Subject to certain conditions, Cincinnati Union Bethel has agreed to sell the Anna Louise Inn to Western & Southern Financial Group for $4 million. A news release from W&S and CUB says, as a result, all litigation will be dismissed.
Under the plan, Anna Louise Inn residents will be allowed to stay at the current location for two years while a new space with larger living areas is completed. The Anna Louise Inn will keep the same name.
“Our focus has always remained on our mission of securing safe and affordable housing for our women,” said Steve MacConnell, president & CEO of Cincinnati Union Bethel. “Working with Western & Southern, we were able to not only preserve affordable housing but also improve it.
The new Anna Louise Inn location:
The plan will enable Anna Louise Inn to continue its mission at an alternate location with the goal of completing a new home within two years, "that would not have been possible in a renovated Anna Louise Inn at the current site."
The new site will be in Mt. Auburn, at the corner of Reading Road and Kinsey Avenue, across from the United Way of Greater Cincinnati.
Western & Southern's Plan:
"The sale will enable Western & Southern to explore developing the existing facility into a vibrant new hotel that will spur additional development in Lytle Park and downtown, continuing the momentum created by the new Residence Inn at the Phelps, Great American Tower at Queen City Square, Horseshoe Casino, Over-the-Rhine redevelopment, revitalization in the core of downtown and the Banks."
John F. Barrett, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Western & Southern, said, “Our plans in Lytle Park will preserve the building while converting it into a vibrant new hotel, beautifully lit and maintained – similar to our renovations of the Guilford Building and the Phelps Building, both located also in Lytle Park."
Both sides had expressed their views in a November 2012 interview with WVXU.
What others are saying:
“It has always been in the best interest of this community that this issue get resolved,” said vice mayor Roxanne Qualls, a long-time supporter of CUB. “I am very pleased that Western & Southern and Cincinnati Union Bethel – two important organizations to this city – could work together on a solution that will provide top-notch affordable housing for women and allow Western & Southern to lead the way in revitalizing the Lytle Park neighborhood."
Strategies to End Homeless is congratulating both sides. Executive Director Kevin Finn says, “This solution will help Cincinnati Union Bethel remain true to their mission, while allowing Western & Southern to continue to improve an area in which they have already invested heavily -- most importantly, this compromise is good for homeless women who will benefit from this housing for generations to come."
