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Aiming to bring new life and activity to Toledo’s Warehouse District, Crane Development’s newest undertaking is Huron Yards, a multi-building, multiphase, live-work-and-play development located between Huron St. and Erie St. and between Monroe St. and Washington St. This development company is not some huge conglomerate looking to kill the vibe with its big corporate hammer, no–they’re a small two person company with one employee.
The development company responsible for the multi-building, multiphase, live-work-and-play development known as Huron Yards is Crane Development. Matthew Rubin and Julia Randles are the partners behind the self-described “grassroots company” and have been developing properties in downtown Toledo for ten years. “We’re not huge,” Rubin said with a laugh. “It’s me and Julia. We have one employee to help manage the day-to-day operations.”
“We are boots on the ground,” Randles adds with a laugh.
In 2011, Rubin moved to downtown Toledo and immediately noticed the value of the neighborhoods. He bought a condo downtown shortly after Promedica announced they were consolidating their headquarters in the area. It was then that Rubin started to consider the commercial real estate opportunities downtown. Rubin brought his brother and a friend in to invest in 614 Adams St., and made improvements to the building and eventually leased the space to the restaurant Fowl and Fodder. That was the beginning of Crane Development. Randales hails from the Chicago area with a background in commercial construction.
After moving from The Windy City to The Glass City in 2016, Randles found herself impressed with Toledo’s affordable real estate and asked around about local investors renovating local commercial buildings. She was introduced to Rubin and they eventually bought a building together. According to Randles, she asked Rubin if she could have an active role in the development of the building and he was kind enough to do so.
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“We found that our two skill sets really complemented each other–mine being the design management, construction management, and his being the relationships, the creative financing, and the real estate and then the property management when the property is complete,” Randles said. “Together, we just decided it was a really fun, unique, and interesting opportunity to take these buildings and adaptively reuse them and create something fun for Toledo.”
Huron Yards’ first phase is complete, which includes the renovation of the former Okun Produce building as high-end, one-bedroom, one-bath loft apartments called The Produce Lofts. Phase two is now underway and is expected to finish up by 2026. Parking for residents and site work for the upcoming beer garden have been completed. 28 N Erie St. (the former Alleyway building) is being renovated now and will become a new restaurant called The Station. One of the more exciting new accounts coming to Huron Yards, according to Rubin, is a grocery store that will occupy the first floor of the old Okun Produce building.
“Julia and I work together to identify all the opportunities to enhance downtown Toledo and show people in the community something they haven’t seen before,” Rubin said.
