From the 11/2/06 Toledo Blade:

 

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP

Subdivision proposal modified, but foes pledge to fight rezoning

By JANET ROMAKER

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

Opposition to a proposed housing development in Springfield Township is brewing again, even though the developer has modified plans in response to earlier complaints.  On May 2, voters turned down the zoning change for the proposed subdivision, but that vote did not preclude Charles Grass of Kountryside Land Development Co. Inc. in Whitehouse from pursuing a future subdivision on the site.

 

A zoning change is pending that would allow Mr. Grass to develop 49 lots for villa and single-family detached dwellings at 6901 Garden Rd.  The zoning change would be from agricultural to suburban residential with a planned unit development.  In September, the Lucas County Plan Commission unanimously recommended that the zoning change be approved; township officials have not yet acted on the zoning change.

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061102/NEIGHBORS03/611010422

 

Article published November 16, 2006

 

County shows off favored arena site; contractors visit Superior St. location

By ERICA BLAKE

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

Although Lucas County officials say they are considering five locations for a proposed $82 million arena in downtown Toledo, representatives from 31 potential contracting firms yesterday were shown just one.  Superior Street between Jefferson and Madison avenues and North Huron and North St. Clair streets has clearly emerged in presentations and documents as the preferred site.

 

The site is one block from Fifth Third Field and adjacent to the SeaGate Centre, where a prebid meeting was held yesterday for architects, construction contractors, and arena managers interested in submitting quotes for their services.  The nonmandatory meeting drew a strong showing of companies interested in a piece of designing, building, and running the 8,000 to 10,000-seat hockey, indoor football, and concert arena. In addition to a tour of the convention center and the preferred arena site, those present were given an overview and background of the project and a chance to ask questions.

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061116/NEWS16/61116015

DRUGSTORE IN POINT PLACE

Toledo Blade, 11/5/06

 

Pete Marinelli cuts angle iron for an overhead door at the Rite Aid under construction on Summit Street at 116th Street in Toledo's Point Place neighborhood.  The drug chain has about two dozen stores in metro Toledo.

 

From the 11/9/06 Toledo Blade:

 

Toledo Radisson becomes Park Inn

 

Passers-by might not realize it, but the downtown Toledo Radisson Hotel has a new name and soon will undergo a facelift of spaces including guest rooms and the ballroom.  The hotel is now called the Park Inn Toledo, said general manager Michael Sapara.  The Radisson and Park Inn are two of the chains owned by Carlson Hotels Worldwide.  The Radisson line caters to transient guests, and the Park Inn is being positioned to handle convention business, he said, adding, "We are the prototype of what Park Inn wants to be."

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061109/BUSINESS03/611090369/-1/BUSINESS

 

New structure to honor those who serve Toledo

Toledo Blade, 11/20/06

 

An aged Toledo firefighter in circa 1920s hat and rolled-down boots looks at three decades-younger firefighters battling a blaze and a fourth performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a victim.  Water from a hose used by the three firefighters - made of bronze, like all the figurines - sprays onto a granite monument bearing the fire department emblem.  The water then trickles down into a reflecting pool, where there is a fountain.  An eternal flame flickers in the background.

 

That's one of potentially many concepts for a new firefighters' memorial to replace the existing cracked and streaked Last Alarm Memorial located downtown in triangular Chub DeWolfe Park, across from fire headquarters on Huron Street between Orange and Beech streets.  The cost of a new memorial is estimated to be between $500,000 and $750,000.

 

"A lot of people don't understand what [the existing monument] stands for," Fire Chief Mike Bell said.  "We want a memorial that more symbolizes firefighters and what they do."

Article published November 25, 2006

 

New housing boom hits old south end

Some neighbors less than enthusiastic

By TOM TROY

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

While other aging neighborhoods around Toledo's core have seen new houses built on the ruins of demolished houses over the last 10 or 15 years, Toledo's old south end has seen almost no new residential construction in years.  That's changing with a burst of new home building taking place on South Avenue and other locations.

 

Under a partnership between the local community development corporation, Viva South Toledo, and Neighborhood Housing Services, seven new houses are being built this year and 12 are planned for next year.  The new construction is known as "in-fill" housing - filling in vacant parcels where old houses were torn down.  The houses under construction are on lots bigger than the typical 30-foot-wide lots found in older neighborhoods.  In most cases, they are on combined lots, as big as 78 feet wide at the street front.

 

Full story at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061125/NEWS16/611250366/-1/NEWS

Streetscape project slated to be done in June

Toledo Blade, 11/30/06

 

Downtown Woodville will have a whole new look by June 15.  Construction on the village's Downtown Transportation Enhancement Project is to begin in early spring, now that Woodville Village Council has hired Smith Paving & Excavating, Inc. of Norwalk to do the work.

