Middletown City Manager Douglas Adkins

www.cityofmiddletown.org

1,400 New Retail/Service Jobs

FEBRUARY 17, 2016

When I approached this, I wanted to create a mathematical model that made it possible to reach our $3.8 million new revenue goal by 2020.  If we can do that, we can pave and do all the other city services needed each year in a sustainable fashion.

In the prior We Need New Revenues post, I laid out several sources of new revenues that would start rebuilding our ability to provide all city services in a sustainable, year to year fashion.   So now we are up to new Retail and Service positions.   I hope to create, over the next five years, 1,400 New Full Time Equivalent Retail/Service Jobs averaging $10/hr.  That, in turn, would bring in an additional $509,600 per  year in new income tax revenue.

So how do we get there?   One bite at a time.   What if, by 2020:

The Towne Mall was 70% full instead of 70% empty?    Towne Mall has added Gabes, Burlington Coat Factory, and now Planet Fitness.  We will get the benefit of those new jobs starting in 2016.   We will be announcing two new Mall businesses starting construction soon, one a large restaurant and the other a mid-sized business with multiple locations around the country.

If you drive by the mall, you’ll see that the outside ring has been paved and they are installing a new sign for the Mall entrance.   We have engaged Buxton to help us recruit retail throughout the City and we will be working with the Mall owners to help them fill the remaining mall storefronts and the outlots.  Given all of the new investment and new business within the last year, I don’t believe it is a stretch to set a goal that the mall will be at least 70% full by 2020.

Downtown was 70% full instead of 70% empty?  I keep hearing “why do we care about downtown?”  Three answers;  First, because there is a lot of potential for new business downtown; second, because downtown is one of the many city areas, like the mall, like the airport, like our open industrial and commercial areas, where there are opportunities to expand jobs and new business in the City.  To ignore any one of them leaves us operating at less than our best; and third, because most resurging older cities are seeing tremendous interest in downtown, urban living.   I try to stay up on what other cities are doing successfully across the country.  There is a renewed interest in community and downtowns around the country.  Places like Liberty Township, who don’t have a downtown, are trying to capture that interest and create a downtown feel with Liberty Center, an area with walkable streets, outside shops, and apartment living on the Center grounds.

Downtown already has a nice start.  Let’s let them finish what they’ve started.  Downtown Middletown Inc., will be completing a new Master Plan for downtown in 2016 based on the Main Street Concept.  Google it if you get a chance.  In 2015, a housing study was completed for downtown that demonstrated demand for over 1,000 new residential housing units in the next 10 years.  I’m not sure I buy into that number, but even if it is a couple hundred new condos/apartments, etc., over the next decade, there is going to be a demand for resident neighborhood services nearby.

The Butler Metroparks River Center is still on path to start construction this spring.  The $1.2 million center will offer meeting rooms and amenities along the bike path.   Speaking of the bike path, we want to look at connecting the bike path to downtown and we have gathered most of the funding to complete the bike trail between Middletown and Franklin in 2020.

Windamere Events Center is open and booking weddings.

What if Sorg Opera House got open during the next five years and was having concerts on a regular basis?

Central Tap & Pint is under construction.  Cincinnati Pizza by the Slice has bought the old Buck’s Tavern with plans to open a new location.  Liberty Spirits is planning to be open before the end of 2016.  One Bistro restaurant is seeking a permanent location downtown.  Downtown business is slowly starting to creep up Central Avenue towards University.

We have the first Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area in Ohio and hope to be utilizing it well over the next few years with music and events downtown.

The Manchester Inn and Sonshine building continue to struggle to come to fruition but I still believe there is potential to bring these projects to construction within the next few years.  I hope it will be much sooner, but these are risky projects and getting sufficient investment to start construction is taking more patience than I’m happy with, but it is what it is.

Most of this is now happening with little City support.  We started the investment by partnering with BeauVerre on their building.  We added Cincinnati State, Pendleton Arts Center and now  Windamere through city owned buildings.  Now that many of those places are established, we can get to more of a support role instead of leading the pack.

I think it is reasonable to set a goal of having downtown storefronts 70% full by 2020, with the supporting retail/service jobs associated with those new businesses.

I have one other concept for the residents to think about on downtown and other areas of town with dilapidated buildings… what do we, as a city, do with absentee owners who do not or can not take care of their buildings?  I keep hearing “let the private market take care of the situation.”  OK…then what do we do as a city when the private market fails?  Look at the old Middletown Journal building, the old library on First Avenue, and the Reed Klopp building on Central Avenue.  They are all in severe states of disrepair.  There is reason to believe that none of the existing owners have resources sufficient to stabilize and redevelop the buildings.  That means I can 1) ignore the problem until it becomes another Orman building or Rose Furniture and collapses, and then we have to take action as a public safety issue; (after billing for demolition, we foreclose and likely own the vacant lot); 2) I can abate the nuisance, bill the owner and then take ownership of the building when the owner can’t/doesn’t pay the taxes… (oops, we are owning buildings again);  or we can take action to seize the building while it is still in ok shape and try to put it back into play after spending tax dollars to stabilize, repair, etc., (oops, owning buildings again.).   I don’t have any interest in owning and redeveloping buildings.  However, there comes a time when the market fails and the city is the only one left to take action.  The question really is “when is the right time to take action and under what conditions?”  We struggle with that question often.

