Saw this new moniker thing in Oakley Square today.  Looks like it doubles as some sort of tie-down for something else as well.

 

Finance Committee discusses changes on streetscape TIFs

http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2007/12/finance-committee-discusses-changes-on.html

 

Changes to four proposed streetscape projects were discussed in a recent meeting of City Council's Finance Committee.

 

Four neighborhood tax increment financing (TIF) districts - Oakley, Walnut Hills, West Price Hill and Westwood - are seeking $750,000 apiece:

• Oakley community leaders have decided not to use TIF funds for gap financing and infrastructure improvements for two proposed development projects. Instead, they have opted to continue work on the Oakley Square streetscape and traffic improvement project.
  
• Walnut Hills has decided to invest in a streetscape for the Peebles Corner area and to not use any TIF funds for building redevelopment.
  
• West Price Hill still hasn't settled on a streetscape, business district development, or a combination of both.
  
• Westwood has been told that the TIF funds would only result in the abatement of one or two blighted buildings due to the high cost of acquiring the buildings, relocating the tenants, and demolition.

 

The $3 million for the projects would come from the Neighborhood Incentive District Loan Fund. The City would then issue bonds, which would replenish the loan fund. The bond debt would be serviced by revenue produced from the streetscape improvements.

 

The Walnut Hills money was approved by City Council in September. The Oakley, West Price Hill and Westwood TIF districts still have not been approved by the State of Ohio.

Cincinnati rolls out three 'new' streetscape TIF projects

http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2008/04/cincinnati-rolls-out-three-new.html

 

Cincinnati City Council has approved streetscape tax increment financing (TIF) projects for Oakley, West Price Hill and Westwood, which were originally approved last September.

 

The three neighborhoods' TIF districts, created in 2005, were among seven rejected by the state of Ohio due to new rules requiring property owners within a given TIF district to be up to date on their property taxes, a change that the City failed to take into account when they were created.

 

The three projects receiving $750,000 apiece are:

• Oakley Square streetscape and traffic improvements
  
• West Price Hill streetscape and/or business district development
  
• Westwood building acquisition, tenant relocation and demolition

 

Funding for the projects would come from the City's Neighborhood Incentive District Loan Fund and would be the first projects to utilize this tool.

 

Bonds will be issued to replenish the loan fund, and the bonds will be serviced by revenue generated from the streetscape improvements.

Madison Road, Oakley Square drawings released

http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2008/12/madison-road-oakley-square-drawings.html

 

Preliminary drawings have been released by Cincinnati's Department of Transportation and Engineering for the reconstruction of Madison Road between Romana Place and the railroad overpass in Oakley.

 

Improvements will include the expansion of the Geier Esplanade, bump outs, and sidewalk and curb extensions - all meant to slow traffic from the more than 15,000 cars that come through Oakley Square every day.

 

The project will also feature new street trees, rain gardens, pervious pavers and sidewalks, bus shelters and signage.

 

There is no timetable for the beginning of construction.

 

Up to $750,000 a tax increment financing (TIF) fund loan pool and $600,000 in Cincinnati Neighborhood Business Districts United grants will be used for the project.

 

 

 

Will Allston Street go one-way?

http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/03/will-allston-street-go-one-way.html

 

Minot Avenue resident Sophia Paparodis has concerns about traffic and speeding on her street, and she doesn't like a proposal to convert Allston Street to one-way northbound.

 

The change is part of a project to improve Oakley Square that will include an expanded Geier Esplanade, safer intersections and bump outs, new bus stops, sidewalks and street trees, sewer improvements, and new signage and lighting.

 

Paparodis found out about the Allston proposal last July from Oakley Community Council member Skip Allen, and, in an e-mail to Cincinnati City Councilmember and chair of the Vibrant Neighborhoods Committee Roxanne Qualls, it was news to her and to her neighbors.

 

"Improving the square is well supported by everyone I talked to on Minot Avenue but no one knew about the change to Allston," she says.

 

She says that the speed humps have helped calm the speeding on her street, but there are other traffic issues that are affecting her street.

 

Minot Avenue, as the last street before the ramp to I-71 northbound, sees considerable automobile traffic from drivers seeking a shortcut to the interstate.

 

"We are still experiencing traffic that causes families to move, sell their homes and the rate of rental properties owned by investors have increased," she says.

