^I think UT owns those empty lots across from University Hall in Old Orchard and is planning classroom buildings there. So any infill in Old Orchard will not be the much-needed college town stuff, but more academic stuff. I do find this disappointing since Old Orchard would be a good place for a real fraternity/sorority row and a couple blocks of mixed-use commercial buildings.

 

The biggest problem UT needs to overcome is the east side of campus. Douglas, the rail line, and Westwood completely cut it off and make it a suburban disaster corridor (complete with the overpriced suburban apartment projects). There are a ton of students in that neighborhood east of campus, and they are very poorly served. I think they will need to dig a trench and build a cap over Westwood, the rail ine, and Douglas. Then they would have to cover it with commercial buildings/infill development. That might be the only way to urbanize the east campus area. There is just a huge swath of dead space between the campus and neighborhood.

 

By comparison, these south campus projects are easy. They just need to build the buildings on Dorr, slow down traffic (maybe narrow the street and widen the sidewalks), and add some crosswalks and/or pedestrian medians. It won't require major infrastructure changes.

I'd heard that UT likes to keep that land in Old Orchard vacant to protect the views of UHall. They used to have academic offices in a couple of the houses up there, but they were already on main campus when I showed up in the mid-90s. My sense was that the neighbors were not fond of having UT spread north (and was the case east as well - though that was always more of losing battle considering the quality of the housing and the fact that it was squeezed between the campus and the cemetery.

 

There were plans afoot 10+ years ago to eliminate the highway like feel of Douglas/Westwood, but like the road system around UC, the urban planners and the beautification folks love the idea, but the cities can't afford it and the transportation planners point out that these are still heavily commuter campuses w/ sports facilities that need the capacity a few times a year.

This Gateway project is becoming the talk of the far west side. Lots of people are interested in opening businesses there.

 

Published: 2/21/2011 - Updated: 5 days ago

Ex-Rockets star to open sports bar

BY SHEENA HARRISON

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

Oakland Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, a former star for the University of Toledo Rockets, plans to invest in the community that launched his National Football League career. The UT graduate has agreed to open a sports bar as part of the university's Gateway project, a proposed $12 million retail development at the intersection of Dorr Street and Secor Road. He expects to open the restaurant, which is as yet unnamed, in summer or fall, 2012. Though Mr. Gradkowski, 28, hails from Pittsburgh, he wanted to invest in Toledo because he considers the area to be "home." He plans to partner with Arnie's restaurant in Toledo to open the sports bar.

 

"We're excited to come in and join in what they're doing for the university," Mr. Gradkowski said.

 

The UT Foundation and Cleveland-based Fairmount Properties are working to develop the Gateway project. The development is expected to be anchored by a 16,000-square-foot Barnes and Noble Booksellers store, and include an additional 20,000 square feet of street-level retail space. Groundbreaking is planned for this summer. Other potential tenants include an upscale restaurant and a bank, the university announced this month.

 

CONTINUED ON BLADE SITE

http://beta.toledoblade.com/business/2011/02/22/Ex-Rockets-star-to-open-a-sports-bar-near-UT.html

Gateway Project rendering:

 

 

 

 

 

Published: 8/10/2011 - Updated: 3 days ago

UT officials break ground for Gateway Project

BY CLAUDIA BOYD-BARRETT

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

University of Toledo officials Wednesday broke ground on a $12 million commercial complex on the corner of Dorr Street and Secor Road, hailing the project as a giant step toward invigorating campus life and the surrounding neighborhood.

 

Called the “Dorr Street Gateway Project,” the complex will be anchored by a large Barnes and Noble Booksellers store at least two stories tall. Other tenants that have signed up to occupy the space are Gradkowski’s Sports Grille, Great Clips, Starbucks, and an as-yet unnamed banking center and sandwich shop. Student apartments will occupy the upper floors. The retailers are expected to open their doors next July, said Matt Schroeder, vice president for real estate and business development at the University of Toledo Foundation. The student housing, consisting of 48 apartment units, will open in August, 2012, he added.

 

CONTINUED ON BLADE SITE

http://beta.toledoblade.com/local/2011/08/11/UT-officials-break-ground-for-Gateway-Project.html

Drove by last month, saw the beginning of something, but had no idea this was going on.  Glad to see it.  I always thought Dorr from Secor to Westwood could be cool central, especially on game days.  This is a big step towards that.

Barnes & Noble store at UT opens up Gateway

BY TYREL LINKHORN, BLADE BUSINESS WRITER

Published: 7/12/2012

 

After years of planning and 11 months of construction, the first tenant and anchor store of the University of Toledo's Gateway Project opened for business Wednesday.  The two-story, 18,000-square-foot Barnes & Noble Booksellers, which will consolidate and replace the current university book stores, blends a traditional campus book store with the chain's superstore model.

 

In a way, it's a perfect representation of what the project aims to do.  Officials see the $12 million development, funded by the University of Toledo Foundation, as a new way to connect the university to the community that borders it and ultimately help spur more private development along the campus' south border.

(. . .)

Many of the Gateway Project's other tenants, which includes a Jimmy John's sandwich shop, a Great Clips hair salon, and a wireless-phone store, are expected to be open in late July to early August.  The secondary anchor, a sports bar owned by Bruce Gradkowski, former UT quarterback and current Cincinnati Bengals backup, should be open in time for UT's Sept. 15 football home opener against rival Bowling Green. ... The development, located at the corner of Dorr and Secor Road, also features 48 market-rate urban loft-style apartments above the shops.

