Update given on building plans

The Avon Lake Council Economic Development Committee provided updates on building projects on April 30.

On March 28 the city announced in a news release that it had purchased the former Smith and Smith Law Offices building at 110 Moore Road for $205,000 at a Lorain County Sheriff’s sale.

Avon Lake Mayor Greg Zilka said the purchase presented the city with an opportunity to control the property and protect it from other potential owners who do not share the city’s goal of

revitalizing this part of the city.

“We wanted to control the area. Our fear was that someone would buy it because it was a good deal and it would be undercapitalized and it would sit there and that we would create a situation potentially where it would reach a state of disrepair and vandalism and deterioration of the area,” Zilka said. “So we thought we could control the area by purchasing the property and we’d have some potential.”

Economic Development Committee Chair Zach Arnold concurred with Zilka.

“I think we saw the opportunity to purchase the building, and that area of town needs some help over there, so I think our intentions were if we can get it on the cheap, to purchase it,” Arnold said. “It was almost a defensive move to make sure that there are no other businesses that we don’t want in that area. But in my mind it’s for the potential redevelopment of that area.”

While the city doesn’t have any clear-cut plans for what the building could become, the purchase is part of a west end development strategy of acquiring vacant and dilapidated buildings for the purpose of improving the area and making it more attractive for potential redevelopment, Ward 4 Councilman David Kos said.

“When this came up it was a real opportunity to get the Smith and Smith property, acquire one of the others, now you have a couple of properties there,” Kos said. “That just makes that much more attractive to put something nice there and develop it the proper way, different from what we had.”

Economic Development Director Ted Esborn said the property is going through the final stages of review at the Lorain County Prosecutor’s Office before the title is officially transferred over to the city. Once this occurs city officials will be able to enter the property and assess its present condition.

Zilka believes the city is about 10 to 14 days away from taking ownership.