The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority (Port Authority), in conjunction with its partners Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati, is now accepting funding requests (PDF) under its U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield Assessment Coalition Grant program.

The Port Authority has been awarded a $1 million Hazardous Substance and Petroleum Assessment Grant to assess properties whose redevelopment may be difficult due to existing or potential environmental contamination.

Those interested in what Cincinnati's upcoming 21c Museum Hotel may look like will have an opportunity to see Louisville's, thanks to the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati (AFC).

On April 16, AFC will lead a guided tour of the hotel, along with a walking tour along the riverfront and Main Street areas.

Ruby Rogers, a Westwood resident who has worked to protect Cincinnati's history for 23 years, retired on March 18.

Mayor Mark Mallory declared the day Ruby Rogers Day in the City of Cincinnati.

Another sign that spring has come will take place tomorrow evening on Fountain Square when water again flows from the hands of the Genius of Water.

The fourth annual Fountain Day, beginning at noon, will feature live music, food and beverages, and a dose of Fountain Square history.

Cincinnati City Council last Wednesday passed an ordinance allowing the City to accept up to $12 million in federal funding for construction of the Kennedy Connector road project in Oakley.

The funding, Surface Transportation Program and Congestion Mitigation Air Quality grants awarded through the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, will be supplemented with $3 million in City local matching funds from an un-appropriated surplus in an urban renewal capital improvement project account.

Cincinnati City Council last Wednesday approved an agreement with First Financial Bancorp that will help keep the company's headquarters Downtown and add up to 55 new employees.

Under terms of the 12-year Property Investment Reimbursement Agreement, the City would pay the bank 75 percent of earnings taxes generated by its new employees, or up to $2.83 million over the life of the agreement. The City also would provide a $774,450 capital improvements grant if the company invests at least $4 million in its new headquarters.

East African restaurant Emanu has become the first business to take advantage of Pleasant Ridge's Community Entertainment District designation, deciding to purchase its building at the .

The restaurant has received one of five liquor licenses allowed under the designation, creating an additional revenue stream through the sale of beer, wine and spirits.

A month-long series of discussions and tours will examine our region's history and explore the forces shaping its future.

Discover Cincinnati USA, a new program of the , begins the four-part exploration from 6 P.M.-8 P.M. April 4 with "Metropolitan Cincinnati from 30,000 Feet", an introduction to our region and its place in America and the world.

Registration remains open through Wednesday for the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Conservation Council (RCC) Annual Meeting and Dinner, to be held April 4 at 1 P.M.-6 P.M. at the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) offices, 720 E Pete Rose Way, Suite 420, Downtown.

The meeting's agenda includes:

Abandoned/Vacant building count

Total as of March 3, 2011: 4,908 buildings
% Change in past month: +1.9%
% Change in past six months: +6.3%
% Change in past year: +15.0%
% Change in past two years: +49.4%
% Change in past five years: +174.7%

The (HCRPC) and Planning Partnership had "a prolific year", according to HCRPC Director of Regional Planning Todd Kinskey.

These successes were spelled out in its (PDF), released on Wednesday.

The City of Cincinnati would have liked to see the building at stabilized and secured and worked for years to do so, according to a recent report to City Council by Department of City Planning and Buildings Director Charles C. Graves III.

The report was in response to a January communication from former Over-the-Rhine Foundation executive director Michael Morgan accuses Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) as being "the single largest destroyer of historic properties in Over-the-Rhine".

As many Greater Cincinnati communities continue to suffer from the blighting effects of the nationwide foreclosure crisis, two community development corporations are doing their part to turn those effects around by putting homeowners back into the properties.

Westwood Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation (WestCURC) has been working over the past year to acquire and rehabilitate foreclosed homes in its neighborhood, selling one last September and recently putting two more on the market. Two additional homes are in the pipeline.

A new section of the Ohio River Trail is now open in Columbia Tusculum and the East End, completing the multi-use trail .

Walkers and riders can now pick up the trail near the front door of the Lunken Airport terminal building near the intersection of Wilmer and Airport roads, continue westward along the northern edge of the --> --> --> plant, and emerge at Carrel Street.

