July 16, 200816 yr ^If you think walking around downtown Cincinnati is dangerous, you're stupid. I'd be a lot more worried about getting hurt hitting a deer on the drive back to Clermont County. Did I ever say that? Why is everyone taking my comments out of context? I'm just relating to a story. I really do wonder if we are objective enough around here. Optimism is a good thing but lets not be blinded. I don't live in Cincy and I haven't walked around (at night) there in ages which is why I can't say either way who is right and who is wrong. I'm just presenting a mindset that exists and trying to understand it. To label people who think different and just brush them under the rug as ignorant and unenlightened is not helping in providing a true, well-rounded analysis of the state of the City. If a significant portion of the population has a negative view of some aspect of downtown, true or not, that is a problem that needs to be remedied in some way or another. I think people are being a bit unfair here, you were simply pointing out what some people you know think about the inner-city. These are certainly not unusual views, of the inner-city, but many on this forum find them unfair to say the least. Cincinnati has to work on some image problems within its own region and beyond...but for right now I would suggest that the focus remain on improving the current situation before we start throwing money into major PR campaigns. So for the mean time people out in the 'burbs will have to continue thinking that there are bodies piled up in the streets, that there is nothing to do or anything unique to see Downtown and the rest of the inner-city. The facts are what they are, Cincinnati is not a dangerous place and our crime numbers continue to improve while virtually every other city in the U.S. is seeing the opposite. The restaurants and businesses can not be found virtually anywhere else in the region, and more and more places continue to open that expand the amount of options you have for nightlife.
July 16, 200816 yr ^If you think walking around downtown Cincinnati is dangerous, you're stupid. I'd be a lot more worried about getting hurt hitting a deer on the drive back to Clermont County. Did I ever say that? Why is everyone taking my comments out of context? I'm just relating to a story. I really do wonder if we are objective enough around here. Optimism is a good thing but lets not be blinded. I don't live in Cincy and I haven't walked around (at night) there in ages which is why I can't say either way who is right and who is wrong. I'm just presenting a mindset that exists and trying to understand it. To label people who think different and just brush them under the rug as ignorant and unenlightened is not helping in providing a true, well-rounded analysis of the state of the City. If a significant portion of the population has a negative view of some aspect of downtown, true or not, that is a problem that needs to be remedied in some way or another. I think people are being a bit unfair here, you were simply pointing out what some people you know think about the inner-city. These are certainly not unusual views, of the inner-city, but many on this forum find them unfair to say the least. Cincinnati has to work on some image problems within its own region and beyond...but for right now I would suggest that the focus remain on improving the current situation before we start throwing money into major PR campaigns. So for the mean time people out in the 'burbs will have to continue thinking that there are bodies piled up in the streets, that there is nothing to do or anything unique to see Downtown and the rest of the inner-city. The facts are what they are, Cincinnati is not a dangerous place and our crime numbers continue to improve while virtually every other city in the U.S. is seeing the opposite. The restaurants and businesses can not be found virtually anywhere else in the region, and more and more places continue to open that expand the amount of options you have for nightlife. I agree completely with that statement. To simply say that people who think downtown is dangerous are stupid does not help the situation at all. It is important that the city hear this criticism, work to make it better (which downtown Cincy is getting better all the time), build up attractions to lure in suburbanites, and then work on PR to get the message accross. Downtown Cincinnati has a lot to offer, and while I personally agree that crime isn't much of a deterent for me, I have felt threatened and uncomfortable downtown at times and I spend 8 months out of the year living in a downtown. We cannot simply ignore the safety perception issues, or point out that driving a car is more dangerous than downtown. Thomasbw, you often use the car example to somehow prove that coming downtown is significantly safer than driving. Do you really think that is a solid argument? Driving in Cincinnati is all but unavoidable; going downtown is certainly not. Plus, of those 90,000 dwellers(I suspect that number is inflated, and surely does not reflect weekend numbers...), how many of them do you think drove just to get downtown. All of this is moot, however, because I have to believe you know the difference between actual crime, and unsafe feelings. All it takes is for a person to feel threatened once to form an opinion.
