By Erica Solvig
Enquirer Staff Writer

SOUTH LEBANON - Now it's one of Greater Cincinnati's new growth hot spots, but when Albert Shepherd moved here in 1963, this Warren County village "didn't have a very good reputation."

Real estate signs on Riverview Court in the Rivers Edge development testify to the growth in South Lebanon. (Glenn Hartong photo)

The blue-collar community was still reeling from its "wet days" when people would come from all over to go boozing. There were yards filled with trash and junked cars. And the village didn't have the money to boost law enforcement.

"But South Lebanon has never been as bad as the name it had," says 83-year-old "Brother Al" Shepherd, the village's former police chief and mayor. "I have seen the village change. Ever since I have known it, it has continued to improve."

While much of Warren County has been focused lately on ways to stop growth, this village has been basking in its benefits. Seven subdivisions are under construction, and developers are proposing two more as well as a million-square-foot mall with luxury apartments - all enough to likely make this Greater Cincinnati's next city.

While most changes that would occur with transition to city status are internal in nature - including creating staff positions and abiding by different civil service rules - the additional people turns into more resources, according to James Lee, spokesman with the Ohio Secretary of State's office.

"It is a reflection of growth, which often indicates economic health of the community," Lee says. "Ultimately as a village gains city status, the citizens will be better able to collectively pool their resources to form a stronger community."

Mayor Jim Smith estimates that about 1,700 of the 4,000- plus residents are new to the area. Many new subdivisions have half-million to million-dollar homes and the village has hosted Homearama twice. And it's all transformed this once predominantly working-class community to one with "a whole mix of people," Smith says.

"I guess it was the jewel that no one knew was there," he says.

Greater Cincinnati's next city?

South Lebanon is expected to easily have the 5,000-person population needed for city status within two-and-a-half years. If that happens, it would automatically be deemed a city by the secretary of state in the next census, according to John Mahoney, deputy director of the Ohio Municipal League.

If the village doesn't want to wait, it could contract with the Department of Commerce and have a special census. Or, if there are suddenly 5,000 registered voters, the board of elections will send the information to the secretary of state, who could declare it a city, Mahoney said.

"It's not something that we're pushing to become," Smith says of all the residential growth. "But it's something that's going to happen and we've got to embrace it."

The 2000 census pushed Monroe in Butler County and Carlisle in Warren County over the necessary population figures. But in smaller Hamilton County cities, such as St. Bernard, Silverton and Deer Park, population decreased.

In Kentucky, there are no villages - just cities and unincorporated areas, according to J.D. Chaney, an attorney with the Kentucky League of Cities. Becoming a city there starts with a petition to circuit court. The last time that happened in Northern Kentucky was in 1972 with Ryland Heights in Kenton County, Chaney said.

City Manager Brad Townsend says Carlisle was ready for the change because officials had predicted it would happen in the 1990 census. They were short by about 200 people then,. but topped 5,100 people in the 2000 count.

Because they knew the transition was coming, the village created a charter and had hired some of the necessary administrative staff, including a safety director.

"It's a pretty major transition and at times, it can be expensive," Townsend says. "But in our case, because of the charter, basically the transition of the government was seamless."

South Lebanon catching up

For the most part, the village of South Lebanon has lagged behind the rest of its fast-growing neighbors in Ohio's second-fastest-growing county. While the rest of the county dealt with rapid residential growth, the village actually saw a nearly 6 percent drop in population between 1990 and 2000.

But in the last five years or so, the new residential growth and annexation of some key properties has turned into hundreds of new residents.

"They're coming out of the woodwork," Smith says. "It's unreal."

Now, Montgomery-based Bear Creek Capital and Chattanooga, Tenn-based CBL & Associates Properties Inc. wants to build 1.5 million square feet of shop and restaurant space near Ohio 48 and Interstate 71. Plans also could include more than 1 million square feet of office space and 841 apartment and condo units.

Eventually, the village's population is expected to top off anywhere from 8,000 to 9,000 people, Smith says.

"We'd like to see growth stabilize at a certain point, but how could we say no and let everyone else around us develop," the mayor adds. "You'd be ate up."

Changing image

Jesses Jones and his dog Copper in front of the Country Attic Treasures General Store in South Lebanon. (Glenn Hartong photo)

The upscale homes and massive retail center are images not traditionally associated with South Lebanon, commonly known as "Southtown." At one time, the village's main employer was a mushroom factory. Its biggest notoriety came from ubiquitous TV commercials touting a furniture store, Kash's Bargain Barn.

Today, it's not uncommon for homes in the area to sell for $300,000 or more, though the Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors reports that the average single-family home sale was at $169,000 last year. The upscale homes have pulled that up from the 1999 average of less than $120,000.

The new growth is helping to raise money to help maintain and support the entire community, including a street repaving and improvement project in the older part of the village.

Even so, residents such as Betsy Kelley say there still is a sense of a "dividing line" between the long-time and newer residents. But, the 46-year-old married mother of three says she thinks people are adjusting.

"It's starting to break down a bit," says Kelley, a stay-at-home mom whose husband works in retail. "Especially working at the schools, when (parents) find out where you're from, they're kind of stand-offish. But then they get to know you, and kind of start to let you in."

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E-mail esolvig@enquirer.com