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This Week In Soapbox 5/23

This Week In Soapbox (TWIS) you can read about the massive projects moving forward with Interstate 75, the expanded farmers market offerings at Findlay Market, Coffee Emporium’s new roasting facility in OTR, a new marquee for the Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Firehouse No. 9 that is LEED certified and the 2009 East Row Garden Walk in Newport.

If you’re interested in staying in touch with some of the latest development news in Cincinnati please check out this week’s stories and sign up for the weekly E-Zine sent out by Soapbox Cincinnati.

TWIS 6/23:

  • Massive Interstate 75 projects move forwardfull article
  • Findlay Market growing farmer’s market operationsfull article
  • Coffee Emporium bringing roasting facility to 12th & Walnutfull article
  • $100,000 capital grant will light up Know Theatre of Cincinnati with new marqueefull article
  • Going green at Cincinnati Firehouse No. 9full article
  • 2009 East Row Garden Walkfull article
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Findlay Market Fun

Cincinnati’s historic Findlay Market is expanding the number and duration of its farmers market days. In addition to the popular Saturday seasonal market (8am to 2pm), there will now be a new Tuesday Drive Time Farmers Market and an expanded Sunday Farmers Market.

The new Tuesday Drive Time Farmers Market kicked off this past Tuesday, June 16th and is open from 3pm to 6pm through October. There will be a dozen farmers that will open the market and Findlay Market’s Market Wines will offer a drive time wine tasting every Tuesday from 3pm to 6pm.

The expanded Sunday Farmers Market got started yesterday and will run from 10am to 2pm weekly. There will be a grand opening party for the new farmers market days on Tuesday, July 7th from 3pm to 6pm and will feature music, cooking demonstrations and prize drawings.

Good Energy and Holistic Health Fair
Another fun event coming up at Findlay Market will be the Good Energy Gathering and Holistic Health Fair on June 28th. The fair looks to “celebrate the many opportunities we have to conserve, recycle and reuse in our lives.”

There will be vendors and exhibits on Findlay Market’s Essen Strasse (south side of the market house). Visitors will be able to pick up information on a variety of topics and enjoy entertainment from Bi-Okoto Drum & Dance Theatre (10am to 12pm), Al Janna Dancers (12pm to 1pm) and Tai Chi Demonstrations with flute music from Sunflower (1:30pm to 3pm). Below is a listing of the three categories with the exhibitors for each.

Food and Nutrition: Marvins’ Organic Gardens, Eco Garden,Green Earth Grille, Nutrition Counseling, OSU Extension Office, Cooking Demonstrations.

Alternative Health: Full Spectrum Health Center, Cole Center for Healing, Cincinnati Area Doula Society, Abby Artmisa; Herbalist & Healing Practitioner with Goddess Garden Healing, Cincinnati School for Metaphysics.

Alternative Energy/Lifestyle: Third Sun Solar and wind Power, Green Energy Ohio, Park+Vine, Wild Design Jewelry, Infinity Magazine, Sam Dunlap; Cincinnati Permaculture and Edible Landscaping, Enright Ridge Urban Eco-Village, Cincinnati State, OTR Electric Car Company.

The event is free and open to the public. On one other brief note, musicians are invited to come an perform at Findlay Market. If you’re interested in performing at Cincinnati’s historic market place and one of the region’s best gathering spots you can email playmusic@findlaymarket.org.

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This Week In Soapbox 5/26

This Week In Soapbox (TWIS) you can read about the Gateway Quarter Expansion Tour coming up this weekend, positive changes happening in downtown Hamilton, new businesses opening in Over-the-Rhine, update on the City’s pilot sharrow program, a century old church being converted into condos in Bellevue and the City’s efforts to clean up and redevelop a downtrodden piece of property in the West End.

If you’re interested in staying in touch with some of the latest development news in Cincinnati please check out this week’s stories and sign up for the weekly E-Zine sent out by Soapbox Cincinnati.

