Driving Place-Based Impact:

Reflecting on the July 2026 Northside CDC Project Tour & Legislative Reception

Inaugural Community Development Legislative Reception & Neighborhood Project Tour:

Northside & NEST (Northsiders Engaged in Sustainable Transformation)

On July 23, 2026, HomeBase Cincinnati co-hosted its inaugural Community Development Focused Legislative Reception & CDC Impact & Project Tour in Northside. The morning brought together local, state, and federal policymakers alongside community development leaders, project partners, and advocacy allies to experience the transformative power of place-based community investment firsthand.

Designed as an immersive, place-based experience, the event moved beyond standard policy briefings to give lawmakers a direct look at community development in action.

Primary Goals:

  • Showcase Real-World ROI: Connect public investment and policy toolkits directly to completed and active neighborhood development sites.

  • Strengthen Legislative Relationships: Build direct, ongoing pipelines of communication between state/local lawmakers and Cincinnati’s CDC leadership.

  • Ecosystem Storytelling: Position HomeBase Cincinnati and its partner CDCs as key drivers of equitable neighborhood development, housing expansion, and corridor revitalization across Hamilton County.

  • Establish a Recurring Model: Launch the first event in a planned biannual series that will rotate through different Cincinnati neighborhoods to highlight diverse community development projects.

Policy-Makers & Key Staff Attending:

  • Mayor Aftab Pureval (City of Cincinnati) — Delivered key remarks highlighting citywide housing policies and community-led development.

  • Derek Chancellor (Office of U.S. Senator Jon Husted)

  • Senator Catherine Ingram (Ohio Senate)

  • Mr. Arthur Morris & Misha (Legislative Staff, Office of Senator Lou Blessing)

  • State Representative Cecil Thomas (Ohio House of Representatives)

  • Commissioner Denise Driehaus & Staff Gavin Campbell (Hamilton County Board of Commissioners)

    City of Cincinnati Councilmembers:

  • Anna Albi

  • Ryan James, MPA, SHRM-SCP

  • Mark Jeffreys

The morning was split into two key phases: an early walking tour followed by an interactive storytelling reception and brunch.

The Immersive Project & Impact Walking Tour:

Tour participants walked active and completed project sites across Northside, learning how cross-sector partnerships leverage tools like tax credits and local development grants to bring projects across the finish line. Highlights included:

  • John Arthur Flats: 52 units of dedicated affordable housing (serving 30% AMI to 60% AMI). The first LGBTQ+ affirming 55+ senior affordable housing development in Cincinnati

  • Vandalia Point: $18.9 million multi-family affordable housing development. 52 units of dedicated affordable housing serving residents at 30% AMI to 60% AMI.

  • Dean’s Mediterranean- 4024 Hamilton: Co-development between NEST and The Port; funded via the City of Cincinnati’s Neighborhood Business District Improvement Program (NBDIP) and Neighborhood Business District Support Grant (NBDSG)

  • Park Theater & 4001 Hamilton Ave Historic Restoration: Each acquired by NEST via grants from the City of Cincinnati and HomeBase Cincinnati’s Quick Strike Fund.

Co-Hosts & Northside Project Partners:

  • HomeBase Cincinnati (Co-Host & Organizing Team)

  • Ohio CDC Association (OCDCA) (Co-Host)

  • NEST (Northsiders Engaged in Sustainable Transformation) (Neighborhood Host & Tour Lead)

  • OTR Community Housing (OTRCH) & Urban Sites (Project Partners & Co-Tour Guides)

Connecting Leaders Through OCDCA’s MadLibs Impact Storytelling

Following the walking tour, attendees gathered at The Factory Events for coffee from Sidewinder, brunch from The Bagelry, and a facilitated networking session.

To spark authentic, intentional conversations between policymakers and community leaders, Julia Robinson and the Ohio CDC Association team facilitated an interactive MadLibs Impact Storytelling Session.

How It Worked:

Rather than relying on formal speeches or rigid presentations, lawmakers and CDC leaders sat together at designated tables equipped with structured MadLibs Impact Templates. These prompts helped participants distill complex real estate, housing, and revitalization efforts into clear, personal narrative frameworks:

  • For Lawmakers & Electeds: Shared neighborhood highlights, public resources available through their offices, and reflections on community needs.

  • Neighborhood Impact Stories: Highlighted specific local challenges—such as affordable housing needs or commercial vacancy—and detailed how CDC interventions and cross-sector partnerships solved them.

  • The Importance of Funding & Policy: CDC leaders demonstrated the direct ROI of programs like Welcome Home Ohio (WHO) and the Ohio Housing Trust Fund (OHTF), illustrating how targeted public capital enables homeownership creation, property rehabilitation, and long-term community stability.

To launch the activity smoothly, "storytelling plants"—including Councilmember Mark Jeffreys, Matt Bourgeois (College Hill CURC), Greg Robinson (Price Hill WILL), Luke Blocher (Cincinnati Development Fund), and Meredith Whitehead (The Cedric Group)—demonstrated their filled-out templates to set an engaging, candid tone for table discussions.

The MadLibs format proved to be a massive success: it demystified technical policy jargon, broke down barriers between legislators and grassroots organizers, and ensured that every neighborhood leader had a structured way to highlight their community's unique priorities.

"Thank you HomeBase Cincinnati for having me at their Community Development Impact Tour and Legislative Brunch & Impact Storytelling event this morning. We got to see the great impact NEST Northside, OTRCH, and Urban Sites are doing all throughout Northside."

— Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus

"Representative Thomas truly enjoyed the tour and appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the impactful work being done by Northside Neighborhood CDC and community development corporations throughout the region. Hearing directly from community members and seeing these projects firsthand was incredibly valuable."

— Office of State Representative Cecil Thomas

"Thank you thank you thank you for a great event this morning. The Homebase team is so amazing and you made the experience so rewarding and SO easy for us to plug in. I was thrilled with the quality of the conversations too!"

— Torey Hollingsworth, Executive Director, Ohio CDC Association

What’s Next?

This inaugural tour set the foundation for deeper legislative engagement ahead of statewide budget discussions and policy advocacy. We look forward to continuing these vital conversations during our next CDC Project & Impact Walking Tour in a new neighborhood soon!