ASHTABULA - - When Tops closed it's Ashtabula store in December 2006, some people anticipated another empty albatross would mottle the city's retail landscape.
However, a company is interested in going into the Tops building, City Manager Anthony Cantagallo said at Tuesday's economic development committee meeting.
Cantagallo would not reveal the name of the company because it's still in the negotiation stage.
"They hired a consultant out of Nashville, Tenn., to do a market study," he said. "They're looking at our disposable income."
Tops doesn't own the building on West Prospect, but rather, it leases it from a grocer based in the Netherlands.
"Tops must find a sub-tenant," Cantagallo said.
The store closing put 83 people out of work at Christmas. It also shut down a bank, a gas station, a bakery and a Western Union station.
"We lost a lot," Cantagallo said.
Jason Strong, director of housing and community development, said he recently drove company representatives around town in an attempt to get them to open up shop in Ashtabula.
"They wanted to see the housing," he said.
Cantagallo said, "That's the basis of it all."
He reiterated his commitment to cleaning up the city's blight so when developers come to town, he has something positive to show them besides Walnut Boulevard and Bunker Hill Road.
"You can only show them Walnut Beach so many times," Cantagallo said.
Ward 5 Councilman Chris McClure said the city must settle the tax abatement issue with the Ashtabula Area City School Board because there will be little or no new construction until that time.
The school board's case against the city, filed Oct. 13 in Ashtabula County Common Pleas Court in Jefferson, states the city is not in compliance with Ohio laws regarding the granting of Community Reinvestment Act tax abatements.
The school board wants the city to discontinue granting CRAs and asks the court to make the city pay the school board $1.3 million in damages, according to the complaint.
A judge granted the school board a temporary restraining order, which prohibits the city from reviewing or approving any additional real-estate tax abatements until the issue is settled.
Local News
Company may be interested in Tops building
- Local News
-
-
Sports, academics to come together
SPIRE Institute will expand its educational base and accept international students into its sports performance programs through a partnership with the Andrews Osborne Academy, Ted Meekma, SPIRE management team member, announced Wednesday.
-
Grand Valley sixth grader wins Ashtabula County Spelling Bee
James Elliott, a sixth grader at Grand Valley Middle School, clinched his win of the 29th annual Ashtabula County Area V Spelling Bee by successfully spelling the words “physique” and “daffodil.”
-
Conneaut Chamber lauds top citizen, ‘Champions’
Nicholas Iarocci, Conneaut’s 2011 Citizen of the Year, needed plenty of gulps of water to complete his acceptance speech Tuesday night.
-
Conneaut’s unpaved roads will get priority status in 2012
Secondary roads in Conneaut will get the lion’s share of attention from the Public Works’ Department this year, said City Manager Tim Eggleston.
-
Felony charge filed in robbery
An Ashtabula woman who police said grabbed a woman’s purse inside a Conneaut supermarket late Monday afternoon faces a felony charge in Conneaut Municipal Court, according to reports.
-
Ashtabula County building projects readied for bids
Up to four improvement projects for county-owned buildings are being lined up for bids in the next month.
-
City of Ashtabula looking for new auditor
Six candidates have applied for city auditor, which City Council President J.P. Ducro IV says he hopes to fill by the end of March.
-
Red Cross holding breakfast for ‘Community Heroes’
The Red Cross Community Heroes Breakfast will honor 12 county residents March 3 at the Bernard Vacca Community Center.
-
New film showcases county’s scenic rivers
Ohio’s Scenic Rivers program, which protects stretches of 14 waterways — including three in Ashtabula County — is the focus of a new movie by a Dayton-based independent filmmaker.
-
Students can donate clothing to Goodwill
Many Ashtabula Area City Schools students will find themselves cleaning out their closets this week.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Sports, academics to come together