July 16, 200816 yr The crazy thing is that there are a lot of places in Greater Cincinnati that I would feel uncomfortable walking around at night (including most of the urban parks), but the CBD isn't in the top 100. Even in high crime cities like Philly, Baltimore, and Richmond the CBD is the among the safest places to walk around. The 'city' and 'downtown' are two different places.
July 16, 200816 yr Think of the times and locations you felt uncomfortable at when Downtown. Then ask yourself if you were in a comparable situation out in the suburbs (or anywhere for that matter) if you would or would not feel uncomfortable as well. I tend to think that if you were walking around Union Centre Blvd or Kenwood Mall area late at night or alone that you would feel just as uncomfortable. This doesn't occur though for various reasons, so people tend not to get that uncomfortable feeling about those places like they might with an urban setting that does draw you in late at night.
July 16, 200816 yr Think of the times and locations you felt uncomfortable at when Downtown. Then ask yourself if you were in a comparable situation out in the suburbs (or anywhere for that matter) if you would or would not feel uncomfortable as well. I tend to think that if you were walking around Union Centre Blvd or Kenwood Mall area late at night or alone that you would feel just as uncomfortable. This doesn't occur though for various reasons, so people tend not to get that uncomfortable feeling about those places like they might with an urban setting that does draw you in late at night. Last year, I met up with some friends at a restaurant in Rookwood Commons, so my car was near the restaurants. After we ate, I decided to go some shopping by myself, and I ended up walking down near Wild Oats/Whole Foods. I finished my shopping around 9 PM. No one was in the part of the Mall, and it was rather empty and dark. I felt very uneasy walking back to my car.
July 16, 200816 yr I just use the car example to show that Perceptions and realities can be very disconnected. It isn't 90,000 dwellers, it is the 65,000 workers, the 8 or so million people who come to downtown each year for events and then the 8,000 residents, the people who stay in the hotels and go to conventions, it averages out to be about 89k per day if I remember correctly. I honestly think the real reason most people feel 'afraid' or 'uncomfortable' downtown is that they either 1. are badly misinformed about the crime situation and/or 2. they have to interact with black men in a public setting, not the mall, not the grocery store, but the sidewalk. Maybe it is something else, I hope it is, but if I had to guess, that is why the average suburbanite is afraid of downtown. Now there are other reasons, homelessness is a big one, but that is my best guess.
July 16, 200816 yr >We cannot simply ignore the safety perception issues, or point out that driving a car is more dangerous than downtown. Well I tell people they're 180 degrees wrong to their face. Because if they don't hear it from you, they're not going to hear it from anyone else. Their friends don't live in the city and few local media people live in the city, so who are they going to know who's got first hand experience? Jaws drop when I tell people I walk or bike through these supposedly dangerous neighborhoods on a nightly basis and nothing ever happens. Then they get even madder when they realize you're spending almost nothing on gas.
July 22, 200816 yr Taft contributing to urban vitality with new conference center http://www.soapboxmedia.com/devnews/taftcenter0722.aspx
July 22, 200816 yr Great project! I am sure the Enquirer will twist it into a negative somehow (when they run the story two weeks from now).
August 26, 200816 yr Downtown Cincinnati getting first vet clinic http://www.soapboxmedia.com/devnews/ccah0826.aspx Work on downtown Cincinnati’s first veterinary clinic should start at the beginning of September. Dr. Robert Biederman Jr. is in the process of relocating his Cincinnati Central Animal Hospital from Walnut Hills to a building at 427 Plum Street, near the Duke Energy Center. Biederman closed on the vacant 9,800-square-foot building at the end of June, and has hired LG Tokarsky & Associates, Inc. of Mason to design the space. "We’re pretty much starting from scratch," Biederman says. "The building’s an empty shell." The veterinary clinic will take up the basement and the first two floors, with a residence created above. Biederman believes that being downtown will help his practice thrive. "From our market studies, we’ve determined that there certainly is a need for veterinary services downtown," he says. "It’s only a four or five minute drive from our current location, and the nature of the neighborhood itself helps." Biederman, who has been with Cincinnati Central Animal Hospital since taking over the practice 22 years ago, says that the E McMillan Street location will have to close. "It had more to do with the economics of the whole move," he says. "It’s no small chunk of change to get things moved. Closing the Walnut Hills location just made more sense." The project is scheduled for completion in mid-January.
