Port Authority launches REACH home rehab program in Walnut Hills


Community supporters and developers alike have homed in on Walnut Hills in recent years, and the results have been impressive. (See our ongoing coverage of Walnut Hills in our On the Ground series here.)
 
Those efforts will now receive a shot in the arm via a partnership between the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation and the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority.
 
On Nov. 29, the first phase of construction began on three historic, vacant Walnut Hills homes located on Morgan Street, near the popular Five Points district. The homes will undergo complete renovations; subsequent project phases will see three more factory-constructed homes built and delivered to neighboring sites along Morgan.
 
These developments are made possible by the Port Authority’s Rehab Across Cincinnati and Hamilton County (REACH), a residential home-rehab program that has conducted similar projects in nearby Evanston.
 
“The Port Authority is thrilled to expand its successful REACH single-family home rehab program to Walnut Hills,” said the Port Authority's Executive Director Darin Hall. “The development of new, single-family homes and the complete renovation of several vacant homes will be another catalyst for change in the neighborhood and complement to all of the investment underway.”
 
Kevin Wright, executive director of the WHRF, said the group expects to break ground on more than $40 million in urban development in Walnut Hills over the next 12-18 months.
 
“This is another example of our focused investment strategy,” Wright said. “These (first) homes will be just a couple of blocks from several popular restaurants, bars and retailers that have come to Walnut Hills in the last couple of years, and the future looks even brighter.”

 
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Read more articles by Hannah Purnell.

Hannah Purnell is a lifelong Northern Kentuckian who writes extensively about regional issues related to arts and culture, politics and economic development.