Towne Square Project Updates
(February 10, 2023 - Blue Ash)
City Council voted last night to accept a bid for the construction of the Towne Square Renovation Project.
The contract for $9.1M was awarded to Alpha Construction.
(November 7, 2022 - Blue Ash)
The firm that designed the upcoming renovation of Blue Ash Towne Square has won a design award!
BHDP was awarded in the Landscape Architecture & Community Planning category for the Towne Square design at the Cincinnati Design Awards on November 4. Read more.
(October 24, 2022 - Blue Ash)
City Council voted in favor of a motion to proceed with bidding on the Towne Square Project at the October 13 meeting. In addition to authorizing the bid, Council will need to approve the project budget this year or as part of the 2023 budget.
(July 22, 2022 - Blue Ash)
Do you want to know the basics about the Towne Square Project and how it's progressing? Click here to see an overview PDF that includes a brief history, what's happening now, what's next, and design renderings.
(June 13, 2022 - Blue Ash)
City Council received an update on the Towne Square design at the June 9 meeting.
Steve Barber of BHDP Architects presented a series of new design concepts and a new fly-through video.
Notable updates include:
- More details on the children’s areas including a climbable play structure and an interactive water feature along the Promenade and Grove.
- Current brick pavers will be preserved and repurposed into the new Veterans Memorial
- Expanded retail patios fronting the Promenade
View the PDF of the new renderings here and watch the new video above. You can also view the full presentation to Council on YouTube here.
(October 29, 2021 - Blue Ash)
An update to the Design Project Schedule:
From Spring 2021- Spring 2022: design firms will create conceptual plans and periodically present them to City Council for guidance.
Summer 2022: the final design will be completed.
Late 2022: City Council and Administration will determine the budget and construction schedule.
(October 19, 2021 - Blue Ash)
Blue Ash City Council received a Towne Square project update and design presentation at the October 14 City Council meeting. Members from the design team representing BHDP Architects and Human Nature walked Council through the latest conceptual designs utilizing imagery and a fly-through video. The presentation was well received as it further explained the end-user experience in the newly imagined space. To view the fly-through video click here or the video below.
The new renderings (click here to see a PDF) focus on the multiple amenities that make up the new space that will attract the community to the heart of Blue Ash. The features include a sprawling Bicentennial Veterans Memorial as a walkthrough timeline near the northern portion of the park with entrances to the west and east. The new chronological format grants ample space along the walk to allow visitors to stand or sit next to the re-purposed statues. Designers shared earmarked locations for veteran pavers along the walkway and relocation areas for the existing flags and Nonagon.
To the south of the Memorial, there is an expansive Civic Lawn surrounded by interactive, open-ended play areas for children and small water elements.
To the west of the lawn and stretching the length of the park is a tree-lined Promenade with lush landscaping and quaint outdoor seating areas. Curving off of the Promenade and connecting the park to the neighboring businesses is the Grove. This unique space will serve as a hub and gathering area that functionally links together many amenities.
A multipurpose Pavilion will be located to the south of the Civic Lawn. The Pavilion and Stage can be used for dining or informal social gatherings during non-performance days and evenings. Adjacent to the stage, a building will house restrooms and park storage areas.
Nestled to the southeast of the pavilion on the edge of the park is a small, urban style, sustainably constructed Dog Park for visitors and their pets.
A parking lot is located to the south of the Pavilion which will match or increase the number of current parking spaces, mitigate topographical challenges, increase park visibility, and grant accessibility from multiple entry points.
City staff and the design team will continue to work on plan details through the spring with the goal of having construction-ready documents in 2022.
(July 12, 2021 - Blue Ash)
Blue Ash City Council has decided on a parking plan for the redevelopment of Towne Square as the first step in developing a new design for the project.
At the June 10 Council meeting, BHDP Architects and Human Nature Design presented three options for parking: a surface lot, an above-ground garage, and an underground garage.
Council decided to move forward with the surface parking lot option, which targets improved connectivity and the ability to maintain or slightly increase the parking capacity within the space.
(April 20, 2021)
DESIGN PROJECT PHASE
The City of Blue Ash is now in the early stages of turning your vision for Towne Square into a reality. Using your feedback from the Towne Square Survey, the City now has a design project schedule in place.
This month, design firms are submitting their qualifications for the project, the City will evaluate the submissions and create a shortlist of firms.
In early May, the City will interview the shortlisted firms and recommend the best qualifying firm to City Council.
In mid-May, City Council will review the recommended firm and award the design project contract.
From May through September, the City will use the Towne Square Public Input Survey results as a guideline as it holds multiple design meetings with the selected firm.
In late September, the completed designs and construction documents will be presented.
Click here for a high-quality PDF of the above design project schedule timeline.