Diversity : Development News

On April 3, former Montgomery knitting store Fibergé moved to 1407 Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine. It will be hosting its grand opening event May 17.
 
In September of 2010, the year Fibergé owner Norma Lawrence Knecht moved to Cincinnati, she left her corporate job and opened the Montgomery location. She decided to move her store to OTR because she wants to contribute to the revitalization efforts in the neighborhood, says Margaux Ayers of MCA Marketing.
 
“Norma wants to contribute to the arts community in OTR,” Ayers says. “She likes OTR because of the established arts community. People already have an appreciation for the arts here.”
 
Lawrence Knecht started to knit a few years ago and found she was good at it. The artsy craft also helped her better control her anxiety and quit smoking, Ayers says.
 
Ayers says Lawrence Knecht is excited to bring beginning knitters into Fibergé and help people understand the art of knitting. Beginning knitting kits start at $20.
 
Fibergé sells Spud & Chloe, Blue Sky Alpacas and Rowan yarns, and offers hundreds of patters for one-of-a-kind garments and accessories. Lawrence Knecht also offers knitting classes, private lessons and daily project assistance—no appointment needed.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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David Le and his business partners, brothers Duy and Bao Nguyen, are known for the traditional Vietnamese fare at Findlay Market’s Pho Lang Thang. But the trio wanted to bring Asian street food to Vine Street.
 
Quan Hapa, an Asian gastropub, opened the week before Christmas. “Hapa” is the word for someone who is part-Asian, which is perfect because the restaurant’s fare is a mixture of the best dishes and drinks from Korea, Vietnam, Japan and Hawaii.
 
The restaurant is small, but comfortable and relaxed, with its menu displayed on a chalkboard.
 
In the few months it’s been open, Quan Hapa has already adapted based on early feedback. “We felt that things were a bit confusing when we first opened,” Le says. “For the first few months, there was a bit of a lack of identity in our food and the atmosphere.”
 
Le and his partners no longer serve “street food” on $16 plates. Instead, the food is served in baskets and condiments can be found on the tables. They also revamped the price points of many of their dishes to try and find the balance between the perception of value and the amount of food, Le says.
 
Le and the Nguyen brothers aren’t chefs, so they’re working with Billy Grise, a trained chef, to fine tune every dish. And you won’t find Pho Lang Thang’s bahn mi at Quan Hapa.
 
Some of Quan Hapa’s popular dishes include a Vietnamese-style Ramen, a Japanese-style pancake and Bun Bo Hue, which is a traditional soup from the Imperial city of Hue. As far as drinks go, diners like shochu, which has a Korean or Vietnamese vodka, fresh squeezed juice and soda water in it, Le says.
 
“As the first Asian restaurant on Vine, we wanted to introduce people to traditional Asian fare,” Le says. A few months after Quan Hapa opened, Kaze joined them in Over-the-Rhine.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Need a funny card to send to the special someone in your life? Look no further than Colette Paperie, a new-to-Cincinnati online stationery business.
 
Keli Catalano, 30, started Colette Paperie back in 2008 when she was a designer at Target in Minnesota. At the time, stationery was something she liked to do on the side, but when Catalano moved back to Cincinnati in 2010, she decided to make it her full-time job.
 
“I’ve always loved paper,” says Catalano. “Even though I don’t have a need for them, I still buy cards.”
 
Catalano designs and illustrates the cards herself. She usually draws the designs by hand and then touches them up on the computer.
 
The majority of Catalano’s business is through online sales, but she does visit craft shows and sells her products wholesale to boutiques across the country. They’re available on Colette Paperie’s website, or at Boutique 280 in Madeira and Wholly Craft in Columbus.
 
Colette Paperie offers cards for all occasions, plus journals, calendars, stationery sets, pencils and magnets. The products' messages say exactly what you want to say, but in unique ways.
 
The baby cards are some of Catalano’s craziest designs, and they tend to be the most popular among buyers. “Some of them are ridiculous, but they’re funny,” she says.
 
