NEIGHBORHOOD: Avondale
YEAR BUILT: 1910
USE: Two-family dwelling
OWNER: Maria Del Quinones (Northridge, CA)
ASSESSED VALUE: $27,950
ORDERS: January 2007, for exterior paint, windows, front walks, trash, masonry walls, front steps, gutters and downspouts, cornice, and chimney. Orders were reissued in July 2007 for the cornice, exterior paint, rotten front porch, and gutters and downspouts. In October 2008, a new owner emerged and received orders for the flashing, gutters and downspouts, cornice, soffit, and front porch. Ordered vacated and barricaded in February 2009 following a fire.
CONDEMNED: October 2009, issued to a new owner.
HAZARD: December 2009, now with a structurally unsound roof and broken and missing windows.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program. Demolished using Moving Ohio Forward funding.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Northside
YEAR BUILT: 1865
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: Steven F. Bloomfield
ASSESSED VALUE: $11,700
ORDERS: January 2008, for trash, exterior paint, and illegal storage of motor vehicles. Orders reissued in November 2009 for trash, exterior steps, exterior paint, and siding. In March 2012, orders were reissued for the fence, siding, windows, cracked foundation, and trash. The house was ordered barricaded.
CONDEMNED: --
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: Acquired by the current owner and Bloomfield/Schon + Partners principal in January 2013 and demolished, possibly for future development around American Can Lofts.

NEIGHBORHOOD: East Price Hill
YEAR BUILT: 1935
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: City of Cincinnati
ASSESSED VALUE: $59,270
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: --
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: Formerly the caretaker's office for Mt. Echo Park. No reason found for the building's demolition.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Oakley
YEAR BUILT: 1912
USE: Retail
OWNER: Mad Apple LLC c/o Jody T. Klekamp
ASSESSED VALUE: $141,400
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: August 2012, with vandalized and missing mechanicals, a sagging roof, significant water damage, collpased ceilings, and an unsound subfloor covered with mold, fungus, algae and moss.
HAZARD: Razed by the owner to close out orders.
REASON RAZED: No plans have been announced, but the property's tax bill information lists United Dairy Farmers.

Freestanding, public restroom facilities in Cincinnati should be installed and studied one location at a time, according to a follow-up report issued today by Director of Public Services Michael Robinson.

The idea first emerged in October with a Council motion from Councilmember Chris Seelbach – signed by all councilmembers except for Cecil Thomas and Charlie Winburn – asking for a report on the feasibility and costs associated with the installation of 24-hour public restroom facilities in and around Downtown.

The team behind construction of public infrastructure met or exceeded all four project goals last year, according to the released yesterday by .

In 2012, contractors installed public safety technologies throughout the intermodal transit center and parking facility, awarded a trade contract for a new Pete Rose Way pedestrian bridge and walkway – currently under construction, and prepared design and funding documents for a River Walk along the Ohio.

The City of Cincinnati will pursue a grant for up to $500,000 from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) for improvements to the Riverside Recreation Area, located at .

The ODNR Division of Watercraft Cooperative Boating Facility Grant would be used by the Cincinnati Recreation Commission (CRC) for additional "pull through" parking spaces for users of the park's boat launch facility. The funding would also pay for enhanced lighting and signage and ADA accessibility upgrades.

Cincinnati City Council agreed at its Feb. 20 meeting to the sale of three vacant, City-owned Over-the-Rhine properties through its Cincinnati Land Reutilization Program (CLRP).

The City will sell two three-story buildings at to Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. affiliate OTR Holdings, Inc. for $1 for the development of market-rate rental housing.

College Hill and Walnut Hills have each won $2.5 million for neighborhood projects through the City's Focus 52 program.

City Council approved the issuance of bonds for both projects at its Feb. 20 meeting. Each project will require $250,000 from the City's general fund to service debt on the bonds.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Corryville
YEAR BUILT: 1975
USE: Medical office
OWNER: Hallmark Student Housing Cincinnati II, LLC (Columbus, OH)
ASSESSED VALUE: $282,400
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: --
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: Formerly the home of UC Health Primary Care, the building was demolished to make way for Hallmark Student Housing's 28-unit second phase of the University Edge apartments.

The results of the "How Do We Grow From Here" questionnaire, which will be used to update the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments' (OKI) 20-year Strategic Regional Policy Plan, were released last week by OKI Board President and Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune.

