"Even towns like Mason are trying to revitalize a struggling downtown"

 

New downtown coordinator focusing on downtown Mason issues one piece at a time

 

By Michael D. Pitman

 

The Pulse-Journal

 

Downtown Mason is full of potential, and the new downtown/small business coordinator is excited for the possibilities, especially if the city receives a federal grant.

 

Visual changes to downtown Mason will not be noticed until 2005, but goals need to be met in order to realize the changes, said Paige Bryan, Mason's new downtown/small business coordinator.

 

Since taking over the coordinator position March 1, Bryan has tried to focus all the work needing to be accomplished in managing pieces.

 

No link available for article.

 

Plans bring life to revitalization effort

By Charelle Rodenbaugh Staff Reporter

 

MASON - Downtown Mason's most notable vacancy may soon be the recipient of a $1.4 million face-lift.

 

That renovation would help jump-start a revitalization plan for the downtown area, officials say.

 

The city is selling the old municipal building to HiFive Development Services, a Mason company that hopes to bring the building back to it original Art Deco splendor.

 

Mark Davis of HiFive said the next step will be to find tenants for the building, which he plans to turn into office and either a restaurant or retail space.

 

Mason City Council approved the sale earlier this month, with restrictions that would protect the city, the building and HiFive.

 

No link available for article.

It looks like the various apartment buildings throughout Mt. Healthy, North College Hill, Avondale...damn, everywhere. The building doesn't provide the least bit of feeling in me...maybe it's the lack of detail.

 

No--I'm not hating Mason. So don't go there. I just don't know what the fascination could possibly be there.

The city of Mason is one of seven Ohio communities awarded state funds to revitalize their central business districts.

 

Mason received a $400,000 state grant to renovate 18 building facades and 14 building interiors in its central business district. Mason will install about 2,000 linear feet of water and sewer lines, improve 3,000 feet of sidewalks and curbs, and make street improvements in the $3.2 million project, according to a news release.

 

The funds are part of the state's Comprehensive Downtown Revitalization Tier Two Program, which is administered by the Ohio Department of Development. Other recipients were the village of Elmore, the city of Galion, the city of Upper Sandusky, the city of Vermilion, the village of Wellington and the city of Wilmington.

 

 

© 2004 American City Business Journals Inc.

 

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2004/12/06/daily41.html?jst=b_ln_hl

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did a city have to be located west of I-71 to apply?  Maybe "Tier One" included Cambridge and Somerset and Piketon...

"Yes, I promise I will spend X dollars in your store."  LOL...it doesn't quite work that way!  From the 1/9/05 Enquirer (Local Briefs):

 

 

Councilman wants downtown shopping guarantee

 

A small group interesting in helping Mason's downtown revitalization effort is now trying to generate a steady customer base for businesses there. A few people are looking at a program where residents would commit to spending a certain amount of money at downtown establishments each month.

 

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050109/NEWS01/501090366/1056/news01

 

In theory it's well-intended but it needs to be a simple grass-roots consumer effort.

 

In fact, I've heard of groups who agree to meet in a local area and spend the day shopping. Sounds silly but the merchants appreciate it.

The only way I see this happening is if they make downtown Mason into a look like Shadyside in Pittsburgh.  This is what Mason should be focused on, not some sort of lifestyle center off 741.  Guys, while I like Mason, you can't beat the suburban nature of these people out of them.  So sad, I see it all the time.  Mason has done some things right but they are a long way away from being bleeding edge.

if i a person is dedicated to seeing their city/neighborhood grow (whether it be  in the burbs or city proper) they will spend their money there anyway

I understand what everyone is saying here.  I just wonder how someone who is on city council and not a business owner in the dying business district is going to want to hold residents to a promise to spend X amount of dollars if they revitalize the old business district.  How does that work?

from what Ive seen the way to save old "main streets" is for them to become places for speciality shops...antique stores, interior decorators, crafts, professional offices (insurance, lawyers, doctors, etc), maybe some specialty retail, restraunts, and a bar or two.

 

Thats what happened in Centerville, and in Waynesville and Springboro.  Mason is in a pretty affluent area, so I would expect that it could support that kind of retail or commercial use.

 

 

I don't see how this could possibly be done.  How do you force someone to commit their money at some particular shop or shops? Maybe they could be enticed with some sort of rewards program.  It would be better to educate people on the economic benefits of shopping locally.

