05/20/2026
I love this area and would love to see more dining options! 🍴
More Restaurants May Be On The Way...
Springboro is trying to attract more restaurants by designating more than 500 acres of the city as a Community Entertainment District in an effort to get more liquor permits.
“Liquor permits are a commodity,” Assistant City Manager Greg Shackelford said. “There’s nothing pressing, nothing pending, but we will have them to attract businesses.”
Ohio law limits the number of traditional D-5 liquor permits a municipality can have based on population, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Liquor Control.
With a little over 19,000 residents, Springboro is entitled to 9. There is only one left to issue, City Manager Chris Pozzuto said.
He said companies deciding on places to build new locations may bypass Springboro without ever inquiring about opportunities because they see there are no permits available.
A Community Entertainment District grants additional D-5J permits, 1 for every 5 acres within the district.
If the district is approved by city council, 557 acres of Springboro would fall in the district, including Historic Downtown Springboro, and the Ohio 741 and Ohio 73 corridors.
Springboro would have an additional 15 liquor permits to use as incentive to attract more sit-down restaurants to its downtown. “That’s the whole reason we’re doing this,” Pozzuto said.
The proposed Community Entertainment District includes Wright Station at the intersection of Ohio 741 and Ohio 73, and the Easton Farm development underway on Ohio 741.
Wright Station was the focus of Springboro’s Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area in 2020.
Infrastructure improvements, such as access roads and utilities, started at Easton Farm in late March.
Springboro has partnered with Woodard Development to create a mix-use area at Easton Farm that includes retail and dining options, housing, a park, and eventually an elementary school.
“The goal would be to create opportunities for a sit-down type of restaurant, a small green space area, and perhaps additional commercial use that would complement the city’s master plan,” Pozzuto said.
Also in the proposed district is the western stretch of Ohio 73 to Interstate 75 which includes a vacant Kroger site on the south and undeveloped land on the north.
The district would allow for alcohol-serving restaurants, including national chains, to locate to those areas.
Shackelford said the city doesn’t expect any resistance to its efforts. When the DORA was extended to the historic downtown area in 2022, only one person spoke against it at the city’s public hearing.
There was no opposition to the Community Entertainment District at a public hearing held March 19.
Springboro City Council is expected to vote on the district at a future meeting.
Article link:
https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/springboro-tries-for-more-restaurants-with-a-community-entertainment-district/article_228245ca-05d1-40cc-a81f-edcd561ac56b.html
