Author Topic: Newport: Ovation (Read 57461 times)

buildingcincinnati · « **Reply #35 on:** May 06, 2006, 10:02:55 AM »

From the 5/6/06 Enquirer:

2 residents escape eminent domain
Housing Authority sends letters saying homes not needed for project
BY RYAN CLARK | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

NEWPORT - Two Newport families are breathing easier this week.

While Housing Authority of Newport officials continue to determine which properties they want along 13th Street's north side - part of an eminent domain plan to acquire property for new public housing - the Doyen and Cook families have received notice that their properties will not be taken.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060506/NEWS0103/605060426/1059/rss13

buildingcincinnati · « **Reply #36 on:** May 26, 2006, 11:44:59 AM »

From the 5/26/06 Enquirer:

5 teams vie for waterfront
Site at Licking, Ohio rivers prime Newport real estate
BY MIKE RUTLEDGE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

NEWPORT - Five teams are vying to develop what a spokeswoman for one group called "quite potentially the best piece of real estate in the region" - near Newport's confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers.

Newport plans to buy the prime 13-acre site from the Newport Housing Authority for about $11 million and sell it to developers.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060526/NEWS0103/605260424/-1/rss

buildingcincinnati · « **Reply #37 on:** June 01, 2006, 01:56:19 PM »

From the 6/1/06 Enquirer:

New public housing spreading
BY SCOTT WARTMAN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

NEWPORT - Residents have relocated. Windows on public housing units north of Fourth Street have been boarded up. Now construction on new public and/or low income housing is spreading throughout Newport.

Work has started or will start soon at:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060601/NEWS0103/606010388/1059/rss13

The_Cincinnati_Kid · « **Reply #38 on:** June 10, 2006, 12:39:53 AM »

Riverfront developers line up
Among proposals from five groups: Ice arena, water park
BY MIKE RUTLEDGE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

NEWPORT - Three towers could rise near the Ohio and Licking rivers, along with a village center and ice arena that could host figure skating and maybe professional hockey. There also could be shops, an amphitheater and water park under one proposal to develop Newport's western riverfront.

Another developer, Corporex Cos., promises to build "the most significant development ever undertaken in Northern Kentucky," which it calls Ovation.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060610/NEWS0103/606100417

kendall · « **Reply #39 on:** June 10, 2006, 05:37:30 AM »

An indoor ice arena on prime riverfront land is such a bad idea.

The_Cincinnati_Kid · « **Reply #40 on:** June 10, 2006, 05:48:44 AM »

Water park on the riverfront?

By Greg Paeth and Kerry Duke
Post staff reporters

A Los Angeles development firm has proposed building three towers for a hotel, offices and condominiums as well as an enclosed water park that could be used year-round on the Newport Housing Authority property being cleared for redevelopment at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers.

A glass-enclosed Village Center that would be packed with retail and entertainment attractions and the Newport Landing Village Amphitheater for concerts and theater productions also would be built if the Marquee Dalian Development Corp. is selected to develop the 14-acre site, which the city of Newport is acquiring from the housing authority.

buildingcincinnati · « **Reply #41 on:** June 10, 2006, 11:44:18 AM »

Yeah, they're a little full of themselves over there at the Levee.

PhattyNati · « **Reply #42 on:** June 11, 2006, 02:24:45 AM »

do they just pull these ideas out of their butt? a hockey rink??

The_Cincinnati_Kid · « **Reply #43 on:** June 11, 2006, 03:26:44 AM »

Yeah, I wondered where the hockey rink idea and the water park idea came from. Seems like a huge waste of valuable land.

jmecklenborg · « **Reply #44 on:** June 13, 2006, 03:24:19 AM »

>>Newport, already basking in the afterglow of its highly successful Newport on the Levee retail-entertainment complex, has said the new project could be one of the most important in the city's history.

>What, their half empty retail portion? Like I said before, I like the Levee, but it is a failure as a retail spot.

^You took the words right out of my mouth. I had copied that phrase and my forefinger was itching to click and paste. There is seemingly no convincing anyone, anywhere in Cincinnati that Newport on the Lamee was anything other than a 100% success. I think a big reason why people don't notice the vacancies is because there has never been anything there and they successfully comouflaged the empty storefronts.

As for this new development, I've said it before -- why the hell public housing was built on such a prime real estate in Newport fourty years ago is absolutely baffling. And it should be said as well that when this sprouts it will have been going on 20 years since the appearance of the first Rivercenter tower, so when people, as they love to do, point to the "explosion" of development on the NK riverfront, they will have convinced themselves in their mind that it all happened in around 7 years. And of course Covington Landing came and went in that time, and noone has ragged them in the way a similarly failed "Cincinnati Landing" would have.

