Dillard’s submitted last month plans for construction. The two-story, 200,000-square-foot store is comparable in size to the company’s other stores, said the retailer’s spokeswoman Julie Johnson Bull. It will feature large women’s and men’s apparel sections, as well as revamped displays for women’s shoes and handbags, Bull said.
Merchandise will bear brand names such as Michael Kors, Coach, Vera Bradley, Ralph Lauren and others.
Updated LED lighting fixtures will be energy efficient.
“It certainly will be a destination for the shoppers,” she said.
Other store sections include children’s and home goods. “The customer who knows us and loves us in Cincinnati, she’s going to appreciate the same great merchandise and service, but she’s going to have it in a beautiful new facility,” Bull said.
“This will feature the best we have to offer in merchandise selection,” she said.
A portion of the second floor, less than half, will be unused when Dillard’s opens with the rest of Liberty Center in fall 2015, according to a zoning application to the township.
The empty floor space will go unnoticed by customers, she said.
“We left a little room to grow if we choose to expand the assortment, ever, at the store,” she said. “That’s real common for us to do,” she said.
Dillard’s owns other Cincinnati-area stores at Kenwood Towne Centre, Crestview Hills in northern Kentucky, and Eastgate Mall, as well as clearance locations at Tri-County Mall and West Town Center, according to Bull.
“We believe this store will be among the nicest department stores in the market,” said Beau Arnason, executive vice president for Liberty Center developer Steiner + Associates. “To date, Dillard’s stores in Cincinnati have been taken over from existing properties rather than a new building. This is really their first chance in Cincinnati to show why they are typically the (No. 1) department store in their markets.”
Liberty Center is the mixed residential, retail and office complex under construction at the intersection of Ohio 129, Liberty Way and Interstate 75. Other anchors for the $350 million project include CineBistro and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
On Thursday, Butler County Commissioners are scheduled to vote on whether to authorize a taxpayer-backed bond issue to support the project.
The center is set to receive up to $43 million in funding backed by taxpayer dollars.
It’s expected a total $31 million worth of public bonds will be issued by Butler County Port Authority, on behalf of Liberty Twp., Butler County Commissioners and the Liberty Community Authority.
That funding pays for the center’s infrastructure such as streets, parking, utilities and sewer and water systems, and is part of a Master Development Agreement signed between the township, the county and Columbus-based private developer Steiner + Associates in July 2013.
The rest of the $43 million in public dollars committed to the project includes a $12 million loan approved by Ohio Water Development Authority.
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