A majority of Cincinnati City Council voted today to give a development company over $1.356 million dollars in federal housing dollars for an affordable housing project in Pendleton.
But that is less than the $1.9 million the city administration had proposed for the plan to rehab 40 units in the neighborhood.
Some council members wanted to hold back $543,000 for a permanent supportive housing project in Avondale that would not have been available if the Pendleton developer, Wallick-Hendy Development had gotten the entire $1.9 million.
National Church Residences - known as NCR - wants to build up to 100 units of permanent supportive housing for homeless people and disabled people in Avondale.
The original plan called for the project to be built on Alaska Commons. But N-C-R is now looking for an alternative site; and the project is not “shovel-ready.”
At a long meeting of council's Budget and Finance Committee, Vice Mayor David Mann proposed that instead of giving the Pendleton developer the entire amount that $543,000 be held back for NCR, or possibly another affordable housing project.
Executives of Wallick-Hendy told council members they would live with the lesser amount, although they might have to scale back their plans. But they said they would like to come back after council's summer break to see if they could get more funding.
A final vote on the compromise will come at Wednesday's city council meeting.
