TOLEDO, Ohio — It's a project to bring back Dorr Street and add some new energy and excitement.
Some of the main goals are to bring people in from across the country and share the culture and history of the area.
Robert Smith is the director of the African American Legacy Project. He said this is just the first step in bringing back what he calls a declining community.
"So it's really critical that we, as we do this district hand-in-hand with the plan commission, we ensure that we collect our history, our entire history," Robert Smith said.
Charlesena Smith has lived in Toledo for a long time. She said she has seen the ups and downs of Dorr Street and is optimistic about the potential to make the area something special once again.
"I would like to see this place go back to what it used to be: owning our own business, bringing the people that's coming through here can stop by and feel safe," Charlesena Smith said. "That's exactly what I think should happen."
The planning commission will be helping the African American Legacy Project develop an urban overlay district for the Dorr Street Corridor.
The purpose is to recreate development that resembles the original buildings along Dorr Street.
Lucas County Commissioner Anita Lopez said the commission looks forward to partnering with and working with the African American Legacy Project and Robert Smith.
"We are one," Lopez said. "So we would like to make sure the county and the city, we're all at the table with our leadership in the Dorr Street Corridor, and we look forward to seeing some bright things and some great things happening."
The steps toward those things will also fuel job growth and have economic benefits, Lopez said.
"When we have construction, we have businesses opening, that means jobs, jobs, jobs," Lopez said. "And that's one of my promises to help infuse employment opportunities and create opportunities for individuals to earn more money and make money while doing construction."
This project will be a win-win for the county, the city and the community as a whole.
"We're not looking at solely focusing on our community," Robert Smith said. "We're inviting people to come and experience this culture."
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