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Downtown Plan

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gemneye70 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gemneye70 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Downtown Plan
    Posted: Oct 29 2009 at 8:19pm
What is everyone's opinion about the downtown plan that was reported on in the last couple of days?
 
I would be interested to learn what the council candidates views are...before I take advantage of early voting on Sat morning.
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Merrell Wood View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Merrell Wood Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Oct 29 2009 at 9:54pm
I'm not a council candidate, but I see very little difference between it and other presentations  from  the past. It was however, interesting to see the suggested names of the  proposed area that make up the proposed Central Avenue district.
But little else.
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swohio75 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote swohio75 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Oct 29 2009 at 9:55pm
Just my $0.02. And I am not a candidate.

There are some good aspects of the plan, like creating better traffic patterns by returning one-way streets back to two.   I am also a fan of the expanded Smith Park to tie better into the downtown area and sprucing up entry-ways. Unlike some people, I am excited about a proposed rail station in Middletown, as I am a big fan of mass transit.

What I don't like, is seeing a big green space where The Studio Theater is located. For a city that wants to focus on the arts, you would think they could find good use for this building rather than tearing it down.

This plan is strategic and more of a guide than anything.
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wasteful View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote wasteful Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Oct 30 2009 at 3:51am
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Mike_Presta View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike_Presta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Oct 30 2009 at 9:40am
I'll have PLENTY to say about the "new" old downtown plan by tomorrow, including the SIX (yep, COUNT 'em, SIX!!!) new "gateways" to the former downtown, two of which are smack dab in the middle of the other four and you must go through other gateways to get to.
More important than what I have to say, someone should be asking Denny Lumber's employees, Diver Feed and Coal employees, and Dobrozsi Insurance what THEY have to say!!
“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012
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MadisonMom View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MadisonMom Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 01 2009 at 11:09pm

More important than what I have to say, someone should be asking Denny Lumber's employees, Diver Feed and Coal employees, and Dobrozsi Insurance what THEY have to say!!
[/QUOTE]

Why would the city want to do away with 3 thriving downtown businesses? Denny Lumber helped us renovate our new building and Dobrozsi is our insurance agent. Diver gets used for personal use. We try to keep our business/personal purchases in Middletown as much as possible. If we lose these 3, where would we go?
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MadisonMom View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MadisonMom Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 01 2009 at 11:15pm
Originally posted by swohio75 swohio75 wrote:

J
What I don't like, is seeing a big green space where The Studio Theater is located. For a city that wants to focus on the arts, you would think they could find good use for this building rather than tearing it down.


This building will need lots of $$$$$$$ for renovation. Less costly to tear down. I know of someone who was looking it over for purchasing, so I guess you could call this hearsay?
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JimmyD View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JimmyD Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 02 2009 at 9:37am
when I first moved to Middletown in `91 I enquired about the Studio, wondering what it would take to maybe get it up and running and making a fun, second run kind of theatre out of it. the 4500 per month rent scared me away and I imagine this figure scared anyone else away as well that had plans for it.

The morons that run community revitalization as well as our inept city manager like to tell me that the reason our downtown and surrounding area (I live in Park Place) went to hell was because of my PEELING PAINT and WEEDS in the alley.

Try again...downtown died because a few choice families decided they could make more by NOT renting these places for a decent and fair price. So the buildings rot till they are unusable.

So now they tear yet another cool building down and make useless space for no one....

I just want to move.

JimmyD
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mdizzie View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mdizzie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 11 2009 at 4:20am
Since this building is in the downtown district, it should be torn down. Then rebuilt with exterior period finishes, color and molding. Even copper gutters would bring back the historical charm, but would probably get stolen and sold for scrap metal. Best not to go all out on that one.

If you want people, anyone that has decent money, to live in downtown, we need to clean up the exteriors. We also need to get some more artists shops opened, as well as a corner market or two. Maybe a coffee shop and small reading room. Areas for collaboration and intelligent conservation to take place. If I were to live in down town, I would want to go to work at my gallery, or for my employer, walk home, walk, not drive, walk home or even better, walk to the corner store for fresh meat and veggies for dinner. That is so possible if some rental owners got fresh with their ideas about how to get people into their spaces. To make the down town desirable, you have to make it..... desirable. That sounds stupid, but the more positive things people hear about it, how middle class people are moving into new loft apartments, and the corner market makes the best beef sandwich. People will flock once again to downtown. But we need to make those changes first.
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VietVet View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 11 2009 at 6:38am
Does anyone REALLY believe that this town, with it's past history of industry, blue collar image and large percentage of non-college educated people, will be able to support an "arts theme" that is being presented? Who is laying the groundwork for this in convincing city hall that this is the right thing to do? Why isn't this suggestion for the direction of the downtown being questioned by the city leaders? I certainly would offer some doubts if I were them. Everyone realizes that this town is not sophisticated. For the most part, the make-up of this town is industrial park-factory/retail/service industry/small government/fast food workers. Do we really associate any of these trades with encompassing the arts in their lives? Could the arts really pull from any of these professions in any number to support it? Doubtful.

