Neighborhood Updates

Please see the attached flyer for information about Kindergarten Information Night at Hyde Park School. It is scheduled for Thursday, January 30th, at 6:00 PM. Please reach out to Jill Sunderman (sundeji@cpsboe.k12.oh.us) if you have any questions at all!

The Hyde Park Neighborhood Council unanimously adopted the following motion at our Monthly Meeting on Tuesday, January 14th:

‍The Hyde Park Neighborhood Council’s motion of November 12, 2024 is revised and replaced by the following:

The Hyde Park Neighborhood Council (HPNC) values the historic nature, architectural integrity, and pedestrian scale of our Neighborhood Business District. While we welcome new investment, we believe that keeping the current zoning regulations (CN-P-B and UDOD #4) intact and undiluted is integral to preserving what is not only a neighborhood gem but is also a Greater Cincinnati treasure.

HPNC supports and encourages the redevelopment of the underused parcels that currently have single story, non-contributing structures at 3434-3442 Edwards Road, 2719-2725 Erie Avenue, and 3439-3449 Michigan Avenue, subject to the following:

• ‍The proposed seven story buildings (85-90 feet) are too tall and, therefore, are unacceptable. Michigan Terrace (3500 Michigan Ave.) is not a relevant precedent for the proposed buildings’ height.
• ‍Unless explicitly stated otherwise below, a maximum height of 50 feet (as required by the current CN-P-B zoning), with minimal height variances (less than 10%, or 5 feet), is required for all new buildings.
• ‍A variance for a new, five story mixed-use building at 2719-2725 Erie Ave. is acceptable, but the new building should not exceed the height of the A’Laise building (61 feet, +/-).
• ‍A new, four-story mixed-use building fronting 3434-3442 Edwards Rd. and 3439-3449 Michigan Ave. with minimal height variances (less than 10%, or 5 feet) is acceptable.
• ‍A Planned Development (PD) for a “boutique hotel” use is acceptable with the height restrictions, as defined above.
• ‍Parking and loading spaces for all buildings and all uses in a new PD shall follow the requirements in Chapter 1425 of the Zoning Code of the City of Cincinnati.
• ‍All signage and exterior lighting in a new PD shall follow the CN-P requirements in Chapter 1427 and Chapter 1437 UDOD #4 of the Zoning Code of the City of Cincinnati.
• ‍The PD shall follow all sound and noise ordinances applicable to CN-P-B zoning districts.‍

‍

As a reminder, for those of you that have an opinion on this matter, please attend the virtual Public Staff Conference on Tuesday, January 28th, 2025 at 6:00 PM. The meeting can only be attended via Zoom and you must register to do so. The city's notice and the city Planning Projects webpage also contain the link to register; there is also a shortened version: bit.ly/Hyde-Park-Square-PD-PSC. We suggest you download Zoom in advance so you can join quickly.

It is very important to attend the meeting, but please also reach out to the appropriate city officials via email as soon as possible to share your feelings. As you do, please feel free to CC HPNC (hpncpres@gmail.com) to make us aware.

• City of Cincinnati Planning:
  • planning@cincinnati-oh.gov
  • (513) 352 4845
• City of Cincinnati Zoning:
  • zoninginfo@cincinnati-oh.gov
  • (513) 352 2430
• City Council:
  • citycouncil@cincinnati-oh.gov
  • (513) 352 3246

Also, a number of neighbors have put together a website (savehydeparksquare.org) to share opinions and information about the development.

Yesterday morning, we received formal notice from the City of Cincinnati about the formal Planned Development proposal submission for Hyde Park Square. We have not yet had a chance to review the proposal in its entirety, but you can find information about the proposal here.

We were also notified about the formal date for the virtual Public Staff Conference for the proposed zone change. This virtual meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 28th, 2025 at 6:00 PM. The meeting will be held over Zoom, and the notice can be found here. Should you wish to attend the Public Staff Conference you can register to do so here. We suggest you download Zoom in advance so you can join quickly.

Also, we will be discussing the Planned Development submission at our January 14th monthly meeting. Please plan to join us! Meeting details and the agenda will be made available on our website the day prior to the meeting.

Hope this finds you all well, and Happy Holidays from all of us here at HPNC!

As many of you know, we have been working closely with the appropriate City of Cincinnati departments, as well as the development group, to ensure everyone has the latest information regarding the proposed development on the south side of Hyde Park Square.

For those not present at our meeting in November, the following motion was passed:

The Hyde Park Neighborhood Council (HPNC) supports redevelopment in Hyde Park Square. As discussed at our September monthly meeting, we are open to a development that is 50 feet tall at the perimeter, has upper floor setbacks similar to 3500 Michigan (“Michigan Terrace”; Lululemon), is no taller than 3500 Michigan, and that improves the overall parking situation in Hyde Park Square. Unfortunately, the proposed Planned Development is 60 feet tall at the sidewalk, has smaller setbacks than 3500 Michigan, is taller than 3500 Michigan, and appears to make the parking situation worse. As a result, HPNC opposes the proposed Planned Development. HPNC wishes for the existing CN-P zoning to remain in effect.

