For some, Uptown changes not easy to swallow

The Greek revival-style home at 108 William Howard Taft Road met the wrecking ball last week after sitting near the edge of Corryville and Mount Auburn for more than 161 years.

Corryville resident Lydia Karlo hates to think about the beautiful old homes that continue to disappear from the neighborhood. But what makes her really upset is that she – and many others – believe they don't have control over how the neighborhood is changing.

"We live in one of most historic cities in the United States but we destroy (so much)," Karlo said. "I understand you can't save it all, but we could've saved a hell of lot more than we did."

Mount Auburn, Clifton Heights-University Heights-Fairview and other Uptown Cincinnati neighborhoods are home to dozens of historic structures and also some of the region's largest institutions.

Some people, such as Karlo, say the essence of these areas is changing too rapidly as a result of the needs of the University of Cincinnati and Pill Hill hospitals. Business leaders and real estate developers say they're also concerned about preservation but want to ensure neighborhoods in the region's second-largest jobs center to continue to gain investment.

"It's a good problem to have, if you could call it a problem," said Beth Robinson, president and CEO of the Uptown Consortium. "It's important that growth is done appropriately and communicates with the surrounding neighborhoods. All the (Uptown Consortium) members have a commitment to do that."

Karlo, a substitute Cincinnati Public School teacher and preservation advocate, said she is not anti-development, but she is against unbridled development, which is what she believes is happening in Uptown.

The balancing act

Neighborhoods change, and that rarely happens without some conflict, said Cincinnati attorney Tim Mara. In many cases, Mara said, residents are often on uneven ground when it comes to time, political influence and financial resources to scrutinize development proposals.

"There's hardly a neighborhood that's untouched by this type of controversy," said Mara, who lives in Over-the-Rhine. "It's the result of the evolving nature of what cities should look like in terms of their physical character."

Robinson said members of the Uptown Consortium are very sensitive in working with neighborhood groups and residents to get project design feedback and to figure out how to make developments work within the existing neighborhood framework. Uptown Consortium members are UC, UC Health, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens and TriHealth.

"You always have to balance the good that new development could do in terms of job creation and encouraging safe streets with what you're losing," Robinson said.

Dan Schimberg is Uptown's largest property developer and he said more than half of the development projects he has completed have involved historic preservation and rehabilitation.

But one project where that didn't happen is one his company Uptown Rental Properties is planning at the site of the former Mount Auburn Methodist Church. The Gothic Revival structure built in 1851 was demolished late last year after several months and rounds of hearings with the city's Historic Conservation Board. The church at Auburn and East McMillan avenues was the oldest one in the neighborhood and within the Auburn Avenue historic district.

Schimberg said key historic features that were part of the church such as the stained glass, organs, and other salvageable building elements were preserved. Vandals, as well as time, helped destroy the structure, but he said the building was obsolete in terms of parking, accessibility and the structure's condition.

"The gap that was created to fix it up and reuse it was insurmountable," Schimberg said. "Since the church has been closed, the church has been on the market for 12 years. Not one person came forward to buy it. No one could figure out a use for it. We worked very, very hard to do that."

In its place, Schimberg envisions a 50,000-square-foot medical office building to serve the growing needs of health care institutions in Uptown. The site would have a parking structure and the building could be completed by 2017. Schimberg said Mount Auburn has significant development potential and represents a big opportunity to help bolster Uptown's future.

"While we think maintaining the fabric of a community is vital, we also recognize the realities that the expanding institutions put on the demand for housing and for offices," Schimberg said.

Mara said it's unfortunate when neighborhoods lose those type of signature structures and he argues for stronger tools to maintain them. He would like to see blanket preservation protections within the city on buildings that are older than 70 years old. Under that regime, the onus would be on a developer to prove why the structure should be considered for demolition.

Tom Rotte, a Corryville property owner and community council member, said no formula exists to help city leaders and residents determine which properties are worth preserving. As a result, he said, developments tends to favor what's in the city's best financial interest.

Councils, institutions see opportunity

With Uptown's employment base expanding and new residents and businesses moving in, Corryville Community Council President Mike Ealy said neighborhoods are doing well managing the development that's happening.

Ealy admits there can be "bumps and bruises" when mulling development opportunities, but Uptown's largest institutions are committed to working with the community on projects.

University of Cincinnati has the brand on social media "#hottestcollegeinamerica," but it is working through the balancing act between its needs and those of the community at large, said UC spokesman Greg Vehr.

The university's five-year plan envisions enrollment to grow to about 47,000 students. (The university has 43,961 students enrollment in the current semester.) Vehr said a lot of that growth in students will be through distance, or online, learning.

Several projects the university has planned are expected to bring more students back on campus with new residences. Scioto Hall and its 450 beds will be ready by fall 2016, Sawyer Hall will offer 200 beds and open in 2017 and the Campus Recreation Center will have 220 beds.

Vehr said the university has representation on all nearby neighborhood community councils and community groups and the university believes that relationship is important to maintain. He said the university also supports development happening in a "managed way."

"Our communication with neighborhood organizations is frequent and continuous but we don't talk to every individual in the neighborhood," Vehr said. "We try to satisfy as many people as we can."

EDITOR'S NOTE: The caption on a photo was corrected to reflect the name of the church that was demolished. It was Mount Auburn Methodist Church.