Cranes, holes, and mud.

Real signs of progress are emerging at The Banks site Downtown, although Sunday was an off day.

Following construction of the parking structure, the first phase will include up to 300 apartments and 80,000 square feet of retail and is scheduled for completion in 2010.

At buildout, The Banks will consist of 2.8 million square feet of residential, office, and retail and is expected to drive $600 million to $800 million in private investment.

Suzanne has posted an official press release from Carter/Dawson on The Banks Blog.

There are 37 photos in this slideshow.

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.



Previous reading on BC:
Monzel: Provide Banks updates (9/9/08)
Urban design board to review designs for The Banks (6/23/08)
The Banks photo update, 5/24/08 (6/3/08)
Banks PD amended (4/29/08)
EDC to discuss Banks heights Tuesday (4/18/08)

Single-family
DOB: 1920s
Died: October 2008
Cause of death: Razed to make way for Xavier University's Hoff Academic Quad project.

One year ago:

• Twenty-seven photos from 15 neighborhoods were added to the Building Cincinnati photo galleries.
• Most of the exterior work was completed on the Fairview Clifton German Language School, with construction ongoing on the interiors, parking lots and landscaping.
  
• A decaying, vacant house on Knowlton Street in Northside was demolished.

A New Model program investment meant to help the community of --> --> --> has leveraged five times the expected activity in 2008, according to the Community Development Corporations Association of Greater Cincinnati (CDCAGC).

Program funding in the amount of $35,000, provided by the Robert H. Reakirt Foundation in December 2007, allowed the Winton Place Development Corporation (WPDC) to hire consultant Mark Brunner to help transform the non-profit from an all-volunteer organization with limited abilities into one with more capacity to stem the spread of foreclosures, vacancies, and blight.

Six neighborhood donors chipped in $10,000 each for low-interest loans, and local foundations are providing funds to purchase foreclosed houses at sheriff's sale before they get into the hands of speculators.

To lower administrative costs, CDCAGC provided backroom services such as handling the consultant's contract, taking care of finances, and helping with the reorganization of the WPDC into committees.

As a result of the program, four houses are in the process of being rehabbed, with two pre-sold and one sold.

Two other houses have been purchased and are awaiting work.

WPDC, which has been working in the neighborhood for more than 20 years, had previously been able to rehabilitate one or two properties a year.

With the restoration of the WPDC line of credit and the cost savings provided by the CDCAGC, more work is anticipated in 2009 -- including the rehabilitation of five to seven more houses and a market study of the Spring Grove Village business district.

The CDCAGC is hoping that this New Model pilot project can demonstrate the abilities of community development corporations to revitalize their communities without the need for their own executive directors and staffs.

Photo credit: CDCAGC

Renovations continue on the Academy of Medicine Building at Downtown.

A rear addition, which was built during the 1950s and used as an auditorium, was removed and a rear porch and new lighting has been added.

The newly-opened space between the porch and Iola Alley will become an urban garden.

The exposed walls of the adjacent buildings have been scrubbed clean, and it appears that some kind of concrete forms are in place.

This slideshow contains 5 photos.

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Previous reading on BC:
320-322 Broadway photo update, 2/16/08 (2/19/08)
320-322 Broadway demolition (11/19/07)

Two-family
DOB: 1880
Died: September 2008
Cause of death: Cracked sidewalks, a deteriorated front porch, and poor gutters, eaves, and downspouts. It had long been vacant and open to the elements, and the roof had begun to give way.

The house was vacated by the City in 2002 and condemned in December 2003. Declared a public nuisance in September 2006, it was put out to bid for demolition in early 2007.

It was razed by the City, and a criminal case is pending. It's likely that the property was abandoned.

Three years ago:

• I visited Golf Manor, Pleasant Ridge, Norwood, North Avondale, and St. Bernard.*
  

* 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.

Through January 5, public comment is being sought for LEED-ND, the nation's first rating system for assessing green neighborhood development.

The draft standard for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) aims to create sustainable, smart, and compact neighborhoods by rating four criteria:

• Smart location and linkage
• Neighborhood pattern and design
• Green infrastructure and buildings
• Innovation and design process

The venture is a partnership of the U.S. Green Building Council, Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

"No building can be considered truly green unless it’s in a green urban neighborhood -- and the principles of traditional city and town design as promoted by the CNU are essential guidelines for creating and supporting these neighborhoods," says a summary posted on the CNU website.

A LEED-ND pilot program began in early 2007 and has enlisted 238 projects.

Balloting on the post-pilot LEED-ND rating system will take place in mid-2009, followed by a full launch.

Cincinnati Preservation Association (CPA) is applying for a $72,500 challenge grant to expand its field services, and needs to raise an equal amount in matching funds by May to make the application more competitive.

The Partners in the Field challenge grant, disbursed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation,
allows local and statewide preservation organizations to expand their human and capital capacities, allowing them to save more historic properties.

Grants range from between $60,000 and $150,000, and are paid over a period of three years.

If CPA receives the grant, it plans to expand their community outreach programs, launch new initiatives, hold more programs and workshops, and provide more assistance to individuals and local governments.

CPA will be notified if its was successful no later than February 17.

Funding for Partners in the Field was made available by a $5 million challenge gift from the Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust.

This is the program's second round. First round grants were awarded in February 2008.

While doing some scraping work to restore his 1865 Italianate at , Todd McFarland came across this beautiful parlor ceiling on the first floor.

In keeping with his goal of preserving as much of the original building as possible, he's now faced with the task of figuring out how to save it.

Comments and advice are welcomed.

McFarland is turning the 5,400-square-foot house into three upscale apartments, with the first unit becoming available in spring.