 

In her opinion, impending commercial development at the Rookwood Exchange site will only make the problem worse.

 

"And because the traffic heading to I-71 north on Edwards Road has continued I became very concerned about the decline in stability and quality of life on Minot Avenue," she says. "At certain times of the day we can barely turn left onto Edwards from Minot Avenue. We sit waiting on a street barely big enough for the parked cars and two way traffic as cars file in behind us."

 

Petition drive

In August 2008, all but two residents of the 2800 block of Minot Avenue signed a petition to have the street converted to one-way traffic or dead-ended from Edwards Road to 28th Avenue.

 

"We have seen other streets that intersect with Edwards become dead ends or one ways and we want to protect our neighborhood just like other Oakley residents who are effected by the Rookwood development," she says.

 

In September, the residents presented their petition to the Oakley Community Council, and it was forwarded to the City's Division of Traffic Engineering for a report.

 

DOTE recommendations

A report by the Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) found that:

• There has been a low crash volume at Minot and Edwards since 2004.
  
• There has been a low crash volume on Minot from Edwards to 28th since 2004.
  
• Overall, travel patterns through speed-humped areas were safe and appropriate for the conditions.

 

In assessing the conversion of Minot into a one-way street, DOTE believes that traffic would be diverted to Markbreit Avenue, an already overburdened street, and that the increased traffic would only worsen congestion at the intersection of Edwards, Markbreit and Williams during peak hours.

 

The report also says that the amount of traffic using Allston Street northbound is currently low, and that there's no reason to believe that traffic would increase as a result of the change.

 

In fact, they say that traffic currently traveling southbound on Allston Street will have to find an alternate route, leading to a net decrease in traffic.

 

"In summary, the Division of Traffic Engineering cannot recommend any change to Minot Avenue from Edwards to 28th," Martha Kelly, acting city traffic engineer, says in the report. "The count, speed and crash data does not show an unusual pattern of accidents or speeding on the street."

 

Kelly also says that the overall street grid is essential to the effective distribution of traffic in Oakley.

 

"Therefore, the residents on any one portion of a through street cannot determine changes to that street segment without the support of a majority of residents on other impacted streets," she says.

 

Paparodis not buying it

"The DOTE report came back with no solution, no change in plans and not even one recommendation of how to make our neighborhood more livable considering the plans to divert more traffic from the square," Paparodis says. "I have not been able to convince the OCC or the DOTE to reconsider their plans to divert more traffic onto this residential street that needs the parking it has on both sides, does not even have a line down the middle, narrows as it goes downhill to Edwards and is increasing [sic] becoming investment rental property rather than homes with families."

 

Paparodis also says that the same Skip Allen who told her about the plans for Allston Street helped create the Oakley Square plans, and that Allen owns several boarded up properties on Allston Street that he purchased over the last couple of years.

 

One of those buildings was demolished last month.

 

"Mr. Allen does not live in Oakley but has a business in Oakley," Paparodis says. "He does not think the change would effect [sic] the traffic on Minot and is in agreement with the DOTE but, everyone I have spoken to who lives on Minot Avenue has the same reaction - of course it will increase traffic."

 

Petition II

Paparodis is now collecting signatures from the 2900 and 3000 blocks of Minot Avenue, closer to Allston Street, and is hoping that council's Vibrant Neighborhoods Committee will be able to address the issue.

 

A report to council from city manager Milton Dohoney Jr. is due by March 18.

 

Improvements to Oakley Square are scheduled to begin later this year.

Lol ... you guys really believe in keeping threads alive. Over 2 years between post #1 and post #2!! :)

 

Thanks for the extensive update. Oakley Sqaure is already pretty nice, although I guess it's a little dated, so I'm sure the streetscaping will be a welcome improvement. Also, I'm sure expanding the park will be well received, and the new streetscaping North of the square is certainly overdue.

 

I don't really understand the complaining about traffic on Minot. Like the article says, if you shut it down, traffic will just move to Markbriet. Why should Minot get to reduce their traffic at the expense of other streets?

 

I live on a through street far busier than either of those two, and I'm perfectly happy with my property values. So maybe I lack their perspective on the evils of the grid system.

