Posted April 18, 200718 yr Downtown boom - What else is needed? April 18, 2007 | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Our Forum section this coming Sunday will focus on the housing boom that is sweeping downtown Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky shores. As our report will show, home buyers love their new condos with great views of the river or skylines. They’re walking to work, the theater and Reds and Bengals games. They’re feasting on new restaurants around a re-invented Fountain Square. For more information, click the above link. Downtown Boom: Share your thoughts
April 18, 200718 yr We all know that downtown has been rebounding and gaining serious momentum, but the Enquirer is finally discussing the issue! Finally the downtown rebirth has come far enough that no one can possibly ignore the fact that its occurring!
April 18, 200718 yr I read that article and nearly shat my pants.... "A positive article about DT in the Enquirer!!??!?!"
April 19, 200718 yr Wow. Just wow. The Cincinnati Business magazine had a small, but great article on downtown housing a few months back.
April 19, 200718 yr I am shocked, but I am going to withold judgment until they print the article. They can be sneaky. At least this appears to be positive - maybe they can string a few more positive pieces together. This feeling makes it even more amazing that the paper almost used to be a cheerleader for the city - I miss those days.
April 19, 200718 yr I am shocked, but I am going to withold judgment until they print the article. They can be sneaky. At least this appears to be positive - maybe they can string a few more positive pieces together. I agree. i wonder if there will be some back-handed compliments in the article. I did post my thoughts on the board. I said that I can find most things I need within walking distance, and Findlay Market meets most of my grocery needs. Therefore, I don't drive to the suburbs to grocery shop very often (It's getting to be less than once a month). I mentioned that two main things are needed though - streetcars and more condos below $300,000.
April 19, 200718 yr Our favorite newspaper to loathe had something nice to say about the Queen City? I just picked my jaw up...
April 19, 200718 yr They've said a lot of positive things lately...not just now. At least every time I happen to pick up the Enquirer. The front page thing about citywest was very positive. There was another positive article about the rebirth in OTR I remember seeing.
April 19, 200718 yr has anyone actually gone to their site and written an entry? I did late last night.
April 19, 200718 yr has anyone actually gone to their site and written an entry? I also wrote an entry...likely none of our response will be printed, but I am hopeful. The Enquirer has managed to ignore me every time I write them.
April 19, 200718 yr likely none of our response will be printed, but I am hopeful. Again, you should receive a phone call if they are considering publishing your response. That's all I'm saying for now. ;)
April 19, 200718 yr I can't wait to read posted comments (i.e. myths) from people in Delhi, Finneytown and West Chester et al. who say they don't go downtown because (a) there is nowhere to park; and (b) crime lurks on every corner, while also admitting that they haven't set foot downtown in 15 years.
April 19, 200718 yr Ouch Let's face it, Cincinnati is no longer an urban/cultural city. This is a suburban-oriented city, people who get around in cars (not trains/subways). People who live above Ronald Reagan Hwy live up there. It's is there own city. West Chester, Mason, Kenwood are the real centers of this city. I think we are trying too hard to get people to live with a Model T car when people have evolved into the newer ways of living. --James, Columbia Tusculum, Thursday, April 19, 2007 - 2:04:00 PM
April 20, 200718 yr Ouch Let's face it, Cincinnati is no longer an urban/cultural city. This is a suburban-oriented city, people who get around in cars (not trains/subways). People who live above Ronald Reagan Hwy live up there. It's is there own city. West Chester, Mason, Kenwood are the real centers of this city. I think we are trying too hard to get people to live with a Model T car when people have evolved into the newer ways of living. --James, Columbia Tusculum, Thursday, April 19, 2007 - 2:04:00 PM Seems odd coming from a guy in C-T, but I disagree with him on the Mason/WC/Kenwood comment. I have lived here for about twenty years and other than Kings Island/Tennis I have never been to Mason, I have only been to WC twice, and that was work related, and I have been to Kenwood a handful of times to shop, although I hate malls in general. Other than Kenwood Towne Center, there is nothing the everyday person needs from anything in Mason or WC. How many people from NKY do you think go to any of these areas on a regular basis for reasons other than work, or ladies shopping at Kenwood Towne Center?