Previous reading on BC:
Reviving Cincinnati: 1346 Broadway, Part II (12/8/08)
Reviving Cincinnati: 1346 Broadway, Part I (12/4/08)

A new 2009 calendar features 12 full-page photographs from Hartwell's history.

The 2009 Hartwell History Calendar, assembled by neighborhood resident Peggy Jones, also contains a calendar of events complete with meetings and happenings going on throughout the year.

Supplies of the $10 calendar are limited. You can obtain a copy by contacting , president of the Hartwell Improvement Association.

Multi-family/College-owned
DOB: 1920s
Died: October 2008
Cause of death: Razed to make way for Xavier University's Hoff Academic Quad project.

Cincinnati City Council has approved unanimously an ordinance to create a capital improvement program project account that will allow for the demolition of outdated multi-family buildings in Westwood.

Seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($750,000) in surplus tax increment financing (TIF) funds will be used for building acquisition, tenant relocation, demolition and site grading in the areas around .

Work will begin next month.

Westwood groups are hoping that the demolitions will eliminate crime and blight and make the area more attractive for reinvestment.

Previous reading on BC:
Council ordinance would create account for Westwood demolitions (12/16/08)
Cincinnati rolls out three 'new' streetscape TIF projects (4/4/08)
Finance committee discusses changes on streetscape TIFs (12/6/07)
City taking action on streetscape TIFs (11/1/07)

Preliminary drawings have been released by Cincinnati's Department of Transportation and Engineering for the reconstruction of Madison Road in Oakley.

Improvements will include the expansion of the Geier Esplanade, bump outs, and sidewalk and curb extensions - all meant to slow traffic from the more than 15,000 cars that come through Oakley Square every day.

The project will also feature new street trees, rain gardens, pervious pavers and sidewalks, bus shelters and signage.

There is no timetable for the beginning of construction.

Up to $750,000 a tax increment financing (TIF) fund loan pool and $600,000 in Cincinnati Neighborhood Business Districts United grants will be used for the project.


Additional drawings

Previous reading on BC:
Cincinnati rolls out three 'new' streetscape TIF projects (4/4/08)
Finance Committee discusses changes on streetscape TIFs (12/6/07)

Single-family
DOB: Circa 1900
Died: August 2008
Cause of death: Severe water damage to the walls and ceilings, broken windows, and litter. The City ordered the house vacant and barricaded in July 2007.

The house was lost to foreclosure and delinquent taxes and purchased by new owners for $3,850. The new owners later donated the property to the Cincinnati Northside Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation (CNCURC), who took care of the demolition.

CNCURC and the Northside Community Council had been eyeing this property as one of several problem rentals in the neighborhood that were attracting litter, drug sales and use, and prostitution.

One year ago:

• Cincinnati City Council approved both the Kennedy Heights Urban Design Plan and the Kennedy Heights Urban Design Overlay District.
• The Ohio Department of Development put an application for Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits to rehabiliate the Glencoe-Auburn Place Row Houses and Glencoe-Auburn Hotel on "45-day notice".
• The Northside HOME houses were dedicated, but still required a few finishing touches such as landscaping.
  
• Cincinnati City Council took actions to formally split the Department of Community Development and Planning.
• A derelict two-family in Avondale was razed by Southern Baptist Church.
• I visited Westwood, Lower Price Hill and Clifton.*
  

* 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.

Tim Ruffner has been rehabbing the 1912 Craftsman-style house at since purchasing the property in January 2007 for $100,000.

The house is located on a section of Burnet Avenue often referred to as "Short Burnet" or "Lower Burnet", which runs from Dorchester Avenue to a dead end just past Helen Street in the neighborhood of Mount Auburn.

Unlike many of the City's larger houses from the same time period, its integrity had not been completely destroyed by slumlords looking to make a buck.

"I get the sense that the house was well-loved for most of its existence," Ruffner says. "Even when it was a two-family for a short time, all that was changed as a door added at the top of the stairwell and a wall built in the dining room to create a hallway dividing the dining room into a bedroom and a hallway to the first floor bath."

The wall was removed, revealing the original wood floors and a geographic inlay in the corner, and two big sets of pocket doors on the living room to the entry hall and to the dining room are still intact and operational.

The kitchen and 3 bathrooms were updated, but the rest of the house had only minor issues.

"Every room needed some cosmetic attention, mostly repairing a little cracked plaster, paint, finishing a few unfinished drywall repairs," Ruffner says. "Most original woodwork is there but we had to have some of the door trim milled to match by Vineyard Hardwoods in Northern Kentucky," Ruffner says. "It had all been painted prior in antique white, so we repainted in white."

Some of the original details were lost.

"The original leaded glass windows were gone when we bought the house," Ruffner says. "I would guess they may have been sold during the Depression or WWII."

Ruffner says that he had new windows made by David Duff of Classical Glass.

"They aren't replicas, but we wanted to at least bring back the grandeur of the leaded glass and eliminate curtains on the sidelights of the door," he says. "There is a pic of the new glass and the inside of the entrance, although the trim has not yet been painted."

The transom above the living room window was likely leaded glass as well.

"Replacement of that is a wish list project for someday down the road," Ruffner says.

On the exterior, Ruffner painted the trim and cleared a few trees, then did some basic landscaping and added new grass.

Ruffner says that through a Google search he has located a man who lived in the third floor of the house in the 1930s, when his grandparents, Harry and Lillie Heinzman, owned it.

The man was kind enough to send Ruffner some family photos from the 1920s and 1930s.

Many of the houses in the area share a smiliar look and floor plan, leading Ruffner to believe that they might be the product of the same builder. (Possibly Bofinger & Hopkins)

"I was always curious as to how those were related - did the same person build them, was there a sort of 'stock' plan that was available, etc.," he says. "I also have seen on the back spine of our pocket doors is written 'Fox for McGregor Park'. I don't know if Fox was the builder, or perhaps the original owner, or what."

