There has been more than several small businesses that have opened or announced in 2022, and several major business having expanded this year, like 80 Acres, thyssenKrupp Bilstein, Salvaginini, and Hamilton Caster, and Berkley Square announced its latest expansion project that broke ground this year.
Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill opened much of its 1.2 million square feet in 2022, fully opening The Warehouse Hotel, much of the conference center and many sections of the sports and events center.
Then there are the projects that started this year, like Third Eye Brewing’s project and the Rossville Flats construction, are expected to be completed in 2023.
“We basically hit on all cylinders. You basically look at the residential, the commercial, and the industrial,” said Smith.
Beyond the economic development, the city has continued its commitment to public safety, from advancing the Criminal Justice Center project to relocate the Hamilton Police Department and the municipal courts to a central location across from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, and setting up the 2023 construction of the related Fire Station 26 on Erie Boulevard.
“City Council has certainly prioritized public safety, in particular capital equipment, to make sure they have the equipment necessary and also the facilities,” Smith said.
Of the $33.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act money received by Hamilton, nearly a third ($10 million) is earmarked for the new justice center, and another $4 million has been set aside for the fire station project.
“Firefighting has changed a lot over the last couple of decades ... so we’ve been systematically working our way through the different firehouses to make sure they’re prepared for the 21st century with fire forces,” Smith said.
This year has also seen the start of the relocation of the historic train depot with the two-story building, and while this is expected to be an economic development project, it also preserves a “very unique piece of history that many communities don’t have.” The longer one-story section part of the former train depot is expected to be relocated at the end of January, weather depending, according to Rich Engle, Hamilton’s director of engineering.
The city also invested heavily in many traffic improvements and quality of life aspects that help residents and visitors navigate around town, including installing three dual port electric vehicle charging stations, and Smith said, “we plan to double that number in 2023.″ He said there could be more.
GETTING AROUND HAMILTON
Also, the installation of the Centracs system, a computerized traffic control system designed to help alleviate issues, especially as Spooky Nook becomes fully operational in the new year. Smith said that infrastructure initiative will allow Hamilton “to get ahead of the Spooky Nook traffic.”
The city’s pedestrian wayfinding program has been launched in the urban core. These visual guides for visitors, as well as residents, will help show what exactly is in town, and where it’s located.
“With so much activity downtown, hopefully, when folks park their cars, our visitors, our travelers, don’t get back in and drive somewhere else,” Shaun Higgins, chair of the Hamilton Visitors Bureau, told the Journal-News back in October.
This will also show people the boundaries of the city’s nearly 300-acre DORA district.
The city also finished the second phase of the Hamilton Beltline Recreational, a multi-use walking and biking path. Phase 1 was finished in 2021. The design of the third phase is nearly completed, and the fourth phase design is expected to begin in 2023.
Hamilton Parks Conservancy Executive Director Adam Cornett, who started the position in 2022, said earlier this summer that projects like the Beltline path “is what drew me to this position and this area to work.”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
“I love seeing the impact these (additions) have on the community, and they’re just invaluable,” he had said. “And seeing this progress is going to continue, that bodes well for the direction the city’s going in, the relationship they have with parks, and the citizens that live here.”
A lot of what Hamilton’s done in 2022, and the years leading up, has been due to the anticipation and expectation of Spooky Nook’s full opening in 2023. Many residents, business leaders, and stakeholders have bought into the $165 million development. And as Smith said that 2022 was the busiest year in the past dozen for Butler County’s capital city, this next year should fly by even faster.
“I truly believe 2023 will be twice as busy,” he said.
About the Author
