Development News

Owl’s Nest master plan coming to fruition

With the delivery of thousands of cubic yards of fill dirt to the site, work officially has started on the first phase of the Owl's Nest Park renovation in Evanston and East Walnut Hills.The dirt, which is coming from the Hoff Academic Quad construction site at Xavier University, will bring the former ball field area up to the level of Fairfax Avenue.The site will continue to be filled for the next several weeks, with construction beginning next spring.The Cincinnati Park Board, the Owl's Nest Advisory Council, and neighboring community council worked together to develop the park's master plan.The master plan for Owl's Nest includes: An entrance plaza at Fairfax AvenueA nature study area and amphitheatreA continuous pathway systemNew lightingImproved picnic and seating areasRenovation of the ball fieldsNew half-court basketball areas Funding for the project is coming from the Park Board, the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, the Cincinnati Reds Community Fund, and private donors.Writer: Kevin LeMasterSource: Cincinnati Park Board Photography by Kevin LeMaster

Research gives insights, recommendations for Norwood housing

The Community Building Institute and Property Advisors, in conjunction with the City of Norwood, presented preliminary findings on housing research conducted over the past several months during a public presentation last Thursday evening.To put together the Norwood Housing Survey (PDF), the team performed a physical conditions survey of the city's housing stock; conducted interviews with residents, realtors and business owners on the state of the housing market; and completed market research on the city's property values, foreclosures, and sales activity.Among some of the findings: Norwood had 845 home transfers from April 2005-March 2008, 30 percent below the metro-wide expectations of housing supply and demandNorwood contains 2.5 percent of the county's housing units, but has 4.7 percent of the county's foreclosuresThe housing stock is solid east of Montgomery Road, but 50 percent of all buildings rated as "poor" are located west of Montgomery Road and south of the Norwood LateralResidents are generally enthusiastic about the housing marketThe building approval process hampers renovationBuilding and zoning codes need to be enforced consistentlyChanging Norwood's image is important Because of these findings, recommendations include boosting the city's image, capitalizing on the city's location and sustainability, creating financing and real estate incentives for new homebuyers, streamlining the building and permitting processes, and developing new infill housing.A detailed set of recommendations, which will include community feedback, is expected to be completed by the end of the year.Writer: Kevin LeMasterSource:

CPA honors excellence in education, renovation

Over 100 members and guests were in attendance as the Cincinnati Preservation Association presented its 2008 Preservation Awards at its annual meeting on November 9.Chuck Lohre and Janet Groeber of Clifton were honored with the CPA Education Award for sharing their Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Usonian home, the Boulter House, and for raising awareness of preserving Cincinnati's Modern architecture legacy.Lohre is also a co-founder and co-chair of Cincinnati Form Follows Function (cf3), a non-profit Modern design forum.Winners of the Rehabilitation Awards included: Bishop's Place, Clifton: A Chateauesque-style house completely restored.  Ken Hughes of Decorative Restorations, Steve Lichtenberg of Lichtenberg Landscaping, Jason Reinhold of Land & Stone, and Kimball Derrick.Cincinnati Observatory Center, Mount Lookout: The completion of an eight-year restoration of the National Historic Landmark.  Craig Niemi of the Cincinnati Observatory Center and Gus Thierry of ICS Construction.Dillon House, Madeira: A mid-century Modern house that was saved from the teardown trend and restored. Vernon's Corner, Over-the-Rhine: A five-year renovation project that has resulted in new apartments and an art gallery.  Vernon Rader and Mark Bernhardt, Don Beck of Beck Architecture, and Mark Brunner.Verona Historic Residences, Walnut Hills: Renovation of historic apartment house into 76 luxury condominiums.  Ed Horgan of Campus Management and Denis L. Back of Denis L. Back & Associaties. At the conclusion of the awards ceremony, a special Design Excellence Award was presented to architect Natalie de Blois.As the lead designer of the Terrace Plaza Hotel, widely considered Cincinnati's greatest mid-century Modern building, de Blois was recognized for her significant contribution to design during a time of blatant discrimination against women architects.De Blois was involved in approximately 48 projects at the firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, designing such notable structures as New York City's Union Carbide and Pepsi Cola buildings, the Connecticut General Life Insurance Building in Bloomfield Hills, CT, and a Hilton Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey.Writer: Kevin LeMasterSource: Margo Warminski, preservation director, Cincinnati Preservation Association

Columbia Square retail spaces dedicated

Cincinnati issues request for streetcar builder, operator

The City of Cincinnati has issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) to design, build, operate, and maintain its $150 million streetcar project.Applicants will be required to help plan the project’s second phase – an Uptown collector loop, and to demonstrate the capacity to fill a $91 million funding gap through private and public sources.RFQ applications are due by December 18, and consultants will give presentations to the city between January 5-9, 2009.By January 30, a short list will be chosen by a selection committee made up of representatives from the city departments and offices of Transportation and Engineering, Finance, Budget, Economic Development, City Manager, Community Development, and City Planning.In the meantime, Cincinnati officials continue to do their homework on the financing and construction of modern streetcar systems.On Friday, city manager Milton Dohoney led a delegation of city officials and business leaders to Portland, Oregon.The Cincinnatian's Tour of the Portland Streetcar included a visit to that city's Pearl District, a meeting with the Portland Development Commission, and a look at the ins and outs of streetcar construction.The group also viewed the streetcar’s economic impact firsthand on a streetcar tour with the city's debt manager, and met with Oregon congressman Earl Blumenauer, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and an advocate for transportation choice and livable communities.Writer: Kevin LeMasterSource: Tiffaney Hardy, City of Cincinnati

Limited-edition Rookwood tiles support OTRCH mission

Over-the-Rhine Community Housing (OTRCH) is offering a limited-edition Rookwood art tile as part of the organization’s fundraising initiative.Only 200 tiles were produced, and over half of the $150 tiles have been sold.Sarah Allan, project manager for OTRCH, says they originally came up with the fundraising idea last year."This type of fundraising activity is new for us," she says.  "We typically don't offer a product, but with Rookwood moving to OTR in the near future, we thought it would be appropriate to collaborate with them."Designed by nationally-known local artist Terri Kern, the 8-by-8 tile tells the story of how OTRCH impacts the community one person at a time.Each image represents a characteristic or philosophy of the organization, including diversity, compassion, and commitment."Rookwood gave us a very good deal to produce the tiles and we were privileged to have Terri Kern as the artist of the tile," Allan says.  "And we thought that it would be an incentive for donors to give a little more if they got something in return."The tiles, which are tax-deductible, can be purchased in Over-the-Rhine at Park + Vine, MiCA 12/v, and Urban Eden; at Indigenous in O'Bryonville, or through the OTRCH website."This type of fundraising is important for our bottom line because it is unrestricted funding, which means we can use it to fill gaps in our budget where there isn’t funding readily available," Allan says.  "For example, helping to write down the cost of a home so that it can be affordable to a first time low-income buyer, or helping to add air conditioning to an old five-story building that houses elderly folks."Writer: Kevin LeMasterSource: Sarah Allan, project manager, Over-the-Rhine Community Housing

Cleveland Fed offering foreclosure, financial fitness workshop

Coalition formed to apply for up to $1M in brownfields funds

LISC training shows how to reverse housing blight