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409 View Drop Down
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    Posted: Feb 23 2015 at 2:29pm
MJ:
AK Steel to build $36M research facility in Middletown
By Ed Richter

Staff Writer
WEST CHESTER TWP. —
AK Steel announced today it will build a $36 million research and innovation center in Middletown.

The new 120,000-square-foot center will replace the company’s existing research facility that is also located in Middletown. The new center will be constructed on a 15-acre site located in the Cincinnati-Dayton growth corridor along Interstate 75, according to the company.

“Construction of this new Research and Innovation Center underscores AK Steel’s strong commitment to the future of steelmaking in America and to our company’s continued industry leadership as a technological innovator in the steel business,” said James L. Wainscott, Chairman, President and CEO of AK Steel, in a press release. “The new center will be customer-focused, providing advanced technical support to our valued customers, as well as developing new and improved steel products for a number of our markets.”

The new facility will be home to the company’s approximately 75 researchers, scientists and engineers. The facility will also house pilot lines that simulate the company’s steel manufacturing operations, ranging from melting and casting, to hot- and cold-rolling, to final finishing. The pilot lines are used for research, enhancing existing products, problem-solving in production, and experimentation for new and improved products, according to the company.

Groundbreaking for the new center is planned for late spring or early summer. The project is subject to final state and local government approvals.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spiderjohn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 23 2015 at 2:37pm
Great news for everyone, and a correct call by fact guy!
One good thing usually leads to another
Any truth to the rumor of a marijuana facility coming helped seal the deal?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Factguy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 24 2015 at 1:45pm
Don't be surprised if the city doesn't come around once the calculation on the wholesale tax is done. The split between Warren County and Butler, and Middletown and Franklin, dilute the cumulative effect to Middletown. While the east end has potential, several in the city building are beginning to see development dowtown and the west end across the river, has significant potential.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Stanky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 24 2015 at 2:50pm
Does someone have details on this Butler/Warren and Midd/Franklin dynamic? Does revenue generated in Middletown have to be shared with Warren County?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acclaro Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 24 2015 at 3:15pm
Without doing extensive research, I believe annexation which involves the two counties and cities works something like this. Payroll taxes collected is shared, and property taxes, for a for profit entity, goes to the county and school district the property physically sits. If AK moves to the area east of 75, Warren would gain the property tax and the school district, as would Franklin, and Middletown and Franklin split payroll taxes. Hence, it would appear a net loss for Middletown and Butler county, as the site currently is in Middletown. The Atrium being a non profit, pays no property tax.

As an AKS shareholder, I am uncertain why this move is warranted, or rather, the benefit of investing in the property, than leasing it. I have heard the Research and Development group is aged, many engineers nearing retirement, thus AKS wanted it to be near the highway for ease of living outside Middletown (employees). I also understand as the site does a mini run of an actual plant, there are EPA requirements which made buying property critical, and also being in an area where pollution concerns (spills/ leaks) tolerable. As the company has not made profit in 5 years, not seeing why the capital is being invested as the current site works well. But, if they need a younger work force, it is plausible that drove the move.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Stanky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 24 2015 at 3:47pm
Well, it's not 600+ jobs like Hamilton, but it is not bad news either.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acclaro Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 24 2015 at 4:07pm
There is a net sum gain of approximately 15 jobs with the 75 move, of which these 15, are hourly customer service positions, peppered with perhaps two that are salaried at about 42,000. annual. Factor in loss of taxes, and its really nothing of substance. Unless of course, if the Balanced Scorecard is the city did not lose the 75 jobs. That appears to be the baseline, it could have been 75 jobs loss. So....its a win. Just not seeing the traction anywhere in Middletown, period. With the cold weather, how are those downtown restaurants holding on. The potholes are deeper than ever after the harsh snow. Holding on is not winning.   
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 409 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 24 2015 at 5:06pm
Originally posted by Stanky Stanky wrote:

Well, it's not 600+ jobs like Hamilton, but it is not bad news either.

