Bond Hill Community Council seeks agreement with developer

 Notes

The meeting of the Housing & Growth Committee opened at 1 p.m. at Cincinnati City Council chambers, Room 300, at City Hall. The following officials were in attendance:

• Mark Jeffreys, committee chair and council member
• Anna Albi, vice chair and council member
• Seth Walsh, council member
• Ryan James, council member
• Owens, council member
• Evan Nolan, council member
• Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney, vice mayor and council member (absent)
• Administration members from the solicitor’s office, planning office and clerk of council.

Meeting proceeded with public comment after Committee Chair Mark Jeffreys listed attendance.

Public comment

Angela Howard spoke on behalf of Bond Hill Community Council (BHCC) and the residents of Villages of Daybreak community. She asked the committee to approve a motion to allow the community to negotiate a community benefits agreement with LDG Development regarding a planned development in the neighborhood. Residents deserve a seat at the table, Howard said, because the project would impact housing, traffic, infrastructure, safety, green space and the “long-term future of our neighborhood.” 

Villages of Daybreak HOA President Tammy Larkins said response time is lacking with comments on the new LDG property. They are concerned about trash piling up on the property ahead of the development being built.

BHCC President Jacqueline Edmerson also weighed in on the negotiations with LDG, saying she wanted the city to allocate professional city staff to help the Community Council during these negotiations. 

G.I. Johnson is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles and president of G.I. Johnson Productions. He is originally from Cincinnati. In 1990, he filmed the first independent motion picture in Cincinnati. He said he is seeking tax breaks for a worldwide tour called “Turn Hate to Love” to bring awareness to self-health, mental health and community awareness. Jeffreys said the city would meet with him to discuss the project.

Sam B. spoke about stormwater sewer compliance. He requested the city take the stormwater sewer utility out of Greater Cincinnati Water Works and move it into the Cincinnati Parks department to save money. 

Stephan Pryor spoke in support of the street renaming for Marvin Butts for his work as a “true hero in the community of Pendleton and 13th Street.”

Agenda items

Agenda and other meeting materials can be found here.

Item 1 was tabled because its sponsor, Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney, was absent, Jeffreys said. The motion would allow the city administrator to serve as a mediator and facilitator between the BHCC and LDG Development for a community benefits agreement over a new development in Bond Hill. 

Item 2 is an ordinance declaring East 13th Street between Reading Road and Pendleton Street to be renamed “Marvin G. Butts Way” in honor of Butts, a Pendleton community leader and youth mentor. Council Member Seth Walsh, ordinance sponsor, said Butts lost several family members and friends to cancer through the years, and he established the Butts Family Foundation dedicated to educating families about cancer. For the past 29 years, Butts has held an annual fundraiser to feed families on Thanksgiving and provide children Christmas gifts.

Pendleton Community Council supported the street-renaming as well. Walsh thanked Pryor for his comments commending Butts’ work in the neighborhood.

“He is a model citizen, small business owner. He doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk,” Walsh said of Butts.

Item 2 was moved on for passage by a full council vote.

Item 3 requested a report from the city manager’s office about LEED tax abatements. 

The meeting was adjourned by Jeffreys.

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