When a bank forecloses on a property — for example, when LCNB National Bank recently foreclosed upon l’Auberge and became the property’s owner after the restaurant closed — what responsibility does a bank have to maintain that property? A Kettering property-maintenance inspector filed a complaint Thursday about the weeds and tall grass around the former l’Auberge, meaning that LCNB bank has 10 days from that date to mow the grass and weeds or a city contractor will do it for them and send a bill to the bank.

Driving by the formerly immaculately maintained four-star restaurant and seeing it become increasingly infested with weeds and tall grass could add insult to injury to those who have positive memories of the place. Plus, it doesn’t seem like a very savvy way to market the property to a potential new buyer.

The positive side of parking meters

You know those voluntary parking meters on the streets of The Greene in Beavercreek?

Since The Greene opened in 2006, those meters (and parking “tickets,” also voluntary) have generated more than $750,000 for Dayton-area social-service and arts organizations as part of The Greene’s “Change for Charity” program. Each year, six organizations are designated to receive proceeds collected through the voluntary parking meters and parking “tickets,” and in the past year The Greene has added 30 credit-or-debit card meters and is in the process of adding nearly 100 more to make “feeding the meters” easier.

Change for Charities beneficiaries include Daybreak, the Aids Resource Center, Family Violence Prevention Center of Greene County, A Special Wish Foundation, The Foodbank, Muse Machine, Artemis Center, Dayton Visual Arts Center and more. Applications for the Change for Charity program will be accepted through October for disbursement during 2013. Charities interested in applying should submit a letter, any supplemental informational materials, and a copy of the organization’s 501c-3 form to Steve Willshaw, The Greene’s general manager, in the Greene Town Center Management Office. To submit a request in writing, send to: The Greene, 51 Plum St., Beavercreek, OH 45440.

Kenwood Towne Place struggling

A Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge said last week that the troubled and half-finished Kenwood Towne Place office and retail complex in Sycamore Township can be sold at auction, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati.com, although objections could delay a resolution for many more months.

The $150 million development has become southwest Ohio’s most prominent example of a troubled commercial real estate project, Cincinnati.com said. Kenwood Towne Place, adjacent to Kenwood Towne Center on Interstate 71, was supposed to be full of high-end retailers, restaurants and office tenants by late 2009.

Instead, the Bank of America filed for foreclosure that May on grounds that developers misspent $81 million in construction loans. Dozens of contractors also are seeking pay for work they completed before construction came to a halt and have filed $50 million in liens against Kenwood Towne Place LLC and construction manager Bear Creek Construction.

A handful of businesses have continued to operate in the building throughout the legal proceedings, but Kroger closed a Fresh Fare grocery store there in May 2010.

Dry-cleaning shop debuts

Buckeye Discount Dry Cleaners, 2750 N. Fairfield Road across from the Fairfield Commons Mall, hosted its grand opening last week. The relatively new business (it’s been open a few months but postponed its grand opening while replacing some equipment) is owned by Beavercreek residents Luanne Handley-Blair and her husband John Blair.

The couple recently lived in Northern Virginia for several years, where the dry-cleaning market is very competitive.

With John semi-retired and Luanne about to retire and return to Dayton, the couple took a large chunk of their retirement savings, obtained a Small Business Administration loan, and opened Buckeye Discount Dry Cleaners with a motto of “Making Quality Affordable.”

If the shop is successful, its owners plan to open more stores in the area. For more information, go to BuckeyeDry.com or call (937) 429-2120.

Middletown grows

From my colleague Chelsey Levingston: We reported elsewhere on these pages today business growth of Middletown companies on Yankee Road that is expected to create hundreds of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment. Many of the companies expanding are suppliers to AK Steel Corp.

The steelmaker’s spokesman Barry Racey said a number of suppliers provide services on-site in Middletown, some of them locally based companies and some out-of-state companies that choose to put a location nearby.

“AK Steel has numerous local suppliers who provide a wide range of services and goods to the company. We certainly support the use of local suppliers when possible; however, they must share our values with regard to safety, quality and also provide the best value to the company in terms of costs, service and other factors,” Racey said.

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