Perrysburg retail picking up speed

Kroger, hotel lead developments

Kroger bought a vacant Sears Outlet building next to its Carronade Drive store for $3.1 million. It plans to demolish that structure, build a new Kroger store, and tear down the current building.

THE BLADE/MATT THOMPSON
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Kroger bought a vacant Sears Outlet building next to its Carronade Drive store for $3.1 million. It plans to demolish that structure, build a new Kroger store, and tear down the current building.

Several projects have generated a retail buzz in Perrysburg, with plans proceeding for an expanded Kroger and a new Holiday Inn Express and Taco Bell.

However, checking out is a longtime retailer, Big Lots. The store is to close next month.

“Business development as a whole is in great shape [in Perrysburg],” said Joe Francis, a sales associate in the Toledo office of Signature Associates. “The new medical out there is a huge driving force, and when things are coming up from the ground and not just being talked about, it brings others.”

Kroger purchased a vacant Sears Outlet building next to its Carronade Drive store for $3.1 million. It plans to demolish that 94,000-square-foot building and erect a new Kroger, then tear down its current store, which would create space for other retailers.

“The Perrysburg area is strong for us,” said Jackie Siekmann, a Kroger spokesman. “Our engineer will meet with the city near the end of July, and we will know more.”

A site plan submitted to Brody Walters, city planning and zoning administrator, shows a new, 123,662-square-foot Kroger building where Kmart and Sears used to be at 27322 Carronade Dr. and a 14,000-square-foot smaller retail building with parking behind it where Kroger currently is.

Big Lots — at 144 E. South Boundary in Perrysburg since 1989 — will close for good on Aug. 17.

Elsewhere in Perrysburg, Signature Associates last week closed a deal that will put a Holiday Inn Express at the edge of Levis Commons, at the northwest corner of Roachton Road and State Rt. 25. The site plan by Key Hotel and Properties includes possible other retailers and restaurants on the 9.75-acre property.

The hotel will have 122 rooms, but Mr. Francis said the square footage has not been determined.

Across the street from Levis Commons will be a new Taco Bell. Submitted plans show the fast food restaurant off State Rt. 25 between Gloria Street and Lincoln Boulevard.

The Kroger expansion and Taco Bell site plan are expected to be considered at the July 31 city Planning Commission meeting.

A downside for the Perrysburg market, however, is the Big Lots at 144 E. South Boundary. It has said it will close its doors Aug. 17. The store has been there since 1989. Mr. Walters said he is not aware of any inquires for others to use the 30,000-square-foot building.

Contact Matt Thompson at: mthompson@theblade.com, 419-356-8786, or on Twitter at @mthompson25.