Lol ... you guys really believe in keeping threads alive. Over 2 years between post #1 and post #2!! :)

 

Haha, yeah I saw these updates that weren't shared on the forum.  I wanted to share them with everyone and saw a couple posts floating around that could be consolidated into one thread.  So here you go.  A couple more posts will probably be merged into this thread before it's all said and done.

I would love to see some outside seating in front of Deweys, whatever fills the Kona Bistro space, and maybe even Boca.  I think it could really liven up the square in the way that the outside dining has livened HP Square.

I would love to see some outside seating in front of Deweys, whatever fills the Kona Bistro space, and maybe even Boca. I think it could really liven up the square in the way that the outside dining has livened HP Square.

 

Totally agree... I think it could go a long way.  Any time frame on this?  I didn't see anything in the articles.

Brazee street needs a traffic light or to be one way only AWAY from Madison. Turning out of there is terrifying. People go really fast westbound and you can't see them at all from Brazee

Blockhead American drivers need to learn how to drive in squares properly. People always screw up. I can understand people from a city without many squares would make a lot of mistakes, but Cincinnati is full of squares and ambiguous intersections.

Minot is much narrower than Markbreit and should not have to handle through traffic.  I have friends on each street and Markbreit should be fine handling any additional traffic from the closing or "one-waying" of Minot.

Council ordinance would create Oakley Square account

http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/03/council-ordinance-would-create-oakley.html

 

Cincinnati City Council is considering an ordinance that would create a capital improvement program account for the Oakley Square improvement project.

 

The new account would be funded with $750,000 in revenues from the Oakley tax increment financing (TIF) district, approved by council in March 2008.

 

Meant to slow traffic from the more than 15,000 cars that come through Oakley Square every day, improvements will include the expansion of the Geier Esplanade, bump outs, and sidewalk and curb extensions.

 

The project will also feature new street trees, rain gardens, pervious pavers and sidewalks, bus shelters and signage.

 

Work is expected to begin later this year.

 

In addition to TIF money, $600,000 in Cincinnati Neighborhood Business Districts United funds will be used for the project.

Wow, more than a year since the last post, and they're already half way done with construction.  What gives?  Anyway, here's some shots from today.

 

 

Note the reused granite curb stones, yay!

 

 

 

There's a huge amount of room for outdoor seating in front of Habits

 

 

 

Some of the rain gardens.

 

 

 

The darker gray concrete against the curb is pervious.  I think it's rather ugly, not because of the texture so much as the very cold gray color. 

 

 

It's going to be a nice improvement, though I'm disappointed they're not relocating the power lines. 

Agreed, that is quite disappointing about the power lines. makes such a substantial difference in my opinion

Ohio almost seems to have a pathological aversion to burying utilities. Never seen a place that does so many full fledged streetscaping makeovers and keeps them. Much bigger impression per dollar than rain gardens. Not that I have anything against creative storm water management.

True, though I'll admit that the utilities at Oakley Square aren't as obtrusive as in other NBD's like O'Bryonville or Madisonville.  The crazy street grid around Oakley Square allows some buildings to be serviced from behind or from cross streets.  Still, you'd think they could come up with some compromise.  In European countries where there's no other choice, they at least integrate the utility lines with the street light poles.  Here they just leave the same old wooden utility poles, and put in separate new light posts, sometimes even leaving the old cobra head lights, which is ridiculous.  A little coordination and craft would be a nice touch, such as this view in Denmark (where overhead power lines are extremely rare).

 

   

I really think taking advantage of opportunities to bury utility lines would greatly beautify the city and give it a much cleaner look.  Burying utilities on Vine in the Gateway and in Mt. Adams made a huge difference.

 

So what are the challenges?  I would think it should be relatively simple so long as the road and sidewalk are torn up anyway, and the suburbs seem pretty good at getting their utilities buried.  There was an article in the Enquirer a few months ago talking about what a challenge it was in Mt Adams (100% property owner agreement I think??).  What makes it difficult, and what could be done to make it easier?  I would think in the long run it is even cheaper when you factor in tree trimming, maintenance, and outages (08 hurricane anyone?).  This is something I would like to look into more so I would appreciate any info.

 

To install these nice new lights and have them obscured by wood poles and then to have to trim back the new trees in the future is such a shame

I took this picture in the bohemian shacktown of Punta del Diablo, Uruguay because as soon as I saw this it reminded me of Cincinnati

While we're at it I think Cincinnati should adopt a clean looking standardized mast arm traffic signal... can you tell I hate overhead wires??