Catalano does take custom orders for wedding stationery, but she hasn’t concentrated on that side of her business yet. She also customizes messages on the insides of the cards for customers.  
 
Catalano’s goal is to create a new reason to send paper mail instead of email. “I love seeing people send cards for no particular reason,” she says.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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The idea for Happy Chicks Bakery began in Jessica Bechtel’s kitchen. She and Jana Douglass, 31, have been friends and colleagues for about 10 years, and over those years, they’ve made many batches of cookies together. Since they love to bake and are both vegans, the pair figured they could make it into a business.
 
Douglass and Bechtel started Happy Chicks, a vegan bakery, in April of last year. Happy Chicks doesn’t have a storefront, but they sell their products wholesale to Park+Vine and the Family Enrichment Center in Northside. In the summer, Happy Chicks has a booth at the Northside and Madeira farmers markets. Bechtel and Douglass also do custom orders and cater special events.
 
“Our goal is to have a storefront in the next few years,” says Bechtel, 33. “We’re trying to do the business without taking out loans. When the time comes, we’ll probably look for a space downtown.” 

Happy Chicks is also in the process of looking for other wholesale opportunities to help expand their business.
 
Happy Chicks makes cakes, cupcakes, cookies, macaroons, pies, scones, muffins, a vegan croissant, breakfast roll and coffee cake; the breakfast items are popular at both Park+Vine and the Family Enrichment Center, Bechtel says.
 
The black raspberry chocolate chip cookie is a top-seller, as are the tiramisu and caramel chocolate stout cakes. They also offer seasonal-flavored treats, such as the Snowball, which is a coconut cupcake topped with coconut frosting and filled with a cranberry sauce.
 
All of the bakery’s goodies are dairy and egg-free, and most of the recipes are also soy-free. Many can be made gluten and nut-free, too.
 
Need to satisfy your sweet tooth before Valentine’s Day? Visit Happy Chicks at Sweet Victory, a wedding dessert tasting and cake-decorating contest, Feb. 6 at Cooper Creek Event Center. Or get tickets to Cupcakes & Cocktails, a ladies-only event that benefits the Eve Center, Feb. 8.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Yoga is usually accompanied by soothing background music, but at OMYA Studio in Northside, that background music is an important aspect of every class.
 
Co-owners Hollie Nesbitt and Mark Messerly both have musical backgrounds. Nesbitt is a former music teacher, and Messerly is a music teacher at the Cincinnati Gifted Academy and plays in several bands, including Wussy and Messerly and Ewing.
 
About four years ago, Nesbitt started Little Yoga Sunshine, a yoga program for children. She has taught yoga to Girl Scout troops and church groups; she also used to teach yoga to students at Cincinnati Public School’s after-school program. Over the years, Nesbitt has taught yoga at Wyoming Youth Services, The Women’s Connection, Lighthouse Youth Services, the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati, United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Museum Center.
 
OMYA, which stands for Outreach, Music, Yoga and Arts, offers yoga classes for children, adults, families and those with special needs. “Yoga gets the body moving and helps with concentration and calming down,” says Nesbitt.
 
Yoga can teach children with autism the skill of stopping with the four “Bs” (brakes, brain, body, breath). It can also help non-ambulatory people with muscle tone and physicality, and those with Down syndrome with strengthening their joints and muscles.

“We offer lots of kid, family and special needs classes, which is something that many yoga studios don’t have,” says Nesbitt.
 
Messerly doesn’t teach yoga classes, but he’s planning to offer several music classes at OMYA. In the future, he plans to offer an early childhood music class for children with autism and ADHD. He also wants to start a guitar club for beginning and intermediate guitar players and a songwriting class for older children and adults. He’s also in the process of developing a six-week course for kids with autism, a program that doesn’t exist elsewhere.
 
“It’s always struck me that kids love music, but adults say they can’t carry a tune,” Messerly says. “I want to give music back to people. Not everyone will be a musician, but they should have music in their lives.”
 
