The City of Cincinnati will continue designing public improvements for the Glencoe Hotel and Condominiums project in Mount Auburn, but the site's six buildings are in urgent need of stabilization.
Cincinnati City Council approved $300,000 in capital funds for improvements to the sidewalks, lighting, and public areas of the last October as part of a proposed $20 million rehabilitation proposal by Dorian Development.
Under the proposal, the building shells of the historic Glencoe-Auburn Row Houses and Glencoe Auburn Hotel complex would be rehabilitated, then sold to individual developers to create a total of 54 condominiums and 14 rental units.
Following the council funding approval, staff from the Department of Community Development and the Office of Architecture and Urban Design inspected the project site and estimated that costs for public improvements would range from between $1 million and $1.5 million, with design and construction documentation estimated at $100,000.
The remaining $200,000 City funding could be used to begin improving a gateway of approximately 250 lineal feet from Auburn Avenue to Glencoe Place.
Buildings in trouble
However, City staff became concerned about the condition of the roofs and cornices of the buildings -- so much so that staff from the Division of Property Maintenance Code Enforcement (PMCE) ordered some of the sidewalks in the project area barricaded.
On November 24, Dorian Development sent a memo to the City requesting that the $300,000 in funding be used to stabilize the buildings, and, on December 10, Councilmember Cecil Thomas petitioned the director of Community Development to investigate the viability of this option.
Two preliminary cost estimates, submitted by Imbus Roofing Company and Kramer and Sons, Inc., have been prepared by City staff based upon CAGIS information and observations of site photographs.
With estimates averaging more than $455,000, the work would preclude further water infiltration and prevent collapse until Dorian Development submits a proposed financing structure for the project later this spring.
Alternatively, PMCE has estimated that between $325,000 and $375,000 would be required to demolish all of the buildings on the site.
Federal funding would not be available for the demolition because the district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Funding non-transferrable
In a memo to council, city manager Milton Dohoney Jr. says that the funding cannot be used for anything other than public improvements, and that City staff will continue to design those improvements until directed otherwise.
"Since Council authorized the $300,000 for public improvements only and specifically stated that no funds are to be disbursed for any expenses incurred prior to passage of Ordinance No. 329-2008, the Administration believes that it is incumbent upon the Developer to stabilize the Glencoe buildings in question," he says. "In addition, if City Council determines that further action is warranted, a more detailed due diligence process will be necessary."
The City also would require an updated financial assistance application, along with more detailed information on assurances from the developer and prospective homebuilders that the project is still viable.
"Without such information, it is impossible for staff to perform a gap analysis and do other due diligence, justifying City subsidy," Dohoney says.
Dorian Development has previously announced plans to unveil the project during Mt. Auburn's Row House Revival, a home show projected for September 2009.
The lack of funding and development agreements between the City and the developer makes it unlikely that Dorian Development will meet its projected completion date of 2011.
Previous reading on BC:
City approves $300K for Glencoe-Auburn improvements (10/6/08)
Motion to jumpstart stalled Inwood Village project adopted, but questions remain (9/17/08)
ODOD changes status on Glencoe-Auburn (12/24/07)
Urban Ohio: Fantastic Glencoe-Auburn Place photos (11/21/07)
Inwood Village project seeking preservation tax credits (9/26/07)
Monday, February 9, 2009
Glencoe developers need building stabilization money
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7 comments:
The city needs to find money for this emergency stabilization, perhaps CDGB funds or Grants from National Historic Trust or the Preserve America program.
Continued Water damage will raise the cost of development down the road and the cornices are irreplaceable.
Water damage is the worst. There was some money allocated in the recently approved stimulus that was for preservation projects. This would seem to be perfectly qualified. The catch is that only governments and non-profits are eligible for the money, so the City would most likely have to apply and then do the work.
just drove by there the other day. this has to be one of my favorite areas of the city hands down. such a unique and fascinating place. many of the buildings had new spray painted signs: Do Not Enter Or You Will Be Shot. Yikes.
Here is a bit of history on the place:
Glencoe History (PDF)
It's quite a unique part of Cincinnati, for a number of reasons.
I know the wind storm did a bit of damage, and even before then the buildings that had been damaged by water were in horrid shape. The shell is salvageable, but there isn't much on the inside that can stay. Even some of the floors have rotted through, causing the bearing walls to be in a pretty precarious situation.
It seems unlikely that the developmer is going to sink the money into this with the state of the market being what it is now.
...and what is in store for the two historic houses at the SW corner of Auburn and Glencoe that Christ Hospital has been sitting on?
I was just down at Christ Hospital this morning, and had I not read this the night before, I never would have even known those were back there.
^ It's cool, isn't it? It's like one onf Cincinnati's little secrets.
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