StarTek is bringing 682 jobs to Hamilton.
Unbeknownst to most, StarTek toured Middletown last July on a city bus and looked at the 44,000+ sq.ft. former First Financial data center.
Although most jobs were not high paying, Middletown missed this boat.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 24 2015 at 7:02pm
409
That building is in a rather strange location and I don't believe that location has the required parking spaces.
They will have the use of the big parking garage in Hamilton.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 24 2015 at 7:07pm
Acclaro
I believe that most of the research dept already live south of Middletown. 
I was told that the current location did not reflect the image that AK needed.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 409 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 24 2015 at 7:46pm
Originally posted by Vivian Moon Vivian Moon wrote:

409
That building is in a rather strange location and I don't believe that location has the required parking spaces.
They will have the use of the big parking garage in Hamilton.

Viv...Correct...Leasing spaces at the old K-Mart center and using a shuttle was discussed.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 24 2015 at 8:40pm
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I was thinking about the parking problem downtown the other day. It's a shame we still do not have the large parking garage in the downtown area. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote trimtab Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 25 2015 at 10:56am
must be time to get out of the stock market.

whenever AK Steel announces an new research facility (see 2007 for the last one - similar size and location) the market crashes, credit gets tight and the project gets scrapped.

just offering a little history.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 25 2015 at 1:36pm

Posted: 8:03 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015

AK Steel’s past research legacy becomes its future

By Rick McCrabb and Ed Richter

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN 

    AK Steel Corp. considered many factors before deciding to locate its $36 million research and innovation center in the city where the company was founded more than a century ago. And in the end, company officials say remaining in Middletown was the best choice to address the steelmaker’s needs for the 21st century and beyond.

    In 1910, AK Steel’s predecessor company, Armco, Inc., established the first facility in the steel industry devoted entirely to research, and the company has been on the leading edge of steel technology and innovation ever since.

    According to AK Steel, many of its products and processes developed by the company throughout its history include pioneering the world’s first continuous hot rolling sheet mill in the 1920’s. The company’s research also led to the development of various types of electrical steels used in power transmission and distribution equipment. In the 1990s, the company helped revolutionize the automotive exhaust market with the introduction of specific types of aluminized stainless steels.

    In recent years, AK Steel introduced an Advanced High Strength Steel designed to improve safety and light weighting of structural components in vehicles. In 2014, a new nickel-free stainless steel with enhanced benefits and stable pricing for customers in the automotive and food service markets was introduced.

    Barry Racey, AK Steel’s director of government and public relations, said the current Research and and Technical Services center at 705 Curtis St. was dedicated on Nov. 5, 1937, and in 1961, the building was more than doubled in area.

He said the current building has served the company well for many years and has been an outstanding research facility with an extensive array of equipment. However, Racey said the new Research and Innovation Center will help AK achieve its mission of serving its customers better than any other steelmaker by providing advanced technical support, continually improving the company’s existing product offerings, and developing new and innovative steel products for a number of markets.

    Once the new research center opens, it will replace the company’s existing and only research facility on Curtis Street. Racey said AK’s entire research function will vacate that building when the new building is available. He said the company hopes the Curtis Street building will continue to be utilized and will be working to find an occupant.

    Racey said strong proposals were considered from a number of locations, including several in other states and that they are “very pleased that Middletown - where our company was founded more than 100 years ago - emerged as the clear best option for this investment in AK Steel’s future.”

Racey said there were many factors that were considered and evaluated during its selection process including proximity to AK Steel’s manufacturing facilities, general business climate, and incentives. However, he declined to provide any details on the other locations that were considered and said the company preferred not to discuss the planning process for the new project.

“We believe that the (Middletown) site is excellent for our needs - it is conveniently located near Interstate 75, in the Cincinnati-Dayton growth corridor,” he said. “It is near our largest manufacturing plant, which is a real plus because our researchers and operations people work hand-in-hand on many projects.”

Racey said the new facility is also in great proximity to AK’s other plants, including the company’s most recent acquisition, Dearborn Works, located near Detroit, and is only 15 miles north of AK’s corporate headquarters in West Chester Township.

    A world leader in the production of flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steel products, AK Steel is Butler County’s third-largest employer with a total of 2,400 full-time employees at its Middletown Works steel plant and corporate headquarters in West Chester Twp.

    The 120,000 square-foot state of the art facility will be located on a 15-acre site in the city’s Renaissance district fronting I-75 west of Union Road and north of the Atrium Medical Center campus. Pending final state and local government approvals, the company said a groundbreaking for the new center is planned for late spring or early summer.

