Read about the Q Blogger Tour

On Saturday, Holly and Michael Redmond, Jim Moll, and others with the Gateway Quarter led a group of a dozen local bloggers on a tour of completed projects and one under construction.

Developers of the projects* were on hand to answer questions about the Gateway Condos, Duncanson Lofts, Duveneck Flats and Centennial Row, as well as the Urban Sites Properties project under construction and 13th and Vine streets.

I would like to personally thank all of the folks at the Q and the developers for taking time out of their Saturday to lead us all around their section of Over-the-Rhine.

I would also like to thank all of the local bloggers who came out and made the event possible, and I hope you got something out of the experience.

Look for a write-up on my experience within the coming days. In the meantime, check out the blogs of others on the tour - I would expect a lot of posts on the event in the coming days.

* Buy Cincy
* Cincy Images
* CityKin
* ekalb
* Get Cincy
* Jackie Danicki
* Joe Wessels
* Northern Kentucky News
* Queen City Survey
* RRD Photo Blog
* The 'Nati Life
* Urban Cincy

Special thanks to The Model Group, NorthPointe Group/B2B Equities and Urban Sites Properties for showing us how it's done.

Random project photos, 1/16/08

Here are a few of the smaller projects I have encountered in my travels.

Please click on each image to enlarge to 640 x 480. Photos will open in a new browser window.

Columbia Tusculum
A new single-family home being built by Garry Brasch Custom Homes at 623 Rushton Road.


This new home is being built at 628 Athens Avenue - not sure of the builder.


Mount Lookout
This little house at 3121 Kinmont Street is being rehabbed.


A new single-family house at 3129 Kinmont Street, being built by Black Diamond Construction Company.


A teardown/rebuild at 3419 Ault View Avenue, which I believe is being done by Michael Painter.


Over-the-Rhine
1232 Vine Street, a rehab being performed by Urban Sites Properties.

Urban Sites to show off 125 E Ninth

125 E Ninth St, Downtown

Developer Bill Baum and Urban Sites Properties will host an "Urban Exploration" tonight to market a 19,000-square-foot building to local artists.

The building, at 125 E Ninth St, includes a grand ballroom of more than 4,000 square feet and 19-foot ceilings.

Ideas for the building include theater, live music, or a movie house, with artists' apartments on the top floors.

Small group tours begin at 6 PM, and refreshments will be provided.

Urban Sites has owned the property since the summer of 2006, when they purchased it for $410,000.

Urban Sites seeks tax credits for Main Street site

Urban Sites Properties has applied for Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits for its Courtyard project at 1417-1421 Main Street.

The tax credits, which are distributed by the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD), are equal to 25 percent of the owner's qualifying rehabilitation expenditures.*

ODOD and the Ohio Historic Preservation Office have deemed eligible $685,511 of the projected $945,513 project cost.**

Both buildings are in the Over-the-Rhine Historic District, one of 28 City districts listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Units in the buildings will be loft-styled with stainless appliances, granite countertops and skylights. There will also be off-street parking and a common courtyard.

No details about the number of units or the pricing are available.

The upper floors were previously used as offices and storage. First floor tenant spaces are currently occupied by Mainly Art and Vintage Poster Bank.

Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits are issued throughout the year with only 100 tax credits issued during any one year period.

Statewide, there are 72 projects currently seeking credits.

View 12 interiors on the Urban Sites Properties website

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW (looking west)
GOOGLE AERIAL MAP

* The credit can be claimed against the building owner's Ohio corporate franchise tax, personal income tax, or dealer-in-intangible tax liability.
** In other words, roughly $171,378 in tax credits.

Over-the-Rhine: Urban Sites starting Metaphor Flats

Interior rendering from Urban Sites website

Urban Sites has begun building Metaphor Flats, a new office project at 532 Reading Road.

The converted warehouse will feature open spaces, large windows and hardwood floors. Each floor will contain 3,000-4,000 square feet of space and rent for $10.00-$12.50 per square foot.

The sale of the 16,557 square foot building, built in the 1880s, was finalized in April 2007.

Soon after, building permits for interior renovation of the space and for plumbing fixtures were applied for and issued.

The current building permit is limited to interior work only. There is no word on the exteriors.

An opening date has not been set.

Urban Sites has done several projects in the area, including the Lofts on Broadway and the Light & Manor Houses.

Urban Sites project page


532 Reading Road

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW
GOOGLE AERIAL MAP