January 9, 200916 yr New Delaware County commissioners kill courthouse plan Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 5:28 PM By CANDACE PRESTON, THISWEEKNEWS In one of their first official acts, new Delaware County commissioners Tommy Thompson and Ken O'Brien put an end to the year-long controversy over whether to build a new $51.7-million court facility in downtown Delaware. At their Jan. 5 meeting, both men voted to repeal two resolutions, passed by the previous commissioners on Aug. 7, 2008, that authorized the issuance and sale of bonds to build and equip a new county justice facility. Building a new facility, given the current economic conditions, "is the wrong solution to a real problem," O'Brien said. "It's incumbent upon this board to find the right solution ..." Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/delaware/stories/2009/01/03/courthouse_nixed.html?sid=104
March 8, 200916 yr Delaware Hotel, condemned for safety, health violations, to be sold at auction Tuesday, March 3, 2009 3:05 AM By Dana Wilson, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH DELAWARE, Ohio -- The Delaware Hotel, which closed last fall, will be auctioned at a sheriff's sale scheduled for 10 a.m. March 18. The four-story hotel, at 351 S. Sandusky St., was condemned in September after city inspectors found safety- and health-code violations. Violations included inoperable smoke alarms or alarms without batteries in roughly 95 percent of rooms; vacant rooms containing food scraps; improper electrical connections on air-conditioning units; exposed wiring and uncapped electrical boxes; and bathroom water leaks and mold. The minimum bid for the hotel and roughly 5.4 acres of land is $860,000. The appraised value is about $1.3 million, according to liquidator and auctioneer Gryphon USA, of Lewis Center. Prospective buyers can tour the property March 11 and March 16 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2009/03/03/delhotel.ART_ART_03-03-09_C7_51D3I7N.html?sid=101
April 1, 200916 yr Delaware economic development director takes county post Wednesday, April 1, 2009 - 6:38 AM Dana Wilson, The Columbus Dispatch The city's economic development director accepted a job offer yesterday for the same position with the county. Gus Comstock said he plans to make the switch on April 13. He was one of four finalists interviewed for the county economic development coordinator position, which has been vacant for more than a year. "I just see it as an expansion of what I do at the city," Comstock said, adding that he will work to maintain the county's jobs and to lure the best businesses to the community. Read more at http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/04/01/copy/brdel.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
April 7, 200916 yr 60-foot wind turbine planned on U.S. 23 Saturday, April 4, 2009 - 7:02 PM By CANDACE PRESTON-COY, ThisWeek Staff Writer Members of the Byers family say they are doing what they can to reduce the carbon footprint of their auto dealership on U.S. Route 23 by "going green" as much as possible. Wednesday night, the Delaware city planning commission gave those efforts a boost when it agreed to allow a wind turbine to be installed on the property. The turbine will generate enough electricity to power the showroom lights at the dealership that is being converted from Ford to Toyota, said Jay DuRivage Jr., Byers' vice president. The ReDriven 10kw wind turbine, manufactured by ReDriven Power Inc. in Ontario, Canada, will be located at the front of the dealership, said project architect John Oney of Architectural Alliance in Columbus. The 13-foot blades will be placed on a 60-foot "monopole" that will generate 40 amps producing 24,000 kwh, enough power to power the showroom lights, he said. Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/delaware/stories/2009/04/04/0405deturbine_ln.html?sid=104
May 2, 200916 yr Original Justice Center vision complete in Delaware Judges and city leaders this week dedicated the city's Justice Center, expanded to 46,540 square feet By MATT GERISH, COLUMBUS LOCAL NEWS Published: Thursday, April 30, 2009, 1:46 PM EDT This week, Delaware city officials unveiled the Justice Center they always imagined. The Tuesday, April 28, dedication ceremony provided community members with a look inside the two-story, 8,100-square-foot expansion of the Delaware Justice Center, 70 N. Union St. City officials joined community members, municipal court judges past and present, and Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer inside the newly constructed Court Room C for the dedication ceremony this week. Moyer was in attendance in 1991 during the Justice Center's original dedication. "This facility certainly is a sign of your commitment to enduring law and access to justice," Moyer said. Below the new courtroom, the expansion provides new work space for the city prosecutor's office on the building's south side. An addition to the northwest side of the building provides the city police department with a larger conference room and more private areas for detectives and officers to conduct interviews and file reports. Construction on the project began in April 2008 with a budget of $2.1 million, plus another $200,000 to equip and furnish the new areas. Read more at http://www.columbuslocalnews.com/articles/2009/05/01/multiple_papers/news/alldejusti_20090429_0619pm_4.txt
June 21, 200915 yr Delaware Hotel, condemned for safety, health violations, to be sold at auction http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2009/03/03/delhotel.ART_ART_03-03-09_C7_51D3I7N.html?sid=101 Update on the condemned Delaware Hotel... City, county want to demolish hotel Saturday, June 13, 2009 - 6:55 PM By CANDACE PRESTON-COY, ThisWeek Staff Writer No one raised a hand at the March 18 sheriffs auction of the Delaware Hotel, so the bank that foreclosed on the property, Ciena Capital LLC of New York, ended up placing a bid of $860,000 for the four-story hotel. "If there had been private interest (in the property) it would have sold at auction," said Dave Efland, planning director for the city of Delaware, who described the former hotel as "financially upside down and abandoned." Now the county and city are joining together in a bid to buy the hotel and the 5.4 acres it sits at 351 S. Sandusky St., demolish the building and turn it over to a developer for residential housing. The current zoning includes multi-family housing. Last week Delaware's city council and county commission passed separate resolutions that amend a state Neighborhood Stabilization Grant application to use $1-million of the $1.14-million available to the county to fund the project. Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/delaware/stories/2009/06/13/0614dehotel_ln.html?sid=104