East End

There are 600 acres on the East End by Interstate 75.  As we add new businesses near AK Steel’s Research and Innovation Center, there is going to be a growing need for support services such as the new gas station going in at the old Putt Putt lot and a need for additional restaurants, etc., in support of Atrium, AK Steel, and other new businesses.

Commercial Shopping Centers

Finally, we have many shopping centers around town in various stages of repair and vacancy.  I will be reaching out to the owners and property managers over time with an invitation to partner with owners to make repairs and clean up of those properties in return for the City using Buxton to assist them in filling empty spaces.  There are certainly opportunities all over town to add local, regional, and national retailers to those properties.  The City of Columbus has a nice program to assist local business owners and we’ll be looking at how we could adapt that program here.

Just between Gabe’s, Burlington Coat Factory and Planet fitness you have a couple hundred new jobs. Getting 1,400 new jobs won’t be a sprint.  It will be a marathon.  15 jobs here.  50 jobs there.  Every large restaurant helps.  Every mom and pop shop helps.  Every retailer recruited to fill an empty shopping center helps.  We take advantage of opportunities and do the right thing every day and we can hit this number.

Have a great day!

 

Adkins: "I hope to create, over the next five years, 1,400 New Full Time Equivalent Retail/Service Jobs averaging $10/hr"

Nope, not what we need. People can't make it on this wage unless they work two of these jobs or a husband/wife combo. Why are you lowering the bar by wanting the lower paying jobs? Oh, these jobs need to offer benefits too.

Adkins: "I keep hearing “why do we care about downtown?” Three answers; First, because there is a lot of potential for new business downtown; second, because downtown is one of the many city areas, like the mall, like the airport, like our open industrial and commercial areas, where there are opportunities to expand jobs and new business in the City"

Man, you are so wrong on this one.

If this potential were true, don't you think it would have happened by now given the time, effort and taxpayer millions that have been wasted so far without a noticeable positive difference? This "downtown development" has been going on since the 70's. There you go again making the same mistake that the downtown supporters have been making for years......NOTE: THE DOWNTOWN IS NOT THE PRIMARY FOCAL POINT FOR BRINGING THIS TOWN BACK. Never has been since all the interest went out east in 1958 with the Middletown Shopping Center leading the way on out to I-75. THAT is the focal point area of interest now Adkins. Has been since the 60's. You dam downtown supporters are going to force fit this notion that the downtown is the center of activity despite overwhelming evidence that it never has been. NOTE: The downtown development happens when everything else has been taken care of. It is one of the last focal points of revitalization for this town to recover and is far down the list as to priorities.

Adkins: "The Butler Metroparks River Center is still on path to start construction this spring. The $1.2 million center will offer meeting rooms and amenities along the bike path.   Speaking of the bike path, we want to look at connecting the bike path to downtown and we have gathered most of the funding to complete the bike trail between Middletown and Franklin in 2020"

Mercy will you people let this bike path crap alone. When it is all done, it will only cater to < 3% of the population and won't even approach the level of interest generated versus the money spent to appease that 3%. This is further down the list of importance than the downtown development.

Adkins: "What if Sorg Opera House got open during the next five years and was having concerts on a regular basis?"

At the rate it's going, it may never open. It is another Rose Building stalemate situation where there was initial interest tailing off to no interest nor funds at all. Try getting excited about something that has a chance of happening in the next decade where effort and interest is maintained to completion.

Adkins: "Windamere Events Center is open and booking weddings"
And what kind of revenue is this generating for the city? Bet not enough to draw any reaction.

Adkins: "We have the first Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area in Ohio and hope to be utilizing it well over the next few years with music and events downtown"
We already have a music event downtown. It's called the Broad St Bash and it is successful by Middletown standards. Des. Outdoor Refres Area?   TBD... Will this really have any impact what-so-ever in downtown development? Another "wing and a prayer" episode.

Gee Doug, your article tries it's best to be uplifting but is not effective as it is too full of lackluster speculation, hopes and whims. In other words, more of the same rhetoric we have heard from other city managers and leaders leading to abysmal failures that fade away in time, only to be resurrected elsewhere by more city official jargon, which, again, goes nowhere. Show us something. Be the first city manager to actually make what you suggest happen. Otherwise, it is just the same old skip in the record and will remain that way until you produce on your dreams.

No credit as yet. You don't get credit before you begin. He is providing rhetoric and ideas. So have many others before him. Until something actually happens, it remains just talk and a game plan. Some may even call it pipe dreaming. We're not there naming it that just yet but could if it trends toward the "nothing is happening" status in a year or two.

As of now, your positive feelings about the man are a tad bit premature and will remain as such until we see some of his ideas placed into action. You'll have to forgive me (some of us long time residents) but we have seen and heard it all before and it will take some actual activity to convince us to change the tune. The idle talk wore thin years ago.

Unless I'm missing something all of Doug's projections don't seem to account for any job loss.  What are the odds that the next 5 years will see no layoffs and no companies moving out of town?