Posted April 7, 200718 yr From the 2/1/07 Ashtabula Star Beacon: * PHOTO: BUSINESS PARTNERS Don Woodward and Dave Otto unveiled the architect? drawing of The Landing at Geneva-on-the-Lake at a press conference Wednesday. Submitted Photo / The Star Beacon GOTL LAKEFRONT PLANS ANNOUNCED Star Beacon GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE - -After months of whispering and rumors, business partners Dave Otto and Don "Woody" Woodward announced Wednesday their plans for a multimillion-dollar lakefront development. The eight acres of The Landing at Geneva-on-the-Lake will encompass a boardwalk, amphitheater, microbrewery, shopping plaza and a seafood restaurant, Woodward said at a press conference at the Lodge and Conference Center at Geneva State Park. More at http://www.starbeacon.com/local/local_story_032071530
April 7, 200718 yr Author From the 3/23/07 Ashtabula Star Beacon: The Landing developer proposes many events for lakefront MARGIE TRAX PAGE Star Beacon GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE - - When Dave Otto sits back in his office chair to daydream, he ponders a multi-million dollar view of Lake Erie and building the biggest dining and shopping attraction in Ashtabula County. But Otto's dream of The Landing isn't complete without carts and kiosks dotting the development - carts the village government excluded from the zoning code last year. The code now prohibits any businesses from operating outside a building. More at http://www.starbeacon.com/local/local_story_082172309
December 29, 20186 yr New pig iron plant set to bring hundreds of jobs to Ashtabula Countyhttps://www.news5cleveland.com/new-pig-iron-plant-set-to-bring-hundreds-of-jobs-to-ashtabula-county "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 17, 20196 yr 11 years between notable developments until the last posting and now this cool project.... 26-Room River Bend Hotel to Open in Ashtabula, Ohio https://rebusinessonline.com/26-room-river-bend-hotel-to-open-in-ashtabula-ohio/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 16, 20196 yr Update on the Riverbend Hotel project. http://www.starbeacon.com/news/local_news/hotel-moving-forward-with-additional-rooms/article_c3ec1577-5dd4-525e-91b6-7c468b37b3cb.html
May 21, 20196 yr Huge news for Ashtabula! This is the largest building in downtown Ashtabula, and was on the verge of getting the wrecking ball. My mom used to take me shopping there as a kids. Lots of fond memories. http://www.starbeacon.com/news/local_news/developer-to-buy-renovate-ex-carlisle-s-building/article_8a9687b2-6e90-5144-878b-16a6c43e2cef.html
May 21, 20196 yr 3 hours ago, marty15 said: Huge news for Ashtabula! This is the largest building in downtown Ashtabula, and was on the verge of getting the wrecking ball. My mom used to take me shopping there as a kids. Lots of fond memories. http://www.starbeacon.com/news/local_news/developer-to-buy-renovate-ex-carlisle-s-building/article_8a9687b2-6e90-5144-878b-16a6c43e2cef.html That's good news. Too bad the store didn't survive. I loved Carlisle's. It was the place to shop in Painesville also. I think it lasted into the mid-80's. The building was not demolished (as is usually the case there), but much worse: it's now a law firm? http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
May 22, 20196 yr Has there been any news regarding the old city hall/post office? At one point, the same developers working on the Carlisle had expressed interest in that building.
September 28, 20195 yr Geneva Grape Jamboree starts today! Check out the wineries? https://www.facebook.com/grapejamboree/ http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
July 19, 20204 yr Amazing. 40 years ago, a project like this would have employed several thousand workers at the top of the blue-collar pay scale. Instead, this new plant will employ just 100 people. Better than nothing, sure. But it shows how technology reduces the need for thousands of well-paid employees.... $474M Pig-Iron Plant Gets Permit for Ashtabula Site https://businessjournaldaily.com/474m-pig-iron-plant-gets-permits-for-ashtabula-site/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 23, 20204 yr Construction on Petmin's Ashtabula facility begins This is a $474-million plant that would produce 425,000 tons per year of high-purity NPI (nickel pig iron) for foundries. Well, it began a few weeks ago.
December 23, 20204 yr This is good news for Ashtabula that's had to recover from the closure of many steel mills that once depended on its massive ports and the reduction and closure of much of its industrial base. And knowing that it sought after Ashtabula because of the availability of its underutilized ports and the availability of cheap (fracked) Pennsylvania natural gas because of the Risberg pipeline, I hope that leads into an industrial boom for the area on its many brownfields. Also interesting to note that NPI is in high demand - at a high cost because it has to be imported currently. Cleveland-Cliffs looked at using the Ashland KY plant it acquired from AK Steel to produce pig iron but it is at a lower quality (and far lower price) than what Petmin will produce.
