TOLEDO, Ohio — The I-475 Dorr St. Interchange was not only ranked Project of the Year by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2022 after its completion in the fall of 2021, but it's also been an area of opportunity that has developers eager to invest in.
It's changed the flow of traffic and created more traction through Springfield Township, which project engineer George Oravecz has helped to be a part of.
One of the new proposed developments is a new 22-acre development off of Dorr Street that was approved by the Lucas County Planning Commission on Wednesday, May 24, for new commercial retail and business developments.
It will be called the Dorr Street Station, which will be a strip mall-type establishment with many new commercial spaces.
"The retail and the development people themselves contributed to creating this interchange," Oravecz said. "Now it's time to provide services this interchange would normally bring."
Oravecz said the old plot was from a landscaping company, so the area has a multitude of trees that can be developed from each of the sites and create a top-shelf interchange with collaboration from the township and city of Toledo.
"Springfield Township has already experienced some additional residential development because of this interchange being located," Oravecz said.
Springfield Township Trustee Tom Anderson Jr. is very pleased with how the interchange has brought new traffic through the township. They have been working with Kott Enterprises, which owns a mulch business on the land.
"The phone has been ringing quite a bit," Anderson said. "He's in works with other companies and businesses that either want to put their headquarters in or some kind of shop."
Anderson said it's going to be great for local businesses and jobs too, and he said it's already been funded through joint efforts with the township and city.
"With the JEDD and JEDZ money coming in, it keeps the burden off our taxpayers and keeps them happy, so we don't have to go through them," Anderson said.
Anderson also said they have worked to increase community policing as more come to the area, with the hopes of increasing safety.
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