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Historic Property in Heart of St. Paris for Sale

5/20/2022

 
If you are looking for a place to start or grow your business, then look no further. The sky is the limit with this historic property, nestled in the heart of St. Paris Ohio. The property features not one, but two buildings, both with office and garage space. The first building is 5,500 sq. ft. and features 3 separate offices, a meeting area and a bonus kitchen area. There are also four bay garages providing plenty of space for your business needs.

The second building is 1800 sq. ft. and also features an office, garage and ample storage space. Both buildings have restrooms for your customers' convenience. There is plenty of parking on the property and it is close to other business and retail. Please contact the CEP directly if interested. 

Former Urbana University campus listed for sale; property eyed for redevelopment

4/15/2021

 
The former Urbana University campus in Champaign County is up for sale. (Courtesy of CBRE)
The former Urbana University campus in Champaign County is up for sale. (Courtesy of CBRE)
URBANA, Ohio (Dayton Business Journal) -- A former university campus in Champaign County recently hit the market, providing a potential redevelopment opportunity for an interested buyer.
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Urbana University, a private institution that served as a branch campus of Columbus-based Franklin University, closed at the end of the 2020 spring term. ​​The school cited low enrollment figures that were exacerbated by COVID-19.
Though students no longer take classes at the university, its campus remains in tact. In an effort to bring the property back to life, commercial real estate firm CBRE placed it on the market. There is no list price for the property.

CBRE’s Anne Rahm and Todd Greiner are marketing the campus for sale on behalf of the owner, Franklin University.

“The Urbana campus listing is a rare opportunity for both educational and institutional users as well as investors looking for a unique redevelopment opportunity,” said Rahm, Midwest regional manager for CBRE’s Public Institutions and Education Group.

For more on the campus, visit the Dayton Business Journal.

Former Urbana Manufacturing Building to get $2M Facelift

12/17/2020

 
Urbana Manufacturing Building Facelift
Click image to view video on WHIO-TV's website.
By: Jenna Lawson, WHIO-TV
By this time next year, the entire corridor west of Urbana’s Monument Square could look completely different.

City and county economic development officials announced this month that the former Q3 JMC (Johnson Manufacturing Company) building on Miami Street will soon undergo a nearly two million dollar renovation and house three future businesses.

The building has been vacant for over 10 years.

“We’re going to see new work, new life, new employees in this building,” said Champaign Economic Partnership Director Marcia Bailey.
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Securing the building and cleaning up the site took the team effort of private and public partnerships like the City of Urbana, the Champaign Economic Partnership and True Inspection Services, LLC, a full-service commercial inspection, engineering and construction management company.

TIS is now the owner of 12.6 of the 20 acre site, including the building. TIS Executive Vice President Joe Timm said three tenants will move into the building after its restoration – TIS, Community Health and Wellness Partners out of Logan County and The Door Shop, which is a commercial door company.

Project partners hope that after the work is completed, other investors will be drawn to build on space behind the building and part of the site’s acreage on the other side of the bike path.

The JMC project piggybacks off of the ongoing development of the FC Legacy Place senior living project that will transform the former North and South elementary schools and the Douglas Inn into affordable senior housing.

“We’re kind of looking at this as the anchor client or anchor site for helping redevelop this whole neighborhood,” Timm said.
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Construction bids for the project will go out soon, and the businesses are expected to move in by fall 2021.

Restoration of Former Q3 JMC Building to Begin Soon

12/1/2020

 

Three Businesses to Move in Next Fall

Urbana Q3 JMC Building
An artist's rendering of the front exterior of the Q3 JMC building at 605 Miami St. in Urbana.
​After being vacant since 2008, and a prominent eyesore, the former Q3 JMC, Inc. building at 605 Miami St. in Urbana will be restored and renovated over the next 12 months to reestablish it as an attractive contributor to the local economy. By next fall, the building will be the new home of three businesses.
 
