Yes but there's only two tracks on it.  Seems like it could be fenced off.

^ Oh it certainly could and really should. I was just assuming that the rail company will block it.

Probably yes, I don't think SORTA has any say on this track. 

That's the first thing I checked and sad to say, nope

I was told that a parking lot next to Wasson Way is listed for sale at $3 million and that he Josephs want to move their Norwood Volkswagen dealership there.

t looks like they already own these parking lots on Lexington, as well as the blank lot to the west. There might be some miscommunication going because I'm not seeing anything listed on commercial real estate sites.

A new build car dealership being put next to a several million dollar multi-use path would be an awful use of land. 

From what I've heard, this was discussed during a Norwood city council meeting. I think it requires a zone change. They didn't approve it or reject if I remember correctly. I really hope the city doesn't approve this.

3 hours ago, wjh2 said:

A new build car dealership being put next to a several million dollar multi-use path would be an awful use of land. 

 

The former railroad yard could have been a TOD for the light rail line planned for this corridor since the 1970s.  But instead we have a transit-blocking bike trail and a car dealership. 

21 minutes ago, jmecklenborg said:

...instead we have a transit-blocking bike trail...

 

No no, the Wasson Way folks consider it a "mostly a non-bike paved trail."

Edited December 30, 20204 yr by jjakucyk

8 hours ago, jjakucyk said:

 

No no, the Wasson Way folks consider it a "mostly a non-bike paved trail."

 

It's going to a nice trail and very popular but it could have been a lot better.  I witnessed firsthand how much the hardcore Wasson people were in love with themselves at the beginning and they kept telling people there had never been a plan for rail on the corridor even after I made photocopies of the OKI study and physically put it in their hands.  

Remember the renderings that showed brick pavers, decorative street lamps, rain gardens, and separate walking and cycling paths?  Compare that to what we're actually getting. 

the chain link fence instead of gardens really adds to the aesthetic

 

also, how hard would it have been to put green paint down at the crossings??

Edited December 30, 20204 yr by seaswan

When they first put the fence posts up I thought “there is no way they actually put chain link fence up”. 

 

And the lack of any lights on the path is very noticeable in mornings/evenings. Especially considering a large section of it is under tree canopy blocking and natural light.  

Why does this path seem to be such a complete mess? This should have been finished years ago.

 

21 minutes ago, Yves Behar said:

Why does this path seem to be such a complete mess? This should have been finished years ago.

 

arent there also issues with the bridge through ault park that just came up? I remembered hearing something about having to build a new bridge that wasnt in the budget

Edited December 30, 20204 yr by seaswan

The lady pushing the stroller looks poised to call the cops on birdwatchers.  

The chain link fence should have angry dogs barking on the other side of it at all times.

2 hours ago, GCrites80s said:

The chain link fence should have angry dogs barking on the other side of it at all times.

 

How about some barbed wire.  

the ideal vs the real. the concept shows the eternal perfect day. fluffy clouds on a sunny day. flowers in full bloom, a gaslight district, people out in their matching spa clothes vs. a cold mom and cold baby, bare trees, no flowers and the reality of protecting pedestrians from erratic behavior of distracted drivers. Plus the pretty lady peddling her bike is contrasted with the cold dude with oversized off road tires on his bike. not the mention the jogger with bright red oversized street pants. This is the botched facelift that you never see, save maybe on Seinfeld.

 

3 hours ago, jmecklenborg said:

The lady pushing the stroller looks poised to call the cops on birdwatchers.  

I honestly at first though she was one of those copy and paste people that they put in renderings that looks totally out of place. 

I’m honestly surprised with how negative the comments are here. Wasson Way is not perfect- totally agree about the chain link fence and certain design elements- but it’s a great addition to the city, and given how popular it already is, residents seem to really enjoy it.
 

Hopefully we’ll see some solid restaurant and housing developments come up along it like you see on the Belt Line in Atlanta but it’s not even finished yet and has only been around for a year or so, so I’d wait a bit before judging on that.

 

And as for the light rail option, I’m as big a rail advocate as just about anyone, but if we’re being honest an East West route from HP to Avondale makes no sense and would be underused. Maybe decades down the road if we’ve implemented rail along the primary arteries and are looking to expand with secondary or tertiary routes we’ll wish we had the RoW still but for the near future the bike lane was the obvious best use. 

Yes, light rail would take forever to implement and there is great value in having this bike trail now. Perhaps someday light rail or autonomous subway can intersect with the trail which could feed the rail line with commuters on e-bikes which would be a good setup as well. 

