Redevelopment efforts proceed for 3 vacant locations in Montgomery
The Development Department gets frequent inquiries about properties in the city that are currently vacant and/or are for sale. The department is sometimes involved in the transition of a property, either with the building and zoning permitting process, or with direct investment through a public private partnership.
Other times, property owners have not made a decision about a property or are not willing to share their plans with the public. Current properties that have generated interest with citizens are the Bally’s Building at 9675 Montgomery Road, the Perkins Restaurant site downtown, and the vacant Chevrolet dealership across the street from Perkins.
Bally’s
The Bally’s fitness club facility has been vacant for quite some time. The property is for sale. At the April 7 Planning Commission meeting, the Commission approved plans for the conversion of this building into a professional office building.
A design firm from Blue Ash is proposing to buy the building, relocate its offices, and lease the remainder of the building to other complementary businesses. Their plans include modest changes to the exterior facade and site, which the Commission agreed would be a significant improvement over the current conditions. The City is hopeful that the final details of this project will come together and the transition will occur this year.
Perkins Restaurant
As most residents know, Perkins Restaurant proceeded with the demolition of its building following a fire at the structure. Perkins officials have advised that they are now reviewing offers to buy the property and do intend to sell the land rather than rebuild.
This lot is in the Old Montgomery Gateway zoning district, which will allow flexibility in its redevelopment, but not permit all of the uses that were previously allowed when it was zoned for general business. The City is aware of a number of interested parties, and has hope that a redevelopment will move forward this year.
Chevrolet Building
The old Chevrolet site, also located downtown in the Old Montgomery Gateway District, has been vacant for several years. The property is owned by a local developer, who has been working for some time with the City on plans to redevelop the site for a mix of uses.
The terrain and access to the site make redevelopment a challenging project. Given its proximity to the new Gateway project and the historic district, the City will work closely to ensure the project is compatible with the downtown. Both this site and the Perkins lot offer tremendous potential to improve downtown.