Cincinnati City Council has approved unanimously a rezoning ordinance that would allow a hotel to be built at 720 Sycamore Street Downtown.

The approval rezones the current Red Cross property from DD-C Downtown Development District to PD Planned Development District (PD-55).

DD-C districts do not allow for hotels or commercial lodging.

Developer Rolling Hills Properties, LLC has announced its intent to develop a 13-story, upscale hotel containing around 200 guest rooms and 150 enclosed parking spaces, with a street-level lobby fronting on Eighth Street.

No hotel operator has been named.

Approval of the rezoning also means that Rolling Hills Properties can exercise its option to purchase the building from the American Red Cross, which will move to a new facility at Keystone Parke in Evanston.

Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2010, with completion by the end of 2011.

Previous reading on BC:
EDC to hear proposal for new Downtown hotel (9/19/08)

Cincinnati City Council has unanimously approved an ordinance that will allow Excalibur Development/DeSales Properties LLC to build the second phase of DeSales Plaza in East Walnut Hills.

The ordinance creates a PD Planned Development District (PD-56) on 2.45 acres on land the developer has cleared .

Concept plans submitted to the City by Excalibur's Keith Glaser call for 85 apartments spread among three three-story buildings.

Eighty percent of the units are expected to be one-bedroom units, with the remainder containing two bedrooms.

Groundbreaking is scheduled for this fall, with completion late next year.

The project will be submitted for LEED certification.

Previous reading on BC:
Second DeSales phase seeking City approval (9/19/08)
Glaser seeking ordinance for 75-unit DeSales addition (6/12/08)

On September 20, more than a dozen local bloggers joined the folks from the Gateway Quarter and project developers for the Blogger Tour of Living, a tour of some of the projects under construction in Over-the-Rhine.

The following 27 photos show the Good Fellows Hall Lofts at , a 5-unit condominium project currently under construction by Urban Sites Properties.

Be sure to check out the massive space on the top floor, with its high ceilings and exposed beams and posts.

Thank you to everyone involved, including Randy Simes from UrbanCincy, who helped to set it up.

Hover over the slideshow to bring up the controls. You may stop the slideshow by clicking on the square "stop" button, allowing you to scroll through the photos at your own leisure. To get a better view, click on each image to enlarge to 640 x 480. Photos will open in a new browser window.

Two redevelopment projects underway in Over-the-Rhine's Gateway Quarter are seeking to become the first LEED-certified residential buildings in the neighborhood, according to a media release.

Both Urban Sites' Belmain project at and Northpointe Group/B2B Equities' Mottainai Lofts at are part of a LEED-certified pilot project for mid-rise, multi-family buildings.

LEED, a third-party certification program administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, promotes sustainable and healthy building practices by recognizing - and rewarding - sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

The Belmain will open next summer with 16 residential lofts; Mottainai Lofts will open next spring with eight loft condos.

Certification will be determined after both buildings have opened.

Currently, the Art Academy of Cincinnati building at is the only LEED-certified building of any type in Over-the-Rhine.

Both the Belmain and Mottainai Lofts are part of Phase III of the Gateway Quarter, a $30.3 million project that includes 106 for-sale housing units and over 15,000 square feet of commercial space.

Gateway Quarter Phases I and II resulted in 86 for-sale units and nearly 23,000 square feet of commercial space.

Previous reading on BC:
City Home photo update, 8/4/08 (8/12/08)
City approves OTR property sales (5/27/08)
City likely to sell OTR property to 3CDC, OTRCH (5/20/08)
Model releases Trinity Flats elevations (2/13/08)
More on 1232 Vine Street (12/13/07)

Multi-family
DOB: 1885
Died: September 2008
Cause of death: A three-alarm fire on April 8, 2007 causing significant damage to the first-floor rear of the building and spreading to the second floor and attic. Damage was estimated at $200,000, and three people were left homeless.

The management company that owned the building was seeking bids to rebuild or demolish the fire damaged portions of the structure. Later, the owners alerted the City that they had no money to barricade the open windows on the ground floor, which is no surprise given the building's history of code violations. A pre-prosecution hearing resulted in a 30-day extension, but no work, plan, or Vacant Building Maintenance License.

The building was foreclosed in October 2007 and purchased by a man from Texas in December 2007. The house is being hand wrecked by the owner, and parts of it are being salvaged.

Three years ago:

• I visited Mount Storm Park and Eden Park.
  

Hover over the slideshow to bring up the controls. You may stop the slideshow by clicking on the square "stop" button, allowing you to scroll through the photos at your own leisure. To get a better view, click on each image to enlarge to 800 x 600. Photos will open in a new browser window.

Multi-family
DOB: 1900
Died: August 2008
Cause of death: A deteriorated retaining/foundation wall, rotting wood, damaged overhang supports, and a lack of windows that required numerous City barricades. There were also violations with the cornice, soffit, and gutters and downspouts.

Problems with the property date back to at least 2001, but it has never been condemned. In 2007, a new owner had begun interior demolition and was apparently planning to rehabilitate the structure.

The City vacated the property in May. It was razed by the owner.

Two years ago:

• I visited and photographed Clifton Heights, East Walnut Hills, Theodore M. Berry International Friendship Park, the East End, Mount Adams, the Ohio River, the Big Mac Bridge, and Downtown.
  

Hover over the slideshow to bring up the controls. You may stop the slideshow by clicking on the square "stop" button, allowing you to scroll through the photos at your own leisure. To get a better view, click on each image to enlarge to 640 x 480. Photos will open in a new browser window.

One year ago:

• The on-again/off-again Inwood Village project in Mount Auburn was seeking Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits
• The first (and so far, only) phase of the Pulse Loft Condominiums in Covington were nearing completion
  
• The Cincinnati Enquirer reported on the dedication of the Burnet Avenue project
• Randy Simes from UrbanCincy posted about his experiences at a meeting on Cincinnati's streetcar proposal

Warehouse
DOB: 1957
Died: August 2008
Cause of death: Owned by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, this 8,342-square-foot building apprently no longer fit their needs. It has owned the building since 2003.

One year ago:

• Due to a lack of interest, the construction of Court Street Center II and III looked less and less likely
• Cladding was being applied to the Overlook at Eden Park condominium tower in Walnut Hills
  
• A burned down house on Woodburn Avenue in Evanston was razed

Cincinnati City Council is set to vote on an ordinance to sell surplus City property in College Hill to Working in Neighborhoods (WIN).

