SYCAMORE TOWNSHIP — Two vacant and troubled Sycamore Township motels will be torn down in 2023 to make way for redevelopment and a possible manufacturing facility, thanks to additional money the State of Ohio released this week.
Governor Mike DeWine announced Tuesday the former Carrousel Inn and former Drake Motel on Reading Road are among 2,277 blighted properties that will be demolished using the state's Building Demolition and Revitalization Program.
"We’re not just tearing down dilapidated buildings, we’re helping to make communities across the state better places to start a business, raise a family, and build a bright future,” Governor DeWine said in a news release.
Hamilton County Land Reutilization alone received nearly $17.7 million in grants for demolitions for dozens of properties, announced this week.
It includes the now burned out Carrousel Inn, which The Port acquired in 2021 after a series of legal struggles with a former owner and after the property deteriorated.
Down the street, the former Drake Motel is also now owned by The Port and sitting in disrepair. It closed after a raid in 2013 forced tenants out and ended with its then-owner in handcuffs.
The Port said Tuesday the combines sites make up 6.5 acres and will be used "to create an industrial-specific building with an advanced manufacturing end user to bring high-paying jobs to the community."
First, though, a spokesperson said it will have to remove asbestos and demolish the existing buildings.
The Port said it is working with several jurisdictions to revitalize what it calls the Reading Road Corridor, "currently surrounded by various defunct parcels/structures that could be reinvigorated through the strategic use of public and private investments."
The state money requires demolition money be spent by May 1, 2023, according to The Port.
Watch Live:
