Jewel of the skyline to have new polish

$50M project planned for Queens Tower site

Dan Monk Senior Staff Reporter

 

A Chicago developer with Cincinnati roots is planning a $50 million office, retail and residential project near the site of the old Price Hill incline.  Under a site plan presented to neighborhood leaders Oct. 19, City Lights Development LLC would build a new residential tower of up to 10 stories just west of the 17-story Queens Tower, which provides some of the city's best views of downtown.

 

The project also would include an office building of up to five stories, more than 30,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space and a new row of 14 luxury townhouses on the hillside below Queens Tower.  Tom Herskovits, a partner in City Lights Development, is a former Procter & Gamble Co. executive who lived at Queens Tower when he worked for Procter in the 1970s. Two months ago, he signed a purchase contract for the property with plans to do a condominium conversion there.

 

Read full article here:

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2005/10/24/story1.html

Hmm...I was just talking about something like this in a thread a few days ago.  And then it happens.  Weird! 

 

Honestly, I didn't have any inside information and this is a complete surprise.

Mini-Mt Adams here it comes. Interesting news. It would be nice if that spurs more newer housing up there. That building is ugly, I hope they give it an updated facade. And they soon will be able to shop down on River Road.

Queens Tower is not the prettiest, no.

 

There actually is some pretty decent housing stock (including rowhouses) in the area, albeit a little run-down.  One rowhouse/apartment complex was recently rehabbed and there's that Queen Anne condo a block away.  The empty lots would be ripe for infill.  The roughest areas are closer to the Warsaw business district and may not creep in.

 

I'm glad they will have a commercial component, but I don't want to repeat myself on that....

I don't know if anyone else is excited about this project, but I am.  Especially after Matson Manor went down the tubes and a large condo development farther down Mt. Hope Ave. bit it.

 

It appears to me that the new 10-story tower would go on the parking lot by the Queens Tower (surrounded by Matson, Price, Mt. Hope and Eighth).

 

I went ahead and made a map of the properties that City Lights' developers have already acquired.  The large area to the right is the Queens Tower and its land.  The ones in the middle are the parking lot.  What was interesting to me was the acquisitions on the NW corner of Price and Mt. Hope.

 

If this is supposed to be a mixed-use project, they will need to incorporate a lot more property into the project, so this could get very interesting.

 

Other than that, there's really nothing to report.  I just wanted to keep this project front and center, where it belongs.

 

 

I'm praying it starts a "west side skyline" in which it can ALSO utilize the views (unobstructed by some silly river) for downtown skyline shots.  Plus, imagine the view from Mt. Adams...

An update from Price Hill Will, a few weeks old:

 

The developer, City Lights, is currently exploring the development potential of the "Incline District".

 

Queen's Tower is now officially open as condos.  About a third of the units are sold.

 

The parking lot across the street is still supposed to become a 4-story commercial development with underground parking.  City Lights is still pursuing tenants for the retail space.

 

City Lights has also purchased property along Maryland Ave for townhomes, with a possible civic space thrown in as well.

 

There is still no timetable for the mixed-use development or the townhomes, but the project is still very much alive.  City Lights has been working with the City and the East Price Hill Improvement Association closely.

I couldn't agree more coolday about the western skyline.  That would rock!!   I was looking at a couple houses on Maryland and Mt Hope on Fri. and I must confess that I was pretty disappointed with the area around the tower.  Growing up on the west side I am proud to claim anything on this side of the QG yard, but many people think this area is in worse shape than OTR can ever claim to have been in(I am including that Warsaw corrider).  These are of course opinions from others in that area but, I think the main thing going for the neighborhood within the past year has got to be the community involvement and watch programs going on. 

Not positive but, I thought I read crime was down in that area last year?  Anyone know?   

This is GREAT news though for Price Hill!  I am hoping that a couple large scale redevelopment plans can get the ball at least rolling similar to the way OTR has been going for some years now!   I get chills thinking about where OTR and Price Hill could be in 15-20.   

