After an extensive planning and review process, the 2022 Comprehensive Master Plan for the City of Loveland was adopted by City Council in late July.
The Comprehensive Master Plan is a long-term, guiding policy document for how to improve the physical and social aspects of the city over the next 10 years. Loveland’s last Master Plan was completed in 2002.
“The Comprehensive Master Plan is the culmination of an extensive planning process that took place over more than two years. The city is truly indebted to the committee members who worked tirelessly on the project – not to mention all the public input received that truly created a positive, productive planning process,” explained Cory Wright, Assistant City Manager of the City of Loveland.
Guiding Themes
The plan addresses four themes:
- Community Character – There was a consensus that residents and visitors enjoy Loveland’s charm. The plan helped residents identify areas that contribute to Loveland’s special appeal and presents guidelines for enhancing these assets, such as improving the Loveland-Madeira Corridor and enhancing pedestrian connectivity.
- Business Prosperity – Many residents and business owners want to draw the commercial success of Historic Downtown into other parts of the city by reinvesting into existing business areas. One area is the Loveland-Madeira Business Corridor, which the city is already taking action.
- Neighborhood Protection – Community input suggests a desire to protect and preserve the existing architectural style of residential neighborhoods, while enhancing general quality of life and infrastructure.
- Natural Resource Preservation - The city has built an economic generator around the Little Miami River and other natural spaces. The plan addresses environmental integrity can be preserved.
To support the four themes, the Comprehensive Master Plan presents specific ideas to enact over the next 10 years such as:
- Concepts for the use of vacant land
- Designs for installing safe and convenient pathways, including sidewalk expansions and crosswalks that will connect neighborhoods to Loveland-Madeira Road and Historic Downtown
- Additional land use designations and a Future Land Use Map (the first of its kind for the city) to supplement varied housing needs
- Ways to address critical park needs
- Plans for connecting pedestrian, bicycle and road networks
“The plan is not going to sit on a shelf. The city is already taking action to implement portions of the plan, especially regarding the Loveland-Madeira Corridor,” Wright added.
Implementing the Plan: First Actions
For instance, after the plan was adopted at the July 26 meeting, City Council took action to approve a contract with Choice One Engineering for preliminary engineering and survey work along the corridor.
In the plan, the Loveland-Madeira Road Corridor recommendations included renovation to enhance the streetscape, provide adequate pedestrian connections, and beautify the area through landscaping. Choice One’s assessment will provide documentation as the city works to procure state and federal funds through the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, Ohio Department of Transportation, and other available sources to implement improvements.
Another key point of the plan is suggested development concepts for the 8.33-acre Chestnut Property, a vacant parcel between Loveland-Madeira Road and South Riverside Ave., which the city currently is cleaning up from years of uncontrolled dumping and contamination. Once remediated, the site could be sold to potential buyers for industrial, office, commercial or retail use — or a combination.
About the 2022 Comprehensive Master Plan
“We are grateful to the members of our community who stepped up and worked for the last two years on this plan and to Councilmember John Hart for his leadership as chairman of the committee. I am impressed with the final document and excited about the vision it paints for our wonderful city,” said Mayor Kathy Bailey.
The process to create the document began in spring 2020 with online community engagement and steering committee meetings. This stage included the first community survey and focus group interviews. Following this engagement, the city’s strengths and weaknesses were identified, which were then used to determine the plan’s themes and goals.
After another round of online engagement, the strategies and implementation frameworks were established. The final step was outreach for citizen feedback, which was conducted via surveys and two public open houses. Finally, the plan went to the Planning and Zoning Commission for review before being presented to City Council.
The city would like to thank the Comprehensive Master Plan Steering Committee including Tim Butler, Sam David, David Fagin, Sherry Hamlin, John Hart, Diane Powers, David Scott, Peter Sexton, Jay Stewart, and Lynn Zuch. Additionally, the city would like to thank planning consultant McBride Dale Clarion, the Planning and Zoning Commission for its review of the plan, as well as residents for their public engagement throughout the process.
Learn more about the city’s Comprehensive Master Development Plan.
Click here to access the Plan (PDF)