Posted June 11, 200520 yr From the 6/11/05 Cincinnati Post: Meeting set on pedestrian mall By Jeanne Houck Post staff report Covington officials want to know if MainStrasse Village business owners and residents are interested in periodically closing down streets to make a temporary pedestrian mall where people can mill around, eat, drink and enjoy music outside. The city has scheduled a public meeting on the matter for Thursday at 7 p.m. at 501 Main St. Click on link for article. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050611/NEWS01/506110323/1010/RSS01
June 11, 200520 yr Man, wouldn't it be amazing if it were permanently changed to a pedestrian mall? That's probably very impractical, but what an attraction it would be!
June 13, 200520 yr This is a good idea for special events. Savannah allows bar patrons to bring their drinks outside in designated areas, and sometimes there is a band or other entertainment out on the street. But this is also something that has to be done carefully, because it could have the potential to turn into a mini mardi gras.
June 13, 200520 yr RiverViewer, permanently closing the street I think would hurt business badly. Certainly good for celebrations, bad otherwise.
June 17, 200519 yr The expected resident complaints, from the 6/17/05 Cincinnati Post: Plan to block streets opposed By Stephenie Steitzer Post staff reporter Many neighborhood residents are vehemently objecting to a Covington proposal to block streets and create a pedestrian mall in MainStrasse some evenings. City officials are looking at a plan that would allow people to eat, drink and listen to jazz and blues bands in the historic neighborhood, possibly once a week or month. Click on link for article. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050617/NEWS01/506170348
June 19, 200519 yr From the 6/19/05 Enquirer: PHOTO: Covington officials are considering closing parts of Main and 6th streets in the MainStrasse Village to vehicles on weekend nights during warmer weather to encourage live music performances and outdoor dining. The Enquirer/Ernest Coleman Covington considers 6th, Main car ban Warm-weather idea draws mixed reviews By Mike Rutledge Enquirer staff writer COVINGTON - Picture MainStrasse flecked with umbrella-topped tables filled with diners and jazz bands playing music. City officials are thinking about it. They are considering closing parts of Main and 6th streets to traffic in the MainStrasse entertainment area to allow outdoor dining during warm-weather weekend nights. Some neighbors love the idea. Others are critical. Under the proposal, Main Street would be closed from 7th Street to about halfway between 5th and 6th streets. Meanwhile, 6th Street would be shut between Main and Bakewell streets, said MainStrasse Village Association Executive Director Jerry Bamberger, who noted he can't vote on the proposal as a member of Covington's city commission. Click on link for article. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050619/NEWS0103/506190396/1059/NEWS01
June 28, 200519 yr From the 6/28/05 NKY Sunday Challenger: PHOTO: OPEN AIR: A proposal is in the works that would periodically close streets in the MainStrasse area and allow open containers of alcohol. Larry Nager / The Sunday Challenger PHOTO: BUSINESS SUPPORT: Business owners and politicians are divided over the issue. Cosmo's owner Gerald Blaschke thinks that drawing more mature people to MainStrasse would benefit the village. Larry Nager / The Sunday Challenger Cold Beer, Heated Debate Open Containers Split MainStrasse By Amanda Van Benschoten The Sunday Challenger [email protected] COVINGTON - When John Simon moved to MainStrasse from Cincinnati a few months ago, he knew what he was getting into. "We knew in advance that it was an entertainment district before we moved down here. We knew there were going to be some sacrifices," he said. He and his wife had owned Gothic Edge, a new age/medieval boutique, for nearly three years before relocating the store to Sixth and Main and moving in above it. As both business owner and resident, Simon is in the middle of the battle dividing his neighborhood. "We were a little apprehensive about moving here, and moving to a 'bar district,'" he said. "But, we went ahead with it, and we're enjoying it. By day, it's a peaceful village. By night it's the wild party spot." That "wild party spot" is what has some residents and business owners up in arms about a proposal to close some MainStrasse streets periodically in the hopes of drawing more people - and their money - to the district. Read Full Article Here: http://www.challengernky.com/articles/2005/06/28/around_nky/doc42bc1580ade33290711365.txt
