Jobs are returning to the Village of Lockland thanks partly to the redevelopment of old industrial sites there. The village, located in the center of Hamilton County, had relied on old industry for many years and had seen jobs decline along with that sector of the economy. The village turned to the Hamilton County Economic Development Co. for help in turning two old manufacturing sites from brownfields into viable locations for new development.
HCDC's Office of Economic Development coordinated a grant from the Clean Ohio program to help with the cost of environmental cleanup and worked with the Ohio Department of Development to guide Lockland through the grant process to enable cleanup of the sites, the first step in their redevelopment. HCDC also worked on a tax increment financing district to help pay for infrastructure improvements, processed and administered loans for businesses and secured state tax incentives for job creation. It helped get 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.
Today, there are two 25-30 acre sites available for development. Nearly 300 jobs have been created and another 400 are expected. “Lockland is on the rebound,” says Mayor Jim Brown.
Writer: David Holthaus
Source: Harry Blanton, Hamilton County Economic Development Co.
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