February 10Feb 10 24 minutes ago, cbussoccer said: I decided to do a little more very poor "conceptual" sketches of what this area of downtown could become in the next 10-15 years with a bit of infill work on the numerous surface lots that dot the area. All the green blobs area buildings I have "envisioned" being build on certain surface lots around the area, mostly just in the 6-12 story range. I really don't think this amount of infill is too far out of the question in the next decade or so. If The Estrella can be successful and actually bring a legitimate grocery store option to the area, I think we will see this section of downtown start to take off. The proximity to two different hospitals should also help make it a desirable place for the many employees of both hospitals. The area could probably support another hotel as well due to the neighboring hospitals. If the Greyhound site is done right with Cota partnering with the city, this large parcel could really be transformational! 400+ apartments, retail, and transportation hub. That's another topic though Edited February 10Feb 10 by sono4315
February 10Feb 10 54 minutes ago, sono4315 said: If the Greyhound site is done right with Cota partnering with the city, this large parcel could really be transformational! 400+ apartments, retail, and transportation hub. That's another topic though Yep, depending on what happens with that site, the 4th and Rich intersection could really be hoppin'. Hopefully that surface lot south of the Holiday Inn can be developed (there was a mid-rise proposal there pre-Covid I believe), as well as the surface lots bound by 3rd/Rich/4th.
February 20Feb 20 Demolition of Rich Street buildings would pave way for The Estrella Bluestone Brothers submitted a certificate of appropriateness request to the Downtown Commission for the project at 175-199 E. Rich St. Those structures, along with a vacated alley that runs through the site, would be demolished and replaced with a 504,000-square-foot building including residential, commercial and parking. The residential floors would have 277 units, including rooftop penthouses. Two commercial areas measuring 45,400 square feet would be located between a parking garage with 322 spaces. If approved by the commission at its Tuesday meeting, demolition is expected to take three to four months and utility relocation will span an additional three months. Construction on the tower itself could begin in early 2026.
February 20Feb 20 I think this is the first time seeing the square footage of the commercial space for this. Those are huge and would be plenty of space for a number of grocery stores. Hopefully the second one can be split up, because getting two businesses that need that much space would be hard.
February 20Feb 20 2 minutes ago, VintageLife said: If approved by the commission at its Tuesday meeting, demolition is expected to take three to four months and utility relocation will span an additional three months. Construction on the tower itself could begin in early 2026. That seems like an extensive amount of prep work. Regardless, it's good to see they are jumping right into this thing. Can't wait for vertical construction next year!
February 20Feb 20 5 minutes ago, cbussoccer said: That seems like an extensive amount of prep work. Regardless, it's good to see they are jumping right into this thing. Can't wait for vertical construction next year! I’m still not super optimistic of it actually starting, but they are going at it pretty aggressively so that is a good sign. Maybe they already have a grocer lined up and willing to open. In reality the grocery here wouldn’t just be downtown. The entire olde Towne East, king Lincoln district, near east side and parts of the south side would probably use it.
February 20Feb 20 On 2/6/2025 at 6:09 PM, sono4315 said: Hopeful they announce which independent grocery or chain will be taking up the first floor. Between this and the new building at the Peninsula we have a good chance of something really great to shop at! Adding a well known name would be a huge boost to downtown! Personally I would love to see Kroger or Trader Joe's but with two Krogers within a few miles each way that's probably not going to happen. I could see a whole Foods taking up home at the Peninsula. We will have to see. I heard Kroger isn’t interested in many more downtown locations *at the moment. The Downtown Cincy one is very nice and is about 50k SqFt on 2 floors. Traders Joes would be amazingggg. Edited February 20Feb 20 by 646empire
February 20Feb 20 19 minutes ago, VintageLife said: I’m still not super optimistic of it actually starting, but they are going at it pretty aggressively so that is a good sign. Maybe they already have a grocer lined up and willing to open. In reality the grocery here wouldn’t just be downtown. The entire olde Towne East, king Lincoln district, near east side and parts of the south side would probably use it. Why aren't you super optimistic? They were just granted their TMUD funds what, a month ago, and are already moving forward with demo and utility work. I mean sure, projects can always stall out, but they have been pretty consistently moving in a positive direction on this thing ever since it was first announced.
February 20Feb 20 34 minutes ago, cbussoccer said: That seems like an extensive amount of prep work. Regardless, it's good to see they are jumping right into this thing. Can't wait for vertical construction next year! Full architectural/structural/MEP drawings are not usually completed until after Commission approval. That takes time on larger projects. A developer does not want to pay for complete drawings until they know the project is approved.
