Davis College looking to expand to south Toledo

Sep. 27—Property next to the Stranahan Theater on Heatherdowns Boulevard is proposed for rezoning to allow Toledo's Davis College to expand its operations and further grow its enrollment.

The 11.7-acre site at 4747 Heatherdowns includes a two-story building with about 27,000 square feet of floor space that Toledo lawyer Garrett Keeton, representing Davis, said would likely require only minimal changes to serve the college's needs.

"The layout is perfect," he said.

The rezoning proposal scheduled for presentation Tuesday to Toledo City Council calls for a change from single-unit residential to institutional campus. It previously was used as a school, according to city records.

Mr. Keeton said that pending the rezoning approval, Davis officials look to close soon on buying the property from Midwest Creative Solutions, of Ann Arbor, and get to work on the space next month.

A required master plan submitted as part of the zoning petition shows Davis College's intent to expand its local footprint while maintaining current offices in the Four SeaGate building on Summit Street. There is no intent to "further develop the property, place new structures, [or] construct roadways/access paths," according to the plan.

Davis College has a current enrollment of 140 full-time, mostly international students, Mr. Keeton said, and it expects to continue offering remote learning and staggered classroom times in the future. One concern about expanding to the Heatherdowns site is a possible increase in that area's vehicular traffic, Mr. Keeton said, but even if Davis hits its enrollment goal of 500 to 700 students, that shouldn't noticeably increase congestion.

Nancy Hirsch, a city planner, said she was unaware of any opposition to the proposal and noted the property is currently vacant.

"It would be a suitable use," she said about the college's plans.

And Mr. Keeton said the project would be beneficial to the community as well as to Davis because it would put the property to use. He called it a "very exciting opportunity" during a presentation Wednesday to council's zoning and planning committee.

"Nothing improves by itself," he said.

Councilman Rob Ludeman commended the project during the committee meeting.

"I'm very happy to see this," he said. "To have this asset in South Toledo is very, very nice."

First Published September 27, 2021, 9:00am