Residents suggest uses for shopping center near Wright-Patt where Kroger closed

Gracia said in a letter last month that he wants to rezone the center at the southeast intersection of Burkhardt and Spinning roads to a mixed-use development.

He said he is still collecting data on what possible future uses may be proposed and spent most of the forum asking and addressing questions. Riverside Community Development Director Nia Holt said no plans have been submitted to the city for the project site, which is about nine acres and has a large parking lot.

“I don’t want to oppose anything,” said Gracia, a California native. “I don’t know what the community could or would benefit from unless I hear directly from the community.

“I understand that certain things might not seem as appealing,” he told those at the meeting. “That’s why this (session) is so important. Because I can listen and I can understand what the community needs … I don’t have any bias toward anything specifically.”

When asked about current tenants, Gracia said “there is no plan for any tenant to leave the property.” The shopping center includes Clancy’s Tavern, Asia Gourmet restaurant and Pooch Pawlor pet groomer, among other storefronts.

Riverside resident David Lutzweit said one concern is that many people don’t want residential development.

“But we actually need it to bring in businesses,” Lutzweit said. “They look at population. There have been businesses that we were supposed to get (which) changed their mind.”

One attendee told Gracia that “no matter what you plan to do with the property, you will face some opposition … You’re not going to have everybody on board. That’s not the world we live in.”

The land is about a mile north of Carroll High School and a mile south of the edge of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base nearest the museum.

Kroger closed the site in March 2023 when the Cincinnati-based retailer opened a new store on Woodman Drive. The Kroger store on Spinning Road had been open for more than 60 years, city officials said.

The land is zoned B-1 neighborhood business district, Holt said.

A mixed-use development would require a rezoning to an overlay district or a planned unit development district, Holt said.

Gracia and Catalina Trs bought the land in 2022 from Spinning Hills Plaza LLC for $1.3 million, according to Montgomery County real estate records.