10 minutes ago, thebillshark said:

Yes, light rail would take forever to implement and there is great value in having this bike trail now. Perhaps someday light rail or autonomous subway can intersect with the trail which could feed the rail line with commuters on e-bikes which would be a good setup as well. 

 

when was the last time a "someday" thing actually happened in this city? Even The Banks is still just in unfinished limbo

11 minutes ago, seaswan said:

 

when was the last time a "someday" thing actually happened in this city? Even The Banks is still just in unfinished limbo

thats why it’s good the bike trail is progressing along like it is. 

3 hours ago, seaswan said:

arent there also issues with the bridge through ault park that just came up? I remembered hearing something about having to build a new bridge that wasnt in the budget

This is getting away from Norwood quickly, but any idea where you saw/heard that? Last thing I had seen was a board report to Parks in August that said DOTE "designed a trail alignment in the park which would connect the Wasson Way trail, in the vicinity of the trestle over the park's Valley Trail, with the park and the existing bike trail system connecting to the Murray Road trail (Attachment C)." 

On 12/29/2020 at 11:46 PM, Cincy_Travels said:

From what I've heard, this was discussed during a Norwood city council meeting. I think it requires a zone change. They didn't approve it or reject if I remember correctly. I really hope the city doesn't approve this.

Update from Fox 19: Community members object to construction of car dealership beside Wasson Way

The January meeting was postponed and has been rescheduled for March 9th. The opposition is calling themselves "Protect Our Trail" and have created a website and Facebook page to garner support.

Factory 52 (US Playing card site) broke ground today. HGC construction Instagram page has photos of it.

39 minutes ago, Ucgrad2015 said:

Factory 52 (US Playing card site) broke ground today. HGC construction Instagram page has photos of it.

i was walking in that area the other day. They really need a way to connect this, Oakley station and Three Oaks. It would benefit all 3 developments and be great to be able to walk to all cohesively. 

On 2/2/2021 at 2:21 PM, Dev said:

Update from Fox 19: Community members object to construction of car dealership beside Wasson Way

The January meeting was postponed and has been rescheduled for March 9th. The opposition is calling themselves "Protect Our Trail" and have created a website and Facebook page to garner support.

I just checked in on this, and it appears that Norwood has agreed with the "Protect our Trail" folks. The group has examples of dense-ish development as alternatives on their website, so this could be good news if they push for it.  YIMBYs actuallywon?!?

 

As a sidenote, I biked Wasson Way for the first time last weekend and this lot is literally perfect for an mixed-use apartment building.  I couldn't imagine anything else going in there.  There's also built-in potential residents with Xavier right there and this would appeal to young professionals right out of college too.

Edited June 29, 20213 yr by 10albersa

U.S. Playing Card redevelopment gets major financing piece

 

The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority has approved a major piece of financing to fund the first phase of PLK Communities’ plan to redevelop the former U.S. Playing Card site in Norwood, which is now called Factory 52.

 

The Port’s board unanimously authorized $75 million in six-year revenue bonds backed by future tenants’ leases at the site and $6.75 million in 30-year bonds backed by tax-increment financing. It also agreed to take ownership of the property and lease it back to the developer, a standard Port financing tool that allows the developer to avoid paying sales taxes on construction materials.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/07/21/us-playing-card-redevelopment-gets-major-financi.html

 

"Factory 52 pick-up."

Office, retail leasing teams picked for $100M-plus mixed-use project

 

The developer of a more than $100 million mixed-use redevelopment project has selected office and retail leasing teams to help fill the property.

 

PLK Communities, the developer of Factory 52 in Norwood, selected Josh Gerth, Todd Pease and Rusty Myers with JLL as the office leasing team for Factory 52. In addition, the Sycamore Township-based developer and apartment owner selected Melissa Ruther, Megan Fair and Kristen Wilzbach with CBRE to handle retail leasing at the development on the former U.S. Playing Card site.

 

Nick Lingenfelter, vice president of development with PLK Communities, said CBRE’s experience working with unique, regional tenants stood out after meeting with a number of qualified groups. PLK and CBRE are actively pursuing regional operators from cities such as Columbus, Louisville, Dayton and Indianapolis with a desire to establish a presence in the Cincinnati area.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/08/30/jll-cbre-picked-to-market-office-retail-factory.html

 

You can see clearing of trees and earth happening form 71 now along with big semi-trailers advertising the site. 

 

Also, that is a massive looking parking garage on the left. 

The developers of this and Oakley Station / Oakley Yard (Off Robertson) really need to find a way to get pedestrian access connecting these developments. It would do wonders for foot traffic between the three. 

The whole area is just a disjointed mess. I connected some roads if 71 and lateral weren't there. 

@cincydave8- Hard to imagine either 71 or the lateral going away. What connections (bridge, tunnel, or otherwise) do you think would be most beneficial given the current state of things?

