NEWARK, Ohio — Ohio State University graduate Todd Alexander worked in commercial construction and real estate for nearly four decades. 

He thought about retirement in 2020, until a new redevelopment plan in the city of Newark caught his eye. 

What You Need To Know

  • Newark Station will be a 140,000-square-foot multi-use development

  • The first phase, the Yard at Newark Station, is slated to open May 28, which will be an outdoor entertainment venue

  • More details about phases two through four will be released in late May

“As we started to look at what could possibly be within this building, the vision just came together and it just fell into place,” Alexander said.

That vision is Newark Station, a 140,000-square-foot multi-use development. It will be an arts district of sorts, walking distance from downtown, on the site of a former appliance factory and storage warehouse. 

The first phase, the Yard at Newark Station, is slated to open May 28. It will be an outdoor entertainment venue with four volleyball courts, live music, a restaurant and a bar. 

“With the wind down of COVID and it being outdoors, we just feel like that's a great first step for the project. As we move into the building, we look at this as a kind of microeconomy as to what's going to occur within this building. And it will have housing. It will have art studios,” Alexander said.

Sharing Alexander's passion about Newark Station is Seth Stout, who grew up in nearby Dresden. 

“I was fortunate to get a voicemail from Todd Alexander. I think just fate brought us together. When he had mentioned Newark, Ohio to me, that just instantly struck a cord. I grew up not far from here. The downtown has done an incredible job at rebuilding what was already great about Newark. Just bringing back that understanding of the impact that Newark has economically and reviving that, we want to have a vessel that can serve that,” Stout said. 

Alexander and Stout said more details will be released about phases two through four in late May, which will include indoor, rooftop and green spaces.  

But looking ahead, both said they can't wait until their shared vision becomes reality over the next year. 

“His vision of what youth today is looking for, and what excites them, combined with my 34 years of experience, you know we really married that together quite nicely and as such I just think the vision of the project is just fantastic,” Alexander said. 

For more information on the project, click here. 

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