As published in Development News - April 1, 2017

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$30M+ investment in Sylvania downtown

Republic Development/JC Hart initiates mixed-use project

The Sylvania City Council approved the $1.2 million sale of the City’s South of Monroe Street (SOMO) development site in March to Republic Development / JC Hart (RD/JCH) for a mixed-use commercial and residential development that is expected to bring an anticipated investment of $30 million to Sylvania.

SOMO is a 5.5 acre parcel located in downtown Sylvania that the city began to assemble in 2008 and since then has improved and marketed as a site for economic development.

“The City is excited about the project,” said Bill Sanford, economic development director for the City of Sylvania. “We think it’s going to be a great addition to the community, provide some housing opportunities in our downtown, and we expect it to spur other growth in the community.”

“It’s a good development for our downtown,” said Sylvania Mayor Craig Stough. “The City’s worked at assembling those properties and having a vision for them for eight years, and the path the City Council has chosen is to make it 200 luxury apartments on that site to bring new life and new customers to our downtown, and that’s definitely better than vacant land.”

A State of Ohio grant of $500,000 received by the City for this project will be utilized by RD/JCH to build a parking lot and other public improvements to the property.

Project profile

RD/JCH will undertake the SOMO project in phases:

• Phase I – two buildings containing a total of 193,000 square feet for 206 luxury apartments including a clubhouse, elevators, and underground parking.
• Phase II – a two-story, 13,000 square foot building on Monroe Street for commercial and/or office use.
• Development of adjacent property currently owned by third parties would represent a potential Phase III.

Rent for the apartments will range from $750 to $1,500 with a target market being professionals, empty-nesters, and Millennials. Most of the apartment units will have views of Harroun Park, Ten Mile Creek, and the Ottawa River.

“We are targeting professionals of all ages, Millenials, empty-nesters who might be snowbirds, and really those kinds of people,” said Richard L. Arnos, president Republic Development LLC. “I think this one is consuming a lot of attention right now. These are very close to downtown Sylvania, so it will afford the people who are living there to be able to walk downtown and enjoy the restaurants. There’s a wonderful Sautter’s grocery store nearby, there’s a pharmacy right next door, Reve Salon and Spa, and just being able to be in the thick of a lot of activity. There’s also Harroun Park nearby, also Flower Hospital, so there’s a lot of conveniences as well as very immediate access to 475/23.”

Arnos said he expects to see a strong demand for all 206 apartments.

Construction of Phase I is scheduled to begin in 2018 – but could start later this year – with a completion date and opening in 2020 or sooner.

Site specifics

SOMO is a 5.5 acre site located in downtown Sylvania in the 6400 block of Monroe Street. The site is bounded by Monroe Street to the north, the north branch of Ten Mile Creek to the east, Ten Mile Creek to the south, and the Wingate Hotel to the west.

A unique feature of the site is the Sylvania River Trail which anchors the parcel on the south, running from Main Street to Harroun Road with a connection to Monroe Street along the north branch of Ten Mile Creek. The trail crosses Ten Mile Creek into Harroun Park at the confluence of Ten Mile Creek and the north branch.

The City is slated to begin work on Phase II of the River Trail later this year, which will run from Harroun Road, along the Flower Hospital campus, under US 23 to Monroe Street nearby the Burger King restaurant. That work is scheduled to start this year.

“Phase I will be the 206 apartments, and then Phase II will be the redevelopment of the retail / office portion that’s along Monroe Street,” said Arnos. “Ten Mile Creek and the branch of Ten Mile Creek are on the south and on the east side of the property that are attractive in and of themselves. The City has constructed Harroun Park, which is immediately adjacent to the property to the south and to the east, so anybody who would be living in these apartments would be able to avail themselves of that park, which is really a delightful park.

“One of the nice things about these apartments is they will have parking underneath the building,” he continued. “So your car will be protected from the weather when you are there, and there will be places for you to be able to hang your bikes that are stored there, so you’ll be able to take them and just go out and ride your bike.”

Public access/amenities

Included in the purchase agreement are public use components for the sites:

• At the northeast corner of the property adjacent to the north branch of Ten Mile Creek a trail head for the River Trail is planned. There will be space for a bike rack, covered gazebo, and seating with a refreshment area for trail users.
• The southwestern area of the property, near the Wingate Hotel, will be available as a staging area for food trucks or other third party uses during City of Sylvania sponsored events in which the Harroun Park Trail usage would be more intense.
• An arched arbor park area is envisioned on the southern portion of the property. The property would have an elevated terrace overlooking the arbor park. It is anticipated there will be bench seating along the trail in this location as a shaded scenic overlook to Ten Mile Creek, which could also include a bike rack.

SOMO background

The City of Sylvania started purchasing parcels to assemble the SOMO site in 2008. There were five parcels that were purchased. This purchase will be for approximately 4 acres at SOMO, of which the City has about $900,000 invested.

According to the Sylvania City Council, the City has entertained many concepts and proposals for the SOMO site. The proposal from RD/JCH was accepted by City leaders because it would create customers, not competition, for existing downtown businesses. The project is expected to complement businesses currently in downtown and fuel further development in the area.