Category: Development

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Business Development News

Bond Hill to celebrate dedication of $11M Graeter’s production facility

After breaking ground on a 28,000-square-foot facility in May 2010, the new Graeter’s Ice Cream production facility is complete and poised to set-up the legendary ice cream maker for an aggressive national expansion plan.

Cincinnati leaders are scheduled to dedicate the new facility in Bond Hill, located at 66th Street and Paddock Road, at 10am today. As part of the ceremonies, 66th Street will be renamed to Regina Graeter Way in honor of the current owners’ great-grandmother who helped establish the Graeter’s brand as a local favorite.

City officials say that the $11 million project was made possible by $3.3 million incentive package from the City of Cincinnati, and will create 50 jobs – a number that is expected to grow in the coming years as Graeter’s grows its production. The incentive package also included a commitment from Graeter’s to “stay and grow” in Cincinnati for at least 20 years.

The ice cream maker will maintain its current facility in Mt. Auburn for production of some ice cream, candy, and baked goods. The new facility, meanwhile, will be used solely for the production of ice cream.

“As a Cincinnati-based, family-run company, we are proud of our association with this wonderful city and look forward to new generations of success,” said Richard Graeter, president and CEO of Graeter’s. “We are incredibly grateful [of the City’s assistance], because not only will their support help us expand nationally, but it is also helping us create jobs locally.”

The new Graeter’s facility sits on roughly 4.5 acres of land, and is the first development to take place on the 24.5-acre site owned by the City of Cincinnati which previously was home to the Mill Creek Psychiatric Center.  Officials with the city’s Economic Development Department hope to build out the rest of the site in accordance to the Growth & Opportunities Study for Cincinnati (GO Cincinnati) which calls for research and development, flex-industrial, and back-office space to be built in the Seymour/Reading Road Corridor.

“Graeter’s growth is contributing to the growth-mode that the City of Cincinnati is experiencing these days,” City Manager Milton Dohoney stated in a prepared release. “And as they take their brand to new national markets, they are a great ambassador for the city.”

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Business Development News

Chef Josh Campbell to open first micro-grocery in downtown Cincinnati

Chef Josh Campbell plans to create a food trifecta in what Downtown Cincinnati Inc. calls the greater downtown area. Already owner of successful ventures World Food Bar, a gourmet prepared food stand at Findlay Market, and Mayberry, a mid-range restaurant on Vine Street, Campbell is expanding his food empire to include the Central Business District’s first grocery – a micro-market located at 7th and Main.

“Everything closes so early down here [in the CBD],” says Campbell. “I was hearing from the folks who come to Mayberry, that live down here, that Findlay Market closes so early, and there’s no place to get the necessities. Nobody ever looks out for the residents of Downtown. We’ve been so lucky with the support of everybody in the city and in the news, we’ve made a name for ourselves that we serve a quality product. So we thought, why not make a run at the grocery scene?”

The 500 square-foot Mayberry Foodstuffs, the tentative name for the new venture, will be filled to the brim with grocery essentials according to Campbell.

“It won’t be high end, it won’t be low end. It’s all about the shopping experience. Anybody can come in here and pick up the necessities. We’ll be carrying smaller portions – half gallons of milk, half loaves of bread. You can come in and you’re not going to get ripped off.”

Through the World Food Bar and Mayberry, which celebrates its first year of existence November 2nd, Campbell has established both a love for community and a commitment to high quality food at reasonable prices. The store will have a deli counter, serving meats and prepared food from World Food Bar, like cookie dough and soups. There will also be fresh-ground peanut butter, cat and dog food, and and old-school style candy counter.

Though the space is small, downtown supporters expect the impact to be large. One of those supporters includes David Ginsburg, President and CEO of Downtown Cincinnati Inc., who is ecstatic that Campbell is making this bold move.

“Grocery stores really help to enhance the residential experience downtown,” Ginsburg explained. “They provide important products and help generate pedestrian activity. They are a sign of an increasingly vibrant downtown. Grocery stores are also an amenity for downtown workers and visitors.”

Currently there are about 9,000 residents in the downtown area; by 2012 that number is projected to grow to 12,500, according to the 2009 State of Downtown report from DCI. Campbell said he understands the risks associated with opening a grocery store in the central business district.

“You have the bigger chains, the Krogers and the Whole Foods, and they won’t come down because the risk is too great,” Campbell exclaimed. “I’m not afraid to step up, I’m not afraid of failure. If it happens, it happens. We’ll move on.”

Not only will workers and residents be able to visit Mayberry Foodstuffs for a sandwich or some eggs, but they might also be able to get delivery service from Findlay Market vendors. Campbell says that he wants to help support the local mom and pop shops that are the key to local success. One such way the new grocery will do that is by carrying 7 Hills coffee and other locally-sourced items.

In terms of the location, Campbell views the 7th and Main address as a perfect one thanks in large part to the number of condos and apartments nearby. The store will also be located on the Cincinnati Streetcar line which Campbell believes will help spur additional foot traffic.

