WEST CHEST TWP, Ohio — This township’s popular, outdoor gathering space is now lined up for $2 million in new features coinciding with the coming opening of a giant apartment complex bringing hundreds of residents within a short stroll.
West Chester Twp. trustees recently approved a $2 million upgrade to The Square @ Union Centre, which first opened 15 years ago and has since become the “living room” of this booming Butler County community.
And rising high from a construction site across the street from the square is the $50 million Clock Tower Apartments — a 326-unit luxury, multi-family community — and some home units are scheduled to open this summer.
It’s a new and crowning residential component to the square, which already includes a business complex featuring the headquarters of steel-maker Cleveland Cliffs Inc., restaurants, retail, the Mid-Pointe Library and numerous hotels all just off the still-growing Interstate 75 and Union Centre interchange area.
Around for years, the park area has been the location of outdoor music performances, food truck rallies, farm markets, the annual Shamrock Shuffle race and other festival-like events.
Across the nearby West Chester Road stands one of Ohio’s biggest high schools Lakota West.
Adding to that already energetic mix is all part of the plan for one of Ohio’s largest townships, said Barb Wilson, spokeswoman for West Chester.
“The Square was always intended to feel like the community’s living room — a place for people to gather. Now, it will feel even more like that for the new residents of The Clocktower,” Wilson told the Journal-News.
Construction on the $2 million of additional park features will begin soon — with a projected completion of summer 2025.
Some initial concepts still being finalized include possibly flipping the current performance stage position, adding splash fountains, swing seating with shade and adding more artwork around the Clock Tower landscaping, further solidifying the mini-park area as the township’s central gathering spot.
“With all the new neighbors to The Square in the Clocktower apartments and proximity to the high school, the library and offices, we wanted the space to feel even more comfortable and engaging as a spot to sit for lunch or reading a book, or working remotely,” said Wilson.
According to township officials, West Chester Trustees hired McGill Smith Punshon, Inc. to develop the design for “The Square 2.0″ project. MSP designed The Square initially as well.
A stakeholder group, which included representatives from Midpointe Library, the Fitton Center, the West Chester Police Department, West Chester Community Services, as well as local artists, event planners and staging experts, were gathered in February to pull together ideas and strategize about the best next steps for this high-profile space, said officials.
“The idea is really to keep the space relevant for the changes in the immediate area — addition of the apartments — and how our community uses The Square,” said Wilson.
“In the new design, there will also be opportunity for evolution over time as our community changes.”
This story originally appeared on journal-news.com.
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