Wednesday, March 29, 2000
New homes planned for Over-the-Rhine
Middle-class buyers is aim
BY LUCY MAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Advocates hope a plan to build new, market-rate housing in historic Over-the-Rhine for the first time in a generation will attract middle-class homeowners into the historic neighborhood.
The Over-the-Rhine Foundation plans to build 12 new homes on what are now empty, garbage-strewn lots and rehab three vacant houses, all on Pendleton and Spring streets. The foundation says at least three of the homes will be “affordable,” selling for about $100,000 each. The other dozen will be “market-rate,” selling for $150,000 to $250,000.
The housing development will make just a small dent in the more than 250 vacant buildings in Over-the-Rhine. But the nonprofit foundation hopes the new homes will give the neighborhood a big push toward attracting more residents like Aaron Herzig and Lauren Koon.
The couple just bought a home on Spring Street, near one of the vacant houses the foundation plans to rehab. Mr. Herzig, part owner of the Civic Solutions LLC consulting firm, said it was the home's proximity to downtown that attracted them. They like the idea of walking to restaurants, bars, the theater and Reds games.
“We liked the idea of being a part of what we think is a very exciting time for the area,” said Mr. Herzig, a new member of the foundation's board. “There's a lot of excitement and a lot of energy, and it's fun to be in the middle of it.”
City and foundation officials hope the project, to begin later this year, will spur other development.
“I think this will just send a signal that this is really the right place to be,” said City Councilman Jim Tarbell, an Over-the-Rhine advocate who is moving from Clifton to a house on Broadway later this year.
“This is a real good role model because there are lots of small spaces like this, nooks and crannies where you could get six or eight units.”
The project site is now home to three vacant, boarded-up houses and empty lots that have become dumping grounds for garbage, stray rocks and an occasional beer bottle.
The foundation is sensitive to worries that rehabbing homes in Over-the-Rhine will push out low-income residents in favor of professionals who want to live near downtown and can spend $185,000 or more on a spiffed-up row house, said Marge Hammelrath, executive director of the organization.
Ms. Hammelrath noted that homes of “Pendleton Mews” are going on vacant lots or are converting vacant buildings. No one is being displaced, she said.
“We want to further encourage the building of a diverse neighborhood,” said Chuck Downton, president of the foundation's board and a manager at Procter & Gamble.
Having the pricier housing should also encourage more stores to open in the area to serve the people moving in and the lower-income residents who already live there, Ms. Hammelrath said.
And the group thinks that homes people own, rather than rent, will bring more stability to the neighborhood, said Ken Jones, an architect who has lived in the neighborhood for 28 years and will serve as the foundation's project manager for the development.
“We hope this will set a precedent for what can be done in Over-the-Rhine,” he said.
The homes haven't been designed, but developers the foundation hired Tuesday will pay close attention to what looks best with the surrounding neighborhood, said Steven Bloomfield, who is leading the team that will design and build the houses.
The team also includes H. Richard Duval, a real estate developer; Craig Gossman of Kinselman, Kline & Gossman Design and Planning; and BBL Maescher Inc.
The foundation has spent $150,000 to buy the land and vacant houses and get the work started.
The city of Cincinnati will contribute $412,000 to make improvements to Ray Alley between Pendleton and Spring streets, to build a retaining wall and pay for other infrastructure, such as sidewalk improvements, said Donna Richards, a senior community development analyst in the city's Neighborhood Services Department.
The city is kicking in another $109,000 to pay for design work, too, she said.
The foundation also has gotten funding from The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, The Thomas J. Emery Memorial, Cinergy Foundation and the Josephine Schell Russell Charitable Trust.
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