A difficult economy has not kept Strongsville from thriving, due to things like innovative economic development effort and, more recently, private capital investment in the city's businesses, Mayor Tom Perciak said.
Perciak, delivering his annual State of the City address March 18 before a full house at the Ehrnfelt Event Center, said Strongsville currently has the fourth-highest commercial/industrial property values -- at $392 million -- in Cuyahoga County, behind only Cleveland, Westlake and Beachwood.
"In a time when values were going down, ours continued to escalate," the mayor said.
Some other highlights from the mayor's speech:
- A majority of the city's operating budget still goes to safety. In 2025, just under 54 percent of the general fund budget will go to the police and fire departments.
- Zoning around SouthPark Mall has been revised to encourage "more modern" non-retail use like hotels, medical facilities and interactive experiences like amusement sites and accessory use fields. That will include a $30 milllion investment by Dick's House of Sport, currently being built in the former Sears site, that will feature outdoor fields, a rock climbing wall, batting cages and golf simulators.
- Construction has started on an extention of Foltz Parkway that will open up 85.7 acres of city-owned land for industrial development. "No matter what you're hearing, it's going to end a a cul de sac," Perciak told the crowd. "It's not going out to Boston Road."
- NOPEC has giving the city a grant to install new energy efficient lighting at the new Town Center Park this summer.
- In its first spring and summer of operation, the Town Center Park will host a number of events. Those will include family movie nights, band concerts on Saturday nights, Strongsville Community Band concerts on Friday nights, pickleball tournaments and the Rotary's StrongFest.
- The popular Farmers Market will return on Tuesdays starting in July, also at Town Center Park.
- More than $77 million has been invested in the center of town since 2010, starting with upgrades to the police station and city council chambers and including the redevelopment of Westwood Commons, the addition of Mitchell's Ice Cream, construction of Strongsville Middle School, painting of the water tower, construction of the Strongsville Emergency Food Bank, improvements to the Pearl/Royalton and Pearl/Westwood intersections and development of the new Town Center Park, roundabout, sidewalks and walking paths.
- Strongsville continues to welcome quality housing options, like the recently opened Camden Woods luxury townhouses at Royalton and Prospect. Parkview Homes is also building Park Ridge Crossing, 31 custom single-family homes on Prospect, and HIdden Creek Villas, 18 detached villas at the same site. Pride One is also building 90 townhouse units on Marks Road.