The property, at , is located between two WIN-owned properties and adjacent to the construction site of a new energy-efficient (and possibly LEED-certified), single-family house.

WIN has offered to purchase the property for $1,000, its appraised fair market value, through the Cincinnati Land Reutilization Program (CLRP).

The City-owned 0.14 acres, which it has held since late 2007, will be added to the property at 1304 Cedar Avenue to create a larger lot.

CLRP, established by council in 1996 to return abandoned property to tax-generating use, is managed by the Department of City Planning.

The program has acquired approximately 68 parcels of land since its inception.

Every so often, the Ohio School Facilities Commission puts out construction photos of schools being built as part of Cincinnati Public Schools' $1 billion Facilities Master Plan, and sometimes they include some fantastic aerial shots.

These aerials, of Covedale, Fairview-Clifton German Language School, Hughes Center, Kilgour, Parker, Pleasant Ridge Montessori and South Avondale, were taken on September 5 and 6.

No aerials were posted for the new School for Creative and Performing Arts.

Hover over the slideshow to bring up the controls. You may stop the slideshow by clicking on the square "stop" button, allowing you to scroll through the photos at your own leisure. To get a better view, click on each image to enlarge to 800 x 600. Photos will open in a new browser window.



Previous reading on BC:
CPS aerial updates (4/11/08)

Single-family
DOB: 1901
Died: August 2008
Cause of death: Vandalism and fire damage, a severely cracked foundation, a deteriorated roof, gutters and downspouts, missing siding, and missing windows. The house was condemned in March 2006, having been vacant since at least 2004.

The owners did not appear for pre-prosecution hearings. Because the owners live in Florida and were being "blatantly uncooperative", the City chose not to pursue criminal action. (Great reason.)

It was declared a public nuisance in July 2007 and razed by the City.

One year ago:

• Cincinnati City Council authorized the issuance of up to $1.5 million in bonds for Evanston and East Walnut Hills
• The Cincinnati City Planning Commission recommended approval of Episcopal Retirement Homes' plans for two single-story cottages on the Deupree House site
• A multi-family in Walnut Hills was razed to make way for parking and an courtyard for the Gates of Eden Park development
• 26 photos were added to Building Cincinnati's Downtown gallery
  
• I helped my dad build a shed
  

With the City of Cincinnati voting to contribute $187,000 to save the Meiner Flats building at in Over-the-Rhine, what becomes of the preservation donations?

In an e-mail communication to donors, "Save the Meiner Flats" organizer Danny Klingler says that they received nearly $6,000 in pledges, which they were able to convert into nearly $4,000 in donations.

The pledge drive, in which donors promised everything from $10 to their entire economic stimulus rebate checks, received media attention from NPR, Preservation Magazine, WCPO-TV, and the Cincinnati Enquirer.

"Though not huge in absolute terms, being able to tell the Department of Buildings and Inspections, the Mayor's Office, the City Council, and other departments in the City of Cincinnati that ordinary citizens had donated this sum of money was a huge symbolic gesture that I believe had a tremendous impact on the ultimate decision to save the building," he says. "It certainly had an impact on the individual with control over the wrecking ball -- Ed Cunningham, Mayor Mallory, and individuals within the City Planning department, and I can only imagine it affected council members as well in their final decision".

Interestingly, although the City was aware of how much money had been raised prior to the council resolution, they never requested any of the money.

And although Klinger stands by his promise to return every dime of the donations, he has proposed an alternative - holding the money in case of another preservation emergency.

"Over-the-Rhine is by no means out of the woods," he says. "Numerous other buildings are on the demolition horizon, and just last week Hurricane Ike hit the neighborhood and caused a lot of damage. There is a lot of power in being able to point to a dedicated source of funds raised by the public. Having this money set aside next time, rather than having to scramble to raise it, would provide a lot of leverage."

Klingler also says that this money could be used to jumpstart an initiative headed by the Over-the-Rhine Foundation to wrestle endangered buildings from negligent owners through receivership, make repairs, and get them rehabilitated.

Before any action is taken, Klingler wants to hear from donors.

Meiner Flats, built around 1875 and vacant for at least 20 years, had been scheduled for early demolition in March.

3CDC will contribute $200,000 to the stabilization of the building, which will likely be turned over to a developer for residential and retail re-use.

Image credit: Danny Klingler

Previous reading on BC:
Cincinnati approves $187K for Meiner Flats stabilization agreement (9/18/08)
City considers $187,000 for Meiner Flats stabilization (9/2/08)
New Meiner Flats blog to aid in preservation effort (5/7/08)
Preservation Magazine spotlights Meiners Flats (5/1/08)
Donate economic stimulus rebate to save 1500 Vine (4/15/08)

In an effort to move the final seven units of the Taft Road Townhomes development, the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation (WHRF) is asking for $70,000 in HOME funds from the City of Cincinnati.

Cincinnati City Council is considering an ordinance that would fund a homebuyer assistance program for the recently completed 12-unit project at for families whose household income does not exceed 80 percent of the area median income.

The funding would provide forgivable loans of $10,000 to any buyer of a Taft Road unit, credited to the down payment and closing costs, and forgiven at a rate of $2,000 per year over a five-year period.

The City has already provided $729,133 in HOME funds to cover construction costs for the project.

Disbursed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the HOME program provides approximately $2 billion in federal grants annually to states and communities to help build, buy, or rehabilitate affordable housing for rent or homeownership for people of low income.

Here are some photos from a couple of recent events I attended.

The first is a gala for the Floodwall exhibit at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center (CCAC).

The Katrina memorial by artist Jana Napoli featured a 96-foot by 8-foot "wailing wall" filled with more than 350 drawers salvaged from the neighborhoods in and around New Orleans in 2005.

Over 1,000,000 people saw the exhibit in New Orleans, Austin, and New York.

The CCAC show was Floodwall's first appearance in the Midwest.

The second event was Everyone's Famous! Blogger Bash, put together by 5chw4r7z and hosted by Andrew Van Sickle and AVS Art Gallery on W Fourth Street.

A fairly decent crowd turned out for the four-hour event, which featured drinks, food and music amid the artwork of Jason Brunson.