Work on the $2 million project will begin in four to six weeks, says Joe Timm, Executive Vice President of True Inspection Services, LLC (TIS), which acquired the property in May from the City of Urbana. Plans by McCall Sharp Architecture are nearly complete, and bid packages will soon go out to local contractors, Timm said.

Once work is completed, TIS – a minority-owned, full-service commercial inspection, engineering and construction management company – will occupy the building’s second floor, moving from its current South Main Street location.
 
Community Health & Wellness Partners (CHWP), which offers a full range of primary medical care including behavioral health services in Bellefontaine, Indian Lake and West Liberty, will open a newly approved Urbana location on the first floor of 605 Miami St. by late fall 2021. The Health Resource Service Administration has also granted CHWP approval to open a school-based health center in West Liberty-Salem Schools in early 2021, CHWP President/CEO Tara Bair said.
 
The third business – The Door Shop, a commercial door and hardware distributor – will have light manufacturing and warehouse operations at the site.
 
The former Q3 JMC building is the fourth major vacant structure in Urbana to be given a new lease on life this fall. It joins the Douglas Hotel and the former Urbana North and South Elementary Schools, which are being restored and renovated for FC Legacy Place, a total of 51 affordable senior apartments.
 
“Both projects have moved forward thanks to strong public-private partnerships, of government and business working together to obtain the necessary funding and provide the expertise to bring plans to reality,” said Marcia Bailey, director of the Champaign Economic Partnership (CEP), Champaign County’s economic development agency.
 
Bailey credits the Champaign County Board of Revision for helping set the wheels in motion for the Q3 JMC project when it approved in 2015 the City of Urbana’s request to obtain the property free of unpaid back property taxes and other encumbrances after no one bid on the property at a sheriff’s sale.
 
The city took ownership of the 20-acre site in 2017, said Doug Crabill, community development manager who has managed the project for the city. After that the city pursued redevelopment of the property, to clear it of contamination and prepare it for development by new owners.
 
Bailey assisted the city in reaching an agreement with TIS, the city’s development partner, to oversee the site cleanup and redevelopment. “They were the only company that came forward with interest in renovating the building and turning the brownfield into a greenfield for business development,” Bailey said. “Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to find an end user for the property because of the contamination that had to be removed.”
 
On behalf of TIS, Bailey wrote an application for a JobsOhio Site Redevelopment Pilot Program grant to help fund the work.
 
JobsOhio, encouraged by the number of community partners involved, awarded TIS a reimbursable grant of $883,947 to help cover the cost of demolition, environmental remediation, asbestos abatement, removal and disposal of waste, and site preparation. The city provided $348,435 in matching funds, and TIS contributed $116,145.
 
TIS has acquired 12.6 acres on the east side of the 20-acre redevelopment site, including the Q3 JMC building. The remaining portion of the 20-acre site is being readied to be marketed for business development, Crabill said.
 
Timm said TIS’s new location will “help take us to the next step in the growth of our company, to hire more personnel and expand our operations.” In addition, he said, some of the 12.6-acre parcel that the former Q3 JMC building sits on will be developed for sale to other businesses.
 
“The building will be an anchor for future development on the rest of the property, restore jobs lost when Q3 JMC closed, and generate tax revenue for our community,” Bailey said.  
 
Kerry Brugger, Urbana’s director of administration, said, “We’re excited to see the building come back into productive use. It’s a great project for our community. It eliminates a severe safety and health nuisance for the community and will retain and create jobs.”
 
Of TIS, he said, “It’s been a pleasure working with them. They’ve been an excellent partner to work with.”
​

Champaign County Leaders Examining Housing Issues

6/1/2020

 
Champaign County Housing
By Hasan Karim, Springfield News-Sun Staff Writer
Community leaders in Champaign County are looking to form a partnership that will look at ways to help boost the local housing market by either adding new housing stock or helping aid in redevelopment projects.

