New housing project breaks ground in Avondale

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Nov. 6 for Avondale’s newest residential development, Northern Townhomes. The eight market-rate townhomes are located at the corner of Northern and Harvey avenues, and are part of the area’s larger Burnet Avenue Plan.
 
Northern Townhomes is the first new market-rate housing in the neighborhood since the '90s, and is part of a larger infill development plan to bring more residents to Avondale, says Beth Robinson, president and CEO of the Uptown Consortium.
 
“We’re trying to bring homeowners into the neighborhood,” she says. “Avondale has a lot of rental units, but research has shown that when homeowners are invested in the community, they tend to stay, get involved and help bring the neighborhood up.”
 
Avondale has a variety of housing choices for all income levels, including a number of in-need-of-rehabilitation homes, which are costly to renovate. And when new houses come on the market, they don't stay for sale for long, says Ozie Davis, executive director of the Avondale Comprehensive Development Corporation.

"Northern Townhomes is an opportunity for higher-end housing," he says. "Major rehabs are costly endeavors, and this way, people won't have to worry about renovations for years."

The townhomes were designed to attract young professionals, and all feature two full master bathrooms and one-car garages, with additional parking available on the street. Six of the 1,400-square-foot units are two-bedrooms, and two are three-bedrooms, which is meant to attract families. The townhomes will start in the $175,000 range.
 
Avondale is planning to add another eight units in the same area along Northern, but the design concept is still in the works. Davis says he hopes the townhomes are a catalyst for future commercial development that could lead to an entertainment district much like that on found Short Vine, as well as amenities for new and current residents.
 
The roughly $2.4 million project, which is slated for completion next spring, is a partnership between A-CDC, Uptown Consortium and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. It is being funded through the Uptown Partners Investment Fund and the Uptown Cincinnati Development Fund.