COLUMBIANA, Ohio – With a downtown full of businesses and a population that increased 3% between 2010 and 2020, the city of Columbiana continues to grow.
Guiding its ascent is City Manager Lance Willard, who says building up a community takes time and city leaders should not try to tackle everything at once. Willard has held the post for about 10 years.
As a testament to his track record, Town Center Associates consulting firm of Beaver, Pa., recently enlisted Willard to share his methods with city leaders in Pennsylvania. He even did a teleconference with 45 mayors from the eastern European country of Moldova.
“We’re trying to show village managers and mayors that you can make an impact just by starting small and just doing something,” Willard says.
Along with the growth has come accolades. In 2019, Reader’s Digest named Columbiana “The Nicest Place in America.” Then Columbiana was named a Hallmark Christmas Town.
A few years ago, Deb Brown of SaveYour Town “lived” in Columbiana for four days, attending church, eating in restaurants and interviewing shop owners. She then presented her findings, which emphasized the importance of improving the look of unused downtown businesses. There were nine open storefronts at that time, and all have since been occupied.
Willard says making changes does not require getting everyone on board at once. Buy-in from a few landlords who experience success leads to more people getting involved.
Community Improvements
Infrastructure improvements in recent years are paying off in the small city, which is luring both national and locally-owned businesses.
Among those recent efforts is a $500,000 project to build sidewalks connecting Fairfield School Road and Duquesne Avenue to the Columbiana school campus; a $3 million lift station replacement project; and a $1.7 million paving and infrastructure project on Fairfield School Road and Lisbon Street.
More than a decade ago, council began studying stormwater problem areas and the city has since been tackling them one by one.
Understanding what was needed for growth started even before that.
Replacing the wastewater treatment plant in the early 2000s expanded capacity. The city went from treating 700,000 gallons a day to being able to treat 2.34 million gallons a day.
A new $21 million water plant was added in 2018.
And the electric grid now has full redundancy from the north and the south to prevent outages.
In 2018, the city adopted a Community Reinvestment Area that offered tax abatements for housing. The result was population growth. By 2023, officials estimate the CRA brought in $170 million in investments with 247 residents moving to Columbiana.
Willard says they knew the CRA would be popular but may have underestimated the effect it would have on industrial and commercial growth.
“When we talk to site selectors, they want to know that their workers can have affordable housing… or land that they can develop,” Willard says. “And there’s been a couple times that I think that was the deciding factor, that they said, ‘Hey, this is an affordable place to live. … We think this would be a great community for our people to work and live.”
A 36-acre site near the current industrial park, which is located west of the intersection of state Routes 14 and 7, is gaining some traction as the site for a second industrial park, Willard says.
Housing developments including the single-family homes on Danbury Way and Radcliffe Pass, as well as townhome rentals, also are nearing completion just north of state Route 14.
Behind Sparkle and between state Routes 164 and 46, a 54-acre former golf course is slated for commercial development near the road and surrounding what will be higher end homes.
Willard says a developer recently approached Columbiana about building another 70 homes next year.
Commercially, near state Routes 14, 164 and 46, business options are growing with the addition of a Discount Drug Mart and Wendy’s earlier this year, a Dollar Tree and Tractor Supply currently under construction and the Inn at Old Saybrook, a Briarfield assisted living and memory care facility that opened this fall.
But for many, downtown is the place to be.
Downtown Vibrancy
The Olde Clutter’d Corner Antiques is in a space the town had originally earmarked for a pop-up shop – a storefront to allow business owners to try a location without a long-term commitment. But business went so well, the owner, Shane Miller, decided to stay. Carla’s Corner Café joined them in the back of the store.
With nearly all of the storefronts along Main Street filled, Willard says the city is turning its attention toward the backside of those buildings and the alleyways. After hearing that one of the needs of downtown businesses was a public restroom for shoppers, the city constructed restrooms in the alley east of South Main Street.
There soon will be another business in that area. The owners of McKim’s Honeyvine are renovating a storefront to relocate their winery from East Palestine. The space is within one of the town’s two Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas, in which shoppers can drink alcoholic beverages outside. The DORA is between PNC Bank and Birdfish Brewing on East Park Avenue.
Willard says the addition of McKim’s inside the DORA makes sense.
“[Owner Ashley McKim] was here with us for two hours and we just talked about what we want to do to our downtown to try to increase vibrancy,” Willard says. Ashley and her husband, Mike, own the winery.
Ashley McKim says she and her husband have enjoyed participating in Columbiana events prior to their decision to move their business there.
“It’s been a great experience working with other business owners, and organizations like the chamber of commerce and tourism bureau,” Ashley McKim says. “There is a lot of pride and commitment to grow as a community. We are excited to be opening a business location there. We love the people, the families and the school. We hope to be a valuable asset in the community and return the support they have given us over the years.”
Events through the Columbiana Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau help local business owners thrive.
Zhenya Motry, a young entrepreneur who opened his Columbiana Vintage antiques business in the plaza downtown, says events draw customers downtown. Even events at Firestone Farms and Shaker Woods, both on the northeast edge of town, as well as events at the Garwood Arena just to the south, bring business downtown.
“The Witch Walk was amazing,” Motry says of the annual event held in October. “There is something almost every single weekend that draws people into downtown.”
Making the downtown walkable and shopper friendly has become an emphasis. That includes adding lights and a sound system that can be changed to fit every holiday.
Young residents are part of Columbiana’s development too. Projects through the Creative Entrepreneurship class at Columbiana High School have given students a chance to have influence over how their city will look.
Motry was one of those students. He helped to create the Columbiana Corridor, a walkway that will lead to McKim’s when it opens in the spring. Funded by grants and local business donations, the Corridor includes a seating area, a sign and lighting. In the past couple years, two other entrepreneurship classes pulled together grants and donations to fix up the parking lot near the downtown plaza, removing concrete barricades, adding new light fixtures and hookups for food trucks. The project also included two murals designed by students.
Willard says last year’s entrepreneurship class decided an empty lot on South Main Street would be a great location for a double-storied gazebo, parking, hardscaping and a stage, along with another mural. This year’s class is implementing it. Students and the city pitched the idea to T-Mobile, which awarded $50,000 toward the project.
Tourism Growth
Renovations to the Harvey S. Firestone Park with efforts from the Restoration and Beautification Committee of Columbiana have meant upgrades and new facilities – and more visitors.
Bryce Miner, Columbiana’s deputy administrator, and president of the tourism board, estimates more than 7,000 cars passed through The Joy of Christmas Light Show last year in Firestone Park. This year’s event runs through Christmas Eve.
The school’s athletic boosters recently completed phase one of an effort to improve the football stadium in the park.
Compco’s recent purchase of the former Main Street Theater in downtown will ensure that the venue continues to present events and concerts. It’s now called the Columbiana Arts Theater (CAT).
Pictured at top: Columbiana City Manager Lance Willard stands near the Columbiana Corridor on South Main Street in the city.