April 4, 200718 yr Yes...people have been around there lately. I think grasscat has been the most recent (view his photos a couple of posts ago). I have not been any closer than viewing the project from across the river at the International Friendship Park. But from the plans and pics I have seen it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of connectivity and relation to its context. I don't know anything about the interior, and as an urban planner, I normally do not concern myself that much with interior stuff. I look at it from a contextual and urban relationship...how does it fit in and complement the urban environment? So if you see me being negative and disagree you must know what I am usually commenting on. BTW, welcome to the forum...you should take some pics next time you visit one of these sites, and share them with us....we would certainly like to see them!
April 5, 200718 yr I've been around there recently and, like UncleRando, I have not seen the interiors. I'm judging the project solely by the exterior aesthetics.
April 5, 200718 yr The design doesn't seem to be bad at all, but I would like to see this firsthand to see how much of a setback there is, the context of the neighborhood around it, etc. before I can make any big assumptions. It looks a lot nicer than some of the other new developments I've seen go up.
April 5, 200718 yr I'm never going to live there so the only thing I care about is how it looks from the outside, and the outside looks like CRAP! :wink:
April 5, 200718 yr The design doesn't seem to be bad at all, but I would like to see this firsthand to see how much of a setback there is, the context of the neighborhood around it, etc. before I can make any big assumptions. It looks a lot nicer than some of the other new developments I've seen go up. here ya go:
April 5, 200718 yr That doesn't seem to be too bad, and seems to be more in key with the neighborhood than the commercial building and restaurant to the left, and the buildings to the south (can't make out what they are from aerials or from the site map). The Greene structures seem appropriate, have a smaller setback with no mammoth parking lots (unlike its neighbors to the west and south), and have landscaped common areas. I will assume that in the future, the property to the south of it will be redeveloped. It seems quite ideal, given that both are ideal lot sizes and can support something more than a parking lot and generic structure. The buildings to the left could be filled in with more structures as well. Looks like I need to make a drive up there the next time I visit Cinci.
April 5, 200718 yr You're right about a couple of things, but I want to say a few things about it at some point. I have a paper due in an hour that I have to work on, but I'll say that a lot has changed in the site plan from the one I posted on the first page of this thread (which has been removed from their site).
April 6, 200718 yr The original plan looks slightly better, but still lacks that true connection to the surrounding built environment. It also looks like the plan has been scaled down slightly from the original plan.
April 6, 200718 yr I like the new plan for its more pedestrian-oriented design. The original design seems to have more pavement and through-lanes with non-parallel parking than the new. Also, why does an insurance agency (bottom right) need a parking lot that large?
April 6, 200718 yr The parallel parking in the new plan is on a street that is clearly a semi-private/private street. So it is just offering a faux environment. No one will really be walking along that faux street. Now if those bldgs were oriented like that along Fairfield Ave then I would agree with you, but its a cop out!
April 6, 200718 yr Well, given that the development (a gas station and an insurance building) is pretty low-key and cheap, the grounds could be easily redeveloped. Given that the street network is already there, there would not need to be a massive redevelopment plan (i.e. The Banks) which would entice some speedy planning. If something new would go on both of the blocks to the south, it would compliment the new development more evenly.
April 6, 200718 yr The problem with that is that those 'easily redeveloped' areas are fulfilling an unfortunate minimum parking requirement. Therefore if you wanted to build on it, then you would not only have to replace that parking, but also supply more for the additional uses that you are adding. This is the case for any thing like this, but it will probably never happen...as much as we all may like it too.
