NEIGHBORHOOD: Evanston
YEAR BUILT: 1914
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: Celebrating Your Success LLC
ASSESSED VALUE: $15,000
ORDERS: July 2010, ordered barricaded due to trespassers seen going in and out of the vacant building. In August 2011, orders were issued for exterior paint.
CONDEMNED: July 2012, for roof and soffits, chimney, gutters and downspouts, rear addition roof, cracked masonry, vandalism, and water damage.
HAZARD: November 2012.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Mount Auburn
YEAR BUILT: 1870
USE: Multi-family dwelling
OWNER: Leroy Glen Investment LLC (Eagle Realty Group)
ASSESSED VALUE: $39,760
ORDERS: July 2001, ordered vacated and barricaded due to non-compliance on orders issued in May 2000. Ordered barricaded in July 2004, then again ordered vacated and barricaded in August 2004. Orders issued for exterior paint and windows in December 2005. Ordered vacated and barricaded in January 2007. A criminal case against Dorian Development, the previous owner, was filed in May 2007 and made its way though the courts until May 2010, when it was dismissed for want of prosecution. A new case was filed in July 2010. Throughout the period, the owner made no attempt to purchase a Vacant Building Maintenance License (VBML) and was depending on City support for a redevelopment project, which never came. Eventually, all attempts to clean up the property, keep it barricaded, and abate graffiti were abandoned.
CONDEMNED: November 2011. In May 2012, the current owner petitioned the City to block off traffic into and out of the complex to cut down on illegal dumping and vandalism, and soon began cleaning up the site.
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: Demolished by Eagle Realty Group for future redevelopment as workforce housing. The building was part of the Glencoe-Auburn Hotel and Glencoe-Auburn Place Row Houses, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2003.

Cincinnati City Council on April 10 approved an application for a grant of up to $200,000 from the Ohio Development Services Agency to construct an access drive into the former Conrail transfer station site in Sedamsville, which could open the 22-acre parcel to further redevelopment.

The access drive, to be built , will become a new public street and will include new curbs and sidewalks, as well as infrastructure improvements such as sanitary sewers and water lines.

On April 10, the City of Cincinnati created two new Interim Development Control (IDC) Overlay Districts to facilitate ongoing studies of development in the Uptown neighborhoods.

IDCs, as established in Section 1431-01 of the City's zoning code, temporarily regulate the establishment of uses, construction of new buildings, and demolition or alteration of existing structures in areas where the adoption of amendments to the zoning code have been proposed in a plan approved by the City Planning Commission. Any changes within the IDC are subject to review by Department of City Planning and Buildings staff and the City Planning Commission before permits can be issued.

Two businesses have opened and a model apartment unit is available for viewing at the U Square @ the Loop project in Clifton Heights.

The $82 million project, being developed by Towne Properties and Al. Neyer, Inc., is filling in the with 161 apartments, 80,000 square feet of retail space, 40,000 square feet of office space, two public parking garages, and a public plaza.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Mount Auburn
YEAR BUILT: 1910
USE: Two-family dwelling
OWNER: Property Makeovers LLC
ASSESSED VALUE: $1,670
ORDERS: March 2008, ordered vacated and barricaded due to a lack of water service and utilities, as well as several exterior violations. In October 2008, the City decided not to file criminal charges against the owner because of multiple charges against him. He had moved out of state and was not responding to the City's orders.
CONDEMNED: October 2008.
HAZARD: March 2009, citing an open roof, damaged cornice, gutters and downspouts, broken and missing windows, and a collapsing chimney. In August 2012, the current owner walked through the property with City inspectors and said that he was applying for a loan to renovate the building. The roof damage and cracked masonry had allowed water to enter the building, and there was a significant mold problem.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program. Demolished using Moving Ohio Forward program funds.

Cincinnati City Council on April 10 approved $10,000 in tax increment financing (TIF) funding for a pre-development study and design of Westwood Square.

The new square would be built at the .