For those of you that have an opinion on this matter, please feel free to reach out to the appropriate city officials as soon as possible to share your feelings. As you do, please feel free to CC HPNC (hpncpres@gmail.com) to make us aware.

• City of Cincinnati Planning:
  • planning@cincinnati-oh.gov
  • 513-352-4845
• City of Cincinnati Zoning:
  • zoninginfo@cincinnati-oh.gov
  • 513-352-2430
• City Council:
  • citycouncil@cincinnati-oh.gov
  • 513-352-3246

Also, a number of neighbors have put together a website (https://www.savehydeparksquare.org/) to share opinions and information about the development. Their intent for the website is to inform and educate the public and make everyone aware of how they can work to affect the outcome of this proposed development. The site also provides information about important dates regarding public hearings that will be held in the coming weeks/months. Please note that these hearings are not yet scheduled, but we will provide updates via email and social media channels once we have firm dates and times.

More to come on this front, so please consider joining the HPNC as a member, which will subscribe you to our email list and check back here often for additional updates. You can also donate to support HPNC, or pay your annual $20 dues, via our PayPal page.

Join us Saturday, November 23rd from 4:30 PM to 7 PM to kick off the holiday season and celebrate the lighting of the fountain! Bring the whole family. There will be a story time with the library at 4:30 PM and photos with Santa Paws (and your pup!) at the Firehouse for little ones, DORA drinks at lots of restaurants for the grownups, and plenty of local businesses who can help you cross things off your gift list.

There will also be music from vocalist Elaine Diehl and keyboardist Jim Swartout - including a community singalong with Christmas carols.
Music is from 5 PM to 7 PM. Square Lighting is at 6 PM!

We wanted to provide the community with an update following or November 12th meeting. After several months of public presentations, surveys, and meetings with our Zoning Committee, the developers asked the HPNC trustees to vote on their proposed concept plan.

In response, the HPNC trustees unanimously passed the following motion:

The Hyde Park Neighborhood Council (HPNC) supports redevelopment in Hyde Park Square. As discussed at our September monthly meeting, we are open to a development that is 50 feet tall at the perimeter/sidewalk, has upper floor setbacks similar to 3500 Michigan (“Michigan Terrace”; Lululemon), is no taller than 3500 Michigan, and improves the overall parking situation in Hyde Park Square. Unfortunately, the proposed Planned Development is 60 feet tall at the perimeter/sidewalk, has smaller setbacks than 3500 Michigan, is taller than 3500 Michigan, and appears to make the parking situation worse. As a result, HPNC opposes the proposed Planned Development. HPNC wishes for the existing CN-P zoning to remain in effect.

HPNC is committed to continued dialog with both the developers and the community about this project. We will provide updates to you as they become available in our monthly meetings and email communications.

In addition, we delivered the letter above to the appropriate members of City of Cincinnati leadership.

Thank you to everyone that showed up for the Hyde Park Square Development Special Meeting on October 29th. The presentations from that meeting are available here:

- HPNC Opening Presentation

- HPS Developer Presentation

- HPNC Survey Analysis

Please join us on Tuesday, October 29th, at 7:00 PM for a special meeting to review and discuss the project planned for Hyde Park Square.

It will be held in the Multi-purpose Room on the first floor of the Hyde Park School at 3401 Edwards Road. Please enter through Door #1, which is adjacent to the main parking lot, on Edwards Rd., then follow the ground floor hallway to the right to reach the new addition, where the room is located.

Please take time to review the initial presentation from the development partners and complete the HPNC survey.

There are still Free Trees available via the Cincinnati Parks Department's Fall ReLeaf tree program. Since September 21st, eligibility has expanded to include applications in neighborhoods with >40% tree canopy, which includes Hyde Park.

To apply you must be able to pick up your tree on one of a few days in mid-October, and the department does ask that you,
"Please ONLY apply for a free tree if you are dedicated to picking up and planting in your front or backyard."

There are still a few trees left (12 shumard oaks) at the time of writing.

The department's webpage does provide additional information, but be aware that one of the links to the application form is broken. To reach the form, use the link at the top of that page, or simply click below:

At the August monthly meeting a group of developers who have acquired several properties in Hyde Park Square, more than 2 acres, announced its plans to redevelop a substantial part of the south side of Hyde Park Square. It requested that we distribute the attached survey to collect feedback.

Please pass this along to anyone else that you think would like to share their thoughts.

Hyde Park Square Community Engagement Survey is available at the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DFS9Z7H or use the button below: