Marina District – if you build it will they rent?
I think it’s great that Larry Dillin has decided to invest his own money in the Marina project to the tune of 75 million dollars, though if he was going to be the one investing his own money I don’t understand why this was so secretive. I realize there has been a great deal of hope pinned on this project as a way to revitalize the East side of Toledo, but I’m not really sure that Toledo needs an additional 550 townhouse units either to rent or to buy. We need jobs, and the construction aspect will provide jobs,
There are quite a few vacant townhouse projects right now in Toledo, including the River East ones downtown, and there is still the Steam Plant project, if and when that is completed that creates quite a few rental or condo sales type units in an area of Toledo that has not in the past been a draw for people to want to reside in. I also can’t help wondering how affordable the rents would be, since luxury rental properties in this area do not seem to be difficult to find but affordable ones for those who make at or below the median income of Toledo are hard to find. I still wonder about not doing the retail first since that is what both of the other two successful projects in Perrysburg and Maumee have done, yet I do remember the piece that Shaun Hegarty did for Fox over a week ago where experts felt the river would be an ‘enticement’. Yet if it’s just people moving from one rental to another without new people moving in…
It does make a very pretty drawing and given it’s going to be seven to ten years before the whole plan which includes retail will be completed, I do hope:
…the initial 21-acre phase generates enough excitement to fuel development of the Marina District over the next seven to 10 years.
Chad weighed in earlier on the Blade article.
Toledo Talk also has a thread on the Marina District, where JR provides background information on the many changes to the project.
From a media standpoint, in addition to the Blade and Fox as linked above, NBC24, WTOL and WTVG all have coverage on this story…
Well I am going to follow this (although it did seem secretive), this fellow is putting his money where his mouth is.
He’d have to feel pretty confident to hang 75m on this.
October 12th, 2007 at 11:10 amIf I had an extra $75 million or even an extra $75, the last place I’d invest it is East Toledo until or unless the mayor, the police, and Mr. Mike Craig start addressing the conditions that exist immediately adjuacent to the Marina District property and for several blocks spreading out from there. It is blighted and crime-ridden. And the so-called business area along Main and Starr is just plain sad. The condition of that area will hardly be a selling point to those seeking housing or a place to put their business, and even if they start fixing it today (which they won’t; all signs point to its continuing its decay and decline), I don’t see how it can be improved significantly in 7 or even 10 years. There’s not enough money in anyone’s pocket, except maybe Mr. Dillin’s, to make the necessary changes and improvements.
But someone should at least try. And Mike Craig should forget he’s running unopposed and start acting like someone who wants to fight for the area. In my experience, he does not respond AT ALL to residents’ concerns. But he does manage to show up to get his face on TV for the Marina District news conference.
October 12th, 2007 at 12:18 pmI believe this type of development could be a very good and progressive thing for our city. I thought the reports I heard said Dillin was putting up 15 million of his own dollars and I thought I heard the city was putting together 50 million (not sure where the other 10 was coming from). Either way if this development comes together it could be very beneficial for all of Toledo.
October 12th, 2007 at 12:22 pmDarlene, I as well as many others would be very opposed to the City of Toledo putting 50 million dollars of our tax dollars into a residential complex, since that’s the reality of what the majority of this stage is given the small square footage of retail planned for this part of it. From the linked Blade article:
The City providing abatements or assistance with infrastructure for a commercial development that would net a positive impact to the community beyond the construction phase is one thing, the City financing the majority of this stage of the project would be another.
October 12th, 2007 at 12:32 pmWill people really be willing to pay $125,000 for a condo on the east side?
October 12th, 2007 at 12:49 pmRobin…in a nut shell, no. Just like they won’t pay that or higher on Summit street.
While the “Idea” is lovely, the plan, the economics and the practicality of it being developed in the 1st phase as a residentail hub is furter proof that this city is on the wrong track when it comes to building up an area.
I truely respect Dillin for his almost visionary approach to certain areas, but this plan fell apart months ago, they knew it and yet refused to admit defeat. This smacks of Carty’s refusal to accept that bringing in more before the infrastructure and blighted aspects are dealt with will be a miserable failure.
It’s clear that they had hope, but little in the way of reality based support. Much like the situation with the Acme plant, this is dead on the water. The City has no business getting involved in this sort of venture. This should be solely funded by commercial interests. Mr. Dillin is a creative and intelligent man, yet he has failed to provide what was promised…. majority outside financing. They delayed a week to reveal this less that expected plan, making it all the more clear that it had faltered.
