Tony Marconi Calls Out MiddleotwnUSA Bloggers

 

Are you and Armbruster the cause for all of Middletown’s problems? Of course not, but you don’t seem to be doing anything to help fight the death of a once great city. If you and Jim are reelected, things will go right back to where they were before the campaign season began. No one will hear from you. There will be no Town Hall meetings and Jim will go back to sitting in a daze as he always did.

 

For all newcomers: welcome to Middletown, please meet our great City Council, I hope you didn’t come hear to open a business or find a job. But if you need a section 8 house we have you covered.  

DATE: February 10, 2006	PUBLICATION: Middletown Journal (OH)	SECTION: B PAGE: 1

Plans for a nearly $2 million renovation of the Castell Building on Central Avenue has raised some eyebrows of other downtown business owners. The project, which was approved Wednesday by the Planning Commission in a 4-2 vote, would include commercial space in the building's first floor and up to 24 for-rent residential units of varying sizes all less than 750 square feet.

"I just believe in downtown," said 3rd Ward Councilman Anthony Marconi, whose company floated the proposal to the city's Planning Commission.

Although he is a partner of M & D Central Properties, Marconi - who also is the City Council liaison to the Planning Commission - listened quietly Wednesday while his partner, Ron Decker, delivered the presentation for the building that once was part of the enclosed City Centre Mall.

Planning Commission members Perry Thatcher and Tom Williams cast the dissenting votes.

The renovation plan, which calls for six studio apartments and 18 one-bedroom apartments, has nearby business owners concerned over the proposed size of the units, which range from 540 to 740 square feet.

"If it's professional people (living there), then I'm 150 percent for it," said Jay Moorman, co-owner of BeauVerre-Riordan stained glass studio, which occupies a nearby Central Avenue building. "But if it's low income, then I'm not.

"The message that we got when we took this undertaking was that it was going to be upscale," he said. "(500 square feet) is about the size of a motel room."

Although the city has a 1,000-square-foot minimum requirement for multi-family residential units, Decker said Wednesday it's unlikely the proposal would change.

Part of the plan for the new development includes amendments to the city's minimum requirements because it would be located in an urban setting.

"If we had to approach numbers like that (1,000-square-foot units), it's going to kill this," Decker said. "We are not in that type of environment. You might be able to do that in downtown Cincinnati, but not in downtown Middletown."

The project will go before City Council later this month for a requested change to the area's zoning.

"This building, at least architecturally, has a prominence downtown," said Planning Director Marty Kohler. "This is a fairly key building that we would like to see developed."

Contact Dave Greber at (513) 705-2840, or e-mail him at dgreber@coxohio.com