But
But from
But from a development standpoint, in some ways, things kind of sped up. That's a
big
reason why northwest Ohio's
biggest town is going through a
transformation.
transformation. WMC49699
WMC49699
WMC49699 "We've all seen the progress that's
happening in downtown Toledo -
and if you needed any reminder
as to
what's happening right now -
it's
behind me in those big, bold
letters. A
renaissance. You think we'll
look
back 50 years from now and say,
'Yeah, that's when it was
happening?'
But before we get to our future
- we
need to focus a little bit on
our
past. And that past for one
Toledo
woman starts at a place called
Tiedtke's.
https:
Tiedtke's. https:
https:
JEFF
JEFF SAYS: What was so special about the store? JOANNE SAYS:
You could do everything from get
your shoes fixed to buy a
wedding
gown." Joann Vanderpool is 85
years young . She's lived
in
Toledo all her life. And she
remember's Toledo's heyday
when
when going downtown was an event .
.
"It's
"It's gone . it's gone . it's gone." WMC48501 PAUL
TOTH - PRESIDENT -
CONNECTOLEDO
CONNECTOLEDO
Paul
Paul Toth
Paul Toth is the president of president of ConnecToledo . an organization built to market all
the
the glass
the glass city has to offer. And right now . He says the sales
pitch is all about hope for
what's to
what's to
come
come .
come . and building a new Toledo.
Toledo.
Look
Look at
Look at these numbers . this is investment in downtown the last five years -
Promedica HQ at
the steam plant
- 75 Million
The Renaissance Hotel renovation
- $40 Million
Work at the Tower on the Maumee
- 40 Million
The Berdan Building -
- 35 Million
Hensville -
- $20 Million
The Downtown Library -
- $12 Million
And that's just a quarter of the
billion spent the last five
years.
WMC49716
years. WMC49716 "I was here when it was what it
was .
and it was great . I wouldn't
get rid of
my memories for nothing. But am
I
gonna dis this? No."
Renovating the steam plant into the ProMedica headquarters in 2017 brought about jobs,
enthusiasm, and momentum .
Imagine it setting off a kind of
shockwave
shockwave of development and investment - And it's being felt
throughout the downtown streets.
Randy
Randy Oostra Interview RVR - 90 Day - WMC48243 02:49 - 02:59 "I talked to somebody
last
week who moved back, they grew
up
here, they were out on the east
coast,
they came back a year or two
ago,
their response is - "What the
heck happened?"
ProMedica President and CEO
Randy Oostra says in the last
five years there's been a
billion dollars invested in
Toledo ... and he says
there will be another billion in
the next five .
"...this idea that we can do
anything we
want to do - we can become a
tech
community - we can do the things
that we're good at - there are a
lot of
things that we can do - and if
we keep
working together - we're going
to
achieve things in five years
that
people didn't think possible."
So
there's development set in
motion . The Park Inn . The
Convention Center . Fort
Industry Square . Now attention
turns to
the next potential epicenter of
growth
. The next shockwave . and it's
here . at the four corners -
which includes the Nicolas, and
Spitzer buildings. PAUL TOTH
"We think the same thing can
happen there. If we re-energize
that
that corner and re- develop those buildings - there are buildings
within
two blocks that are also vacant
- we
are 100% certain that we will
see the
same thing happen within those
blocks
as we saw down on the
riverfront."
RANDY OOSTRA 17:02 - 17:19 "You
know - for the first time in the
history
of Toledo you have this huge
engaged
business community working with
the county, working with the
city, the port and others to say
let's
all work together - let's not
duplicate
efforts - let's all work in
different
areas - all boats rise." But
Toledo's
best days go beyond the
aesthetics downtown. Oostra
says Toledo's neighborhoods are
essential in making this
comeback
comeback - this renaissance - a success. RANDY OOSTRA 14:40 - 14:54 "Already -
we're talking about what might
be the
next neighborhood. Where do we
go
next? Who's working? Where might
the gaps be? Who are the
partners? And I think that's
kind of
the secret here - we have to
just
keep focusing on the various
neighborhoods." PAUL TOTH
Toth
Toth points out . Detroit's gone through it . Cleveland's had its
renaissance, too. Now . it's
Toledo's
turn to flip the script.
Joann's 85. And for one
afternoon
. this was a trip down memory
lane. But it was also a preview
of
what's to come for her downtown
.
and how it's taking shape for
generations to come.
ConnecToledo says keep your eyes
on the MIDDLEGROUND S, THE WAREHOUSE DISTRICT, and
UPTOWN . they say announcements
regarding future development are
right around the corner.
And ProMedica's Randy Oostra
says Toledo's progress has to be
rooted
rooted in
rooted in good health . solid education opportunities . and safe,
affordable housing. He says
that kind
of stability can provide job
opportunities and a stronger
local
economy.
local economy.
economy.
economy. And something that's already in
motion you might remember - Promedica is partnering with a
California company to bring new
life to
the Jefferson Building in
downtown Toledo. The former
post office will soon transition
into an
innovation center for Bitwise --
a
California-based tech company.
They say within a few years the
Jefferson building will house
hundreds of tech jobs.
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