Grafton Economic Development Opportunities Report October 2024

Available Properties in Grafton, Ohio

The Village of Grafton, founded in 1817, celebrates more than 200 years of progress. Known for its historic downtown business district, Grafton’s traditional hometown ambiance showcases the village as a great place to live, work, own a business, and raise a family. The village is also home to the sprawling 648+ acre Beacon Business Park site, ripe for significant industrial development. Learn more about why this blending of past successes and current opportunities makes Grafton a special place.

Location, Location, Location

Grafton provides strategic access to the major highways and thoroughfares of northeast Ohio. It offers quick access to the lakeshores, is intersected by OH-57 and OH-83, and is within four minutes of OH-303. U.S. Routes 10 and 20 are just a seven-minute drive from downtown Grafton, while Interstates 80 and 480 are within a 10-minute drive, and Interstates 80/90, 71, 76, 77, and 271 interchanges are within a 30-minute drive at multiple points.

Notably, the Village of Grafton is centrally located between Lorain and Medina, Ohio. The Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport is an estimated 18-minute drive; Toledo is a 1.5-hour drive west, and Detroit is within a 2.5-hour drive. Other cities, such as Lansing, Mich., Cincinnati, Parkersburg, W. Va., and Buffalo, N.Y., are all within a four-hour drive.

Grafton boasts an excellent school system in The Midview Schools. The schools are well regarded for their commitment to academic excellence, supportive learning environments, and opportunities for students to grow academically and personally. Oberlin College and Lorain County Community College are a short 15-minute drive from Grafton, and The Ohio State University Lorain County Extension offers a variety of educational programs.

Grafton values its parks and green space areas and encourages the community to visit each one of them. To commemorate Grafton’s 200 years of progress, Bicentennial Park — a favorite gathering place in town — was dedicated on July 1, 2017. Nestled next to the intersection of Main and Mechanic Streets, Bicentennial Park has become Grafton’s go-to spot for wedding day and family snapshots — day or night! Other popular Grafton parks include North Park, Willow Park, Reservoir Park, and other metro parks. Together, they provide multiple picnic shelters, restrooms, playgrounds, basketball courts, baseball diamonds, walking trails, and a community center.

Come to downtown Grafton to explore local shops, restaurants, and cafes. This area features charming boutiques and eateries that showcase the town’s character. Take time to learn about the history of Grafton and its surrounding areas through exhibits and historical artifacts. Additionally, various community events and festivals take place throughout the year, including seasonal fairs, parades, and holiday celebrations.

Grafton’s blend of local charm, community events and outdoor activities makes it a pleasant place to explore and enjoy. Whether you’re interested in history, nature or community involvement, there’s something for everyone to appreciate. And there is no better place to grow your business than a prime development site such as the Beacon Business Park.

Why Grafton?

The Beacon Business Park comprises the North site (397-plus acres) and South site (251-plus acres), both of which are gently sloping greenfield sites that have historically been used solely for agriculture and are ready for development. These sites are available off State Route 83 with immediate access to Interstate 480, the Ohio Turnpike and Interstate 71. These sites are also 30 minutes from downtown Cleveland and Lorain, with shipping ports for Lake Erie and world shipping access.

Grafton is home to a diverse array of small businesses that form the backbone of its vibrant commercial sector. To support these local enterprises, the village provides a range of incentives designed to assist business owners with new start-ups and expansions.

The Greater Grafton Business Partnership was formed to promote the various businesses and non-profit organizations in and around the Grafton area. The Partnership aims to create an environment where businesses are appreciated and patronized. This is a great opportunity for local businesses that want to network regularly.

The village is proud to host a variety of industries and businesses that enhance the community, including:

• APG
• Banks Manufacturing Company
• General Plug
• Keystone Machine & Fab
• Eaton Fabricating Co., Inc.
• Grafton Ready Mix
• Centerra Country Store

Grafton is committed to creating business opportunities with a strategic public utility plan for sustainable economic development through the maintenance and expansion of infrastructure. Grafton is a public power community and boasts the largest renewable energy footprint in Lorain County with the 2019 construction of a 4-megawatt (MW) solar generation facility. Recently, Grafton completed the construction of a 5.5-million-gallon equalization basin at its Wastewater Treatment Plant and updated and expanded both of its electric substations. Additional improvements to Grafton’s water supply utility include the 2018 construction of a second elevated tank and a new water booster pump facility that will meet the water supply demands of this growing community for decades to come.

Consider Grafton as your next opportunity for growth. It is a business-friendly and family-oriented community that has worked hard to preserve its past while making great strides to become a technology, industry and community development benchmark.

Why not learn more about Grafton? Call or stop by Village Hall at 960 Main St. and see all that this dynamic village has to offer.

Site opportunities include:

Beacon Park South

• 251 acres of vacant land

Beacon Park North

• 397 acres of vacant land

Public Power and AMP

Public power utilities are not-for-profit, community-owned electric systems that work to provide the highest-quality, most reliable power to residents and businesses. They are part of the communities and focus on what is best for the people and businesses they serve.

American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP) is the nonprofit wholesale power supplier and services provider for more than 130 Members in the states of Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation, a joint action agency with eight Delaware municipal members. Combined, these Member municipal electric utilities serve approximately 650,000 customers. AMP Members receive their power supply from a diversified resource mix that includes wholesale power purchases through AMP and the open market and energy produced at AMP and Member-owned generating facilities utilizing fossil fuel, hydroelectric, solar, wind, and other renewable resources.

For more information about our member communities and programs, visit searchampsites.com.