WCPO Channel 9 reporter Amy Wadas attended the Westwood community meeting on July 27, 2013 and filed this report.
Monthly Archives: July 2013
Library Display: What is the Potential for the Westwood Business District?
Don’t worry if you missed the meeting on July 27. We have the official display at the Westwood branch library. Come in and fill out a survey and we will be sure it is forwarded to the City to incorporate into our data. It’s not too late to make your voice heard! You can also click here for our Westwood Survey. After completing it, please drop it off at the library or scan and email it to revitalizewestwood@gmail.com.
WVXU Reports on Westwood’s Community Meeting July 27
WVXU today highlighted Westwood’s consideration of its historic business district in this article: http://wvxu.org/post/meeting-saturday-discuss-westwood-business-district. The article focuses on the coalition of neighborhood organizations and businesses and on the intended outcomes of the community meeting. Join us tomorrow!
Form-Based Code and Westwood
You, our readers, get the first notice of the next Westwood Coalition community meeting: a conversation focused exclusively on form-based code and specifically on its potential application in Westwood. Mark your calendar: Thursday, August 22 in the evening. We’ll announce the location and exact time in a few days. You might want to read up on form-based code first. See our reading list via the tab at the top of our page. This will be a deep dive and will assume a little bit of familiarity with Cincinnati’s FBC. See http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/planning/planning-projects-studies/form-based-codes/ for more info in addition to our reading list. We’ll use phrases like “transect”, “physical form”, and “built environment” unapologetically but we will start with some context and definitions. Save the date. Details forthcoming.
The Schedule for our July 27 Community Meeting
Here’s the basic itinerary for the community meeting that the Westwood Coalition is hosting on Saturday, July 27, 2013 from 9 am – 12 noon at Westwood United Methodist Church:
First, and importantly, we will have water and coffee. Feel free to bring a snack if you’ll need sustenance besides our dialogue.
Second, yes, it really is three hours long. Can’t stay that long? Come for a while. We will get the most out of the conversation if you stay for the full session, of course.
There will be a short questionnaire and exhibit materials for you upon your arrival. We’ll start the program with a welcome and outline for the day with Coalition facilitator Mary Jenkins. Then we’ll have a short presentation by Cameron Ross of the city’s Planning department, about the research done to date and the context for Westwood’s business district revitalization effort. Next, we’ll break up into small, facilitated groups for focused discussion about aspects of the historic business district and its potential. We’ll end with some closing remarks about the process and date for the next community meeting. That’s it. It’s a lot to ask our neighbors to come to a three hour meeting but we expect it to include meaningful information sharing and dialogue. We thank you for considering attendance. Bring a friend!
More Reading
We’ve added more suggestions for further reading to the reading list. Also, we welcome your suggestions. Just provide the author, title, and link, if relevant, below in the Comment field. For those of us wanting to take a deep dive into the research and writing on Cincinnati’s planning process, Westwood’s documents, and the topic of planning and revitalization, generally, this will keep you busy. And, of course, you can pick and choose if you’re just looking for a little background information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Take a look at the FAQ page on this site now. We’ve responded to the questions we’ve been hearing. Let us know what other questions you have via the Comment field. Some questions can’t be answered until we hear more about Westwood’s preferences but we can answer fact-based questions anytime.
Q & A
What questions do you have about the historic business district and this process and the potential for revitalization? Your questions will help the coalition prepare for the July 27 meeting and beyond. Post your questions in the Comments field below. We’ll get a Q&A section going on this page in the coming week.
“There are always answers. We just have to be smart enough.”
― John Green, Looking for Alaska (Look at that! You just got a summer reading suggestion, too!)
Do You Plan to Attend the July 27 Community Meeting?
You’re Invited and Here’s the Invitation to Prove It!
Revitalize Westwood 