On Saturday March 12, the Greater Ohio Policy Center participated in a public engagement open house for the City of North College Hill (Hamilton County). The community open house invited current and former residents, business owners, and other stakeholders to engage in visioning activities and respond to surveys in order to learn more about the city’s past, present, and desired future. This event is part of the City of North College Hill’s ongoing process to update its comprehensive plan.
A comprehensive plan is the foundational document for a city’s long-term planning and zoning. It lays out the vision for future land use, physical elements, and policies which guide the city’s growth and management. The updated comprehensive plan will be used to guide the city’s path forward for the next 20 years. North College Hill last updated its comprehensive plan in 2008.
North College Hill is a city in Hamilton County, approximately 10 miles north of downtown Cincinnati. As of 2020, the city population is 9,663. The city takes its name from its proximity to the Cincinnati neighborhood of College Hill that borders it to the south. The small community is centrally located and relatively affordable, with solid housing stock and a number of popular local businesses and institutions.
The community open house brought together residents, members of the business community, and public sector leaders to engage in exercises that prompted stakeholders to think about what they love about their city, what they think are areas of opportunity, and how they see their community moving forward.
Stakeholders were also asked to complete visual preference surveys to gather feedback on the city’s public gathering spaces, local business districts, and desired housing products. GOPC provided an overview of demographic conditions and housing cost burden for the community.
The community open house was the first of many opportunities for the community to provide input on the planning process. The comprehensive plan update is being led by Urban Fast Forward, a planning firm locally based in Cincinnati, and over the next 12-18 months, Urban Fast Forward will host additional public engagement events as the plan is developed. GOPC has been engaged as a subcontractor in the comprehensive plan update, and will be leading efforts to conduct an analysis of affordable housing needs for the city.
GOPC will periodically post updates of the planning process to our blog as we engage with residents and stakeholders in North College Hill. See our previous blog for a driving tour introduction to the community!