December 23, 20204 yr 38 minutes ago, seicer said: This is good news for Ashtabula that's had to recover from the closure of many steel mills that once depended on its massive ports and the reduction and closure of much of its industrial base. And knowing that it sought after Ashtabula because of the availability of its underutilized ports and the availability of cheap (fracked) Pennsylvania natural gas because of the Risberg pipeline, I hope that leads into an industrial boom for the area on its many brownfields. Also interesting to note that NPI is in high demand - at a high cost because it has to be imported currently. Cleveland-Cliffs looked at using the Ashland KY plant it acquired from AK Steel to produce pig iron but it is at a lower quality (and far lower price) than what Petmin will produce. Isn’t Cleveland-Cliffs building one in Toledo currently?
December 23, 20204 yr It sounds like there are going to be a lot of new projects and expansions in Ashtabula because of this pipeline coming to town. This article says 10-15 new projects and expansions. https://www.starbeacon.com/news/local_news/risberg-pipeline-brings-natural-gas-to-region/article_d4da71f1-1a15-5845-9106-fcdff62f6dfb.html
December 23, 20204 yr Also, nowadays companies parcel out various functions and services instead of keeping them in-house. So 120-130 jobs at the pig iron plant should still be a spinoff of double the jobs immediately in the area. Business will be booming in formerly sleepy Ashtabula. Edited December 23, 20204 yr by audidave
December 24, 20204 yr 2 hours ago, marty15 said: Isn’t Cleveland-Cliffs building one in Toledo currently? Yes, that plant is well underway and pretty close to completion iirc. Toledo developments thread has updates and pics
December 24, 20204 yr I’m no metals expert but Cleveland-Cliffs is building a Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI) plant in Toledo while the Petmin plant in Ashtabula will produce Nodular Pig Iron....🤷♂️
December 24, 20204 yr Correct. It's what Cleveland Cliffs was going to build at the former AK Steel Ashland (KY) Works that are now closed. It already had the facility for it, but I suspect that Cleveland Cliffs is building it at Toledo because of the ports and because it can then send the briquettes to its Cleveland, Dearborn and Middletown facilities (among many others that I didn't know they owned).
December 24, 20204 yr 13 hours ago, seicer said: Correct. It's what Cleveland Cliffs was going to build at the former AK Steel Ashland (KY) Works that are now closed. It already had the facility for it, but I suspect that Cleveland Cliffs is building it at Toledo because of the ports and because it can then send the briquettes to its Cleveland, Dearborn and Middletown facilities (among many others that I didn't know they owned). It’s my understanding that the HBI product from this plant will also be sold to EAF mini-mills as well.
September 30, 20213 yr Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake, Northeast Ohio’s crown jewel, faces uncertain future under state control Susan Glaser - Cleveland.com - Sep. 30, 2021 "A last-minute addition to the state budget this summer included a provision that transfers the lodge’s ownership from Ashtabula County to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in 2022. Currently, the Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake, which sits inside 698-acre Geneva State Park, is the only one of nine state park lodges in Ohio that isn’t owned by the state. ... Winchell credits Delaware North, which also operates properties at Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks and numerous others, with helping to develop the property into the resort that it is – creating partnerships with local wineries and other businesses, funding improvements when the state or county couldn’t afford them, adding amenities to keep guests entertained. The Buffalo, New York-based company has managed the resort since 2004 and its contract runs through 2026, with two five-year options to renew. Another company, South Dakota-based U.S. Hotel & Resort Management, operates the other eight lodges in the state, and will run Hocking Hills State Park Lodge when it opens in 2022."
September 30, 20213 yr "Uncertain future"?!? Very dramatic headline. This move is a gift to Ashtabula County; the state will wipe out the remaining $14 million debt and maintain the building in perpetuity. I understand the desire to keep up the high-quality standards, but the future is not "uncertain." Delaware North extorted the federal government over the historic names of Yosemite's Ahwanhee Hotel and other Yosemite properties. They are no saint. I'd prefer to have the property managed by U.S. Hotel & Resort Management, allowing it to be marketed as another Great Ohio Lodge.
October 4, 20213 yr Marriott hotel to be developed for Spire Institute's Geneva sports campus Jeremy Nobile - Crain's Cleveland Business - Oct. 4, 2021 "Spire Institute and Academy announced that it will be getting a new, 89-room Marriott TownePlace Suites hotel next to its massive sports complex in Geneva, with the hotel slated to open around this time next year. The hotel will have 55,000 square feet of space and four floors. It will feature a "state-of-the-art" fitness center, according to developers, with an indoor pool and a patio overlooking the nearby Spire lake. ... Since it officially opened in 2012, high on Spire's wish list has been on-site hotel accommodations. 'Over the next few years, the I-90 corridor in Northeast Ohio will be growing and the Spire campus will be expanding as well,' said Blue Ocean director of land development Bill Monicelli in a statement. 'We predict that in the very near future, visitors to this area will double or even triple. The new TownePlace Suites hotel and Starbucks will be meeting the needs of these visitors, for Spire itself, as well as the surrounding area.'"