February 20Feb 20 2 minutes ago, Pablo said: Full architectural/structural/MEP drawings are not usually completed until after Commission approval. That takes time on larger projects. A developer does not want to pay for complete drawings until they know the project is approved. Yea I get that. My point was 4 months just for demolition seems lengthy.
February 20Feb 20 16 minutes ago, cbussoccer said: Why aren't you super optimistic? They were just granted their TMUD funds what, a month ago, and are already moving forward with demo and utility work. I mean sure, projects can always stall out, but they have been pretty consistently moving in a positive direction on this thing ever since it was first announced. It’s just the unsure environment currently, with all the trade stuff happening. I hope I am wrong and that it moves forward as soon as they get all the demo and utility work done.
February 20Feb 20 They are still planning to incorporate the buildings/facades along 4th Street, right? I did not think their demolition was a part of the plan.
February 20Feb 20 8 minutes ago, MissinOhio said: They are still planning to incorporate the buildings/facades along 4th Street, right? I did not think their demolition was a part of the plan. Those buildings won’t be coming down. The only one that might be is the one at the corner of 4th and State, but with this saying only 4 buildings will be demoed I don’t think that’s part of this anymore.
February 20Feb 20 3 minutes ago, columbus17 said: They do have a grocer locked down for the peninsula from what I’ve heard as well…. That makes the fact that they continue to downsize and are unable to get part of the TMUD funding even more strange.
February 20Feb 20 1 hour ago, VintageLife said: I think this is the first time seeing the square footage of the commercial space for this. Those are huge and would be plenty of space for a number of grocery stores. Hopefully the second one can be split up, because getting two businesses that need that much space would be hard. That could have been written better. I'd assume the total square footage of 45,400 is for the spaces combined, not each.
February 20Feb 20 35 minutes ago, VintageLife said: That makes the fact that they continue to downsize and are unable to get part of the TMUD funding even more strange. They’re idiots. The moment you reject RAMSAs work you need to hang up the development hat. Way too many developers that have no clue what they’re doing these days.
February 20Feb 20 2 hours ago, columbus17 said: They do have a grocer locked down for the peninsula from what I’ve heard as well…. Any time frame on when this building will start? It will probably take at least 2 years to complete.
February 20Feb 20 24 minutes ago, sono4315 said: Any time frame on when this building will start? It will probably take at least 2 years to complete. They haven’t even gotten full approval yet, so I doubt it will start anytime soon. The developers chosen for the peninsula have been a joke.
February 20Feb 20 1 hour ago, VintageLife said: They haven’t even gotten full approval yet, so I doubt it will start anytime soon. The developers chosen for the peninsula have been a joke. Agree! Totally clean slate and this is what they came up with. SMH
February 25Feb 25 Why is the downtown commission so bad. They approve the main bar demolition without a pencil drawing of a new building, but this project gets stalled? Demolition request for 4 downtown buildings put on hold by commission The Downtown Commission tabled a certificate of appropriateness request for the demolition of the buildings at 175-199 E. Rich St. at its Tuesday meeting. Those structures, along with a vacated alley that runs through the site, would be torn down and replaced with a 504,000-square-foot building including residential, commercial and parking. Though commissioners expressed support for the project, they were hesitant to approve the demolition request without having updated design and engineering plans. That led the commission to continue the application until its April meeting. The developer has 30 days to resubmit in order to meet the application deadline for that meeting. If approved, demolition is expected to take three to four months. Existing utilities also would need to be relocated, which takes another three months, Bluestone said.
February 26Feb 26 2 hours ago, VintageLife said: Why is the downtown commission so bad. They approve the main bar demolition without a pencil drawing of a new building, but this project gets stalled? Demolition request for 4 downtown buildings put on hold by commission The Downtown Commission tabled a certificate of appropriateness request for the demolition of the buildings at 175-199 E. Rich St. at its Tuesday meeting. Those structures, along with a vacated alley that runs through the site, would be torn down and replaced with a 504,000-square-foot building including residential, commercial and parking. Though commissioners expressed support for the project, they were hesitant to approve the demolition request without having updated design and engineering plans. That led the commission to continue the application until its April meeting. The developer has 30 days to resubmit in order to meet the application deadline for that meeting. If approved, demolition is expected to take three to four months. Existing utilities also would need to be relocated, which takes another three months, Bluestone said. Idiots. There goes some big $$$ on that bridge loan. That's one way to start killing a deal...
