Kenwood Towers would include offices, hotel

http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/03/kenwood-towers-would-include-offices.html

 

Kenwood Towers, LLC, a subsidiary of Neyer Properties, has presented to the Sycamore Township Zoning Commission a preliminary concept plan for a mixed-use development on a 12-acre site at 8050 Montgomery Road.

 

The developer has proposed for the western half of the site a nine-story, 266,000-square-foot office building and a seven-story, 160-room hotel.

 

The site plan also contains a parking structure of 800 cars, 100 sheltered parking spaces under the office building, and 100 surface parking spaces, with access from both Montgomery and Hosbrook roads.

 

Neyer Properties will be seeking LEED certification for the project and plans bio-swale storm water retention systems, high-efficiency mechanicals, low-emitting materials, high-efficiency irrigation and fixtures, and renewable energy systems.

 

The old Harley Hotel -- most recently a Best Western -- was demolished at the site in 2007.

 

"We believe this is still a great location for a hotel, however it needs to be part of a cohesive development, and this location serving Sycamore Township will need to be a high end hotel," says Jeff Chamot, development project manager for Neyer Properties in a letter of intent to the township.

 

Chamot says that the project will maximize the value of the land, benefitting Sycamore Township and surrounding property owners.

 

"The project will create approximately $85 million in new property values," he says.

 

The developer is currently working out a tax increment financing arrangement with the township for public storm water infrastructure and a portion of the parking garage.

 

The eastern half of the property would be developed separately as the new Cincinnati headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

 

In August, the FBI announced plans to build a 109,000-square-foot field office for 97 to 146 employees of its Special Weapons and Tactics and Hazardous Materials units, with construction beginning in spring 2009 and ending in fall 2010.

 

The FBI and its property manager, the U.S. General Services Administration, will have to negotiate its own development plan with Sycamore Township and Hamilton County.

 

 

Kenwood Towers seeks Thursday approval

http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/05/kenwood-towers-seeks-thursday-approval.html

 

Kenwood Towers, LLC, a subsidiary of Neyer Properties, will seek zoning approval of a major adjustment to PUD request for the Kenwood Towers project this Thursday at a meeting of the Sycamore Township Board of Trustees.

 

To be built on six acres at 8050 Montgomery Road, the development would include a nine-story, 266,000-square-foot Class A office building and a seven-story, 160-room upscale hotel.

 

A five-story, 800-space parking garage, 100 sheltered parking spaces underneath the office building, and 100 surface parking spaces are also part of the plan.

 

Since the concept plan was first presented, minor landscaping and buffering changes have been made to the south and east portions of the site to shield the view of the parking garage from neighboring residents and businesses.

 

The developer will be seeking LEED certification for the project and plans bio-swale storm water retention systems, high-efficiency mechanicals, low-emitting materials, high-efficiency irrigation and fixtures, and renewable energy systems.

 

Jeff Chamot, development project manager with Neyer Properties, says that site preparation work is awaiting trustee approval.

 

"We will be moving forward with getting the site pad-ready this summer – relocating utilities, grading, et cetera – but we will not build either the office building or hotel without a tenant in place," says development project manager Jeff Chamot. "After zoning approval this week we will start to market the project with a goal of landing a tenant."

 

Just east of Kenwood Towers, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and its property manager, the U.S. General Services Administration, have announced plans to build a 109,000-square-foot field office for 97 to 146 employees of its Special Weapons and Tactics and Hazardous Materials units.

 

The FBI will be seeking approval for that project later this year.

 

Randy, I know you have talked before about Cincy needing a marquis suburb, built densely and offering a dynamic suburban environment rather than the low sprawl of West Chester or Mason.  It appears that Kenwood is kind of taking this role, with it's increasing effort to build up, and obviously the amenities are already there.  What are your (or anyone elses) thoughts.

I agree that the Kenwood/Blue Ash area can really take this role on without much competition from other areas.  It is relatively easy to access the center city from there and offers a lot of high-paying jobs that appeal to young professionals.  What could really make this area explode in that regard would be a light rail system that would allow young people to choose between an urban and suburban lifestyle while also being able to live car-free.

Right. I think that with the urban approach that Blue Ash and Montgomery are learning towards (as opposed to years past), and the new developments around Kenwood, this area has the chance to become a major commercial and residential center.