July 26, 200915 yr City and county continue plan to buy hotel Saturday, July 18, 2009 By Candace Preston-Coy, ThisWeek Staff Writer Plans are progressing in the city and county's attempt to purchase the former Delaware Hotel, tear it down and redevelop it into residential housing. The city signed a contract with an option to buy on July 6, Dave Efland, city planning director, told the Delaware planning commission at its July 15 meeting. The city is taking the lead in the acquisition and now has up to 150 days to perform its due diligence and arrive at a signed contract to purchase, he said. In lieu of any money changing hands for the option contract, the city must complete a rezoning that accounts for the pre-existing hotel use with a restaurant during the option period, so the sellers don't lose the ability to market it as a hotel with a restaurant, Efland told the commission. Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/delaware/stories/2009/07/19/0718denews10.html?sid=104
July 26, 200915 yr Firefighters extinguish blaze at vacant Delaware Hotel Saturday, July 25, 2009 - 1:05 PM The Columbus Dispatch Authorities are still on the scene investigating a two-alarm fire reported about 12:30 this afternoon at the vacant Delaware Hotel on S. Sandusky Street in Delaware though the fire had been extinguished by about 3 p.m. No one was injured. The hotel was shut down last year for health-code violations and the city condemned the building. Opened in 1974, the hotel was very popular with a well-regarded fine-dining restaurant but business and the building itself declined over the last decade. The building is owned by a New York lender. City and county officials said last month they would apply for federal stimulus money to buy the hotel and demolish it. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/07/25/delfire.html?sid=101
August 5, 200915 yr Arson will not affect city's plan to develop hotel site Saturday, August 1, 2009 - 5:31 PM By Candace Preston-Coy, ThisWeek Staff Writer The July 25 fire at the former Delaware Hotel won't affect the city's plans to buy the building, tear it down and develop residential housing on the 5.4-acre site, said city spokesman Lee Yoakum. The state fire marshal's office said the blaze was arson that was set in the closed hotel's bar area. Because of the ongoing investigation, details about how the fire began are not being released, Yoakum said. Evidence was collected and taken to the state fire marshal's forensic laboratory in Reynoldsburg. Results are expected within 10 days. A damage estimate has not yet been determined, he said, because structural damage is impeding access into parts of the hotel. Investigators said more than half of the building sustained "significant or extensive damage." Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/delaware/stories/2009/08/01/0802dearson_ln.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=104
December 13, 200915 yr City makes offer to buy former Delaware Hotel Friday, December 4, 2009 - 6:55 PM By CANDACE PRESTON-COY, ThisWeek Staff Writer Nearly five months after signing an option agreement to buy the former Delaware Hotel, Delaware city officials have offered to purchase the building and its 5.4-acre site for $227,700. If the purchase goes through, the city plans to see the site developed as affordable housing. City manager Tom Homan on Nov. 25 extended the offer to the bank that foreclosed on the property at 351 S. Sandusky Street. Last month, the county auditor's office appraised the property at $230,000, Homan said. That amount reflects a decrease in value caused by a July 25 arson fire that caused considerable damage to the hotel's bar area. The appraised value "is primarily a result of the underlying land value," Homan wrote in the offer. The county and city agreed to use $1-million in Ohio Neighborhood Stabilization Grant funds to buy the hotel and its land. The money also would pay for environmental studies and appraisals on the property and, if the deal goes forward, to remove the building. Full story at http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/delaware/stories/2009/12/04/1206debuy-hotel_ln.html?sid=104
February 3, 201015 yr City completes purchase of ex-Delaware Hotel Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 10:32 PM By CANDACE PRESTON-COY ThisWeek Staff Writer The Delaware Hotel is now owned by the city of Delaware, putting it one step closer to the wrecking ball. City manager Tom Homan told city council members at a Jan. 30 retreat the city closed on the hotel on Jan. 29 and hopes to begin its demolition next month. The city paid about $227,000 for the closed hotel and the 5.4 acres it sits on, said Dean Stelzer, city finance director. The city is reviewing demolition bids and expects to award a contract in early February, Homan said. Last summer, the county and city agreed to use $1.1-million in Ohio Neighborhood Stabilization Grant funds to buy the land and demolish the hotel. The city plans to bring in a developer to transform the property into some type of housing. Full article at http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/delaware/stories/2010/01/30/city-hotel.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=104
February 14, 201015 yr Delaware Hotel not long for world, city leaders say The beleaguered hotel, closed since 2007 and damaged in a 2009 arson, will be demolished 'as soon as possible' by the city By Matt Gerish, Columbus Local News Wednesday, February 3, 2010 - 5:21 PM EST After 36 years on the city's south side, the Delaware Hotel soon will be torn down to make way for residential housing. The city of Delaware announced this week it had finalized plans to purchase the vacant hotel at 351 S. Sandusky Street for $227,000 from BLX Capital Real Estate LLC. In 2009, Delaware City Council and Delaware County commissioners approved a redevelopment plan for the hotel site and jointly applied to the Ohio Department of Development for stimulus dollars from the Ohio Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The city was given the lead in administering the $1.14 million grant, which provides for the acquisition, demolition and redevelopment of the hotel site into residential housing. Full article at http://www.columbuslocalnews.com/articles/2010/02/09/delaware_news/news/dehotel%202-_20100203_0507pm_4.txt
February 15, 201015 yr What a stinker. It's a shame that I sometimes actually kind of like buildings like that when they are properly maintained and haven't had five shabby remodels. They look like Eastern Bloc housing; golly, I wish I had better taste.