    In its announcement Monday, AK said the facility will also house pilot lines that simulate the company’s steel manufacturing operations, ranging from melting and casting, to hot- and cold-rolling, to final finishing. The pilot lines are used for research, enhancing existing products, problem-solving in production, and experimentation for new and improved products, according to the company.

    Racey said the new facility offers an excellent location and work environment for AK Steel to attract new talented researchers, scientists and engineers in the future. Another plus is that many of the company’s talented researchers, scientists and engineers already live in the Middletown area, he said.

    The approximately 75 researchers, scientists, and engineers who currently work at AK’s existing research center at 705 Curtis St., will transfer to the new building, he said. The company expects to add about 15 new full-time research positions by the end of 2018. City officials said AK Steel has not made a decision on the future of the Curtis Street facility after the new center opens.

    “Finally, we have been very appreciative of the enthusiastic support that local, regional and state government officials and economic development agencies have given to us during the site selection process,” Racey said. “Certainly, the various incentives available for this project were also an important factor.”

    Racey said Tuesday that AK is working to finalize the incentives with the city of Middletown, the Warren County Port Authority and state of Ohio. He said the company anticipates they will include various real estate, sales tax, and research and development incentives, but could not discuss the details at this time, pending approval of the incentives by the state and local governments.

    Denise Hamet, city economic development director, said various incentives are being negotiated and need to proceed through the appropriate channels.

    City officials see the new center as a signature corporate presence within Middletown’s Renaissance District and anchoring the district’s research and technology campus as it will built along I-75, one of the most traveled roads in the nation’s interstate system. Mayor Larry Mulligan Jr. said he expects project to draw state and national attention to show that Middletown has great opportunities for growth and expansion.

    City Manager Doug Adkins called the new center, “a home run for the city,” and expects it to be an anchor to spur development on the East End.

“This is the perfect project to boost East End development since the economic recession of 2008,” Rick Pearce, president/CEO of The Chamber Serving   Middletown, Monroe and Trenton. “We are very excited that AK has chosen Middletown for the new location for their Research & Innovation Center. This may just may be the catalyst that is needed for other investors/developers to spark other projects on both sides of the interstate.”

    AK Steel Holding Corp.’s stock price rose more than 4 percent in trading Tuesday to close at $4.50 per share, compared to a closing price per share of common stock Monday of $4.32.


About AK Steel Corp.

AK Steel is a world leader in the production of flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steel products, primarily for automotive, infrastructure and manufacturing, construction and electrical power generation and distribution markets. The company employs approximately 8,000 men and women at eight steel plants, two coke plants and two tube manufacturing plants across six states: Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. AK Steel is Butler County’s third-largest employer is Butler County’s third-largest employer with a total of 2,400 full-time employees at its Middletown Works steel plant and corporate headquarters in West Chester Twp.

Source: AK Steel Corp.

AK Steel Corp.’s research history

In 1910, AK Steel’s predecessor company, Armco, Inc., established the first facility in the steel industry devoted entirely to research, and the company has been on the leading edge of steel technology and innovation ever since.

According to AK Steel, many of its products and processes developed by the company throughout its history include pioneering the world’s first continuous hot rolling sheet mill in the 1920’s. The company’s research also led to the development of various types of electrical steels used in power transmission and distribution equipment. In the 1990s, the company helped revolutionize the automotive exhaust market with the introduction of specific types of aluminized stainless steels.

In recent years, AK Steel introduced ULTRALUME®, an advanced high strength steel designed to improve safety and light weighting of structural components in vehicles. In 2014, CHROMESHIELD® 22, a new nickel-free stainless steel with enhanced benefits and stable pricing for customers in the automotive and food service markets was introduced.

The current Research and and Technical Services center at 705 Curtis St. was dedicated on Nov. 5, 1937, and in 1961, the building was more than doubled in area.

AK said the current building has served the company well for many years and has been an outstanding research facility with an extensive array of equipment. However, the new Research and Innovation Center will help AK achieve its mission of serving its customers better than any other steelmaker. The company said the new center is being specifically designed to meet AK’s customer needs today and for the future, and supports its efforts to: provide advanced technical support to our valued customers; continually improve our existing product offerings; and, develop new and innovative steel products for a number of AK’s markets.

Once the new research center opens, it will replace the company’s current and only research facility at 705 Curtis St. At that time, AK’s entire research function will vacate that building when the new building is available. The company hopes the Curtis Street building will continue to be utilized and will be working to find an occupant. As of Tuesday, AK said it is too early to tell exactly what will happen to that building.

