"This is more than just a 77-room hotel," developer Jason Stevenson told News 5 last week while walking through The Legacy Hotel at 257 S. Court St. "It's all of those things and a hotel." By "all of those things," he meant three places to eat and drink, a library, private rooms and an event center for up to 200 people. They sit a short walk south of Public Square, in a part of town Main Street Medina calls South Town.
Most of what's new downtown this fall is on those southern blocks, not on the Square. A pocket park opened there in June. A boutique moved into a storefront there in September. The hotel expects to open there in November. And the stretch of Court Street that ties it all together is scheduled for repaving starting October 12.
Where South Town Starts and Stops
Main Street Medina draws South Town from Smith Road south to Lafayette Road, and from South Broadway Street west to South Huntington Street. The group describes its aim as making the area more walkable and bringing in arts and entertainment venues beyond what the Square and the historic district already offer. The City's visitor page treats South Town as its own area just south of the Square, with the Farmers Exchange as its anchor.
The plan behind it has three parts: a gateway on South Court Street, pedestrian improvements along Mill Street, and a gathering space. The ideas came from stakeholder sessions that began in 2018, the City's 2022 comprehensive plan and public meetings in 2023.
Of those three parts, the gathering space is the one you can visit today. Medina Bee Park at 380 S. Broadway St. opened with a ribbon-cutting on June 26. It has patio lighting, a stage, seating, public art and pollinator plants, and it was paid for with more than $25,000 in donations. Logan Gsellman's co-winning mural is on the big wall now. It was inspired by summer walks through the flower fields on his family's Medina property. The other co-winner, Sid Frazier, is scheduled to have his piece displayed this fall. We found no confirmation that the swap has happened yet.
The gateway is less certain. Main Street Medina has $62,000 worth of pillars and planters ready: pillars at South Court and Smith and at South Court and Lafayette, plus 13 planters along the block. They were planned for spring 2026, and the project page still says "coming soon." Main Street's February update said the Mill Street pedestrian work would begin this year but wouldn't be visible yet.
A Walk Down South Court, by Address
The new arrivals are easiest to follow on a walk south from the Square. Main Street Medina's directories list these addresses. We've added the recent changes from local news.
| Address | Business | What's current |
|---|---|---|
| 201 S. Court St. | Lemonberry Frozen Yogurt | Listed in Main Street's dining directory |
| 221 S. Court St. | H2 Huth & Harris Wine Merchants | Listed in Main Street's dining directory |
| 229 S. Court St. | Curve Collective | Took over the former Nibble space; grand opening planned for November |
| 229 S. Court St., upper floor | Simply Charlotte | Newly reopened in a renovated space |
| 233 S. Court St. | All Fired Up | Listed in Main Street's shop directory |
| 236 S. Court St. | Hemingway's Underground | Listed in Main Street's dining directory |
| 257 S. Court St. | The Legacy Hotel | Aiming for early to mid-November |
| 260 S. Court St. | Castle Noel, Alien Vacation 3D Mini Golf | Long-standing South Town attractions |
| 320 S. Court St. | The Farmers Exchange: Medina Brewing Company, The Farmer's Table, Big Dog Daddy's, Keller Cafe & Bistro, Keller Meats & Market | The district's anchor |
| 420 S. Court St. | Black Cat Books & Oddities | Listed in Main Street's shop directory |
The 229 address shows how quickly things are changing. The Medina Gazette reported on September 11 that Nibble closed in August. Owner Melissa Ziogas planned a soft opening of Curve Collective, a plus-size boutique, in the same space, with a grand opening in November. Upstairs, Main Street Medina lists Simply Charlotte as newly reopened in a renovated space. Main Street's online shop directory still shows Nibble at that address. If you're going for Curve Collective, trust the storefront over the directory.
One more opening sits just north of this walk, on the Square. BOSS ChickNBeer will be the fifth location of the wing-and-beer counter from Heather Doeberling and Emily Moes, who started in Berea in 2018. It's taking 117 Public Square, the former Swine BBQ space. Cleveland Scene reported on September 22 that it should open "sometime this fall" and before the end of 2026. No date has been given.
