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Trader Joe’s, Nordstrom Rack to be tenants in new Westgate Village North

Posted By: Toledo Blade on June 10, 2026.  For more information, please click here to read the source article.

Trader Joe’s, Nordstrom Rack, and Dick’s House of Sport are just some of the tenants for the new Westgate Village North retail complex, officials said.

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz made the announcement during a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday morning at the site on Central Avenue near Secor Road.

The land, which used to be home to Sears, is being redeveloped by Abbell Associates, the parent company of the entity that owns Westgate Village on the south side of Central.

The other stores that will be housed at the new complex will be Golf Galaxy, Mission BBQ, Sierra Trading, and Smoothie King.

“This is an important day for Toledo for a lot of reasons,” the mayor said. “We’re going to have tough days ahead given what happened over the weekend at the Old West End Festival.”

An event such as the shooting Saturday, where 12 people were wounded, “causes people to wonder about Toledo’s future,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said.

Officials considered postponing the groundbreaking ceremony, he said, but ultimately decided that the event was “exactly” what the community needed in the face of adversity.

“The story of Toledo has always been a story of resilience,” the mayor said. “We want to celebrate today the fact that even as we struggle with what happened over the weekend, we still have to move forward, and we’re not gonna stop and feel sorry for ourselves.”

Mr. Kapszukiewicz was joined at the groundbreaking by Liz Holland, the CEO of Abbell Associates; Brandon Sehlhorst, director of economic development for the city of Toledo; District 5 Councilman Sam Melden; and Kristine Martin, superintendent of Washington Local Schools.

Toledo City Council approved Abbell’s plans for Westgate Village North in October.

Initial plans for the site included six retail stores and two restaurants. Local legislators estimated that the development project would create more than 80 jobs, and on Wednesday, the mayor said that investment totaled $60 million.

Mr. Melden, whose district includes the Westgate development, said the project “reflects Toledo knowing its value and its worth.” After the ceremony, he noted a symbiotic relationship between retail development and neighboring communities.

Development plans for the empty lot have long been a subject of interest for Axel Garduno De La Cruz, 18, who attended Wednesday’s ceremony. The aspiring architect said he is excited to witness the “new atmosphere” fostered by the Westgate complex.

Ms. Holland, the Abbell CEO, told community members in September that Trader Joe’s was “at the top” of her company’s list of preferred vendors but that the grocery store retailer had not yet signed a lease.

On Wednesday, she attributed the project’s progress to the partnership forged between tenants, the city, the Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commission, and Washington Local Schools.

Before the Plan Commission ultimately recommended that the city council approve plans for the complex last fall, its staff took issue with the use of corrugated metal and lack of greenspace in the project’s design.

In October, as the city council considered the proposal, some West Toledo residents expressed concern that Abbell Associates owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes for nearby properties. Councilman Vanice Williams suggested the local school district could use the tax revenue — a proposition that soon became reality.

A month later, Westgate Village North, LLC — which owns the property and is affiliated with Abbell Associates — was offered a 100 percent property tax exemption lasting 15 years so long as it agreed to make payments to Washington Local Schools in lieu of taxes.

Mr. Melden said at the time that once the tax abatement period concludes, the school district will receive the full amount of tax revenue that would have been paid over the 15-year span.

On Wednesday, Mr. Sehlhorst thanked the school district for helping to provide the “financing needed” to advance the Westgate project. He also said he thought the Westgate development was “changing the narrative,” because the property might have been put to industrial use like the former Southwyck Mall and North Towne Mall sites.

“We’re rewriting the story,” he said. And the development at Westgate Village North is not its final chapter — Mr. Sehlhorst reminded attendees that the Village at Secor retail development is underway just next door.