I heard last week that the GoetzTower in downtown Middletown had been sold.
So when I typed in the address of 1000 Central Aveinto the Butler County Auditors Office search engine I found no information onthe selling of the Goetz Tower…in fact I found no information at all on the Goetz Tower.I then searched under Grassroots which was Mike Robinette’s Corp for thisproperty…no listing.
I then searched by parcel number for the Goetz Towerproperty….and then I found the following…
Grassroots transferred the property on 9-04-2015 to Historic Goetz Tower LLCand the legal address is now listed as 11 South Main Street.

How can this property be listed with a Main Street address when the front door ofthe business is listed as 1000 Central Avenue?

Posted: 12:35 p.m.Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015

Another big Hamilton site could become ‘high-endrestaurant,’ shops

By Chelsey Levingston

Staff Writer

HAMILTON — 

Theformer Fifth Third Bank building in downtown Hamilton could be the next vacantspace on High Street to be converted into storefronts and business offices, ifa private developer goes through with a deal to buy the building from thenonprofit redevelopment entity CORE Fund.

TheCORE Fund has received a letter of intent from the developer behind theHistoric Mercantile Lofts in the 200 block of High Street to buy the formerbank building located at 2 South Third Street, said CORE director MikeDingeldein.

“We’retalking about a mixed-use reuse, the center of which would be a high-end restauranton the main floor,” Dingeldein said.

Canton-basedHistoric Developers and its principal Steve Coon are behind the renovations ofthe Mercantile Lofts and the former Journal-News building and has partnered ondowntown Middletownproperties as well.

“They’rehappy working with the city and have been successful,” Dingeldein said.

Fifth Third closed a bankbranch in the nearly 44,000-square-foot South Third Street building in 2011. It since sold the building to CORE in2013 for $375,000, according to property records obtained online from theButler County Auditor’s Office.

Coonhas not returned calls from the Journal-News seeking comment.

Historic Mercantile Lofts, at236 High Street, was a past $8.6 million project by Historic Developers to convertthree buildings into 29 residential units and five commercial spaces.Commercial tenants include Community Design Alliance, Art Off Symmes, Millikinand Fitton Law Firm, and ACS Title and Closing Services.

The former Journal-Newsbuilding at 228 Court Street was renovated in a $2.5 million project by Historic Developers into the Butler Tech School of the Arts, MiamiValley Ballet Theatre and the Hamilton City Schools ABLE program. The projectfinished in mid-2013.

Ifthe newest deal closes, the Fifth Third building would be the first CORE hassold to Coon’s company.

“Fora little bit of public leverage, we’re getting lots and lots lots of privateleverage,” Dingeldein said.

Launchedin December 2012, the Consortium for Ongoing Reinvestment Efforts (CORE) Fundis a private nonprofit that has raised millions from private and public sourcesto acquire blighted properties and make non-traditional loans to developers forprojects in the area of High and Main streets.

As part of September’s specialFollowing the Money series, the Journal-News previously reportedthat the CORE Fund has so far bought nearly 30 residential and commercialproperties in the city but only sold one to a city employee. The goal is torestore empty buildings and turn them over to the private sector, but the buildings have provedso far to be a hard sell, officials say.

Discussionsare also underway to sell the former Hungry Bunny building owned by CORE at 254 High Street toSara Vallandingham, owner of Sara’s House, a street-level shop in the samebuilding.

“Wewant to invest here even beyond our business. We want to bring our home here.We want to bring our taxes here,” Vallandingham said. “I think initially wewould be more interested in this being a residential/business space for us.”

Meanwhile,CORE Fund has pending deals to buy more properties in the Main Street area.

Mostrecently, CORE has sealed a deal to buy the building that housed the now-closedTom’s Cigar Shop and surrounding properties, Dingeldein said.

Dingeldeinexpected to close Wednesday on the purchase of 205 Main Street, also known as the HemmerleBlock, which he refers to as CORE’s “most significant” acquisition in the MainStreet area.

Tohelp fund the purchase and renovation of 205 Main Street, Hamiltoncity council members approved at their meeting Sept. 23 plans to borrow about$700,000 from the Hamilton Community Foundation. The money will be granted toCORE Fund for the building that housed street-level retailer Mazagan Urban Wareat the corner of Main and South C Street, and an adjacent house.The loan would also cover the costs of buying 9-11 South C Street and demolishing thosebuildings.

“Ourhope is… we’ll do to Main Streetwhat we did to the 200 block of High Street,” Dingeldein said.

COREalso plans to buy 302 Main Street,which houses Hughes Pharmacy.

CONTINUING COVERAGE

Wedo local best: The Journal-News provides regular updates on the activities ofthe nonprofit Consortium for Ongoing Reinvestment Efforts (CORE) Fund and Hamilton citygovernment’s property purchases.

July 2014:As CORE Fund grows, directorseparates for-profit, nonprofit work

Nov. 2014: Hamilton acquires nearly 200properties in 2-year span

Dec. 2014:With new business openings,Hamilton ‘reclaiming downtown’

Feb. 2015:How Hamilton landed largest jobannouncement in a decade

March 2015:Downtown Hamilton’s recoverymaking strides

April 2015:Hamilton’s CORE Fund leads newinvestment in Main Street area

June 2015:CORE Fund property acquisitionsgrow

Sept. 2015:Downtown Hamilton grocery storenow open for business

Sept. 2015:CORE Fund properties still ahard sell to private investors

Sept. 2015:Major Hamilton Main Streetcorner is next target for CORE Fund