Section 8 at The Banks?

UPDATED:

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory angrily swatted down demands for public housing at The Banks on Wednesday, saying it was ill-timed and counterproductive to affordable housing efforts in the region.

"How dare they? How dare CMHA," Mallory said testily, the day after the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority voted to insist that the $1 billion riverfront development set aside a portion of the project for subsidized housing

Read the new update here

Original post:

You may have read Greg Korte's story on that idea in this morning's Enquirer.

Here are some reactions from this morning's Hamilton County Commissioners meeting, from Jessica Brown:

- Commissioner Pat DeWine is against it.

"My answer is no," he said. "Taxpayers have already put enough money into The Banks."

- Commissioner Todd Portune declined to give a yes or no answer saying the question was "inflammatory."

When pressed, he said: "We can’t stop them from placing people at the Banks. They can buy condos" and use them for subsidized housing, he said. "The Housing Authority has the right to buy housing wherever they want. It’s against the law to stop it."

He said he supports the mix of housing approved by the city and county in The Banks Agreement, which includes housing at many price points. The condos will start at $150,000 making them the most affordable on the riverfront, he said.

- Commissioner David Pepper said: "I do not think it’s a good idea to throw in the element of subsidized housing at this time."

He said he supports The Banks being affordable for a diverse mix of income levels, which it is under the current plan, he said. But based on the tough real estate market right now, he doesn’t want to add a new element because it could throw off the balance of the project.

Portune noted that Pete Witte from the Housing Authority told him this morning that the organization had simply wanted to start a dialogue with the county about the need to scatter subsidized housing throughout the county rather than concentrate it all in a just a few neighborhoods. He supports that idea.