Meanwhile, the City has, through less than transparent means, provided their/our portion, 10 million. The re-vamped plan is scaled back from the original vision and doesn’t include, from what I can see, any long term gain. All we’re going to have is a bunch of over priced, empty apartments and condos that will simply shift a small portion of folks from one side of the river to the other. They will not stay either, without support structures and saftey.
Why is it that people think that new construction stands a chance when everything around it crumbles? The City of Toledo is in no position to engage in such a project with the burden placed on an already burdened system. The “market” of our area, such as it is, cannot and will not support additional housing when there are no jobs available that can offer a life support to such expense.
What the Administration should have asked Dillin to do was to help complete the outstanding projects all over town. What the Administration should be doing is concentrating on repairing and re-constructing the primary infrastructure, encouraging business to start up and working with Council and the County to re-vamp the tax system to make it an attractive investment for many, not few.
This after the fact approach is going to sink this city like the Titanic.
October 12th, 2007 at 1:32 pmDillin says he expects to offer his for $150,-$250,000. That would seem to be more in line to get a “reasonable” profit. Maybe TomKat will rent one as a “getaway” from the frantic lifestyle of Los Angeles. I doubt many Toledoans will be buying (unless the lawyers want to live closer to their clients downtown).
October 12th, 2007 at 1:33 pmBoy, some of you people sure have baggages. If I were to move in the Marina District I certainly wouldn’t want you guys to be my neighbors.
Marina District will be successful because of the location, access to the river, access to downtown, and great view all around. I live in the Warehouse District since then people were even hesitant and naysaying endlessly prior the re-birth of the neighborhood. Let me tell you, it’s the best investment I’ve ever made in my life because my quality of life has improved by 1000%. Great neighbors, restaurants, cafes, retail, parks, river, entertainment, view, etc, etc.
With the push of market-rate housing developments, the commercial and retail will follow which will push outwards beyond the Marina District.
October 12th, 2007 at 1:49 pmOk..so we don’t agree here Rockets. Let’s see, you are 1…are there more? 550 more? And what is your tax break? How long is it for? You are a rare individual. I don’t forsee it on the east side w/o other development. Downtown was a stretch and it already had what you mentioned. The East Side doesn’t.
Residentail developments with a river view do well in other places, and someday they will do well here, but not before the other developments. In Toledo, I feel it is essential to move with caution and in baby steps, working from the ground up. Considering our economy and our available resources, this is much to large scale for the City to risk 10 mil. on without a much stronger commitment from outside investors.
October 12th, 2007 at 1:56 pmRobin – under the right circumstance I would pay 125k or more.
First it’s the river front area – secondly I liked living in an urban setting – I moved where I did b/c there wasn’t much for kids to do in downtown Toledo when I moved there.
I would need to know firstly that security was well in hand and I would be able to utilize the area fully. But yes I would pay that much for a condo.
In the Col’s area, my former home, you’d be hard pressed to get a condo of any quality for that price. Let alone river front.
October 12th, 2007 at 2:07 pmRockets Man, I have a family that includes a child hence the school district being important and I have pets. Look around Toledo and see how many four story apartment complexes we have and how pleasurable it is to live in such. As well as look at the median income in Toledo. Then of course the history of people buying condo/townhouse type properties. Even in areas like Springfield Township, they aren’t selling very well and they end up being rented out by the owners a vast amount of the time.
Climbing up three flights of stairs to an apartment even one with a nice view of the river is not appealing to me. It won’t be appealing to a good number of people. Moving in and out of a second floor apartment was enough of an adventure for me.
Units for sale priced at the high end of $250,000 would face competition with units already built and sitting unsold, so I don’t think it’s wrong to wonder if the market in Toledo really needs another 550 units. We need the commercial development, we need the jobs but that part of the Marina District plan is quite a few years away from the way in which this project is being done.
If I were to ever magically become rich, child or no child – dogs or no dogs, I’d love to buy one of the lofts downtown, however, these are not lofts, they are apartments and townhouses.
October 12th, 2007 at 2:14 pmTell ya what, Rockets Man: come live in my house for a month. See how inviting the crumbling buildings, boarded up houses, pimps, prostitutes, drug addicts, drug dealers, alcoholics, and career criminals make the ambiance on the eastside. Then tell me how much you want the city to be investing in a hoity-toity development on the very edge of this crap without addressing first the decay all around it.