August 27, 200816 yr What are we defining as "Downtown"?? Some local real estate agents and media types are calling Over the Rhine "Downtown". Guess there was another murder "Downtown" at Findlay and Vine last week. No wonder people think it's dangerous in the CBD
September 4, 200816 yr Downtown's image improving http://www.urbancincy.com/2008/09/downtowns-image-improving.html Downtown Cincinnati Inc. (DCI) has recently kicked off a $1 million marketing campaign aimed at improving the image of Downtown Cincinnati. It seems to be already that the affects of new restaurants, shops, bars/clubs, and increased activity all over Downtown are improving the neighborhood's image. In UrbanCincy's monthly poll for August 2008 the question was posed: "How have your perceptions of Downtown changed over recent months?" The results were clear and the message is loud and clear that the perception of Downtown is in fact improving. Nearly 350 votes were cast, with roughly 46% of the repsondents selecting the 'greatly improved' option. Another 39% said that their perception, of Downtown, was 'somewhat improved.' The efforts of political and community leaders have yielded great results thus far. Results that are starting to settle in with people across the region. There are those who still do not recognize the progress that has been made, and this is what DCI's marketing campaign will need to touch on. Those of us who know Downtown, know that things have improved significantly over the past 5 years. Things look like they are poised to continue to get better, and with time, perceptions will continue to change.
September 4, 200816 yr ^It's hard to deny the progress that downtown has made and is continuing to make, but the average reader of UrbanCincy is probably going to be more engaged in the city and be more of an advocate for dt than most around the region, so it's probably not that great of a judge to see how effective the advertising campaign was.
September 4, 200816 yr ^It's hard to deny the progress that downtown has made and is continuing to make, but the average reader of UrbanCincy is probably going to be more engaged in the city and be more of an advocate for dt than most around the region, so it's probably not that great of a judge to see how effective the advertising campaign was. Obviously readers of UrbanCincy are probably more supportive of the center city...it's the focus of the site. But the site receives traffic from 46/50 states and from quite a few countries from around the world. Polls and articles like this do make an impression to those who may have stumbled upon the site through a Google Search, but glance at the stories anyway. Traffic Breakdown for past couple of weeks... Top 5 States: 1. Ohio - 2,299 (my IP address is not counted) 2. Kentucky - 789 3. Georgia - 203 (my IP address is not counted) 4. California - 144 5. New York - 123 Top 5 Ohio locations: 1. Cincinnati - 1,654 (my IP address is not counted) 2. West Chester - 105 3. Miamiville - 92 4. Cleveland - 58 5. Columbus - 44 Top 5 Kentucky locations: 1. Newport - 328 2. Covington - 327 3. Ft. Thomas - 45 4. Ft. Mitchell - 26 5. Lexington - 20
September 4, 200816 yr Pretty intresting. So, do alot of people from Cincy move down to Atlanta? From Cleveland, it's probably an 11 hour drive, from Cincy, probably only about 6, so I can see that. I just don't know any other reason why Georgia's numbers would be so high.
