BY ANNE MICHAUD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Two polluted sites have been identified as pilot projects for a new city-county agency dedicated to cleaning up such sites and finding new occupants.
The Port Authority for Brownfields Redevelopment in Cincinnati and Hamilton County, formed last summer, has tentatively chosen the former Green Industries property in Sharonville and the old Vine Street dump in Carthage.
The goal is to put both properties to better use so that they generate taxes and create jobs, said Hamilton County Commissioner John Dowlin.
The old Green Industries electro-plating site, on East Kemper Road, was abandoned in 1995. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has spent $3 million cleaning up the property, where chemicals were dumped.
Lisa Lange, executive director of the port authority, said a few investors are interested in the land.
The Vine Street property, owned by Jacob Lustig, was identified earlier by the city of Cincinnati as the top possibility for redevelopment. Mr. Lustig bought the land after its days as a dump and runs a flea market and bingo business there; it is also used for truck trailer storage.
The former dump is near the Mill Creek, and adjacent land owned by the Mill Creek Conservancy may be added to create a bigger parcel, Ms. Lange said.
The port authority is one of several entities interested in developing polluted sites in Hamilton County. They are generally well-situated and have access to utilities.
The city of Lockland has undertaken to redevelop a brownfield, as such lands are called, by converting the former Jefferson-Smurfit plant into the Lockland Commerce Park.
