Middlebury residents urge city to amend plan as Akron council approves redevelopment steps
A group of Middlebury residents says a plan to redevelop part of the neighborhood must do more to address community concerns, and it is asking Akron City Council to amend the proposal to ensure public feedback is incorporated.
In a letter sent to Akron City Council prior to its Monday night meeting, Middlebury residents and community organizers outlined five changes they'd like to see Council add to legislation enabling Fairmount Properties and Summa Health to develop part of the neighborhood, from Fountain Street to Ivan Place.
At the meeting, Council approved two pieces of legislation that the group felt had been developed without sufficient input from residents.
Neighbors are concerned about the development, which includes transforming a community garden on South Adolph Street managed by Let's Grow Akron into a parking lot for the YMCA. Summa has said the garden will be able to carry out its 2024 growing season.
A representative from Summa said it was understood that the garden could exist on that space until Summa needed the land, and the health system has proposed three alternate locations for the garden.
The properties are mostly owned by Summa, but some residences on Ivan Place are included. According to a staff memo from the Department of Planning and Urban Development, these parcels have been developed over the years from residences into parking lots.
Additionally, Fairmount Properties wants to build ground-floor retail, restaurants, rental housing, and a hotel in the neighborhood.
As well as concern over losing the community garden, Middlebury residents and community activists worry that current residents will be displaced by the development.
At-Large Councilman Jeff Fusco said Summa and several council members are dedicated to helping Let's Grow Akron find a permanent home for the Adolph Street garden beyond 2024.
"That could take a while to find that permanent location," Fusco said. "This is a welcomed development on the east side of town, and in support of one of our largest employers in the City of Akron."
Residents suggest changes
The group's organizers said they knocked on doors in Middlebury and spoke to residents about the plan. Many people, they said, were unaware of the proposal.
The letter's signers said they want the city to amend the approved legislation to include:
Requiring all development and zoning changes in the overlay districts to pass through the Historic Preservation Commission before coming to City Council to encourage community input.
Capping building heights in the neighborhood at 4 floors, similar to Kenmore's policy for its overlay district.
More robust buffers between private residences and parking lots.
An explicit prohibition on parking decks.
Considerations to continue making street parking more accessible and less harmful to current neighbors — and maintain no-payment parking in the area.
The letter also pointed out several ways that signatories believe City officials are neglecting taking the Middlebury Neighborhood Plan into consideration while mulling the development plans offered by Fairmount and Summa.
While the group is not against the development, its leaders say meetings held to engage the community were inadequate.
"We want to clarify that almost all of these meetings have not invited affected neighbors or neglected or ignored community input in order to appear that the public has a say, while pushing forward with the development and overlay regardless of increased public pressure to take time," the letter reads.
Ward 8 Councilman and mayor-elect Shammas Malik said that as the transformation of the East Market Street corridor moves forward — a project larger than just the one site in question — Council is interested in exploring whether some of the proposed changes can be incorporated into the plan.
Malik said there should be a commitment to "broader public engagement around the East Market Street corridor."
"I think there's, frankly, more work to be done in terms of how we engage everyone in that neighborhood, and make sure that it's aligned with community partners," Malik said.
Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or (330) 541-9413
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron City Council approves plans challenged by Middlebury neighbors
