Month: May 2010

Categories
Arts & Entertainment Business News

Over-the-Rhine Biergarten opens for summer, wraps up American Craft Beer Week

Following a week delay in opening due to permitting issues, the Over-the-Rhine Biergarten returned last weekend to its summer-long post at historic Findlay Market. The biergarten provides the perfect opportunity to round out American Craft Beer Week in Cincinnati once the beers start to flow this Saturday and Sunday.

Offerings include cans of Hudy and Burger beer for $2 a piece, as well as three Christian Moerlein selections on tap. Drafts will run you $4 for a 16 oz. pour, or $5 for the larger 22 oz. size and you can have your choice of OTR Ale, Lager House and the newly released Northern Liberties India Pale Ale.

Over 600 guests got to enjoy samples of Moerlein’s first venture into hoppier beers with the Northern Liberties IPA keg tapping event at Rookwood Pottery when it was officially released on Friday, May 6th. A traditional British style, the IPA got its descriptive name as a result of the increased level of hops and alcohol, both natural preservatives, needed to allow the beer to keep for the long sea voyages from the UK to the colonies in India.

The beer style has evolved over the years and American IPAs tend to push the envelope of hop additions much more so than their British counterparts. The Northern Liberties may be the best Moerlein brew to date, and despite the increase in hops, it still retains the distinctive, malty Moerlein taste and mouthfeel. American IPAs can range from 40-70 International Bitterness Units and 5.5-7.5% Alcohol By Volume, and Moerlein’s IPA comes in at 55 IBUs and 6.3% ABV.

In an effort to make the biergarten more accessible to all Findlay Market patrons, a cooler has been added to the operation that will allow shoppers to keep any perishable groceries cool while they enjoy a cold beer in the summer sun. The taps will be flowing from 11am to 5pm on Saturdays, and 12pm to 4pm on Sundays, every single weekend from now through Labor Day, and all proceeds benefit both the OTR Brewery District and the OTR Foundation.

Whether you plan on heading to Findlay Market already, or you decide to use this as your excuse, venture down to the Over-the-Rhine Biergarten this weekend to toast the closing of American Craft Beer Week, and come back all summer long to enjoy the sights and sounds of one of Cincinnati’s greatest assets, all while drinking for a good cause. Cheers!

Categories
Business News Transportation

First cities, now transit being glamorized in commercial media

Cities have long suffered from a perception problem, a problem that still exists in many cities today.  The perception has been of overcrowded, polluted, crime-ridden places with poor schools thus affirming the beliefs of those who fled the cities decades ago in search of greener pastures.  But as we enter the second decade of the 21st Century, are those perceptions finally changing for the better?

Many urbanists believe the change began in the 1990’s with hit television shows like Seinfeld, Sex and the City, and Friends that glamorized city living.  Today, even the casual television observer can not avoid the pro-city imagery portrayed in virtually every single product type commercial.  The effect is even more profound in television shows and movies where young people, families and elderly alike are often portrayed in city atmospheres.

In this 2009 commercial for Nissan Cube, the ad is trying to appeal to young professionals and does so with a catchy, urban spot.  The young people in this commercial not only are out partying in the city, but they pick up their grocery needs and head to a house party all with an urban focus.

But living and partying in the city is not necessarily the challenge American cities are facing today.  Instead cities are looking to incorporate transit options like streetcars, commuter rail, and high-speed rail to better connect the people living with urban areas with one another.  Until now, this has been topic left untouched by mainstream commercial media outside of the movie industry.

AT&T is currently running a television commercial that features a love story in reverse that was all made possible by an impromptu train ticket purchase on the man’s smart phone.

This is important because the brief love story is made up of all relatable acts – going to the movies, getting married, having a child and that child presumably achieving success – all dependent on the train ride where love first blossomed.

As trains become more prevalent across the United States, this imagery is certain to become more common.  If you have yet to notice this trend in commercial media, just look around.  Cars, telephones, food/drink, fashion, and even credit cards are all banking on the trend back towards the city, and by the looks of it, it appears that the pendulum may soon be swinging the same way for rail transit as well.

Categories
Business Development News

Renderings for Moerlein Lager House released in latest CRP construction update

Cincinnati Riverfront Park Project Manager Dave Prather has released the latest construction update on the massive 45-acre public park project. In the video Prather discusses recent progress including the archaeological dig, event lawn, connectivity with The Banks development, bicycle commuter station and a realigned Mehring Way. The video also updates the status of the much anticipated Moerlein Lager House for which several new renderings are displayed.

