Dorothy Lane Market project in Mason moving forward

Mason City Council set a public hearing for Feb. 14 for the approval of the revised concept for the mixed use development at  Western Row and Mason-Montgomery roads. The office park, single family and townhouse residential, hotel and retail space, including the Dorothy Lane Market is planned for that property. CONTRIBUTED/CITY OF MASON

Mason City Council set a public hearing for Feb. 14 for the approval of the revised concept for the mixed use development at Western Row and Mason-Montgomery roads. The office park, single family and townhouse residential, hotel and retail space, including the Dorothy Lane Market is planned for that property. CONTRIBUTED/CITY OF MASON

MASON —Construction could begin here as early as this spring on the $150 million mixed-use development planned for 70 acres that will include a Dorothy Lane Market.

Jim Kiefer of Traditions Development Group, who is working with Western Row Land Developers and the city of Mason, said the project for the new upscale, lifestyle oriented community planned for the southeast corner of Western Row and Mason-Montgomery roads in Mason “looks like it’s moving forward.

The project received unanimous approval on Jan. 4 from the Mason Planning Commission. Council votes on it Feb. 14

“We’re very pleased to be the developer,” Kiefer said. “We have a good partnership with the city and we’re pretty excited about this project.

According to city documents, the development includes a five-story “high-end boutique hotel” with 100 to 110 rooms; residential neighborhoods built around five lakes that will include a waterfront boardwalk, a central park area that will be connected by sidewalks, walking trails and 14 acres of green space; and 80,000 square-feet of retail shops and restaurants that also includes a 40,000 square-foot Dorothy Lane Market as an anchor.

The Dorothy Lane Market will be the company’s fourth location. It’s last location was built in Springboro on Ohio 741.

The other retail spaces in the development are four one-story buildings that will range from 5,000 square feet to 13,000 square feet.

Kiefer said DLM has been long sought after by local developers. The market will face Mason-Montgomery Road, according to the documents.

Mason City Manager Eric Hansen said the city had been working with the developers and Dorothy Lane Market officials for the past five years. He said the city’s strongest assets included “patience, tenacity and consistency.”

There will be a maximum of 126 residences that will consist of single-family detached homes; three-plex courtyard homes and townhomes that will occupy 21 acres of the project.

Mason city officials will also be creating an “innovation driven” business park on the southern 27 acres of the project, designed to target and attract new leaders in technology and biotechnology to the city.

The city is still working on the business park plans, but preliminary plans call for seven two-story office buildings that range in size from 16,000 square feet to 60,000 square feet that will create an estimated total of 200,000 square feet of office space.

The business park will also feature parking garages for some of the buildings and will have additional room to build two more buildings with parking, according to plans.

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