CINCINNATI — In a neighborhood full of history, Madisonville residents are deciding what the community's future should look like.
Since January 2025, residents and leaders with the Cincinnati Department of City Planning have been drafting the area's first comprehensive neighborhood plan.
Senior city planner Andrew Halt is spearheading the project. He said neighborhood plans lay the foundation to shape the community.
“It really just helps chart the vision of the neighborhood," Halt said.
Halt said he's had many meetings with residents and members of Madisonville's neighborhood council.
WATCH: How Madisonville residents can share ideas for the neighborhood plan
He said one of the main concerns he's heard from residents and council members is about affordable housing.
“That’s a big concern in Madisonville, because there’s been a lot of displacement pressures over the past 10 years, especially," Halt said.
Data from the draft of the plan shows that median home values in the neighborhood nearly doubled between 2013 and 2023.
“We want to make sure that people, if they want to stay in Madisonville, they have the ability to stay there," Halt said.
Also from 2013 to 2023, the neighborhood's Black population dropped 49% and its white population rose 37%.
Halt said another discussion point has been Madisonville's business district. He said the business district was booming about 100 years ago, but has struggled lately.
“People want a thriving business district to be similar to what it was back in the day in Madisonville," Halt said.
Other focus areas of the plan include highlighting the neighborhood's history and finding ways to give kids more to do.
“More activities for kids, more enrichment programs, working with the schools to be part of that," Halt said.
If you have ideas to share, it's not too late.
There will be a neighborhood plan meeting on Wednesday, April 29, at 6 p.m. at the Madisonville Recreation Center.
Halt said residents can come provide feedback on the plan and talk about things important to them.
“The plans that are successful have lots of community feedback and lots of community buy-in," Halt said.
If you can't make it in person, Halt said you can share your thoughts in their online survey.
Cincinnati City Council will ultimately approve the neighborhood plan once it's finalized. Halt said he's hopeful that will happen by the fall.
