Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
My husband and I moved to Cincinnati in 1994 and chose North Avondale for our home. Our main reason was that the neighborhood was unique. It was diversified, with beautiful old houses, and integrated with underprivileged neighborhoods around Reading Rd. While some of our friends considered this part of town unsafe, for us, it meant living in an inclusive urban environment rather than in the isolated suburbs. For 30 years, we have been thrilled to reside in this spirited neighborhood. Our first house was on Red Bud Ave, and the second is on Rose Hill Ave. Over the years, the ownership of many houses has changed; we are now the older generation, and with joy, we see many young couples and young families making it home like we did in the past. We all care deeply about the houses to preserve their old-fashioned charm for future generations. While the neighborhood is more expensive than many in the Cincinnati area, it is attractive and clearly affordable to many young professionals paying taxes.
My family has engaged in multiple activities supporting local communities and nonprofits. We consider improving affordable housing for low- and middle-income families essential. However, your plan for Connected Communities is unnecessarily destructive to the North Avondale neighborhood. It will incentivize predatory developers to purchase and demolish historic, beautiful, and loved houses to build profitable cookie-cutter condos that will likely remain expensive and not contribute to improving affordable housing. Dividing old houses into multiple apartments is irreversibly damaging, as we can see in the case of several houses on Dana Ave. Selling homes to groups has many complex consequences, including lesser care.
North Avondale is why some choose to come to Cincinnati or decide not to leave. We have yet to hear a specific justification for why you want to destroy such an urban jewel. I urge you to reinvestigate the negative consequences of your plans and implement meaningful modifications to protect North Avondale.
You are elected by us, and please know that we have no intention of voting for those of you who will be instrumental in the destruction of North Avondale.
I hope for a genuinely productive discussion during tomorrow’s meeting. I thank you for your consideration,
Sincerely,
Maria F. Czyzyk-Krzeska
Rose Hill Avenue