![]() To counter their lofty dreams of canalboat tours, a giant “AKRON” sign and a Ferris wheel, commenters pulled no punches in speaking practically about shortcomings in downtown Akron. What downtown Akron needs and where it falls short Downtown is well-positioned to capture jobs and economic output from a booming polymer industry and its offshoots. A legacy in rubber, enduring businesses and UA’s global leadership in polymer science and engineering recently led the White House to name Akron a Regional Technology and Innovation Hub. “And we need to do a better job of telling people where we’re doing really well and why they should invest here and building a case for them to invest here.”ĭevelop business, innovation in polymer industry. “We suffer from an overabundance of modesty,” Graham said. Plans should complement, not conflict, “because connecting to the neighborhoods and being a place of pride and value for all of our current residents is really important,” Graham said.īetter marketing of assets. Since downtown’s first development plan in 2018, other neighborhoods - Kenmore, Middlebury, North Hill and West Hill, which is underway - have followed suit. And ballpark visitors need something more appealing than empty gravel parking lots to keep them spending time and money downtown.Īlignment of neighborhood plans. The Polsky Building renovation will give University of Akron students a front door to downtown. Two sluggish areas of downtown have promise. The trails could be more visible and active.Įnhance University Avenue and Canal Park corridors. Downtown Akron has two: the Freedom Trail and the Towpath Trail. Cities are envious of downtowns with bike and hike trails, Graham said. Around downtown, but especially around the soon-to-be renovated Lock 3, creating additional shopping and events could draw more consumers. This need was laid bare years ago with the closings of Quaker Square and City Center Hotel. Knight Center could house a hotel for overnight guests, who spend more than daytime visitors. Graham said four or five parcels adjacent to the John S. Not in Akron, where the nearest hotels one or three blocks away would be stretched to capacity for a large event. Visitors take covered walkways in many other cities’ downtown convention centers. More units are in the works.Ĭonvention-adjacent hotel. There’s often a waiting list for apartments, developers say, even with new units coming online in the past two years in the renovated Landmark (which anchors the Bowery Project), 159 Main (the old Law Building) and The Goodrich. Graham said the plan is to form individual task forces to implement eight “high-level initiatives” to meet the evolving needs of a more resilient downtown neighborhood of more than 1,000 residents: And then you have the opportunity to bring visitors and tourists into the neighborhood.” 8 steps toward a more vibrant downtown You have a small business mix that reflects the culture and character of the community. You still have an employment hub despite the impacts of COVID. “One thing that doesn’t change is that downtown’s function is the living room of the community. ![]() “One of downtown’s jobs is to continue to transition to best meet the needs of the Akron community and also our regional and national audience,” Downtown Akron Partnership President and CEO Suzie Graham said. The revised plan will continue to reflect the changing needs and desired uses of a downtown emerging from years of Main Street construction and a battering pandemic. The 2018 version bet big on the conversion of office space to apartments - a profitable portion of recent mixed-use development projects still struggling to fill storefronts with businesses and retailers. MKSK will finalize the report and action plan for developers and officials using private research and input collected from virtual comments or through in-person meetings, focus groups and from residents at ward meetings. Social Pinpoint - Downtown Akron Plan Update - Ideas WallĪs it did with the original plan in 2018, DAP has hired MKSK, an urban planning and design firm with offices in 12 American cities. ![]()
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