Although agreements for the $95 million renovation of Music Hall have been approved, the Music Hall Revitalization Company (MHRC) cautions that no construction timetable has been set.

In an April 26 e-mail, the MHRC made that clarification in light of recent reports concerning the April 10 lease agreement with the City and the April 18 development agreement with the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp (3CDC), which will serve as project manager.

Following a final proposal review scheduled for June, the City will move administration of the Neighborhood Support Program (NSP) and Neighborhood Business District Support Fund (NBDSF) in-house to the Department of Community Development.

In an April 9 letter to the City’s community councils, Dohoney said that the change was made due a change in the fiscal year from a July to June cycle and uncertainty in the City's general fund budget, estimated to be $35 million in the red.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Hyde Park
YEAR BUILT: 1930
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: Zicka Homes Ltd.
ASSESSED VALUE: $423,430
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: --
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: Teardown for a new single-family house. Not yet listed.

The City of Cincinnati's Urban Conservator, Larry Harris, will hold a public hearing today at 2 P.M., Centennial Two, , Suite 720, to determine the historic significance of 20 buildings that have been condemned and/or declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program.

All of the following buildings are more than 50 years old and subject to review under Section 1101-57.1(1) of the Cincinnati Municipal Code:

• , Mount Airy (single-family, 1939)
• , East Price Hill (two-family, 1926)
• , East Price Hill (multi-family, 1910)
• , East Price Hill (single-family, 1914)
• , East Price Hill (single-family, 1914)

NEIGHBORHOOD: West End
YEAR BUILT: 1875
USE: Two-family dwelling
OWNER: James Gray
ASSESSED VALUE: $12,410
ORDERS: January 2008, ordered vacated and barricaded due to lack of utilities, open windows, exterior paint, and cornice. The property, which appears to have been abandoned, became a drug house and was being used by squatters.
CONDEMNED: February 2010, adding gutters and downspouts and litter.
HAZARD: April 2011, adding falling bricks and a separation of the rear of the building from the main structure.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program. Demolished using Moving Ohio Forward funding.

Corryville's Views on Vine project is under roof and on target for its August opening.

The $20 million project, being developed in partnership by --> --> --> and North American Properties, will add 102 apartment units, 18,400 square feet of retail and commercial space, and a 190-space parking garage on the .

NEIGHBORHOOD: North Fairmount
YEAR BUILT: 1889
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: Galilee Baptist Church
ASSESSED VALUE: $9,940
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: --
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: Demolished by the adjacent church, no plans announced.

With Earth Day fast approaching, Metro is highlighting what it says is one of its "greenest years ever".

Last year, the nonprofit service of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority added 45 new mini-hybrid buses to the 27 hybrid buses in its 346-vehicle fleet. Metro plans to add 33 new mini-hybrids to its fleet this year.

In 2012, progress was achieved in all of Downtown Cincinnati Inc.'s (DCI) core areas, according to a report released at the annual meeting of its more than 165 members held yesterday at The Cincinnati Club on Garfield Place.

DCI, a non-profit funded largely by assessments to property owners in the Central Business District, aims to create a dynamic Downtown by providing neighborhood safe and clean services, marketing, stakeholder services, and advocacy.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Camp Washington
YEAR BUILT: 1929
USE: Two-family dwelling
OWNER: Fred D. Tucker
ASSESSED VALUE: $47,910
ORDERS: September 2008, ordered vacated and barricaded. It was soon discovered that the owner was deceased.
CONDEMNED: May 2009, for a lack of utilities, missing siding, an open roof, stripped plaster, water damage and mold.
HAZARD: March 2010, adding a defective porch, broken and missing windows, gutters and downspouts. According to communications from the neighborhood, scrappers were occupying the building and using the adjoining lot to break down metals.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program. Demolished using Moving Ohio Forward program funding.