The Hotel Is the Biggest Piece, and Its Date Has Moved
The Legacy Hotel is a Marriott Tribute Portfolio property. When News 5 toured it on September 24, the guest rooms were done except for linens, while other rooms were still full of boxes and building materials. The station reported a completion target of early to mid-November. An earlier Medina County Life story had put the grand opening around the first of October. November is the newer estimate, and it has already moved once.
For people who live in Medina, the hotel's restaurants may matter more than its rooms. Medina County Life named the three planned venues: Lilly Jean's, a café and martini lounge; Privato, an Italian steakhouse; and Lavista, a raw bar on the fifth floor. Stevenson expects at least 100 people to work at the hotel on a typical day. Asked about parking and congestion, he pointed to three entrances meant to spread out traffic and 130 new parking spaces.
The Same Street Goes Under Repair on October 12
The hotel's traffic plan meets a road project. The City's US 42 resurfacing covers Court Street from just north of Homestead Street to Lafayette Road, and cleveland.com reported in June that the work runs through Court Street on the Square. Lafayette Road is also South Town's southern edge. So the whole Court Street length of the district, from the Square past the Farmers Exchange, is inside the project.
City Engineer Patrick Patton said on September 28 that concrete work at Lafayette Road and Friendship Street should be done by the end of the following week. Asphalt resurfacing is expected to start October 12, weather permitting. The job also adds new concrete curb ramps and improves several intersections along the corridor. Kokosing Construction Co. of Elyria is the contractor. The estimated cost is $1.9 million, with a $900,000 grant from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, and completion is estimated for August 2027.
That $1.9 million figure is higher than the $1.6 million limit Council first authorized for bids. The first time the City bid the project, no one bid. The second time, the only bid came in more than $1 million over the original estimate. Kokosing was later the lowest of three bidders. Patton said the City will post alternate routes and schedules on its website and in press releases before the asphalt work begins.
Putting the dates together: if the hotel opens in November as planned, it will open during the road work, and its restaurants will spend their first months with the repaving underway right outside. This October also has the busiest weekend calendar of the year on the Square.
South Town's Edges Lead to Trails
South Broadway, the district's eastern edge, is where South Town meets the trails. The Champion Creek Trailhead and Spokes Café share the building at 406 S. Broadway St. In February, the Gazette reported the City was preparing to seek proposals for a new lease on that building, with the current lease set to expire in late May. We haven't found a later report on who holds the lease.
Smith Road, the district's northern edge, is about to get a trailhead of its own. The Medina County Park District reopened Lake Medina on September 29 after weeks of closures. It added a paddlecraft launch and fishing pier near the Granger Road trailhead, with two launches, one of them ADA-accessible, plus spots to sit or stand while fishing. About a mile of the Lake Medina Greenway, from south of the pumphouse to Route 18, has been repaved. Another mile of trail and a new trailhead on Smith Road are due to open in October. The park district hasn't set the day yet. Its May update had expected the extension by the end of July.
October Dates on the Square and South of It
The farmers market's last day and Restaurant Week both come before the asphalt work starts. The rest of the month's events fall after it begins.
- October 2–11: Medina Restaurant Week. Twenty local independent restaurants take part, including 17 Public Square.
- October 10: Last Medina Square Farmers Market of the season. It runs Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with more than 70 vendors. The same day brings the Salute to Farming demonstrations and exhibits.
- October 12: US 42 asphalt resurfacing is expected to begin, weather permitting.
- October 18: Cars & Coffee on Public Square, 8 a.m. to noon, with more than 150 show cars and a Trunk-or-Treat.
- October 22: Witches Night Out, with themed specials at local businesses and a witches' dance on the Square at 8 p.m. Curve Collective and Simply Charlotte are among the listed participants.
- October 24: Chocolate Walk, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. around the historic Square and downtown, with more than 20 chocolate samples, run by the Medina County Arts Council.
- October 24: Great America 250 Pumpkin Salute, 6 to 9 p.m. on Public Square, with pumpkin lighting, a costume contest, a hay maze, music and food trucks.
Main Street Medina's Ghost Fest events on October 1 and October 15 are already sold out.
A downtown that's changing block by block can raise its own questions, especially if you own a home near South Court or are helping a parent decide whether their longtime place still fits. At Life Stages Realty, our team is glad to talk through what these changes might mean for your home, at your own pace. A good first step is a no-pressure Home Valuation.