 

Council agreed to pay the company $439,359 to upgrade two blocks of Main Street from Perry Street to Water Street as part of the project that will enhance the downtown's street lighting, sidewalks, and curbs.  In addition, more trees will be added, and electrical lines will be moved underground for aesthetic purposes, said Phil Trumbull, vice president of the village's business association.

 

He said sidewalks on the south side of Main will be replaced while sidewalks on the north side will mostly be repaired.  Decorative concrete that looks like brick will be installed as a border on all the sidewalks.  While the sidewalks are under construction, the above-ground utilities will be buried.  "That will get rid of some obnoxious utility poles to clean up the look," Mr. Trumbull said.

 

Project to stem flooding of Shantee Creek begins

Toledo Blade, 12/1/06

 

With water from yesterday's rain swelling Shantee Creek in West Toledo, city officials and contractors ceremonially dug in their shovels next to the creek to mark the start of a $3 million ditch improvement project.  The city has awarded a contract to E.S. Wagner Co. to improve Shantee Creek from Lewis to Detroit avenues.

 

The work has been planned for several years, but was speeded up and its capacity increased after last summer's flooding, said Bob Williams, the city's public utilities director.  "We're here today to fulfill a promise made [last] summer of expediting this project," Mr. Williams said yesterday.

 

The project will create a parallel pipe to take storm water away from neighborhoods that were deluged by a series of floods between June 21 and July 12, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner said at the groundbreaking in Bennett Park.  It also will replace and enlarge the culvert under Laskey Road that was blamed as a choke point, which caused the creek to overflow into homes along West Crawford Avenue, Custer Road, and other streets.  And it will widen the ditch from Bennett Road to Detroit Avenue.

 

1,000-unit apartment group sold to investor

$4M in improvements pledged by new owner

GARY T. PAKULSKI / TOLEDO BLADE

December 8, 2006

 

TOLEDO - A well-known, but struggling, Toledo apartment group that includes nearly 1,000 units has been purchased by a suburban Akron real estate investor who intends to make $4 million in improvements.  Daniel E. Karam and his Karam Managed Properties, of Cuyahoga Falls, took control of the four complexes Dec. 1, according to records at the Lucas County Auditor's office.

 

The purchase price wasn't disclosed, but Mr. Karam, 44, said he paid $19 million for Miracle Manor, Sunny Dale Estates, Abbey Run, and Hunter's Ridge.  Records at the Lucas County Recorder's office show that the $25 million deal -a figure that also includes renovation work and other expenses-was financed by Prudential Mortgage Capital Co. LLC.

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061208/BUSINESS05/612080328/-1/BUSINESS

Aurora Project gets cash to rehab home

Toledo Blade, 12/7/06

 

The Aurora Project, which offers a haven for homeless women and their children, received $10,000 yesterday from the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund.  The project will use the money toward the ongoing rehabilitation of a carriage house in North Toledo that will be used for residents ready for independent living.  The Charlotte Schmidlapp Fund was founded in 1908 by Jacob G. Schmidlapp in memory of his daughter, who was 19 when she died in an auto accident.  It is managed by Fifth Third Bank.

 

Otterbein Community's $2.5M fix-up going strong

Toledo Blade, 12/14/06

 

Big changes are under way at the Otterbein Portage Valley Retirement Community in Troy Township, just north of Pemberville.  Phase one of a $2.5 million renovation project that includes a variety of upgrades to increase and improve services and amenities is nearly complete, said Rosemary Cicak, vice president of marketing and public relations for Otterbein Retirement Living Communities.

From the 12/21/06 Blade:

 

Rezoning asked for Sylvania Township residential housing

41.6-acre parcel on West Sylvania

BLADE STAFF

 

A zoning change for a proposed residential subdivision in Sylvania Township has been recommended for approval by the Lucas County Planning Commission.  Millstream Development Co., of Sylvania, is seeking the zoning change from agricultural to planned unit development for a 41.6-acre parcel at 9101 West Sylvania Ave.

 

The site is for the proposed River Tree subdivision, which would have 92 lots and a total of 124 dwelling units, according to information from the planning commission.  The recommendation now goes to the Sylvania Township zoning commission and township trustees officials for review and a final decision on the requested zoning change.

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061221/NEIGHBORS05/612200329

From the 12/23/06 Toledo Blade:

 

GRAPHIC: Bus stop and walkway removed

 

DAMAGED BY 2005 BLAZE

Bus stop, part of walkway are demolished downtown

Removing the structures improves views of river

By TOM TROY

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

A section of the enclosed pedestrian walkway that connects much of Toledo's downtown riverfront from One SeaGate to the SeaGate Centre has been removed.  The overhead glass-enclosed walkway above Madison Avenue at Summit Street and an enclosed TARTA bus station were taken down by a city contractor in the last two months.  Cleanup is continuing.