The current plan was adopted in 2005.

The has been completed and will be considered by the during a special public hearing on Mar. 7.

Led by Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, the Plan Build Live initiative launched in 2008 as a place-making effort to spur redevelopment in Cincinnati's neighborhoods by streamlining the permitting and approval process.

NEIGHBORHOOD: North Fairmount
YEAR BUILT: 1924
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners
ASSESSED VALUE: $9,780
ORDERS: April 2001, ordered barricaded.
CONDEMNED: March 2002, for roof failure, weather damage, and vandalism. A civil fine was prepared, but was rescinded after it was discovered that the owners were deceased. In September 2005, orders were issued to new owners requiring them to keep the property vacant and barricaded, citing issues with the gutters and downspouts, flooring, walls, and ceiling tiles. Ordered vacated and barricaded again in December 2006, and a criminal case was filed in August 2007. Condemned in December 2008 following the beginning of a rehabiliation project without permits. Condemnation orders reissued to new owner in October 2009. A civil fine was issued in August 2011, and the property changed hands again and was condemned in November 2011. Acquired by the County in May 2012.
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: Razed as part of the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati's .

The City of Cincinnati's Director of Buildings and Inspections will hold a public hearing Friday at 9 A.M. in the Main Conference Room of the Building Development and Permit Center, , to determine if the following 27 buildings should be declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program:

• , North Fairmount (multi-family, 1959)
• , West End (multi-family, 1885)
• , Evanston (two-family, 1879)
• , Westwood (three-family, 1940)
• , South Fairmount (single-family, 1906)

NEIGHBORHOOD: Lower Price Hill
YEAR BUILT: 1885
USE: Three-family dwelling
OWNER: Kendra L. Lary (Amelia, OH)
ASSESSED VALUE: $21,170
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: May 2008, for a cracked and bulging front wall, deteriorated masonry, defective porches, and an interior full of trash. A criminal case was prepared in December 2008, but had not been filed 18 months later.
HAZARD: December 2008. Condemnation orders were reissued in December 2010, now with falling bricks, missing and defective gutters and downspouts. Two civil fines of $500 apiece were imposed by January 2012.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program. Demolished using Move Ohio Forward funds.

A proposed plan to lease the City of Cincinnati's parking operations would allow the City to retain control of rates, hours, and enforcement and would raise nearly $100 million for capital projects and its general fund.

Details of the were revealed by City Manager Milton Dohoney, Jr. to City Council's Budget and Finance Committee Tuesday afternoon.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Mount Auburn
YEAR BUILT: 1930
USE: Manufacturing
OWNER: CWH Dev Co.
ASSESSED VALUE: $172,270
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: March 2012, due to a roof and floor collapse. Wood floors, joists, and plaster was damaged by water, and there were missing bricks at the top of the exterior walls, no flashing, washed-away mortar, and open windows. The building was heavily tagged.
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: In the process of being razed by the owner to close out orders. Originally built as the home of the Dorst Jewelry Company.

NEIGHBORHOOD: College Hill
YEAR BUILT: 1865
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: Circle B LLC
ASSESSED VALUE: $104,160
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: April 2009, for collapsing roof, a rotted porch, a stripped flooring and joist system, broken windows, open cornice, defective gutters, a disconnected electrical system, litter, and heavy vandalism. Reissued to new, current, owner in March 2011. The property appears to have gone into tax foreclosue by August 2011. A $500 civil fine was issued in January 2012.
HAZARD: May 2012. A public hearing on June 4, 2012 determined that the building was not historically significant.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program. Demolished using Moving Ohio Forward funds. Known as the Howard-Rankin Home.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Hyde Park
YEAR BUILT: 1947
USE: Commercial
OWNER: G & A Paxton LLC
ASSESSED VALUE: $200,000
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: --
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: Slightly fire damaged, the building was razed to contruct a new 4,200-square-foot office and medical building for the Pediatricians of Hyde Park.

Photoelectric smoke detectors sense smoke from smoldering fires much better than standard ionization smoke detectors and should be required in all Cincinnati rental properties, according to legislation presented at a press conference this morning.

Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls and Councilmember P.G. Sittenfeld introduced the legislation as a result of a deadly New Year's Day fire at a rental property on that claimed the lives of University of Cincinnati students Chad Kohls, 21, and Ellen Garner, 20. Both died of injuries sustained from excessive smoke inhalation.

The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County is moving forward with new branches for Clifton, Reading, and St. Bernard.

The library has issued a request for qualifications (RFQs) for design services for the three projects, each valued at approximately $3.5 million.

This year's EcoSculpt exhibit and competition has moved from Fountain Square to the newly-renovated Washington Park.

Applications are being accepted through Mar. 8 at 5 P.M. from teams and individuals interested in designing and installing large-scale sculptures composed entirely of recycled or recyclable materials.

Cincinnati City Council pledged its support for 10 affordable housing projects seeking federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits through resolutions passed at its Feb. 13 meeting.

The tax credits, awarded through the --> --> -->, are designed to increase the supply of clean and safe affordable rental housing by providing assistance with project development costs.

The initial study corridor for railroad quiet zones will include six at-grade crossings in Hartwell, Lockland and Wyoming, but that corridor eventually could be expanded all the way to Glendale.

The City's Department of Transportation and Engineering presented the latest on the study to City Council's Major Transportation and Infrastructure Projects Subcommittee on Feb. 12.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Avondale
YEAR BUILT: 1905
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: Gregory Horace Mack
ASSESSED VALUE: $41,170
ORDERS: December 2003, for cornice. In June 2005, orders were reissued for roof, chimney, gutters and downspouts, cornice, siding, and rear porch. A civil fine of $500 was issued in mid-2006. In September 2007, orders were reissued for the collapsed rear porch, chimney, gutters and downspouts, cornice, soffit, siding, exterior paint, plaster, and trash. Another civil fine was issued. In January 2009, the house was ordered vacated and barricaded. Water and electrical service had been shut off, property possibly in probate.
CONDEMNED: March 2009. Currently in criminal status.
HAZARD: August 2010.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program.

The following photos were taken on August 27, 2012 before, during and after the ribbon-cutting for the 72-unit Euclid Square Apartments in Corryville.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Over-the-Rhine
YEAR BUILT: 1972
USE: Office
OWNER: OTR Holdings Inc. (Cincinnati Center City Development Corp.)
ASSESSED VALUE: $19,640
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: --
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: There are no current plans for the site, but, according to the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC), the building and site were very hard to secure, making it a consistent problem for police and public safety. The property was razed using Moving Ohio Forward grant money received through the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority. Formerly the Samuel W. Bell Home for Sightless, the property was purchased by 3CDC affiliate OTR Holdings Inc. for $275,000 in 2010, shortly after a purchase option expired that would have allowed Pennsylvania-based Firetree Ltd. to open a 46-bed residential re-entry facility for federal ex-offenders.

The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) has issued two requests for qualifications (RFQ) that will help inform its OKI Travel Model.

The first RFQ is for a qualified consultant to collect traffic data for interstate highways and select principal arterials in the eight-county OKI region.

With recent news indicating that the three bids for the streetcar's civil construction contract have come in between $26 million and $43 million more than the $110 million the City has budgeted, Cincinnati Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls said that the possibility of continued delays and cost increases "has raised serious concerns among streetcar supporters and opponents alike."

In a memo sent yesterday to City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr., Qualls warned that, while a City Council majority has continued to support the project, it has not given City administration a "blank check".

NEIGHBORHOOD: Avondale
YEAR BUILT: 1915
USE: Three-family dwelling
OWNER: Robert L. and Joyce A. Howard
ASSESSED VALUE: $61,540
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: November 2012, following a three-alarm fire on Nov. 26 that caused an estimated $80,000 in fire and water damage to joists, framing, soffits, roof, flashing, siding, and windows. Two firefighters were injured, and four people were displaced.
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: Demolished by the owners to close out orders.

Cincinnati Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls is seeking federal intervention to stop the proposed transfer of 748 units of project-based Section 8 housing to a New York company and instead make the properties available to community developers.

In a letter sent Feb. 8 to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Columbus Field Office Acting Director Randolph Williams, Qualls asked for HUD disapproval of Downtown Property Management's request to transfer the units it owns in Avondale, English Woods, North Avondale and Walnut Hills to a corporation controlled by the Puretz family of Brooklyn, New York.

