The announcement of plans for two new mixed-use developments may well be the turning point for business and residential growth in Toledo.
The pair of seemingly unrelated developments — representing $150 million in investment — are a potential pivot into a revitalized economic future for our city.
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In the Marina District, where a series of proposals for redevelopment have fallen flat in the last 16 years, developer Frank Kass plans to build a 370-unit residential project, along with a restaurant at Main Street and Riverside Drive.
In the former Colony, located near Central Avenue and Monroe Street, Kass’ Continental Development plans another mixed-use development, with an extended-stay hotel, apartments, and an assisted-living facility, including a unit for memory-loss patients.
ProMedica President and CEO Randy Oostra envisions a Monroe Street corridor stretching from Toledo Hospital, past the Toledo Museum of Art, to downtown, with these developments at either end.
David Zenk, executive director of the Metroparks of the Toledo Area, which will develop a park on property within the Marina District, has emphasized that cities similar to Toledo that build these types of projects — a mix of attractive urban residential units and accessible parks and recreation — have thrived.
As projects like this come together, they build upon each other. Toledo and other cities have suffered when business closures and other setbacks create a negative pattern. A negative blow tends to build on a previous one. But it works the same way with positive, forward motion.
Success is like boxing: Land one good blow and you have a chance at two. Land three and you’ll get a good shot at a fourth. One successful project increases the likelihood of a second, and three projects increase the likelihood of numbers four and five.
The Kass projects seem well-planned and proportional, and Mr. Kass is ready to move ahead with construction in the spring of 2018, which is an ambitious timeline.
Among the keys for pulling this off will be for city officials to play their part with efficient planning and support, as well as extending roads and other services as needed.
This does look like a turning point. Toledo now has “Big Mo” — momentum and energy behind it.
First Published April 27, 2017, 4:00 a.m.