:shoot: :drunk:

Sorry guys, I think the server might have been a little slow yest and accidentally I posted twice. 

Eyesore could reclaim its former glory

BY DAN MONK | September 21, 2007

 

An iconic but rundown apartment building in Price Hill could get a new lease on life if a Columbus developer's preliminary plans for the property take hold.

 

Steven Somers is trying to drum up neighborhood support for a $2 million renovation of a three-story apartment building at Eighth Street and Elberon Avenue. The once-upscale property has been empty for years. City inspectors ordered the building barricaded in March. Its broken windows and peeling paint spoil the landscape at one of Price Hill's major gateways.

 

Read full article here:

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/09/24/story14.html

I've been aching for that beautiful building to be rehabbed for years.

That proposal looks awful! I wouldn't reccomend anybody to live on that hillside, I lived at Summit View for 2 years and the stench from MSD was overpowering when the wind blows your direction.  Sure it has an awesome view but unless you REALLY like views and watching/listening to trains..

I've been aching for that beautiful building to be rehabbed for years.

 

I will second that!    I almost crash everytime I drive by!

I'm not for sure I like the corner 100%, but it does overall look better. Is it feasible for the corner to be recessed in?

Sounds like this project is really coming together.

 

E. Price Hill, meet Incline Square

BY JANE PRENDERGAST | [email protected]

 

EAST PRICE HILL – By late next year, developers say, you should be able to have a beer at Incline Square’s new sports bar with a view of the city. Backers of the hilltop development aren’t elaborating yet, but they promise that the neighborhood they’re redeveloping will also include a steakhouse, gourmet pizza parlor, 24 condos with views, a banquet/reception facility, nightclub with outdoor areas and live music, an upgraded park and a concrete pier on which people can walk out for a view of downtown.

 

They also plan to uncover the supports from the old Price Hill Incline, which will be lit up “as kind of a beacon to the West Side,” said John McLinden, a Chicago developer who prompted the project and investment in the surrounding Incline District when he spotted the Queen’s Tower high-rise and noticed the neighborhood around it. His development company, City Lights, with Councilman John Cranley also a partner, bought the tower two years ago and is converting it to condos. He’ll be shepherding the project through zoning changes needed from the city.

 

To read more: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080222/NEWS01/302220091

I really don't like Cranley serving on this project.  I also have a problem with Chris Bortz's possible conflicts of interest with Towne Properties around town.

I don't know, I think it is a sign that they are actively involved in the community rather than being professional politicians.

I really don't like Cranley serving on this project.  I also have a problem with Chris Bortz's possible conflicts of interest with Towne Properties around town.

 

I agree to a certain extent...this kind of thing is very common though.  Real estate developers, investors, and builders are quite common on city councils, planning commissions, etc.  When there is a potential conflict of interest, those individuals are supposed to excuse themself from voting on the matter.

 

As for this project, it is nice to hear this is still moving along.  Price Hill needs some lovin'.

As for this project, it is nice to hear this is still moving along.  Price Hill needs some lovin'.

 

 

Yea, " Let's get it on!"

Health Alliance to anchor Price Hill project

Monday, February 25, 2008 - 10:08 AM EST

 

City Lights Development LLC and Cincinnati Councilman John Cranley have landed the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati as one of the anchor tenants for a $50 million project near the old Price Hill Incline.

 

The development group, in which Cranley is a partner, announced at a Sunday afternoon press conference that City Lights will break ground this summer on a 5,600-square-foot office building, the first phase in a series of new buildings near the Queens Tower condominium building. Chicago investors purchased in property in 2005, with the goal of redeveloping the city-view site.

 

Read full article here:

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/02/25/daily1.html

I don't know, I think it is a sign that they are actively involved in the community rather than being professional politicians.

Is there any city money involved?  Because other developers have to sit in front of these developers/politicians to get there projects going and what if they are building across the street as a competitive development?  Does having a city council member on your development board give you an advantage that others do not?  If the answer is yes, then is it because of influence?  If yes, then that is a problem.