And what’s the deal with the Acme plant? The pollution isn’t cleaned up yet. Will it be? That’s going to cost a lot, isn’t it? Or is that factored into the money on the table?
I keep thinking back to Portside and all the excitement around that failed project. We always hear how great our waterfront is, but Portside went under and Cosi is struggling. The condos were floated down the river to a new location. Will we able to float Dillion’s project to another community when it comes time to bail it out?
Many years ago I lived in a development in Columbus that featured apartments above retail shops. There was also one large square building that housed tables and chairs in the middle and had retailers, including food vendors, all around the perimeter. There was a health club on site for renters to use, several restaurants, a movie theater, and a charming design that was like a European village. The secret there was low rent for nice apts., giving retailers a ready supply of customers. Renters didn’t have to go anywhere else to get their household goods, decorating items, groceries, dry cleaning, fine dining, entertainment, etc. The development also drew many from the outside and was often packed to the gills with shoppers. I don’t know why it no longer exists. It was quite successful when I lived there, but that was a lifetime ago.
October 12th, 2007 at 2:35 pmChad,
There are more baby boomer population that are becoming empty nesters, there are young professionals, single indivduals, childless couples, gay couples, urban-dwellers that seek for this type of development where this area is saturated with ranch-style homes, McMansions, suburbia dwellings. By virtue of revitalizing the central core, we need this type of population to diversify the neighborhood which will lead to more private investments in the long-run. Yes, things are not going to happen over night but this is the right way to start with the level of magnitude of this development.
What about the tax break? We invest as much as you do and if not more which will allow more cash flow to support businesses around the area. The tax break in certain market-rate developments around the downtown area is not a full tax break so don’t cast the stone on the ones who brings the money into the neighborhood.
You seem to have a recurring negativity toward the mayor and the city in my interpretation of all the topics in this blog site and it’s getting rather tiresome. Time to change your tune and start doing something positive instead of second-guessing everything in life.
The only way we are going to move this city and region is to change our attitude.
October 12th, 2007 at 2:37 pmKate,
I agree with you about the $125K, it is a sweet deal.
October 12th, 2007 at 2:38 pmLisa,
I totally understand about the structure and number of stairs that may not be appealing to the masses and choice of good school is also the primary key for many people’s decision-making of where they want to live. Perhaps this type of development would be attractive to new residents and current residents who may want this type of development such as “row houses” (i.e. row houses in Chicago is my personal favorite).
October 12th, 2007 at 2:41 pmRockets Man & Kate:
Time will tell what the end price ends up being as construction progresses.
October 12th, 2007 at 2:46 pmAnonymous, I respect your opinion and view. However, they’ve addressed that the Marina District will have a ripple effect with the surrounding neighborhoods as gentrification will take place in the long-run. The “ABCs” of the Urban Planning 101. Think about where the Warehouse District was 15-20 years ago, it was a blighted area, crime ridden, and very univiting for the most part but with new developments and investments in the last seven years, the neighborhood really turned around today.
The Acme plant and the pollution has been cleaned up for quite some time. It’s a matter of renovating the Acme plant into some other use such as commercial or retail developments.
Larry Dillin is the guy for this project because he is local, effective and truly taking the time to do things right to provide the vitality of the area. With the new I-280 bridge, the conversion of Craig Memorial freeway bridge into city street, Ferry Terminal with marina, International Park with bike trails, the new Locke Library, The Docks, Tony Packo’s on Consaul, the abundance of ripe storefront buildings along Main Street from Front to Starr, there are so much potentials and it is in the right position for a bright future. A true urban setting.
October 12th, 2007 at 2:51 pmLisa,
Yes, I think it will be much higher than $125K because of the attraction of the Marina District and proximity to the river.
October 12th, 2007 at 2:52 pmI think anonymous is referring the European Village in Col’s. That was a great place. It had a ton of young professionals and artists living on top of great shops.
They built Tuttle Crossing, somewhat like Levis Commons at the next exit off 70 and everybody just kind of left for a newer location.
If this thing is going to work then there will have to be jobs in Toledo to support residents moving into the housing. I don’t see a major initiative to revitalize the job market. The manufacturing jobs are closed and most of the plants are closed. We do need new direction in regard to job opportunities. And that is right – we already have plenty of vacant housing.
