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3133 Madison Road Townhouse Development - 19 Units

08/08/2018 11:13 AM | Cody Gausvik


Comments

  • 08/08/2018 9:17 PM | Ron Miller
    Just hope this isn’t the first of many conversions of NBD retail frontage to residential use.

    In the absence of an adopted Master Plan defining the desired locations and limits of ground floor residential use in Oakley’s Neighborhood Business District (NBD), this development is a dangerous precedent.

    By current zoning standards this development as designed in the middle of the NBD is inappropriate in, and detrimental to, the NBD. While residences should be encouraged on upper floors in an NBD, sustainability of a NBD is strengthened by retaining retail businesses on the ground floor of structures–and is therefore a requirement of the zoning code. In the absence of retail on the ground floor, this development ignores the public interest as identified in the zoning code.

    Instead, this development (and probably more to come) creates a retail gap and decreases potential for walkability, cohesiveness, and vitality in the NBD by converting the NBD frontage to residential use – a precedent setting action. The development and its approval, in the absence of an NBD plan and in the absence of criteria for nonretail uses in the NBD, fail to consider the cumulative effect of incremental (and precedent setting) conversion of NBD frontage into ground floor residential use.

    Future conversions of retail to residential in the Oakley’s NBD should not be approved by OCC and Cincinnati unless consistent with an Oakley/NBD Master Plan that considers cumulative effect and impact of such precedents.
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    • 08/09/2018 11:06 PM | Ron Miller
      And...

      Unfortunately, without an adopted plan (the neighborhood's voice) to provide guidance, Oakley Community Council gives excessive weight to property owners in close proximity to a proposed development—at the expense of the public interest.

      This should be expected since OCC procedures have no methodology for considering what is best for the broader public interest—I.e. the interests of all Oakley residents and property owners (about 10,000 people) rather than just proponents and opponents living in close proximity to a development. Instead, OCC’s decision process is allowed to be controlled by the few who show up at OCC meetings when a development proposal is on the agenda (generally special interests and property owners adjacent and near the development).

      Unlike other community councils, OCC makes Oakley's development recommendations in the absence of adopted decision criteria, goals, and plans (i.e. plans endorsed by the entire neighborhood rather than a small group); and, as a result is heavily influenced by the special interests and small groups that attend their meeting.

      There is hope though! OCC could improve its decision process after the adoption of Oakley’s emerging master plan and OCC could commit to assuring greater annual public involvement in the continued refinement of the plan (a plan that improves Oakley for current and future residents). Then OCC would have the capability to consider and balance special interests and the public interest.
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      • 08/18/2018 11:55 PM | Deleted user
        I would really like to know how the residents of Taylor feel about adding 19 homes - or avenues to their garages, driveways to their block. Since Taylor is one of my exit streets to get to Madison Rd, I do resent all my entrances and exits to and from my block and the neighborhood continually being bogged down with more and more traffic.
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        • 11/14/2018 3:34 PM | Joe Groh (Administrator)
          The alternative was @100 apartments, parking garage, and retail on the ground floor (initial developer), which would have resulted in significantly more traffic. This good compromise, minimal traffic impact and adds ownership vs. renters.
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