Source: AK Steel Corp.

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Factguy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 25 2015 at 2:02pm
AKS did not consider any other sites, a lateral move. The city is making progress but this is one we can't call a 'home run', as much as I respect and trust in Doug Adkins abilities.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar 01 2015 at 8:01am

Posted: 12:00 a.m. Sunday, March 1, 2015

McCrabb: City learned from its mistakes

By Rick McCrabb

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN 

    Eight years and three days later, the news from AK Steel Corp. was much brighter.

    On Feb. 20, 2007, when AK Steel Corp. announced it would be moving its Curtis Street headquarters and transferring 300 employees to West Chester Twp., Lawrence Mulligan was a fresh face on Middletown City Council, recently appointed to fill the unexpired term of William “Kippy” Moore.

    He remembers that dark period in the city’s history well, even if he — like others on City Council — was blindsided by the steelmaker’s announcement.

    “The bigger hit was to our psyche,” said Mulligan, now the city’s mayor. “There are a lot of emotions tied to AK. We probably were caught flat-footed, and we didn’t understand their needs.”

    Mulligan said he was “disappointed,” but at the same time, he understood the business reasons given by company officials for the move: proximity to major interstates, Cincinnati’s international airport and a promising work force.

    Middletown city officials, including former City Manager Judy Gilleland and Mulligan, took immediate steps to mend the relationship between the city and AK Steel, its largest employer, its economic engine.

    Periodically, they made business retention visits to check on the needs and concerns of AK Steel leaders, including James L. Wainscott, AK chairman, president and CEO, through informal conversations and formal meetings.

    Mulligan called it “a changing approach” noting before there could have been “better communications.”

No one wanted a repeat of 2007, which occurred simultaneously with the lockout that kept 1,800 International Association of Machinists and Aerospace     Workers Local Lodge 1943 employees from working for more than one year at Middletown Works.

    The lockout nearly crippled the city and the corporate office move cost the city about 300 high-paying jobs and between $500,000 and $850,000 in earnings taxes per year, according to city officials.

    Multiply that number by seven years the next time you run over a pothole or the city cuts its public safety budget.

    Mulligan said it was “a new day” for the city and AK Steel, and he didn’t want to rehash the past.

    “We have to put our best foot forward and advance,” he said. “You win on some and you lose some other opportunities.”

    Monday was a win for the city. Midway through a summit at Atrium Medical Center to discuss the “heroin epidemic” that has strangled the area, Mulligan stood up and announced that AK Steel had agreed to build a $36 million research and innovation center in the city. The 120,000-square-foot center will replace the company’s existing, nearly century old research facility on Curtis Street.

    The new center will be built west of Union Road and I-75 on open ground behind the Bickford of Middletown Assisted Living and Memory Care facility and just north of the Atrium Medical Center campus.

    Mulligan said discussions with AK Steel about building a new research center in Middletown, though in Warren County, began years ago. AK officials said they were recruited by city officials in other states, but in the end, they chose Middletown.

    It’s a decision, that year’s from now, may prove to be pivotal in the revitalization of the city. Some have said the research center will draw other high-tech businesses to the city’s East End, which will increase the city’s payroll taxes.

    Gilleland said the research project demonstrates AK’s confidence in the economy, a “great sign” for the city, and it displays AK’s commitment to Middletown.

    “The success of Middletown is greatly linked to the success of AK Steel,” said Gilleland, who added the city, Butler and Warren counties and the state worked “diligently” with AK to bring this project to fruition.

    She also called AK Steel the “cornerstone” of the community and region because it employs 2,400 full-time people; there are many steel-related businesses located in Middletown and around the region; and those businesses provide jobs for a significant segment of the Middletown population.

    Mulligan was asked to rank AK Steel’s decision to other positives in the city: the building of SunCoke, the $500 million proposed NTE Energy Plant and the East End redevelopment.

    He played it safe.

    “It’s right up there,” he said, sounding like a mayor.

    Then he turned from mayor to baseball manager: “If you get the base hits and do the basics right, you will have successes. You won’t win every game, every challenge, but we got to do the basics right and get it right. It’s a nice win for us.”

    Some wins — even those eight years later — just take longer than others.