 

READ MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/Retail/2012/07/12/Barnes-Noble-store-at-UT-opens-up-Gateway-for-area.html

 

---

More about the B&N grand opening from WTOL-11 TV (aka 'Toledo News Now'):

 

UT's Barnes & Noble hosts grand opening

Anyone have pictures of the outside streetscape?

I think this development turned out pretty well. It's attractive to drive by. The entire south side of Dorr St from Byrne to Secor is cleared empty lots, except for one big old house (Frat i think?). I wonder what the plans are for all of it. It would be prime for more mixed use development. Honestly I think it would be great if they just bought out most every business along Dorr from Byrne to Westwood, and made it all mixed use, urban/campus village development, then let those former business move back in. With a more atttactive atmosphere outside of campus for students personal time, I could see student numbers finally rising and they're being more demand for housing. Th entire Secor Gardens neighbor could easily become a big student neighborhood. It's currently a sort of rougher, but okay, neighborhood of families, but I could see it becomintg a student dominated neighborhood with its proximity to new development, in the next several years or so.

^I agree about Secor Gardens. Rents got pretty bad in the eastern UT neighborhoods compared to the rest of the city, and if the Dorr stuff really takes off, I can see Secor Gardens becoming a student neighborhood. Secor Gardens is cheaper than stuff east of campus, and doesn't seem to have the anti-student bias of Old Orchard. It is ghetto, but such is the reality of UT's scene. Is Jake's still open? That was one of the only surviving student bars on Dorr within walking distance. It was a nice building too. I once went there when visiting some UT friends and had a good time.

 

I think Toledo should get super-aggressive about developing Dorr. Does anyone still talk about the streetcar proposal?

Secor Gardens had a lot of very sketchy landlords with crazy subdivided houses (shower curtains in the basement to divide 'rooms').

what about the rocket inn? is it still around? a friend's family used to own it, but its had many ups and downs.

I still haven't gotten a chance to see the Gateway project, but look at their website!

 

This place actually ended up looking better than in renderings. That's a rare feat these days:

 

http://www.loftsatgateway.com/toledo/lofts-at-gateway/photos/

Been a while since any posts on this topic. I've been wondering if theres any plans to keep developing the area around Secor/Dorr/Byrne? They didn't do too bad with the Gateway.

 

I just always wonder how there isnt way more cheap/easy food options, as well as wayyy more bars/clubs around the campus. Seems like you could easily attract these things if there were good spaces for those businesses to locate themselves in. You would think actually having a walkable business district, like a downtown UT, would make the college more attractive to prospective students.

 

What are the plans for the long, completely cleared out stretch of land between Byrne and Secor along the south side of Dorr? That looks prime. I also wonder if there may be a future where they develop some of the surface  lots at Rocket Hall. Continuing the Gateway project to the north up to at least College Dr or even the University Parks Trail....and to the east along Dorr Street to about where Rocket Dr is.

 

I'm not a kid anymore, so I wouldnt know...Where do UT kids even go out on the weekend in 2020?

University if Toledo to host pedestrian bridge groundbreaking (7/16) *Douglas rd

 

https://news.utoledo.edu/index.php/07_16_2024/utoledo-to-host-pedestrian-bridge-groundbreaking-thursday

Edited August 19, 2024Aug 19 by FrankRizzo
Missing info

On 8/19/2024 at 1:14 AM, FrankRizzo said:

University if Toledo to host pedestrian bridge groundbreaking (7/16) *Douglas rd

 

https://news.utoledo.edu/index.php/07_16_2024/utoledo-to-host-pedestrian-bridge-groundbreaking-thursday

 

This would have been such a quality of life improvement for me when I was there. Really happy that the engineering students and all of the other kids that live in the neighborhood behind Engineering are going to be able to able to get around much safer!

 

I was there from 2017-2021 and saw 2 or 3 major accidents right where this bridge will be. One of which interrupted a lecture in the Douglas side of the now demolished Palmer Hall. I feel like I remember a student crossing the street got hit, but luckily made it out with only minor injuries. Not 100% sure tho!

City of Toledo Celebrates Grand Opening of Newly Renovated Delta Hotels by Marriott with Ribbon Cutting

 

Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz and City officials celebrated the grand opening of Delta Hotels by Marriott with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 15, 2024. The event marked the completion of a multi-million-dollar renovation at the hotel, located on the University of Toledo’s Health Science Campus.

 

To enhance the hotel’s success, the City of Toledo has submitted an application to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program for a $2 million low-interest loan for essential costs such as working capital, new furniture, equipment, and employee training. This investment is expected to generate substantial revenue for the city, with funds from the hotel’s operations used to repay the loan.

 

“This hotel is a prime example of how we can leverage public-private partnerships to strengthen Toledo’s economy. The low interest Section 108 loan will help to provide low interest working capital and provide new jobs, training opportunities, and continued growth in our city,” Mayor Kapszukiewicz said.

 

More below:

https://toledo.oh.gov/news/2024/10/15/city-of-toledo-celebrates-grand-opening-of-newly-renovated-delta-hotels-by-marriott-with-ribbon-cutting