 

The walkway connected Edison Plaza with the Riverview Apartments building.  The demolition of the two-story steel and glass structure opens the vista from Madison to the river - a goal of the city's downtown Toledo master plan.  TARTA contributed $65,000 it received in a federal beautification grant to the city's $179,000 demolition cost. City council is set to vote Jan. 2 to accept the $65,000.

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061223/NEWS16/612230384/-1/NEWS

 

From the 12/26/06 Blade:

 

PHOTO: Charter One Bank closed its branch in the building at 2475 Collingwood Blvd. a year ago because of a lack of customers.  ( THE BLADE/HERRAL LONG )

 

Old West End site winds up in default

Redevelopment plan on Collingwood fails

By TOM TROY

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

High hopes abounded when a local community development corporation took over a row of buildings at Collingwood Boulevard and Delaware Avenue and recruited some new businesses.  Neighborhoods in Partnership, a city-funded community development corporation that bought the two buildings in 1997, moved in a deli, a dry cleaner, an architect's office, and a bank with a drive-through window.  It was hoped the changes would breathe new life into the commercial center of the Old West End.

 

But the departure of its key tenant, Charter One Bank, from the former Cathedral Square Antiques building, 2475 Collingwood, in December, 2005, has forced the project into default.  Late last month, a judge in Lucas County Common Pleas Court granted judgment in favor of National City Bank of Cleveland against Neighborhoods in Partnership, or NIP.  The ruling granted National City Bank $348,405 remaining on a commercial loan to Cathedral Market Ltd. guaranteed by NIP in February, 2003.

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061226/NEWS16/612260303/-1/NEWS

 

 

You want to see pictures, news, and projects about the Toledo region?  Come to this thread which is on the skyscrapercity.com website, as much as I would like to post on UrbanOhio, I put too much time on skyscrapercity and they've given Toledo a sticky.  So it makes no sense to do both but will post a link for ya'll folks to venture our wonderful region.  For the past year and a half there many information from various people who have posted pictures and news on it, and I welcome you to sign-up with us.

 

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=240455

 

:-D :-) 8-) :lol: :-P :wink: :yap: :clap: :wave: :laugh: :banger: :speech: :cool2: :strong: :fight:

Is the picture of the proposed ampitheater actually Nautica in Cleveland.  It looks exactly like it (backgroung and the actual ampitheater). 

Yes that is nautica in cleveland.

thanks for that, it's a great resource.

 

whats up with the steam plant condo conversion? i always liked that building.

 

also fyi-- sanaa, which did what looks like a nice job the museum of art glass pavilion, is now doing the 'new museum' here in ny.

 

can you get some more of your own pics up here on this stuff? thx.

 

 

I searched through the thread a bit but I couldn't find any recent updates on the hardware building (the triangle)

 

I'm kind of interested since I incorporated it into my architecture project last semester.

 

^^^ Great picture of the Triangle Building!  Well just so you know this coming Jan. 16th, 2007 at the council meeting they will be voting on approving the plans to allow developments to begin at this building for a 75-unit market rate apartments.  The developers are the same ones who did the Bartley Lofts project which is practically on the same block.  I am very excited to see this building fully developed and given life since this is usually a "gateway" building as you come off the I-75 freeway going into downtown.

thanks for that, it's a great resource.

 

whats up with the steam plant condo conversion? i always liked that building.

 

also fyi-- sanaa, which did what looks like a nice job the museum of art glass pavilion, is now doing the 'new museum' here in ny.

 

can you get some more of your own pics up here on this stuff? thx.

 

 

 

The steam plant project begins this spring after receiving approvals from the National Historic Society since they will be expanding this buidling as well.  Here is a link to the website which will give pictures and details of what the project is about:  http://www.waterstreettoledo.com/

Glad to see something good is happening with the hardware building.

 

Hope they don't mind I took one of the yellow letters that was on the front of the building.  I'd be happy to return their "R" if they want it. lol

From the 2/4/07 Blade:

 

GRAPHIC: A snapshot of home sales in Lucas County

 

Area house prices fall but inventory shoots up

Slowdown felt most in market’s midrange

By GARY T. PAKULSKI

BLADE BUSINESS WRITER

 

THE RESIDENTIAL real estate market in northwest Ohio last year can be summed up in three words: houses, houses, houses.  Although prices for existing homes declined modestly in a much tougher market than just a few years ago, the number of unsold homes skyrocketed. As of Dec. 31, nearly 8,100 houses and condos were for sale, a 17 percent jump since 2005 and nearly 40 percent in two years, according to the Toledo Board of Realtors.

