SHELBY — Downtown Shelby will look much different starting in the fall of 2021.
Shelby’s Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) reported to Shelby City Council on Monday that the city’s downtown revitalization plan hopes to break ground on its first project later this year.
The proposed Main Street Streetscape project will include pedestrian enhancements to provide safe and comfortable access to retailers and downtown open space amenities, including the Black Fork Commons and Skiles Field. It will also improve downtown’s aesthetics with added landscaping, improved flowerpots and new furniture.
The Streetscape Project is the first of three phases introduced by the CIC as part of the $3.5 million Shelby Main Street Corridor Plan. The plan was first introduced to the public in July 2019.
It’s also just one of many efforts by the CIC to achieve its goal of improving Shelby’s economic environment. According to CIC president Jake Penwell, economic development is the backbone of the revitalization plan.
“We are invested in helping and making Shelby better with downtown revitalization because we believe it is a fit towards economic development growth,” Penwell said. “You need to make your downtown better to attract a younger, vibrant urban core to the town.”
The three-part project includes the Main Street Streetscape project estimated to cost $1.4 million, the Black Fork Commons Plaza project estimated at $1.2 million, and a Black Fork Trail and Stream Restoration project estimated at $900,000.
The Black Fork Commons Plaza plan includes a splash fountain for kids and families, a three-season use community fireplace, café style tables and chairs, and an indoor/outdoor pavilion. These amenities are meant to attract individuals, families, and groups for both recreation and relaxation.
According to Penwell, the Streetscape project is completely funded by regional planning dollars and the city of Shelby. Thanks to private funds from 12 donors totaling $1.64 million and an additional $350,000 in grant dollars from the state’s capital budget, the Streetscape project and the Plaza project will run almost concurrently.
“We’re going to see a lot of major action in downtown Shelby starting this fall into next summer,” he said. “In an ideal world, Shelby Bicycle Days will be the first event to take place in our brand-new downtown in the summer of 2022.”
In December 2020, the Ohio legislature introduced the state’s capital budget, a $2.1 billion investment in Ohio’s schools, infrastructure, public services and local community projects. Included in the budget is $350,000 from the Department of Natural Resources to go towards the Shelby Black Fork Commons Plaza project.
The effort to apply for those grant dollars was largely driven by Jessica Gribben, the economic development liaison to Shelby and northern Richland County with the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce.
“At that time it was a hope and a prayer, we certainly didn’t count on it or even expect it,” Gribben said in a January interview with Richland Source. “I think the stars aligned in many ways.”
Gribben said the $350,000 from the state propels the city forward into projects that originally may have been five or 10 years away.
“It allows us to dream a little bigger and to even possibly broaden the project,” she said. “We’re confidently able to break ground knowing we have what we need to see the projects through.”
Penwell noted that the focus of the CIC since 2013 has been the economic vitality of downtown Shelby by creating a town that people want to live in. Gribben added that placemaking is a huge part of economic development.
“When we’re looking at attracting businesses, we have to have people in order to staff the businesses, and people are attracted to places that are thriving. You have to have something to sell,” she said.
“As we look to the future and look at the knowledge economy, we want those high-paying jobs, and we need to provide a community they want to live in.”