Yeah, I know it's not happening in anyway. Just showing how there's no real street grid. 

1 hour ago, cincydave8 said:

The whole area is just a disjointed mess. I connected some roads if 71 and lateral weren't there. 

The irony is that the space was a disjointed mess even before 71 due to Duck Creek and Duck Creek Road. So of course, instead of just mitigating flooding on the creek and creating a proper grid, they just buried it all and put it in a highway.

$8 million pickleball complex coming to $100M-plus mixed-use project

 

A bar and entertainment complex centered around pickleball is coming to a more than $100 million mixed-use development in Greater Cincinnati.

 

Aces Pickleball is planned for the Factory 52 development from PLK Communities in Norwood. The complex is designed to complement the other amenities at the development on the site of the former U.S. Playing Card property.

 

Adam Painter, a life-long Cincinnati resident, is an owner of Aces Pickleball and will oversee the day-to-day operations. He played collegiate tennis locally. After visiting similar pickleball facilities around the country, Painter and his investment group saw an opportunity to be the first to the market in the region. The project is expected to be a total investment of $8 million.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/12/01/aces-pickleball-coming-to-factory-52.html

 

Here's a recent drone aerial of the Factory 52 project in Norwood.  You can see the Kenilworth Garage coming out of the ground on the right. Next to the garage is the Kenilworth apartment building with footers and foundation walls being installed along with the elevator shafts being built under the heated tent. Across the street from the Kenilworth apartments is the Central Green apartment building being framed with the first floor complete and second floor walls starting to be set. Restoration work has started on the clock tower. Finally, in the upper center, you can see the 1-story food market hall. The roofing with its hazardous materials has been removed and the roof structure is being rebuilt with timber framing.  Work on the historic 4-story Factory building will begin shortly, along with the park, stage and recreation areas running through the middle of the project.

 

 

Edited January 23, 20223 yr by thesenator

Snapped these real quick while I was out and about this evening. 

It wasn't one of of the Hannafords' best, but far too many of the good ones have been destroyed for me to be anything but disappointed in this morbid offering.
I wonder if the person who designed the dismantled front elevation into a triumphal arch did it as an act of irony...or pride. 

I didn't work on this project but In my experience on historic preservation hackjobs, all you can do is try and advocate as best you can, while feeling like a repetitive and increasingly annoying clown, while holding to any small successes with a vice grip as the developers and bean counters slowly kill all your joy.

 

So my guess is small amounts of pride, mixed with healthy shame, that they could hold onto what they were able to save in lieu of a brownfield redevelopment.

Not a major development but, I'm really excited to see this house get restored. I can't remember where I saw it posted (it was one of the social media's) but I think the process to do a full restoration is underway on this. 

On 4/11/2022 at 9:14 AM, zsnyder said:

It wasn't one of of the Hannafords' best, but far too many of the good ones have been destroyed for me to be anything but disappointed in this morbid offering.
I wonder if the person who designed the dismantled front elevation into a triumphal arch did it as an act of irony...or pride. 

The building attached to the clock tower and others on the site were riddled with hazardous materials.  This property sat vacant for more than 10 years as developer after developer tried to make it feasible to re-develop.  PLK took enormous risk and has tried to save iconic pieces at an extraordinary cost.  As much as we'd like, not every building can be saved.

 

Edited April 16, 20223 yr by thesenator

6 hours ago, thesenator said:

not every building can be saved.

 

Perhaps I wasn't clear, but that was what drove my comment.  Too many of the good Hannaford buildings have been destroyed that buildings like this, which wouldn't have been so bad  to otherwise lose, still sting.

Progress pics for Factory 52.

 

Worried about how this development will affect home values in Norwood. Norwood is like the last affordable - somewhat safe - somewhat close to downtown spots remaining. 

 

Norwood becoming the next Oakley will just price so many more people out.
 

 

^ Norwood needs this. Their tax base struggles, although it has been better lately as opposed to a decade ago. Bad leadership in the mayors office created a lot of their mess.  The Rookwood developments have certainly helped, but the old housing stock kept it struggling for the tax dollars to effectively operate at times. Getting a larger tax base there can only help. 

 

 

2 hours ago, Troeros2 said:

Worried about how this development will affect home values in Norwood. Norwood is like the last affordable - somewhat safe - somewhat close to downtown spots remaining. 

 

Norwood becoming the next Oakley will just price so many more people out.
 

 

Well, it seems like you and everyone else forgets that there is an ENTIRE SIDE OF THE CITY that has seen LITTLE TO NO new investment on this kind of scale. Go west a little  Like west of I-75 for once.