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Housing developments continue to grow in Canfield Township
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: August 29, 2013
They were a single entity for almost 200 years but since 1992 Canfield Township and the city of Canfield have been governed separately. While city residents voted to secede, it didn’t leave the township with a bad taste in its mouth and today the two continue to cooperate, sharing both a school system and a joint fire district among other things.
“We have a complementary relationship,” said Canfield Township Trustee Marie Izzo Cartwright, who took office in January 2010. “The city sits in the center of the township and has a lot more industrial businesses. Ours are more entertainment related or are designed to fulfill basic needs.”
Cartwright, who has lived in the community over 40 years, said when she was growing up in the Mahoning County township it was mostly farm country, however, today many of those farms are housing developments.
“Route 224, Boardman-Canfield Road, has served as our main business corridor since the ‘80s,” she said.
By early 2000, Cartwright said there were several large housing developments in progress such as Villa Rosa Gardens, Covington Cove, Westbury Park and The Cloisters.
In 2005, Westford Lifestyle Community broke ground on its first planned residential development. Today it features single-family homes, condominiums and villas--all surrounded by the 18-hole Kennsington Golf Course.
“Westford has a retail and office component that includes Panera Bread, Dunkin’ Donuts, Wendy’s, Great Clips, Edward Jones Investments and other businesses,” said Cartwright.
“There are future plans for a hotel and banquet center and an assisted living facility.”
There are newer developments underway as well, like Summer Wind and the Abbey Road Villas, which cater to the safety and comfort of the baby boomers.
“The township has led the county in new home starts for years,” said Cartwright.
The business scene is active as well. In 2005, Cartwright said the Hampton Inn & Suites became the first of several establishments to open on Ironwood Boulevard in what is known as Ironwood Commons. Several restaurants followed including a Bob Evans, Ruby Tuesday and Harry & Jean’s (now WhiteFire Grille & Spirits). The plaza at the site hosts a number of businesses ranging from Inner Circle Pizza and Fitness Together personal training to LPL Financial.
“This development is home to Canfield’s first assisted living facility, The Inn at Ironwood, which opened in October 2012,” said Cartwright. “It cost $7 million to construct and has 64 units which include luxury suites, studios and one- and two-bedroom suites.”
At the end of July, Andrea’s Ristorante and Bar opened on Boardman-Canfield Road.
“O’Reilly Auto Parts and Summit Drive Thru are expected to open shortly on Boardman-Canfield Road,” said Cartwright.
Canfield Township has a variety of restaurants like Yolo Grille and Wine Bar and The Phoenix Fire Grill and Bar, and the Tippecanoe Country Club hosts banquet and other events for members and their guests in addition to having a golf course and pool.
“We don’t have any department or grocery stores,” Cartwright said.
Created in 1798 as Township Number 1 in Range Number 3, Canfield was located on the southeastern border of the Connecticut Western Reserve. It was initially called Campfield, but after a vote the name was changed on April 15, 1800 in honor of Judson Canfield, the largest landowner of the six men who purchased it.
Back in 1805, there were just 17 homes; today Canfield Township has a population of over 9,000, and the city has around 7,800 residents.
Part of Trumbull County until 1846 when Mahoning came into existence, Canfield was once the county seat. Youngstown officials thought their city should hold the status, which created quite a debate that ended when the Ohio legislature voted in favor of a bill that gave the honor to Youngstown in 1874. Canfield challenged the proceedings in a case that was eventually appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court, where the decision was upheld in 1875. Although Canfield did not win, it had the distinction of being represented by James A. Garfield, a future president of the United States.
The Canfield Local School District serves Canfield Township, the city and a small portion of Boardman and Beaver townships. It includes two elementary, one middle school and a high school, and the district has been repeatedly rated “excellent” by the Ohio Department of Education.
“The township has an arrangement with the school system to provide it with salt during the winter since we buy it in large quantities through the state purchasing program so it is cheaper. We bill them for their share,” said Cartwright.
Overall the township came through the recent downturn without too many problems. The main source of revenue is property tax, and Cartwright said while housing starts did slow down, they did not disappear altogether. There were some foreclosures, but the township did not qualify for Moving Ohio Forward Demolition money.
“We have taken down a few abandoned properties on our own,” said Trustee Tony Bettile. “We have about 57 nuisance properties that we try and stay on top of, but they are not big problems. They usually involve high-grass issues.”
Although there were no service cuts or layoffs, Cartwright said officials often did not replace those who retired or left the township’s employ.
“We have a part-time employee and we use seasonal workers to keep our roads plowed so that helps,” said Cartwright.
“We have seen a revenue loss from our Local Government Fund over the past two years, and the elimination of the estate tax this year. Although we never budgeted for the estate tax it could be as much as $300,000 to $600,000 a year,” Cartwright said.
Despite the loss of funds, officials have still been able to purchase additional equipment.
While the township and city have a joint fire district, the township contracts police services from the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office, which provides dedicated officers to the community.
“We have been starting joint projects with neighboring communities,” said Bettile. “One of the biggest ones was a road paving program with Austintown and Boardman townships, which saved all of us a lot of money.”
Officials are looking at the possibility of forming a joint economic development district in the future to bring in additional revenue. “It’s a logical next step,” said Bettile.
In 2006, officials purchased 58 acres of land along Herbert Road to create a township park, which features playground facilities, athletic fields and a basketball court.
“We are working to finish hooking up the sanitary line to the concession building,” said Bettitle.
In the fall of 2012, the historic township hall located in the city, underwent a makeover.
“We refurbished the front of the building using materials that are designed to keep the historic look intact,” said Bettile.
There are other historic sites such as the Loghurst Farm Museum, which includes an 1805 log home, considered the oldest remaining log house in the Western Reserve. It is believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. Loghurst is owned by the Western Reserve Historical Society, which transferred the operations to the Canfield Heritage Foundation. Cartwright said it is a popular destination for visitors.
The township is also where the historic Canfield Fairgrounds are located. The fair was first held in October 1847. The event now takes place the week before Labor Day and features big name entertainers, drawing hundreds of thousands and making it the largest county fair in the state.
In the future, officials said they would like to extend sewer and water lines, which are in certain areas, throughout the entire township especially in the places where the septic systems are failing or not performing well.
“We have been working with the Mahoning County Sanitary Engineer for the last several years to accomplish this since the county is the only agency that can do so,” said Cartwright.
“The first thing that needs to happen is the construction of a water tower in the southeast quadrant of the township,” said Bettile. “This is necessary for uninterrupted water service in the event of a water line break but mostly for fire safety.
“This tower will serve the needs in that area of the township for decades of expansion,” said Bettile. “We have a great community with a lot of beautiful farmland and great housing developments.”