The_Cincinnati_Kid · « **Reply #45 on:** June 13, 2006, 07:23:37 AM »

Quote

Newport on the Lamee

This place just got a new nickname!

buildingcincinnati · « **Reply #46 on:** June 18, 2006, 05:26:39 AM »

From the 6/17/06 Kentucky Post:

What's really happening on 13th Street?
Who's buying up homes on the edge of Newport's last big tract that isn't already redeveloped or targeted for it - and why the sudden interest?
By Greg Paeth
Post staff reporter

To residents along 13th Street in Newport, it seems as if a vise is tightening.

On one side are government interests.

The city of Newport has condemned about a dozen properties in a two-block stretch. The Newport Housing Authority, which operates public housing for low-income families, has made overtures to buy about 35 homes and vacant lots to clear the way for new construction.

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060617/NEWS02/606170335/1011/RSS02

The_Cincinnati_Kid · « **Reply #47 on:** June 23, 2006, 04:37:31 AM »

Transparent government

Suspense and suspicion permeate the air in Newport these days.

On one end of town, near the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers, five developers are vying to erect their vision of Newport's future on a highly coveted piece of land where public housing apartments are being torn down.

What exactly do the developers have in mind?

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060623/EDIT/606230325/1003

buildingcincinnati · « **Reply #48 on:** June 26, 2006, 11:01:46 AM »

From the 6/26/06 Enquirer:

PHOTO: One of the blighted homes sits on West 13th Street in Newport. Developer interests have created uncertainty among residents in the neighborhood. The Enquirer / Ernest Coleman

13th St. tenants uneasy
Developer interests cause concern
BY SCOTT WARTMAN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

NEWPORT - Recent property sales and proposed low-income housing have some residents on 13th Street questioning the future of the street.

Well-maintained homes on the street sit amid about a dozen condemned homes with panoramic postcard views of Cincinnati, Newport and Covington.

The street, tucked away along the hillside in the Clifton neighborhood, is separat

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060626/NEWS0103/606260364/1059/rss13

buildingcincinnati · « **Reply #49 on:** July 06, 2006, 11:25:35 AM »

From the 7/6/06 Enquirer:

Development site needs a better name
BY MIKE RUTLEDGE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

NEWPORT - Newport officials want a new name for the Ohio River shoreline development area they hope can become their city's symbol.

City staffers are working on a naming contest for the area of subsidized housing projects that are being razed north of Fourth Street, just east of where the Licking and Ohio rivers meet.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060706/NEWS0103/607060382/1059/rss13

buildingcincinnati · « **Reply #50 on:** July 27, 2006, 11:43:40 AM »

From the 7/27/06 Kentucky Post:

Newport's case unlike Norwood's
By Shelly Whitehead
Post staff reporter

Key players in an eminent domain case pending in Newport said Wednesday's Ohio Supreme Court ruling will not effect any of the properties or people involved in their situation.

The Housing Authority of Newport has begun acquiring properties through eminent domain on the north side of 13th Street between Central and John streets as sites for homes for low-income families. Last April, several homeowners in the neighborhood hired a Fort Thomas attorney to represent their interests in the action.

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060727/NEWS02/607270352/1014

The_Cincinnati_Kid · « **Reply #51 on:** August 31, 2006, 05:49:38 AM »

Glad to see this moving forward, but I wouldn't hold my breath on a 25 story office tower in the near future!

Corporex to develop Newport riverfront

Post staff report

Corporex Cos. will have an opportunity to continue to put its mark on the Northern Kentucky riverfront as the firm was chosen to develop a high-profile site in Newport, city officials announced today.

Corporex will develop the 14-acre site at the Ohio and Licking rivers, planning a combination of retail, office and residential buildings in a development it calls "Ovation."

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060831/NEWS01/608310357

UncleRando · « **Reply #52 on:** August 31, 2006, 07:33:38 AM »

Riverfront developer named
BY MIKE RUTLEDGE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
August 31, 2006

NEWPORT - The Northern Kentucky developer that is transforming Covington’s Skyline with a dramatic condominium tower will also rework Newport’s riverfront, Mayor Tom Guidugli announced this morning.

Corporex Cos., now building the 22-story upscale condo tower Ascent at Roebling’s Bridge, was chosen from among five developers that applied for the job.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060831/NEWS0103/308310002

UncleRando · « **Reply #53 on:** August 31, 2006, 07:42:56 AM »

Thought I would throw together a location map incase you aren't exactly sure of the area mentioned:

CiNYC · « **Reply #54 on:** August 31, 2006, 08:27:22 AM »

what a disgrace. this is nothing more than le corbusier's "towers in the park."

it was horrible in the last century and while other cities are retrofitting their mistakes, King Butler is plopping it down right on some of the best real estate in Newport.