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar 01 2015 at 12:10pm
Mulligan: “The bigger hit was to our psyche,” said Mulligan, now the city’s mayor. “There are a lot of emotions tied to AK. We probably were caught flat-footed, and we didn’t understand their needs.”

"Middletown city officials, including former City Manager Judy Gilleland and Mulligan, took immediate steps to mend the relationship between the city and AK Steel, its largest employer, its economic engine."

Let's see. THE major employer in town. THE company that defined Middletown. THE company that has built much of this town........and Mulligan's council and then city manager Gilleland kinda "lost them for a while" and "reconnected" with them? Seriously? The city leaders ignored the principal revenue creator and put them on the back burner knowing the importance they play here?

“The success of Middletown is greatly linked to the success of AK Steel,” said Gilleland, who added the city, Butler and Warren counties and the state worked “diligently” with AK to bring this project to fruition.
    She also called AK Steel the “cornerstone” of the community and region because it employs 2,400 full-time people; there are many steel-related businesses located in Middletown and around the region; and those businesses provide jobs for a significant segment of the Middletown population.

Certainly didn't seem like they were that important in 2007 when they packed up and left.


"It’s a decision, that year’s from now, may prove to be pivotal in the revitalization of the city. Some have said the research center will draw other high-tech businesses to the city’s East End, which will increase the city’s payroll taxes"

Look back in the pages of this forum and you will see that some of us have been touting this idea for well over 5 years now. Many of us talked about high-tech jobs boosting the city revenue through business and payroll taxes for a long time now. And we're just now hearing this from the city leaders as if it is their idea and it was just conceived? Kinda late for taking credit for this boys and girls. The folks here are way ahead of you on so many fronts.

I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acclaro Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar 01 2015 at 3:59pm
Lets turn the Journal article akin the a Star magazine or National Enquirer piece, more like one the Wall Street Journal would have written about the R & D center.

If Middletown had anything to offer, specifically as the city has spent millions of dollars downtown, AKS would not move the center, as it would view positively the money put into that area, and the promise the city made regarding that effort.

Here's the reality. AKS wants to move to a site near on off exit 75, as it can attract employees easily regardless of where their preference to live. AKS knows few of their future employees will desire to live in Middletown, so the move off the highway while interest rates are so low, is logical. Logical but alarming, if a shareholder, when AKS hasn't broken 10.00/share in 3 years, while the market has been booming with low interest rates artificially uplifting the stock market.

As AKS also has prototype pilot lines, there is a degree of concern associated with EPA, as well as other communities which it would find resistance, in a site that a by-product of its research is of concern in waste and pollution, including some toxins.

When factoring in the dilution of tax benefits, and a minor addition of maybe 15 employees, this is a net loss for the city of Middletown, other than one could argue they could have lost it all. That was highly unlikely, as they'd have to relocate employees, and West Chester doesn't have the acres for what was required. No site around Ashland would have been a consideration as it is very rural, as is the locale in Indiana. At the end of the day, they moved to stay within proximity of the Works for testing and interface with the plant. And, they are positioned in the future, if built, for new engineers living outside Middletown, that won't mind the easy interstate drive. There was absolutely no alternative site considered.

That's the true reality of the move, as opposed to McCrabb's whopper on the new day beginning with the innovation center. The move was to position the company for future recruitment of new engineers that would not desire to drive through Middletown to get to work.

If it wasn't for the pension liability, AKS would have been acquired some time ago. 
'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar 01 2015 at 5:00pm
Ahhh Acclaro...once again you have hit the nail on the head with the truth of your statement.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote over the hill Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar 01 2015 at 7:06pm
I love the "spin" game coming from Mulligan. You bet you were cought "flat footed" on AK and sooo many other things in this town. JMO
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Perplexed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar 01 2015 at 7:28pm
Right you are, Viet Vet. Your opinions are greatly valued.
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More crap from the Journal...

Middletown’s focus: Develop all areas of the city


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By Ed Richter

Staff Writer
MIDDLETOWN —
Where should city officials primarily focus their economic development attention, the East End or Downtown?

It’s a debate that some Middletonians have been having for years, and opinions vary on what is the best strategy for developing the two parts of the city separated by only six miles.

