Cincinnati Zoning Board Turns Down Service Mall

By a 3 to 2 vote, the Zoning Board of Appeals in Cincinnati turned down a proposed service mall in the city’s West End neighborhood. This service mall was “inspired by PATH Mall in Los Angeles.” Here's an article.

CityLink, the faith-based service provider, will appeal the ruling. If that doesn’t work, they will have to find a new location.

I have talked with several people from both sides of the debate. My proposal was for them to develop a “good neighbor policy,” similar to what we (PATH) have in our neighborhoods.

This includes a hotline (or email) access so neighbors have direct communication if they feel there are problems in the area, a street outreach team (response team) that will go out into the neighborhood and respond to people who are loitering, a monthly neighborhood (watch) meeting where all of the neighbors meet together to make their area safer and cleaner, and participation of law enforcement and political officials in neighborhood meetings.

The mall concept, or “one stop service centers”, is not going away. It has become a trend throughout the country.

Finding the right location for these malls, like any other homeless service center, will always be the difficult barrier.