HCDC Promotes Business and Community Growth

The HCDC Economic Development Office (EDO) provides economic development professional expertise to Hamilton County and the local communities. These efforts involve the development and revitalization of industrial and commercial business districts, thereby generating jobs and improving the overall quality of life. As the economic development agency for Hamilton County, EDO administers tax incentive programs, maintains a database of underused and vacant commercial and industrial sites and actively promotes the attraction, retention and expansion of businesses within Hamilton County.

The origins of EDO can be traced back to 1985, when HCDC led local efforts to create the State of Ohio’s first multi-jurisdictional enterprise zone. The North Central Enterprise Zone, comprised of the cities of Lincoln Heights, Woodlawn, Glendale, and Sharonville, provided tax incentives to encourage Ford Motor Company to reinvest in its Sharonville plant. However, Ford recognized the need to provide more sustainable redevelopment activities in these communities and it retained the services of the National Council for Urban Economic Development (CUED, which is now IEDC) to make recommendations. The report called for hiring an economic development coordinator to promote the communities of the enterprise zone. Ford, together with its neighbor, GE Aircraft in Evendale, agreed to provide funding of this position for three years and CUED recommended that the individual be employed by HCDC. The success of this effort, which brought new businesses, particularly to Lincoln Heights, foreshadowed HCDC’s more active economic development role throughout Hamilton County.

The Economic Development Office of HCDC has promoted the development and redevelopment of industrial and commercial sites in Hamilton County by securing and administering public financing, assembling sites and dealing with environmental concerns. EDO has also helped create business and industrial parks by accessing grants, negotiating tax incentives and coordinating and overseeing development efforts. These included working with Duke Energy to convert a surplus property, a 160-acre site in Harrison Township, into an actively marketed industrial park.

Recognizing the impact retail businesses have on sales tax revenues, which are Hamilton County’s largest tax revenue source, and on the overall quality of life in many local communities, HCDC has developed a two-prong retail development strategy. The first involves courting large-scale national and international retailers that are unique to the region and would most likely have only one local outlet, resulting in a net import of customers and retail sales tax revenues. The second part involves efforts to revitalize and strengthen community business districts by working with local governments, business associations and small local community based retailers in order to make these business districts attractive places to shop and do business. A healthy, vibrant community business district results in a positive influence on the overall quality of life for the communities they serve. These strategies are accomplished in part by structuring incentive and financing packages, as well as analyzing demographic data and trends.

In addition to its primary contractual services with Hamilton County, HCDC has also served in various economic development capacities to attract, retain and expand business and industry in local communities within Hamilton County. These economic development services have been provided to communities including Anderson Township, Columbia Township, Fairfax, Forest Park, Greenhills, Harrison, Lincoln Heights, Lockland, North College Hill, Mariemont, Montgomery, Newtown, Reading, Sharonville, Springfield Township, St. Bernard, Woodlawn, and Wyoming.

Economic Development involves the creation of wealth and occurs in three primary ways: the attraction of outside firms, the retention and expansion of existing business, and the creation of new business ventures. While all three HCDC programs touch on these three aspects, the HCDC Economic Development Office is the core hub of the entire organization.