Hello Mt. Lookout –
The City has notified us of a number of proposed amendments to elements of the City Zoning Code. These changes are scheduled for discussion with the public on Monday (May 24), followed by a public hearing on Friday, June 4. We wanted to make you aware of them, and to let you where to find more information and how to share your comments.
There are many proposed changes and we encourage you to review them for anything that pertains specifically to your residence or business. Because the list is long, we are directing you to the City Planning website to review a summary of the proposed modifications. For more detail and to see the actual, proposed wording, click here.
As stated by the City, these changes have been proposed to “address scrivener errors, clarifications, and internally illuminated signage,” and were brought forward by local communities, interested parties, and the City’s own review of the zoning code. Many are relatively minor, while a few will have more impact. For example, one proposed change relevant to Mt. Lookout Square pertains to the process for approving the demolition of buildings in Urban Design (UD) Overlay Districts (Mt. Lookout Square is in a UD Overlay District). UD districts are designed to protect and preserve the physical character of the district. Currently, buildings in them can only be demolished if they are declared a public health and/or safety hazard by the City Buildings & Inspections department. The proposed change would instead give the Zoning Hearing Examiner the ability to approve demolition of buildings located within an Urban Design (UD) Overlay District, if he/she determines:
- That the existing building does not contribute to the physical character or economic vitality of the district, OR
- That demolition will facilitate the construction of a new building or establishment of a use that will contribute to the physical character and economic vitality of the district.
PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNTIES
The City of Cincinnati Department of City Planning will hold a Virtual Public Staff Conference on Monday (May 24), 2021 at 4:00 p.m. to discuss the proposed zoning code changes and gather public comment. If you wish to attend, please email a request to Andy Juengling, Dept. of City Planning, at andy.juengling@cincinnati-oh.gov for the meeting link. You can also email comments to Andy as well.
The City Planning Commission will also hold a Public Hearing on Friday, June 4 at 9:00 a.m. to further discuss and take action on the proposed text amendments. Again, comments and requests to participate in the public hearing can be sent to Andy at andy.juengling@cincinnati-oh.gov.
As always, thank you for your continued interest and involvement in Mt. Lookout.
Sincerely,
The Mt. Lookout Community Council Board
