Our Ever-Changing Town Center
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Mayor Richard L. "Ike" Stage
There is a collage of photos displayed on the wall just around the corner from my office in City Hall. The scenes are snapshots from various perspectives of Broadway, Park and Columbus streets during a time when horses were the main mode of transportation and steam engines stopped nearby to pick up passengers headed on long trips.
I pass by the collage multiple times a day and I’m reminded of just how far our Town Center has come. How strange it would be if we never updated the original streetscape.
Enter one of the most challenging parts of a developing community – change.
Without change, nothing would mature or flourish. Accommodating shifts in commerce would not be possible. We couldn’t advance the necessary infrastructure for new neighbors and businesses or maintain the charm we all appreciate. Town Center functions as the heart of our community – our “living room” as I like to call it – and is consistently identified as one of Grove City’s most valuable assets. It’s where we gather to celebrate holidays, shop fresh market foods on summer weekends, share memorable experiences and enjoy shopping and dining.
Our Homecoming Celebration (which we missed these past two years and will return in 2022) and EcoFest are held in the center of it all. As is one of the biggest events our community hosts – Arts in the Alley.
The allure of Town Center is undeniable. Therefore, attention and awareness of its significance are at the forefront when considering revitalization efforts and planning for the historic area. Managing the growth of the area over the last 170 years has served us well.
For example, the Columbus Street extension to Beulah Park was necessary to connect the new neighborhood to Town Center. It also made way for a larger plaza area where new traditions will grow.
When the uninhabitable building on Park Street, once home to the library, was demolished, a wonderful opportunity to develop a new city-centered park surfaced. We’re now looking forward to lighting an additional City Christmas tree in the park.
We all face change – whether it is a sudden change in weather (welcome to Ohio), our schedule or a change of venue. The best changes, however, are the ones that surprise us with their gifts and lead us to unimagined benefits.
Mayor Richard L. "Ike" Stage
Town Center Charm Continues to Guide Development
Photo courtesy of City of Grove City
The fascination of the holiday season is around every corner in historic downtown Grove City.
Our Town Center has long been a vibrant core of the community, strategically planned and maintained to preserve its notable charm. As you gaze into decorated storefronts, consider the history of the area and the efforts to keep the unique character alive.
Over the last 40 years, the City remained committed to providing and implementing policies of reinvesting in the Town Center and preserving its appeal.
As suburbs of major cities often do, Grove City grew over the years. An influx of new residents and businesses taking advantage of the region’s opportunities for expansion can draw attention away from the original core of a community. This often leaves long-standing storefronts and historic buildings forgotten and ignored. Not true for Grove City and its beloved Town Center.
In 1987, the Development Department introduced the Town Center Plan, detailing the City’s efforts to revitalize the Town Center area, preserving the heart of the community. New and updated civic buildings were constructed or renovated to complement the older buildings and better serve the public.
The Town Center revitalization planning is an ongoing effort and the original document is regularly reviewed for potential updates as the community grows. A new planning document, the Grove City Town Center Framework, was adopted by City Council in February 2021. This flexible, organic document serves as a policy guide for the implementation of future development and redevelopment in the Town Center area.
Photo courtesy of City Grove City
A recently completed project, designed to comply with the framework, is the Columbus Street Extension. This improvement provides a direct connection between Town Center and the historically recognized Beulah Park site, now taking shape as an exciting, mixed-use development. The road extension accomplishes more than a vehicular and pedestrian connection; it opens property for the Columbus Street plaza – a community gathering place bordered by opportunities for more restaurants and activity nodes – something community survey responders indicated is of high importance.
Soon residents will gather in Town Center to once again welcome the holiday season with Grove City’s Christmas parade and tree lighting. Neighbors and friends will fill the streets with merriment and cheer as they shop for gifts and dine in the quaint restaurants. With traditions like this at the forefront of every Town Center development decision, we maintain the small-town character that makes Grove City special.
Council Briefs | A Gift of TIme
Courtesy of City of Grove City
Grove City Council members (left to right): Roby Schottke, Ward 4; Randy Holt, Ward 2; Christine Houk, Council President, Ward 3; Ted Berry, Ward 1; and Aaron Schlabach, At-Large.
The holiday season, from before Halloween to after Christmas, has always been exciting for me. My birthday is one week before Halloween, so I have always enjoyed Halloween costume parties and trick-or-treat. I have also dressed up as the “Jolly Old Elf” for Christmas every year since I was 12.
Of course an exciting part of birthdays and holidays is the possibility of gifts. However, for me gifts are more than mere items you give to those you care about. Gifts are also experiences.
In Grove City, there are many options of places to find unique gifts and memorable experiences. Town Center offers a variety of restaurants and shops that meet any need or desire you may have from a great cup of coffee, comic books, collectors’ cards and confections to yoga and even antiques. All these re- tailers would be happy to be part of your holiday joy (many also have gift cards). It is my opinion that all these options, and more, are great for gifts or just artistic fun, but the best gift you can give is your time and presence. There’s no better time of year to remember that.
Aaron Schlabach
Council Member, At-Large
Did You Know?
Columbus Street/Stringtown road is now the longest roadway wholly in the city limits
Photo courtesy of City of Grove City
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On a sunny Friday afternoon, a ceremonial red ribbon was cut, officially opening the Columbus Street extension to vehicle traffic, thus making it the longest continuous roadway in Grove City at 4.35 miles. In a close second place is Hoover Road, at just about 230 feet shy of the honor.
Mill Street, as it was originally named, was one of Grove City’s earliest dirt roads and served as an ac- cess road to the gristmill and sawmill owned by Grove City founder William Foster Breck. Railroad service through Grove City began in 1884, passing the grist-mill and other businesses along Mill Street. Having stimulated local farming on a large scale, the Colum- bus & Cincinnati Midland Railroad Company added a railroad spur across Mill Street to the Farmer’s Exchange building, (currently occupied by Local Cantina and other shops), providing easier access for farmers to distribute and receive goods.
Work began in the fall of 2020 to extend Columbus Street to the Beulah Park development and future 30-plus acres of parkland. The Oct. 1 opening of the roadway extension completes a long-anticipated Town Center connection for the Westgrove area, historic Beulah neighborhood and developing Beulah Park community.
