Mayor Don Walters is proud to announce that the American Planning Association Ohio Chapter has named the City of Cuyahoga Falls as a 2020 Great Places in Ohio Award winner. The award was given for the revitalization and redevelopment efforts that launched the thriving Downtown Cuyahoga Falls district.
Great Places in Ohio is a biennial award program that honors physical spaces throughout the State of Ohio. The American Planning Association awards communities who have outstanding planning initiatives that contributed to the creation or nurturing of unique and innovative spaces.
“It is an incredible honor to be awarded the Great Places in Ohio Award. This is a true testament to the vision and planning efforts of my Administration, especially Planning Director Fred Guerra, and our community development department that has completely transformed our downtown into a vibrant, bustling business district,” stated Mayor Don Walters. “This project has not only changed the aesthetics of our city for the better, but it has also put Cuyahoga Falls on the map, has restored economic viability, and allowed residents and visitors to return to the heart of our city.”
“We have been both pleased and energized by how the community has embraced and celebrated our downtown and that they have continued to patronize our local businesses and have supported our community,” said Planning Director Fred Guerra. “As the area has taken off, we are still getting phone calls with business owners who are ready to move their businesses to and invest in Cuyahoga Falls.”
In 2015, the City of Cuyahoga Falls initiated a downtown transformation strategy to restore traffic to Front Street by eliminating the pedestrian mall. Studies were conducted that produced valuable information on how the city could achieve a more multi-modal, pedestrian-friendly area. City leaders worked diligently to make well-calculated and well-researched investments. In conjunction, a housing and retail market study was completed to identify retail market capability for downtown. From master planning to the completion of public improvements, it took less than three years to complete the downtown transformation project. To date, Downtown Cuyahoga Falls has transformed into a viable business district with successful retail, restaurants, and office spaces, which would not have occurred but for the comprehensive planning initiatives that guided public sentiment as well as public and private reinvestment.
For more information about all that Downtown Cuyahoga Falls has to offer, please visit www.downtowncf.com