Those interested in the construction of multi-use trails in Northern Kentucky are encouraged to participate in a volunteer work day for the Licking River Greenway and Trails, taking place from 9 A.M. to noon on Saturday.

Volunteers will meet in the , Eastern and Levassor avenues in Covington.

With spring in full swing, both Ohio and Kentucky are gearing up for annual roadway cleanup efforts.

In Ohio, the --> --> --> and Keep Cincinnati Beautiful are seeking volunteers to clean up litter along interstate highways and ramps during this year's State Roadway Cleanup.

An month-long exhibition featuring poster art depicting the Cincinnati streetcar project opens tomorrow during Final Friday, from 6 P.M.-9 P.M. at Park + Vine, 1202 Main Street in Over-the-Rhine.

"Streetcar Desire" shows Cincinnati-based artist Aaron Wood's love for city living and multiple color schemes, representing a period of change in Downtown and Over-the-Rhine in which Cincinnatians are choosing to adopt a more urban, car-free lifestyle.

Mount Airy Forest is too environmentally sensitive and not ideal for a mountain bike trail pilot project, according to a recent report to Cincinnati City Council by Cincinnati Parks Director Willie F. Carden, Jr.

The report comes a month after Council adopted a motion directing Cincinnati Parks to work with the Cincinnati Off Road Alliance (CORA) and other volunteers to develop up to 20 miles of trails in the western portion of the 1,459-acre park, west of Interstate 74.

Cincinnati City Council on Wednesday awarded Wade Dent and The Electronic Ark, Ltd. a Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) tax exemption agreement that will allow for a $529,200 renovation and expansion of its space at in Over-the-Rhine.

Currently housing the Venue 222 meeting and event space and marketing communications agency Aim Straight Up, the five-story building's leasable Class B office space will be expanded from 9,600 square feet to 16,625 square feet and two new event centers will be added.

The City of Cincinnati is hoping that liens placed on the Hamilton County Auditor's tax duplicate can help it recover more than $2.3 million in unpaid costs for the demolition of 181 properties.

One ordinance, passed by City Council last Wednesday, allows the City to place the special assessment to recover federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program funding used for hazard abatement and demolition on 73 properties in the "high need" neighborhoods of Avondale, Bond Hill, East Price Hill, Evanston, Madisonville, Northside, South Fairmount, West Price Hill, and Westwood.

Tax increment financing (TIF) funding will be used to make improvements to the in Clifton Heights, site of the 129-unit, $16.7 million 65 West apartments project.

Cincinnati City Council on Wednesday passed an emergency ordinance transferring $160,000 from the CUF/Heights TIF district to fund new sidewalks, underground utilities, brick pavers, lighting, and other pedestrian improvements.

Cincinnati City Council passed unanimously an ordinance rezoning an entire block in Corryville, making the demolition of 11 homes for student apartments more likely.

The rezoning, from RMX Residential Mixed to RM-0.7 Residential Multi-Family, clears the way for Uptown Rental Properties to apply for demolition permits for the properties on the block .

People interested in restoring their old house to historic standards can get help developing an action plan at a Cincinnati Preservation Association event this Saturday.

Old House, New Owner, to be held from 9:30 A.M.-1:00 P.M. at the John Hauck House, in the West End, will provide tips on developing a needs assessment, a construction timeline, bid specs, and a budget, as well as how to deal with contractors and permitting.

A Cincinnati ordinance that would have dedicated $2.15 million in capital parking funds for a pilot program that would have brought new parking meters to parts of Downtown, Uptown, and various neighborhood business districts failed by a 5-4 vote at City Council's meeting last Wednesday.

Councilmembers Jeff Berding, Chris Bortz, Leslie Ghiz, Amy Murray and Charlie Winburn voted against the measure, which would have used a fund surplus to contract with CALE Parking Systems USA, Inc. for 200 multiple-space and 500 single-space parking meters.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) has released a Decision Document for Final Corrective Action (PDF), its plan for remediation of the 80-acre Hilton Davis property at .

Long an industrial site, cleanup of the property was mandated by the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas in a 1986 Consent Decree between Kodak, the Ohio EPA, and the Pleasant Ridge Community Council.

