By Jennifer Edwards
The Cincinnati Enquirer

WEST CHESTER TWP. - A developer has dropped his effort in Butler County Common Pleas Court to overturn the denial of a conditional use permit for a major project.

Dan Neyer, president of Neyer Properties Inc. of Evendale, on Monday dropped the appeal of the action by the board of zoning appeals. It was for a lifestyle center with a movie theater on his 75-acre parcel at the northwest corner of Cincinnati-Dayton Road and Interstate 75.

Now a large retail store might emerge on the site instead, Neyer officials said Tuesday. They declined to name the potential tenant. An announcement is expected before year's end.

Earlier this year, Steiner & Associates of Columbus - the developers of Newport on the Levee and the Easton Town Center in Columbus - were partners in the project with Neyer.

But after the conditional use permit rejection this summer, Steiner pulled out, and all the tenants followed suit.

The $100 million project, called West Chester Square, would have held a Showcase Cinemas, Jeff Ruby steakhouse and Galyan's sporting goods store.

As another way to win approval for the center, Mr. Neyer sought rezoning and received it last month from the township's zoning commission. But township trustees were poised to overturn that decision, saying the project doesn't fit West Chester's vision plan.

West Chester has been the scene of a mall war among developers vying to lure retailers to four separate projects in the township.

E-mail jedwards@enquirer.com.