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Toledo Zoo unveils revamped Reptile House after $15M project

After a year and a half of work, the Toledo Zoo is ready to reopen its Reptile House. 
“I’ve been director here for nearly 14 years, and this building has been sort of the crown jewel of all the historic buildings on campus,” Jeff Sailer, the zoo’s president and CEO, said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the renovated building. 
Officials said $15 million went into the building, which was first constructed in the 1930s by the Civil Works Administration, a precursor to the Works Progress Administration. 
Highlights include an expanded space for Baru, the saltwater crocodile, and the Lanterman Family Atrium, a new event space that can hold up to 100 people. 
Alexandra Mester
It won't be just a new museum: Tropical plants, a prairie ... and the Venom room
“What I found most interesting about it was, at the time, there was a great deal of criticism about the CWA projects that said these are boondoggles. These are not going to last,” Mr. Sailer said. “They’re just giveaways of money, and you’re not going to see the impact of these projects in any sort of reasonable period of time. Here we are 90 years later, and this building is still standing here.” 
The Reptile House will open to the public on Friday. 
Check back for updates.
First Published May 21, 2026, 12:06 p.m.

For those looking for a place to watch World Cup soccer this summer.

New location, same charm: Swanky Scoops opening shop in Toledo's Warehouse District

Alissa Vieira’s goal for her ice cream business, Swanky Scoops, was always to find a location that was a destination. 
The owner started making and selling her artisanal ice cream in 2021, she said, added an ice cream cart the next year, and the following year, the business moved into a production kitchen on 10th Street in downtown Toledo.
After years of pop-ups and private events, Swanky Scoops found a new home in downtown Toledo’s Warehouse District at 144 S. Huron St.  
“I wanted an area with lots of foot traffic and other attractions, and that space has everything I wanted,” Vieira said, noting she plans for the new location to open toward the end of May. 
“I would be hard pressed to find a better location in downtown Toledo, because of the farmers’ market and the surrounding restaurants; it feels like a very food-centric neighborhood.” 
Bella Salloukh, the general manager at Souk Mediterranean Kitchen and Bar, shared her excitement for Swanky Scoops to move in right across the street from the restaurant. 
“It’s a great addition to the downtown,” she said. “There's nothing really like it downtown, especially ice cream-wise. It’s going to be a good addition for people to have dinner down here and get ice cream after.”
The Fluffernutteré, a creamy peanut butter ice cream with marshmallow cream swirl, is Salloukh’s favorite Swanky Scoops flavor, she said, which is set to be part of the shop’s launch menu. 
Other flavors to expect are Baked Banana Miso, Dark Chocolate, Lemon Meringue Pie, Kickback Coffee & Cake, Strawberry Hibiscus Sorbet, and more. The owner plans to rotate flavors throughout the year depending on the season and demand. 
Salloukh said the restaurant staff plans to support the business come summertime, adding that even guests dining have asked for updates on when the ice cream shop is opening. 
“'It’ll definitely bring more people down here,” the general manager said. “People are excited. ... I’m excited.”
Business plans 
Alongside the brick-and-mortar spot, Vieira plans to continue mobile ice cream cart services and wholesale partnerships, and to attend the Perrysburg Farmers Market on Thursdays from May through October. The shop’s retail hours are currently expected to be Wednesdays through Saturdays, noon to 8 p.m.
“In addition to the scoop shop experience and being a fun place, a destination, before or after your other downtown festivities, we're also planning to add regularly scheduled ice cream tasting parties,” the owner said. “I just love that idea as an option for small- to medium-sized groups that are celebrating, if it's a birthday or an anniversary or a girls’ night out or a fun creative team-building event for a corporate group. We're planning to have those publicly available and then also available to reserve for a private tasting too.”
The ice cream offered at Swanky Scoops is a French-style custard, the owner said, describing the product as a more elevated, special ice cream experience. 
“We took that same approach when we did the layout and the design for the space,” she said. “It's an intentionally grown-up feel. Of course, we'll be family-friendly and welcome ice cream lovers of all ages, but we wanted the space to feel special and elevated for people that are looking for a special occasion.” 
The brand’s colors — black and gold — are incorporated in the decor, she said, giving the interior a sleek, sophisticated, and mature feel. The ceiling and beams are dark gray, the walls are a teal shade, and gold wraps the service counter. 
In the last couple of years, customers have asked Vieira where they can find her ice cream since the 10th Street location didn’t have regular retail hours. Now that Swanky Scoops has a spot she plans to keep open year-round — this is no longer a problem. 
“I’m thrilled to have a forever home for Swanky Scoops,” she said. “I’m really proud of how much Swanky Scoops has grown, and I'm fortunate to be surrounded by a team that has helped to support this vision for how the business is going to grow and make it possible.” 
Send food story ideas to Maddie Coppel at: mcoppel@theblade.com.
First Published May 16, 2026, 6:56 a.m.

