CINCINNATI (WXIX) – The North Avondale Neighborhood Association is working to designate a portion of the community as a historic district after the Cincinnati City Council approved the new “Connecting Communities” zoning policy in June.

“Connected Communities” allow developers to build more multifamily housing throughout Cincinnati, and there was strong opposition when it was discussed at meetings.

Now, communities like North Avondale are finding ways to try to have some control over what those changes look like.

He North Avondale Neighborhood Association says they welcome the density that multifamily homes and apartments will bring to the area, but want to make sure the actual buildings don’t change the architectural landscape that makes this neighborhood unique.

“Our main goal is to preserve the architectural integrity of these beautiful homes,” Dawn Johnson told FOX19 NOW. “What we don’t want to do is encourage developers to build manufactured homes that are cheap and don’t fit in with the rest of the neighborhood.”

Johnson and Walter Koucky of the North Avondale Neighborhood Association are working to designate a portion of the area as a historic district. If approved, it would require developers to get their designs approved before they can build.

“We’d like to have a useful website tool for them that lists what the design standards are and what they’re not allowed to do,” Johnson said.

While the boundaries of the potential historic district have not been set, Koucky says they have their eyes on the northeast part of the neighborhood.

Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jan Michele Lemon-Kearney sponsored the group, but notes potential drawbacks.

“If you get a historic designation, it means that any changes you make to your existing structure or structures you build must fit within specific guidelines,” he explained.

Lemon-Kearney says construction costs could also increase for developers and residents.

While the neighborhood association works on the proposal, Johnson encourages community input.

“We are not doing this to block anyone from entering our neighborhood. We welcome new residents, we want new owners – send the developers a message about what our standards are and what is acceptable to us,” Johnson said.

Koucky and Johnson hope the city council will work out and approve the details in the spring. Their goal would be to expand this designation to include all of North Avondale.

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