Landscaping business to occupy Maple Avenue property in Hamilton

A landscaping company, K&R Lawn and Landscaping LLC, has been allowed to occupy the building and 1.4-acre property at 611 Maple Ave., east of the downtown area, following a recent unanimous decision by Hamilton City Council.

The council voted 7-0 to allow the company to use the property, in an area that is zoned as a limited industrial district, as a conditional use. K&R, which was founded about a decade ago in the Fairfield/Hamilton area, focuses mainly on landscaping maintenance, including commercial and residential. The company also creates landscaping hardscapes and retaining walls, said Kevin Marino, the company’s owner.

The company was drawn to the property for “a little bit of both — interior and exterior space,” Marino said. The outside will be used for storage of bulk materials, such as mulch, stone and gravel, as well as company equipment.

Marino, who founded the company while working as a respiratory therapist at Shriner’s Hospital for Children, also was attracted to the property by the fact it’s in close walking distance from his home. The company has increased from a one-man crew to four crews of 3-4 full-time employees.

The property, which previously had been used as a KOI Enterprises Inc. paint and body shop, had been empty since August of 2015. The company will be operating 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day of the week.

“Thank you for your investment in the area, and best of luck to you,” Mayor Pat Moeller told Marino before council voted to grant the conditional use.

Marino said the area around the property isn’t the best, with at least one burned-out, vacant property nearby. The city seems to be making very slow progress in the area, but he said he knows some area properties are scheduled to be torn down.

“At least they let us in here,” Marino said. “So that’s a good thing.”

The buildings on the property are about 8,000 square feet, and the office area at 611 Maple is “stout,” with the warehouse relatively new, at about 20 years old, Marino said.

Michael Rapp of West Chester, representing the company, told the council in early March, at the meeting before the vote was taken, “We are just looking forward for the opportunity to move there. Our business is growing quickly. It’s a great spot for us. We have a lot of our contracts right here in this area. I’d love to just grow in the Hamilton area.”

The company moved in the day following the March 22 decision. It plans to upgrade the property, including a dilapidated fence there.

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