NEIGHBORHOOD: South Cumminsville
YEAR BUILT: 1905
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: Investors Inc.
ASSESSED VALUE: $28,120
ORDERS: April 2005, ordered vacated and barricaded. Reissued to a new owner in August 2005, citing foundation holes, roof, flashing, chimney, gutters and downspouts, cornice, windows, and exterior steps.
CONDEMNED: December 2005, issued to the current owner, then reissued in November 2006, then again in March 2007. Currently in criminal status due to non-compliance.
HAZARD: June 2008, heavily deteriorated due to exposure to weather.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program.

Site preparation and pile drilling is happening at the site of the Stetson City Homes in Corryville, .

Ground was broken in January for the 18-unit condominium project by Great Traditions Land & Development Co., a continuation of an eight-year, $84 million Village at Stetson Square project that so far has resulted in 205 apartment units, 53 condominium units, 79,000 square feet of office space, and 15,000 square feet of street-level retail.

Starting this Saturday, the Betts House will host an exhibit providing hands-on opportunities for children to explore architecture and construction through building, drawing, and creation.

Build It! Architecture for Kids, on loan from archKIDecture of Chicago, consists of nine modules presenting architectural subjects including roofs, tools, and shapes, as well as the many properties of building materials and structures. Children are encouraged to interact with each module, either on their own or through collaboration.

NEIGHBORHOOD: West Price Hill
YEAR BUILT: 1888
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: EH Pooled 412 LP (Chandler, TX)
ASSESSED VALUE: $2,520
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: December 2009, for a lack of electrical service or connections, a leaning front porch, defective gutters, a failing roof, bulging chimney, a leaning foundation, missing brick, and litter. In May 2010, orders were reissued to the bank following foreclosure. In April 2011, reissued to yet another owner. A civil fine was issued in February 2012. Orders reissued that same month due to trespassers, vagrants, vandals and vermin overtaking the property. No utilities were available. Soffits had begun to fail and there were numerous hazardous trees on the site. Another civil fine was issued in April 2012.
HAZARD: September 2012, adding broken and missing windows to the mix.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program. Demolished using Moving Ohio Forward funding.

The $3.8 million, 28-unit second phase of the University Edge student apartment development is being clad in brick at the in Corryville.

The project is being developed by Hallmark Student Housing Cincinnati II, LLC and has been registered with the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED for Homes Mid-Rise project.

Two restored suburban Woodlawn estates of radically different styles will be featured on Cincinnati Preservation Association's (CPA) 2013 Spring House Tour, to be held April 27 from 1 P.M.-5 P.M.

The International-style Frederick and Harriet Rauh House, at , was built in 1938 and is one of the first of its style in Ohio. CPA acquired the property in September 2011 from donor Emily Rauh Pulitzer and has restored the house from a state of dilapidation, even recreating its original landscape plan.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Avondale
YEAR BUILT: 1901
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: Johnnie W. Harris
ASSESSED VALUE: $52,240
ORDERS: May 2012, ordered vacated due to structural failure and a lack of water service for at least two years.
CONDEMNED: August 2012, for rotten frame walls, unstable floor joists and a washed out stone foundation that had led to severe water damage and caused the structure to move.
HAZARD: December 2012, adding defective downspouts and missing windows. In January 2013, the right side of the house collapsed into the neighbor's yard.
REASON RAZED: Emergency demolition of a hazardous building due to a structural collapse.

On a hillside with a commanding view of the City's skyline, Cincinnati natives Scott Hand and Dominic Marino have quietly begun to transform a piece of local brewing history.

Under the name of Grayscale Cincinnati, the duo is partnering with building owner Historic Limited Liability Company to turn the Jackson Brewery building at into a performing arts complex.

A design review committee has selected of Sebastapol, Calif. as its finalist to design the sculptural elements that will be installed as part of ArtWorks' .

Seventy-seven interested firms submitted applications through a request for qualifications process launched late last year. Five semi-finalists were selected in late January.

The latest project in the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp.'s (3CDC) redevelopment efforts in Over-the-Rhine officially opened on Thursday morning.

Bakery Lofts, a $2.4 million project located at , contains 9 condominium units ranging in price from $153,000 to $346,900 and ranging in size from 780 to 1,632 square feet. The project incorporates universal design and accessibility elements, elevator access, and energy efficient features.

