DevelopOhio

When Elyria’s Economic Development Specialist left more than a year ago, Mayor Holly Brinda decided to make a targeted investment focusing on the redevelopment of Midway Mall, “a gamble Brinda said she is willing to take because doing nothing would only set Elyria farther back,” The Chronicle reports. Brinda hired mall expert Jeff Green to evaluate the 1.1 million-square-foot mall and “tell her how it could be changed for the better instead of left to languish.” Jeff Green Partners and the Hoffman Strategy Group will work together on the city-commissioned redevelopment plan that “will serve as both a tool for future development and a selling point to anyone willing to invest in the area’s potential,” according to the article. Midway’s management partners “support the development of the plan” and have participated in selecting the consultants. Brinda said there is a consensus that “a redevelopment plan is needed to attract investors and developers,” calling the Midway Mall area “an economic driver” for both Elyria and the county. The city, Brinda said, has an interest in “the highest and best uses for that property,” and the redevelopment plan “gives us a unique opportunity to take some action to shape our future.” For more, read the full article.