Two agreements that would help provide parking for the $37 million redevelopment of the former Vernon Manor Hotel have been authorized by Cincinnati City Council.

The agreements authorize the sale of property on the from developer Vernon Manor Offices, LLC (Al. Neyer, Inc.) to the City of Cincinnati for the construction of a 440-space public parking garage, then the lease and management of the garage and property by Al. Neyer for a period of 25 years.

Xavier University's board of trustees took steps to address its growing enrollment during its quarterly meeting on December 11.

The board approved the construction of a new 240,000-square-foot residence hall and dining complex, which can accommodate housing units for approximately 535 sophomores.

Cincinnati's first ReStore will open this spring in a 35,000-square-foot building in Bond Hill, Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity announced last week.

The non-profit has signed a lease – with an option to buy – for the building at , which will house the retail space, warehouse and training space, and offices.

Ohio House Bill 313, which could give 28 counties land banking powers, has been passed out of the Ohio House and will now move on to the Ohio Senate.

Senate Bill 188, a companion bill sponsored by state senators Mark Wagoner (R-2nd) and Teresa Fedor (D-11th), already has had two public hearings and is believed to have bipartisan support.

Two-family
DOB: 1895
Died: May 2009
Cause of death: Heavy damage from a three-alarm fire in May 2008.

The building had been vacant for several years, but appeared to be undergoing renovations. A criminal case was filed against the owner, but was later dropped for want of prosecution and an inability to service the summons.

The house was condemned shortly after the fire and declared a public nuisance in December 2008. It was razed by the City following asbestos abatement.

One year ago:

• Cincinnati City Council approved a $1.2 million forgivable loan of federal HOME funds to Race, Republic and Green LLC (Cornerstone Corporation for Shared Equity) for Friar's Court, the 25-unit second phase of the St. Anthony Village project in Over-the-Rhine.
• Cincinnati's City Planning Commission was considering a proposal by Ronald McDonald House to build a three-story, 32,000-square-foot addition to its existing Avondale building.
• Almost all of the properties in the block bounded by W Martin Luther King Jr Drive, Ahrens Street, Rochelle Avenue and Vine Street had been cleared to make way for the Corryville Crossings project.
• Permits were in route to convert the Western Hills Wal-Mart into a supercenter.
• In Avondale, a small, neglected lender-owned house was razed.

Cincinnati City Council is considering two ordinances that would help developer Vernon Manor Offices, LLC (Al. Neyer, Inc.) turn the former Vernon Manor Hotel into a modern office space for 600 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) back office employees.

The first ordinance would execute an installment agreement with the developer, allowing the City to expend funds from the Corryville tax increment financing (TIF) district to purchase property for a $10.4 million, 440-space public parking garage at the .

The --> --> --> (ODOT) and (ORDC) have proposed designating $32 million of its federal economic stimulus funding request to make safety improvements to 270 roadway-rail crossings throughout the state.

The funding is part of $564 million requested in October for the that would connect Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Cleveland along existing rail lines.

Park Hills City Council has adopted the Park Hills Dixie Study, a small area study recently completed by the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission.

The study, which looked at a half-mile strip of Dixie Highway, now will be recommended to the Kenton County Planning Commission for incorporation into the county comprehensive plan, required by law to be updated in 2011.

Cincinnati City Council soon will consider an ordinance to place tax liens on 52 properties in an effort to recoup money spent on demolitions through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

The buildings, located in ten Cincinnati neighborhoods and identified as being in "high need" of removal, represent more than $607,000 in expenditures.

Your opportunity to help Over-the-Rhine's Contact Center by purchasing a unique piece of art happens this Saturday with a reception at MiCA 12/v, 1201 Vine Street.

VisuaLingual, the multi-disciplinary design studio of Maya Drozdz and Michael Stout, has created a limited-edition screen print depicting the block of Vine Street between 12th and 13th streets, which captures the unique character of the center and its surrounding buildings.

Single-family
DOB: 1920
Died: May 2009
Cause of death: A rotted rear wall missing sheathing and siding, a failing foundation wall, a defective front porch, and a failing roof and gutter system. The structure was open to trespassers and required numerous City barricades.

The house was condemned in April 2007 and declared a public nuisance in June 2008. It was razed by the City.

A criminal case is pending.

