By Kristina Goetz
The Cincinnati Enquirer

CLIFTON - In an area that prides itself on aesthetics and neighborhood character, residents are organizing to protest the latest development proposal: two new businesses, one with a drive-through window.

"I passed out 70 fliers to my neighbors and talked to them, and all but one was outraged," said Laura Retyi-Gazda, a 53-year-old business owner who lives on Bishop Street. "The majority of them are going to fight like hell."

The development application was submitted by Jack Brand, a custom builder and former president of the Clifton Town Meeting, the neighborhood association. He has a contract to purchase the Anderson, Baiter & Sahnd Funeral Home at 3412 Clifton Ave.

He says unequivocally that he won't develop traditional fast-food restaurants such as Burger King or McDonald's on the property.

"We're working right now as far as who or what will ultimately go there," Brand said. "But it will not be fast-food restaurants. I'm not looking to do things that aren't in the best interest of the community."

The neighborhood is known for an epic fight it picked in the 1980s with a developer who wanted to put a Wendy's restaurant into the old Esquire Theatre on Ludlow Avenue. That case went all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court, which upheld Cincinnati's right to ban new businesses from certain neighborhoods for aesthetic reasons.

The recent application, submitted March 12, calls for two new buildings, one 1,800 square feet, the other 4,400 square feet with 32 parking spaces.

The buildings would be similar in size and height to neighboring buildings, particularly Dewey's Pizza across the street on Hosea. Both would be street-oriented with entrances off the right of way, the application said.

Brand said that because many businesses, including pharmacies and banks, offer drive-through service, he wanted to keep the option open.

"It may turn out that the business that goes in there won't need one," he said.

A flier circulating in the neighborhood warned that approval could lead to increased traffic, litter as well as light and noise pollution. "Torches and pitchforks are optional," the flier read, underscoring the disdain some residents have for that kind of commercial development.

"Personally, I do not support the proposal at least as it has been explained in sheets circulating around Clifton," said Betsy Black, a Town Meeting trustee and 20-year Clifton resident. "The idea of a drive-through ... sounds a bit ludicrous, especially since the residents did all of that work years ago to keep the Wendy's out."

Residents are expected to attend a meeting at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the city's Office of Architecture and Urban Design. A public hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. April 7 in the city's Department of Community Development and Planning.

Brand says he will ask that the hearing be continued so the Town Meeting trustees can discuss the project. He plans to attend the upcoming session of the Clifton Town Meeting April 12.

"I'm sure I'll hear about people's concerns, likes and dislikes," he said. "There will be ample opportunity for discussion."

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E-mail kgoetz@enquirer.com