By Susan Vela
The Cincinnati Enquirer

EVENDALE - Bruce Hassel, leader of about 40 Reading Road property owners, raised a sign emblazoned with "The Blight Fix is in!" when planning commissioners voted 3-2 Wednesday to approve yet another urban renewal study.

Hassel, the owner of A to Z Discount Printing, promises to sue if council follows their recommendation and adopts the study that would accompany a blight designation for 79 properties.

Jewish Hospital Medical Office Building and a shopping center at Reading and Glendale-Milford roads are included.

According to Hassel, planning commissioners ignored every concern raised during a May session before adopting the new study.

"There was so much evidence presented that there's no way they could make a good-faith decision that the area was blighted, but they did it anyway," he said. "So the fix had to be in. They try to dance around all the wording but it's all built on the premise that Reading Road is blighted. But it's just not. Everyone knows it's not blighted."

In April, Village Council members repealed an urban renewal study that accompanied a blight designation for 130 Reading Road properties. The designation indicated that the properties are public health hazards or violate health and safety codes.

Yet village officials then introduced another study, saying that the effort is necessary to pursue streetscape projects and grants that could improve the Reading Road corridor.

David Harwood, a planning commissioner and village councilman, said Hassel's group has a skewed opinion. He said he wouldn't be cowed by Hassel's threats to sue.

"I understand that they are hung up on the definition of blight, but ... that's provided by the state legislature," he said. "Council cannot be governed by threats by individuals."

E-mail svela@enquirer.com