Ruffner hopes that his work becomes part of a trend.

"I am hoping there will be more interest in the McGregor Park area where I live in the next several years, as the blocks surrounding my house are lined with large turn-of-the-century houses that are in okay shape but could use some love and attention," he says.

This slideshow begins with a "before and after", showing the house as it appeared in January 1924 and in October 2008. Following a few interior shots, it concludes with some Heinzman family photos from the 1920s and 1930s.

The December 18, 2008 edition of the College Hill eNewsletter contains an interesting article by Terry Lindsey of the College Hill Historical Society about the College Hill Railroad, which served the neighborhood between 1876 and 1899.

The line was doomed when electric streetcar service began in 1895, slowly siphoning away its customer base.

The original line ran from near the corner of Crawford and Spring Grove avenues in Northside to a terminal located at the rear of the current parking lot of the College Hill Presbyterian Church on Hamilton Avenue, opposite Llanfair Avenue.

One year later, a plan was enacted to extend the line to Venice (Ross), with new tracks running through West College Hill, then running along Simpson Avenue in North College Hill to a point just west of Mount Healthy.

Lindsey's article also contains several photos of relics of College Hill's railroad age.

The number of abandoned and vacant buildings in the City of Cincinnati has ballooned to over 3,000, a 45 percent jump from just last year.

The 3,067 buildings on the City's list are largely the result of an increase in local foreclosures, speculators buying on the cheap, and stepped up code enforcement through City efforts such as the Neighborhood Enhancement Program.

The attached chart shows a huge spike beginning this May, when the number of derelict buildings hit 1,531, the lowest number since Building Cincinnati began keeping records in June 2005.

Abandoned and vacant building data does not include buildings owned by the City of Cincinnati.

The 2000 Census lists slightly more than 165,000 housing units in the City, but does not break that down into the number of buildings.

* Much of the data between April and June 2007 and between January and September 2008 was not available and was filled in to create a straight line between verified data points.

Single-family/College-owned
DOB: 1928
Died: October 2008
Cause of death: Razed to make way for Xavier University's Hoff Academic Quad project.

Cincinnati City Council has approved unanimously an installment sale agreement and a garage management agreement with Uptown Consortium subsidiary Uptown Transportation Authority (UTA) to facilitate the construction of a 219-space public parking garage at Corryville Crossings.

The sale agreement will transfer ownership of an air lot at to the City, allowing the parking structure to be built built without issuing bonds.

In return, the City will use Corryville tax increment financing (TIF) district funds to service the debt on UTA's garage loan.

A portion of the parking revenues will also be used to service the debt starting in 2012.

The garage then will be transferred back to the UTA within fifteen years or on the date the garage loan is paid in full and the TIF district funds have been repaid, whichever comes first.

Additionally, the management agreement will allow the UTA to manage and maintain the garage both during construction and following the transfer.

Construction of the garage, which is estimated to cost $6.2 million, will also include a public plaza and streetscape improvements.

At buildout, the $24 million Corryville Crossings will include an 80,000-square-foot, 132-room Hampton Inn & Suites hotel and three commercial outlots.

Council approved a planned development district (PD-54) for the site on August 6.

Councilmembers Chris Bortz and John Cranley were excused from voting on the ordinances.

Previous reading on BC:
3000 Vine renderings (8/13/08)
Cincinnati approves zoning change for 3000 Vine project (8/12/08)
Zoning change sought for Corryville hotel, commercial project (7/1/08)
MLK and Vine photo update, 12/17/07 (12/21/07)

Cincinnati City Council has passed unanimously an ordinance creating a new capital improvement program project account that will help provide additional parking spaces for dunnhumbyUSA's Downtown expansion.

The UK-based international consumer research and marketing firm announced last month that it was moving its headquarters from to a new 150,000-square-foot space at and would expand its operation from 260 to 500 employees.

The new capital account will be created with $700,000 in surplus funds from Parking Facilities Fund 102 and, to reimburse the City, revenues from the new parking spaces will be collected by the City's Parking Facilities Division.

The funding is expected to be repaid within five years.

In November, the City of Cincinnati awarded dunnhumbyUSA job creation tax credits, a 12-year, 75 percent tax exemption toward the $9.3 million renovation.

The total capital investment is expected to top $15 million.

Al Neyer, Inc. is the project developer, and BDHP Architecture has been retained for space planning and interior design.

DunnhumbyUSA has signed a 10-year lease on the property, and the renovation is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2009.

The 1920s-era building at 444 W Third Street, commonly known as the Hennegan Building, was built for the U.S. Postal Service and had been vacant for years.

Here is a series of shots taken early this month.

The Music Hall shots were taken on a trip to the Schickel Design open house and the tour of City Home on Pleasant Street.

The Hyde Park shots were taken following lunch with Mitch Painter, whose company recently purchased the large apartment building at the corner of Madison Road and Stettinius Avenue. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get into any of the units for a variety of reasons. After he left, I went for a walk down the street to capture a few snowy scenes.

The Oakley photo...I don't recall the circumstances.

I can tell you that the reason for the Grammer's shot is that it's, well, Grammer's.

There are 17 photos in this slideshow.

These photos have also been added to the following galleries:

• Hyde Park +9 (70 photos)
• Over-the-Rhine +7 (161 photos)
• Oakley +1 (34 photos)

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

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In less than a week, the nomination process for the 2009 Building Cincinnati Development Awards will be coming to a close.

Now is the time to take this short, anonymous survey and let it be known - who is the best, and the worst, in local building and neighborhood development.

Voting for specific development projects is open to all projects in the region that completed at least one phase during the 2008 year. Voting for neighborhoods and community development corporations is open to all of Greater Cincinnati.

Following the holidays, nominations will be pared down for final voting in which you, the reader, will decide the award winners.