A problem that Duke cited for Mt. Adams was the bedrock being so close to the surface, thus making the digging difficult.  Of course it's still doable, they had the gas, water, sewer, and telephone lines in the ground ages ago after all.  That aside, the complications aren't an overhead versus underground issue so much as they're an existing versus new issue.  A lot of the expense and difficulty is in rerouting the service feeds to the individual buildings and finding places to stick transformers.  When it's all new and with lots of trenching going on for other utilities, it's much more cost-effective to bury the power lines too, but when the infrastructure is already in place it's not like you're just burying it, you're building a completely new system from scratch, and that doesn't come cheap.  Take a look along Woodburn Avenue near DeSales Corner sometime, and notice all the service conduits on buildings that had to be abandoned and replaced with a new underground service.  It irks me that there's still a few utility poles right near Madison Road, but I can't imagine they plan to leave those.  Anyway, it's a lot of whining and complaining on the part of the utility companies, but if utility lines should be buried anywhere it's in these neighborhood business districts. 

^ to add a little more to what jjakucyk said

 

Reburying utilities in an area where there are currently other existing utilities makes costs skyrocket because of the displacement of other existing utilities and their repairs. Electric would be run in conduit 2-3 feet deep and the conduit has to have few turns, so it can't always go around existing utilities. Some existing utilities would have to be relocated. Also, existing utilities (mostly communications and gas with maybe a few water lines) will be hit during excavation and will need to be repaired further raising costs.

^ These are challenges, not excuses. Plenty of other industrialized countries do it, and continue to do it after the fact. It is simply a measure of what people value. IE: Power lines in public realms but not in quasi-private ones (subdivisions.)

It is simply a measure of what people value.

 

That's the kicker right there, people in this country want it done cheaply, aesthetics be damned.  It is a bit oxymoronic when all the effort is put into designing great streetscaping while leaving the overhead utilities though.  The impression I get is that most people tend to just block them out because they're so ubiquitous, so they don't see the value in removing them.  The trouble with that is the other benefits we don't get, but which we don't notice are missing.  A big one I notice is that the plethora of overhead wires means almost none of our major streets are properly shaded.  So not only do we have ugly poles and wires to look at, we lose the benefit of having a mature tree canopy too.  The trees in the middle of Oakley Square help this situation a lot, but where you don't have a median of some sort it gets very difficult.

^ These are challenges, not excuses. Plenty of other industrialized countries do it, and continue to do it after the fact. It is simply a measure of what people value. IE: Power lines in public realms but not in quasi-private ones (subdivisions.)

 

Agreed. I was just stating why it costs more. In new residential subdivisions all utilities (electric, gas, communications, and sometimes water are buried in the same trench at their respective depths, but they have no existing infrastructure to work around. This makes it easier to connect utilities to the houses and easier to locate utilities.

It also makes it that much more infuriating to see Duke Energy tearing up so many streets to replace gas lines and not bothering to bury the electric at the same time.  Still, having gas and electric in the same trench doesn't sit right with me, I'm surprised that it's allowed at all.  Of course, we seem to overly complicate these things here in the US.  In much of Europe they don't dig huge trenches in the streets for electric and telecom lines (though I think they do for water, sewer, and gas).  Instead, they use preformed concrete conduits that they lay in the sidewalk area, and the sidewalk itself is simply precast concrete slabs set on top.  So if any maintenance work needs to be done on the wires, they just lift off the sidewalk, fix the wiring, and then put the sidewalk back when they're done.  It doesn't require a backhoe and three stages of repaving since it's all modular. 

I don't mind utility poles and power lines, and I'd like to think (as an architect) that I put a whole lot of value in aesthetic.  Urban spaces aren't supposed to be crisp, clean, and perfect.  They're supposed to be a hodgepodge.  If you want things to look perfect and orderly, then go to the Streets of West Chester, not a 250 year old urban core.  The urban aesthetic doesn't need to be pristine, in fact I personally cringe when it is; it's so bland and ubiquitous.

Except here in Cincinnati the plethora of overhead utilities are what's so bland and ubiquitous.  Seriously, the only places of any size around here that aren't crawling with utility poles are the downtown core, the Queensgate industrial park, and Mariemont.  Removing wires doesn't change the architecture of the area, or all the other street furniture, and those things are where the hodgepodge comes from. 

