Liberty Center

Liberty Center is a mixed-use shopping, dining, entertainment, residential, and office development in Liberty Township, Butler County, Ohio. The complex occupies approximately 65 acres near Liberty Way, southwest of the junction of Interstate 75 and Ohio State Route 129. Its location was selected by Steiner + Associates to serve an area between Cincinnati and Dayton that developers viewed as underserved by large-scale retail and entertainment options. The project opened in October 2015 with more than 94 retailers and restaurants and approximately 1.2 million square feet of retail, entertainment, and office space. Its design combines an outdoor lifestyle-center format, with stores and restaurants arranged along pedestrian-oriented streets, and an enclosed two-story retail structure known as The Foundry. The development was also planned as a broader mixed-use destination rather than a conventional enclosed mall, incorporating a hotel, apartments, offices, public spaces, and entertainment venues. At opening, the complex included an AC Hotel, 249 apartments, and a Cobb Theatres CineBistro dine-in cinema. Major retail tenants identified with the original development included Dillard's and Dick's Sporting Goods, which served as principal anchors within The Foundry. Dillard's opened at Liberty Center after replacing its former location at Tri-County Mall in Springdale. The tenant mix also included restaurants, specialty retailers, and entertainment businesses intended to extend visits beyond traditional shopping. In September 2018, leasing and management responsibilities were transferred from the development team to JLL. Representatives said at the time that Liberty Center had attracted more than seven million visitors and had increased retail tenancy by more than 10 percent during the preceding year. The complex continued to change its tenant mix afterward: Gap closed its location in late 2018, while Claire's, a library, the local home-decor retailer Burlap & Birch, and an indoor skydiving center were reported as new or recent additions. Liberty Center's positioning is therefore based on destination retail and mixed-use placemaking rather than on a single merchandise category. Its offering combines department-store and sporting-goods anchors with restaurants, entertainment, hospitality, apartments, and office uses. The available reference material does not establish a current ownership structure, a current tenant list, a standalone corporate website, or detailed information about present-day operations.

Liberty Center was developed in Liberty Township, Butler County, Ohio, by Steiner Realty, with the development associated with Steiner + Associates. The site lies on Liberty Way southwest of the intersection of Interstate 75 and Ohio State Route 129. The development team selected the location because it was positioned between Cincinnati and Dayton and was seen as lacking a substantial retail and entertainment destination. The project was conceived as a mixed-use complex rather than solely as a conventional shopping mall. Its approximately 65-acre site was planned to contain more than 1.2 million square feet of retail, entertainment, and office uses. The retail component was divided into two principal formats: an open-air lifestyle center in which stores and restaurants face pedestrian-oriented streets, and a two-story enclosed shopping area called The Foundry. Liberty Center opened in October 2015. The opening tenant roster contained more than 94 retailers and restaurants. The original development also included an AC Hotel, 249 apartments, and a Cobb Theatres CineBistro, whose dine-in format added an entertainment and food-service component to the project. Dillard's and Dick's Sporting Goods were identified as major anchors in The Foundry. Dillard's presence followed the replacement of its former store at Tri-County Mall in Springdale. The complex was designed to operate as a regional destination by combining shopping with restaurants, cinema, lodging, residential accommodation, office activity, and public-oriented outdoor areas. This mixed-use model allowed Liberty Center to compete for visits based on experience and convenience as well as merchandise selection. In September 2018, Steiner + Associates transferred leasing and management responsibilities to JLL. At the time, representatives stated that the center had received more than seven million visitors and that retail tenancy had risen by more than 10 percent over the preceding year. The change reflected an effort to manage the project and its tenant mix through a specialized third-party real-estate services organization. The tenant base continued to evolve. Gap closed its Liberty Center store in late 2018, while Claire's, a library, the local home-decor business Burlap & Birch, and an indoor skydiving center were reported as additions. These changes illustrate the center's continuing effort to combine traditional retail with services, local businesses, and entertainment. The available reference material does not identify a current owner, provide a complete current tenant directory, or document later redevelopment, financial performance, or operating results.

• 2018

  Leasing and management move to JLL

  [1]Liberty Center (mall)en.wikipedia.org

  Steiner + Associates transferred leasing and management responsibilities to JLL in September, citing strong visitor traffic and recent growth in retail tenancy.

• 2018

  Tenant portfolio changes

  [1]Liberty Center (mall)en.wikipedia.org

  Gap closed its store, while Claire's, a library, Burlap & Birch, and an indoor skydiving center were reported as new additions.

• 2015

  Liberty Center opens

  [1]Liberty Center (mall)en.wikipedia.org

  The mixed-use complex opened in October with more than 94 retailers and restaurants, approximately 1.2 million square feet of retail, entertainment, and office space, an AC Hotel, 249 apartments, and a CineBistro theater.

A regional mixed-use destination combining lifestyle-center shopping, enclosed retail, dining, entertainment, hospitality, apartments, and offices, designed to draw visitors from the Cincinnati–Dayton corridor.

• Enclosed shopping center · 2015

  The Foundry

  The Foundry is Liberty Center's two-story enclosed retail component. It houses major anchors including Dillard's and Dick's Sporting Goods and complements the project's open-air lifestyle-center streets. Its format provides conventional mall retail within a larger mixed-use destination.

• Open-air retail and dining · 2015

  Outdoor lifestyle center

  The open-air portion of Liberty Center places shops and restaurants along a street-oriented, pedestrian-focused environment. It forms the experiential side of the complex, supporting dining, specialty retail, and social activity alongside the enclosed mall.

• Cinema and entertainment · 2015

  Cobb Theatres CineBistro

  The original Liberty Center development included a Cobb Theatres CineBistro, a dine-in movie-theater concept combining film exhibition with restaurant-style food service. It was one of the complex's principal entertainment offerings at opening.

• Hospitality · 2015

  AC Hotel

  An AC Hotel was included in the original mixed-use development, extending Liberty Center's role beyond retail and providing lodging within the destination complex.

• Residential · 2015

  Residential apartments

  The original project included 249 apartments. Their inclusion was part of Liberty Center's broader mixed-use design, intended to place residents near shopping, dining, entertainment, and other services.

• 2018

  Transfer of leasing and management to JLLStrategy

  Background

  After Liberty Center had accumulated more than seven million reported visitors and experienced retail-tenancy growth, Steiner + Associates changed the organization responsible for leasing and mall management.

  Action taken

  Steiner + Associates transferred leasing and management duties to JLL in September 2018.

  Aftermath

  The available reference material does not provide later performance data or details about the duration and results of JLL's assignment.

  Source

1. 1Liberty Center (mall)en.wikipedia.org