Year: 2011

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Business Development News Politics

Cincinnati loses 10.4% of its population over past decade according to Census Bureau

Contrary to the U.S. Census Bureau’s own annual estimates and revisions, Cincinnati and Hamilton County both lost population from 2000 to 2010. Hamilton County, Ohio’s third most populous, lost 5.1 percent of its population which is now 802,374. Meanwhile, the City of Cincinnati lost 10.4 percent of its population over the same time period.

The numbers are sobering for a mayor and city that had thought population declines were beginning to level over recent years. Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory even led the charge to get out higher response rates for the city, but his efforts fell well short of the 378,259 person goal with only 296,943 people counted in the city during the 2010 hard count.

During the 2010 Census count, it is estimated that only 70 percent of households responded in the City of Cincinnati which fell below the 74 percent national average. Inner city neighborhoods saw signficantly lower response rates across the state.

While the primary city in the Cincinnati metropolitan statistical area lost population, the region as a whole continued to add people. The largest percentage growth took place in Warren County which now is home to 212,693 people. Butler County also saw gains and remains the region’s second largest county with 368,130 people.

Elsewhere in Ohio every major city lost signficant population except for Columbus which grew 10.6 percent and now has 787,033 people within its city boundaries.

UrbanCincy will update this report over the coming days as we are fully able to analyze these numbers. There is a lot of data out there and we will break it all down, so stay tuned.

Categories
Business Development News

Project manager delivers construction update on $120M Cincinnati Riverfront Park

As the new $120 million Cincinnati Riverfront Park (CRP) is being built, the Cincinnati Park Board has been producing regular video updates highlighting the progress and taking us inside the development of the park. Each update when viewed together really tells the story, from start to finish, of one of the region’s most significant developments currently underway.

In this Spring 2011 update, project manager Dave Prather walks us through the ongoing construction site that will soon become the front door to the city. The video provides updates on the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Stage & Event Lawn, scheduled for a May 2011 opening, as well as the Walnut Street Steps & Fountain and the which are both slated to open in fall 2011. Prather also takes some time to address ongoing budget concerns for the new park.

“The capital budget is still not affected on the contracts underway and the phases of the project under construction,” Prather stated. He also says that the park board expects many of the Phase I features to still be open during the 2011 or 2012 seasons pending operational budgets.

On Thursday, May 26 the Women’s Committee for Cincinnati Riverfront Park will hold their fifth annual “Hats Off” luncheon at the new event lawn. This will be the organization’s first event held at the new park for which they have raised thousands of dollars to make reality.

Categories
Business Development News Politics

Cincinnati region grows to more than 2.2 million people

Complete 2010 Census counts are to be released later this week for Ohio, but in advance of that new 2010 population estimates were released by the bureau yesterday. The county-level data for the Cincinnati metropolitan statistical area (MSA) shows anemic population growth for the now 2.2 million person region.

Of counties with more than 50,000 people, the fastest growers were Boone County, KY (40%), Warren County, OH (34.7%) and Clermont County, OH (10%). Over the last decade the region’s largest county saw its population increased by just more than 10,000 people giving Hamilton County, OH an estimated population of 855,340 in July 2010.

No county in the 17-county region studied experienced a population loss during the time frame, and over the ten-year period the region grew by an estimated 8.2 percent adding more than 170,000 people.

These estimates come out just days before Ohio’s full 2010 Census count is to be released. Other cities has felt sobering results from those hard counts that came in notably lower than the annual estimates the U.S. Census Bureau had been releasing.

Whether these estimates turn out to be accurate or not, a trend one can note is that the counties adding the most people are those close to the core of the region. While lower percentage increases exist in the region’s largest counties, they continue to add population to their base.

Leading up to the 2010 Census counts, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory had been a prominent spokesperson for cities suggesting undercounts within inner cities and first-ring suburbs. Those efforts led to several population revisions for Cincinnati and area municipalities, but in a matter of days we will find out whether the mayor’s goal of counting 378,259 people in the City of Cincinnati will hold up or not.

