Liberty Center developer’s new Butler County project gets fitness center, car wash

Two of the first tenants for a mixed-use project will be a nationally known fitness center and a new-to-market car wash.

The Oaks is an 18-acre, mixed-use community across the street from the $350 million, 1.3 million-square-foot Liberty Center.

Developed by Columbus-based Steiner + Associates, the developer of Liberty Center, the new West Chester Twp. project will include more than 120,000 square feet of retail and restaurant uses, 100 residential units and nearly 30,000 square feet of of class-A office space, according to its website.

 

Planet Fitness is set to build a 30,560-square-foot fitness center on approximately 3 acres of land toward the southernmost portion of the property. The building will be the fitness company’s two-story prototype, one that’s already been constructed and opened in Oakley and Fairfield, according to Bob Hamilton, partner and director of development of Planet Fitness Midwest, a franchisee that owns 33 locations.

It will use a “a significant amount of windows and glass” to allow for plenty of natural light and the ability for members to work out facing toward the north and the east.

“We like this property because of the way it fit in with the rest of our gyms in the area, because we want to space them out a certain distance,” he said. “Given all the growth in this immediate area, there’s a lot of employees that work in the area, a lot of residents. It’s very convenient for members because its directly off I-75.

Hamilton said he’s received numerous calls from area residents asking when a West Chester location would be available. Now he has an answer: spring 2020.

The new location is expected to create as many as 30 new jobs for the area, he said.

The Oaks will get a new 4,800-square-foot car wash on approximately an acre of land bordering Liberty Way. Flying Pig Car Wash will be “the first modern car wash in Southwest Ohio,” according to owner Emilie Parry, of Sycamore Twp.

The new business, which will feature translucent roof and side wall for a more open feel, will be an off-site modular build carried out by Genesis modular car wash building systems at the same time site work is carried out on the West Chester site. The car wash will be six feet wider than a standard car wash and offer friction and touchless options, plus free use of the shop’s vacuums.

It also will offer a pet wash that will cost $10 for 12 minutes and offer all the water and soap necessary, as well as dryers.

“We chose (the name) Flying Pig because we wanted to really hook onto Cincinnati’s grass roots,” Parry said. “We’ve had a lot of really fun stuff going on with the logo and some slogans and a lot of great feedback.”

Flying Pig Car Wash plans to hire as many as 15 employees and have as many as 5 on site during each shift. Parry said she’s hoping to open the business by the end of 2019.

Both projects are scheduled to go before West Chester Township Zoning Commission during its regularly scheduled July 15 meeting. The commission is set to place 12 conditions of the Planet Fitness project and 11 conditions on Flying Pig Car Wash, including signage, road access and landscaping.


ABOUT THE OAKS

18 acres

120,000 square feet of retail and restaurant uses

100 residential units

Nearly 30,000 square feet of of class-A office space

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