Screw Antique shops that cliche is over done, especially when you have a grand Main Street down the road in Lebanon.  Mason needs to redo downtown into a affluent, yuppie shopping destination like Shadyside has in Pittsburgh and ditch the whole lifestyle center on Route 741.  A city isn't known for its strip mall but for its downtown, no matter how small.  Centerville has a fantastic little downtown and Lebanon's is amazing on a larger small town scale.  While those are great, Mason needs to change the mold.  It is a old farm town that is a newer energetic burb with some good intentions and good planning on a sad suburban scale but it is planned far better than 90% of the Cincy burbs.  There are a few that have it beat. 

 

Here is Shadyside:

 

It is a fantastic example of suburban shopping at street level on a narrow road with parking in the back.  Why can't Ohio get it right?  Mason Lifestyle Center will only add to the list of haters and not create any sort of community. 

 

 

 

 

 

Mason city council are very naive if they think downtown Mason will change when they just approved a huge complex of retail and shopping in an already saturated market.  It is a damn shame too when many of the affluent homeowners could walk to downtown but not to the lifestyle center on the fringe of the city.

 

WAKE UP MASON!

 

^alright guys,

 

this topic is no place for that discussion, ease up there (continue it via PM-ing, call eachother on the phone, write letter, i don't care, just not here)

From the 2/9/05 Pulse-Journal:

 

 

Mason city leaders offer hope, vision for downtown

Business a focal point in State of the City speeches

 

Mason’s leaders stepped back to reflect on the city’s roots at last week’s State of the City Address, before telling the community about their next steps forward.

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://www.pulsejournal.com/hp/content/news/stories/2005/02/09/pj0210stateofcity.html

 

An update from the 2/23/05 Pulse-Journal:

 

 

Speedway demolition signals start of revitalization

Downtown Mason searching for spark

 

The first visible sign downtown Mason is being revitalized appeared last week when the old Speedway gas station was demolished.

 

Downtown Mason has struggled to maintain businesses for years. Over the past few years, a surge for revitalizing downtown has occurred. It started with the Downtown Mason Revitalization Committee, which transformed into the Downtown Mason Association.

 

Click on link for article.

http://www.pulsejournal.com/hp/content/news/stories/2005/02/23/pj0224downtown.html

 

From the 6/26/05 Enquirer:

 

 

PHOTO: Downtown Mason at 12:30 p.m. Thursday: No need to worry about the crowds. This view is looking down Main Street from Mason-Montgomery Road.  The Enquirer/Tony Jones

 

Old downtown looks for shot of new vitality

By Jennifer Edwards

Enquirer staff writer

 

MASON - The closing of a gourmet restaurant isn't slowing this city's downtown revitalization project, city leaders and business owners say.

 

When the Chokolate Morel opened in 2002, it served meals at a former two-story hotel that featured tall ceilings, velvet drapes, flowers and Victorian furniture.

 

But its owners didn't make a profit and closed June 3.

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050626/NEWS01/506260363/1056/rss02

 

Mason's downtown gets some attention

Revitalization project on display Wednesday

 

By Perry Schaible

Enquirer contributor

 

 

 

MASON - Longtime resident Don Williams has seen the highs and lows of this Warren County community's downtown.

 

When the Church Street resident moved to Mason in 1951, the downtown had three grocery stores, a drugstore and a jewelry store.

 

"There was a point where a lot of people went there to shop," Williams said.

 

The city's explosive growth in the last 10 years has had a negative effect on the old downtown area.

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050920/NEWS01/509200359/1077

I know I've been through downtown Mason, I just cannot remember too much about it at the moment.  Part of having a successfull downtown is having residential development close by to support it.  I would imagine Mason has this.  In addition, with all the tourist attractions and events in the Mason area, you would think downtown Mason could be a destination.  But people have to know about it, and that's why marketing and promotion are so crucial.

^ Here's a map of downtown Mason.  It looks like there are some connected residential areas mostly to the north and west of the commercial district.  There are other larger subdivisions unattached and removed from the downtown, and a cemetery.  It looks to me that there are enough people within walking distance to support a small downtown.  The question is does anybody want it.