October 12th, 2007 at 2:56 pmLisa Renee – thank you for setting me straight on who is contributing what amounts…I apologize for any confusion on my part!
October 12th, 2007 at 3:06 pmDarlene, it happens, and I’m glad you posted, I’ve heard things in passing that I thought I heard one way then when I re-checked discovered it was different than I thought.
Especially when you are trying to multitask…which I know you like me, do quite a bit of that.
October 12th, 2007 at 3:10 pmKate, I think the development was called The French Market back in the ’70s when I lived there. It was right off the expressway. There was parking all around the outside and that view was not appealing, but once you entered the development, it was quite attractive. Most apartments had balconies overlooking the shops and walkways. It was well-kept.
Rockets Man, if your predicted gentrification happens, it will just mean the low-income homeowners (the only stability the area now has) will be forced out to make room for those with deeper pockets who can pay the increased property taxes. The drug addicts, dealers, prostitutes, etc. will move on to destroy another part of town, if they leave at all.
I agree there is potential along Main and Starr. But there’s potential everywhere in the city. Making it happen is another matter entirely. I often envision what is possible in that area. Heck Printing did a wonderful job of bringing their building back to life. But as things now stand, with beat-up bars, deplorable above-the-shop apartments, two buildings that are literally falling apart at Fourth Street and at Sixth Street, a beer/wine carryout, a “skill” gambling place, and a soup kitchen just one block off Main Street, I don’t see this area turning around any time soon. Something else that’s coming is called Hot Bodies.
The soup kitchen is a source of extremely serious problems, bringing hundreds of people into the area every week day, many of whom are criminals. It has done the most, single-handedly, to destroy the neighborhood surrounding it. It has become a hang out for drug dealers and their customers. When passing by, I have personally seen the transactions. There should be off-duty police officers working there every week day to help protect the neighborhood.
Drug houses are also in ample supply and there are three halfway houses in the area. The problems in this area are not going to be fixed by the Marina District. They are not even starting to be addressed by the powers that be, despite them being brought to attention of Mike Craig, Carty Finkbeiner, and Mike Navarre.
I wonder if Dillin is aware of just exactly what he’s getting into.
October 12th, 2007 at 3:27 pmExcuse me, you don’t even acknowledge that I multitask as well?
October 12th, 2007 at 3:28 pmRockets Man, I heard on the news two days ago that pollution clean-up at the Acme plant has not been completed.
October 12th, 2007 at 3:28 pmRockets Man, you are almost as big of a multi-tasker as I am.
October 12th, 2007 at 3:34 pmChad and LisaRenee you are right on.
I’ve made many wrong guesses. My greatest bad call was I thought the new home of the ‘Hens would fail — wrong! Thank goodness!
Nevertheless, as a Toledoan of long standing, I just am amazed at the number of “pie in the sky” proposals which we seem to generate. It’s almost amuzing to see the announcement press conferences with the cheer-leader mayor and the eager developer with the frozen smile announcing the latest grand proposal surrounded by their lackeys. It’s realy become a set piece here. Only the dates seem to change.
Once again, I’d like to be proven wrong, but for the life of me I can’t see the Marina happening.
One good thing which comes from all of this is the economic boost from the civic investments in feasibility studies, and developers’ investments in “artists’ renderings”.
October 12th, 2007 at 4:13 pmLisa,
In 2006 LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) awarded a $250k grant to a consortium of East Toledo agencies including the three CDC’s that serve the East Side. The purpose of the grant is to ensure that whatever take3s place in the Marina District compliments and enriches the quality of life throughout E.Toledo.
Since that time the group, led by The East Toledo Family Center has been conductiong meeting with the folks in the Garfield neighborhood. Some of the meetings have had upwards of 200 people. The meetings have included police, fire, social workers, educators, and the University Urban Affairs Center through which many experts including urban geographers, and urban economists have become involved in addition to the many neighborhood residents.
There are sub-committees working on every aspect of quality of life issues from public safety to job training.
The leadership of this process including the Dillon Corporation, the City Administration and LISC are going about this in a well executed and planfull manner.
I know that people tend to be skeptical but I think this time they will be pleasently surprised.
Bob K
October 12th, 2007 at 4:39 pmI was very, very surprised when I heard that the Marina District was focusing on residential first with no mention of retail. I thought the whole idea of the District was retail/business focused with residential to come later? In fact, when the press conference was delayed from October 1st, I was under the impression it was because Dillin was getting his ducks in a row with investors, i.e. businesses/restaurants/retail. It sounds to me like he couldn’t get any investors so his last resort was residential development.
