TOLEDO, Ohio — A large group of community stakeholders gathered on Saturday in the hope of defining a vision for the future of the Swayne Field shopping center near the Auburndale and Englewood neighborhoods in Toledo.
The shopping center has been at the northwest corner of Monroe St. and N. Detroit Ave. for over 50 years.
Every day, thousands of cars pass by the shopping center, but for the most part only a handful are ever parked in the expansive parking lot.
Rosalyn Clemens, Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development for the city of Toledo, says the shopping center was an asset to the community when it first opened.
In the ensuing decades however, the complex has seen a period of decline, struggling to attract and consistently maintain business tenants.
On Saturday, different departments were brought in to address problems in the area that have been identified by neighbors and other stakeholders.
These include issues of crime, streetlighting, parenting and education in the neighborhood as well as signage and code enforcement.
Presentations also explored potential concepts for the redevelopment of the shopping center as well as possible challenges during development.
Some of these concepts included workforce training, possible housing on the site, green space on the site, as well as more retail.
Discussions about the future of the property started back in November. The goal is to have final, feasible concepts for the center in March.
"Investment or redevelopment starts with a vision. It starts with a community conversation,” said Clemens. “This area and this shopping center is near and dear to a lot of people's hearts, and we want to see something done."
Clemens said the Department of Housing and Community Development and the city has been exploring funding sources to help with the redevelopment. She also says the current owners of the shopping center have been engaged in the process to transform the property and will be investing additional money to any future projects that come from the vision sessions.
In 2022, a large building in the adjacent lot to Swayne Field was torn down.
That building was the home of the Lucas County Job and Family Services until that department moved into the county’s office complex on Sylvania Ave. in west Toledo.
Prior to the opening of the shopping center, the Swayne Field baseball stadium was the home to the Toledo Mud Hens for over 40 years before the team briefly moved out of the state in 1952.
This was the third session to discuss the shopping center’s future going back to November. Each session has attracted over 60 people, demonstrating the interest in improving the area.
More vision sessions are planned at the St. Martin de Porres Community Center. The date of the next session has yet to be determined however.
The Greater Toledo Community Foundation, The Collaborative, Lucas County LandBank, and the Boys & Girls Club of Toledo are also taking part in discussions.
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