Loudonville Downtown Revitalization Project Receives $1.8 Million Transportation Alternatives Award
LOUDONVILLE, OH — August 2026 — A downtown revitalization effort more than six years in the making has reached a major milestone: the Village of Loudonville has been awarded approximately $1.8 million in Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funding to advance major infrastructure improvements in downtown Loudonville.
The award represents the largest step yet toward implementing the downtown vision developed through a collaborative planning process involving the Village of Loudonville, the Mohican Area Growth Foundation (MAGF), local businesses, property owners, community stakeholders, and residents.
The project will transform portions of Main Street and surrounding downtown intersections with new sidewalks, ADA-accessible curb ramps, decorative street lighting, plantings, seating, bike lanes, bicycle racks, improved pedestrian crossings, drainage, and roadway improvements.
“This is an exciting moment for Loudonville because it represents the transition from planning to implementation,” said Mayor Cathy Lance. “This vision has been developed over many years, and it has taken persistence and cooperation among the Village, the MAGF, local businesses, residents, and community leaders to get to this point.”
The downtown planning process began more than six years ago. In 2020, the MAGF approached the Village about collaborating on a comprehensive downtown revitalization effort. A community task force was subsequently assembled, with residents, business owners, stakeholders, and Village officials contributing to the process. The resulting plan identified priority projects and strategies for making downtown a stronger place to live, work, visit, and invest.
The TAP application was developed through continued coordination among the Village, MAGF, and OHM Advisors. The project has been pursued through multiple grant applications over several years.
“The biggest potential impact of this project is not simply having newer sidewalks,” said Jordan Lance, President of MAGF. “It is creating a downtown that better reflects the natural beauty, character, and potential of the Mohican Area—a place where residents want to spend time, visitors want to explore, and businesses want to invest.”
Strengthening Loudonville’s Tourism Economy
The investment comes at an important time for Loudonville as the community continues to build on its position as the commercial and recreational gateway to the Mohican Valley.
Tourism is one of the region’s most important economic drivers. A study conducted by the Ohio University Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service found that every additional 1,000 day-visitors to the Mohican Valley generates an estimated $80,394 in regional economic output, while every 1,000 overnight visitors generates approximately $327,806 in economic activity. The study found that visitor spending has significant impacts on restaurants, retail, sporting-goods businesses, lodging, and other tourism-related industries.
For Loudonville, that makes the quality and connectivity of the downtown experience a critical economic development issue.
“The goal is to make downtown part of the visitor experience, not simply a place people drive through on their way to the next attraction,” said Matt Armstrong, Village Council Member. “When visitors can safely park, walk, shop, eat, and explore, more of the economic activity generated by tourism has an opportunity to reach local businesses.”
The streetscape project also complements other investments taking shape in the community.
“This project is an exciting opportunity to strengthen downtown Loudonville while complementing the historic character that makes our community special,” said Kenny Libben, Curator of the Cleo Redd Fisher Museum.
In June, Loudonville received $300,000 in state capital funding for the Riverside Park Connector, a planned 0.3-mile connection linking Riverside Park with downtown and the existing trail network. The connector was identified as a priority in the downtown plan and is another piece of a broader effort to improve pedestrian and bicycle connections throughout the community.
Together, these projects begin to create a stronger connection between Loudonville’s downtown, Riverside Park, the Mohican River, and the region’s broader recreational assets.
From Planning to Action
The downtown plan was designed to identify catalytic projects that could be implemented over time. The Village’s published plan specifically identified grant funding, including ODOT’s Transportation Alternatives Program, as one potential source for moving priority projects forward.
“This is what successful community planning is supposed to look like,” said Nichole Cutlip, Development Director of MAGF. “It takes a long-term vision, community involvement, persistence, and multiple partners willing to keep working toward the same goal.”
The Village will now move into the next phases of project development, including detailed engineering, design, required state and federal processes, and preparation for construction bidding. A firm construction start date has not yet been announced.
The project is expected to become an important foundation for additional downtown improvements in the years ahead.
“This is not the end of the downtown plan,” said David Laatz, local business owner. “I’m excited to see the pieces of this vision become reality.”