Courtney Brown (pictured) and Daniel S. Hines of the Know Theatre of Cincinnati also stopped by to perform a couple of numbers from Reefer Madness: The Musical.

The final shots are just shots I captured in Hyde Park and Camp Washington on my way to or from somewhere else....

All of these photos have been added to the following galleries:

• Everyone's Famous! Blogger Bash +19 (19 photos)
• Floodwall at the CCAC +14 (14 photos)
• Hyde Park +3 (61 photos)
• Camp Washington +2 (27 photos)

Galleries for dozens of other Greater Cincinnati neighborhoods can be found in the drop-down menu at the top of the right-hand column.

Hover over the slideshow to bring up the controls. You may stop the slideshow by clicking on the square "stop" button, allowing you to scroll through the photos at your own leisure. To get a better view, click on each image to enlarge to 640 x 480. Photos will open in a new browser window.

A teacher at Holy Family School in East Price Hill is requesting that the City provide air conditioners to help abate a chronic noise problem.

In a communication to Councilmember Chris Monzel, the teacher says she has worked at the school for nine years, and that every May, August, and September the City has worked on the .

"As you can well imagine, the student population as well as the parents and guardians of the students challenge all of us who teach here, on a daily basis," she says. "We are teaching in a neighborhood where education is not typically valued."

Because the building is old and the school's funds are limited, the school must keep the windows open during those months.

The noise makes it impossible to teach.

"We are a poor inner-city school so we cannot afford air conditioning and yet the city always digs holes, drills and does other noise-making work making it extremely difficult for us to teach," she says. "Today it is 93 degrees and yet the city employees are again drilling to fix a water hole right in front of our school."

She says she has contacted the City and asked them to drill either during lunch or after 2 PM dismissal, but they "refuse to assist" the school.

"I cannot begin to understand how the City can rob students of learning time," she says.

The teacher says that she plans on contacting the local media unless the City either stops the noise or provides air conditioning for the four classrooms in the front of the school.

"I truly believe that City officials such as you would want the children of Price Hill to be successful students," she says.

A report by City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr is due before council on October 16.

Holy Family School has an enrollment of 165 students in grades K-8.

Photo credit: Holy Family School

Two-family
DOB: 1895
Died: August 2008
Cause of death: Failing roof, gutters, and downspouts, allowing moisture to damage the structure and the foundation. Windows were also missing, requiring frequent City barricading to keep out trespassers, who had vandalized the building.

It was first condemned in November 2004. The owners filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy and lost the house to their creditors in late 2006 or early 2007. In the meantime, a criminal case was prepared.

It was declared a public nuisance in July 2007 and razed by the City. The criminal case was closed.

After his notwithstanding ordinance application was rejected by the City, Keith Glaser of Excalibur Development/DeSales Properties, LLC is now seeking a rezoning for the second phase of DeSales Plaza in East Walnut Hills.

Next Tuesday, Cincinnati City Council's Economic Development Committee changing the zoning of the site from CC-M Commercial Community-Mixed District and RMX Residential Mixed District to PD Planned Development District (PD-56) to allow for a multi-family project of up to 85 apartments on 2.45 acres .

The properties to be rezoned include the vacant and cleared sites at:

• 2901, 2911, 2913, 2921, 2925, 2927 and 2933 Woodburn Avenue
• 1524, 1528, 1530, 1532 and 1536 Chapel Street
• 1529 Lincoln Avenue

Designed by Cole + Russell Architects, the apartments would be built in three three-story buildings, with 80 percent being one-bedroom units and the remainder two-bedroom units.

Two buildings would be oriented toward Woodburn Avenue (12,600 square feet and 7,340 square feet), and the other along Chapel Street (7,340 square feet), with setbacks of 7 to 10 feet from the rights-of-way.

A pedestrian entrance would be located at the corner of Woodburn Avenue and Chapel Street, and a gated surface parking lot for 96 vehicles, including dedicated fuel-efficient spaces, would be available from Chapel Street and Lincoln Avenue.

All units would contain either enclosed patios or balconies, and the façade would be a mix of masonry and painted cement fiber board siding.

The project will be submitted for LEED certification.

According to the concept plan, groundbreaking is tentatively scheduled for this fall with completion in the fall of 2009.

The project has received a vote of support from the East Walnut Hills Assembly, and there has been no vocal neighborhood opposition.

"The Planned Development District zoning designation will not negatively impact the existing character of the area," director of the Department of City Planning Charles C. Graves III says in a communication to the Economic Development Committee. "Instead it will allow for new investment in the East Walnut Hills neighborhood through the construction of a high-quality, multi-family residential development with buildings oriented to Woodburn Avenue and Chapel Street."


The City Planning Commission approved of the rezoning on September 5.

In May, Glaser, hoping to shorten the zoning change process, applied for a notwithstanding ordinance that would have given him a variance to build a surface parking lot in an RMX district, and ground-floor residential with no transparency and a lot-line setback in a CC-M district.

City staff recommended that Glaser consolidate his parcels, rezone them all to RM-1.2 Residential Multi-Family District, and then subdivide the lot for what was then a four-building, 75-unit proposal.

Previous reading on BC:
Glaser seeking ordinance for 75-unit DeSales addition (6/12/08)

An ordinance to rezone property at for a new hotel will be heard by Cincinnati City Council's Economic Development Committee next Tuesday.

The 0.60-acre Downtown property, currently owned by the American Red Cross, is zoned DD-C Downtown Development District, the only DD subdistrict that doesn't allow for hotels or commercial lodging.

Rolling Hills Properties, LLC has submitted a preliminary concept plan that seeks a change to PD Planned Development District (PD-55).

"It is the developer's/future owner's belief that there is a need for a new hotel in this area of downtown to help service the current business and tourist climate of the city in addition to the planned future growth within the downtown community," says Tony Tuttle of Bayer Becker, in a letter to City staff dated June 25, 2008. "Recently we have witnessed robust growth on both sides of the river, and we want to ensure that continued growth is led by the many different types of businesses and institutions within the Downtown Core of Cincinnati."

The new hotel would contain 13 stories (139 feet) - 8 floors containing around 200 guest rooms, and 5 floors containing the lobby and approximately 150 enclosed parking spaces.

The hotel would also include:

• A top-floor restaurant and bar
• A lobby lounge/café
• Meeting, conference, and banquet space
• An indoor pool and spa
• An exercise and fitness room
• Flat-panel LCD televisions
• Room service

The main pedestrian entrance will front on Eighth Street, and the building will have zero setback from both Eighth and Sycamore streets.

