Veterans Village plan calls for 14 tiny homes

Notes

Scene

Madisonville Community Council President Monica Hill called the meeting to order at 6:42 p.m., following a delay due to technical difficulties with the microphone.

Public Administration and Agency Announcements

The Cincinnati Fire Department was not present because they were responding to an emergency.

Police Department Addresses Homicide (Audio begins 1:00)

Three officers from the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD) attended the meeting: Officer Monique Martin, District 2 Captain Joe Richardson, and Sergeant Linda Sellers.

Richardson said he was sharing information on behalf of the homicide detective investigating a deadly shooting that occurred the night of March 6 on the 6000 block of Madison Road.

A series of tense exchanges ensued between the three officers and members of the community as multiple parties raised their voices and spoke over one another.

Seven people witnessed the homicide, Richardson said, but “not one” had come forward to the police department. The police have a suspect in custody. “Apparently we were the last people to know who the suspect was,” Richardson said.

The police department plans to “get really interested” in a group of people who are regularly seen “loitering” and “smoking marijuana” on the 6000 block of Madison Road, Richardson said. The police have also requested that nearby bar Fässer grant them a right of entry, but the bar owners have refused, the officer said.

Two men in attendance, apparently the owner of Fässer and the owner of the property where the bar is located, said that the individuals involved in the shooting were not customers of the bar and that the police “can arrest them on the sidewalk.”

School Updates (Audio begins 18:00)

Students at John P. Parker Elementary School and Shroder Middle and High Schools are preparing to take their Ohio State Tests (OSTs).

Parker Elementary will host Madisonville Literacy Night, marking the event’s 10th anniversary, on April 24 at the school. The event will feature a keynote speaker on growth and cultivation; attendees will be able to tour the school’s gardens. The school will soon be breaking ground for the construction of a new greenhouse.

Library Updates (Audio beings 26:00)

The Madisonville Branch Library will be adding more days to their storytime schedule due to the popularity of the event.

The library will be hosting a HUD-certified homebuyer training class in which participants may earn a homebuyer’s certificate to potentially “save thousands” when buying a home.

In partnership with Madisonville Community Council, the library is planning a back-to-school fair this summer. A barber will attend the event to give free haircuts to boys; organizers are seeking stylists to volunteer their time to style girls’ hair as well.

At the close of the meeting, Hill called for “all hands on deck” for back-to-school donations, adding, “I want these kids to know they are loved.”

Sidewalk Hospitality Coming to Madisonville (Audio begins 34:00)

Community Happens Here founder Ruth Anne Wolfe presented alongside colleague Tyler and intern Ezra on a community-building initiative that will be coming to Madisonville this spring.

Every Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning April 18, Community Happens Here will host Sidewalk Hospitality outside Madisonville Branch Library. The simple event will offer coffee and lemonade to encourage neighbors to stay for conversations and build connections with people who would otherwise be strangers.

“The only agenda is to say hello to each other,” Wolfe said.

Artsville (Audio begins 39:55)

Artsville is hosting a plethora of events in the coming months, including their annual fish fry fundraiser on Friday, March 27, and a youth poetry slam on April 17, which will offer cash prizes. Artsville will also host an Afrofutures Salon on May 7, among other music events.

Youth interested in participating in the poetry slam should contact Artsville directly, as should anyone interested in being added to the Artsville mailing list.

Artsville has asked the City of Cincinnati for funding for capital improvements to the Artsville building, resources for the theater, and other needs. Kathy Garrison, founder of Artsville, encouraged the community to contact the mayor, vice mayor and members of City Council to express their support for funding Artsville.

Madisonville Business Chamber (Audio begins 44:20)

The next meeting of the Madisonville Business Chamber will be in April. A representative from the Federal Reserve will be in attendance.

Madisonville Neighborhood Plan (Audio begins 1:12:50)

There will be an open house for the Madisonville Neighborhood Plan on April 29 at 6 p.m. at the Madisonville Rec Center. Every working group will give a brief presentation, and the current draft of the neighborhood plan will be available for feedback. Hill encouraged as many people as possible to attend. Working group meetings will resume after the open house.

