Albrecht will build a new retail and grocery center at the now-vacant corner of West Market Street and Portage Path. The private developer will also build a second retail and office complex on the site of the old Star Market.

A new West Hill branch of the library at Highland Square will be constructed starting in 2006.

The City of Akron will construct public parking, which is critical to the success of the project.

"In the history of Akron, it’s unlikely that there’s been a redevelopment project that has been the subject of more discussion and more citizen input than this one," said Mayor Don Plusquellic. "Highland Square is a distinctive neighborhood in Akron and deserves the thoughtful planning that has gone into this development."

The development agreement provides for:

• Construction of a $1.2 million retail center of roughly 9,000 square feet, on West Market Street at North Highland Avenue on property currently owned by Albrecht, the site of the former Star Market. Employment here will be about 40 persons.

• Construction of a $2.15 million Akron-Summit County Library of about 12,000 square feet, on the site of its current West Hill branch at Market and Highland. The existing building will be demolished and North Highland Avenue will be vacated to provide land for the construction.

• Development by the city of 112 new public parking spaces on the site for which Albrecht and the Library will be assessed.

• The city will also build 92 parking spaces at the corner site under a cooperative agreement with FirstMerit utilizing existing parking owned by the bank. These will be for use by bank customers and by tenants of the Albrecht development. The parking will be paid for by FirstMerit and Albrecht.

Plusquellic recognized the diligence and professionalism of the major players, developer Steve Albrecht and the board of the Akron Summit County Public Library. "Steve Albrecht and the Library each owned their land and could have built new projects earlier," the mayor said. "They took time to give residents the opportunity to be heard and their ideas to be integrated into this final plan."

"This redevelopment will be the first step in a long awaited re-invention of Highland Square," said Jim Nilsen, president of Albrecht, Incorporated. "It represents the collaborative efforts of citizens, business and local government working together to create a distinctive, urban business district."

Library Director David Jennings said that the new West Hill branch will serve residents of Highland Square for many years. "On behalf of the library board and the community we thank Fred and Francia Albrecht whose generosity made locating the library at this site possible. Their love of reading and the arts will be recognized with the dedication of a garden at the branch."

"This plan has been a long time in coming," said Akron first ward councilman Dan Horrigan who first convened neighborhood meetings about the project almost five years ago. "I am pleased that the developers listened to the residents’ concerns and have incorporated many of their suggestions into the final design."

The Department of Planning and Urban Development will hold a public meeting on January 17 at 6:30 p.m. at Portage Path School to discuss future planning issues in the Highland Square business district. It is expected that the information collected will allow the city to create an urban renewal plan that will also include development guidelines to direct future development in the neighborhood.

The proposed development package must now be submitted to the Akron Planning Commission and Akron City Council. The Board of the Library has given its approval to the proposal.