Previous reading on BC:
Now accepting BC Awards preliminary nominations (12/4/08)

Two-family
DOB: 1920s
Died: July 2008
Cause of death: A two-alarm fire on October 27, 2007, with losses estimated at $80,000. The owner's granddaughter was rescued from the blaze but died as a result of her injuries.

The previous structure was razed to make way for a new single-family dwelling.

Due to concerns about public safety, residents of Beech Avenue in West Price Hill successfully achieved the closure of the Folsom Avenue Walkway.

Residents say that the walkway, which connects the intersection of with Wyoming Avenue's Westridge Apartments, has been a nuisance hotspot for drug use, vulgar language and littering.

They also say that a woman was attacked on the walkway on August 26, an incident that was later reported to police.

The Price Hill Civic Club adopted a motion supporting the walkway's closure.

Chain link fences will be installed across the entire width of the walkway, and the pavement will be removed and replaced with grass.

Work will begin when council approves and files a report from city Manager Milton Dohoney Jr, which was presented to City council on December 10.

The Folsom Avenue Walkway begins in a wooded area along the "paper street" of Folsom Avenue, then makes its way onto apartment property, ending in the Westridge parking lot.

Because the City has no policy on the closure of walkways, the City's Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) had to use the hillside stairway closure protocol as a guide.

Beginning last December, signs were posted asking for citizen feedback on the potential closure.

Of a total of six calls received by the closure hotline, three were in favor of closure and three were against.

In addition, residents, businesses and schools within a half-mile radius of the walkway were mailed response postcards.

Of the 1,094 postcards mailed:

• 40 cards favored the closing (71 percent)
• 10 cards were against the closing (18 percent)
• 6 cards stated no opinion (11 percent)
• 200 were returned as undeliverable
• 838 were not returned at all

According to the City solicitor, it's well within the City's rights to barricade the paper street.

There were no objections from any City departments.

Funds are in place for a new community plaza on the , and work could be completed before next fall.

KZF Design has been retained to work with the Plaza Committee of Clifton Town Meeting to design and manage construction of the plaza, which will serve as a connection between the Merchants' lot and the business district.

The project had stalled due to a gap in financing, but, in August, Cincinnati City Council adopted a motion to fill the gap using Cincinnati Neighborhood Business Districts United funds following a Clifton Town Meeting rally.

Later that month, more than two dozen residents attended a plaza brainstorming session, with major themes including a place for group activities, permanent seating, an information kiosk, a music/performance platform, lighting, food vendors, and an uncluttered, traditional appearance.

The design team is still seeking ideas for the plaza, which can be submitted by e-mail to with "Plaza" as the subject line.

Image credit: Extremely preliminary sketch, courtesy of Clifton Town Meeting

Previous reading on BC:
Cincinnati votes to fund Clifton plaza (8/8/08)
Clifton fighting for promised plaza (7/28/08)
Ludlow Avenue streetscape begins (6/24/08)

City Home on Pleasant Street was opened up for a tour on the evening of December 13.

Part of the third phase of 3CDC's Gateway Quarter project, the $6.8 million development by Over-the-Rhine Community Housing (OTRCH), Eber Development, and Schickel Design includes five new townhomes and six rehabilitated condominium units.

At buildout, the development will include additional townhomes, rehabilitated condominiums, and a mixed-use renovation of .

A new streetscape will bury all of the utility lines and add street trees and bumpouts, and the alley behind the buildings will be rebuilt.

Only the two northernmost new builds were open because the other units lacked lighting, and we were touring at night. In hardhats.

Thank you to Schickel Design's Martha Dorff for opening up her house and workspace to the community on a cold, cold night.

There are 18 photos in this slideshow.

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Previous reading on BC:
Blogger Tour of Living, Part II (10/2/08)
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)
Gateway III cost breakdown (12/3/07)

Multi-family
DOB: 1870
Died: July 2007
Cause of death: Building code violations dating back to 2003, including a defective cornice and lintels, defective drainage issues, a lack of utilities, weeds and excessive litter. The porches were removed, leading to an unsafe dropoff. The property required numerous City barricades.

A criminal case on the orders was filed in January 2007, but was dismissed for want of prosecution. The house was condemned in March 2007.

It was declared a public nuisance in October 2007, and the property eventually was razed privately.

One year ago:

• Cincinnati City Council's Economic Development Committee discussed the Kennedy Heights Urban Design Plan and an accompanying Urban Design Overlay District.
• In Glendale, the Historic Judge Morse House (1865) went up for auction.
• Cincinnati City Council passed an ordinance amending the Community Reinvestment Area LEED tax exemption to include industrial developments, to cap the length of tax exemptions to 12 years, and to require council approval for non-single-family developments.
• Advocates for saving Washington Park's pool and basketball courts attended the monthly meeting of the Cincinnati Recreation Commission.
• A single-family house in Corryville was razed to make way for the Corryville Crossings project.

One Cincinnati resident, who does not identify himself by his full name nor divulge in what part of town he lives, says that traffic calming measures along Beechmont Avenue will not help enhance the neighborhood as a desirable place to live -- on several occasions referring to it as a "joke".

On September 10, Cincinnati City councilmember Roxanne Qualls introduced a motion supporting traffic calming measures along the section of road between that would reduce traffic speeds and create a more pedestrian-friendly environment.

The motion was meant to align with recommendations from the Mt. Washington Community Plan, which had codified community concerns about Beechmont resulting from the --> --> --> 2004 widening project.

But in an e-mail to councilmember Laketa Cole, the resident says that Beechmont Avenue is not a business corridor, but a main artery in and out of the east side of town.

"By restricting traffic flow through Beechmont, you will only cause a larger traffic problem on other streets like Clough Pike and Salem Road," he says. "It will most definitely not be an enhancement to the business community when there are even less commuters driving through the area."

