New plan for proposed White Pond development cuts retail space in half

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that trees can't be cut down at the site between April and September because of endangered bats believed to be on the property.

The city of Akron and a private developer have updated their plan for the proposed White Pond residential and retail development in a wooded area in the northwest portion of the city after weeks of criticism from residents about the project.

The updated development agreement between the city and Triton Property Ventures LLC presented to Akron Council Monday includes the $725,000 sale of 68 acres of land in Ward 4, bounded by Frank Boulevard, White Pond Drive and Interstate 77.

The city, which has said the wetlands on the site aren’t proposed for redevelopment, expects that work on the project would begin next year and could be completed as early as 2026.

The development, which would take place on only 29 acres of the property due to a zoning change, would include 98 ranch-style houses, 90 townhomes and 40 to 50 loft-style apartments, with rent ranging from $1,600 to $2,300 per month. Retail stores would also be part of the plan.

In the updated 25-page agreement, the total retail space in the development would be cut in half, from 60,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet. The developer also agreed in writing to pay $15,000 into the city’s tree fund.

The city’s traffic engineer would have to approve the developer’s traffic plan prior to closing, as opposed to getting a building permit, and the city would also have to approve an environmental risk mitigation plan prior to closing.

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan says:Proposed White Pond development is 'best use' for property

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan on White Pond development

In a statement, Horrigan said the city should embrace having the development in Akron.

“As a city, we must embrace investment and progress. Without that, there can be no future growth for Akron,” Horrigan said. “The reality is that we have steadily lost residents since the 1960s and with that loss comes the loss of jobs, tax base, potential customers for retailers and help covering the cost of much needed infrastructure for our city.”

Horrigan said the development would meet a need for more new housing, calling it “one of the most significant housing investments into Akron in recent memory.”

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“This development will exist somewhere in Summit County," he said. "Why should we be content allowing this massive investment to go to a suburb of Akron when we could embrace it right here and help spur more growth for our residents and our local economy?”

Horrigan also said there’s been plenty of time “over the past months” dedicated to responding to residents' questions and concerns.

“We have each had dozens of conversations and listened to hours of public comment. We have addressed questions about the environment, traffic, and the need for this type of residential development,” he said. “I am more certain than ever, that this is the right choice for all Akronites, and that is who I was elected to represent.”

What is the White Pond development?

The White Pond site was previously considered for an office park, but with the COVID-19 pandemic shifting the nature of work to be more work-from-home friendly, the city pivoted to a residential vision for the space.

Over the years, the land was mined for peat and used to store concrete, asphalt and road construction debris, but it’s been brought into environmental compliance.

Triton Property Ventures, which was listed to do business in Ohio in June 2021, approached the city about a year ago with the development project, Alan Gaffney, the company's owner, told council last month. Triton is part of a network of companies, including Stow Reserve Loch LLC, that owns and manages apartments in Summit (Stow, Fairlawn, North Akron), Portage (Kent) and Medina (on Wadsworth Road) counties.

Gaffney has priced the White Pond project as a $50 million to $55 million investment. In California, Gaffney said, the company has built new housing developments in the $25 million to $50 million range. This would be the enterprise's first new build in Ohio.

The developer and home buyers would not be required to pay property taxes on the new residential portion of the plan for the next 15 years per a citywide tax abatement program Horrigan implemented in his first term.

According to the city, property tax and tax increment financing revenue would provide an additional $8.8 million to Akron Public Schools and $200,000 to the Public Arts Council over the first three decades after completion of the project, with the property tax revenue coming from the non-residential portion in the first 15 years and the entire property, following the expiration of the abatement, in the next 15 years.

The city also estimated additional income tax starting at about $102,000 each year, with additional tax revenue expected from operating profits of the businesses, property management and rental income.

Opposition to White Pond development

Residents, including those in the Save White Pond group, have been voicing their opposition to the project in the last few months. They’ve said they feel the city isn’t listening to their concerns, including on environmental impacts at the site, traffic and affordability.

They’re also frustrated that the city recently posted “no trespassing” signs, ahead of a planned tour of the site by concerned residents. They say the site has been previously used by the public for walking dogs and other recreational activities.

A Change.org petition titled “Save White Pond Drive, Halt the Vote!” seeks to postpone any council action on the project until April 30 of next year and lays out a list of concerns. It had 685 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon.