Planning Commission approves Incline Square zoning

BY KEVIN LEMASTER | SOAPBOX CINCINNATI

May 6, 2008

 

*Images and hyperlinks can be found through the above link.

 

EAST PRICE HILL - Cincinnati's City Planning Commission has given its approval for a rezoning that could make way for a $50 million mixed-use project in East Price Hill.

 

"I think it's a step in the right direction," says Michael Wigle, president of the East Price Hill Improvement Association.

 

City Lights Development has proposed Incline Square, which will include condominiums, restaurants, and offices near the Queens Tower and the remnants of the Price Hill Incline.

 

Part of the plan also calls for the exposure and lighting of the old incline supports and improvements to Olden View Park, including a new promenade.

 

The rezoning will create a planned development district, making the redevelopment of multiple single-family and multi-family parcels much easier.

 

"I'm glad to see someone investing in Price Hill at a time when many people are afraid to invest," Wigle says.  "I certainly think Incline Square will do well, and hope that encourages other investors to follow suit in our neighborhood."

 

A public hearing before City Council's Economic Development Committee will be required before a full council vote.

 

The Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati and the Greater Cincinnati Associated Physicians have signed on as tenants for a medical office building in the development.

 

If approved, City Lights Development plans to break ground on the medical office building this summer.

Public hearing set for Incline Square

 

Cincinnati City Council's economic development committee will hold a public hearing regarding the zoning application for the proposed Incline Square development.  City Lights Development LLC has plans to develop a $50 million mixed-use entertainment, office and residential project in the vicinity of Matson Place, Mt. Hope Avenue, Price Avenue and West Eighth Street.

 

Read full article here:

http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080516/NEWS/805160351/1140/RSS1129

The project also aims to preserve the old incline as part of a park that would have a walkway down the hill and lighting to accentuate the concrete ruins.

 

I have been told that this part of the proposal is off the table - although it would have been pretty cool looking.  There are also some issues with how the project fits into the hillside zoning district there.  We'll see what happens in time I guess.

I thought it was about time this thread's name was changed....

Good Shot!

Revised plans include $20M first phase for Price Hill Incline site

By Dan Monk Senior Staff Reporter

 

Price Hill developers are hoping to break ground March 1 on a $20 million office and residential project at the top of the old Price Hill Incline.  It’s intended to be the first phase of the larger Incline Square project, which would result in more than $50 million in new office, restaurant and residential buildings on a roughly 9-acre site near the Queens Tower apartment high-rise. It’s a project that has seen several revisions since its 2005 inception, but investor and Cincinnati City Councilman John Cranley said the latest approach should enable the idea to secure financing.

 

That approach includes initial construction of a 22,500-square-foot office building – roughly half of what’s ultimately planned. The building would be anchored by the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati and its affiliated medical group, Greater Cincinnati Associated Physicians. GCAP originally planned to build its own headquarters, a block away from Queens Tower, but its relocation into the larger office component improves the building’s occupancy rate.

 

Read full article here:

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/01/05/story2.html

You know what would be really cool?  Incline Square could be the top point of an actual incline for a streetcar running up into Price Hill instead of just being a branding attempt at something that no longer exists.  Lets make it an actual incline district.

You know what would be really cool?  Incline Square could be the top point of an actual incline for a streetcar running up into Price Hill instead of just being a branding attempt at something that no longer exists.  Lets make it an actual incline district.

 

You think big. I like that. Pittsburgh's inclines are major tourist attractions. Why can't we have some of that too? And in places where the inclines previously existed? Even better.

I'm for it!  Something like that would sure help propel this area toward Mt Adams status someday.

The great thing about it is that the street grid leading over there is perfectly set up for that.  You could run the streetcars across the newly rebuilt 8th Street Viaduct and then directly up the hill into the new Incline District and throughout Price Hill.