February 26Feb 26 2 hours ago, VintageLife said: Why is the downtown commission so bad. They approve the main bar demolition without a pencil drawing of a new building, but this project gets stalled? Demolition request for 4 downtown buildings put on hold by commission The Downtown Commission tabled a certificate of appropriateness request for the demolition of the buildings at 175-199 E. Rich St. at its Tuesday meeting. Those structures, along with a vacated alley that runs through the site, would be torn down and replaced with a 504,000-square-foot building including residential, commercial and parking. Though commissioners expressed support for the project, they were hesitant to approve the demolition request without having updated design and engineering plans. That led the commission to continue the application until its April meeting. The developer has 30 days to resubmit in order to meet the application deadline for that meeting. If approved, demolition is expected to take three to four months. Existing utilities also would need to be relocated, which takes another three months, Bluestone said. SMH!!!
February 27Feb 27 The more I think about it, the more I'm OK with the commission tabling their approval until the design and engineering plans are finalized. I think we all agree that developers should have all their ducks in a row before being allowed to demo anything. The frustrating part for me is the fact that many other demos have been approved without any plans for a replacement. These developers seem ready to go, yet the commission decides this is the time they are going to pump the brakes on a demo. Very confusing.
February 27Feb 27 4 minutes ago, cbussoccer said: The more I think about it, the more I'm OK with the commission tabling their approval until the design and engineering plans are finalized. I think we all agree that developers should have all their ducks in a row before being allowed to demo anything. The frustrating part for me is the fact that many other demos have been approved without any plans for a replacement. These developers seem ready to go, yet the commission decides this is the time they are going to pump the brakes on a demo. Very confusing. Trying to be optimistic that it's a sign of a new approach moving forward...
February 27Feb 27 4 minutes ago, cbussoccer said: anything. The frustrating part for me is the fact that many other demos have been approved without any plans for a replacement. These developers seem ready to go, yet the commission decides this is the time they are going to pump the brakes on a demo. Very confusing. This is the annoying part. The spaghetti warehouse demo comes to mind. They had the most basic Microsoft paint style design presented.
March 1Mar 1 On 2/27/2025 at 4:52 PM, cbussoccer said: The more I think about it, the more I'm OK with the commission tabling their approval until the design and engineering plans are finalized. I think we all agree that developers should have all their ducks in a row before being allowed to demo anything. The frustrating part for me is the fact that many other demos have been approved without any plans for a replacement. These developers seem ready to go, yet the commission decides this is the time they are going to pump the brakes on a demo. Very confusing. They're trying to save on the interest... 4 months of interest on a construction loan for a deal this size will probably be in the millions...
March 19Mar 19 22 minutes ago, Jd1137 said: Any updates on this? Shouldn’t we be hearing back with design updates soon? The last time it was brought to the commission they didn’t fully approve and asked for a more detailed design.
March 24Mar 24 16-Bit announced the closure of their 4th Street location next week. Amazing how this great development has seemingly knocked out close to an entire block of one of the most popular pockets of the city. I'll be curious to see if Dirty Franks holds on or calls it quits too since they have the campus location now. I'm guessing 16-bit has somewhere else downtown lined up because I can't see them leaving a vacuum downtown like that. Edit: with this, if DF goes too, I'd honestly be ok with a revision to get rid of the DF and 16-bit building as they are the least contributing buildings in that stretch. Some sort of 3-5 story Street front design that steps it up to the adjoining building to the south. Edited March 24Mar 24 by DTCL11
March 24Mar 24 47 minutes ago, DTCL11 said: 16-Bit announced the closure of their 4th Street location next week. Amazing how this great development has seemingly knocked out close to an entire block of one of the most popular pockets of the city. I'll be curious to see if Dirty Franks holds on or calls it quits too since they have the campus location now. I'm guessing 16-bit has somewhere else downtown lined up because I can't see them leaving a vacuum downtown like that. Edit: with this, if DF goes too, I'd honestly be ok with a revision to get rid of the DF and 16-bit building as they are the least contributing buildings in that stretch. Some sort of 3-5 story Street front design that steps it up to the adjoining building to the south. I thought I read somewhere that since they bought the PINS downtown building that they were planning on putting the 16 bit games there, maybe on the 2nd floor? I guess they bought the PINS building due to the delay in the Peninsula buildings where they were originally going to go.
