Can Cincinnatians of different incomes and social backgrounds really live happily side by side?

The City West project is bounded by Court and Linn streets (lower left) to John and Liberty streets with 835 rentals and 250 homes. (Tony Jones photos) | ZOOM |

        That's the big question as people begin moving into a new West End development that's a grand experiment in mixed-income, near-downtown living.

        Nothing else like it exists in the region.

        When it's completed in 2004, City West will be a 1,085-housing-unit mix of market-rate, affordable and low-income rentals and for-sale homes. It's being built on the site of Lincoln Court and Laurel Homes, two of Cincinnati's biggest and most notorious public housing projects.

        The first homeowners already are unpacking, and renters should be moving in this week.

        Instead of more than 2,000 barracks-style apartments, three-story brick townhouses line tidy streets. Each apartment has its own outside entrance. Air-conditioning and washer and dryer hook-ups are standard. The three-bedroom units have nearly 1,700 square feet.

Tony Tiefenbach got more house for his money by buying at City West. The industrial real estate agent says he believes it will turn out to be a good investment in the long run. | ZOOM |

        A billboard encourages, “Come and be a part of this exciting community.” There's no mention of income levels. And there's no difference between low-income and market-rate apartments — even though more than half are earmarked for tenants who qualify for subsidies.

        The hope is that the community will attract higher-income residents, which will encourage business development, which will create jobs and better services.

        All 18 of the market-rate homes in the first phase at old Lincoln Court are under contract or sold. Prices range from $162,000 to $200,000, says Carol Block, project manager for homeownership at The Community Builders Inc., project developer and manager.

        Five of the 17 homes earmarked for lower-income buyers have contracts, too.

        And that's without any mass marketing.

        “I think we've proven that there's a set of people out there open and willing to commit to being a part of this neighborhood,” says Willie Jones, senior vice president of The Community Builders.

Bobby Lyles shows off his new house keys as he and his wife, Viktoria, revel after signing the paperwork for their new City West home on Cutter Street. | ZOOM |

        Viktoria and Bobby Lyles received the keys Wednesday to the first house they've ever purchased. The nearly 3,000-square foot townhouse sits on the corner of Cutter and Court streets, with views of a playground, school and a bakery where Mr. Lyles worked as a child.

        “I always felt like one day I'd be back down here,” says Mr. Lyles, who grew up in the old Laurel Homes public housing project. “When the opportunity came up, we took it.”

        The couple, who planned to move this weekend from Clifton, always liked the idea of living downtown, but were turned off by the drugs and crime. City West offers a chance for the neighborhood to start over, a community the Lyles think will attract a responsible working class.

        Although they're market-rate buyers, the Lyles say they don't worry about living in a mixed-income neighborhood.

        “My neighbors' income is their business — as long as I know they're not criminals out robbing somebody,” Mrs. Lyles says.

        Sharon Gentry-Smith lived in the old Lincoln Court until she graduated from college. She was back last week, too, to consider buying one of the new homes.

        The neighborhood's reputation as a drug haven kept her away before, but now Mrs. Gentry-Smith, who lives in North Avondale, would like to move back.

        “If you want good people, you need a mix — black, white, rich and poor,” she says. “Let us good working people back down here.”

        Establishing a mixed-income neighborhood isn't easy, Mr. Jones says.

        Tenants are expected to work, and applicants with jobs or enrolled in training programs or school get higher priority.

        Late rent means eviction. And tenants must follow strict cleanliness rules.

        “If the place looks bad on the outside, nobody wants to be your neighbor,” Mr. Jones says. “And if it's bad on the inside, we don't want to be your landlord.”

        The policy toward criminal activity nears zero tolerance. Residents can be kicked out for illegal drug use or other crimes.

        Crime “is the kiss of death,” Mr. Jones says. “When you do revitalization of a neighborhood, it cannot take on the personality of its former life.”

        Once people believe the neighborhood is safe, differences in income won't seem so significant, Mr. Jones says.

        “It becomes like all working neighborhoods. People still get up and go to work. They just make different amounts of money.”

        Ed Ziegler isn't sure about that. He lives in the part of Laurel Homes that hasn't yet been redeveloped. New housing alone can't change a neighborhood, he says. Other types of redevelopment must occur, too.

        “Look at the neighborhood like it's a car,” says Mr. Ziegler, who serves on the Laurel Homes residents' council.

        “You have to keep the paint nice, the oil changed and get new tires. In a neighborhood, you need good housing, job training and business development. It all goes together.”

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