 

You could tap into the Downtown/OTR circulator somewhere around Central Parkway and Race Street run down and over the 9th and 8th street bridges over I-75.  It's gonna be difficult to get up many of the hills, so why not use a proven and time-tested technology of inclines.  It would score big nostalgia points and eliminate the uncomfortable long journeys up 8% grades.  Plus most of the ROWs are still there.

Rezoning approved for 17-year vacant East Price Hill building

http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/04/rezoning-approved-for-17-year-vacant.html

 

Cincinnati City Council has passed unanimously an ordinance allowing the rezoning of an East Price Hill building that has been vacant for 17 years.

 

The zoning change at 801 Mt. Hope Avenue, from RMX Residential Mixed District to RM-0.7 Residential Multi-Family District, allows owner Incline Place, LLC to restore the building's commercial storefront and to create more than three residential units on the upper floors.

 

The two-family building at 2704-2706 W Eighth Street, also rezoned, will be demolished to create a garage addition for the renovated building.

 

801 Mt. Hope Avenue, built some time between 1877 and 1892, originally contained ground-floor commercial space and up to eight apartments above.

 

The last redevelopment prospects for the property came in 2002, when new owners announced a plan to rehabilitate it into four condominiums.

 

Those owners sold the property two years later.

Price Hill project moves forward

 

The first phase of Incline Square - a residential, office and retail development planned for this westside neighborhood - is expected to break ground by July.  Developers behind the project - which includes former Cincinnati City Councilman John Cranley - said they have landed financing for a 20,000-square-foot, three-story office building that will be anchored by Greater Cincinnati Associated Physicians.

 

The $4.5 million building at the corner of West Eighth Street and Matson Place will also house a cardiologist and medical laboratory, said Cranley who is an investor in Incline Square LLC, an affiliate of City Lights Development

 

Read full article here:

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090421/BIZ01/904220333/1055/NEWS

What is the newer tower that is shown in the image? I assume that it is part of the "additional phases" bit. I'm also trying to picture where the upscale apartments would be at.

Hm, interesting project.  Hopefully this can spark a turn around for Price Hill.  I am a little skeptical about selling upscale apartments in Price Hill, and the restaurant idea sounds cool, but this location is so out of the way and hard to get to that I don't think I'd ever make the trip.

Have you ever been up Mt. Hope to see some of the homes and apartments already there?  Have you never been to Prima Vista?  How out of the way do you think it is?  It can't be 10 minutes off the highway!

I was told today that the occupants for this first phase - Greater Cincinnati Associated Physicians - is simply relocating from their current location in the Mercy West complex in Westwood to here.  So Price Hill's gain is Westwood's loss.

It will be interesting to see if they stay once the new hospital is built.  One would have to think the convenience of being near the hospital would be important.

Have you ever been up Mt. Hope to see some of the homes and apartments already there? Have you never been to Prima Vista? How out of the way do you think it is? It can't be 10 minutes off the highway!

 

No I haven't, but I would like to explore the West Side more when I am home this summer.  I've been to Price Hill once when I was little when I went to some Catholic store with my mom to get something for my little sister's first communion.  I just remember having to take some really winding and steep street through some really gross part of Lower Price Hill, and when we got to the top, the area looked sort of run down too.  If this area where the development is going is different, I would very much like to see it this summer.

yea, those are beautiful. 

Mt Hope is one of many hidden treasures in that area!  Redevelopment will be key in the coming years and dare I say,..........streetcar extention??    Price Hill was built and designed around the original streetcar system.    It could be a very important missing link!!  We will have to see what happens, but I do like the focal point of this being the old incline, albeit with a Cranley connection. 

You know what would be better than simply lighting the area where the incline once went?  Actually reintroducing the incline with renewed streetcar service to Price Hill.

Who saw this one coming...

 

Incline project pulled into Health Alliance-GCAP dispute

 

Six weeks after announcing that they secured financing for the Incline Square project in Price Hill, developers are postponing plans for a July groundbreaking.  They blame a recent snag in lease negotiations with the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati and the West Side medical practice GCAP (Greater Cincinnati Associated Physicians). Both are now adversaries in a court case in which GCAP is trying to break away from the hospital group, citing numerous contract violations.

