Lisha Morlan, director of community and economic development, presented updates at Tuesday’s council meeting.
Towne Mall
The city is in preliminary development negotiations with Midland Atlantic Properties for redevelopment of the site of the former Towne Mall.
City staff are working through a letter of engagement and development agreement draft with the developer, and a commercial mixed-use residential and retail development is planned.
Recently, the site received $2.5 million from the Ohio Department of Development for cleanup, remediation, asbestos abatement and demolition.
An April liquidation sale featured items left in stores when the city bought the mall in 2024.
Middletown residents offered input on the redevelopment of the mall in February.
Renaissance Pointe
The city’s major East End development, Renaissance Pointe, is being finalized for its first phase of infrastructure.
Final development plans for Sheetz and Gateway Lofts were approved by planning commission, and Sheetz permits for construction are under review.
Gateway Lofts, to be developed by Hallmark Communities, will bring 288 apartments to Renaissance Pointe.
Middletown recently received $1.8 million from Ohio to help with street development and paving in the development area.
The Butler County Finance Authority and Middletown Port Authority entered into a $500,000 “cooperative agreement” to strengthen regional economic development coordination across the county.
Downtown refresh
The city is actively working to re-shop city-owned properties in and around the downtown corridor.
A public survey was conducted earlier this year on what the community wanted to see downtown and two sessions of town hall meetings were held in March.
Questions on the survey included:
- What types of goods or services do you typically go outside of downtown Middletown to find?
- In what ways do you believe the redevelopment of downtown Middletown will benefit the City of Middletown?
A Downtown Refresh community working group was held on June 12 and another is planned for June 26.
Downtown building walk-through assessments for environmental and structural concerns were completed in May 2025.
Feedback from site visits by potential developers will be gathered and presented to council.
East End
Construction of a $1 million sewer main extension along Union Road is expected to be completed soon.
The city was recently accepted into 2025 Duke Site Readiness Program, with a potential $10,000 grant with no city match, which would target approximately 90 acres of Union Ren Farms.
Additional East End areas that the city is interested in developing include:
- MAD River Investments (~200 acres)
- LATS site (~80 acres)
- North Pointe (~20 acres)
A junior ice hockey league is close to inking a deal to build an area in the city’s East End.
A community grocer and health clinic has a targeted groundbreaking in quarter two of 2026.
There is an site visit for the grocer scheduled for next week.
The project calls for a community and employee-owned cooperative grocery store offering fresh, locally sourced produce, staple groceries and foods; a health clinic providing accessible services focusing on preventative care and wellness; and a community room that is a central hub for workforce development, entrepreneurial programming, home ownership and community engagement.
Current funding for these two developments include:
- Community Development Block Grant allocation (HUD) ~$161,000
- Pat Landi Grant for $5,000
There is a funding goal of $10 million for the entire project.
Other funding sources totaling $9.4 million have been identified, including federal, state and local grants, corporate sponsorships, tenant match and council appropriated funds.
The $200,000 site acquisition cost from council can be used to match grants.
The proposed health clinic has two facilities in Middletown, though Morlan did not specify its name.
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