The Port joined Messer Construction, Terrex Development, City of Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, Hamilton County Board of Commissioners President Denise Driehaus, REDI Cincinnati and the Bond Hill Community Council in breaking ground for the construction of an advanced manufacturing facility at 2249 Seymour Avenue, formerly a parking lot for the Cincinnati Gardens complex, in Cincinnati.
The Port purchased the 19-acre Gardens property in 2016 as part of its industrial revitalization strategy to create new, development-ready sites to attract advanced manufacturers and good-paying jobs to Hamilton County.
Messer Construction bought the five-acre parcel of land, redeveloped by The Port, earlier this year. In a development partnership with Terrex Development and Construction, Messer will construct a 73,000-square-foot building designed specifically to accommodate the requirements of advanced manufacturing companies – filling a market gap for readily available industrial properties for lease or sale. The building will be ready for occupancy in 2020. Some building details will remain unfinished, allowing it to be completed to the tenant’s exact specifications.
Messer Construction President and CEO Tim Steigerwald said the project represents a $6.5 million investment
The project team for the development also includes BHDP Architecture, Colliers International and Fifth Third Bank.
There is strong interest in locating in Hamilton County by regional and national manufacturers – but the region often cannot respond to these projects because it lacks an inventory of qualifying sites. As a response, The Port Board of Directors in 2015 unveiled a plan to drive economic growth through a strategy to redevelop 500 acres of underperforming industrial real estate to attract advanced manufacturing and create higher-wage jobs.
In July 2016, The Port purchased the 19-acre former Cincinnati Gardens property on Seymour Avenue. The Port demolished the Cincinnati Gardens, remediated and prepared the site for new investment, completing the work and creating three parcels at the site in 2018. The two additional development-ready parcels at 2275 Seymour (7.5 acres) and 2250 Seymour (5.9 acres) are listed with Colliers International for advanced manufacturing operations. The City of Cincinnati and JobsOhio helped fund the redevelopment of the 19-acre site.
The Port has invested in real estate projects to bring new commercial development to Bond Hill and Roselawn. Through a comprehensive strategy, The Port works to re-establish commercial districts in focus neighborhoods and is currently redeveloping the Bond Hill Business District to attract local retail, restaurant and arts entrepreneurs.
From 2012 – 2018, The Port has invested $18.1MM in Bond Hill and Roselawn, leading acquisition and redevelopment of more than 60 acres in Bond Hill, and more than 20 acres in Roselawn, following community priorities detailed in the BH + R Plan formalized in 2016.
