$18M music center project moves forward

HUBER HEIGHTS, Ohio (WDTN) - Huber Heights City Council approved legislation on Monday night to move forward with a project that would create a music center in the Heights Development.

The Music Center at The Heights, located off State Route 201 and Interstate 70, is a proposed 4,500 fixed-seat concert and entertainment venue that incorporates an outdoor feel while protecting patrons from the elements with a permanent roof.  

City leaders said they plan to pay for the new music center without new tax dollars or general fund money. Project planners will be consulting with experts in the entertainment industry regarding the design of the building and how it will fit into the total connectivity master plan of The Heights project. City leaders will also begin negotiation talks with management companies to operate and manage the facility.

At the conclusion of due diligence legislation passed Monday, Huber Heights leaders said they hope to break ground on the Music Center at The Heights in early 2013 with a projected opening of the venue in the spring of 2014.

The Heights is an 800-acre development that when completed will include  more than 2,000 homes in the Carriage Trails at The Heights residential community, the 35-acre Kroger Aquatic and Recreation Complex at The Heights, and the 140-acre retail and entertainment component that will encompass the Music Center at The Heights. The retail and entertainment component may also include a hotel, office and medical space, upscale and family restaurants, plus shopping options.