Young pros: Findlay, you're no Columbus

Findlay businesses have difficulty retaining young professional employees — those in their 20s, with bachelor's degrees — who came from outside Findlay. A task force of young professionals, as part of Findlay-Hancock County Community Development, identified multiple ways Findlay could stem that hemorrhaging of young talent to big cities: • Offer more moderately-priced apartments near downtown; • Be more open to different people and cultures. • Make it easier to walk or bicycle around town. Findlay transportation is overly car-focused; • Existing venues, like Ghost Town and Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation, could offer more entertainment for young adults in addition to their family-oriented offerings; • Organize group trips on weekends to big cities like Toledo, Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Detroit and Pittsburgh. "Young people are gravitating towards those large urban areas. Findlay is not a large urban area," said Sarah Perrigo, project coordinator for Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development. "But it does have that small town charm." If Findlay-Hancock County is willing to change, it could help employers attract and retain more top entry-level talent, according to a report issued this week by the AFTER (Attracting Future Talent, Entertainment, and Resources) Hours Task Force. Findlay's choice The ball is in Findlay's court. "Maybe the community doesn't want to follow these recommendations. They are just that, recommendations. So maybe Findlay needs to have a conversation of who do they want to be," Perrigo said. "Do they want to be a community that young people want to go to, or do they want to stay the same? "I don't think there is a wrong answer," she said. "But I think it's something that people need to consider as we look at the future and long-term growth here." If Findlay wants to stop losing young talent to bigger cities, it needs to offer more housing that fits the lifestyles of 20-somethings. "Generally people in that age range, they don't have kids," Perrigo said. "They may be single, maybe have a partner, so they're not looking for huge houses." More one- and two-bedroom apartments are needed in or near downtown. Young people like downtown living. "That's where life and vitality is," she said. "They can create a community of other like-minded individuals downtown." To this end, Findlay and its leaders have been working for years to increase housing for all price ranges and lifestyles. Findlay City Planning Commission on Thursday approved plans for one- and two-bedroom apartments on West McPherson Avenue. In addition, more apartments appear to be on the way on East Melrose Avenue by year-end 2025. Findlay City Council's Planning & Zoning Committee and City Planning Commission on Thursday recommended rezoning to allow construction of apartments at the northwest corner of Melrose Avenue and Keith Parkway. Walking, bicycling Still, Findlay needs more apartments that rent monthly for $1,000 or less, Perrigo said. "I think a lot of the apartments we have that are good quality, closer to downtown, are $1,250 and above per month," she said. Young professionals in their 20s want to be able to walk or bicycle to more places, she said. "They don't want to have to hop into their car to go everywhere. Right now there are certain areas in Findlay where the sidewalks aren't fantastic. It's difficult to cross Tiffin Avenue, for example, on foot because it's so automobile focused," Perrigo said. "We don't have many clear, safe bike lanes outside of what's on Blanchard Street. So really, that non-automobile-focused infrastructure was a key area for them." One of the draws of big cities for young professionals is that they embrace different types of people, ideas and cultures, she said. Like other small towns, Findlay can seem insular, she said. Embrace differences "We're seeing a little bit of hesitation as more migrant workforce comes in. How do we flip the script so that the conversation around that isn't negative but is instead positive?" Perrigo said. "How do we welcome these people in and make sure that they feel welcome in the community and contribute to the community because they feel welcome. "A lot of it, I think, is about the way we talk about these things, and learning to speak with more positivity and empathy and inclusion," she said. While Findlay is small, it can help young professionals enjoy the "best of both worlds" by organizing group visits to big cities in the region. "If there is a way for, say, employers recruiting employees to town to say, 'Look, you can feel safe and secure and like you have a home here, but also you can access Toledo, Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Indianapolis, Detroit, and Pittsburgh, all within four hours,' you can probably get the best of both worlds," Perrigo said. "Maybe there are opportunities for once a month there's a community trip up to Toledo. And there's transportation of some sort, so people feel connected to those opportunities without moving to those opportunities," she said. "They can still live in Findlay and still have those resources around that."