Im thinking if this project is ever completed it will be a definite boost to the neighborhood, which is already sort of happening in a funky way.

 

Yea I agree.  Man what really sucks is I keep going back to the Cincinnati Subway days and reading about how Northside was going to be connected to downtown via the rail. After living in Boston and seeing Harvard, Harvard Square and the subway connecting it all the way down Massachusetts Avenue to downtown Boston, I jus shake my head and think about th vast potential we have as a city.

Welcome to the forum, Kay.

 

Thanks.  Wish you could be welcoming me back to Cincinnati.  Drove through Northside and some of South Cumminsville when I was in Cincy around the 4th of July.  Saw equipment and workers with hardhats on wandering around the building.  Also drove past Garfield School.  I grew up on Weber Place and even went to the old Hoffner Street Church. 

This is a pretty cool development and the neighborhood definitely has an "energy" to it.

This is a pretty cool development and the neighborhood definitely has an "energy" to it.

 

It's incredibly vibrant but it's so gritty and physically dirty - I think that gives people a false impression. Personally I love that aspect of it. It makes it feel more urban.

This is a pretty cool development and the neighborhood definitely has an "energy" to it.

 

It's incredibly vibrant but it's so gritty and physically dirty - I think that gives people a false impression. Personally I love that aspect of it. It makes it feel more urban.

 

Agreed.  I should have added some sort of positive adjective so everyone knew that I wasn't being a Debbie Downer.

I wonder what the plan is for the big parking area between Hamilton Avenue and the buildings? I presume that lot was part of American Can at one time (employee parking?).

 

The Hamilton Avenue frontage could be a great opportunity for infill, a good site for an urban set-piece landmark building. 

I wonder what the plan is for the big parking area between Hamilton Avenue and the buildings? I presume that lot was part of American Can at one time (employee parking?).

 

The Hamilton Avenue frontage could be a great opportunity for infill, a good site for an urban set-piece landmark building.

 

Definitely, that block of nothingness absolutely kills the flow of Northside. Fill it in and get some more decent (non-chain) restaurants down there. Seems like a guy can't get a decent meal after 10 pm in Northside.

I wonder what the plan is for the big parking area between Hamilton Avenue and the buildings? I presume that lot was part of American Can at one time (employee parking?).

 

The Hamilton Avenue frontage could be a great opportunity for infill, a good site for an urban set-piece landmark building.

 

Definitely, that block of nothingness absolutely kills the flow of Northside. Fill it in and get some more decent (non-chain) restaurants down there. Seems like a guy can't get a decent meal after 10 pm in Northside.

 

http://www.bloomfieldschon.com/

 

12k retail, 20k office, 30 townhomes. Maybe not signature pieces but looks like some solid infill.

I wonder what the plan is for the big parking area between Hamilton Avenue and the buildings? I presume that lot was part of American Can at one time (employee parking?).

 

The Hamilton Avenue frontage could be a great opportunity for infill, a good site for an urban set-piece landmark building.

 

Definitely, that block of nothingness absolutely kills the flow of Northside. Fill it in and get some more decent (non-chain) restaurants down there. Seems like a guy can't get a decent meal after 10 pm in Northside.

 

http://www.bloomfieldschon.com/

 

12k retail, 20k office, 30 townhomes. Maybe not signature pieces but looks like some solid infill.

 

Wow.... thats a little fancy for Northside, but that'd be cool. That area of town could be the place to be... as it is now, it needs a little bit *more* to do... the bars are all very far apart. Everyone tends to just cram into the Tavern until its bursting at the seams.

I would think the office will be difficult to fill, maybe residential would work better there.

It was supposed to be a Walgreens a few years ago right?, I'm not sure what happened to that plan.

 

And it used to be a lumber yard, I believe.

It was supposed to be a Walgreens a few years ago right?, I'm not sure what happened to that plan.

 

And it used to be a lumber yard, I believe.

 

The residents of Northside had a conniption fit over that. If I recall correctly, they may have gotten an ordinance of some sort to keep *chain* stores out of Northside. 

^

Im suprised they arent having a conniption fit over that design that was linked.  Looks like it belongs in Blue Ash or off I-7I somewhere.

yea that site plan that was under their projects tab is awful.  A lot of surface parking lots.  Not what Northside needs.  at all. 

^ Yeah, the building should be turned to face Hamilton Avenue.  There are parking requirements, of course, but it should be kept within the interior of the block. 

^ Yeah, the building should be turned to face Hamilton Avenue. There are parking requirements, of course, but it should be kept within the interior of the block.

