Development News (Cincinnati, Kent, Wilmington: house, casino, airport)

[Traveler87]

Sticky this... good idea.

Over at SSP there's a new Cincy thread as well. Did you create that one too?

[CinciFan]

Originally Posted by Traveler87

Sticky this... good idea.

Over at SSP there's a new Cincy thread as well. Did you create that one too?

Yeah that was me too!

[Yac]

We have a 2 stickies/forum max rule, I could stick this thread but I'd have to remove the sticky from either the Picture thread or the "newcomers read it first" thread.
I don't think this is really necessary though, this thread gets enough traffic to stay on page 1.
Yac.

[CinciFan]

Here is the casino distict plan. There are a lot of good ideas in here.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/36633217/CPC.../Item%202b.pdf

[Traveler87]

Originally Posted by CinciFan

Yeah that was me too!

Well these are both great threads! Keep it updated and us informed!


I saw The Banks signed a new steakhouse. Maybe that's old news, but it seems like a good one.

[Traveler87]

Originally Posted by unusualfire

^ Honestly how would you know this? They paid for studies to have their restaurant there. No business go into business blindly.

I see why you post more on UrbanOhio. You can actually talk with people you relate to. Try to get more of them over here, thanks!

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by CinciFan

Here is the casino distict plan. There are a lot of good ideas in here.

First of all, let me comment it is a very professionally done and pleasing presentation. I feel that is likely what I object to it. 161 Pages - a good sized novel. I caught the credits at the end, and my reaction was the old saying too many cooks in the kitchen.

Again, it is professional, with great graphics and textual content. Of course I recognize someone has to be being paid to produce all of this stuff. Someone is paying the bill. Appears to me to be a declaration we contacted every Tom, Dick, and Harry in the region as to their input, so if the result does not come out right it is not our fault. There are dozens of potential this didn't happen, that didn't happen, don't fault us excuses.

And this study was completed by who?
. Bridging Broadway - a non-profit organization whose mission is to maximize the new casino's positive effect on Cincinnati.
. The University of Cincinnati Community Design Center. Thiis is another non-profit organized by the University.

My pet peeve is these non-profits are draining all of the profits out of the entire area. In addition to their executive salaries, the decisions they make on how to spend resources on projects has no real control. If their board approves it, it goes through, with zero percent public input.

My opinion is if you want to get rich, either join a non-profit or start a church.

Yes, Cincinnati is making progress. But the cost is may over what it should be.

One simple declaration would change the entire perspective. There are NO non-profits with their special exemptions and everyone will have to pay taxes on anything they have as income. What a Novel Idea - Pay as you Go.

[abr7rmj]

Originally Posted by Traveler87

I see why you post more on UrbanOhio. You can actually talk with people you relate to. Try to get more of them over here, thanks!

I also have started to post more at UrbanOhio. It's simply a better, more positive vibe over there with a genuine desire to see Cincinnati progress and grow.

And then there's CD, where the same cynical naysayers constantly criticize and tear down any - literally ANY - positive development in our urban core. Their predictions of failure for new ventures and their obsession with negative news is truly depressing; I just don't want to read it any more.

I don't check this forum as much as I used to, but I applaud this thread topic. Hopefully it helps change some attitudes.

[rrtechno]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

...

My pet peeve is these non-profits are draining all of the profits out of the entire area. In addition to their executive salaries, the decisions they make on how to spend resources on projects has no real control. If their board approves it, it goes through, with zero percent public input.

My opinion is if you want to get rich, either join a non-profit or start a church.

Yes, Cincinnati is making progress. But the cost is may over what it should be.

One simple declaration would change the entire perspective. There are NO non-profits with their special exemptions and everyone will have to pay taxes on anything they have as income. What a Novel Idea - Pay as you Go.

Keep in mind that this "declaration" would also remove the exemption from such organizations as 4-H clubs, Cub Scouts, Rotary and Lions Clubs, etc.

Also, just as there are some non-profits that abuse the current system, there are many that work entirely with a totally volunteer staff and administration and put all of their income back into building the community.

My feeling is that the current regulations concerning non-profits should be enforced and opportunities to "hide" expenses eliminated, but I am opposed to a total abandonment of the current setup.

I am glad to see an interest in development in Cincinnati, even though I currently don't even live in the Cincy metro area as any improvement anywhere in the state of Ohio is a plus for the entire state.

[kjbrill]

I would be perfectly content if non-profits were required to operate with a purely volunteer staff, with the exception of a few paid administrators with definite caps on their salaries. I feel those caps should be set as percentages of the total amount the non-profit can declare in their operating budget. I would like to see something like 10%.

I am just tired of everywhere I look in the news and articles on development I see non-profits as the focal point. Where are the for-profits, the basis of our capitalistic society? They are smart enough to not stick their neck out as long as the non-profits are running the interference. I am sure the majority of the non-profits were organized by the for-profits. If a non-profit does not succeed and disappears, who is affected? The immediate people involved in the non-profit.

That casino district plan was the epiphany to me. As I stated, very professionally organized and presented, with a modern layout and attractive graphics. But as I waded though it, particularly the community walks portions, this is the feeling I got. We will get a couple of dozen concerned citizens together, walk through the neighborhoods, have lunch and do the group concensus meeting thing. We can then claim all of the concerned parties were consulted and if the outcome is less than envisioned it is not our fault. The overall presentation was very professional, and as such I am sure was put together by paid professionals, not volunteers, and not cheap either. If you got a bunch of volunteers together in a room, asked for their input, you would be lucky to come out with a presentation as polished as that in 6 months. So I tells me the result is what the paid professionals were to do. They organized and went through their various neighborhood scenarios with one purpose in mind - the result which was published.

Who are some of the non-profits I would like to see taken to task? Number one would be the hospitals. How can you claim to be a non-profit, religous organized hospital, when 95% of your physician groups are in the top 2% of wage earners in the US? To me, this is totally hypocritical. Somebody is paying off somebody. And BTW I belong to one of those religions.