Towne Mall site receives $2.5M for cleanup and remediation
The grant was requested by the Warren County Port Authority on behalf of the city of Middletown.
The project will abate asbestos-containing materials and demolish multiple unsafe structures, according to ODOD, and the 32-acre site will be prepared for commercial and light industrial redevelopment.
It is likely the majority of Towne Mall owned by the city will be demolished and redeveloped into a new structure or structures, according to Luis Rodriguez, assistant director of community and economic development for the city.
Part of the redevelopment plan includes keeping Planet Fitness as a tenant, though the location of the gym could move to another spot on the site in a new structure, according to Rodriguez.
An estimated 500 jobs are expected for when the redevelopment is complete at Towne Mall and adjacent businesses.
The start date for the project has not been finalized.
The city is in negotiations on a preliminary development plan with Midland Atlantic Properties for redevelopment.
Rodriguez said there is "nothing set in stone," but the city is "optimistic."
City council approved the issuance of $7.9 million in 30-year bonds to fund part of the acquisition cost in its June 3 meeting.
The bonds will cover a bond anticipation note, or BAN, issued last August to fund the acquisition on a temporary basis.
The previous BAN was approximately $7.5 million. The new amount of $7.9 million "reflects the rolling over of outstanding interest," according to a city staff report.
The BANs are meant to be a "temporary situation as the city works to execute a final development agreement for the site that will pay off most or all of the outstanding debt."
Most recently, Middletown hosted a Towne Mall liquidation auction, featuring items that were left in stores when the city bought the 380,000-square-foot site in July 2024 for $10 million.
Purchasing the mall was part of an effort to guide what goes on the land in the middle of surging Interstate 75 development.
Since then, Middletown has hosted a Town Hall at the Towne Mall, which was attended by approximately 80 people; a city council strategic work session; and a request for qualifications, or RFQ, presentation — all with the purpose of redeveloping the site and listening to what the community wants.
A total of $57.7 million for 34 cleanup/remediation projects was announced alongside the $2.5 million for the Towne Mall site as part of the 10th round of funding since the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program was created in 2021.
"Over the years, we've helped transform hundreds of unsafe, blighted and abandoned sites into new centers of opportunity across Ohio," said Governor Mike DeWine. "Through this program, we're building stronger, safer neighborhoods and turning yesterday's liabilities into tomorrow's assets."
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