It will probably be 2022 before Milford decides who will be chosen to buy and redevelop a former bank building in the heart of its historic downtown.
“The process is on hold as the city determines the impact of downtown parking related to upcoming businesses scheduled to open over the next six months,” City Manager Michael Doss said in an email.
Parking is an issue because Milford is weighing whether it needs to keep two public lots adjacent to the former Park National Bank at 25 Main St. or include them in a sale of the building.
Doss has said the city's downtown attracted more than $12 million in new construction development in the past three years and that additional development is on the way.
Milford bought the former Park National Bank property, which is by its increasingly popular development district along the Little Miami River, for $540,000 last December.
Ruthven art gallery proposed
That month, it also invited developers to present proposals for the bank building that closed earlier in 2020.
The city received six proposals, including one from the grandsons of the late John A. Ruthven. They want to move an art gallery founded by the internationally renowned wildlife artist and Cincinnati native from Georgetown to Milford.
Other proposals for the bank building included a deli, a restaurant, a gift shop and a jewelry store.
The Porter Group of Blue Ash proposed a mixed-use project with condominiums, restaurants and retail stores. It was the only proposal that included the public parking lots on Main Street and on Garfield Avenue.
Milford decided in May to seek proposals for other mixed-use projects for the bank building and parking lots.
Vision Realty Group of Mount Auburn submitted a proposal for a mixed-use project with townhomes, restaurants and retail stores.
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