On Tuesday morning, a ceremonial planting of juniper bushes in a celebrated the completion of $22.9 million in infrastructure improvements around the new Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati, scheduled to open Mar. 4.

"Every now and then, in a city like Cincinnati, you get presented with a unique opportunity," said Mayor Mark Mallory. "That's what the casino coming to our city represents – a unique opportunity."

Ten items appear on the agenda of the Cincinnati City Planning Commission's next meeting, to be held tomorrow morning at 9 A.M. on the seventh floor of Centennial Two, located Downtown at .

The agenda includes reports and recommendations on:

A new study by the Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) suggests that Ohio would benefit the most among Midwest states by the development of a regional or national high-speed rail system.

The study profiled manufacturers and supply chain companies in the Midwest that are ready to begin making parts and putting people to work improving existing rail systems in the United States. Of the 460 such companies identified, Ohio has 122 of them, besting Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Iowa.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Evanston
YEAR BUILT: 1900
USE: Two-family dwelling
OWNER: Ajal Properties LLC
ASSESSED VALUE: $125,000
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: --
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: Razed to make way for an expanded United Dairy Farmers store, which will replace the current 31-year-old structure with a new 4,300-square-foot building and up to six gas pumps.

NEIGHBORHOOD: South Fairmount
YEAR BUILT: 1913
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: KAK LLC
ASSESSED VALUE: $30,340
ORDERS: September 2008, ordered vacated and barricaded due to missing and vandalized mechanical systems, litter and debris.
CONDEMNED: January 2009. That same year, the City concluded that the owner was probably deceased, but could find no probate records.
HAZARD: March 2010, adding gutters and downspouts, open and broken windows, a falling porch ceiling, and missing siding. The place had become a neighborhood dump site.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program.

NEIGHBORHOOD: East Price Hill
YEAR BUILT: 1880
USE: Two-family dwelling
OWNER: Stonegate Bank (Boca Raton, FL)
ASSESSED VALUE: $38,400
ORDERS: April 2007, ordered vacated and barricaded with violations for porch, windows, exterior paint, siding, exterior steps, and fence. Some work was done, but not completed. Orders were reissued to a new owner in March 2009. A criminal case was filed in February 2010.
CONDEMNED: March 2010, citing a hazardous front porch, vandalism, deteriorated framing, defective plumbing, an open cornice, missing siding and paint, broken and missing windows, and litter. The criminal case was dismissed in May 2010 following the emergence of the current owner, with condemnation orders reissued in June 2010.
HAZARD: December 2010, now with problems with the foundation and roof.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program.

Cincinnati City staff has identified five possible locations for a new $24 million Cincinnati Police Department (CPD) District 3 police headquarters, but it's still accepting about additional locations.

At a public meeting on Feb. 6 at Elder High School's Schaeper Center, representatives from various City departments presented their ideas on where to relocate the headquarters, currently located at in a building constructed in 1908.
CPD is looking to relocate because the building is structurally and technologically obsolete. It also lacks sufficient parking, community space and storage, and is not ADA-compliant.

Post temporarily removed.

A former movie theater in Columbia Tusculum will see new life as retail and apartments, thanks to a Community Reinvestment Area tax exemption agreement approved by City Council on Feb. 6.

Developers Ted and Kent Hardman are renovating the vacant Jackson Building at into seven apartment units and 2,000 square feet of commercial space. The commercial space, which will occupy the former Jackson Theater lobby, will have an 11-station hair salon as its tenant.

Cincinnati City Council last Wednesday approved a Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) tax exemption agreement with Urban Sites affiliate BSG2, LLC for the renovation of 24 residential units and 2 commercial spaces, part of the company's Grammer's Place project in Over-the-Rhine.

The buildings, located at and and consisting of 19,080 square feet, will receive exterior improvements and new flooring, lighting, bathrooms and kitchens.

