Monday, September 11, 2000
City not helping Burnet, critics say
Potholes, crime discourage business
By Allen Howard
The Cincinnati Enquirer
As Milt Howard looks down Burnet Avenue, there is frustration in his eyes. He has been dreaming of a business district for nearly 30 years in this Avondale neighborhood, but it has yet to happen. He said politicians come and make promises, but that's where it ends.
And now a pain in his hip adds to the frustration. But as he looks at empty lots and boarded-up storefronts in Avondale, he worries more about the avenue than his hip.
“I am waiting to go into the hospital to get a hip replacement,” the 87-year-old Burnet Avenue businessman said last week. “But I wish I could do something about getting a good business district on this street, like it used to be prior to the riots of 1967 and 1968.”
Mr. Howard remembers when the street was a booming business district with vegetable markets, clothing stores, restaurants, small eateries, shoeshine parlors, beauty and barbershops, jewelry stores, cleaners and garages.
The riots started an exodus in which 34 thriving businesses along Burnet Avenue dwindled over the years to the 12 that are there today.
“The street looks bad now — empty lots and empty storefronts. It is disgusting, ” he said.
Tom Jones, chairman of the Avondale Public Safety Task Force, agrees with Mr. Howard that Burnet Avenue is off the city's radar. His task force is trying to add a piece to the business district dream.
“It looks as if the city has completely forgotten about Burnet Avenue. We need help, at least some signs that the city wants to help,” he said. “Repave the street or fix the side walks. Do something.”
Mr. Jones was referring to this northwest section of Avondale, from Forest Avenue on the north to Erkenbrecher on the south. He said the street is showing signs of decay, with cracks in the sidewalks and pavement. It has become a haven for drug trafficking, he said.
The task force has worked with police in conducting drug busts that resulted in 375 drug arrests from January to June last year, police records show.
But the drug trafficking continues, Mr. Jones said.
Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken has taken an interest in Burnet Avenue, even touring the street in January and working with leaders on the safety issues.
“When I visited Burnet Avenue, the main concern was safety and getting the
city involved in wiping out the drug traffic on Burnet Avenue,” Mr. Luken said. “Making the street safe is the first step toward developing the business district. The city is working toward that goal.”
The mayor said the city has money for planning the district, plus help for an individual project: $25,000 for the Ronald McDonald House, on the northwest corner of Burnet and Erkenbrecher.
Despite the lack of public help, some Burnet Avenue businesspeople are trying to jump-start a viable business district.
• A senior center is being planned by residents and local merchants.
• Children's Hospital Medical Center is spending $155 million to expand at Burnet and Erkenbrecher avenues.
Mark Jones, city development officer, said the city's effort to help plan and develop the business district five years ago was blocked by a split in the community.
The plan he refers to was developed by the Avondale Redevelopment Corp., which called for a combination of housing and commercial development.
“We thought we couldn't just bring in new businesses when the housing was deteriorating and people moving out,” said Jim King, director of the redevelopment corporation.
Mr. King said the city gave the corporation $15,000 to study the area and draft a plan.
“But the original draft never reached council floor. Developers were reluctant to start projects on Burnet Avenue because of the drug trafficking and the deteriorating housing stock.”
Although the Avondale Community Council is drafting development plans ) for Burnet Avenue for 2005, the street has been a victim of the council's neglect.
Chaunston Brown was presi dent of the Avondale council for eight years in the 1980s when it was involved in a fight with the Cincinnati Zoo over expansion on Drury Avenue.
“We wasted eight years in a fight we lost and during that time we neglected things like pushing for business districts,” Mr. Brown said.
A new senior center, Ronald McDonald House and Children's Hospital expansion all hold promise for Burnet Avenue. However, for Mr. Howard, talk of a business district revival is just talk.
Talk is easy, he said, and it's cheap.
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