COLUMBIANA, Ohio – Communities in Columbiana County have witnessed a resurgence in new investment and activity over the past several years, evidenced by increased interest in downtown storefronts and, in some cases, a growing population.
This is especially pronounced in the northern tier of the county, where the city of Columbiana has enjoyed a steady stream of new development, officials say.
“Since 2018, we’ve had $160 million worth of private investment come in to a little, seven square-mile city,” says Columbiana City Manager Lance Willard. “That’s just huge. It’s been a little bit of everywhere.”
Willard says the state Route 14, 7, and 46 corridors are today prominently vibrant, anchored by large developments such as the TownCenter at Firestone Farms, a mixed retail, professional and entertainment destination plaza. “It’s just been mind-blowing,” he says.
In 2018, the city introduced its first Community Reinvestment Area, or CRA, program, Willard says. This allows communities such as Columbiana to offer real estate tax abatements of up to 100% for 15 years on new construction valuation.
Among the more recent applicants is a project spearheaded by Milo Land LLC, which plans a $4.7 million commercial development near Town Center Avenue that entails two phases. The first phase consists of the construction of a 6,500-square-foot plaza, while the second phase involves developing a 9,000 square-foot commercial building. “We’ve issued a 75% tax abatement over 10 years for that project,” Willard says.
Other projects within city limits are now underway, the city manager adds, and references a plan by Master Plan Builders for a large mixed use commercial and residential development along state Route 164. “It’s 54 acres altogether, of which 26 acres are commercial,” he says. “I believe that’ll be done in phases and I think it’s going to be impressive,” he says.
Columbiana over the last four years has also attracted not just new commercial development, but new residents, Willard says. “We’re one of the only communities in the tri-county area that grew in population since the last census,” he says.
Indeed, the city’s population between 2020 and 2024 grew 2.8%, according to the U.S. Census. Fairfield Township, in which Columbiana is situated, grew in population by 1.5%. All other incorporated areas throughout the county lost population, data show. Approximately 6,900 people live in Columbiana.
Strength of Downtowns
Willard says that the strength of its central business district is equally as vital to the city’s growth. “Having a quaint, vibrant downtown really helps both commercial and industrial development,” he says. “All of the big economic development specialists say that downtown is a huge part of the city.”
Columbiana boasts 66 storefronts, most of which are occupied, Willard says. “We had nine open storefronts in 2019,” he recalls. “It’s 2025, and we’ve got a Main Street that’s full.”
Investment in other downtowns across Columbiana County is also having an impact. Salem’s central business district for example, is undergoing a comprehensive revitalization.
“We have two additional storefronts opening along Broadway Avenue that we hope to announce within a month or two,” says Julie Needs, executive director of the Sustainable Opportunity Development, or SOD, Center, an economic development organization based in Salem. “Downtown development has just taken a life of its own over the last five years.”
Needs says Salem’s downtown is filled with a mix of retail shops and restaurants that have drawn interest from outside the region. “It’s really driving a lot of tourism into the community,” she says. “We’re seeing people coming in from Pittsburgh, Toledo, Cincinnati and Columbus to visit some of our downtown retailers and restaurants.”
And areas just outside of the central business district present new opportunities for investment, especially from national retailers, Needs says. “We’ve been working with firms since earlier this year to identify potential national retailers for our east end,” she says. “We have four or five who are doing their due diligence in Salem, where maybe a year ago they wouldn’t have considered it. They’ve seen what’s moved into the market.”
Overcoming Development Constraints
Among the challenges to new industrial development is the scarcity of suitable land, Needs says. The SOD Center is working with its partners to help acquire and prepare new industrial sites in the Salem area. “That’s been the challenge for the last couple of years,” she says. “We’ve just run out of sites for industrial development.”
Among the most promising opportunities is an expansion at the Salem Industrial Park, says Britanny Smith, who was recently named executive director of the Columbiana County Port Authority. The Port Authority, the city and Perry Township are working together to secure land nearby in order to add industrial capacity to the park, she says.
“They’re hoping to develop that and provide infrastructure in the near future,” she says. The Salem Industrial Park consists of two phases at present, and a third phase would open up additional opportunity for either new manufacturers or existing ones that plan to expand operations.
Smith says industrial growth is evident elsewhere in the county. In Leetonia, for example, the Port Authority earlier this year secured a lease with Buckeye Trailer to assume most of the space at a 100,000 square-foot industrial building it owns on Cherry Fork Avenue. “They’re continuing to expand at a very rapid rate,” she says. Mitsubishi Corp. – which at one time had taken up most of the building’s space – still maintains a presence at the site, while Tri State Tool & Hoist occupies a portion of the building.
Other projects underway include improvements for businesses along the Ohio River, Smith says. Among these is a new $826,968 investment by Quality Liquid Feed at the Wellsville Intermodal Facility. The company plans to build a new molasses storage facility at the site.
The company manufactures liquid feed supplements for animals and was awarded a grant of $303,404 through the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Maritime Assistance Program last year.
That program, Smith says, stands to help other operations at the intermodal park, too. The organization is in the process of preparing grant applications for two tenants, Pier 48 and Parsons’ terminal, for new projects. “Those grants will be due in the first couple weeks of October,” she says.
The entire grant program is funded at $10 million, Smith says, and the Port Authority’s staff is working out the funding requests for both projects. She is also encouraged by other potential development opportunities but could not provide additional details.
“There are a lot of balls in the air,” Smith notes. “There are a lot of exciting projects being talked about right now.”
Pictured at top: Among the major anchors in Columbiana is the Town Center at Firestone Farms, which has become a destination spot for entertainment in the county.