July 19, 200519 yr Damn NIMBYs!!! From the 7/19/05 Enquirer: PHOTO: Resident Sandy Arnold strolls Sixth Street near Main with her children, Austin, 2, and Jessica, 7. She opposes plans for a small brewery and a restaurant. The Enquirer/Patrick Reddy MainStrasse plan questioned Neighbors say area has enough bars By Mike Rutledge Enquirer staff writer COVINGTON - A local bar owner is proposing a small-batch brewery and an Italian restaurant in MainStrasse, but nearby residents worry that his plans will further a transition of their neighborhood into a haven for drinking. They also worry about a city proposal to close parts of Main and Sixth streets monthly so people can dine and drink outside on warm nights. "I don't want to live in party central," said Short Pershing Avenue resident Sandy Arnold, who opposes more bars. She says she has watched several proposed MainStrasse "restaurants" over the years become bars that serve food. "These people that are coming in to party don't live here. They don't care about the future of the neighborhood, and I do," Arnold said about bar patrons. "I want to see my neighborhood flourish 10 years from now, and I don't think continuing to add bars to our neighborhood is going to help that happen." Read Full Article Here: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050719/NEWS0103/507190340/1059/NEWS01 PROPOSALS Proposed Moody River Brewing Co.: Would have a brewery that fits in a 24-by-24-foot area, with beer, prepared in small batches seven to eight times a month. Proposed Italian restaurant: Wine cellar in the back, featuring about 125 Italian wines. Covington Board of Adjustments: Meets 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in City Commission Chambers, 638 Madison Ave. Source: City of Covington and Gerald Blaschke
December 7, 200519 yr Hopefully they'll have some influence over what MainStrasse is most--an entertainment district. From the 12/3/05 Cincinnati Post. Also, be sure to check out the thread about the brewery idea. MainStrasse taverns gain clout By Greg Paeth Post staff reporter Depending on whom you talk to, last month's MainStrasse Village Association board election in Covington was either a slick coup d'etat by neighborhood bar owners or a pure example of democracy in action. The board added two bar owners, re-elected a third and a shop owner supportive of them. Those four - and two other bar owners and their allies on the board - will give the tavern-restaurant faction a clear-cut majority on the 15-member board, said MainStrasse insiders. The shift in power could have an impact on two potentially divisive proposals still drifting through the neighborhood, where the rift between bar owners and residents has been simmering since the March 2000 Mardi Gras. That year, unseasonably warm weather attracted about 60,000 people, who overwhelmed security and the facilities, leaving behind damaged property and a monumental clean-up job. Read Full Article Here: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051203/NEWS01/512030353/1010/RSS01
December 7, 200519 yr that's great news. i know some of these bar owners and know that they feel strongly about the neighborhood as a whole, not solely their businesses.
December 11, 200519 yr An article from the 12/7/05 NKY Sunday Challenger: PHOTO: MAINSTRASSE VILLAGE: Bickering has broken out among members of the association that manages the historic area, a mixture of bars, businesses and residences. The Sunday Challenger staff photo Disputed Election Raises Questions About MainStrasse Village Association President Voted Out By Jeff Fichner The Sunday Challenger [email protected] COVINGTON - A power struggle in Covington's MainStrasse Village has residents and business owners pointing fingers. The fight for control of the nonprofit MainStrasse Village Association hinges on fine points of procedure, but it raises questions about the future of one of Northern Kentucky's premier tourist attractions and entertainment districts. Four of the association's 15 board members were replaced at a Nov. 10 election, and a critic of the way voting was handled says it amounts to an attempted takeover by bar owners who are likely to push for expanded nightlife. One ousted board member calls the election "a well orchestrated coup." Read Full Article Here: http://www.challengernky.com/articles/2005/12/07/around_nky/doc4390915c890f2440062747.txt
June 23, 200618 yr Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Zazou gets OK to stay up later City board makes decision despite noise complaints from some neighbors BY MIKE RUTLEDGE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER COVINGTON - Zazou Grill and Pub can add a bar on its patio and keep its outdoor area open 90 minutes later until 2:30 a.m., when its inside area has been closing, a city board decided Wednesday. That 3-1 decision was an easing of restrictions the same panel, the Board of Adjustments, placed on the MainStrasse bar in March 2005. Nine neighborhood residents testified against Zazou's request, which also sought permission to install outdoor speakers. Neighborhood sentiment was so strident against the speakers that Zazou owner Stephen Locke withdraw that request during the meeting. Read Full Article Here: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060622/NEWS0103/606220403/1059/rss13
June 23, 200618 yr "Basically, I think you'll see a lot of residents moving out of MainStrasse," Snyder predicted afterward. and more moving in, i'm sure. au revoir!
