Displaying items by tag: downtown Akron

(City of Akron) Today (Wednesday), Mayor Horrigan is pleased to announce that work on Main Street has flipped from the west side of the street to the east side, marking the completion of a vast majority of the major underground utility work on the project. This milestone moves the project one important step closer to completion which is scheduled for July 2020.

"This critical indicator of progress is a reminder that the finish line is in sight,” said Mayor Dan Horrigan. “I am excited to see the ultimate result of all the work that has gone into completely renovating our Main Street Corridor. I continue to encourage residents to support the wonderful businesses that call Main Street 'home’ as we push forward with the last stretch of Phase I construction.”

All northbound traffic, between W. State St. and just south of W. Bowery St., has now been flipped over onto the newly paved west side of the street as contractors begin work along the east side. With this shift of traffic, on-street parking will not be available within these limits. On street parking is available on University Ave., State St. and S. High St. This portion of the project (State St. to Bowery St.) is expected to be complete by June 30.

Free two hour parking will be available in the Summit County parking deck located at 200 S. High St., for those visiting Main Street businesses impacted by this phase of construction. Click here for a parking map. Vouchers are good for up to two hours. Vouchers are available with a purchase from any of the following businesses: Indulge, Key Bank, El Gato, Lockview, Baxter’s, The Peanut Shoppe, US Bank, Barley House, and the Civic Box Office. Patrons should take a ticket upon entering the deck, and then when leaving, should insert their ticket (at the High Street exit) and when prompted to pay, scan their voucher.

In addition to the work associated with the Main Street Corridor Project, private vault work on several of the historic buildings will also be ongoing. Pedestrian access and northbound traffic will be maintained for the entirety of the project.

“I extend my gratitude to all our businesses, workers, residents, and visitors for their continued patience as we completely recreate Main Street into a more beautiful, functional, and inviting corridor for all users, while also making needed upgrades to the underground utilities,” Mayor Horrigan continued. “The inconveniences of construction will be temporary, but the infrastructure investment being made along Main Street will last for generations.”

 

For the most up-to-date information about the project please visit www.driveakron.com.

Downtown Akron continues to receive its share of facelifts, from road repair to other cosmetic changes. Basically, if one can stomach the orange barrels and detours for a bit, downtown will look much different.

Dan Horrigan, the mayor of Akron, joined the Ray Horner Morning Show to give an overview on the projects. Horrigan points to the major project, which is Main Street in downtown, where, as of this post, much of it is closed off. He believes this redevelopment will have a big impact on attracting more residents and businesses to the city in the future.

The mayor also touched on the added bike lanes and the Innerbelt area, as well as the sewer project, Rolling Acres land, and the early voting topic.

The City of Akron and the Downtown Akron Partnership have unveiled their Downtown Akron Vision and Redevelopment Plan. It's a comprehensive plan to overhaul Downtown Akron, with the addition of street-level retail, business, residences, and infrastructure designed to connect the current hotspots of Downtown while maintaining the historic character of the neighborhood. 

Akron Planning Director Jason Segedy and Downtown Akron Partnership President and CEO Suzie Graham joined Jasen for an in-depth look at the plan and to talk about how long it may take for the ideas to come to fruition.

After more than five years without, Downtown Akron will now host food trucks every Wednesday throughout the summer, between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Cascade Plaza. 

Years ago, then-Mayor Don Plusquellic put heavy regulations on the mobile eateries, essentially barring them from operating within Akron's downtown. Many say that this drove local food truck operators to neighboring communities, like Cleveland, that had much more relaxed regulations. 

There was also the concern that food trucks would take away lunchtime business from the brick-and-mortar stores in the downtown area. Akron City Councilman Jeff Fusco tells us that with the lifting of these regulations on food trucks, they will continually be working on ways to make it better for both the trucks and brick and mortar restaurants operating in the same area. 

 

 

Akron, Ohio, May 18, 2017– The City of Akron will be hosting a food truck huddle on Cascade Plaza downtown from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM every Wednesday through September 27th. Each Cascade Cucina event, sponsored by PNC Bank, will feature at least six food trucks along with fun activities and entertainment, including yard games, and music courtesy of 91.3 The Summit.

“I encourage Downtown workers to step out of the office for that much-needed afternoon break to check out the delicious and diverse offerings of Cascade Cucina on the Plaza,” Mayor Horrigan said. “We are proud to feature a fantastic array of food trucks from Akron and Summit County for lunch every Wednesday this summer.”

The Cascade Cucina on the Plaza series builds on recommendations from Phase I of the City’s Downtown Redevelopment Plan. “For the Downtown neighborhood to thrive, we must continue to activate our public spaces, particularly on Main Street, and provide a vibrant mix of street-level activities that serve the whole community,” Mayor Horrigan said. “I am confident the Cascade Cucina food truck huddles will be a welcome new addition to the Downtown scene this summer, and encourage the public to explore Downtown and rediscover all the great shops and restaurants it has to offer.”

“At PNC, our goal is to enrich the lives of those around us, and Cascade Cucina on the Plaza was the perfect opportunity,” said Kevin Thompson, regional president for PNC Bank in Akron. “Having food trucks downtown each week enhances the experience for downtown workers and residents while also helping build the city’s core.”

The following food trucks will be participating in Cascade Cucina on the Plaza, on rotation:

The Square Scullery

The Orange Trük

Fuel Fork

Smash Time

The Beachcomber Truck

The Stone Pelican

Southern Thangs

The Slop Truck

S.W.A.T Truck

A Twist of Leona P

remier Crepes

Wholly Frijoles Mexican Cafe

Arnone Street Foods

For more information and a weekly list of food trucks, please visit www.Lock3Live.com.

A fire in an electrical vault underneat the Everett Building located at 39 E. Market Street in downtown Akron lead to about 220 FirstEnergy customers sitting without power for about an hour Monday morning. 

According to Akron Fire Department, the fire started just before 7:30 Monday morning. As Akron Fire crews responded, FirstEnergy was called to the building to shut off power. Due to heavy smoke, Mark Durbin with FirstEnergy says crews could not access the vault to shut off power. They were forced to de-energize the nearest substation, which in turn shut off power to roughly 220 downtown FirstEnergy customers, Durbin says. 

As of 10:30 a.m., power to those most all of those customers had been restored. Durbin said power at the Everett Building and two nearby buildings was still affected at that time. 

Akron Fire was still on the scene as of 11:30 a.m., Monday, and power to the Everett Building had not yet been restored. 

Meanwhile, Akron Municipal Court offices closed their operations for the remainder of the day, Monday, as of 10 a.m. In a press release, Akron Municipal Court advised anyone with scheduled court business call the office on Tuesday for rescheduling instructions. 

Stay with WAKR.net for updates on this story. 

In recent years, a focus on bringing the people back to the downtown area has helped transform Ohio towns such as Columbus and Cleveland. Could Akron be not far behind?

It has been announced that the heart of downtown Akron will be getting a new look in the next few years. Jeff Fusco, president of the planning committee in the city of Akron, joined the Ray Horner Morning Show to talk about the plans for new downtown development. According to Fusco, the focus has been on how to keep young professionals within city limits, which in turn will keep the businesses around, as well.

The plans are calling for 120 new apartments, which will also bring in construction jobs for said projects. Fusco calls this a “dynamic” project for the city.