Dear Neighbors,
Summer is ending and school has begun. This has been a lovely summer, especially the bright sunshine and comfortable temperatures. These both made for some beautiful days and evenings to enjoy the outdoors with friends and neighbors.
The NANA monthly meetings are starting back up and scheduled for the second Tuesday of the month, beginning Tuesday, September 13, 2022. The meetings will start at 6:30 pm and last for about 1.5 hours. Each meeting will have the business section and then close up with a topic of interest. The September meeting will include your neighbor, Remco DeJong (Beechwood) discussing his “Home Solar Power” project. Please come with questions on how to install a solar system in your home.
The NANA Events Committee is moving into action and is planning a fall festival in October and a Winter Wonderland in December. Morgan Rottinghaus (Lenox Pl) is leading this and has an event planning team started. If you want to get involved, please reach out to Morgan. Stay tuned for more information.
Your NANA Board members were hard at work this summer. A brainstorming meeting was held to develop ideas for Community Budget Requests for FY24/25 with the City of Cincinnati’s Planning Division. We had a great neighborhood response. Patrice Watson (NANA Vice President) (Avon Fields) led the group in a brainstorming session that resulted in three potential projects:
- North Avondale Streetscape: Project lead – Troy Robinson (troy.robinson1669@gmail.com) North Avondale Place making and branding. Pedestrian Safety. More walkable community across main arteries, safety, community engagement and awareness. Funding for façade improvements along blighted main arteries. Landscaping and lighting improvements.
- NA Recreation Center Playfields and Playset: Project lead- Sarah Koucky (Kouckys@gmail.com). Build upon a highly visible and used public space; showcase as an innovation and environmentally sustainable area; increase return visits; improve safety and comfort; activate and improve engagement in the community.
- Revitalize Seasongood Square: Project lead- Maura Wolf (Maurawolf100@gmail.com). Improve safety, stabilize southern end of the neighborhood business district, increase usage of this asset; activate and engage neighborhood; improve relationship with adjacent community; calm streets and support beautification goals.
The Zoning Committee met on July 13th and is organizing into four working groups. These are:
- The Neighborhood Master Plan,
- Future Zoning and Environmental actions and City proposals,
- Outreach and communication with other neighborhoods and organizations..
- Enforcement of Existing Zoning Code
- Enforcement actions include identifying and investigating several non-conforming group homes as well as identifying some elder-care uses that are conforming in multi-family zoned areas. A letter requesting action from the City will be prepared for NANA’s consideration.
The Zoning Committee is also attending Green Cincinnati and various other zoning and building code meetings regarding plans the City has to develop “transit corridors” and increase residential density to address issues such as lack of affordable housing. Changes are coming and NANA needs to become better prepared to work with other neighborhoods to move forward. Coming changes must be met in a way that best preserves our historic buildings and community diversity. We are looking for more participation, especially in the areas of the Master Plan and outreach.
There are so many ways to get involved in our neighborhood. Please consider giving back and volunteering a few hours each month. You can also visit the website and make a donation. We need your support.
Sarah Koucky