The City Planning Commission unanimously approved of the zone change on July 11.

Creation of PD-55 would allow the City Planning Commission to have greater control over the building's design and site elements, ensuring that it's compatible with the adjacent .

Rolling Hills Properties has a purchase agreement with the American Red Cross that is contingent on the rezoning.

The current building will be demolished when the Cincinnati chapter of the American Red Cross moves to its new facility at Keystone Parke in Evanston, which is now in the design phase.

The developer plans to break ground in spring 2010, with construction lasting 18 months.

A hotel operator will be secured pending rezoning approval.

Cincinnati City Council has unanimously approved a resolution supporting Hamilton County's abatement and rehabilitation of the former Sara Lee facility at in Camp Washington.

The resolution of support is a requirement of the Ohio Department of Development's Clean Ohio Assistance Fund grant program.

The county is seeking the grant to perform a Phase II environmental site assessment on the 15.82-acre property, which will allow them to develop a cost estimate and remediation plan to return the land to productive re-use.

Hamilton County Commission president Todd Portune says that an end-user has been found for the facility, but he has not identified it by name.

In March 2007, the county accepted the property as a gift from Sara Lee Food & Beverage and planned to use the vacated former Kahn's meat packing plant as the site of a new Hamilton County jail.

Two tax increases that would have funded the new jail went down to defeat, the last one in November 2007.

Previous reading on BC:
Cincinnati will vote on support for Sara Lee cleanup (8/19/08)

In a letter to Cincinnati City Councilmember Laketa Cole, an Avondale woman says that she believes that the condition of her neighborhood may be the reason why damage to her property isn't being addressed.

In February, the City awarded a contract to Evans Landscaping to tear down a shotgun-style house on Whittier Street that had been declared a public nuisance due to a leaning foundation and bowing walls.

During demolition, a section of fence running between that house and the woman's house was damaged by a large piece of machinery.

She says that she has spoken to Eugene Lackey of the City's Division of Buildings and Inspections, who says that it's "not his area to resolve".

"The City of Cincinnati is responsible for this," she says. "Every time I contact the City regarding this matter, I'm referred back to Mr. Lackey, who has taken times out twice to come out and reassure me that this is a City matter."

She says that Lackey has told her that the same department that handles sidewalk repairs, the Department of Transportation and Engineering, should repair the fence.

Not only is the fence damaged, but the sidewalk is caved in - and several people have already fallen.

"The constant liability threat is pending and I'm simply trying to resolve this matter so that a serious lawsuit doesn't build from this situation," she says.

She also says that, as a taxpayer and a property owner, she's entitled to the same treatment as someone from a more upper-class neighborhood.

"I feel that if this damage had occurred in a different neighborhood that this would have been resolved," she says. "I feel that due to the drug problems and violence in the immediate area, it has minimized the seriousness which I feel is despicable."

A report from City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr is due before council on October 1.

A new single-family house is coming to in Mount Adams, and it just hit the market ten days ago for $1,299,000.

The three-story, three-bedroom house will feature:

• * 3,500 square feet of living space
• * 8 rooms
• * A finished basement
• * A two-car garage
• * 2 fireplaces
• * Decks and patios with a City view
• * A security system
• * Brick construction
  

The new house should be completed by early 2009.

A previous offering of the current house, acreage and building plans, listed at $485,000, was taken off the market after 491 days.

Demolition permits have been issued for the previous structure, which was built around 1880.

The property is represented by Coldwell Banker West Shell.

Image credits: Greater Cincinnati Multiple Listing Service

Single-family
DOB: 1917
Died: August 2008
Cause of death: This 0.22-acre property was donated to the City of Cincinnati to be added to the grounds of the College Hill Recreation Area. The Cincinnati Recreation Commission accepted the donation in September 2007, and the City voted to approve it in May.

The house had been vacant since at least 2006.

One year ago:

• Reports emerged that Comey & Shepherd was leaving its City Office from 1440 Main Street in Over-the-Rhine
• Phase one of the Volterra Condominiums was nearing completion
  
• I linked to the Room 113 blog, which was chronicling the rehab of 961 Olive Avenue in East Price Hill
• CityKin lamented that concession stands in City parks are rarely open

Cincinnati City Council has approved an emergency ordinance authorizing the transfer of $187,000 to stabilize the Meiner Flats building at in Over-the-Rhine.

The transfer will create a new Meiner Flats capital account, with money taken from the OTR Arts District Home Buyers Loan account and several hazard abatement accounts.

The City will now draw up an agreement with 3CDC (OTR Holdings, LLC), who will contribute $200,000 of their own funding, to bring the structure up to code.

Built in 1875 by the Meiner family to advertise their skills as stonemasons, the building has been vacant for over 20 years.

A roof collapse, combined with bricks and pieces of cornice falling to the sidewalk below, forced the City to order an emergency demolition in March.

Although it has been removed from the hazard abatement program for the time being, the façade remains hazardous and the sidewalk below remains closed.

In May, it was acquired by Christopher Tucker from Big Dog Holdings by quit claim deed for $1,000, according to auditor records.

No plans for a full restoration have been released.

Photo credit: Margo Warminski, Cincinnati Preservation Association

Previous reading on BC:
City considers $187,000 for Meiner Flats stabilization (9/2/08)
New Meiners Flats blog to aid in preservation effort (5/7/08)
Preservation Magazine spotlights Meiners Flats (5/1/08)
Donate economic stimulus rebate to save 1500 Vine (4/15/08)
1502 Vine fast-tracked for demolition (3/10/08)

In an effort to create more pedestrian-friendly development along Beechmont Avenue and to stimulate economic development in the business districts of Mount Washington, Cincinnati City Council has approved of several rezonings along the heavily-traveled corridor.

The rezoning process was initiated in January by the Mt. Washington Community Council (MWCC), who sought to reshape the City's zoning code to align better with the recommendations of the Mt. Washington Comprehensive Plan, which was approved by the City Planning Commission and council in summer 2007.

Current zoning in the corridor was based entirely on existing uses when Cincinnati zoning code was rewritten in 2004.