 

Yeah, all that parking between the factory and Hamilton is terrible.... nobody will walk down Blue Rock so the retail will end up empty.... 

This site plan doesn't strike me as too terrible. Only slightly worse than High and Warren in Columbus, imho, and that arrangement doesn't feel "anti-urban." There's a big difference between 60' of surface parking and half a block. This looks walkable, it addresses the street in some fashion, etc.

 

You could easily put that 60' of parking behind that retail, but Northside isn't a class A retail location, and it never will be. If this arrangement means making the neighborhood a stronger destination because they have an easier time attracting retail, that's a reasonable trade-off in my book. You can't justify throwing your hands up over 60' of parking.

Google link:

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=columbus+ohio&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=35.957999,76.904297&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Columbus,+Franklin,+Ohio&ll=39.977913,-83.00343&spn=0.000531,0.001173&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=39.977916,-83.00369&panoid=x8BYg1v-Xft3fp0oNVlUMw&cbp=12,37.29,,0,0.68

EDIT:  Building Cinicinnati had this in late June.  Sorry...

 

----

 

So I think the trigger has been pulled on this project...

 

110 apartments

10,000sf retail/commercial

 

 

Anyone have updates on how this project is looking?

 

Also, not sure if this is the right place to post this, but the Columbus Dispatch wrote up a nice article about Northside this weekend. 

 

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/travel/stories/2010/09/05/hip-northside-makes-cincinnati-perk.html?sid=101

I work two blocks away from it.  There are at least a dozen guys working on it each day but no noticeable interior or exterior work yet.

 

 

Also, not sure if this is the right place to post this, but the Columbus Dispatch wrote up a nice article about Northside this weekend.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/travel/stories/2010/09/05/hip-northside-makes-cincinnati-perk.html?sid=101

 

Cincinnati has a trifecta of hip urban neighborhoods-The Northside, Over-the-Rhine, and West End that could equal or surpass those in many other "trendy" American cities. My spouse and I visited the Northside from the Dallas TX area last April ('09) and stopped for lunch at the Melt Cafe on Hamilton Avenue-the sandwiches a bit pricey but good-the place was really hopping with activity. With the mix of younger folks and busy unique street scenes, I could visualize being along Portland's Pearl District or the artist mecca Fremont District in Seattle. The Northside is becoming authentically Uber-cool and hip! In a decade, people may sigh in regret about missed opportunities when reminiscing about how affordable housing and business spaces were there back in 2010. I think urban artist Shepard Fairey's distinctive murals were an initial hip stamp of approval and while most of these three urban areas' recognition is still local-regional, national recognition is probably not far away. Of course, with the rough recession and a less than always supportive City government, the budding urban renaissance could be derailed, but right now the momentum is building in its favor. The ACF Square project is evidence of that. Nice Article...thanks! Sorry to veer slightly off topic.

^ You can tell you're not from Cincinnati by the way you say "The" Northside. Followed by "West End" with no "the", it's particularly salient.

 

I haven't seen the West End as being particularly hip. Am I missing something? Other than a small pocket (particularly Dayton St.), the West End seems to be about where OTR was immediately post-riots. And Dayton St. is purely residential.

 

Northside definitely has seen a lot of success. If only Cincinnati had someone like Richard Florida touting its renaissance. I think he is one of Pittsburgh's less-recognized secret weapons. He is a celebrity among urbanists and sheds a lot of positive light on his hometown. Aaron Renn is probably the closest thing Cincinnati has.

 

Any guesses on how long it will take for the American Can Factory to fill up once it is complete? With only local-regional recognition, it's going to be a slow, slow-going process to complete the transition of Cincinnati's wealth of potentially hip urban spaces.

 

This is why people like Paul Wilham are such a great asset. Not only in terms of his efforts in holding city government accountable on preservation issues, but because he has a relatively expansive network of preservation/restorationists across the country, and helps to draw attention to the city's wealth of preservation/restoration-ready properties/neighborhoods.

 

To highlight why I think I am on topic: the American Can factory offers an extremely dense, even for Northside, concentration of housing. Higher density means more work to do, in terms of turning an area around. As an urbanist, I of course value density. I'm just saying this renovation, while a very good project, adds to the challenges the neighborhood faces, and creates even more need for the area's appeals to reach a wider audience.

I think they are referring to the Brighton Corner area of the West End which has a lot of hip art and what not.  It's a bit grittier of a scene than Gateway Quarter or Northside but fun nonetheless! (See 5chw4rt7z's blog post about their gallery walk here).