June 27, 200618 yr ^ That's what I was thinking. There are tons of young people just aching to move into a place like that. Surely you'll see the demographics change drastically, but Snyder seems to be insinuating that the future MainStrasse will be a ghost town. She's insane. From the 6/27/06 Enquirer: MainStrasse residents urge opposition to zoning proposal BY CINDY SCHROEDER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER COVINGTON - Covington's new zoning code hasn't been adopted, and already it's generating controversy. At issue is whether bars and restaurants should be permitted uses in the MainStrasse area as recommended in the city's proposed zoning ordinance. Currently, they are conditional uses, which requires proposals for new restaurants or taverns to go before the city's board of adjustments for public comment and a vote. In e-mails Monday, MainStrasse residents urged anyone with concerns about the proposed change to speak up at tonight's City Commission meeting and address county planners at the July 6 Kenton County Planning Commission meeting. Read Full Article Here: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060627/NEWS0103/606270386/1059/rss13 If you go What: Public hearing on Covington's proposed zoning code When: 6:15 p.m. July 6 Where: Kenton County Planning Commission, 2332 Royal Drive, Fort Mitchell.
July 7, 200618 yr From the 7/7/06 Enquirer: MainStrasse bar decision delayed BY RYAN CLARK | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER It will take at least one more month for residents of MainStrasse to learn if the bars in their neighborhood will be serving more alcoholic beverages. The Kenton County Planning Commission tabled a recommendation on a new Covington zoning ordinance Thursday. It would allow bars and restaurants to be permitted uses in the area, eliminating the chance for residents to offer input to the city's Board of Adjustments. New restaurants or taverns now must go before the Board of Adjustments for public comment and a vote. About 40 residents turned out for a public hearing Thursday to express concern because the recommendation could allow more establishments to serve alcoholic beverages at later hours, something residents say is already a problem in an area they contend is predominantly residential. They also say they are a leery of a proposed microbrewery that could come to the area if the new zoning is approved by the City Commission. Read Full Article Here: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060707/NEWS0103/607070364/1059/rss13
May 13, 200916 yr I swear there was another MainStrasse thread... MainStrasse residents: Bamberger-led group doesn't represent us By Mike Rutledge, Cincinnati Enquirer, May 12, 2009 COVINGTON – Some city commissioners are so disappointed with the MainStrasse Village Association they think it’s worth exploring whether Covington itself should take over festivals the organization has been running. The issue was raised during Tuesday’s commission meeting when MainStrasse residents and business owners asked officials to consider preventing MSVA from operating festivals such as Oktoberfest, Mardi Gras and Maifest. MainStrasse resident Danielle Eulitt, a former president of the MSVA, presented a petition with about 70 signatures, collected within 24 hours, asking Covington to “choose another entity besides (MSVA) to operate the city’s festivals held in MainStrasse Village.” Read Full Article Here: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090512/NEWS01/305110094/1168/NEWS0101/MainStrasse+residents++Bamberger-led+group+doesn+t+represent+us
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