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Council To Vote On Zone Change For New SVDP Facility

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St. Vincent de Paul
Rendering of the proposed new St. Vincent de Paul facility in the West End.

The full Cincinnati Council will vote Wednesday on a zoning change to let St. Vincent de Paul construct a new facility in the West End.  

The neighborhood committee unanimously approved the measure Monday.  
The social service agency's executive director said the new building will allow it to better serve its clients.

"Our food pantry is open certain days for certain hours, our pharmacy is open other days for other hours, so on and so forth as you go through the list of our services," Mike Dunn said. "Folks trying to navigate all of that, that's a lot to ask."

St. Vincent de Paul has been in the West End since 1962, but its current building was built in the late 1800s.

Some residents are opposed to the plan. They're concerned about the increasing number of social services agencies already located in the West End.

"They will increase social service concentration and confirm the West End's status as the Tristate's dumping ground for social services," said resident David Petersen, who lives on Dayton Street. "This is good for the poverty industry. It's bad for the homeowners, businesses and residents in the West End."

The new facility will be located at the northwest corner of Bank St. and Winchell Ave.

"We're still in the very early stages of both the design and fundraising for the new outreach center," said St. Vincent de Paul spokesman Larry Shields in an e-mail. "So I don't have a timeline on groundbreaking."

The building will be 31,000 sq. ft. with a food pantry, drugstore, dental and eye clinic and counseling.

Jay Hanselman brings more than 10 years experience as a news anchor and reporter to 91.7 WVXU. He came to WVXU from WNKU, where he hosted the local broadcast of All Things Considered. Hanselman has been recognized for his reporting by the Kentucky AP Broadcasters Association, the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, and the Ohio AP Broadcasters.