August 12, 20222 yr Friday, August 12, 2022 Guy D'Astolfo Construction Begins on Hotel in Ashtabula’s Historic Harbor Area ASHTABULA, Ohio – Construction is under way on a 45-room hotel in the historic harbor district that aims to become a tourism destination. The $11 million hotel is expected to open in June 2023, according to Larry Laurello, one of the three co-owners. https://businessjournaldaily.com/construction-begins-on-hotel-in-ashtabulas-historic-harbor-area/
August 24, 20222 yr Future of Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake is focus of ongoing talks between state, Ashtabula County Updated: Aug. 22, 2022, 5:30 p.m.| Published: Aug. 22, 2022, 8:03 a.m. By Susan Glaser, cleveland.com Quote GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ohio – A plan to transfer the popular Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake to state ownership is likely to be approved later this year, with conditions that seek to protect the resort’s position as a top destination in Northeast Ohio. The lodge is currently owned by Ashtabula County, which funded its construction nearly 20 years ago because the state couldn’t afford it. The 109-room inn is located within Geneva State Park on a terrific stretch of the Lake Erie shore about 50 miles east of Cleveland. Last year, in a last-minute insertion into the budget bill, state lawmakers approved a plan to transfer the lodge – and its $13 million debt – to the state. https://www.cleveland.com/travel/2022/08/future-of-lodge-at-geneva-on-the-lake-is-focus-of-ongoing-talks-between-state-ashtabula-county.html This would free up $13M in debt for Ashtabula to potentially put toward other capital improvements at Geneva-on-the-Lake. I think a breakwall and beach at the Lodge would greatly improve the appeal of the Lodge for families. The county could also follow the lead of Euclid and offer bank stabilization to lakefront landowners in exchange for public access to create a boardwalk down the coast from the Lodge to at least the downtown area, more effectively activating the lakefront. I'm not sure how feasible this would be, but my ideal would be for this to culminate in a pier at the Landing that could accommodate cruise ships so that GOTL becomes a stop along some of those routes. UPDATE: The county is at least considering the breakwall and beach. Edited August 24, 20222 yr by Luke_S Added update
August 24, 20222 yr So tired of Ashtabula County folks thinking that Delaware North makes their lodge superior to all others.
August 25, 20222 yr 17 hours ago, ink said: So tired of Ashtabula County folks thinking that Delaware North makes their lodge superior to all others. I think it’s more of a fear of the state running it. The state is a terrible steward of its property.
May 20, 20232 yr 28 minutes ago, eastvillagedon said: Ashtabula is certainly getting trendy! I'm excited to see this! Honestly, it's kinda crazy that Ashtabula's Harbor District isn't already a major tourist destination for Northeast Ohioans. It's got a really quaint walkable main street right on the lake - hopefully this is the first of many more projects in this neighborhood!
June 20, 20231 yr I was told there’s 2 more hotels being planned at SPIRE. One being a Hilton flagged, not sure of the other. Most rooms are to be suites.
October 13, 20231 yr Riverbend Hotel in the harbor. Ashtabula’s first new hotel in over 100 years. Will be part of the Trademark Collection by Wyndham.
February 25, 20241 yr Some photos of the Ashtabula Harbor district on a cold winter day. New hotel progress Not sure when this was put in but Ashtabula has its own signage along the river. New townhomes that have been going up The Bridge Street business district is now thriving with interesting establishments in these great old buildings. Would recommend checking it out if you're in the area.
February 25, 20241 yr Those townhomes need parking in back and landscaped patios in front. A lot of hard surfaces need to be softened up in that scene. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 25, 20241 yr 12 minutes ago, KJP said: Those townhomes need parking in back and landscaped patios in front. A lot of hard surfaces need to be softened up in that scene. I completely agree but given the history of this area and the economics involved it's still nice to see some urbanist style development in Ashtabula. They're at least better than the empty lots that preceded them and are down the block from a nice retail district. Hopefully some better aesthetic design can be incorporated into any future builds. However, these are built up against a hillside so parking from the back would not be possible (I know this isn't evident from the photo). And I've see worse than this built in Cleveland....see Bridge St @ W. 57th.
February 25, 20241 yr They also need just a modicum of detail work. A little bit would go a long way. I understand that they're trying to keep the units as cheap as possible, but those are almost depressing in their simplicity...
December 14, 2024Dec 14 Spire Academy News Steve Sanders as CEO and Ted Meekma as chairman. https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-recreation/spire-academy-names-new-ceo-chairman
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