Posted: 7:10 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015
Middletown seeing positive
economic development efforts
By http://www.journal-news.com/staff/ed-richter/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer
MIDDLETOWN —
The
Towne Mall Galleria is continuing its rebirth with the announcement of another
new tenant, Planet Fitness.
The
gym is planning to open inside the Towne Mall sometime before Dec. 31, city
officials said. It’s the latest in a series of positive changes at the
once-struggling mall on Ohio 122 near Interstate 75 that include the repaving
of the parking lot, the opening of a new Burlington store last spring and the
future opening of a Gabriel Brothers store on Oct. 10. On top of that, several
outlot stores and restaurants such as Buffalo Wild Wings and Aspen Dental could
be future tenants.
“Little
by little, the mall is on its way back,” City Manager Doug Adkins said Tuesday.
The
news about Planet Fitness was among a list of positive economic development
news Adkins revealed during a 20 minute presentation Tuesday to the Middletown
Rotary Club. Adkins told the crowd that so many positive things were happening
in Middletown
on the business front that it would be difficult to keep his comments brief.
The
city manager outlined several key projects that are already underway in Middletown or soon will
be and pointed out the amount of investment or reinvestment being made in the
city, which values more than $700 million.
Among
the top projects are:
·
the $500 million Middletown
Energy Center,
a 500 megawatt natural gas power plant that will begin construction this fall;
·
the Middletown City Schools’ upcoming new school construction
project and renovations that are being paid for with a $95 million bond issue
approved by the voters;
·
the $36 million AK Steel Research and Innovation Center
overlooking Interstate 75 that is expected to be completed sometime in late
2016;
·
the $7 million Cohen
Electronics Recycling
Center that is expected
to open in Spring 2016;
·
the expansion of Valicor’s facilities on Cincinnati-Dayton and
Lefferson roads;
·
the $20 million Nicholas Place Apartment complex with 216 new,
market rate luxury apartments;
·
the $14 million Covenant
Village, which is a
93-bed physical therapy center;
·
and several new small businesses in and around the downtown area
including Society Gift Shop, Blue Goose Deuce Restaurant, Combs BBQ, Uptown
Country Boutique, Triple Moon Coffee Company, Emage Signs, and the newly opened
Mockingbird’s Cafe.
Adkins
said the $6 million invested for a new Burlington store that opened in a
portion of the former Dillard’s store, is on track to more than doubling its
projected sales from about $6 million to $14 million in its first year.
Other
projects Adkins cited included the $1.8 million Commerce Corner gas station,
restaurant and convenience store at Commerce Drive and Ohio 122; the proposed
$1.25 million Butler County MetroParks River Center facility to be constructed
in Spring 2016 near the Great Miami River near the Bicentennial Commons park;
the proposed $12 million to $14 million Manchester Hotel and Snider
Ford/Sonshine Building renovations to create a hotel and a brewery downtown;
and work on the $5 million renovation of the Sorg Opera House.
More
housing projects are also being planned for the Renaissance subdivision. He
said 33 homes are under construciton and 78 patio homes are being planned.
While
these projects are in the planning stages or soon will or are already under
construction, Adkins said the city’s economic development philosophy has to
focused on preparation.
“Our
philosophy centers on being prepared to do the best business for the city every
single day,” he said.
Adkins
said that preparation included hiring an additional assistant economic
development director and placing them in areas of their strengths and
expertise.
He
said key focuses of the economic development staff are site development,
incentives management, workforce development, infrastructure development,
business retention of both large and small businesses, downtown development,
small business development, and redevelopment of the city’s airport.
Adkins
said the city needs to develop standard operating procedures, a capital
improvement plan and a maintenance plan for the airport to open up aerospace
and industrial development there. He said he will meeting with FAA officials in
Detroit next
month.
“We’re
working with The Chamber (of Commerce serving Middletown,
Monroe and Trenton)
on workforce development,” Adkins said. “With Butler County’s
unemployment rate at about 5 percent, workforce development is our most
critical need because the first thing a business wants to know if there is
access to an available workforce.”
Other
procedural things are being streamlined, such as developing a one-page
break-even incentive sheet to make quick determinations of what might be
available for a company; working with City Council on what level of income tax
and fee rebates would be available to a business; and working in partnership
with the Middletown and Franklin school boards on possible property tax
abatements would be appropriate for new projects.
Adkins
said the city is also using new tools such at the Port Authorities in Butler
and Warren counties; the Butler County Land Bank; working with Middletown
Moving Forward to create a reinvestment fund for gap financing of projects
needing additional capital to get a project underway; rewriting the city’s
50-year-old zoning code; improving traffic flow in the city; improving
interchange gateways
Major
projects for Middletown
Middletown Energy
Center, $500 million
Middletown
City Schools, $95 million
AK
Steel Research and Innovation
Center, $36 million
Cohen Electronics
Recycling Center, $7 million
Nicholas
Place Apartment complex, $20 million
Towne
Mall Galleria, $6 million
Covenant Village, $14 million
Source: City of Middletown
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