Latest news with #LuisRodriguez
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Towne Mall site receives $2.5M for cleanup and remediation
Jun. 11—The former Towne Mall site in Middletown has received a $2.5 million boost from the Ohio Department of Development for cleanup and remediation in preparation for a substantial redevelopment project. 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."
Miami Herald
13-03-2025
- Miami Herald
Hialeah wants to spruce up pedestrian bridge with painted pink flamingos, nod to racetrack
Hialeah is moving forward with plans to refurbish a more than 60-year-old pedestrian bridge that connects to Miami Springs. The proposed design shows painted pink flamingos, a nod to the large colony at the Hialeah race track, as well as other birds in flight perched above the columns. Landscaping and ground cover below will include native and sustainable plants. 'Hialeah is turning 100 next year and we want key features of the city to shine alongside new additions,' the project's proposal says. An estimated 62,000 vehicles, on a daily basis, whisk under the 1,400-long prefab concrete pedestrian bridge that crosses U.S. 27 at Red Road, or Okeechobee Road and West Fourth Avenue, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. The city awarded a $64,021 contract last September to R.J. Behar, a Fort Lauderdale-based infrastructure contractor, for engineering plans and permitting work. The vote was 6-0, with Council Member Luis Rodriguez absent. A spokesperson for Behar said the project is under review by the Florida Department of Transportation as it involves a state road. FDOT said Wednesday the agency is reviewing Hialeah's request. 'We have received a Community Aesthetic Feature request from the City of Hialeah,' said FDOT spokeswoman Cynthia Turcios. Such a request involves 'an enhancement installed within the Department's right of way to represent or reflect the surrounding community's identity, culture, and values,' according to the agency. FDOT will meet with Hialeah officials on March 20 to discuss comments provided by state transportation officials, Turcios said. If necessary, the city may have to revise its plans based on the agency's suggestions. Following the review, Hialeah most likely will advertise the project by the end of April with a contract expected to awarded in the fall, a Behar spokesperson said. 'The beautification of the Okeechobee pedestrian bridge is vital to one of the initiatives that the city is spearheading, the expansion of our city's connectivity,' Hialeah Councilman Jesus Tundidor said. It is unclear whether Miami Springs has plans to spruce up its portion of the bridge, which exits onto North Royal Poinciana Boulevard and links to parks, fishing and picnic areas, walking trails and a free shuttle that meanders about the city on an hourly loop to Hialeah. Miami Springs Mayor Maria Mitchell and council members did not return an email seeking comment. Mitchell's term ends in April and she is not seeking re-election. A few blocks west, Hialeah has also floated plans to build a pedestrian bridge underneath the Hialeah Expressway, according to Hialeah's 2050 plan draft. The new pedestrian bridge would be part of a linear park called 'Hia-Line,' according to Hialeah's 2050 plan. Plans call for creating 'a network of pedestrian paths, sidewalks and trails with safe and comfortable crossings.' Read more: Hialeah wants its own version of The Underline, a linear park called 'Hia-Line' The area under the proposed bridge is a geographic conundrum, as the land borders Miami Springs, Medley, Hialeah, unincorporated Miami-Dade County and Florida East Coast Railway property. Hialeah Mayor Esteban Bovo did not return a message asking whether the bridge would be built on county-owned land sandwiched between Medley and Miami Springs.