The resident says that he's frequently a pedestrian along Beechmont, and there's no problem with safety.

"I have only know of one pedestrian being struck on Beechmont and that was certainly not due to a safety issue with the speed limit or a lane issue," he says. "However, it was due to the idiotic 'right turn on red' law, which is highly abused not only on Beechmont but all over the city. If you want to improve pedestrian safety, then put up restrictions on 'right turns on red'."

One of Qualls' recommendations with which the resident disagrees is narrowing the lanes and adding bike lanes.

"This will only constrict and limit traffic and increase personal risk to bikers as well as other motorists," he says. "If you are really interested in biker's safety, install and improve the sidewalks down Beechmont."

Qualls also recommended street trees, which would help slow cars down, enhance the environment, and possibly extend the life of the pavement.

"This is a joke!" the resident says. "Ninety percent of the traffic is trying to get through Mt. Washington and into Anderson Township and beyond. If you think this is going to slow them down, you are living in a fantasy world. And, I have never seen tree roots extend the life of the pavement."*

According to the resident, landscaped medians...a joke.

"These are always a nuisance!" he says.

Would solar powered "your speed is" signs slow drivers down?

"I personally don't think these work for extended periods, but if you insist on spending money foolishly that the city doesn't seem to have for necessary items, then I will gladly see you off council come next election."

Sources of funding for the signs, which are generally priced between $3,000 and $5,000 each, have not been identified.

A from city manager Milton Dohoney Jr on the measure's status is due before council by January 7.

* Recent studies from Texas, Florida, and the City of Toronto have shown that street trees and other landscape features help reduce driver speed, possibly because they help define the roadside edge and give drivers a point of reference that helps them better judge driving speed. Also, numerous studies show that the shade provided by street trees does indeed extend the life of pavement -- by 40 to 60 percent -- by keeping the asphalt's oil binder from loosening and allowing the stone aggregate to grind down the street surface as vehicles pass.

Previous reading on BC:
MWCC releases Beechmont Street Improvement Survey (10/24/08)
Mount Washington rezonings seek compact, pedestrian-friendly development (9/18/08) (10/24/08)

After reviewing revised drawings by Montgomery Inn architect Jerry Foote, the City of Montgomery Landmarks Commission has given its support to the restaurant's proposal for an outdoor dining area.

Last winter, the restaurant began discussions with the City to close Ted Gregory Alley, which runs between the .

A traffic study determined that the alley was little-used and that a closure would have little impact on traffic, but could affect access to the parking lots of some neighboring businesses.

City staff is now negotiating with Montgomery Inn for the alley's lease.

The revised proposal includes seating for up to 70 patrons, with a bar area toward the rear of the patio.

The bar would be sheltered by a standing seam metal roof, and a retractable awning can be extended over wooden rafters to cover the dining area.

A four-foot high, semi-circular stone wall with round columns supporting a trellis and hanging baskets will shield the space from the public sidewalk.

Construction could begin at the first of the year, with the project completed in time for spring.

Previous reading on BC:
Montgomery Inn requests alley closure to add outdoor dining (10/6/08)

The skeleton of Madisonville's Stratford at Kenwood retirement community continues to rise.

The Stratford Companies is building the 15-story tower and attached three-story building on 17.7 acres along , looming over the adjacent neighborhood and visible from as far away as the Norwood Lateral.

From the website: "The Stratford at Kenwood will be the first continuing care senior living community built in Kenwood. We are surrounded by lovely neighborhoods including Hyde Park, Indian Hill, Mariemont, Maderia, and Montgomery."

The $110 million project, which will include 216 independent-living apartments and 62 assisted-living apartments, is scheduled for completion in late 2009 or early 2010.

Access to the site is extremely limited, meaning that this update is limited to shots taken from vantage points that are rather far away.

There are 6 photos in this slideshow.



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.

Cincinnati City Council has passed a notwithstanding ordinance allowing for the painting of new murals without going through the permitting process through December 31, 2010.

, a program administered through , pairs professional and teenage artists with community members to create transformative works of public art on blank walls throughout the City's neighborhoods.

According to the ordinance, the program plans on hiring approximately 80 youth apprentices this year.

The ordinance also states that the program will use $120,000 in City funding, which has been leveraged to obtain over $400,000 in private funding.

Mural sites have not been announced for the 2009 year, but ArtWorks does say that the program will be expanded to Newport and Covington.

Photo credit: Price Hill mural at 3206 Warsaw Avenue, 2007, courtesy of ArtWorks

Previous reading on BC:
Video shows young muralists describing 'Campy' (7/21/08)
Not everyone loves 'Campy Washington' (7/17/08)

GBBN Architects and Messer Construction have won two awards from the Ohio Valley Chapter of Design Build Institute of America* for Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Location S, a project completed in 2007.

In addition to winning an award for the best private sector building over $1.5 million, the team was honored with the Design-Build Excellence Award in recognition of a project showing the most successful analysis of design-build strategies, the unique application of teaming, and how well it exceeded the hospital's needs.

Also, Location S won the Award of Excellence from the Ohio Valley Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, and the GBBN design team of Amy Mees, Kevin Spector and Keven Speece were honored with an award by Cincinnati Magazine for interior design.

The $115 million, 415,000-square-foot research tower contains 12 floors of mechanical equipment, offices, and lab and research space built around a central circulation spine.

The tower was built on the site of a demolished 1929 clinical building on the hospital's campus.

Photo credit: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

* Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Two-family
DOB: 1890
Died: November 2008
Cause of death: Loose bricks in the chimney, missing siding, a collapsed front porch, and broken windows. The house was condemned in July 2007.

No work was ever done, and a criminal case was filed against the owner. The case is pending.

