Work at Austin Landing will begin
Installation of traffic light, turn lanes likely to last into fall. Other projects also planned for complex.
MIAMI TWP. — The installation of a traffic signal in Austin Landing — a project first approved in 2015 — is targeted to begin this week.
Work involving the traffic light between Kroger and Kohl’s near the Ohio 741 entrance to the 142-acre mixed use complex is expected to last well into the fall and help ease traffic congestion, said Larry Dillin, president of VisCap Development, which manages Austin Landing.
“We wanted to finish our primary events season” before starting the work, Dillin said. “We’ve finished our last First Friday event, the Taste of Austin Landing and National Night Out — all of those things are now behind us.
“We didn’t want to screw up traffic patterns (when) we had so many people through this development,” he added.
The signal will be at the Landing Way/Liverpool Lane intersection in the development that’s home to about 2,500 jobs. It was approved by Miami Twp. trustees three years after a traffic study.
But long before then, traffic flow, congestion and pedestrian safety were among the top concerns at the complex that now includes restaurants, shopping, entertainment, apartments, two hotels and office buildings.
The estimated cost of the signal — which will be funded by VisCap — has not changed since 2015, according to the company.
At that time, the project was expected to cost around $250,000.
That plan also called for a turn lane on Liverpool at the intersection of Landing. Another turn lane is planned on Landing at the intersection of Ohio 741, providing three turn lanes to the state route, two of which would be northbound, officials have said.
Dillin said he expects the project to be complete by mid-November. At least one lane in each direction where work is be done will be open at all times, he said.
“There will be some changes on both the concrete curb and some asphalt. So the contractor’s going to coordinate some temporary access,” he said. “It’s probably going to be a staged” process.
The traffic signal is one of several projects in the works at Austin Landing. Others include:
Retail building, plaza
A 12,550-square-foot retail building and an outdoor plaza are planned next to Field & Stream near The Park.
VisCap has not yet announced the building tenant’s name, but the 32-foot high structure will be “connected” to the national outdoor retailer to the south, township records show.
The nearly 2,000-squarefoot plaza would provide “better connectivity” to The Park, nearby restaurants and bars and the cinema, Dillin said. The plaza would be a triangular shape next to Innovation Drive, he said.
The idea is to “create a greenspace where you might want to sit and overlook some of our events and activities,” Dillin said.
The plan is set to go before trustees Tuesday night. If approved, “we’re planning on proceeding with construction within a couple of weeks,” he said.
Buffalo Wild Wings delay
The construction of the new restaurant just north of Kohl’s off Ohio 741 is not expected to begin this year, as previously planned, Dillin said.
Work on the 6,657 square foot eatery with a 970 square foot outdoor patio was expected to start this summer. But reorganization issues within BW3s prompted a delay, likely until next spring, Dillin said.
Meanwhile, a BW3s spokesperson said plans call for the restaurant chain’s Springboro site to remain open until further notice. Company officials said with plans for the Austin Landing restaurant, the Springboro unit would close.
Midmark new home
Construction on the threestory, 38,822-square-foot building set to house a Dayton company’s new headquarters is expected to be completed in October, Dillin said.
Medical, dental and veterinary health care equipment provider Midmark Corp.’s 20 to 25 jobs will occupy about 12,000 square feet on the third floor of the structure next to Progress Park Tower.
The building on 0.4 acres also would include other office space, restaurant and retail, officials have said.