October 12th, 2007 at 5:01 pmI like the idea of development in the city. But, do we have a housing shortage?
550 units?
With the population in decline, yes some administration and those on council still doubt the figures, is there a market for the units?
October 12th, 2007 at 7:30 pmBob Krompak, why aren’t we seeing the area in question cleared of its drug houses and addicts, and why do the prostitutes continue to work Main Street and Starr Avenue? Maybe the police are attending too many meetings and not attending to the business of arresting the offenders. Of course, once they do make the arrests, there’s the problem of the judges letting the law-breakers go.
It may feel good to those attending the meetings because they have the illusion they’re actually accomplishing something, but go out into the neighborhood and you’ll see that nothing, absolutely nothing, is being done to make the community safer or cleaner or a wise investment. To put all that required change on Dillin’s shoulders is just too much for one miracle-worker to handle. Improving the area to make way for his development should have been well underway long ago. Instead, the area continues to deteriorate.
There’s so much more the eastside needs before it gets 550 housing units. Remember the guy who started the paddle boat business with so much enthusiasm? His equipment got stolen right off the bat. I think the police blamed the homeless for stealing the equipment. Well, guess what. That’s where the homeless live: on our waterfront. They have for many years. Will they move on, or just share the space with the renters and buyers at Dillin’s development? And if they move on, will it be into the blocks that fan out from the waterfront.
October 12th, 2007 at 8:43 pmAnnon,
Good questions. I am reporting what I am hearing from my colleagues who work in E Toledo,whom I trust. I think you obviously care and want to share your ideas and express your concerns. My suggestion would be to contact Kim Partin at East Toledo Family Center to get involved with one of their committees. Thanks for caring, best of luck.
Bob K
October 13th, 2007 at 1:11 am“Bob Krompak Said: on 10-13-2007 @1:11 am
Annon,
Good questions. I am reporting what I am hearing from my colleagues who work in E Toledo,whom I trust.”
So this is not direct first hand info. Nothing intended by the the comment it would just behoove the agencies that are involved to speak directly to the city as a whole as it does affect the city as a whole and it is one side over another.
October 13th, 2007 at 7:48 amBob K, I have no interest in being on a committee where I can express my concerns. I have expressed my concerns to the people who have the power to address them (councilman, police chief, and mayor), but none of them have done a thing in response. Still, that’s the 3-man “committee” already in place to fix the urgent problems facing the area; that’s the 3-man “committee” collecting paychecks to do so. And that’s the 3-man “committee” that has consistently ignored the pleas for help.
The focus now is dismayingly on phantom future residents and making everything super nice for them. But what about those already invested here, already living here, already dealing with overwhelming levels of crime and decay? We don’t count. We don’t matter. That’s evident in the steady decline of the area.
When officials talk about expanding into the Garfield neighborhood (which is just one small part of the surrounding area), they aren’t really talking about improving life for those residents. They’re talking about prettying up the area across the road from the Marina District to fool people into thinking the neighborhood is better than it is. It’s cosmetic. It’s just commercial and governmental interests protecting their pocketbooks in a way that’s akin to building a movie set with false fronts. The real East Toledo will still exist behind those false fronts, along with all its systemic problems.
And dare I say this regarding the Marina District? People keep talking about the valuable “waterfront” property. Has anyone noticed it’s a narrow, muddy, polluted river?
October 13th, 2007 at 8:31 am“But what about those already invested here, already living here, already dealing with overwhelming levels of crime and decay? We don’t count. We don’t matter. That’s evident in the steady decline of the area.”
I think the decline is just part of the cycle of the city but there seems to be little if anything in the way of a plan to increase revenue or to deal with the issues in the short term and some of the comments I have received from some in the leadership decry the limited resources available and yet the very same who were at the helm are back at the helm and the ship is adrift in a sea of red ink.
“Has anyone noticed it’s a narrow, muddy, polluted river?”
Yup.
The mud seems to be indigenous to this area as I live in New England and the water was clear as the area was mostly granite and litte top soil and here there is much more clay and heavy sediments.
The pollution is another legacy of the past that will not go away until some one of some agency forces the actions. One cannot help but notice the signs in and around our water ways stating that the water is not safe to swim in, eat fish from and so on.
And if you bring it you are labeled a nay sayer….Nay I say! Clean water and clean water ways for all.
