Kettering last month issued a notice of violation to the Washington Twp. business that owns the land after construction permits expired last year for the project approved in 2019.
Now an attorney for JK Real Estate Commercial Group LLC said the goal is to have construction at the 2.9-acre retail center finished this summer, possibly sooner.
“We have been in conversations with representatives of the owner and representatives from the contractor,” Kettering Planning and Development Director Tom Robillard said last week after the initial Feb. 3 clean up deadline. “We have come up with an agreeable timeframe to work from.”
If the city’s requirements are not met, “then we will begin reinspection fees on the property. That’s the next step of enforcement,” Robillard said. “Our ultimate goal is to see the project completed.”
The city’s law department has communicated with the landowner’s legal counsel and building permits have been resubmitted, he added.
“We’re in the process of reviewing those,” Robillard said. “At this point we are pleased that things are moving forward.”
Since the violation notice was issued last month, Kettering has taken no further formal action, Robillard said.
JK Real Estate attorney David Pierce said in an emailed statement Thursday that company’s leadership “is working diligently to continue to demonstrate their commitment to moving the project forward in a way that is acceptable to all parties involved.”
So far, “the developer has invested well over $1.5 million into the property to further its vision of making the location a premier destination retail experience for the region,” Pierce added.
The site is just south of St. Albert the Great Church, and across Far Hills from James Free Jewelers. In previous years, it was called the Fountain Square Shopping Center and featured several small retail shops.
Permits for the current project were issued in May 2019, according to Robillard. But “there has been no permit-related work on site” since Nov. 15 of that year, according to a Kettering Jan. 12 letter to JK Real Estate.
In July 2022, the city sent a letter warning of permit expiration, Robillard said.
Pierce said “it was unfortunate that the project experienced further delays due to the revocation of the permits; however, because of the situation, the general contractor has now committed to a goal of summer 2023 for completion of their work.
“JK Real Estate is just as eager for completion, and on our end, we fully expect to continue pushing forward toward an ambitious completion goal of late spring,” he added.
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