September 19, 200816 yr New State of Downtown: http://www.downtowncincinnati.com/files/uploaded/Jan-Jun_2008_State_of_Downtown_Report.pdf Good News: Part One Crimes down 18% Office Vacant drops 2% to 17.2%, second lowest in the region (kenwood montgomery is #1) 18 business opened, 11 closed (looking at the list, no terrible losses) Streetcar is in the report
September 24, 200816 yr Macy's chief says downtown hopping Don’t tell Terry J. Lundgren, chief executive of Macy’s Inc., the nation’s largest department store chain, that downtown Cincinnati is dead on a weeknight in the fall. “I know I didn’t get to sleep early last night because of the band playing on Fountain Square,” said Lundgren, who was staying in a downtown hotel that night. “And that’s a good thing.'' Lundgren made those comments before a group of about 600 people Wednesday attending the annual luncheon of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. Lundgren, the keynote speaker, said a renewed downtown with more people living in the Central Business District has rippled through the local economy and led to more spending at the department chain’s Fountain Place store, one of seven Macy’s in the region. Read full article here: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080924/BIZ01/309240071/1055/NEWS
September 24, 200816 yr ^ Good. Maybe they'll improve the hours and selection at the Macy's at Fountain Place.
September 24, 200816 yr ^I have to disagree. I can hardly ever find clothes at the downtown location, and often find myself being directed to the Kenwood location for items I want. And don't get me started on their lack of decent sneakers.
September 25, 200816 yr I go into Downtown Macy's and they have plenty of suits and ties and dress shirts and dress shoes, polos, sweaters, etc. What else are people trying to get that they don't have at Downtown Macy's? For 'cool' clothes you go to Park + Vine or Denim or MetroNation
September 25, 200816 yr For 'cool' clothes you go to Park + Vine or Denim or MetroNation If I could only fit into their clothing. :( I think their women's clothing is made for super-skinny chicks.
September 25, 200816 yr I also like the DT location for men's clothing. I'm not just saying that ... it's not bad. Depends on what line you wear as well.
September 25, 200816 yr I always make it a point to go downtown for Christmas and do shopping downtown at that Macy's. It's very underrated--not as great a selection as Kenwood, but still good. Plus, you have Jos. Bank and Brooks Brothers (and Hunt Club) too, and Saks...
September 25, 200816 yr I also shop quite a bit at the downtown Macy's. However, I think they made a huge mistake by removing their bridal registry program along with their juniors department.
September 25, 200816 yr I pitched a "register downtown" campaign a year or two back but it didn't gain any traction, maybe I should mention it to Ginsberg again
September 26, 200816 yr ^Yes you should...the Downtown Gift Card is a step in the right direction of unifying the Downtown area businesses. A registry would be a logical next step.
October 21, 200816 yr From the 10/21 Enquirer "The downtown business district experienced the lowest vacancy rate [in the region] at 15.2% for the [third] quarter. Northern Kentucky had the highest rate at 26.4%."
October 21, 200816 yr From the 10/21 Enquirer "The downtown business district experienced the lowest vacancy rate [in the region] at 15.2% for the [third] quarter. Northern Kentucky had the highest rate at 26.4%." While I'm happy for downtown getting a good stat... how is NKY all lumped into one group? "Northern Kentucky" is a nebulous term that includes between 3 and 9 counties. I'd love to know how much or how little of KY is actually being represented in that group, but I'm guessing that the Enquirer didn't go into more detail.
October 22, 200816 yr Even given the nature of the crappy reporting....This tells me that some of the suburban office parks in both OH and KY are emptying to the benefit of downtown Cincy. 15.2% is still frighteningly high, although it's probably par for the course in the midwest.
October 22, 200816 yr page 13 for other cities http://downtowncincinnati.com/files/uploaded/StateofDowntown_2007.pdf
October 22, 200816 yr I don't think it's going downtown. It was just over built. I imagine that there is a fair bit of empty space these days in the area from Buttermilk Pike down to Mt. Zion Road exit and over toward airport.