Right. I think that with the urban approach that Blue Ash and Montgomery are learning towards (as opposed to years past), and the new developments around Kenwood, this area has the chance to become a major commercial and residential center.

 

Blue Ash and Montgomery are not taking an urban approach.  They are certainly seeing some higher density projects, but density does not necessarily equate to urbanity.  Atlanta's suburbs are dense as hell, but they sure as heck aren't urban.

Right. I think that with the urban approach that Blue Ash and Montgomery are learning towards (as opposed to years past), and the new developments around Kenwood, this area has the chance to become a major commercial and residential center.

 

Blue Ash and Montgomery are not taking an urban approach. They are certainly seeing some higher density projects, but density does not necessarily equate to urbanity. Atlanta's suburbs are dense as hell, but they sure as heck aren't urban.

 

This is correct. Kenwood doesn't have the bone structure for the kind of edge-city environment that you would find outside of DC, or even Clayton, MO. It is thoroughly suburban, no matter how many office towers you build into the forest.

 

A great comparison would be Bethesda, MD and the White Flint Mall area a few miles to the north, if anyone is familiar with that part of DC.

^

Funny what a mass transit station did for White Flint.

Bethesda is pretty urban, though.  And being on the Red Line gives it the capabilities to be way more compact and dense than Kenwood.  I think if the area around the Mall gets built up a little more, especially around Kenwood Road, the area will have a more urban feel.  I have heard that there are plans to get rid of all the fast food on Kenwood, and replace it with offices, retail, etc.  That alone could do wonders for the area, and help the terrible traffic of the area too.

The only cool thing about this area is trader joes. period.

The only cool thing about this area is trader joes. period.

 

Trader Joe's is the only reason I go there regularly.  There are the occasional trips to the Apple store.

Where do you people get your clothes??

Trader Joe's is the only reason I go there regularly.  There are the occasional trips to the Apple store.

It's hilarious how many OTR, downtowners and prospecthillians I bump into when I'm there. I feel bad about all the C02 I am emitting to get to that darned place. They need to move closer to DT!

 

 

Trader Joe's is the only reason I go there regularly. There are the occasional trips to the Apple store.

It's hilarious how many OTR, downtowners and prospecthillians I bump into when I'm there. I feel bad about all the C02 I am emitting to get to that darned place. They need to move closer to DT!

 

 

 

Maybe they'll open their second Cincinnati Store in the Q.

^It's ridiculous that in the whole metro area of Cincinnati (almost 2.2 million people, remember) there is only one Trader Joes, and two Whole Foods. Hyde Park should have a Trader Joes, Downtown/OTR should have a Trader Joes or a Whole Foods, NKY could probably support a Trader Joes, as could the northern burbs like Mason and West Chester. 

^ Because Krogers has 100+ stores in the area.

^It's ridiculous that in the whole metro area of Cincinnati (almost 2.2 million people, remember) there is only one Trader Joes, and two Whole Foods. Hyde Park should have a Trader Joes, Downtown/OTR should have a Trader Joes or a Whole Foods, NKY could probably support a Trader Joes, as could the northern burbs like Mason and West Chester.

 

I had recently heard a rumor of a second Trader Joe's location opening near downtown.  I asked a cashier about two months ago if there was any truth to that.  He said that there were no plans currently to open another location, and the company is waiting until their sales at that location goes up.  They don't want the sales at the Kenwood store to plummet if they open a new location else where. 

 

That said, I would shop at Trader Joe's more often if there was a closer location.  When I lived in Pleasant Ridge, I shopped there once every other week.  Now that I live in OTR, I shop there once every 4-6 weeks. 

Yeah, navigating Interstate 71 after work is such a pain I rarely go out towards Kenwood or to Trader Joes. I go to Whole Foods a lot, but it's pretty close to Xavier and I can take local streets.

^ Because Krogers has 100+ stores in the area.

 

Kroger and Trader Joe's don't seem to compete with each other as much as you'd think because they have very different inventory.  Sure they both sell food, but Trader Joe's sells a lot of things you'd never find at Kroger.  Plus, in LA at least, Trader Joe's prices kill Kroger's (Ralph's) in a lot of areas. 