October 13th, 2007 at 8:42 amHow about being part of a solution instead of being a problem. B*thcing about things is certainly not going to solve any problems but apparently that’s the only thing some people know how to do, so sad.
October 13th, 2007 at 10:36 amWell, and I am not sure who(m) you made the follow up too.
Let me say if I had a check book with enough cash I would send some green to clean up the river and surrounding water ways.
If I had the desire to run for office I would as I did hold an office before.
I like my community to be better and do many things that people do not see or know of just as I am sure that many more do the same.
Bitching and discussing is how ideas are born and get discussed and how actions are formed and discussed and how solutions are born and discussed.
If we fail to talk about them and in a public forum how do we expect them to get resolved.
Signs displaying the polluted water ways are part of the reality of our city and the legacy but we can change it and discussion is part of the solution. Of course money helps too.
October 13th, 2007 at 10:46 amRockets Man, just how do you propose that a citizen without the power of a council seat, the mayor’s position, or the police chief’s position can arrest criminals, close down drug houses, and force nuisance property owners to get their properties in shape? Seems to me that being part of the solution is bringing these things to the attention of those who can do something about them. To state that this results in no action on the part of officials is not b*tching. It’s a statement of fact. But best of luck with your pollyanna expectations for the Marina District. I hope you turn out to be right. I will not, however, bet any money on that being the case.
October 13th, 2007 at 12:57 pm“Seems to me that being part of the solution is bringing these things to the attention of those who can do something about them. ”
So I am part of the solution! Hooray!
October 13th, 2007 at 3:56 pmRockets-You thought Chad was playing the part of naysayer.
For those of us who are life-long residents of Toledo, we have a bit more reservations about this whole Marina District Project. I myself commented when the City postponed the most recent annoucement about the Marina Project that it was obvious expectations were not met.
I feel ever more strongly now that neither Mr. Dillin or the administration have their ducks in a row on this project. It has all the appearances of the “fly by the seat of your pants” project and will eventually costs taxpayers money to recoup money lost through mismanagement and bad decisions.
Perhaps the chronology of events I am posting may enlighten you as to why many of us feel that this plan is not being well received.
October 2007 version of the Marina District project
It must truly be October because it’s time for another announcement about the Marina District project.
August 7, 2000-On a warm summer day more than two years ago, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner and Columbus developer Frank Kass stood next to the Maumee River and unveiled the most elaborate and ambitious development plan ever proposed in downtown Toledo.
At $175 million, the Marina District would add shops, upscale housing, theme restaurants, office buildings, and a movie theater to a drab industrial site that had long been an eyesore on the east side. Topping it off would be a renovated sports arena costing $25 million. “There is no question the east bank will become a beautiful, beautiful destination point,” Mr. Finkbeiner said.
October 31, 2003-Mayor Jack Ford’s review committee has recommended the city hire Toledo-area builder Bruce Douglas and a Phoenix-arena developer to take over the Marina District project. The Marina District, which the Douglas proposal calls “Esplanade at River East,” would be built on the east bank of the Maumee River.
The Douglas proposal would include 1,100 housing units; the arena; neighborhood retail stores; a marina; a commercial/entertainment center, and a 16-foot-wide riverfront walkway, or esplanade, dotted with restaurants. The 8,100 to 10,000-seat arena would cost $63.9 million and could be done in two years, according to AMC/Hunt Group’s proposal.
Dec 22, 2004 – Marina and arena projects, here we go again, which pointed to a Dec 21, 2004 Blade story :
December 21, 2004-Seven months after his first effort at a Marina District development deal fizzled, Mayor Jack Ford is to announce today that he will recommend that council award the potential $200 million project to Columbus-based Pizzuti Cos. If the timetable to be spelled out today holds up, Mr. Ford could be boasting of a Marina District under construction before the mayoral election next November. Mr. Carroll said the Marina District development will involve more than $200 million in investment, not including the arena. It will include a ferry terminal, public marinas, market-rate housing, restaurants, and retail development.
Oct 11, 2005 – Pizzuti unveils Marina District plan, which pointed to an Oct 11, 2005 Toledo Free Press story. How about that. Dillin and Pizzuti announce Marina District plans on the exact same day, just two years apart.
