Economic Development:
The City offers an attractive opportunity for business growth. Tallmadge’s 455 business establishments, from its largest employer to small family businesses, constitute the opportunity and interests that keeps Tallmadge a vital part of the market place.
Beginning in 1987, the City started to experience significant economic growth, which still continues today. Relatively low City, School District, County taxes and utility rates, coupled with the availability of land and a skilled and educated labor force have contributed to the City’s development.
The City’s business community is comprised of approximately 110 industrial facilities and approximately 350 commercial operations. Tallmadge businesses are involved in a diverse range of activities such as rubber and plastic manufacturing, metal fabrication, food processing and trucking. Firms within the city manufacture a wide variety of products including lift gates, electrical components, insulation, gaskets, airplane parts, voice boxes, dental products, wheels, industrial machinery, dies, molds, wood products and polymers-.
Virtually all the major employers in the City have expanded or built new facilities. While the national and local economy has been in a downturn, there were still a significant number of expansions and relocations into the City over the past year. The latest expansions include DermaMed Coatings Company, Industrial Tube and Steel Corp., S.D. Myers and L.D. Carlson Company.
The majority of employment within the City occurs in businesses housed in 5,000 to 20,000 square foot buildings. Tallmadge’s employment rate remains stable due to this large number of small businesses in the City. Unemployment rates tend to run at least one percent lower than the Akron metropolitan area.
The Township of Brimfield and the City of Tallmadge recently entered into a Joint Economic Development District. The boundaries of the Joint Economic Development District (JEDD) include predominately the areas south of interstate 76 with the exception of the north side of the Route 18 / Route 43 interchange as well as north of 76, west of Mogadore Road and south of Howe Road in the Township. Areas in the City of Tallmadge are not included in the JEDD agreement.
The goal of the newly created Joint Economic Development District is to work together to develop the Industrial and Commercial areas of the district in conjunction with the Township Zoning Code and overall development plan. Residents benefit as the area develops with additional employment opportunities while both communities realize increased funding through an income tax. Funds from the income tax are split by both communities and are used for the provision of services. Ten percent of all income taxes collected are set-aside in a separate fund to be used exclusively within the commercial and industrial areas of the JEDD by Brimfield Township.
There are significant areas for development within the JEDD in addition to the established industrial park land adjacent to Interstate 76 and the Route 18 interchange.
There are approximately 90 businesses located in the JEDD Area. The Cascades of Brimfield is the most recent development consisting of 216 apartment units along with 600,000 square feet of retail development. The most recent addition, Marshalls Department Store joins Kohl’s Department Store, Lowe’s Home Center, WalMart Supercenter, Applebees’s Restaurant and a variety of other commercial businesses in the development.
Residential development has closely paralleled industrial and commercial development during the same period. Not only has the City experienced an increase in new housing starts over the past ten years, it is also meeting the demands of a changing population with the development of condominiums. Increased residential development is a strong indicator of future economic growth of the City.
In order to direct plans that promote a sound pattern of development, the City utilizes a Comprehensive Plan adopted by Tallmadge City Council. This plan defines a unified set of objectives for the development of the community; serves as a guide for the delineation of capital improvement projects and guides private land owners in making individual plans for the development of their property and existing land use investments.
The City will continue to place a major emphasis on economic development within the City as well as within the newly created JEDD in Brimfield Township. There are numerous sites within the City for development including the Portage Boulevard Industrial Park and within the Circle Redevelopment Area. There are significant areas for development in the Joint Economic Development District including the Karg Industrial Park, the Sunnybrook / Forge Road area and the land associated with the Interstate 76 / Route 18 interchange.