Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Alloy outlines Community Impact Program wins in Cheviot, Mount Healthy and Lock Site in Laughlin
Summary
Alloy Development reported to Hamilton County commissioners that its Community Impact Program has guided Cheviot, Mount Healthy and Laughlin through procurement, grant administration and project planning; Cheviot selected a developer for a former downtown department store building and Laughlin won an acquisition grant for a downtown landmark.
Alloy Development presented an update July 15 on the county’s Community Impact Program (CIP), describing community project management work in Cheviot, Mount Healthy and Laughlin and reporting grant awards and developer selection activity.
Catherine Fitzgerald, Alloy, said the program was launched to help smaller communities that receive grants but lack the capacity to implement projects. "The purpose of the program is to promote economic development in communities that in need of additional capacity, and support them really through project management," Fitzgerald said.
In Cheviot, Alloy and county staff worked to re‑solicit development interest for a 14,000‑square‑foot city‑owned building (a former Woolworths department store). The city had a $320,000 2024 seed grant for stabilization and capital improvements after prior redevelopment plans faltered. Alloy conducted outreach to brewing and hospitality partners and recommended a competitive RFP process led by the city’s community improvement corporation. The city selected "Central Station," a proposal by Dr. Andy Lemley and Greg Schoenling that would create a pickleball complex, live music venue, sports bar and permanent food‑truck spaces, with an estimated $1.5 million in private investment and 30–40 jobs anticipated.
In Mount Healthy, Alloy recommended pursuing National Register designation for a cluster of five city‑owned commercial buildings to enable state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits. Alloy also proposed a public gathering space called the Hive for events and partnerships with the Port of Greater Cincinnati to support scattered‑site infill homeownership; Alloy noted that new single‑family development often requires subsidy to be affordable to workforce households.
In Laughlin, Alloy described work on the 12‑acre former Stearns & Foster mattress campus, known as the Lock Site, and the adjacent Mill and Dunn historic business district. Developers expressed uncertainty about the timing and impacts of planned Interstate 75 lane reunification near the site. Alloy recommended short‑term catalytic steps, including relocating a historic bandstand to the Lock Site to provide green buffer space and pursuing acquisition and redevelopment of a key historic downtown building. Laughlin received a $290,000 EIP grant for acquisition of that building and Alloy is pursuing additional predevelopment funding.
Alloy said it also carried out small‑business outreach “blitzes” in Cheviot and Mount Healthy; registrants from those communities represented 8 percent of attendees at a county small‑business day event following the blitzes. Fitzgerald said Alloy will continue grant administration, procurement support and project management for the three pilot communities.
Commissioners praised the outreach and said the county should continue supporting underresourced communities with implementation help. No formal county action was taken at the presentation; commissioners welcomed further updates and asked staff to continue CIP oversight.
