Petitioners secure enough signatures to put Hyde Park Square development on November ballot

Published June 11, 2025 at 4:01 AM EDT

a yellow sign that reads "save hyde park square" stands on its side beside a folding chair where people are seated, photographed from the waist down — People crowded into City Council chambers at Cincinnati City Hall for the March 7 meeting of the Planning Commission to vote on a new zoning designation for Hyde Park Square so that a proposed development could move forward.

On June 2, the Hamilton County Board of Elections certified 13,434 valid signatures from Cincinnati petitioners, enough to return the proposed Hyde Park Square zone change to City Council for review.

Opponents of the planned hotel and housing development project submitted more than 18,300 signatures to put the measure on the November ballot, and about 9,200 needed to be confirmed as valid in order to qualify.

According to Cincinnati municipal code, City Council has the option to repeal the ordinance that grants the zoning change instead of putting the referendum on the ballot.

On Cincinnati Edition, we'll discuss the future of this controversial planned development and zoning change in Cincinnati's Hyde Park neighborhood.

Guests:

Meeka Owens, Cincinnati City Council member
John Zinsser, organizer, Save Hyde Park Square
Colleen Reynolds, Partner, DSD Advisors
Chris Wetterich, reporter, Cincinnati Business Courier

Select music from Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

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