Mt. Lookout / Columbia-Tusculum

Home of Cincinnati's 16-inch astronomic telescope and Ault and Alms parks, Mt. Lookout boasts locally-owned, one-of-a-kind specialty shops, as well as upscale restaurants and neighborhood watering holes. The neighborhood is inviting with a bright mix of traditional and modern elements scattered around the easily walkable Mt. Lookout Square.Featuring a well-maintained stock of stately older homes, a new wave of young families and singles have recently taken to moving up to the hill in search of housing deals conveniently located to a vibrant nightlife and strong community involvement.

Mayor Mallory names new YP Kitchen Cabinet

By Newsroom

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Cincy In The News

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February 10, 2009

A new Cincinnati Young Professionals Kitchen Cabinet was announced Tuesday, and already they're charged with working on a major initiative.The group must prepare a proposal, due this month, to host the 2009 Next Leaders Summit, the largest meeting of young professional groups in the nation.Mayor Mark Mallory started the advisory group in 2006 in an effort to coordinate the activites of various YP groups throughout the region, with the goal of attracting and retaining young professionals.This year saw a record number of applicants for the cabinet, Mallory tells the Enquirer.Read the full article here.

Cincinnati submits $332M stimulus wish list

By Newsroom

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Cincy In The News

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February 3, 2009

Cincinnati mayor Mark Mallory has submitted a request for $332 million to fund 51 projects as part of the proposed $819 billion federal stimulus package.The list includes $190 million in water and sewer projects, $74 million for new streets and related infrastructure, and $24 million for public improvements connected to neighborhood economic development initiatives.Also requested was $12.6 million to conduct an engineering study to determine the best route for an Over-the-Rhine-to-Uptown streetcar connector.Mallory estimates that more than 3,600 jobs would be created if the list of projects were fully funded.Read the full article here.

Soapdish: Foodie Feudies

By Casey Coston

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Arts + Culture

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February 3, 2009

The much publicized breakup of Jean-Robert de Caval from financial backers Martin & Marilyn Wade and the subsequent closing of Pigall's restaurant have seen a furious storm of hand wringing and gnashing of teeth within the Cincinnati dining set. Will the closing mark the end of sophisticated dining in Cincinnati? Soapdish columnist, Casey Coston reminds us that, far from in decline, the Cincinnati culinary scene is just hitting its stride.

New and improved CincySites makes site selection easy

By Newsroom

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Development News

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February 3, 2009

The new and improved Cincinnati Commercial Site Portfolio, joint effort of the Economic Development Office of the Hamilton County Development Co. (HCDC) and the City of Cincinnati, has moved to cincysites.com.The online database is a comprehensive inventory of Hamilton County sites available for redevelopment, including industrial, retail, office, warehouse, and vacant land.The database also serves as a central source of information for those who might want to invest in the community, with layers of detailing population and workforce demographics, spending data, and information on nearby businesses.CincySites is a cut above the average economic development website because it utilizes geographic information system (GIS) technology, allowing users to create maps and reports that would normally take weeks –and dollars – to collect.Because more than 90 percent of initial site selection screening is now done using the Internet, it is hoped that the depth and ease of use of CincySites will help attract new business and promote economic development in Hamilton County.Writer: Kevin LeMasterSource:

Cincinnati in top 30 most wired cities

By Newsroom

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Cincy In The News

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January 27, 2009

Cincinnati has ranked as the 28th most wired city in the United States, according to an annual evaluation conducted by Forbes.com.Forbes measured cities' "wired quotient" by computing the percentage of Internet users with high-speed connections, the number of companies providing high-speed Internet, and the number of public Wi-Fi hotspots.Placing between Philadelphia and Columbus, Cincinnati received top 20 marks for broadband adoption and Wi-Fi hotspots, but lost ground due to the number of service providers available. Ohio has invested heavily in providing 100 percent broadband access throughout the state, and the Obama administration and House Democrats have proposed including $6 billion for broadband infrastructure as part of the economic stimulus package.Read the full article here.