It declared a public nuisance in April 2008 and razed by the City.

One year ago:

• Building Cincinnati celebrated its first anniversary.
• In Bond Hill, plans for a social services campus on the grounds of the St. Aloysius Orphanage hit a snag due to neighbor opposition.
• Changes to Cincinnati Rental Rehabilitation Program led to less rehab activity and the creation of fewer affordable housing units.
• Cincinnati's Department of Community Development held a roundtable meeting to identify ways that the City could further help small businesses.
• An old car barn for the City's trolley system was razed in Hartwell.
• I visited Downtown, Fountain Square, and Lytle Park.*
  

Two years ago:

• I visited Walnut Hills, Eden Park, Corryville, and Northside.*
  

* 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.

The 2009 Neighborhood Summit has been announced for January 24 at Xavier University's Schiff Conference Center.

"Growing Cincinnati", conducted by neighborhood stakeholders, community-based organizations and City staff, is designed to allow citizens and public officials the opportunity to engage in discussions about housing, economic development, and community building.

Session topics for the seventh annual Summit will include:

• Housing: Section 8 and CMHA, reuse of foreclosed and abandoned properties, promoting homeownership, organizations addressing the foreclosure crisis, and the Neighborhood Stabilization Program
• Economy and Work Force Development: 2010 Census and Shop 52, Agenda 360, the upcoming 2009 Comprehensive Plan, the future of transportation, and work force development
• Community Collaboration and Best Practices: Developing a neighborhood art center, community collaboration, form-based codes, reducing violence, and making your neighborhood more green

Due to limited space, registration is required by January 16.

Sign in begins at 7:30 AM with a continental breakfast, and the event runs from 8:15 AM to 2 PM. Box lunches will be provided to all registrants.

To kick off the Summit, current Congressman-elect Steve Driehaus (D-1st) will speak at a kickoff dinner about the promising changes on the horizon for the City and how we all play a role in its growth.

The dinner takes place at 6 PM on January 23. Reservations are required, and the cost is $20.

Previous reading on BC:
Neighborhood Summit this Saturday (2/13/08)

Cincinnati City councilmembers Qualls, Berding, Cranley, Monzel, and vice mayor Crowley are again advocating for a narrower Montana Avenue, an option supported by Westwood's neighborhood groups.

A motion dated December 9 asks for City administration to pursue a three-lane ("road diet") alternative for the 1.8-mile section of road between , with left turns at signalized intersections and right-turn lanes at Westwood Northern Boulevard, and to retain an expert on road diets to help develop the plan.

They also ask for City administration and the Department of Transportation and Engineering to work with Westwood groups to determine where on-street parking and bus pull-offs could be accommodated without impacting residential properties.

"The three-lane 'road diet' alternative offers the best opportunity to retain the residential character of the Westwood neighborhood and support the community's efforts to revitalize the business district," says a statement accompanying the motion.

According to an August memorandum submitted by traffic engineering consultant Jennifer Rosales of --> --> -->, the road diet approach would likely reduce speeds, decrease all types of crashes, lower the number of incidents involving cars and pedestrians and/or bicycles, and reduce the damage to cars parked on the street.

But in a report to council late last month, city manager Milton Dohoney Jr. recommended that the City pursue a four-lane alternative that would widen the road from 36 to 42 feet, adding that the road diet approach would not be competitive when seeking funding sources.

The project to improve safety and efficiency along Montana Avenue has been in the works since 2005, when the City authorized an agreement with the --> --> --> to bring in $6.1 million for the anticipated $9.1 million project.

Since then, City officials, designers, and neighborhood groups have been unable to agree on a preferred alternative.

Citizens of Westwood have made clear that they want a solution that primarily serves the needs of the neighborhood's residents and the business district.

"They are seeking a plan that improves safety and traffic efficiency without the significant encroachment on the properties along Montana Avenue, and creation of a high-speed throughway for cars, that would result from plans that have been proposed to date," the statement says.

Another report from Dohoney is due before council by January 7.

Previous reading on BC:
Dohoney updates council on Montana improvements (11/26/08)

Madison Circle, on the former sites of the Oakley Drive-In and Sothwestern Publishing Company, is in varying stages of construction.

The Barrington of Oakley, consisting of 100 assisted-living apartments, a dining room, and excerise and recreation areas, looks to be nearing completion.

The IndianSpring Health Care Facility, with a 140-bed nursing facility, support operations, and community services, is under roof but still awaiting cladding.

One component of the development, the Red Dog Pet Resort (not pictured), opened earlier this year.

At buildout in late 2009 or early 2010, Circle Development's 30-acre project is also expected to include some mix of office, restaurant, and retail uses.

The slideshow concludes with a photo of the construction of Babson Drive, the development's only public street.

There are 14 photos in this slideshow.

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.



Previous reading on BC:
Madison Circle streets to have ridiculous names (5/20/08)
Madison Circle photo update, 2/3/08 (2/6/08)
City authorizes $71.1 million in bonds for projects (8/6/07)
Madisonville: Madison Circle final plan (4/30/07)

Cincinnati City Council is considering an ordinance that could result in the demolition of several Westwood buildings.

The ordinance would establish the "Westwood Building Acquisition and Demolition" capital improvement project account with $750,000 in surplus tax increment funds whose bonds were authorized in September 2007.

The funds would be used for building acquisition, tenant relocation, demolition and site grading to remove obsolete multi-family buildings along .

Neighborhood groups believe that the newly-cleared land will spur reinvestment in the area.

The project would begin in January 2009.

Previous reading on BC:
Cincinnati rolls out three 'new' streetscape TIF projects (4/4/08)
Finance Committee discusses changes on streetscape TIFs (12/6/07)
City taking action on streetscape TIFs (11/1/07)

Work is progressing on Xavier University's Hoff Academic Quad project at .

