City West is one of Cincinnati’s most unique and diverse communities. Over the last year, Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority has been working diligently to create a sustainable path for the community. City West has 686 units of mixed-income housing, with 366 of those units as public housing.
Just last week, CMHA and the City of Cincinnati met with residents of City West to roll out a plan for the community that includes the rehabilitation of units and the disposition of some units. As part of the building renovations, CMHA is working toward repositioning or preserving 581 units. CMHA will renovate 62 units located on Linn Street and known as Linn Street Exchange. In addition, CMHA is partnering with the Gorman Company to renovate 519 units in City West.
As we move in the direction of preserving affordable units located in City West, we had to make to difficult decision to sell 105 of the 686 units. This decision was not an easy one, but necessary to generate the necessary capital to satisfy the current debt on the property. CMHA’s goal would be to reinvest funds following the debt into the CMHA portfolio including City West.
In partnership with the City of Cincinnati, “we both want families who live in City West to stay in the West End,” stated CMHA CEO Gregory Johnson, MS, PHM, EDEP. Any relocation of families that needs to occur, the City and CMHA are partnering to provide residents with the dignity, respect, and opportunity to remain in the West End. The City is committing additional funds to assist with any relocation needs.
Mr. Johnson reiterated, "The end result is that they're (residents) going to be living in better living conditions.”
CMHA will continue to share updates as the project progresses.