Madisonville neighbors concerned community forgotten as new development rises
MADISONVILLE, Ohio (WKRC) - Some neighbors in one Cincinnati community say they're being left in the shadows of a new development project.
While the Madisonville Community Council president says the Ackermann Group is ignoring the needs of existing neighbors, the CEO says he's addressing the concerns.
If you've driven through Madisonville lately, chances are you've seen the new development. Soon, there will be a third phase, but some neighbors say they fear they're being pushed out.
Rosemary Tanks is known as Ms. Tony in her neighborhood. Five generations of her family live in Madisonville, but she fears the sixth generation is being pushed out.
"People are going to fall away. Older people are not going to move out, but there's nothing there for them anymore," Tanks said.
The Ackermann Group is redeveloping Madisonville's business district. As Phase 3 gets underway, the community council has drafted a Community Benefits Agreement to address concerns like parking and affordable housing.
Community Council President Kate Botos says those concerns are falling on deaf ears.
"The developer has remained silent and has not addressed the CBA working group nor the community. If, for nothing else to say, it's too late. Until there's a shovel in the ground, it's never too late," Botos said.
Botos and Tanks say City Council is allowing Madisonville neighbors to be ignored by greenlighting projects and funding.
"Just two days ago, they voted on it without addressing any of our issues," Tanks said.
Local 12 tried to talk with CEO Dobbs Ackermann. He declined both on-camera and phone interviews. Instead, he told Local 12 they have found solutions for parking and funding for a public plaza, but he says they were not able to achieve $11 million in funding requested in the CBA.
"We did an initial CBA draft reading on July 9, and we had heard nothing from the developer until last Friday. It was very disappointing. The disrespect to the community speaks volumes," Botos said.
"We want to remain Madisonville. We are historic. There's a lot of four and five generations out there, and people who are older and can't speak feel like they're losing out," Tanks said.
To be clear, a Community Benefits Agreement is a promise from an organization that they will help improve a community where they do business.
We've seen examples like this before. Back in June, First Financial Bank signed a CBA promising to build three new bank branches in low-income communities here in Cincinnati.
On Wednesday, Council approved a plan to use $950,000 in TIF money to fund capital improvements for the Madisonville project.
