CINCINNATI — Pennrose and Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation have opened Phase I of Thatcher Flats, a $27 million redevelopment project to transform a full city block in Cincinnati’s Walnut Hills neighborhood into 86 mixed-income rental units. The development team has also commenced construction on Phase II.
The first phase consists of 50 affordable housing units across two buildings utilizing 9 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). The $15.2 million development offers a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units for residents who earn 30 to 60 percent of the area median income — roughly $20,070 to $40,140 for a one-person household. Residents of both phases will have access to the community amenities in Phase I, including a community room, laundry facilities, fitness center and parking.
The name Thatcher Flats was inspired by the history of the Lincoln Avenue Business district, which in the late-1800s and through the mid-1900s was a thriving African American business district. In 1933, Ernest and Georgia Thatcher, an entrepreneurial African American couple, moved to Cincinnati and created Thatcher’s Fish and Poultry on what is now Thatcher Flats.
In addition to the LIHTC financing for Phase I, the project received funding from the City of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Development Fund.