A change in zoning could make a piece of Avondale land that hasn't sold in two years more attractive to developers.
BMF Pediatric Care wants to rezone 2.1 acres of land it owns at from IR Institutional-Residential to CC-A Commercial Community Auto-oriented District so that they can market the site for a restaurant use.
BMF would use the proceeds from the sale to continue its mission of providing health care to needy children.
A medical office building on the site, currently occupied by BMF and Tri-Health, would be demolished.
The property has been marketed to local institutions such as Tri-Health, the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center with very little interest.
Interest in the site under the proposed CC-A zoning has drawn substantial interest.
The Avondale Community Council does not support the proposal, but the City Planning Commission approved the zoning change on April 18, reasoning that "there is no demand for institutional uses on such a small site, yet there is demand for restaurant uses in this commercial corridor".
City Council's Economic Development Committee will hold a public hearing on the rezoning next Tuesday.
BMF Pediatric Care, originally known as Babies Milk Fund, is a non-profit charitable organization established in 1909 to deliver pasteurized milk to families that could not afford it.
Today, their three Cincinnati locations serve over 9,000 children with quality health care and social service support.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Rezoning could make Avondale land marketable
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9 comments:
Two (rhetorical) questions
If it is not a suitable use for that parcel how did it get zoned that way to begin with?
Why do we have zoning?
Because the CIty of Cincinnati does a PATHETIC job informing communities about the proposed zoning changes. Has happened to our neighborhood a few times.
I've seen that BMF sign a thousand times but never knew anything about it.. Baby Milk Fund. Interesting.
BTW when they say restaurant in this area, it probably means a fast food joint with a drive-thru.
I can see why the Avondale Community Council is not in favor of the change. Keep all that fast food/auto stuff on the south side of MLK and the hospital/business on the North. There was a reason it was zoned that way in the first place. Do you want another pre-demolition Calhoun Street or Colerain Ave.? Why did BMF leave that location in the first place? ...way to go who ever cashed into the only remaining vestige of the old Columbia School - and why was that building torn down? Too BIG for institutional use?
justforview...I know it was rhetorical, but the answer to your first question is that that was the use at the time the Cincinnati Zoning Code was re-written a few years back.
CityKin...My understanding is that it would be a fast-food joint. Part of the argument by the CPC for the change in zoning was that there is a McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, etc. in the vicinity. Plus, the CC-A zoning designation allows for drive-thrus. If they had gone for a pedestrian or mixed commercial designation, then I'd have a little bit more hope for something walkable.
So, the zoning code was re-writen a few years back. And now it is being re-written again. Just how many times has it been changed prior to a few years back? If the zoning code can be changed when ever someone wants it changed (and it can be if you have the power, money and time to do it). What is the point to "zone" anything? A little change here and a little change there - pretty soon you have a big free-for-all mess.
^ They are not re-writing the zoning code again, they are discussing a zoning change for one parcel.
Zoning is a rough guideline, but it's meant to be flexible. Surrounding land uses are always taken into consideration.
OK. Sorry Kevin - a technical foul. I may have taken your above comment as it reads, " ...the Cincinnati Zoning Code was re-written a few years back." and ran with it. However, a change is a change whether it is across the board or one piece at a time. Those pieces add up and eventually make it easier for something that would not have been allowed to now be accepted because of the current surroundings (right?). One fast food restaurant makes it easier for the next and two makes it even easier for the third. The fourth - no problem because the "zoning code" was "re-written" after it changed one piece here, one there. Take Calhoun Street for example, someone(s) had the foresight to stop it before it got out of hand. Yes, Calhoun may be empty now, but in time it will be much nicer than it was. MLK is headed for the same visual and physical conjestion.
I'm not sure I'm getting your point. Are you saying that zoning for parcels should be set in stone and never changed? Or are you just lamenting the fact that various corridors in the City have become auto-oriented hellholes?
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