CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) plans to sell 105 units at the City West housing development in the West End as part of a $200 million renovation project, officials announced.
The sale represents about 10% of the 686-unit complex and comes after CMHA took ownership of the property last year when the previous owner defaulted on a $4 million loan.
"The previous owner tried but failed to successfully manage this property," said Cincinnati Assistant City Manager Billy Weber. "And ultimately, they walked away from this property last year."
Weber said the property has significant deferred maintenance issues, with some units uninhabitable. The goal is to use proceeds from the sale to pay off existing debt and reinvest in renovating the remaining units.
Of the 105 units going up for sale, 93 are currently occupied. CMHA CEO Gregory Johnson said the housing authority is committed to keeping all residents in the neighborhood.
"Through this process, our number one goal is to make sure your place of where you're staying is better than where we started," Johnson said.
The housing authority says City West has 85 vacant units that are either under renovation or ready for occupancy. Residents from buildings being sold will have the opportunity to move into those units. If all 93 households choose to remain at City West, that would leave the complex eight units short, though CMHA says it will help residents find other affordable housing in the neighborhood if necessary.
The sale has some residents split. Some see it as an opportunity for improvement, while others worry about displacement.
WATCH: You can learn how residents are responding
Crystal Lane, a City West resident who says she was previously displaced when FC Cincinnati built TQL Stadium, expressed frustration with facing another potential move.
"So to be told to move to City West and then now the same thing is happening again is not right," Lane said.
Judith, another resident who gave only her first name, worried about the impact on vulnerable populations.
"My concern is the seniors, you know, the disabled. They got to pack up, unpack, and repack, and move back. That's just too much," she said.
But Galen Gordon, president of the West End Community Council, welcomed the changes.
"I think many of the residents are excited about the opportunities that are presenting themselves — opportunities for development, for jobs, for housing," Gordon said.
Resident Shantal Hill remained skeptical of how potentially moving would impact residents.
"It's not for the betterment of the community. If it was the betterment of the community, they wouldn't be forcefully having people move out," Hill said.
CMHA says the broader renovation project will begin next year and be completed by 2030. The housing authority will partner with developers Gorman & Company and use HUD's Rental Assistance Demonstration program, along with other funding sources.
The project will be completed in three phases, with applications for Low Income Housing Tax Credits planned for 2026, 2027 and 2028.
City West was built in 2000 using $60 million in federal HOPE VI funds. The mixed-income development replaced the Laurel Homes and much of Lincoln Courts public housing complexes, which were built in the late 1930s and were among the nation's first contemporary public housing developments.
