Demolition work set to begin as $90M redevelopment project moves ahead in Marysville

A multi-million-dollar “transformational project” at a historic site in Marysville is moving ahead now that the final state incentive has been secured.

Demolition work is scheduled to begin next month at the old water and light plant located at 409 N. Main Street in the initial phase of work to create the city’s new $90 million Water and Light District and The Silos, an 18-acre mixed use development project, Connect Real Estate Executive Vice President of Development Bob Lamb told ABC 6/FOX 28.

“We'll maintain the historic character of the site, but we'll be bringing it up to a current-day standard for amenities,” Lamb said.

The old municipal plant, which was built in 1891 as the city’s first water facility, will be transformed into a $21 million campus that includes a 72-unit apartment building, office space, spa, fitness facility, and a pool, according to development plans and renderings provided by Connect Real Estate.

The project has received $11 million in funding through the Ohio Department of Development, including $2 million Historic Preservation Tax Credit awarded on June 25th. The developers also received $8 million through the Transformational Mixed-Use Development Program and $1 million Brownfield Remediation Program Cleanup Grant.

“We are taking what is currently vacant property that has been blighted and underused for the community for a generation, and we are repositioning it as an active commercial center for the community,” Lamb said.

The water facility portion of the project should be completed by 2027, Lamb said.

Additional plans redevelop the nearby grain silos to create about 200 hundred additional apartments, a restaurant, event space, bar and arcade, outdoor gathering areas, along with a multi-use trail connecting to the greater trail network in the city. The development also includes 11 townhomes.

“We are repositioning it as an active commercial center for the community,” Lamb said. “This is truly a transformational project, Marysville.”

Lamb said the housing units are being constructed utilizing Connect Housing Blocks, which are modular units fully manufactured in Columbus and then later attached in Marysville as a larger residential structure.

“We stack them and connect them to the utilities,” Lamb said. “That stacking creates the apartment complex. It allows us to develop these projects at a faster rate, but also with a more sustainable approach and less of an impact on surrounding neighborhoods.”

The entire project is expected to be completed as early as 2029.

Marysville City Manager Terry Emery said the redevelopment is a fantastic opportunity.

“It’s not often you get an opportunity to redevelop 17 acres in your uptown area,” Emery said. “It's something that's all coming together at the same time, and we're really excited about that.”

Emery said he’s seen positive changes in the existing uptown business sector since he first came to the city in 2011, and he expected the added residential units would help further support the current uptown area.

“You need that balance of people living in the uptown where they can do business, and they can go to the coffee shops, and they can go to the restaurants,” Emery said. “Having housing incorporated in this project is going to go a long way toward helping that.”

ABC 6/FOX 28 asked Emery about concerns that the city is growing too quickly.

He said the city has rejected multiple proposed projects that aren’t in its best interest.

“We're saying no to a lot of things,” Emery said. “We’re being very extremely selective right now, and we can afford to be that way.”

Emery said the city has grown roughly 1%-2.5% annually over the last 14 years, which he described as manageable.

“Our interest is always to keep Marysville’s small-town charm, and we'll continue to do that,” he said.