March 2, 201015 yr Ooooh....."residential housing"! To be built by the Department of Redundancy Department.
March 2, 201015 yr Historic hopes Saturday, February 27, 2010 - 2:55 AM By Dana Wilson The Columbus Dispatch DELAWARE, Ohio - Roger Koch understands why some Stratford Village residents don't want a gas station next to the oldest pioneer home in Delaware County. But change is inevitable, many say, and Koch sees the proposed project as a rare opportunity to protect a piece of community history. "Yes, it's a gas station, but that's going to provide the means to save all this," Koch said, pointing to the red-brick home and barn along Stratford Road that once belonged to one of Delaware's first settlers, Col. Forrest Meeker. Koch serves as vice president of the Delaware County Historical Society and strongly urged the Delaware City Council to approve rezoning and early development plans for a Turkey Hill gas station, convenience store and car wash at Rt. 23 and Stratford Road. The landowner plans to sell about 2 acres to Turkey Hill and then donate 5 1 2 acres to the historical society. "This is primarily about saving our heritage," Koch said. "The proposed gas station is the last, best hope for saving this important historic property." PHOTO OF THE MEEKER HOUSE PLAN OF PROPOSED TURKEY HILL DEVELOPMENT ON THE MEEKER PROPERTY FULL ARTICLE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/02/27/copy/historic-hopes.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
March 5, 201015 yr ^The gas station got approved. Council OKs Stratford-23 gas station Saturday, February 27, 2010 - 7:53 PM By CANDACE PRESTON-COY ThisWeek Staff Writer The Delaware City Council on Feb. 22 unanimously approved a rezoning and preliminary development plan for a Turkey Hill gasoline station, convenience store and car wash at Stratford Road and U.S. Route 23. Community members from both sides of the controversial issue packed council chambers, with several giving their opinions during a two-hour public hearing. The project would be developed on about three acres now occupied by Garth's Auctions Inc. The site is adjacent to the home and barn that once belonged to Col. Forest Meeker, one of Delaware's original inhabitants, who settled here in 1811. The structures sit on five acres just north of the auction building at 2690 Stratford Road and are now owned by Carolyn Porter, as is the proposed gas station site. If the project goes forward, the home, barn and acreage would be donated to the Delaware County Historical Society for an office, museum and library, said Dave Efland, the city's planning director. If council were to turn the project down, Efland said at the beginning of the meeting, the current zoning would allow mid-size box retail, a strip mall or office complex on the entire site with no governmental approval needed. All a developer would need is a demolition permit and the city has no grounds to deny one, he said. FULL ARTICLE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/delaware/stories/2010/02/27/0228destratford-23_ln.html?sid=104
March 5, 201015 yr From Business First: Giant Eagle eyeing Pataskala, Delaware for Valu King chain Business First of Columbus - by Brian R. Ball Friday, February 26, 2010 In Delaware, the city has approved permits for Valu King signs and interior finishes at a former Kroger Co. storefront at 159 S. Sandusky St., south of downtown. MCG Architecture of Cleveland filed for the permits necessary to transform the 33,000-square-foot space that Kroger occupied for 37 years. Kroger served students from nearby Ohio Wesleyan University and downtown workers and residents before closing the store last October. Delaware offered Kroger incentives to keep the store open, saying some central city residents didn’t have transportation to reach distant grocers. “This would be a welcome addition to the community and would achieve the goal of backfilling this space with a new grocer that is needed to serve area residents,” David Efland, city planning and community development director, wrote in an e-mail response to Business First. “We look forward to working with Valu King and hope the project moves past paper approvals and to construction.” An opening for the Delaware store hasn’t been set and a lease for the space has yet to be completed. FULL ARTICLE: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2010/03/01/newscolumn1.html
March 24, 201015 yr Some bad news on the downtown grocery store front in Delaware... Valu King denies report it will open in Delaware Friday, March 19, 2010 - 9:46 PM BY CANDACE PRESTON-COY ThisWeek Staff Writer It appears the former Kroger site on South Sandusky Street will remain vacant despite published reports that Valu King was moving into the space. Valu King did apply and receive permits from the city for a sign and interior renovations, said David Efland, city planning and community development director. But company representatives told ThisWeek on March 18 that no store is planned for that site. "We continually evaluate opportunities to expand our Valu King concept. However, there are currently no plans to introduce a Valu King to the Delaware area," said Eric C. Yorke, senior account executive for Cleveland-based Landau Public Relations, which represents the chain that is owned by Giant Eagle. Efland said the city wants to work with potential tenants and the landowner to get a grocery store in the space for all of the reasons the city gave for trying to keep Kroger from closing. After 37 years on Sandusky, Kroger closed its store on Oct. 24, 2009, citing poor revenues as the reason. The store served a number of downtown-area residents, as well as students from Ohio Wesleyan University. FULL ARTICLE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/delaware/stories/2010/03/19/0321devalu-king_ln.html?sid=104