Plans unveiled for Kenwood Towers

Development would include seven-story "green" hotel

By Lisa Bernard-Kuhn • [email protected] • June 3, 2009

 

 

 

Evanston-based Neyer Properties says it could break ground by next spring on the first phase of Kenwood Towers – a more than $50 million development that includes a seven-story “green” hotel and office tower in Sycamore Township.

 

Click on link for article.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090603/BIZ01/306030012/1055/NEWS/Kenwood+Towers+plans+unveiled

Residents work for zone change for $100 Million Kenwood Towers project

http://www.soapboxmedia.com/devnews/69corpprint.aspx

 

It's not often that Cincinnatians circulate petitions against a zone change for a development project which may affect their neighborhood, but that's not the case in Sycamore Township. Homeowners and Kenwood Meadows residents Jim Huff and Larry Meyer are leading the charge to collect signatures to supporting a zone change that will allow Neyer Properties’ Kenwood Towers development, which includes the construction of a new building for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

 

The proposed 12-acre, $100 million project would include a seven-story, 160-room hotel offering meeting and banquet facilities; a nine-story, 266,000 square foot office building and parking garage; as well as the proposed $47.3 million FBI Building, which is slated for construction this fall. Construction on Kenwood Towers could begin as early as spring, 2010.

 

The 100-foot setback from residential property lines, efficient traffic flow and green facets of the projects appealed to Larry Meyer who thinks the construction project will be good for the area with an anticipated $600,000 in additional property tax revenues going to the Indian Hill School District.

 

Sycamore Township unanimously approved the zone change. The proposed hotel and offices are to be located west of the FBI building along Interstate 71, just south of Montgomery Road.

 

Kenwood Towers is a mixed-use development of office space and a hotel with the goal of attaining a minimum of LEED Silver certification.

 

“The project will be certified under a new LEED system just released,” said Jeff Chamot, LEED AP and development project manager at Neyer Properties.  “The new system has a regional component to it that, in the Cincinnati area, weighs the credits relative to storm water diversion and on-site treatment much more heavily than in the previous system.”

 

The plans will incorporate bio-swales, or rain gardens, to capture and treat much of the rainwater on-site so it percolates into the ground versus being piped off-site. The real estate investment and development company is also exploring re-capturing roof rainwater from the buildings and garage and re-using it to irrigate landscaping, avoiding the cost and waste relative to using potable water.

 

Another green feature at Kenwood Towers will be the use of light shelves. They will be located on the building exterior above the windows. Light shelves are built adjacent to a window—inside or out— in a strategic location to help bounce daylight deeper inside tenant spaces. These also help heat the building in winter and block out heat in summer when the sun is higher in the sky, he added.

Adjacent to this specific project thread, and since it's the same user I consider it to be essentially the same thing.

 

Sycamore to consider FBI proposal on Monday

http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/08/sycamore-to-consider-fbi-proposal-on.html

 

On Monday, the Sycamore Township Zoning Commission will consider a planned unit development (PUD) major adjustment that would allow the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to build a new field office for its Special Weapons and Tactics and Hazardous Materials units.

 

The development, to be built near 8050 Montgomery Road and totaling approximately 109,000 square feet, would include a four-story office building, a one-story annex for the FBI's automotive repair and retrofitting facilities, and a parking deck.

 

The office and annex would be constructed with pre-cast concrete and glass, with aluminum accents and panels.

 

Applicant Barry Real Estate Companies, Inc. has been selected by the U.S. General Services Administration to petition for the zoning change on behalf of the FBI.

 

If approved, site work could begin in October, with occupancy scheduled for April or May of 2011.

 

For security reasons, site plans and drawings have only been available to the public by visiting the township's Planning & Zoning Department during normal business hours.

 

The FBI project would be located adjacent to Kenwood Towers, a Class A office and hotel project under development by Neyer Properties.

 

The Sycamore Township Board of Trustees approved a zoning change for Kenwood Towers in May.

A "green" building on a site designed only to be accessed by car is a hollow victory indeed.  I wish LEED would take that into account better.

^It's ridiculous that in the whole metro area of Cincinnati (almost 2.2 million people, remember) there is only one Trader Joes, and two Whole Foods. Hyde Park should have a Trader Joes, Downtown/OTR should have a Trader Joes or a Whole Foods, NKY could probably support a Trader Joes, as could the northern burbs like Mason and West Chester. 