One year ago:

• Session topics were announced for the 2009 Neighborhood Summit.
• Cincinnati City Council proposed a motion that City administration pursue a "road diet" approach to planning for a 1.8-mile section of Montana Avenue.
• A 14-photo slideshow showed that Madison Circle was in various stages of construction.
• In Westwood, Cincinnati City Council was considering an ordinance that would dedicate $750,000 in tax increment financing funds to targeted building demolitions, which would make the parcels available for redevelopment.
• Mass excavation and foundation work was happening at Xavier University's Hoff Academic Quad site.
• A Mount Auburn multi-family was razed by its owner.

Single-family
DOB: 1887
Died: May 2009
Cause of death: Defects to the gutters, siding, windows, and chimney causing water damage. The house had been vacant since at least 2004.

The elderly owner was in poor health and was unable to attend pre-prosecution hearings. He eventually lost the house to foreclosure.

The house was condemned in September 2006 and declared a public nuisance in September 2007. It was razed by the City following asbestos abatement.

One year ago:

• Cincinnati City Council was exploring ways to display citizens' artwork at City Hall.
• The sale of two "paper" alleys was approved Downtown to make way for Procter & Gamble's new child care center.
• The City of Reading held a public meeting to discuss options for the cleanup of the Nivison-Weiskopf brownfield site.
• The Pleasant Ridge Community Council urged residents to write to the Ohio EPA and Governor Ted Strickland in the hopes of getting the Hilton Davis site cleaned up to community standards.
• "Voices of Covington" was launched, part of a heritage tourism initiative funded through the Preserve America initiative and private donations.
• An Oakley single-family house was razed for no apparent reason.

Three Over-the-Rhine projects have been awarded Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits (OHPTC), part of a dozen awardees in the latest round of the Ohio Department of Development program.

The local awardees include:

• Mercer Commons, will receive $4.2 million in tax credits for an $18.2 million restoration of 19 historic buildings, construction of three new mixed-use buildings, 13 townhouses, and a four-level, 240-space parking garage. At buildout, the project will include 153 residential units and nearly 15,000-square-feet of first floor retail and commercial space.
• Germania Hall, , will receive $1.7 million in tax credits for a $7 million project that is expected to create 189 full-time jobs.
• The Cincinnati Color Building, , will receive $1.25 million in tax credits for a $14.1 million project that will move the Model Group's national headquarters from Walnut Hills.

More than 220,000 college and university students live within 10 miles of the Ohio's proposed , according to an analysis by the --> --> --> (ODOT).

The 250-mile rail corridor, which would connect Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland via existing rail lines, would run near 40 of the state's colleges and universities, including The Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati, the state's two largest with more than 89,000 students.

The Ohio House Local Government Committee has passed House Bill 313 (HB 313) out of committee by a 10-1 vote, bringing land banking authority for 28 Ohio counties closer to reality.

The legislation now goes to the full House for consideration.

Members of Cincinnatians for Progress, who helped defeat Issue 9 on November 3, gathered last week at City Cellars to celebrate their accomplishments and to plan for the future.

Originally intended to disband following the election, committee co-chairs Joe Sprengard and Bobby Maly said that the group will continue to exist in some form, citing the groundswell of creativity and support that it was able to muster in a few short months.

Single-family
DOB: 1895
Died: April 2009
Cause of death: Failing brick on left side of building, decaying lintels, roof leaks, missing windows and siding. According to City inspectors, it was in imminent danger of collapse.

The house was condemned in December 2007 and was declared a public nuisance in June 2008. It was razed by the City following asbestos abatement.

A criminal case against the owners is pending.

Two years ago:

• Cincinnati City Council approved an application for $10,000 in National Park Service funds for restoration work at the George Hatch House in the West End.
• Cincinnati administration reported the the American Dream Downpayment Initiative, funded by a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant, had helped 134 people buy homes and had resulted in more than $5.7 million in private investment since 2004.
• Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aaron Harang donated $55,000 for the Miracle League project at Oskamp Field in Westwood.
• In East Walnut Hills, Niehaus Flats was awarded a certificate of occupancy following a rehabilitation project.

Walnut Hills community and business leaders hope to get moving on rejuvenating its E McMillan Street/Peebles Corner business district by the end of the first quarter of next year, a project that's been more than four years in the making.

The redevelopment project dates back to March 2005, when Walnut Hills received a $1 million windfall from Cincinnati City Council Anthem funds.

