Issue 4

Middletown, Ohio Economic Development News
INSIGHTS
Issue 4 | November 2013
Downtown Revival Gains Momentum
1
2
Sorg Mansion Finds New Owners
2
Investors Eye Manchester Inn for
Redevelopment
3
Photo courtesy of The Broad Street Bash
Sorg Opera House Restoration Continues
Market Rate Housing Coming to Downtown 4
DMI Announces New Facade Grants
4
Moving Ohio Forward Removes
Housing Blight
5
Health Group Builds Rehab Center
5
Renaissance East District Continues to Evolve 6
Broad Street Bash in downtown Middletown
Cincinnati State Middletown Campus
Continues Growth
7
Ohio Means Jobs Hosts Manufacturing
Job Fair for Veterans
Downtown Revival Gains Momentum
7
Middletown Joins Project to Develop Regional
Riverfront Plan
8
Denise Hamet
Economic Development Director
[email protected]
513.425.7847
Matt Eisenbraun
Economic Development
Program Manager
[email protected]
513.705.1608
Larry Mulligan, Jr., Mayor
Daniel Picard, Vice Mayor
Ann Mort, Council Member
Joshua Laubach, Council Member
Joe Mulligan, Council Member
Anita Scott Jones, Council Member
Amy Schenck, Clerk of Council
Judy Gilleland, City Manager
City of Middletown
One Donham Plaza, Middletown, OH 45042
www.cityofmiddletown.org
M
iddletown’s city center is like many urban areas across the country. Often
taken for granted, the community is now reclaiming downtown and
working to revitalize, re-grow and reinvent this hub of the community. Why?
Because it’s the core of our city—and having a healthy center is essential for
having a strong community.
Middletown has been laying the groundwork for this downtown rebirth
one piece at a time. Now the community is beginning to see the fruits of these
labors. The area has been undergoing a strong revitalization starting with the
BeauVerre Riordan Stained Glass Studios (the oldest stained glass studio in the
United States), the Pendleton Arts Center and the opening of the Cincinnati State
Technical and Community College branch campus.
This influx of activity has led to further investment, including smaller retailers
along Central Avenue; residential
renovation/mixed-use projects such
as the former Fifth Third Bank Tower
and the former Cox Journal Building;
new restaurants such as Stained
1054 Bistro; entertainment (ongoing
renovation of the historic Sorg Opera
House); new art studios and facilities;
and the anticipated renovation of the
historic Sorg Mansion.
Visitors downtown are finding
an historic urban center offering
distinctive storefronts, clean streets
and sidewalks, the attractive
Governor’s Square, and a variety of
popular community-wide events.
BeauVerre Riordan Stained Glass Studios
Still more is to come. 
Middletown, Ohio Economic Development News
INSIGHTS
Downtown Revival
Sorg Opera House Restoration Continues
B
uilt in 1891 but shuttered in 2010, the Sorg Opera House is beginning to show
signs of new life thanks to a group of community-minded investors. In a little
more than a year since the Sorg Opera Revitalization Group (SORG) purchased the
facility, they have accomplished a lot in their efforts to restore one of Middletown’s
most historic architectural and cultural treasures.
SORG aims to bring back this grand dame to productive use—making it a majestic
performing arts venue for the community. The group also plans to create new spaces
for arts, retail, educational and commercial services within the facility—all in an effort
to make it self-sustaining.
Work has included recruiting a
board of directors to lead the project;
retaining an attorney to guide their
work and assist in applying for and
securing state and federal historic
tax credits; and holding several
cleanouts of the attached commercial
building and theater (which saved
an estimated $17,000 in professional
cleanup fees). They’ve also stabilized
the building by repairing the roof;
fixing ballroom windows; and
replacing downspouts.
Architects from Glaserworks having
been working with SORG to develop
plans and blueprints for the project.
“We’re just tweaking it,” said Chuck
Miller, chairperson of SORG. “We’re
Sorg Opera House
not going to change much.” In fact,
they’ve discovered beautiful, historic features hidden under layers of paint and
dropped ceilings—elements they plan to bring back to life.