April 6, 200718 yr Both of the properties to the south are just commercial outlots. I wouldn't expect to see anything better redeveloped there other than auto-oriented commercial stuff like the gas station, or a restaurant or a small office. This property is on the main street of Bellevue with pretty quick interstate access and is a good two blocks from the walkable Bellevue business district. The gas station and the other building rather new anyway. They're not going anywhere. http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=qhhnqz7yshf2&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=9142289&encType=1
April 6, 200718 yr The gas station doesn't seem to be too bad, and it is a necessary component of a town. That insurance building though... :|
April 7, 200718 yr Covington pushes riverfront revival Former Landing site gets EPA design grant BY LAURA BAVERMAN | April 6, 2007 The city of Covington is quietly preparing a request for proposals that could bring restaurants, a marina and bike trail to the city's riverfront in an effort to revitalize the former site of Covington Landing. The request is set to be released to developers within two months, thanks to an Environmental Protection Agency grant that covers $250,000 for the cost of design work. It seeks plans for two adjacent parcels -- Riverfront Center at Covington Landing, which is a 3.6-acre plot in front of Corporex Co.'s RiverCenter including the former site of Covington Landing, and Riverfront East at Riverside Drive, a stretch of eroding land between the Roebling Bridge and the Licking River. Those plans could look a lot like a vision Corporex had for the site two years ago when Covington Landing closed, featuring a long boardwalk that juts out into the river and serves as a deflection wall for debris. Another 20,000-square-foot platform would hold two restaurants or entertainment venues. And a temporary and permanent marina would be built along the river's edge. The bank would boast a walking/biking trail and park area that would connect to Newport's riverfront. Read full article here: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/04/09/story1.html
April 19, 200718 yr NKU needs new construction BY SCOTT WARTMAN | [email protected] Northern Kentucky University will need to renovate aging buildings and spend $544 million in new construction by 2020 to handle the expected increase in students, according to an assessment released Wednesday by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. The report said NKU, which has an enrollment of about 14,200, has 22 percent less space than it should. Top priorities include a $38 million Health Innovations Center to house the nursing and allied health programs, and $18 million in repairs to Founder's Hall, which was last renovated in 1981. Read full article here: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070405/NEWS0102/704050367/
April 19, 200718 yr NKU wants off-campus exodus BY SCOTT WARTMAN | [email protected] Northern Kentucky University is trying to get as many students housed off-campus as possible to alleviate the campus housing shortage. NKU brought some landlords for apartment complexes across the region on campus Thursday to entice students to live off-campus. Until the college can build another dormitory, NKU will turn to apartment fairs and offer financial incentives to live off-campus, said Matthew Brown, director of housing. The university expects 1,800 students to apply for the 1,400 beds on campus for the fall. Read full article here: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070414/NEWS0102/704140406/
April 19, 200718 yr I was browsing through their web-site and came upon a document that stated NKU will remain a 'commuter' school, but judging from the above articles, it seems as if the opposite is occurring. With the price of gasoline increasing, it is cheaper (most likely) to remain on-campus than to drive back and forth from Cincinnati, Newport, etc.!
May 24, 200718 yr thanks for te updates. so what exactly is that being built in the first picture? By looking at the renderings, I am not quite sure if that is a commercial or another res.
June 16, 200717 yr Author Take a peek at Monmouth Street BY SCOTT WARTMAN | [email protected] PHOTO: http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/misc/zoom.pbs&Site=AB&Date=20070616&Category=BIZ01&ArtNo=706160340&Ref=AR Renovated buildings in Newport's downtown will open their doors to the public next week in hopes of attracting new businesses. An open house June 23 will allow people to tour more than 30,000 square feet of business space in 14 buildings that will be available this summer along and around Monmouth Street in the heart of Newport. The city will hold a seminar Thursday with information about rehabbing and renting buildings, and opening and operating a business in Newport. The goal is to attract upscale retailers, restaurants and professional offices, said Bob Yoder, Newport's main street coordinator. "What we are trying to do is make it easier for people to locate in Newport," Yoder said. "It will give people an opportunity to tour multiple buildings at once." The city is banking on the increased downtown housing and amenities to woo entrepreneurs, Yoder said. By the end of the year, Monmouth Street will have 51 apartments available that will create an attractive customer base, Yoder said. The city has also tried to cater to pedestrians and cyclists and will put bike racks along Monmouth Street. The city is awaiting a state grant to convert a 1920s-era gas station into a visitors' center and bicycle hub. MORE: http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070616/BIZ01/706160340
June 19, 200717 yr From the 6/17/07 Enquirer: City considers turning library into museum BY SCOTT WARTMAN | [email protected] Newport's vacant Carnegie Library may once again become an institution of learning if the City Commission accepts a Fort Thomas businessman's plan to turn the 105-year-old structure into a museum. City staff announced Friday they will advise the city commission on Monday to approve David Hosea's plan to rehab the Carnegie Library building into a museum showcasing local history, traveling exhibits and community events. Hosea owns Hosea Project Movers, a warehouse and moving business. In Hosea's plan, at least one wing of the library would house artifacts from the Ohio River's history, including steamboats. Most of the old, three-story library would be available for traveling exhibits, shows, and community events, he said. If the commission on Monday approves selling the library to Hosea, the sale price would be $500,000 plus an agreement to pay $25,000 a year in payroll taxes for five years, said Ryan Wyrick, the city's economic development director. The city had received proposals from three other developers. "We felt this proposal returned the highest financial return for the city and provided the most public access," Wyrick said. The Andrew Carnegie-endowed library closed in 2004 when the Campbell County Public Library's Newport branch moved to Sixth Street. The building is at the corner of Fourth and Monmouth streets a block away from Newport on the Levee and is on the city's main business thoroughfare. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070617/NEWS0103/706170398/
