“My philosophy is that if we own the property, then we need to determine what type of development we want on the property,” said Douglas Lewis, Painesville’s city manager.
With each building that needs redevelopment or each lot that needs to be filled, Lewis and the city of Painesville first acquire the property. Then, they draw up a concept plan outlining what they want the site to look like. Finally, they take that plan and the architectural drawings to developers, both to gauge feasibility and to determine if they will work with the city to complete the project.
The approach has brought a good amount of success. Since 2022, over $500 million in public and private investments have been made in the city, which has a population of approximately 21,000 people. However, the development is almost entirely post-pandemic work, which wasn’t always the case for Lewis during his 17 years with the city.
“The first ten years I was with Painesville, I tore everything down,” Lewis said. “It’s nice to start building everything back up. The potential has always been here, but it’s getting the first person to see the potential in the city.”
The ultimate goal is to create a robust residential core in the downtown area, complemented by an entertainment and dining district that not only appeals to city residents and workers but also attracts visitors from surrounding areas.
“…(W)ith a number of people living in these new apartments in the center of everything, it will create the need for those additional restaurants, bars,” and other amenities, Lewis said.
There’s also a goal of wooing back former residents. These new investments, Lewis said, can hopefully bring in people “from places like Painesville Township, Concord or from other areas, that used to live here and have moved outside the city.”