From the beginning, SORG has considered the success of Sorg’s rebirth to be
dependent upon community participation and support. “We’ve been working
with the City and they’ve been very supportive,” said Miller. “And the Middletown
Community Foundation has been great.”
The group is currently in a “quiet fundraising” stage while they continue seeking
501(c)(3) status. “Being 501(c)(3) will greatly free up our fundraising,” added Miller.
“But one thing we’re always looking for is corporate partners who are willing to make
donations. We’ve got a variety of naming opportunities.”
In September, Duke Energy announced that its foundation has committed a total
of $35,000 to the Middletown Community Foundation to help with the opera house
revitalization in the form of a $10,000 grant and a $25,000 challenge grant. Kleingers
Engineering has donated $18,000 worth of 3-D structural scanning.
The project is an opportunity for the community to come together and continue
building on the many successes downtown. “It is encouraging to see additional private
investment in our downtown area,” said Lawrence Mulligan Jr., mayor of Middletown.
“The historic Sorg Theatre has served Middletown for more than 125 years and it’s
exciting to see progress in restoring this important piece of our history.”
Downtown Revival
Sorg Mansion Finds
New Owners
W
hen most people make their
retirement plans, it often includes
looking for a sunny beach or a smaller
home with less yard work. Not so for
Mark and Traci Barnett of Baltimore, Md.
Their love for renovating old homes
led them to purchase an important
part of Middletown’s history—
the Sorg Mansion.
The brick-and-stone Romanesque
castle was built in 1887 for $1 million
Sorg Mansion
by Paul J. Sorg, one of Middletown’s
first industrialists and multimillionaires.
The three-story, 12-bedroom, eightbathroom home features 12-foot
ceilings and fireplaces in every bedroom
on the second floor, ballroom, formal
dining room, parlor and library. The
site also includes a carriage house and
servants’ quarters.
It’s a magnificent architectural gem
located on South Main Street—in the
—Continued on page 3
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Middletown, Ohio Economic Development News
INSIGHTS
Downtown Revival
Investors Eye Manchester Inn for Redevelopment
F
our investment groups recently
toured the 91-year-old Manchester
Inn and Conference Center during a
mandatory walk-through for those
interested in buying the property
from the City. The walkthrough followed
the City of Middletown’s request for
proposal for the redevelopment of the
historic property. The City is looking
for a qualified developer to acquire
and redevelop the structure for future
productive re-use.
Some of the prospective developers
are considering turning the facility
into a combination boutique hotel/
apartment complex, with plans to draw
Cincinnati State students and families to
the complex. Denise Hamet, economic
development director for the City of
Middletown, was pleased by the number
of investors, their diversity, knowledge
and talent. She said that if everyone
works together, the groups could
produce “a very good product.”
The sale offering includes both the
hotel and a 32,000-square-foot adjacent
building. The asking price is $325,000,
and city leaders have said they’re
willing to consider investing part or all
of the purchase price back into the
“right project.”
Manchester Inn
The City acquired the Manchester Inn
in 2010 as part of a bundle of downtown
buildings purchased in preparation for
the new Cincinnati State Technical and
Community College (CSTCC) branch
campus in Middletown. However,
the hotel did not fit into CSTCC’s final
construction plans so now the City is
seeking to find the best re-use of this
important piece of Middletown’s history
that is in an area primed for growth.
The hotel is located in the town plaza
and is within walking distance of the
Great Miami River, the Great Miami
Trail, the Midpointe Library, the YMCA,
Cincinnati State, City Hall, the Forest Hills
Country Club and Sportsplex, and Smith
Park. It is one mile from Middletown
Regional Airport—home of Start
Skydiving and the internationally known
Fastrax Skydiving Team.
Proposals must be submitted by
10 a.m. on Dec. 6, 2013, to the City of
Middletown, Economic Development
Department, located at 1 Donham
Plaza, Middletown, OH, 45042.
