...if I had a nickel for each time I heard an acryonym that I had no idea what it meant...

...MED...Middle...Earth....Developers...

Isn't that where hobbits live?

You win.

They're pouring concrete!! How long until they get around to building it.

 

 

rock and roll.  Does middle earth developers or MED as the cool kids say have a plan for the surface lot at 4th and plum?  Parker flats will be a nice addition to the west 5th entertainment district.

im just guessing but it seems they are pouring some sort of soil retainment system.  they have been using rail road rails and shaped re-bar as the steel component of these piers that they have placed around the entire perimeter.  they have been doing this work for about two weeks now and it seems as though they have made it all the way around.  maybe soon into the new year they will begin full excavation?? 

I hope they wait for 4th and Plum until Parker Flats is done.

I think they bit off more than they can chew here.

 

I wish they would sell 4th & Plum to a developer who can handle bitting off a bigger piece.

^they're trying to big league it, if it works then respect but if it doesn't then...

Just heard that the foundation crew should be on site doing concrete work next week.

 

The BizJourrnal had a story last week about the prevailing wage issue and The Banks.

Another bump on the road to Banks talked about how MED has thrown in the towel and agreed to pay prevailing wage.

“Voss [of MED] said he doesn't want to jeopardize the 28 sale contracts he has signed on Parker Flats, so he'll pay the extra construction costs and find ways of covering an estimated $1 million funding gap.”

At least all the road blocks are out of the way now and everything can move forward.

 

 

 

I drove by today, construction seems to be progessing.  They have about half a wall up for what I would guess would be the parking garage.

yeah they are moving quickly with the foundation forming and pouring.  they only started the beginning of last week.

Here are some update pics for the project, they are from Tuesday 3/20:

 

 

And some pics right along the street in the area...the retail is beginning to fill in nicely.  W 4th street is awesome!

 

 

 

Sweet, nice to see this thing finally making some headway.

By the end of the week, construction will be back up to street level.

 

 

 

 

^Thats funny...about the time you were posting that update, I was taking some update pics of my own:

 

Looks to be like 1 maybe 2 levels of parking toped off.  Looks like 1 or 2 more levels to go before actual living space is constructed.

 

Here is one for perspective:

that is the first structured level of parking.

The two lowest levels of parking will be for residents, the parking level even with 4th St. will be public. Then the living space begins on the 2nd floor 4th St side. We should be 3 or 4 floors above Mcfarland Alley.

http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2007/05/parker-flats-city-approves-nearly-1m-in.html

 

Cincinnati City Council has approved of grants and loans that will help close a $1.7 million funding gap in the Parker Flats project.

 

Last month, Council authorized a $450,000 loan to Middle Earth Developers from capital improvement funds.

 

The loan, which would be subordinate to the agreement the developers have with LaSalle Bank, would be repaid from the sale of units.

 

In a seperate ordinance, Council authorized a $500,000 grant. Councilmembers Ghiz and Monzel voted against the grant.

 

The developers are working with LaSalle Bank to close the remaining gap.

 

 

Background

 

Parker Flats partner Jay Voss has stated that the higher cost of the project is due to a prevailing-wage lawsuit filed last June by Joseph Zimmer, the executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Building Trades Council, on behalf of the taxpayers.

 

The lawsuit alleged that the Parker Flats project was subject to prevailing-wage provisions because the parking garage had been awarded a $839,000 subsidy.

 

Voss had argued that the condos above the garage were a private development and therefore not subject to the provisions.

 

Judge Richard Niehaus, in a September 5, 2006 hearing, called the garage and the condos "intricately related".

 

In early January 2007, Voss, realizing where this was going, asked Niehaus to dismiss the case in exchange for a promise to pay the prevailing wage.

 

Keep the pics coming UncleRando!

<a href="http://parkerflats.blogspot.com/2007/05/parkerflatsinfo-one-year-old.html">parkerflats.info</a> is a year old now.

Hard to believe its been a year since I started this blog. It began as a way to release some frustration and mess around with blogs and some ideas I had. And it cost me a whole $1.99 from godaddy.

I pulled a picture from ever month that one was posted, just to get an idea of the progress.

