Second Quarter 2013

Valeo Climate Control was awarded state tax credits in support of the efforts to add 105 jobs to their Hamilton operations on Symmes Road. Valeo is a supplier of a wide variety of automotive parts. Valeo, the City of Hamilton, and the Cincinnati USA Partnership started working together on this request to the state back in 2012. Valeo is also planning to make an estimated investment of $16.2 million at the facility, predominantly on machinery and equipment. For more information, please see the JournalNews article here.

The former Smart Paper Facility

 

There is new life in the former Smart Paper facility, which is located on more than 40 acres of riverfront land in Hamilton's urban core. When the Smart Paper facility - previous known as the Champion Paper Mill - closed in 2011 after 130 years of paper making, the City stepped in to purchase it to ensure it it did not become a cold storage facility. In 2012, Green Reclamation LLC purchased the site (the City maintained ownership of the building closest to the river) and is turning it into the Champion Mill Business Park.

The new Liferay offices. Photo courtesy Nick Daggy at the JournalNews

 

Liferay, a fast-growing California-based technology company, opened its national sales office in the Robinson-Schwenn building in downtown Hamilton. It is a 2,800 sq. ft. modern office space. Liferay will employ up to 15 people at this downtown location. For more information on the grand opening, please read the JournalNews article here.

Image courtesy the Cincinnati Business Courier

 

The Cincinnati Business Courier included two Hamilton companies in their list of 2013 Fast 55 finalists. The Fast 55 list recognizes the region's fastest-growing companies. ODW Logistics and Transportation Services is a full-service transportation provider located in downtown Hamilton's BizTech Center. It is the second year in a row that ODW has been a Fast 55 finalist. From 2011 to 2012, the company's revenues grew 118% to $14.7 million.

Artspace during the removal of the grill facade

Artspace USA, a national developer located in Minneapolis, is moving forward with Artspace Hamilton. The first step of construction commenced with the removal of the facade, installed in the 1960s in an attempt to modernize the building and has since become known as the "radiator grill." 

Artspace Hamilton is a $10.2 million mixed-use project that will include 42 affordable live/work spaces for artists and 3,000 sq. ft. of commercial and gallery space. Artspace Hamilton includes ground floor space for local non-profit organizations, commercial space for small businesses, and outdoor plaza areas for residents and for the community.

The developers recently received $619,026 in tax credits from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, allowing them to move forward to the next phase of development which will commence in the beginning of 2014. Completion is set for September 2014. For more information, visit the project website here or follow its Facebook page here.

Mahendra Vora

Mindy Muller inside Pappa Luigi's, a downtown pizzeria

Mindy Muller started Community Development Professional (CDP) ten years ago out of her home, moved to Hamilton's BizTech, and then bought and rehabilitated the former Hamilton City School Board of Education building downtown. CDP has since become part of the Center of Community Revitalization (CCR).

The Building Doctor conducting a site visit in Hamilton

On May 16th and 17th, consultants or "Building Doctors" from the Ohio Historical Society visited Hamilton to share their expertise. The Building Doctor hosted a seminar to educate interested residents on how to properly maintain older buildings without sacrificing historic integrity. The evening event was attended by approximately 33 individuals at Miami University Hamilton Downtown.  

 

The Building Doctor also conducted free site visits for ten historic buildings throughout the City.  These site visits allow home and building owners to leverage firsthand the expertise and knowledge of the "Building Doctors" while walking through their structures. The Building Doctor Clinic is conducted on an annual basis and is delivered by the Ohio Historical Society. The community sponsors included the German Village Association, Dayton Lane Association, CORE, Historic Hamilton, Butler County Historical Society, Miami University Hamilton, and the City of Hamilton. For more information on the Building Doctor, please visit their website here. 

The Revivalists kicked off the 2013 Summer Concert Series

The Summer Concert Series lineup is set and concerts have begun. The Revivalists, featuring Hamiltonian David Shaw, packed RiversEdge for the first concert of the series before heading to Manchester, TN to play the Bonnaroo Music Festival. They, nor opening act The Salients, did not disappoint an eager crowd.

Concerts will be held throughout the summer the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month. Concerts begin at 6 p.m. and are free and open to the public. The full schedule:

• June 13 - The Revivalists w/ The Salients
• June 27 - Motor City Josh & the Big 3 w/ Blue Sacrifice 
• July 11 - Shaker & the Egg w/ Flawless 
• July 25 - 90 Proof Twang w/ Pistol Holler 
• August 8 - Pokey Lafarge w/ Young Heirlooms
• August 22 - Scotty Bratcher w/ Okeanas 

During the public input process, the Riverbank building on Main St. was identified as the design aesthetic most preferred for the area

Hamilton is now using form-based zoning in some of its urban core neighborhoods. Form-based zoning tools focus more on detailed design of buildings to ensure that future development and redevelopment contributes to the existing character of a defined area, while allowing the owners of those buildings a wider range of mixed uses within those buildings.

The City hopes that form-based zoning will promote the historic character of these communities while allowing more flexibility in use. The form-based zoning regulations were produced through an interactive community process. For more information on Hamilton's form-based zoning, please visit the Planning Department's website here.

Two of the three former Ohio Casualty buildings

Located at 131-136 N. Third St., these three buildings offer 428,000 sq. ft. of office space in downtown Hamilton. The buildings include:

Need Assistance From the City? 
The City established the Business Development Team to make investing in Hamilton easier for current and future business owners. The Team focuses on assisting retail and commercial development. It is a single point of contact that coordinates between all necessary departments to help businesses from the first inquiry until the issuance of final occupancy. To contact the Business Development Team, call 513-785-7070 or email startmeup@hamilton-oh.gov.

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