News & Events

ConnecToledo has received the coveted Award of Excellence for their Downtown Toledo Master Plan at the International Downtown Association’s (IDA) annual conference. Receiving the award in the Planning, Design, and Infrastructure category, was Cindy Kerr, vice president.

ConnecToledo is working with a State of Ohio tool, known as Community Entertainment Districts or CEDs, to increase the number of allowable liquor licenses. CEDs encourage entertainment activity in a concentrated area by creating jobs and supporting revitalization. Currently, downtown Toledo has four existing CEDs. As the boundaries of “downtown” has grown, the need to additional CEDs has surfaced.

Despite the world being put on hold over the past 12 months, momentum has continued on the revitalization of downtown Toledo. More than $650 million in catalytic development projects over the past 5 years have either been completed or are underway in and around downtown.

The board and staff of the Downtown Toledo Improvement District (DTID), in cooperation with ConnecToledo Downtown Development Corporation, held their first stakeholders outreach meeting of 2021. Coffee Connections is held quarterly in the back space of Rustbelt Coffee, the last Wednesday of each quarter from 7:30 - 9:00 a.m. The purpose is for casual conversation about downtown activities, answer questions about the organizations, and to increase social interaction within our community.

A new year means new restaurants and retail are making a home in downtown! In 2021 alone, we’ve seen the opening of Firefly, Copper Bowl Luxury Nail Bar and Grindhrs Co. During 2020, businesses with great fortitude open their doors during a tumultuous year. We commend them for their vision.

Located on Madison Avenue between Michigan Avenue and 10^th Street, the Library Square development will soon add six residential units and four corporate, long-term stay studio apartments to downtown’s core. Library Square, across the street from the Main Library branch, consists of four parcels with commercial spaces on the first-floor level. Units are now available for lease as the project is expected to be complete by the end of March.

Site Selection Magazine has named Toledo number one for new business investment for metropolitan areas with populations between 200,000 and one million. There are approximately $2.2 billion worth of projects currently underway or recently completed that are expected to create nearly 3,5oo new permanent jobs and 1,079 new residential units.

It’s been a big week for development news in downtown. As we continue to invest in our downtown, more opportunities arise to partner with our community. We could not be happier to a part of the development news.

ConnecToledo Downtown Development Corporation is leading the work on creating a historic district in cooperation with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). If you are a property owner within the boundaries of this proposed district, you are invited to participate in a Zoom call. An overview will be given and there will be time for Q&A.

Our partner, The Downtown Toledo Improvement District (DTID), held their Annual Meeting on Wednesday, November 18, 2020 and gave an update on past, current and future progress. Even during a challenging 2020 for the Toledo region, downtown has seen successes and is building for future growth.