Akron Downtown Vision & Redevelopment Plan Akron, Ohio
Services Provided
Downtown Planning
Urban Design
Placemaking
Community Engagement
People Involved
Andrew Overbeck
Sarah Lilly
Plan Document
Establishing downtown Akron as an engine for innovation, employment growth, and development
MKSK led a multidisciplinary team to create a vision for Downtown Akron that serves to guide public and private investment for downtown and central city area. The market-based plan fosters a rich diversity of downtown places and spaces that will attract and support people who live, work and play in Downtown Akron. The vision articulates how to improve the character, identity, and connectivity of the downtown area and its surrounding neighborhoods and increase its vitality and prosperity in the areas of innovation, place-making, housing, business attraction, and arts and entertainment. Working together with the Downtown Akron Partnership (DAP), the City, and stakeholders, MKSK engaged the community about the future of the downtown to understand concerns and opportunities.
MKSK met with the community through a series of in-person and online workshops. The following 10 principles were developed following stakeholder input: 1) Focus on Main Street, 2) Build vitality through residential development, 3) Address business vacancy, 4) Create a coordinated incentive for redevelopment, 5) Make great public spaces, 6) Continue to program downtown, 7) Prioritize street design that enhances health and safety, 8) Expand on successful areas of activity, 9) Build on Akron’s rich history, 10) Strengthen downtown connections with surrounding neighborhoods and institutions.
Building from the 10 planning principles, the Planning Team identified strategic recommendations and provided a framework for the continued revitalization of Downtown Akron through an action-oriented implementation matrix.
With a focus on Main Street, the Downtown Akron Partnership and the City of Akron have been working since 2017 to implement public realm, streetscape, residential, retail and redevelopment projects. More than 500 residential units have been added downtown through rehab projects at the Bowery Blocks, Canal Place and 159 Main Street.
Investments in public spaces have also been completed, with public art at Northside Green and the $10 million renovation of Lock 3. All of these projects are linked together by the $27 million investment in the Main Street Promenade that added a cycletrack, transit improvements, and new landscaping to create a comfortable, walkable, tree-lined corridor. Planning and design work has continued to guide additional investment in downtown through an MKSK-led Transit Oriented Development Feasibility Study and Main Street Catalyst Site Capacity Studies to determine market supported uses and required investment in transit infrastructure and public realm improvements. MKSK has also led plans for each of the neighborhoods adjacent to Downtown Akron to ensure that community investments uplift existing residents and connect them to the opportunities, jobs and activities that exist downtown.
MKSK is completing a plan update that refreshes market data, studies equitable outcomes, and creates new focus area plans for downtown.