Some residents contend that city officials are spending way too much time and taxpayer money trying to rejuvenate a downtown district that has been mostly dormant for since the 1990s. They say recent public-private projects there come at the expense of other parts of town that could use more love and attention, particularly the prime real estate areas along Middletown’s Interstate 75 interchange.

But downtown advocates say bringing back the city’s core is critical to prospering the city as a whole. And they point to successes such as Cincinnati State Middletown, the Pendleton Arts Center, Murphy’s Landing, the Canal House and other recent projects as proof that investment in downtown can work.

City officials, however, don’t see a downtown versus East End rivalry. They say Middletown needs both ends of town to be successful in order to thrive.

“One feeds off of the other,” said Denise Hamet, the city’s economic development director. “There is absolutely no reason why we can’t work all parts of the city at the same time.”

The East End got a big boost this past week with AK Steel Corp.’s announcing it plans to build a new $36 million Research and Innovation Center along Interstate 75 in the Warren County portion of the city. Middletown officials say AK’s project will be a catalyst that spurs more economic development on both sides of I-75.

Rick Pearce, president/CEO of The Chamber of Commerce Serving Middletown, Monroe and Trenton, said he doesn’t think economic development is “an either/or proposition” when it comes to downtown and the East End.

“It’s my belief Middletown can support both growth areas at the same time,” he said.

Pearce called the new AK Steel Research and Innovation Center “the perfect project to boost East End development since the economic recession of 2008.”

City Manager Doug Adkins said the East End and downtown have two completely different flavors, with the downtown focused more on becoming an arts, education and entertainment district.

Leonard Robinson, a local developer, agreed, saying the East End and downtown are “two different animals,” each needing to be fed. Robinson, who is marketing various parcels of land in the area, said while downtown did not have the space for a major development like AK’s research center, there was land on the East End near one of the busiest interstate highways in the nation to suit the companies needs. Meanwhile, he called some of the proposals to redevelop Hook Field airport “intriguing” prospects that could help downtown prosper.

City officials have started a review and update of Middletown’s zoning code as well as a review of its 2005 master plan. Middletown City Council is also expected to review what has been accomplished and what is still relevant in that plan.

Robinson said a key issue is having available land with amenities such as water and sewer service because without water and sewer, there can be no development opportunities. He said the city was wise to extend its sewer lines out under I-75 to serve Bishop Fenwick High School, the Renaissance area and the Atrium Medical Center campus.

“This opened up more land to be developed,” said Robinson, who is working with an investor to develop a new gas station and restaurant east of the I-75/Ohio 122 interchange.

Projects are under way in both locations.

Over the past several months, there have been various announcements of new projects to breathe new life into both the downtown core and the East End.

In the downtown area, projects have already been announced about the redevelopment of the former Manchester Inn and adjacent Sonshine Building being transformed into a microbrewery; the Goetz Tower being converted into apartments and retail; the former Bank One building being developed into an art gallery and an event center called Windamere; the redevelopment of the Rose Furniture property; the rehabilitation of the Sorg Mansion; the redevelopment of the Sorg Opera House; and the continued development of Cincinnati State’s Middletown campus into other downtown buildings.

Recently, the Metro Parks of Butler County announced the River Center project, a proposed recreation hub along the Great Miami River on the edge of downtown that received $1 million in state capital funding. The 3,100 square-foot River Center, which is targeted to open in 2016, will have drinking water, restrooms, reservable public meeting space to support programming and trail based recreation, as well as a ranger substation.

In addition to the new AK Steel research facility, there is plenty of development activity under way on both sides of the I-75/Ohio 122 interchange that includes the city’s East End and Renaissance East District.

Renaissance East is envisioned to be regional business center and residential area that will be a mix of commercial, office, educational, healthcare and recreational uses as well as open community gathering areas and quality neighborhoods.

According to the city, more than $312 million has already been invested in the Renaissance East district, targeting industries such as advanced materials and manufacturing, aerospace and aviation, information technology, health care and life sciences, and high-tech industrial and research and development.

Nicholas Place, a new $20 million, 216-unit multi-family apartment complex is expected to break ground later this spring on South Towne Boulevard. It will be the first new market-rate multi-family complex built in the city in nearly 30 years.

