We are creating a new Community Plan for Clifton, and we want your ideas. Please click here to take the survey.
Want more information about the effort to create the new plan? We’ve posted about that back in November 2020. Click here to read more.
As you may be aware, a group of area residents have approached the Cincinnati Park Board with a proposal to build a dog park (a fenced area for off-leash dogs), for Dunore Park, the park along Ludlow Avenue just west of Morrison Avenue. A dog park would physically fit on the site without interfering with the small playground. As a next step in assessing the proposal, the Park Board is seeking feedback from park users and stakeholders through a brief survey
Click here to take the survey.
Please take a moment to fill out the survey and feel to share with other individuals or groups you are involved with who may have an interest. The survey will remain open until March 31st.
CTM has taken no position on this proposal. We are sharing to ensure broad community engagement happens.
Our neighborhood has begun the process with the City of Cincinnati Department of Planning to create a neighborhood plan. A neighborhood plan is best described as a map of the neighborhood’s future. Acting as a guide, our neighborhood plan will tell current and future community members and decision makers where we were, where we are now, where we want to go, how we intend to get there, and who will help us along the way.
More specifically, the plan:
Below are some frequently asked questions as well as links on how to get involved in the process.
Each neighborhood’s plan is different – designed to meet the goals of that individual
neighborhood. However, there are certain elements that are commonly addressed. Typically, a neighborhood plan will contain the following components:
The last plans specific to Clifton are the Clifton Community Plan (1982) and the
Clifton Neighborhood Business District Urban Design Plan (1978). We need a plan
because a neighborhood plan is usually only relevant for 5-15 years, and our last plan
was from 38 years ago. We need to create a neighborhood-wide plan that showcases
our neighborhood’s vision, goals, and strategies. This plan will ultimately be reviewed
and approved by the City Planning Commission and City Council and recognized
as our official neighborhood plan. You can find copies of past plans (including the Clifton plans) on the City Planning website by clicking here.
Everyone who is interested is invited to participate in the planning process. This includes residents (homeowners and renters), business owners, representatives of community institutions (like churches or schools), organizations in the neighborhood, etc.
There are many ways for you to get involved, no matter how much or how little time you may have! If you are interested in getting involved, click here to email Joe Brunner, President of Clifton Town Meeting.
As a Steering Committee Member
The Steering Committee’s main job is to champion the plan and provide guidance from beginning to approval. Steering Committee members will also help lead the working groups. The Steering Committee meets once a month.
As a Working Group Member
Working group members will help provide shape and detail to specific areas of the plan. They will write the goals and strategies for each of the focus areas. Working Groups will meet six to seven times throughout the year.
As a Plan Participant
Participate in plan events, provide feedback on surveys, send your thoughts via email, and follow along during the process. There is no minimum time commitment and you can participate when you are free and interested! Sign up for CTM emails by clicking here to receive future info on this topic and other topics including events and CTM meetings.
Contact James Weaver, City Planner by email or by phone at 513-352-4882 or email Joe Brunner, CTM President or visit the City’s website page by clicking here.
CTM’s Transportation and Public Safety Committee has been working to make Ludlow Avenue safer for all users of this road (vehicle drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians). This website post provides all the details of what has been happening as well as including a Call for Feedback opportunity for everyone in Clifton to act upon. We urge you to review everything below, and the Call for Feedback is near the end.
Below is the presentation that City DOTE presented at the October 5, 2020 CTM meeting showing preferred and rejection options. Please note that these options are high level conceptual and not detailed designs.
What are the goals of this effort?
The goals were reviewed and approved by the CTM Board in July 2020. They are as follows:
Why is this project happening?
To make Ludlow Avenue safer by easing traffic flow and making it more convenient and safer to cross Ludlow Avenue. The background is this: In 2018, the Clifton community through Clifton Town Meeting (CTM) had requested crosswalks be put in at Morrison Avenue and Clifton Hills Avenue at Ludlow. The City’s Department of Engineering & Transportation (DOTE) indicated that the traffic flow was such that there needed to be a study. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) fielded a traffic study from the Viaduct to Whitfield Avenue and determined that a “road diet” and several safety improvements with crosswalks would reduce accidents by 38%.
What will change with parking?
There is no option under consideration where parking is eliminated completely on both sides of the street. Having “adequate parking” was a criterion of determining which option on which to move forward. However, the options laid out by DOTE have different implications for parking – some keep parking on both sides and some have it only on one side of the street. If an option with parking on one side of the street is a preferred option, then DOTE – with heavy engagement by CTM – will conduct a study of parking to determine where parking is being utilized to determine the best configuration.
Will my driveway be blocked with a median?
No, at this time there are no plans to block access to any driveway with a median. The ODOT report recommended a center turn lane and DOTE in their options has laid out that there could be a raised median at different parts of the road. The options under consideration do NOT include any approval or disapproval of a median. Instead, a decision on the length of a median, its placement, etc would be made at a future date with considerable input from residents along Ludlow Avenue.
How is the project funded? If I live on Ludlow Avenue will I have to pay for this?
This project will be submitted for funding to the Ohio Department of Transportation in April 2021. Residents of Clifton (or on Ludlow Avenue) will NOT have to directly pay for it.
When would construction begin?
Construction would be expected to begin during the Summer of 2022 and finish the same year.
How will the bike lanes be configured?
The different options also include different configurations of bike lanes ranging from a bike lane by the curb with a buffer of parked cars to a bike lane next to traffic and parked cars to a two-way fully protected bike lane on one side of the street. Depending on which option is chosen, DOTE will then do more detailed by-block drawings. They have been clear that none of the options would block driveways or bus stops.
What new crosswalks will be added on this project?
Pedestrian crosswalk locations are being proposed at the intersections of Ludlow at Clifton Hills Ave. and Ludlow at Morrison Ave./Morrison Place with Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs).
What is a rectangular rapid flashing beacon?
Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) are used to supplement warning signs at uncontrolled intersections or mid-block crosswalks. They feature flashing, high-intensity LEDs that alert motorists that pedestrians are using the crosswalk. Studies have shown that RRFBs significantly increase driver yielding behavior. RRFBs are placed on both sides of a crosswalk below a pedestrian crossing sign and above an arrow sign that points at the crossing. Pedestrians manually activate RRFBs with a push-button. An example of this can be found at the intersection of Central Parkway at Clifton Hills Avenue.
City DOTE has agreed to collect all the feedback on this project. They have created a website link for our neighborhood to use. Please click here to give your feedback.
Join us for the 7th annual CTM Golf Outing, dinner on the Clubhouse deck and prizes!
Honoring: Tom Reese, “Mr. Clifton,” after play concludes, 6:45 pm.
The “Beat the Lady Bearcat” is back with lots of prizes for golf feats and the golf Gift & Basket raffle. Kids putting contest starts after 6 pm. Over the years, the Golf Outing has helped raise $50,000 for charitable cause in Clifton. Proceeds will benefit the Little Sisters of the Poor.
For more information about the event or Sponsorship Opportunities, contact: ContactCTM@cliftoncommunity.org.
