The call came in around 10:30 a.m. Sunday, and while there was some damage, there wasn’t a lot to the structure, the chief said. The Hamilton Fire Department received mutual aid from five area departments: Liberty, Ross, Fairfield, and St. Clair townships, and the city of Fairfield.
“There was some damage, and it’s nothing that’s going to cause any problems with redevelopment or reuse of the building,” he said.
There were several floor joists and a beam burned, but Mercer said, “it’s not anything that’s going to impact the renovation.”
Hamilton City Council last month authorized a purchase agreement with Beckett Lofts LLC that would go into effect after a due-diligence period that runs through May. Due diligence work includes architectural work, discussions with historic consultants, and obtaining historic tax credits.
If after the due diligence period Becket Lofts LLC proceeds with the project, they would purchase 6.7 acres of the 8.3 acres of land, including the former paper mill, from the city for $1 min exchange for a $50 million investment to construct at least 250 market-rate apartments. Construction would start this year if the project proceeds.
The city would retain the area south of Dayton Street and east of the CSX railroad.
If the purchase agreement proceeds and the Beckett Lofts LLC does not meet its performance targets, the city could enact the “claw-back provision” in order to reclaim the property. But City Manager Joshua Smith told the Journal-News in December, “Obviously, what we want is for them to perform.”
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