June 23, 200717 yr Kenton moving ahead on jail Post staff report The Kenton County Fiscal Court is moving ahead with plans for a new jail, even though it is still evaluating possible sites. At a special meeting on Tuesday, commissioners expect to approve advertising for a request for qualifications for architectural services to develop a plan for the Kenton County Detention Center. "We're required to seek an RFQ, and to advertise for architectural services," said Deputy Judge-Executive Scott Kimmich. "Whoever is chosen will design for whatever site is chosen." The county announced in December that it had selected the site for the new jail - about 800 yards south of Pelly Road on the east side of the Ky. 17 extension under construction. Opposition arose immediately, but so far, the county has stuck to its guns. Read full article here: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AE/20070528/NEWS02/705280321/
June 27, 200717 yr Author Apartments to go up in Ft. Thomas BY MIKE RUTLEDGE | [email protected] Wessels Construction and Development Co. soon will start building 120 apartments along Memorial Parkway in Fort Thomas, planning to take advantage of downtown Cincinnati views from the site. "It's got some pretty good views of Cincinnati," said Bernie Wessels, an owner of the construction company. "We're kind of excited about it," he said. "Our apartment market right now - I don't know about everybody else, but we seem to be doing very well, and have got a lot of low vacancies. "Hopefully, construction on the buildings will begin sometime this fall, with units available probably in the spring." The apartments will be built around Wessels' existing Memorial Village apartments, and dirt is being trucked in from The Views condominium construction site in Covington. The project will include 120 apartments in 10 buildings, being built around an existing apartment complex. MORE: http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070627/BIZ/706270328
July 6, 200717 yr Deters is dropping lawsuit challenging tax By Juliann Vachon | Post staff reporter An Independence attorney said he is dropping a lawsuit challenging an insurance premium tax he deems discriminatory to keep Kenton County Fiscal Court from implementing a county-wide tax. Eric Deters filed the lawsuit on March 9 in Kenton Circuit Court questioning the constitutionality of an 8 percent insurance premium tax that applies only to residents of the unincorporated area of Kenton County. Approved in February, the tax applies to all insurance premiums except for health and life policies and policies on equipment for farms or agricultural businesses. Kenton County Attorney Garry Edmondson, who serves as legal aid to the fiscal court, said in March that the fiscal court would assess the tax across the entire county if Deters won the case. Read full article here: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AE/20070706/NEWS02/707060344/
July 9, 200717 yr Short on details but: I heard on WLW, Willie talking to a guy that said Independence will seek to secede from KentonCo. No link...
July 12, 200717 yr Art As Development Covington looks to artists for urban renewal BY Margo Pierce | Posted 07/11/2007 The city of Covington is trying to make it easier for artists to mix paint, wedge clay, practice scales, choreograph dances, craft dialogue for the stage or string together paragraphs for a chapter in a novel. Plans are underway for the development of a new arts district, the Artisan's Enterprise Center. A clearinghouse for information for and about local artists, the space will also include a gallery, workshop area and meeting rooms. (For an early report on the arts district plans, see "The Art of Urban Pioneering," issue of Aug. 30, 2006.) The center, located in a gritty part of a decaying urban community, will help connect artists with unconventional buy/rehab loans to renovate cheap warehouses and other run-down buildings to create spaces where they can work and live. To draw artists to the area, local government has already designated the qualifying neighborhoods, prepared the zoning and is organizing a host of other services to help make this artist relocation program a success. Read full article here: http://citybeat.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=140189
July 31, 200717 yr Author Wasn't sure where to put this, feel free to move... Building on Hillsides By Shelly Whitehead Post staff reporter Developers look at the region's green hillsides and see mounds of dollars just waiting to be made. Home buyers eye these perches and envision dream dwellings loaded with windows for panoramic views. And city leaders survey these slopes and see the promise of new life for their aging urban cores. But for some, the interest in developing the hillsides, especially in Northern Kentucky, is cause for concern. Experts say this area racks up some of the nation's highest costs annually from landslide damage. In the midst of the current wave of development on Northern Kentucky's hillsides, some worry that few people fully understand that threat, even as they build, buy, sell and even oversee hillside projects. Complicating oversight of hillside development in Northern Kentucky is a lack of a uniform system across the region's planning jurisdictions to assess a development's threat of landslides. Two recent projects have raised awareness. Along a series of sprawling hillsides along interstate highways in Newport and Covington, site preparation for two multimillion-dollar developments has transformed a handful of verdant knolls from leafy green to earthy brown. The $50 million Views residential development in Covington will cover the hillside west of the 1200 block of Dixie Highway with about 124 high-end homes. Farther east, the $100 million Newport Pavilion retail development will blanket the slopes beneath Wiedemann Hill, west of Interstate 471, with an array of retailers. MORE: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070731/NEWS01/707310375
July 31, 200717 yr Retailers move in, expand at Florence Mall July 31, 2007 | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER FLORENCE - Two new tenants have joined the retail mix at Florence Mall, while another has moved to larger quarters and debuted a new design concept. The mall said in a news release that Hannoush Jewelers and Cinnabon are its newest tenants. Hannoush, which specializes in diamond jewelry and Swiss watches, has located in a 1,350-square-foot space on the upper level near Sears. Cinnabon, famous for its pastries, is opening a 730-square-foot restaurant in the mall's recently renovated food court.
