NEW CONCORD – New restaurants and retail businesses will have a potential home in New Concord after years of planning once a speculative building is constructed near the site of the Garland Hotel.
The village and property owner Gary Rubel has been discussing plans to further develop the site since before the hotel was constructed in 2015.
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“I think that it is going to happen. Shai Real Estate has been assisting the Garland Commons team with some basic insights on how to get some interest going on up there and some things that they can do to really start moving on selling or leasing some of their land and getting folks to either build or locate there,” New Concord Village Administrator Charlotte Colley said. “So this is a really good first step. Building that building, especially in view of the interstate, is only going to make people feel more reassured that it’s not under construction, that there’s actually stuff there.”
The New Concord Planning Commission met last week to discuss the application filed by Ryan Badger of ADR & Associates, Ltd. in Newark, who represents the civil engineering firm hired by the landowner, Gary Rubel.
The proposed site development is for the new construction of a 6,024-square-foot commercial building accessing Garland Road from Ohio 83.
The site includes asphalt paved parking and a drive-thru lane with a separate access lane for pass-through traffic, deliveries, and emergency vehicles. Public water and sewer services, and stormwater management will be handled on-site via a retention basin on the northeast side of the center.
“The proposed development could bring three to four businesses to New Concord,” Colley said. “I know that they’re really focusing on foodservice and maybe some retail, something like that, but they really want to get food service there for sure. So that will be nice for anybody that’s staying at the hotel because it’s in walking distance.”
Brandon Hess, representing The Garland Hotel, said the retail facility will look similar to the facade of The Garland Hotel in its aesthetics. He also said businesses such as Starbucks, Chipotle and Verizon may be targeted to open at the retail center.
“It’s going to be a really good project, and we’re excited to see things move forward at the Garland Commons development site. The village is really supportive of their efforts to attract new businesses to New Concord,” Colley said. “We want to be as helpful as possible and also, you know, make sure that whatever is coming in is fitting into the character of the community and is a good option for our residents and our existing businesses, but we’re very excited about what’s happening.”
Planning commission member Greg Wilson said the retail center, from the architectural drawings, looks similar to the one that recently opened in Cambridge on Ohio 209 where Starbucks and Chipotle are located.
The site includes asphalt paved parking and a drive-thru lane with a separate access lane for pass-through traffic, deliveries, and emergency vehicles. Public water and sewer services, and storm water management will be handled on-site via a retention basin on the northeast side of the center.
“It’s like a plug-and-play type of a situation,” Colley said.
The interior of the structure will remain unfinished so it can be tailored to the business leasing the space.
Muskingum University President Sue Hasseler, who was in attendance at the planning commission meeting, said this new retail center will be good for the university, school district and village.
“It’s in such a great position, and it’s possible the first thing that people will see off (Interstate) 70,” New Concord Mayor Jennifer Lyle said.
The New Concord Planning Commission consists of chairman Jim Dooley and members Lyle, Wilson, Robert Dickson and Colleen Heacock.
“This spec building was approved by planning commission. All of the engineering has been done for it, the site plan, all those things,” Colley said. “So basically what happens next is they finalize the designs and they build the building.”
The Daily Jeffersonian contributed to this story.
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