Not only will Messerly teach a few music classes at OMYA, but he has incorporated yoga breathing and movements into the music classes that he teaches at Cincinnati Gifted.
 
OMYA also has a working relationship with WordPlay, which is housed in the same building as the studio. “We want to do some cross-curriculum work with WordPlay, where kids will write poems or song lyrics and then I’ll teach them how to add music,” Messerly says.
 
OMYA is right across the street from Yoga-Ah, the yoga studio where Nesbitt learned to teach yoga. She says they do lots of cross-promoting for the studio. “While your child is taking a class at OMYA, you can take one for adults across the street.”
 
Currently, OMYA offers one or two classes per day, with no classes held on Tuesday. Nesbitt is one of two yoga teachers, and Robyn Holleran, a professional belly dancer, teaches belly dancing classes for girls ages 12 and up; April Eight also teaches Songs of Peace classes. Classes are $10 for adults, $8 for kids and $15 for families.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Three apartment complexes in Over-the-Rhine recently received tax credit money through the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit program. Losantiville Apartments, Pendleton Apartments and Abington Flats will soon yield 104 apartments and more than 12,000 square feet of retail space.
 
Two buildings located at 521-523 E. 12^th Street are to be rehabbed as part of the larger Losantiville Apartments project. According to the Ohio Development Services Agency, the affordable housing project will include rehabilitating 14 buildings in four different neighborhoods in Cincinnati. The property on 12^th Street will yield six residential units, and received $203,362 in tax credits.
 
Pendleton Apartments at 1108-1218 Broadway Street and 404-414 E. 12^th Street received $2.6 million in tax credits for redevelopment. Eighty residential units and more than 12,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space will come out of the rehab project. Pendleton Apartments spans 17 historic buildings in the OTR National Register Historic District. The redevelopment is meant to serve working professionals who are employed at the new Horseshoe Casino downtown.
 
Located one block south of Findlay Market, Abington Flats was built in 1910 as a mixed-use residential and commercial space. After redevelopment, Abington Flats will continue to provide 18 rental apartments above first-level commercial space.
 
The projects in OTR received more than $3.3 million in tax credits. The three apartment buildings will add to the rejuvenation of OTR and bring in hundreds of new residents.
 
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The East Price Hill Improvement Association was awarded $107,500 from the city through the 2013 Neighborhood Business District Improvement Program for the development of the St. Lawrence Corner Public Square. Price Hill Will, an independent organization that focuses on comprehensive community development, will administer the project.
 
Price Hill Will purchased the property in early 2012. The property was home to a three-story Tudor-style building that burned down in 2010 and has been vacant since.
 
“Before it burned down, the building was an anchor for the area,” says Matt Strauss, director of marketing and neighborhood promotion for Price Hill Will. The organization had had its eye on the building, and Strauss is now looking forward to turning the land it used to sit on into something great.
 
The property will become a public square, which will include a stage and water feature. Once completed, the square will be a gathering place for the neighborhood and a place for events such as the Price Hill Cultural Heritage Fest, says Strauss. 

Construction on the square began last week, and will be finished in the next few months.

Price Hill Will worked closely with Price Hill residents on the plans for the square.
 
“We wanted to reflect the people of the neighborhood, and their dreams and aspirations for the area,” says Strauss. Residents were able to provide feedback on what they wanted for the square, and even what they wanted it to look like.
 
The property sits near the edge of East and West Price Hill and acts as a gateway for the neighborhood. Strauss hopes that like the building, the square will become an anchor and point of pride for Price Hill and its residents.
 
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Thirteen neighborhood projects were recently awarded $1.65 million through the 2013 Neighborhood Business District Improvement Program.
 
The Pleasant Ridge Development Corporation received $150,000 for the acquisition and redevelopment of 6025 Montgomery Road, which includes two separate buildings on one parcel of land. PRDC is in negotiations with the current owner and plans to have the property under contract by January.
 
