This could be way good.....

 

Condos, shops entertained for Over-the-Rhine

 

 

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By Ken Alltucker

The Cincinnati Enquirer

 

 

A week after the city of Cincinnati approved a deal to build 25 Vine Street condos next to the Kroger garage, two major companies unveiled a $25 million project Tuesday that could add another 100 condos and several shops to Over-the-Rhine.

 

Western & Southern Financial Group and PNC Bank say a combination of new and renovated housing and commercial space along Vine, Walnut and Mercer streets could spur even more development in the neighborhood north of downtown.

 

The new owner-occupied homes in Over-the-Rhine also could be an important step for a neighborhood saddled with decades of poverty and crime.

 

Although Western-Southern has spent more than $2 million to acquire 29 parcels spread over two blocks, both companies cautioned that tough economic and marketing details must be worked out before construction of Mercer Commons starts.

 

 

Read more here:

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/03/24/biz_westernsouthern24.html

YAY!

Hopefully this comes to fruition. Soon, there's going to be a lot of housing between Central Pkwy and 12th there in OTR.

 

I'm also glad to hear the city approved the condos attached to the Kroger garage.

I hope this trend continues.

OTR: Trying again

 

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By Barry M. Horstman

Post staff reporter

 

Today, the blocks at the heart of Over-the-Rhine epitomize the inner-city neighborhood's bleak realities and daunting challenges: abandoned buildings, weedy vacant lots, corners where drug dealers and hookers maneuver for prime spots, gaudily painted storefronts that have long been havens for various forms of illegal trade.

But to a handful of urban pioneer dreamers, the gritty 2½-acre tract could become the sparkling symbol of what Over-the-Rhine once was and hopes again to be: a vibrant, desirable neighborhood that is home to residents as diverse economically as they are demographically, a proud place people seek out -- not do their best to avoid.

 

The source of those dreams is Mercer Place, a proposed $25 million residential development that Over-the-Rhine leaders hope could become a catalyst that helps to dramatically expand the isolated pockets of progress seen in the troubled community over the past decade.

 

"It's a wonderful project with great potential to  spark other wonderful things,'' said Marge Hammelrath, director of the Over-the-Rhine Foundation and long one of the community's most visible activists.

 

"I never thought we'd get past the Findlay Market area in my lifetime, but we have. This would be another giant step forward. Many of us have been waiting for something like this for a long time.''

 

 

 

Link unavailable

i really like the sound of this project. i got an email last week regarding the urbanists meeting, but was unable to attend although i wanted to.

i wonder if there are any renderings floating around...

You know, Western & Southern (for all the flak they get for being a corporate entity) has been one of the best corporate friends Cincy ever had. They've kept up buildings in the Lytle Park area, they are at the forefront of the QCS development, and they're paying the city back by helping with residential developments in an area where most moneyed entities wouldn't even bother to give a toss.

 

I know the idea of this came out weeks ago, but it's very good to hear it again. It means that it isn't fading into the great abyss like a lot of projects, and that there are still people who give a damn about this city (hello, Cincinnati Bell).

Western-Southern and PNC will both deserve credit if they do finance this proposal, but it might not happen. It sounds hopeful, but who knows what may transpire?

I haven't heard anything about this in a long time.  I can't find any current information anywhere.

 

All I know that's new is that CPS voted to purchase a parcel of the property for the new Washington Park School.  So what's the deal here?

A friend of mine on City Council, I won't name any names, says the plan's dead. It's a shame.

Shitty.

that is too deep in the hood for anything to happen yet, i knew that would be a failure:( I walk to krogers thru that area..all pimps hoes drug dealers and crackheads..

^ Well, would it ever not be so deep in the hood?

Someday I hope. OTR is my favorite place in Cincinnati, I love it's history the architecture, the people, minus the crackheadpimpshoedrugpushers.

My point being is that someone needs to take the first step to develop, even though it's deep in the hood.

 

If they just sit around and wait for the crackheadpimpshoedrugpushers to go away, then the neighborhood will never improve.

Development IS happening -- it's creeping in around the Sycamore/Main/Clay area...I think Mr. Coffee is right, certain areas are too deep in the hood at the moment to be viable development opportunities....but barring any disasters, I think it WILL happen eventually.  For me the major questions are whether we'll do a good job preserving the endangered buildings, whether infill will be designed in character with the neighborhood, and whether we'll control gentrification enough that low income and lower middle class people will still have a place there.  Those are my biggest concerns.  Unfortunately the city doesn't seem to care too much about preservation, and they seem to think that ANY development is good development (i.e. the Gateway condos)

OTR is so large there is plenty of room for all income levels...it will never be hyde park so the thought of gentrification of OTR is an oxymoron. The new gateway project, Art institute and various condo conversions going on now is the start of the rebirth of the area I believe. I am diehard preservationist as you can see from my previous posts. I believe that every contributing building still standing needs to be saved. There are a few non contributing buildings in OTR that I hope would disappear from the landscape..The Medcenter on liberty, KFC, Shell station, free store foodbank and the newest eyesore the cell tower north of liberty at Walnut.. How the Hell did that get put there???!! The church steeples used to be the highest point in the sky and now there is an ugly cell tower ruining the historical skyline. I am thinking that maybe calling or  emailing  people like Moll from urban sites in other cities and tell them about the urban stock we are waiting for them to bring back to life might be something we all can do.

Although I'm not sure I agree with your perspective on gentrification, I am TOTALLY with you on the preservation side of things.  It's good to know that someone else out there sees the value in preserving EVERY contributing building.

Oh, and the Medcenter is absolutely freaking hideous.  It makes me sick every time I think about what they probably tore down to put that thing up.  Haven't seen the cell tower yet, and I'm not sure I want to.

Have you seen pictures of liberty st before they widened it?? wish we could go back in time!

It seems to me that a lot of time preservation requires gentrification. Do you think someone will put millions into a building to restore and preserve it and then continue charging rock-bottom rents?

More on eyesores... I drive or walk past the freestore foodbank everyday and that mess they make on the ground is so nasty that I have called keep cincinnati beautiful to make them aware of that problem and people who trash the Nati. I don't care whose property it is they need to keep it clean looks like the aftermath of a tsunami on an almost  daily basis. 

^I agree, the area around the front door of the foodbank is nasty. I walk by there every day too.  Maybe I've seen Mr. Coffee before?

Whoever the planners were that advocated demolition and "urban renewal" back in the day should be...I don't know, the opposite of martyrs or something.

Interesting points of view.  I personally hope OTR is as gentrified as Laramer Square in Denver currently is.

Bad comparison.  Lamamer Square was never as bad as Over-The-Rhine.  Now, Fells Point in Baltimore WAS as bad (if not worse) and that came back and came back strong.  Hopefully, we use Fells Point as an example.

How gentrified is Laramer Square?

The wharf aspect adds a lot to Fells Point. Also, the buildings are considerably smaller, making it is easier for one person to convert one into a single-family home.  And the metro population is much greater with housing prices that compel people to rehab downtrodden areas.

Larimer Square in Denver is only about two blocks long and one wide.  Very cool retail spot, but size-wise is nothing compared to OTR.

Larimer Square in Denver is only about two blocks long and one wide. Very cool retail spot, but size-wise is nothing compared to OTR.

 

Fair enough, here is a pic I took over the summer:

 

 

 

Great pic, OTR is coming along well.

Main Street in OTR is pretty much just as cool looking as the strip in that pic.  And if Larimer Square is only a couple blocks long, OTR totally has it beat.

 

Have you guys seen this quote?

 

"In all of America, there is no more promising an urban area for revitalization than your own Over-the-Rhine. When I look at that remarkably untouched, expansive section of architecturally uniform structures, unmarred by clashing modern structures, I see in my mind the possibility for a revived district that literally could rival similar prosperous and heavily visited areas."

 

-Arthur Frommer, renowned travel writer

When my brother stays with me (Downtown) I have to drive him to school around 9 (UC) and my primary route is naturally Vine St. Today I made this particular trip and was solicited drugs in my car 3 times LOL. I HAAAATE stopping at red lights there, it is probably the most active area of streetlife in the city though on the plus side lol.  When I read this in the beginning I had thought wow, why would anyone be so daring as to make a project there. I mean it would be FANTASTIC as its a grand gateway to the city with beautiful architecture, but making it inhabitable is going to be a long complicated project. Everytime I make the drive through there I pee my pants at how cool the buildings are.

Yes taking Vine is an exciting experience, I got the courage up to WALK alll the way up vine st from central parkway to mulberry st right where it climbs the hill,  It is a totally different experience walking than driving...you see little things that architectually blows your mind!!  my favorite area and of course the most dangerous, so I have never walked it is REpublic street. I probably say the same thing over and over, lol but  it takes you back in time, then you hear a thumping caprice...

 

 

3CDC buying OTR block

BY LISA BERNARD-KUHN | [email protected]

OVER-THE-RHINE – A plan that could deliver new commercial space and rehabbed apartments to Mercer Commons – a site long targeted for redevelopment – is inching forward.

 

Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC), the city of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Public Schools are working out the details of a purchase agreement for the property – which is bound by 13th, 14th, Vine and Walnut streets, said Steve Leeper, 3CDC executive director.

 

The site, which is now owned by CPS, was the 2003 target for a $25 million housing redevelopment planned by Western & Southern Financial Group.

 

That plan was sidelined after the school district asked Western & Southern to sell it the property in 2005 as a potential site to replace Washington Park School. However, a declining population of school children in the neighborhood led CPS to cancel that plan.

 

Leeper wouldn’t give a sale price, although officials at the non-profit development group said in the spring they had offered $4.2 million for the property.

 

The new proposal calls for the city of Cincinnati to purchase the property, then sell the site to 3CDC. “The city has the ability to implement development strategies, which makes them much more flexible,” versus buying directly from the schools, Leeper said.

 

...

 

Preliminary plans for the site would include market rate and affordable rental units, along with some commercial space, Leeper said.

 

“Ideally, we would like to begin in the early part of the next calendar year,” he said.

Meanwhile, 3CDC and other developers in Cincinnati recently learned that a tool for financing historic rehab projects has been placed back on the books in Ohio.

 

Read more here:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080610/BIZ01/306100062

So, I'm a bit confused.  Does the article mean to say that the Enquirer Buildings will likely sit there as it has for a few more years?

No, I don't think so!  This is a seperate property, I believe.    I hadn't heard anything about not finishing the Enquirer Building.

The article is about these buildings that were purchased by CPS for a possible new elementary school, but are now heading to 3CDC for some development:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,2568.msg45470.html#msg45470

 

Am I reading this wrong? 

 

So they are demoing essentially the whole block?  Some of those look good enough for 3CDC's scope like the 1st phase of Gateway.  Especially the 8 on Walnut.  That will be a shame to loose most of these.

CPS was going to demo the block for a new Washington Park Elem.  Now that they appear to be agreeing to sell, they will likely be rehabbed.  This is good news

This is good news

No, this is great news.  Look at the development, all the way up Vine and now 3 buildings on Main and this connects the two.  This now puts 3CDC on Race, Vine, Walnut and Main (and pleasant, republic and the cross streets).  Now if we can just go north of Liberty.

Anyone interested in an Urban Ohio tour of Gateway?  If I can pull together 10 or 15 (or more) people then we will provide lunch and get you through some buildings and units that aren't even on the market yet.  Just let me know and we can figure out a date that is good for everyone.

I would probably be insterested...I've been through the current building but would like to see the new, in progress ones.

I will see if I can get us into the Main Street buildings on the tour, we couldn't even do that on the blogger tour a few months ago. Drywall was delivered yesterday so there is now something to see.  Just PM me and then I will figure out a date with everyone and get it coordinated with the Q.

Yea I think it will go North of Liberty...it's just a matter of time.  That streetcar will help that very wish come true;) but the whole area by Schwartz's Point is sweet looking and there's plenty of cool looking buildings to keep.

^There actually were plans drawn up in the 1930's for a "Race St. Viaduct" that would have demolished most of that area.  Basically it was an effort to allow a direct connection between southbound Vine St. and Race, which was at the time being converted to one-way.  It would have diverged from Vine at Robert A's Curve Cafe, passed above Clifton, and touched down on Race right around Findlay Market. 

Am I reading this wrong? 

 

So they are demoing essentially the whole block?

 

They'll be rehabbing those structures without a doubt.  3CDC has done nothing to show that they are interested in tearing down historic structures for "progress."  Their idea of "progress" so far has been to rehab beautiful historic structures in a high-quality fashion.  Look for this to continue down the road.

3CDC nears deal for Mercer Commons in Over-the-Rhine

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/06/09/daily32.html

 

The city of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Public Schools are closing in on a deal for the city to purchase property in Over-the-Rhine known as Mercer Commons.

