WCPO 9's Alex Null covers the East Side. If you have a story that you'd like Alex to look into or a news tip, email him at alex@wcpo.com
CINCINNATI — As the push for a historic district in North Avondale enters its final stages, some residents are beginning to voice their opposition.
Since 2024, we've been covering why neighbors have been pursuing the designation.
Recently, residents like Ian Rexroad began questioning whether becoming a historic district is the right decision.
“Maybe there are benefits, but there is not zero cost," Rexroad said.
Rexroad has lived in North Avondale for seven years. He said he wasn't aware of the pursuit of a historic district designation until he received a letter from the city in January.
Rexroad said that as he began to dig deeper into what it means, he had more unanswered questions.
WATCH: Residents weigh in on what a historic district designation would mean for the neighborhood
That's why he created a website to make other neighbors aware of those concerns.
He said one of his biggest concerns is the potential cost to homeowners.
Under historic district rules, most exterior home projects require city approval, and it costs money just to request permission.
A filing fee for a minor project is about $155, while a filing fee for a major project is about $655.
“It costs money to ask for permission, and you might be told no," Rexroad said.
Rexroad said he's also worried about restrictions.
“If you put on newer style windows, that is going to be against the guidelines," Rexroad said. "Same thing if you don’t already have a fence, adding a new fence is going to be against the guidelines.”
He said he believes there weren't enough chances for residents to weigh in on the plan.
“There are a lot of people who didn’t know this was happening until the city started sending out the mailers," Rexroad said.
However, Dawn Johnson, who's been working on the project since its inception, said that's not true.
“We’ve had over four or five specially designated meetings regarding the historic designation," Johnson said.
Until recently, Johnson served as president of the North Avondale Neighborhood Association.
She said the goal of the historic designation is to protect the neighborhood from unwanted development.
“We are putting our voice back into the development process," Johnson said.
We asked Johnson about Rexroad's cost concerns. She said NANA already has $5,000 set aside to help older neighbors and those with low incomes cover fees.
“We are listening to our community, and we are responding to their concerns because we want to support them," Johnson said.
On the website Rexroad created, he claims property owners could face criminal charges for violating historic district rules.
“It’s a first-degree misdemeanor if you violate the rules of the historic district,” Rexroad said.
However, Johnson said that’s a big misunderstanding. She said someone would have to be knowingly breaking the rules consistently for something like that to happen.
“There’s so many things that would have to happen in order for someone to get arrested,” Johnson said. “I will say this: no one in the history of Cincinnati, from my research, has ever been arrested for installing new windows.”
Johnson said she encourages residents to continue to come to NANA public meetings to get answers to any questions about the plans.
As for what's next, the Cincinnati City Planning Commission will vote to recommend the plans to city council June 5.
The proposal was brought before the planning commission April 3, but no vote was made. Instead, members of the commission recommended a few changes to some of the plan's rules that relate to windows, roofing and landscaping.
If the plan is recommended, city council will make the final decision on the proposal.
If the plans are approved, North Avondale would become the 28th historic district in the city.
Have a story idea or tip for WCPO 9 East Side reporter Alex Null? Email him at alex@wcpo.com.
