New version of Toledo Talk

Sprawlsville, population: someone you know - "Today’s green acres could be tomorrow’s asphalt parking lot. Already, neighborhoods in Maumee and Sylvania and swaths of Fulton and Wood counties are beginning to show signs of poor planning or over-development: sluggish tax bases, concentrated pockets of poverty, stressed infrastructure, and struggling schools." (Yet, in another news story) "Maumee city officials [Monday] night heaped praise on the latest proposed shopping center near the Fallen Timbers battlefield." (And in another story, a focus group wants downtown Toledo to be the place for people to go?)

More from both stories...

Sprawl:

"Like so many other parts of the country, the culprit is a tax system that encourages new development rather than redevelopment.

But what might be startling to some are the local communities identified by the study as "at risk." Among them are smaller cities and villages - a stretch from Northwood south to Luckey and into Pemberville, for example - to which some may have fled to escape problems inside Toledo’s city limits.

Other "at-risk" places include Grand Rapids, part of Wood County from Weston to south of Custar, and York, Chesterfield, and Dover townships in Fulton County.

To contain sprawl, governments need to consider the long-term and regional effects of their decisions about development, Mr. Orfield warns. Moreover, they should share some tax revenues to minimize their competing against each other for new development."

Fallen Timbers mall or whatever:

"The Shops at Gateway Crossings will feature department stores, a bookstore, a sporting goods retailer, a 20-screen theater, and a village of distinct shops and restaurants. Ron Den Adel, vice president of development for GGP, said construction on the 130-acre retail village, located near U.S. 24 just west of the I-475/U.S. 23 interchange, could get under way in the spring, and the center is scheduled to open in summer, 2005.

After GGP announced plans two years ago for the Mall at Fallen Timbers, many residents complained about the large-scale development, voicing concerns about traffic congestion, noise, litter, and other possible negative effects. Some were concerned that the mall would trigger sprawl and would be a burden on the city’s police and fire divisions."

This is too funny and sad. Within a day or two, three news stories about sprawl, new development in farmland to add to the sprawl, and tyring to get people to come to downtown Toledo.
posted by jr to culture at 11:10 P.M. EST     (7 Comments)

Comments ...

Isn't part of the east-side Marina District project hoping to include something along the lines of what's being developed at The Shops at Gateway Crossings in Maumee? Movie theater, distinct shops, restaurants, bookstore. Isn't this going to be in competition with the east-side pipedream? The difference is, it seems, the Maumee project is going forward, and the east-side pipedream is treading water.

Granted, the Maumee project will not include a marina in the fields. Nor is a sports arena planned. But when it comes to spending a few hours shopping, browsing, eating, and entertaining, the Maumee project could be a first choice over what, if anything, is built on the east-side.
posted by jr at 11:57 A.M. EST on Fri Oct 10, 2003     #

No one is safe from the long tentacles of sprawl.

"Once a sleepy rural outpost, the village of Whitehouse is becoming a popular destination for new home buyers seeking relief from escalating prices and dwindling lot choices in suburbs directly adjacent to Toledo. A study by a private firm found that the population has climbed 10 percent to 3,000 since the 2000 U.S. Census"
posted by jr at 08:51 P.M. EST on Sun Oct 12, 2003     #

And there's more.

"Not only is Perrysburg about to get a new shopping center dressed up to look like a small town’s Main Street, but it has landed upscale clothiers new to the metro Toledo market.

The Town Center at Levis Commons, on State Rt. 25 at the I-475 interchange, will be anchored by a 12-screen cinema and will include women’s clothing stores Christopher & Banks, Coldwater Creek, and J. Jill as well as Jos. A. Bank men’s store.

It will be just like driving through downtown Perrysburg or Sylvania. It is the linchpin of a planned 200-acre, $250-million development that is to include homes, offices, and loft-style apartments. The project was announced two years ago. The 319,000-square foot Town Center will include 17 buildings on 35 acres, and is slated to open in October, 2004.

It is unclear what impact the project might have on efforts to redevelop Toledo's Southwyck Shopping Center or to build the Shops at Gateway Crossing, a project similar to Town Center planned by General Growth Properties in Maumee. All are in the southern portion of Greater Toledo and in the same area as Town Center and would compete for similar tenants."

How is the economy bad with all of this planned development for more shopping places? How much shopping can Toledo area residents do? And what "efforts" are there, besides some blather, to redevelop Southwyck Mall?
posted by jr at 09:02 P.M. EST on Sun Oct 12, 2003     #

With all these 12 and 20 screen movie houses, who is going to go to them all ?

Al Max
posted by Guest at 01:55 P.M. EST on Mon Oct 13, 2003     #

A Blade editorial about this topic.

"A credible analysis of development patterns in Lucas, Wood, and Fulton counties has shown how poorly planned and inefficient development has occurred in the region, and how individual competition for tax base threatens every community. The report’s clear message underscores what we’ve been lamenting for some time: sprawl is stretching the limits of our infrastructure, paving over our farmland, and harming the quality of life."
posted by jr at 11:44 P.M. EST on Tue Oct 14, 2003     #

"Opposition is growing in Maumee to Issue 17. If apprvoed it'll require voter approval of future retail projects larger than 60,000 square feet in size. Mayor Tim Wagener and Mike Robarge, President of the Maumee Chamber of Commerce, are among those opposing the issue. They say it'll hurt future development and discourage existing businesses from expanding in Maumee."
posted by jr at 03:31 P.M. EST on Mon Oct 20, 2003     #

With The Town Center at Levis Commons already having executed Leases with all of the quality lifestyle retailers necessary to build village developments, who is General Growth going to be able to build their proposed project around? The 12-Screen National Amusements Theater that will be in Levis Commons will be enough to support this market. And also no other theaters should even consider competing with National Amusements in this market (their parent company is Viacom, who controlls film distribution) Those guys need to give up on the Gateway Crossings thing. I believe The Town Center at Levis Commons will be exactly what this area needs.
posted by Guest at 11:14 A.M. EST on Fri Nov 28, 2003     #

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