Parking Lot Could Pose Redevelopment Possibilities
Patch's Visions for Vacancies asks for your input on empty commercial properties
Photos
Right now it's filled with cars most days, but a parking lot adjacent to the Kent Municipal Courthouse could be redeveloped in the next few years.
And we want to know what you think would best fit or prove most successful in the space.
As part of the deal to keep the new Kent courthouse downtown the city will take ownership from Portage County of the existing courthouse building and the parking lot adjacent to it at the corner of Franklin and West College avenues.
One interesting element to the area's potential redevelopment is the fact Buffalo Wild Wings will vacate its existing location next to the parking lot and behind the courthouse to move into Acorn Corner.
That means in a few short years the old courthouse, the parking lot and the Buffalo Wild Wings building could all be redeveloped. Tell us what you think would be a good fit for the space.
After you leave your suggestions we'll follow up with a poll asking people to pick their favorite option, and then we'll talk to city officials to get their thoughts on the issue.
In This article
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Portage County Municipal Court - Kent Branch
214 S Water St, Kent, OH -
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B W 3
176 E Main St, Kent, OH -
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Pat
9:20 am on Monday, July 16, 2012
Actually a grocery store and more parking could be added to the area.
Jason Prufer
9:29 am on Monday, July 16, 2012
also check out this rephoto of the empty lot next to that parking lot on the southeast corner of West College and Franklin. That is also ripe for development and once held a shop or two as you can see:
http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jprufer/FranklinCollege.jpg
Pat
2:12 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
Jason glad to see you decided to stay in Kent and your ideas are great..
TimN
9:37 am on Monday, July 16, 2012
Hopefully it will include sufficient parking
Maybe an additional small 2 story parking deck should be in the plan
Eggplant2009
1:01 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
PARKING LOT. PLEASE. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. THERE'S NO PARKING ANYWHERE.
William B Budner ESQ.
1:28 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
by the time they get to that building there will be plenty of new parking... try walking once in a while, kent is small.
Jessica Johnson Salamon
1:40 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
How about we focus on a few other areas of Kent that need redeveloped first? Anything downtown isn't going to be vacant for long but in the meantime the rest of Kent is falling to pieces.
I.M. Wright
8:31 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
Very good point about vacancies.
Once everything is completed Downtown, watch many people want to get in on the action and the price of surrounding property skyrocket.
I.M. Wright
8:30 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
Massage Parlor.
Kidding.
Gabe
9:19 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
Indoor year-round farmers market? Similar to the Westside market in Cleveland.
Sheri Wild
9:24 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
more parking!!
William B Budner ESQ.
9:53 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
we've all got to store our rolling coffins somewhere ehh?
David Badagnani
4:30 am on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Wasn't the building formerly standing in that location proposed several years ago as the home for a new Standing Rock Cultural Arts headquarters and arts center?
Lisa Regula Meyer
10:23 am on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
What about moth-balling the Sherman Wells house for a bit, and putting it in the parking lot when it's available?
Roger Owens
8:12 am on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
I agree with TimN who said, "Hopefully it will include sufficient parking
Maybe an additional small 2 story parking deck should be in the plan"
Pat
1:45 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
We do need more parking for all the new business and this would be a perfect area--also it would be a perfect place for the Wells/Kent house.
On this same corner was a car dealership years ago and then when they moved to the motor mile in Kent, they turned into a bar called the Dome (had a dome roof) and in later years it was called the College Street Library.
Pad Womack
3:14 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
There are a lot of areas of Kent right now that are falling apart and while I am glad to see some attention getting paid to downtown there are areas like the Hills Plaza on Water Street that could use some serious revitalization.
This is one of the first impressions of Kent people get when coming into town on 43 after exiting from 76. If we as a community are so concerned with keeping our community current and full of life it would only make sense to breathe new life into areas that are giving people their first impressions of our community.
KRG
11:35 pm on Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Put a restaurant in the old BW3 building. Not too big, not too small. Let it generate income, employ people, and pay taxes to the city of Kent.
That building has been home to many bar and grills over the past 50 years. The Stone Jug and Haymakers come to mind. Lots of happy memories between those walls for many of us. Let a restaurant move in and keep building memories. Many people have told me they already miss having a beer there with old friends. I miss it too.
Don't throw away our past.
Don't tear it down for the sake of adding a some parking spaces.
Let that building live again and keep the beer, burgers, and happy memories flowing.
Just my 2 cents :-)