THE CITY OF CHARDON

The City of Chardon Gives its Residents a Reason to Stay

It’s been a busy 2022 for the city of Chardon, where its elected employees are working hard to make sure its residents don’t have to leave its limits to find just about anything they need. (And who wants to drive in Northeast Ohio in winter more than absolutely necessary?) This year, Community Development Administrator Steve Yaney joined forces with city council members, Kyle Martin and Heather Means, who make up the Economic Development Committee, to work closely to address the community concerns of the city’s 5,200 residents and local businesses that serve them.

Heather Means is on a mission to support local small business owners. Having been in their position for five years as owner of Circa, an antique shop which was located on the Square until it closed its doors in December 2019, she knows the challenges they face. Means ran for city council in 2019 with their concerns in mind.

During the pandemic lockdowns, the city would try to accommodate almost any request a business might have as residents adapted to new accessibility rules. That meant helping restaurants create more seating outside, or offering 10-minute parking signs so people could pick up their takeout. After Covid restrictions were lifted, Means asked the council to allocate a budget to finally set up a Chardon business directory, which previously never existed. “We’re going to put some advertising behind this idea of supporting your local community and really getting the message out about why this is so important. It’s one small step in a bigger plan to help support our local businesses.”

In addition to being the Chair of the Safety Commission, Means also focuses her energy on the Think Local campaign, and getting the word out about the wealth of successful niche businesses already in town. It’s an eclectic mix. For instance, Adirondack Beaver Blankets on 5th

“Small business owners in particular are the hardest working people. Think Local reminds us to find it here first and keep your money in our community.”

avenue specializes in products made of wearable beaver fur pelts. The pink mirrored building on Seventh Ave - formerly known as Eltech - was purchased last year by a tech company called ISSQUARED, who moved from California and have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars on renovations. Means estimates that over the course of the next couple years, that company alone will be bringing in around 200 high paying jobs. “Chardon Auto Spa has spent over a half a million dollars on their redesign,” she said. “You have these folks coming into town investing significant money in our community to make something better, and when they’re spending that much, that means they’re going to stick around. It’s so good for the community.”

Yaney concurs: “A good example of that is Chardon Tavern. They completely renovated the front of the restaurant and paved the parking lot, and they’re planning on adding another 200-300 square feet to the kitchen. Buckeye Chocolates went through a similar renovation. They have plans for more parking and upgrading their drive-through. There’s other projects like that that just haven’t started yet, but they’re in process." Means adds “We want to attract other folks to come into town. For that to happen, we have to show that we have a robust commercial economy and that we’re supportive of our businesses."

RETAIL STRATEGIES

Enter Retail Strategies, a consulting firm that plays matchmaker between businesses and neighborhoods with the goal of increasing access to a wider world of commercial offerings; they’ll market Chardon to national chains that might be considering opening a franchise in the area.

Retail Strategies works by analyzing GPS and other data to produce a detailed report about who’s shopping where, and when. Means shares some stats: “They can tell us how our Home Depot ranks with all the others in Ohio, that there were 500,000 visits to our Walmart by 250,000 unique people, that the farthest visitor came from two hours away, and that the busiest intersection in Chardon is Wilson Mills and Water St. They can tell you 8,000 cars go through there a day. That’s the kind of data that they can provide to Some people aren’t thrilled at the prospect of change; The recent addition of Starbucks on Center St. wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but Means is adamant. “That was a private business transaction between people; it has nothing to do with the city. For a business economy like ours to be successful, we need a mix of everything - small, medium, and the larger chain stores like Home Depot and Walmart. Chardon isn't going to be Mentor or Chagrin Falls. We’re our own thing and we can have balance.”

Martin remembers a lot of opposition to bringing in a Walmart, but believes the big box stores can coexist fine with the mom and pops. “It’s nice to have options in different parts of town, so when people shop in one area, there’s something close to them,” he said. Yaney, who has worked for the city for 12 years, remembers it took at least 8 years of conversations and planning for the Bob Evans to open, and now it’s a top location for the Ohio-based chain. Zoning decisions are never made lightly.

THINK LOCAL, SHOP LOCAL

Steve Yaney is the guy to talk to when you need a permit to build something, or a code enforced. I asked Yaney how long the process to set up a new business or renovation within the city typically takes. He said it depends. “If it’s just someone wanting to do something to their house, it can take a couple days to process. A new business opening can take a week or two for fire and building inspections. A new building might take several months to go through the steps with the planning commission before breaking ground.”

Subdivisions can take longer depending on availability and sales. Construction on Hidden Glen on Wilson Mills, for instance, started back in the mid-nineties, and there are still 2 phases to go. A bigger development like Redwood, which is a proposed neighborhood of 91 rental townhomes on Center St, could take two to three years, start to finish. Redwood is not your standard apartment complex. Each single story home comes with a two car attached garage, a front porch, a deck on the back, all the amenities. Yaney reports that there are currently 12 buildings in various stages Despite a rocky financial climate nationwide, Yaney said that Chardon had one of its best years in the housing sector. “This year, Thistle Creek, near the Square, plotted another 32 lots - about a third of those have already been built or are currently under construction. When they started this project a couple years ago, I think the target home price was meant to be around 300K; the first couple that sold were closer to 500K.”

BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME

Kyle Martin started his role on the city council in February, appointed to fill the vacancy left by Mayor Chris Grau when he was elected. Martin has lived in Chardon for 35 years, having grown up in town and moved back to the city limits four years ago. As chairman of the economic development committee, he brings a local’s perspective to the job. “One of the things I want to do is make it attractive for some of the older folks to stay, but also bring in some of the younger population to root their families, send their kids to school, and work here.” Yaney cites local parks, businesses and residential neighborhoods as reasons to move to Chardon, and points to the area’s healthcare options as another selling point. The Cleveland Clinic just opened a 6,000 square foot facility on Center St; NDS Orthodontics built a new facility on Water St. The old Lake Health Urgent Care Center on Fifth Ave, now run by University Hospital, was also renovated within the last year. Means is fired up about the eclectic programming provided by Thrive - a visual and performing arts group now housed at the theater and community arts center - and Martin loves the bike paths and that the city is getting more and more walkable.

Yaney promises more good local development news will be revealed in 2023. I asked everyone what they’d personally like to see open up in Chardon. For Means, it would be a rock climbing gym. For Martin, an updated high school and more restaurant options that hold later hours. And for all, a hotel, since there isn’t a goodsized one yet in Geauga county. The refrain from all as it relates to Think Local, is that the city wants to continue to hear from its residents so it can better support their needs. Martin sums it up this way: “We do want their voices heard - that’s what we’re here for.”