 

 

^ You can tell you're not from Cincinnati by the way you say "The" Northside. Followed by "West End" with no "the", it's particularly salient. I haven't seen the West End as being particularly hip. Am I missing something? Other than a small pocket (particularly Dayton St.), the West End seems to be about where OTR was immediately post-riots. And Dayton St. is purely residential.

 

You are entirely correct in pointing out my "outsider" status but that is not always a bad thing. One can be outside and still have an interesting perspective; sometimes it's outsiders who can see worthwhile things where locals sometimes overlook or just take them for granted. My interest is sincere and far more than just passing. Cincinnati has the two things I'm most passionate about: history and architecture. Therefore when feasible, I intend to relocate, buy a historic home, and established a restoration business there. Sounds simple enough but an immense investment of personal time and study went into this decision.

 

As stated, my interest is more than surface deep. When Arcadia press mentioned that Dann Wollert was writing a book about the historic Northside, I put in a pre-order and later appreciatively received my book. I have a 1939 city history by Madame Longworth de Chambrun; a 1940's WPA writers' city history; a 1988 Bi-centennial history, and an architectural history by Walter Langsam (with whom I've exchanged some messages) I also learned about Cincinnati's importance in 19th century decorative arts by buying the book on that topic by Jennifer Howe. Betty Anne Smiddy, another local author and expert on Cincinnati's master 19th century architect, Samuel Hannaford, was appreciative when I directed her to an original architectural book once personally owned by Hannaford on e-Bay offered by a NY seller; she won it for the opening bid price. Very nice lady as are most of her fellow Cincinnatians from all walks of life that I've met over the past few years.

 

As for the three aforementioned neighborhoods, I'll agree the Northside is probably farther along in revitalization than either THE West End or The OTR. Since you mentioned him by name, Paul Wilham (who has been a friend long before he chose Cincinnati) took my wife and I on an extensive walking tour of the West End up and down Dayton, Baymiller, Freeman, and adjacent streets. I nearly wore out my camera from taking so many pictures of the impressive West End architecture. While the West End is mainly residential, (albeit, on a grand urban scale) there are enough commercial and institutional buildings remaining there to create areas of commercial focus in the future. The early architecture of the West End is unique and  incomparable while the sporadic vacant lots in the neighborhood would allow for plenty of "good" compatible infill development which would enhance the neighborhood even more, if it is wisely chosen. So, in conclusion, I visualize a great potential in the West End and so do a few others. Some pessimistic locals easily dismiss us all as clueless "dreamers", but you are right in that it could either blossom or fizzle out. I sincerely hope it blossoms. I futher concur that of the three aforementioned neighborhoods, (Northside, OTR, West End) The West End will likely be the last to redevelop but so long as the historic architecture remains there, so does the potential, no matter how "gritty" it may appear today.

 

As for the decade-old riots, isn't it time now to get over them? Besides the fact that everyones' now ten years older and hopefully wiser, so much has changed in Cincinnati during the past decade that it requires a change in mindset. Urban social and prejudicial issues still remain but the disadvantaged have more of a personal stake in the city's future than they've had in the past. Working with the system rather than against it is the shorter path to a better future and I think it is being increasingly recognized by all Cincinnati residents regardless of their background. Minority concerns and issues are also far better represented at the city government level today than they were 10 years ago. Future urban growth also increases economic opportunities for all. 

 

Taken singularly, the American Can Factory Square project is relatively minor, but when put into the larger context of urban changes in Cincinnati, it is clear evidence of increasing growth and improvement. The City still has a long way to go, but exciting things are happening right now made even more remarkable by the economic drag of the current recession.

 

As for the OTR, (yes, I did say "the") some people with longer memories of the neighborhood are now calling it an urban miracle. Yes, it still has some gritty, rough edges, but enough money has and is being put into the large neighborhood that it lags the Northside's progress by only a few years. The urban growth patterns and trends being created and defined in the Northside are easily transferable to the OTR. Given it's larger size and strategic location, the OTR has the potential to become Cincinnati's defining historic urban showplace and the most coveted future urban residential and business area. Development is driven by costs and if the Northside becomes too expensive/upscale then new businesses and residents will gravitate more to the OTR and then eventually over to the West End. Given the generous size of these historic areas, opportunities will abound for years to come. Hopefully, some smarter people at City Hall will recognize these unique neighborhood assets and avidly encourage their conservation and redevelopment. These neighborhoods have the kind of authentic urban character that cannot be artifically created just as antique knock-offs never have the true look and feel of originals. A last caveat: one cannot have progress without having optimism.