Interested parties can contact
Denise Hamet at 513.425.7847 or
[email protected] 
Sorg Mansion Finds New Owners­­ —Continued from page 2
heart of the City’s historic district. The
Barnetts, who will be only the third
owners, plan to bring this “precious gem”
back to life.
When contemplating their retirement,
they wanted to find one last, very special
project. “We love the architecture.
You just can’t find that in new homes,”
added Traci.
Although they won’t be retiring for a
few years, the mansion captured their
interest with its impressive exterior and
well-preserved interior elements. “It’s
such a great house, we felt like we just
couldn’t pass it up,” said Traci. “There’s
nothing else out there like this place.”
That preservation is thanks to both
the longevity and care of previous
owners. The Finkelman family purchased
the home from the Sorgs in 1938 and
maintained it for 75 years before selling
it to the Barnetts in September. Rachel
Lewitt, the granddaughter of Harry A.
Finkelman, is also the real estate agent
who brokered the deal. “My grandfather
preserved the property, keeping almost
all the original features intact,” said Lewitt.
It’s a massive project, according to
Traci, but they are looking forward to
devoting their full-time care to the
restoration and “becoming a part of the
community.” 
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Middletown, Ohio Economic Development News
INSIGHTS
Downtown Revival
Market Rate Housing Coming to Downtown
N
ew market rate housing is in the
works in downtown Middletown.
The former Fifth Third Tower (also known
as Goetz Tower), which opened in 1930
as the Middletown Building and Deposit
Association, was recently purchased
The Fifth Third Tower
by Grassroots Ohio LLC. The nonprofit
development group is investing an
estimated $2.5 million to convert the
second through seventh floors into
market-rate loft apartments and renovate
the first floor into a retail location.
The group is currently lining up
funding for converting the historic,
30,000-square-foot art deco building. It
was designed by local architect Harold
W. Goetz and is the only structure of that
style in Middletown. The tower is located
across the street from the Cincinnati
State Technical and Community College
Middletown campus, which opened
in the fall of 2012 and has seen its
enrollment nearly double in just one year.
“When Cincinnati State announced
their downtown campus, that convinced
us to move ahead with the project,”
said Mike Robinette, a principle with
Grassroots Ohio. “We think the demand
for downtown housing would be there
without Cincinnati State, but that makes
it even a stronger housing project.”
Robinette said the floor plans haven’t
been defined yet, but he expects the
market-rate apartments to be between
800 and 1,200 square feet, and plans
to rent them for between $800 and
$1,200 per month. The project will be
the first residential project in downtown
Middletown, and could be a catalyst for
further revitalization.
“I think it’s transformational,” said
Denise Hamet, Middletown economic
development director. “Housing is always
one of the essential pieces to revitalizing
an urban area. It puts feet on the street.”
Robinette said the inside demolition
has already been started, but the project
probably won’t be complete until March
of 2015 because historic restorations
take longer than normal redevelopment
projects. The group will also be applying
for state and federal historic tax credits,
which can help with nearly 45 percent
of the project’s cost. Grassroots Ohio
plans to apply for the credits in March
and, if approved, construction will start
in the spring.
The project has already received some
initial financial support:
• Duke Energy, the Charlotte-based
energy provider for Ohio and
Kentucky, is giving the project a boost
with a $23,700 grant to help Grassroots
Ohio assess the redevelopment project
for predevelopment tax credits.
• The City of Middletown gave its support
for a U.S. EPA grant of more than
$13,000 for a Phase 1 Environmental
Assessment.
• The Middletown Community
Foundation gave the group a grant
to expand the South Main Historic
District to include Goetz Tower. (This
was a necessary step before the group
could apply for historic tax credits.)
• The Cincinnati Development Fund gave
them an $85,000 development loan. 
Downtown Revival
DMI Announces
New Facade Grants
S
even local businesses were
recently awarded a share of
more than $25,000 to help improve
their storefronts through the Facade
Improvement Program being managed
by Downtown Middletown Inc. (DMI).
