Just southeast in Mason, Kings Island Amusement Park, The Great Wolf Lodge and the Beach Water Park draw tourists as well as Miami Valley residents.
Already tourism is believed to generate more than $1 billion in revenue for Warren County.
“It’s our single biggest industry,” said Jonathan Sams, a Turtlecreek Twp. trustee. “The overall goal is to move toward $2 billion in tourism.”
Next year, the zoo is expected to begin building the $1.5 million cheetah facility, about three miles south of the racino and the Ohio 63 corridor already featuring the racino, mall and flea market, as well as hotels and restaurants.
While primarily focused on repopulating the endangered big cats, the center will also offer tours and periodic opportunities to watch cheetahs — believed to be the fastest animals in the world — chase a lure at speeds approaching 60 mph.
The zoo already maintains a wetlands for migrating birds and an organic farm producing food for humans and zoo animals on more than 600 acres off Nickel and Hamilton Roads.
Plans also call for holding areas for rhinoceroses and other “hoofstock,” but zoo officials insist there are no plans for an outdoor wildlife park like the Wilds operated by the Columbus Zoo.
“If we could get something like the Wilds here, that would be fantastic,” said Phil Smith, chief executive officer of the Warren County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
County officials said the zoo was sensitive to any suggestions that could indicate plans to shift exhibits currently part of the main zoo in downtown Cincinnati.
“The zoo will never take away from the downtown. They’ll do something out here that complements it,” Smith said.
The zoo’s current cheetah breeding facility operates from the Mast Farm in Clermont County. The zoo hosts an annual picnic for the Andrew Erkenbrecher Society, created to recognize donors who give $1,000 or more annually, and offers private educational tours.
Previously zoo officials said Mast Farm needed to be sold to finance the move to Warren County.
But with $1 million in state funding and $500,000 raised locally, the zoo is moving ahead with moving the operation to Bowyer Farm, where the zoo already holds events for Green Bean Delivery, the organic food service, wetland tours, a native plant sale and zoo academy field trips.
The zoo still plans to sell Mast Farm.
“We are still flushing out other details on the Bowyer Farm, but the cheetah breeding facility is the next step,” Michelle Curley, communications director for the zoo, said in an email.
The zoo site is within the confines of the I-75 Plan, a long-range vision for the area being competed by the Warren County Regional Planning Commission.
“The Cincinnati Zoo properties in Warren County, also known as the Bowyer Farm and Bogen Farm, serve as a major point of interest within the I-75 corridor because they could someday be yet another regional tourism destination,” the according to the plan.
Earlier this year, zoo officials talked about holding rhinos and composting at Bowyer Farm, according to Mike Yetter, the county’s zoning supervisor. No plan has been submitted yet for the cheetah facility.
“There’s a lot of things happening there,” Yetter said.
Officials at Miami Valley Gaming said they were anxious to cross-promote with the zoo, along with other new businesses, including a motorcycle dealership, expected to open nearby.
“We’re excited about the possibilities of working with all of the neighbors,” said Jeff Nelson, director of marketing at the racino.
Last week, Convention and Visitors Bureau officials were working on financing for a sports complex to be developed on 70 acres within Union Vilage, a 1,400-acre new urbanist community recently approved by the county.
Union Village is less than three miles from the racino and zoo properties. The Union Village plan also calls for a branch college campus.
“We’re in discussions with several,” Sams said.
This could offer programs in collaboration with the zoo, offering future potential if not immediate impact from the cheetah facility.
Sams said the zoo facility would be another “cultural icon,” creating a quality of life conducive to everyone from long-time residents to companies and institutions looking for a place to set up between Dayton and Cincinnati.
“They help to define communities,” he said, adding the township was also involved in planning a 4- to 7-mile bike trail linking with trails in Lebanon leading to the trail along the Little Miami River.
While acknowledging some residents have questioned the changes, Sams said they understood the importance of planning for growth.
“They’re also realistic. They know the change is happening. They want to make sure their viewpoint on that change is heard,” he said.
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