Interior rendering from Urban Sites website

Urban Sites has begun building Metaphor Flats, a new office project at 532 Reading Road.

The converted warehouse will feature open spaces, large windows and hardwood floors. Each floor will contain 3,000-4,000 square feet of space and rent for $10.00-$12.50 per square foot.

The sale of the 16,557 square foot building, built in the 1880s, was finalized in April 2007.

Soon after, building permits for interior renovation of the space and for plumbing fixtures were applied for and issued.

The current building permit is limited to interior work only. There is no word on the exteriors.

An opening date has not been set.

Urban Sites has done several projects in the area, including the Lofts on Broadway and the Light & Manor Houses.

Urban Sites project page


532 Reading Road

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW

Site plan: Click to enlarge

The stalled Phase 8 of the Aston Woods development has been altered to include more units than originally planned.

The project, by Fox Hills Development, will now include 7 buildings containing 32 units. The original plan called for 11 detached single-family homes.

In 1998, the 265-acre Aston Woods project was approved by the County and was to include 540 dwelling units and a golf course.

In August 2003, the plat for Phase 8 was approved by the Rural Zoning Commission. Due to unstable soils on the site, the developer hasn't been able to start construction.

Fox Hills has reworked the site to rearrange the lots in the plat, and had made the lots accessible via a private drive off of Shady Lane. The density has been increased from 1.30 to 3.79 dwellings per acre.

The amended development plan has been approved by the Regional Planning Commission.

The Rural Zoning Commission has not yet added this case to their agenda.

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW

A while back I posted about a link I found for information on Samuel Hannaford's buildings. Now you can take part in painting the trim and windows of one of Hannaford's works, the College Hill Town Hall.

The painting will take place from 8 AM-4 PM on Saturday, June 9. People of all skill levels are encoraged to attend.

You're asked to RSVP by e-mail to Sarah Mann, president of the College Hill Historical Society, at , or by phone to (513) 884-6497.

More info can be found in the May 27, 2007 edition of the College Hill eNewsletter.

Site plan: Click to enlarge

The Economic Development Committee will hold a public hearing on June 5 regarding a rezoning of the former NuTone headquarters at Red Bank and Madison in Madisonville.

The request, from Miller Valentine Group, would rezone the property as a Planned Development District (PD).

The City Planning Commission has already approved of the reclassification and of the development's concept plan.

Miller Valentine is proposing a $90 million mixed-use project on the 30-acre site at 4820 Red Bank Road.

Though no tenants have been named and the plan is still preliminary, Miller Valentine has a rough idea of what they want for the site.

In their plans are four office buildings (3 over 50,000 SF), three multi-family residential buildings (all 3 stories, 23,750 SF), six outlots for restaurants and other retail uses (1,800-6,600 SF) and a four-story hotel, which the Cincinnati Business Courier has noted would contain 100 to 125 rooms.

Fifteen hundred parking spaces would be provided on surface lots. (BOO!)

How much funding will be needed for the project is not yet known.

The site contains seven industrial buildings totalling about 800,000 square feet of space.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) money from the pre-existing Oakley TIF could possibly be used to demolish the buildings and make other site improvements.

The sale of the property from NuTone to Miller Valentine is contingent on Council's approval. Miller Valentine plans to close by this summer.

The project will likely be on City Council's agenda on June 6 or June 13.

If all goes according to script, demolition could begin by late 2007 and last until fall 2008.

The phased development would start with the retail component first, with office and residential phased in according to market demand.

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW

Rendering from the MLS

For those of you who don't peruse the MLS listings, this rendering of River House Landing recently became available.

The project, on Highway Avenue in the Botany Hills neighborhood of Covington (aka West Covington) will feature 7 three-story condos that are currently listed for between $1.095 million and $1.12 million.

Also, if you have paid any attention to the riverfronts in the last couple of months, you may have seen an old Victorian being moved in that area. (The area where Highway Avenue makes a sharp curve south, away from the river.) The house was moved about 80 feet to the east. It will be rehabbed and is currently on the market for $795,000.

A public overlook and a walking/bike trail along the river might be included in the future.

Original plans were for the new units to sell for $650,000-$750,000. It looks as though the developers, Bill and Valerie Ashmore, have become ambitious.

Incidentally, a recent Enquirer article mentioned that this is the first new residential development in Botany Hills in 30 years.

