Residents urge historic protections as Middletown hears CMC Properties' Manchester redevelopment plan

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Residents filled the council chamber on Dec. 2 for a town hall focused on CMC Properties’ proposal to redevelop the Manchester building, pressing elected officials to require clearer protections before any demolition proceeds.

"First, no demolition without a firm commitment from a developer," said Jade Smarta, who identified herself and gave her address for the record, urging that the city not create "one more vacant lot where a beloved building used to stand." Smarta and other speakers asked council to designate the Manchester block for historic‑commission review, tighten and enforce vacant‑property laws and ensure any replacement building supports downtown’s historic character.

Other speakers detailed related concerns. "We want something timeless like the Manchester that will age gracefully," said Gabe Shane Line, who said he spoke on behalf of the Save Downtown Middletown coalition and asked that citizen representatives be included in future decision‑making and that final plans receive historic‑commission oversight. Kate Morrow, director of the Middletown Arts Center, told council that the site plan as drawn would physically cut off Dunham Plaza and the arts and history institutions with a garage wall, a configuration she said would harm connectivity and downtown events.

Downtown Middletown Inc. representatives urged clarity about a proposed public‑private term sheet. "That term sheet is basically a contract, wherein the city is going to make certain commitments," Jeff Payne said, asking staff and the developer to explain implications such as proposed lease incentives and a suggested five‑year pause on multifamily zoning outside downtown.

Developer Jim Cohen of CMC Properties responded to public concerns and to questions from council. Cohen said the package of incentives — including a long tax abatement, targeted leasing incentives and proposals such as institutional master leases and a student‑loan attraction program — are intended to concentrate incentives downtown to make a project financially viable. "We use the word moratorium. It was probably a bad word," Cohen said, explaining that the intent is to concentrate incentives downtown rather than to bar all outside development.

Cohen also addressed design concerns raised by cultural institutions and said the project is a first draft: garages "could easily be relocated in order to make more connections," he said, and the developer is open to salvaging interior woodwork for reuse in the new project or by a downtown retailer. He reiterated that many elements remain to be refined in collaboration with staff, the historic commission and community stakeholders.

Councilmembers signaled both support and caution. Council member West commended the RFQ process but said he opposed some term‑sheet items such as guaranteed leasing and large leasing incentives; Council member Lolli said the proposed zoning moratorium would be a "deal killer" for him; Council member Carter said she preferred program designs that were citywide rather than downtown‑only.

After public comment and further discussion staff asked for a nonbinding straw poll asking whether council supported staff continuing to engage in negotiations over the RFQ and term sheet. All council members present answered "yes," a signal to staff to continue negotiating the development agreement and return to council with refinements.

What happens next: staff said it will continue negotiations with the developer and seek to address connectivity and historic‑review questions before any formal development agreement returns to council for approval.

Provenance: The town hall introduction and public‑comment period are recorded beginning with the City’s Downtown RFQ town‑hall notice ("Our first order of business today is the Downtown RFQ Town Hall regarding historic buildings for the purpose of hearing public comment on proposal from CMC Properties.") and the session closed when the mayor recessed the town hall and moved to regular council business.