^ Replied privately to keep this thread on topic.

 

American Can Factory! Woooo!

Bravo and ditto to John S.!

Thanks both to Scrabble and Natininja for your kind words; you both confirm the "stereotype' of Cincinnati's nice people. That's another reason why the Queen City has so much potential; the "progressives", "can-do's", in the city outnumber the gloomy naysayers. They are moving things forward despite formidable and numerous challenges. A corny but truthful saying I once heard: "Success comes in cans, failure comes from can'ts".

Amrican Can has set up a Twitter feed o monitor progress:

http://twitter.com/American_Can

There will be an open house right after the Northside Fourth of July parade for anyone interested in getting an early look at the units.

 

That flyer is awfully small. Is there a website?

A better flyer for the event: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=389125&id=161391477261092

 

Their website (still under construction): http://www.americancanbuilding.com/

^ Thanks!

Wow, I had no idea they made so much progress. Opening in Fall 2011!! They need to bring Biden back.

Northside development on track

4:43 PM, Jun. 30, 2011 

 

 

NORTHSIDE – After years of starts and stalls, a $21.87 million renovation of the former American Can Factory on Spring Grove Avenue is heading into its final stretch.

 

Walnut Hills-based developer Bloomfield/Schon + Partners is transforming the massive 180,000-square-foot former factory into 110 apartments, more than 75 parking spaces and 12,000 square feet of retail and office space.

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110630/BIZ01/306300080/Northside-development-track?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Business

While this project will have a tremendous impact on Northside, it will also have a huge impact on those driving through Cincinnati along I-75. Right now when people drive through along I-71 they see new office towers, shopping areas and restored structures. This is not the case for I-75 and there are significantly more warehouse structures throughout the Millcreek Valley. Seeing massive warehouse structures restored into loft residential spaces will make a very positive impression on those passing through what they may have through was/is the Rustbelt.

Went on the tour today.  Wow, it's an incredible development.  The units are a lot like the loft units in the 4th & Plum building downtown but the overall layout is a lot more interesting.  The only downsides are no balconies and no pool, otherwise, this building will be fantastic.  I think a lot of people who transfer to Cincinnati will be more than satisfied by this building.  It's the kind of place that doesn't exist anymore in New York for under $3,000/mo. 

Good to hear. Saw some interior photos and plans, and I am amazed that the rents they are wanting to pull off for this are... that low considering how nice the units will be. Just the cleanup of the property alone has done a lot for the property values in the area. A house I nearly purchased a block from the American Can was $79k two years ago, and is now valued around $95k today - which is a lot considering the location. I know of at least three individual developers who are also working on houses on Chase and on some side streets strictly because of the vibe this development will give off in the northern part of Northside, which needs a shot in the arm.

A bunch of new photos and some other stuff: http://urbn.cc/p24f.

Does anyone have any recent photos of this project?  I reallly want to see how it is progressing!

Thanks for the info.  Is this project 100% complete now?

Done and almost fully leased up. Last I heard they had 3 units left!

Yeah, it's a completed project now. It would be nice if someone could grab some photos of the finished product and post them here to bring the thread full circle.

I could do that soon. I am only down the street and have been meaning to see the insides.

Done and almost fully leased up. Last I heard they had 3 units left!

 

It's insane how quickly any large urban apartment project like this is filling up. (Parvis Lofts in OTR also comes to mind.) Investors should be getting the picture by now that there is a huge demand for rentals in the core.

The rent is getting too damn high all around town so this building was a really good deal.  I think the one bedrooms were a little under $600, and units in places like The Forum on w. MLK go for that much.  I've seen one-bedrooms on Riddle and Probasco in divided houses going for that much. 

 

 

Done and almost fully leased up. Last I heard they had 3 units left!

 

It's insane how quickly any large urban apartment project like this is filling up. (Parvis Lofts in OTR also comes to mind.) Investors should be getting the picture by now that there is a huge demand for rentals in the core.

 

You would think... But American Can Lofts were almost entirely publicly financed and Parvis was also majorly publicly backed. 

The rent is getting too damn high all around town so this building was a really good deal.  I think the one bedrooms were a little under $600, and units in places like The Forum on w. MLK go for that much.  I've seen one-bedrooms on Riddle and Probasco in divided houses going for that much. 

 

I wonder if the price point was lower due to the stimulus funding they got.

I grabbed a few photos of the interior last week:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for these photos.  This project really turned out well.  I shutter to think how expensive these units would be in New York City.