March 2017 | Business View Magazine

148 149 Green, Ohio build single family homes,” he reports. “We’re seeing 35-year-olds coming back to the com- munity to raise their kids. A lot of younger professionals are moving into these subdivi- sions, now, with little ones on the way, if not already there. We also have a large push for apartments. We’ve recognized that you need apartments to attract Millennials and pro- vide an alternative housing option for mature seniors.” Because it is so large, Green is also working to make sure that its residents will always have the ability to connect with one anoth- er, as well as other parts of the city. “We’ve required sidewalks in subdivisions to make connectivity happen,” says Wiethe. “And we just received a grant from our area-wide transportation group, AMATS, to complete a master connectivity plan. We want to see how we can make the community even more walkable and pedestrian and bike friendly. Our bike trails are limited and it’s difficult to connect them, but we are going to search for solutions.” “We’ve also spent a significant amount of time building infrastructure to connect neighborhoods with sidewalks and trails to Central Park and our downtown area,” Hy- ser adds. “Last year we added 1.2 miles of walking paths connecting more than 700 homes to our central green area.” In addition to being a great place to live, Hyser and Wiethe both stress that Green is a business-friendly community with a city administration that is ready to work closely with the business community. They tout its In addition to being a great place to live, Hyser andWiethe both stress that Green is a business-friendly community with a city administration that is ready to work closely with the business community. They tout its convenient location between Akron and Canton, its proximity to Inter- states I-77 and I-76, and the avail- ability of reasonably-priced industrial land as definite advantages for com- panies looking to relocate or expand.