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.359918,-84.308460&spn=0.009283,0.017225&t=h&hl=en

From the 9/23/05 Enquirer:

 

 

New heart of Mason would be old-fashioned

Shops, pedestrians dominate proposed plan presented by Downtown Mason Association

By Perry Schaible

Enquirer contributor

 

MASON - Imagine a pedestrian-friendly downtown in Mason, a place where visitors park their cars and walk through town to shops and family restaurants.

 

That's what a community-based steering committee sees as the future of this fast-growing Warren County city's old downtown.

 

While the city grew from 11,000 in the 1990 census to an estimated 27,000 today, the old downtown area remained basically the same.

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050923/NEWS01/509230388/1056

I wonder which of the three likely intersections will see roundabouts -- US42&Main, Mason-Montgomery & Main, or Kings Mills & Main. I would bet that the Mason Montgomery/US42 and US42/Main intersections are the interesections proposed to be turned into a roundabout, given that there are rather large backups through the Main St. corridor during the peak periods in its current arrangement, and it has long been desired of Mason to allow left turns from US42 onto the Non-42 part of Main St. I wish I could have seen the plans though since I work in for a firm that happens to be located on Main St. On-street parking does interest me though, as currently Main Street is marked so that there is one through lane in each direction and also a center lane that is used for left turns. I would think that unless every driveway that is currently located on Main Street is either destroyed, signalized, or given indirect access to a signalized intersection then removing the center lane and adding parking could create gridlock such as the congestion that exists today.

 

As for other aspects of the plan, I can't comment on since I know little of it, so I'll stick to my traffic comments. The only issue that could come up elsewhere is about the rights of the business owners and property owners that don't mesh with the vision of Mason. Will Angilo's pizza get to stay downtown, or is it too low class of a restaurant? Will dentist offices be displaced for Starbucks or the Gap? Those are questions that Mason will have to answer in order to placate its existing downtown residents.

^ I hope we'll be able to dig up plans/renderings soon.  I agree it's hard to say very much with just a news article to work with.

From the 10/9/05 Enquirer:

 

 

PHOTO: : Lindsay Arens works at Rocket Science and Design, a graphic and digital design company located in the former municipal building. Restoration of the historic building is nearly complete.  The Enquirer/Brandi Stafford

 

Old municipal building reborn as business site

By Jessica Brown

Enquirer staff writer

 

MASON - Paddy wagons once rolled through what are now windows in the restaurant's main dining room and miscreants were jailed in what is now the kitchen.

 

People were married, played basketball and watched movies in other parts of this historic structure - the old Mason Municipal building, 202 W. Main St.

 

Now, a $3 million restoration of this 1930s-era building in the heart of the city's downtown is nearly complete.

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051009/NEWS01/510090383/1056/rss02

 

From the 10/27/05 Enquirer:

 

 

PHOTO: Attorney David Batsche welcomes Mason's efforts to preserve its historic downtown. Owners of landmark buildings must adhere to strict guidelines and get approval from a design board for any renovations.  The Enquirer/Brandi Stafford

 

PHOTO: This building, erected in Mason in 1878, now houses the Batsche & Batsche law firm. It was recently designated a "landmark" by the Downtown Mason Association. So far, 16 buildings have been given "landmark" status.  The Enquirer/Brandi Stafford

 

Mason selects buildings for 'historic,' other designations

By Jessica Brown

Enquirer staff writer

 

MASON - When attorney David Batsche stripped his office wallpaper during a recent remodeling, he got a flash into the past.

 

On the bare wall of the 1880s-era building were the signatures of the 19 workers and their families who had rehabbed the building in 1939 or 1940.

 

"Plumbers and their wives and daughters signed it. Electricians, painters and carpenters. I knew a lot of them," he said. "There's a history of what was done."

 

That history is what prompted the Main Street law office and 15 other structures in Mason to be designated recently as "landmark buildings," by the Downtown Mason Association.

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051027/NEWS01/510270367/1056/rss02

 

From the Community Press, 11/16/05:

 

 

Property owners worry about historical plans for downtown

BY ERIN HIVELY | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER

 

MASON -- Though Brad and Robyn Augenstein are pleased that downtown Mason is getting the attention it needs, they are unsure where the plans for downtown revitalization will leave their business.

 

Downtown home and business owners gathered at the Mason Municipal Center last week to hear the Downtown Overlay Committee's proposal before a public hearing and possible approval at the Nov. 28 council meeting.

 

Click on link for article.

http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051116/NEWS01/511160301/1075/Local

 

"It's a beautiful little downtown," Robyn said.

