Workgroup Members:
Amanda Backus, Yvette M. Davidson, Dr. Stephen F. Hallam, Rita Keenan, Mark A. Ohlinger, AIA, Angela Price, F. Eugene Smith and Mary A. Weaver

VISION:
The City of Akron is a world-class, destination city that is pedestrian-friendly, attracts people to visit, work, study, live, and play. It is a physically attractive city that is safe and easily accessible. The city has major cultural and entertainment attractions, a viable business community, with appropriate supporting systems, and an attractive cityscape.

MISSION:
Use the Ohio and Erie Heritage Corridor as the backdrop of the city’s revitalization. The following statements are reflective of this mission. As these goals are pursued, this mission should be reflected in their implementation. In keeping with this mission, the following goals are outlined:

1. Transportation—Provide easy, safe, convenient and accessible transportation to and within the Central Business District.

   1. Provide easy accessibility to, from and within the CBD for all users.

      1. Ensure good signage to and within the CBD.

      2. Provide a safe, pedestrian-friendly environment with well-lit walkways, skywalks, underground concourses, and use the multi-purpose trail as a pedestrian thoroughfare.

      3. Establish an internal bus loop system (preferably electric) to service the entire CBD.

      4. Develop a multi-model transportation center in the CBD serving inner-city trains, commuter rail, the Conrail line, inter-city buses, and the regional transit authority.

   2. Provide sufficient quantities of parking, easily accessible and conveniently located to service major attractions, businesses and entertainment venues.

      1. Encourage the location of future facilities around the perimeter of the CBD.

   3. Explore the potential of reducing the size and capacity of the Innerbelt, while still maintaining excellent accessibility to the CBD.

2. Business (Economic Hub)—To retain the CBD as the economic hub of the region by retaining existing businesses, attracting new businesses and creating new employment opportunities in the center of the City of Akron, including new retail and entertainment services into the CBD.

   1. Expand the CBD and its land acreage through land recapture and the acquisition of underutilized parcels of land.

   2. Coordinate and facilitate development opportunities within the CBD.

      1. Create a "one-stop shop" government facility to facilitate business development in the CBD.

      2. Support, enhance and coordinate the efforts of the Downtown Akron Partnership to expand the marketing, public relations, and promotion of the CBD.

   3. Establish a retail and/or arts incubator and encourage specialty retail services in the CBD.

      1. Create a unique specialty, retail shopping center experience near the canal that will become a landmark for the region.

   4. Continue to enhance the CBD as a regional center for corporate headquarters, research and development, technology companies, and professional offices.

   5. Encourage the establishment of a major entertainment attraction that would enhance the CBD as an entertainment destination.

3. Physical Environment—Create an aesthetically pleasing and attractive CBD within the City of Akron where residents, visitors, workers and students all desire to spend time.

   1. Provide an aesthetically pleasing streetscape that is user friendly and functional.

      1. Introduce more trees, flowers gardens, parks and open space throughout the CDB.

      2. Encourage the use of art, sculptures and landscaping to create a more attractive and interesting CBD.

      3. Immediately cover graffiti and gang symbols to reduce eyesores and fear.

      4. Eliminate billboards.

      5. Permit sidewalk cafes along the major streets of the CBD.

      6. Develop an outdoor plaza and amphitheatre as part of the Lock III development.

   2. Provide a safe and comfortable physical environment for all users of the CBD.

      1. Ensure all of the physical elements are freely accessible to the handicapped.

      2. Recognize that user safety is the highest priority in our central city and expand the excellence of safety forces downtown.

      3. Encourage the use of high quality architectural standards to ensure a higher quality of buildings and structures.

      4. Continue to reinvest in and upgrade the infrastructure of downtown including streets, water, sewer, parking, telecommunications and other public services.

      5. Cover closed businesses and buildings with more attractive materials, murals or public art.

   3. Complete Lock III Plaza as the focal point of downtown Akron.

4. Arts and Culture—Ensure that the CBD continues to grow as the culture hub of the region and provide for a dynamic, changing cultural venue.

   1. Retain existing cultural entities currently located in the CBD, such as the Akron Symphony Orchestra, Akron Art Museum and Ohio Ballet.

      1. Support the expansion of the Akron Art Museum and promote the development of additional museums downtown, such as a canal museum or a technology center.

      2. Create a CBD cultural arts district that would reach out to all of the region’s arts organizations to focus their resources.

   2. Develop a coordinated approach to preserve the cultural heritage of the CBD.

      1. Create a cultural trust/endowment to assist in the funding of arts and cultural programs in the CBD.

      2. Coordinate arts organization(s) that can represent the interests of all local arts groups through DAP as it relates to the CBD.

      3. Build the venues around the City of Akron’s heritage—the Canal, Native Americans, industrial growth and the city’s future

5. Entertainment—Create exciting entertainment options in downtown Akron that appeals to all ages, and to local citizens and visitors. Create new venues that complement the existing ones.

   1. Create exciting entertainment options and attractions including such things as a multi-purpose arena, an aquarium, botanical gardens, a natatorium, a canal water park, a city zoo, an aviary, a rain forest, IMAX theatre, Inventure playground, technology center for creativity and innovation, central European-style marketplace in Cascade Plaza.

   2. Provide special year round programming that enhances the entertainment venues and complements the revitalization of the CBD.

      1. Create a publicly owned indoor program entertainment space that could host year-round activities.

      2. Increase program use of Canal Park Stadium.

   3. Introduce ethnic and internationally themed restaurants into downtown independently or as part of a multi-purpose entertainment complex.

6. Education—Continue to reinforce the University of Akron’s presence in the CBD and encourage more partnerships with the university with other organizations and government to promote the city’s physical, cultural, social and business environment.

   1. Foster greater communications and increased partnerships between the University of Akron, the City of Akron, Downtown Akron Partnership, and other businesses, organizations and institutions.

      1. Support the University’s continued investment in the CBD and strengthen its presence.

      2. Form an educational partnership with the University of Akron to promote lifelong learning and make the CBD the center for that effort.

      3. Involve the University of Akron in providing learning experiences for students to develop skills and to provide valuable services to City of Akron events and programs.

      4. Partner with the University of Akron to create a workforce development program that would supply qualified workers to growing businesses.

   2. Explore involvement of other educational institutions in the CBD.

7. Housing—Increase the diversity of housing available in the CBD and promote the City of Akron as a desirable place to live.

   1. Attract market-rate housing with-in the CBD.

      1. Introduce support services and retail operations that support those who live in the city.

      2. Integrate the housing with other developments, including housing along the Heritage and Canal Corridor.

NOTES:

1. The Workgroup discussed but did not define the boundaries of the CBD for the purposes of this report, but recognizes the constraints imposed on the development of the CBD.

2. Our presentation would be better served by a pictorial design of the ideas presented, but time did not permit this. Refer to the cities of San Antonio, TX, Knoxville, TN, and Memphis, TN for similar illustrations of what is presented here.