Loudonville revitalization plan: Encourage tourism, grow downtown businesses

Jim Brewer, Ashland Times Gazette
·3 min read

LOUDONVILLE − About 25 people, many in the local business community, heard introductory comments on a proposed downtown revitalization plan Wednesday, Sept. 21, in the Ohio Theatre.

Jordan Lance, Loudonville native and president of the Mohican Area Growth Foundation, announced the nonprofit, economic development group has contracted the services of OHM Advisors of Cleveland to develop a revitalization plan that will encourage more business investment downtown.

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“For the past two years the MAGF has worked to gain more activity on the commercial side of our economy,” Lance said. “We felt the best way to encourage this investment is to encourage tourism, doing so by making the downtown more attractive to visitors.”

“We heard through people in Ashland, where the firm has been working for several years, that OHM Advisors, which has offices in both Cleveland and Columbus, did a fine job of putting community vision into plans, so we contacted them about beginning a revitalization program here,” Lance continued.

Lance stressed that at least for this year, all work of OHM will be paid for by the foundation.

“We have some generous donors who are very supportive of this concept,” he said.

Lance is working with an 11-member and broad-based steering committee that meets monthly to assist OHM in developing the plan, and stressed “we will seek input from all persons interested in the downtown as we work forward.”

Jordan Lance
Jordan Lance

Serving on that committee are Lance, village Councilman Matt Young, Superintendent of Schools Catherine Puster, Maranda Burrell of the visitor’s bureau, Matt Knoble of the fair board, former Mayor Steve Stricklen, Don Riffle of the American Legion, Brayton Orchard, architect for Shrock Construction, Nicole Cutlip of Strive, and Josh Gray of Mohican Adventures.

OHM strives for revitalization plans based on community's vision

Lance Introduced Arthur Schmidt IV, senior planner with OHM, who described work the firm had done in other communities, mentioning pedestrian alleys in Wooster and Ashland, and work in Newark, Delaware, Marietta, Norwalk, and Louisville.

“What we do is talk with people in our communities and try to establish a plan based on their vision,” Schmidt said. “We look at what is here now, what needs to be done and what else can be done to improve the community, and in Loudonville’s case, make the community more attractive not just for tourists, but also for residents. The plan can be beneficial for everyone, including schools, which can benefit from increased tax base and improved community spirit, and manufacturing concerns, which can benefit by new people moving into the community.”

Picking up on that comment, Lance noted “one of the things we have noticed here is that more young people from here are moving back into the community. They tell us they want to see the schools, the downtown, and the community improve.”

Lance said to expect to see planners from OHM scouting the community and talking to people over the next few months, and to expect a follow-up report on their plans by January.

Mayor Jason VanSickle, who started the revitalization initiative last year, opened the meeting and introduced Lance.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Loudonville revitalization: OHM Advisors to help develop village plan