March 24, 201015 yr And some good news on the downtown grocery store front in Delaware. At least in a small way... New community market aims to open March 27 Friday, March 19, 2010 - 9:47 PM BY CANDACE PRESTON COY ThisWeek Staff Writer If all inspections go well, the Delaware County Community Market will open on March 27. Renovations on a 1,000-square-foot space between Central Marketing Associates and Triple Crown Wine & Spirits at 222 E. William St. are nearly complete, said Rick Dinovo, the building's owner. The new market will be similar to a farmers market, but vendors won't have to man booths, he said. Instead they will deliver produce, baked goods and crafts and all will be coded with a vendor's number. Sales will be recorded on a computer. Vendors will receive 75 percent of the sale. The market, which has been designated as a nonprofit agency by the Internal Revenue Service, will receive 5 percent of each sale for overhead costs and the remaining 20 percent will go to local nonprofit agencies. A free membership is required to shop. Members can sign up now at www.dccmc.com to frequent the store at no cost, Dinovo said. Twenty-percent of their purchases will go to the nonprofit they designate when they sign up. FULL ARTICLE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/delaware/stories/2010/03/19/0321decommunity-mkt_ln.html?sid=104
April 3, 201015 yr Chamber eyes move to Sandusky Street Saturday, March 27, 2010 - 3:15 PM By CANDACE PRESTON-COY ThisWeek Staff Writer The Delaware Area Chamber of Commerce has apparently found a new location. Earlier this year, the chamber sent out a request for proposals looking for a new location for its headquarters. At the March 24 meeting of the Delaware Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), James Manos, owner of a building at 32 S. Sandusky St., said he was completing contract terms with the chamber to take over the 2,150-square-foot first floor of the building. Manos is currently renovating the building, constructed in 1883. Plans are to have an apartment on the top floor and office space on the first floor. He was was seeking HPC approval March 24 for new windows on the second floor that meet safety requirements, as well as improvements to a former garage at the rear of the building for another apartment. He also wanted approval for facade improvements at the front of the building. Earlier this year, Manos converted the second floor of the Cubberly building at 34 S. Sandusky St. for residential use. The success of that project prompted him to buy the adjoining building, he said. FULL ARTICLE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/delaware/stories/2010/03/27/0327desandusky-street_ln.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=104
May 27, 201015 yr Ex-hotel's end gives Delaware options Tuesday, May 25, 2010 - 2:53 AM By Mary Beth Lane THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH DELAWARE, Ohio - Housing for the elderly could occupy the site of the former Delaware Hotel, city officials said yesterday as Mayor Gary Milner took the controls of a backhoe and knocked down the hotel awning. That was the symbolic beginning of the end. The actual demolition awaits completion of asbestos removal. But it was an important first step for city and county leaders, who are using federal neighborhood-stabilization money to demolish the vacant hotel and redevelop the 4.5-acre site. Officials bought the property at 351 S. Sandusky Street for $227,000 and are spending $488,000 on demolition. That work should be finished by July; then, the city will ask developers to submit redevelopment proposals. Elderly housing is among the options, said city Planning and Community Development Director David M. Efland. Full article: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/05/25/copy/ex-hotels-end-gives-options.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
July 2, 201014 yr Ohio Wesleyan keeping pace in athletics arms race Business First of Columbus - by Jeff Bell Monday, June 21, 2010 Ohio Wesleyan University will add three more pieces to the sports facilities array at its Delaware campus this fall. The school is getting ready to install lights and make other improvements at its football stadium, build six lighted outdoor tennis courts, and complete the construction of an aquatics center. At a combined cost of $11.9 million, the projects account for more than half of the $19 million Ohio Wesleyan has spent on its athletics facilities in the past five years, said Athletics Director Roger Ingles. The improvements, he said, are to provide up-to-date sports and recreation facilities that students expect from private colleges such as 1,850-student Ohio Wesleyan. Athletic facility upgrades have become the norm in the North Coast Athletic Conference, the 10-member NCAA Division III league that includes Ohio Wesleyan and six other Ohio schools – Denison, Wittenberg, Wooster, Kenyon, Hiram and Oberlin. Expected to be completed by the start of football season in September, the lights will expand the hours that practices and games can be scheduled for Ohio Wesleyan’s football, field hockey, lacrosse and track teams, as well as intramural and recreation activities for students. The lights also mean 9,100-seat Selby Field can host high school games at night, including football playoffs. Like the Selby Field projects, the $10 million Meek Aquatics & Recreation Center is being funded with private donations. MORE: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2010/06/21/story5.html