The group will be a housing consortium that will consist of volunteers that could range from government officials to local business leaders. They would also be using a recently released 128-page analysis of the county’s housing market as a guide in future efforts to strengthen it.

That includes diversifying as well as adding to available housing stock in the county, fostering more development of new homes and the redevelopment of old ones as well as preexisting buildings that can be converted to apartments and lofts.

One of the tasks of the housing consortium could be to look at existing zoning and rules in the county and what can be done to make them more conducive to current housing needs, said Marcia Bailey, the director of the Champaign Economic Partnership. That includes also focusing on multi-family housing options, instead of just on single family homes.

“We want development to occur where there is available or nearby infrastructure. We are an agricultural community and we want to be able to preserve agricultural land as well,” Bailey previously told the News-Sun.

A point she said they will continue to focus on.

Efforts to boost the local housing market were temporarily put on hold due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, Bailey said they are looking to hold conversations next month and hope to have the housing consortium up and running in the near future.

This follows a series of discussions held in the beginning of the year that went over some of the findings of the comprehensive housing study, which was conducted by the Greater Ohio Policy Center.

That organization, according to its website, “is focused on improving the communities of Ohio through growth strategies and research.

Bailey said that she wanted to continue having those conversations as housing is an issue that will not soon go away. She said that having available housing stock and looking at ways to grow the population is key to economic development in the county.

The News-Sun previously reported that lower housing stock, coupled with high demand has led to a continued stable market in the area even during the pandemic.

The study commissioned by the Champaign Economic Partnership looked at common housing challenges in the city of Urbana as well as the villages of Mechanicsburg, North Lewisburg and St. Paris. It also compared municipalities in the county to others in the state that are tackling similar problems such as having aging housing stock, a fair amount of blighted properties and limited land for new housing developments.

In Champaign County, it was noted that 75% of homes there were built before 1990, according to the Greater Ohio Policy Center.

Additionally, there has been a total of 324 permits filed in the county since 2010 for the construction of single family homes.

It was also found that about 80% of new home construction since 2010 has occurred outside municipal boundaries in the county.

“It can be within a township or another unincorporated territory,” said Maria Walliser-Wejebe, a research associate with the policy center, earlier this year.

The study cost about $40,000 and came from funds set aside by the Champaign County Commissioners that are to be used for economic development. In addition, the analysis offered a total of 22 recommendations that followed six main themes.
The recommendations fell into the categories of prioritizing down towns and main streets, ensuring that local governments are strong partners to development, protecting existing housing stock and preventing it from declining, having creative financing and funding strategies and maintaining affordability.

New Life for Four Gables

3/17/2020

 
Four Gables in Urbana, Ohio
The Champaign County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting for The Four Gables in November 2019. Located at 300 N. Main St. in downtown Urbana, the building now owned by Bob and Kim Arms was built in the late 1800s and has undergone numerous renovations while preserving its historical character. The structure houses apartments and Airbnbs. Businesses on the first floor include Emerson Wagner Realty, The Nail Place, Quality Cuts Barbershop, and Champaign Chiropractic Center. At the ribbon-cutting were, from left in back, Paul and Lucia Ober, Kara Stephens, Rufus Humphrey, Eric Turnmire, Bill Bean, Steve Pond, from left in front, Natalie Frueh, Laurie Stickney, Nancy Martin, Kim Arms, Bob Arms, Marilyn Leopard and Sara Neer.

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Revitalization Efforts in Downtown Urbana Focus on Housing, More Shops

12/9/2019

 
By Hasan Karim, Springfield News-Sun Staff Writer
With the last piece of needed funding recently locked down, the ‘Legacy Place’ senior housing project in downtown Urbana is one step closer in bringing more than a dozen apartments in the area.