Check them out...no website yet, but the address is "1110 Highway" if you want to search the MLS. The Victorian's address is "1108 Highway".

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW

I have added galleries for Krohn Conservatory (13 photos) and Florence (7 photos) at the bottom of this page.

I've also added pics to some existing galleries. They are (number of new pics in parentheses):

* Cincinnati Skyline (1 photo)
* Covington Arts District (2 photos)
* Covington (1 photo)
* Fairview (10 photos)
* Mount Airy Forest (9 photos)
* Mount Auburn (1 photo)
* West End (2 photos)
* Walnut Hills (1 photo)

Click on the photo above to go directly to the Krohn Conservatory gallery. The link will open in a new browser window.

For the Florence gallery and for the galleries of the other neighborhoods, please scroll to the bottom of this page.

Or, if you'd prefer to save some time and would like to see all of these pics in the form of a photo thread, click the link below:
Urban Ohio: Cincinnati: Spring #1

Report This! is a Cincinnati blog by Joe Wessels, a local freelance journalist, photographer and talk show host.

You might know Joe from the Cincinnati Post. Some days it seems like he writes that paper in its entirety.

The blog is interesting because he provides greater insight into some of the news stories that he writes. There are also some kickass photos in his Flickr albums.

I don't know why I never got around to adding the link. I've been reading the blog for months.

Site plan (looking east): Click for full size

An article in the May 18, 2007 Cincinnati Business Courier revealed plans for a massive Towne Properties project in Green Township.

I recently ran across the site plan (above), so I thought I'd share.

The $80 million project, tentatively called The Club at Hillview, will be built upon the soon-to-close Hillview Golf Course, just off of Wesselman Road.

Towne plans for 293 housing units, including condos, patio homes, and attached and unattached single-family homes.

Units will be priced between $150,000 and $500,000.

County commissioners have yet to vote on the project.

If it is approved, the first units could be ready by fall 2008.

WINDOWS LOVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW

The City of Forest Park has passed an annexation ordinance allowing for the redevelopment of the long-vacant Kmart property to proceed.

The ordinance, which passed 5-0, allows the city to annex a portion of an adjacent shopping center which is in Springfield Township.

By law, the city may annex property that it owns if it abuts Forest Park's borders.

The city purchased the Hamilton Avenue Kmart shell and its surrounding eight acres in November 2006 for $806,000. Recently, they purchased an adjacent four-acre shopping center to the south for $725,000.

However, redevelopment of the combined sites has been problematic.

Developer interest in the area has been low for years, as evidenced by the closing of the nearby Thriftway store, the Blockbuster Video and numerous restaurants. Several stores are vacant or are home to marginal businesses.

And there are jurisdictional issues. The Kmart property is entirely within the corporate limits of the city, as is most of the shopping center. A small part of the shopping center is in Springfield Township.

The justification for the annexation is that Forest Park wants to market the combined site to developers and would prefer for the development to be done under one set of rules and regulations instead of two.

City officials see this site as an opportunity for a gateway project that will help spur other redevelopment of the Hamilton Avenue corridor.

Ideas have even been floated about combining the Kmart property with the Thriftway property (across Waycross Road) for an even more massive project. Funding for the infrastructure and site improvements would come from the creation of a TIF district.

Currently, there is no timetable for a decision. The city is currently working on a comprehensive plan for the site.

In the April 18, 2007 Hilltop Press, City Manager Ray Hodges mentioned that we might see the demolition of the Kmart building in September.

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW (looking east)

In March, Brodbeck Park Phase Two was named as the site of CiTiRAMA 2007, to be held October 6-14.

Since then, the City Planning Commission has approved a finalized Plat of Subdivision for Glaser and Son's 26-lot project.

Two new streets, Deercove Court and an extension of Foxcove Court, have been dedicated. All utility easements have been finalized as well.

Twenty-five of the lots will feature single-family homes on lots of over 5,000 square feet.

The twenty-sixth lot will be a 5-acre greenbelt on a sloping hillside, adjacent to Brodbeck Nature Preserve and the Pine Grove subdivision (Millennium Place).

No price points have been established, but homes in Phase One sold for between $135,000 and $210,000.

Brodbeck Park is located on the northern side of Westwood Northern Blvd between its intersections with Gobel and Ferncroft.

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW



Plat of subdivision - Phase Two at left


Blechhh: Example of home built in Phase One of Brodbeck Park


Another one from Phase One, slightly less horrible

I have added 46 photos to my Northside gallery, bringing the total to 60. (I guess you can tell that I love that neighborhood!)

