This project includes demolishing a structure and removing remaining concrete slabs, footers, parking surfaces, and scattered demolition debris at the former paper plant building, which was also home to the former Mohawk Paper.
The site’s industrial use dates back to the mid-1800s, and the grant, according to the city, is an opportunity to reactivate the property that’s been dormant for more than a decade in the heart of the city. Still known as the Beckett Paper site, the property is an 8-acre site Hamilton officials have worked to redevelop for the past few years.
Hamilton purchased the site in January 2022, and shortly after, Hamilton City Council approved a sale and development agreement with Historic Beckett Lofts and developer Steve Coon.
In 2022, Hamilton applied for a Brownfield Remediation Grant in support of the project, but the application was not granted. That residential project ultimately stalled due to challenges in the market.
In spring 2024, Hamilton renewed its efforts to market the property and signed a letter of interest with a Columbus-area developer in August 2024. City officials have said they are hopeful that the past 10 months of working with this unnamed developer will result in a viable project.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
A building on the southern end of the property caught fire — public safety officials suspect arson, but the damage was so extensive that it’s unlikely to confirm. The 19th-century building had flames shooting out of its windows mid-afternoon on Aug. 7, 2024, minutes after fire crews were called. Mutual aid assistance came from the Fairfield, Fairfield Twp., Liberty Twp. and Ross Twp. fire departments to help control the fire in the vacant building.
It took a couple of hours to get the fire knocked down, and the city had to call in an emergency demolition crew to raze the building.
"This site was such a significant contributor to our city’s early success, going all the way back to the mid-1800s, which is why it’s so exciting to receive this grant and have the opportunity to preserve the buildings that remain as a testament to our past while creating something new right here in the heart of the city," said Hamilton City Manager Craig Bucheit.
Mohwak Paper last used the Beckett Paper site until it ceased operations in 2012, but it was also home to major Hamilton employers, like Hoven Owens Rentschler and the Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation.
“So many people and families in Hamilton have a connection to this site,“ the city manager said, adding his paternal grandfather worked at Hoven Owens Rentschler. ”They worked here, or a friend or family member worked here. A lot of times, it was generations of the same family.”
Its indelible tie to Hamilton’s past is why Bucheit said it’s important to make the site productive again.
“It’s sat idle for too long, and this (state) funding helps us take a critical step toward bringing it back to life,” he said. “People who drive by every day don’t see all the work that’s been happening behind the scenes.”
Hamilton’s economic development team has worked with the Butler County Landbank to secure the grant.
“We’ve made great progress in our latest redevelopment effort, and this grant helps build on that momentum,” Bucheit said. “It doesn’t complete the project, but it moves us closer to the kind of transformational development this site and our city deserve.”
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