Previously, those in the township’s central business district were required to use “West Chester, OH, 45069” for their Liberty Twp. addresses.
The change applies to approximately 145 parcels and between 50 to 60 businesses, the majority of them on Cincinnati-Dayton Road, but comes two years in advance of the construction of the 1.1-million-square-foot Liberty Center, which is scheduled to open in 2015.
The opening of the $300 million mixed-used development is expected to drastically increase the amount of businesses in the region.
While putting a town and ZIP code traditionally is about directing mail to the correct address, to an expanding community like Liberty Twp. it’s about fostering community engagement and directing commercial growth, according to Caroline McKinney, the township’s economic development director.
“It’s more than numbers when it’s … where you live or where you work,” McKinney said. “It’s a very personal thing. People want to be proud of where they live and, for a business, it’s their livelihood a lot of times.”
West Chester Twp.’s proximity to Liberty Twp. has the potential to make matters more confusing than any possible mix ups with Hamilton or Middletown.
“West Chester, it’s just to the south. It’s basically across the street,” McKinney said. “But when you talk about Middletown and Hamilton, those are like a couple of communities away.”
She said township officials understand that some businesses may be stuck with what corporate offices have branded them, but emphasized that the ZIP code allowance is “giving people an option.”
“This requires no change today,” she said. “Mail will still be delivered whether you use West Chester, OH, 45069 or Liberty Twp., OH, 45069. What we would hope is that over time, that as people need to reprint letterheads, menus, that they will begin to use Liberty Twp., OH, 45069.”
Being able to include “Liberty Township” in the addresses of Liberty businesses in the 45069 ZIP code is a good thing for the township, according to Jerry Weber, owner and manager of The Web Extreme Entertainment at 7172 Cincinnati-Dayton Road.
“The township’s been very supportive of all the local businesses and really trying to help us improve our visibility with everybody, not only with the township, but in the greater Cincinnati area,” he said. “Anything they can do to help try and … improve that visibility and clarify some of those issues is always a good thing.”
Weber said the business plans to change across all its print and online listings and advertising to include “Liberty Township” in its address.
Julie Witt, owner of Tutor Time at 7218 Liberty Way, said she appreciates being able to list precisely where her educational daycare is located.
“I think that would be perfect … because we’re pulling who live and work very close to the business as opposed to people who may be working on the opposite side of town from where we are,” Witt said.
The majority of Liberty Twp.’s businesses and residents are in the Hamilton 45011 or Middletown 45044 ZIP codes.
Several years ago, township officials worked with the USPS to allow Liberty businesses and residents in the 45011 and 45044 ZIP codes to use “Liberty Twp.” in their address instead of “Hamilton” or “Middletown.”
About the Author
