Flagship urban Kroger at The Banks?

Local NBC affiliate, WLWT Channel 5, reported last week that the developers of The Banks are planning to release names of tenants later this year. Three tenants in particular that they did mention that they are in negotiations with are an ESPN Zone, Margaritaville, and Kroger.

ESPN Zone and Margaritaville don't surprise me all that much...Kroger on the other hand is a pleasant surprise and gets my thoughts stirring about what they could do with an urban store in a newly constructed building in the very city they call home.

What I expect is for Kroger to step up and do something truly special. Something that incorporates all of their best store features and incorporates them into an urban model. A store that could become their flagship urban grocery store - an area in which Kroger doesn't seem to venture too often, but one that they might want to start considering (see gas prices).

I'm thinking of a store that has lots of international foods, organic products, and generally fits with an "urban lifestyle" for those who may be buying in smaller quantities but at greater frequencies. Could there be a better location, time, and/or opportunity? I don't think so.

Urban Kroger location (GoogleMap) in Atlanta, GA - Photos by Randy Simes

The retail over-saturation problem

When can you tell enough is enough? Is there any hope for our nation if there isn't constant growth? These are the questions I find myself asking when I read stories like this.

Cincinnati Mills, one of the largest retail centers in the region, has seen store after store shutter. This comes after millions of dollars of reinvestment into a massive mall sandwiched in between two others along a mall interstate of sorts.

It really makes you wonder (at least me), do we really need all of this retail space. The same can even be said for urban environments where seemingly every new renovation project, in a mixed-use built area, seems to call for street-level retail with residential or office space above. I suggest that we return the area, where Cincinnati Mills sits, to a natural state. That is obviously an extreme proposal, but at the very least tear down that mall (said in my best Ronald Reagan voice) for some other/better use.

This region is growing much slower than our retail space is expanding...and it seems obvious that the retail locally (and nationally) can not sustain itself by the free market alone. It seems to me that the best alternative would be to let struggling retail space ride off into the sunset. This would allow for values to rise at other retail locations, and we could begin the process of ridding ourselves of our excessive retail space...and who knows, maybe even our over-consumerism.

I'm so hungry

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have added two additional blogs to UrbanCincy's blogroll, and have also removed a couple because a couple of the blogs are going away for various reasons.

The two new ones that have been added are The Veggie Option and Wine Me, Dine Me. Both are obviously food related blogs...and really what can be more fun than that. You can get a wide variety of reviews and live vicariously through Julie's never dull dining life.

Julie from Wine Me, Dine Me

Image from The Veggie Option

The Veggie Option is pretty clear in its focus. You can get reviews and find out places that a vegetarian friendly in the Cincinnati area. If you're a vegetarian, or simply are interested in food reviews done with a different angle, then you must simply check this one out as well.

Happy reading, and try not to get too hungry out there in the blogosphere. I know first-hand that it can be quite difficult (thanks 5chw4r7z).

Best Week Ever? No, but a really good one

This week has been pretty amazing for the City of Cincinnati and OTR:

1. Bootsy's, Produced by Jeff Ruby is a go

2. Strickland adds more historic tax credits for OTR

3. Outside opens in the Gateway Quarter

4. The Music Now Festival hits the three year mark

5. Rookwood Pottery moves to OTR based on the future streetcar...without even full approval, the streetcar, is already causing economic development to occur.

6. The Banks broke ground

There was also a really good article in the Pulse of the City about the Brewery District










Rendering of Booty's, Produced by Jeff Ruby - Image Provided

OTR = Food & Drinks

This past week has been a truly remarkable time for our favorite previously neglected neighborhood.

On Tuesday, Lavomatic opened on Vine Street. Jean Robert's new restaurant opened in an old Laundromat and serves a very rough blend of French and local cuisine. I had the opportunity to try it out and I can say that you will not be disappointed. The space is wonderful. Light colored walls and a completely glass street frontage, makes it a very bright and welcoming space. Upstairs (not quite open yet) the dinning room continues inside and out. The terrace is larger than what I had been expecting. The space is going to be a wonderful place to relax, eat some great food and sip a glass of French wine.

The food was amazing, as expected. I started off with their daily special appetizer, a smoked trout salad. Simply Stunning. My entree and dessert of salmon on a bed of couscous, and crème Brule, were just as spectacular. Also the wine selection was very small, but I was told that they will be expanding it before the weekend. With entrees between 12-24 dollars it is probably the most affordable of Jean Robert's places. I honestly can't wait to go back and sit on the terrace.

