Harrison is Growing!
Check out this recent article from the Cincinnati Enquirer
HARRISON - The pavement on Harrison Avenue is so new, the lanes haven't even been painted yet. Orange construction barrels line the sides of the road.
A Kroger Marketplace rises across the street from a large parcel of farmland, also being cleared for development.At a time when more than half of Hamilton County's communities are losing residents, Harrison is seeing a growth spurt and flocks of young, higher-income families moving into the city.Harrison, Mayor Joel McGuire said, will no longer be the small town tucked in the corner of Hamilton County. In his eyes, Harrison will be the "new center of the West Side." He compares the growth to that of West Chester and Liberty Township, areas that have seen a fury of commercial and residential development. City officials tout over $20 million in private investments and over 250 new jobs in the past 10 months. The city annexed 400 acres from Crosby Township in 2006, increasing its size by 14 percent. Since then, the city's population has also grown by about seven percent every year, they said, to about 10,000 today. But with 93,000 people within 10 miles, it's the "downtown" for much of northwest Hamilton County and parts of Dearborn County, Ind. According to population figures from 2000 to 2008 released by the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has seen a 25 percent increase, from about 7,500 to almost 9,400 - making it the second-fastest growing area in Hamilton County after Newtown. "Right in the middle of a recession, we have this sort of growth going on," said Economic Development Director Jennifer Ekey. "We're in the right place at the right time.
"Harrison is located off Interstate 74 and is one of the last cities in the county with open space to build new business - about 150 acres within city limits to be exact. The city is about five square miles but that number is deceiving, McGuire said. Through agreements with neighboring townships, city officials actually have input over development on land in what they call "Greater Harrison," which includes surrounding Harrison, Crosby and Whitewater townships.In 2008, McGuire, 38, an attorney, became the youngest mayor in Harrison history. (It was incorporated in 1850 but didn't become a city until 1981.) The city also recently hired its first economic development director and paid $12,000 for a temporary public relations specialist. About $15,000 was spent last year to create a brand campaign and new slogan "Boundless.
"In addition to the Kroger Marketplace, set to open next spring, Harrison will also be home to the one of the largest public ATV/Motocross tracks in the Midwest, which should open by spring, a new dog park and bike trails and relocation of Fresh Sausage Specialists headquarters, a rare example of a business moving from Butler County into Hamilton County. Soon, McGuire promises, residents will start to see what he calls "goodies," which means popular new restaurants, entertainment and retail stores, although he wouldn't name them.Resident Judy Larison, 57, has lived in Harrison for more than 30 years and remembers when it was all farmland. Back then, she said, there was one store.Now, Harrison is drawing nearby Indiana residents and overflow from the Greater Cincinnati area.Re-creating the city's long-standing image of being a homely country town may prove to be a hard task. In the mix of residents are those who settled decades ago, those drawn to Harrison well before any development was there, those who love the area for its small-town charms and personal touches.
Joni Huber has been working at her father's Pet Center store since she was a little girl. "I don't think a Crate and Barrel will be moving here anytime soon," she said. "But I like it that way."One resident, Belinda Borne, 44, worries as development takes hold, the perks of commercialism will also come with heavy traffic and crime. What if, she says, she no longer knows each customer by name who comes into the salon where she works. What if, she said, "we won't be a small town anymore?"Tracy Tallon, 38, doesn't have such worries. She helps run Off Main Consignment, a store that opened at the Harrison Square shopping center less than a week ago. The growth excites her."I think it's positive and it's needed," she said. "Development is a good thing and you have to compete with other cities. The more this city grows the more business it'll bring to my store."Peeking out the window of the store, you can see the orange construction barrels along Harrison Avenue. It's difficult to tell what the area will look like in the next few years but Tallon is sure of one thing: "This isn't the country anymore."