It’s a City-funded program that
provides downtown businesses with
money to improve the exterior of
their businesses. The program uses
money the City still has from an Urban
Development Action Grant, a defunct
U.S. Housing and Urban Development
program. DMI is managing the
program for the city.
The program is set up as a matching
program through a reimbursement
process. Businesses receiving grants
through the program are required
to invest at least half the cost of the
improvement project and projects
must be completed within 18 months.
Once work is complete and bills have
been paid, the City will write a check
to the business owner for the grant
amount.
In the past two years, the program
has awarded more than a dozen grants
for an investment of nearly $100,000.
“The facade program is designed to
leverage private dollars with small
amounts of public dollars,” said Judy
Gilleland, Middletown city manager.
It’s an example of using a publicprivate partnership to help achieve
development success in today’s
economic environment. The grants
have made “a significant difference,”
according to Patrick Kay, former director
of DMI. “It’s been a really great program.
We’ve been able to leverage
$100,000 in grants into more than
$1 million in construction downtown.” 
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Middletown, Ohio Economic Development News
INSIGHTS
Moving Ohio Forward Removes Housing Blight
O
ne year into the Moving Ohio
Forward demolition program
funded by the Ohio Attorney General’s
Office, the City of Middletown has
removed 169 vacant and abandoned
homes from the Middletown housing
stock. Another 140 vacant homes are
condemned and going through the
process to be demolished, with another
50-plus homes being returned to code
compliance to avoid demolition.
The Moving Ohio Forward program
is administered locally by the Butler
County Land Reutilization Corporation,
more commonly known as a landbank.
Community Revitalization Director
Doug Adkins sits on the board of directors
for the group. Under the board’s review,
Middletown received more than $2 million
in grant funds for removal of abandoned
and blighted residential property.
The City of Middletown has utilized
a slightly different process from a
traditional landbank to remove the
foreclosed housing because City
Council policy dictates that the City
cannot take title to property, in most
circumstances. The Council prefers
to have the private market deal with
these properties, whenever possible.
The City, therefore, condemns the
vacant property through the Building
Inspection Department. The owner of
record has the choice of appealing the
demolition orders; returning the property
to code compliance; or taking no action,
which results in the City proceeding
with demolition and a demolition lien is
placed on the vacant lot.
The removal of condemned homes
in our neighborhoods is a necessary
first step for restoring healthy
neighborhoods and housing stock for
the City. The future challenge is to find
productive ways to use vacant property
once the structure is removed. Along
with adding additional green space or
utilizing in-fill housing construction in
troubled neighborhoods, other cities
have turned vacant lots into pocket
parks, neighborhood basketball courts,
off-street parking lots, public art exhibits
and community gardens.
Other communities have implemented
lot purchase programs (an Adopt-a-Lot
Program in which volunteer groups or
nonprofits assist in the maintenance
of vacant property), while others have
adopted a mow-to-own program,
whereby the adjacent owner maintains
the vacant lot eventually receiving title
to the land to increase their side yard. 
Health Group
Building Rehab
Center
Health Care Management Group is
constructing a $13 million, 93-bed
rehabilitation facility on CincinnatiDayton Road. The facility is slated
to open in late 2014 or early 2015
and could bring an estimated
150-175 jobs to the area. This will
be the Health Care Management
Group’s seventh location in Greater
Cincinnati.
The center—to be called The
Covenant Village of Middletown—
will be a transitional facility for
patients who undergo surgical
procedures such as knee and
hip replacements, and who
cannot function at home without
significant physical therapy. It’s
a natural fit for the area as the
new facility may be able to tie in
its services with the orthopedic
surgery group at the nearby Atrium
Medical Center.
Another advantage of the
location is the ample supply of
a skilled workforce due to its
proximity with the medical training
offered at the nearby Cincinnati
State Middletown, Miami University
Middletown and Greentree Health
Sciences Academy.
Part of the construction project
includes extending Hendrickson
Road across Cincinnati-Dayton
Road. It’s just one of several recent
projects that are giving that area a
fresh new appearance. 