October 11, 2005-The plan includes a 5,000-seat amphitheater, 180 public boat docks, a passenger terminal to bring charters back to the Great Lakes, a recreational ice rink, a riverwalk and a bike path, 216 units of market-rate residential development and 45 commercial properties, including restaurants and shops. “It is a development that will bring recreation, entertainment, retail and residential onto this site. In doing so, it will make the Marina District a destination for visitors throughout the Midwest and Canada,” Ford said.
From the Oct 12, 2005 Blade story :
As before, colorful designs were placed upon easels. “This is a grand plan — but also a plan that will work,” Mr. Ford said yesterday. Much of the $163 million design laid out yesterday by Mayor Ford still depends on finding developers to finance the work. Carty Finkbeiner said he hopes he can interest Frank Kass of Columbus, the original developer, to return to the project.
“He’s had press conference after press conference after press conference, developer after developer after developer,” Mr. Finkbeiner said yesterday. “In none of these cases has a single solitary brick been laid.”
“If left to the Ford Administration, will the Marina District ever happen, or will it stagnate like the Southwyck mall? When I’m elected mayor, I will move forward with dispatch to build the Marina District,” Mr. Finkbeiner said.
Mar 14, 2006 – New Marina District plan
Apr 3, 2006 – Mayor fires Pizzuti from Marina project
** Oct 25, 2006 – Marina District announcement set,
October 25, 2006-Dillin Corp. is expected to unveil its master plan for Toledo’s Marina District site by Nov. 1, a member of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority’s management team confirmed Oct. 25. An announcement regarding the project is tentatively scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Oct. 30 at One Government Center, Brian Schwartz, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner’s spokesman, said.
Jim Mettler, the Port Authority’s vice president of new project development, said his organization has worked closely with Dillin Corp. and the City of Toledo in developing a concept for an urban, mixed-use development. Features of the plan include a linear park along the Maumee River, commercial, retail and entertainment development, and a high-density residential area.
** Oct 11, 2007 Blade story
The 125-acre proposed Marina District is on the east bank of the Maumee River, bounded by Front Street, Main Street, and I-280. The former industrial area has been the subject of three previous development proposals that did not come to fruition.
Under a deal with the city announced in late March, Mr. Dillin, head of the Dillin Corp. real estate company, will receive ownership of about 65 acres of the city-owned Marina District in exchange for his commitment to spend at least $50 million on retail and commercial development there.
The project to be described this morning is expected to involve at least $75 million in construction over 21 acres, and will include both stand-alone residential construction, such as townhouses, and upper-floor dwellings above street-level retail and commercial units.
Mayor Finkbeiner has committed the city to building a riverfront road and park from Main Street to the Glass City Marina at a cost of $10 million. According to a spokesman for Mr. Dillin, building construction on the 21-acre development would begin in 2008. Total development is expected to top $320 million at the site.
October 13th, 2007 at 4:53 pmYikes Frank!
Anonymous – yup. French Village. I thought so but wasn’t sure. Called the ex and he said European. It was a great place wasn’t it? You could lose yourself there. North of 161 near 71 right?
I’m just very optimistic about this plan b/c the developer has dropped a big wad of money on the project. Did that ever happen before – or was a developer of this quality involved?
I’m going to be an empty nester soon – this kind of place appeals to me as a potential alternative to suburban living.
That’s not what we need though – we need people coming from outside of Toledo. That means jobs and acceptable schools.
October 13th, 2007 at 10:49 pmThis joke never gets old.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFTVoD8LD4g
October 14th, 2007 at 12:20 amHehehe@ Matt’s video Funny
October 14th, 2007 at 5:47 amThe original proposed developer Frank Kass had a solid track record as a developer.
I can almost guarantee that Mr. Dillin’s project will never get off the ground. Thus the revised, postponed, uninspiring new plan unveiled.
October 14th, 2007 at 9:18 amYes, Kate, that’s the place. But it was called the French Market, not French Village when I lived there. That (Market) may have been the name for just the big square building where the food court was because it was a marketplace. Maybe the area with apartments above the shops and the winding walkways was the Village, but I never heard that name applied to it. They had very nice shops in the development.Also a rather extensive screening process for tenants, which I appreciated. They wanted to make sure they weren’t renting to deadbeats or criminals. There was one thing I thought was odd. The day I moved in, the manager showed up to evaluate my furniture. I thought maybe she was just making sure I was moving in the right mix of stuff, and not twenty beds so I could run a brothel. Maybe I looked like a pimp.
October 14th, 2007 at 10:23 am