The majority of the NBDIP funds will go toward purchasing the property; the remainder will be put toward redevelopment. PRDC will then partner with another community organization or developer to finish the project.
 
PRDC currently has a working partnership with the Pleasant Ridge School Foundation at Pleasant Ridge Montessori for the project. PRDC and the Foundation have talked about several ideas for the property, including a potential daycare to supplement the school’s part-time preschool. Depending on the how planning for the daycare goes, there might be more than one use for the property, says Jason Chamlee, president of PRDC.
 
PRDC takes a different approach to its NBDIP projects than other neighborhoods. For the past two years, PRDC has focused on purchasing existing real estate and redeveloping it, says Chamlee. PRDC wanted to acquire the Montgomery property because it is a vacant building that can be redeveloped to capitalize on business opportunities near Pleasant Ridge Montessori, which is adjacent to the property.
 
Pleasant Ridge is a strong, engaged neighborhood with a stable housing market, says Chamlee. “The biggest need in Pleasant Ridge is rebuilding the business district. With support from the City of Cincinnati, our colleagues in other business districts and strong community partnerships, we are gaining momentum and want to build off our early successes. The quality of our neighborhood is very closely tied to the vitality of the business district."
 
Last year, PRDC was awarded $200,000 through NBDIP for the acquisition of a property at Montgomery and Ridge roads. The property had fallen into foreclose and disrepair and was about 75 percent vacant. PRDC formed a joint partnership with a local developer who will renovate the property.
 
The project from last year is going through the final approval process for full rehabilitation construction. In the end, there will be three or four new, redeveloped storefronts that total about 13,000 square feet of restaurant or retail space that will be available for lease in early 2013.

For additional information regarding development projects in Pleasant Ridge, please contact prdevcorp@gmail.com.

By Caitlin Koenig
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NVISION, an independent retail shop in Northside, recently expanded to make room for its ever-growing inventory.
 
NVISION specializes in vintage, secondhand and handmade goods, including clothing and fashion accessories, original art, vintage décor, collectibles and furniture from the ‘50s to the present. Some of the clothing, jewelry, purses, greeting cards, ceramics and glassware sold at NVISION are handcrafted, redesigned or repurposed by local artists and designers. The shop also offers clothing alterations and repair services, and each piece of clothing comes with a custom fitting, if needed.
 
There’s also has an online store on NVISION’s website that has made merchandise available to customers all over the world. “I’ve sold merchandise from my shop to Sweden, Japan, Canada, Qatar, Turkey and plenty of cities in the United States,” says NVISION’s owner and sole employee Emily Buddendeck.
 
Buddendeck opened NVISION on Leap Day in 2008, but she saw that the store was outgrowing its original space. The tenant next door moved out at the end of November, and a week and many coats of paint later, NVISION unveiled its new space to the public at Northside Second Saturdays.
 
Buddendeck didn’t consider relocating because NVISION’s location, on Hamilton Avenue next to The Comet bar and Thunder-Sky Inc., gallery, allow the three businesses compliment each other, she says. Plus, she enjoys serving her Northside neighbors.
 
The original side of the store is now primarily dedicated to clothing and fashion accessories. The new space houses furniture and housewares, plus NVISION’s rotating art gallery with pieces by local and regional artists; the two spaces are connected by a door.
 
The expansion also allowed Buddendeck to expand NVISION’s menswear and children’s sections. Shoppers can now browse the store more easily and not bump into furniture.
 
“In the next few months, I’ll be fine-tuning the use of the new space as it relates to the whole store, and the ‘grand re-opening’ will be held Feb. 28-March 1 during our fifth anniversary sale,” says Buddendeck.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Last Monday, Madisonville was allocated $2.5 million in bond financing to make improvements to the neighborhood’s business district. The bond money will be paid back with funds from the Madisonville tax increment financing, or TIF, district.

A TIF is the difference between what property taxes would be after redevelopment and what the tax would be if no redevelopment occurred. A payment is made to the TIF fund in lieu of taxes and is used to finance other projects. Madisonville will pay back the bond over a period of 20 years.
 