Following public hearings held Dec. 28 by the Department of Community Development, Property Maintenance Code Enforcement, the following 44 buildings have been declared a public nuisance:

• , Avondale (multi-family, 1935)
• , South Fairmount (single-family, 1930)
• , Avondale (two-family, 1905)
• , South Cumminsville (single-family, 1929)
• , East End (single-family, 1866)

NEIGHBORHOOD: East Price Hill
YEAR BUILT: 1880
USE: Multi-family dwelling (4 units)
OWNER: Charles M. and Brandy N. Brown
ASSESSED VALUE: $28,560
ORDERS: February 2004, for gutters and downspouts and a dilapidated fence. In September 2005, a new owner was hit with orders for interior and exterior doors, electric fixtures, paint, plaster, smoke detectors, fire escape, fire doors, windows, siding, exterior walks, gutters and downspouts, and the dilapidated fence. By August 2006, the property appeared vacant and the lot was overgrown. It was ordered barricaded in March 2007. The building was lost in bankruptcy.
CONDEMNED: June 2008, adding a foundation bulging inward and a rear chimney with loose and falling brick. Plans to turn the building into a single-family home fell through, and it was eventually sold at Sheriff's sale. The current owners received condemnation orders in June 2009. A criminal case was filed against Mr. and Ms. Brown, and housing diversion was granted.
HAZARD: February 2011.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program.

The following photos were taken on August 18, 2012, while taking some shots of the construction of Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati and some building projects in Mount Adams. And, well, the final two quirky photos were taken during a lunch at Arnold's Bar & Grill, one of the most fantastic places on the planet.

NEIGHBORHOOD: North Fairmount
YEAR BUILT: 1900
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: David McDaniel
ASSESSED VALUE: $17,630
ORDERS: January 2007, ordered vacated with citations for windows, exterior doors, smoke detectors, plaster, water leaks and damage, interior doors, electric fixtures, obstructed flues, water heater, deficient wiring, vermin, and a lack of heat. Ordered barricaded in June 2007. The current owner cleaned out the building after acquiring it in May 2008. On October 16, 2012, a one-alarm fire caused $10,000 in damage to the structure. A second fire on November 23, 2012 caused an additional $20,000 in damage.
CONDEMNED: December 2012, due to fire damage that compromised the building's framing members, windows, stairs, floors and gutters.
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: Demolished by the owner to close out orders.

The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI), the metropolitan planning organization with the final say in local disbursement of federal transportation funding, has announced the availability of funding for right-of-way and construction projects.

Applications are now being accepted for Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) funds in all three states, and for Surface Transportation Program for Northern Kentucky (SNK) funds.

The City of Cincinnati has received the Audrey Nelson Community Development Achievement Award for its contribution to the $36 million renovation of the , built in 1962 and formerly known as the Fay Apartments.

The award, presented by the National Community Development Association (NCDA), recognizes exemplary uses of the Community Development Block Grant Program and the partnerships between local governments and nonprofit organizations to assist low- and moderate-income persons. In recent years, projects funded through the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, Neighborhood Stabilization Program, and other sources also have been included.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Millvale
YEAR BUILT: 1915
USE: Three-family dwelling
OWNER: Matthew Fondenberger
ASSESSED VALUE: $25,980
ORDERS: March 2002, ordered vacated and barricaded. Reissued in April 2002. In August 2004, orders were issued for exterior hand rails and a cracked foundation. In April 2005, the building was again ordered vacated and barricaded with citations for the roof, flashing, chimney, gutters and downspouts, cornice, siding, windows, porch, and exterior steps.
CONDEMNED: October 2007. Attempts to sell the property were unsuccessful. In January 2012, the property was cited for the porch, plaster, window security, bathroom door, flooring, vermin, foundation holes, roof, gutters and downspouts, chimney, exterior paint, windows, exterior steps, exterior basement door, exterior hand rail, exterior doors, exit and hall lights, smoke detectors, paint, interior hand rails, stair treads, water leaks and damage, light and ventilation, bath and shower fixtures, electrical and plumbing, floor structure, wiring, lack of heat, fire escape, cornice, and flashing....
HAZARD: May 2012. No surprise.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program.

The City of Cincinnati's Director of Buildings and Inspections will hold a public hearing Friday at 9 A.M. in the Main Conference Room of the Building Development and Permit Center, , to determine if the following buildings should be declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program:

• , Northside (two-family, 1914)
• , Evanston (two-family, 1886)
• , Avondale (single-family, 1900)
• , East Price Hill (single-family, 1939)
• , East Price Hill (multi-family, 1941)

NEIGHBORHOOD: Riverside
YEAR BUILT: 1900
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: Richard W. and Nancy M. Hott
ASSESSED VALUE: $35,580
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: --
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: Demolished by the owner, who acquired a couple of properties in the area in August. Mr. Hott is the owner of Delhi Lawn Service Inc.