Today, Grammer's reopens. A true Cincinnati Gem that I honestly can't wait to go to. It's basically going to have my two favorite things. Beer and Bratwursts. It promises to become a staple of Over-the-Rhine once again, especially with some of the redevelopment opportunities that have been recently hitting the presses.

What an exciting time for OTR and the city in general. It is hard not to get wrapped up in the momentum that we are experiencing right now in our neighborhood.

Fountain Square District

Tonight I had the pleasure of eating at Nada, watching broomball on Fountain Square and having a digestiff at the Rock Bottom Brewery.

I was joined by my grandparents, who live in West Chester. Both Nada and Rock Bottom were packed. When we made Nada reservations, about a week ago, we had the choice of 6 or 9:30. My Grandfather remarked that he was amazed to see this many people Downtown on a Monday.

My response: Not anymore.

We have far to go, and much more work is to be done, but we have turned the corner, there is new energy and new investment in the urban core. The revitalization of Fountain Square has spilled out into the surrounding area. The private sector has responded to a public infrastructure improvement and invested in the area. We should continue this model by investing in the Cincinnati Streetcar to spread growth, opportunity and development throughout the urban core.

Nati Evolvement

If you haven't yet purchased some clothing from Nati Evolvement, I suggest you do so. The Nati Evolvement line is all about promoting the city, and taking pride in where you live.

Their mission statement is to provide a,

"Forum for local creativity that evolves with the rest of the world and influences a vivid culture within. Created for the artistic community to represent themselves, our changing environment and promote future healthy growth. A platform from which to prosper and be heard as an individual and as a group. A platform which is rooted in Cincinnati."

I have a few of their hats and shirts and can attest to their quality. They use mostly American Apparel products as the platforms for their designs. You can find them at: Park + Vine, Mustard Seed, and Denim, or on their website.

Valentine's Day UrbanCincy style

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and it's probably best that you are prepared for the "big day." You're in luck, because UrbanCincy has the perfect evening for you. May we recommend a trip to the Ensemble Theatre...it is a very intimate theatre that hosts great productions and will be something unique and fun to do with your significant other. Mary's Wedding by Stephan Massicotte (Feb 6-24) will be going on during the Valentine's time-frame and should definitely make for a romantic evening.

You could make a night of it by grabbing some of the city's best Italian at Nicola's just a few blocks away. Take a lovely stroll from dinner to the show...If dinner gets out a little early you could always do some browsing through the many great businesses in the Gateway Quarter.

After the show, take a stroll down to Lytle Park and take in the night with that special person.

IKEA Cincinnati!

It's official...IKEA has announced the opening day for their new Cincinnati area store. Clear your calendars for March 12th, and get a good nights sleep...the store opens at 9am.

OHIKEA has been keeping tabs on all things related to the Cincinnati store and has the press release available for viewing. At OHIKEA you can get more information about employment opportunities and everything else juicy that you may or may not want to know.

Kenwood/Other top holiday shopping destinations - Reader's Choice

For some reason when I created this poll I thought that Kenwood would be a runaway winner, and it was kind of. But the 'Other' category actually registered the most votes. So I'm wondering, if you voted 'Other' where is it you did most of your holiday shopping?

Did you go Downtown for most of your needs, random stores here and there, or did you even do most of it online? I guess looking back I could have structured the poll a little better, but by the time complaints started rolling in about not listing Downtown as an option it was too late. I would have lost all of the results that had been recorded up until that time.

So let me have it, and share where you did your holiday shopping...and most importantly why.

I've got your Downtown grocery right here

With the growing residential population Downtown and the new activity being seen on a daily basis...the talks of a full-scale grocery store for Downtown have heated up again. I think it is BS when people say the demographics aren't right, or that a location isn't there that meets their needs. I won't bore you with demographic talk, but I will dive into the location part of the discussion.

I've got a couple locations that I think would be great for a nice full-scale grocery Downtown. The first one is 7th & Vine. This is about as close to the center of the population (for the center city) as you can get. There are currently two surface lots there and is located 2 blocks from Fountain Square and 1 block from the proposed streetcar line.

Sunflower Market a natural foods grocery in Columbus - highstreetart.blogspot.com

My second option would be at Tower Place Mall along 4th Street. The street-level would have to be completely reworked to have direct access, but this could prove to be the rejuvenation that Tower Place needs. This is just 1 block from Fountain Square and about 1.5 blocks from the proposed streetcar line.

Finally there is always the massive surface lots near St. Xavier Church at 7th/8th & Sycamore. This location is in a rapidly growing residential area, and offers lots of readily available land just waiting to be built on. This location though is slightly further away from being central, but is smack dab on the streetcar line.