The first phase of the Sasaki Associates-designed Cincinnati Riverfront Park will also include the Walnut Street Fountain & Steps, the Black Brigade Monument, the labyrinth, tree groves, the Women’s Garden, Main Street Garden, and the first section of the bike trail that will eventually connect with the Ohio River Trail. Construction of the park is currently on-budget and on-time for a Spring 2011 completion.

Categories
Business News Politics

Neighborhood Enhancement Program showing signs of staying power, Perkins Lounge to be shuttered

Cincinnati’s nationally-acclaimed Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP) is having a lasting impact in Evanston where the program started two years. Today Cincinnati officials announced that Perkins Lounge, long known for a history of drug activity and for being an eyesore in the heart of Evanston, will be shut down as ordered by Judge Nadine Allen utilizing State of Ohio Nuisance Abatement Laws to investigate numerous complaints of illegal activity.

On September 2, 2008, Cincinnati’s NEP began a 90-day focus on Evanston that focused on quality of life issues including crime, blight and building code violations. Since that time the program has won awards from Neighborhoods USA as the 2008 National Program of the Year, the Ohio Conference of Community Development’s President Award, and the Community Development Corporations Association of Greater Cincinnati award for Most Outstanding Collaborative Effort among others.

Image of Perkins Lounge from Google Maps' Street View

Program officials say that one of the targets is to create a sustainable impact that lasts beyond the initial 90-day blitz. Perkins Lounge will officially be shut down this evening at 6pm thanks to a collaborative effort between the Cincinnati Police Department, the Attorney General’s office and the Evanston community. The closure brings with it much more than the elimination of a long-time neighborhood problem, but also an indication that the much touted NEP has staying power.

“This ongoing partnership with the State of Ohio’s Attorney General’s office and these successful results are a prime example of the sustainability of the NEP,” City Manager Milton Dohoney said in a press release. “This model for neighborhood revitalization continues to be an effective tool to improve the quality of life for our neighborhoods and businesses.”

Community leaders are encouraged by the Perkins Lounge (map) news and believe it is an important step in the process of reclaiming their neighborhood.

“The Evanston community is thrilled that this shameless criminal element has finally been removed from the Evanston Business District, and greatly admires the tireless efforts of the Cincinnati Police,” stated John Lewis, Safety Chair of the Evanston Community Council and Chair of the Evanston Citizens on Patrol. “Evanston continues to focus our efforts to redevelop and revitalize our business district to be a once again thriving neighborhood.”

Most recently the NEP rolled into Mt. Washington, and over the course of its existence, the program has visited Price Hill, Avondale, Westwood, College Hill and Clifton Heights/University Heights/Fairview Heights (CUF) in addition to both Mt. Washington and Evanston. In each case the program has reduced blight on average by 15% and recorded thousands of building inspections.

Categories
Development News

3CDC to host public hearing on Washington Park plans – 5/20

The Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) and the Cincinnati Park Board will be presenting their plans for the $46.2 million redevelopment of Washington Park on Thursday, May 20 at 6:30pm.  The presentation will be made at the Art Academy of Cincinnati just blocks away from the historic park in Over-the-Rhine.

Earlier this month 3CDC released new information on the redevelopment project including new renderings, financing plan and a general time frame for completion. Once complete, the renovated Washington Park will include a 500-space underground parking garage beneath a two-acre expansion of the park north to 14th Street. Other changes include the incorporation of a dog park, upgraded performance facilities, a splash ground to replace the existing pool, and other facility additions.

Some neighborhood residents have expressed concerns over the design of the new facilities in terms of how they relate to the existing urban fabric of one of America’s largest, and most significant historic districts.

“While this project has the potential to be a major boon to the community, and while the design of the garage and the redesign of the park are the result of lots of planning and hard work by 3CDC, the Park Board, and some community members, there are reports that certain aspects of the design still leave something to be desired, and that they may include some features that are gaudy and/or badly out of context with OTR,” explained Danny Klingler in an email sent to UrbanCincy. “For those of us that haven’t had a chance to participate in the planning process or see the designs, this is our opportunity to show up, view the plans, and express our opinions on the way Washington Park will look and feel, and the way it will interact with and affect the surrounding neighborhood.”

Since 2006, there have been six Steering Committee meetings and five general public meetings on this project.  Over that time, there has also been a number of organizational meetings including the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, Cincinnati Park Board, Over-the-Rhine Community Council and the Historic Conservation Board.

Officials working on the project hope to finalize financing and design plans soon so that construction work can begin this summer, with an expected completion in fall 2011.

The Art Academy is located on Jackson Street (map) near the Know Theatre. Free bicycle parking is available in the immediate vicinity, on- and off-street automobile parking is available for free and for payment, and the Art Academy can be reached by Metro bus service (plan your trip).