It's sometimes amazing to me how much possibility can be presented in less than 2 minutes of air time.
This entry is about a WVXU report by Ann Thompson on some encouraging community development in College Hill.
Her story, "Residents help rejuvenate College Hill", aired on 91.7 FM this morning and presents College Hill as a community growing back to vitality as a result of local engagement.
She opens by introducing us to Marty Weldishofer, now Director of Development for the College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation:
"Retail interior designer Marty Weldishofer was initially too busy with life to notice the Cincinnati suburb where he had moved was gradually going downhill. At the intersection of Hamilton and North Bend, Shuller's Wigwam, Kroger and CVS had closed. Determined to make a change, he and other College Hill residents sought the help of UC planning students for the Shuller's site..."
The result of their work includes the announced creation of Linden Park - a mixed use development by Al. Neyer, Inc., on the Shuller's Wigwam site. Linden Park will include a 3 story building with 19 condos that wrap the corner of North Bend and Hamilton.
Side Note: Interestingly, at the time of this writing, you can still find a listing for Shuller's, including their menus for Lunch, Dinner and Sunday Brunch, at cincinnati.com's dining guide.
The brief report goes on to tell us about American Heritage Flooring's decision to open their College Hill store in 2006 after working with Weldishofer and the CHCURC and learning about their vision for community development.
(see the profile on American Heritage Flooring at www.buycincy.com
Another interesting bit of learning from Ann's report concerns local reinvestment in the College Hill business district. She speaks of a group of 10 area investors who got together to purchase the former Woolworth building, across the street from the American Heritage Flooring store, and of six women who make up the College Hill Investment Collaborative (CHIC), which now owns 5 store fronts at the south end of the busines district.
Her story ends with a note on a continuing vision for the community, including plans for College Hill green space and commons.
Hear it for yourself at:
http://www.wvxu.org/news/wvxunews_article.asp?ID=4638
College Hill info:
http://collegehilloh.net/
http://chcurc.collegehill.info/
http://www.collegehill.info