 

The 2.2 acre site was assembled by a development subsidiary of Western & Southern Financial Group for a housing redevelopment. Cincinnati Public Schools bought the property in 2005 with plans to build a new school on the land. But those plans were scuttled because the district determined the new school wasn't needed there.

 

Now the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp., the nonprofit development agency known as 3CDC, has been urging the city to purchase the property from CPS so that 3CDC can develop the site as part of its work to revitalize Over-the-Rhine. The site stretches from 13th Street to 14th Street and from Vine Street to Walnut Street.

 

 

 

Click the above link for the rest of the article.

Sounds like CPS is done standing in the way of progress in OTR. I hope they stick with their new attitude.

 

3CDC has really done a bang-up job down there, here's to them continuing their good work. ...

 

 

Does 3CDC own "Wielerts" on Vine St. ?  plans?  great big space on main floor - perfect for restaurant/bar/club I'd think.    and put me down for Q (or any other letter) tour. 

Sounds like CPS is done standing in the way of progress in OTR. I hope they stick with their new attitude.

 

3CDC has really done a bang-up job down there, here's to them continuing their good work. ...

 

Here is what we almost lost due to 3cdc and Cps back in 05.

My opinion of 3cdc has changed but it was scary that we almost lost so many buildings.. 22 to be exact..

 

1329 Walnut

1333 Walnut

1335 Walnut

1339 Walnut

1341 Walnut (2 blgs)

1349-55 Walnut (3blg?)

17 Mercer

19 Mercer

23-25 Mercer

27 Mercer

18, 20, 24 Mercer

26 Mercer

25 E. 14th St.

11 E. 14th (not owned by schools)

1317 Walnut (front and rear blgs)

1313 Walnut

 

CPS Waste Of Money

 

Reported and Web Produced by:

Laure Quinlivan

Photographed by: Phil Drechsler

Updated: 11/06/05 22:20:46

 

(Carol)

 

CINCINNATI SCHOOL SCHOOLS MAY BE WASTING MILLIONS OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS. THE CHANNEL 9 I-TEAM INVESTIGATES A RECENT PURCHASE BY CPS THAT'S PART OF ITS BILLION DOLLAR SCHOOL-BUILDING PROGRAM.

 

(Clyde)

 

CRITICS ASKED THE I-TEAM TO INVESTIGATE THE CPS PLAN THEY CLAIM IS BAD FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BAD FOR KIDS, AND BAD FOR TAXPAYERS.

 

(Laure on set)

 

WE FOUND CPS STAFF AND BOARD MEMBERS DIDN'T DO THEIR HOMEWORK BEFORE APPROVING THIS DEAL. IT'S THE BRAINCHILD OF THE NONPROFIT GROUP RE-DOING FOUNTAIN SQUARE…CINCINNATI CENTER CITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, BETTER KNOWN AS 3CDC.

 

BONG  I love that bong sound..

 

(nat)

 

ELEMENTARY STUDENTS AT WASHINGTON PARK SCHOOL WILL GET A NEW BUILDING SOON, (nat) BUT NOT ON THE SOUTH END OF THE PARK WHERE CONSTRUCTION WAS PLANNED. SUPPORTERS OF THE SCHOOL FOR CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS WANTED THIS PRIME LOCATION CLOSE TO MUSIC HALL, AND GOT 3CDC TO HELP THEM GET IT.

 

(Steve Leeper, 3CDC CEO) "A number of corporate and private funders that are putting…there is over $30 million dollars of private money going into the school for performing arts."

 

3CDC PROMISED THEY'D FIND A NEW LOCATION FOR WASHINGTON PARK SCHOOL, SOUTH OF LIBERTY STREET AS CPS REQUESTED. HERE IT IS…THIS BLOCK OF EMPTY BUILDINGS ON WALNUT & MERCER, KNOWN AS MERCER COMMONS.

 

(Ty Provosty, OTR Resident) "This has all been done behind back doors, without public communication. Why would anyone want to stay in this city if this is the way things are?"

 

ARCHITECT TY PROVOSTY HAS LIVED IN OVER THE RHINE 21 YEARS, IN THIS HISTORIC HOME HE RENOVATED HIMSELF. HIS CHILDREN WENT TO CPS SCHOOLS. HE SAYS MERCER COMMONS IS NOT SAFE FOR SCHOOLKIDS.

 

(Ty Provosty, OTR Resident)"What they're thinking of doing with the children is unbelievable."