October 22, 200816 yr I don't think it's going downtown. It was just over built. I imagine that there is a fair bit of empty space these days in the area from Buttermilk Pike down to Mt. Zion Road exit and over toward airport. Agreed. What is helping downtown is there are legitimate re-uses for residential taking the old, unwanted office space off the market. Out in Blue ash where the vacany rate is about 20%, there is no re-use market for the 1960s and 1970s office space, but people keep building more offices out there and increasing the vacancy rates
October 22, 200816 yr Am I reading that chart right? Were we really less than 5% in 1998? That's amazing to me. I'm also glad we're in the group that has higher vacancies in the suburbs. Places like Detroit and KC have their work cut out for them.
October 22, 200816 yr Cincinnati's suburban rent for office space is by far the lowest of the compared cities in the reprt. The CBD rent is average and yet, DT Cincinnati is doing better vacancy wise. This is surprising to see. Its great to see!
October 22, 200816 yr This is 'benefit' of a having a slow growth economy over the last ten years. It would be nice to get the angle more upward relative to other cities rather than downward, but it remains a strong point for the region.
November 21, 200816 yr KZF to move headquarters to redone downtown space KZF Design will spend $6 million renovating an early 20th century downtown building into a headquarters 40 percent larger than its existing Walnut Hills space. The architecture firm has purchased 700 Broadway, the longtime headquarters of ST Media Group, for $1.14 million, according to the Hamilton County Auditor. Renovations will be complete next summer. ST moved to Sycamore Township earlier this year. “KZF Design is intending for the . . . building to be a showplace in LEED Silver, workplace design,” said CEO Bill Wilson in an e-mail. The firm has operated out of the Grand Baldwin building since 1987. While many architecture firms have faltered in recent months, KZF has managed to grow. Its 2009 backlog of work is $3 million higher than 2008, said Natascha Grody, director of the firm’s branding division. KZF added 15 new employees in 2008 and borrowed several workers from other local firms. It employs more than 100. Company executives attribute the firm’s expansion to its focus on the government and justice sectors and workplace design. It operates in eight markets, with offices in Cincinnati, Atlanta, and Tampa and Orlando, Fla. Read full article here: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/11/24/story10.html
January 3, 200916 yr Downtown retail looks to be doing quite well... http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,10129.msg356295.html#msg356295
January 21, 200916 yr Burke to move into ADP facility Downtown market research firm Burke Inc. will spend more than $10 million converting a West Seventh Street office building into a headquarters for its 229 employees. The firm paid $6.3 million in December for the building formerly owned by Automatic Data Processing Inc. ADP moved its 170 employees to Florence last summer. “We have experienced steady growth over the last several years,” said Andrea Fisher, Burke’s marketing communications manager. Burke earned $60.4 million in revenue in 2008, up from $53.1 million in 2007. It also has 152 part-time employees in Milford. Fisher declined to share names of its clients or specific reasons for its success. The firm’s biggest client sectors include consumer packaged goods manufacturers, telecommunications, financial services and pharmaceuticals. Read full article here: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/01/19/story4.html
January 21, 200916 yr I'm sure the lion share of that vacancy is the non-class A office space. Time to convert some of those older office buildings into apartments and condo's.
January 21, 200916 yr I'm sure the lion share of that vacancy is the non-class A office space. Time to convert some of those older office buildings into apartments and condo's. If I remember correctly, the C is really high vacancy, but the B is rather low, maybe 13 percent
January 23, 200916 yr Downtown Cincinnati taxing district seeks more money, more visitors The Downtown Cincinnati Improvement District (DCID) wants an 18 percent increase in service fees and hopes to create a $3.9 million marketing pool to persuade suburbanites to visit the city’s center over the next several years. That signals a major policy shift for the special taxing district, which revamped its budgets in 2002 to devote more resources to keeping downtown clean and safe. “The board … felt it was imperative to allocate a certain amount of money to protect or defend the significant investment that’s being made by various retailers, restaurateurs and entertainment venues,” said Richard Kimbler, a residential developer who chairs the board. “We want people to be more aware of what’s going on downtown, and we want them to come downtown.” Read full article here: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/01/26/tidbits1.html
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