To adopt the theme around the arts for the downtown, the creators of this theme must be counting on participation from Mason, West Chester, Centerville, Springboro and the surrounding communities that personnify (sp?)the arts. If no support from these areas, the arts theme will die on the vine also. Is this a good idea for bringing life back to Middletown's downtown area? I'm not so sure. Wouldn't a better idea be to make the theme more closely tied with the lifestyles that are inherent to the people who live here? Don't know exactly what that is but it "ain't" the arts.
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Vivian Moon View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 11 2009 at 6:48am

Mdizzie
What do we do to promote art in our school system?
How many active young artist do we have in Middletown?
When was the last time we had a large outside judged Art Show here in Middletown with artist from all over southern Ohio?

You need sewers and streets before people will move to downtown to live and open a new business. You need to clean up the downtown area top to bottom

Then you need an ACTIVE City Planner to move local businesses back into the old buildings downtown like bookstores, barber shops, beauty shops, lawyers and dentist. Then you could get rid of all these half empty strip malls that litter the landscape.
NOWEVER OUR CITY HAS NO VISION OR BUSINESS PLAN..
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gemneye70 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gemneye70 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 11 2009 at 6:59am
I like mdizzie's input, but I also agree with Vet and Ms. Moon that there is a lack of focus and vision by city leaders to make it happen.  I would love for the downtown area to thrive.  For some reason people in Middletown seem to look at business here as inferior from those in surrounding communities and therefore don't support them.
 
It would take a lot of private money by somone with an interest in seeing Middletown ressurected to get anything like this done.
 
Thanks for all the inputs everyone.
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Mike_Presta View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike_Presta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 11 2009 at 1:16pm
Originally posted by mdizzie mdizzie wrote:

If you want people, anyone that has decent money, to live in downtown, we need to clean up the exteriors. We also need to get some more artists shops opened, as well as a corner market or two. Maybe a coffee shop and small reading room. Areas for collaboration and intelligent conservation to take place. ...  But we need to make those changes first.
Mr./Ms. Dizzie,
So, if that's what is needed, what is stopping you?  Simply round up some investers or some venture capitalists, and then you (and whoever else is included in the "we" that you mentioned in the above quoted copied from your post) can do all of those things and then sit back and watch the money roll in!!!
 
I hope that you make a FORTUNE!!!  I sincerely DO!!!
“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012
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Pacman View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pacman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 11 2009 at 1:29pm
Is it really a City Governments job to create of all things an Art District downtown with our tax money, where ever that tax money should happen to come from?  If the city wants an Art District they should look towards rpivate funding and I would suggest some of you people that want it pony up some money to fund such a project.   There is nothing more sobering and eye opening than knowing that your bucks are on the line.  It is easy to say do it when somebody else is footing the bill. The city can not provide the basics, let alone delve into this type of project.
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Hermes View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hermes Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 11 2009 at 1:35pm
In this day of the falling dollar and hard times who is going to spend money on art ??
 
It is beyond ridiculous for city government to even suggest such an idea. As Pacman said, if you want to do it do it with PRIVATE funds not tax dollars. This whole thing sounds like a sick joke straight out of the politicians comic book.  Thumbs%20Down
No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !!
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spiderjohn View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spiderjohn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 11 2009 at 2:06pm
Exactly, Mike.
The "WE" in this never-ending equation never seems to involve any of the downtown property owners or local(out of towners?) business owners.
 
A reading room?
Seems as if we have plenty of reading space downtown now, even in the existing businesses(with no customers).
I love the "Arts"--though "Arts" usually need to be subsidized, and would be a tough sell in downtown Middietown where no one who don't live here ever wants to visit.
 
Coffee shop?
We can't even keep the ONE we have in town busy!
The Anchor is the only surviving downtown restaurant(thank goodness for them!).
 
Hey--I love these dream world concepts as much as anyone, however we need to accept the reality of our downtown area.
The dead paper mills still stand--the burned-out buildings still stand--the sewer system is on the verge of collapse needing a 100 mill fix. Many of the buildings simply need to be leveled. The city doesn't have the $$ to support any further renovation.
Miami U reps can talk and plan forever--that is what they do best, along with spending OPM.
 
Maybe someone will find that deep pockets investor who will bankroll these concepts privately. I hope so. Where is Mr.Thatcher? Judge Valen? Mr.U Mr.Isroff? 
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Murdock View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Murdock Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 12 2009 at 6:07am
Tear the whole damn downtown down..........it's as dead as some bloggers on this site!!!
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Pacman View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pacman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 12 2009 at 8:41am
Well Murdock let us all hear your lively plan for the Downtown area?
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