Church and Nonprofit Partner to Develop Cincinnati’s First Tiny Homes

Presentation and Request for Letters of Support (Audio begins 47:33)

Pastor Paula Stewart of Gaines United Methodist Church is working with the young nonprofit Tiny Homes for Humanity to build a supportive community of tiny homes for unhoused veterans on church property. Stewart presented the proposal alongside Earl Crossland and Larry Plum, the president and board chair of Tiny Homes for Humanity, respectively.

When Stewart was appointed pastor of Gaines United Methodist last year, she wanted to live in Madisonville itself rather than at the parsonage in Montgomery, but she could not find housing that she could afford. Her experience inspired her to explore how she might help address the local affordable housing shortage using three vacant church-owned parcels on Prentice Street, just behind the church.

Crossland, a retired architect, and Plum, a veteran, founded Tiny Homes for Humanity two years ago, but the planned development at Gaines United Methodist will be their first project. The nonprofit has struggled to find land at a feasible cost. Plum said it was a “miracle” when Stewart approached them with the idea.

The Veterans Village community will comprise 14 tiny homes, each 276 square feet, encircling a village green with a gazebo at the center. All of the tiny homes will be wheelchair-accessible. The development will also include public amenities such as a dog park and an extension of the existing church parking lot. The church itself will also be available for the community for programming and activities, but residents will not be required to attend church services, Stewart said.

Each home will cost about $70,000 to build; the total cost of the development, including infrastructure and engineering, will be about $2 million. The complex is expected to cost about $251,000 per year to operate, including site maintenance and the salary of a site manager.

Residents will receive rent subsidies through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program. Resident veterans will pay no more than 30% of their income in rent, and HUD-VASH will cover the remainder. The project team is also seeking a partnership with Joseph House to provide services for the veterans.

Hamilton County has awarded the project a conditional grant of $1 million, about half the amount needed. To secure the grant, the project team has until June 30 to raise three-quarters of the remaining $1,020,000 projected cost and secure two letters of support from Madisonville Community Council, including one letter in support of the project itself and another letter in support of the necessary zoning variances.

Upon a preliminary review of development plans, Crossland said the city recommended that the project team request to rezone the parcels as a Planned Development. A Planned Development designation would more or less allow the designers to create their own zoning regulations, Crossland said, which would be more efficient than seeking individual variances.

Cincinnati does not explicitly have zoning regulations for tiny homes, Hill said, so the planned building form would likely be considered a “cottage court.” (Hill provided a printed copy of existing zoning regulations for the site, included in attachments.)

Questions (Audio begins 55:35)

Residents asked questions about the nature of the planned community and offered suggestions about language in describing the project.

One community member asked if the “vulnerable population” of Veterans Village will have access to social services, noting concerns that residents who struggle with drug addiction or other behavioral challenges might “change the trajectory of our community.”

Crossland said that HUD-VASH provides veterans with a host of services, including case management, which Veterans Village will supplement. Residents will receive additional support from community managers and perhaps more through Joseph House, Plum said.

Other members of the community expressed hopes that Veterans Village will serve as precedent to encourage more projects like it in Cincinnati and Hamilton County. There have been numerous successful tiny home communities in Columbus and Toledo already, Hill said.

Community Council to Write Letters of Support (Audio begins 1:08:05)

The Madisonville Community Council voted in favor of writing a letter of support for the Veterans Village project, with 29 votes for, 0 opposed, and 0 abstaining.

The council also voted in favor of writing a letter of support for the zoning changes necessary to permit the Veterans Village project as designed, with 31 votes for, 0 opposed, and 0 abstaining.

After the vote, one member of the community said she would like to request that the project team hire contractors from Madisonville or otherwise make the community part of the process.

Glenda A. Smith Seeks Support in Campaign for Common Pleas Court Judge

(Audio begins 1:14:30)

Glenda A. Smith, who is running for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge in the general division, spoke at the community council meeting. Smith described her credentials and experience as a judge, criminal defense attorney, and nonprofit leader. Smith said she is a Democrat but did not seek a partisan endorsement for the election.

Smith asked for community input on how to lower the crime rate, adding, “I truly do not think the police can do it.”

The election will take place on May 5, 2026.

Closing

Hill adjourned the meeting at 8:04 p.m.

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