 

I don't expect overhead wires to be removed from all places, but the less of it that's around the better because it's become such a detriment to our built environment.  To say you "don't mind it" means that it still bothers you to some extent, just not enough to care about.  But where does it stop?  Do you not mind the broken curbs, the cracked streets, the litter, the dirt and filth, the crime, the traffic, the noise, or the smell?  You may not mind some or even all of those things, but when they start piling on top of each other it makes a place that much more unpleasant to the point that people simply don't want to be there anymore. 

 

We need to be striving for the best we can, rather than simply shrugging our shoulders at things that are "good enough" or "not so bad."  It's this kind of attitude that has gotten Cincinnati and many midwestern cities into the predicament they're in.  This aversion to excellence, to being ok with the mundane and ugly, is truly appalling. 

It also makes it that much more infuriating to see Duke Energy tearing up so many streets to replace gas lines and not bothering to bury the electric at the same time. Still, having gas and electric in the same trench doesn't sit right with me, I'm surprised that it's allowed at all.

 

It's actually interesting how the regulate it. On the service to the house, gas and electric must be seperated by 2 feet when running parallel. If they cross, they must by put in plastic sleeves. In the main utility trench the electric is always in conduit with the gas at 18-24 inches deep and the electric is usually 3 feet deep. I guess they see the plastic conduit as a sufficient barrier its a 1/4 inch thick and chemically welded together. Also, gas lines are more likely to leak at fittings, electric lines are more likely to be exposed at junctions, and now with modern materials these two utilities are both seemless until they reach the house.

I don't mind utility poles and power lines, and I'd like to think (as an architect) that I put a whole lot of value in aesthetic. Urban spaces aren't supposed to be crisp, clean, and perfect. They're supposed to be a hodgepodge. If you want things to look perfect and orderly, then go to the Streets of West Chester, not a 250 year old urban core. The urban aesthetic doesn't need to be pristine, in fact I personally cringe when it is; it's so bland and ubiquitous.

 

I know that's just your personal opinion, but opinions aren't always well founded or rational. Utility lines on poles are a liability as well as a sign of poor aesthetics. I can't argue with someone who thinks that blood vessels on the outside of their body are beautiful, and it might make for easy access, but the benefits stop there, to be sure.

I don't mind utility poles and power lines, and I'd like to think (as an architect) that I put a whole lot of value in aesthetic. Urban spaces aren't supposed to be crisp, clean, and perfect. They're supposed to be a hodgepodge. If you want things to look perfect and orderly, then go to the Streets of West Chester, not a 250 year old urban core. The urban aesthetic doesn't need to be pristine, in fact I personally cringe when it is; it's so bland and ubiquitous.

 

I know that's just your personal opinion, but opinions aren't always well founded or rational. Utility lines on poles are a liability as well as a sign of poor aesthetics. I can't argue with someone who thinks that blood vessels on the outside of their body are beautiful, and it might make for easy access, but the benefits stop there, to be sure.

 

I don't know if the comparison between varicose veins and power lines is a fair one.  My point was one of general appearances and how they relate to a sense of place; cities do not need clean, or have a proper aesthetic.  I'm not saying I want to settle for less than perfect, in fact maybe I was a bit reserved when I just said "I don't mind" above ground utilities.  I appreciate the anti-perfect apperance in certain places.  I do concede that in order for it to truly have an impact, the opposite does have to exist.  There are certain places buried utilities would be logical... but I don't know if Oakley and OTR are those places.  The historical nature of the neighborhoods doesn't lend itself to the sterile urban aesthetic that downtown might. 

 

* But do remember, I'm a guy who sneaks into abandoned buildings and takes pictures: (http://zfein.com/photography/)  I have prints of these hanging all over my apartment.  I have what I like to think as a "modern romanticist" aesthetic appreciation when it comes to urban architecture :P

Oakley may not benefit greatly from removing overhead lines, but Oakley SQUARE sure would.  The neighborhood business district is the one place where the neighborhood needs to put on its best face.  Simply moving the wires to the rear of the buildings is a great pragmatic approach, and I wish we'd at least have seen that happen.  Leaving them on the main street in plain view on wood poles among very expensive new streetscaping is akin to leaving the kid's cheap plastic toys on the floor of the formal dining room when you have guests over for a fancy dinner party.  It may be what you're used to, and you may not mind it, but it certainly doesn't impress others, and may even drive them away. 

