The Ohio State University at Mansfield held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of Buckeye Village on Lexington-Springmill Road. The new apartment complex has a residency capacity of 223, according to Dean of Ohio State University at Mansfield Dr. Stephan Gavazzi.
According to Gavazzi, students moved in to their new apartments on Saturday. Classes start on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
For the ceremony, many community leaders spoke and expressed their support for the new addition to Richland County. In attendance were mayors of Mansfield and Ontario, Tim Theaker and Randy Hutchinson respectively, Shelby mayor Marilyn John, State Representative Mark Romanchuk, and President of North Central State College Dr. Dorey Diab.
The ceremony was announced by Architect of University Housing Solutions Jim Schmidt. Also in attendance was CEo of University Housing Solutions Frank Murphy.
Buckeye Village was constructed by University Housing Solutions in under 12 months. The project officially started Sept. 6, 2013.
“It’s very exciting for Ontario and this community,” said Hutchinson. “We’re putting in walkways for the students to be able to get to the commercial stores,” he added.
As part of the design of the new apartment complex, which is located just north of Meijer in Ontario and south of the campus’s Lexington-Springmill entrance, walking and biking paths will be constructed in the spring to act as a vein for students to have easier access to Ontario’s commercial properties.
Buckeye Village was constructed within Ontario’s city limits, just outside of Mansfield’s city limit. According to Mayor Hutchinson, the property owner of the area plans on expanding Ontario’s commercial district by implementing sewer lines.
The sewer lines would extend from the Bell Store gas station down to the Lexington-Springmill campus entrance. According to Hutchinson, the area would be dubbed “campus district.”
“We’re working with him (the developer) to bring in a campus district,” said Hutchinson.
However, before this plan can move forward, the property owner of the envisioned “campus district” must bring the ideas as a proposal to Mansfield city council since the property is within Mansfield’s city limits.
After the ribbon cutting ceremony for Buckeye Village, the Campus Entrance Committee met. In discussion was the construction of a new campus entrance, which could start as early as the summer of 2015, according to Ohio State University at Mansfield’s Superintendent of Plant and Maintenance Brian White. The new road could be as long as a quarter mile, up to a half mile long.
The project is contracted to MKSK, a landscape architecture, urban designing and planning firm based in Columbus. The Committee’s present purpose is to work with MKSK to decide what the project will look like.
The campus entrance project is expected to cost $1.5 million, which, according to White, the committee has “some of that money in hand” currently. White said the committee will be looking for additional funds through partnerships, sponsors and other revenue sources.
“This is a major, major entrance road project that is going to affect everybody. So Ontario, the county commissioners, everybody’s going to have some input into this project,” said White.
The Committee is still in the planning stages, with hopes in moving the project along quickly.
“The intent is to move as fast and quickly as possible,” stated White.