April 20, 200718 yr Many people in the NKY suburbs don't even go to Covington, not to mention Ohio. I've had conversations with some of them, and they don't have any conception of what much of the world is like. But in the end, their views aren't that important. As long as we build a city for the people who appreciate urban culture, then we'll have a great place to live!
April 20, 200718 yr They called me and wanted a photo emailed to accompany my comments and I demurred. Not sure if that means they will still print my comments or not.
April 20, 200718 yr A friend of mine in the Mason area that rarely comes to downtown is even taking note or some sort of positive change taking place.
April 20, 200718 yr Ouch Let's face it, Cincinnati is no longer an urban/cultural city. This is a suburban-oriented city, people who get around in cars (not trains/subways). People who live above Ronald Reagan Hwy live up there. It's is there own city. West Chester, Mason, Kenwood are the real centers of this city. I think we are trying too hard to get people to live with a Model T car when people have evolved into the newer ways of living. --James, Columbia Tusculum, Thursday, April 19, 2007 - 2:04:00 PM I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one. The traffic in West Chester is just as bad, if not worse, that it is in Cincinnati, and there aren't nearly as many things to do. Aside from Kings Island, and Fields Ertel, there isn't much going on there. It's just mostly overpriced suburban subdivisions. And the only way I would go to Kenwood, is if I wanted to pay $40 for a T-shirt. These places are nothing more than big suburbs. They do not have art centers, museums, sports teams, historical sights, or the overall diversity that Downtown Cincinnati offers. I have a lot of friends from Mason, and one from West Chester. They all work in Cincinnati, and most of the bars and restaurants we frequent are in downtown because it's centrally located and there are tons of places we can go. I just read in the paper yesterday that the Banks project has preliminary plans in place, even though they won't share the plans with the public. But that's understandable considering the blue prints are still owned by the developers. I'm holding my breath, but it looks like the Banks is finally going to happen. On an aside....yes the enquirer will call you if they print anything, and for whatever reason, they always want a picture.
April 20, 200718 yr Here is a follow up... Wanted: More People BY TONY LANG | [email protected] April 20, 2007 CINCINNATI - What else would enliven the center-city mix? More People. That's a first priority, downtown true-believers and development pros say. The boom in new condos is helping populate the central core 24/7, giving it new vitality long after most office workers have left for the suburbs each night. But there's more to be done. For Cincinnati's Central Business District, the magic number has been pegged, unofficially, at 10,000 residents - a total last seen in the early 1900s. Downtown Cincinnati Inc. estimates 83,000 people work downtown, but only 4,000 live there. That population almost doubles if you count residents on downtown's fringes, in places like Pendleton, City West/Betts-Longworth and Adams Landing. About 13,000 people live in Covington and Newport's "Southbank" districts, many in new high rises or rehabbed historic mansions. Northern Kentucky's Vision 2015 plan sets a 10-year goal of adding 4,500 new residents with 3,000 new or rehabbed housing units in those downtowns. So much depends on growing the numbers. Residents with sufficient stakes in their neighborhoods help keep crime down. Vibrant urban cores in Denver, San Diego, Atlanta and Austin attract 20- to 35-year-old professionals, bright workers who are leaving here. Experts warn that the window of opportunity won't last forever. "The next generation already grew up in shopping malls," says Laura Long, executive director of the Cincinnati Business Committee. "They don't remember downtown as a vibrant great place to go." Here are a few versions of the same type of article that cover the other topics addressed. I guess this is sort of a preview for whats to come in the final article: Wanted: Streetcars Wanted: Specialty Stops, Shops Wanted: Movies, Night Life Wanted: Leadership Smarts Wanted: Groceries Wanted: Creative Clusters Wanted: A Big Bang Wanted: The Basics, Plus Wanted: Arts for Tomorrow Wanted: Mid-priced Condos
April 20, 200718 yr Here is an interactive map of the center city residential development in Cincinnati. This is very cool, and really illustrates how much has been done just over the past couple of years! Interactive Map: Downtown Development
April 22, 200718 yr Here is a link that has all of the features of this disconnected article: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=wishlist