 

I am glad to see this project moving forward but it currently is not a "beautiful downtown".  There are only a handful of gems in downtown Mason and it is inconsistent with some of the horrid infill like a 70's strip mall across the street from the library.  The reopening of the Art Deco municipal center looks great but I haven't seen much else going on with the exterior of the remaining buildings.  Many of the awnings need to be replaced on some of the businesses and a better variety of day-to-day shops and restaurants are needed.  With all over saturation of retail in the area I don’t see this plan growing to its full potential. 

From the 1/29/06 Enquirer:

 

 

PHOTO: Four blocks of downtown Mason are set to be renovated for $5.2 million, with construction likely to start this summer. Traffic and parking will be reconfigured, business facades will be renovated and decorative streetlights will be added.  The Enquirer/Tony Jones

 

Council agrees on plan to beautify downtown

BY JESSICA BROWN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

MASON - A $5.2 million face-lift for this growing city's aging downtown will likely begin by summer.

 

After years of discussion, city council has informally agreed - and will officially vote in late February or early March - to move forward with a plan to revitalize its downtown business district.

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060129/NEWS01/601290369/1056/rss02

 

From the 2/1/06 Enquirer:

 

 

Teahouse to call Mason home

Bead store also drawn to city by downtown revitalization

BY JESSICA BROWN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

MASON - A traditional teahouse will replace the Chokolate Morel restaurant in a landmark mansion in the heart of this city's historic downtown.

 

Sally Gasior, a retired Procter & Gamble executive, has signed a lease on the historic 101 E. Main St. property. She plans to open Tea Roses in April.

 

Click on link for article.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060201/NEWS01/602010363/1056/rss02

 

From the Pulse:

 

Making downtown Mason a destination

Businesses moving in, anticipating being part of revitalization

 

 

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

 

Several entrepreneurs are betting Mason City Council’s plans to revitalize downtown will help their new businesses thrive.

 

Kristen and Brian Nolan of Mason want to open Homemade Dreams, a coffee house and organic bakery, downtown on vacant land next to the Fifth-Third Bank.

 

While the Nolans are still in the pre-construction phase, they said downtown Mason will bring a small-town charm to their business.

 

No link available for rest of article.

From the 4/5/06 Enquirer:

 

 

Downtown Mason work expected to make a mess

BY JESSICA BROWN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

MASON - Downtown Mason will be a mess for two years.

 

Construction is scheduled to begin in June on a $5.2 million downtown revitalization project.

 

Expect noise, dust, temporary street and sidewalk closings, orange barrels, traffic restrictions and heavy machinery.

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060405/NEWS01/604050381/1056/rss02

 

Main Street makeover

Mason changing from downtown to destination

BY MIKE BOYER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

MASON - Yost Pharmacy has been a fixture in downtown Mason since the 1940s, and owner Dick Yost remembers when Main Street was packed on the weekends.

 

"Mason was pretty much a farming community back then, and the farmers would come to town to do their shopping and banking," Yost said.

 

This summer the city is embarking on a $5 million downtown revitalization effort it hopes will restore some of that pedestrian hustle and bustle along its four-block business district.

 

Click on link for article.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060601/NEWS01/606010374/1077

 

From Community Press Mason-Deerfield Twp., 6/28/06:

 

 

RENDERING: An artist's rendering of the proposed streetscape redesign of downtown Mason. The proposal includes on-street parking, new landscaping, bright lighting, and a large community plaza.

 

Mason streetscape to be unveiled

 

MASON -- The proposed streetscape redesign of downtown Mason will be presented at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 29, in the Mason Municipal Center.

 

The proposed streetscape redesign project, developed by KZF Design Inc., includes on-street parking, new landscaping, bright lighting, and a large community plaza.

 

Click on link for article.

http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060628/NEWS01/606280411/1002/RSS01

 

From the 8/30/06 Enquirer:

 

 

PHOTO: The businesses on Main Street in Mason will receive $45,000 in support while the city revitalizes the area. "Marketing is critical," says council member Victor Kidd. Others have criticized the idea.  Enquirer file

 

Council helps shops endure dislocations

BY JESSICA BROWN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

MASON - The city is spending $45,000 to market its downtown businesses over the next year so they can survive during revitalization construction.

