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Champaign County Officials Push Forward Plan to Build New Hotel

2/23/2018

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urbana hotel
Champaign County s economic development organization is working with a Wisconsin-based consultant to determine if there s enough demand for a new hotel. JEFF GUERINI/SPRINGFIELD NEWS-SUN STAFF
By Matt Sanctis - Springfield News-Sun Staff Writer
Champaign County economic development leaders will push ahead with a proposal that could lead to a new hotel in Urbana as early as next year.

A recent review conducted by a Wisconsin-based consultant showed there’s enough demand in Urbana that it would be feasible to build a new hotel with at least 70 to 80 rooms and meeting space, said Marcia Bailey, economic development coordinator for the Champaign Economic Partnership, the county’s economic development agency.

No plans have been finalized, Bailey said. But local economic development leaders plan to meet with potential local investors as early as next month.

The study estimated the project could generate between 15 and 20 new jobs, depending on the size of the hotel, if it’s built.
“This meeting is just to generate the interest of other community leadership,” Bailey said.

Champaign County has rooms available for overnight stays, including a downtown bed and breakfast and businesses like the Econo Lodge Inn and Suites and the Logan Lodge Motel. But the county hasn’t had a new hotel in years.

Elton Cultice, airport manager at Grimes Field in Urbana, has told the News-Sun he often reserves rooms in Springfield for events at the airport because of the few options available in Champaign County. That means less business for local restaurants and other businesses in Champaign County.

The CEP hired a consultant from Core Distinction Group to conduct the feasibility study. Staff from that company couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday. The study was based on interviews with area businesses and local attractions that typically draw visitors overnight, as well as traffic studies from 2011 and 2014 provided by the CEP.

That included staff from local tourist attractions like the Ohio Caverns. The study also consulted with other entities that might draw residents for overnight stays or business purposes, including Urbana University and a small number of manufacturing firms.

The total tourism impact in Champaign County resulted in more than $47 million in sales and enables the employment of more than 350 people in the county, according to a 2013 study by Tourism Economics.

Along with as many as 70 to 80 rooms, the Core Distinction Group’s report also recommended the potential hotel provide meeting areas with space for about 50 guests, a pool and a workout area. In the end though, all those decisions, including how many rooms are included in the final plans, will be determined by any investors who push the project forward, Bailey said.

The hotel would be built within Urbana city limits, she said, but it’s too early to discuss any specific locations for the property.

If and when the project might move forward is still unclear, Bailey said. But if a decision to build the hotel is finalized this year, she said it’s likely the project could ramp up as early as 2019.

Bailey said the hotel would likely be a name-brand chain.
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New $9M Urbana Health Center to Open this Spring

2/20/2018

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Urbana Health Center
Chip Hubbs, president and CEO of Memorial Health, speaks during a ground breaking ceremony for a new Memorial Health outpatient medical center in Urbana Friday. Bill Lackey/Staff
By Matt Sanctis - Springfield News-Sun Staff WriterConstruction is on track for a new $9 million outpatient center in Urbana by a Marysville medical group and a grand opening is likely by late April or early May.

Memorial Health’s outpatient medical center will be located at 1958 E. U.S. 36 and will house urgent care, lab testing services, rotating physician specialists, expanded primary care and more. The roughly 30,000-square-foot facility is expected to create 12 new permanent jobs and retain 17 jobs in Urbana.

Melanie Ziegler, a spokeswoman for the company, said the project is on schedule and no delays are anticipated.

The medical group will also host a groundbreaking open house event and ceremony at Memorial Hospital in Marysville as part of a separate project. The company is undergoing a $50 million expansion and renovation of Memorial Hospital.

That project involves construction of two buildings, both an inpatient pavilion and an outpatient pavilion on the main campus at 500 London Ave. in Marysville.
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Council Backs Residential Development Plans

2/8/2018

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by Christopher Selmek, Urbana Daily Citizen
The Urbana City Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting the residential rental development proposed by Flaherty and Collins Properties to redevelop South Elementary School, North Elementary School and the Douglas Inn for senior apartments at a regular council meeting on Tuesday. A copy of this resolution will accompany Flaherty and Collins' tax credit application to the Ohio Housing Finance Authority by the Feb. 15 deadline.

"I think this is a fantastic opportunity, and I think Urbana would be very welcoming to this," said council member Doug Hoffman. "We've got three distinct structures that I think really need this for the revitalization of the properties. These properties don't get fixed up any other way, at least not in the near future, and it also helps some of the other entities in town like the school and the downtown. I think this is just fantastic."

"I'm really excited about this," added council member Pat Thackery. "We have a housing issue in the community anyway, and if we get some senior housing, that's going to open up some housing that seniors are moving out of so others can move in there, and that's going to help the housing overall.  I'm excited. And we need exciting things like this to happen in town and they're happening."

