The Miami Group has joined with Loveland residents who question the advisability of constructing a proposed multi-level parking garage adjacent to O’Bannon Creek and near the Little Miami Bike Trail.
More than 20 Loveland residents attended a rally in front of Loveland City Hall on a freezing February Saturday to call for a comprehensive study on the economic need for a parking garage and the environmental impact of construction on a Little Miami River tributary. Garage opponents are also circulating a petition calling for a study and, if officials persist with the current plan, a public referendum on the question. Click the link below to sign.
For nearly two years, Loveland City Council has quietly been laying plans to construct the garage, but has declined to schedule a public hearing on the project or even respond to residents’ questions. There has been no public discussion of the garage proposal since council members voted in May 2019 to acquire the property near O’Bannon Creek.
Miami Group Chair Brian Williams last month sent a letter to Loveland’s mayor and city council members urging them to hold a hearing.
The Little Miami River is a state and national-designated scenic river and subject to oversight by the Ohio Scenic River Advisory Council. In an effort to obtain information about garage plans, Loveland activists have reached out to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the US Economic Development Administration and the Little Miami Conservancy. An application for EDA grant funding to construct the estimated $7 million garage is pending.
Petition · Stop the Loveland Garage · Change.org https://www.change.org/p/loveland-city-council-stop-the-loveland-garage?recruiter=1251080084&recruited_by_id=4a0b04b0-8393-11ec-9d4d
