Readying our next strategic plan
ADC Executive Director, Russell Hairston
The Avondale Development Corporation’s mission is to promote the well-being of Avondale residents by directing the revitalization of the neighborhood. We do that by developing housing, real estate and economic initiatives while working collaboratively with residents and partners.
The ADC board is putting the final touches on the new three-year plan in support of that mission. This new iteration of the plan comes at a time of unprecedented growth in and around Avondale – growth that brings remarkable opportunity…and challenges.
Three of the region’s largest employers – Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, UC Health and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden – are located in Avondale. The University of Cincinnati sits just outside its boundaries. All of them are growing and expanding. The Uptown Innovation Corridor – a 65-acre innovation and technology hub located in Avondale – is now a reality. When fully implemented, the Corridor’s master plan anticipates $2.5 billion of project investment, more than 3.5 million square feet of mixed-use development and the creation of 7,000 jobs.
Not surprisingly, real estate values are heating up.
ADC’s challenge is to ensure that this growth – which has led to Avondale being dubbed the “hottest neighborhood in Cincinnati” – doesn’t lead to Avondale suffering the same fate as urban African American communities across the nation: gentrification. Our residents are not anti-growth. They just want to be around to enjoy its benefits. That will be the primary goal of the updated strategic plan.
It will have a lot to build on. ADC’s Quality of Life plan, the product of massive resident and stakeholder input, will be an invaluable guide. ADC’s housing strategy, which looks over a 10-year horizon, is being implemented, with the Blair Lofts affordable housing development having broken ground in August and several others in predevelopment. Partnerships with the region’s most important companies and organizations are in place and bearing fruit.
At a programmatic level, various homeowner programs up and running to help at-risk Avondale families avoid displacement and improve their homes. MBE/WBE participation in our home rehab programs is substantially exceeding established requirements. A robust communications effort keeps residents informed and engaged.
Avondale is rightfully proud of the cultural history that comes with being the City’s largest African American community, and is home to residents who can trace their Avondale lines back generations. Our new three-year plan will bring us further in the journey to creating a stable, thriving community, a place where all residents succeed equitably across every key indicator – health, education, employment, income, and affordable quality housing.