New brewery slated for Sharonville part of revitalization plan
SHARONVILLE, Ohio (WKRC) - Chester Road in Sharonville was one of the first entertainment districts in the Cincinnati area, but years of decline saw businesses shut their doors.
Now, a plan more than 15 years in the making is revitalizing the strip.
Chamoda Palmore and Andrew Crawford opened Chamoda's Candy Cafe more than three years ago. It was in honor of Palmore's son, Chamoda, who was killed in a motorcycle crash in September of 2014.
"Without Sharonville's support, we wouldn't be here," Palmore said.
The area, known as the 'Northern Lights Development' is showing new life after the iconic Windjammer was torn down in 2002.
The restaurant was the place to be for decades before closing. Several new hotels have popped up and more are remodeling.
Palmore says the redevelopment is because of the way the city and businesses treat one another.
"No, we're not a million-dollar business but we're still treated like a million-dollar [business]. We're appreciated and they treat us as family and this is what Sharonville is," Palmore said.
Chris Xeil Lyons, the Economic Development Director for Sharonville says the revitalization had been talked about for years but didn't get off the ground until the expansion of the convention center.
"We're able to attract more conventions because people want to be connected. They want to have everything close together," Lyons said.
Lyons says 200,000 people come to the area because of the center. Lyons and the rest of the community are hoping a new brewery slated to go in this empty lot across the street from the convention center will also bring folks to the area.
The $1.7 million project will be called Third Eye Brewery and is the creation of a local family.
"We think that's going to be a great draw. It's going to be a great compliment for our convention center business," Lyons said.
It's hoped the brewery will be the first of several destination businesses, but it's not just about getting people to one place in the area, the city is trying to get them exploring.
The area is in the final stage of a $10 million road improvement project that includes better sidewalks so people can easily walk to the nearby businesses.