Go north on Towne Boulevard, and one can see the revival of the Towne Mall Galleria with Burlington Coat Factory set to open its newest store on March 13 in the former Dillard’s building. Burlington, a leading national off-price retailer, is expected to have 75 employees and will occupy about 58,000 square feet of the 108,000 square feet of the former Dillard’s store that closed in 2008. The remainder of that building will be used by future tenants, according to the mall’s owner.

George Ragheb, one of the principals of Bless Properties, which owns the mall, recently told the Journal-News that his group is at the right place at the right time as the nation and the region come out of the recession.

“We’re coming out of a pretty bad recession and retailers are expanding,” he said. “The market is full of different needs and some cater to different demographics. We are the best location on the highway and I think we’ll do pretty well.”

While Ragheb recently declined to comment about any specifics on possible tenants or proposed planned projects, he said there will be a lot of good news soon.

“No one thought this would happen, but we now have Burlington and that adds credibility to our story,” he said. “This is a good market.”

Ragheb believes this will create a snowball effect in helping to attract other big national tenants for the mall and said he’s talking to a number of other potential tenants.

An 11,600 square foot retail and restaurant outlot structure is being planned for construction in the southeast corner of the mall’s property. The plans submitted for the proposed new structure included a restaurant with outdoor seating, a dental clinic and two additional tenants, according to Middletown Planning Commission records.

In an architect’s rendering of what the proposed building would look like that was presented to the Planning Commission, that depicted a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant and an Aspen Dental Clinic anchoring each end. Buffalo Wild Wings has confirmed they will be opening a store in late 2015 while Aspen Dental Clinic said Middletown is in their expansion plans but did not identify a location.

Another outlot structure, a new Mattress Firm store has been constructed along the south side of the property facing Ohio 122.

Develop ALL areas of town? Again, we, on this forum, have been saying this for years. What took you so long to figure this out city leaders?

The Manchester? Sorg Opera House? The Rose building. The microbrewery. Any activity on these projects lately? Building permit taken out on the Manchester for any demo or remodeling work? Status of the Rose building? What's the status on the brewery? We all heard what wonderful things were going to happen with these buildings and we have seen absolutely nothing since the announcements. Talk....no action.

The downtown versus the East End. No comparison. 95% of the people need and are attracted to the East End. 5% (being generous here) of the people are attracted to the downtown and what it has to offer. The truth is, the downtown is being developed with the fru fru artsy crap to appease a very small contingent of people who want to play the "New York high roller wannabe, cultured society game" and it just won't play out in a blue collar, low to middle income steel town......and they want to force fit it into the downtown area, with extremely limited success. It will never fly with the majority in this city. Should take your idea to Hyde Park, Indian Hill, Centerville, Mason or Springboro. Those people like and will support that type of entertainment. Wrong idea in the wrong place people. When it's all said and done, your "cultured, yuppie, egotistic, self-righteous, highly educated, artzy theme" is still sitting right smack dab in the middle of factory worker, Chevy or Ford drivin', beer drinkin' blue-collar America, and the two shall never meet.

And ya don't need one without the other either. One needing the other is a crock. While the downtown sat dormant for decades, the East End grew and became the activity center for the people in this city. When we needed something.....groceries, entertainment, food, clothes or some building material, we all went, and continue to go to the East End. Even today, there is nothing to go downtown for in our daily lives.    
I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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acclaro View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acclaro Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar 02 2015 at 10:25am
When evaluating the east end development, virtually all that has occurred has been previous Middletown institutions that were in the west end, that moved east of interstate 75. 

CONSIDER;

Bishop Fenwick, Atrium (former MRH hospital), Casper and Casper, and now the movement of AKS R & D. With the exception of the gas station and Paychex, all that has been implemented has been existing Middletown businesses, non profits, and schools, transferring to annexed land. That sets the framework for the success of the east end. Existing buildings moved to annexed land of which the gain in revenue in property and payroll taxes, and creation of residential market demand, has not materialized.

The efforts downtown have been nothing but an effort to create something out of ashes. Vail and AKS R & D were located downtown, and are moving east. If downtown was so vibrant, the place to be, why move?

While understanding the Journal needs the quota for the local pieces printed, neither the east end nor downtown, has been the success many anticipated it would be.        
'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar 02 2015 at 11:33am
Well Acclaro let's take this a step further....in the old days a "Successful Business" was NOT a bussiness that had just opened it's doors but a business that had been in operation for more than 5 years since most new bussinesses fail within the first five years.



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