City Invites citizens to review Plaza/Long Property Redevelopment Plans

Tipp citizens were invited to spend Wednesday evening, September 24th, at the Tipp City Building to view the redevelopment plans for Tipp Plaza and the Long Property. The attendees discussed the plans and asked questions about them with city officials, including City Manager Eric Mack, Clerk of Council Janice Bates, Community Development Matt Spring, Fire/EMS Chief Cam Hall, Treasurer John Green, and representatives from Tipp’s development partner, Woodard Development.

As expected, many of the questions and discussions involved plans to include luxury apartments in the Plaza and acquire a grocery store for the Long property. Mack and others explained that apartments were necessary for the financial success of the project, and the apartments would “provide modern, high-quality housing options for professionals, families, and empty nesters-something currently missing in Tipp City.” The Fact Sheet passed out at the meeting also stated that, “Residents create a built-in customer base to support Tipp Plaza businesses.”

Some people asked why the proposed grocery store was not planned for the Plaza but instead was to be located in the Long property. The answer was that the Plaza could not accommodate enough parking spots to accommodate both a grocery store and the many other businesses predicted to settle in the Plaza. Additionally, many grocery stores require their own gas stations to accompany them, such as Kroger and Walmart, which would require even more space in the Plaza (and there are already two gas stations located at Main and Garber).

Citizens also asked about the timeline for completing the plans for both sites. The Fact Sheet contained the following timeline: 

2025: Planning, approvals, and public engagement 

2026-2027: Infrastructure (which would include water, sewer, gas, electricity, road widening, etc.) and site work

2027 onward: Construction of apartments, retail outlets, and Plaza improvements.