Four area economic development entities will form a partnership to market and hopefully sell land in the area of Ninth Street, U.S. 52 and State Route 93 in Ironton.

The Ironton Port Authority, The Lawrence County Port Authority, the Lawrence Economic Development Corporation and the Ironton-Lawrence County Community Action Organization got the blessing of the Lawrence County Commission Thursday to form a limited liability corporation.

CAO Assistant Director Ralph Kline said forming the partnership will hopefully make development easier because it will allow parties interested in all or part of the roughly six acres of land to deal with one entity.

Right now the land in question includes the former Dennis J. Boll Group and Shelter property and the Lawrence County garage property, both of which are owned by the county, and the old National Guard Armory which is owned by the I.P.A.

The group home was recently moved to the old Rock Hill Middle School/Mended Reeds site in Elizabeth Township and the county garage could be moved to the old state garage site on South Sixth Street.

“I think we’ve seen interest from developers wanting to locate in that area,” Kline said.

Commissioners supported the idea.

“I think we’re moving in the right direction. We have developments at both intersections,” Commissioner Doug Malone said, referring to this project and the construction of a medical facility at State Route 141.

Kline said demolition of structures at that site has already begun; one house has been torn down to make way for the St. Mary’s Medical Center.