Northside

For those seeking an urban environment with a funky blend of Victorian homes, eclectic and traditional businesses, a long tradition of community activism and one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Cincinnati, you can't go wrong with Northside. Home to the legendary 4th of July parade, the Northside Farmer's Market, Shake It Records, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Cincinnati, popular watering holes like the Comet and Northside Tavern and an active community council, Northside is all about preserving its strong grassroots heritage. One of Cincinnati's most walkable neighborhoods, Northside also features multiple green spaces, including Hoffner Park, the central site of numerous festivals.

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:

I-75 Mill Creek Expressway project holding open house

By Kevin LeMaster

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Transportation

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February 3, 2009

Maps, drawings, tentative schedules and other project documents will be available for public inspection.

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

Northside’s Lower Block emerging

By Newsroom

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Development News

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January 27, 2009

A noticeable hole in the Northside business district, the "Lower Block" between Knowlton's Corner and Blue Rock Street, is quickly seeing a rejuvenation as boarded up storefronts see façade improvements and new tenants.Former Northside Business Association president and current board member Robert Sala is co-owner of Slims and also has an architecture office, both on the Lower Block."A lot of progress has been made recently both economically and aesthetically in the block as whole," he says.Well-know neighborhood staples such as Shoetopia, Honey, Yoga Ah, Tango del Barrio and Cluxton Alley Coffee Roasters have recently been joined by: A renovated building at Hamilton Avenue and Blue Rock Street housing Shop Therapy, a new clothing and accessories store that features a "buy-sell-trade" theme.Take the Cake, which on February 14 will re-open two doors down with an expanded business plan.Prairie, a new gallery by David Rosenthal, opened Friday night and was attended by 300 people. Although Sala says that although the Blue Rock end of the Lower Block is the current "happening" thing, a lack of opportunity to purchase key buildings along the southern end of the block is what has held the entire block back."But I'm not discouraged," he says. "Red Polly, a used furniture store stressing Early Modern and other pretty cool furniture, located next to Cappazzola's, is contributing to the area south of Cosby Alley. The new facade on 4003 awaits the right user."As the southern gateway into the neighborhood and a bridge between the blocks north of Hoffner Park and Spring Grove Avenue's South Block, the Lower Block's development is key to unifying the entire Northside business district."I think the block is both a bridge and an interesting destination for shoppers, browsers and people who want to have fun," Sala says.Writer: Kevin LeMasterSource: Robert Sala, director, Northside Business Association board Photography by Scott Beseler Prairie Gallery Shop Therapy

Blue Rock Flats bringing more condo options to Northside

By Newsroom

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Development News

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January 20, 2009

Kurt Platte Architects and Black Rock Construction are quietly creating five new condo units in a historic Northside building.Work began three months ago on Blue Rock Flats at 1726 Blue Rock Street, with units listed from between $99,000 for one-bedroom first floor units to $145,000 for the two-bedroom penthouse."We were attracted to the area by the diversity and open mindedness of the residents and the hipness of the neighborhood," Platte says. "The building shell has great character with its pale brick and cast stone lintels. And it's unusual to find a property in a dense urban setting that has space for off-street parking." The building, which had housed multi-family apartments, had to be gutted to create a new layout."In order to create a third floor penthouse we tore off two-thirds of the roof, reframed the middle of the third floor with a flying roof, leaving the back one-third of the third floor as an open roof terrace surrounded by brick walls," Platte says. "We eliminated the interior stair to maximize the floor area and built an exterior rear stair with private outdoor garden decks."Platte was able to save as much of this historic fabric as possible."We found wood floors on the first floor that can be refinished," he says. "We found 4-by-8 old original pocket doors that we will use as the front door at the sidewalk level, replacing some tacky aluminum infill door and rotten sidelight. The brick we exposed from the interior is great looking and adds so much character. We exposed more than we originally planned because it was that attractive. The chimney pots at the third floor rooftop terrace were able to be saved."A barn on the rear of the property will be converted into a live/work artist loft.Platte estimates that the project will be completed by April or May.Writer: Kevin LeMasterSource: Kurt Platte, Kurt Platte Architects Photography by Scott Beseler

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