 

The price of a mid-range single-family home in metro Toledo and surrounding counties fell 4 percent in 2006 to $112,000, according to preliminary figures from the Realtors group. That compared to an increase of 1 percent nationally. The price is about half of the U.S. median of $222,000 as of December.

 

In neighboring Monroe County in Michigan, median prices rose 5 percent to $165,000, but sales fell 15 percent to 1,262, according to the Monroe County Association of Realtors. Prices in 2006 were unchanged from a year earlier in Toledo ($80,000) and in Lucas County overall ($98,500), according to the county auditor’s office, which records property sales.

 

MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070204/BUSINESS05/70203009/-1/RSS04

 

From the 1/3/07 Blade:

 

Lucas County to pursue 'green' building plan

By ERICA BLAKE

blade staff writer

 

The empty lot at 1201 Monroe St. is more than just the future home of the Lucas County Solid Waste Management building - it's the start of the county's desire to think "green."  Commissioners plan to announce today an initiative to incorporate environmentally friendly building principles into future county construction and renovation projects.  The goal is to create buildings that are better for the ecology and, in the long run, could take a bite out of the county's $4 million annual energy bill, Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak said.

 

"Like other progressive counties, we will make decisions based on both fiscal and environmental factors," Ms. Wozniak said. "Anything we do in the future will be based on green building principles."  That means making decisions that take into consideration growth management, transportation, energy, water, and air quality. The board will also practice "environmentally responsible growth" when establishing policies on land use, infrastructure development, and natural-resource preservation.

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070103/NEWS33/701030378/-1/NEWS

 

New Anthony Wayne YMCA opens Waterville facility

Toledo Free Press, 2/19/07

 

The Anthony Wayne Community YMCA opened its new express fitness facility in Waterville's former fire station Feb. 8. The new YMCA recently received its official branch status.  Melanie Grohowski, executive director of the Anthony Wayne Community YMCA, said the Waterville facility, located at 808 Michigan Ave., developed in response to area demand.  “Members of the community came to us asking for it,” she said.

 

YMCA officials are calling the Waterville location an Express YMCA because it includes a fitness center and an aerobics studio but not other facilities commonly associated with the organization. Grohowski said the Anthony Wayne YMCA plans to begin building a full facility with a gym and pool by August 2009. It will be located on Dutch Road in Whitehouse.

 

The fitness center at the Waterville facility features Precor treadmills, EFX cross trainers, upright and recumbent bikes and Cybex strength training equipment. The aerobics studio will host a variety of fitness classes.

 

$400,000 grant will be used downtown

Toledo Blade, 2/22/07

 

Now that the Village of Waterville has received the funds it's petitioned for, it wants to be sure those monies are used properly.  Last fall the village applied for a Department of Development Downtown Revitalization Grant of up to $400,000 through the state of Ohio.

 

The purpose was to get money to spruce up Waterville's downtown district through capital projects and storefront enhancement.  Waterville officials learned in December the village would receive the full amount it sought. The plan now is to hire someone responsible for seeing the grant funds are properly administered.  A nonprofit organization closely related with Waterville's government and chamber of commerce, called Downtown Waterville, Inc., is heading the search for a grant administrator.

From the 2/23/07 Blade:

 

Developer rents airport site, will build warehouse

 

Though not the first to propose building a warehouse on the south side of Toledo Express Airport, an Oregon firm may be the first to actually build one.  The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority board of directors yesterday approved leasing five acres on Air Cargo Parkway to Cedar Point Development LLC for construction of a 100,000-square-foot warehouse.

 

The board also granted Cedar Point the right of first refusal on 20 neighboring acres; that right would "roll" outward to adjoining land if Cedar Point expands its leasehold.  Ed Harmon, the company's president, said in a phone interview afterward he hopes to break ground this spring and be finished by fall.  He said he expects to store a mixture of air freight and nonaviation cargo in the facility.

 

The Cedar Point project is smaller than a 400,000-square-foot cold-storage warehouse proposed by a Streetsboro, Ohio, firm, and the leasehold is smaller than 20 acres on the south side of the airfield for which Global Perishables Exchange & Express holds a lease option.

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070223/NEWS33/702230344/-1/NEWS

 

From the 2/24/07 Toledo Blade:

 

ST. VINCENT HEART, VASCULAR CENTER TAKES SHAPE

 

PHOTO

Jake Gardner and Duane Cousino of Decorative Floors lay tile in the lobby of the Regional Heart and Vascular Center at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center under construction as part of St. V’s Legacy Project,a $90 million investment that will provide for private rooms, advanced technology, and refurbished patient care areas within the main hospital.

 

PHOTO

At left is the health unit coordinator station on the third fl oor of the new center. Slated to open in June, the center will house all cardiovascular services in one location, enhancing patient care through state-of-the-art tech-nology and facility design.

