details and increases the surface area of the building significantly, making the project more expensive to build and less sustainable use of materials.

Much better and it sounds like Urban Sites is taking a big hit financially to get this done.

 

That said, the end product will be much better, and it will improve the value of their existing properties around there, I believe.

 

Also, the scale is very big. I used to live right around there and the historic buildings are decent size and this will really add a lot of height and density to the block. I used to park my car where the new build is going. Going to lose the Nelson Mandela mural though, unfortunately!

 

Overall, I am very pleased with the design and good on Urban Sites to go back to the drawing board and getting this closer to Liberty Street. Another nice shot in the arm in an area of OTR that needs it. You still have the big block where the parking lot is in the former Kroger, but this corner solidifies a lot of the area.

 

 

Edited April 23Apr 23 by IAGuy39

I love when community comments and city boards/commissions, in this case the historic board, don't just seek to cancel or kill projects but actually seek to improve them. The neighborhood gets more residential units than before, fewer surface parking spaces, and an improved urban infill layout on the corner. It also allows more units to have outside corner windows with more light coming in so while more expensive to build the product will be better both for the neighborhood fabric and also for the tenants living there. 

Yeah I don't see why people still think their house is worth the most all by itself with no businesses around. It's not.

That's why I live next to a brothel.

Marquee is coming back to the Emery Theatre. I know it's the children's theater and all but I'm really excited to see this theatre come back to life. 

On 4/22/2025 at 10:37 PM, Chas Wiederhold said:

The original design would have been more efficient. The new design adds additional corner details and increases the surface area of the building significantly, making the project more expensive to build and less sustainable use of materials.

Initial design was $33.4 million for 116 units (~$287,931/unit)

Latest design is $36.4 million for 126 units (~$288,888/unit)

It's a slight increase in cost per unit, but overall seems like the overall project finances should remain pretty much in line with the previous design. I think the latest design is superior in several ways. I'm especially happy to see the increased number of units and that the front door is now much closer to Liberty St.

Nice crunching of the numbers.

City of Cincinnati, 3CDC break ground on $46M Findlay Community Center in northern OTR

Construction is underway on the first in a series of projects designed to lift up and revitalize the northern part of Over-the-Rhine.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval and City Manager Sheryl Long May 7 joined leaders from the Cincinnati Recreation Commission and Cincinnati Center City Development Corp., or 3CDC, for a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of work on the $46 million Findlay Community Center.

“We’re excited to be here today as a community-centered vision is realized after years of planning, collaboration and commitment,” Katie Westbrook, senior vice president of development at 3CDC, said. “We believe this project will have a catalytic impact on North OTR’s revitalization, much like the redevelopment of Washington Park had on the neighborhood south of Liberty Street 13 years ago.”

The 60,000-square-foot facility will occupy the current footprint of Findlay Playground, bringing a gym, a pool, a roller rink, a weight room, a track, exercise classrooms, community spaces and youth programming. Additionally, the building will house an 8,000-square-foot child care facility serving children six weeks through pre-K.

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/05/09/3cdc-otr-findlay-community-center-groundbreaking.html

20 hours ago, ColDayMan said:

City of Cincinnati, 3CDC break ground on $46M Findlay Community Center in northern OTR

Construction is underway on the first in a series of projects designed to lift up and revitalize the northern part of Over-the-Rhine.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval and City Manager Sheryl Long May 7 joined leaders from the Cincinnati Recreation Commission and Cincinnati Center City Development Corp., or 3CDC, for a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of work on the $46 million Findlay Community Center.

“We’re excited to be here today as a community-centered vision is realized after years of planning, collaboration and commitment,” Katie Westbrook, senior vice president of development at 3CDC, said. “We believe this project will have a catalytic impact on North OTR’s revitalization, much like the redevelopment of Washington Park had on the neighborhood south of Liberty Street 13 years ago.”

The 60,000-square-foot facility will occupy the current footprint of Findlay Playground, bringing a gym, a pool, a roller rink, a weight room, a track, exercise classrooms, community spaces and youth programming. Additionally, the building will house an 8,000-square-foot child care facility serving children six weeks through pre-K.