Mass excavation for the Williams College of Business has been completed, with drilled piers nearing completion and foundation work underway.

Foundation work will continue through March.

Earth shoring is being installed behind McDonald Library and work on drilled piers underway, allowing for excavation work for the Learning Commons to proceed in earnest.

The university also reports that Duke Energy is on site relocating public utilities and that work on a utility tunnel, planned to run from the new Central Utility Plant to an area near the Learning Commons, has begun.

The project, which will also include renovations to Alter Hall and University Library, greenspace, and parking, is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2010.

Also, parking for Xavier events is now available at the Norwood Plaza on the .

The store was demolished last month, and fill dirt from the Hoff site was used to create a gravel walkway that connects to the northeast side of the Cintas Center parking lot.

Previous reading on BC:
Xavier moving forward with Hoff, Xavier Square (3/19/08)

Multi-family
DOB: 1850-1865
Died: October 2008
Cause of death: The building was ordered vacant by the City in 2005 due to faulty wiring and a collapsing ceiling. In 2006, it was purchased by Fenco Development of Middletown from Dorian Development for $324,000.

For some reason or another, they didn't return it to occupancy. It was razed by the owner.

Cincinnati City Council is considering an ordinance dedicating an area of City Hall for the display of citizens' artworks, but money likely won't be budgeted to develop the idea beyond a very basic presentation.

The City Hall Art Gallery would display works from artists receiving City funding, programs or projects administered by the City, schools participating in the Partners in Education program, Sister Cities, and City employees.

City administration has recommended the three large vertical display cabinets on the third floor, located on the south side of the building and currently containing a United States flag, trophies, and plaques.

This area would be accesible to visitors attending council meetings, would keep down costs, and would minimize damage to City Hall's walls.

City staff would solicit artworks through websites, the e-newsletter, and press releases, and specific works would be selected by a newly-formed City Hall Art Gallery Exhibition Committee.

The new committee would include five members selected from the departments of Parks, Recreation, Public Services, Transportation and Engineering, Community Development and either the Mayor's or City Manager's office.

A representative from the Law Department would serve in an advisory role.

No more than four exhibits would be scheduled per year, and, because of a lack of curatorial knowledge among City staff, the installation and de-installation of artworks would be handled by the exhibitors.

According to a memo to council from city manager Milton Dohoney Jr., artwork containing "obscenity, defamation or 'fighting words'" will not be considered for exhibition.

Council's Arts, Culture, Tourism, Marketing & Technology Committee will discuss the proposal at tomorrow afternoon's meeting, with a full council vote possible on Wednesday.

Cincinnati City Council has unanimously approved the sale of two "paper" alleys Downtown for the construction of a new child care center.

Robin and Wichita alleys, both now part of a series of parking lots , would be sold to abutting property owners Procter & Gamble and 417 E. Seventh Street, LLC for $103,000.

The sale will allow the property owners to assemble a site to build a 22,000-square-foot child care center that will serve up to 200 infants through pre-schoolers.

The new child care center, which is currently housed on the University of Cincinnati campus, is expected to employ 40.

Previous reading on BC:
Cincinnati considers alley sale for Downtown child care center (12/4/08)

The City of Reading will hold a public meeting to discuss options for cleanup of the 11.7-acre Nivison-Weiskopf site tomorrow at 7:30 PM at city hall.

In July, the city received a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to remediate the site at , formerly used to manufacture glass bottles and corrugated boxes.

To implement the grant, the city has partnered with Hull & Associates, Inc. to produce an Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) document (PDF) outlining cleanup options for the site and how much each option would cost.

Between 2005 and 2006, the site underwent a Phase I environmental site assessment and update, a Phase II remedial investigation, and a limited Phase II property assessment.

Earlier this year, hazardous building residuals, asbestos, underground fuel tanks and some contaminated soils were removed.

The last of the buildings was removed in June.

The city is now looking to dispose of petroleum-contaminated soils, to remediate contaminants near monitoring well MW-7 (near a former rail loading dock and rail corridor), and to monitor groundwater from the site.

The ABCA proposes three alternatives:

• Dual-phase liquid extraction in the vicinity of MW-7, costing approximately $323,500 and possibly hindering future development due to long-term inspection requirements and engineering controls.
• Excavation/disposal of soils in the vicinity of MW-7, costing approximately $160,636. (Recommended)
• No further action, having no cost but leaving the property undevelopable.

All options are meant to return the site to Ohio Voluntary Action Program standards and document it via a No Further Action, and to obtain a Covenant Not to Sue from the Ohio EPA.

The city will accept public comments on the ABCA through January 2.

The site is targeted for the expansion of the 59-acre Reading Life Science Complex, a research and technology park that already houses 1,000 jobs among the Genome Research Institute of the University of Cincinnati, Girindus America, and Patheon Pharmaceuticals.

Previous reading on BC:
All Nivison-Weiskopf buildings demolished (6/10/08)
Reading denied EPA grant for Nivison, still seeking funds (4/25/08)
Reading to accept bids for Nivison-Weiskopf demolition (11/7/07)
Reading: Demolition of the Nivison-Weiskopf factory (3/20/07)

The Pleasant Ridge Community Council (PRCC) is urging residents to make their voices heard, in the hopes of getting the Hilton Davis site cleaned up once and for all.

For the past year, community groups such as Citizens Concerned About Hilton Davis have been working to get the cleanup completed on the 72-acre site at to terms set in a 1986 consent decree between former owners Kodak Co., the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the PRCC.

Although Kodak has removed contaminated waste lagoons and soil, the property still contains a large volume of chemical wastes that were dumped into the Bloody Run Creek ravine over a period of more than 50 years during the manufacturing of dyes and chemicals.