Perrysburg Township land sparks development interest — and controversy

A large tract of property in Perrysburg Township has caught the interest of the community through a prominent regional developer. 
The New Albany Company, a development firm founded in the Columbus area by retail magnate Les Wexner, is shopping what it is calling the Perrysburg Business and Technology Park. The land is more than 400 acres that spreads along Fremont Pike to just south of Roachton Road. It is currently empty farmland, though the company sees it as rife with possibility. 
“MBJ is acquiring the 425-acre site as a speculative investment given its existing zoning (general and light manufacturing), its proximity to the I-75/I-80/90 interchange, and the presence of CSX rail on site,” Lisa Hinson, a spokesman for the New Albany Company, said in a statement. MBJ refers to MBJ Holdings, the real estate investment affiliate of the New Albany Company. “At this time, we have no information about the future land use or the timing of development.”
The prospect of developing the site, known to some as the Kazmaier Assemblage, has become a hot topic in the community.
“It has always been a pretty significant piece of vacant land,” said Robert Mack, a longtime Perrysburg Township trustee. 
Mr. Mack said the property was rezoned from agricultural to industrial about five years ago. In doing so, the township weathered some sensitivity from residents on the southern edge of the tract regarding industrial activity potentially going right up to their properties. That led to a buffer zone being created between the tract and the private properties. 
“At the time we rezoned it, there was not significant opposition,” Mr. Mack said.  
Resident opinion 
Area residents say that rumors the Kazmaier land could be turned into a data center have been floated for a while. 
Mark Snyder lives about a mile east of the site on farmland of his own. The farm has been in his wife’s family for more than a century. 
Like many, he came across a “pitch deck,” or a sort of slideshow the New Albany Company recently released touting the advantages of the Perrysburg Business and Technology Park. 
“It says 425 acres, plus I think it says ‘expansion capacity,’” Mr. Snyder said, referring to a line on Page 7 of the New Albany slideshow. “They’re looking to make it bigger, obviously.” 
Mr. Snyder said he has been approached in recent months about selling his land. He wasn’t sure if the local law firm that contacted him was representing the New Albany Company, but the inquiry put him on alert and made him suspicious. 
“If they need that much property, why do they need that much property?” Mr. Snyder asked, noting neighbors of his have also been contacted. 
He drew parallels to what he has heard about the circumstances surrounding a data center project in Middleton Township. The Wood County area between Perrysburg and Bowling Green dealt with the matter dating back to 2023, and construction of the Meta facility is ongoing. 
“If you look at Middleton, my understanding is they started off with several properties together and have just expanded and bought more. ... The pattern seems similar,” Mr. Snyder said. 
Overall, Mr. Snyder and other residents say there is a lot they still just don’t know. According to them, township trustee meetings, including one that took place last week, often reveal more questions than answers. 
A topic that recently came up was Section 9.66(D) in the Ohio Revised Code. It took effect on March 20 and says that public officials can be held criminally liable when disclosing certain information about projects related to economic development. 
This has made waves through circles of interested parties in the community. Many feel dealings between the New Albany Company and Perrysburg Township fall under this.  
“We can’t effectively talk to our legislators, our trustees, the people who are supposed to be representing us, without them being arrested for a misdemeanor which requires a year in jail and a $1,000 fine,” said Chris Coultrip, a retired police officer who lives just west of the Kazmaier property on Thompson Road. 
Ms. Coultrip and Mr. Snyder share common concerns about why they don’t want to see a data center near their homes — from water usage, to noise, to temperature increases.
“These data centers come in and they have not been good neighbors,” Ms. Coultrip said. “They’re running diesel generators and the incidence of bronchitis, asthma, and heart disease have gone up.” 
She cited a well-known incident in Georgia where residents near a Meta data center got sediment filled water from their taps. Ms. Coultrip said she has also attended EPA hearings to ask further questions of decision makers on how well emissions from data centers are being monitored.   
New laws 
Members of the board of trustees dispute that the new law is at play, voicing opposition to the idea behind the law.   
“It struck me as overreaching because I am more inclined to think that anything that hits my inbox involving my township role is very much a public record,” Mr. Mack said. 
“I haven’t had any personal experience where that has caused a concern yet, but it does fly in the face of the state Sunshine laws in my opinion, and it does seem relatively unconstitutional,” said Jeffrey Moore, a Perrysburg Township trustee who just started his term earlier this year. “I don’t like it one bit because I think that we should be 100 percent transparent.” 
An additional concern that arose was a line about tax abatements for the Kazmaier land that is included in the description on the New Albany Company’s website. 
It mentions a 10-year property tax abatement is available. Mr. Mack said he is very much interested in hearing any proposals from the New Albany Company as they are going to be making a substantial investment in the community. Still, he called the statement about the tax abatement “presumptuous” he did not believe it resulted from discussion with anyone on the board of trustees.    
Mr. Mack said overall that he has not heard anything concrete about a data center project. 
“Before it was even declared that it was being sold, we were tipped off by an attorney representing the landowners who said that could be the case,” Mr. Mack said of a data center being constructed on the site. “But I have not heard of any data center that is interested in it.”
“When they are ready to do something in our township, they need to come to us with a proposition,” Mr. Mack said. “Like here, this is how we want to use this land or this is how we want to provide incentives for companies that might want to go in.”
First Published May 13, 2026, 11:00 a.m.