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/05/09/3cdc-otr-findlay-community-center-groundbreaking.html

Huge step to improving this area north of Liberty. Excited to see how this will look in a couple years when the apartments are renovated too.

Memorial Hall raises $1M capital investment for needed repairs, maintenance

Repairing plaster and rewiring light fixtures may not be glamorous. But a group of supporters has just raised more than $1 million to keep a century-old building in Over-the-Rhine pristine well into the future.

You may have seen crews high on lifts working on the roof system of Memorial Hall. If you’ve attended one of the 300 events presented there each year, perhaps you spied bright new lights surrounding Anderson Theater’s proscenium arch. That’s because the preservationists and stewards of Memorial Hall are updating the building with a $1.1 million capital investment.

The project comes nearly a decade after the 1908 landmark underwent an $11.2 million revitalization completed in 2016. It was funded by multiple sources, including Hamilton County, which owns the building, Cincinnati Center City Development Corp., which programs and manages the hall, the state of Ohio, historic and new market tax credits and gifts from private individuals and foundations.

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/05/23/memorial-hall-completes-1m-capital-campaign.html

Demo has already gotten going for the Crossroads Health and the Community Center projects:

That was fast. The building was there yesterday.

There are dumpsters in front of 1320 Race Street where they are emptying it out. That building has been vacant for as long as I can remember despite sitting on Washington Park and being surrounded by an occupied OTRCH building and a renovated condo building. Hopefully it gets a quality renovation since it sits in such a prime spot, the owner on Cagis says AVID URBAN INTERESTS, not sure who that is and they appear to have just become an LLC in March.

1 minute ago, ucgrady said:

There are dumpsters in front of 1320 Race Street where they are emptying it out. That building has been vacant for as long as I can remember despite sitting on Washington Park and being surrounded by an occupied OTRCH building and a renovated condo building. Hopefully it gets a quality renovation since it sits in such a prime spot, the owner on Cagis says AVID URBAN INTERESTS, not sure who that is and they appear to have just become an LLC in March.

That's really great. I was just looking at that building the other day and wondering what in the heck was going on with it. I guess that the sale just a month ago for $300K sort of justifies the strategy of owners holding onto OTR properties.

45 minutes ago, ucgrady said:

There are dumpsters in front of 1320 Race Street where they are emptying it out. That building has been vacant for as long as I can remember despite sitting on Washington Park and being surrounded by an occupied OTRCH building and a renovated condo building. Hopefully it gets a quality renovation since it sits in such a prime spot, the owner on Cagis says AVID URBAN INTERESTS, not sure who that is and they appear to have just become an LLC in March.

FWIW, billing address is Urban Sites' office

Owners of historic music venue and event center, the Mockbee, list business for sale

The business and assets of the Mockbee, a music venue and event center that leases space at 2260 Central Parkway in Over-the-Rhine, recently hit the market for $80,000.

Peter Deutsch purchased the business in 2021. His son Gabriel Deutsch, co-founder of Queen City Radio, along with his sister Louisa Reckman and Chris Reckman, have been handling the Mockbee's programming, which includes a wide array of underground events such as concerts, raves, themed parties and art shows and exhibitions.

The venue also is known for its unique architecture; it's located in 19th century beer tunnels. The building that houses it was originally constructed as Bellevue Brewing Co.

“It’s been an underground place for young musicians and artists for decades,” Peter Deutsch told me. “It's a place where a lot of people have fond memories of it being the first place they performed or the first place that they presented their art to the city.”

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/06/11/mockbee-for-sale-underground-music-venue-event.html

That's a neat group of buildings on McMicken. Three or four great facades that could set the mood for a unique area of town. Add a few apartment buildings, plus a group of shops, and easy access to Central Parkway below. The area could become cool, hip, rad, sick? The Central Parkway side of this building could have a gigantic ligted mural, and some unique lighting to help unify McMicken and Central Parkway, the Bank building near five or six points (the intersections between Harrison and Central Parkway, and Central Avenue). A point where east meets west.

Plus, the area could be a great stop on the envisioned streetcar between the CBD and Northside. I think the area is called Brighten. The West End could see a renaissance for residents who use public transportation. A centralized Metro hub could service many areas of the city.

I used to shop at Hartke's, lots of neat stuff before the big box stores took over.