Elyria administration focuses on Midway Mall and downtown

ELYRIA — Developing and cleaning up two areas of Elyria are the biggest priorities for city officials in 2021. At a town hall on Monday, Mayor Frank Whitfield gave an overview of development in the city to residents. He's focused mostly around downtown and Midway Mall, two of the biggest pillars in Elyria. Whitfield said downtown is a bit more complex because there are more than a dozen different owners. He said he is trying to influence the dynamics the city wants to see downtown. "You have businesses that have been there for a long time that some people may not be too fond of; it isn't family friendly," Whitfield said. "But this is America, so they have the ability to do that business there." In response to a community question about the vacant Friendly's building on Broad Street, Safety Service Director Kevin Brubaker said a notice and violation were issued to the owner. He said they've started the process to also get inside the building and look for violations. There may be a buyer for the Friendly's, but Brubaker said the city has a follow-up on Friday. It is currently owned by Ohio Frv LLC of Massachusetts. Whitfield said he's looked at Broad Street in general, as it acts as the gateway to the city. He said it's important for people to see vibrancy, instead of dilapidated buildings. He said he's taken a lot of heat for demolitions downtown, but within the first few months of his administration, bricks were falling off some of the buildings. When asked about safety downtown, and possibly having an officer patrol there, Whitfield said that's something he plans to have more conversations over. He said he feels soft policing is the role of an auxiliary officer, but Elyria doesn't pay its auxiliary, which makes it challenging. "There hasn't been much crime downtown; it's actually one of the safest places in the city," Whitfield said. "But it's that perception." Whitfield believes the steps his administration have taken will help improve Broad Street and downtown. That includes implementing several grant programs for demolitions, rehabilitations and energy project tax incentives. "There's a lot of momentum right now," he said. "By this time next year we'll have a much different downtown." The city also is working on developing a community development corporation, which would be run by people in the community. The CDC would look at special events downtown and business development. Midway Mall's development is a bit more clear, Whitfield said. There are three owners of the mall, and the city is working to potentially get the mall under one owner. A lot of that work has happened behind the scenes. City Council recently approved rezoning of the former Sears building to potentially make way for a logistics company. A zoning overlay to create room for both business general and light industrial is also making its way through City Council. Contact Laina Yost at (440) 329-7121 or lyost@chroniclet.com.