Levis Commons to be sold to outlet developer

The Town Center at Levis Commons is being sold to an operator of outlet centers, its owners announced Wednesday. 
Hill Partners, the Charlotte-based developer who constructed the Perrysburg mall, said that the new owner will be Tanger Inc. Tanger, which is based in Greensboro, N.C., has outlet malls in the Columbus and Cleveland areas and is “looking to expand their open-air retail portfolio,” according to the announcement.   
“The Town Center has always been a special project — one built on vision, partnership, and a commitment to creating a vibrant, community-focused environment,” said Robert H. Spratt, Jr., president of Hill Partners, Inc. “The property is exceptionally well-positioned for its next chapter, and we are proud of the momentum, tenant mix, and strong consumer loyalty that define it today.”
The Town Center at Levis Commons opened in 2004. 
First Published May 13, 2026, 10:21 a.m.

New downtown art gallery opening in historic Gardner Building

Mind and Soul Gallery and Studios will celebrate its grand opening Saturday in the Gardner Building downtown.
The gallery, owned and operated by local artists Chris “Chilly” Rodriguez and Connor “ConTron” Degnar, is a rebirth and rebranding of a smaller venue they owned in East Toledo.
The 6,000-square-foot gallery has exhibition space and more than a dozen working studios for artists.
More than 40 artists and three bands are participating in the grand opening. Events run from 5 to 10 p.m. with an after-party from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the gallery, 500 Madison Ave.
FELICIA L. MASON
Rebirth, rebranding underway for Toledo's newest art gallery
Food trucks will be at the corner of Madison Avenue and Superior Street.
First Published May 11, 2026, 11:49 a.m.