 

Check out your local food co-ops... If you have them. I find it amazing how many people do not realize their city has these and what their purpose is in terms of promoting locally produced products and the reduction of fuel consumption.

A "green" building on a site designed only to be accessed by car is a hollow victory indeed. I wish LEED would take that into account better.

 

There was of course a LEED initiative by urban designers in the mid 2000's called LEED-ND. I attended some of the planning sessions for it when I was working in Chicago. It was a mess, and was bogged down in how to quantify impacts that are complex at the regional level. It never really went anywhere.

A "green" building on a site designed only to be accessed by car is a hollow victory indeed. I wish LEED would take that into account better.

 

It is well served by the #4 line, and is within walking distance of the #72.

New animation video, plus new name:

 

Animated Tour of The Greens At Kenwood

Also, there is some new information included in this story from Soapbox:

http://soapboxmedia.com/devnews/0426thegreensatkenwood.aspx

Anyone else notice the partially built KTP tower has been removed in that rendering? 

 

It is an eyesore, so that could be a reason, but I wonder if they know something.

^Yeah, i had to rewind to see that they blurred out the rusting tower.  I think it was done just to make their fancy animation look better.

 

I see that they now have two office towers instead of one, but it probably isn't double the square footage.  That seems surprising unless they have a large tenant interested in one tower, but that is doubtful.

 

I just don't see how this is anything more than a concept now that Rookwood is close to breaking ground and the newly opened up vacancies by GA consolidating into QCS.  I do appreciate the density of the entire project considering a small-ish hotel was the only thing on that land.

 

Call it: Auto-oriented development. Still dense, but auto-centric, although it is near two major bus lines. If light rail would hit this area, you'd see an explosion.

^ This area is so built up and expensive i don't see how you can bring light rail through this area unless it's down I-71.

 

Well this project has gotten a head start on Rookwood. So that will help greatly.

 

 

 

 

Just noticed while at Fresh Market today, that a building is going up in the general location of The Greens.

If light rail would hit this area, you'd see an explosion.

 

Absolutely. This would quickly become the hottest real estate in the Cincinnati region if LRT was built connecting it to downtown, uptown and the destinations found in those areas. Realistically right now this is nothing more than an asphalt island only accessible by automobile (and yes, I'm ignoring the two bus lines).

Im not sure if the hotel is open but the office building is. I know it's the FBI and all but it's odd seeing gated security in that area.

^The FBI has headquarters near Kenwood? Where was their previous Cincinnati HQ?

I believe it was downtown.  My understanding (and I forget where this is coming from) is that the move to these type of places (like the new building in Kenwood) was primarily for security reasons. 

I believe the FBI was formerly in the John Weld Peck Federal Building along with most of the local federal offices.  The building is a block east of the Federal Courthouse on 5th Street.

I remember this location very well, since I grew up nearby. The talk about the Harley Hotel, before it became a  Best Western. Does anyone remember the original when it was part of a Hotel chaim owned by Sohio up and down the brand new I-71/I-75. My brother-in-law was manager at this location for awhile. At that time it was an upscale Hotel, with a very nice restaurant and a killer lounge which exploded on New Years and other holidays.

 

This is a proposal to cram something on a piece of property in an area which does not need it. Has everyone not seen the rusting hulk of a development right across I-71 since that developer basically folded. Look again at the location, it is a sliver of land in a township. There is a recurring theme here, townships will agree to anything which brings them revenue. Never mind that the already existing traffic causes problems on Montgomery Rd, the feeders in/out of Madeira, etc. That just doesn't count.

A Green Development in Kenwood, you have to be kidding me. One of the original, 1060s suburban developments in the nation. Now you are telling me they are going green?

 

I you call cramming $30 million or more of development or more on 12 acres of land and labeling it green you people are worse off than we were 40 years aqo.

If it was Mason im sure you would take this development.

A Green Development in Kenwood, you have to be kidding me. One of the original, 1060s suburban developments in the nation. Now you are telling me they are going green?

 

I you call cramming $30 million or more of development or more on 12 acres of land and labeling it green you people are worse off than we were 40 years aqo.

