News Flash

Read more about the Middletown Development Code Update here.

On Sept. 9, 2024, the City of Middletown, in partnership with Brandstetter Carroll and Universal Contracting, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the $6.7 million renovation and expansion project of the Robert "Sonny" Hill Community Center. The new renovation and expansion will give the 83-year-old current building a much-needed aesthetic facelift, improved bathrooms, new flooring, ceilings, walls, electrical work and HVAC improvements, a brand-new full-sized gym with bleachers and a scoreboard, a new family zone, and additional parking.

LATEST UPDATE (1/21/25): The Sonny Hill Community Center expansion and renovation project is in the finishing touches stage! The interior renovation of the old building is complete and the expansion with new office space, community rooms, and gymnasium are in the painting and finishing touches stage. 

Expected project completion date: Q4 of 2025. Ribbon-cutting set to happen in mid-December 2025!

On March 14, the City of Middletown announced the return of fast food favorite Chick-fil-A! The excitement surrounding the announcement was palpable, with thousands of reactions and comments to the City's social media announcement. Chick-fil-A was previously located in the Towne Mall, but closed in the late 2000's. The new location will open along Culbertson Rd. next to Tire Discounters.

LATEST UPDATE (10/6/2025): Chick-fil-A is open! Chick-fil-A held its Grand Opening celebration on Sept. 18, 2025.

In 2023, the City of Middletown began a multi-year project to construct a 5.1 million-gallon combined sewer overflow (CSO) basin that will help limit the combined sewer overflows into the Great Miami River during large rain or snow events. The basin is a project that will achieve the goal of following the highest environmental standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Once the basin is completed and covered, it will be the home of the city's newest park!

LATEST UPDATE (10/6/2025): THE CSO Basin is complete with work now turning to planning for the new CSO Basin Park. Improvements to N. Main Street, including repairment repaving and expansion to two lanes each way is now complete.

LATEST UPDATE (8/6/2025): In 2024, the City of Middletown set forth plans to demolish and remediate the former Middletown Paperboard factory located at 427 Vanderveer St.  This factory, abandoned for several years, had experienced a structural fire in 2020 and already undergone a partial demolition effort. Funding for this demolition project was made possible through a generous $3 million grant provided by the Butler County Commissioners utilizing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, in addition to a $1.5 million grant from the Ohio Department of Development for brownfield remediation. The goal of demolition was to eliminate safety risks, reduce the ongoing blight, and prepare the site for new industrial and commercial development.  

Through this demolition process, a large stockpile of crushed aggregate was generated through the concrete crushing process of designated non-impacted concrete and stonework features of the former facility. This aggregate, or gravel, has been processed to 304 Ohio Department of Transportation specifications, and has been tested and approved by the City’s environmental consultants for Ohio EPA Voluntary Action (VAP) clean-up standards for commercial and/or industrial use, as well as various public infrastructure applications. Moreover, the material meets VAP standards for residential land use as well. This pile of gravel, while temporary in nature, has provided the City of Middletown with a unique opportunity to reduce upcoming public infrastructure costs, and allow for an environmentally friendly way to recycle the former building materials. The recycled gravel is approximately 33,000 cubic yards, which would equate to roughly 3,000-4,000 dump truck loads!

The next steps for the overall site are to complete the soil remediation and properly grade and seed the site.  This process will involve removing impacted soils, level the existing grade to engineered elevations to promote drainage, spread imported soil and grass seed across the top of site, remove the decaying perimeter fence and vegetation, and reconstruct a new fence around most of the site. As for the gravel pile, approximately 30-40% of the pile will be utilized in an upcoming wellfield project by our Public Works Department. The remaining gravel will be utilized in an ongoing basis by our Public Works department, and provided as a construction incentive to the future end users of the site.

Once site grading and remediation is complete, the City will receive a “No Further Action” (NFA) letter from the VAP Certified Professional from Burgess & Niple and submit the NFA to Ohio EPA and request a Covenant Not to Sue from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which certifies the site is ready for new commercial/industrial development.  Upon receiving clearance from the EPA, the City will turn the focus of the site onto marketing for business attraction efforts, transforming this vacant lot into a new hub for industrial or commercial businesses that can create stable, in-demand jobs, and reinvest into our community. The site is approximately 12 acres in size, and is within the I-2 General Industrial zoning classification.

Construction Update: Manchester Water Tank

In December 2024, Middletown awarded the construction of the new 2 million gallon elevated water storage tank on the Manchester Water Tower Property to Phoenix Fabricators. Construction will begin in coming weeks and continue through the end of 2026. The first phase of construction will included tree and brush removal at the site adjacent to the Armbruster Nature Preserve.

The Ohio EPA recommends that public water systems maintain enough above ground storage to meet the average daily demand for water. This ensures that during power outages or other services disruptions, the City is able to provide drinking water to its customers. With the growth in the Manchester area and other areas of the City, additional elevated water storage is necessary to provide reliability. This project will add 2 million gallons of above ground storage capable of providing water to the Manchester and Blueball Pressure Zones. 

Roosevelt Ridge is a housing development along Central Ave. on the site of the former Roosevelt School site. 20 homes will be constructed at the site with four facing Central Ave. with the other 16 being built on a road going back through the land that will fan out into a cul-de-sac.

LATEST UPDATE: Two of the homes have been built and have been sold!

In October 2024, the Atrium Family YMCA and the City of Middletown broke ground on the new Monsoon Bay Aquatic Center. The new center will include water features for people of all ages, while also emphasizing water safety and fun.

The project is funded through the City of Middletown's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Monsoon Bay will include 30-foot water slides, a new outdoor bathhouse, and a state-of-the-art pool.

LATEST UPDATE (5/28/2025): Work continues on Monsoon Bay and is expected to be completed in late summer 2025.

On June 19, 2025, the City of Middletown, in partnership with Woodard Development and Loveland Excavating, held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $200 million Renaissance Pointe complex, to be constructed on the southeast corner of the S.R. 122 and Union Road intersection. This development will include hotels, Class A retail, restaurants, and residential units. Renaissance Pointe will also be anchored by a 3,000-seat arena and event space, able to host ice and turf sports, trade shows, concerts, and much more. Renaissance Pointe will reshape, reimagine, and revitalize the I-75 corridor in Middletown.

LATEST UPDATE (1/21/2024): Loveland Excavating has commenced on the clearing and excavating of the site to prepare it for the installation of infrastructure. First phase of infrastructure is expected to be completed by mid-2025. City is finalizing plans for the second phase of public infrastructure installation and hopes to commence that work in late Spring 2025.