Antwerp Names New Street in Development
ANTWERP – Meyer Avenue will be the name of the new street that leads into a development on the south side of Antwerp. The Antwerp zoning board approved the name and sent it forward to the village council. Council approved the Meyer Avenue name at a recent meeting.
The access street was developed on a lot donated by Leo & Jane Stumphy to the Antwerp Community Improvement Corporation (CIC). Collaboration between the CIC and Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) office led to acquiring grant funds from the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) with the intent of using the street as an entry point to connect Erie Street (Highway 49) to the potential 89 acre development property with the hope of enticing a developer to the project.
Several years prior to the Stumphy donation of this land for the street, there was discussion by the CIC to purchase a sliver of property on the south side of the Dollar General building from the Antwerp Community Church. The property would be used to develop an easement into the potential land development. At that time there was only an option to buy the property, but not enough CIC monetary funds available to actually purchase any land. CIC board members decided there was no reason to build a “road to nowhere” so the thought was shelved for a later time.
Recently BMJW Investments put this development project, located in the northeast corner of the US24/Highway 49 intersection, over the top by purchasing 89 acres between the Antwerp Local School and US24, finally making Meyer Avenue a “road to somewhere”. The development of this access street showed potential buyers that the village was committed to taking proactive steps to encourage progress in the village of Antwerp.
A donation to the CIC from Sue, the late Joe Meyer, and family for the road name now allows the CIC the opportunity to purchase the originally discussed easement property from the Antwerp Community Church, and would allow the opportunity for a second easement street into this development project.
Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) Director Tim Copsey affirmed, “It takes a village to grow a village along with local investment to provide the opportunity to prosper and grow. Donations to the CIC, of any amount, allow the group to continue investing into additional projects. Collaboration is the key. In just this small project, it took the Stumphy family, the Meyer family, CIC, PCED and ODOD to put the pieces and funding together for Bryan Excavating to build the road. This was an instrumental piece as we marketed to the BMJW group to purchase the land. It is exciting to build momentum in our small communities here in Antwerp and all around the county”.
At this time BMJW, MWB, PCED, the CIC and the village are looking for all types of partners to collaborate on the development. Single family homes, multifamily living space, apartments, senior living, a hotel study is in progress, retail, food options, and even small commercial projects are all being considered. The timing couldn’t be better as the Ft. Wayne/New Haven, IN area grows east and the opportunities in the Defiance area grow west.
As the legal process and transaction moves forward on the second street parcel, there will be an opportunity for another street to be named. Anyone that has interest in donating funds to the CIC for the rights to name this additional road please contact the PCED office 419-399-8282.
