A Hamilton County judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the city of Cincinnati that has delayed a housing project in Over-the-Rhine for over a year.
Gloria's Place is a planned 44-unit building to house people experiencing homelessness. The permanent supportive housing model offers onsite wraparound services, including case management.
Developer Ben Eilerman of Over-the-Rhine Community Housing says the delay has caused serious problems.
"We've had to spend additional dollars to defend ourselves in this case," Eilerman said. "What's also happened is interest rates have gone up, construction prices have gone up, meaning that a project that was fully funded is now in jeopardy of not being fully funded again."
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The lawsuit challenged the way the project got city approval. Current zoning laws only allow 14 units on the site, but City Council approved a variance to allow 44 units. That in itself is not uncommon, but the request for the variance came from Council Member Reggie Harris rather than the property owner.
The person who sued, Cincinnati resident Mark Miller, has until mid-January to appeal the decision with the First District Court of Appeals. Attorneys representing Miller could not be reached for comment.
Eilerman says construction still won’t begin until the appeals process has concluded.
"This housing is meant to serve those very vulnerable people in our communities," Eilerman said. "These delays that seem unnecessary don't just mean increased costs, don't just mean increased time and frustration, what they really mean is that somebody doesn't have a bed to sleep in tonight."
Data from the local group Strategies to End Homelessness shows more than 6,000 people experienced homelessness at some point in 2022.