Parcels to be changed include (see map):

• North of Sutton Avenue between Oxford and Beechmont avenues from CC-A Commercial Community Auto-Oriented District to CC-M Commercial Community Mixed District
• North of Beechcrest Place along Beechmont Avenue and Campus Lane from CC-M to CC-P Commercial Community Pedestrian District
• Northwest corner of Sutton and Oxford avenues from RM-2.0 Multi-Family District to SF-6 Single-Family District
• Along Oxford Avenue north of Roxbury Street from RM-1.2 Multi-Family District to SF-4 Single-Family District
• Along Beechmont Avenue between Roxbury Street and Crestview Place from CC-A and RM-1.2 to CC-M.
  

Property "taking"?

Not everyone supports the changes.

Jackie and James Jurgensen hired legal representation to fight the rezoning of a Valvoline Oil and Lube Shop at , feeling that it would make their properties less valuable and harder to develop and equating the downzoning to a property "taking".

Businesses currently operating outside of the zoning constraints would be grandfathered in, but would lose their non-conforming zoning immunity if any renovations or redevelopment were to occur.

In his letter to City staff, Weston Munzel, a member of the MWCC board of directors and an urban planner by trade, says that the rezoning is nothing akin to a "taking".

"Rezoning that land to CC-P would not be considered a 'taking' because all economic use of the land is not taken," he says. "In fact, the CC-P zone allows for development up to 85 feet in height."

Jill and Stephen Cole of Cole Realty Associates, who recently built the 10,000-square-foot Corbly Station strip center across the street at 2300 Beechmont Avenue, say that the CC-P zoning has hurt their ability to secure tenants.

"We believe that the zoning on our property should be changed from CC-P to CC-A," they say in a letter to City staff. "The CC-P designation on our property has caused a financial hardship because it has prevented us from having a drive-thru which we need in order to attract a strong anchor tenant."

They say that businesses such as Starbucks, Donato's, Bruegger's Bagels, Skyline Chili, Widmer's and Little Caesar's have expressed interest in locating in the center if a drive-through were available.

Unfortunately, theysay, the only tenant who has expressed interest is a check cashing business and the vacant property has become subject to vandalism.

The Coles point to the 35 mph speed limit along Beechmont, the lack of on-street parking, and the multiple existing drive-thrus as reasons against encouraging more pedestrian-oriented development.

Munzel has ideas on how both desired outcomes - pedestrian-friendliness and drive-thrus - could be accommodated.

"Perhaps a revision to the CC-P to allow for drive-thrus in the rear if a two-story building is built and access to the drive-thru is via a shared driveway with adjacent landowner or a rear alley; and 90 percent of the frontage has a building on it - so there are very minimal gaps in the buildings along the frontage of the district," he says.


Taming the traffic

The City is also taking steps to calm traffic along the entire length of Beechmont Avenue, which sometimes moves through a little too briskly since a 2004 --> --> --> widening project.

At the September 10 meeting of council, Councilmember Roxanne Qualls introduced a motion supporting traffic calming measures after receiving requests from the MWCC.

A report on the motion from City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr is due before council on October 8.

The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) Executive Committee has accepted the OKI Transportation Planning Fiscal Year 2008 Year End Progress Report, which covers the period between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008.

The report highlights the progress made, the funds expended, and the products delivered for projects contained in the OKI Fiscal Year 2008 Unified Planning Work Program.

Of the $4.85 million budgeted for FY2008, $3.26 million was spent, or approximately 2/3 of the budget.

OKI reports 100 percent completion of its project products, except for:

• Only 4 percent completed for Fiscal Impact Models for Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, a study of land use scenarios that is scheduled to begin this fall
• Only 35 percent completed in JARC/New Freedom program, which improves transportation access for people with disabilities and special needs

The 60-page report can be downloaded here (PDF).

OKI receives transportation planning funding from the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, the State of Ohio, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the State of Indiana.

Cincinnati City Council has passed an emergency ordinance that will allow the City to levy special assessments to collect the unpaid costs associated with securing or demolishing unsafe or condemned buildings.

The ordinance allows the City to add the money it's owed as a lien, or an assessment, on the Hamilton County Auditor's property tax duplicate.

The action covers 132 property owners who owe the City more than $243,000, with individual amounts ranging from $30 to more than $18,000.

The assessments are payable in five annual installments and carry a 9 percent interest rate.

Under Ohio law, this method of recovery is allowed under Section 715.261 (B)(1) of the Ohio Revised Code.

Typically, the costs of barricading or demolishing problem buildings are direct-billed to the property owners, then sent either to a private collection agency or the City Solicitor if non-payment occurs.

A motion to restore City funding for the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati's (ETC) expansion has been adopted by Cincinnati City Council.

The more than $176,000 in funding is the remainder of money originally granted in March 2004 as part of a $50,000 capital arts grant and a $200,000 challenge grant that was contingent on ETC's expansion of their space at in Over-the-Rhine.

The City took back that funding in June after it had not been spent.

The motion has been passed to the Division of Budget and Evaluation of the Office of the City Manager, and a report is due before council's Finance Committee by October 13.

Earlier this year, ETC embarked on a $6.5 million capital campaign to finance the renovations of its current space and a newly-acquired 15,000-square-foot space at 1117 Vine Street.

Improvements will include a renovated performance space and seating, an outside courtyard, an on-site scene shop, new office space, a renovated box office and lobby space, and private meeting rooms.

GBBN Architects has been hired to do the renovation, which is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2010.

Large-scale fundraising will begin this fall.

ETC last expanded in 1993, when it expanded from 134 to 202 seats.

Image credit: ETC and GBBN Architects

Previous reading on BC:
Cincinnati passes motion to restore Ensemble funding (8/12/08)

Two-family
DOB: 1895
Died: August 2008
Cause of death: Severe fire damage leaving an empty, windowless shell with a failing roof and compromised structural members.

It was condemned in January 2006 and declared a public nuisance in July 2006. I believe a child was killed in the fire, so the City backed off on prosecution of the case.

The building was razed following asbestos abatement.

One year ago:

• The Village of Mariemont was receiving bids for the repair of Mariemont Fountain
• A free lecture on the City's Centennial Parks Master Plan was being held at the Cincinnati Museum Center
• Cincinnati City Council approved the release of $36,000 to pay part of the salary of Charles C. Graves III, the new director of the Department of City Planning
• A Mount Lookout burndown was razed to expand the playground at Our Lord Christ the King Church
• While taking construction photos, I snapped a few shots of Mount Adams, the Cincinnati skyline, and Seminary Square in Covington
  

(Hover over the slideshow to bring up the controls. You may stop the slideshow by clicking on the square "stop" button, allowing you to scroll through the photos at your own leisure. To get a better view, click on each image to enlarge to 800 x 600. Photos will open in a new browser window.)