 

Among those alleged violations, as outlined in June 3 letter to Health Alliance CEO Ken Hanover, was the “abandonment of the Incline Project” by the Health Alliance.  The 30-doctor primary-care group has committed to leasing two-thirds of a 22,000-square-foot office building that’s part of the project’s first phase. GCAP is owned by the Health Alliance. In the weeks leading up to the lawsuit, it refused to guarantee GCAP’s pending lease obligations.

 

Read full article here:

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/06/01/daily48.html

Still breathing!

 

Incline Sq. project closer to financing

By Lisa Bernard-Kuhn • [email protected] • October 9, 2009

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20091009/BIZ01/910100359/

I really hope this project happens and that it's a smashing success. After finally getting over to Price Hill and exploring a little this summer, I can now see just how much potential this area has.  I was over near that beautiful church off of Warsaw, and was really impressed, even though the neighborhood did seem a little ghetto in parts.  One thing I think Price Hill would be wise to do is market itself to Latinos.  I saw several Spanish businesses and many Hispanic people walking around, and I think a new wave of investment could come if a little outreach effort was made (similar to Carthage, just with nicer architecture).

One thing I think Price Hill would be wise to do is market itself to Latinos.  I saw several Spanish businesses and many Hispanic people walking around, and I think a new wave of investment could come if a little outreach effort was made (similar to Carthage, just with nicer architecture).

 

I couldn't agree more.  The Price Hill area would seem to really flourish if the Latino culture was full embraced.

Long-delayed E. Price Hill project may be back on track

 

By Lisa Bernard-Kuhn • [email protected] • June 24, 2010

 

 

Developers could break ground by September on luxury apartments and a new restaurant in East Price Hill that's part of the stalled Incline Village project.

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100624/BIZ01/6250346/1055/NEWS/Price-Hill-project-back-on-track

The scope of this project has changed considerably

 

2005-

 

A Chicago developer with Cincinnati roots is planning a $50 million office, retail and residential project near the site of the old Price Hill incline. Under a site plan presented to neighborhood leaders Oct. 19, City Lights Development LLC would build a new residential tower of up to 10 stories just west of the 17-story Queens Tower, which provides some of the city's best views of downtown. The project also would include an office building of up to five stories, more than 30,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space and a new row of 14 luxury townhouses on the hillside below Queens Tower.

 

2008-

By late next year, developers say, you should be able to have a beer at Incline Square’s new sports bar with a view of the city. Backers of the hilltop development aren’t elaborating yet, but they promise that the neighborhood they’re redeveloping will also include a steakhouse, gourmet pizza parlor, 24 condos with views, a banquet/reception facility, nightclub with outdoor areas and live music, an upgraded park and a concrete pier on which people can walk out for a view of downtown.

 

2009-

Price Hill developers are hoping to break ground March 1 on a $20 million office and residential project at the top of the old Price Hill Incline.  It’s intended to be the first phase of the larger Incline Square project, which would result in more than $50 million in new office, restaurant and residential buildings on a roughly 9-acre site near the Queens Tower apartment high-rise. It’s a project that has seen several revisions since its 2005 inception, but investor and Cincinnati City Councilman John Cranley said the latest approach should enable the idea to secure financing. That approach includes initial construction of a 22,500-square-foot office building – roughly half of what’s ultimately planned.

 

2010-

Headed by former Cincinnati Councilman and local lawyer John Cranley, the first phase of Incline Village will be located off the 2600 block of Maryland Avenue. It’s expected to include 15 market rate apartments and a 2,500-square-foot restaurant with an outdoor beer garden overlooking downtown.  The more than $3 million plan is part of a longer-term vision that would include a 20,000-square-foot medical office and retail space

The housing stock in that part of town is great.  If you could build an actual functioning incline, you could have a regional tourist attraction and really help out E. Price Hill and Lower Price Hill.