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New coffee shop, upgraded plaza and hope for new development in the township
By Kalea Hall
BOARDMAN
Dan Schiavone Sr., exclusive leasing agent and real-estate broker for the former Kmart property, looks out at the now-empty lot and says all inquiries will be considered.
“We don’t have any preconceived notions as to what the end result will look like,” he said.
Kmart was housed at 1209 Boardman-Poland Road for nearly 48 years until it closed its doors in April 2016, leaving customers to say farewell to those blue-light specials.
“It’s the end of the era,” Schiavone said. “I would hate to see any big company like that suffer. It was a surprise to us because they had some time left on their lease.”
Demolition on the Kmart building was finished in mid-September.
“It was a building that had seen better days,” Schiavone said.
The property, owned by ASI Family Partnership LLC, is considered a prime piece of commercial land with its placement along U.S. Route 224.
The plan is to keep the property, which includes the Texas Roadhouse and the area where the now-demolished Chick- fil-A was located, retail and commercial.
Schiavone hopes to have three active businesses on the property along Route 224 next year.
“The family that owns this [property] started in business in 1946, and they are committed to the Boardman area,” Schiavone said.
While this project is just starting, the township has other projects in progress and nearing completion.
TIFFANY CROSSINGS
Redevelopment of the plaza at the corner of Route 224 and Tiffany South Boulevard is ongoing and should be finished by June.
CTW Development Corp. of Canfield built part of the new plaza and has relocated the Tax 29 business and Papa John’s pizza restaurant there from the old plaza.
With the old Tax 29 portion of the plaza demolished, the second phase for the rest of the new plaza construction can continue.
In total, the new plaza will have up to 12 retail spaces, with some leases still available.
The final step of the project is a stand-alone Dunkin’ Donuts.
The new plaza will be 19,700 square feet. The Dunkin’ Donuts will be 2,400 square feet and will have a drive-thru to accommodate 14 vehicles. The old plaza occupies 34,000 square feet.
“We want to dress up that corner and make it a really nice spot for the tenants and the community as well,” said Brad Whitman, vice president of CTW Development.
GETGO
Giant Eagle’s GetGo has broken ground on the land at the corner of Route 224, California Avenue and Southern Boulevard.
“As we actively work through the construction process, we look forward to delivering the GetGo Cafe + Market experience to the area in spring 2018,” Jannah Jablonowski, Giant Eagle spokeswoman, said in a statement sent to The Vindicator.
The Pittsburgh-based company applied with the Boardman Township Zoning Department to build the new GetGo at the busy intersection in 2014. The GetGo will feature a restaurant, convenience store and fueling station.
HIGH OCTANE COFFEE CO.
In just a couple of years, the locally owned High Octane Coffee Co. has opened four locations in the Mahoning Valley.
Its newest location is 695 Boardman-Canfield Road (at the corner of West Boulevard and Route 224). It’s where an old service garage used to operate, which was fitting for the coffee shop’s theme of a 1950s service garage.
“It’s a good move for the company,” owner Joe Sylvester said. “It’s going to be my main location. We are hoping to have it up and running by the end of October.”
Sylvester is a professional race-car driver who decided a few years ago to get into the coffee industry.
“Coffee has been a part my daily route for a while now,” he said. “We are far from an average coffee shop.”
High Octane combines automotive culture with coffee Sylvester roasts.
High Octane has a Canfield location, a location inside Akron Children’s Hospital and a franchise Austintown location.
The new Boardman location will have a drive-thru, feature breakfast burritos and have a full ice-cream bar.
“I am excited about the move and excited to be in a high-traffic area,” Sylvester said.