Last Wednesday, the City of Bellevue became the first municipality in Greater Cincinnati to adopt form-based codes as a tool for guiding future development.

The new code focuses on building form, massing, and relationships and is generally regarded as being development-friendly. Conventional, or "Euclidean", zoning techniques tend to focus almost entirely on specific land uses and are much more prohibitive.

At last Wednesday's meeting, Cincinnati City Council passed two emergency ordinances authorizing the City to enter into Community Reinvestment Area LEED tax exemption agreements with the Model Group for two senior apartment rehabilitation projects.

The Model Group will receive a 12-year, 75 percent property tax exemption, equal to approximately $1.8 million over the life of the agreement, for its $7.4 million rehabilitation of the 26,526-square-foot Elberon building at in East Price Hill into 37 one- and two- bedroom affordable apartments.

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) board of trustees on Friday approved a new three-year contract with its 676 Metro employees represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 627.

The contract, which is effective through January 31, 2014, will provide Metro's unionized bus drivers, mechanics, and operations support employees with a $500 lump sum wage increase for 2011, with additional 1 percent increases in February 2012, August 2012, February 2013, and August 2013. It also offers three medical plan options, including two separate high-deductible plan options as well as a PPO plan.

Abandoned/Vacant building count

Total as of March 3, 2011: 4,908 buildings
% Change in past month: +1.9%
% Change in past six months: +6.3%
% Change in past year: +15.0%
% Change in past two years: +49.4%
% Change in past five years: +174.7%

Three affordable housing projects in Cincinnati have been promised more than $2.5 million in funding through the --> --> --> (OHFA) 2011 Housing Tax Credit Program.

Awarded annually through a scoring process based upon such factors as project affordability, project location, and developer experience, the housing tax credits are federal income credits that are claimed over 11 years by owners of eligible rental properties.

Give Back Cincinnati's next Community Immersion event will be held in Westwood on March 26, from 9 A.M.-3 P.M.

The walking tour of Cincinnati's largest neighborhood will include a look at the community's businesses, non-profits, and volunteer opportunities, with stops at the Westwood Historical Society, WestCURC, the Madcap Puppet Company, Henke Winery, and .

The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 627 membership has voted 409-49 to approve a three-year labor contract with Metro, ending a period of nearly seven weeks in which they were working under a previous contract.

The new contract, which would expire January 31, 2014, covers approximately 676 Metro bus drivers, mechanics, and operations support employees.

Registration is now open for the 2011 Neighborhood Summit, which will be held April 2 at Xavier University's Cintas Center.

This year's program, Thriving Neighborhoods=A Vibrant City, will be dedicated largely to Plan Cincinnati, providing neighborhood organizations and stakeholders presentations from local and national experts in the three general category tracks of public policy, character and place making, and strategies for making an impact.

Registration is now open for Kentucky's 2011 Regional Freight Conference, to be held April 5 at the Florence Government Center, .

This year's speakers include Mike Hancock, secretary of the --> --> -->; Jose Sepulveda, Kentucky division manager of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA); Robin Bancroft, strategic projects manager with the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI); Chip Milliard, Office of Freight Management and Operations with the FHWA; Steve Brown and Lynn Ratliff of Toyota North America; John Mok, president and CEO of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG); and Paul Bingham, economics practice leader with Wilbur Smith Associates.

The installation of solar photovoltaic panels at 13 Cincinnati Park Board sites is now complete, making it the owner of the largest number of solar-powered structures in Ohio.

Approval from the State of Ohio Energy Auditor was received on February 10, and representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy came to tour the sites last Thursday.

The Village of Greenhills has been named winner of the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission's (HCRPC) 2011 Frank F. Ferris II Community Planning Award for its comprehensive planning (PDF) and citizen participation process.

Greenhills officials will accept the award at the HCRPC Planning Partnership Annual Meeting on March 25 at McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant on , Downtown.

Free tickets remain for the third and final public visioning session hosted by Bridging Broadway, the non-profit group formed to ensure that Cincinnati's new casino integrates successfully into its surrounding neighborhoods.

The session, to be held Saturday from 12:30 P.M.-4 P.M. at the VLT Academy Annex at , will highlight strategies and tools for implementing and maintaining the ideas outlined during previous community visioning sessions in October 2010 and January 2011.

