OHIO and Athens community participate in The Ridges Development Strategy town hall

Members of the Ohio University and Athens community participated in a town hall on Tuesday, Feb. 21, focusing on The Ridges Development Strategy.

Dominick Brook, director of real estate at OHIO, Shawna Wolfe, associate vice president for University Planning at OHIO, and Joe Recchie, CEO of the Community Building Partners, presented The Ridges Development Strategy, an initiative intended to move The Ridges Framework Plan forward and implement and create a mixed-use space that will benefit the larger community.

Students, faculty, staff and community members, including members from The Ridges Advisory Committee, attended the town hall to learn more about what the development of The Ridges could mean for both OHIO and the Athens community and to discuss its potential impact on the University and region.

President Hugh Sherman also attended the town hall, providing remarks to the community on the importance of developing this space and land.

“From the time I have been at Ohio University, I have heard the ideas and possibilities of what The Ridges could be,” President Sherman said. “So for me, it’s exciting to see these ideas starting to come to fruition into one over-arching strategy. This is a unique opportunity to truly develop and preserve the buildings and scenic beauty of the Ridges through this partnership with the Community Building Partners and Buckeye Hills.”

Brook and Recchie presented an overview of the Development Strategy and went into detail on how housing opportunities like affordable and low-income senior housing, graduate student housing, and multi-family homes, would be incorporated. In addition to new housing, they also explained how The Ridges could be used for live-in creative artist work spaces and owner occupied businesses.

Lining the halls outside of the room where the town hall was held in Building 18 of The Ridges were posterboards outlining the history and development possibilities for The Ridges. Attendees were invited to write feedback, questions, and comments for the University and Community Building Partners to take into consideration directly at each posterboard.

Following the town hall, the University will work alongside developers to incorporate community feedback into a final version of the development plan, which will be presented at another town hall for OHIO and Athens community members on March 24.

The plan, along with land use paperwork, conservation easements, and more, will be presented to the Ohio University Board of Trustees for approval in the coming months. OHIO’s Board of Trustees previously approved a resolution to pursue the establishment of a New Community Authority (NCA) strategy during its January 2023 meeting. Next steps for the creation of the NCA will be done through the City of Athens.

During the presentation, Recchie explained how the total economic impact of this development will be $330 million and, although it will be spread out among the immediate region, the bulk of the impact will be felt locally.

“We are trying to seamlessly integrate this development into the community and complement the needs of the region,” Recchie said. “There is a purpose for each of the current Ridges’ buildings and by repurposing as many buildings as possible, we have the opportunity to preserve this historic building, while meeting market housing needs and generate revenue for the community.”

Members of the OHIO and Athens community who did not attend the town hall can also submit questions, concerns, or comments at ohio.edu/ridges.