Click on the photo above to go directly to the Northside gallery. The link will open in a new browser window.

I have also added two small galleries: North Avondale (8 photos) and North Fairmount (9 photos).

For those two galleries and for galleries of the other neighborhoods, please scroll to the bottom of this page.

The segment of the planned Ohio River Trail that links Theodore M. Berry Park to Lunken Airport has been narrowed down to three alternatives.

The City has been meeting with the Ohio River Trail Workgroup, which is composed of representatives of Ohio River Way, Leadership Cincinnati, OKI, the Chamber of Commerce, SORTA, and the Hamilton County Park District.

They have also been in close contact with all of the local utilities and local and national transporation concerns who own or have a stake in the property involved in this project. One major consideration has been SORTA's ownership of the Oasis Line and its possible future use for rail transit in the Eastern Corridor project.

The last public meeting held for this project was January 26, 2007, at the Mt. Washington Community Center. No further meetings have been scheduled, and no deadline has been set for selecting one of the three alternatives. (In other words, you can still send feedback.)

Meanwhile, design is ongoing on the section of trail from Wilmer Road to Carrel Street. Construction on this section should begin later this year.


What type of trail is this?

While the planning is still in its preliminary stages, the trail is envisioned as a 15-foot wide paved trail which uses federal design standards and is ADA compliant.

The trail may narrow at certain points (such as bridges) and will also contains "Share the Road" segments on less-traveled streets.

Trail segments adjacent to an active rail line will have a minimum separation of 11 feet from the centerline of the track. A six-foot barrier would separate the trail from the rail line in all instances where the trail comes within 30 feet of the track.


North Alignment ($16M-$18M)*



This option begins at Carrel Street, shares the road along Dumont Street, and then joins a side path along Eastern Avenue. It then heads north of the SORTA right of way over Delta Avenue. Two more road sharing segments occur at Hoff Street and Gladstone Avenue, before it eventually crosses over to the south side of the tracks, crosses over Riverside Drive on the Rookwood Overpass, and meets up with the existing trail at Berry Park.

Major benefits with this alignment are grade separations at major street crossings, great access to neighborhoods to the north, low maintenance and better compatibility with future light rail.

Problems are the three railroad crossings, unstable hillside between the trail and Columbia Parkway, poor access to points south of the trail and poor views of the river and Downtown.


River Alignment ($18M-$20M)*



This option begins at Carrel and extends as a side path along Carrel and Kellogg Avenue to Riverside East Academy. Existing trail there follows the riverbank to Corbin Street and then returns north to Riverside Drive, where it follows a side path to Gotham Street. At this point it returns to the riverbank. Near Lancaster Ave, the trail crosses Riverside Drive and follows the south side of the SORTA right of way, over the Rookwood Overpass, to Berry Park.

Benefits are that the trail provides visual interest, has plenty of adjacent places for trailheads and overlooks, uses existing trail investments and is compatible with future rail use.

Drawbacks are flooding and the necessary maintenance, unstable riverbank, at-grade street crossings and potential costly property acquisitions.


Temporary Alignment ($5.4M-$6M)*



Essentially, this alignment will follow the unused north railroad track, which would have to be removed. Access from Carrel would come from a side path. Near Lancaster Avenue, the trail crosses to the south side of the tracks, continues over the Rookwood Overpass and connects to Berry Park.

The major benefit is the straight, flat alignment. It would be grade separated at major street crossings and has decent connections to adjacent neighborhoods.

Unfortunately, future rail use would kill this section of trail. Even getting all of the agencies and stakeholders involved to agree on terms of this plan could take many, many years.

The trail would also be too close to an active rail line (8 feet). There could be points when riders are pinned between hillside and train. Plus the views suck.


For more info, contact John Heilman at OKI: (513)621-6300 or .

* I wouldn't pay any attention to these cost estimates, except how they relate to each other. The alternatives are in their preliminary stages and don't account for the impacts of future rail use on the cost, nor do they account for property acquisition.

This article in the Hamilton JournalNews says that there's a house tour of historic Dayton Lane, in Hamilton, this upcoming Sunday.

Tickets are available the day of the event at a tent outside of the Dayton Lane Gardens on the 600 block of Dayton St. The event runs from 1 PM-5 PM.

This is the main fundraiser for Dayton Lane Historic Area Inc.