Cincinnati is requesting $2.15 million in City capital funds for a pilot program that would bring new multiple-space parking meters to the northeast and southeast quadrants of Downtown, parts of Uptown, and in various neighborhood business districts.

The funding, which would come from an un-appropriated surplus in the City's parking fund, would be used to purchase and install 200 multiple-space and 500 single-space meters as part of a City pilot project. It would also pay for one year of maintenance and informational brochures on how to use the new system.

Chicago-based Bike and Roll has been selected as operator of the new Bike, Mobility and Visitors Center at Cincinnati Riverfront Park, scheduled to open this fall.

Operating locally under the name Bike and Park, the company will provide bicycles for rent, as well as other gear including strollers, children's bikes, carriages, and safety equipment. It will also provide services like bike repair and bike storage and will sell bike-related retail items and pre-packaged refreshments.

The Cincinnati Health Department has contracted with Healthy Housing Solutions, Inc. to develop an action plan to help prevent lead poisoning in residents of the City's older housing stock.

The consultant will review the City's existing programs and its legal authority to prevent and control lead hazards in housing. It will also review other cities' legislation and best practices.

HGC Construction has been named a Certified Green Contractor by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), the first construction company in the Tri-State and one of only 27 nationally to receive such certification.

ABC's Green Contractor Certification program recognizes construction companies that implement green and sustainable practices and principles both inside and out of the workplace.

In February, Cincinnati Metro saw a 5 percent increase in ridership over February 2010, a boost the public transit service attributes to rising gas prices.

Metro provided about 1.2 million rides in February, an increase of nearly 58,000 over February 2010. Its January 2011 ridership numbers were also higher and above its projections.

Abandoned/Vacant building count

Total as of March 3, 2011: 4,908 buildings
% Change in past month: +1.9%
% Change in past six months: +6.3%
% Change in past year: +15.0%
% Change in past two years: +49.4%
% Change in past five years: +174.7%

The East End Area Council (EEAC) has begun the process of meeting with members of Cincinnati City Council with the goal of having the Collins Avenue Steps reopened.

The steps, which connect , were closed in 2007 as part of a five-year pilot study after residents of Keys Crescent complained that the steps were rarely used, were in a state of disrepair, and brought crime into the community.

First Financial Bancorp and the City of Cincinnati announced an agreement today that will solidify the company's Downtown headquarters and create 150 jobs by 2014.

"We expect that number to be on the low end of where we'd like to be long-term," said Claude Davis, president and CEO of First Financial, during a press conference this morning.

Concerned residents and preservationists have scheduled a protest for Saturday at 11 A.M. on Euclid Avenue, near the site of a proposed 72-unit student apartment project in Corryville.

Protesters, organized by the , hope to kill a plan by Uptown Rental Properties to raze most of the block .

Residents can learn more about what it will take to clean up the former Cincinnati Milling Machine industrial site in Oakley for redevelopment during a public meeting at 6:30 P.M. tonight at the Oakley Recreation Center, .

Developer and property owner Vandercar Holdings is seeking up to $3 million in Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF) program funding to remediate the 74-acre site for its $120 million Oakley Square project, a mixed-use development including a movie theater, apartments, offices, retail, and restaurants.

Construction of Phase I of 45-acre Cincinnati Riverfront Park remains on schedule, according to a new video featuring Project Manager Dave Prather.

The spring 2011 edition of the "hard hat tour" features greater detail on construction of the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Stage and Event Lawn, scheduled for completion in May, and the Walnut Street Fountain and Steps and the Bike, Mobility and Visitors Center, which will open late this summer.

The 14th annual Cincinnati Canstruction event begins this morning at 8 A.M. at five Downtown locations.

Canstruction is an international design-build competition and exhibition featuring teams of architecture and engineering professionals, all charged with assembling large-scale sculptures entirely out of canned and non-perishable packaged foods.

At Friday's meeting, the Cincinnati City Planning Commission approved the Revive Cincinnati plan, a document that will help remake the neighborhoods of the Lower Mill Creek Valley.

