$15 million agreement could give Avon Lake more than half of lakefront power plant property

AVON LAKE, Ohio - The city of Avon Lake could be the owners of over half of the lakefront property at the former Avon Lake Power Plant site.

An agreement between the city and the Avon Lake Environmental Redevelopment Group, or ALERG, which has been facilitating the redevelopment of the site, could designate 23.22 acres of the 43.23 acre site as public park land, a news release said.

A diagram presented at a Monday meeting to discuss the agreement, which came nearly three months after the controlled implosion of two of the power plant's boilers , showed the 23.22 acres would be the direct lakefront portion of the property and would be valued at $15 million. The city said the purchase would be financed exclusively by tax increment financing, which ensures no direct city funds would be used.

The remaining 19.6 acres would be reserved for commercial development, being rezoned to include a lakefront mixed-use overlay district, which could include plans for residential units alongside commercial and recreational facilities, the city said.

Ted Esborn, Avon Lake's community development director, said the agreement had been over a year in the making.

"When the power plant closed, we listened to our residents, and they made it clear that lake access was the top priority," Esborn said in a statement. "This agreement allows us to give the community access to half a mile of Lake Erie shoreline. I'm hopeful that our residents share our enthusiasm, as their support will be key to making this vision a reality."