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Middletown, Ohio Economic Development News
INSIGHTS
Renaissance East District Continues to Evolve
Schueler Group Buys Land for
Regional Business Park
The Schueler Group of Companies,
based in Lebanon, recently purchased
a 46-acre business park for developing
a new industrial and research park in
Middletown. The investment group
purchased the North Pointe Commerce
Center at the intersection of Interstate 75
and State Route 122, and will begin
marketing and developing the project.
Located near Atrium Medical Center,
the park is targeting clients in the hightech industrial and research/development
markets, as well as customers needing
medical or office space. The site offers
highway visibility with exposure to
Interstate 75 and can hold structures of
100,000 square feet or more.
The City of Middletown, in cooperation
with the Ohio Department of
Transportation, has invested $150 million
to dramatically improve the state Route
122 interchange with I-75. It’s another
step toward fulfillment of the City’s
master development plan for the area
and could potentially draw in strong new
employers to the Middletown area.
The Schueler Group currently owns
or manages more than 2,000 acres in
the tri-state region, including northern
Kentucky.
Duke Energy Helps Plan Mad
River Business Park
The City of Middletown and three sets
of landowners have taken the first step in
developing a 276-acre tract of land, sitting
alongside Interstate 75 in the Renaissance
East District. The site—currently called
the I-75 Mad River Business Park—was
recently assessed for its viability and
marketability as a business park and
earned high scores for its location,
flexible zoning and room for growth.
McCallum Sweeney Consulting, a
national site-selection consultant,
handled the assessment. The company
was contracted through Duke Energy’s
Site Readiness Program, which aims to
support the economic development
activity of cities that align with the
company’s regional growth strategy. As
part of the program, Duke could provide
up to $10,000 in matching funds to help
prepare the site for development.
The City of Middletown applied for
the Duke grant after the owners of one
of the three properties approached
them about development opportunities.
When those owners brought in two
adjoining property owners, it went
from one landowner with a site to
the makings of an industrial park.
“Middletown is largely built out, so this
is important asset for the community,”
notes Denise Hamet, Middletown
economic development director.
What makes the property so unusual
is that it is an undeveloped—but not
isolated—island, surrounded by new
developments such as the Atrium
Medical Center and Greentree
Health Sciences Center. The
location is adjacent to I-75,
midway between Dayton
and Cincinnati, and has new
development to the north and
south. In addition, electric, gas,
water and telecommunications
lines are located within 500 feet
of the park, and the Renaissance
East District has already seen
more than $300 million in recent
improvements.
Another important marketing
point is that the area is zoned
“business center flex,” which
means the site could support a
range of uses. With 241 acres that
can be developed, this may be
one of the largest tracts along the
I-75 corridor with flex zoning. 
(Top) North Pointe Commerce Center property and (bottom) aerial view of Middletown.
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Middletown, Ohio Economic Development News
INSIGHTS
Cincinnati State Middletown Campus Continues Growth
C
incinnati State Technical and
Community College had a very good
first year and now they are working to
build on that momentum. Enrollment has
nearly doubled since the campus opened
in 2012, and the school’s staff and facilities
are continuing to expand as well.
In 2012, the campus welcomed
350 students; that number jumped
to more than 600 students for the fall
2013 enrollment—with another 100
The school has also increased its staff
with four full-time faculty, compared to
no full-timers at the start of 2012. Now
there are also 59 part-time faculty, which
is 15 more than last year’s teaching staff.
Chikeleze credits marketing and
word-of-mouth as the main reasons for
the enrollment increase. “We have done
a lot of work during the past year to
create awareness of what we can offer
students,” Chikeleze said.
want to be about helping people reach
their objective of why they come here,”
added Chikeleze. “We’re really focused
on listening to the students, focused on
giving them sound academic instructions
and also making sure they understand
that we’re here for their success.”
Along with more students comes
the need for more space. During its
first year, the school operated on the
first, third and sixth floor of its main
building. Over the summer, the school
completed the fifth floor, which added
six new classrooms. The school also had
two downtown buildings donated to it
this year—one from the Butler County
Commission and one from the City of
Middletown. The school is looking at
ways to best utilize them in ways that
will enhance the success of both their
students and the community. 