Following public hearings held March 15 by the Department of Community Development, Property Maintenance Code Enforcement, the following 27 buildings have been declared a public nuisance:

• , Walnut Hills (three-family, 1840)
• , Fairview (multi-family, 1960)
• , South Fairmount (single-family, 1926)
• , West End (single-family, 1880)
• , Avondale (two-family, 1925)

NEIGHBORHOOD: North Fairmount
YEAR BUILT: 1900
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: Galilee Baptist Church
ASSESSED VALUE: $15,220
ORDERS: Seven orders for litter and/or weeds between 2003 and 2010.
CONDEMNED: --
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: Unknown.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Evanston
YEAR BUILT: 1902
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: Kevin D. and Anita J. Gross
ASSESSED VALUE: $57,220
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: April 2011, following a structure fire that damaged the house's roof, floors, windows, doors, walls, and mechanical systems.
HAZARD: October 2011. The owners completed most of the exterior repairs and received a stay of demolition.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program.

The City of Norwood last week put into effect a series of amendments to its zoning code that are meant to foster mixed-use economic development that enhances the city's inherent walkability and charm.

"As a first suburb of the City of Cincinnati, Norwood has leveraged its location to become a major destination for office and retail development," said Christopher Brown, the city's assistant law director. "These changes will further these efforts."

Seven 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:

Redevelopment of the in Bond Hill began last Thursday with the demolition of a vacant Burger King restaurant and the removal of the 32-foot billboard sign that marked the Reading Road-Seymour Avenue intersection for more than four decades.

The site includes the 250,000-square-foot Swifton Commons mall property, which has fallen into decline due to years of disinvestment and deferred maintenance. That building will be demolished later this summer.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Corryville
YEAR BUILT: 1880
USE: Two-family dwelling
OWNER: --> --> -->
ASSESSED VALUE: $62,440
ORDERS: October 2010, for exterior walks, siding, exterior paint, windows, and front porch. Orders reissued in October 2012 for exterior walks, siding, and exterior paint. Uptown Rental Properties acquired the property in November 2012, and the orders were reissued.
CONDEMNED: --
HAZARD: --
REASON RAZED: Demolished by Uptown Rental Properties for future redevelopment.

Xavier University's Community Building Institute and the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) have been working with residents and business owners in the neighborhoods surrounding the since mid-2012, and they have developed some key ideas for its redevelopment.

Built in 1942 to house families of military personnel and containing 717 units in 82 buildings, the complex officially closed in fall 2005 after CMHA estimated it would cost $92 million to repair major electrical, structural, and plumbing problems. At the time of its closure, fewer than 100 residents occupied the complex.

Cincinnati Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls has introduced a motion calling for the establishment of new financing mechanisms for solar energy, including the creation of a solar rooftop program that would enable the bundling of residential and commercial properties to facilitate power purchase or lease agreements for solar energy installations.

The motion also directs the City to work with Green Umbrella, the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority, and the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance to develop the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing tool, which will help the City reach the goal of having solar energy equipment installed on 20 percent of residential and commercial rooftops by 2028.

Houses close to brownfields lose value at a rate of at least 0.1 percent for each 1 percent nearer it is to a contaminated site, according to recent research by University of Cincinnati associate professor of urban planning Rainer vom Hofe and former University of Cincinnati doctoral student and Oana Mihaescu, currently affiliated with HUI Research and Dalarna University in Sweden.

Conversely, a 1 percent increase in distance from the closest brownfield corresponded to a nearly 0.1 percent increase in market value. Beyond 2,000 feet from the brownfield, the impact was negligible.

