Battery Park plan backed

SANDUSKY — In one night, two major actions occurred in advancing a proposed $190 million project to activate a vastly underused public waterfront space. During Monday's public meeting, Sandusky city commissioners took action on matters in developing Battery Park at Meigs and East Water streets. They: • Supported a plan to rezone the property into what's known as a planned unit development; It's a term coined for a mixed-use site. This project would involve a combination of residential and commercial aspects as well as public park space. "The planned unit development zoning district enables the development to be planned as one cohesive project with the best benefit to the public and to the unique site location," city chief planner Arin Blair said. It "helps to ensure the city gets a high-quality development outcome with this project that the community can be proud of." • Authorized an agreement for Marous Development Group to oversee this transformation The agreement "outlines the city's and the developer's current respective and collaborative development and financial objectives, initiatives and commitments as related to the project," said Colleen Gilson, the city's interim director of community development. Because the project depends on outside funding sources, such as state grants, to fulfill lofty ambitions, "Having a development agreement in place is critical" when applying for money, Gilson said. A final development plan must be presented to planning commission within 18 months from now, which would extend out to October 2024. Sandusky's planning commission, meanwhile, previously endorsed these changes agreed upon by city commissioners. That initial vote occurred in November. So what's next? "There are still quite a few steps that need to be taken before this project can move forward and break ground," Gilson said. For example, "The Ohio Department of Natural Resources needs to approve a lease for the submerged land — areas of the property that were built on landfill (any structures or fills of land that extend beyond the natural shoreline of Lake Erie), which is technically owned by the state of Ohio — and there are specifics of the financing that need to be worked out," Gilson said. "Additional items will be presented to city commission for approval in the coming months." It's not known when Battery Park, in its new look, could debut. On a related note, Sandusky city commissioners on Monday also promised to commit $1 million in public funds toward upgrading the nearby Sandusky Bay Pavilion. It's not known how this will be paid for — be it local, state or federal funds — or when work could occur. "The city is planning to fund enhancements to the Sandusky Bay Pavilion as a community asset that hosts several very signature events such as the Wightman-Wieber Safety Fair and Kids Fun Festival and the Maritime Museum's Big Splash Raffle," Gilson said. "The investment is being planned as the city's continued efforts to invest in our parks, which many of our citizens and visitors use to enjoy our beautiful waterfront," Gilson added. "As Battery Park receives a makeover and significant private investments, the city will invest in our property and complement this project." Officials remain motivated to turn what's largely a parking lot into a paradise for all community members, city ex officio mayor Dick Brady said. "This won't be a self-contained city," Brady said. "We are pursuing this project so that everyone can visit this site whether you are a resident or tenant or you're going there for shopping or for food or if you want to live there. Those who live in Sandusky along with our visitors will find their way down there, and everyone will benefit from that." The blueprint for Battery Park Battery Park's plan largely consists of increasing the amount of pedestrian public space while enhancing waterfront access. More specifically, conceptual drawings along this 33-acre waterfront space show crews: • Constructing nearly 250 living spaces, broken down into condos and apartments • Creating a five-story hotel with about 130 rooms • Building a parking garage, housing upward of 1,000 vehicles • Expanding the existing green space areas from 6 acres to 9 acres • Enhancing the existing or constructing a new marina, by far Battery Park's most popular use today • Improving boardwalks, break walls, piers and other public spaces to make these areas safer and for future programming there "The plan is, by doing all of this, we will make the waterfront and the city come alive," said Chip Marous, Marous' managing member. Marous boasts a successful track record in the city, overseeing projects which include ongoing construction work at the Feick Building; reinvigorating three buildings into Vita Sandusky and Sandusky City Hall; and establishing a brick-and-mortar postsecondary institution for Bowling Green State University's and Cedar Fair's resort and attraction management program. These three areas all feature a residential component as proposed for Battery Park. Through a deal enacted in 2020, Marous possesses the land's leasing rights, but Sandusky still owns this site. The contract allows Marous to develop this site. "What we are focused on is ensuring this beautiful city — that has an unbelievable inventory of historic buildings, a great downtown and a great waterfront — realizes and maximizes on its potential," Marous said. If all plans get fulfilled, then "Battery Park is expected to be a catalytic project for the city," Blair said. "The proposed project will create high-quality public space, increase waterfront access, increase city residents with new housing options, increase city visitors with new hotel rooms and event spaces, create new opportunities for local businesses expansion, create jobs and benefit the city and regional economy," Blair said. Beyond the estimated $190 million price tag, down from an initial estimate of $200 million, "The project's projected job creation for construction is 675 full-time, or equivalent, employees with 1.4 million in labor hours and an expected $63.2 million in labor dollars." "Fully activated, the development is projected to create 304 full-time-equivalent jobs with $16.3 million in annual wages," Blair said. Figuring out the funding So how will the $190 million bill get paid? Officials intend to largely upgrade Battery Park by spending money through future revenue streams created by improvements in property values made possible through Battery Park's new development. It's a process known as tax increment financing. Essentially, this project will pay for itself. Officials also want to leverage state and federal grant money, especially funds made available for public enhancements, to bolster piers, sidewalks and other walkway areas. They'll limit any contributions coming from Sandusky's everyday operating budget, equaling about $29 million, which funds many vital services like police, fire, streets, recreation and more. Officials also view Battery Park as an investment. This site can not only make Battery Park successful but push Sandusky forward in its ongoing renaissance, they said. Beyond people eventually living, shopping and eating at Battery Park, it'll produce taxes, create jobs and generate additional income from this very site. Amid this scenario, people residing in or stopping by Battery Park will also want to visit other places in and around Sandusky, benefiting those spots as well, Marous said. More than "10 million people visit this area each year, and close to 70% of them do not even know there is a downtown Sandusky," said Marous, noting a majority of tourists come solely for Cedar Point. "This project will help them know more about this beautiful city."