Here are a few pics from the other day (camera phone, so no critques please!)  These are taken with Wasson on the right of the photo and Marburg would be running along the top of the photo.  THe first shot is of a Town Home and the sedond is a Row Home, per their website.

 

 

could ackermann be reaching new lows??

 

i do believe so!

could ackermann be reaching new lows??

 

i do believe so!

 

I don't think this project is that bad. Look, the first houses abut the sidewalk of the existing street grid.  They're not on 100-foot lots and don't have protruding garages.  I admit the second photo is disconcerting, with the garages appearing to front the street.  But this doesn't fit in with the plat map, which calls for all garages to be on the alley.  So I guess we'll just have to see how it develops.

 

From their website (comments mine):

 

New Urbanism Principles at Marburg Square:

 

Walkability – From its location at Marburg Ave. and Wasson Rd., residents can walk to the stores and services in Hyde Park Plaza and to drinkeries like Hyde Park Tavern and Hap’s Irish Pub within 10 minutes.

 

The route to Hyde Park Plaza would be a nightmare to walk.  No fault of this developer, but I don't see many walking it.  Average distance people are willing to walk before driving?  1/4 mile, or 5 minutes.

 

Connectivity – The interconnected street grid within Marburg Square creates a smooth flow of traffic and allows easy walking throughout the community.

 

The grid exists outside of this development.  From what I can tell, all they've added are 1 square and an alley, which are difficult to discern from one another.  Again, the focus on walkability should not apply to this development itself (which hardly contains anything worth walking to,) but to it's relationship with the neighborhood around it, which they've done fairly well. 

 

Timeless Architecture and Urban Design – Marburg Square’s design emphasizes aesthetics, efficient use of space, respect for the environment, and human comfort to create a sense of place.

 

My comments above highlight just a few of the things they neglected from an urban design standpoint.  The architecture speaks for itself.  If it's not outstanding, that's one thing.  But to go as far as to claim it as "timeless" is quite a stretch.

 

Traditional Neighborhood

Structure – Marburg Square features a discernible edge with artistic landscaping and a village center within the community.

 

When locating within an existing framework like Oakley, the goal is not to have a discernable edge.  It is to blend in smoothly with the surroundings.  The important principle they lost here is to have a discernable center, not edge.  Also, a clubhouse rarely constitutes a 'village center.'

 

Central community space – The central green space offers a location for neighbors to gather and socialize.

 

Okay, sounds good.  More careful thought in laying this space out would've helped immensely.

CiNYC, well done, your comments seem fair and accurate...I really don't see a whole lot of difference between this and the suburban apartment complexes my in-laws have bounced between over the years.  This is nicer, no doubt, but it doesn't seem like an urbanist concept, at least in my minimal understanding of the term...

 

CiNYC, well done, your comments seem fair and accurate...I really don't see a whole lot of difference between this and the suburban apartment complexes my in-laws have bounced between over the years.  This is nicer, no doubt, but it doesn't seem like an urbanist concept, at least in my minimal understanding of the term...

 

You've got to be kidding.  Suburban apartment buildings have front doors that lead directly into parking lots.  And they are hundreds of feet from the nearest street, and that street usually doesn't even have sidewalks.  Surely, this could be more urban.  But they do a decent job of fitting into the scale of the existing neighborhood. Also, the sad truth is that to sell new housing in this part of the country, you have to offer at least one garage parking space, and given that constraint I think they did okay.

 

^Then perhaps the suburban apartment complexes my in-laws have bounced around for the last few years have all be semi-urbanist.  As I said, I have a pretty minimal understanding of exactly what it means - I just know this reminds me of Dawson's Creek in Ft. Wayne, or Craughwell in Dublin, only plopped down in the city where acreage is too valuable to have a set-back.

 

Though I didn't realize the front doors opened to the street - although one wonders how often anyone will use those doors, and that's only on the perimeter.

 

Kendall, what's you opinion of the places across Paxton from Hyde Park Plaza?  Those strike me the same way...if you think those are radically different from what's going to be here, then I obviously am not conceptualizing Marburg Square right; if those strike you as largely similar to Marburg Square, then I'm probably way off on what I conceive "urbanist" to be...

 

^Are you referring to the Drexel apartments?  They are a disaster. I would consider them more suburban-styled than Marburg Square.  The Drexel surrounds a parking garage, not engaging the street at all.  They don't even have token walk-ups connected to the main sidewalk.  It's like a tornado picked up an entire suburban apartment complex and dropped them all neatly on a plat 1/4 of the original size.  Plus they are huge and out of scale with the surrounding houses.

 

The Marburg Square buildings are smaller, much like the two-story houses that surround it.

What you can't tell from the second pic TCK posted is how far that is set back from Eastern Hills Lane.  Those are indeed the garages to units 5A and 5B.

 

Here are a couple of pics I took on Monday.  They're essentially the same as the ones TCK posted, only less blurry.  (No offense, TCK!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

im not writing this project off.  The renderings look good and I am gonna wait til the finished product.  I still have faith. 

It's like a tornado picked up an entire suburban apartment complex and dropped them all neatly on a plat 1/4 of the original size.  Plus they are huge and out of scale with the surrounding houses.

Well put.  I hate the Drexel

Well, I don't get Ackermann on this one, it looks like they are trying hard not to complete this project and lose as much money as possible!  Nothing ever seems to happen.  They are only building two buildings at one time?  Come on, what is up with that?  It even looks as though some of the siding that was on has been removed!