Collaboration
As part of the proposed development, the council unanimously passed another resolution authorizing the acquisition of certain properties, an agency agreement with the Community Improvement Corporation of Champaign County to negotiate with a buyer to purchase and develop said properties, declaring said properties to be no longer needed for public purposes and to authorize the sale of said propertes.

CIC Economic Director Marcia Bailey explained that the Urbana school board passed a resolution last week approving the sale of North and South elementaries to the city for a dollar a building. The school board set the purchase price of both buildings at $354,000, to which Flaherty and Collins has agreed.

"I see a trend where all the good things that seem to keep happening are coming through collaboration, through another party and party deals," Hoffman said. "Everything's happening with two and three and four, even five people involved, and I think that's not anything that we've had for a long time that I can remember. The group that we have up here now is working some pretty nice deals for the city, and I think our citizens recognize that." 

The Douglas Inn is privately owned and further action will not be required fromt he council to authorize its sale.
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CEP, Chamber Sponsor Legislative Breakfast

2/6/2018

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U.S. Representative Jim Jordan
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) updates Legislative Breakfast guests on news from Washington, D.C.

Local Leaders Discuss Economy, Govt.

Champaign County business owners and community leaders gathered recently for breakfast and an update on legislation and economic development news from federal, state and local officials.
​
​About 40 people attended the Champaign County Legislative Breakfast at the Madison-Champaign Educational Service Center. 
​

Champaign County Commissioner Steve Hess
Champaign County Commissioner Steve Hess shares news about economic development in Champaign County. Hess is a member of the Champaign Economic Partnership Board.
The event was co-sponsored by the Champaign Economic Partnership and the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce. At the breakfast:
· U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan spoke on immigration legislation and the new tax reform law. “Taxes are down, markets are up, and ISIS is on the run,” he said. He also spoke on the need for welfare reform. “When I talk with employers they say they’re having difficulty finding workers. We need to make work more profitable than non-work,” he said. “We need to incentivize work.”
· Sandra Brasington, Gov. John Kasich’s regional liaison, addressed the governor’s initiatives to address the opioid crisis. About $1 billion has been directed to the problem, including prevention, education, treatment and recovery, and law enforcement.
· Lauren Bowen, public affairs liaison for Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, spoke about OhioCheckbook.com, a website created by the Ohio Treasurer’s office to provide taxpayers online access to state government spending data – to hold public officials accountable. Local government spending also is being added to the website. So far in Champaign County, spending records for Mad River Township, Goshen Township, St. Paris and Mechanicsburg have been published on the website. North Lewisburg, Christiansburg and Urbana City Schools will be added soon.
· Than Johnson, CEO of Champaign Residential Services, Inc., spoke on behalf of Ohio Sen. Matt Huffman. He said Huffman is working on a redistricting amendment that will be on the ballot this fall. He also is working with local school districts on legislation to improve current state regulations to assist in local school funding.
· Champaign County Commissioner Steve Hess said, “I can’t remember when there’s been so much new development in our county.” He gave as examples new Urbana school buildings, the Memorial Health medical center, the new Navistar/Damewood Enterprises warehouse, the new Crop Production Services facility and expansion of WEIDMANN Electrical Technology.

He said that the CEP’s mission is to “create the path of least resistance to help business develop in our county. If we can find a process to make development easier, that’s what we want to do.” He added that the CEP is partnering with manufacturers and educational institutions to prepare the next generation for the workforce.

To help guide economic and community development in the future, he said, Champaign County commissioners are working with the Logan-Union-Champaign Regional Planning Commission to create a new comprehensive plan that will cover the entire county.

· Urbana Mayor Bill Bean spoke about redevelopment of the former Q3/JMC, Inc. manufacturing site in Urbana – about 20 acres that are being prepared for new industrial development and job creation. He also mentioned a collaborative effort of the city, Urbana City Schools, the CEP and a developer that could create 50 senior citizen apartments in the Douglas Hotel in downtown Urbana and Urbana North and South elementary schools, which will close with the opening of Urbana’s new elementary and middle school. Also, he reported, the second phase of the city’s replacement of water lines will begin in the next year.
​

· Mechanicsburg Mayor Greg Kimball mentioned two projects that the CEP has assisted the village with – foreclosed downtown property that the village wants to return to productive commercial use and annexing the Advanced Technology Products manufacturing facility into the village.
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CEP Office Location:
1512 South US Highway 68, Bay 14,
Urbana, Ohio 43078

Mailing Address: 
PO Box 268, Urbana Ohio 43078
937-653-7200
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  • Why Champaign County?
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