From the "I just realized that this was never reported" file...


Hamilton Avenue elevation

Cincinnati City Council passed an ordinance in April that has brought the $20 million American Can Factory Square mixed-use project closer to construction.

The ordinance, which passed unanimously, changes the zoning of the site from MG Manufacturing General to PD 47 (Planned Development District).

The project won a $750,000 Clean Ohio Fund grant last August to remediate the property. This should be completed by the end of the summer.

Initial estimates in the development plan had Phase I of the project beginning 2Q2007, though this will no doubt be pushed back to late this year or early next year.

Upon completion, the former factory will contain 93 market-rate apartments and 30,000 square feet of commercial space. There will also be a new 20,000 square foot office building, and 13,000 square feet of retail on the adjacent Myron Johnson property.

Thirty for-sale townhomes along Langland St would be built in the second phase.

The project will be LEED certified.

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW

Building Cincinnati: American Can Factory Square (3/17/07)

When will City Council consider a rezoning for The Yards?

The Vandercar Holdings project, in the Riverside and Sedamsville area on what is known as the Conrail site, was panned by the City Planning Commission on March 16, 2007 for not conforming to the existing Land Use Plan and for lacking a corresponding fiscal impact analysis.

It was scheduled to be heard in front of the Economic Development Committee on April 24.

That is normally followed by a City Council vote, usually the very next day.

So far it hasn't made the Council agenda.


The concept plan

In September 2005, Vandercar Holdings owner Rob Smyjunas announced plans for a 60-acre power center, containing five big-box tenants, to be built on long-vacant land between River Road and Southside Avenue.

The $60 million-$80 million project drew comparisons to Vandercar's Center of Cincinnati project in Oakley.

When the formal development agreement for The Yards was filed with City Council in June 2006, the project changed slightly to four large buildings and "a few" smaller ones, including restaurants and a bank. The total square footage was estimated to be about 600,000 square feet.

The proposal also called for the creation of a TIF (Tax Increment Financing) district and a sale by the City of Cincinnati to Vandercar of an adjacent 22 acre parcel ($1.8 million).

In July 2006, the City Planning Commission recommended that City Council should not accept the concept plan offered in the development agreement.

However, swayed by support from the Riverside and Sedamsville community councils and the Price Hill Civic Club, City Council passed an ordinance to enter into a contract of sale with Vandercar for the acreage.


PUDs and TIFs

The passing of the ordinance left Vandercar to seek a zoning change to line up the TIF money.

The acreage in question is already part of a City-created TIF district, TIF District 14 (MAP).

Vandercar wants to separate the project site from the existing TIF district and designate it as PD 48 (Planned Unit Development).

PD status, which would change the current zoning from single-family and manufacturing uses, would allow the developer to direct TIF monies specifically from its project into raising the site out of the 100-year flood plain, building a retaining wall along River Road, installing sewers and improving the intersection of River Road and Fairbanks Avenue.


"We have enough manufacturing"*

The plans for the project have changed since they were first announced.

Vandercar now proposes a development that is more mixed-use and would have up to 22 buildings, including a large retail store, an office building or hotel (multi-story, 40K-120K sq ft), a multi-screen cinema and numerous smaller commercial stores.

It would total up to 985,000 square feet of retail and 120,000 square feet of office space on what is now 74 acres.

Most of the 6.5 acres of planned open space would be along the River Road frontage.


What a "yes" vote means

A City Council "yes" vote on the PD zoning change would accept this concept plan.

Vandercar would then be required to submit a more thorough final development plan to the City Planning Commission, which has not been to kind to them thus far.

A City Council approval of a final development plan by this summer could mean completion in the 3rd quarter of 2009.

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW


* Partial quote from Doug Kohls, Sedamsville Community Council, regarding the City Planning Commission's vote. "Complex Denied Zoning Change", 3/17/07 Cincinnati Enquirer.

Image from the Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati

Kildare Estates is getting going over in Bridgetown.

Holtman Stephenson Custom Homes is building the 32-lot subdivision just off of South Rd, between South and Kildare.

The homes, which start at $460,000, are being sold through Cagney, Weisker & Associates Realtors. Two are currently listed.

Nothing spectacular.


Site plan from the Cagney, Weisker & Associates Realtors website

Cagney, Weisker & Associates Realtors website
WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW

About a week ago, Cincinnatian and urban planner Randy Simes began a new local blog called Urban Cincy.

