TOLEDO, Ohio — If you turned the clock back about 100 years, the Vistula neighborhood of north Toledo was once affluent and comfortable.
But as the decades passed, the area has fallen from grace, and long-time residents David Allen and Tandaleya Bailey have seen it at its worst.
"Not wanting to go outside at any time," said Allen. "Shootings, violence, crime, it's frequent."
"Lots of abandoned buildings," said Bailey.
But the pair said for the first time since they've moved in, there's a little hope in Vistula.
"It's getting better," said Bailey.
"It's bad, it's been bad, but it's getting better. I can see a lot of improvements around here," said Allen.
In the past, additions like the cocktail bar Toledo Spirits or the social club TolHouse have opened up the neighborhood to new businesses.
Now Vistula is about to see its biggest project yet, Ostrich Towne, the vision of developer Toledo Metropolitan Development.
Its realtor Ron Keleghan said it only exists because people are starting to open their eyes to what Vistula can offer.
"I said how can this be this close to downtown and nothing's happening here? Well, people just forgot about it," Keleghan said. "But thanks to the opportunity zone tax credit and money from the federal government, we can make this happen."
Now developers are in the process of executing their master plan. They've already spent some $17 million to buy out an entire block of the neighborhood and construction crews are currently hard at work.
Keleghan said there's a plan in place for almost every spot.
"So far we have a candle company, Nemsys employs about 30 people for their IT company, we have an Irish pub that's under LOI," Keleghan said. "We have the Golden Hind wine bar, and we have two offices that have committed to moving here, and we have a sports bar."
Keleghan said it has the potential to turn the tides for the Vistula neighborhood. But do people like Allen and Bailey feel like it's made an impact yet?
"It's better looking," Allen said.
"Does it feel safer yet?" Asked WTOL 11.
"No," Allen and Bailey both said.
But Keleghan said you just need to wait a few years to really see the transformation.
"This is going to be a wonderful place to live and work," Keleghan said.
The completion of the construction part of the Ostrich Towne project is said to be completed by the end of this year, but it will likely take a few more years before every business is open and operational.
This isn't the only major project coming to Vistula. Metroparks Toledo is also investing hundreds of millions into building a new park only a few blocks down the street.