What's in store for 2024 in North Canton? Construction along North Main Street
Editor’s note: The Canton Repository asked leaders in each of Stark County’s 17 townships, 11 villages and six cities to share some highlights about what's in store for 2024 in their communities.
The responses include the return of some family-friendly events, a variety of new businesses and some much-needed improvements to longstanding structures. We will be presenting these community highlights to you throughout the upcoming months.
NORTH CANTON – Expect to see construction along the main corridors of North Canton this year as some long-awaited projects break ground and others are completed.
Here is what’s in store for 2024 in the city of nearly 18,000 residents:
Meijer to open, Papa Bear's to break ground
The Meijer Supercenter and the nearby businesses along Main Street are expected to open this year.
A spokesperson for Meijer said the company hasn't set the date for its grand opening of the supermarket and convenience store taking shape on the former Kmart property at 1505 N Main St. and will not make an announcement until six weeks before the opening.
Papa Bear's Italian Restaurant, which closed its location on Dressler Road NW in August 2022, is expected to start construction for its new restaurant at 305 Applegrove St. NW in March and open this summer. City Administrator Patrick DeOrio said the restaurant will have a capacity to seat roughly 100 people and will offer outdoor dining.
Instead of Bojangles and Seven Brew Coffee, the property just north of the existing Burger King will be home to Chick-fil-A and The Human Bean. DeOrio said construction for both buildings and the new Wendy’s is expected to begin this summer.
Sgt. Clean Car Wash has set its grand opening for Feb. 16 for its newest location at 221 Applegrove St. NW. The company already owns car washes in Massillon and Green. The North Canton location will include complimentary amenities such as a vacuum plaza, compressed air hoses, cleaning supplies and a mat cleaning station, according to the company’s website.
The city’s plan to convert nearly six acres behind the Meijer property into athletic fields is expected to begin in spring 2025.
Diebold Nixdorf headquarters to return to North Canton
Diebold Nixdorf plans to move its global headquarters to the city by March. The worldwide ATM and self-checkout manufacturer has been headquartered in Hudson since October 2021. The company's corporate offices previously were in Green.
The move to 334 Orchard Ave. NE affects roughly 100 employees, including executive, human resource and other administrative positions, according to a company spokesperson.
Diebold Nixdorf already employs roughly 500 manufacturing employees in the Hoover District.
Redevelopment of the former Hoover Co.’s west factory to begin?
Work to develop the deteriorating west factory of the former Hoover Co. plant into shops, restaurants, apartments and offices could kick off this year.
City Council is considering a 30-year tax incentive agreement with Hoover District developer Maple Street Commerce that would require construction to begin within 12 months of the agreement’s passage and be completed within three years.
“Construction is defined as we are actually breaking ground on the project,” DeOrio said. “It’s not submitting a plan to the city to approve. It means that the project has commenced.”
Under the proposed tax increment financing agreement, the developers would keep 100% of the money they would have had to pay in increased property taxes over 30 years and spend it on construction and development costs instead.
The tax break, worth an estimated $15 million to $20 million depending on the Stark County auditor’s appraisal of the completed project, means the city, the North Canton City School District and other governmental entities won't lose current tax revenue. But they won't gain any either for 30 years if the value of the property increases.
A representative for the developers said in December that once they get the project funding secured, construction would take about two and a half years.
Council has postponed its vote on the tax incentive agreement until the developer finalizes its separate compensation agreement with the North Canton City School District. In exchange for the school district not objecting to the tax break, the developer has pledged to give the school district $2.5 million and 10.32 acres of Hoover District property south of Seventh Street NE and north of Hower Street NE. The school district plans to use the property to provide better vehicle access to the nearby athletic facilities.
DeOrio expects council to move forward with the agreement in February.
Online permit and service request portal goes live
Residents who need a permit, to register with the city or pay a parking ticket can now do it online. Hosted by OpenGov, the city’s new online portal allows homeowners to obtain permits for commercial and residential building construction and improvements, as well as permits for swimming pools, water or sewer laterals, temporary event tents, recreational fires and zoning.
Residents can also use the portal to register their contractor, rental unit, vacant residential or commercial property, and a food truck, or to get permission for commercial door-to-door solicitation. They also can use it to request an accident report or case from the police department, request to connect or disconnect to the city’s water system and file an appeal to the zoning, building or property maintenance review boards.
The portal uses an email account to track and manage the permits as they move through the review, approval and inspection process. The portal can be accessed at https://northcantonoh.portal.opengov.com/.
Permits can still be applied for in person at North Canton City Hall, but an email will be required to make an account.
East Maple Street to be repaved
East Maple Street, from Taft Avenue NE to Marquart Avenue NE, will be resurfaced and given new curbs and gutters this summer.
City Engineer Rob Graham said the city must wait until $250,000 in funding from the Ohio Public Works Commission becomes available on July 1 before it can move forward with the 2,775-foot, three-lane project that is estimated to cost $550,000. The city’s share of county license plate tax revenue and its capital improvement fund will cover the remaining cost.
Graham believes the project will take roughly 30 days to complete and does not expect any road closures.
Hoover High School renovation to begin
Construction to renovate a portion of Hoover High School for a new welding program is expected to begin later this year.
The North Canton City School District received a $3.85 million grant from Future Forward Ohio and the Ohio Department of Education to add welding as a career-technical program offering.
The district plans to renovate 6,200 square feet of existing space at the high school for the program that will include a welding lab, classroom area, storage, lockers, an office and restrooms with a shower. The project is expected to cost roughly $3.84 million and be ready for students in August 2025.
The welding lab and program will serve students from Hoover, as well as Jackson Local, Plain Local and Lake Local because they are all part of the Stark County Career Compact and share career tech programs.
District leaders also will spend most of 2024 planning North Canton’s new middle school, which voters in November agreed to fund through a new $27.8 million bond issue. Superintendent Jeff Wendorf has estimated that it will take about two years to build the new 144,000-square-foot middle school.
Income tax increase, liquor requests on March ballot
Voters will be asked on the March 19 election ballot to increase the city’s income tax by a half percent, from 1.5% to 2%.
If approved, anyone who works in North Canton would pay an additional 0.5% of the income they earn in North Canton starting in January 2025. North Canton residents who work outside the city would pay an additional 0.5% of their work income, no matter where they earn it.
For a person who earns $50,000 a year working in the city, the increase would raise their taxes from $750 a year to $1,000 a year.
The city expects to raise $3.6 million more a year with the increase.
City officials have said the money would be used to plug a $1.5 million funding gap, build a fire/EMS facility, expand space for the Police Department, enhance the city's park system and explore renovations to Dogwood Pool.
Also on the March ballot are two requests by Kraus Pizza. The pizza shop at 1022 North Main Street, whose business name is Loby’s Kraus 1022, is seeking to sell beer, wine, mixed beverages and liquor. In the second request, Kraus is seeking to sell the alcoholic drinks also on Sundays.
Reach Canton Repository staff writer Kelli Weir at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: North Canton to see Meijer open, Papa Bear's be built, Diebold HQ back