The aesthetic difference is night and day, we can see it on Vine St and St. Gregory here in Cincy.  It makes a big difference in neighborhoods too.

 

I've only lived in Cincy for a couple years, and when I first came here it really stood out.  I work for a California based company and when people come here, they comment on it too.  I've lived in quite a few places and it is only here that the power lines and poles have really bothered me.  In Cincinnati, above lines are everywhere, they are often sloppily strung all over the place, the wood poles lean, and the city makes use by hanging stoplights, street lights, and street signs from them.  We get used to it living here, but it really detracts from the area.  It's not just neighborhood commercial districts either (although those are a logical first place to start).  I really think people come to Cincinnati and judge it "gritty" based on the abundance of overhead lines, be is conscious or unconscious. 

 

Utilities in neighborhood:

 

Beautiful tree canopy in older neighborhood with no utilities:

 

It is simply a measure of what people value.

 

That's the kicker right there, people in this country want it done cheaply, aesthetics be damned.  It is a bit oxymoronic when all the effort is put into designing great streetscaping while leaving the overhead utilities though. 

 

Lots of cities have comprehensive plans to bury utilities.  I hope we can get Cincinnati to care too.  I wish I had a picture, but Minneapolis put up some temporary wood poles for a city wide wi-fi network that actually had an apology note attached that admitted it was unsightly, and assured people it was only temporary as if they expected the complaints in advance.

 

Do you not mind the broken curbs

 

Curbs in Cincinnati are another issue altogether to me.  Cincinnati does not build "curb and gutter" and the thin little walls of concrete fall apart because water flows along asphalt, seeps into the cracks, and washes out the underlayment, wearing it out, instead of flowing to the sewer grates in concrete gutters.

 

 

Good discussion.  I would like to Cincinnati come up with a plan to focus on burying lines where possible.  Lots of cities are doing it and I truly believe we have a lot to gain from it. 

The curb/gutter situation is certainly not unique to Cincinnati, and it actually tends to be more of a city vs. suburb kind of thing.  I noticed a similar situation in Chicago, although to a lesser extent than here.  This is just theory on my part, but it seems to fit.  The aversion to integrated curbs/gutters seems to be more of a holdover to more traditional materials and techniques than anything else.  Before concrete and asphalt became the norm, the curb was made up of large stone slabs (granite on main streets, limestone on side streets) buried deep into the ground.  These are the same ones that have been dug up and reused (yay!) at Oakley Square, Woodburn Avenue, and I think also on St. Gregory Street, they're massive.  Anyway, the brick or granite block paving of the street surface butted up against that curb and there was little, if any differentiation in the gutter except maybe for a change in the alignment of the bricks/blocks.  When they paved over that old surface with asphalt, they of course went right up to the edge of the curb.  The newer concrete curbs are just a more modern interpretation of that same typology.  I don't think you really get a whole lot more wear and tear on the asphalt from the scouring effect of water.  Even if you do, by the time it becomes an issue the whole road needs repaving anyway.  It would be interesting to know however if the integrated curb/gutter is longer lasting due to its thicker cross-section, but it's certainly more expensive.  I have seen several instances within the city where they do form new curbs with the integrated gutter, but they still pave over it anyway. 

I don't mind utility poles and power lines, and I'd like to think (as an architect) that I put a whole lot of value in aesthetic.  Urban spaces aren't supposed to be crisp, clean, and perfect.  They're supposed to be a hodgepodge.  If you want things to look perfect and orderly, then go to the Streets of West Chester, not a 250 year old urban core.  The urban aesthetic doesn't need to be pristine, in fact I personally cringe when it is; it's so bland and ubiquitous.

 

I know that's just your personal opinion, but opinions aren't always well founded or rational. Utility lines on poles are a liability as well as a sign of poor aesthetics. I can't argue with someone who thinks that blood vessels on the outside of their body are beautiful, and it might make for easy access, but the benefits stop there, to be sure.

