Avondale Vision Plan 2005

Introduction

The "Avondale Vision Plan 2005" was developed by the Avondale Vision Planning Task Force. The Task Force was developed by the Avondale Community Council to develop a vision for the community of Avondale and a mission for the community council to act on. The mission statement will provide direction for the council so that it can accomplish the visionof the community. The vision plan addresses the issues of housing, economical development and land use, human services. public facilities and public safety.

The Avondale Community Council (ACC) is a non-profit community organization consisting of Avondale residents, which acts as a representative for the neighborhood of Avondale when addressing community issues.The ACC's purpose is to work for the general betterment of the Avondale community by stimulating interest in and coordinating efforts for the social and economic welfare of the Avondale community.

The ACC promotes good community relationships through various inter-group projects sponsored by the council for both youth and adults. It also promotes cooperation with other civic/community group, sound planning and research as it relates to the needs of the community, and assists in the alleviation of hardships for families in the community.

The ACC works for the general betterment by determining goals and establishing programs to accomplish these goals. The ACC evaluates programs to determine their effectiveness, effinciency and consistency with goals. The ACC is officially recognized by the City of Cincinnati Counci as the representative for the neighborhoods of Avondale.

History and Statistics

Avondale is a neighborhood that is located three miles from downtown Cincinnati. It enjoys close proximity to Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati.A major Hospital district, which includes the Jewish Hospital, Bethesda Hospital, Shriners Burns Institute, University Medical Center and Hospital and Childrens Hospital are within Avondale's borders. Avondale is also home to the nation's second oldet zoo, the famed Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens. The boundaries of Avondale follow Clinton Springs on the north, then to Victory Parkway on the eastern side. The southern boundary follows Oak Street up to Burnet Avenue on the west, back to Erkenvrecher on teh southern side, and Vine Street on the western side.

After nearly a century of being one of Cincinnati's most prosperous neighborhoods, Avondale's decline began with the gradual migration northward of it's middle and upper income residents. This change was accompanied by a growth of absentee ownership of housing and it's inherent problems. There are 8549 housing units in the Avondale community. 11% are vacant. The housing stock is mainly from the turn of the century, large and stately homes which have long since been changed into multifamily homes that are overcrowded and in disrepair. Most owners are absentee landlords who charge minimum rents and preform minimum maintenence. Only 23% of the housing units in Avondale are owner-occupied compared to 38.3% across the city. The civil riots of the mid-60s were the final blow, having a more devastating and long-lasting impact in Avondale than on any other neighborhood in Cincinnati.

The Avondale community has a population of approximately 18,900 with nearly 91% of it's residents African American. 17% of it's residents are senior citizens. There are 7579 households in Avondale with 35% at or below the poverty level, almost twice that of the entire city of Cincinnati. Unemployment in Avondale is about 17% which is three times that for the city of Cincinnati and the nation as a whole.

There are approximately 100 businesses in Avondale, most within it's three business districts: The Reading Road-Town Center Business District, the Burnet Avenue Business Disrict and the Martin Luther King Drive Business District.