UncleRando · « **Reply #55 on:** August 31, 2006, 08:36:52 AM »

^I don't think it is quite that bad, but there are some major concerns for me:

-Why are the smaller mid-rises in the middle with the taller high-rises on the outside...it could be flip-floped so that everyone has river/Cincy views

-Why is there such a disparity amoung bldg heights....you've got 3 story bldgs, and then 25 story bldgs inserted throughout (some consistancy would be nice)

-Why do all of the bldg styles/architectures have to be identical....isn't that what you had there previously and that you are trying to get away from (a mega-block development)

-Much of the presented green space looks to be unusable/will be under utilized....simply placing strips of grass periodicaly throughout a development does not do the trick of creating a vibrant urban park network....this greenspace could be reworked to create larger swaths of open area, while at the same time creating a development that appears to be denser.

I guess there are just some things that need to be worked out with the plan, IMO, and maybe those tweaks are still to come...

The_Cincinnati_Kid · « **Reply #56 on:** August 31, 2006, 08:52:05 AM »

Quote

what a disgrace. this is nothing more than le corbusier's "towers in the park."

CiNYC, you beat me to the punch. I was going to say the EXACT same thing, and had that Corbusian POS in mind as well. That design does nothing to relate to the rest of Newport. I understand the need to go vertical, but this does not look like anyone put much effort into it.

RiverViewer · « **Reply #57 on:** August 31, 2006, 10:11:00 AM »

Quote from: UncleRando on August 31, 2006, 08:36:52 AM

-Much of the presented green space looks to be unusable/will be under utilized....simply placing strips of grass periodicaly throughout a development does not do the trick of creating a vibrant urban park network....this greenspace could be reworked to create larger swaths of open area, while at the same time creating a development that appears to be denser.

That's the part that gets me the most. This land is valuable - why on earth would you waste it on green space that adds no value? I guess the thought is that it increases the value of the other units more than it would be worth as more units, but I know those spaces would make this development less attractive to me, not more attractive.

But then, I ain't planning on buying anything there anyway...

jmecklenborg · « **Reply #58 on:** August 31, 2006, 11:29:31 AM »

I suspect this isn't any kind of real proposal for this, they just paid someone $500 to come up with a computer rendering to go with a press release. The townhomes on top of the levee add yet another disjointed element to this "plan", but it sounds like this is going to be developed in such slow motion there will certainly be some variation in the buildings, unlike the Covington "skyline".

cincyimages · « **Reply #59 on:** August 31, 2006, 11:54:32 AM »

Yikes.

kendall · « **Reply #60 on:** August 31, 2006, 12:03:38 PM »

I hope that is just a lame stock rendering of some kind. That plan is awful, just awful. Those ugly massive towers surrounded by no mans land, a circular shape that has no relationship to the site. I hope the final product looks nothing like this.

CiNYC · « **Reply #61 on:** August 31, 2006, 12:11:34 PM »

Quote from: jmecklenborg on August 31, 2006, 11:29:31 AM

I suspect this isn't any kind of real proposal for this, they just paid someone $500 to come up with a computer rendering to go with a press release.

I really hope you're right because this is without a doubt the absolute worst proposal, conceptual or otherwise, that I have ever seen in this city in my lifetime.

And to think that Hamilton Co. would've allowed this company to be in charge of the banks...

Maximillian · « **Reply #62 on:** August 31, 2006, 01:04:39 PM »

This is worse than the kroger garage!

Where is Samuel Hannaford when you need him..!? Why do we keep building crap!? A block on my Sim city looks 10X better than this block of sh!te.

PhattyNati · « **Reply #63 on:** August 31, 2006, 01:25:32 PM »

the buildings look like giant cheese graters though i dont take much stock in anything in the rendering. i think all of us on this board should know by now that original concepts NEVER come to fruition. Butler has grown a little bold with the aparent success of The Ascent which i can appreciate but these things just look terrible. its as if he has taken the balcony arangement from the ascent slapped it on rectangular buildings and hit copy. this is exactly why one developer should never have control of so much land. they are replacing project with buildings that look like...projects.

CiNYC · « **Reply #64 on:** August 31, 2006, 10:42:22 PM »

The site is now up, complete with a comments/suggestions box. We can all let them know just how much we love this project.

http://www.newportriverfront.com/

UncleRando · « **Reply #65 on:** September 01, 2006, 01:07:50 AM »

^I just sent them a crap-ton of my feelings about this mess of a project!!! Anywho here is an interesting article, maybe the announcement of this Newport thing will light a fire under the Banks project and really get things going to ensure that Cincy isn't beat to it by Nky.