In November, Madisonville revealed its quality of life plan to the public, which focused on economic development, health and wellness, arts and culture, education and youth, built environment and community engagement. The plan will take about 10 years to fully implement, but Madisonville is taking immediate steps to revitalize its business district.
 
There are about two blocks of vacant property at the intersection of Madison and Whetsel, which is at the heart of the business district. With the bond money, Madisonville will be able to begin construction on those buildings and bringing in businesses to start building the citizens’ dreams of a walking neighborhood.
 
The $2.5 million is the first big investment in the physical transformation of Madisonville, says Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls.
 
Madisonville is among four major growth opportunity areas in Cincinnati, including Walnut Hills, Westwood and College Hill. But these neighborhoods aren’t the only ones the City is investing in.
 
“These neighborhoods are target areas because of their participation in developing the new form-based code for the City,” says Qualls.
 
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The City of Cincinnati Economic Development Division and Cincinnati Neighborhood Business Districts United (CNBDU) recently allocated $1.65 million to 13 projects for the 2013 Neighborhood Business District Improvement Program.
 
John Price, then-president of the Clifton Business Association, started CNBDU in 1992. He gathered all of the business association presidents in Cincinnati because he wanted to figure out a way to get funding for those neighborhoods that weren’t downtown, says Mike Wagner, president of CNBDU.
 
Over the years, CNBDU has appropriated about $33 million between federal and city money, and leveraged more $350 million in private money, to support non-downtown neighborhood projects.
 
CNBDU awards money annually to Cincinnati neighborhoods through the NBDIP, which receives federal money from the City’s Community Development Block Grant and city capital funds. Neighborhoods can use the money for a variety of capital improvements and other uses to promote economic development in their business districts.
 
Each neighborhood is allowed to apply for one major and one minor ask, says Bill Fischer, division manager of economic development for the City. The maximum amount for a minor ask is $30,000; there isn’t a maximum amount for a major ask. There are generally more minor-ask projects accepted because more projects can get done.
 
This year's process began in June when 29 neighborhoods submitted their initial proposals, which totaled $3.1 million in requests. A 28-member peer advisory group of community members who had submitted proposals and representatives from neighborhood business districts reviewed the proposals. In September, the reviewers took a bus tour of the project sites.
 
“There wasn’t much to look at when we first started CNBDU,” says Wagner. “But now we can see what has been accomplished in the past 17 years.”
 
In October, the peer group made recommendations to the City’s Economic Development Division after hearing presentations from the different neighborhoods. Neighborhood groups were notified at the end of November if their proposals would be turned into a project through NBDIP.
 
“Each neighborhood has a different approach to the project proposals,” says Fischer. “Some are looking to maintain what’s already there, whereas others are looking to create new business.”  
 
CNBDU funding is in addition to the Focus 52 program, a combination of bond and casino revenues, which will create a pool of $54 million for neighborhood projects throughout the city.
 
The neighborhood projects that were awarded money through the NBDIP are:

• Walnut Hills: Park-Kemper Streetscape Design, $30,000
• West Price Hill: Covedale Center Marquee/Community Message Board, $79,145
• Roselawn: Business District Feasibility Study, $30,000
• Clifton: Ludlow Avenue Storefront Improvement Program, $77,500
• Westwood: Parking Lot Renovation, $30,000
• Northside: Hoffner St. Garden, $80,000
• Northside: Dhonau Garden, $30,000
• Corryville: Façade Improvement Program (continuation), $236,397
• Bond Hill: Bond Hill Identity Project, $30,000
• East Price Hill: St. Lawrence Corner Public Square, $107,500
• Pleasant Ridge: 6025 Montgomery Acquisition & Redevelopment, $150,000
• Avondale: Reading, Rockdale & Forest Streetscape, $400,000
• Mt. Adams: Streetscape Completion, $375,000

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Although she has a background in finance, and experience sussing out business plans from a career launched at IBM, Stephanie Rozanovich says she was surprised by some intial costs at her Oakley-based Trend Boutique. 