TWIS 5/26:

  • Gateway Quarter celebrates latest additions with Expansion Tourfull article
  • Downtown Hamilton reimagining center city through development and artsfull article
  • New businesses opening in Over-the-Rhinefull article
  • Sharrows coming to a street near youfull article
  • Century old church in Bellevue to be converted into contemporary loftsfull article
  • Cincinnati applies for funds to redevelop Providence North sitefull article
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Two Wheelin’ in Cincy + Update

Norwood might be an unlikely place to sell Vespas and other scooters, but I encourage you to check out Metro Scooter. They sell scooters, gear, and safety equipment. Many of the scooters they sell get upwards of 75 miles per gallon, and some even get 100mpg or better.

Like cars, scooter prices vary depending on the size, style and features, but unlike cars, scooters are far less expensive. They range in price from in the $1,000’s to around $3,000 and up. These vehicles are great for traveling in an urban environment while being light on the wallet, but there are other positive benefits as well.

Parking and maneuvering a scooter downtown is easier than a car. They take up less space than cars, so more people switching to scooters will reduce the need for parking spaces, increasing the room available for economic development. Taking more cars off the road also reduces congestion and emissions. Be sure to check out this great article for more on the scooter scene in Cincinnati.

Two-Wheeler Parking Program Update:
The City’s Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) has been studying the current two-wheeler parking locations throughout downtown over the past couple of months. In addition to the study they have continued to receive lots of community input about where future locations might be best suited.

From early results, one of the most popular parking locations is the 6th & Walnut spot which also happens to be the closest location to Fountain Square. As a result the City is really trying to find another location with close proximity to Fountain Square to offer the 6th & Walnut parking spots some relief.

So far the City has identified three additional two-wheeler parking locations in the downtown area. Mel Thomas, from the DOTE, is really encouraging people to continue to send ideas for more spots as their next round of studies will start to look at additional neighborhoods outside of the downtown area.

Another item that will eventually be studied is whether to keep the parking spots free for two-wheeler users, or whether the city should start charging some kind of rate for the spots. All of this will be worked out as this is still a “pilot program” and is assumed to have kinks that need to be worked out.

Thomas encourages people to share their thoughts on all this and more by June 5th by sending emails to twowheeler@cincinnati-oh.gov.

Proposed additional two-wheeler parking locations (GoogleMap) Downtown:
  1. 100 Central Parkway (Adjacent to Coffee Emporium, close to the Gateway Garage and Kroger Bldg.)
  2. 639 Main Street (Adjacent to the Aronoff Center – Fifth Third Bank Theatre, close to Fountain Square.)
  3. McFarland Street at Elm Street (Close to the Enquirer Bldg at 312 Elm.)
Photo from Scott Beseler
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This Week In Soapbox 5/19

This Week In Soapbox (TWIS) you can read about Rookwood Pottery’s new OTR digs, new restaurants in College Hill and Newport, downtown Cincinnati residential trends, new life for the historic Crosley Building in Camp Washington, a new water sports complex on Cincinnati’s upper westside and my feature article on Ohio’s 3-C Corridor that would introduce high-speed rail to Ohio’s primary metropolitan areas.

If you’re interested in staying in touch with some of the latest development news in Cincinnati please check out this week’s stories and sign up for the weekly E-Zine sent out by Soapbox Cincinnati.

TWIS 5/19:

  • Linking Ohio through the power of railfull article
  • College Hill business district welcomes Shhhhh Restaurantfull article
  • Historic Crosley Building may see new lifefull article
  • Rookwood Pottery completes first phase of $18M rehabilitation project in OTRfull article
  • Newport Pizza Co. adds locally owned pizzeria to Monmouthfull article
  • Wake Nation brings water sports thrill to Midwest with new Cincinnati parkfull article
  • Downtown Cincinnati experiencing steady population growth and stable selling pricesfull article