HCDC Helps Bring Jobs Back to Lockland
Aerial photos of two former brownfield sites
New jobs, expanding businesses and the promise of more to come are signs that the Hamilton County Development Co.’s work in the village of Lockland is bearing fruit.
Straddling Interstate 75 in the heart of Hamilton County, Lockland has experienced a prolonged economic downturn over the last few decades as old industry that was once the mainstay of the village’s economy went through a period of decline.
Village Mayor Jim Brown turned to HCDC’s Office of Economic Development for help in bringing new jobs to Lockland, hiring HCDC to serve as Lockland’s economic development office. We set to work on what is both Lockland’s biggest asset and its biggest liability: two old manufacturing sites that needed to be transformed from brownfields into viable locations for new development. The manufacturing of shingles that had taken place there for many years meant asbestos would need to be safely removed. Part of the area had been a dump where contaminated materials would need to be contained and properly disposed of. But sites were large, had good access to the one of the nation’s major interstates and were centrally located, making them promising for development.
The office of economic development secured an Industrial Site Improvement Fund grant of $500,000 to purchase one of the sites, freeing up funding for the site's development. We also assisted the Village of Lockland and the developer in securing a Clean Ohio grant for one of the sites, while the Port Authority assisted the developer of the other site with a Clean Ohio grant.
Working with the Ohio Department of Development, HCDC successfully guided Lockland through the grant process to enable cleanup of the sites, the first step in their redevelopment.
HCDC also coordinated the development of a tax increment financing district in Lockland to help fund infrastructure improvements there. We processed and administered loans for businesses and secured state tax incentives for job creation.
We succeeded in getting the village designated as one of the Ohio Department of Development’s Priority Investment Areas, pushing it to the front of the line for grants, tax incentives and other economic development programs.
Lockland today is experiencing economic activity that holds promise. There are two 25-30 acre sites newly available for development, with companies already anchoring each one of them.
Over the last few years, several companies have relocated or expanded in Lockland, including Able Tool Corp., Advance Finish & Display, Ample Trailer Leasing & Sales, Inc.and Catanzaro Foods. Other companies expanding or relocating to Lockland include Creanova, Inc., E&J Trailer Sales & Service, Inc., Easy Way Leisure Products, Frederick’s Landscaping, Harrison Concrete, Lockland Development Co. and Premier Food Management Co. Nearly 300 jobs have been created and another 400 are expected.
“Lockland is on the rebound,” Mayor Brown says.
The economic activity in Lockland is a good example of the capabilities of HCDC’s Office of Economic Development, says Harry Blanton, vice president of the office.
The office can help with tax incentives through enterprise zones and community reinvestment areas, site information, land development, community business district revitalization and business retention and expansion.
For more information on HCDC’s Office of Economic Development, contact Harry Blanton at hblanton@hcdc.com, or call 513-631-8292
