MARK:STORE CLOSURES ACROSS THE
MIAMI VALLEY ARE CREATING BIG
BOX BLIGHT.BROOKE:THOSE STORES
INCLUDE ELDER-BEERMAN, TOYS R
US AND SOON SEARS. THAT'S ON
TOP OF OTHER STORES LIKE
K-MART THAT ALREADY CLOSED
THEIR DOORS HERE.2 NEWS
REPORTER KRISTEN ESKOW IS LIVE
IN RIVERSIDE - DIGGING DEEPER
INTO WHAT THESE VACANCIES
COULD LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE.
KRISTEN:MARK AND BROOKE - THIS
IS THE OLD RIVERSIDE KMART.
THIS BUILDING AND PARKING LOT
- LEFT EMPTY AND DESERTED FOR
MORE THAN A YEAR AND COUNTING..
OTHER BOX BOX PROPERTIES -
HAVE BEEN VACANT EVEN LONGER.
AS THE NUMBER OF THESE VACANT
STORES GROW - WE WANTED TO
FIND OUT WHAT LOCAL LEADERS
ARE DOING - TO BRING BUSINESS
BACK.
(SOUND OF PARKING LOT)THE
CUSTOMERS ARE LONG GONE.
04:24:50 CHRIS CABLE -
CARLISLE RESIDENT: "WHEN I
GREW UP AS A KID, THEY WERE
THE ONES WHERE WE SHOPPED AT."
SOME OF THE SIGNS - STRIPPED
FROM THEIR STOREFRONTS.
04:26:38 ED GEORGE - DAYTON
RESIDENT: "IT'S A SIGN OF THE
TIMES."ONE-TIME BIG-NAME
BRANDS - REDUCED TO BIG BOX
BLIGHT. 01:07:52 CHASTITY
BARTON - RIVERSIDE RESIDENT:
"JUST ANOTHER ABANDONED
BUILDING IN DAYTON. THERE'S
ENOUGH OF THOSE ALREADY."THIS
FORMER RIVERSIDE KMART - THE
MIAMI VALLEY'S LAST KMART TO
SHUT DOWN - CLOSED MORE THAN A
YEAR AGO. JENNIFER FOX -
RIVERSIDE RESIDENT: 01:06:24
"IT'S A LITTLE DEPRESSING
BECAUSE I REMEMBER WHEN I
LIVED HERE AS A CHILD, I
ACTUALLY WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO
BE ABLE TO WALK THERE."
RIVERSIDE CITY OFFICIALS SAY
NO ONE IS LINED UP TO MOVE IN
YET - BUT THERE HAS BEEN SOME
INTEREST IN THE SITE. MARK
CARPENTER - RIVERSIDE CITY
MANAGER: 01:18:53 "IT'S JUST -
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE'VE HAD
A GOOD FIT OF EITHER THE
COMPANY THAT'S SELLING THE
BUILDING OR SOMETHING THAT
FITS WHAT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS."
PROPERTIES LIKE THIS ONE - AN
ALL TOO COMMON SIGHT IN MANY
COMMUNITIES.(SOUND OF CARS)A
MAJOR RETAIL HUB IN THE MIAMI
VALLEY - THE DAYTON MALL AREA
HAS INEVTIABLY SEEN ITS SHARE
OF BIG BOX CLOSURES. TOYS R US
IN JUNE, ELDER-BEERMAN IN
AUGUST, AND SOON SEARS - ALL
IN THE PAST YEAR - JUST TO
NAME A FEW. FOR NOW - THOSE
THREE STORES REMAIN EMPTY.
CANDIZE CONSIGLIO -
CENTERVILLE RESIDENT: 04:28:59
"IT'S SAD SEEING A LOT OF THE
BUILDINGS EMPTY ALL OVER. I
LIVE OVER BY THE DAYTON MALL
AREA AND WE GET MORE AND MORE
EVERY WEEK THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE
THEY'RE CLOSING."MIAMI
TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
DIRECTOR CHRIS SNYDER SAYS
LOCAL LEADERS KNEW THIS DAY
WOULD COME.CHRIS SNYDER -
MIAMI TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR: 06:06:00
"IT WAS A CONCERN YEARS AGO."
SNYDER SAYS OFFICIALS IN MIAMI
TOWNSHIP SPENT THAT TIME
PREPARING - CREATING A DAYTON
MALL AREA MASTER PLAN AND
REBRANDING THE AREA AS THE
MIAMI CROSSING DISTRICT IN
LATE 2015. THEY'VE ALSO SPENT
THAT TIME WORKING WITH
PROPERTY OWNERS. CHRIS SNYDER:
06:09:01 "WE'RE TRYING TO
BRING ALL OF THE DIFFERENT
SHOPPING CENTER OWNERS
TOGETHER TO LOOK AT WHAT ARE
THE BEST USES FOR THEIR SITES.
