Southwyck and Dillon Meeting 9-21-06

The residents surrounding the Southwyck Mall area had the opportunity this evening to listen to Mr. Dillon’s vision for the Reynolds Road area of South Toledo. Approximately 75 people filled the meeting room. Mr. Dillon spoke well of the plans for the mall and is still pushing to break ground yet this fall. There are pieces which must fall into place to do this and his only request of the residents of the area is to remain patient, to trust and believe it will happen soon. A $100,000,000 project has many facets which take great finesse, skill and time to pull together to ensure success.

Mr. Dillon seemed to struggle to maintain the confidentiality of the negotiations as he wanted to share specifics but knew he could not. He indicated they are very close to signing the 2nd anchor store and was able to assure us that Dillards will remain a department store and not a discount retailer in the Mall as some had heard rumored. He has a number of line stores ready to sign but putting all the pieces together effectively is like a chess game. Stautzenberger College will move into the old Lion for the Home store, which must be remodeled and ready for occupancy by next summer. This does give us some idea of the timing as this is a commitment which must be met.

He assured us all he is committed to the project and as a former resident of the Southwyck area, the Mall is near and dear to his heart, he has taken on the project for personal as well as professional reasons. Bob Vasquez did a great job putting this together and having it hosted at Dave’s Home Cooked Restaurant on Reynolds. Bob remains committed to local businesses and our South Toledo Community. It was good to see Michael Ashford arrive to lend an ear to the proceedings also. Those attended were given ample time to ask many questions which were answered directly, with diplomacy and patience by Mr. Dillon.