Tag: developments

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Development News

SouthShore oozes luxury

The SouthShore condominium tower dominates the Newport riverfront with its Miami-esque design that features floor to ceiling windows and luxury amenities that can be found nowhere else. I was able to tour the building over the weekend and grab some pictures. So far about 65% of the building’s residential space has been sold with condos ranging from $300,000 to $3,000,000.

The tower is roughly 240′ tall with 17 floors of living space and 4 floors of parking. The amenities include a fitness center, a rooftop amenity deck that includes a pool, putting green, walking trail, gardens, sundeck and clubhouse. SouthShore was also recently approved for a 100-slip marina that will primarily serve residents but also be available for rent to the public.

There are 21 photos in the slideshow of the two model units, rooftop amenity deck, lobby and exterior.

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News

Soapbox articles 5/5

In addition to running UrbanCincy, working and going to school I am now also writing for Soapbox Cincinnati. I write the articles for the Development News section and my first articles are in this week’s edition that came out today.

Feel free to go and check out the following stories and please sign up for the weekly Soapbox E-Zine so that you don’t miss an issue.

In this week’s issue you will find the following articles written by yours truly:

  • Urban gardening taking root in Cincinnati – full article
  • Queensgate Terminals project heats up – full article
  • Historic house tours fill Mother’s Day weekend – full article
  • New Cincinnati Herald building wins regional award for green building techniques – full article
  • New residents drive 28% growth for Findlay Market, new Biergarten and extended hours – full article
  • Christopher Marcus Salon opens downtown location – full article

Also be sure to check out the following In The News bits:

  • Cincinnati’s Gateway Quarter and the Streetcar – full article
  • Hamilton County unveils new development process – full article
  • UC dancers on top of the world – full article
  • NIEHS teams with federal and city groups to conduct disaster response training exercise – full article
  • Ohio wins national award for alternative-fuel-use scorecard – full article
  • St. E’s roof will bloom in July – full article
  • An upscale pastry store thrives by finding new markets – full article
  • Terry’s Turf Club makes Food Network Magazine’s “ultimate burger” list – full article
Categories
Arts & Entertainment Business Development News

All-Star showing for Cincy in 2013?

The Cincinnati Enquirer’s John Fay is reporting that the Reds are “actively pursuing” for an All-Star Game to come to Cincinnati in 2013.

It seems like a relatively long time away, but in All-Star Game terms it’s not. St. Louis will host the game this year, Los Angeles (Anaheim) has 2010 and Arizona will have 2011. Boston is rumored to be the favorite for 2012, but Kansas City is also in the mix for 2012 or 2014.

The game alternates between AL and NL locations, so that leaves 2013, 2015 and 2017 as the next options for Cincinnati to get its fifth All-Star Game and first at Great American Ballpark that opened for the 2003 season.

First generation rendering of Great American Ballpark and its then future surroundings – from Hamilton County

The timeline works fine with me as the first phase of The Banks and the Central Riverfront Park will be complete. The Great American Tower (Queen City Square) will also be finished; and if we’re really lucky, so will the first phase of the proposed streetcar system. Talk about making a good impression.

At the same time work will be underway for future phases of The Banks, Central Riverfront Park and (once again if we’re lucky) the proposed streetcar system. I’m glad we didn’t get an All-Star Game immediately after the opening of Great American Ballpark. I’d much rather have the out-of-towners come in and experience the revitalized Cincinnati and see that we have a lot more to offer than the nostalgia of WKRP.

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
Business Development News

Does casino fit for prominent Broadway Commons site?

It was announced last week that there is yet another movement to legalize casino gaming in Ohio. The difference with this proposal is its scope. Instead of a single casino for the entire state, casinos would instead be placed in each of the state’s largest cities (Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo).

The intent is to reach a larger market and have broader voter appeal come November. In Cincinnati the proposal has already picked up some high-profile support in Mayor Mark Mallory, City Councilman Jeff Berding and former Mayor Charlie Luken.

The site for the proposed casino is the pipe-dream location that is Broadway Commons (GoogleMap). The site is located in the Pendleton sub-neighborhood of historic Over-the-Rhine. Its close proximity to Downtown, the convention center, several museums, gobs of hotel rooms and major tourism draws like the Reds and Bengals have long made the site a prime spot for redevelopment speculation (streetcar connectivity).

The question is what is right for such a prime location? Seems like a pretty subjective question, and it is. In the 90’s many people (including myself) thought the site would have been a perfect location for the new Reds ballpark. Other ideas have ranged from urban big-box stores, a mega park, rail transit hub and of course the mixed use urban infill that we would all love to see.

Plans for the once proposed ballpark at Broadway Commons

The problem of course has been market reality. With a slew of new condos and apartments constantly coming on the market in Downtown, Over-the-Rhine, Newport, Covington and the Westend – can we really absorb more residential units, hotels, office and retail space, if so at what cost? Does it jeopardize the future success in OTR, Downtown and The Banks? Will Cincinnati ever push the rail transit agenda and make light rail, streetcars and high-speed rail reality here, if so can we afford to wait that long to redevelop this major site sitting unproductive?

The owners (Chavez Properties), of Broadway Commons, seem to be ready and willing to sell and they are on board with this casino plan. A casino would turn the giant surface lot into a tax productive use, create hundreds of permanent jobs, significantly boost tax revenues for Cincinnati and Hamilton County and potentially create some spinoff investment in the surrounding community.

At the same time the casino would seemingly prey on those with less, create a handful of social problems for a city that already has its fair share, possibly create an island development that encourages its patrons not to leave the confines and potentially insert an out-of-place building and design into one of the nation’s largest and most important historical districts.

Mixed Use redevelopment plan for Broadway Commons that competed with the ballpark proposal – Source

My preference would be for a rail transit hub with mixed use development. Another ideal scenario would be to develop the site as a high-tech business hub that would capitalize off of the proximity to both Downtown and Uptown with its hospitals and universities. At the same time I do realize the need to develop this site into something productive. So I’m decidedly undecided on the issue. Can anyone sway me one way or another?

If you’re in favor of this proposal feel free to sign the online petition.