Cincinnati City administration recommends extending the Cincinnati Area Geographic Information System (CAGIS) agreement for one more year, giving the participating parties time to evaluate the system.

Developed in 1995, CAGIS is a contractual agreement between the Cincinnati, Hamilton County, and Cincinnati Gas & Electric (now Duke Energy) to develop and manage a shared database of geographic and infrastructure data.

Celebrate a Victorian-style holiday season along luminary-lit Fairfield Avenue during Bellevue's Tour of Homes and Shopping Extravaganza this Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Bellevue Renaissance and the Bellevue Neighborhood Association are partnering to present the event, which will feature tours of four homes: 235 and 251 Berry Avenue, 271 Ward Avenue, and 254 Van Voast Avenue.

Single-family
DOB: 1959
Died: June 2009
Cause of death: Severe structural damage due to fire, missing windows, rotting debris.

The house was condemned in August 2007 and declared a public nuisance in June 2008. It was razed by the City.

Four years ago:

• I visited the West End and dropped by the City West development.*
  

• Anchor Properties purchased Corryville's University Plaza for $4.55 million.
• Invest in Neighborhoods was recommended for the 2009 NSP contract, a recommendation that was later revoked.
• Thirty-six photos of Pendleton, Mount Lookout, Over-the-Rhine, Evanston, Downtown, Oakley, and Lockland were added to the Building Cincinnati galleries.
• A shotgun house in College Hill was razed for a new, more energy-efficient house.

The Housing Authority of Covington (HAC) has submitted an application for $17 million in funding through the federal HOPE VI program for the redevelopment of the housing project in the city's Eastside neighborhood.

The redevelopment would redesign the 1930s-era, 6-acre superblock into a mixed-income community of 97 rental units, including 77 two-story townhouses, 8 single-story senior cottages, and 12 flats above 9,600 square feet of retail space.

Construction on Blue Ash's new "central park" is scheduled to begin in 2012-2013, but the city will begin work on preliminary planning and citizen engagement in the meantime.

To help fund the purchase of 130 acres of the from the City of Cincinnati for a new performing arts and conference center, pedestrian plaza, walking trails and golf course, city voters passed Issue 15, a 0.25 percent earnings tax increase, by a 2-to-1 margin in November 2006.

The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) has launched it to help form and implement affordable housing policy and initiatives throughout the state.

The office will engage in several initiatives to utilize research-based data to prioritize statewide housing needs, inform policy, and ensure safe and decent accommodations for Ohio's low- and moderate-income families.

Commercial
DOB: 1924
Died: June 2009
Cause of death: Razed as part of the Colerain/Virginia/West Fork intersection improvement project. The tire business was relocated to a building a couple hundred yards away on West Fork Road.

One year ago:

• Clifton Town Meeting passed a resolution opposing a proposal to assess property owners on gaslight streets $4 per linear foot of street frontage every three years.
• Renaissance Covington, Inc. made available new "open" signs to any business located in the Renaissance Covington District.
• Building Cincinnati featured 37 photos of the basement, second floor and third floor of Todd McFarland's rehabiliation project at 1346 Broadway in Pendleton.
• A dilapidated North Fairmount house was razed by its owner.

More than 120 people gave their opinions on how Kenton County's hillsides should be developed – or left pristine – Wednesday evening at Notre Dame Academy, the first of several planned public meetings for the .

Using keypads to answer a series of multiple-choice questions, attendees were part of the beginning of an 18-month process to brainstorm ideas that will inform the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission (NKAPC) as it updates the county's comprehensive plan, which by law must be updated in 2011.

The initial six proposed stops for Ohio's could become booming transportation and activity hubs, according to the (ORDC) and the --> --> --> (ODOT).

Planners for both agencies have been studying the growth of multi-modal transit centers and transit-oriented development around stops on existing passenger rail lines.

Grants totaling $60,000 could help the City of Cincinnati's Department of Transportation and Engineering study impediments to traffic flow and safety at three "hot spot" accident locations.

An ordinance currently before council would allow the City to accept and appropriate the grants, administered through the Ohio Department of Public Safety, to take a look at , , and .

The Cincinnati Preservation Association (CPA) has announced the winners of its 2009 Preservation Awards, presented last month at its annual meeting.

A Rehabilitation Award was presented for the renovation of "Les Tours", on in East Walnut Hills. The five-year remodeling project removed much of the 1950s-era "updates", restoring the house to the elegance it enjoyed in the 1860s when it was built for haberdasher and gold mine heir Otto Luedeking and his wife Catherine.

