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Discussions continue on land use plans for Dorr Street

The city of Toledo applied for and received a $25,000 grant from General Motors for development on a central Toledo section of Dorr Street.

TOLEDO, Ohio — City leaders are discussing ways to use open land on Dorr Street, and they are inviting everyone in the community to discuss the vision.

The plan, funded by a $25,000 grant from General Motors, was discussed at a meeting Tuesday at the Mott Branch Library and concerns parcels of land along Dorr Street between Hoag Street and Smead Avenue.

Leaders say the plan will not only shape the next 10-20 years for central Toledo, but it will also be the first time a comprehensive plan for Dorr Street has been created since 2009.

City Planner Jonny Latsko said the plan could include shopping centers, resource centers and green spaces, among many other ideas.

"After urban renewal, it's been left as vacant land," Latsko said. "You pass it every day as you walk down Dorr Street. There are green rolling hills, there's a sidewalk, but it's not a lot to actually do. There aren't stores, there aren't businesses, there aren't services. What we are looking at is how we can restore those old businesses and services to really serve the neighbors."

City leaders said the land has had a long history of successful Black-owned businesses. But after urban renewal there, the land has gone unused. The new plan could be the first of many, and a way to engage the community in the development that is happening around them.

"The city isn't coming out to develop [the land] or anything right now, but we do believe that a vision like this leads to the long-term development of a project on these sites because, A, it attracts investment, B, it brings the community together to discuss the potential and, C, you have to understand what can even happen first."

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