The City of Loveland has been awarded a $77,000 Community Development Block Grant through Hamilton County to build sidewalks in the Loveland Heights neighborhood.
The project will create safe, ADA-accessible sidewalks along Osage Drive to connect Tuscarora Drive and West Loveland Avenue. This will give residents pedestrian access to the business districts of Historic Downtown and Loveland-Madeira Road, as well as Loveland High School.
“This stretch of road is a main artery into and out of the Loveland Heights,” explained David Kennedy, City Manager. The Heights is one of the oldest recorded subdivisions in Hamilton County, comprising approximately 500 single-family residences mostly constructed in the 1950s.
This project plays into a bigger goal for Loveland: improving pedestrian connectivity. In 2022, the city completed its Comprehensive Master Plan, a document to guide the city for the next 10 years. Through public surveys, residents stated they were interested in seeing improvements to the roads and sidewalks to ensure safe and accessible connectivity to commercial hubs and parks.
“The Heights’ connectivity project helps meet City Council’s goal of connectivity among our neighborhoods with the added plus of improved access for the neighborhood’s high school students,” Mayor Kathy Bailey said.
Furthermore, this project continues the city’s efforts to revitalize the Loveland Heights. The sidewalk project is one more commitment to the Heights, according to Kennedy. In the last five years, the city has committed to several projects to improve the neighborhood:
- The city secured two other Hamilton County Community Development Block Grants to repair aging water system valves. This was critical for public health, safety, and fire protection.
- Two aging Tot-Lot playgrounds were replaced on Cherokee and Navaho Streets.
- The city owned two vacant parcels along Highland and West Main Streets. The land was sold to allow for the construction of future affordable housing.
- Profits from the parcel sales were utilized for the creation of the Heights Housing Rehabilitation Matching Grant Program. To date, 53 homeowners have participated in the program to make exterior home improvements, such as roofing or siding.
- Portions of the annual road program concentrated on repairing streets in the Heights.
- Up next is one of the city’s largest water main replacement projects, which will take place along West Main Street between Cherokee Drive and Highland Street. Construction is anticipated to begin in December 2024.
The total cost for the Osage Drive sidewalk project is $86,000. Thanks to the awarded grant funds, the city will pay just $9,000 for the new pedestrian connections. Construction is expected to begin in Spring/Summer 2025.
Read more information about construction projects in the City of Loveland.
