Two weeks before construction of Michigan Terrace will begin, 10 of the 15 condos have been sold - two for more than $1 million each.

The project, which has generated opposition from some neighbors, will be at Michigan and Erie avenues on a bustling, classic town square that defines one of Cincinnati's most desirable neighborhoods. It is replacing a gas station that has been torn down.

Beth Bokon, executive sales vice president for Sibcy Cline, said she's not surprised by the brisk sales of condos, whose prices start at about $600,000. Sibcy Cline is handling the sales.

"There isn't any open land this close to the square that could offer a competitive project," she said.

Janet Buening, who moved to Hyde Park in 1972, also isn't surprised that people are willing to fork over more than $1 million for the condos.

She bought her three-story house, which is two blocks from the square, 32 years ago in the mid-$30,000 range. In recent years, comparable houses on her street have sold for more than $500,000.

"This is a prime community," Buening said. "It has all the amenities you could ask for."

The $10 million project is the first major development on Hyde Park Square in more than 60 years.

The developers are Al Neyer, Inc. and the Lantrust Real Estate Group.

Michigan Terrace will be six stories high, one story higher than the tallest building on the square, and will have an underground garage. The first floor will be retail stores; the second, third and fourth floors will be luxury condos; and the top two floors will be penthouse condos.

Buening, a board member of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Council, said the developers addressed the council's concerns about the appearance of the building's faÁade. But she said council still objects to the project because it believes the building is too big, the planned underground garage entrance on Erie will be unsafe for pedestrians and the project violates the city's zoning code.

"The garage entrance is a safety issue," Buening said. "The entrance should be on Michigan."

Gail Paul, spokeswoman for Al Neyer Inc., said an engineering firm's study indicated no safety problems with the garage entrance.

The owners of the Hyde Park Medical Arts Building filed an appeal against Cincinnati's decision to grant a zoning variance for the project.

"Obviously, we're confident we fulfilled every requirement," Paul said. "We have all the approvals we need to begin construction."

The project is to be completed by the fall of 2005.

Bob McKeever, a 67-year Hyde Park resident and an officer with the Hyde Park Neighborhood Council, said he doesn't share some residents' reservations about Michigan Terrace.

"I think it's a neat project," he said. "It's all a tempest in a teapot."

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