A motion by Cincinnati City Councilmember Roxanne Qualls to jumpstart the stalled Inwood Village project has been adopted, but City administration remains concerned about an incomplete development proposal.

Qualls' motion would direct the City to negotiate a $5.1 million funding and development agreement with Dorian Development for the long-vacant Glencoe-Auburn Place Row Houses and the Glencoe-Auburn Hotel in Mount Auburn, pending passage of an ordinance for $300,000 in pre-development funding.

Now referred to by the City as the Glencoe Hotel and Condominiums project, the current development proposal calls for Dorian to perform public improvements on the City-owned concrete courtyards and other infrastructure and to rehabilitate the building envelopes, then to sell the shells to individual builders to rehabilitate each unit to prospective buyers' specifications.

Estimated at $20 million, the project would create 54 condominiums, with an additional 14 rental units in the hotel.

The $5.1 million City subsidy, over $69,000 per unit, would be budgeted for 2009.


Proposals date back to 2002

Proposals for rehabbing the buildings date back to 2002, when Dorian acquired the property and approached the City about applying for Low Income Housing Tax Credits to renovate it into affordable housing units.

The City, looking for more homeownership opportunities, was reluctant to approve such a large rental project.

In 2005, the City offered $2.6 million in public improvement assistance for a new $18 million proposal that would have created 68 condominium units in the $200,000-$300,000 price range.

A model was completed in late 2006.

In 2007, the City revised its offer to $5.4 million, $1.9 million of which would be used to improve the City-owned areas of the complex.

A counter-offer by Dorian, which provided no evidence of conventional financing and did not address a significant funding gap, was rejected as unsatisfactory.

Michael Cervay, director of the City's Department of Community Development and Planning, said that the City's relationship with the Inwood Village project had come to an end.

"You refused to sign the development agreement, failed to comply with the City's request for documentation of private financing commitment, and rejected as insufficient the City's previous offer with no explanation as to how what you had previously described as insufficient is now satisfactory," Cervay said in a letter to Dorian's Pauline Van der Haer. "Your current financial need, as set forth in response to this offer, exceeds the City's capacity or willingness to supply."

Late last year, an application for Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits was rejected due to insufficient information.

But in March, Dorian presented the revised proposal for an $18.5 million project that would use $7.1 million in private financing, $6 million from individual builders, and $5.4 million from the City.

Pre-sales to builders would start this month, with the first units built out in April 2009 and project completion in 2011.


A risky expenditure

City administration is skittish about financing the project because, after several years, they still lack sufficient documentation, such as:

• A bank commitment, or any other financial documentation
• A market study more recent than one done in 2006
• Guarantees of completion
• Documentation from the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office approving development of all of the buildings
• Casualty and liability insurance
• Environmental studies, specifically regarding lead and asbestos
• Geotechnical studies

The City is also concerned because all City subsidies would be expended before the first unit is ever produced, putting the City's funds at risk of being wasted if no private financing materializes.

And because no specific homebuilders have been identified and the entire project rests on Dorian's ability to sell the empty shells, there is even more cause for concern, especially in a soft condo market.

If this project is to work, it's likely that a more detailed proposal will be required for City review before they'll part with any dollars.

Previous reading on BC:
ODOD changes status on Glencoe-Auburn (12/24/07)
Urban Ohio: Fantastic Glencoe-Auburn Place photos (11/21/07)
Inwood Village project seeking preservation tax credits (9/26/07)

A new Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) study looking at the future use of the City's subway tunnels was presented to the OKI Intermodal Coodinating Committee on September 9.

The Cincinnati Subway Conversion Study, conducted by URS Corporation, looks at three possible options: maintaining the tunnels, filling them, or improving them for light rail transit.

Focusing on the largest segment of tunnels that exist - from Walnut Street to the portals located north of the Western Hills Viaduct and including the underground stations at Race Street, Liberty Street, and Brighton - the study asks five basic questions:

• What is the physical condition of the tunnels?
• What repairs are recommended to preserve the tunnels?
• Is it feasible to operate light rail transit within the tunnels, and to use the existing station areas?
• If it is feasible to operate light rail, what modifications will have to be made to the tunnels and what would be the cost?
• What is the current value of the tunnels for consideration of a potential local funding match?

Water and the damage done

A 2006 inspection showed that the overall condition of the tunnels is fair to good, but ten locations show signs of advanced deterioration, mostly caused by water leakage at construction joints.

The deterioration is most severe in the segment from Linn Street to the Brighton station.

The Race Street and Liberty Street stations were found to be in generally good condition, and the Brighton station was in fair condition with deterioration to the roof slab and beams.

Immediate maintenance recommendations are estimated at $3 million and would include:

• Replacement of vent grates south of Liberty Street
• Repair of the vent openings north of the Brighton station
• Repair of floor drains
• Repair sewage leaks
• Replace tunnel joints at ten locations
• Yearly inspections

One future option, filling the tunnels with controlled density fill, would cost an estimated $20 million.

Another $15 million would be required to relocate the existing water main and communication lines within the tunnels before filling could begin.


Light rail option?

The study finds that, with a few modifications, light rail transit in the tunnels is feasible and would cost $115 million.

Of that $115 million, $85 million would be dedicated to hard construction costs, $15 million to soft costs, and $15 million for water main and communications line relocation.

New platforms and headhouses would be required for all three stations, as well as new construction for ticketing and other related transit functions.

Utilizing original construction contracts and maintenance recommendations, the study found that the current net value of the tunnels is between $30 million and $40 million.

In proceeding with the protection of this City asset, the study recommends:

• Maintaining the tunnels in the near-term and develop a funding strategy any long-term decision
• Planning for the relocation of the water main and communication lines
• Continuing documentation for a potential local funding match
• Studying future light rail transit impacts to the CBD street grid and the feasibility of extending the tunnel system along the I-71 corridor and down Walnut Street, past the Riverfront Transit Center, and into Covington
• Studying the possibility of running light rail along Central Parkway

On Sunday, September 14, 2008 at 3:17 PM, the Cincinnati fire tower received a call reporting a structure fire at , a three-story brick building directly across from Findlay Market.

