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Mount Healthy residents ask council to close pedestrian cut-through on South Maple over safety and parking concerns
Summary
Residents of South Maple told council the pedestrian cut-through from the Lake of the Woods complex creates safety, litter and chronic overflow parking problems; they asked staff to verify ownership, pursue closure or vacation and propose parking controls and enforcement within a multi-step timeline.
Kim Heath, a South Maple Avenue resident, told the Mount Healthy City Council that an open pedestrian cut‑through from the Lake of the Woods apartment complex has caused decades of safety and quality‑of‑life problems for neighbors.
"For 30 years, we've dealt with people using the service drive and side path as a quick exit after criminal activity, frequent littering by cut‑through foot traffic, and chronic overflow parking from Lake Of The Woods," Heath said, urging the council to direct staff to close the cut‑through, verify ownership and pursue a formal vacation or closure under Ohio law if necessary.
Heath proposed four near‑term actions: close the pedestrian cut‑through with a proper fence or barrier; verify ownership and begin the vacating or closure process under the Ohio Revised Code; manage on‑street congestion through time‑limited parking or similar parking‑code tools; and enforce rental owner registration and landlord reporting. She asked for a written response within 14 days, an on‑site meeting within 30 days and an engineering traffic recommendation to come back to council within 45–60 days.
Councilmembers and staff acknowledged the problem as long‑standing. City Manager Scott Bauer said Ms. Heath had sent an August 20 email with video attachments and that staff can resend the materials for council review. Council members noted prior attempts to control the passage and highlighted a public‑safety limit: the drive does not meet typical fire‑apparatus access standards that generally require an unobstructed 20‑foot width and roughly 13.5‑foot clearance.
Resident John Christopher, who lives at 7318 Maple Avenue, added that repeated parking congestion sometimes blocks work trucks and deliveries and recounted a recent criminal incident. "A kid down there shooting a gun off, shot up 20 shots, went running down Maple," Christopher said; he said suspects were later apprehended.
Council asked staff to obtain police call logs and enforcement history for the block and to coordinate with the fire department and other departments before returning recommendations to council.
What happens next: Council members asked staff for records and for an engineering assessment; Ms. Heath’s requested timelines (14/30/45–60 days) were placed on the record as a neighborhood expectation for staff response and follow‑up.
