The Hyde Park Neighborhood Council is meeting to discuss possible redevelopment

HYDE PARK, Ohio (WXIX) – The Hyde Park Neighborhood Council will meet Tuesday to hold a community forum on a proposed redevelopment project.

The development is controversial for Hyde Park residents. Some say the project would bring a lot of support to small businesses.

“This development will provide more opportunities for businesses and ensure our restaurants thrive,” said Hyde Park resident Mark Godsey.

Others don’t believe there is a need for more apartments and don’t want the historic feel to change.

“I think the integrity and history of this square would be greatly missed,” Hyde Park resident Carol Rudy told FOX19 NOW.

Colleen Reynolds, a partner with the group proposing the development, says there will be a hotel and more apartment complexes in addition to more businesses.

The hotel would be located where the Coldwell Banker Realty building stands on Erie Avenue, and the apartments would be located behind it.

City Councilor Mark Jeffreys says adding business to the area is crucial.

“I think everyone in the community and the city wants to make sure that the businesses that are there are getting more foot traffic and are vibrant,” he said.

Godsey talks about how businesses in the area had to close due to lack of traffic.

“One of the long-term businesses, a wine and cheese store that has been there for 50 years, just went bankrupt,” he says. “We love that place and have been there all the time. You don’t want your local businesses to struggle.”

He further points out that it is not the charming historic buildings that are eligible for removal.

“They’re the low brick buildings that look like they were built in the 1970s,” Godsey says.

However, Rudy has a different fear.

“I just can’t imagine how many people still want to live in a high-rise. This isn’t a big city like Chicago. I don’t know if this is justified in Cincinnati in this area,” she said.

The chairman of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Council shares the following message:

The meeting will take place on October 29 at Hyde Park School, where the council will share the latest plans and give community members the opportunity to ask questions and be heard.

Jeffreys says: “The most important thing is that residents have input into this process and that, as the development takes shape, the developer understands their concerns”

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