 

(Steve Leeper, 3CDC CEO) "What do you mean the safety of that location?

 

(Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "It's the worst crime area in all the city."

 

(Steve Leeper) "I would not say that that's the fact."

 

POLICE RECORDS SHOW IT IS THE FACT.

 

IN A RECENT 6 MONTH PERIOD, THE POLICE REPORTING AREA THAT INCLUDES MERCER COMMONS HAD 224 PART ONE CRIMES --SERIOUS VIOLENT CRIMES. IT'S MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE WASHINGTON PARK AREA….AND FIVE TIMES AS DANGEROUS AS THE ROTHENBERG LOCATION WHERE RESIDENTS WANT TO PUT THE NEW SCHOOL.

 

(Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "So this really is safer? (Ty Provosty, OTR Resident) It's much safer."

 

PROVOSTY SAYS ROTHENBERG IS SITTING EMPTY. BUILT OF SOLID STONE IN 1913, HE CALLS IT AN HISTORIC TREASURE THAT SHOULD BE RENOVATED.

 

(Ty Provosty) "The amazing frieze with hand-carved gargoyles." (Laure) Wow."

 

HE SAYS ROTHENBERG CAN HOLD 650 STUDENTS AND HAS ROOM TO ADD PARKING AND GREEN SPACE. IT'S IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, CLOSE TO MULBERRY HILL, ACROSS THE STREET FROM A CITY-OWNED BASKETBALL COURT AND PLAYGROUND. THERE'S EVEN A VIEW.

 

(Ty Provosty) "It's a nice view of downtown."

 

PRESERVATIONISTS SAY RENOVATING ROTHENBERG PREVENTS THIS.

 

(nat sound demolition  ) DESTROYING THE NEIGHBORHOOD,.

 

(Ken Jones, Architect & OTR Resident) "Mercer Commons basically are all these historic buildings. There's 22 historic buildings, represents a whole block face, in this case which, if this plan goes through, will be torn down."

 

SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT FRANCES NEWELL. 

 

(Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "Do you have any concern about that?"

 

(Frances Newell, CPS Board President) "I have to honestly say I don't have any concern about historic buildings, I know that's not the politically correct response, my concern is about providing buildings for our children today"

 

(Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "You live in a beautiful historic home. Are you concerned that this Mercer Commons site is going to entail tearing down 22 buildings most of them historic buildings?"

 

(Melanie Bates, CPS Board Member) "It's retrospective and we've made our decision and I stand behind the board decision, but that is not something that came up at the time."

(Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter)

 

ANOTHER THING THAT DIDN'T COME UP AT THE TIME THEY VOTED, WAS SOMETHING PRETTY BASIC-- THE TOTAL COST OF BUILDING HERE. BOARD MEMBERS APPROVED BUYING THE BUILDINGS, WITHOUT COST ESTIMATES FOR DEMOLITION, FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS AND FOR ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING THAT HAS TO BE DONE HERE.

 

 

RENOVATING HERE WOULD COST A LOT LESS.

 

(Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "If they changed their mind and did what you want, renovate Rothenberg, How much money would that save taxpayers?"

 

(Ty Provosty, OTR Resident) "According to our estimates they would save between 8 and 10 million dollars."

THAT'S WORTH DISCUSSING. BUT CPS STALLED OUR REQUEST TO INTERVIEW SUPERINTENDENT ROSA BLACKWELL FOR MORE THAN A MONTH…WE FINALLY JUST SHOWED UP.

 

(security guard) "You cannot come down here, you are going to have to go there." (Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "I'd just like to ask a question of the superintendent before the board meeting starts.

 

WE TRIED THE OTHER SIDE, BUT SECURITY BLOCKED US AGAIN.

 

(Laure Quinlivan) "What do I have to do to talk to the superintendent?"

 

WE WANT TO KNOW WHY CPS PAID 3.9 MILLION FOR THE MERCER COMMONS BUILDINGS, WHEN PUBLISHED REPORTS SAY THE SAME BUILDINGS SOLD A COUPLE YEARS AGO FOR 2.2 MILLION.

 

(Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "You paid almost double what the buildings went for just a couple years before. Why did you do that? (Frances Newell, CPS Board President) Well two things. One, I think it's hard to determine how much a building is worth."

 

NOT REALLY.

