Mayor Bell announces potential plans for Southwyck Mall property

Okay..I'm a tradeshow and expo person: the thoughts that we need ANOTHER and even larger con center is dead wrong. First hand experience here....it's dead wrong.

Our centers are more then large enough. The problem is their pricing. I know several who want to host and see their tradeshows grow and bloom with our local convention centers....only to be blocked out by money.

Also the BIG mega tradeshows....care about what city it is in. Big tradeshows host it in places like LA, Vegas, and more because its a duel attraction: business and pleasure. Toledo...Toledo has jackshit in ways of adult tourism options.

Flat out, this is stupid in my first hand professional opinion that is based on experience in the industry.

Yeah, but I've still got a gift certificate from Just Pants for $7.00 and another for the Red Baron with a balance of $4.50 on it-if the city takes control of the property I expect full remittance!

I demand the return of Red Baron!

I agree 110% with OK's comments above. Toledo will never be Vegas or Chicago or hell, even Columbus. Why does every administration have these huge dreams of making this crap hole of a city into some tourist destination? I hope the grand plan for the Southwyck area includes new hotels, because we can't expect business people and convention-goers to be staying in the Genesis Dreamplex or the other hotel across the street that has all of the broken windows. Dream on!

Southwyck had a store called Just Pants?!?

So, if OK is right, we don't need a bigger venue, what we need here is a smaller-lower priced facility to accomodate these smaller shows.
OK- do you have an idea of how many people and/or square footage is required for some of these people. I might have an idea where to hold some. Also, what time of year would they be interested in?

Hockeyfan - the Seagate center is ideal for one of the tradeshows but they are very stubborn with their pricing. A shame really. The smaller venues around town wont hold any of these midsize conventions - which average around 2,000 people and would grow if just given larger space.

"Toledo will never be Vegas or Chicago or hell, even Columbus"

The really sad thing is......Toledo could be - and SHOULD be a major metropolis. With our geographic location, proximity to major highways and other major cities, this city should be booming - even in these economic times.

What, do you suppose, has prevented us from "realizing the dream"?

OhioKimono, that's odd. The roller derby girls throw their matches at the seagate center, and there is no way they get 2,000 people out. In fact, i'm pretty sure the last match was more like 750 people. And there is no way they can / could afford huge rental fees.

You may want to approach them again, and see what sort of wiggle room there is.

Foodie, big problem is lack of jobs, and a long history of mismanagement of everything by the city.

I'm more interested in Northtown since its near me. I was under the impression that the city was going to foot he bill for demolition and then the owners would get all the money for its sale, at least thats the impression i got from TV news, the blah specified that the city would be paid back the 700k for demo. Its not so bad that way but still why would Toledo sink the money into it and have to wait on its sale to recoup its losses? With the market being down so low what are the chances of someone actually buying it even if it is cleaned up?

If anything decent is built at Southwyck or Northtown, what do you bet Shayla Bell ends up ruuning it! Uncle Mike just loves him some Shayla!

OhioKimono, from what I understand UT can provide the same size facilities as the Seagate Center. They should be able to accomodate over 2,000 as well.

What is your experience with them? Are they unwilling to budge on scheduling or prices too?

Don't forget about the exhibition center at Tam-O-Shanter in Sylvania too.

(I know it isn't in Toledo proper, but my point is that there is a fair amount of local capacity for exhibits/trade shows.)

http://www.playsylvania.com/programs/trade.php

H - E - double Hockey Sticks A-yeah! Just down from Wicks and Sticks on the North end of the mall. And in addition to pants, they sold...shirts. As a child this perplexed me greatly. I blame my general disillusionment with society on it.

The site is privately owned & from what I understand will not include any retail/office which at this time is saturated in the area. The site is well very located & private development should be encouraged. It potentially can revitalize that corridor. Would love to see this.

Im involved with a Con at UT....Ut poltics choke a lot of its potential as a con space. The Con Im involved with there is student run.

The SeaGate center is much larger then you think. Ive been involved there a few times - it holds far more then 2000. They have a variety of spaces. the near by hotels are additional space. You could easily put a 10,000 person con in there.

That was why I asked OhioKimono. When I was a student at UT every summer they had some religious group that used Savage Hall and they numbered about 10K. That was before the recent expansion but I didn't know it's affect on Con space.

I can see what you mean about UT politics. I'm shocked you get anywhere with the students too. My experience was the students were more political than the Univ. staff. But again I have been removed from UT for 10 years.

Foodie, unless the state capitol is going to be moved here, Toledo never will become Columbus. Toledo ever being like Chicago or Las Vegas is too ridiculous to further discuss.

It's unwise to spend more money on another real estate project here...especially at Southwyck.

It would be nice to see more citizens give these stupid ideas the thumbs down as they should, instead of applauding more waste.

Southwyck is just the Swayne Field of this era. Neighborhoods change, accept that fact and let it go. Reynolds Rd. & Glendale aren't what we remember them being in 1975-1990. Just as Detroit Ave. & Monroe St. aren't what they were in 1945-1960.

Maybe Bell & Carothers can find a buyer and revitalize Swayne Field into a major shopping/convention center???

IMO.... naturalize the space - make it green, toss in a wind generator or two. We dont need more shopping places.

That doesn't provide jobs, which is something Toledo needs far more than wind energy. I'm for green spaces in general but when you take a piece of property zoned for business/industrial and turn it into green space you drive up the cost of land for business purposes thus hindering small business due to the ever increasing cost of entering the game.

Knock down the rows of disheveled/abandoned houses on the East and South end and make them into green spaces. Or buy up land already bordered by parks/nature preserves and make them bigger.

Making retail outlets does not generate jobs....because for them to be successful they need to suck money from the nearby area to thrive. Most retail work is low end pay...and trust me, speaking from someone who just did the job hunt thing...we have ample of these kinds of jobs around. We don't need more "retail" space to generate "jobs". We need more diverse commerce or industry...not retail.

What is the downside that private $ wants to re-develop this site? I do not understand some of these comments; we should be applauding any development in the area. Foodie: spot on our logistics; Upso: agree, get local gov't off the backs of small businesses; 6th Flr-Southwyck is not a Swayne Field. As far as Southwyck-I invested a lot of time there. The Carousel-the horse Roberta was named after me. I could write a book on that place.

Northwest Ohio is also an agricultural region. Converting the former Southwyck mall area into green space is a start. Back in 2009, Carty said a horse farm was interested in that property. We learned this week that horses may be slaughtered for food. Do the math. Ranching comes to Toledo. We could be known around the country for our prized horse steaks. We have two rib festivals in the same month. Drop one and replace it with a horse meat festival to promote the new cuts.

That would be the Swanton exit-try that idea & see your response