Cincinnati City Planning Commission meeting: April 18, 2025

The Cincinnati City Planning Commission held its meeting on April 18 in-person and via videoconference (on Zoom). The manner of remote participation complied with all requirements of the Open Meetings Act. The meeting could be watched in real time on CitiCable or by livestreaming at CitiCable online. Members of the public were invited to participate in-person by registering online to receive the Zoom link. Public comments and questions to be shared with the City Planning Commission could be submitted to the Department of City Planning and Engagement in advance of the meeting.

Commission members:

Jacob Samad, chair 

Daniella Beltran, vice chair 

Darrick Dansby, commissioner 

John Eby, commissioner  

Sheryl Long, commissioner 

Anne Sesler, commissioner

Samad called the meeting to order at 9:03 a.m. The meeting was held at 801 Plum St., Room 300. The opening was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call. All commission members were present.  The minutes from the March 21 meeting were approved.  

As Samad reviewed the agenda, questions were asked and presentations made regarding Item 3, the Mohawk-Ravine Streets Project in Over-the-Rhine. Samad made a request to move Item 3 from the consent agenda to the discussion agenda.

AGENDA ADMINISTRATIVE ITEM – LEGISLATIVE

Item 1. A report and recommendation on the proposed dedication and acceptance of Boudinot Avenue right-of-way in Westwood 

CONSENT ITEM – QUASI-JUDICIAL

Item 2. A report and recommendation on the proposed development plan and final plat for the subdivision of land located at 2025 Vine St., including relief from the subdivision regulations, in Mt. Auburn.

DISCUSSION ITEM – LEGISLATIVE 

Item 4.  Report and recommendation on proposed major amendment to the concept plan and development program statement for Planned #67 University Station located at 3701 Montgomery Road in Evanston.

 APPROVED Unanimous member agreement 

DISCUSSION ITEMS – QUASI-JUDICIAL

Item 5. Report and recommendation on proposed final development plan for Planned Development #67, University Station, located at 3701 Montgomery Road In Evanston. The major additional approved uses for the development include small-scale recreation and entertainment and uses consistent with the commercial neighborhood zoning district such as retail, commercial, office and housing. All other aspects of the development remain unchanged.

Commissioner Dansby asked who the operator for the restaurant would be.  Nestor Melnyk of MSA Design (the project designers), said the operator is unknown at this time.  

Kearney stated “the concept is good; more entertainment for the students

would be nice. Sounds nice.”    

APPROVED.  Unanimous member agreement

Note:  At 9:20 a.m., Samad had to depart, leaving Vice Chair Beltran to preside. Beltran asked the CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati to share the results of the advisory team and City Planning & Engagement report, respectively.     

Joe Hansbauer, president and CEO of Habitat of Cincinnati, gave sworn testimony to the specifications found in the feasibility study. Specifically, there will be four single-family homes built on McMicken, and five single-family homes built on Mohawk, each with parking.  Applications for residency opened in April. Some of the criteria include submission of an application, 40% debt-to-income ratio, 60 hours of home ownership classes, must be a first-time homeowner, and each home carries a 30-year mortgage.  Hansbauer said, “Homeowners stabilize communities,” suggesting that this development could spark development.  

Adam Nelson of MSA Design said changes were made to the initial design based on feedback from the community. The changes included the addition of brick facade, added exterior trim and single pitch roofs. He said MSA architects met with architects (none named) from the Historic Conservation Board who agreed the project was compatible with historic properties within the neighborhood. Every consideration was given to keeping the design of the homes in line with current properties. All building codes and construction specifications have been met. 

Speakers and discussion regarding Item #3

Three people spoke to oppose the Habitat project. 

1.  Tammy Barnett, majority property owner (Ravine to Mohawk) and state insurance broker:
   Last year I paid over $50,000 in property taxes. The area is crime-ridden, with people having sex in broad daylight, drug deals taking place, prostitution and no parking. Although Habitat owned property in the area previously, they did nothing to improve or maintain it. There is no parking, no grocery stores or local stores. Low-income housing is not ideal for the community.  TQL Stadium and Findlay Market need high-end development, not Habitat. 

2. Julie Faye, president, Mohawk Community Development, LLC:
   Mohawk is a historic district. During the planning of this project, no Habitat representative was present.  Development should include condos and high rises, not cottage-like structures. Development needs to be compatible with the neighborhood. 

3. Denny Dellinger, architect and owner of Moon River B&B in Maysville:
   Dellinger, who has been an architect for more than 25 years, opposes the Mohawk Development. Buildings are out of scale and there are building code and parking problems. He strongly opposed front entry garages and maintained that development should be consistent with the character of the community. 

Item 3.  Report and recommendation on proposed plan and final plat for the subdivision of land located at 294 – 302 McMicken Avenue and 301 -307 Mohawk Street including relief from Cincinnati Subdivision Regulations and Zoning Code in Over-the-Rhine.

 The meeting adjourned at 10:37 a.m. 

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcincinnati.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.

Find more Documenters’ notes on Cincinnati City Council here.