Mt. Lookout Community Members -
There has been a lot of discussion from the City surrounding development activities in Mount Lookout over the last several months. The Mt. Lookout Community Council has engaged in the discussion and hopes to be an active participant and facilitate input from our community. As we have information to share, we will do so via our website and email newsletter. This is the latest information as we understand it.
In response to concerns raised by residents of Mt. Lookout and Hyde Park regarding the demolition of homes and the splitting of large lots for development of multiple houses (referred to as "subdivision" in city code), the City Planning Commission and City Council have enacted two separate measures to temporarily increase the level of review of these activities:
1. Subdivision Permit Review: Subdivision permit applications are filed with and reviewed by the City's Building and Inspections Department. On May 18, 2018, the Cincinnati City Planning Commission temporarily suspended Chapter 6 of the City's Subdivision Rules, requiring all lot split requests within Hyde Park and Mt. Lookout to also be reviewed by the City Planning Commission. This suspension is in place for a period of 100 days, expiring on August 25, 2018.
2.
Interim Development Control (IDC) Overlay District No. 81, "Hyde Park/Mt. Lookout District":
Similar to subdivision permits, demolition permits are also filed and reviewed by the City's Building and Inspections Department. IDC Overlay District No. 81, enacted by City Council on June 6th, now requires that
all demolition permits filed in Hyde Park and Mt. Lookout also undergo additional review by the City Planning Commission. This emergency ordinance took effect immediately and will be in place until September 6, 2018.
Important points regarding the IDCs:
- These measures will not stop demolition or lot split activity. The measures only add an additional level of review - City Planning Commission approval - to the process.
- City Planning Commission meetings are open to the public and attendees are given an opportunity to speak prior to the vote.
- The IDC requires notification (typically 10-14 days) of adjacent property owners and the relevant community council prior to the Planning Commission meeting.
- The IDC process (notification and Planning Commission hearing) runs concurrently with the standard City application review process. As such, it is anticipated that the IDC will add only 2-3 weeks to the approval process.
- The City's law regarding IDCs allows for them to be extended by up to 9 months, but that requires another hearing and vote of the enacting body (Planning Commission or City Council, depending on which IDC). The City's Economic and Zoning Committee has stated that they do not intend to support any extensions of the IDC timeframe.
Pending Subdivision Applications
Since the enactment of these measures, two applications for subdivision have been received by the City for properties in Mt. Lookout. The two properties are on Grace Avenue and Grandin Road. For more detailed information please click on the link below and find the City Planning Commission Agenda for their June 15th meeting.
In accordance with standard protocols, adjacent property owners have been notified. The City Planning Commission will review the subdivision proposals at their next meeting. Comments can be submitted in person at the Planning Commission Meeting or through the Department of City Planning. The meeting will be Friday, June 15th 9am at the following location
Two Centennial Plaza
Griesel Room, 7th Floor
805 Central Avenue
Cincinnati, OH
45202
