The city and Pete Jolliff, a former resident and now a Long Beach, Calif., developer, will enter into a predevelopment agreement to start a year-long feasibility study, Jolliff and city officials said yesterday. What was not mentioned in the announcement was the cost of the proposed project or what might be expected of the city to make the project happen. Ex-officio Mayor Mike Kresser said plans are too preliminary to put a cost figure on the project. Preliminary design concepts include a commercial-entertainment centerpiece along with a 600-slip marina, a condominium-boathouse complex and 250-room timeshare hotel, according to the announcement. The development would be located between Market Street and the Sandusky Bay, bordered by Jackson Street to the east and Shelby Street to the west. At a special City Commission meeting yesterday, commissioners took no action on the agreement, but are scheduled to consider it formally at their meeting Monday. “We think the demographics are excellent, the site’s excellent, the city government is excellent to work with,” Jolliff told commissioners. “Based on that, we think we can put together a plan and get it financed. I think it’s going to be a very exciting project.” Under the predevelopment plan, developers Jolliff Financial Corp. and Battaglia Inc. will spend about $350,000 to study cost and marketing data, then bring a plan back to commissioners within a year. The preliminary concept includes a 720,000-square-foot, climate-controlled commercial and entertainment complex that will allow for year-round operation, Jolliff said. Developers want to draw from a population of about 7 million people living within a 1 1/2 hour drive of Sandusky, he said. “That’s really needed in Ohio,” Jolliff said about a year-round facility. “You’ve got the perfect site for it.” As part of the plan, the Chesapeake building, long a mainstay on Sandusky’s shoreline, probably will be torn down, Jolliff said. The Chesapeake would not fit the theme of the new complex and fixing environmental contamination would cost more than the building is worth, he said. “The waterfront should be waterfront development, stores, shops, restaurants, people sit there and look out over the water,” Jolliff said. With more people coming downtown, the complex likely would spark more business growth, Jolliff said. “What this would do for the city is create a mass of people coming down here,” Jolliff said. “I see Columbus Avenue being revitalized and those beautiful commercial buildings being occupied,” he said. “I think it’s going to affect property values tremendously, increase them.” If the development goes forward, the city would negotiate with property owners to buy the land, said Community Development Director Dan Sabolsky. City officials have begun preliminary talks with property owners, but no deals have been finalized, he said. The announcement drew praise from residents and government officials at the commission meeting. “In a word, if you can put this all together, alleluia,” said George Mylander, former city commissioner and ex-officio mayor. Erie County Commissioner Nancy McKeen said commissioners support the possibility of downtown development. “It’s really nice to see somebody local do some development and I hope this project does come to fruition,” McKeen said. Bob Tomazic Jr., co-owner of The Winery Complex nightclub, said the residential component would draw other stores to Sandusky. “As a downtown property owner, I think it would be fantastic,” he said about possible development. “It would create a push for retail to come downtown.” Jolliff, a 1958 graduate of Sandusky High School, has done development with companies such as Boise Cascade Building Co. and Carlsberg Financial Corp. He said he first learned of redevelopment of the Chesapeake building after attending a fish-fry for Sandusky graduates held in September last year. A friend asked his advice about a project, then recommended he go meet with Sabolsky and Kresser, Jolliff said. “I feel comfortable with your support,” Jolliff told city commissioners. “If you support this project, we can get this done.”