Today at 1 P.M. at the Business Development and Permit Center, , Cincinnati's Board of Housing Appeals will hold a public hearing to consider orders against the following properties:

• , Roselawn (multi-family, 1949), relief from building code violation orders (multiple properties)
• , East Price Hill (single-family, 1915), suspension of Vacant Building Maintenance License (VBML) fee - continuance
• , Northside (single-family, 1895), suspension of VBML fee
• , Westwood (multi-family, 1967), suspension of VBML fee

NEIGHBORHOOD: Sedamsville
YEAR BUILT: 1895
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: D & L Associates LLP (Leesville, SC)
ASSESSED VALUE: $40,460
ORDERS: --
CONDEMNED: September 2009, for a deteriorated roof, gutters and downspouts, missing siding, broken and missing windows, exterior door, retaining wall, a lack of utility service and missing mechanicals, and litter.
HAZARD: June 2011.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program.

NEIGHBORHOOD: West Price Hill
YEAR BUILT: 1898
USE: Single-family dwelling
OWNER: Gurudath Kamath
ASSESSED VALUE: $4,500
ORDERS: March 2007, for fence, cornice, windows, and litter. Ordered vacated and barricaded in October 2007, following a foreclosure. In May 2008, the orders were reissued for the fence, cornice, windows, soffit, and litter. In October 2008, orders for the soffit and windows were reissued to the bank.
CONDEMNED: November 2009, to a new owner, citing a collapsing chimney, an unsafe rear deck, siding, cornice, gutters and downspouts, windows and doors, unsafe steps, exposed wiring, defective mortar joints, paint, weeds, and trash.
HAZARD: July 2010.
REASON RAZED: Declared a public nuisance and entered into the City's hazard abatement program. Demolished using Moving Ohio Forward funding.

Cincinnati's newest local historic landmark is the Kinsey Apartment Building, located at in Mount Auburn.

City Council approved the designation last Wednesday in a move that will help applicant and owner Graham Kalbli of --> --> -->CR Architecture + Design --> --> --> obtain Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits (OHPTC) to redevelop and preserve the long-vacant, 15,810-square-foot structure.

Cincinnati City Council on Mar. 27 passed three resolutions supporting applications for Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits (OHPTC) for several properties in Over-the-Rhine and Pendleton, including two options for the high-profile former home of the School for Creative and Performing Arts.

In January, Indianapolis-based Core Redevelopment proposed a 155- to 170-unit apartment conversion of the building at that would preserve most of the building's architectural features.

Cincinnati City Council on Mar. 27 adopted a motion requiring developers and their designated subcontractors to pay all workers prevailing wage on projects financed with at least 30 percent City support.

The motion, by councilmembers Laure Quinlivan, Cecil Thomas, and Wendell Young, was in response to claims of worker underpayment and exploitation at the U Square @ the Loop project, currently under construction along in Clifton Heights.

The foundation is complete and the first level of the three-story, 26-unit Nolen Park development has emerged from the ground in Mariemont.

The luxury condominiums, being built by Greiwe Development Group and North American Properties at , are the third phase of a project meant to complete the early 1920s vision of village founder Mary Emery and town planner John Nolen. Condominiums in the prior phases have sold out, including Jordan Park, completed in 2008, and Emery Park, completed in 2011.

The Ohio Controlling Board at its Mar. 25 meeting approved $5 million for the preparation of design-build documents for a new interchange at .

Columbus-based TranSystems Corporation, which prepared initial conceptual alternatives as part of the Uptown Access Study, is expected to have the documents completed in time for a scheduled contract award date of April 2014.

Preservation Ohio is accepting through April 26.

The annual list, now in its 20th year, is meant to bring public attention and focus to important pieces of Ohio history that face an uncertain future due to threats of demolition, disinvestment or neglect, insensitive governmental action, or other human or environmental factors.

Total as of April 1, 2013: 2,415 buildings
% Change in past month: -0.29% (-7 buildings)
% Change in past two months: -0.37% (-9 buildings)
% Change in past three months: +0.21% (+5 buildings)
% Change in past four months: -0.83% (-20 buildings)
% Change in past five months: -0.17% (-4 buildings)
% Change in past six months: +0.37% (+9 buildings)
% Change in past year: --
% Change in past two years: --
% Change in past five years: --