 

I don't know if the comparison between varicose veins and power lines is a fair one.  My point was one of general appearances and how they relate to a sense of place; cities do not need clean, or have a proper aesthetic.  I'm not saying I want to settle for less than perfect, in fact maybe I was a bit reserved when I just said "I don't mind" above ground utilities.  I appreciate the anti-perfect apperance in certain places.  I do concede that in order for it to truly have an impact, the opposite does have to exist.  There are certain places buried utilities would be logical... but I don't know if Oakley and OTR are those places.  The historical nature of the neighborhoods doesn't lend itself to the sterile urban aesthetic that downtown might. 

 

* But do remember, I'm a guy who sneaks into abandoned buildings and takes pictures: (http://zfein.com/photography/)  I have prints of these hanging all over my apartment.  I have what I like to think as a "modern romanticist" aesthetic appreciation when it comes to urban architecture :P

 

I wasn't referring to varicose veins, but literally external veins. But semantics aside, all I can say is that I hope you're never on the urban design board of where I'm living!

Back home in Michigan all the utilities are in the back of the lots, not the front. This is in a lot of places, City of Detroit and suburbs. Is it because there are not a lot of alleys in Cincinnati? I am guessing that is how the "rear utilities" got started up north?

 

Yeah the power lines in front of my house are so ugly. I wish they ran across the rear. Sigh.

Yes, there are not many alleys in Cincinnati.  In fact, even where they do exist they usually predate electric service, and in many cases are even too narrow to accommodate utility poles.  Chicago is a city that has most of their services in the alleys, and it makes for some fantastic streets, especially residential side streets.  Indianapolis doesn't seem to have many alleys either, but they still manage to put their wires in back via easements.  I'm not sure why that practice is so rare here.  I tend to think the lack of alleys, the prevalence of ugly utility lines, and an overall haphazard built environment is an extension of Cincinnati's boomtown roots.  It has a sort of "get it up and running quickly, we'll fix it later if we have to" mentality that even nearby Middletown and Dayton don't seem to share.  In fact, another city that has probably the most parallels to Cincinnati's history, New Orleans, also has an overabundance of ugly utility infrastructure, and a lack of alleys. 

 

http://dirtamericana.blogspot.com/2010/05/making-it-hot-to-be-wired-part-i.html

http://dirtamericana.blogspot.com/2010/05/making-it-hot-to-be-wired-part-ii-citys.html

http://dirtamericana.blogspot.com/2010/05/making-it-hot-to-be-wired-part-iii-when.html

Wow the poles in the first link are terrible. I hope that is not too residential. Ugh.

I think that the abundance of overhead power lines is a reason Cincinnati loses some people to the suburbs. It's not like people look at a street and say that they would consider living there if the utilities were buried, but it does detract from the overall aesthetic of any neighborhood.

I went to Columbus for the day yesterday...the area I was in...had alleys and all the utilities were along the alley. I liked that, I wish Cincinnati didn't have it like this. It also is a problem in my neighborhood because they cut the trees all funny around the lines. They are trying to plant more trees on the street, but then Duke comes and hacks them all apart when they are only a few years old. Then the trees look half gutted or end up growing funny looking as they mature.

Oakley Square project completed ... finally

Cincinnati Business Courier | December 5, 2011

 

After two years of construction the city's Oakley Square project is officially finished. City Manager Milton Dohoney and other city leaders joined with Oakley's Community Council for a ribbon cutting on FridThe new square, in the heart of Oakley's business district, cost $9 million. It's aim was to beautify the area and make it safer for pedestrians, Local 12 reported.

 

Full Story: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/morning_call/2011/12/oakley-square-project-completed.html

It's pretty nice through Madison now.  I like all the traffic-calming measures, and my bicycle (and my in-between parts!) is thankful for the nice pavement.

 

They put in electric "gaslights" that I have not yet seen on.  But they still have the old-style overhead sodium lights, too.  Not sure what's happening with all this lighting...

 

The 20th Century is doing the ball-drop on the Square again this New Year's.  Free admission.  Should be a great scene.

The new lights don't look anything like reproduction gas lights.  They're functional around Oakley Square, but still haven't been turned on east of there yet.  Based on what I've seen elsewhere in the city, I'm 99% certain that they're going to leave the old cobra heads in place and connected.  It's sad enough that they couldn't relocate the overhead utilities, but not removing the old lighting just adds insult to injury.