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Oregon Town Center gets ‘over the hump,’ opens first business

Posted By: Toledo Blade on March 11, 2026.  For more information, please click here to read the source article.

Nearly seven years after it began, the Oregon Town Center project has hit a big milestone — its first business opening.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe opened at 2830 Navarre Ave., Suite 3, last month, a marker for the project’s Phase 1, which will soon include a few other dining spots as well.

“That building will have Tropical Smoothie, Qdoba, and Starbucks,” said Bill Bostleman, president and partner at River Rock Property Group, the project’s developer.

A fourth, freestanding space to the east will house Chick-fil-A, and a fifth space to the west will house an Olive Garden.

Though Qdoba already has a location in Bowling Green, the Oregon restaurant will be among the first of its kind in the Toledo area.

Phase 1 is projected to be finished by the end of the year — on schedule from a year ago. Qdoba is to open imminently. Starbucks will open later this spring, Chick-fil-A in the summer, and Olive Garden in the fall.

“Those are pretty good high-traffic tenants,” Mr. Bostleman said. “They will create enough interest and action for other users to be interested in the back part of the acreage.”

Traffic was indeed high on a recent Thursday as patrons filed out of the misty rain and into Tropical Smoothie Cafe for some midmorning refreshment.

“It’s been amazing. This has been probably one of the best openings I’ve had,” said Hicham Bazzi, the shop’s franchisee, who runs a few other Tropical Smoothie Cafes in the area. “The community’s been great. I’ve never had so many people thank me for opening.”

Several patrons were glad the Tropical Smoothie Cafe has popped up but were looking to see a bit more in the Navarre corridor.

“I feel like there’s not too many shopping places. It’s all fast food,” said Cigdem Kahyaoglu, who works in the Kroger pharmacy on Navarre. She said more activities for families, like a bowling alley, would also bring her back to the area.

“Having this place is nice though,” Ms. Kahyaoglu said, noting if this stretch of Navarre Avenue did need something, it was a place one could get a smoothie. “At the pharmacy we just grab our order and go. It’s really convenient … a healthier option.”

Others brought different concerns, such as if these businesses will be built to last and the congestion that construction and a crowded plaza will create.

“I think the parking is going to be a bit chaotic,” said Kelly Cooper, an Oregon resident and teacher at Waite High School. “But I love Tropical Smoothie. I come here all the time.”

Ms. Cooper also felt that there is plenty of fast food and gas stations in the area and wouldn’t have minded seeing something like a Target or Home Depot go up.

Jordan Zay, the smoothie shop’s manager, does see how the other eateries nearby might prop each other up, though.

“I just know that people are going to get Qdoba and come and get their smoothie or get Chick-fil-A and come and get their smoothie, so I feel like we are in a good spot,” Ms. Zay said.

The next step is the actual “town center” or public space that it is said will be used for farmers markets, concerts, and for viewing fireworks. It will be surrounded by other retailers and businesses. It does not have any tenants signed on yet but is still slated to be done by the end of 2027.

River Rock is based in West Toledo and is known for its redevelopment of the French Quarter area in Perrysburg Township. The company came to the project in late 2024 after things fell through with the project’s initial developer.

Mr. Bostleman said that since joining the venture, the project has been relatively straightforward.

“We haven’t had trouble getting approvals,” the developer said. “We had a couple minor issues with getting easements relocated, but [Oregon officials] were very helpful in making that all happen.”

Oregon’s acting city administrator, Paul Roman, said that he is also happy the city is at a point where construction is the focus.

“I feel like we are finally over the hump, and I think that things are proceeding very well,” Mr. Roman said. “I think a year from now things will be looking really different along Route 2 there.”