April 22, 200718 yr I am so furious with the Enquirer right now. They butchered my statement and twisted the whole context of it. I am embarrassed. At first, I was thrilled when they called me for a picture because that meant my positive comments would be published. The following is the full text of what I said: "Downtown does have a lot to offer, and I can find almost everything I need within walking distance. Findlay Market meets most of my grocery needs as well, so I rarely drive out to the suburbs for grocery shopping. However, there are two major things needed to help the center-city mix. A streetcar from Findlay Market to the riverfront would be a great way to link the current attractions in OTR to the Central Business District. Studies have shown that this is a great way to encourage development in urban areas. Also, we need more affordable condos. The average young, single person can not afford most of them. Having a bigger mix of incomes may encourage a bigger mix of restaurants and retail." They published my picture of a portion of those comments on the front page of the forum section. The ONLY portion of that they published was "We need more affordable condos. The average young, single person can not afford most of them. Having a bigger mix of incomes may encourage a bigger mix of restaurants and retail." I am so mad that I am shaking right now.
April 22, 200718 yr in fact, can we somehow get rid of any post pertaining to that awful post. Id like it to be gone, even when its referred to in other peoples posts!
April 22, 200718 yr We need more affordable condos. The average young, single person can not afford most of them. Having a bigger mix of incomes may encourage a bigger mix of restaurants and retail." ...but this is a valid observation. That has been a complaint I have with this downtown housing trend as it is playing out in Ohio, not just in Cincinnati. The pricing seems geared to people already making a lot of money, not to single younger people at the start of their careers (or young couples) who might not at the peak of their earning power yet. I think this youthfull demographic is the most likely market for in-town living. It could be the cost of these types of development are such that they have to be at higher prices, for the developers to recoup their investment and turn an acceptable profit. But it is unfortunate that younger people are priced out.
April 22, 200718 yr ^ I truly believe this, but I was disappointed that this was the only point they published on the front page of the forum section. I've heard quite a few people say that they would love to continue living downtown, but they can't afford anything to buy, and they are tired of renting.
April 22, 200718 yr the problem is providing two structured parking spots costs 50k, for a 200k condo, that is a quarter of the price, cut down the parking to one spot and you save around 13%
April 23, 200718 yr I am so furious with the Enquirer right now. They butchered my statement and twisted the whole context of it. I am embarrassed. At first, I was thrilled when they called me for a picture because that meant my positive comments would be published. The following is the full text of what I said: "Downtown does have a lot to offer, and I can find almost everything I need within walking distance. Findlay Market meets most of my grocery needs as well, so I rarely drive out to the suburbs for grocery shopping. However, there are two major things needed to help the center-city mix. A streetcar from Findlay Market to the riverfront would be a great way to link the current attractions in OTR to the Central Business District. Studies have shown that this is a great way to encourage development in urban areas. Also, we need more affordable condos. The average young, single person can not afford most of them. Having a bigger mix of incomes may encourage a bigger mix of restaurants and retail." They published my picture of a portion of those comments on the front page of the forum section. The ONLY portion of that they published was "We need more affordable condos. The average young, single person can not afford most of them. Having a bigger mix of incomes may encourage a bigger mix of restaurants and retail." I am so mad that I am shaking right now. That's why I never submit anything to the Enquirer. You never know what's going to come of it. Thanks for sharing the full text with us!
April 23, 200718 yr ^ xumelanie, the best thing you can do is let everyone that you know, know what the Enquirer did. This way, people can see how their biased reporting effected someone personally.
April 23, 200718 yr ^ xumelanie, the best thing you can do is let everyone that you know, know what the Enquirer did. This way, people can see how their biased reporting effected someone personally. I have told several people today about this, and I sent out a mass email yesterday. Also, the DRC included the full text of my comments in their weekly enews letter.
Create an account or sign in to comment