The blog contains photos, construction updates, and commentary on local happenings.

New Cincinnati blogs are always a plus.

I have added 51 photos to my Mount Adams gallery, bringing the total to 79.

Click on the photo above to go directly to the Mount Adams gallery. The link will open in a new browser window.

I have also added three photos to the Over-the-Rhine gallery, upping that total to 10.

Finally, I've added three small galleries. They are:

* Linwood (4 photos)
* Lower Price Hill (12 photos)
* Madisonville (12 photos)

For the new galleries and for galleries of the other neighborhoods, please scroll to the bottom of this page.

Horizon Community Church plans to build a massive 210,000 square-foot building on the former Indian Valley Golf Course in Anderson Township and Newtown.

The building site would also have a 1,200 space parking lot, an impervious surface in the Little Miami watershed, that will certainly never be used to capacity.

One hundred twelve acres north of Eight Mile Creek would remain undeveloped.

To make this project a reality, a land use plan amendment was necessary to allow the development of the 42 acres south of Eight Mile Creek.

The amendment changes the Anderson Township Land Use Plan for the site from Park/Recreational/Open Space to Public/Semi-Public/Institutional.

Horizon still will need to get a zoning change for the property because its current zoning, "H" Riverfront, doesn't allow churches.

So far this development has had support from the township trustees and development advisors, from the county planners, and from the Eastern Corridor Plan.


Aerial of site


Site plan

Saturday, May 12, 1-5 PM.

$30, you must register in advance.

Five homes on Upland, one on Grandview.

Price kind of steep for the Regular Joe.

Who knows where your money goes.

Post article:
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AE/20070505/LIFE/705050315/

Cincinnati City Council has approved of grants and loans that will help close a $1.7 million funding gap in the Parker Flats project.

Last month, Council authorized a $450,000 loan to Middle Earth Developers from capital improvement funds.

The loan, which would be subordinate to the agreement the developers have with LaSalle Bank, would be repaid from the sale of units.

In a seperate ordinance, Council authorized a $500,000 grant. Councilmembers Ghiz and Monzel voted against the grant.

The developers are working with LaSalle Bank to close the remaining gap.


Background

Parker Flats partner Jay Voss has stated that the higher cost of the project is due to a prevailing-wage lawsuit filed last June by Joseph Zimmer, the executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Building Trades Council, on behalf of the taxpayers.

The lawsuit alleged that the Parker Flats project was subject to prevailing-wage provisions because the parking garage had been awarded a $839,000 subsidy.

Voss had argued that the condos above the garage were a private development and therefore not subject to the provisions.

Judge Richard Niehaus, in a September 5, 2006 hearing, called the garage and the condos "intricately related".

In early January 2007, Voss, sensing where the lawsuit was heading, asked Niehaus to dismiss the case in exchange for a promise to pay the prevailing wage.

Five new galleries containing a total of 34 new photos have been added.

These galleries are pretty small. By number of photos added, they are:

Fairview (11)
Kennedy Heights (10)
Hartwell (7)
Evanston (5)
East Westwood (1)

Click on the photo above to go directly to the largest gallery, which is Fairview. The link will open in a new browser window.

For the other new galleries and for galleries of the other neighborhoods, scroll to the bottom of this page.

Last week the Post ran a story about an exhibit featuring the photography of Sarge Marsh, a noted commercial photographer from the mid 20th century.

The exhibit, which is taking place at the Visual History Gallery (2709 Observatory, Hyde Park), includes photos of the "important" Cincinnati buildings as well as more obscure studies.

The gallery hours are 11-5:30 Tuesday-Friday and 10:30-3 on Saturday.

460 Conroy St is a pile of rubble.

When talking to developer John Walter a couple of years ago, he mentioned that the home was owned by an older lady who didn't wish to sell.

Walter wanted to demolish that house, as soon as it became available, so that he could build more new houses like the ones he's already developed on the street.

I'm not sure what exactly happened. I can find no record of it being demolished due to poor condition, I can find no record that the lady is deceased, and she's still listed as the property owner.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

The three-family, 5000+ square-foot building was erected in 1870.