She didn’t want customers to be worried about the cost of clothing at her boutique. Tired of the equation of “boutique” with “expensive,” she now offers most of her items for $100 or less.

The demographic for her store is roughly women ages 25 to 45. Rozanovich, 37, says she looks for designers that offer a young, contemporary look and whose fashions “don’t look like the stuff you see in chain stores.”

She takes buying trips each year, traveling to Chicago, New York and as far as Las Vegas, but stays focused on clothes that will work in the Midwest. Compared to, say, Los Angeles or New York, Rozanovich says her picks are a touch more conservative and take Ohio’s cold winters into account. “A lot of the designers in Los Angeles can do lighter knit year round, whereas we need warmer stuff in the winter, like coats that are a little bit thicker.

“I start out honestly buying things I like because I don’t feel comfortable selling [clothing] to people if I don’t like it, the fit, or the brand,” Rozanovich adds. She chose her Oakley space for its proximity to her east-side home and the area’s up-and-coming vibe. After weeding out a few out-of-town landlords – she was concerned they didn’t have a vested interest in the neighborhood – she found a local landlord whom she liked and who serves on an area community council.

Today, Rozanovich employees three part-time staffers and spends time on the sales floor as well. Trend Boutique is open seven days a week on Oakley Square, plus online.

By Robin Donovan

Eight of the nine spaces in Bakery Lofts, the historic 1421-23 Race St.building just a half block from Washington Park, are already on "hold," according to developer 3CDC, as interest in and development around living spaces in Over-the-Rhine continues its brisk pace.

3CDC is currently working on a three-phase, $62 million project that encompasses two city blocks on 14^th Street between Vine and Walnut, says Anastasia Mileham, communications director for 3CDC. Included in the Mercer Commons project are 19 historic building renovations and new construction on 26 vacant pieces of land.
 
The project will ultimately contain 96 market-rate apartments, 30 affordable apartments, 28 condominiums, 17,600 square feet of commercial space and 359 parking spaces, says Mileham.
 
The first phase of development began on June 30—it will yield a 340-space parking garage; 11 condos housed in four historic rehabs on Mercer, which will open in March 2013; a mixed-use building on Vine that will have 12 condos and 3,900 square feet of commercial space; and Mercer Townhomes, with five living units. The mixed-use building and the townhomes are slated to open in September 2013.
 
Phase 2 includes 13 historic rehabs that will house 46 mixed-income apartments, 6,000 square feet of commercial space and a mixed-income building on Walnut with 21 apartments and 4,600 square feet of commercial space. Phase 3 of the project includes two historic building rehabs with eight apartments; eight new construction, three-story townhomes with 16 apartments; and a new building with 35 apartments, 3,100 square feet of commercial space and 19 parking spaces.
 
One of the highlights of the project is the affordable housing that will be available. It’s also the first of its kind with a mixed-income building.
 
“We worked really hard to get low-income tax credits for affordable housing,” Mileham says. “It was difficult because OTR is saturated with low-income tax credits and vacant housing. We wanted to show the community that you can have affordable units that at the same time are nice.”
 
The new development in OTR will help create a walkable community with residential, commercial and office space all in one area. It will also help rejuvenate yet another part of the neighborhood.
 
In all, 3CDC has completed four phases of development in OTR, including 186 condos and 91,000 square feet of commercial space. All but three of those condos have sold and about 90 percent of the commercial space is leased. 3CDC also has seven other projects around OTR, with 65 condos, 23 apartments and 17,900 square feet of commercial space. 

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Marianne Kiely, owner of Everything’s d’Vine, has waited a long time to open her specialty wine and beer shop on Fourth Street. But as of Nov. 9, she is open for business.
 
Everything’s d’Vine has hardwood floors and exposed brick walls. The walls are original brick, but the floor was replaced when Kiely rented the building. Customers get the feel that they’re in a wine cellar, even though they’re steps away from busy Fourth Street.
 