Ohio Means Jobs
Hosts Manufacturing
Job Fair for Veterans
Cincinnati State, downtown Middletown campus
students taking online courses. It’s the
first community college in Butler County
and it’s been an educational boon for
the region. “We continue to make a really
strong impact in our community,” said
Michael Chikeleze, campus director.
The growth is not just in the number
of students, but also in the number of
classes being taken. Students in the
2012-13 academic year registered for a
total of 11,000 credit hours in the school’s
first year, which was 5,000 more than the
goal. Now that momentum is continuing
in 2013 as the school’s 600-plus students
are taking more than 5,000 credit hours—
which is nearly double the number from
fall 2012.
The new campus expands access
to higher education, which benefits
employers and residents in the region.
“We’re obviously pleased with our
enrollment numbers and happy that
the Cincinnati State message is getting
out,” said Dr. O’dell Owens, president of
Cincinnati State. “Across the country,
community colleges are coming into
their own, and here in Greater Cincinnati
it appears that students, families and
particularly employers are recognizing
the value of a well-educated citizenry.”
However, the school isn’t just focused
on growing, but is also working to retain
students. “We don’t want to just be about
getting new people enrolled. We also
In honor of “Hire a Veteran Month”
and Veterans Day, Ohio Means Jobs
is hosting a “Manufacturing Job
Fair—Veteran Preference” on
Nov. 22, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Workforce
One of Butler County, 4631 Dixie
Highway, Fairfield. From 10 a.m.
to noon, the event will only be
open to veterans. This will allow
veterans to meet one-on-one with
manufacturing employers (prior to
opening the doors to the public)
and give them special preference in
applying for open positions.
Doors will be open to the public
from Noon to 2 p.m. Entry-level,
skilled and management positions
will be available. There is NO
charge for participation. 
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Middletown, Ohio Economic Development News
INSIGHTS
Middletown Joins Project to Develop Regional Riverfront Plan
M
iddletown has a long history
with the Great Miami River,
a tributary of the Ohio River that
flows near the edge of a resurging
downtown. Unfortunately, the river was
often considered a “back door” to the
City because of the heavy industrial
presence along its banks and the threat
of flooding. Now, with improved flood
prevention devices and improved river
water quality, Middletown is working to
reconnect and embrace its river.
“The downtown riverfront is one of
the City’s most underutilized assets—
something we are working to rectify,”
said Larry Mulligan Jr., Middletown’s
mayor. “We would like to incorporate
more recreation, housing, and office and
commercial uses along the riverfront.”
City Council has identified the riverfront
as a top priority for the City.
With that in mind, Middletown recently
joined with 14 other communities and
agencies along 99 miles of the Great
Miami River corridor to collaborate with
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
on a recreation riverfront study through
AK Pavilion at Bicentennial Commons
the USACE’s Planning Assistance to the
States Project with U.S. Corps of Engineers.
The collaborative regional group was
recently awarded a $100,000 grant from
the USACE for the study.
“This effort will help the communities
set priorities, define funding strategies
and develop an action plan for
implementing projects,” says Janet Bly,
general manager of the Miami
Conservancy District—the organization
which applied for the grant on behalf of
the participating groups.
The study will further help Middletown
define its long-range plan the riverfront.
Possible plans include developing the
block of Carmody Boulevard, Second
Avenue, Water Street and Central
Avenue—much of which is City-owned—
with mixed-use residential and economic
development projects that will “appeal
to a younger demographic.” That would
include looking at expanded recreational
uses for all ages and considering other
compatible development such as
residential, commercial, educational
and more.
In recent years, Middletown has spent
$1.8 million in grant funds completing
sections of the Great Miami trail along
the riverfront. A final two-mile, $900,000
stretch is in the planning stages.
“The river is an important asset,” adds
Mulligan. “We want to create a vibrant
City waterfront interconnected by land
and water trails.” 
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