March 24Mar 24 1 hour ago, DTCL11 said: 16-Bit announced the closure of their 4th Street location next week. Amazing how this great development has seemingly knocked out close to an entire block of one of the most popular pockets of the city. I'll be curious to see if Dirty Franks holds on or calls it quits too since they have the campus location now. I'm guessing 16-bit has somewhere else downtown lined up because I can't see them leaving a vacuum downtown like that. Edit: with this, if DF goes too, I'd honestly be ok with a revision to get rid of the DF and 16-bit building as they are the least contributing buildings in that stretch. Some sort of 3-5 story Street front design that steps it up to the adjoining building to the south. Pins had already planned on leaving this location, even before the Estrella was announced. Originally they had planned on moving the peninsula, but that fell through. They bought their building on 4th and are renovating the top floor, which will house Pins. Dirty franks has no plans to close this location, but obviously that could change in the future. I doubt they would abandon this space though, it’s bigger than their campus spot and is busy on sports nights downtown.
March 24Mar 24 1 hour ago, DTCL11 said: 16-Bit announced the closure of their 4th Street location next week. Amazing how this great development has seemingly knocked out close to an entire block of one of the most popular pockets of the city. I'll be curious to see if Dirty Franks holds on or calls it quits too since they have the campus location now. I'm guessing 16-bit has somewhere else downtown lined up because I can't see them leaving a vacuum downtown like that. Edit: with this, if DF goes too, I'd honestly be ok with a revision to get rid of the DF and 16-bit building as they are the least contributing buildings in that stretch. Some sort of 3-5 story Street front design that steps it up to the adjoining building to the south. My guess would be under that stucco is some amazing brick work. Edited March 24Mar 24 by sono4315
March 24Mar 24 I knew about the delay and cancelled plans to move to Peninsula. I didn't know about them buying their existing location which now makes sense.
March 24Mar 24 I enjoyed the 16 bit on 4th street, I walked by Friday night and the entire place was packed shoulder to shoulder. This location was the best 16 bit in the city due to the setup and games they offered compared to the other locations. Not a fan of it going to Pins but I understand the reasons behind it.
March 24Mar 24 10 minutes ago, sono4315 said: My guess would be under that stucco is some amazing brick work. It's a 50/50 shot. The exposed center parapet between the buildings leads me to think the crown was removed and they just capped it so it's likely just a flat brick wall and the details were removed. Would be interesting to see it removed for fun
March 26Mar 26 4 minutes ago, Jd1137 said: When is the next downtown commission meeting? There was one yesterday and this wasn’t on it. The next one will be April 22nd. Finalizing the design will probably take a bit of time. I’m curious if it will look anything like the current renderings
March 26Mar 26 12 minutes ago, VintageLife said: There was one yesterday and this wasn’t on it. The next one will be April 22nd. Finalizing the design will probably take a bit of time. I’m curious if it will look anything like the current renderings I hope it looks more like the 1st those were amazing. I was told it was about half-baked when we saw it presented for the second time so there's that...
March 26Mar 26 6 hours ago, VintageLife said: There was one yesterday and this wasn’t on it. The next one will be April 22nd. Finalizing the design will probably take a bit of time. I’m curious if it will look anything like the current renderings Thanks! Hopefully so.
May 14May 14 April 22 came and went. I really have high hopes for this project. Hoping the surprise decision by the Downtown Commission to delay the demolition needed to proceed hasn't lead to problems that would further delay or jeopardize the project.
May 14May 14 Author 1 hour ago, CMHOhio said:April 22 came and went. I really have high hopes for this project. Hoping the surprise decision by the Downtown Commission to delay the demolition needed to proceed hasn't lead to problems that would further delay or jeopardize the project.Also not on the May agenda, so will now at least be a wait until June :/
May 15May 15 12 hours ago, CMHOhio said:April 22 came and went. I really have high hopes for this project. Hoping the surprise decision by the Downtown Commission to delay the demolition needed to proceed hasn't lead to problems that would further delay or jeopardize the project.If anything, IMO the delay shows exactly why the downtown commission needs to delay demolitions until projects are absolutely locked and ready to go. Too many times we've demo'ed stuff for projects that never happen and end up with nothing but another empty lot
May 15May 15 51 minutes ago, NW24HX said:If anything, IMO the delay shows exactly why the downtown commission needs to delay demolitions until projects are absolutely locked and ready to go. Too many times we've demo'ed stuff for projects that never happen and end up with nothing but another empty lotWell in their defense nothing they're knocking down is contributing anything more than a surface lot.
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