Monday, June 21, 1999
City support lands Westwood new, rare single-family homes
BY JEAN WILLIAMS
Enquirer Contributor
A housing boost is on the horizon for Westwood with the development of Brodbeck Park — the first subdivision of single-family homes in the neighborhood in 25 years.
When it's finished, it will join another recent and large development of new homes, Venetian Gardens in College Hill, unusual because it's in the city of Cincinnati.
There were 129 permits issued last year to build single-family homes in the city, said David Gecks, assistant director for building and inspections.
All but four of Venetian Gardens' 79 planned homes have been built, while in Brodbeck Park, construction of a model home should begin within 90 days, said Mark Riley, a Realtor and partner in the Westwood venture with Paige Development.
“We're trying to build affordable houses” ranging from $118,000 to $160,000, said Mr. Riley, a native west-sider.
There are 21 homes planned for Phase I of the project, which will use less than half of the 20-acre site.
The development is named for the late Westwood civic leader Robert Brodbeck and will be off Westwood Northern Boulevard between Montana and McHenry avenues.
It will have a stone-wall entrance, sidewalks and street lights, and “the whole subdivision will be bordered by large trees,” he said.
The project has been planned for four years, and is receiving help from the city of Cincinnati.
Roger Asterino, with the city's Department of Neighborhood Services, said city sites can be difficult to build on because of various restrictions and regulations, and so public assistance is a valuable tool in attracting developers to city neighborhoods such as Westwood or College Hill.
Venetian Gardens is off Sunridge Drive. Home prices start below $100,000. And in that price range, city financial assistance is essential, said Greg Davis, with Venetian Gardens developer Teepe Development.
Housing that entices home buyers back to the city, or keeps them there, is “something desperately needed by the city of Cincinnati,” said Gary Kohls, sales manager for American Heritage, which built about two-thirds of the Venetian Gardens homes.
“We got buyers who'd grown up in the area, and were very happy to be able to move back.”
That would be good news for Mr. Riley, as marketing for Brodbeck Park gets under way.
Westwood is known for its older homes and high concentration of apartment buildings.
“We've gotten a very good response” to the project, he said, “especially since clearing ground and moving dirt.”
Eventually, the development should contain 40 to 50 new homes. Home buyers there, Mr. Riley predicts, will be “people who really love Westwood and want to stay there.”
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