CoolTown Studios on the 'Q'

CoolTown Studios has done an excellent write up on the ever emerging Gateway Quarter in Over-the-Rhine. This particular write up highlights the focus on contemporary urban living with the businesses that have opened up in the district.

The Gateway Quarter already has a host of great businesses that have opened up including Park + Vine, Mica 12/v, Metronation, CityRoots, and Jean Robert's newest restaurant that is on the way. In addition to this there are a few more great spaces that are bound to be filled with more fantastic businesses very soon.

So go check out CoolTown Studios and go check out these cool new businesses in the 'Q'.

BuyCincy enters the Cincy blog scene

I have to say that I'm extremely pleased with the blog scene that is prevalent in Cincinnati. Environmental, design, photography, political, development, art, wine and even more types of blogs solely dedicated to the Cincinnati area. I must say that I think the recent blog competition heightened the level of awareness and has raised the bar for the quality of the many Cincinnati oriented blogs. You can already notice the difference with many bloggers (including myself) working to improve their own sites.

We now have another site to add to the list...a blog that is dedicated to the local shopping/retail that makes Cincinnati so unique. It's not everywhere that you find neighborhood butchers, bakeries, chili parlors, soft-serve ice cream stores and more. Cincinnatians are very loyal to their local shops and businesses, and even the corporate scene. BuyCincy is taking note of this special atmosphere in Cincinnati, and highlighting those special places that you might not yet know about.

The idea is to shop local and support the hardworking small businesses in Cincinnati. So go and check out the new site, authored by Sean Fisher, at:

www.buycincy.com

The NEW Downtown Cincinnati

Downtown has managed to turn the corner relatively quickly. People who once used to think of downtown as a tired/boring place are now frequenting the new restaurants, clubs, bars and events. New residents are everywhere and visitors are welcomed by something new almost every other week. It's just past the half way point in 2007 and Downtown Cincinnati has seen the opening of 4 new bars/clubs, 3 restaurants and more events on Fountain Square than you can count.

It's wonderful to see everything coming together and this is just the beginning. The majority of the tenants in the redone 5/3 building have yet to open, another few restaurants will be opening shortly, and another couple bars/clubs are on the way. This is all before the ball drops for 2008. If you want to think about 3-4 years down the road, then you'll really be blown away with what Downtown Cincinnati will be like.

3-4 years puts the streetcar in place and the first phase of The Banks. The Banks will most likely attract tenants like ESPN Zone, Hard Rock Cafe, House of Blues, countless restaurants, bars/clubs. Combine that with the activity that the streetcar system will be shuffling around and you have yourself a VERY strong/vibrant urban core. Thousands of new residents and tons of new attractions. The streetcar system will most likely help give the retail scene downtown a kick in the pants...if that doesn't do it, the thousands of new residents should.

Check out what's going on in the NEW Downtown Cincinnati!
Bang Nightclub
Cadillac Ranch
Lodge Bar
Sully's
McFadden's
McCormick & Schmick's
Boi Na Braza
Fountain Square Events
Oceanaire Seafood Room
JeanRo Bistro
Jean-Robert at Pigall's
Bootsy Ruby's
Aronoff Theatre
Morton's Steakhouse
Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse
The Blue Wisp
Havana Martini Club
Rock Bottom Brewery
Contemporary Arts Center
Macy*s
Saks Fifth Avenue
Brooks Brothers
Tiffany's and Co.
Taft Museum of Art
Joseph A. Banks

Need more to eat...
MORE RESTAURANTS!!!
Like to shop...
MORE RETAIL!!!
Want to be entertained...
MORE ENTERTAINMENT!!!

Some more developments (just to name a few):
The Banks
Parker Flats
The McAlpin
The Edge Condominiums
One River Plaza
Cincinnati Streetcar
Queen City Square

Now, downtown hasn't gotten 'there' yet, but it is certainly on it's way...and picking up speed.

Fountain Square Progress

I must reiterate how much I love the new Fountain Square! It is more open, engaging, and personable. The trees offer an oasis of shade for those lounging on the square, and the water wall/spray features offer something for families. Overall the area is looking great!

Via Vite is progressing quite nicely and should be a great feature on the square. The re-cladding, on the south side, of the 5/3 building is nearing completion as well. I might add that it's also looking quite nice. Now the north side of the building is another question.

They have put in these colored beams as the source of re-cladding. I'm not a big fan to say the least, but on the bright side it seems to compliment the Cadillac suspended above the entrance to the new Cadillac Ranch Bar & Grill. I don't know what they were thinking when whoever drew up these designs, but I guess it's just nice to see more investment in the inner-city. Maybe it's a good thing I'm getting picky...

