The sounds of kids and families enjoying a day at Geauga Lake may soon return after the City of Aurora announced plans June 12 for a public park with beach access at the site of the old Sea World Ohio.
The sounds of kids and families enjoying a day at Geauga Lake may soon return after the City of Aurora announced plans June 12 for a public park with beach access at the site of the old Sea World Ohio.
Aurora Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin presented to Aurora City Council a proposal to acquire Geauga Lake and 40 acres of lakefront land from Industrial Commercial Properties. The city would pay about $4.5 million for the purchase.
“While we have some initial conceptual plans for the property, we intend to be thoughtful and deliberate in its development. We expect to tackle this project in stages but are eager to provide public access as soon as reasonably possible,” Womer Benjamin said in a statement. “There are still many decisions to be made and more to come on this exciting opportunity.”
In November 2020, ICP announced it had acquired the remaining 377 acres of the former Geauga Lake Amusement Park and Sea World Ohio.
The property straddles Bainbridge Township and Aurora in Portage County.
Aurora negotiated a joint economic development district agreement with the township in 2020, which provided certain economic benefits to the city for its provision of utilities to the Bainbridge side of the property.
The agreement enabled ICP to pursue redevelopment on the Bainbridge side, including plans for residential and retail areas. These include a portion of the property being developed into a mixed-use district, with big box stores, multi-family housing of three or four stories in height, retail, commercial, offices and restaurants, and a boardwalk around the lake with a nostalgia component that celebrates the old amusement park.
Womer Benjamin said while plans for Aurora’s side of the property are not finalized, she is expecting the city to redevelop the property into a public park with a pool, beach and related amenities, non-motorized boating and other recreational attractions.
“This is a legacy purchase for the people of Aurora,” the mayor said. “It is the opportunity of a lifetime to guarantee our residents lake access and a destination that is going to be one of the gems of Northeast Ohio.”
Redevelopment on the Aurora side has included a new Liberty Ford facility and in the last several years, Pulte Homes has been constructing residential developments on some of the property along Squires and Treat roads.
Womer Benjamin said the city’s purchase of the 40 acres of lakefront land and the 53-acre spring-fed lake has a different focus.
“The lake has been a recreational attraction of the community for decades, and to lose access when the parks closed was certainly disappointing,” she said. “To reinstitute lake access coupled with a park and recreational amenities will enhance the overall community and enable the public to enjoy a beautiful area of Northeast Ohio. Furthermore, instead of housing units, we will have greenspace.”
The city will use about $1.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the acquisition, with the remainder coming from general fund money budgeted for that purpose. Under the purchase agreement, ICP will pay for a substantial portion of the demolition cost for some of the remaining structures on the 40 acres.
Some of them may be saved and rehabilitated for use in the city’s plans, including the iconic Sea World aquarium, which could be redeveloped as a restaurant or similar facility and site work on the property is expected to begin within 12 months after demolition is completed, the mayor noted.
Bainbridge Township Trustee Jeff Markley declined to comment on the proposal.
