In Sandusky, Ohio, Bowling Green State University (BGSU); Cedar Fair, owner and operator of Cedar Point; and the City have collaborated to create the nation’s first post-secondary institution offering resort and attraction management. The school will be in the core of Sandusky’s downtown, where significant revitalization efforts are already underway. Overall, the $14 million investment will construct a five-story, 78,000 square foot facility to house the school’s learning center, an upwards of 80 apartments, and street-level retail.
The multi-sector partnership has not only helped strengthen the community’s tourism industry but has sparked other innovative improvements, including a new fixed-service bus route that serves a significant portion of the City’s workforce and BGSU students. This alignment of community assets (i.e., tourism, major employers, higher education, and transit) demonstrates how various sectors can partner to reach shared goals for more significant community revitalization.
Sandusky and its partners have made significant strides in downtown recovery by re-purposing vacant buildings and moving City Hall to a mixed-use space in the summer of 2019. Today, efforts are focused on promoting sustainable tourism, workforce development, and more considerable resources for regional strategies to diversify the local economy.
To learn more about the City of Sandusky and its partnerships, visit: https://www.greaterohio.org/good-ideas-initiative
Image Courtesy of Bowling Green State University