Centerville dedicates park at Cornerstone project; more development on the way

The active portion has an entertainment pavilion and observation pier for visitors and customers of nearby restaurants and businesses, city officials said.

Mayor Brooks Compton said the park would be “a source of community pride” and “a destination site” that people could visit while enjoying Cornerstone of Centerville’s retail and dining options.

“They could come here while they were enjoying the development itself and even if they were not here (in the park) or taking in the businesses, they would have an opportunity to exercise themselves on the green space and also on the walking trails that are out throughout the entire development,” Compton said.

Construction on Cornerstone Park cost approximately $2.7 million and was paid by Oberer Companies, city officials said. The park is “a magnet for many first-in-region retail and restaurant interests,” the city said.

The city received $1 million in Clean Ohio grant funding from the Ohio Public Works Commission to conserve the passive parkland that will include greenspace and walking trails. The price to acquire the property was a little more than $1.4 million, according to city officials. Cornerstone Developers LLC has agreed to donate the portion of the park not covered by grant funds, officials said.

Oberer Companies CEO George Oberer Jr. said the addition of Cornerstone Park to the Cornerstone of Centerville development is “like the grand finale” of the project, which launched planning efforts in 2009 and saw anchor tenant Costco open in 2014.

All that remains at the site before it is entirely complete is the opening of an Outback Steakhouse and the construction of the Shoppes at The Village of Cornerstone immediately adjacent to Costco and Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant.

The 10,000-square-foot project will include a restaurant and between two and four other tenants, according to Oberer Realty Services President Chris Conley. It will offer an outdoor patio area with lake views, access to the Cornerstone Park walking trail and the park terrace area.

Construction is expected to launch this year and end in 2024.

Centerville City Manager Wayne Davis said the city, which started planning Cornerstone Park five years ago, launched construction on it in late 2021.

Davis said maintenance costs for the park will be split three ways between the development’s business owners, the city of Centerville and the New Community Authority.