Thrusday, January 14, 1999
Hamilton group aims to beautify Ohio 4
BY AMY HIGGINS
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — Before he bought his auto dealership, Chuck Smith would drive into the Butler County seat to visit the courthouse and be appalled at the sight of a railroad bridge on Ohio 4, badly in need of a paint job.
The rest of the state highway through Hamilton, the city's main entrance, didn't look too good either — with abandoned buildings, dilapidated signs and minimal landscaping.
But after Mr. Smith bought Hamilton-Fairfield Dodge Jeep Eagle Inc. on the highway, he knew he had to “try to take matters in my own hands,” he said.
He and fellow east-side business people have started the Hamilton Route 4 Corridor Association to improve the area's aesthetics and business climate.
The group hopes to file the paperwork for its non-profit status this week. Still, its goals are clearly stated: make Hamilton's entrance look better.
“We're doing all of these wonderful things on the west side, but no one knows that because their lasting impression is Route 4,” Mr. Smith said.
“Can't we do something maybe to change that?”
Hamilton's city government and Chamber of Commerce are on board with the merchants' efforts.
The city recently passed and started enforcing a property-maintenance ordinance, whereby the city can make commercial property owners clean up their buildings.
Health Commissioner Dr. William Karwisch said his department identified about 20 of the 273 properties in the corridor that needed work.
Beyond that and observational evidence of abandoned buildings and unused acreage, no one has a complete list of property owners and uses through the corridor. Mel Less, chamber president and chief executive officer, said compiling such a database is high on the group's priorities.
Once the database is together, members of the Hamilton Route 4 Corridor Association will have a better idea of how to clean up the neighborhood, Mr. Less said.
Options include working with fellow property owners to either fix buildings or find a buyer for them; changing zon ing or creating a road corridor overlay, which essentially puts additional rules on top of existing zoning; and working with the city to create more green spaces along the highway.
Mr. Smith also said he wants to confer with Cinergy Corp. on burying the power lines there. And he still wants to see the railroad bridge that acts as Hamilton's entry point painted.
“I'm like an old bulldog,” Mr. Smith said. “Once I get a hold of somebody's ankle, I don't let go.”
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