 

(Graphic )

 

THAT'S WHY YOU GET APPRAISALS. ALL THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS WE TALKED TO GET APPRAISALS BEFORE BUYING PROPERTY…BATAVIA SAID 'ABSOLUTELY'. WAYNE SAYS IT'S 'THE PRUDENT THING TO DO…" AND WILLIAMSBURG SAID "APPRAISALS ENSURE UTILIZING TAXPAYER MONEY RESPONSIBLY."

 

THE I-TEAM LEARNED CPS USUALLY GETS APPRAISALS, BUT FOR THESE 22 MERCER COMMONS BUILDINGS…CPS DID NOT.

 

(Ty Provosty, OTR Resident) "I think it's irresponsible."

 

CPS BOUGHT THE BUILDINGS FROM JOHN BARRETT, CHAIRMAN OF WESTERN & SOUTHERN, AN EXECUTIVE WHO'S ALSO A 3CDC BOARD MEMBER.

 

(Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "You recommend this site. This was your number one recommendation, right? (Steve Leeper, 3CDC CEO) Yes. (Laure Quinlivan) Then it just so happens to be owned by a 3cdc board members, doesn't that put you in a sort of conflict of interest kind of perception, anyway? (Steve Leeper) Probably everything we do, you could make that argument about Fountain Square. You know we're doing Fountain Square and it happens to be in a 3cdc board members front door. I would say that is not the most ideal situation, on the other hand, they didn't want to sell the site."

 

LEEPER SAYS HE TALKED JOHN BARRETT INTO SELLING TO CPS --AT COST.

 

(Steve Leeper, 3CDC CEO) "He agreed to sell it at cost he incurred on the property."

 

(Ken Jones, Architect & OTR Resident) "They sold it to the school board for $4 million claiming that's the amount of money they had in it. Well that may be what they had in it, but it didn't add anything to the value of these buildings, so in my estimation the school board paid more than it's worth."

 

(Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "Do you think you overpaid for the buildings today?" (Frances Newell, CPS Board President) "Um, in dollars and cents, the answer would be yes."

 

(Nat)

 

 

OVER THE RHINE RESIDENT WALTER REINHAUS GIVES ODD JOBS TO NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS…HE WANTS CPS TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR KIDS.

 

(Walter Reinhaus, OTR Comm. Council) "To do this right CPS has got to involve more voices that just 3cdc and they haven't been, especially since they decided to not pursue fixing up Rothenberg."

 

RESIDENTS HAVE MADE THEIR CASE TO CPS…

 

(Ty Provosty at CPS meeting) "We're talking about taking 22 buildings most of which are housing and demolishing them."

 

BUT CLAIM THEY GET NO RESPONSE.

 

(Laure Quinlivan, I-Team Reporter) "We've heard from a CPS Board member that it's a done deal. Is it too late to change?" (Ty Provosty, OTR Resident) "It's absolutely not too late."

 

EVEN 3CDC AGREES WITH THAT.

 

(Steve Leeper, 3CDC CEO) "Blame us for a bad recommendation and blame CPS for making a bad choice…I think this all goes away if the school board decides that they don't, and it's only the school board decision, if they don't want to use the property, let's get it developed for residential purposes."

 

BONG

 

(Laure on set)

 

LEEPER SAYS 3CDC WILL HELP FIND A DEVELOPER TO BUY THE BUILDINGS AND CREATE HOUSING, IF CPS WANTS TO RENOVATE ROTHENBERG. RESIDENTS WOULD BE THRILLED. THEY SAY HOMEOWNERSHIP IS THE BEST WAY TO IMPROVE SAFETY.

 

(Clyde)

 

MAYBE WESTERN & SOUTHERN WOULD BUY THEM BACK?

 

(Laure)

 

 

I TALKED WITH JOHN BARRETT ON THE PHONE ABOUT THAT. HE SAYS HE'D TALK WITH COLLEAGUES AND CONSIDER IT, BUT CPS HAS NOT APPROACHED HIM ABOUT IT.

 

(Carol) ANY WORD FROM CPS ON THIS?

 

(LAURE)

 

NO, BUT THERE'S A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING TOMORROW NIGHT AND RESIDENTS MAY ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS. MAYBE NOW THEY'LL GET A RESPONSE. AND REMEMBER, TUESDAY IS ELECTION DAY-- SOME BOARD MEMBERS MAY BE OUT OF A JOB BY THEN.