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070224/BUSINESS03/70224011/-1/RSS04

 

From the 3/9/07 Blade:

 

Toledo Blade: Central Catholic H.S. seeks larger campus (3/8/07)

 

TOLEDO PLAN COMMISSION

Central Catholic expansion gets crucial vote of approval

 

A five-phase, multimillion-dollar plan to expand Central Catholic High School's Cherry Street campus over a period of a decade or more received a crucial stamp of approval yesterday.  The five-member Toledo Plan Commission voted unanimously in favor of the school's institutional master plan, moving the proposal ahead to City Council next month.

 

The plan involves finishing the Gallagher Athletic Complex, building an enlarged $4 million visual and performing arts center, creating two new practice fields, and ultimately constructing a $15 million science and technology building.  Some details of the plan have raised concerns in recent months among the diocesan school's neighbors.  For instance, the third phase involves buying and demolishing homes belonging to or rented by about 30 families on Palmer and Austin streets to make way for the practice fields.

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070309/NEWS16/703090302/-1/RSS10

 

From the 3/11/07 Blade:

 

PHOTO 1

PHOTO 2

 

SYLVANIA TOWNSHIP VILLAS FOR THE 55-PLUS CROWD

 

About 25 villas of an eventual 500 are under way or completed at Waterside Sylvania, a subdivision for people 55 and over. Residences in the development, which follows developer Watermark Ltd.'s successful Waterside project in Monclova Township, will be built around a planned 30-acre lake. The 200-acre project is on Sylvania Avenue west of Mitchaw Road.

 

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070311/BUSINESS05/703100381/-1/RSS13

 

Oregon new special-needs school hinges on vote of council

Toledo Blade, 3/1/07

 

It's now up to Oregon City Council to decide whether a school for special-needs students should be built off South Wheeling Street.  The Oregon Planning Commission decided last week to recommend that council grant a special-use permit to allow the school to locate on about 4.5 acres in the northern section of the 19.5-acre site owned by the Lutheran Homes Society.

 

The vote was 4-0. Member Mike White was absent.  The site is now classified as multifamily residential zoning, and the school would be at 175 South Wheeling.  The facility would be managed by LHS Family and Youth Services Inc., a subsidiary of the Lutheran Homes Society, based in Toledo, said Harry Blackmon, executive director.

From the 3/13/07 Blade:

 

PHOTO: What has been the Wyndham is to have a $6 million makeover. The hotel was known as the Crowne Plaza from 1994 to 1998.  ( THE BLADE )

 

Toledo hotel going after previous name

 

The new owner of what has been the Wyndham Hotel in downtown Toledo plans a $6 million makeover and hopes to change the property to a Crowne Plaza hotel by year's end.  The name change would be the sixth for the 14-story structure, which operated as a Crowne Plaza from 1994 to 1998.  It is no longer a Wyndham and for now will be called the Toledo Riverview, with no chain hotel affiliation.

 

Paradise Hospitality Inc., a San Diego hotel company owned by California businessman Andrew Kim, bought the 22-year-old hotel last Wednesday for $7.5 million.  He hired Lane Hospitality Inc., of Chicago, to operate it.  Bill Chambers, a spokesman for Lane Hospitality, said that before the 241-room hotel, at Two SeaGate, can become a Crowne Plaza it needs upgrades of up to $6 million.

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070313/BUSINESS03/703130375/-1/RSS04

 

 

From the 3/18/07 Blade:

 

 

PHOTO

 

RETAIL COMPLEX IN TOLEDO

 

A small shopping strip is under construction next to a nearly finished gas station and deli on Monroe Street at Auburn Avenue, just west of Swayne Field, in Toledo.

 

The developer expects the complex to be completed by May.

 

The developer, Farzade of Toledo Inc., said no tenants have been signed for the 8,900-square-foot strip center.

 

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070318/BUSINESS05/703170391/-1/RSS04

 

City, university cite joint goals for Dorr Street

 

Mayor Carty Finkbeiner and University of Toledo President Dr. Lloyd Jacobs shared a podium last night and expressed their joint commitment to creating a student village environment along the university's Dorr Street corridor.  Such visions for redeveloping the corridor into an idealized university town atmosphere with new shops, cafes, restaurants, bookstores, and other student-oriented amenities have been publicly discussed for years.

 

During the Campus Town Hall Meeting at UT's Scott Park campus, Mr. Finkbeiner and Dr. Jacobs said that cooperation between the city and university is crucial not just for the much-discussed Dorr Street project to materialize, but also for overall economic development in Toledo.  "The University of Toledo and the city of Toledo are inextricably linked," Dr. Jacobs told the crowd of about 90 people inside the Student Center Auditorium, including more than a dozen UT students.

