“We expect to do really well in Middletown, and we’re looking forward to opening this week,” said Hamilton, who added that membership sales have been above expectations.
More than 140,000 square feet in the 465,000-square-foot mall has been been leased, representing an investment of more than $15 million, according to George Ragheb, vice president of Towne Mall Galleria LLC. His California investment group bought the mall in 2012.
"We knew this was a good project," he recently told the Journal-News.
All that Middletown residents had this time one year ago were promises from the mall’s owners of better shopping days to come. But today, the mall that once might have had more potholes in its parking lot than cars, is bustling with shoppers at its two new anchor stores, Burlington and Gabe’s.
The next phase of the mall’s development is to turn attention to leasing tenants to fill space inside, along the mall’s main concourses, and to develop five out-lots at the site, Ragheb said.
The out-parcels could be developed as five separate stand-alone, single-tenant buildings or five large buildings, each one encompassing more than one tenant depending on the business interest, he said.
A proposed outlot project is back on track, according to city officials. The proposed structure was reported to feature a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant and one to two other businesses, such as an Aspen Dental Center.
Nikki Polley, Buffalo Wild Wings regional marketing manager, told the Journal-News that a new Middletown location could be open sometime in March.
Middletown City Council has recently approved the creation of a Tax Incremental Financing district for the mall area to help generate tax revenue for infrastructure improvements on those parcels.
Middletown City Council has also authorized the city manager to enter a $50,000-per-year contract with Texas-based company Buxton to step up efforts to recruit stores to the city.
Towne Mall Galleria, located just off Ohio 122 in Middletown, is at the center of a highly competitive retail corridor along Interstate 75 that stretches from Dayton to Cincinnati. The Dayton Mall, Austin Landing, Cincinnati Premium Outlets and the new $350 million mega retail development Liberty Center are all within a 15- to 20-minute drive from the mall.
Still, the Middletown mall has been able to attract national retailers despite newer, more modern-designed shopping destinations in the area. Ragheb said it has taken longer than he expected — three years — to get to this point, but he’s pleased there has been steady progress.
“Now that we’ve opened our anchor stores, we have a lot less work to do,” he said. “A lot of people are finally coming together and progress going forward will be significantly faster.”
About the Author