It is something city officials say will have a trickle down effect in downtown. The hope is with more people living there, it will boost business for shops and restaurants that are within walking distance.
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In the past five years, the number of living opportunities in the area have about doubled.
​

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‘Legacy Place’ Senior Housing Project in Urbana Secures Key Funding

12/4/2019

 
By Jenna Lawson, Springfield News-Sun Staff Writer
The last bit of needed funding has been secured to push forward the ‘Legacy Place’ senior housing project in Urbana.

Sourcing all of the funding has been a tedious multi-year task undertaken by several different parties — but soon residents will start to see the fruits of labor.

“This is going to be a reality,” said Champaign Economic Development Director Marcia Bailey. “It’s not just sketches on a piece of paper. It’s going to be a reality.”

In August, the developers of the project — Flaherty & Collins Properties — applied for a grant through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati with the help of community partners.

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Insurance Agency Opens in Urbana

10/10/2019

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Longtime Springfield business expanding, as it has large customer base in Champaign County city

Former Sowles Hotel Urbana Ohio
Longtime Springfield insurance agency Wallace and Turner will be opening an office in downtown Urbana in the former Sowles Hotel. BILL LACKEY / STAFF
By Hasan Karim, Springfield News-Sun Staff Writer
Springfield’s largest, locally owned independent insurance agency will be expanding its reach to Urbana by opening up a location there.

Wallace and Turner Insurance will have its second office at the old Sowles Hotel, 113 Scioto St. A ribbing cutting ceremony will be held Friday at 12:30 p.m. in partnership with the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce. The office will officially open Monday.
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“Wallace and Turner has always had a large customer base in Urbana and it continues to grow, so it was a natural decision to open a second location there,” said Patrick Field, a partner with the insurance agency. “We want to make the insurance process as simple as possible for clients and having a physical presence will make it even more convenient for them to stop in and ask questions or update their policy.”

Wallace and Turner has operated locally in Springfield since 1870 and provides personal and commercial coverage, according to a news release sent this week.

The agency is also a long-standing member of Associated Risk Managers International, Keystone Insurers Group, Trusted Choice, Ohio Insurance Agents Association and Independent Insurance Agents Association, both in Ohio and nationally, the release said.

“The office addition demonstrates Wallace & Turner’s continued commitment to providing the best services we can to our surrounding communities,” said P.J. Miller , a partner with Wallace and Turner. “Our agency is deeply invested in supporting our clients, their families and businesses, and we look forward to expanding our relationships throughout Urbana.”

Contact this reporter at 937-328-0355 or email Hasan.Abdul-Karim@cmg.com.
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Cobblestone Hotel Planned for South Urbana

4/26/2019

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Urbana Cobblestone Hotel
The new hotel will be located along US-68 across from the Champaign County Community Center. Photos by Christopher Selmek | Urbana Daily Citizen
By Christopher Selmek, Urbana Daily Citizen
cselmek@aimmediamidwest.com
A 54-room hotel is planned for Urbana later this year due to the efforts of an investment committee that recently purchased three acres in south Urbana for a Cobblestone hotel.

Sale of the land formerly owned by Kay Slesinger at 170 state Route 55 was finalized on Feb. 21 for $225,000, and according to investment committee cochair Mike Major that land will soon be turned over to BriMark Builders, LLC, a division of Cobblestone Hotels, to begin the building process.

Urbana Cobblestone Hotel
From left are investment committee co-chairs Mike Major and Terry Howell, Champaign Economic Partnership Executive Director Marcia Bailey and Kim Slesinger-Fraley standing by plans for Urbana’s Cobblestone Hotel. Photos by Christopher Selmek | Urbana Daily Citizen
Major thanked the 10 members of the investment committee, including cochair Terry Howell, who he said brought a great deal of construction and site preparation experience, as well as connections with the Slesinger family, and who will be essential in determining which contractors to use locally. He also thanked Champaign Economic Partnership Executive Director Marcia Bailey, who he credited with getting the group together, presenting and doing research.


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