 

Full story at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070323/NEWS16/703230403/-1/RSS10

 

----------

From the 4/6/07 Toledo Blade:

 

* PHOTO: The industrial complex is bounded by the Anthony Wayne Traiil, Spencer Stree, and Prouty Avenue.  ( BLADE PHOTOS/LORI KING )

* PHOTO: The site was home to the third-largest U.S. elevator maker until 1989.

 

South Toledo elevator factory to be razed

Lack of permit delays job

By GARY T. PAKULSKI

BLADE BUSINESS WRITER

 

It was once the home of a Toledo company that was the nation's third-largest manufacturer of elevators.  But the long-abandoned offices and plant of Haughton Elevator Co., 671 Spencer St. in south Toledo, have become eyesores with peeling paint and smashed windows.  Now, the owners, JCV 671 LLC, of Perrysburg, are getting ready to demolish the complex that dates from 1901.

 

Before Toledo building inspectors halted work Tuesday over the demolition contractor's failure to obtain a permit, workers dismantled portions of the exterior walls of the plant.  It is along the Anthony Wayne Trail just north of the Toledo Zoo.  "We've had it on the market since 2005," said Craig Valentine, co-owner.

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070406/BUSINESS03/704060343/-1/RSS04

 

From the 4/13/07 Toledo Free Press:

 

HOUSING

Project provides new homes for low-income residents

By Justin R. Kalmes

Toledo Free Press Metro Editor

[email protected]

 

Low-income south and East Toledo residents who hope to lease, and eventually own, brand-new homes now have that opportunity thanks to Neighborhood Housing Services and KeyBank.  As part of a project by South Toledo Homes Limited, a nonprofit limited liability company with NHS as a managing partner, 28 new single-family homes were built in the south and East Toledo areas using low-income housing tax credits.  KeyBank is financing construction of the homes, which feature four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a full basement and a garage. 

 

Residents will have the opportunity to lease one of the homes for a monthly payment of $270 to $520, depending on the home, with the first right of refusal to buy the property after 15 years.  “Our residents are really going to have a greater opportunity to move into homeownership,” said Teresa Smith, the NHS board's chair, who also works as a vice president of community banking for KeyBank.

 

More at http://toledofreepress.com/?id=5316

 

From the 4/26/07 Blade:

 

* PHOTO: The property of Mike Hall and his son Zachary, 6, was one of several that flooded along Crawford Avenue.  ( THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY )

* PHOTO: The house at 442 Crawford Ave. is still marked as unfit for human habitation.  ( THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY )

 

Some flooded homes slated for green-space conversion

City to seek FEMA aid for Crawford Avenue project

By TOM TROY

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

Last summer's record rainfall and flooding have made properties in the 300 and 400 blocks of West Crawford Avenue eligible to be acquired and turned into "green space" under a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  Toledo's building inspection division has contacted owners of the six most seriously damaged homes on Crawford to offer to buy their homes as part of a $390,000 grant the city intends to apply for next week.  The homes would be torn down and the lots graded, seeded, and kept as permanent green space.

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070426/NEWS16/704260340/-1/RSS10

 

From the 4/30/07 Blade:

 

$20.5M FACILITY TO PREPARE RESPONDERS

800 watch as Owens lights fire on training

By DAVID YONKE

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

For about 3 1/2 hours yesterday afternoon, Owens Community College was the safest place to be in northwest Ohio.  The community college in Perrysburg Township celebrated the grand opening of its $20.5 million Center for Emergency Preparedness with demonstrations by area law-enforcement officials, firefighters, emergency medical crews, and other first responders.

 

The sprawling center includes a mock bank and gas station, a pile of concrete rubble simulating a collapsed two-story building, a "burning" tanker truck and automobile for firefighter training, and a pad where a Boeing 727 soon will be parked for use in simulated hostage situations and bomb and drug searches.  "There is no other center like Owens' in the entire country," President Christa Adams said in opening remarks.

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070430/NEWS21/704300353/-1/RSS

 

Sylvania Township to get firehouse study

Toledo Blade, 5/2/07

 

Sylvania Township trustees yesterday agreed to accept a proposal from an architectural firm for a feasibility study on possibly replacing three of the township's four fire stations.  Cost estimates for the new stations and possible renovations to the township's fourth station would provide officials with a budget for a possible bond issue to pay for the improvements.  A funding request could go on the ballot this November, Hugh Thomas, the township's administrator, said.

 

Mr. Thomas offered the proposal for architectural and engineering services from Cole + Russell Architects of Cincinnati for the trustees' consideration.  Plans call for the firm to provide professional services for a needs assessment including programming and options analysis to replace fire stations No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 on existing sites, and for additions or renovations to existing station No. 4.