NEIGHBORHOOD: South Cumminsville
YEAR BUILT: 1895
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: Leon Jordan
ASSESSED VALUE: $5,000
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: September 2009, following a fire that caused damage to structural elements, siding, electrical service, porch, and windows. The owner told the City that he planned on rehabilitating the building, but did not have enough money for the building permits (?!?). A criminal case was prepared, but apparently not pursued.
HAZARD: November 2010, deteriorating badly.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program.

NEIGHBORHOOD: East Price Hill
YEAR BUILT: 1892
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: KB Partners LLC
ASSESSED VALUE: $23,610
ORDERS: February 2011, ordered vacated and barricaded due to disrepair and neglect, including open doors, a lack of utilities, water damage, and vandalism. Orders reissued to new owners in November 2011, adding broken and missing windows. A civil fine was issued in January 2012. A couple of weeks later, orders were reissued to another new owner.
CONDEMNED: February 2012, then again in March 2012.
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: Razed by the owner to close out orders.

A request for qualifications (RFQ) for architectural and engineering services for the $65 million expansion of the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium is open through Feb. 15 at 2 P.M.

A proposed new West Pavilion structure of approximately 100,000 square feet and four to five levels – about double the size of the current press box – would replace the existing press box, concession, and restroom facilities with a wider concourse, new box seats, loge boxes and private suites, enlarged restroom and concession areas, and expanded media space.

Yard House, an Irvine, California-based upscale-casual restaurant featuring American fusion fare and 160 taps of craft ales and lagers, is opening March 24 at – and it's looking to fill more than 200 positions.

The restaurant has opened a hiring center at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center's North Star Café and is accepting in-person applications for positions ranging from servers, bartenders, bussers and hosts to line cooks, prep cooks, dishwashers and barbacks.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Avondale
YEAR BUILT: 1935
USE: Three-family dwelling
OWNER: City of Cincinnati
ASSESSED VALUE: $112,560
ORDERS: February 2009, ordered vacated and barricaded due to rotted roof and soffit, damaged gutters and downspouts, a hazardous rear porch, and a lack of protective paint. In September 2012, orders were reissued for all except for the roof, gutters and downspouts.
CONDEMNED: --
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: Demolished by the City for future housing development by The Community Builders, Inc.

Save the Dream Ohio, a program that has helped more than 8,800 homeowners prevent foreclosure, has eased its eligibility requirements and enhanced the benefits it provides.

The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA), the program's administrator, announced on Feb. 1 that it has increased the maximum benefit per household from $25,000 to $35,000. Under the new terms, the maximum annual household income for eligible homeowners has increased to $112,375, and a household's liquid assets – excluding retirement funds – will no longer be a factor in determining eligibility.

The --> --> --> has initiated the Section 106 Historic Preservation Review process for the State Route 32 relocation, part of the $1.4 billion Eastern Corridor multi-modal transportation project.

Section 106, part of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, requires federal agencies to consider the effects of their projects on sensitive historic and archaeological resources.

The City of Cincinnati has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for an operator for a privately-owned bike share system in Downtown and Over-the-Rhine.

The on-demand, fully automated bike share stations allow riders to pay by credit card to rent a bicycle, which can be returned to any other station in the system. Rental rates are determined by the length of use.

Relocation of Duke Energy's underground electrical and gas lines to accommodate construction of the $110 million, 3.6-mile will begin within the next two weeks, thanks to signed agreements between the City and Duke Energy announced on Friday.

The two parties have agreed to go before the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court within the next two weeks to seek a declaratory judgment on who should pay to relocate any utility lines located under and within three feet of the track slab. A second agreement outlines how the City and Duke will work in partnership to ensure worker safety during maintenance of the lines once the streetcar is operational.

Cincinnati City Council on Jan. 31 made changes to the and the , increasing the number of board members and instituting term limits.

The modifications to Article XXV, Sec. 11 of the Cincinnati Administrative Code increase the number of ZBA members from five to seven and adds to the tribunal one urban design professional and one attorney. It also increases the number of appointed alternates from four to six.

Five artists have been selected to submit initial proposals for the , which are due by Feb. 28.

ArtWorks received 77 applications for the public art project that will add sculptural elements .