Just wondered, since Southwyck has been officially closed now for a while, what is the plan for the property for demolishment or revitalization? I know that Carty and the Levis Dillin are working on something, but what are they working on and in which lifetime will we see any progress begin?
As a south Toledo resident--- something needs to get going and quick before that area dies completely- not that it has already with Reynolds Rd looking empty these days...
Thoughts?
Comments ... #
"... what is the plan for the property for demolishment or revitalization?"
That's a question for the Southwyck Mall property owners and Larry Dillin. Toledo and Dillin don't own Southwyck Mall, but Dillin has been trying for a long time to wrangle the mall from the owners.
Southwyck Mall property owners include :
Tom Morgan of Dreiseszun & Morgan, managing partner for the mall ownership group, owns half the mall, not including the closed Dillard's store, along with his uncle, Sherman Dreiseszun, who died Dec. 2. Dillard's Inc. of Little Rock owns the other half of the mall and the former Montgomery Ward anchor building.
July 18, 2008 WTVG story Update on demolition of Southwyck mall :Developer Larry Dillin says he's taken a huge step toward getting work done at Southwyck mall. The mall officially closed at the end of June. Larry Dillin said he's finalizing a deal with mall owners that could get the building demolished by the end of the year.
I guess Dillin's deal with the property owners has not been finalized yet, otherwise we would have heard about it. Supposedly, Dillin and Carty met with one of the owners back in February of 2008.
Dillin announced his plans for a new Southwyck development over three years ago.July 26, 2005 - Toledo Blade - Deal reached to rejuvenate Southwyck "Perrysburg developer plans $100M open-air retail plaza"
The retail developer, who is best known for the successful Town Center at Levis Commons project in Perrysburg, has reached agreement with the owners of the Southwyck Shopping Center to redevelop the struggling 33-year-old property in southwest Toledo.
So Dillin reached agreement with the mall owners in July 2005, and Dillin was finalizing a deal with the mall owners in July 2008.
Back in 2004, Jack Ford suggested "that the city would consider taking the 950,000-square-foot mall by eminent domain if things got too bad."
State of the City speeches :
- Jack Ford - January 2003 : "We will reach a deal on the revitalization of Southwyck Mall."
- Jack Ford - February 2004 : "On Southwyck, John Loftus is working full time on the redevelopment of this South Toledo mall."
- Jack Ford - January 2005 : "And we continue to target Southwyck. We have appraised the property, and are pushing the owners to sell. Our goal is to bring developers in to transform this south Toledo facility."
- Carty Finkbeiner - February 2006 : "Projects like Westgate and Southwyck are cornerstones of their respective neighborhoods and their completion will sustain and improve the quality of life in West and South Toledo."
- Carty Finkbeiner - December 2006 : "We want to redevelop and reinvigorate, not only the Southwyck Mall in this $125 million project, but the entire Reynolds Road corridor."
- Carty Finkbeiner - February 2008 : <no mention of Southwyck>
The Westfield Mall and Westgate redevelopments were led by the property owners, not government. And it only took one to two years to complete each of those projects. I don't see any progress occurring to the Southwyck mall property unless the mall owners get involved.
I don't see any progress occurring to the Southwyck mall property unless the mall owners get involved.
AS
IT
SHOULD
BE!!!!!
CARTY, get the hell out of private business, you've got a 100% failure record!!!
Aug 12, 2008 WSPD story titled Southwyck Asbestos Removal Grant Questioned :
The Finkbeiner administration wants to use a federal E-P-A grant to remove asbestos from Toledo's Southwyck Mall. But Councilman Michael Ashford says no contracts have been presented -- and he questions the legality of loaning grant money for a private project. Under the proposal... Dillin Corporation would receive $1.5 million to do the work on behalf of mall owners. It would be paid back over two years -- the first year would be interest free.
I'm suspicious about the claim that mall owners are indirectly involved with asbestos removal. Let the mall owners pay for asbestos removal with their own money. And why would the mall owners remove asbestos if they have not announced any future plans for the property?
Back in May 2008, the mall owners said :
- We were surprised by the City of Toledo's allegations that any unsafe conditions exist in the Mall since the City has conducted regular inspections for the past several years, as is the City's custom, and until today we had never been notified of anything of this nature.
- The asbestos which apparently concerns the City is located in the former building of Montgomery Ward. This building is vacant and has been closed for the past 8 years. Access from the building to the mall has been sealed off for some time. Mall employees rarely enter the building. Additionally, the building has its own self-contained air handling system and if any ambient air problems were to exist in the building these should not be transmitted into the Mall.
- Southwyck is committed to providing the public and its employees a safe and clean shopping and working environment.
- We take the City's allegations very seriously and even though we believe no safety problem exists we have engaged an independent third party inspector to evaluate the situation. This inspection will be conducted Friday morning.
- Southwyck has and will continue to cooperate with all public officials.
So the mall owners did not remove asbestos from the closed building of eight years while the rest of the mall was open, but we're suppose to believe that now the mall owners are interested in removing asbestos when the entire mall is vacant even though we have no idea what the mall owners intend to do with their property. Maybe we're in the dark about the mall owners' intentions because Dillin is still finalizing one of his deals with the mall owners.
WHY??? It's private property, why should my tax dollars go to bolster it up? Just because it's in Carty's neighborhood? Feh -
What makes Southwyck such a big friggin deal but Northtowne can go to hell in a bucket and nobody gives a shit?
posted by billy on Aug 12, 2008 at 08:47:23 am #