Campbell has signed a one-year lease on the street-level retail space, and plans to open downtown’s first grocery store on Monday, November 1. After the opening date, Mayberry Foodstuffs will be open seven days a week until 10pm.

Above all though, Chef Josh says that he wants to create a sense of community around his micro-market.

“We want [Foodstuffs] to be a place where you come in and you’re not a number. We want you to come in and enjoy yourselves. We want to make sure that your needs are filled and that you have a good experience.”

If all goes well, Campbell says there might be additional micromarkets on the horizon from the World Food Bar Restaurant Group to continue to help serve the growing downtown area.

[This story was originally produced by UrbanCincy.com for the Cincinnati Business Courier through a newly formed partnership.  Please read the originally published story online, and stay tuned for additional collaborations going forward.]

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Development News

Mt. Washington unveils new gateway monument, celebrates city’s first NBD recycling program

Mt. Washington community leaders will be joined by Cincinnati Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, representatives from Kroger, and other members of City Council to unveil a new gateway monument at the north end of the neighborhood’s business district.

City leaders say that the monument will also serve as a gateway to, and extension of, the city-owned Stanbery Park.

“The monument will serve as a welcoming feature not only for the business district, but for the park as well,” says Ed Ratterman, Senior Development Officer, City of Cincinnati. “Stanbery Park is a major asset for Mt. Washington and we hope that this will help attract a few more people there.”

The $95,000 monument is being unveiled in combination with approximately $24,000 in streetscaping enhancements throughout the business district that include new benches and 33 planters along Beechmont Avenue. The enhancements also include 10 new recycling receptacles that will serve as the foundation for the first public recycling program in one of Cincinnati’s neighborhood business districts.

“This was something that was very important to the Mt. Washington Business Association, and they wanted to include the recycling receptacles in this project,” Ratterman explained.

What makes the new recycling receptacles even more unique is their design which was created by local artist Edward Casagrande who also designed the new gateway monument for the business district. City officials say that the Office of Environment Quality has assumed the costs for Rumpke pick-up at these recycling receptacles for the first year.

According to Ratterman, the two projects were largely paid for by Cincinnati Neighborhood Business Districts United (CNBDU) which provides approximately $2 million annually for improvements throughout the city’s neighborhood business districts. An additional $7,000 was contributed by Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, while the Cincinnati Park Board helped to oversee the design components of the gateway project.

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Business Development News

The Lackman to open Friday in the Gateway Quarter of historic Over-the-Rhine

Over-the-Rhine residents, workers, and visitors alike will have a new neighborhood watering hole to visit when The Lackman celebrates its grand opening on Friday in the Gateway Quarter at 13th and Vine streets.

The bar is named for the German brewer Herman Lackman who started brewing beer in Cincinnati in the 1800s and made this building into a saloon serving only Lackman brews. According to the new owners, The Lackman will once again be serving up beer, but with a much larger menu that will include 14 beers on tap and more than 30 additional bottled beers.

Inside the cozy 900 square-foot bar, early soft-opening patrons have already been treated to the restored interiors that feature original tile flooring and exposed brick. The historic features of the space, owners say, will be complimented by modern conveniences like flat-screen televisions, custom handmade chandeliers, large plush leather bar stools, and a jukebox.

“The goal of The Lackman is to create a stylish but casual neighborhood bar reflecting the resurgence of Over-the-Rhine,” owner Bob Deck explained in a prepared release. “With a friendly staff, eclectic music and large draft beer selection, we feel that customers will feel right at home.”

Deck is also a partner in the Cincinnati-based Four Entertainment Group (4EG) which operates eight local establishments including the popular Righteous Room in downtown Cincinnati just seven blocks away.

The Lackman (map) will be open from 7pm to 2am on Friday and Saturday this weekend. Following the grand opening weekend, owners say that the establishment will be open at 4pm every day, and will open earlier on Saturdays and Sundays during football season.

Photography contributed by 5chw4r7z.

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Development News Transportation

Streetscaping improvements along W. McMillan Street near completion

Significant progress has been made on the first-phase of streetscaping improvements throughout the Clifton Heights business district. Over the past two months work has been taking place along W. McMillan Street to rebuild sidewalks, crosswalks, curbs, and more. The projected $440,000 project will also include new street lamps, parking meters, trash cans, and street trees.

This stretch of W. McMillan Street had long been plagued by buckled sidewalks due to root invasion from the street trees there and water that subsequently collected. The rebuilt sidewalks not only feature safe and pleasant surfaces for pedestrians, but they also feature uniquely designed brick work at cross walk locations.

The improvement work has been championed by the Clifton Heights Urban Redevelopment Corporation (CHCURC) whose director, Matt Bourgeois, said that “the business community is very excited about the progress being made.”

Some of that progress has been quite noticeable including several facade improvement projects; business expansions and renovations by DuBois Bookstore, Plaza Artist Supplies, and Mac’s Pizza Pub; and the addition of several new businesses to the district.

The first phase of streetscaping improvements, nearing their expected completion in October 2010, were funded through the Cincinnati Neighborhood Business Districts United (CNBDU) and the City of Cincinnati. The later two phases will continue the streetscaping work throughout the district over the next two years depending on funding.