Owners aim to upgrade Westgate shopping site

Sports bar, restaurant targeted to be razed

The north side of Central Avenue at Secor Road could be revitalized to include a mix of retail, restaurants, and offices

The owners of Westgate Village Shopping Center are turning their attention to the north side of Central Avenue and will revitalize property occupied by a sports bar and restaurant.

Liz Holland, chief executive officer of Abbell Credit Corp., said the company will submit site plans Monday with the Toledo Plan Commission to construct three buildings for a new development on property it owns north of Central, just west of Secor Road.

The proposal calls for demolishing Arnie’s Again Bar and Grill and El Nuevo Vallarta restaurant to make way for a 25,000-square-foot development in three buildings that will include a mix of retail, restaurants, and offices, she said.

“At the end of the day, it is probably going to be about a $7 million to $10 million project, but it is hard to know the exact costs,” she said.

Ms. Holland said the company has letters of intents from prospective tenants to occupy 60 percent of the space.

Residents will have the opportunity to learn about Abbell’s plans for the 5-acre site during a March 12 meeting at 7 p.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 3225 Markway Rd.

There also will be opportunities for residents to review the project at the city plan commission meeting in April.

The Chicago-based company completed construction of the revitalized 60-year-old Westgate Village Shopping Center in 2007 with the opening of Costco, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and other stores. Costco and the stores occupy 250,000 square feet in four brick buildings.

Ms. Holland said the architecture will be very similar in design to the existing buildings at Westgate.

“If everything goes according to plans, as we hope will be the case, we should start working on construction this summer, and those businesses will be open by Thanksgiving Day,” she said.

Ms. Holland said the owners of Arnie’s Again and El Nuevo Vallarta have been aware of the company’s plans and are not currently signed to leases.

“We have tried to include them as part of the new development," she said.

"However, currently we don’t have any agreements in place, but that is not to say we won’t in the future,” Ms. Holland said.

Contact Mark Reiter at: markreiter@theblade.com or 419-724-6199.