They are telling us January '08 as a move in date.

Here's the latest picture.

 

they are just about ready to pour that next deck so there is a lot more done right now than is in your picture.

Read this post on The 'Nati Life blog.  Feel free to move it somewhere else if need be.

 

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Fourth Street Marketing

Most of us know what is going on down on West Fourth: Bang!, Kinsey Flats, Parker Flats, restauraunt rumors, etc. But it is good to see that there is now a marketing push in the real estate community to market that block as a whole.

 

This supply of good commercial space (note "good", not "prime") marketed together is a great way to market CBD space, especially in that quaint block that already has a solid residential mass. Most would be surprised to learn that Kinsey Flats has a waiting list, Parker Flats is 60% (last I heard) presold, and the apartments across the street have a high occupancy rate as well. This is the latest from Grubb & Ellis as of Friday, 7/6:

 

 

Some may wonder what impact this will have on Fountain Square and the emerging entertainment district there. This block (and the surrounding few blocks south of the Duke Energy Center) will be more residentially-oriented with more service-driven retail, whereas Fountain Square is going to be more entertainment-driven.

 

Once these neighborhoods mature, it is easy to see that there are arguably five neighborhoods emerging within Downtown (with anchor projects):

 

1) Lytle Park (Park Place, the Edge, One River Plaza)

2) Fountain Square (McAlpin, Lofts @ Fountain Square, Fountain Square and retail, 5th & Race)

3) West Fourth (Fourth & Plum, Parker Flats, Kinsey Flats, retail)

4) Garfield Park (Enquirer bldg, existing residential)

5) St. Xavier Park (Power Bldg, Lofts @ St. Xavier Park, nameless rental units above garage across from the Lofts)

 

Unlike many, I do not consider the Banks and OTR as Downtown. Reactions?

 

http://natilife.blogspot.com/2007/07/fourth-street-marketing.html

 

I agree somewhat with his last comment about OTR and The Banks not really being part of downtown.  That is a hard thing to define, but they are certainly part of the center city (my definition including OTR, West End, CBD, The Banks, East End, Covington and Newport).  I also agree that each of these districts are growing in a healthy way as to not compete with one another.

 

While the numbers and rumors are good for W. 4th, the perception has not really changed AT ALL.  Middle Earth and the other investors in the area need to do something to really give it a kick in the pants.  Bang is hardly noticeable to the average joe, and to be honest that whole stretch of street-level retail looks terrible.  It could really use some cleaning up, and the area could use one large investment to really open up some eyes (4th & Plum anyone).  I don't think that Parker Flats will do it alone, but it's a step in the right direction.

 

It would also be nice to maybe have some block parties and/or sidewalk sales.  This would allow for the new residents and businesses to be out and about and make themselves seen.  Not to mention it would be a great community building activity.  Of course it should be marketed heavily and hopefully have the success of the Second Sundays on Main events.

I think the problem is investment, its not worth the time to do a building here and there. We need a 3CDC type organization or a private group to come in and do 3 or 4 blocks at once. If the banks ever happen maybe 4th will pick up some over flow and then it will be more attractive to business owners.

I think it needs a champion to come in and really make noise, like the Bang guys did for oh about 5 minutes but keep it up until something materializes.

I agree somewhat with his last comment about OTR and The Banks not really being part of downtown.  That is a hard thing to define, but they are certainly part of the center city (my definition including OTR, West End, CBD, The Banks, East End, Covington and Newport).  I also agree that each of these districts are growing in a healthy way as to not compete with one another.

 

Rando - Thanks, that was exactly what I was trying to get at!  Someone on my blog replied with "LOL" when I said that I do not consider OTR as "Downtown."  I consider "Downtown" as a separate neighborhood.  Is OTR considered a district of Downtown or a separate neighborhood?  Same with the Banks... is it a district of Downtown or a separate neighborhood.  They are clearly all central city, but that is not the same as Downtown.  There are physical and sociological boundaries that separate them all.

OTR is a separate neighborhood.  The Banks is part of downtown.  Downtown Cincinnati is only .8 sq. miles and goes from I 75 to the west, the river to the south, Central Parkway to the north, and I-71ish/Eggleston(not quite sure of the exact def. here) to the east.