Link contains photos.  From the 1/18/07 Blade:

 

MAYOR INVITES EFFORTS TO SET UP WI-FI

Citywide wireless Internet proposed; infrastructure cost put at $10M

By TOM TROY

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

The city of Toledo could become the first major city in Ohio to have wireless Internet access citywide under a proposal presented yesterday by Mayor Carty Finkbeiner.

 

Mr. Finkbeiner, who has boasted of Toledo's 2005 designation by Intel Corp. as the fifth "most-unwired" city in the nation, said his administration has distributed a request for proposals (RFP) for providers who could make wireless Internet service available throughout the city's 88 square miles.

 

The RFP seeks bidders willing to make the expected $10 million investment in infrastructure in return for a license to be branded as "Wireless Toledo."

 

WHAT IS WI-FI?

Wi-fi , short for “wireless fidelity,” uses a radio frequency to carry Internet signals to laptops and hand-held computers.  There are perhaps 100 wi-fi “hot spots” in the Toledo area, in McDonald’s restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, and libraries. Although there is often a fee for use, some businesses offer free access.

 

MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070118/NEWS16/701180336/-1/NEWS

 

From the 2/3/07 Blade:

 

Toledo may delay deadline for bids for Wi-Fi network

Deal might not give city all it wants

By JENNI LAIDMAN

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

The city of Toledo may delay the deadline for bids to establish a citywide Wi-Fi network, but it still may not get all it wants from the winning provider. 

 

Patsy Scott, the city's director of information and technology, said at a prebid conference yesterday that she'd consider pushing back the bid deadline if she gets requests for that in writing.  The deadline is now Feb. 20.

 

While about 22 people attended the meeting, at least four of the attendees represented Buckeye Express, a potential bidder and Toledo's main provider of wireless connections and cable television.  Buckeye and The Blade are owned by Block Communications Inc.

 

MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070203/NEWS16/702030410/-1/RSS10

 

From the 2/13/07 Blade:

 

City touts customer base to lure Wi-Fi bids

Potential suppliers say other factors key

By JENNI LAIDMAN

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

In an attempt to sweeten the deal for potential Wi-Fi suppliers, the city of Toledo announced the possibility of new paying customers.

 

In a bare-bones "addendum" to its bid request posted online, the city says: "Certain entities have expressed interest to the City of Toledo that could result in a new, significant subscriber base to the proposed municipal wireless network.  No commitment has been made at this time, however the interest to explore possibilities is strong."

 

For bidders skeptical that there was a big enough customer base in Toledo, such an announcement might be an enticement to bid.

 

MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070213/NEWS16/702130344/-1/RSS10

 

From the 2/18/07 Blade:

 

CITY WIRELESS NETWORK

Toledo shuns citizens' ideas in developing Wi-Fi plans

By JENNI LAIDMAN

BLADE SCIENCE WRITER

 

Toledo will know Tuesday whether any companies will bid to provide a citywide Wi-Fi network  When officials in Michigan's Washtenaw County decided to create a Wi-Fi network, they tapped expertise from public schools, universities, government, and business.

 

When Philadelphia wanted to go wireless, it brought everyone into the discussion, from neighborhood leaders to business leaders.  When the city of Buffalo, Minn., saw Wi-Fi (short for wireless fidelity) in its future, the folks in city hall came up with a business plan that included an eight-page explanation of how the city would make its investment back.

 

When Toledo decided it wanted Wi-Fi, conversations seldom extended far beyond city hall.  The news conference where bid specifications were revealed Jan. 17 was the first public discussion of the technology.  Toledo will know Tuesday if it has the correct formula to attract some of these riches. That's when its bid deadline for a Wi-Fi contract comes due.

 

MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070218/NEWS34/702180305/-1/RSS

 

Link contains a photo.  From the 2/20/07 Blade:

 

Public safety outweighs 'hip' for Toledo Wi-Fi

Potential cut in response times cited

By JENNI LAIDMAN

BLADE SCIENCE WRITER

 

Black smoke billows across the Maumee River from a fast-moving factory fire.  Toledo firefighters download the factory's floor plan on computers in their vehicles and learn that the blaze is getting closer to where chemicals are stored inside - including one that is highly toxic when burned.  The strategy for battling the blaze and protecting nearby residents shifts with this new information. 

 

It's after midnight when a city police officer signals the rust-mottled, blue Impala to pull over.  The driver is flustered, unable to find his wallet.  He gives the officer a name and Social Security number.  The officer returns to his cruiser, and types the name into his computer.  Up pops the driver's license photo that matches that name.  Clearly, the driver is lying.

 

Of all the potential uses offered for a Wi-Fi network - the purported boost to economic development, the lift to tourism, the general rise in the city's technological hipness quotient - the application that drove Toledo city officials to seek bids for a citywide wireless network is public safety.

