Plans for Aurora Park at Geauga Lake main focus of this year’s state of the city address

Aurora Park at Geauga Lake took center stage at Aurora’s 2026 State of the City event, held Feb. 25 at Aurora Meadows.

Aurora purchased the former SeaWorld property and Geauga Lake in 2024, planning to redevelop it into a public park.

“Not just any park, but a park that will eventually use every acre of the 47 to showcase the beauty of the area, provide recreational opportunities for everyone, open up the lake again to public enjoyment and remind us that redevelopment does not have to be industrial, commercial, residential and/or ugly,” Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin said.

Groundbreaking on phase 1 of Aurora Park at Geauga Lake was Oct. 23, 2025. Initial plans include renovating two gatehouse pavilions from the SeaWorld era, as well as a dock, lakeside lawn areas and pavilions. The new park will feature boat rentals and restrooms, as well as a roadway, paths and other infrastructure, she said. Aurora has issued a bond to finance it all, and expects to repay the debt with existing city revenue. 

“These early phases carry high startup costs, and financing them up front allows us to preserve our cash reserves for future phases we intend to complete primarily on a pay-as-we-go basis with no new taxes on residents,” she said.

Masterminding the project is MKSK Studios, a design and planning firm with offices in Ohio, as well as across the country.

MKSK Studios Associate Principal Cullen Meves characterized the rehabilitated dock pavilion as the most simple yet grounding element of Aurora Park’s first phase. Once a quiet remnant of the park’s past, the structure will be a picnic and event space with sweeping, 360-degree views of the lake, she said.

“At the heart of the vision is the goal to fully unlock the site’s 1,700 feet of shoreline, bringing people closer to the water through renewed access, variety and moments of simple delight along Geauga Lake,” Meves said.

Future phases of Aurora Park at Geuga Lake are anticipated to include a beach, a welcome center, recreational courts and courses and an outdoor pool. The features will be added “in stages as revenue and time permits,” Womer Benjamin said.

Lauding the city she has led for a dozen years as “endearing, memorable, welcoming and warm,” Womer Benjamin said Aurora’s leaders have worked hard to maintain their home’s charm and rural character, “regardless of the pounding of the outside world and sometimes demanding developers.”

Also in the coming year, Aurora will share in the cost of two major Ohio Department of Transportation paving projects: East Garfield Road and state Route 306 north. A $6 million new south water tower will be built, $453,000 is slated to design a waterline for the Weston Woods neighborhood and $500,000 will be spent on a new culvert on Eldridge Road.

Some $7.5 million will be spent on wastewater upgrades for Aurora Park and surrounding neighborhoods. Another $300,000 is earmarked to install a sidewalk on state Route 43 from Bissell Road to Hawthorn of Aurora and to design an extension to Iris Place.

Other improvements are on deck at parks throughout the city, and Aurora’s senior program is getting a bus ($150,000, already ordered). Aurora police will add a new lieutenant to its ranks, making a total of three. APD also expects to gain two new patrol vehicles.

The city will replace two of its tornado sirens ($80,000), will acquire a water rescue boat and fire rescue ATV and will pay off its loan for a rescue squad vehicle expected to arrive later this year. Aurora also plans to acquire a mobile incident command trailer, “which can set up communications and operations anywhere the need arises,” Womer Benjamin said.

It all takes money: lots of it, she acknowledged. No problem: Aurora’s income tax revenue increased from under $10 million in 2010 to almost $25 million in 2025.

Business is the driving force behind the city’s solid financial position, providing 87.1% of Aurora’s income tax revenue, Womer Benjamin said.

New businesses that chose Aurora in 2025 include Home Instead, Goddard School, Good Nature Therapy and Old Navy. The city’s iconic Aurora Inn “reimagined” its restaurant and opened its 56 Tavern, she said, and Heinen’s remodeled its existing facility.

Aurora Industrial Park saw Rotek expanding and adding 60 new jobs, Avantor growing from 59 to 82 jobs, Pyrotek adding 32 high-paying jobs and rpGatta adding 25,000 square feet to its facility and eight new engineering jobs, she said.

Piping Rock is investing $19 million to expand its facility and plans to add 100 new high-paying jobs. Salon Patrick opened a full-service salon and spa, retail boutique and coffee and wine bar on state Route 43 near the Hawthorn entrance.

The city is also about to welcome Tulum Mexican restaurant and additional retail development on 21 acres at state Route 43 and Treat Road.

It’s not all about the present or near future. Womer Benjamin also highlighted achievements of the past dozen years, including replacing the final four century-old water lines, building upwards of three miles of sidewalks, installing a modern traffic signal system, opening three new parks and purchasing about 300 acres of greenspace to protect it from development. That’s on top of another 98 acres developer PulteGroup donated.

“Aurora is in a great place, with dedicated staff, well-funded and managed coffers, and no end of opportunities in sight,” Womer Benjamin concluded.