Cincinnati ‘doing good, and getting better’

By Newsroom

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Development News

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January 27, 2009

"Doing good, and getting better."With those words, Cincinnati city councilmember and chair of the Vibrant Neighborhoods Committee Laketa Cole opened the seventh annual Cincinnati Neighborhood Summit at Xavier University's Schiff Conference and Banquet Center."That's going to be my motto for this year," Cole said. "And that's what we're doing here in the City of Cincinnati."Hundreds of residents, community leaders, and local officials spent the day attending breakout sessions on such topics as housing, economic development, crime prevention, and community building."It really does speak to the passion that you have for this city, and the effort that you want to put into transforming this city," said Cincinnati Mayor, Mark Mallory.The biggest news of the day may have been the official launch of the city's new comprehensive master plan, the first for the city since 1980."We are working on a plan for the plan," said Charles C. Graves III, director of the Department of City Planning. "We'll be holding an in-house retreat with city staff over the next couple of weeks."At this year's summit, Hamilton County leaders were on hand to share their programs and services with community stakeholders.Hamilton County Commission president David Pepper took the opportunity to remind Cincinnatians that they are part of the county, too."You guys don't call the county enough," he said. "Sometimes we don't see nearly as many of you [at commission meetings] as I know show up at council meetings. You're welcome to come!"Planning for next year's summit has already begun."This job does not end today," Cole said. "It actually begins. Because once this summit is over, they take all of the survey results, they compile them, and they start talking about them and planning for the next year."Writer: Kevin LeMaster Photography by Kevin LeMaster

Seventh annual Neighborhood Summit focuses on ‘Growing Cincinnati’

By Newsroom

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Arts + Culture

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January 13, 2009

The 7th annual Cincinnati Neighborhood Summit 2009 will be held January 24 from 8 AM to 2 PM at Xavier University's Schiff Banquet and Conference Center."Growing Cincinnati" will give citizens and community leaders the opportunity to interact with elected officials from the city, county and state and to learn how their colleagues are addressing community challenges in the areas of housing, economic development, and community building.Laketa Cole, Cincinnati councilmember and chair of the Neighborhoods Committee, will open the summit with an introductory greeting, followed by Mayor Mark Mallory, who will lead a session on the importance of the Census to the community.Breakout session topics will include: Housing: Section 8 and CMHA, reuse of foreclosed and abandoned properties, promoting homeownership, organizations addressing the foreclosure crisis, and the Neighborhood Stabilization ProgramEconomy and Work Force Development: 2010 Census and Shop 52, Agenda 360, the upcoming 2009 Comprehensive Plan, the future of transportation, and work force developmentCommunity Collaboration and Best Practices: Developing a neighborhood art center, community collaboration, form-based codes, reducing violence, and making your neighborhood more green Registration for the Neighborhood Summit is required by January 16.On January 23, Congressman Steve Driehaus will speak at a kickoff dinner about the promising changes on the horizon for the City and how we can all play a role in its growth.Community volunteers also will be presented awards for their efforts.Reservations are also required for the dinner, at a cost of $20.The Cincinnati Neighborhood Summit 2009 is sponsored by Invest in Neighborhoods, Inc., the Community Building Institute, and the Cincinnati Department of Community Development. Support is provided by Xavier University and the Murray & Agnes Seasongood Good Government Foundation.Writer: Kevin LeMasterSources: Jason Barron, City of Cincinnati; Laurel Bauer, media relations coordinator, Xavier University

Soapdish: 52 Card Pickup

By Casey Coston

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General

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December 2, 2008

Cincinnati is the home of 52 individual and unique neighborhoods that, some say, serve as the the "key to city's success." But how did we come to have such a rich, quilted patchwork of localities and how will these 52 different personalities work to create a charged and united region? Soapdisher turned explorer, Casey Coston takes us on a quick tour...

Choosing Independently

By Rene Brunelle

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Diversity

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December 2, 2008

Whether it’s shopping for gifts, updating your wardrobe or choosing a great spot to dine, Cincinnati offers an ever-increasing choice of independent businesses that help citizens reengage with the social fabric of their community.

CPA honors excellence in education, renovation

By Newsroom

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Architecture + Design

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November 18, 2008

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