City May Close Willow Street for Esplanade
Kent State, city officials reviewing possibility of closing section of street between Main Street and College Avenue
Photos
Pdfs
Now that Kent State University owns much of the land surrounding it city and university officials are considering permanently closing a portion of South Willow Street.
Since 2007 Kent State has spent more than $9 million to either outright buy properties or property options in the neighborhood west of campus for the Esplanade extension.
In total, including the house sale approved Wednesday, the university will have acquired 43 properties in that neighborhood — including every property but one lining both sides of South Willow Street between College Avenue and Main Street.
Kent City Manager Dave Ruller said university officials haven't yet formally asked the city to consider closing the street, but both sides are reviewing the idea.
"They've mentioned that, if in evaluating the designs of the new architecture building they receive some concepts that extend into Willow Street, is there a process to ask the city to consider that option, and we said 'yes there is,'" Ruller said. "We explained the kind of traffic analysis we would want to see, utility considerations and the public review process that we would use to vet the idea with city council."
A new leg of the Esplanade, the on-campus section of The Portage Bike and Hike Trail, is under construction in the neighborhood and will link campus to downtown. This new section will cut directly across South Willow Street.
Kent City Engineer Jim Bowling said the university is leading the analysis of the possible street closure.
"They have hired the consultants and the consultants report to Kent State," Bowling said. "The city has been working with Kent State to scope the study (i.e. determine what we want to see studied) and we are updated on the progress of the studies."
Permanently closing a street is much more complicated than ripping up the pavement.
Bowling said the analysis includes studying the effects to traffic flow and emergency vehicle access over a broad area that could potentially be effected by the closure. The analysis also includes studying existing public and private utilities that are located in the right-of-way, and that means coordinating with agencies such as FirstEnergy, Dominion, AT&T, Time Warner Cable and others.
"If Kent State then decides it wants to pursue the closure, then the results and proposed recommendations will need to be presented to numerous departments ... in the city and eventually city council," he said.
The city has already agreed to permanently close the portion of East Erie Street between South Willow Street and Haymaker Parkway. The Esplanade will replace it as a pedestrian-only pathway between campus and downtown.
University officials were careful to say this week that while closing part of South Willow Street is a possibility it would be up to the city to make the final decision.
Gregg Floyd, vice president for finance and administration at Kent State, said whether or not the university asks the city to close that portion of the street depends on the traffic study of the road and its intersections.
If the street is closed, it would allow the university greater flexibility in determining the exact location of the new College of Architecture and Environmental Design, which will be built somewhere on the Esplanade, Floyd said.
"It’s simply not our decision to make," Floyd said. "The property holdings of the university are on both sides of Willow, so it would allow us the opportunity to essentially take that divider as one piece of ground and think about how we want to place the building.
"The city has been a tremendous partner, and the city council has been an incredible partner in the work that we’ve been doing," he said. "Ultimately the city would have the choice to entertain the request to close it or keep it open."
Ruller echoed Floyd's remarks about the development partnership between the city and university and said city officials would continue that air of cooperation.
"I think the university is hoping to leave their options open and we're happy to work with them to find the best option for the university and the community," Ruller said.
John Bard
6:36 am on Friday, December 14, 2012
I grew up on Summit St. and if you travel west on Summit from Water if you don't use Willow to go north the next chance is Rhoads Rd. on the other side of Campus. You can't turn left at Lincoln and Depeyster with all the new activity maybe to conjested, and there would be only one way to get to College ave when the couches are burning.
The city council and management can't stand up straight anymore from bending over for KSU. They allowed them to brand Lincoln and Main intersection crosswalk with KSU's initials while KSU which owns multiple intersections of their own doesn't brand any of them, is it to imply ownership?
Traci Monroe
6:45 am on Friday, December 14, 2012
The City will do whatever Kent State wants them to do, they don't care about the tax paying citizens of Kent.
gert bulman
7:04 am on Friday, December 14, 2012
To close that street would make it inconvenient for many. It would be nice if the citizens of Kent have a say in this matter. I would guess that whatever Kent State wants its going to get.
Chris (Kit) Myers
8:20 am on Friday, December 14, 2012
I own the house at 224 South Willow that has not been sold to Kent State. It is not a piece of crap like some of the rentals on the street that the university has bought. It is in finer condition than a whole lot of private homes in the City of Kent. I don't think anyone would say "Yuk" if they saw a photo of it here on Patch.
I love the old place. It will soon be a hundred years old; a fine, solid, century home where people for generations have loved and cried and laughed and celebrated holidays and birthdays and graduations and christenings. This is to be torn down for a sidewalk more than a hundred feet away? My tenants appreciate my fine lawn, my roses, clematis, sunflowers, and salvia, and the fact that they can leave the house early in the morning on a blizzardy ten degree winter day to find me clearing and de-icing the walks. I will jump their cars that won't start at two o'clock in the morning.
