Columbia Tusculum residents have concerns over 75-unit development

Led by residents of Walworth Avenue, the Columbia Tusculum Community Council (CTCC) has asked to have their concerns about the proposed 75-unit Village at Walworth Avenue townhome development addressed.

Residents of the CTCC are still awaiting word on a list of questions supplied to the developer Miller-Valentine Group, the City's Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) and the Cincinnati Park Board.

To build the development along an extension of Walworth Avenue (BIRD'S EYE), they would need to acquire 2.4 acres of wooded land owned by the Park Board, which would be replaced by 2.5 acres of common park land within the development.

This would allow them to develop the project as detached townhomes on both sides of Walworth, rather than clustered, attached housing on only one side of the street.

The CTCC voted to support the sale of the park land, if permanent public access could be provided to Riverside Drive from the outset of construction.

Several public hearings will be held before the land sale can be finalized.

Questions submitted for consideration mainly concerned the traffic impacts during and after construction, including:

* The need for feeder streets, especially when the number of residences on Walworth will more than double
* The accommodation of emergency vehicles on a narrow, dead-end street
* How traffic flow will be managed for the intersections of Delta, Walworth, Riverside and Kellogg
* The impact of a street widening on existing properties
* Supplying enough resident parking on the eastern end of Walworth to make sure it isn't absorbed by Precinct patrons

Residents also wonder about construction noise and dust, and wonder if narrow streets such as Hoff Avenue and Andrews Street can handle the heavy equipment.

Greg Long, supervising engineer at DOTE, says that a traffic impact study will have to be completed before most of CTCC's questions can be answered.

Issues have also been raised over the land itself, which was previously used as a railroad switching station.

Some are questioning whether there may be some environmental contamination, to what degree, and whether this will affect their properties during construction.

Not only are residents worried about a construction timeline that could last 4 to 5 years, but are also worried that a housing slump could leave the site cleared and undeveloped for years.

And other than knowing that there will be 75 units, the locals don't know much else about what to expect from the project as far as size, scope, or timeline.

Andrew Holzhauser, president of the Columbia Tusculum Community Development Corporation, says that the neighborhood response has been generally positive, and that Miller-Valentine has acknowledged the concerns.

"They'll have to get them worked out with or without the Walworth residents because no bank will give them a loan, nor will people buy the houses, nor will City Transportation & Engineering approve if traffic and other issues aren't resolved," he says.

Doug Hine, president of urban lifestyles for Miller-Valentine, believes that the project will build upon the nearby Columbia Square development by adding residential density.

The project has not yet entered the design phase and is at least a year from beginning construction.

Prices for the units are expected to be between $400,000 and $600,000.