July 14, 201014 yr Symphony's new digs support push for more arts Downtown By RASHA ALY, COLUMBUS LOCAL NEWS Published: Wednesday, July 7, 2010 - 6:44 PM EDT Delaware's arts community has taken another step toward creating an arts corridor in the city's Downtown area. The Central Ohio Symphony offices will move from the Ohio Wesleyan University campus to 24 E. Winter St., next to the historic Strand Theatre. The OWU campus has housed the symphony for about 25 of its 32 years, said Warren Hyer, executive director of the Central Ohio Symphony. The move will give the symphony a storefront location that is easy to find, and it will be more accessible to disabled people, Hyer said. On campus, the symphony's office was difficult to find; now it will be easier for fans to purchase tickets, he said. Full article: http://www.snponline.com/articles/2010/07/09/multiple_papers/arts/alldecosmo_20100707_0640pm_4.txt
July 14, 201014 yr Sears Hardware site renovation approved Saturday, July 10, 2010 - 6:26 PM By MICHAEL J. MAURER ThisWeek Contributor The Delaware City Planning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday night to approve the final plan to redevelop the former Sears Hardware building in the Delaware Community Plaza shopping center at 1710 U.S. Route 23. The 21,000-square-foot building was last occupied in the fall of 2009, and owner U.S. Properties Group had sought permission to redevelop the facility into a multi-tenant site. City planning and zoning administrator Shawn Leininger said one of the most difficult issues at the site is meeting the demands of the city's bikeway and pedestrian connectivity policy. All the current options at the site involve routing pedestrian traffic through high-volume automobile routes, which Leininger said is impractical. He said city administration decided the best option was not to develop a path at the property, but to have the property owner contribute toward future path development at another location. The length of road frontage calls for a $26,000 contribution, according to city staff reports. Full article: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/delaware/stories/2010/07/10/sears-hardware-site-renovation-approved.html?sid=104
August 8, 201014 yr <b>Entrepreneurs Turn To Delaware For Funding, Workforce Development</b> Regional Spotlight — By Melanie McIntyre on August 2, 2010 <img src="http://www.themetropreneur.com/columbus/wp-content/themes/yamidoo/scripts/timthumb.php?src=http://www.themetropreneur.com/columbus/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/delaware-ohio.jpg&w=390&h=228&zc=1"> It would appear the sky is the limit for entrepreneurs in Delaware, as both city officials and Columbus State Community College have made helping local go-getters grow their businesses and learn new skills a considerable priority. For its part, Delaware seems keen on using financial incentives to buoy upstart and established businesses, while CSCC’s Delaware campus emphasizes development assistance and on-the-job training. For instance, to aid expansion and retention, Delaware is offering low-interest business development loans to qualified applicants through its five-year-old Revolving Loan Fund. READ MORE: http://www.themetropreneur.com/columbus/entrepreneurs-turn-to-delaware-for-funding-workforce-development/
September 21, 201014 yr OhioHealth, Grady open medical campus Friday, September 3, 2010 ThisWeek Community Newspapers On Sept. 7, with the opening of a laboratory services facility, the first phase of the 105-acre Delaware Medical Campus for OhioHealth and Grady Memorial Hospital will be up and running. The building includes both physician offices and medical support services, such as imaging and laboratory work. "Delaware Primary Care opens Saturday (Sept. 4), and on Tuesday the lab opens, so we will be fully operational," said Ben Shaffer, director of business development for Grady Memorial. The Delaware Health Center, 801 OhioHealth Drive, cost $10.5-million and is expected to serve 25,000 to 30,000 patients annually. Full article: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/delaware/stories/2010/08/28/ohiohealth-grady-open.html?sid=104
September 21, 201014 yr Downtown Delaware ends summer strong Saturday, September 11, 2010 By MICHAEL J. MAURER ThisWeek Community Newspapers Downtown Delaware has enjoyed a boom this summer, benefitting from significant capital investment and an apparent economic turnaround. "Just in the last few months we've had 12 to 15 new businesses and expanded existing businesses that have gone into downtown," said Frances Jo Hamilton, executive director of Main Street Delaware Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to promoting downtown development. "A few months ago we were counting 20 vacancies and now we're down to eight." A partial list of new downtown businesses includes Whit's Frozen Custard, Sandra Rose's Antiques and Collectibles, Pat's Music, Baby Cakes Bakery, Family Financial, Delaware Mercantile, Creative Foundations and Choffees. Renovated or expanded sites include the Delaware Area Chamber of Commerce, Vito's Wine Bar, Amato's Wood Fired Pizza, Hamburger Inn, Del Comp, Strand Theatre's renovation, Central Ohio Symphony offices and Lewis law office. Full article: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/delaware/stories/2010/09/11/Downtown-Delaware-ends-summer-strong.html?sid=104
