Displaying items by tag: downtown akron partnership

(City of Akron) As part of the Main Street Corridor project, Dominion Gas line repair and replacement work will begin on Main Street in front of Lock 3 on Nov. 26, resulting in some closures and impacts between State Street and Bowery Street. One lane of north and south bound traffic will be maintained, and on-street parking will remain on the east side of the street.

The City of Akron and coordinating partners are working hard to continuously maintain proper pedestrian access to Main Street businesses and entertainment. Patrons are asked to use the sidewalk on the east side of the road and cross at the mid-street crossings that will be set up. Pedestrians can access Lock 3, Lock Next and the businesses directly across from Lock 3 via a mid-street crossing at University Avenue. Access to the Civic theatre will also be maintained with a mid-street crossing in front of the entrance by the Peanut Shoppe.

In order to best support activity downtown during construction, the City of Akron and Downtown Akron Partnership will begin to work with the Main Street businesses to both promote current delivery service options and implement delivery services for more businesses, as well offer walking tours meant to help patrons navigate the downtown closures. 

Shortly after the completed of Dominion Gas work, which is anticipated to be completed the week of December 24, section 3A of the Main Street Corridor Project will begin in that same area.

The Main Street Corridor work is a two-phase project made possible through two federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants. Work on Phase 1 began July 9 and is expected to be completed in 2020. Throughout construction, the City will continue to host various stakeholder engagement activities in collaboration with the Downtown Akron Partnership, to ensure sustained dialogue about the project and its impact on the downtown community.

Phase 1 is a $31 million effort to reconstruct all infrastructure from building face to building face along the South Main corridor width, between Cedar and Mill Streets, including: new pavement with a lane dedicated to parking/buses/delivery vehicles,  new sidewalks, a permanent bicycle track, upgraded underground utilities, upgraded traffic signal equipment, smart LED lighting, a roundabout at Main and Mill Streets, storm water management improvements, and a complete rebuild of the State Street bridge.  Also included in the scope are all the amenities needed to make this an attractive corridor including landscaping and public benches. 

The City of Akron was awarded a second, $8 million TIGER grant in 2018 to help fund Phase 2 of the Main Street Corridor Project. Phase 2 will extend improvements to an additional segment of Main Street from Mill Street to Perkins Street/Route 59. It is the second phase of a 1.4-mile green corridor through the heart of the city. The stretch is designed to connect people to centers of education, employment, innovation, entrepreneurship, culture, entertainment and recreation.

It's not easy for a business to simply pop-up on the streets of Akron, but that's exactly what one dry cleaning shop did with the help of Downtown Akron Partnership (DAP).

"A lot of people say that people don't wear suits and they don't get dressed up as much anymore, but there is one place they are getting dressed up and it's downtown Akron," said Blaise Meeker, co-owner of Pressed For Success.

DAP launched a program this year to help businesses fill empty storefronts in downtown Akron. That program helped Pressed for Success to open on South Main Street, accross from Lock 3. DAP is assisting the owners with a six-month lease of an empty storefront on Main Street.

"We're always looking for ways to activate downtown and bring more businesses into downtown, so we received a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to activate storefronts," said Kimberly Beckett with DAP. "So find ways to bring more retail business into downtown Akron."

Pressed for Success co-owners Blaise and Colin Meeker didn't hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity.

"We hope that they've given us a strong foundation to build off of and last for the next 20 years," said Colin Meeker, co-owner of Pressed for Success.

The store opens Monday, Nov. 2. The owners plan to open another pop-up store that will feature items from Akron-area artists and designers.