Who are "you people"? I don't see anyone calling this a great, green development. At best, people are saying it's a little better than average for a suburban development, due to its density. Which does make it a bit more green than usual, but I see a lot of talk here about it being auto-oriented. Basically, I think people agree with your assessment. The LEED certification criteria have a lot of blind spots.

 

"You people" sounds antagonistic, which is especially weird when you don't seem to be disagreeing with anyone.

A Green Development in Kenwood, you have to be kidding me. One of the original, 1060s suburban developments in the nation. Now you are telling me they are going green?

 

I you call cramming $30 million or more of development or more on 12 acres of land and labeling it green you people are worse off than we were 40 years aqo.

Who are "you people"? I don't see anyone calling this a great, green development. At best, people are saying it's a little better than average for a suburban development, due to its density. Which does make it a bit more green than usual, but I see a lot of talk here about it being auto-oriented. Basically, I think people agree with your assessment. The LEED certification criteria have a lot of blind spots.

 

"You people" sounds antagonistic, which is especially weird when you don't seem to be disagreeing with anyone.

 

Sorry about the global "you people" remark. I was thinking mostly about comments in the thread the local residents had gone to bat to get the zoning changes necessary. As I said, I grew up in that area, and the only reason the adjacent residential areas would ever vote for such a change is the hope in coming years it would expand southward and inflate their property value.

 

This is nowhere near a green development. It is strictly a money grab to build something on a sliver of  ground bringing more into the township treasury. The Kenwood Towne Centre is already a traffic nightmare, but I have noticed less as the number of patrons willing to put up with it is decreasing.

 

I believe the FBI building is a reality - am I correct? This is absolutely a horrible location to place a regional FBI headquarters. It belongs downtown with the rest of the federal agencies which will hopefully remain there. If the City is truly the vibrant core of the region, all Federal operations should be there. An FBI headquarters in Kenwood - Why? My guess is they believe their employees would rather live in that area than downtown. Whatever other reason is there? But the fact is the Federal agencies do need to be located downtown so they can best serve the requirements of the entire Cincinnati Metro area. What are these people in Kenwood going to go, converge on bad guys out in Loveland?

Security is a reason to locate there. They can control not only the building but also the grounds around the building. If they want a fortress-style development, then I'd frankly prefer it not be downtown. If, on the other hand, they felt they could create a secure building which interacts well with the street and doesn't exhibit any "moat" features, I'd be happy with it downtown, for the reasons you state. A big guarded fortress would not be harmonious with a vibrant city center.

Security is a reason to locate there. They can control not only the building but also the grounds around the building. If they want a fortress-style development, then I'd frankly prefer it not be downtown. If, on the other hand, they felt they could create a secure building which interacts well with the street and doesn't exhibit any "moat" features, I'd be happy with it downtown, for the reasons you state. A big guarded fortress would not be harmonious with a vibrant city center.

 

So do you believe a fortress style building can be better disquised in Kenwood than downtown? Where do you stick out like a sore thumb? Bury it downtown, as it is much more likely to get lost there.

Kenwood is not trying to procure a vibrant pedestrian environment. I guess they could put it in Queensgate with minimal negative impact. Putting it squarely in a potentially vibrant pedestrian district, which would include all of the CBD, would be counterproductive.

Security is a reason to locate there. They can control not only the building but also the grounds around the building. If they want a fortress-style development, then I'd frankly prefer it not be downtown. If, on the other hand, they felt they could create a secure building which interacts well with the street and doesn't exhibit any "moat" features, I'd be happy with it downtown, for the reasons you state. A big guarded fortress would not be harmonious with a vibrant city center.

 

So do you believe a fortress style building can be better disquised in Kenwood than downtown? Where do you stick out like a sore thumb? Bury it downtown, as it is much more likely to get lost there.

 

I don't think it's about disguising or hiding the building, it's about having a secure perimeter.  They wanted a more expansive site so there was a clear defensible boundary around the building.  That is very expensive to pull off in an urban environment.  For comparison, look at the US embassy being built in London.  In order to be secure in a downtown area, it's going to be the most expensive embassy ever built, anywhere.

 

The FBI building in Kenwood is akin to the CIA being in Langley.  It's easier to design a secure building in open surroundings.

But the federal government has money to burn, right? ;-)

I know the Charlotte FBI office has also moved out of their uptown building and out to the suburbs. Probably happening all across the country.