HOW CAN THEY COMPLEMENT EACH
OTHER AS OPPOSED TO JUST
HAVING EVERYTHING BE RETAIL."
SNYDER SAYS ANOTHER OPTION -
CREATING MORE RESIDENTIAL AND
OFFICE SPACE.CHRIS SNYDER:
06:09:52 "IT IS CERTAINLY A
CHALLENGE, BUT IT'S ALSO A
GREAT OPPORTUNITY."(SOUND OF
CARS)OPPORTUNITY - ALSO IN
MIND IN BEAVERCREEK - WHERE
CITY MANAGER PETE LANDRUM SAYS
BEING PROACTIVE HAS SHOWN
RESULTS. THE SEARS SET TO
CLOSE - WILL BECOME A HOME
GOODS STORE AND FAMILY
ENTERTAINMENT CENTER.PETE
LANDRUM - BEAVERCREEK CITY
MANAGER: 06:38:22 "THINGS ARE
CHANGING. CAN'T JUST DO BIG
BOX ANYMORE. CAN'T JUST DO
CLOTHING."ROUGHLY SIX MONTHS
AFTER THIS FORMER BEAVERCREEK
KMART CLOSED - AN "AT HOME"
STORE OPENED. LANDRUM SAYS HE
BELIEVES WORKING WITH PROPERTY
OWNERS - AND CLOSE PROXIMITY
TO WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY AND
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE
BASE HAVE HELPED ATTRACT NEW
BUSINESSES. PETE LANDRUM:
06:35:04 "WE TRY TO SET
THROUGH OUR LAND USE PLAN,
THOROUGHFARE PLAN, ALL OF OUR
MASTER PLANNING THAT WE TRY TO
SET UP THE TYPES OF CONDITIONS
THAT BUSINESSES CAN SUCCEED."
BUT IT'S ALSO ABOUT THINKING
OUTSIDE THE BOX - OR IN THIS
CASE - THE BIG BOX.MATTHEW
ARNOVITZ - COMMERCIAL REAL
ESTATE BROKER: 04:10:50 "SOME
OF THEM MAY CONVERT TO
STORAGE. SOME OF THEM MAY
CONVERT TO RESIDENTIAL."
MATTHEW ARNOVITZ HAS BEEN A
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE BROKER
FOR 35 YEARS - AND HAS WORKED
ON SEVERAL BIG BOX PROPERTIES
ACROSS THE MIAMI VALLEY. RIGHT
NOW - ARNOVITZ SAYS THERE'S
HIGH DEMAND FOR INDUSTRIAL
SPACE - AND SOME BIG BOX
PROPERTIES MAY BECOME
LOGISTICS AND DISTRIBUTION
CENTERS OR CALL CENTERS.
MATTHEW ARNOVITZ: 04:14:14
"THERE'S GROCERY STORE USERS
AND DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT I
WORK WITH THAT ARE LOOKING IN
THE MARKET, AND MOST OF THEM
ARE INTERESTED - WHENEVER
THERE'S OPPORTUNITY, THEY WANT
TO EXPLORE IT."(SOUND OF CARS)
BUT FOR NOW - RESIDENTS KNOW
THEY'LL HAVE TO SEE THESE
STOREFRONTS - SITTING EMPTY.
JENNIFER FOX: 01:07:01 "IT
WOULD BE NICE IF THERE COULD
BE OTHER RETAIL OR
RESTAURANTS." CHASTITY BARTON:
01:07:44 "IT'S POINTLESS JUST
TO HAVE IT VACANT, TO HAVE IT
EMPTY."
KRISTEN:THE PARENT COMPANY FOR
THE DAYTON MALL AND THE MALL
AT FAIRFIELD COMMONS - SAYS
THEY'RE FOCUSED ON BRINGING IN
A GREATER DIVERSITY OF TENANTS
- ASIDE FROM JUST RETAIL.THE
REAL ESTATE BROKER I SPOKE
WITH SAYS FOR THOSE PROPERTIES
WITHOUT TENANTS LINED UP - IT
COULD TAKE AS LITTLE AS A YEAR
OR AS LONG AS SEVERAL YEARS TO
BE OCCUPIED AGAIN.LIVE IN
RIVERSIDE - KRISTEN ESKOW, 2
NEWS WORKING FOR YOU.
BROOKE:AND IF YOU HEAD TO
WDTN.COM AND CLICK ON THE
STORY YOU CAN CHECK OUT A MAP
OF THE RECENT CLOSURES
THROUGHOUT OUR AREA.