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News

Dead retail space becoming more prevalent, but we’re still building

Let me stand on my soapbox and loudly proclaim what millions have done before me over the past year and say, “It’s a sign of the times”. Sure, it might not be the most original statement you’ve heard in awhile, but perhaps it truly does apply.

Western Hamilton county is seeing an increase in the reduction of commercial real estate, and yes that’s a borderline double-negative. It seems like everywhere you look, in addition to the depressing little white or yellow slips posted on the front doors or windows of vacant homes, you’re seeing more and more empty retail space.

No, it’s not just the little guy, it’s the big guys too. From the K-Mart in Forest Park, to the Dillard’s in Colerain, and finally to the most peculiar little area, Glenway Crossing in my neck of the woods over here in Western Hills. This once thriving area, while still bustling with activity from the remaining businesses, is starting to become a little, shall we say, ghostly?

Circuit City, CostPlus WorldMarket, and Steve & Barry’s have all gone the way of businesses past. It is understandable that in this and any economy businesses will fold. Circuit City succumbed to the national rivalry with BestBuy, and ironically, the “thrifty” stores like Steve & Barry’s and CostPlus WorldMarket found it difficult to stay financially afloat. Yeah, I’ll give you that WorldMarket was more of a niche store, but they still had everyday items which I only recently discovered before their demise, such as coffee and olive oil which was amazingly priced considering the quality. Oh well, you can’t win them all.

Target took their operations up the road, which seems to be another interesting trend. Despite the vacancies, the real estate in Glenway Crossing doesn’t seem too bad. Businesses like BestBuy, Chipotle, and Panera, as well as WalMart nearby, still draw a lot of people (i.e. money) to the area. Yet new development, including the construction of new buildings, is going on just a few miles up Glenway, where the demographics are really no different.

Western Hills Plaza is seeing new life at Glenway Crossing’s expense

Am I missing something here? No, we’re not building “Legacy Places”, but why build new structures when existing real estate sits not too far away? At least these are being built over the sites of older business and parking lots, etc., but c’mon, would it kill to put something, anything, other than more retail along Glenway?

At any rate, instead of whining about something I really have no control over, I’ve decided that it’s my duty, as a resident of the west side of Cincinnati, to at least contribute ideas of how to utilize this space at Glenway Crossing.

I’ll be honest, the plazas are fairly drab, mostly concrete and mortar, and not overly attractive. So, I’ve come up with the following…

Low Security Jail Space: We keep on hearing about talk about a new jail, why not offer up this space as a small jail facility for the low risk criminals, such as petty thieves, peeping toms, and the Madoff family. I mean, who wouldn’t want a jail in their neighborhood when it’s for the good of the community, right?

Small College Campus: Why between the empty plaza space and the two standalone buildings, formerly known as Target and Circuit City, you could have another concrete University and call it NKU North, or “Northerner Kentucky University”, as some of our friends across the river might say.

Black Friday Training Facility: The FBI has had Hogan’s Alley for years, and the military uses fake cities to teach urban warfare tactics. Why not turn it into a site that department stores can rent for day after thanksgiving training? It would also boost the local economy, as a local “mob” would have to be hired to storm the doors of the trainees. Yep. That’s called thinking outside the box folks.

Before I get hate mail about poking fun at Kentuckians, I should point out that I grew up in Kentucky and spent the majority of my life there. By default, that means I’m privileged to perpetuate the stereotype of the Kentucky hillbilly. I should also point out that I know several people from the west side of Cincinnati who pronounce “wolf” as “woof”.

As stated earlier, this is all a sign of the times. Businesses are bound to fail, while others rebuild. Citizens such as myself will find something else to complain about during the Bengals off season, and satirical posts will rise hand in hand with the unemployment rate.

Categories
Development News Politics Transportation

What is a boondoggle?

I’m sure you’ve heard this term thrown out there before. It seems as though any time a project is proposed, that a certain constituency doesn’t like, they simply throw out the descriptive word “boondoggle” of said project and poof – it must be true.

After all, the stadiums were boondoggles. So was the convention center expansion, the 2002 Metro Moves plan, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the Fountain Square renovation and now of course so is the proposed Cincinnati Streetcar.

Fountain Square in 2008 (post renovation)

Technically speaking a boondoggle is “an unnecessary or wasteful project or activity.” More informally speaking, Wikipedia cites that the term first made its appearance in the 1930’s during the projects of the New Deal. A New York Times report, at the time, reported that over $3 million was spent on teaching the jobless how to make boon doggles.

What I wonder is whether the term has lost its value? Can we apply this term and rallying cry to projects preemptively? If so, how does it differ from someone else’s opinion that the project may be a roaring success?

While in some instances the proclamation of a particular project being a boondoggle may have been valid, there are just as many opposite examples. One of the most recent examples is the renovation of Fountain Square*.

Many of the opponents, to the project, saw it as being destined to failure. That the new design would be worse than the previous one, that the new management would be damaging to activity on the Square and that the private investments wouldn’t occur around the Square. These opponents have been wrong on all accounts, but are still claiming every new idea to be a boondoggle without any real accountability.

In the case of the Cincinnati Streetcar, opponents use boondoggle in combination with “trolley” and/or “choo choo train” in virtually everything they write on the topic. Words are a powerful thing and language is often manipulated to advance one’s interests on an issue. This is fine, but the distinction should be made…and the problem is that these techniques/strategies come at the expense of the center city, Cincinnati politicians, local government and the mentalities of all Cincinnatians.

