TOLEDO, Ohio — Wednesday was an exciting day in west Toledo as the long anticipated Whole Foods opened on Secor Road. The line to get in circled the block, as customers rushed to get the upscale organic and natural grocery items.
With their grand opening comes some other questions for the neighborhood. Some in west Toledo are curious what this means for the traffic, empty buildings and area as a whole.
A busy part of town, just got busier. Whole Foods has officially opened, bringing hundreds more to the area.
"It's very exciting and here's the main reason why,” explained Tom Waniewski, Toledo City Council. “It shows that, Whole Foods, an international company has found Toledo, northwest Ohio to be a viable place for which to do business."
While they've seen a lot of customers, nearby businesses like the Nutrition Spot say even in the first day they've seen increased foot traffic from the upscale grocer. They opened in January and are ready to see what's next for their health and wellness facility serving energizing teas and meal replacement shakes.
"We're excited I mean, I think we put our first space in the best possible location,” said Summer Vanni, owner of The Nutrition Spot. “And being from west Toledo this is really awesome to see and be a part of and we are just, we're so committed to making an impact in the community. "
The Nutrition Spot has been such a hit that they are working on a second location in Downtown Toledo on Summit Street.
While Whole Foods has boosted other businesses and even helped to attract new ones, there's still some large vacant buildings city leaders are working to address.
Councilman Waniewski said they have seen on and off interest, but they are looking at rezoning the property to attract new prospective to the area.
"If it's something that then can fit with this retail area where people are able to see it's a hustling, bustling area and that's the connection then maybe that'll be the linchpin that gets those two buildings occupied,” said Waniewski.
Some neighbors say they like seeing the development, but they want the city to address the traffic nightmares in the area.
"I'm a teacher,” said Pam Jackson, a west Toledo neighbor. “I used to get on 4-75 and go across in the morning and now I don't even try that I just go straight up Secor to Dorr so it's nice to see the development, but the traffic is problematic."
Councilman Waniewski said the city has done traffic studies in the past, but with the additional construction and development he feels it needs to be re-evaluated so drivers can better navigate the area.