“As we saw in Hamilton on Wednesday, with the fire at the old Beckett Paper Company, vacant buildings can be very dangerous and can cause harm at any moment ― this program has allowed us to tackle many more blighted properties than we ever could have and has been very important to our communities,” said land bank Executive Director Seth Geisler.
The Ohio Department of Development awarded $67.3 million in funding to tear down 1,277 blighted structures in Butler, Clinton, Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Logan, Lucas, Muskingum, Preble and Richland counties. The goal of the program is to help communities demolish dilapidated commercial and residential buildings and revitalize surrounding properties to attract investments, businesses, and jobs.
“These buildings are standing in the way of progress, so it’s time to knock them down,” said Gov. Mike DeWine. “Once these structures are gone, we expect to see new economic development opportunities coming into these neighborhoods.”
Fairfield is one of the handful of Butler County communities that will see improvements through demolition, including three buildings that have been vacant for several years. Fairfield Economic Development Manager Nathaniel Kaelin said the support “will improve the safety and aesthetics of the Route 4 corridor while preparing the sites for long-term development.”
The sites designated by the state are at 4646 to 4696 Dixie Highway (Ohio 4), and includes the former Pearl’s Diner and former Bob Evans, and 7121 Dixie Highway, the site of the former Mango’s Tropical Oasis, which caught fire in late 2020.
“Route 4 is a focus area for the city’s redevelopment efforts and we recognize that removing blighted properties is an important step to revitalizing the corridor,” Kaelin said.
Hamilton Planning Director Lauren Nelson said three of the properties in Hamilton (7 Gordon Ave., 807 N. B St., and 319 Park Ave.) have already been demolished. The former Linden Lanes bowling alley at 640 Williams Ave. is being demolished now and should be completed soon. The city will tear down a home at 1665 See Ave., which was a complete loss following a fire, after a demolition company is contracted.
Nelson said the city will save more than $232,000 through the grant.
There are no immediate plans for the Gordon Avenue and North B Street properties, which is just north of Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill, but Nelson said Hamilton “is maintaining ownership at this time until the highest and best use of the properties is determined.
The Park Avenue property was declared a public nuisance and is privately owned, and the See Avenue property is owned by the land bank and once demolished would transfer to Hamilton and become part of the city’s Side Lot Program.
There are no immediate reuse plans for the former Linden Lanes, however, Nelson said, “Given its location in the Lindenwald Business District, the city is maintaining ownership at this time until the highest and best use of the property is determined.”
Geisler said these state dollars help stretch a community’s already limited dollars in clearing out blight.
“These projects range in scope from razing dangerous nuisance properties to demolishing outdated and blighted commercial properties,” he said. “Whether a project makes a neighborhood feel safer, be safer or gives a city the chance to repurpose a property for a better use, each of these projects are bringing new life to a local community.”
In the past, some of these lots have been reused for pocket parks as part of a larger development plan, or rebuilt for affordable housing. Many smaller lots have been turned into side yards for neighbors, which is the plan for See Avenue in Hamilton, which Geisler said “makes a big impact in a community.
Other communities receiving state demolition assistance through the county land bank include Middletown, Oxford, Ross Twp. and Trenton.
The Butler County Land Reutilization Corporation through the state has a goal of demolishing blighted and vacant properties, which can pose a threat to the community.
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