How will Gray Road landfill be redeveloped?

A public hearing on Wednesday could decide how the Gray Road landfill site in Winton Hills is redeveloped.

The meeting, at 5:30 PM at Longworth Hall, 700 W Pete Rose Way, will explore options for the property located between Gray and Winton roads, near the stoplight for Dutch Colony Drive.

The City estimates that the vacated 81-acre site could support 50,000 to 70,000 square feet of buildings and is being eyed for LEED-certified offices and light industrial uses.

Property owners Gray Road Fill, Inc. had planned to begin construction of a light industrial park on the site by 2001, which they say would have employed up to 3,000 people and would have included hike/bike trails and a picnic area.

But in 2000, Cincinnati City Council received reports that the landfill was operating without the proper permits and ordered it shut down.

Landfill owner Roy Schweitzer later sued the City, and was able to continue operating as the City's only licensed construction and demolition debris dump site.

The landfill was finally closed at the end of 2007 as a result of a consent agreement between Gray Road Fill, the City, and Gray Road residents, who had fought for years to stop the ever-increasing footprint of the dump and the non-stop truck traffic through their neighborhoods.