Hartville's Greenhouse, Trail and Boardwalk Are All Changing. Only One Has a Deadline.

As of early October 2026, three Hartville projects are partway through a change. The greenhouse on Swamp Street is being sold. A health center is going up on Sunnyside Street. A new trail between Lake Township Community Park and Hartville Memorial Park is still waiting for construction to start. None of the three has a firm finish date. The greenhouse's last retail day hasn't been announced, the health center targets summer 2027, and the trail's start has already slipped one season.

One date this fall is firm, and it belongs to residents. Stark Parks is taking public feedback on the Quail Hollow wetland boardwalk through Oct. 22. Everything else on the list depends on someone else's schedule.

A greenhouse heading to its third owner

The greenhouse at 3612 Swamp St NE started out as Miller's Greenhouse. Barb and Jerry Miller sold it to GentleBrook when they stepped back from running it day to day. GentleBrook ran it as a retail greenhouse and also as a place for adults with developmental disabilities to do meaningful work.

In a Sept. 22 announcement, GentleBrook said it is selling the greenhouse to Shannon and Judd Allen, the owners of Bloom Hill Farm, a cut-flower farm in Uniontown. GentleBrook will end retail operations there "later this fall." No final day has been published. If you have a gift card to use or a seasonal purchase you usually make there, you can't count on a set date to do it by.

The buyers already know the building. The Allens first approached GentleBrook about leasing space to start their seed trays, and that arrangement grew over the years. Shannon Allen described the purchase this way in Your Ohio News:

"This greenhouse has been part of the Bloom Hill story for the past five years, so taking ownership feels like such a natural and exciting next step for us. We're looking forward to bringing the Bloom Hill experience into the greenhouse in ways that are both beautiful and unexpected. There will be new products and new opportunities to shop and gather. We can't wait to share what's coming this spring."

Since the announcement came in September 2026, "this spring" means spring 2027. Bloom Hill hasn't said what those products will be or when the doors will open. You can see what the farm does now at its Uniontown locations. It sells specialty cut flowers to retail and wholesale customers and offers U-pick, workshops, subscriptions and holiday items. Its flower stand is at 10475 Hoover Avenue NW, and its You-Pick event farm and cottage is at 1818 Lake Center Street NW.

The adult day program now based at the greenhouse will also leave this fall. It is moving to The Junction, a new community hub at 3330 State St. NW in North Canton. According to Your Ohio News, GentleBrook says the space is fully accessible and gives the program room to grow.

What GentleBrook is building on Sunnyside Street instead

The greenhouse sale is half of GentleBrook's fall news. On Sept. 30, the Hartville News reported that construction had started on the Alliance Family Health Center–Hartville Campus, on GentleBrook's grounds at 880 Sunnyside St. SW. It is expected to open in summer 2027.

The project is funded through a New Access Point award from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. That award brings the community health center model to Hartville, with medical and behavioral health services. GentleBrook's partnership and investment in the site give Alliance Family Health Center a permanent location here. The groundbreaking photo included the leaders of both nonprofits, Hasenstab Architects and Ivan Weaver Construction.

So GentleBrook is ending one community-facing service on Swamp Street and adding another on Sunnyside Street. The two are about nine months apart, and the gap runs through winter.

The trail that's further along on paper than on the ground

The Quail Hollow Connector Trail has the longest public history of the three projects and still no start date. Your Ohio News reported in January that the Lake Township Chamber had announced $473,000 in ODNR funding and expected construction "this summer." The Hartville/Lake Community Development page now says construction "is anticipated to begin in fall 2026." Stark Parks' project page says Phase One "will be under construction soon."

The route is already set. Phase One starts near Market Avenue North by Lake Blue Streaks Stadium and Lake Township Community Park. It runs beside a wetland, alongside Woodland Street and across it, then north across Crestmont Avenue to Hartville Memorial Park. A later phase would go through downtown Hartville toward Quail Hollow Park. In May, Lake Township trustees approved a lease and maintenance agreement for a 10-foot public walking and biking path across parts of Lake Township Community Park. Lake Local Schools and the Stark County Park District are also parties to that agreement.

That park has its own smaller project. On Sept. 28, trustees approved a $40,411 contract for handicapped-parking improvements and drainage work at Lake Township Community Park, with Lake Local Schools paying half. If you use the stadium lot this fall, you'll probably see that work before you see any trail paving.

Quail Hollow, where residents set the date

At the far end of the trail's future route, Stark Parks is raising money for Quail Hollow Park. The plan includes an accessible Carriage House for events and rentals, flushable restrooms outside, accessible parking, HVAC and fire-alarm upgrades in the Manor House, removal of the Levitt House and tank, a new picnic shelter and a replacement boardwalk. The campaign has raised $1.5 million toward a goal of nearly $3 million by 2029.

The boardwalk is the one item with a public deadline this fall. Stark Parks is collecting feedback through Oct. 22, 2026, on replacing the wetland boardwalk off the Purple/Nature For All Trail with a wider, accessible route. If you walk that loop, this is your chance to weigh in before the design is decided.

If you go out to look at it, note the park's Sept. 24 alert. Quail Hollow's trails stay open during deer archery season, and Stark Parks asks visitors to wear bright clothing.

What already made it through this year

Some changes this year are already finished. Three new businesses opened in Hartville in 2026, and all have regular hours:

• Black Diamond Vintage, 106 E. Maple St., opened May 1. The downtown antiques and vintage shop has 11 vendors and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar, 841 W. Maple St. in Hartville Centre Plaza, opened in May. It serves smoothies, juices, wraps and bowls, has a drive-thru, and is listed as open daily 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Precious Cargo Preschool & Childcare, 414 S. Prospect Ave., takes children from six weeks through school age. When it announced its opening in August, it reported immediate openings and no waitlist.

The dates you can actually plan around

Hartville's longtime venues do publish firm dates. Today is one of them. The 720 in the 'Ville market runs downtown from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 3. Because of construction in the Tessmer lot, food and beverage vendors are split between the alley near the Tessmer lot and the S. Prospect lot near Sunnyside. These are the published dates from now through Thanksgiving weekend:

The Kitchen lineup has changed this year. The Stage at Hartville Kitchen grew out of Southern Gospel, and its 2026 series now also books tribute artists, variety shows and headliners from Branson and Las Vegas. That's why ABBA and Journey tributes share October with the Triumphant Quartet.

If a project near you, like the Sunnyside Street health campus, the trail at the end of Woodland Street or a new owner on Swamp Street, has you wondering how these changes affect your own property, Shelly Booth follows these Hartville and Lake Township projects closely and is glad to talk them through with you. Start with a quick look at where your home stands today: Get Your Instant Home Valuation.