My brother is considering buying in Avondale - near Fred Shuttlesworth Circle. I know we have some North Avondale folks on here. Thoughts on the general vibe in that neighborhood and more importantly, is there any potential for the neighborhood to get better over the next decade.

I grew up there.  The area is decent it's most of the time pretty quiet and the park near Reading road and the tennis courts at the end of the street add a lot of character to the area.  I'd say that the area is stable - it's a little odd through.  I lived on the northern section.

^Also NANA is very active and has a good community.

South Shuttlesworth or North?  The south circle is not so hot the closer you get to Reading.  I had a cousin who lived in a big old Addams Family like one on the south circle, along with their 14 or so kids (many adopted).  As noted above, the North end has the tennis courts and playfields (currently a mess as a staging area for construction of the new Montessori school).  There was also a large house or two that XU students rented.  That area is really more of a transition zone between North Avondale and Avondale proper.

Yeah, the Xavier students when I used to live there had a habit of having some pretty rowdy parties and would pee in your yard.

Soapbox shines the spotlight on North Avondale:

 

http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/0316soapdishnorthavondale.aspx

^

 

I think that one of the biggest problems with North Avondale is the lack of a nice business district. The most successful neighborhoods all have nice walkable business districts. (Hyde Park, Mt. Lookout, Oakley, Mariemont) I’m not sure if one is a product of the other or not, but it definitely makes the neighborhood more desirable.

 

The interesting thing is that most of the successful business districts have greenspace incorporated into the design. I think possibly creating a business district around a round-about would be a great way to create a unique space. Something like Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. It could be done at the intersection of Reading, Paddock and Berry. Reading in my opinion is too wide and the design speed is too fast to create a comfortable pedestrian environment. Reading should be treated as a boulevard through Avondale with a planted median, and bike lanes. This  would drastically reduce the vehicular speed as well as create a much more pedestrian friendly environment.

 

Avondale might have the Cities best housing stock, and it is very affordable. It would be a shame to let it crumble the way many other neighborhoods have.

 

My brother is considering buying in Avondale - near Fred Shuttlesworth Circle. I know we have some North Avondale folks on here. Thoughts on the general vibe in that neighborhood and more importantly, is there any potential for the neighborhood to get better over the next decade.

 

I wouldn't buy there.  It's going to take a real long time for that area to clean up, in my opinion.  It seems like it would be tough to get rid of in a pinch.

He gave up on that spot. I have no idea where he is looking these days - as long as it is out of my parents house.