It's one of her favorite streets. The city has turned its back on the west side of town. In response to neighborhood complaints, city lawmakers and staffers will take a bus tour of Westwood beginning at 1 p.m. today that will end with an unofficial town meeting at Westwood Presbyterian Church. Grand homes stand next to dilapidated apartments in an alternating pattern that ends in a struggling business district littered with storefront lease signs. Other problems aren't so apparent.
Crime is on the rise and there are fewer police officers to deal with it.
Businesses are leaving and revitalization seems a long way off. We had the naive belief that the city would not let this happen. Deteriorated apartment buildings line Bracken Woods Lane in Westwood, a connector street between Harrison Avenue and Westwood Northern Boulevard. Mr. DeWine and Councilwoman Alicia Reece will move to develop a comprehensive plan for the neighborhood within 14 days. It asks for increased police visibility, an anti-litter initiative, various public improvements and economic development incentives.