Justin Jeffre: Cannibal Condos (The Anthropophagi)
I am afraid that The Banks is going to turn into a cannibal in a City already stuck with tons of empty office space and condos. Our current leaders' collective lack of vision is giving us more of the same, and instead of using prime riverfront real estate to make Cincinnati a destination location, we are trying to turn it into cookie-cutter retail with offices and condos we don't need.
Those are the details the politicians don't discuss -- the number of square feet of prime office space currently unused downtown, or the number of empty condos. It's like City Council watched Field of Dreams one afternoon, and they just figure that people will show up if something is built. But solid urban planning is a bit more complicated than Hollywood movie magic.
Sometimes, it seems like certain politicians (as Shakespeare once said) just try to make their entrances, and their exits -- merely players on a stage. My fear is that if we let these players run rampant over our Queen City, then "all which [we] inherit, shall dissolve and, like this insubstantial pageant faded, leave not a rack behind."
posted by Justin Jeffre at 5:48 AM
12 Comments:
at 7:44 AM, October 24, 2007 
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at 8:02 AM, October 24, 2007 
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at 9:20 AM, October 24, 2007 
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at 10:26 AM, October 24, 2007 
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at 12:24 PM, October 24, 2007 
Kevin LeMaster said...
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at 3:02 PM, October 24, 2007 
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at 7:49 PM, October 24, 2007 
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at 8:32 AM, October 25, 2007 
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at 7:26 PM, October 25, 2007 
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at 8:47 PM, October 25, 2007 
oldtimer said...
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at 9:05 AM, October 26, 2007 
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at 12:10 PM, October 26, 2007 
oldtimer said...
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Post a Comment*OK, so what are the numbers? I assume you know them well, put them out there. Or is it just easier to be opposed to other people's ideas than to make anything of your own making happen?
Typical. Come in at the last minute and voice your opposition. No wonder this project has been in the works for over a decade.
Question for you: if elected to City Council, what other development projects will you try to railroad at the last minute?
ok - so Justin, give us those numbers.
Good point Justin. Where are the night-life venues and casino's to be utilized before and after the games?
Or, where is the supermarket, hardware store or barbershop for the residents??
Harold Schuler: "Where are the night-life venues and casino's to be utilized before and after the games? Or, where is the supermarket, hardware store or barbershop for the residents??"
Given that no tenants have been signed, how is he supposed to answer that? How is anyone supposed to?
Kevin L., I'm not asking Justin. I'm asking the city father's. Justin said the area was going to be filled with offices and condos we don't need. We need what I wrote.
Mr. Jeffre, I wouldinquire as to how you obtained your knowledge on planning principles. Indeed, you are entirely off base by asserting that our office market and condo market in the urban core is stagnating. Clearly, if additional priorities were placed upon public safety (crime is the number one concern for relocating companies), the office market would not be suffering nearly as much. Destination retail is a reality in the central city if managed and designed properly - specifically, when strategic transportation improvements are completed (eg streetcars, light rail, and other catalysts). The condo market will also too benefit by proximity to a new development in the form of induced demand - by creating an environment where riverview condos are available within a vibrant urban neighborhood, central city condos will experience demand due to their close proximity to amenities and the value associated with being just a couple of blocks removed from the action - I know that I can walk from the stadium to the square, square west, and plum street in only a few minutes - I would assume others would see this as well. Additionally, it is certain that an influx of new middle and upper middle income residents can only foster a more exciting urban core, thereby inducing a multiplier effect in the blocks between the Banks and Fountain Square, not to mention provide a convenient location for a workforce to reside. In turn, this will likely result in a contraction of office vacancy. Brush up on your planning and econ. development before spouting worthless dribble - it would benefit you to do so if you wish to earn the votes of educated young professionals like myself.
7:49 PM, October 24, 2007, it's obvious that you are a polysyllabic wonder, but perhaps you should remember that in the online world (as often in real life), perception becomes reality. You say are educated, yet the punctuation and capitalization errors in your post made me wince - repeatedly - and contradicted your claim. This basic communication flaw made it increasingly difficult for me to focus on your topic of discussion. Yet you happen to make some valid points. Perhaps you might want to improve your written communication skills, which would indeed give credence to your claim of being educated, and would actually receive the attention of the reading audience that some of your points deserve.
Mr. Jeffre,
Your ad hominen arguments are not very becoming, nor do they address the core concerns I have stated towards your viewpoint. Perhaps it was my rage at your "shoot from the hip" rhetoric regarding the Banks development and your lack of critical thinking skills that caused me to post such a rough first draft. Besides, I was unaware that this blog would be reviewed for punctuation and run-on sentences, so I would ask that you forgive my ignorance in that regard. Since you chose to sidestep the issues I presented, I would like to make an effort to communicate more effectively by refining my talking points into a more pointed, precise, and punctually correct second draft. Perhaps then you will be able to leap past your limited perception of reality and address my concerns with your short-sighted and poorly formed argument.
I would argue that you are off base with your assertion that the Banks as presently proposed will result in further stagnation within the condo and office markets within the Central Business District for a number of reasons. The rationale for an under-performing office market can be contributed to a number of factors, which include increased regional competition, a lack of flexible space, unreasonable and unrealistic rents when considered in a regional context, the lack of viable and attractive public transportation alternatives, expensive parking, and most importantly, a perceived notion among corporate stakeholders that crime is out of control. Through increased investment in public safety (e.g. the Comprehensive Safety Plan, etc.), this notion that crime is uncontrolled can be dispelled effectively. As I noted in my previous comments, it is a well accepted principle within economic development circles that crime is the number one factor considered by companies seeking to relocate. Clearly, if additional funding were directed towards public safety spending, the office market within the CBD would be most certainly revived.
