Huber Heights planning new senior center, may add city office space

Proposal could mean two new buildings at former Marion Meadows Shopping Center on Brandt Pike
The Buckeye State ranked fourth in the nation in migration growth last year, and Springfield, Huber Heights and Miamisburg were among the state’s “leading growth” cities. MARSHALL GORBY\STAFF

The Buckeye State ranked fourth in the nation in migration growth last year, and Springfield, Huber Heights and Miamisburg were among the state’s “leading growth” cities. MARSHALL GORBY\STAFF

HUBER HEIGHTS — City officials are working on plans to build a new senior center and are considering additional city administration space as part of a redevelopment project on Brandt Pike.

Interim city manager Bryan Chodkowski said a fee proposal from the LWC Inc. architectural firm will be on the Feb. 28 city council agenda. That proposal says LWC will complete an assessment study, for $27,500, to plot the two future buildings at Southpointe Crossing, the site of the former Marion Meadows Shopping Center, in the 6100 block of Brandt Pike, just north of Fishburg Road.

LWC’s finished assessment study would include the details for the proposed Senior Center building, including site studies of the proposed location, site plan rendering, and a preliminary cost estimate and schedule, according to the proposal documents.

LWC will interview city staff and council members to determine priorities, and to evaluate current and future space needs of the senior center, which is currently located at 6428 Chambersburg Road.

“There are practical challenges that (the senior center) has now,” Chodkowski said. “Their membership is so large that they can’t utilize the space the way they want.”

The LWC assessment also will evaluate a second proposed building to meet current and future space needs of the city administration department and tax and water divisions.

“Because (the city) owns the building that the (senior center) is in, this gives us an opportunity to look at how we function and how we’re laid out, as well,” Chodkowski said. “So, as a kind of one-off from this project, we’re looking at what we need as an organization from the administrative staff’s perspective.”

According to Chodkowski, the city’s administrative staff is in need of additional space for several departments, including the tax and water divisions, both of which are currently leasing space in the Huber Centre plaza on Chambersburg Road.

This study for a second building will allow the city to then compare and decide whether or not to construct the second proposed building or use the current senior center building once it is vacated, Chodkowski said.

He added that the assessment study will be completed within the next 90 days, after which a rough timeline for the project will become available.

Last month, city council voted to authorize an agreement between the city and Homestead Development LLC regarding another project slated near the Marian Meadows site. The city will sell about 17 acres of land just behind the former shopping center for about $850,000 to Homestead Development LLC for a $40 million housing development, according to city documents.

The agreement with Homestead Development states the developer will construct two residential properties, including an approximately 192-unit market-rate multi-family housing development and an approximately 133-unit market-rate senior housing development on the property.

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