Parents and CPS raise safety concerns as Hyde Park rezoning heads to council

Dozens of Hyde Park residents and Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) officials urged the joint CPS–City Healthy Neighborhoods Committee on April 16 to press for more study and direct coordination on traffic and pedestrian safety near Hyde Park School before a zoning change proceeds to city review.

The comments, including multiple accounts of collisions near the school, came during the meeting's public comment period and a later agenda item on the proposed Hyde Park Square development. The development team’s traffic impact study and a concept map showing doubled-queued pick-up lanes on the school lot drew concern from parents and board members.

Why it matters: Residents said the current and proposed traffic patterns could increase risk for students, and several speakers described serious near-miss incidents and crashes at or near Observatory Avenue. CPS and city staff said the development concept remains negotiable and that a traffic design review is ongoing, but the neighborhood asked for more time and deeper engagement before the zoning change proceeds.

Parents and neighbors told the committee they have witnessed frequent and dangerous driving during arrival and dismissal. “From our house, we see the chaos that unfolds each day during school drop off and school pick up,” said Les Castro, a civil engineer and Hyde Park resident, detailing collisions and near-misses he and his wife described on Observatory Avenue. Amy Castro, a retired school administrator, recounted a 2020 crash that pushed a legally parked vehicle 150 feet and said, “Had this occurred 15 minutes later, during school drop off, the outcome would have been catastrophic.”

Mona Jenkins, president of the Walnut Hills Area Council, and other public commenters asked that city and CPS representatives include neighborhood councils, county partners, and school leadership in further planning. Several speakers cited a December 2024 restriping of Observatory that had improved safety and asked that any new plan build on those changes rather than undo them.

CPS operations chief Chris Burkhart said the development team’s 140-page traffic impact study prompted CPS to consult the city Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) to translate technical findings into practical options for the school. Burkhart showed a developer concept that would route more cars into the school parking lot and double-queue cars around the lot. “It’s going to be really, really tight, to be honest with you,” Burkhart said, and added that PLT Communities — the development team — told CPS that the site plan is conceptual and the developer “is willing to work with the school district.”

Vice Mayor Kearney reported follow-up from DOTE indicating that the agency does not recommend removing on‑street parking on Edwards Road and that DOTE “recommends no changes to paved markings and on-street parking along Edwards Road.” Kearney also said DOTE had offered to restrict five to six parking spaces along the school property on Edwards Road from noon to 3 p.m. to help alleviate pickup congestion.

Board members asked CPS and DOTE to convene more on-site meetings with the principal, the developer and neighborhood representatives before council acts. Dr. Corrine Moffett, who placed the item on the joint agenda, said the board lacks the authority to add school budget items and asked staff to facilitate further conversations among the “right people” before any final decision.

What’s next: Committee members noted the developer’s rezoning request is scheduled for the city’s Equitable Housing & Growth committee on April 22 and could move to Cincinnati City Council for consideration on April 23. Committee members and public commenters urged delay or added conditions if needed to ensure student safety and meaningful community input.

Reporting note: The committee heard multiple firsthand accounts of collisions and near misses near Hyde Park School during the public comment period and discussed a developer concept map and DOTE review; none of those hearings at this joint meeting produced a formal vote on the zoning change.