Tag: economic

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Business News

Stuffed on Vine serves up unique burgers in Over-the-Rhine

Michael Daniels and Charlena Calloway have a brand new burger for Cincinnatians to try. The husband and wife duo officially opened their new restaurant, Stuffed on Vine, on March 1. Located in Over-the-Rhine, just a block east of Findlay Market and a few doors north of Tuckers, OTR’s newest eatery seeks to offer affordable food with a homey feel.

Daniels and Calloway both grew up in Cincinnati, but had been living in Atlanta for the past 13 years. The couple moved back home to be closer to family, and job circumstances led to the new venture.

“I developed my Stuffed Burger down in Atlanta, and had been selling them along with home made barbeque on weekends,” Charlena explained. “I’ve always loved cooking for friends and family, and it just made sense to try having our own place.”

Though the actual patty construction is a secret, the signature Big Lene burger boasts a combination of mushrooms, onion, bell peppers, hot sport peppers, four cheeses and mayonnaise tucked inside a generous portion of ground beef. With the exception of a poor rendition from Burger King, Lena’s creation is extremely unique to the area.

“Every bite of the burger is a different flavor experience,” said Calloway. “You’re not allowed to cut into the burger – if you ask for a knife, I’ll say not until you take a bite first!”

Other menu items include wings with a wide array of sauces, made-fresh-daily in house chili, tilapia salad, a variety of sandwiches and a killer take on the Cincinnati coney (according to this writer). The coney is a kosher beef dog with the special chili containing tomatoes, bell peppers, ground beef and a slightly spicy kick. There are weekly specials, and on Sundays folks can stop by for a traditional dinner – $8 buys one meat, three sides, and a bread – for a real Southern style treat.

The owners have signed a one-year lease on the 4,000-square-foot space that was once home to Stenger’s Cafe. The couple has worked to refine the interior – the original bar and counter have been refinished, and the tin ceiling remains in stellar condition. There are small tables along the side wall, classic black and white tile on the floor, and a big screen television near the back of the space for friends to gather to watch sports games over food.

As Michael and Charlena get settled in to their new business in the heart of Over-the-Rhine, they are also excited about the changes that have occured in the historic neighborhood they left in 1998.

“It’s really great, what they’ve done on Vine Street,” said Daniels. “These kids around here are saying, ‘How do you know? You’re not from here!’ but we grew up right around the corner. We remember how it used to be. It’s amazing how quickly the development is moving north. I guess you don’t see it when it’s happening right before your eyes.”

At the end of the day, the duo wants to have a comfortable, reasonably priced community spot where customers will walk away completely satisfied. “It’s like I always say,” Charlena said with a smile, “when the burgers are stuffed, you are too!”

Stuffed on Vine is located at 1720 Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Thursday 11am to 9pm, Fridays and Saturdays 11am to 11pm, and Sundays from 1pm to 8pm. Stuffed on Vine is cash only, and patrons are asked to call ahead for the Sunday menu at (513) 338-7657.

Stuffed on Vine on Urbanspoon
Stuffed on Vine photograph by UrbanCincy contributor Jake Mecklenborg.

Categories
Business Development News

OTR leaders look to past for Brewery District’s future

In 2006 volunteers and community leaders developed an urban master plan for Over-the-Rhine. The plan developed goals and strategies to help reinvigorate the historic neighborhood, but now a familiar group of community leaders is looking to take the plan to the next level.

The new planning effort announced today by the Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation (BDCURC) and Glaserworks will focus on the northern part of the neighborhood surrounding Findlay Market and the Brewery District. Organizers say that the goal is to take a more targeted economic approach.

“This is not really a comprehensive master plan, but rather a process to form a development plan for the area,” explained BDCURC executive director Steven Hampton. “We’ve got different buildings and building heights than the rest of OTR, and we are looking at how we can best use those assets.”

The 2006 plan, for which this planning effort is based, called for a number of items that have since moved forward including the Cincinnati Streetcar, Urban Mix Zoning District and the branding of the Brewery District. Still though, leaders say more needs to be done for the historic sub-area of OTR which includes an estimated 44 structures that were at one point used for beer brewing purposes.

“We’ve had some good successes being a volunteer group with virtually no budget, but now we are looking for official partners like Glaserworks and funding options for this next effort”

There is reason for hope in this long beleaguered area of Over-the-Rhine though. Rookwood Pottery and Christian Moerlein have opened up major operations in the area, and Findlay Market has experienced tremendous success over recent years. Hampton also says that the future of the area with the streetcar looks bright.

“As a whole everyone has struggled with the economy, but there has been more interest as the streetcar gets closer to fruition,” Hampton said. “We’re getting closer from a couple of different angles, and a lot of smaller investment has kept the area moving forward.”

The planning effort will start in earnest this spring and will look to capitalize off of the neighborhood’s existing urban assets. True loft-style residences, hillside development, large warehouses and typical Over-the-Rhine building stock all exist in the northern reaches of the neighborhood. And this is where community leaders believe the future lies.

“You’re going to see a neighborhood that’s really a mixed-use, walkable neighborhood which has protected its industrial and small businesses while also bringing in new ones,” Hampton concluded. “We’re not reinventing the wheel here. This is how the area is built, and that’s how it will continue to function. We’re just hoping to capitalize on that.”

Categories
Business Development News Transportation

$122M urban stream reclamation project includes potentially huge impacts

The Cincinnati Business Courier is reporting that city and municipal sewer district officials are looking at a bold project that would completely transform South Fairmount, reclaim a currently buried creek, and solve the county’s largest combined sewer overflow (CSO) problem site.