March 17, 201114 yr Historic Stuyvesant Hall OWU receives $3.3M for renovation Wednesday, March 16, 2011 By SARAH SOLE ThisWeek Community Newspapers Ohio Wesleyan University is a few million dollars closer to renovating Stuyvesant Hall. The university announced that it received a total of $3.3-million in donations from several OWU alumni since Jan. 1. Though there's not yet a specific construction timetable, the university estimates that construction would cost about $15-million and take about a year to complete. Stuyvesant Hall, one of the campus's six residence halls, was built in 1931. The project would add a fourth floor to the right and left wings of the building, which are three stories each. The main part of the building is four floors. The project would also renovate the wings' flat roofs to make them more similar to the pitched roof of the main building. Construction will also increase capacity, allowing OWU to add about 40 bedrooms, with 40-50 beds, to the residence hall. Overall, the renovated building would house about 292 students. READ MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/delaware/stories/2011/03/12/Ohio-Wesleyan-announces-33M-in-commitments-to-support-Stuyvesant-Hall-renovations.html?sid=104
August 1, 201113 yr More news about the Stuyvesant Hall renovation project at the Ohio Wesleyan University campus in Delaware. OWU received a $4.2 million tax credit for the $26.8 million renovation of Stuyvesant Hall from the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit program, said last week's press release from the Ohio Department of Development. More about the Stuyvesant Hall renovation project at the Ohio Wesleyan University website.
August 20, 201113 yr More about the former Delaware Hotel site at 351 S. Sandusky Street in Delaware: Once contained by culverts, stream now sees light of day By Quan Truong For The Columbus Dispatch Monday August 15, 2011 - 4:41 AM DELAWARE, Ohio — The view outside Dayna Blackburn’s window has been worse. A construction site beats the graffiti-covered hotel that greeted her when she moved into her Weiser Avenue apartment two years ago. Even better is the payoff that awaits at the end of summer: a restored stream surrounded by landscaped trees and shrubs. The site’s previous occupant, the Delaware Hotel, had gradually fallen into disrepair and ultimately succumbed to an arsonist. For the transformation, work crews are spending the summer digging up an underground culvert and freeing the stream below. It is the first time the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is using federal money on a project focuses solely on excavating a stream, a concept called “daylighting.” READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/08/15/once-contained-by-culverts-stream-now-sees-light-of-day.html
April 25, 201213 yr A development update for the ex-Delaware Hotel site in the City of Delaware. Back in 2010, the City of Delaware purchased and demolished the vacant 1970's-era hotel. Now the city is partnering with a private developer to build a senior housing complex featuring a four-story main building and 7 single-story duplex buildings as Phase I of the redevelopment of the property - to be renamed Delaware Place. Below is a rendering of the four-story main building. Delaware Place developer gets $1.1M state tax credit By BILL EICHENBERGER ThisWeek Community News Friday, April 20, 2012 - 6:46 PM The developer of the Delaware Place senior housing complex proposed on the site of the old Delaware Hotel at the southern end of the city received a $1.1-million tax credit last week for from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency the first phase of the project. The tax credit was instrumental in the project moving forward, according to City Planner David Efland. Phase 1 of the Miller Valentine Group project will consist of 63 units, including the primary, multistory building on the former Delaware Hotel site, as well as seven, single-story duplex buildings at an estimated cost of $11.5 million. Construction is planned for early next year with some units becoming available as early as the fall of 2013. MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/delaware/news/2012/04/20/delaware-place-to-be-built-on-hotel-site.html
April 25, 201213 yr Venerable Strand Theatre in line for $200,000 upgrade Business First by Dan Eaton, Staff reporter Date: Friday, April 20, 2012, 11:00am EDT It will be lights, camera, action for renovations at the 96-year-old Strand Theatre in the city of Delaware. A three-phase, $200,000 project is scheduled to start in May at the venerable film house giving the three-screen theater a refreshed look, new rest rooms and one refurbished auditorium. - The $50,000 first phase, funded by a grant from the city, will tackle the exterior of the movie house, including a paint job for cornices and trim, glass work and improvements to the marquee. - The second phase, funded by a $150,000 grant from Delaware County, addresses the rest rooms. - The final piece of work will involve the theater and will be underwritten with private funding (for an undetermined amount). MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2012/04/venerable-strand-theatre-in-line-for.html
October 15, 201212 yr Senior housing going up on site of demolished Delaware Hotel Business First by Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter Date: Monday, October 1, 2012, 2:37pm EDT The site of the former Delaware Hotel begins its transformation this week to a 63-apartment affordable housing complex for seniors. Miller-Valentine Group out of Dayton and Cincinnati will develop and build the $11.5 million project on 7.4 acres at 351 S. Sandusky Street overlooking Route 23. The Delaware Place Apartments will include seven duplexes of 14 units as well as 49 apartments. The project will offer subsidized housing to adults 55 and older with household incomes between 30 percent and 60 percent of region’s median household income. Miller-Valentine will manage the property after its completion, scheduled for mid-2013. ... The joint venture with the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing and the Ohio Housing Finance Agency is being financed through KeyBank and federal low-income housing tax credits. READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2012/10/senior-housing-going-up-on-site-of.html
