Slow progress halted by roof issue at former Great Eastern shopping center

Northwood city officials continue to try to stop work on a shopping center from going south.

At the July 11 council meeting, Administrator Kevin Laughlin said there seems to be crisis after crisis at the former Great Eastern shopping center on Woodville Road, which has been in disrepair for years.

On July 5, Zoning Inspector Amy Stribny called him and told him the roofs were missing on some of the suites in the shopping center, now called Northwood Commons, Mr. Laughlin said.

“She was worried about the structural soundness of the units,” he said, adding that they contacted county building inspection. “They didn’t have building permits, they didn’t have zoning permits, anything to do the the work. And it’s not just the roofs, on several of the units, they’ve actually built walls — they’ve created office spaces and things like that without the proper authorization.”

Robert Cendol, chief building official with Wood County Building Inspection, said he was at the site last week.

“They need to obtain the permits and do the work according to code,” he said Tuesday. “There’s some confusion with the owner.”

Mr. Cendol said the city issued a stop work order, not the county.

Mr. Laughlin said the owners will be fined and must submit engineering and structural plans.

After they addressed the roof issue, an awning collapsed at the shopping center, he said.

“It’s been an ongoing refrain with the ownership at Great Eastern,” Mr. Laughlin said. “It just seems to get more and more — for lack of a better word — ridiculous.”

The 57-acre plaza off Woodville Road was developed as the Great Eastern shopping center and was once home to JCPenney, Value City, Kroger, Sears, and a Fanny Farmer candy shop. Today, it is mostly vacant and dilapidated with a parking lot that is falling apart and dimly lit.

Wood County land records show Northwood Dhaliwal Plaza, based in Upper Darby, Pa., purchased the properties at 2500, 2534, and 2680 Woodville for $2.2 million on Dec. 6, 2022.

The center was deemed a public nuisance by the city last year. Northwood Dhaliwal Plaza, LLC, owned by Amrit Dhaliwal, was cited 51 times over the last year.

In an interview Tuesday, Ms. Stribny said the case was settled in Perrysburg Municipal Court in May, with Ms. Dhaliwal pleading guilty to 15 counts, agreeing to make improvements, and paying a $150 fine.

Ms. Stribny said the shopping center owner had been given permits to repair the roofs, not replace them.

“They took an entire roof down to the joist,” she said.

In addition to the roofs and the parking lot, the immediate need at the plaza is replacing nonworking lights in 57 poles; 21 have been done, Ms. Stribny said.

“We’re all kind of frustrated,” she said. “They’re doing pretty much the bare minimum.”

Messages for comment were left for Ms. Dhaliwal.

In an interview in April at the property, she said work was beginning on the roofs, parking lot, and lights.

Ms. Dhaliwal said she and her husband, Gurpreet Singh, have been in real estate for 20 years. They purchase value-added properties, which are a better deal, then complete renovations and rent the properties, she said.

Possible future businesses at the site include a banquet hall, laundromat, bowling center, and arcade, Ms. Dhaliwal said. She said she did not want to demolish the buildings and sell the property.

In a follow-up interview, Mr. Laughlin said he hopes the owners continue to make improvements. He said they have done some painting

“The ball’s still in their court,” he said Wednesday. “We’re not at the point of filing anything additionally at this point in time.”

He said there are communication issues with the owner and the permits.

“Genuinely, I think it was a misunderstanding,” Mr. Laughlin said.

The center’s current tenants include a dollar store, pet shop, insurance agency, and day care center.

Debbie Reynolds, who owns Deb's Body Jewelry & More LLC, was hopeful about the shopping center plans, when interviewed by The Blade in April.

Reached by phone on Wednesday, Ms. Reynolds said she would like to see more progress, especially in the parking lot.

“I would like it to be done a year ago,” she said.

“I’m just anxious to get some heavy machinery out here to let people know something's going on,” Ms. Reynolds said, adding that a counseling center and distribution business have opened there in the last few months. “I get people in here every week, asking if I just opened. I’ve been here 12 years.”

She said she remains committed to staying in business at Northwood Commons; she’s just impatient.

“I'm not the one making up the timeline and construction,” Ms. Reynolds said. “I just have to be patient.”

“I’d just like to see it renovated,” she said. “The plans that I’ve heard of are great.”