Vynebar wine racks line the walls, which Kiely sells in addition to a wide assortment of wines from around the United States and abroad.  
 
There’s also a beer room, stocked with beers from craft breweries across the country. A tasting room, where Kiely hosts samplings twice a week, one for wine and the other for beer, connects the two rooms. The samplings reflect Kiely’s inventory, but there are usually six to eight brands to try, she says. There’s usually a $10-15 cost for the tastings, but the cost depends on the number of pours.
 
Make sure to check Everything’s d’Vine’s Facebook page for weekly tasting times and costs, along with other events. She also includes inventory updates and seasonal releases on Facebook.
 
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Next Tuesday, Madisonville’s community council will share its Quality of Life Plan with funders, government officials, businesses, nonprofits and surrounding communities. For the past year, Madisonville has been involved in an intensive, community-driven planning process.
 
It’s the first time in Cincinnati that a citizen-driven, community plan of this type has been developed, although it has been used in 109 communities across the country.
 
Not only does Madisonville have a strong history—its future looks bright. The neighborhood on the east side of Cincinnati is more than 200 years old. It was established in 1809 and originally called “Madison” after the newly elected fourth President of the United States, James Madison.
 
Madisonville’s first permanent settler was Joseph Ward and his family. In 1797, they built a log cabin along an Indian trail that is near what are now Whetsel and Monning avenues. About 30 years later, a post office was established and the neighborhood’s name was changed to Madisonville to avoid duplication with Madison, Ohio. It was annexed by the City of Cincinnati in 1911. Today, about 9,000 people live in the neighborhood.
 
But in the 1970s, about 17,000 people lived in Madisonville. Flight from urban areas in the '70s has yet to be reversed, but there are more residents considering city life.
 
“Madisonville would be a great place to live because of its closeness to downtown,” says Sara Sheets, a Madisonville resident of nine years and the project manager for the Quality-of-Life Planning Process on behalf of the Madisonville Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation. Residents can jump on Columbia Parkway or I-71 to get to work and events downtown.
 
Many of Madisonville’s residents moved to the area because they wanted to be part of a racially and economically diverse community. “I wanted to live in a diverse community with a potential for the future,” says Sheets.
 
The residents of Madisonville really care about the neighborhood and want to see it grow. Last year, Madisonville began the intense process of organizing the community in order to develop a vision for the neighborhood. Six working groups were formed to focus on economic development, health and wellness, arts and culture, education and youth, built environment and community engagement. The groups met six times over the summer to form a specific plan. The Quality of Life Plan will likely take about 10 years to implement, but it’s a roadmap for what the community wants to see happen in the neighborhood, Sheets says.
 
The Quality of Life Plan focuses on broader change, particularly on the opportunities and quality of life for children and seniors in Madisonville, according to Bob Igoe, who has lived in Madisonville for 12 years and been the community council president for three.

A large portion of the Plan is focused on education, from kindergarten on up. For example, the Children’s Home of Cincinnati has made a long-term commitment for the kindergarten-ready program in Madisonville. The program focuses on children ages 0-3 and helps prepare them for kindergarten, both educationally and socially.

Not only are there long-term goals for Madisonville, but there are short-term goals, too. One of these is jump-starting the growth of the business district, Igoe says.
 
Currently, there are about two blocks of vacant property at Madison and Whetsel, in the heart of the neighborhood’s business district. Madisonville residents will ultimately get to decide what will fill those vacant spaces.

“We want to develop a mixed-use neighborhood where walking and biking to restaurants, shops and services is easy,” Sheets says. Many residents go outside of the neighborhood to grab a cup of coffee.  
 
Residents also want to add new apartments, condos and houses to the town. Most of the new housing will likely be around the business district to enhance the community's walkability.
 
The meeting is to begin Nov. 27 at 5:30 pm at John P. Parker School, 5051 Anderson Place, Cincinnati.
 
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