Dorothy Lane Market to add parking in Oakwood after Ohio 48 bank demolition

Demolition started last week and the land is being cleared, but DLM has not submitted any plans yet, said Ethan Kroger, Oakwood planning and zoning manager.

Demolition began days before the family-owned business broke ground on a new store in Mason, adding to locations in Springboro and Washington Twp., as well as the Oakwood business at 2710 Far Hills.

More parking is “much needed,” DLM Oakwood store director Jerry Post said in a release.

DLM Oakwood has roughly 50 parking spots, but the bank’s 40-car lot “has long been used for overflow parking for customers, according to the company.

“By DLM taking ownership, this guarantees continued use of those spots to serve DLM customers and we will add additional parking as well,” Post said.

About 13 parking spots will be added, according to DLM. DLM also plans to update other exterior features such as signage, lighting throughout both parking lots, and some landscaping features.

“More room allows for a more attractive presence for DLM Oakwood, parking lot improvements, and potential to entertain other ideas in the future,” Post said.

The business will work with the city for necessary approvals, officials said.

The former Oakwood bank site is nearly one-third of an acre, land records show. The Dorothy Lane Market store at 2710 Far Hills is slightly more than one-half acre, documents state.

The demolition application was approved in recent weeks and started Nov. 6, Kroger said.

“The building came down in short order,” he added. “It nothing out of the ordinary. It was very straight forward.”

The business started by the Mayne family in Oakwood in 1948 broke ground Thursday for DLM Mason, which will be its largest location.

The Mason site will include about 50,000-square-foot on its main level and a 9,000-square-foot mezzanine, which will include an on-site Culinary Center. DLM officials said between 250 and 300 associates will be employed at the Mason location.

The first store opened in 1953, according to the company. A second location opened at Washington Square on Far Hills in 1991 while the Springboro site, which is about 40,000 square feet, opened in 2002.

DLM has about 950 DLM associates, 215 of whom are in Oakwood, officials said.

Staff Writer Ed Richter contributed to this report.