College Hill Housing Development Team Progress Report

May 20, 2007

Housing redevelopment along Cedar Avenue in College Hill is alive and well. In the fall of 2005, a few participants of the College Hill Summit began meeting informally to see how we might be able to respond to the Katrina Hurricane disaster by organizing to offer housing to those needing relocation. However, the group learned was that having housing available for a disaster required much advance planning, and given that there was no advance plan, it was not possible to help further in an emergency situation. The group continued, however, and the vision for housing redevelopment moved to one of increasing home ownership in the College Hill community. So the Housing Development Team was born.

Soon the team learned that the rental rate in College Hill was approaching 40%, and this was no doubt contributing to the trend of declining quality of the housing is some parts of College Hill. As the team met, the vision for housing development emerged as follows:

Housing Improvement will help improve the overall quality of life in College Hill by catalyzing action on multiple issues. Housing improvement will focus on increasing home ownership and eliminating abandoned and ‘blighted’ homes. In partnership with residents and other community groups, the following will also happen:

• Physical improvements are made to currently owned homes.
• City infrastructure—streets, sidewalks, lighting— is improved.
• More people actually own their homes vs. renting.
• Neighborhoods and churches organize to help one another.
• Drug and gang activity is eliminated.
• Trash and litter is reduced and removed.
• Residents are empowered to guide their destiny.

An “action plan” was developed to develop a proposal by early 2006 to engage leaders in the community and answer the question “What’s Next?” Here is the action plan from the fall of 2005:

The aim is to:

• Focus initially on Cedar Avenue, from Argus to Hamilton.
• Involve and collaborate with the residents and businesses on Cedar Ave, including renters as well as those who own the properties involved.
• Establish the basic feasibility of this kind of project for improved housing, so that once Cedar is done, another street can be done as well.
• Provide answers to the many questions that such a proposal will create
• Involve all groups and organizations in the community in defining the project, and in organizing it.

As the team continued working there were more questions than answers. However, they worked to develop answers to each. These questions, with answers, are here.

In the process of developing an action plan, the team went through a number of steps in determining the current structure. Our goals were focused on improving housing in the Cedar Avenue neighborhood and increasing home ownership as planning for rehab and development progressed. With the decision to be a ‘not for profit’ effort, the question of ownership needed to settle with either a new legal entity or an existing one. Several options with existing community groups were explored, but they were overcommitted on other projects and were not able to assume the lead for the College Hill Housing effort. It was about that time that members of the team learned of the efforts of several Not-For-Profit housing redevelopers working in adjacent communities. A bid package was prepared, and the team found two organizations that were interested. After extensive interviews, and tours of properties that each had either rehabed or built new, the team chose Working in Neighborhoods (WIN) as our developer. This resolved the question of ownership, as WIN would manage the complete process from purchase to home sale and beyond.

So with the selection of housing developer behind them, the Housing Team set about developing an agreement with Working In Neighborhoods to guide the decision making process as the work moved forward. It was agreed, that rather than a ‘contract’, the team and WIN would be guided by a ‘covenant’. They believed that a covenant would capture the intentions of both parties, and would be more like a formal ‘handshake’ with the community, rather than a binding contract. The covenant developed captured the expectations of each party of the other, and provides the blueprint for ongoing work of WIN in collaboration with the College Hill Community and Residents. The Covenant agreed to is provided here.

Pictured at the Covenant signing are (from left to right): Dave Scharfeberger, WIN, Rev. Dan Weyand-Geise, Valerie Hershberger, Ron Cowgill, Sister Barbara Busch WIN, Joe Poole, Rev. “Chappie” Chapman, Phyllis Schoenberger, Rev. Sil Watkins, Ed Wells.

As the WIN and the Team has developed since the fall of 2006 when the Covenant was first drafted, the effort in moving forward has been truly a collaborative one. The progress report is positive, though all on the Team, and WIN would have hoped for faster progress. Early on, in the process of selecting a developer, Sister Barbara had advised that it would not be a ‘quick fix’ and there needed to be a concerted long term effort to demonstrate the needed progress. She cited examples of other communities where the effort at housing improvement has been sustained for years.

However, thanks to early gifts, initial purchases for properties were made. This avoided a delay of nearly six months in getting started. So, as of mid May, 2007, two properties have been acquired in the focus area. They are 1304 Cedar and 5836 Saranac. Unfortunately, none of the dwellings on these properties could be salvaged, as their condition rendered it most prudent to start from fresh.

The team hopes that construction of new homes can begin before the end of this year.

Demolition of the Saranac house was completed in April, and the house on 1304 Cedar was completed in mid May.

On May 19, the Housing Team hosted the residents of the Cedar Avenue and cross Streets from Salvia to Leffingwell at an old fashioned block party. The Housing Team members, WIN, and other groups interested in the residents were present to share what's next, and how to be involved in the program as it develops. Nearly 100 residents visited together with each other and team members during this time of sharing the vision, progress and future plans for improvement in home ownership and upgraded housing along Cedar Avenue in College Hill.

Ron Cowgill, for the Housing Team (513-494-2481, rcowgill@cinci.rr.com).