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UpTown Signature
Park on the Way
Special to The Truth
The UpTown Association and its partners are developing a
Signature Park located between 18th, Madison and
20th Streets in the UpTown neighborhood. This
unique setting will also feature a creative enterprise
commercial building. The entire project will meet LEED
standards.
The project is ideally situated between the Warehouse
District Art Museum and the Toledo Museum of Art. UpTown is
the home of the Avenue of the Arts and widely recognized as
Toledo’s up-and-coming creative enterprise community. The
project property comprises approximately 2.5 acres of land.
The City of Toledo is partnering with the UpTown Association
in a Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF) Sustainable
Reinvestment Track $1.5 million grant application that will
be used to remediate environmental materials from the site,
demolish two dilapidated structures and remove a severely
deteriorated parking lot.
Sustainable Reinvestment Track funds will:
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Create green space
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Connect to nearby residential community and attract
business investments to the neighborhood
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Improve storm water quality with the use of bioswales
and other sustainable technologies
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Create clean energy for commercial use
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Preserve an historic building for creative commercial
use.
The park is designed with features such as a fountain that
can be converted to performance space, a back-drop for
outside film projection, amphitheater-type seating, built in
game areas for children, pathways and sculpture pads, kiosks
for vendors, a rain garden and native landscaping materials.
The commercial structure is an existing historic four story
building. The building will serve as a beacon to creative
individuals and companies that enjoy the benefits of working
in close proximity. The first floor is envisioned as a
combination food and beverage area and a multi-purpose space
that can be utilized for performances, gallery, special
events, etc. The upper three floors will be sub-divided to
provide at least 30 office/studio spaces.
The UpTown Association has had great interest from a variety
of partners such as Glacity Theatre Collective, Toledo
Grows, Mercy College, Lucas County Land Reutilization
Corporation and the Toledo School for the Arts. The City of
Toledo has played a particularly vital role in helping with
environmental assessments and remediation activities.
UpTown has a unique resident base that includes homeless,
re-entry and low-income residents. The goal is to engage
all neighbors in the revitalization effort so that they feel
a sense of ownership and responsibility.
The signature park (which will be named at a later time) is
expected to be a major catalyst in the revitalization of the
UpTown area. The creative arts are known to encourage
investment in an area, attracting restaurants, entertainment
venues and additional housing opportunities. A recent study
by Bowling Green State University indicates that arts and
culture industries generated over $2.4 billion in economic
activity in Northwest Ohio resulting in nearly $250 million
in federal, state and local tax revenues and over 33,000
jobs.
This revitalization effort will:
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Address existing environmental conditions and create a
sustainable signature park
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Remediate environmental conditions on 2.5 acres of
vacant, underutilized land
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Removal of extensive asbestos containing materials
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Be proximate to important neighborhood anchor amenities
including: the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library Main
Branch, Toledo School for the Arts, Mercy Health
Partners Main Campus / Mercy College, the Avenue of the
Arts, and various art studios, galleries and
entertainment venues.
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Provide a productive reuse of an area suffering from
high crime, poverty, and unemployment rates
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Create job and additional tax revenue by attracting
businesses to the area
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Increase safety
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Increase property values
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Integrate the use of a significant source of clean
energy
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Be utility-ready with existing electrical, water, sewer,
natural gas, and other services.
The endeavor is a major one for a fledgling organization but
crucial to improving and sustaining the long-term health and
growth of the neighborhood. This project is generating
enormous interest in the creative community and they are
eagerly anticipating its development.
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