Multi-family
DOB: 1882
Died: May 2009
Cause of death: Damage from a 2004 fire, missing windows and siding, lack of utilities, trash and debris. The property required City barricading on several occasions.

Vacated by the City in 2005, it appears that some work was done to fix the fire damage, but work eventually stalled. The utilities were never hooked up. The listed owner was a no-show for pre-prosecution hearings, and a criminal case was never filed due to the inability to find him.

It was condemned in February 2007 and declared a public nuisance in October of the same year. The building was razed by the City.

Four years ago:

• I visited Clifton, Corryville, and Prospect Hill.*
  

• The developers of One River Plaza were seeking an extension on the final development plan for its $143 million condominium, restaurant and public plaza project on the Cincinnati riverfront.
• In Covington, the Old Seminary Square Christmas Walk featured tours of 16 homes and businesses.
• Six historic homes were open to the public during the Glendale Holiday Home Tour & Craft Fair.
• The City of Blue Ash hosted a guided holiday tour of the historic Hunt House.
• Real estate search engine Trulia added foreclosed properties to its database.

Forest Square Apartments Limited Partnership (the Model Group) is seeking a Community Reinvestment Area LEED tax exemption agreement for the 21-unit Forest Square Senior Apartments, an infill project at the in Avondale.

The agreement would reduce the property tax liability of the $4.2 million project by approximately $898,000 over fifteen years.

Cincinnati's Department of Community Development (DCD) has developed an action plan to implement GO Cincinnati, a plan for targeted, place-based development, workforce development, and transportation investments in the City.

Published in January 2008 following a year of planning, the plan has been used as a framework for informing some City policy decisions, but never has been adopted formally as an economic development strategy and has lacked the measurable metrics to ensure its success.

Cincinnati City Council is considering the approval of a Community Reinvestment Area tax exemption agreement with MTK, Inc. for the expansion of Q Laboratories, Inc., a chemistry and microbiology product analysis and research firm located in South Fairmount.

The agreement would allow the company to construct a two-story, 9,000-square-foot building adjacent to its current headquarters at , nearly doubling its office and laboratory space.

Cincinnati Preservation Association's (CPA) Architreks "Building Holidays Trolley Tour" takes place this Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Winding through Downtown and Over-the-Rhine, the tour utilizes architectural sites and historical information on Cincinnati institutions to illustrate the history of America's holiday traditions, including Jewish and Christian holiday customs and the contributions of the many ethnic groups that made Cincinnati home.

Two-family
DOB: 1873
Died: June 2009
Cause of death: A deteriorated rear of the building due to neglect and insect damage, collapsing exterior steps and front porch, and deteriorated or missing cornices, gutters and downspouts. The building required numerous calls to the City for barricading.

It was condemned in March 2005 and declared a public nuisance in August 2007, going through three ownership changes during that time. A criminal case was filed against the owner, but it was dismissed after he was entered into a diversion program. The property was subsequently purchased by an investor for $3,108.

In November 2007, it was condemned again. The City razed the structure following asbestos abatement.

Two years ago:

• Twenty-eight photos of Downtown, Over-the-Rhine, Fountain Square and the West End's City West development were added to the Building Cincinnati galleries.
• Cincinnati City Council approved $5.3 million in capital and tax increment financing funds for the third phase of the Gateway Quarter.
• Work on the Ascent at Roebling's Bridge was almost complete.
• The CityKin blog posted a map and information about the Cincinnati Recreation Commission's Final Aquatics Plan.
• In Avondale, an abandoned multi-family that had become a haven for prostitution and criminal activity was razed by a local church.

• Cincinnati City Council was considering appropriating $50,000 to hire a consultant to study the implementation of form-based codes.
• East Price Hill celebrated the opening of a new 64,000-square-foot Kroger store.
• Work wrapped up on the four-unit first phase of Delta Place in Columbia Tusculum.
• A 392-square-foot shack in Lower Price Hill was razed by the City.

The (ORDC) has recommended the use of diesel multiple unit (DMU) vehicles for the "Quick Start" plan.

Last week, ORDC passed a motion asking its staff, and the --> --> --> (ODOT), to explore the use of DMUs, and to have an equipment plan ready for when the state gets word on its application for $564 million in federal economic stimulus funding.

