At the crossroads of small-town Ohio and a major interstate interchange…was an opportunity.

A local developer started acquiring parcels of land adjacent to the US-15 and US-23 interchange, south of Carey, Ohio, and envisioned creating all the day-to-day amenities the Village lacked. A hotel, maybe? A medical facility, definitely! Interstate-worthy gas station or fast-food restaurants, absolutely! Multi-family housing, office space, why not? What services could the residents of Carey support, but also be available for the 15,000 cars passing through the interchange every day?

RCM Architects was commissioned by the developer, Vaughn Industries, to envision a comprehensive master plan for the acreage they had accumulated, and propose an effective layout for these, and many more, “what ifs?”. Knowing the development would come together in phases, first, the plan had to lay the groundwork for potential vehicular and pedestrian traffic, followed by development-wide provisions for stormwater collection and utilities. Proposed development parcels were identified in a hierarchy, giving thought to visibility from adjacent highways, adjacency to existing utilities, and with views and vistas of the stormwater retention pond.

Shortly after schematic design for the master plan started, and well before a shovel of dirt was turned in construction, word of “plans” started to spread about the Village. The local doctor office started thinking about their own need for more space. The number of medical services and testing options had grown, the number of patients receiving their care had grown, and as a result, the doctors and staff had outgrown their current location in Carey. Vaughn Industries now had an anchor in which to plan the entire development.

Blanchard Valley Health System (BVHS) and Drs. Robert and Troy Puckett began exploring the proposed Sheriden Development as the home for their new Medical and Diagnostic Center. This medical office building would allow the people of Carey to stay closer to home for their medical care and needs, in lieu of driving 30 minutes to larger cities, in either direction.

RCM worked with BVHS staff to design the new medical facility which includes two (2) family practices, a specialty clinic, imaging services, laboratory services, and a new home for Harry’s Pharmacy. All program elements were organized around a shared, grand lobby space with a central check-in counter.

Since the Carey Medical & Diagnostic Center opened in 2019, RCM has also worked with the new Owners of selected out-parcels of the Sheriden Development to envision their futures within the development. Landscape Architectural and Architectural Design was provided to envision the New Professional Office Building (2020) and the Sheriden Car Wash (2021).

The 20,000 sf Sheriden Professional Building is the new home to three (3) offices and a daycare. RCM worked specifically with the daycare tenant to design the interior environment, including four (4) classrooms, a central play area, secured drop-off, administration office, and support spaces. The daycare also was positioned to allow for a secured exterior activity space.

Knowing a large number of locals have extra-long and wide pickup trucks, the new automated Sheriden Car Wash was specifically designed to accommodate these vehicles. The car-wash mechanisms were also designed to operate, hand-free, without an attendant. The exterior of the facility was envisioned with a stone veneer, paying homage to Carey’s history as home to regionally-significant quarries.

We enjoyed working with the Village of Carey, Vaughn Industries, Blanchard Valley Health System, Bright Minds Learning Center, and the Sheriden Car Wash throughout the master planning, site planning, and architectural projects. We see the fruits of the master plan being provided in numerous economic development opportunities that the Village of Carey and Wyandot County needed, while providing new services and facilities to the local residents.

RCM Architects was honored to have the opportunity to design this development. We look forward to meeting with you to discuss your potential projects, and ultimately, “turn your vision into reality.”

Sheriden Master Plan and Carey Medical & Diagnostic Center