Just because someone somewhere cites that a project is one of those dreaded boondoggles does not make it so. Do some research and learn about the topic on your own free of bias, then make up your own opinion. The Cincinnati Streetcar has had several studies done on it…and the results are in. Economics, the environment, transportation and livability issues are all on the project’s side. Don’t take my word for it though…read for yourself and make up your own mind.

Economic Analysis
UC Economic Study (confirming previous study’s findings)
Feasibility Study
Climate Protection Action Plan
Growth & Opportunities (GO) Report for Cincinnati

All of these studies find the streetcar project to be a positive project for the city/region in regards to their specific interests. The studies are all specific to the Cincinnati region. All documents are in PDF form.

*NOTE: Fountain Square has seen the recent activity of the following businesses that have cited the renovation of Fountain Square as being instrumental to their operations…Chipotle, Potbelly, McCormick & Schmick’s, Boi Na Braza, Via Vite, Tazza Mia, Ingredients, Joseph A. Bank, Graeter’s, Morton’s the Steakhouse, 5/3 Banking Center, Jones the Florist, Cadillac Ranch, Oceanaire, Bootsy’s and Nada…just to name a few.

Categories
News

1 Night, 12 Kitchens at the Midwest Culinary Institute

The Midwest Culinary Institute (MCI) located at Cincinnati State is one of the nation’s best culinary schools and a gem for the Cincinnati region. On April 26th you have the opportunity to experience great food and wine prepared by the top chefs in Cincinnati while also raising some money for scholarship opportunities down the road.

1 Night, 12 Kitchens will be from 6pm to 9pm on Sunday, April 26th at the MCI (GoogleMap) located on the Clifton campus of Cincinnati State. In addition to the culinary treats, participants will also have the opportunity to visit with MCI faculty, students and explore the school’s 12 teaching kitchens. There will also be a silent auction that will include wine lots, a handcrafted chandelier and tickets for a variety of culinary experiences.

Two of MCI’s kitchen classrooms – Photos from Cincinnati Magazine

The menu, for the evening, includes a terrine of foie gras, medallion of lobster, truffled tenderloin of beef, rum baba and an assortment of French cheeses and petite sweets…making it a perfect evening for our Food Network and culinary lovers (I know you’re out there).

Prices start at $80 for a complete food and wine sampling that also includes tours of all 12 kitchens. A $150 VIP package includes, “an exclusive culinary station, private receptions with the participating chefs and a souvenir apron.” And for those that are willing to put up $250 for a good cause, you will also be treated to a private dinner at the MCI’s Summit Restaurant with Comfort and Chef Timmins.

You can purchase tickets online at Cincinnati Magazine, or by phone at (513) 562-2777. Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot early.

Categories
News Politics

Couple random thoughts

1) According to recent Census data and analysis, Cincinnati has seen a 4% growth in its number of YPs living in the metropolitan area.

This 4% growth is slightly lower than the overall population growth rate (5.4%) for the metropolitan region but is better than other Midwestern cities like Columbus (3%), Indianapolis (3%), Louisville(2%), St. Louis (1%) and Cleveland (-1%).

This is tremendous news for a couple of reasons. The first is that if cities can’t attract and retain talented young people then they are destined for failure. Bold actions need to continually be made to position Cincinnati in a way that it can continue to attract and better retain these individuals, but it is certainly encouraging to hear that we’re heading in the right direction and growing one of the most important demographic groups out there.

2) The relationship between the local chapter of the NAACP and the local attorney, Chris Finney, most known for his controversial stances on issues as they relate to the GLBT community will continue indefinitely and at the discretion of Christopher Smitherman.

This is not all that surprising as the relationship has proven to be somewhat fruitful politically for Cincinnati NAACP President Christopher Smitherman. I do feel that this is just that – a politically motivated move. It further frustrates me because I feel that it is these types of issues that distract people and confuse them about the purpose of the NAACP.

The local NAACP should be listening to its constituents and fighting for things like equal access to education, healthcare and so on. Many of Cincinnati’s lowest income neighborhoods also face extreme impacts of environmental impact inequalities. These foundational problems though have seemed to be forgotten amongst the recent political forays (red light cameras, streetcar, no confidence vote in Mayor Mallory, Finney) of the Smitherman led Cincinnati NAACP Chapter.

Furthermore, I find it somewhat disgraceful that one group fighting for the rights of a minority population would work so closely with someone like Finney who has been so outspoken when it comes to the rights and equality issues of another minority population.

Categories
News

Fountain Day 2009

This Saturday, April 4th is the second annual Fountain Day where Cincinnatians gather to ceremoniously turn the water back on at Fountain Square. The events will begin at 6pm and last for several hours with live music and an statement from Mayor Mallory.

The event is a great way to kick off the spring season and the return on warmer weather to the Queen City. Rozzi’s Famous Fireworks will close out the programed portions of the evening shortly after 8pm.

The event is free and open to the public. Adult beverages and soft drinks will be available for purchase on the Square throughout the event. Parking is available in the Fountain Square Garage and Metro provides heavy service to the event via Government Square.

Event Schedule:

  • 6 pm Bob Herzog welcomes crowd with a “Dance Party Saturday”
  • 6:15 pm Live Music: 500 Miles to Memphis
  • 7pm Live Music: Eclipse
  • 8 pm Remarks by John Ryan of Raymond James
  • 8:05 pm Remarks by Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory
  • 8:10 pm Water flows, Fireworks start