Cincinnati City Council has approved the execution of a Community Reinvestment Area LEED tax exemption agreement with RBM Development Company, LLC for the construction the new Medpace headquarters on the former site of the NuTone plant at in Madisonville.

Following construction, Medpace will receive a 15-year, 100 percent property tax exemption from the increased assessed value of the 7.5-acre property in return for its purchase of the planned $15 million, 132,000-square-foot office building constructed to LEED standards.

Cincinnati City Council has passed an ordinance authorizing a forgivable loan of $140,000 to a Northside developer to rehabilitate a long-vacant mixed-use building.

MC3 Group, Ltd. plans to spend more than $661,000 to convert the 119-year-old building at , which once housed the Idle Hour Café, into four market-rate condominiums and approximately 1,695 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.

Passenger rail and public transportation advocacy group All Aboard Ohio has surveyed Ohio's transportation landscape, and it doesn't like what it has found.

Last week, the group gave Ohio a holiday grade of "lump of coal" in its 2009 Ohio Transport Report Card (PDF), citing noticeable decreases in bus, train, and air travel options over the past 30 years.

The City of Cincinnati will have to pay more than $350,000 for ineligible HOME program spending that was uncovered by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) audits.

The audits were part of HUD's administration of all programs utilizing federal HOME funds.

A recent resurfacing project has led to the addition of new bicycle lanes along a portion of Dana Avenue, part of the City of Cincinnati's attempts to create a more bike-friendly city.

Located in Hyde Park, the new five-foot wide, striped lanes were created from the seven-lane roadway's right-of-way, reducing Dana Avenue to five vehicle lanes.

Preservation Ohio, a statewide organization that works to preserve a sense of past and place in Ohio's downtowns, neighborhoods, and communities, has released some of the results of its 2009 fall survey.

Among the findings:

• A lack of awareness of the benefits of historic preservation is considered the greatest threat to historic preservation and neighborhood revitalization in Ohio.
• Revitalization of Ohio downtowns was the area of preservation of most interest to respondents.
• Information on funding options is the primary service that a statewide preservation organization needs to address.

Holiday festivities at Ohio's oldest brick house began last weekend, but there are plenty more opportunities to see it.

"Holidays at the Betts House", at in the West End, displays how five generations of the Betts family may have celebrated Christmas between the years 1804 and 1879.

Two-family
DOB: 1910
Died: April 2009
Cause of death: Cracked and bulging concrete and masonry walls, broken lintels, and deterioration to the gutters, eves and downspouts.

It appears that the owner was deceased.

The building was condemned in February 2004 and declared a public nuisance in December 2006. It took two years to put together a demolition contract (possibly due to probate issues), but it was eventually razed by the City following asbestos abatement.

One year ago:

• Cincinnati City Council was considering the sale of 7.1 acres in Northside, a parcel that is now being developed as the 25-unit Northwind subdivision.
• Money originally targeted for the failed Linden Park development was promised to other College Hill projects.
• A slideshow featured photo updates from Owl's Nest Park, a single-family development in Lockland, new single-family houses in Mount Lookout, and a massive L.A. Fitness in Oakley.
• In Oakley, Cincinnati was considering the sale of surplus property to Episcopal Retirement Homes to provide access to the Deupree Cottages development.
• The former River Sands Motel in the East End, most recently used as an antiques mall, was razed privately by its owner.

Single-family
DOB: 1895
Died: July 2009
Cause of death: Deteriorated roof and gutters, cornice windows and stairs needing repair, half-boarded windows, water damage, severe concrete damage to the rear of the building, and no water or utilities. Heavy litter and high grass and weeds blighted the property.

The house was condemned in January 2007 and declared a public nuisance that May. Pre-prosecution hearings were underway, but a new owner emerged in late 2007, starting the entire process all over again.

It was razed by the City following asbestos abatement.

One year ago:

• The "heart" of English Woods, its former management and maintenance building, was razed.
• Mayor Mallory's recommendations for the 2009-2010 City budget did not include an assessment of $4 per linear foot every three years for property owners on streets with gaslights.
• Nineteen photos of the two decorated models at Oakley's Marburg Square were posted to Building Cincinnati.
• The final Give Back Cincinnati YP Sounding Session of 2008 had a theme of environmental responsibility.
• A Dana Avenue warehouse was razed to make way for Xavier University's Hoff Academic Quad project.