WINDOWS LIVE BIRDS EYE VIEW


Before

AVONDALE
Permits are in route for two new single-family homes at 560 and 564 Maple Ave, to be built by Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity, on vacant residential lots. These homes are not listed on their website.
WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW

COLERAIN TWP
Millcreek Valley Habitat for Humanity (MVHH) is looking at a possible project in the Mt. Healthy Heights area. MVHH wants to combine eight 25x101 lots into four 50x101 lots at 2464-2494 Wilson Ave. The project would require a street extension.
WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW

EAST WALNUT HILLS
2905 Woodburn Ave (Woodburn and Chapel) is being demolished. It has been a problem building (code-wise) and there is currently a case in criminal court. Sad...it's such a beautiful building....
WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW

LINCOLN HEIGHTS
The Lincoln Heights Planning Commission will hold a public hearing May 22 to consider a Special Exception Permit for the conversion of the former Lincoln Heights Elementary School to senior housing. The former school is located at 1200 Lindy Ave.
WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW

MOUNT LOOKOUT
A teardown project by Newpoint Construction Company should be starting soon at 3730 Earlscourt View. The half-acre of land and the house were appraised at $485,400 in 2005. The house was demolished in 2006. Homes in the area are in the $350K-$500K range. A newer one (1990) is over $800K. I would expect this new one to be somewhere near that.
WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW

MOUNT LOOKOUT
John Hueber Homes will be building a high-end single-family home on a newly-created parcel and 3293 Hardisty Ave.
WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW

The Hamilton JournalNews wrote in a recent article that there will be an amateur photography contest in conjunction with the official dedication of Hamilton's new High-Main Bridge.

The contest, which is being conducted by the High-Main Bridge Dedication Committee, will offer prizes for the best shots taken at the May 6 ceremony.

The newspaper will accept photos for one week, then the photos they have collected will be posted online for voting. Winners will be announced June 1.

First prize is $250, second prize is $150 and third prize is $100.

The link above has more details.

At its April 18 meeting, City Council adopted a motion that could get the Burnet Avenue Urban Renewal Plan moving.

The motion, which was first proposed on February 27 by Councilmember Laketa Cole, allows for a zoning study of the area bounded by Erkenbrecker, Burnet, Hickory and Harvey. (The Post office property is not included.)

The study, to be done by the Department of Community Development and Planning (DCDP), will assess the zoning of properties within that area with the goal of changing it to a PD (Planned Development) zoning designation.

A change to PD zoning would allow work to start on Phase I and Phase IA of the Burnet Plan.

In the meantime, both the Uptown Consortium and the City are trying to gain control of all of the property within the boundary area, which is required for a PD rezoning. Four parcels--totalling 9.7 acres--belong to other owners. Only one of these parcels, on Harvey Ave, is needed for the project. Uptown Consortium is currently in contact with the owner and hopes to acquire it soon.

The City Planning Commission is tentatively scheduled to consider the zoning change on May 18.

If the final parcel is not acquired by the Uptown Consortium prior to this meeting, a revision of the PD zoning would be required in the future.

It is expected that the Economic Development Committee will hear the City Planning Commission's findings on June 19, and City Council will vote on June 20.

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW
Urban Ohio: Avondale Vision Plan

(NOTE: This is the first post regarding this project on the blog. The Urban Ohio link above will take you to the Urban Ohio discussion forums for background on this project. The link will open a new browser window.)

An informal presentation on the planned Clifton Cultural Arts Center will be held Wednesday, May 2, from 6:45 PM-8 PM, at the Clifton branch of the public library (Ludlow and Ormond).

The mission and the plans for the center, which includes the Clifton School and the McDonald carriage house and mansion, will be presented.

There will also be discussion on the history of the McDonald properties, which were designed by Samuel Hannaford.

The Clifton Cultural Arts Center is on Clifton Ave, both sides of McAlpin.

http://www.cliftonculturalarts.org/

Samuel Hannaford is one of the most prolific and well-know architects that Cincinnati ever produced. His work can be seen in Music Hall, City Hall, the Times Star Building (800 Broadway) and Memorial Hall.

But there are many lesser known works out in the neighborhoods. The Legacy of Samuel Hannaford, compiled by Betty Ann Smiddy, is an introduction to the man who is responsible for much of the built environment that we enjoy today. Smiddy has painstakingly put together the history behind his works, including those on which he collaborated--such as his early work with Anderson & Hannaford and his late work with Hannaford & Sons.

What the site lacks in flashiness it more than makes up for with substance.

Betty Ann Smiddy is a local historian and a published author. She is a past president of both the College Hill Historical Society and the College Hill Forum.