December 6, 201212 yr Brooklyn Heights Bar & Grill debuts in downtown Delaware Brooklyn Heights Bar & Grill promises to bring a little bit of New York to downtown Delaware. The restaurant opened its doors this week at 13 W. William St., a space that most recently was Avvio Italian-American Grill and before that a Hoggy’s. It is best remembered as the long-time home of the Brown Jug. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2012/12/brooklyn-heights-bar-grill-debuts-in.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
January 15, 201411 yr ThisWeekNews has a look ahead at 2014 development and planning projects for the City of Delaware: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/delaware/news/2014/01/06/delaware-will-keep-carrying-development-flag-in-2014.html
October 21, 201410 yr Business First ran an article profiling downtown Delaware back in July. It was a subscriber-only read originally, but becomes a free read one month after publication on their website. I'm just getting around to posting this, but its a good read: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2014/07/11/in-delaware-a-downtown-revival-spurred-by.html The article points to a burgeoning restaurant row on Sandusky Street that is anchored by Delaware County offices to the north and Ohio Wesleyan University to the south, with city offices in the middle. Also crossing Sandusky Street in downtown Delaware is Winter Street - a street that features the historic Bun's Restaurant and Strand Theatre. The City of Delaware has assisted this downtown revival by enacting less restrictive sidewalk dining regulations in 2005 and starting a facade improvement program that gives property owners a 50-50 matching grant for exterior renovations in 2012. To date, 13 properties have spent over $150,000 in that program.
October 21, 201410 yr More about the historic Bun's Restaurant in downtown Delaware. It is celebrating its 150th anniversary. The Columbus Dispatch has a feature about this milestone which looked at the 150-year history of Bun's: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/10/11/150-and-counting.html The history of Bun's Restaurant includes a 2002 arson fire that forced it to close for two years and relocate across the street from its original location. But the new location in the ground floor of a renovated building is thriving. And the original Bun's sign on the arch over Winter Street is still in use.
January 30, 201510 yr A look back at Delaware development issues from 2014 plus the outlet mall at I-71 & 36/37: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/delaware/news/2014/12/18/outlet-mall-melee-made-headlines.html - The extension of Sawmill Parkway from Liberty Township in southern Delaware County into the City of Delaware to the north. - A new downtown courthouse complex in the City of Delaware. - Ohio Wesleyan University construction projects in Delaware. - The outlet mall location at the I-71 & Rts. 36/37 intersection has its own thread at http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,28090.0.html
January 30, 201510 yr I had missed that info about Delaware County demolishing the Elks Building for a new court building. Very disappointing.
September 29, 20159 yr Delaware approves plans for new county courthouse Plans for a new Delaware County Common Pleas Court home received key approvals from Delaware City Council last night. Members approved ordinances for zoning, a final development plan and vacation of a city street in three 7-0 votes. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2015/09/first-look-delaware-approves-plans-for-new-county.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
January 6, 20169 yr City hears OWU's plan to demolish 'beyond-repair' campus housing BY THOMAS GALLICK, THIS WEEK COMMUNITY NEWS Sunday, August 30, 2015 - 4:19 PM Ohio Wesleyan University's plans call for the eventual demolition of three houses and construction of four new student residences on Rowland Avenue. Delaware City Council heard the university's proposal to transform Rowland Avenue between South Liberty and South Washington streets at its meeting Monday, Aug. 24. The plan involves replacement of the Victorian-style houses that currently serve as small living units (SLUs) with modern buildings. SLUs are residential communities for students with an interest in a particular topic or area of study. Council voted unanimously to approve the first phase of the university's plan: demolition of the SLU at 118 Rowland Avenue and construction of a new 24-unit SLU. The second, third and fourth phases of the university's plan call for the construction of three additional 24-unit housing facilities and the demolition of small living units at 86 and 94 Rowland Avenue. A proposed fifth phase would see the city vacate Rowland Avenue and allow OWU to extend its walkway west from its current terminus at the intersection of South Washington Street. Although OWU has identified a funding source for only the first phase of redevelopment, city officials asked the university to present an extended vision for the street to council. MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/delaware/news/2015/08/28/city-hears-owus-plan-to-demolish-beyond-repair-campus-housing.html
January 6, 20169 yr Sandusky Street-Route 23 intersection project on track to begin next year BY THOMAS GALLICK, THIS WEEK COMMUNITY NEWS Tuesday, December 15, 2015 - 8:28 PM Work on a $3 million project to extend Sandusky Street to form a new intersection with U.S. Route 23 in Delaware is expected to start in the spring. The project will replace the southbound exit on Route 23 just north of Pennsylvania Avenue with a signalized intersection. MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/delaware/news/2015/12/11/Sandusy-Street-project-planned-WB-TG.html