There is more to life than money. There is integrity and pride and the good feeling of a job well done. There is the thanks I get from a tenant for painting a room a color that they like. There is the thanks that I get for carrying them on their rent without late charges when circumstances warrant it.
Kent State has plenty of room between Willow and Lincoln for their architecture building. I think that we should be able to co-exist.
Jon Ridinger
8:23 am on Friday, December 14, 2012
If you don't want South Willow to close, let your council reps know and why. In the mid 1990s Kent State had plans to close Summit Street to build a "student meadow" along with the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. As you can see, that didn't happen (thank goodness). I've also seen several KSU master plans from different eras. All of them have some kind of road closure or re-routing that never happened for whatever reasons. It should be noted, the Bicentennial Plan from several years ago also included closing a portion South Willow, so this isn't a new idea. As far as I can tell, if KSU did decide to pursue this and it was approved, only the portion between College Avenue and East Main would be closed. Kent State does not own the homes on the west side of South Willow between Summit and College (as seen on the map above), but they own all the property on either side of that part of South Willow.
Summit Road is scheduled for some upgrades in the next few years, so a lot of changes will be coming in that area, including some additional turn lanes and traffic signal upgrades.
Chris (Kit) Myers
11:15 am on Friday, December 14, 2012
My off-campus home for students is between College and Main, John.
Jon Ridinger
11:30 am on Friday, December 14, 2012
My bad...I overlooked that property! Even so, KSU owns all but that one and they could easily keep a small section of the road or build a driveway to College Avenue *if* they do indeed pursue the idea to close off part of South Willow beyond studying it. There is no guarantee KSU will even request it or that the city will approve it. This traffic study will be very interesting to look over when it becomes available.
John Bard
11:31 am on Friday, December 14, 2012
Jon KSU's ideas and plans aren't worth the paper they are on. Yes I am aware KSU is nosing in once more on the issue of what YOU call upgrades on Summit St. with grants geared to the city just like the traffic signals that were used to insure 100% of KSU lights were changed and only to Middlebury Rd. for the residents.
Rhoads Rd. intesection has been changed 4-6 times in my lifetime by KSU. Loop Rd.Stockton Drive behind Swartz Hall, Rhoads Rd to former Allerton all KSU none with sidewalks I've seen enough KSU to know.
Jon Ridinger
12:01 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
John you'll have to talk to ODOT about the traffic lights. They are the ones who ultimately decided and approved where they were replaced since they have oversight over SR 59, not KSU. 10 intersections, zero of which are on university property, were upgraded. And don't "residents" (as if KSU students living here aren't residents) also use the roads adjacent to KSU? I do frequently, so I'm glad they were replaced. Route 59 and Summit Street by campus are easily the most heavily used roads in Kent. That is why they got the grants. Those are all benefits to everyone, not just KSU.
As for the upgrades on Summit, that is what the city calls them, not just me, though from what I've seen of the plans, they will be upgrades, not only improved pavement, but better traffic flow with some much-needed turn lanes as well as better sidewalks and bike lanes. The upgrade of the traffic lights, again, is because Summit is one of the highest trafficked roads in Kent, not just to appease Kent State. Having a centralized traffic system will benefit all city drivers, not just KSU. But really, anything is an upgrade to the disaster that is currently Summit Street.
And yes, I am fully aware of the roads KSU has closed or re-routed for a variety of reasons over the years, particularly Rhodes Road. The city has done it too many times.
Drew
11:25 am on Friday, December 14, 2012
I almost always use S.Willow instead of S.Lincoln when heading North - it's a less congested street; less traffic. a better intersection at Main/Haymaker, fewer pedestrians crossing randomly in front of my car.
Ann Roudabush
12:39 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
I use S. Willow St everyday because I live on N.Willow....can't turn left from Main St....are they going to change that to accomadate those who use it to cross over?
Chris (Kit) Myers
1:12 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
I wouldn't count on it, Ms. Roudabush. I'm not sure that either Kent State or the City gives much of a damn about ordinary tax-paying Kent citizens. The City looks at us as nothing more than tax $$$. That is why I am seriously considering running against Heidi Shaffer for the Ward 5 council seat.
Matt Fredmonsky
3:06 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
A comment was removed for violating Patch's terms of use. http://kent.patch.com/terms
Roger Lewis
5:13 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
This would create a real hardship on small businesses on the south side of Main St. between Willow and Lincoln. When Willow was closed a few weeks ago for water line work we heard nothing but complaints from customers about parking and access. Is the plan to close Willow from Main to College or can there still be enough of Willow to allow access to parking?