New Developments Underway in North Lima
NORTH LIMA, Ohio – Construction of a new Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores along state Route 7 is moving along at a rapid clip, while other abandoned properties in this section of southern Mahoning County show signs of potential reuse.
Contractors on Friday were busy working on the new Love’s project, an approximately $15 million travel plaza that Beaver Township officials have been anticipating for years. The new plaza should be finished during the first half of this year, officials have said.
“Both buildings are up, and the gas pumps are in,” said Lindy Mitchell, Beaver Township zoning inspector.
Meanwhile, preparation activity has picked up at the former Penn-Ohio Truck Stop directly across the street from the 15-acre Love’s site.
Mitchell says personnel have been at the site taking samples of decommissioned fuel tanks, a sign that a potential user could be interested in the property.
“We’ve met with people from Onvo, and they are in the process of looking at the property,” Mitchell said. “They’re still interested.”
Onvo, a family-owned company, operates 36 travel plazas and service stations, 24 quick-service and full-service restaurants and six hotels in upstate New York and central/eastern Pennsylvania, according to its website.
Restaurants associated with the company’s locations include iHop, Burger King, Subway and Tim Horton’s, the website shows.
Its hotels include a Residence Inn, Holiday Inn Express, two Fairfield Inn & Suites, a Comfort Inn and an Econo Lodge – all of them located in the Poconos and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa., region, the website shows.
Mitchell said Onvo has not submitted any building or preliminary development plans to the township.
The truck plaza closed more than 10 years ago and has been vacant ever since.
There is also the potential of redeveloping a long-standing eyesore along the corridor: the former Tiffany’s Dolls Cabaret building.
Last summer, the building and 2.6 acres were acquired for $750,000 by 10708 Market Street LLC.
At the time, 10708 Market Street’s principal, Benjamin Dickey, said the investors were working on several options for the building. These include a truck-wash operation or flex space for other uses.
The site was once the location of Tiffany’s, an adult nightclub that featured exotic dancers and was the subject of several raids by law enforcement. The Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, township police and state agents raided the club in November 2016. The club closed shortly after.
Pictured at top: Work continues on the new Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores along state Route 7 in North Lima.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
