COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A new attraction at Northgate Mall could be a bridge to the future for the 60-acre property, as the investors behind Epic Entertainment say they might pursue additional development at their 9-acre site.
“We would like to open up another entertainment facility in the mall,” said Alex Patel, one of four owners of the indoor adventure park in the former Xscape Theatres space at Northgate. “Eventually, I would love to develop a hotel as well.”
Patel and his brother, Rosham, paid $1.8 million for the cinema property through their company, Northgate Entertainment LLC, in December 2024. They told a Colerain Township zoning panel they would invest up to $3 million to renovate it.
The project brings new life to the dormant southwest corner of the mall, where a long-vacant Sears store is nearly demolished and Colerain Township is trying to promote a mixed-use development with housing, green space and dining/entertainment attractions.
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“Epic Entertainment is going to provide something that I think Colerain has been looking for. It's a central gathering place for family fun and entertainment and we welcome that,” said David Miller, development director for the township.
Northgate is the sixth indoor adventure park developed by Patel since 2015. It’s the first to feature a two-story rope course, on which guests wear harnesses and helmets as they cross elevated bridges and obstacles.
Other features include a multi-level go-kart track, built to take advantage of high ceilings in the 58,000-square-foot building. Several trampoline attractions allow guests to play basketball, dodgeball and other games.
Patel said Epic Entertainment is geared toward children ages two to 13, although all ages are welcome, as long as those under 18 are accompanied by an adult.
The business plan involves a variety of revenue generators, including food and snacks, six separate rooms for private parties, more than 50 arcade machines and pricing options ranging from a $20 day pass for toddlers to $249 for an annual membership.
He declined to provide details on revenue or attendance projections, but is convinced the business will be successful.
“We’ve worked super hard, seven days a week, 12 hours a day and everything you see, we have built it,” Patel said. “A lot of hard work, a lot of sleepless nights. But everything is going to melt when we see the kids walking in here for the first time and their wide-open mouths saying, ‘Wow,’ and the smile on their face. That really is (when we say) ‘OK, we have achieved our goal.’”
Within six months, Patel hopes to be ready for his first expansion to a leased space that offers bowling, laser tag and a restaurant that serves alcohol.
“This place, we are not serving alcohol,” Patel said. “We want to keep it as a kid-friendly place over here.”
Longer-term plans could include developing “a mid-scale hotel” on up to two and a half acres in the large parking lot that the cinema property controls.
“Hopefully this is the start of something new,” Patel said. “I’ve seen many places where the mall has been dead and they have converted into lifestyle centers where they have fitness centers, entertainment places, residential places, a shopping place, restaurants.”
Miller said the mall’s redevelopment is edging closer to reality, with demolition of a vacant Sears store nearly complete and a 9-acre parcel facing Colerain Ave. close to being acquired by a new buyer. The mall’s biggest property owner, a Dallas-bank that claimed a 27-parcel parcel after a 2024 loan default, is preparing to list the property for sale through a commercial broker, Miller said.
But the township has yet to identify a master developer willing to take on the redevelopment of the entire 60-acre site.
“We’re only one owner out of four,” Miller said. “We were able to secure another grant which will do a storm water analysis of the whole site. So, that’ll be something that informs that next developer.”