July 31, 200717 yr I can't believe I just wasted 10 minutes reading and posting about this project and it's food court...
August 1, 200717 yr Yeah, same here. I was going to go, "Wow! Florence is receiving top-star treatment in their new downtown!" But, like usual, I was met with disappointment.
August 2, 200717 yr If anyone spends time in Florence, they will understand how horrible this place is ... This isn't a knock on NOKY. Covington and Newport blow Florence out of the water. It's just that the city has planned the layout of Florence all wrong. It's streets are horribly anti-pedestrian, It's filled with nothing and I mean nothing but big-box retail chains and restaurants. I was watching a lady trying to cross mall road while I was sitting at a red light and the poor lady looked like she was crossing a land-mine field in Vietnam. I just shook my head. I asked a UPS driver where a local Italian place was to eat and he told me Pompilio's in Newport ... are you serious? People are zombies there. I know I've been very shallow lately in my responses in discussion boards, but it's things like this that drive me up the freakin wall.
August 2, 200717 yr It's streets are horribly anti-pedestrian, Have you ever seen the bike only lane on Houston rd?? I love how it deadends at every stripmall entrance. The high Hispanic population on turfway has made a deer path (sidewalk) that is worn pretty good between 75 and Dixie.
August 2, 200717 yr I do love it when people just say "screw it" and walk anyway, creating ugly dirt paths that scream "Hey dumbasses, you were supposed to put a sidewalk here!"
August 2, 200717 yr Sidewalks only work well when there is good shade trees or shade from buildings to escape the summertime heat. Walking on a smog day like today on Mall rd would be a joke.
August 2, 200717 yr I was down there recently and found it quite amazing that, at the same time they're supposedly planning a major rework of the area, strip malls and stand-alone restaurants are going up left and right on outlots which had been surface parking. It'd be a difficult enough job redesigning the mess that was already there, but these new scattered buildings pretty much make it impossible to do the cohesive, walkable environment they're talking about.
August 14, 200717 yr Author Building by the river Workers were busy Monday erecting a mixed-use building that will house a two-story, 60,000-square-foot Gold's Fitness Center. The building will be part of the $65 million residential-commercial Harbor Greene project on Bellevue's riverfront. Harbor Greene is being developed in three phases, with plans for 125 condo units, offices, a restaurant, retail space and Gold's. The developer, the Ackermann Group of Norwood, already has sold more than a dozen of the condo units, which range in price from $500,000 to $1.2 million. The fitness center, expected to open late this year or early 2008, will be one of seven new Gold's Gyms built in Ohio and Northern Kentucky by Global Fitness Holdings of Lexington and its partner Laurel Crown Capital, a private equity firm in Los Angeles. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070814/BIZ01/708140326/1076/BIZ
August 14, 200717 yr Rumor has it that Bellevue is being cleared for a $900 million lifestyle center on the river by DCI properties ...
August 14, 200717 yr I can't tell if you're being serious or not. Now, you're starting to pick up on my personality, but this time I am serious ... Why, has this been posted before?
August 14, 200717 yr Are you talking about the $600M project in Dayton? http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=5980.0
August 15, 200717 yr Are you talking about the $600M project in Dayton? http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=5980.0 Sounds like it, but in our sales meeting it was said that it would be a $900 million-dollar project. A lifestyle center with a barber, post office, grocery store, etc ... They also said that David Imboden is going to do the same thing on the Cincy side ... just after the KY side is done first (supposedly it would be easier to market the Cincy side, if the KY side was done first).
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