$60 Million Mixed-Use Development Could Reshape West Side Community

$60 million mixed-use development could reshape West Side community bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/08/30/northpointe-group-west-side-project.html

By Tom Demeropolis – Senior Staff Reporter, Cincinnati Business Courier Aug 30, 2021 Updated Aug 30, 2021, 1:43pm EDT A planned $60 million mixed-use development could be the spark that ignites reinvestment in a West Side community.

Delhi Township has a signed memorandum of understanding with Over-the-Rhine-based NorthPointe Group to develop a mixed-use project that would include apartments, a recreation center with pool, the township’s offices and cultural center, pre-K classrooms, and outdoor event space. The as-of-yet-unnamed development would be located on 14 acres of land that was previously home to a Bigg’s grocery store along Delhi Pike.

Jack Cameron, township administrator for Delhi, said the township has been working for years on a strategic plan for Delhi Pike and the broader community. When this property at 5025 Delhi Road became available, the township purchased it so it could control its own destiny and make sure its strategic plan was more than a pile of papers on a shelf.

“This is absolutely huge for Delhi,” Cameron told me.

The project is expected to include about 180 apartments, a pay-to-use recreation center, spaces for community programming, the township’s administrative office, community development and parks and recreation, four pre-K classrooms. In total, the public building is expected to be about 85,000 square feet. The total investment is expected to be between $50 million and $60 million.

Lisa Scovic, managing partner with NorthPointe Group, said she was attracted to this opportunity because the township had a vision for what it wants and the apartments will be part of a larger project.

“What they are proposing they are going to do will change the face of Delhi,” Scovic told me.

Between the apartments, entertainment, family offerings and recreation, the project will hit many of the goals in the township’s Plan the Pike strategic plan.

“It works on so many levels. It will raise the water for everything along Delhi Pike and Delhi in general,” Cameron said.

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“They bought the 14-acre site instead of it going into someone else’s hands,” Scovic said.

“They’ve put a lot of thought and passion into this.”

The mixed-use project is expected to serve as the catalytic redevelopment of the township’s 20-year Plan the Pike strategy that creates momentum that leads to additional transformation nearby.

“We’re already seeing the effects of this being talked about seriously,” Cameron said.

The township is receiving inquiries about other properties nearby.

Mike Davis, a Delhi Township trustee, said the mixed-use development will be a legacy project for the township.

“It will be something nice for our residents and great for their kids and their kids after because we’ve never had something like this,” Davis told me. “Seniors, young kids, it really meets the needs of basically everyone in the community.”

The township purchased the 14-acre site at 5025 Delhi Pike in 2019 for nearly $2.9 million. A housing study for the township was done by Market Foresight Inc. in 2018, which showed there was strong demand for apartments geared toward those 55 or older.

The township worked with Oak Hills Local School District to include an indoor swimming pool as part of the project, as well as having the pre-kindergarten classrooms. These spaces and the rest of the recreation center will serve the schools’ and communities’ needs.

The esplanade between the apartment buildings is envisioned as a gathering space for the township. It is designed with a stage, outdoor bar space, and lawn areas. The plans also include have dedicated parking space for food trucks. Scovic said programmed the right way, this space can act similarly to Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine.

The township is working with Elevar Design Group as its design architect for its portion of the project. Turner Construction Co. is working with the township as construction manager for the recreation center, offices and classrooms. Michael Collins, senior vice president with J.S. Held (and a sixth-generation Delhisian), is serving as owner’s representative for the township. Brandstetter Carroll Inc. is serving as the architect of record and civil engineer.

Davis said this project is the piece that gets redevelopment and reinvestment going.

“The first step is building volume and giving people a reason to come to Delhi,” he said. “This is the catalyst that pushes that next step and keeps us relevant as we move onto 2022.”

With a signed MOU, the township and the developer are now working on a lease agreement for the apartments. Scovic and Cameron said they are working to finalize a lease quickly.

Once the lease is finalized, the township will be able to issue bonds and move forward with construction. Cameron is hopeful to start construction in 2022.

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The Delhi Township mixed-use development would include apartments, a recreation center, classrooms, the township's offices and an esplanade for outdoor events and gatherings.

Brandstetter Carroll/Elevar 3/3