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White Pond traffic study

The city also released a traffic review prepared by the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study for the surrounding area based on the proposed development in an already busy neighborhood used by commuters to get on and off nearby Interstate 77.

According to the review, the development would add an estimated 3,385 trips per average weekday, with 1,964 estimated trips generated by residential development and 1,421 estimated trips generated by the smaller retail development and with 30% heading north and 70% heading south.

But the total traffic would still be under pre-pandemic traffic levels and past peak traffic numbers, according to AMATS.

According to the review, the average daily traffic on White Pond north of Pine Grove Drive would be 8,875 with the new development. The peak count was 11,550 in 2004, the pre-pandemic count was 9,322 in 2019 and the latest count was 7,860 in November 2022.

According to the review, the average daily traffic on White Pond south of Pine Grove Drive would be 10,370 with the new development. The peak count was 12,700 in 2006, the pre-pandemic count was 11,150 in 2018 and the latest count was 8,000 in November 2022.

AMATS said that typically, it wouldn't support the widening of a two-lane roadway with a two-way left turn lane until traffic exceeded 18,000 cars a day.

“While our analysis estimates that the proposed development at full build out will add 3,385 weekday trips per day, White Pond Drive has already been improved and has the capacity, turning lanes and traffic controls in place for the traffic that will be generated by this development,” AMATS Director Curtis Baker says in the review. “Even with the additional traffic, White Pond Drive will still carry less traffic than at its peak and pre-pandemic. AMATS would not anticipate any major improvements being needed on White Pond Drive due to this potential development."

Akron City Council on White Pond development

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan’s chief of staff, Gert Wilms; his strategic adviser, Emily Collins; and the deputy mayor of Integrated Development, Sean Vollman, presented Akron City Council on Monday with information on the updated plan.

The development agreement is dated for 2022, but several council members, including some in favor of the project, say they’re unwilling to vote on the project and public land sale at the last regular council meeting of the year this Monday.

Council members Tara Mosley (Ward 5) and Shammas Malik (Ward 8), each running for mayor next year, are among a few on council who’ve openly aired reservations about the ordinance behind the project. Other voices of concern have come from Ward 1 Councilwoman Nancy Holland, At-Large Councilwoman Linda Omobien and Ward 7 Councilman Donnie Kammer, who accused the mayor last month of avoiding public comment or debate. Horrigan subsequently attended a community forum hosted by Ward 4 Councilman Russ Neal last week.

Neal, and others, asked that no vote be taken in December.

“I still stand in favor of the project, but I have questions that the citizens that have brought to my concern that need to be addressed,” he told the administration and his colleagues on council Monday.

The AMATS transportation report was questioned by Malik, who had administrators confirm that the review did not cover surrounding roads heavily used by commuters to cut up from Akron to Fairlawn or I-77.

“I just want to underline that that is one of the consistent concerns that I hear,” Malik, who’s previously questioned the potential cost and need for wider roads or new turning lanes, told the administration Monday.

Malik said residents made him aware that a 2021 AMATS traffic study of the region cited only five places in Akron with “severe” congestion — two of them being the I-77 northbound ramp to White Pond Drive and the overall White Pond Drive interchange with I-77.

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White Pond development timeline

Vollman, the deputy mayor of Integrated Development, said that once the deal is signed, Triton has 30 days to conduct its inspections, including the level of volatile contaminants in the soil and water, and then another 30 days to close on the property. If approved by council Monday, Vollman said construction could, in practice, begin as early as January.

Because an environment that could support them exists, endangered bats are assumed to be living in trees on the property. As part of a permit from the state, trees can't be cut down after April 1 because the Indiana bat roosts between April and September.

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“Final plans will be submitted for review before permits are issued,” said Vollman, who requested that council email him any outstanding questions so he can get them answered before Monday.

“I think we have answered the questions and, to my knowledge, the concerns about the wetlands, the species, the trees, the traffic … I don’t see lingering questions out there that will need another meeting,” Vollman said, responding to Councilwoman Omobien’s request for another community forum like the one held at St. Sebastian last week.

Wilms, Horrigan's chief of staff, said Monday that the mayor’s staff spoke with organizers and citizens at the public meeting but had not yet received their feedback.

Contact Beacon Journal reporters Emily Mills and Doug Livingston at emills@thebeaconjournal.com and dlivingston@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: New plan for White Pond development in Akron with Triton released