News

Dec 02, 2023

City offers helping hand

Jun 4, 2023 Staff photo / Mason ColeChristina Benton has owned Just Pizzelles on

Jun 4, 2023

Staff photo / Mason ColeChristina Benton has owned Just Pizzelles on West Main Street since 2008. Although there is nothing in Cortland's new business attraction package that could benefit her right now, she said she is thrilled the city is trying to attract more small businesses to the downtown.

CORTLAND — The city announced last week its business attraction package, which will provide support for existing and future small businesses in the city.

The plan includes a combination of discounts from several Mahoning Valley-based companies intended to support businesses and spur economic growth in Cortland. The city announced the package as part of its desire to increase the small-town feel of the area.

"The reason we did this was to attract new businesses into the city," Cortland Mayor Deidre Petrosky said. "And give them things they might need as a startup."

So far, Cortland has 10 companies listed on its website that are offering discounted materials to any business that operates within city limits to help offset the cost of creating or maintaining a small business. The companies offering discounted materials are in the fields of promotional material, facility maintenance and operating. Jeffrey Jiang, the special projects coordinator for the city, said that any Cortland-based business interested in pursuing the discounted materials should reach out to the contacts listed on the website.

"All businesses have to do is simply go online, they have to look at the point of contact on the letters (from the companies), and they just have to reach out and let them know that they’re a Cortland-based business taking advantage of that discount. At the point in time when they do the transaction, we’d get a quote from them. It's a very simple process," Jiang said.

The current offers listed in the package will be available through December 2024. None of the companies offering discounted materials are based in Cortland. Petrosky said city officials intentionally chose to not ask any business in the city to offer discounts.

"The reason we didn't specifically seek out Cortland businesses was because we’re trying to assist our Cortland businesses," she said. "Now, if we knew of any Cortland businesses that wanted to participate and offer discounts to new businesses coming in, all they need to do is call us. But we were just trying to take some of the burden off of those local businesses."

GOAL OF THE PROGRAM

The attraction package comes as part of Cortland's goal to attract more visitors and tourists to the city. One of the city's goals is to add more mom-and-pop shops to Main Street. On May 16, Cortland City Council hosted a public hearing to discuss zone change requests for various properties throughout the city, including dozens of lots on Main Street so that they fall into the C-1, central business district.

At the meeting, Petrosky said the goal was for properties fronting West Main Street between High Street and McCleary Jacoby Road to fall into the C-1 category to promote small business growth in the city. The vision that Petrosky shared described a strip of smaller stores on West Main Street, with other, larger businesses being located elsewhere in the city.

Cortland officials have looked at other areas throughout Ohio for inspiration for developing the city.

"We have visited other towns," Petrosky said. "We went to Cuyahoga Falls, but it's a little bit different. We have not found anyone that's specifically like Cortland. We went to Millersburg, we went to Dublin, I know Dublin is not like Cortland, but they’ve done some pretty cool things there. We’re just trying to get some ideas to make our own little area."

In a letter to the small-business community, the city noted that it is "friendly and ideal for small business startups and expansion," as it has no income tax, it has affordable commercial real estate and it is located near Mosquito Lake, which brings 1.3 million visitors to the area annually.

Cortland wants to take advantage of these factors to become more of a tourist destination. Petrosky's vision for Cortland is inspired by images of the city in past decades, but the modern plan will have a larger emphasis on Mosquito Lake, which sits just outside the city limits.

"Cortland used to have all kinds of little shops downtown," Petrosky said. "And they would bring bus tours in. This time we’re trying to incorporate more of the lake, so it will drive additional interest, not only people shopping, but so people can do other activities, like we just have a new business in town that is doing kayak rentals. That's what we’re working towards."

INQUIRIES MADE

The city said that several companies inquired about the package during the week that it was announced.

Sam Boyd is the owner of Cortland Mower Sales and the co-owner of the newly opened Twisted Creek Outdoor Adventures kayak rentals along with Heidi Keller. Both businesses are located on Walnut Street.

This summer is the first year that the kayak rental service has been in business.

Boyd said that some of the services offered in the package would have been more helpful for Twisted Creek had they been available a few months ago when the rental service first was starting, but both of his businesses will be considering how they could use the attraction package to improve current practices.

"We’ve been looking at it to see if we can get better websites, better promotions, better promotional material to get out to folks. I definitely think there's room for us," Boyd said.

Just Pizzelles, located at the heart of the city's revitalization plan on West Main Street, has been selling Italian pizelle cookies in Cortland since 2008. Christina Benton, the owner of the shop, said nothing in the package pertained to her company at the moment, but she is thrilled by the idea of Cortland drawing in more visitors. Benton believes that the city has untapped potential.

"We do a lot with the tourism bureau of Trumbull County," she said. "We get tourists in all the time, and for me I love it, because when they come in they’re always like ‘what else can we do? What else is there for us to do or see in town?’ There are a few little things here and there that we can suggest, but it would be wonderful to have more options to suggest with the lake bringing in as many people as it does. We get a lot of those visitors in campers or people with the fishing tours. There are hidden opportunities that a lot of people don't realize."

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