The Richland County commissioners on Tuesday morning approved the annexation of .938 acres of land within Washington Township to the City of Mansfield. The acreage is located on Possum Run Road and is predicted to pool a plethora of people in the upcoming weeks, given that it will serve as the site for the new Chipotle restaurant.
Attorney Reese Mills, the agent for the annexation petition, explained that the petition has been filed and the township and city have been notified, along with all of the nearby property owners. “I think everybody has consented, so this really expedites the expedited annexation,” said Mills.
He further noted that this annexation petition is a Type II—meaning that the boundaries will not be re-adjusted.
Joe Smiley, President of Land Strategies, said, ““With any luck if the weather holds up, we’re putting the asphalt down today…I’m guessing that it’s probably two weeks out from opening.”
He added, “It was a long process. We’ve been working on this for over two years, but everyone’s been fantastic—the county, the township.”
Commissioner Tim Wert stated, “I’ve heard reports from the township trustees that it was a positive project…you’ve worked through a lot of, if you will, issues and actually helped clean up and make the whole area much nicer than it was as far as storm water flow, mowing, everything.”
The new Chipotle restaurant is reported to open on December 10 at 2470 Possum Run Road.
According to Amber Gallihar, Public Relations Representative for Chipotle, the location was chosen in part because of its accessibility. “We are always looking for high traffic areas with good access. Chipotle’s existing restaurant in Mansfield/Ontario performs very well and we’ve recently started identifying highway exit opportunities in proven markets. This exit is a midway point between Cleveland and Columbus as well as an access point for Snow Trails and state parks. The combination of a strong existing unit and strong highway points made this a great opportunity to further develop the Central Ohio market and continue testing the Chipotle brand in non-traditional environments like highway exits.”
Gallihar added that the existing building was demolished to make room for construction of a brand new freestanding Chipotle Mexican Grille. Depending on sales, the new location will include 20-25 employees, according to Gallihar. Chipotle makes it a policy to promote from within, and the managerial staff at the new location will likely be comprised of internally promoted crew members.
“I’ve heard reports from the township trustees that it was a positive project…you’ve worked through a lot of, if you will, issues and actually helped clean up and make the whole area much nicer than it was as far as storm water flow, mowing, everything,” stated Commissioner Tim Wert.
