CINCINNATI -- The community of Northside has started on the road to recovery from an abandoned state highway project that almost tore their neighborhood apart.
It hasn't been an easy trip.
Don't let the color of the leaves fool you. It's springtime in Northside.
It's not flowers that are being tilled on Kirby Avenue, it's new homes, planted in the wake of a 40- year-old storm that raged between the residents of this community and the State of Ohio.
"It's fixing a scar that's been here for many, many years in the Northside community and we can't be happier,” said Tim Jeckering, of the Northside Community Council.
The “Colerain Connector” was supposed to relieve traffic congestion.
But residents said it would tear their neighborhoods apart. The state kept moving forward, demolishing over a hundred homes.
The opposition packed meeting halls and demanded they stop.
Finally, the state gave in, but the scars remained.
Today, at a small ceremony on a muddy lot, fresh dirt was turned to bury those scars and replace them with 25 “green,” single family homes.
Sue Wilke snapped one up, and will be moving into the city from Monfort Heights.
“We like their energy efficiency,” said Wilke.
“They're a builder on the leading edge of building green homes,” said Wilke, “and we were very interested in Northside as a community. And the two things just came together when we found out about their plans to build here at ‘Northwind.’”
Down the road, still more plans are in the works to “heal” the landscape.
"This is Sectors D and E, which are the northern most sectors,” said Jeckering. “Sector C has been reclaimed and we hope to have that dedicated as a city park here someday soon."
It's “springtime” in Northside. The flowers are expected to bloom in January.