 

 

Updated pics from 9/20/06:

 

 

 

 

 

"Excuse me, sir, but how much are you asking for this unit?" :D

 

^LOL!!!  That'd be hilarious...

I have heard through the grapevine that they have stopped construction on all future units until they have sold a majority of what is already built.  I also heard they will be landscaping the area to try to make it look presentable.

 

Good luck, this looks like a disaster for the Ackermann Group.

The only appeal to this project for me is density...the buildings are ugly and uninspired, utterly disconnected from the neighborhood, out of character...and now they're not even going to be their own dense little neighborhood?  And may I ask, WTF happened to this rendering?

 

I have heard through the grapevine that they have stopped construction on all future units until they have sold a majority of what is already built.  I also heard they will be landscaping the area to try to make it look presentable.

 

Good luck, this looks like a disaster for the Ackermann Group.

 

What a tremendous waste of time, money and effort.  They have just spent millions building Cincinnati's newest unofficial city park.

 

 

It looks like the developers are trying another tack to sell these places.  Check out this listing for "new one-story flats" at Marburg Square:

 

http://www.huff.com/search/detail.php?MLNumber=1049462&PPropertyType=26&ListingAgentID=&frmaction=search&

Condo plans revised

BY JEFF MCKINNEY | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

September 22, 2007

 

OAKLEY - After selling only seven condominiums in three years, the developer of Marburg Square has decided to change the design and drop prices of the units to make them more appealing to young professionals and baby boomers.

 

The Ackermann Group, the Norwood-based developer, now plans to build 78 condo units at the $25 million development along Marburg Avenue and Wasson Road.

 

...

Marburg Square photo update, 10/13/07

Building Cincinnati, 10/19/07

 

Building at the $25 million Marburg Square project continues slowly but surely.

 

The Ackermann Group is building 78 condos at Marburg Avenue and Wasson Road in Oakley, near Hyde Park Plaza.

 

After selling only seven units in three years, Ackermann has scaled down most of the units and has lowered prices from $399,000 to $229,900-$279,900.

 

Buildout is expected in 2010.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2007/10/marburg-square-photo-update-101307.html

 

Revamped condos selling

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080808/BIZ01/308080041/1076/NEWS

 

OAKLEY – Nearly a year after cutting prices and changing designs, the developer of Marburg Square is harvesting some activity from the alterations.

 

Eleven condominium units have been sold in the past three months at the $25 million development along Marburg Avenue and Wasson Road.

 

...

Been inside - quite unimpressed

One advantage of single family homes over condo's is the lack of a monthly HOA.  Sure their is a yearly HOA in some newer neighborhoods or subdivisions but nothing like the $200 + $250 a month condos generally see.

 

What are the condo fees for Marburg Square?

Inside Marburg Square, Part I

http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2008/11/inside-marburg-square-part-i.html

 

On November 17, LEED AP and public relations committee chair of the Cincinnati chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council led a tour of Marburg Square in Oakley, which is building its new structures to LEED for Homes Silver standards.

 

Being built by the Ackermann Group at Marburg Avenue and Wasson Road, the $25 million development offers both urban flats, with more than 1,400 square feet, and townhomes, with more than 1,800 square feet.

 

...

One advantage of single family homes over condo's is the lack of a monthly HOA. Sure their is a yearly HOA in some newer neighborhoods or subdivisions but nothing like the $200 + $250 a month condos generally see.

 

What are the condo fees for Marburg Square?

 

The HOA fees at Marburg Square are between $194/mo and $235/mo.

Can anyone confirm if this project is 100% completed or are there more planned phases?

I lived in one of the "flats".  The project is nowhere near completion, although they are nearing completion of a new "flat" building along Wasson.  Having lived here the past couple of years, I can tell you a few things:

 

1. there is little to no sound insulation.  I can hear my upstairs and downstairs neighbors walking, talking, everything else.  I can even hear garage doors opening 2 stories down. 

 

2. related to #1, the build quality is below par.  Laminate floors are separating, floor tiles have split in the bathroom, and water has leaked from under my shower drain into my downstairs neighbors unit.  Kitchen cabinets are sagging on the bottom (laminate construction), GFCI outlets were installed improperly, and there is no tile backsplash on the walls.  It seems like the builder "cheaped-out".

 

3. Management of HOA is also below par.  The only thing that seems to get taken care of is the landscaping.  Common areas of the interiors of the flat buildings are in desperate need of a new paint job, light bulbs burn out and are not replaced, locks break (i.e. fall apart in your hand) and don't get replaced unless multiple people call repeatedly, windows are never cleaned, wood trim on the inside warped and popped due to lack of temperature control (no A/C) and has never been fixed.  The list goes on and on here.

 

4. The driveways have never had their final surfacing.  Nothing says upscale development like dodging manhole covers!

 

It's really a shame - this could have been a good project if thought out properly.  The people of Oakley deserve better.

Wow, what an awful development.

4. The driveways have never had their final surfacing.  Nothing says upscale development like dodging manhole covers!

 

It's really a shame - this could have been a good project if thought out properly.  The people of Oakley deserve better.

 

Roadways are typically not given a final asphalt overlay until the development is built out or near a build out - but it's been years and the surface is just crap (http://goo.gl/maps/lcSp8). Biked down this last week and while I liked the exterior, if the interior is cheapened out - then it's not a wonder why they have had trouble selling these over the years.

People don't move to Oakley for cheap trim and crappy build quality.

People don't move to Oakley for cheap trim and crappy build quality.

 

Move there for our new suburban-style "lifestyle center" instead!  Easier highway access!  Acres of parking!