The reaction from Ohio
'Good for everybody'
ENQUIRER STAFF REPORT
September 1, 2006

CINCINNATI - Hamilton County commissioners don't see a $600 million office, residential and retail development proposed for the Newport riverfront as a threat to their own $600 million riverfront commercial, residential and retail development known as The Banks in downtown Cincinnati.

"Generally, I think these projects are good for everybody on both sides of the river. I don't see it as a threat," Commissioner Pat DeWine said.

E-mail dklepal@enquirer.com, kperry@enquirer.com or jnewberry@enquirer.com
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060901/BIZ01/609010362

The_Cincinnati_Kid · « **Reply #66 on:** September 01, 2006, 01:10:15 AM »

Another article...

Project planned for Newport
Corporex group has big plan for site where rivers meet
BY MIKE RUTLEDGE AND JON NEWBERRY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITERS

NEWPORT - The Covington-based developer that walked away from The Banks development on Cincinnati's riverfront has been chosen to lead development of a 13-acre site at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers and promises "big plans" - including office and residential high-rise buildings and retail.

Corporex Cos. and Boorn Partners beat out four other groups to develop the prime land, which commands views of both rivers and downtown Cincinnati.

http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20060901/BIZ01/609010352

UncleRando · « **Reply #67 on:** September 01, 2006, 01:31:17 AM »

I guess the name of the project should now be: "Ovation". But anyways, I thought I'd make it a little easier to see the renderings so...here are some of the other images from the website:

And here is a recap of the other two renderings I posted earlier:

The_Cincinnati_Kid · « **Reply #68 on:** September 01, 2006, 01:36:32 AM »

A few concerns given the new info in the new article...

Quote

Guidugli gave a rough cost estimate of $600 million - the same amount as is estimated for the Banks. He was uncertain how much taxpayer money might be needed. The city told Corporex up front that the city had limited financial resources and that a developer must buy the land rather than receive it as a gift

Quote

Butler said an undetermined amount of financial help would still be needed from the city, state and federal governments to make it happen.

This is exacltly the same situation as The Banks had, only they are even farther behind in their due diligence! That last quote basically gives him an out, "undetermined" where is all this money going to come from?

Quote

Parking garage revenue helped finance Newport on the Levee, but Guidugli wasn't sure the city could do the same with this project.

I believe NOTL has yet to make a payment back to whatever gov'nt issued the bonds for the garage and construction, I am sure the State of KY is aware of this breach of contract and will be leary to fund much larger garages in the same city.

Quote

But to lift the "ground level" to the height of the earthen levee, parking garages must be built on stilts, in the same way Corporex's RiverCenter towers were elevated by parking levels.

People forget that the City of Covington and the State of Kentucky paid the entire cost of the garages for the entire RiverCenter development, these were massive tax dollars given to the project.

Quote

City officials and Butler said they would integrate the development with the rest of Newport. Officials will hold community meetings to give Newport residents input, Butler said.

My concerns here are twofold: one, given the rendering, nice try (I know it is just an early concept, but they have a long, long way to go here), two, I believe Newport does not slope up the way the Cincinnati side does and remains pretty flat. If the entire project is built 20-30 feet up on garages, at some point there is going to be a massive elevation change that must be made, not sure how you could integrate this in a subtle manner.

Quote from PhattyNati

Quote

this is exactly why one developer should never have control of so much land. they are replacing project with buildings that look like...projects.

I was also shocked by Newport's choice of Corporex for the same reason. They are going to be playing Newport against Covington for their office space. There is still plenty of space available in RiverCenter, as well as the final phase planned for the parking lot behind the Embassy Suites as well. Furthermore, Corporex owns and manages most of the hotels on the NKY riverfront. The Greater Cincinnati hotel market has been at or near the bottom of the hotel market for years now, do you think Butler is going to build another hotel on the riverfront to compete with an already soft market and the bulk of his portfolio?

Finally, this thing is now as big as The Banks; it is obviously not nearly thought out as well as The Banks plan was, even at its inception, nor do I believe does the State of KY, Campbell County, or the City of Newport have the resources that the Ohio side does to throw into this project. Remember The Banks plan was conceived by the Riverfront Advisors, a committee of the best and brightest in town and the plan, costs, and revenues were extremely detailed. This thing is just based on the City of Newport's analysis and the internal analysis of Corporex. Also, the Banks plan was heavily reliant on parking revenues, for which there is a market at the Banks, not so in Newport. The Banks has the downtown office market and the stadium events from which to draw revenue, where is the demand for parking in Newport if they are going to rely on it? If they are not going to rely on parking revenue, it is just another chunk of money the taxpayers will have to pony up.

So, I would not hold my breath on this project starting anytime soon.

UncleRando · « **Reply #69 on:** September 01, 2006, 01:50:13 AM »

^Very good points.....very true and very daunting for Newport.

News:

Author Topic: Newport: Ovation (Read 57461 times)