Kodak's latest proposal would leave the waste in the ravine and cover it in soil and clay, leaving a repository of toxic waste on the site that the PRCC and Citizens Concerned About Hilton Davis finds unacceptable and in violation of the court-ordered consent decree.

About 500 residents of the surrounding area have signed a petition asking the Ohio EPA to reject Kodak's proposal.

Now, the PRCC is requesting that people send personal letters to Ohio EPA director Chris Korleski --copied to governor Ted Strickland -- asking the Ohio EPA again to reject Kodak's proposal, listing some of the positive things about living in or around Pleasant Ridge, and sharing their concerns about leaving chemical waste in the neighborhood.

If the contamination is properly remediated, the property could be redeveloped into a light industrial/office park or greenspace.

Previous reading on BC:
Cincinnati to pay PRCC nearly $10K for Hilton Davis cleanup (6/18/08)
City may pay more funds for Hilton Davis (5/23/08)
Meeting on Hilton Davis cleanup tonight (3/12/08)
Council votes to end Hilton Davis funding (12/20/07)
Health Department to end Hilton Davis funding (12/11/07)

Utilizing Covington's history to help chart its future is the theme of a presentation this Thursday from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM at the Northern Kentucky University Welcome Center, on the first floor of the W. Frank Steely Library.

Prepared by Dr. Rebecca Bailey and the NKU Theory and Practice of Oral History and Introduction to Public History classes, "Voices of Covington" is a cultural heritage tourism program that will serve as the prototype for the "Discover Landmark Covington!" cultural heritage tourism program currently under development.

Guidance for the "Voices of Covington" program has come from the --> --> -->Center for Great Neighborhoods of Covington --> --> -->, the "Discover Landmark Covington!" Advisory Council, the Kentucky Historical Society, the Kentucky Oral History Commission, the Kentucky Folklife Community Scholars program, and the Kenton County Public Library.

"Discover Landmark Covington!" is the result of a $130,000 grant provided to the City of Covington through the U.S. Department of the Interior's Preserve America program to create walking and driving tours that can be used to promote and market the city to tourists, residents, and potential homebuyers.

Upon completion, the program will have drawn over $250,000 in donations and volunteer time.

Previous reading on BC:
Covington seeking input on points of interest (8/5/08)

Single-family/retail
DOB: 1910
Died: November 2008
Cause of death: No idea. There were no outstanding building code orders. The owner purchased the house and the adjacent vacant parcel for $365,000 in March.

The Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board has recommended Mount Airy Forest for the National Register of Historic Places.

The recommendation now goes to state historic preservation officer Dr. William K. Laidlaw Jr., who may choose to forward it to the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places for consideration.

A decision from the Keeper is expected within 90 days.

Mount Airy Forest, the largest park in Cincinnati's park system at just under 1,470 acres, was created in 1911 with the acquisition of 168-acres of depleted produce and dairy farms.

The majority of the park was developed during the Great Depression with federal funding and federal labor programs, including the Works Progress Administration, the Civil Works Administration, and the African-American Civilian Conservation Corps.

The nomination also recognizes the design of landscape architect George E. Kessler and state forester Edmund Secrest, the quality of construction of its rustic structures, and for the work of R. Carl Freund, the park board architect who designed 12 buildings in the park between 1930 and 1959.

Also at the meeting, the board approved the content of the "Historic Resources of the Cincinnati Park and Parkway System 1817-1959" study, which could become the basis for deciding which components of the City's parks and parkway system are eligible for National Register listing; and recommended the Charles C. Meade House in Loveland for the Ohio State Registry of Archaeological and Historic Landmarks.

Nine other Ohio sites were recommended for the National Register, including:

• Rock Hill Presbyterian Church, Bellaire
• Concord Hicksite Friends Meeting House, Belmont County
• Inglewood Historic District, Cleveland Heights
• The Railway Chapel, Denison
• The Town Pump, East Sparta
• Old Enon Road Stone Arch Culvert, Enon
• Selby Shoe Company Building, Ironton
• Olive Branch High School, New Carlisle
• Harvey Wells House, Wellston

Also on BC:
Photo gallery: Mount Airy Forest

NOTE: The following is an edited reprint of an article that appeared in the 12/2/08 issue of Soapbox, illustrated with a couple of just-received renderings courtesy of Steed Hammond Paul.

Late last month, local music institution King Records was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a ceremony and historical marker unveiling in front of its former headquarters at in Evanston.

Launched by Syd Nathan in 1943 as a country label, King eventually got in on the ground floor of the burgeoning rhythm and blues market.

The company soon grew into the nation's sixth-largest label, and was ahead of its time in putting African Americans into positions of leadership in recording, pressing, designing, warehousing and shipping – all of which was done on site.

Following last summer's display of King Records: A Cincinnati Legacy, a collection of King Records artifacts and memorabilia exhibited at the Main Library, Evanston Community Council president Anzora Adkins and Liz Blume, director of the Community Building Institute, discussed the idea of starting a museum.

A site , near the Flavor of Arts Studio, was chosen as a more feasible location than the old building, which is landlocked and privately owned.

Designed by SHP Leading Design, the new building will combine the arts education programming of Flavor of Arts with a memorial space that can be used by the community and a recording studio that will provide apprenticeship opportunities to neighborhood youth.

Cincinnati city councilmember John Cranley helped lead the effort to recognize King Records.

Cranley says that the new marker, and the words upon it, validate the company's importance to national music history.

"It is a great tragedy that most Cincinnatians don't know about the great history that happened here," he says. "That has to change. We're going to honor our history."

On November 26, a council motion was adopted directing the Cincinnati Historic Preservation Office to execute a local designation landmark study on the old company property, which could eventually make it a local historic landmark and protect it from demolition.

"Our work will not be complete until we get this building back," Cranley says. "This building is holy, sacred ground."