January 6, 20169 yr Delaware parking and safety committee tables parking alongside new courthouse By Gary Budzak, The Delaware Gazette Posted: 5:46 am - January 6th, 2016 A compromise between the county and city may be in the works regarding parking at the county’s new courthouse. The city of Delaware’s parking and safety committee tabled making a decision regarding on-street parking in front of the new Delaware County courthouse along North Sandusky Street at its meeting Monday. With downtown parking at a premium, the city would like to keep the seven spaces alongside the courthouse open for public use. However, county officials would prefer those spaces be part of a setback, blocked with bollards and mounding for security purposes. City officials also want a new three-level county parking garage to be open to the general public after 5 p.m. on weekdays, weekends and holidays. However, the county has said the gated garage needs to be restricted to building employees, jurors, law enforcement and for prisoner transport. A compromise may have been reached, where the city would relinquish the seven Sandusky Street spaces in exchange for public parking on the third level of the courthouse’s parking garage after business hours, according to Mayor Carolyn Kay Riggle. MORE: http://delgazette.com/news/5148/delaware-parking-and-safety-committee-tables-parking-alongside-new-courthouse
January 8, 20169 yr More about the new student residences being built on the Ohio Wesleyan University campus from the OWU website. The university refers to the new residences as Small Living Unit communities - or SLUs: -- A ‘Groundbreaking’ Day in SLU History -- SLU and Improved: Construction Begins on New Small Living Unit Building
January 8, 20169 yr Ohio Wesleyan University recently completed renovation of one their signature historic buildings on campus - Merrick Hall - built in 1873. More about this below from This Week News and the OWU website: -- Donation to help restore OWU’s Merrick Hall -- Past, future meet in restored OWU building -- Ohio Wesleyan to Rededicate Renovated Merrick Hall Aug. 20 -- Regal Rebirth
April 19, 20169 yr Delaware manufacturer expanding at city's new industrial park By Tom Knox, Reporter - Columbus Business First January 14, 2016, 11:08am EST Engineered Material Systems Inc. is set to consolidate its three Delaware locations into a new 64,000-square-foot headquarters at 100 Innovation Court off Route 42 south of the Delaware Municipal Airport. ... "Engineered Material Systems is the first company to occupy our new Innovation Park, which was made possible by the current construction of Sawmill Parkway,” Sean Hughes, Delaware's economic development director, said in a press release. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2016/01/delaware-manufacturer-expanding-at-citys-new.html
April 19, 20169 yr Golfers could lose holes to housing BY THOMAS GALLICK, THIS WEEK NEWS Monday, January 25, 2016 - 8:48 PM The Delaware Planning Commission's first look at a proposal to replace half of the Delaware Golf Club's holes with apartments and duplexes last week led to concerns from panel members and the site's neighbors. T&R Properties on Wednesday, Jan. 20, presented a concept plan for the redevelopment of the western nine holes on the golf course to the commission. The proposal calls for 208 apartment units, 31 duplexes and seven commercial outlots off U.S. Route 23. The concept plan refers only to the 60-acre portion of the golf course within the city's limits. The developer has not filed plans related to the remaining portions of the course within Liberty and Delaware townships. MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/delaware/news/2016/01/22/golfers-could-lose-holes-to-housing.html
May 4, 20169 yr Ball rolling on east-side traffic fixes William Street west of Point to see upgrades, including new pedestrian span, but work still years away BY THOMAS GALLICK, THIS WEEK NEWS Monday, February 29, 2016 - 8:36 AM Work on a $4 million widening project aimed at improving safety and traffic flow on East William Street could start within the next few years. Delaware City Engineer Bill Ferrigno said design work should be completed next year for a major project to improve a half-mile stretch of U.S. Route 36 between Lake Street and the Point intersection at East Central Avenue. The project calls for the widening of the road and the creation of a center turn lane on William Street between Potter Street and Central Avenue. ( . . . ) As part of the project, workers will rebuild the Springfield Branch Bike Path Bridge near the intersection of William and Lake streets and the structure's span will be increased from 50 to 114 feet. ... Ferrigno said city officials jumped at the opportunity to include the replacement of the former railroad bridge in the project. He said city officials have known it would need substantial work ever since it was acquired for use as a pedestrian span. The federal government will provide funding for the vast majority of the project -- about $3.35 million. City officials have said they will seek Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission funding to close a $600,000 gap for the remainder of the project's cost. Commission funds likely would require a local match from the city. MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/delaware/news/2016/02/26/ball-rolling-on-east-side-traffic-fixes.html
Create an account or sign in to comment