Monday news roundup

A selection of development news stories from the past week

Contemporary Galleries will be closing its W Fourth Street furniture store to make way for condos. Owners Rick and Denise Mayer plan to retire after 42 years in the business.

The Covington City Commission voted to alter the redevelopment plan for the Bavarian Brewery site to allow for certain buildings to be demolished. Aside from the obvious safety reasons, they also believe that removing the buildings will make the site more attractive to buyers.

Kendle International is considering putting a sign at the top of the Carew Tower. Although the City cannot stop Kendle from doing so, they are currently considering a tax incentive package that would keep Kendle in the building until 2019.

Towne Properties has been selected to develop the vacant land between Calhoun and McMillan streets. Though UC President Nancy Zimpher has said that groundbreaking would occur within three to six months, the redevelopment corporation that owns the property believes that is overly optimistic.

Fill dirt for the Manhattan Harbour project in Dayton will likely not be brought in until this summer. Development of the site remains on schedule, with sewer pipes currently being installed.

A developer has proposed a four-story mixed-use building for the 2600 block of Erie Avenue in Hyde Park. The Hyde Park Neighborhood Council will likely study the proposal for its parking requirements and its visual impact of the square.

With a federal grant up for consideration, Cincinnati City Council is looking into the operations of the Drop Inn Center and whether it is compatible with the redevelopment of Over-the-Rhine. The debate has pitted advocates for the homeless against property owners and developers who believe that the entire region's problems have been concentrated in their own backyards.

The Cincinnati Enquirer gives an overview of 3CDC's plans for Main Street in Over-the-Rhine. Once a busy area of bars and nightclubs, the area is transitioning to a mix of residential and nightlife.

Proposals for a reconstructed interchange for I-471 and KY-8 have been whittled down to three. All three would involve adding a fourth southbound lane, and would require property acquisitions in Newport and Bellevue.

Greater Cincinnati's real estate market remained solid in 2007, according to Colliers Turley Martin Tucker. "This will be the start of a major change in the Cincinnati skyline and the (Central Business District) office market," CTMT's annual report stated.

Fewer than 20 people showed up for Agenda 360's first public meeting of 2008. Does this mean that there's little local desire for a regional approach, is it a function of the meeting's location, or something else?

American Airlines and building owner Sterling Phoenix have settled a lawsuit that had sought to force the Bartlett Building into third-party receivership. Tenants in the building have been subject to unpaid bills and lack of maintenance, at one point having the power turned off by Duke Energy.

The City of Cheviot is rehabbing a house on Davis Avenue, which it purchased for $1. The City obtained the property through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Dollar Homes program, which gives local governments the opportunity to buy federally-owned properties that don't sell after six months.

Towne Properties will be building three restaurant and retail buildings in the Gateway West area of Highland Heights. The city will vote on rezoning for the site on February 19.

The Save the Delta Queen blog gives a status report on legislation that would allow the steamboat to continue overnight cruises.