Categories
Business Development News

Cincinnati coworking space to triple in size this April

[This story was originally published in the Cincinnati Business Courier print edition on March 4, 2011. Visit the original story for more comments, thoughts and opinions on the growing coworking community in Cincinnati – Randy.]


This April Cincy Coworks will move from its current 750-square-foot office space in DeSales Corner to space nearly three times as large nearby in Walnut Hills. The move marks the continued growth of Cincinnati’s coworking environment, and one that will allow the region’s first coworking group to increase its full-time membership from six to eighteen.

Coworking first arrived in Cincinnati in June 2010 when Cincy Coworks began operating out of Venue 222 in Over-the-Rhine. The coworking concept allows for freelancers, and others who may work without a formal office space, to access office space without taking on the burden of a lease. Instead the lease is shared through the membership fees.

“Before I found Cincinnati Coworks I was actually thinking about looking for a traditional job because I was so tired of working at home,” explained freelance writer Michelle Taute. “I’m much more productive working at Cincinnati Coworks. It’s a great atmosphere for bouncing around ideas.”

According to an industry survey, the number of global coworking spaces has doubled from approximately 350 at the beginning of 2010, to more than 650 at the beginning of 2011.

The new Cincy Coworks space at 2400 Gilbert Avenue will include dedicated desk space, free off-street parking, two conference rooms, a kitchen area, a roof-top terrace and additional common space.

“In this economy there are a lot of people who are trying to do their own thing, or trying to do their own thing on the site and one of Cincy Coworks’ main purposes is to help support those endeavors,” explained cofounder Gerard Sychay. In addition to the office amenities for self-employed professionals, he says that the concept also breeds creativity.

“I have been wanting to do my own iPhone app for a while, but I didn’t know many programmers before I joined the space,” said Taute who is working on an app project with two others. “We all meet in the space, and it’s exciting to work on a self-directed project with all the key areas covered – programming, content and design.”

Most of the group’s members consist of freelancers, entrepreneurs and telecommuters doing everything from writing to web development. Those who join then have 24-hour access to the office space and have the ability to book the space for special events.

Cincy Coworks is charging $250 for monthly memberships until April 15, and will then charge $300 per month after the move. Sychay says that drop-in and part-time memberships are also available.

There are two other active coworking spaces in the Cincinnati region including Working Side by Side in Glendale and The Offices in Lockland.

Cincy Coworks photograph by UrbanCincy contributor Thadd Fiala.

Categories
Business News

Relish Group closes Grammer’s

Grammer’s bar, established in 1872 and a veritable Over-the-Rhine institution, has announced its closure today. The 132-year-old establishment was known for years as a home away from home for Cincinati’s German population, hosting everyone from the Cincinnati Symphony to the Reds.

Grammer’s re-opened in the late winter of 2008, serving beer and a variety of German foods.

Martin Wade, owner of Relish Restaurant Group, purchased Grammer’s from former city councilman and Over-the-Rhine raconteur, Jim Tarbell, who had owned it since 1984. It was the oldest pre-Prohibition German restaurant to remain in Over-the-Rhine. Although tts recent history is one of hipsters and late night dance parties – a decidedly different crowd than the German Singing Baker society to which the space was once home.

Despite the differences, Grammer’s has been beloved by several generations as a unique neighborhood watering hole. Sources say Wade plans to reopen Grammer’s as a restaurant, though there are currently no details as to what type of restaurant and what timeline that would entail. Staff say that the news came as a shock to them after having worked worked throughout Bockfest weekend, serving scores of people and reportedly making a large profit.

“I’m shocked, insulted and disgusted that immediately following one of the most successful weekends in Grammer’s history, this iconic venue was deemed expendable,” said Gavin Richardson, sales and marketing manager for Grammer’s. “This is the end of an era.”

Jim Tarbell at Grammer’s photograph provided by Joe Wessels.