3CDC and OTR hitting their stride!

3CDC has been working diligently in Over-the-Rhine rehabbing old structures, creating chic urban living options, and luring new unique businesses to the area. The first piece of their OTR work to come on line is the Gateway Quarter. This is the section of OTR including/surrounding Vine Street from Central Parkway up a few blocks.

The area has seen great successes so far. The Art Academy of Cincinnati has created student housing options in the area, the Gateway Condos have been a success, and multiple new businesses have signed leases. All of this is taking place while more buildings are being renovated with more living and retail options! The other buildings include: Bremen Lofts, Centennial Row, Duncanson Lofts, and Duveneck Flats.

Now the area has seen the influx of new housing before, but what is new is the interest of the retailers. These are not your typical retailers either...these are stores geared towards urban living/lifestyle. City Roots is an urban gardening store, MetroNation offers contemporary home accessories and furniture that is collapsible, Park + Vine is a green variety store, and Jean Robert de Cavel plans to open another restaurant in the city...this one being in the Gateway Quarter.

All in all, there are fantastic changes taking place in Over-the-Rhine. New businesses are opening, new residents are moving in, crime is dropping, and hopefully the neighborhood's long tainted image will begin to improve. Next on tap for 3CDC in OTR is the Washington Park District. 3CDC has announced that they plan to rehab 100 units per year, for the next 7 years in OTR...the main kicker is that they also plan on doing this through rehabs and NOT tearing down buidings. Good things are in store!

Ready for next week...

Well downtown today heard the announcement that Jalepenos will be closing after being open a mere three months. It seems like some weeks the good news does not stop coming, others you just can't seem to stop the bleeding.

Downtown is coming off of a few solid weeks of good news. Two law firms and KeyBank announced expansion plans for their downtown offices, the streetcar route has been decided upon, The Banks is getting ready to move forward (for real), and a couple more tenants were announced for Fountain Square. However, this week is one of those weeks that downtown advocates are probably ready to be over.

Now don't get me wrong; it hasn't been a terrible week, just not a good one. After the momentum that downtown has building it hurts when you hear any bad news...it seemingly stops that momentum in its tracks. So downtown will take this hit, brush itself off and get ready for the upcoming week. I bet more good news is in store, but then again my view on downtown is that the sun will always come up tomorrow.

Parker Flats Construction Update

Parker Flats is moving right along. The foundation is in, and the first level of structured parking is nearing completion. This project will really help add a needed component for the Historic W. Fourth Street District. This part of downtown is quickly becoming a nightlife hotspot with the recent opening of Bang Nightclub, and rumors of other potential nightclub ventures.

Where Parker Flats comes into the equation is by offering new residential units into the historic district. Some people just don't want to worry about maintenance on old buildings, and Parker Flats will breathe new life into the district. The one curveball with this project is that it is being developed by Middle Earth Developers. MED has been criticized for using low-quality construction practices. Judge for yourself and tour some of these fantastic living spaces developed by MED in the Historic W. Fourth Street District. You can contact MED for more information on their residential properties here: jimmoll@fuse.net

Fountain Square Updates

Well the finished Fountain Square is steadily progressing. I must say that the whole Fountain Square District is really starting to look quite nice. McCormick & Schmick's has been open for several weeks now and looks fantastic; and Boi Na Braza is making steady progress and has now installed new awnings on the outside of the building.

The square itself is almost near completion as well. The plaza is almost complete, with just a small section just north of the fountain to be complete. This will most likely be done/open to the public once the new facade is complete along the lower 5/3 building, as well as, the construction of Via Vite. Via Vite has the opportunity to be one of the GREAT places to dine in Cincinnati! The location is second to none, and the quality of food potentially fabulous.

Much criticism has been made thus far about the funding and quality of work that has been done on Fountain Square. I contend that this is money well spent. Not too many communities across the nation have a public space the improvements made to the public plaza are tremendous improvements over the previous concrete fallout plaza of sorts that existed before. There has been much spin-off investment and the surrounding blocks are really coming to life. When you look at as great as Fountain Square, and an investment you want to see what your return on investment is when all is said and done.

The Fountain Square District has seen the openings of several new restaurants, new residential is moving in at several different projects around the square, new retailers have opened and announced openings and the city has put up has heard the announcements and money to improve the streetscaping around the square.

In my eyes, it sounds like $42 million went a long way towards the revitalization efforts of downtown!