You know, now that I think of it, in the media, The Downtowner for instance they will refer to what I call downtown as the Central Business District. This is normally what I consider downtown. But is there something official that says what downtown is or is downtown what the majority of people think it is?

 

Oh, I see Altas answered this as I was posting.

Not really relevant to the topic, but when they talk about Cincinnati having 378,000 people what are the boundaries for that?

As some others have said: Downtown and the CBD are one in the same. Downtown is bordered by I-71, I-75, Central Parkway and the Ohio River. It is .8 square miles.

 

Over-the-Rhine is a separate neighborhood.

 

There are 52 neighborhoods:

 

 

Some real estate agents (including some on this Forum) and news media outlets like to say OTR is downtown and some even go as far as saying Queens Tower in East Price Hill is downtown. This nonsense has to stop, The CBD is downtown. Period.

A lot of this discussion actually comes from the State of Downtown report by Downtown Cincinnnati Inc. which has the Greater Downtown Area as totaling 3.7 square miles and is the area they use to collect their downtown data. So when people use that data for office space, retail development, and residential, its for that entire area. Weather or not that really is the Greater Downtown Area or seperate neighborhoods probably has a million different people having different opinions on the boundary. But as far as official city stats given to the City for dowtown developments, 3.7 square miles is what is used.

No one was really posing the question of what the city neighborhoods technically are.  But rather the question was to discuss the idea of different nodes of activity in the downtown area, and how they are each developing their own sort of feel/vibe.

Downtown=Downtown

Over-The-Rhine=Over-The-Rhine

BTW, the Riverfront is included in the CBD/Downtown.  When the Banks are complete that might change but right now the Riverfront is part of downtown until you get to the neighborhood of East End. 

 

So would the Montgomery Inn Boathouse be in the neighborhood of East End or Downtown?  I always considered Captain's Watch as part of East End and it is right across the street.

they are cranking right along with the construction...about to start forming the 3rd level of condos.

I can't wait until they get the third floor poured and take the forms off.

My unit is the southwest corner second floor on McFarland.

Once they take the forms off I'll have a pretty good idea about what its going to look like.

 

http://parkerflats.info

This is going to be great when it's all said and done.  Can't wait to get a tour of the new unit once you move in!  :wink: :laugh:

I could kick my own a%# cause I didn't have my camera last week when we took a little field trip though the construction site.  This is going to rock when finished!!!

you went THROUGH the site!!

I am dieing to get up and see what it looks like from my unit.

So would the Montgomery Inn Boathouse be in the neighborhood of East End or Downtown?  I always considered Captain's Watch as part of East End and it is right across the street.

 

According to CAGIS, everything north of Eastern Avenue is Mount Adams all the way down to Kemper Lane.

 

Everything along the south side of Eastern Avenue all the way to the beginning of Ted Berry park (including the parking lot for the Boathouse and park) is Downtown.

And everything west of Anderson Ferry Road is Indiana ;)

So would the Montgomery Inn Boathouse be in the neighborhood of East End or Downtown?  I always considered Captain's Watch as part of East End and it is right across the street.

 

According to CAGIS, everything north of Eastern Avenue is Mount Adams all the way down to Kemper Lane.

 

Everything along the south side of Eastern Avenue all the way to the beginning of Ted Berry park (including the parking lot for the Boathouse and park) is Downtown.

 

You have access to CAGIS...

This almost seems to be right on que with our recent discussions...

 

Condos making progress

August 1, 2007 | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

 

PHOTO: Construction workers are building the Parker Flats at W. Fourth Street and Central Avenue downtown.

THE ENQUIRER / LEIGH TAYLOR

 

DOWNTOWN - The Parker Flats condominiums downtown on W. Fourth Street are gaining altitude this summer following a work stoppage last year around this time.

 

The project is being built by Middle Earth Developers, which has completed several condo-rehab projects in Cincinnati.

 

...

5chw4r7z , Where is your unit?

 

We were checking out the rebar for the project.

>5chw4r7z , Where is your unit?

 

 

Was there another Spaceballs movie I missed?

 

LOL