In addition to public safety spending priorities, an effective, affordable, and attractive multi-modal public transit network will also contribute to reviving the stagnant office and condo markets, which would in turn stimulate destination retail in both the CBD and the Banks. This does not even acknowledge the prospects for the stimulation of boutique shopping destinations within the Over-the-Rhine area. Obviously, I would imagine that a plan of such scale as the Banks would have to include an aggressive residential component (as proposed) geared toward affluent young professionals. This critical mass of density will likely spur heavy retail investment in the vicinity. Given the land values associated with the Banks, and the limited development opportunities therein, it is natural to assume that the CBD will benefit by virtue of its immediate proximity to the development. Critical to understanding this notion is realizing that the Banks, when completed, will be an extension of the CBD, rather than a completely separate neighborhood.
As I mentioned in the previous draft, the midtown condo market will also benefit by proximity, as the valuation for Banks residential units is likely to eclipse the value for CBD condo units, such as those available at Fountain Square West, Plum Street, Sycamore, etc. These areas will be perceived as values in the emerging vibrant urban residential real estate market, and will play an important hand in attracting middle income professionals and younger talent who desire to be a part of the emerging, vibrant urban core associated with the Banks, but who lack the financial resources to pay the hefty prices associated with river view real estate. This is the principle of induced demand and the economic multiplier effect that I spoke of earlier. Certainly, the midtown condos are not more than a 10-15 minute walk to the Banks, as I know I have traversed that distance upon numerous occasions during my tenure as a Cincinnati resident.
Third, it is likely that the critical mass residential densities associated with the Banks will lead to increased investment in public transportation, such as light rail, streetcars, commuter rail, and well-coordinated shuttle service, thereby further stimulating the blocks just north of the Banks. The beginnings of this emerging transit network can already be seen in the form of renewed interest in streetcars connecting the CBD, Over-the-Rhine, and eventually, the Uptown collegiate and medical clusters located in Clifton and Mt. Auburn.
Increased spending at destination retail within the Banks by the influx of affluent residents is also likely to spur a wave of office reinvestment within the CBD, which when coupled with the recent renovations to Fountain Square, will lead to vibrant core urban district stretching from Central Parkway south to the riverfront. This attractive district will prove to attract an educated, cosmopolitan workforce, thereby increasing demand for Class A office space by existing regional corporations. Additionally, out of town firms are likely to reexamine the possibility of a downtown corporate location primarily because of the positive ramifications associated with proximity to a new, world class development on the north shore of the Ohio River.
In closing, I enjoy the chance to contribute to this conversation regarding the potential jewel in the crown of the Queen City. I would also reassert that you should take interest in gaining the votes of educated young professionals such as myself by contributing positively to the advancement of our city. Conversely, your ad hominem attacks, your side-stepping of issues, your lack of knowledge regarding planning principles, and your formulation and shameless promotion of mis-informed, uneducated and ill-formed opinions will likely cost you the votes of the emerging young professionals on Election Day. I eagerly await your reply, and would welcome the opportunity to discuss various issues with you in a more discreet forum such as email (as opposed to a "blog" site), as I do feel that your accessibility to the constituency at-large could be your greatest asset if you choose to take advantage of it. Additionally, I would commend you on your commitment to public service, as so many current and former council members seem to have forgotten their commitment somewhere along the line.
Regards.
Well Justin it seems a lot of sourpusses are crapping on your ideas and questions.
Only one person 7:49 attempted to refute your suggestions, using the same flawed pipe dream logic he claims to be so far above. In fact his whole post smacked of arrogance and other worldliness.
He alludes to growht stimulators like the fairy land street cars, and light rail. How in God's name will you fund these, 7:49? Do you have any concrete proof that these will make the city a better place? Or is it just your not so humble opinion?
"Strategic transportation development" and "induced demand" sound like cheap perfume on a whore. You sir come across like a sly developer in sheep's clothing.
Every great city has a vibrant downtown and locus, where people gather to play, think, amuse, and delight. SF has the bay, New York has Manhattan, Paris has its city center on the river, and liKe Paris we too have our river. The stadiums are an absolute travesty of poor location and real estate mismanagement, and Mike Brown has been assimilated a virtual overlord postion by way of his location. Seattle has a beaming vibrant market on its water edge in the heart of the city. It's FUN to go there.
I say leave a small version of Findlay Market in the ghetto for now, and move a large expansive version down on the riverfront. Make the city proud and the area a magnet for all people by starting with a place to buy diverse aand creative produce, meats, and regional food products. The money dumped into the current market is subsidizing one more idea that would flounder and die on its own, a world class market in the heart of the ghetto.
Give a public a reason to go to the river 24/7. Make this city exciting again. As for your very flawed logic 7:49, how did One Lytle Place ever create any of the delusional improvement to city life you claim condos on the Banks will? Gimme a break, will ya?
Sometimes being highly educated can make you really really dumb.
So, Justin, other than playing in a boy band, just what are your qualifications for City Council?
How about fresh ideas and a vision for this city full of incite? Those seem like excellent qualifications to me.
Justin, keep speaking honestly and openly about the city's problems. Ignore the bullies and naysayers ccmmenting on your posts. I've never seen people more threatened by healthy change than some people in this town. Being conservative sometimes means you need an enema.
Fortunately there's a lot of folks here who dig your efforts. Keep speaking out and you will garner more and more support. This town does not have to stay stuck forever.
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