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Is the Towne Mall ‘endangered’?

Local leaders insist that empty stores offer development opportunities.

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MIDDLETOWN — Middletown has made yet another infamous national list.

This time the city was dinged for being home to one of America’s Most Endangered Malls.

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I don't know where the mall walkers will go and the over 70 meeting next to sears will have to find another mall.

john
3:10 PM, 7/16/2009

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I thought they were supposed to remodel the mall a couple years ago. What happened to that?

Chris
9:39 PM, 7/1/2009

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No way should a school go in there how many times has the roof fallen in. Plus all the traffic. Get real woman. I don't think right know Middletown can afford a Mall. They need factory jobs first.

ribbitt
8:13 PM, 7/1/2009

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The mall & surrounding area & the parcel that Atrium sits on are all part of Middletown, the post office was just unwilling to change the zip code. There are people who live south of Monroe with Middletown mailing addresses. Middletown used to end at the end Butler / Warren county line but after numerous annexations finally made it to I-75. Fenwick H.S. is also part of Middletown but the land between Atrium & Fenwick isn't except for a tiny sliver which makes it adjoining property.

Ted
5:06 PM, 7/1/2009

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This comment is directed toward Steve - Middletown didn't "rescue" that area. Middletown performed another one of its infamous land grabs, from Franklin Township, to gain control of the area around the I-75 corridor. The mall was built before Middletown grabbed the land and Middletown is responsible for the lack of economic development in that area. By the way, where are all of the businesses that were supposed to locate to that area because the hospital moved out there??

Traci
4:02 PM, 7/1/2009

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Tear the mall down. Nobody goes to it anyway!!!

Joe
3:36 PM, 7/1/2009

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The town mall is a eye score, just like everyone in the dying town of Middletown....

Richard
3:10 PM, 7/1/2009

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if I remember correctly the area where Applebees is at was originally planned by warren county, Middletown came to the rescue and greatly improved the traffic patterns and intersections. my my my how soon we forget. and how fast we are to blame.

steve
12:56 PM, 7/1/2009

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Let the City of Middletown decide whats best for the Town Mall. I mean they were the ones who turn down the Town Mall proposal in the 1960's to put the mall at the Kmart Area, the millon they lost on renevation of the City Center Mart and now they have another repeat in history with the Towne Mall and the new mall in Monroe. Well, you made good busineess decisions in the past why not repeat history again.

dback
12:43 PM, 7/1/2009

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A strip bar would be awsum maybe we could talk the chick that ran for Butler County Comission (Rwanda something or other)I hear she has is a great strip club manager lol.Seriously the Town mall will just fade away until all the stores are gone and then magicly get sold to one of the good ole boys for a nominal fee for future profits,maybe a used car lot or self storage.

fedup
12:38 PM, 7/1/2009

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The Towne Mall is in Franklin not Middletown. The article never even mentions Middletown. Tear the mall down and build a Casino!!

Hates Middletown
12:37 PM, 7/1/2009

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This town needs a laxative,and every single elected official needs to be vote out. We need a change and this is were it should start.peace

freeyourmind
12:26 PM, 7/1/2009

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It should be obvious by now to anyone who pays attention to whats going on that Monroe will be the new "West Chester" on interstate 75. The Town Mall is sitting on a gold mine (land) and it, along with the area surrounding the new hospital, will realize it's potential some day, but it will have to wait until all the rest of the available land on interstate 75 between Dayton and Cincinnati is fully developed and there is no other place to go except Middletown.

Franco
12:08 PM, 7/1/2009

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The white elephant mall isn't even in Middletown. It's Franklin's & sits in Warren County. That's also why the tax rate is higher. I believe some of the restuarants across the street are Franklin, too (Applebees?)

Whoever painted the lines on that side of town musta had a few too many at the Toddle Inn.

New in Town
11:04 AM, 7/1/2009

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that bright future is 2011 when they are no longer obligated to own or operate it. they missed the chance to resuscitate when the outlet mall broke ground

through with it
11:01 AM, 7/1/2009

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Doze it under, are we going to discuss dead thi issue until 2020? Put some more resteraunts and medical offices in that space. We all know Middletown can't attract any other jobs. Mason, West Chester, Springboro and Franklin have all the new job sites.

Ray
10:06 AM, 7/1/2009

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You can always count on Ann Mort to keep drinking the kool aid served up by Middletown's leaders. Or was it lemonade? When K-Mart is too good for your town, what does that say?

Paul
9:28 AM, 7/1/2009

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Monroe is about to drive the final nail in the so-called "re-development" efforts of Middletown. Last I checked, they didn't have red light cameras either.

Oh that's right, they are for safety.

Paul
9:23 AM, 7/1/2009

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Tear the mall down and build office buildings, or reconfigure it for offices. Make it a NO income tax zone. Offer incentives for businesses to relocated hear. The location is excellent. Watch companies from Dayton and Cincinnati merge their operations to Middletown. Paychex did it. There will be more as the cities grow together.

Interested
8:51 AM, 7/1/2009

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Ted I have to agree the first time I came here and saw the Applebees and that whole area I scratched my head and thought a Blind Person could have done a better job on this section of town, what a screwed up mess that area is. That should have been a warning sign.....run.

John
8:41 AM, 7/1/2009

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SF what do you want it was 6:30 a.m., hadn't even had coffee yet.:)

City has redevelopment plan why they don't even own the land what the hell are they going to develop. They would not pay what $6M to help redevelop the mall now they want $18M in stimulus funds I believe was the figure....good luck. "Bright Future" CBL has been to the Gilleland School of "Middletown has a Bright Future". yeah right, Not at the rate the current admin and council are working.

ike
8:37 AM, 7/1/2009

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Any plan that doesn't level the mall & start over is a bad plan. I find it fascinating Ann Mort even gets quoted. She has stated the balloon fest brings millions into the area which clearly isn't the case. A little bit of research on the city finances proves that isn't the case. Just start over & don't let the city get involved as planning in Middletown is a joke. Just look at the block with Applebees & it is clear the city has no idea how to plan effectively.

Ted
8:29 AM, 7/1/2009

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BC go complain to the USPS you can thank them for the Franklin designation.

ike
8:28 AM, 7/1/2009

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Ike - take a spelling course.

SF
8:27 AM, 7/1/2009

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An elementary school - a perfect way to squander precious !-75 frontage -it'll probably happen.

Mike
8:15 AM, 7/1/2009

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Turn it into section eight housing. That seems to be the direction Middletown is going in.

Ross
8:02 AM, 7/1/2009

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In its present form it's dead space. You can repaint it like they did downtown but you see how well that's going.
The mall property is probably the most valuable property in the area, strip it to the dirt and start over.

Jeff
7:46 AM, 7/1/2009

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If you read the article, the Mall was located in Franklin, not Middletown. Your land grab back, way back when, turned out to be a "white elephant"! Franklin should be asking the writer of the article to make a retraction! They don't need this kind of bad news!

BC
7:06 AM, 7/1/2009

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City has redevelopement plan why they don't even own the land what the hell are they going to develope. They would not pay what $6M to help redevelope the mall now they want $18M in stimulus funds I beleive was the figure....good luck. "Bright Future" CBL has been to the Gilleland school of "Middletown has a Bright Futurer". yeah right. Not at the rate the current admin and council are working.

ike
6:32 AM, 7/1/2009

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Casino- medical professional offices building- technical center. Gilleland- "the areas ripe for redevelopment". Redevelopment plan- "almost complete"- sure- another repeated phrase. CBL spokesperson- "Bright future and we're going to keep working toward that". Any real meaning to these comments?

VietVet
6:21 AM, 7/1/2009

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