 

"We are going to harm them for a while in an effort to improve that area," said Mayor Charlene Pelfrey. "We're giving our heart to the (revitalization) project. I believe we also should give our support."

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060830/NEWS01/608300366/1056

 

From the 9/28/06 Enquirer:

 

 

Change along Mason's Main Street

BY JESSICA BROWN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

MASON - Kevin Wittman bought a historic home in downtown Mason in May. He was renting it out, but hoped to perhaps live there one day himself.

 

So the Deerfield Township man was concerned when he learned a few months ago that three rental houses next door had been rezoned to add business use, and put up for sale en masse.

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060928/NEWS01/609280367/1056

 

On-street parking stays in downtown plan

But just barely

BY JESSICA BROWN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

November 15, 2006

 

PHOTO: Mike DuPriest, owner of DuPriest Antiques and the Unusual, suggests a compromise: eliminating off-street parking only during busy times. He's standing along Mason's West Main Street.

The Enquirer / Joseph Fuqua II

 

MASON - A debate about on-street parking has caused a big stir in this growing Warren County city.

 

Mason business owners packed a City Council meeting Monday night after learning that a plan to add on-street parking on Main Street might be in jeopardy. They say storefront parking is a necessity for any thriving downtown.

 

Click on link for article.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061115/NEWS01/611150366/1056/COL02

This project is moving very slowly.  I have talked with a couple of downtown Mason business owners and they don't seem to welcome change either.  It will be interesting to see how this project comes together.

But some argue that on-street parking would cause traffic backups, and pedestrians might find it difficult or dangerous to enter or leave their parked cars.

 

"I think it's a dangerous situation," said Councilman Tony Bradburn. "I'm disappointed that some other council members didn't see the safety issues."

 

If that's the case then why don't they just bulldoze the whole thing and put up a strip mall.  It's amazing to watch and listen to suburbanites.  They live in a world that is controlled by fear.  Can't have on-street parking, somebody may get hit.  Gotta live on a cul-da-sac cause we can't have people driving through the neighborhood.  Gotta live in a gated community to keep the others away.  Gotta outlaw public transit to keep the "unworthy" out.  Gotta wear a bike helmet at all times.  Can't have sidewalks, too dangerous when cars drive by.  Have to build 200 ft. wide collector roads so the firetrucks can get through if our walled off 10,000 sq. ft. mcmansion is on fire.

 

Sorry about that worthless injection to the thread.  Hope they achieve their goal of creating a "Montgomery-esqe" downtown.  By the way, no offense to monte of course.

 

Nah, I enjoyed the rant and must say the generalizations are pretty accurate :)

Onstreet parking, without peak hour restrictions, is going to completely mess up traffic progression on US42. It's already terrible during rush hour, and street parking will only exacerbate the situation. The people complaining about the possible lack of on-street parking will be the same people that complain when they aren't able to get to their McMansions because US42 is clogged thanks to people parking on the street.

US42 congestion?  Not buying it, if people are in that much of a rush, you have 5 lane Mason-Montgomery that parallels US42 in Mason.  North of Tylersville Road, Mason-Montgomery isn't that bad.

I am glad to see them doing something with these small farm towns that become suburbs, rather than replace them with modern auto-strip stuff.

 

I've seen that too often down in Lousiville, where what used to be coutnry crossroads villages get hit by suburbia and totally bastardized and literally detroyed by auto-oriented suburban commercial junk...to the point that they are no longer recognizable as places.

 

One of the great strenths of SW Ohio is the large number of country villages that are still pretty intact.  They should be conserved and new development made to fit, rather than "sprawlized" into auto-oriented commerical junk.

 

 

From the 1/5/07 Enquirer:

 

 

Locally owned businesses grow in downtown Mason

BY JESSICA BROWN | [email protected]

 

MASON - As the city proceeds with a $5 million downtown renovation project, two Main Street businesses have announced expansion plans.

 

Pitrelli's Italian Deli, a family-owned restaurant, is expanding to boost seating capacity from 30 to 40 people and add a bar selling Italian wine and beer.

 

...

 

Meanwhile, Main Street Studio of Dance and Performing Arts is renovating a storage room to create a 300-square-foot vocal and music room. The studio already offers dance and acting lessons. Owner Jodi Palmieri decided the music students needed a space of their own.

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070105/NEWS01/701050376/1056/COL02

 

From the 1/11/07 Pulse-Journal:

 

 

Mason addresses downtown 'red tape'

Council plans committee to work with builders on requirements.