Cincinnati Fire Department (CFD) units arrived to the one-alarm fire to find fire on the third floor and in the attic.

Heavy winds scattered burning debris to six adjacent buildings across Elm Street, causing the fire to be upgraded to two and then to three alarms.

Fifty-two firefighters were involved in putting out the fire, which caused an estimated $200,000 in damage to 1801 Elm Street, 116-132 and 205 W Elder Street.

The cause of fire is listed as "undetermined" and is being investigated by the CFD's Fire Investigation Unit.

The following 18 photos were taken during the height of the event by photographer David J. Jones and supplied to Building Cincinnati.

Hover over the slideshow to bring up the controls. You may stop the slideshow by clicking on the square "stop" button, allowing you to scroll through the photos at your own leisure. To get a better view, click on each image to enlarge. Photos will open in a new browser window.

Cincinnati City Council has approved an ordinance modifying a loan agreement with Big Dog Properties for their 13-unit rental rehabilitation project at in Over-the-Rhine.

The ordinance forgives a loan from a $388,000 second mortgage held by the City of Cincinnati since a 2002 development agreement, allowing Big Dog to sell the buildings, which they claim are only slightly above 50 percent occupancy and have been operating at a loss for several years.

Cincinnati Development Fund (CDF) holds the first mortgage, valued at $488,000.

CDF will arrange the sale, and the proceeds will pay off the remainder of the rehabilitation loan from the first mortgage, fees, and past due taxes.

If the property is not sold within two years, the City will not forgive the loan.

Any sale proceeds exceeding $450,000 will be applied to the City mortgage payment.

Previous reading on BC:
Developer wants out of City loan, sale of Walnut Street properties (9/9/08)

Thanks to the pleas of a concerned Lower Price Hill resident, a number of nuisances in the area have been abated.

The 37-year-old resident contacted Vice Mayor David Crowley with complaints of excessive littering, drug sales and use, guns, and loitering in the neighborhood.

She had been cleaning up some of the litter on her own.

City crews have been out to clean the street on several occasions, and the abandoned property at 646 Neave Street has been cleaned up as well.

But in an e-mail late last week, the resident tells Building Cincinnati that there is one major concern that has yet to be addressed.

"I appreciate the work being done by the city but I also hope that something is going to be done to the owners of the properties and something really needs to be done about the tenants from 650 Neave St," she says. "These people don't work and I pay my taxes. So I guess I'm paying big time."

So far, Cincinnati police have said that they can do anything about the drug sales and use without seeing an offense take place, and can't clear out the loiterers unless the building owner complains.

A report to council by City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr, which might address the crime issue, is due by the beginning of October.

Previous reading on BC:
LPH resident: 'All I want is someone to care' (9/11/08)

Cincinnati City Councilmember Roxanne Qualls introduced a motion in council's Finance Committee that would provide $375,000 for the Clifton Cultural Arts Center (CCAC) in each of the next two years.

The money would come from the City's 2009 and 2010 capital budgets.

"If the City contributes $350,000 in 2009 and 2010 the Clifton Cultural Arts Center will be able to raise another $2 million from individuals and foundations," Qualls says in a statement accompanying the motion.

The $3 million first phase of the renovation of the Clifton School, completed in 1906 in the Beaux-Arts style, will:

• Add an elevator, making the building ADA-compliant
• Create a Great Hall from the former gymnasium
• Restore the school's auditorium
• Open up the top-floor music rooms for use
• Add a fire protection system
• Add a secure lobby entrance

"The center is expected to serve approximately 100,000 people each year, and will also provide established arts institutions with a venue for community outreach, building audiences, and exposing children to arts activities," Qualls says in a media release. "It would enhance Clifton’s efforts to maintain a strong, vibrant neighborhood, and help improve the quality of life for the entire city by supporting other arts organizations, large and small."

A report on Qualls' motion is due before council on October 8.

In July, the CCAC was awarded $250,000 in funding from the State of Ohio capital budget.

Future phases include the upgrading of the building's mechanicals and general exterior and interior improvements.

When completed, the Clifton School will be part of a 9-acre urban campus that will include the renovated McDonald Estate Carriage House, the Clifton Recreation Center, and the new Fairview-Clifton German Language School.

CCAC executive director Ruth Dickey says that they hope to have the whole building open by the summer of 2010.

Previous reading on BC:
Inside Fairview-Clifton German Language School (6/24/08)
Inside the Clifton Cultural Arts Center (4/10/08)
Volunteers needed to clean Clifton School (1/11/08)
Clifton Cultural Arts Center meeting, 5/2/07 (5/1/07)

Two-family
DOB: 1890
Died: August 2008
Cause of death: Roof failure, front and side porches collapsing and defective siding, gutters, and downspouts.

It was condemned in August 2007, though orders date back to August 2003. The previous owner was raising dogs in the building and the current owner was using the house for storage while plodding along slowly on addressing the code violations.

The current owner razed the building shortly before pre-prosecution hearings were scheduled.

One year ago:

• A photo gallery for Tall Stacks 2006 was added to the BC photo galleries
  
• Permits were on the way for the four townhome units at Golden Avenue Manor in Columbia Tusculum
• The Cincinnati Enquirer provided an update on the Magnolia Place condominium project in Mt. Washington
• The Greenwich was accepting questions for City Council candidates in anticipation of a debate

Building Cincinnati will be back in publication tomorrow.

The BC international headquarters suffered only minimal damage in the storm, and power was back by 4:20 Monday, approximately 26 hours after it first went out.

A tree in the front yard is now half of what it once was and a few shingles are missing. And there's an entire tree wedged between the branches of another tree, and no one can figure out where it came from.

The damage I saw today...from the fire damage in OTR, to the broken cornice at Park + Vine, to the missing shingles on frame houses in Northside, to the very large tree that I saw up against a house on Savannah Avenue in College Hill...was just astounding.

Things could have been much worse, but I never, ever, want to experience something like that again.

A 37-year Lower Price Hill resident just wants someone from the City to care.

"Things are bad here and they have been getting worse for a few years now," she says in a communication to Vice Mayor David Crowley.

Her main issue is the property at , which is vacant and neglected, and the neighboring properties at 644 and 650 Neave.

