By Liz Oakes
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Elizabeth Schmidt (center) walks with her son Brian, 3, and neighbor Molly Davenport along the front of Brentwood Plaza. (Craig Ruttle photo)

SPRINGFIELD TWP. - Residents greeted with mixed feelings the announcement Wednesday that Kroger will move a block south back to Brentwood Plaza, the shopping heart of Finneytown and the township's springboard for revitalization of its main road.

About 70 people attended a news conference at the township administration building on Winton Road, where officials from the township, Kroger and shopping center owner New Plan Excel Realty Trust confirmed that the Cincinnati grocery store chain would open a 69,133-square-foot "superstore" at the center - long plagued with vacancies - by the end of the year.

Township officials called the move, which will bring $10 million in renovations to the aging center, the first step in rejuvenating the Winton Road corridor, part of its agenda for nearly a decade.

"This is a major opportunity for us to continue moving in the direction we set out for us to redevelop the community," said township Trustee Gwen McFarlin.

The township is expected to adopt a "streetscape" plan next month that would provide design guidelines and infuse $1.3 million from bond funding into upgrades on Winton Road. New Plan's renovation will be the first major project to incorporate the new look, said township administrator Michael Hinnenkamp.

The township's effort paid off, making the area "a much more appealing place for us and Kroger to invest in," said Michael Carroll, senior vice president and director of redevelopment for New York-based New Plan.

The township said Wednesday it had a letter of intent from New Plan to buy its adjoining 1-acre lot south of the plaza that currently houses its fire and service departments. Those departments will be moving to new locations within a year or so.

Some residents applauded the move.

"Forty-eight years ago, we moved into Finneytown and we watched the birth of Brentwood Plaza. We're still here," Pat Earley told township officials and representatives from Kroger and New Plan. "It's a wonderful place to live, and we're excited to see the rebirth of the center. And I hope I'm around long enough to see it totally revitalized."

Some Brentwood Plaza shoppers said they liked the plan because of the convenience to other stores, but others weren't so sure.

"I must admit when I first heard the idea, I wasn't so crazy about it, because it wasn't that long ago here in Finneytown that Kroger moved out of this plaza to that location," said Molly Davenport of Finneytown. But if an expanded store helps the community by employing more people, "then maybe it will be a good thing in the long run," she said.

E-mail loakes@enquirer.com