By Andrea Cordle
Southwest Editor
The land formerly known as the lumberyard site is now property of the Pizzuti Company.
At the Aug. 3 meeting, Grove City Council approved a development agreement with Pizzuti and transferred the lumberyard site to the company.
According to Dan Gore with Pizzuti, the plan is to construct an upscale apartment building at the site, which sits adjacent to City Hall in downtown Grove City. He said the complex would include 120 apartment units in three buildings, along with 151 parking spaces. The floor plans would include 89 one-bedroom units and 31 two-bedroom units.
Gore said the apartments would attract young professionals and empty nesters with a higher income. He believes the future tenants would generate close to $1 million in revenue for Town Center businesses.
The legislation passed with a 3-1 vote by council. Ted Berry, Laura Lanese and Jeff Davis voted in favor of the plan. Steve Bennett voted against it and Maria Klemack-McGraw was absent from the meeting.
Bennett said he cast a ‘no’ vote because the area is a central business district and an apartment complex is not an appropriate use for that area.
“We are abandoning the business district use,” said Bennett. “I understand they want to bring more people into the Town Center, but we need more business opportunities to draw people in.”
The councilman also said he has not heard from one community member who supports the apartment plan.
“The people I talk to say this is the wrong thing for that property,” said Bennett. “I speak for the people.”
Other city leaders believe the plan will bring more residents in the Town Center; residents who will help boost the local economy. They say this added business would, in theory, attract more business.
The city began working with Pizzuti to help redevelop areas in the Town Center in 2011.
“This has been a lot of hard work,” said Grove City Mayor Richard “Ike” Stage.
According to the development agreement, Pizzuti would take out $4.4 million in taxable bonds.
The company would then be eligible for $4 million in TIF (tax increment financing) funds. Beginning in 2017, Pizzuti would make two semi-annual payments of $167,750 to the city for at least 24 years.
The Pizzuti redevelopment plan also recommends turning City Hall into a mixed-use building for retail and restaurant space. Government offices would then relocate to the library building on Park Street, across from the police department, to form a municipal complex. The Grove City Library is relocating to a new building on Broadway.
According to Stage, the plan to relocate City Hall is about five years off.