Located at the western end of the Western Hills Viaduct, South Fairmount has been in an extended state of struggle. Vacancies and low property values plague the small neighborhood, and investments to rebuild Queen City Avenue have done little to spark new investment. But now officials are looking at a $122 million plan they hope will finally reinvigorate the area.

The crux of the five plans presented to community members is to fix a long-standing CSO problem which results in 1.7 billion gallons of dirty water flowing into the Mill Creek annually. In order to solve the problem engineers and planners would remove an underground sewer pipe dating back to 1910, and replace it with separate underground storm sewers and a reclaimed natural stream above.

The majority of the plans also call for a rebuilt park and recreation area, bike and walking trails along the reclaimed stream, potential mixed-use infill, civic gathering space and even a small lake at the eastern end of the project site.

While all of this immediately sounds exciting, there is an existing neighborhood located in this location. Dozens of historic structures, a park, businesses and residents would all have to be relocated during the potentially decade-long rebuilding project. Officials have begun acquiring land in the area already, and the city owns a good deal of land in the project site. Additionally, eminent domain is already being discussed for what is identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a critical problem.

The impacts of such of project could and will be profound if it becomes reality. More than 40 acres of urban land would be completely rebuilt in what is considered to be the largest stream reclamation project, intended to solve a CSO problem, ever.

Cincinnati Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls also sees the massive project as an opportunity to create a bus rapid transit center in South Fairmount that would connect the city’s western neighborhoods with uptown.

“For a community that’s been racked by poor transportation choices and declining homes and businesses that left, it would be a significant economic development project. This could be a really thriving community,” Qualls told the Business Courier.

Categories
Business News

Yogurt Vi to bring fresh eating alternative to Clifton Heights this spring

Commercial development is under way for a new business at the high-profile Calhoun Street Marketplace near the University of Cincinnati.

Yogurt Vi, located on Calhoun Street beneath University Park Apartments, will open in early Spring as a health-conscious frozen yogurt cafe catering to the neighborhood’s younger crowd of university students and urban professionals. Yogurt Vi hopes to fill a niche in the Clifton Heights business district by offering visitors a unique and healthy frozen yogurt experience at its uptown location.

“We hope to serve as a destination place for socializing, studying and snacking,” says Kelly Wherley, Operations Manager for Yogurt Vi. “Calhoun Street was selected for our store because we see a lot of opportunity in the redevelopment of this area and believe we can make a difference in the revitalization of the neighborhood.”

With a wide variety of self-serve yogurt on tap, including probiotic, lactose-free, low fat and non-fat varieties, Yogurt Vi will offer a broad selection of dry toppings, fresh fruits, and desserts to satisfy any palate, as well as a healthy buffet of bottled beverages and prepackaged salads and sandwiches.

“Yogurt Vi is the type of establishment that college students will really appreciate and benefit from,” adds Wherley, standing beneath the restaurant’s newly installed granite arches and bright LED lights. “With the location so close to student housing and the University of Cincinnati, we hope to serve as a destination for campus students looking for a healthy eating alternative.”

Robert Neel, president of Clifton Heights-University Heights-Fairview Neighborhood Association (CUF) is also glad to see the new yogurt restaurant move into the Calhoun Street Marketplace location. “The community is excited about the retail vacancies filling up in our business district and the positive sign that sends for the project beginning across the street,” he remarks, referring to the U Square @ The Loop development between McMillan and Calhoun.

“We are looking forward to the further development and rebirth of our business district,” Neel adds. “Energy builds more energy for positive moves forward. I hope Yogurt Vi contributes to further momentum for our neighborhood.”

Yogurt Vi is set to launch this spring, but those looking to stay current with updates can follow the store on Twitter @Yogurt_Vi or by becoming a fan on Facebook.

Categories
Business News

City of Cincinnati begins rollout of complete website overhaul

Less than two years after starting the rollout of its new logo, the City of Cincinnati is rolling out a brand new website geared towards interaction and engagement. City officials say that the intent is to make the website friendlier and easier to find information, while also increasing the site’s functionality.

“We know that people may be interested in engaging with the city, but may not be able to do it during regular business hours,” explained Assistant to the City Manager/Communications Meg Olberding. “We hope to get to a place where that can happen more and more through technology, with the website anchoring that.”

Olberding says that the city is also working to incorporate additional maps, interactive forms and self-service features that will allow users to find the answers to their questions. The goal dovetails with Cincinnati’s new online service request system – 5916000.com. The new service system came in part due to recent budget cuts which impacted the number of staff at the city’s call center.

“While this is a difficult measure to take, the government is using this as an opportunity to move to other means of meeting customer service needs, namely through technology,” City Manager Milton Dohoney said in a prepared release.

Cincinnati tapped West End-based Topic Design to develop the new website design which incorporates much of the new design feel the new logo inspired in June 2009 when it was released.

The website redesign is still a work in progress as staff continues to build and update information. The new homepage launched on February 2 and, according to Olberding, the rest of the pages will be updated until fully compete by the end of the summer.

One of the striking new features of the city’s new approach to the web is its use of social media. Prominently displayed on the city’s main page is a Twitter stream of all the city departments using the social media tool. As a result, citizens can now find up-to-date information on snow removal, economic development, public safety and health.

“Sometimes it takes government a while to get there, but we are trying to use social media more to engage with citizens,” Olberding stated. “We hope to have mobile apps soon as well.”

Officials say that input on the new site design is greatly welcome and appreciated. To share your thoughts on how the city can improve the functionality or design of its website can do so by visiting the city’s comment section online.