Cincinnati's first LEED-certified public building will open today at a dedication ceremony for Cincinnati Fire Station No. 9, 4379 Reading Road (BIRD'S EYE) in Paddock Hills.
The new building, at two stories and 15,555 square feet, will house Engine 9, Squad 9 and Ambulance 9 of the Cincinnati Fire Department.
The new station replaces Engine 9's former station, which was built in 1929, and is the first new fire station built in Cincinnati since 1982.
The ribbon-cutting will occur at 10 AM and will include a meal and a display of fire department apparatus.
Shuttle buses will be available at the Jimmy Woods Learning Center, 4081 Reading Road, and the Ohio National Guard Armory parking lot, 4130 Reading Road, from 9 AM-10 AM and for one hour following the ceremony.
Cincinnati mayor Mark Mallory, city manager Milton Dohoney Jr., members of City Council and representatives from Cole + Russell Architects are expected to attend.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Cincinnati's first LEED-certified public building opens today
Monday, February 18, 2008
Herald Building granted CRA exemption
Rendering by DNK Architects
Cincinnati City Council unanimously approved a Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) LEED tax exemption agreement for the future headquarters of the Cincinnati Herald.
The agreement would exempt the building from real property taxes for a period of 15 years in return for the creation of 25 additional jobs by the end of 2011, netting the City an additional $208,000.
The three-story, 46,000-square-foot office building will also house employees from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and an undetermined retail tenant.
The $7.78 million building will be constructed to the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Core and Shell standards, which covers building materials and mechanicals.
Official LEED certification for the project is pending.
The building is part of a larger redevelopment plan by the Uptown Consortium that also includes a six-story medical office building, a 1,450-space parking garage, up to 56 townhome units and retail space.
Construction on the parking garage began earlier this month.
Previous reading on BC:
GCF grant to fund Gateway Center study (2/14/08)
Council to consider CRA LEED tax exemption for Herald Building (2/12/08)
Burnet Avenue photo update, 12/24/07 (1/2/08)
Burnet Avenue plan to go before Urban Design Review Board (10/4/07)
Enquirer: Burnet Avenue dedication (9/26/07)
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Council to consider CRA LEED tax exemption for Herald Building
Rendering by DNK Architects
Cincinnati City Council will soon consider a Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) LEED Tax Exemption Agreement for the new Avondale headquarters of the Cincinnati Herald.
The agreement would exempt the building from real property taxes for a period of 15 years in return for the creation of 25 additional jobs by the end of 2011.
The three-story, 46,000-square-foot office building, which is part of the Uptown Consortium's redevelopment project, will also house employees from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and an undetermined retail tenant.
The additional jobs are expected to produce $32,130 in new income tax revenue for the City, or a net gain of $208,000 over the life of the exemption.
The $7.78 million building will be constructed to the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Core and Shell standards, which covers building materials and mechanicals.
Official LEED certification for the project is pending.
By law, CRA LEED Tax Exemption Agreements for commercial properties require City Council approval.
An ordinance to grant the agreement is currently in Council's Finance Committee.
Previous reading on BC:
Burnet Avenue photo update, 12/24/07 (1/2/08)
Burnet Avenue plan to go before Urban Design Review Board (10/4/07)
Enquirer: Burnet Avenue dedication (9/26/07)
PC to consider final plan of first Burnet phase (9/20/07)
City sells land to Uptown Consortium for $1 (6/25/07)
Thursday, January 17, 2008
OTR infill design session coming Saturday
When vacant lots are filled in Over-the-Rhine, some of the buildings could be designed by you.
The Over-the-Rhine design charrette will bring together teams of architects, students and concerned residents to produce four neighborhood-compatible, green designs that could be used as models for future development.
The program, which will be held at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, starts at 10 AM with a presentation on infill development in historic areas like Over-the-Rhine will be followed by a collaborative work session.
Preliminary designs - including green features - will be presented during lunch, and then another work session will finalize the designs.
The finished products will be revealed during a reception at 4:30 PM.
Space is limited, and reservations can be made by e-mailing info@cincinnatipreservation.org or by calling (513) 721-4506.
Margo Warminski, preservation director of the Cincinnati Preservation Association, says that so far the response has been "huge".
The charrette is being assembled by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Preservation Association, the Over-the-Rhine Foundation, the Niehoff Design Studio and several local architects.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
AndyHemmer.com: Green building and Keystone Parke
While it reads much like a pitch to sell office space, Andy Hemmer of AndyHemmer.com has posted a fantastic article about green development, its financial and health benefits, and how Neyer Properties is incorporating it into its Keystone Park project in Evanston.
Neyer Properties President Dan Neyer hopes to achieve LEED Silver Level Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
His article lists seven specific design elements that are being used to help make this happen.
At buildout, Keystone Parke will also include a 10-story, 240,000-square-foot office building with restaurant and retail space; a 7-story, 160,000-square-foot office building; a 4-story, 69,000-square-foot office building and improvements to Evanston Playfield.
Previous reading on BC:
Keystone Parke photo update, 11/3/07 (11/6/07)
City authorizes $71.1 million in bonds for projects (8/6/07)
Keystone Parke TIF agreements established (7/5/07)
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Keystone Parke TIF agreements established
Rendering: Click to enlarge
Cincinnati City Council has approved an ordinance authorizing a service agreement and a development agreement with Neyer Properties for the Keystone Parke office project on in Evanston.
The agreement establishes a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district for the site of the project's first phase, a $15 million, 67,000 square foot office building.
The TIF district contains land with a Dana Avenue frontage, roughly between Realistic and Floral avenues.
The City also established a TIF fund into which debt service for the issued bonds can be depositied.
The project, which is estimated to cost $100 million, will include three buildings totalling 465,000 square feet of Class A office space.
Streetscapes along Dana Avenue and a refurbishing of the adjacent Evanston Playfield are also part of the project. Parking will be supplied in the lower levels of each of the three buildings and on surface lots.
An early estimate for completion of the three phases was 2010. This has not been officially revised.
Layout of Phase I TIF: Click to enlarge
WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW
GOOGLE AERIAL VIEW
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Northside: American Can Factory Square
From the "I just realized that this was never reported" file...
Hamilton Avenue elevation
Cincinnati City Council passed an ordinance in April that has brought the $20 million American Can Factory Square mixed-use project closer to construction.
The ordinance, which passed unanimously, changes the zoning of the site from MG Manufacturing General to PD 47 (Planned Development District).
The project won a $750,000 Clean Ohio Fund grant last August to remediate the property. This should be completed by the end of the summer.
Initial estimates in the development plan had Phase I of the project beginning 2Q2007, though this will no doubt be pushed back to late this year or early next year.
Upon completion, the former factory will contain 93 market-rate apartments and 30,000 square feet of commercial space. There will also be a new 20,000 square foot office building, and 13,000 square feet of retail on the adjacent Myron Johnson property.
Thirty for-sale townhomes along Langland St would be built in the second phase.
The project will be LEED certified.
WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW
GOOGLE AERIAL MAP
Building Cincinnati: American Can Factory Square (3/17/07)