Completed by Urban Design Associates last month, the plan provides recommendations for future economic development, neighborhood investment, environmental improvements, and transportation infrastructure in the four focus areas of Mitchell Avenue, South Cumminsville/Northside, the Hopple Street Interchange, and Queensgate/West End.

Approximately 60 people got a look at the preliminary findings of Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) Regional Freight Plan during a presentation Thursday afternoon.

The plan aims to shape future multi-modal transportation investments and ensure the region's economic competitiveness in a global market that's rapidly changing.

Cincinnati's attempt to become a top 10 healthiest city by 2020 could get a big boost with the creation of Downtown walking routes.

City Council has adopted a motion directing City administration to begin work on a series of one-, two-, and three-mile walking routes, clearly marked with wayfinding signs.

Beginning this morning at 10 A.M., Building Value will begin the full-scale deconstruction of an Avondale building that will make way for a potential new mixed-use building.

The non-profit is working with the Uptown Consortium, ACT Recycling and Rumpke to carefully remove the one-story, 4,314-square-foot commercial structure at , with the goal of achieving LEED Platinum demolition standards by recycling or repurposing 90 percent of the building's materials.

Fresh off the launch of a planning initiative launched for the Brewery District of Over-the-Rhine, the neighborhood has begun a 90-day blitz to jump start long-term community relationships that will benefit the area long into the future.

A large crowd gathered outside of Findlay Market for the kickoff of the Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP) to hear how the program will address crime hot spots, remove litter, and eliminate neighborhood blight.

Abandoned/Vacant building count

Total as of March 3, 2011: 4,908 buildings
% Change in past month: +1.9%
% Change in past six months: +6.3%
% Change in past year: +15.0%
% Change in past two years: +49.4%
% Change in past five years: +174.7%

One of Cincinnati's most historic houses will be auctioned off to the public April 16 at 1 P.M.

The George Hatch House at in the West End, also known as "Hatch's Folly", was designed and built by nationally-renowned architect Isaiah Rogers.

The United Way of Greater Cincinnati celebrated the completion of its $16 million building renovation and new conference center with a grand opening ribbon cutting and reception at its headquarters, , on Tuesday evening.

The 18-month project involved the replacement of the 1915-built building's antiquated mechanical systems with new, sustainable systems such as building insulation, high-efficiency windows, automated lighting, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and rooftop solar photovoltaic panels.

Two Cincinnati neighborhoods are raising funds for new banners to help improve aesthetics and instill neighborhood pride.

In Northside, "Generations", to be held from 7 P.M.-11 P.M. Saturday at the Greater Cincinnati Deaf Club, , features more than 20 musicians, with proceeds going to the Northside Community Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation to replace the 20 aging banners along the Ludlow Viaduct.

The 1,300 projects awarded financing through the Clean Ohio Fund now can be viewed in an online map tool.

The Clean Ohio Fund Interactive Map, produced by the Ohio Department of Development, provides the location and project information for $627 million worth of state investment since the creation of the bond program nearly 11 years ago.

The Brewery District of Over-the-Rhine has launched a master planning effort that could result in the redevelopment of two to three key sites within the next year.

Newly-elected Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation (BDCURC) President and Christian Moerlein Brewing Company CEO Greg Hardman, Vice President and Glaserworks principal Jeff Raser, and Executive Director Steven Hampton made the announcement this morning at the Glaserworks office Downtown.

Cincinnati will apply for approximately $3.5 million to make improvements to the Riverside Recreation Area, in Riverside.

City Council passed an ordinance last week giving the go-ahead to pursue a grant through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' (ODNR) Cooperative Boating Facility Grant Program for a $5 million project that will expand the boat launch ramp from two lanes to four lanes; demolish the existing launch building; build new launch building restrooms that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); build a new ADA-compliant courtesy dock with a sanitary pump out station; improve the parking layout; and improve lighting, signage, and boating accessibility.

Registration is now open for the follow-up to a series of three forums on fiscal and environmental sustainability in Hamilton County, to be held March 11 from 8 A.M. to 12 P.M. at Xavier University's Cintas Center.

Part of the "Sustainable Hamilton County: Reinventing Our Communities" workshop series, the session will discuss implications of the ideas, concepts, and models presented by series speakers who are national leaders in their fields.