 

MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070220/NEWS16/702200336/-1/NEWS

 

From the 2/21/07 Blade:

 

* GRAPHIC: The companies

 

PROPOSED CITYWIDE SYSTEM

2 firms interested in Toledo Wi-Fi

Neither plan is free to government

By JENNI LAIDMAN

BLADE SCIENCE WRITER

 

The city of Toledo and Mayor Carty Finkbeiner asked for the world when they put together a proposal for citywide Wi-Fi.  What they got may be closer to an asteroid.  Although hoping for several bids to provide the city with free Wi-Fi service, Toledo received only two Wi-Fi proposals by its 2 p.m. deadline yesterday, one from Buckeye CableSystem of Toledo, and the other from MetroFi of Mountain View, Calif. - neither meeting the city's request for free wireless Internet service for city government operations.

 

What MetroFi dangles in front of the city is free Wi-Fi service for every city resident willing to look at advertisements while they browse the Internet.  Residents who prefer ad-free viewing would pay $19.95 per month for the service.

 

In the MetroFi plan the city would pay at least $2.2 million over five years as the "anchor tenant" of the wireless network.  But costs could reach $4.3 million if the city chooses to add a licensed frequency for city safety services, something that was done when Riverside, Calif., deployed its Wi-Fi network with MetroFi.  Public safety is Toledo's No. 1 reason for seeking a Wi-Fi contract.

 

MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070221/NEWS16/702210456/-1/RSS10

 

From the 5/12/07 Blade:

 

Oregon gets $500,000 for development park

 

The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority yesterday gave $500,000 to the city of Oregon for infrastructure improvements in Plat 1 of the Cedar Point Development Park.  In return for its contribution, the port authority will receive one-third of the proceeds from land sales in the park.

 

The park is off Corduroy Road and consists of 80 acres.  Twenty acres are developed, and the city owns 60 acres north of Corduroy and east of Lallendorf Road in the heart of its manufacturing district.  The city established Plat 1 last year and created eight lots to accommodate and promote economic development.

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070512/NEWS17/70512007/-1/RSS08

 

Link contains other photos.  From the 5/20/07 Blade:

 

PHOTO: The four-story facility is across Cherry Street from the main hospital. An open house is today from 2 to 4:30 p.m.  ( THE BLADE/LORI KING )

 

$59 MILLION FACILITY

St. Vincent putting final touches on new heart center

Patient move-in begins June 2

By JULIE M. McKINNON

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

With fresh calla lilies under the skylight, cozy upholstered furniture by fireplaces, and a Brioche Dore cafe, the lobby for the new $59 million, four-story building across Cherry Street from St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center resembles a hotel.  Yet just beyond the potted palms and other tropical plants in the Regional Heart & Vascular Center's lobby is an array of medical equipment to perform tests and procedures for adult cardiac care.  Three operating rooms are upstairs, as are 72 private patient rooms with pull-out couches for relatives so they can stay around the clock.

 

Providing hotel-like comfort and privacy for patients and their families was the goal for the building, the centerpiece of a $90 million project to upgrade St. Vincent, which was founded 152 years ago.  Renovations in the main hospital, including converting most rooms to private, are expected to be completed in 2010.

 

More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070520/NEWS32/705200306/-1/NEWS

 

SUBDIVISION IN SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP

Toledo Blade, 5/20/07

 

Electricians Jake Overcashier, foreground, and Tom Denniston wire a house under construction in Springfield Township in the Plum Grove subdivision, off Dorr Street a half-mile west of McCord Raod.  Developer Eagle Creek Builder plans 75 houses priced between $180,000 and $272,000.  Thirteen houses are either completed or under construction.

 

Story from the 2/16/07 Blade.  Demolition photos from the 2/17/07 Blade:

 

PHOTO: Housing Director Kattie Bond and Housing Commissioner Michael Badik watch the demolition yesterday of the Ira Apartments, built in 1928, at the corner of Dorr Street and Parkside Boulevard.  ( THE BLADE/LORI KING )

 

PHOTO: City of Toledo Law Director John Madigan saves a brick from the building, which was on the mayor’s list of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ properties that are deemed the most dangerous or the most unsightly in the city. The city’s Department of Neighborhoods worked for years to find a developer to submit a development plan. After several transfers of ownership, the current owner elected to demolish the structure.

 

1928 apartment building being razed

 

Demolition is scheduled to begin today on the once-stately Ira Apartments building at Dorr Street and Parkside Boulevard.  A spokesman for Mayor Carty Finkbeiner announced the planned razing yesterday. 

 

The 1928 structure, vacant for about 15 years, is on the mayor's "Dirty Dozen" list of dangerous and unsightly structures.  In October, Judge C. Allen McConnell of Municipal Housing Court granted the owners a stay on a city demolition order for one last attempt at finding a developer, but it was not successful.

 

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070216/NEWS16/702160363/-1/RSS10

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