By Denise G. Callahan

Staff Writer

Thursday, January 11, 2007

 

"It's easy to develop big open fields, but you're stuck with your downtown, it's like an albatross. Mason is going to be like Cincinnati looking across at Newport."

 

That's what local contractor Mark Anderson told Mason City Council this week. He voiced problems he said he has had with both the city's engineering department and Design Review Board.

 

Click on link for article.

http://www.pulsejournal.com/news/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/01/10/pjm011107masoncouncil.html

 

Both from the 3/22/07 Pulse-Journal:

 

 

Glass icon reflects city's growth

Proposed downtown glass structure represents Mason becoming a destination.

By Denise G. Callahan

Staff Writer

Thursday, March 22, 2007

 

A statue of city founder William Mason in the new downtown plaza might seem appropriate, but a local architect has offered an idea that could keep people spellbound.

 

Picture a 20-foot (or higher) glass structure that doubles as a waterfall and light show — one that people can make change with the touch of a foot. This may sound like something that foretells the future of Mason, rather than a tribute to its past.

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/22/pjm032207downtownA1.html

---

Mason leaders consider proposed downtown icon

Major downtown construction phase could begin in June.

By Denise Callhan

Staff Writer

Thursday, March 22, 2007

 

To take care of the historical aspect of the icon the committee wanted, Mason architect Larry Tokarsky integrated a time capsule element within the sculpture where families, businesses and organizations can immortalize their memories.

 

If the city approves the glass sculpture, Tokarsky estimated it might cost $500,000 up to $2 million depending on how elaborate the city wants to go in terms of materials and high-tech elements.

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/22/pjm032207downtowninside.html

 

From the 3/29/07 Pulse-Journal:

 

 

Mason seals the deal to buy land for road widening

By Denise G. Callahan

Staff Writer

Thursday, March 29, 2007

 

Mason agreed to purchase about $800,000 worth of real estate to pave the way for Mason-Montgomery Road widening.

 

City council sealed the deal on five properties after an executive session Friday, and added another property to the list Monday night.

 

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/29/pjm032907masonmontgomery.html

 

Link contains a photo.  From Community Press Mason-Deerfield, 5/4/07:

 

 

Mason's downtown plan ready for construction phase

BY ERIC BRADLEY | [email protected]

 

MASON - Next month, downtown Mason's transformation will get serious.

 

The city's long-planned $5.2 million downtown revitalization is expected to enter the construction phase by late June.

 

Sidewalks will be replaced, utility lines will be buried, on-street parking will be added and work will begin on the plan's centerpiece - a town plaza at Main Street and Reading Road.

 

Click on link for article.

http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/C2/20070504/NEWS01/705040323/

 

From Community Press Mason-Deerfield, 5/22/07:

 

 

Mason Council approves bid for downtown projects

BY ERIC BRADLEY | [email protected]

 

MASON - After seven years of planning, construction on Mason's new downtown will start in June.

 

Mason City Council approved a $5 million contract May 21 with Mainline Road & Bridge to carry out work on the city's downtown revitalization.

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/C2/20070522/NEWS01/705220302/

 

From the 6/1/07 Pulse-Journal:

 

 

Mason downtown construction to begin June 11

Friday, June 01, 2007

Staff Report

 

The city of Mason announced that construction for Phase 3 of the Downtown Revitalization Project will begin Monday, June 11.

 

This third phase of construction focuses on downtown streetscape improvements including new streetlights, newly paved roads and sidewalks, and realignment of the intersection at Main Street and Reading Road to create a public plaza to serve as a gathering space in the downtown area. All of these improvements support the goal of the Downtown Revitalization Project to create a more attractive and consumer-friendly downtown shopping area.

 

Click on link for article.

 

http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/06/01/pjm060107downtownweb.html

 

From the 6/13/07 Pulse-Journal:

 

 

Mason downtown businesses brace for construction

By Justin McClelland

Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

 

The window views of downtown Mason businesses changed dramatically Wednesday as the busy streets became a maze of orange barrels — a sign that the major construction project has begun.

 

Businesses along Main Street and Reading Road, where much of the construction will occur, had yet to feel any major effects Wednesday, but were steeling themselves for the worst.

 

 

Click on link for article.

http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/06/13/pjm061307downtownweb.html