Cedar Point buys motel for $1M

SANDUSKY — Cedar Point continues finding room in its budget to collect property along Cleveland Road (U.S. 6).The latest acquisition: Erie County auditor records show the Sandusky-based amusement park purchased 2027 Cleveland Road, known as Budget Host Inn, for a bit more than $1 million.Tony Clark, a spokesman for the company, confirmed the transaction. But he wouldn't provide any insight into the park's possible plans for the property, located beside Castaway Bay, another business Cedar Point owns."I do not have any additional info to share at this time," Clark said.Since late 2017, Cedar Point has acquired numerous properties on or just off this corridor, located near Cedar Point Drive, the amusement park's main entryway. The investment for this bundle equals at least an additional $1.27 million in just real estate acquisition alone. The auditor's office, for unknown reasons, didn't disclose financial information for a small percentage of land obtained.Undeveloped properties in Cedar Point's possession on Cleveland Road also include:• A portion of Farwell Street on the south side of Cleveland Road• An alleyway between 1706 and 1800 Cleveland Road• Along Cleveland Road and East Cowdery Street• Between Cleveland Road and Knupke Street• Within the 2000 block of Second StreetThe acquisitions, most notably, contain the former, and vacated, Herman's Furniture building. In 2016, the business relocated its office into the Sandusky Mall. Crews have since torn down the building, now enclosed by a fence.Park representatives, meanwhile, have not submitted any documents to Sandusky's government indicating what it could or will build at any of these sites. The park previously submitted a plan for a human resources processing center near here, but that's still considered "tentative."Each aforementioned property, however, could somehow play a role in aiding a guest's overall experience visiting either the amusement park or two other nearby Cedar Point properties: neighboring youth-based athletic complexes about a mile east from Budget Host Inn on Cleveland Road. Those are:• Sports Force Parks at Cedar Point Sports Center, an outdoor youth sports facility, representing a $23.5 million investment fronted by multiple partners; Playing fields for baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse occupy space once belonging to Griffing Flying Service.• The forthcoming Cedar Point Sports Center Indoor Sports Facility, representing upward of a $50 million commitment backed by multiple partnersRichard Zimmerman, CEO of Cedar Fair, Cedar Point's parent company, in a general sense, spoke about Cedar Point investing along this corridor during a Register-hosted CEO roundtable discussion Wednesday at the Sandusky State Theatre."All the investments we have made, and the ones we continue to think about making, really tap into the fact that Cedar Point has tremendous destination appeal," Zimmerman said. "All of (the investments have happened) to enhance the destination appeal of our complex."Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.Erie County auditor records show Cedar Point buying the Budget Host Inn, 2027 Cleveland Road (U.S. 6) for a bit more than $1 million.