Advocates urge Cincinnati to require affordable units, tenant protections in Connected Communities developments

Pastor Gilbert Driver, a pastor in College Hill and member of Communities United for Action (CUFA), and other residents pressed the Cincinnati Board & Committees during a public comment period to prioritize low‑income households and restore funding to the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

The request set the stage for a presentation by Josh Spring, of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, and Kelly Hibbett, co‑chair of the Affordable Housing Making Connected Communities Better working group, who recommended specific amendments to the Connected Communities ordinance to require on‑site affordable housing, cap rents for deeply affordable units, extend affordability terms and strengthen tenant protections.

The working group said the city should require that developments enabled by Connected Communities include at least 20% of new units affordable at 50% of area median income (AMI) or lower. “At least 20% of housing units … affordable at 50% of the median income or lower,” Spring told the committee. The proposal also calls for a deeper affordability tier for rental housing: of that 20% set aside, at least 30% should be affordable at 30% AMI or lower, which the presenters said reflects the city’s greatest need.

Why it matters: Presenters and public commenters framed the suggested changes as tools to limit displacement and preserve socioeconomic diversity as the city allows higher density in formerly single‑family areas. Multiple speakers said current incentives and tax abatements let developers capture most of the financial benefit of increased density without guaranteeing affordability or tenant protections.

Key recommendations and program details presented

- Affordability targets: a 20% set‑aside of units created because of Connected Communities at ≤50% AMI; for rental units, 30% of those set‑aside units targeted at ≤30% AMI; a homeownership target set at 80% AMI to support entry into ownership.

- Affordability term: rental units would remain income‑restricted for 30 years; that restriction would restart on each transfer of ownership (presenters noted the restart reduces permanence but reflects compromise among working group members).

- In‑lieu fee: developments of 2–4 units (so‑called middle housing) could opt to pay an in‑lieu fee into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (referenced in the meeting as “Fund 439”) instead of including an on‑site affordable unit.

- Tenant protections: owners who benefit from Connected Communities would be required to use just‑cause eviction standards; landlords who fail to comply would face fines and could lose the city as a business partner.

- Income verification and enforcement: initial income eligibility would be verified before move‑in; annual verifications by June 30 would follow. The working group proposed a two‑year, consecutive threshold at 120% AMI that could trigger a one‑year notice to vacate if the household remained above the threshold; presenters said the rule was still under discussion.

- Asset preservation tools: before an owner could sell a property with restricted units, the owner must first offer the property to existing residents and then provide the city a right of first refusal, allowing the city to preserve affordable stock.

Council exchange and next steps

Council members asked for technical clarifications during the Q&A. Council Chair (identified in the meeting transcript as the vice mayor presiding) and Council Member Scottie Johnson asked presenters to confirm which AMI definition the proposals would use; Josh Spring said the working group recommends using the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s AMI definition because the city already uses HUD figures for other programs. Spring said that choice is intended to keep the proposed rules compatible with existing federal and state programs.

Kelly Hibbett asked the city to adopt annual goals and a public rubric to track whether the Connected Communities provisions are being deployed equitably across neighborhoods and to pilot the rubric in three neighborhoods at different economic tiers.

Public comment before the presentation emphasized the same concerns. Pastor Gilbert Driver said developers’ projects and other recent investments have “displaced small businesses and even churches in our communities.” Minister Chris Gilliam, also speaking for CUFA, said: “Safe, decent, affordable housing is a human right,” and urged council to require developer contributions to the trust fund (referred to in public remarks as Fund 439) and to amend the ordinance to prevent displacement.

Formal action recorded

The chair placed agenda items related to the presentations and supplemental materials on file (items 1–7), and the items were filed “without objection,” the transcript shows. No roll‑call vote was recorded in the transcript.

What happens next: Presenters and council members said they will meet to identify “low‑hanging fruit” and allies on council to draft ordinance language; they also discussed holding a future town hall to review proposed ordinance language and rubrics.

Ending: Council members praised the volunteer working group’s research and asked staff and co‑chairs to continue refining the technical definitions, enforcement mechanisms and funding calculations before returning ordinance language for formal consideration.