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Business Development News

Park+Vine relocating to larger space, adding full vegan grocery store

One of Over-the-Rhine’s most popular stores, Park+Vine, will be relocating to a new larger space this fall. Dan Korman announced today that the green general store will move from its original location at 1109 Vine Street to a larger space at 1202 Main Street (two blocks east) in late September 2010.

The move will finally give Park+Vine room to expand and begin offering more food products than their current space would allow. The new 2,881 square-foot space at The Belmain gives the store an additional 1,100 square feet of space to work with.

The additional space will reportedly be used to create a full vegan grocery store that will offer bulk grains, local produce, bulk cleaning supplies, and a food bar with Fab Ferments Kombucha, fresh pressed juices and single-cup drip coffee and espresso from La Terza. The new store will also include a book wall, indoor and outdoor seating areas, bicycle parking, and a separate room for Park+Vine’s popular classes.

Park+Vine celebrated its third anniversary earlier this month and has long eyed expansion either at its current location, or somewhere else in the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.

The new location also fits with Park+Vine’s environmentally sustainable ethos in addition to offering up extra square footage. The Belmain, developed by Cincinnati-based Urban Sites, was awarded LEED Silver certification for its sustainable building features and construction practices.

Greg Olson of Urban Sites said, “Park + Vine is exactly the type of retail business meant for the LEED Certified Silver Belmain Building,” exclaimed Greg Olsen, COO of Urban Sites. “It will help us turn the corner and bring sustained economic vitality to one of Cincinnati’s finest commercial streets.”

Korman is also excited about being a part of the resurgence taking place along Main Street in Over-the-Rhine which has brought new commercial tenants like Neon’s Unplugged, JackPotts Tavern, forkheartknife, Atomic Number 10, Original Thought Required, and You Do Yoga to the area recently.

“This is a beautiful and culturally alive area–full of people who see potential in every corner of the neighborhood and are doing something about it,” Korman stated in a media release. “It’s an ideal place for budding entrepreneurs.”

The new Park+Vine location (map) is expected to celebrate a grand opening during the Midpoint Music Festival which takes place between September 23-25, 2010.

Categories
Development News

Urban basketball courts offer tremendous opportunity within cities

The Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) is currently in the process of working out details for a redeveloped Washington Park. The refurbished and expanded park will prove to be a major anchor for redevelopment efforts taking place nearby, but some existing residents have expressed concern over what elements are included in the final design.

Quite simply, not all desires will be able to be met for both logistical and financial reasons. But much of the concern has been over the removal of the existing swimming pool and basketball court. The swimming pool is to be replaced by a splash ground that does not bear the sky-high insurance rates that are making municipally-owned swimming pools cost prohibitive. The basketball court is just not returning at all.

Personally I love the game of basketball and played pickup games through much of high school in addition to organized ball. The problem is that basketball courts do bring a certain element to a park – one that does not mesh with the new design and focus of Washington Park.

It is natural for egos to be bruised in basketball, and nearly par for the course for a few shoving matches or fights to take place. No big deal, it is part of youth and how the game works on the street. The new park will include children’s play areas, an open lawn for lounging and passive recreation, a plaza for theatre-goers to congregate, a bandstand, and a dog park to name some of the more prominent features. These lend the redeveloped Washington Park to an atmosphere that is not conducive for basketball courts, and I do not blame park designers or 3CDC for choosing not to include them in its redesign.

With that said, basketball courts do offer a great means of recreation and exercise. They are also ideally set up for an urban environment where their small footprint lends itself well to the high demand for space in urban settings.

Located just a couple hundred feet away, along the western side of Race Street, are three vacant lots (map) owned by OTR Holdings Inc. which is a wholly owned subsidiary of 3CDC. These vacant lots are almost certainly poised for residential infill development, or parking to satisfy the needs of future residents, but they could be transformed into two basketball courts.

This would go a long way in easing tensions amongst existing neighborhood residents, but also provide the neighborhood with a beautiful asset. The courts could be fenced in and secured during non-hours of operation. They could be well lit and offer the complete amenities of basketball courts in New York City and elsewhere. The beauty is that basketball courts do not need to be set within the confines of a park to be successful, and in fact, they actually offer a tremendous experience when tucked within surrounding structures.

There is a real opportunity to do this right and 3CDC should make sure the western part of Over-the-Rhine holds on to the public recreation facilities that satisfy the needs of both the current and future residents.  If you have questions, comments or concerns about the new Washington Park you can share them on a new website dedicated to making sure the transition goes off without a hitch, and with as much community support as possible.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

Cincinnati to celebrate 115th German Day this weekend

The German-American Citizens League (GACL) will be celebrating the 115th Anniversary of the celebration of German Day this weekend in Cincinnati’s center city which has also historically served as the heart of Cincinnati’s German heritage along with the nation’s.

“The celebration is one of the oldest German Day celebrations in the United States, which is not surprising since Cincinnati is one of the three major German heritage urban centers along with Milwaukee and St. Louis,” explained Dr. Don Heinrich Tolzman, President, GACL.

The festivities will kick off on Saturday, June 5 at 11am at historic Findlay Market (map) in Over-the-Rhine with the annual parade and opening ceremonies. The ceremonies will include representatives from Cincinnati-area German-American societies, a discussion on the German heritage of Findlay Market, and German dance and singing performances.

The weekend celebrations will continue on Sunday at Hofbräuhaus Newport (map) where the GACL will offer hourly raffle prizes throughout the day, and a grand raffle at 5:30pm.  All proceeds from the raffle will go to benefit the German Heritage Museum.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

Emanuel Community Center to host six-week photography class

The Emanuel Community Center will be hosting a six-part digital photography class this summer that will focus on lighting, composition and technical controls of digital cameras in a way to help those participating develop their own artistic touch. The class will be instructed by David Rosenthal who is the founder and director of Prairie, Inc. and an adjunct instructor of Fine Arts at the University of Cincinnati.

The six-week long class will take place at the Emanuel Community Center (map), but will also take participants on several outings to Music Hall, Findlay Market, the Gateway Quarter and Washington Park in order to introduce the architectural, social and cultural assets of historic Over-the-Rhine.

The class will run from Tuesday, June 22 through Tuesday, August 3 and will take place from 6:30pm to 8pm. Registration costs $120, with only 15 available slots, and can be made by contacting Jenny Mendelson at (513) 241-2563 or eccinfo@emanuelcenter.org.

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Arts & Entertainment Business News

‘Eat Local for the Globe’ at Rookwood Pottery – 6/10

From the Cincinnati Business Courier:

If you’re the kind of person who worries about just how far your green beans had to travel before they made it onto your plate, then this dinner is for you.

The Corporation for Findlay Market will host the “Eat Local for the Globe” event from 5:30pm to 11pm June 10 at Rookwood Pottery. The event is limited to 100 guests, and they will get a five-course “locally sourced” meal prepared by chefs Luke Radkey and Jody Miller along with wine and live music. The cost is $45 per person.

“Purchasing locally grown products provides a boon to the local economy,” Karen Kahle, resource development director at the Corporation for Findlay Market, said in a news release. “‘Eat Local for the Globe’ is a unique event highlighting the talents of local chefs and ingredients.”

Get all the details, and read the full story from Lucy May here.