"Some of the people that sit in front of 646 Neave live at 650 Neave," she says. "The others are drug dealers and drug users. They sell in front of the house and in the side yard. Once they sell to the druggies, they go in the yard and take the drugs. This goes on all day and night."

Attached to the e-mail was 15 photos of the deplorable conditions.

"I want you to look at them and answer a question," she says. "Would any of you like to walk out your front door and see your street like this?"

The resident says that she has tried going to the police, who have said that they can't do anything about the trash and drugs unless they see an offense take place.

They can't clear away the loiterers unless the building owners complain.

"You can see in the pictures that none of the owners care about what happens to their buildings," she says. "I have called the Health Department, but nothing has been done. How long does it take to look into a problem like this?"

The drug dealers have guns, and they use them.

"They are using them almost every day and night," she says. "This is done in front of young kids due to the fact that these people don't care about anything."

And cleaning up the unsanitary and aesthetically displeasing mess left by loiterers should not be her responsibility, she says.

"The owners and the tenants need to be made accountable for their actions and lack of," she says. "I work all day, then come home to clean up after people that most likely have never worked a day in their life. They have nothing but time to make the mess. They should have to clean it up."

She says she just wants to know where to go to find some - any - help.

"I would go to our Community Council with this problem but considering that the President of our Community Council, Jack Degano, lives two doors down at 656 Neave Street, I don't believe it would help," she says. "We just need someone to care about what goes on in Lower Price Hill."

A report to council by City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr is due by the beginning of October.

Photos of the conditions may be coming, and will be posted as soon as they're received.

City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr says that a motion to incentivize green roof construction is practical, and that the City is working to do so.

In a report to City Council, Dohoney says that the Office of Environmental Quality, --> --> -->, and the Department of City Planning are working to identify the "most advantageous structure" for a green roof incentive program.

"Discussions are currently focusing on the possibility of using Clean Water State Revolving Fund money to offer low-interest or no-interest loans to assist with the costs associated with installing green roofs and other projects that reduce storm water runoff," he says.

Additionally, Dohoney says that City staff is working with the Ohio EPA to see if funds are available for the projects and to determine any constraints that might be imposed on projects receiving Revolving Fund support.

In late June, Cincinnati City Council adopted a motion by Councilmember Chris Bortz to explore green roof incentives that could be structured as no-interest or low-interest loans that could be repaid through a building owner's cost savings.

Previous reading on BC:
Bortz proposes green roof incentive (7/3/08)

Single-family
DOB: 1875
Died: August 2008
Cause of death: A shifting foundation, a lack of siding and windows, deteriorated roof, gutters, and downspouts, and severe water damage. The structure was open to trespassers and had to be barricaded by the City on several occasions.

Vacant since at least 2003, the house was condemned in November 2004. It was owned by Crowne Mortgage in Fairfield, who failed to respond to City inquiries and never appeared for pre-prosecution hearings.

It was declared a public nuisance in July 2007. A criminal case was filed, but was dismissed due to want of prosecution. The City razed it, and the owner faced no consequences.

Liddell Street is dead - a virtual ghost town.

One year ago:

• Cincinnati wanted to float $3.75 million in bonds for streetscape improvements in Evanston, Oakley, Walnut Hills, West Price Hill and Westwood
• $36,200 was made available by Cincinnati City Council to help pay the salary of new Department of City Planning director Charles C. Graves III
• One of Ron Brown's blighted properties, which helped earn him 170 days in jail, was razed in Westwood

The Washington Park Home Owners Association has serious concerns - and a few suggestions - for Washington Park.

In a group communication to Mayor Mark Mallory, City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr, City Councilmembers, the Cincinnati Park Board, 3CDC and the Over-the-Rhine Foundation, eight members say that their voice needs to be heard and heeded if homeownership is to flourish in Over-the-Rhine.

"We are the owner occupants around Washington Park, part of that very small, and very key, percentage of the population who are willing to invest our own lives, our own money and our own futures in Over-the-Rhine by buying a building, fixing it up, and actually living here," they say.

They say that the park and the sidewalks around it are not being adequately maintained and policed.

"For too many years crime and nuisance behavior have been the norm in the park," they say. "Public urination and defecation, drug use and drug sale of all kinds, drinking, drunken behavior, sitting and laying on the sidewalk and littering occur over and over again."

But despite attempts over several years to address the issue with the Park Board, Cincinnati Police Department, and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department, they say conditions haven't improved.

"To paraphrase we have been told, 'We are helpless, this is the best we can do'," they say. "Because we live here and deal with these issues too, we know how difficult the situation really us and so we applaud the efforts that have been made, but we are no longer willing to accept this answer."

The homeowners suggest the following changes for the park:

• A 24/7 walking, bicycle or equestrian patrol in and around the park
• Park Board employees who will act as the eyes and ears of the police, and not the drug dealers
• A review of the park regulations and City ordinances to make them clearer, stricter and more enforceable

They say that they're excited about the plans for the renovation of Washington Park, but worry that the same problems will continue even after a significant public investment.

"It is not kindness to anyone to let this situation continue," they say. "It is hurting the community of Over-the-Rhine."

A report to council from Dohoney is due by the beginning of next month.


Social services

Reservations have been expressed by others about how the Drop Inn Center and other social services fit into the equation.

It remains unclear whether Cincinnati Public Schools, 3CDC, or 12th Street property owners will put pressure on the center regarding the behavior of some of their clients in the park or try to have the Drop Inn Center moved to a non-residential location.

So far, 3CDC has relented on the center's plan to relocate its entrance from 12th Street to Elm Street, facing the new School for Creative and Performing Arts.

Some say that a resolution proposed by Councilmember Chris Bortz to deconcentrate social services and programs, passed by council in June and widely regarded as being an attempted roadblock to the proposed CityLink project and similar future projects, could actually have an opposite effect than the one intended by essentially locking all social service agencies in or near their current locations.

Still others have decided to sue over the resolution.

A consortium of plaintiffs, including representatives from Bethany House Services, the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, Justice Watch, Joseph House, Mary Magdalen House, The Drop Inn Center and the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers’ Center, will announce a lawsuit today at a 1 PM press conference on the steps of the Potter Stewart Courthouse downtown.

They allege that the wording of the resolution is vague and could single out certain organizations for disparate treatment, violating their due process.