“That will make Cincinnati Children’s a full-fledged hospital, in essence,” said Trustee President Christine Matacic. “That will complement what they are doing with the proton therapy and research center.”
That development, in turn, will attract more medical and business use along Cincinnati-Dayton Road and more than 60 acres of Cincinnati Children’s-owned property along Yankee Road.
Also next year, Columbus-based developer Steiner + Associates is expected to conduct the bulk of construction efforts for Liberty Center, a mega-retail, business and residential development projected to cost $310 million in its first phase. Situated west of Interstate 75 between Ohio 129 and Liberty Way, the center is scheduled to open in October 2015.
Announced tenants include department store Dillard’s and dinner-and-movie theatre CineBistro. Other tenants are expected to be signed and announced throughout 2014.
Trustee Tom Farrell said Liberty Center is a major piece of the puzzle that will make the Butler/Warren counties area unlike any other the nation because it will include a wide variety of mixed use aspects in an area already brimming with complimentary parks, shopping, medical, residential and business uses.
The development, he said, will spark a large amount of development on the north side of Liberty Way and the east side of Interstate 75, where there’s more than 300 acres of empty land along an already constructed Cox Road extension.
“To take advantage of this development and what it’s going to bring to the area, other businesses are going to want to relocate and be the opening act or before the October 2015 opening date of that development,” Farrell said.
Also in 2014, Liberty officials will talk to residents and property owners along Interstate 75 between Bethany and Kyles Station roads to answer any questions they may have regarding possible commercial development in that area and a Millikin Road interchange.
“That’s going to take up a significant first half of the year because we don’t want to make any assumptions,” she said. “We want to make sure that we have given the residents a lot of input and getting them the answers they want or need in order to make good, solid decisions.”
Next summer, Liberty Twp.’s Carriage Hill development will play host to Homearama for the second consecutive year. To accommodate continued growth there and at other residential and commercial projects along the Ohio 747 corridor, trustees will work with county and state entities in 2014 to plan the widening of that road from Princeton Road to Ohio 4, Matacic said.
“We do have a developer who’s willing to step up to the plate and contribute some of the local match for that particular project,” she said. “It’s going to have to happen sooner than later, otherwise the developer’s going to have to put a Band-Aid approach to it and then you end up tearing that out later when you put the permanent improvements and we would rather do the permanent ones in advance, if we can.”
Next year also will see “huge” changes coming to Maud Hughes Road, Matacic said. The Butler County Engineer’s Office is set to complete installation of a roundabout at Millikin and Maud Hughes roads.
To the south, the one lane “Screaming Bridge” is slated to be changed out and the road straightened slightly to accommodate two lanes instead of one over the bridge.
In addition, boring will occur to determine if the road needs further work, Matacic said.
Other large projects include widening Liberty-Fairfield Road from Ohio 4 to the river to alleviate traffic and widening ramps between Ohio 129 and Cincinnati-Dayton Road to accommodate the increased traffic expected to arrive with the Cincinnati Children’s expansion.
The township also will perform a preliminary building analysis of its administration, fire and roads departments facilities to determine what repairs and buildings might be required in the future.
Liberty Twp. also might put a police levy on the ballot in 2014, as collection on a 5-year, 3-mill police ends in December.
“What we’re looking at is what would be the timing,” Matacic said. “We’re already involving our finance committee and preparing figures for them to review and advise us.”
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