POLL: Closing South Willow Street for Esplanade Project
Take our poll and tell us in the comments what you think.
Kent Patch broke the news Friday that Kent State University is studying the idea of closing a portion of South Willow Street in the neighborhood west of campus.
Ultimately, city officials will have the final say as to whether the section of the street between College Avenue and Main Street is closed for the Esplanade extension, which has seen Kent State spend more than $9 million on 43 properties for the project since at least 2007.
The 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 State owns every property but one lining both sides of South Willow Street between College Avenue and Main Street.
Chris (Kit) Myers
6:53 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
It must be left open to my driveway so that my tenants can get in and out.
Teresa K.
7:43 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
chris: how did your property escape the clutches of KSU? did they offer to buy it?
Chris (Kit) Myers
5:15 pm on Sunday, December 23, 2012
Yes, but to sell it for what they offered would cut my standard of living drastically, and I mean DRASTICALLY! I bought it in December of 1977 when I started planning for retirement. As you probably know from driving by, I keep it very nice. The inside is nice, too. And my rents are about half of what the dorms charge. And it is not in the way of the esplanade. This whole thing is very stressful for an old man.
I took photos of 318 E. Main Street and posted them here today. It is the licensed house with broken windows, a couch on the porch, peeling paint, and gutter that is not connected. Does noone from the city ever drive by it? Tomorrow I am going to the city to demand to see inspection reports.
I also took a lot of pictures this morning of University owned properties on Willow and College with ice not cleared from front sidewalks. Also pictures of ice downtown, on the walk in front of the new courthouse, and in front of city hall and the police station.
I sent a letter the other day to the R-C responding to their editorial re closing
S. Willow.
You seem like an intelligent person. I live on Vine street and am in the phone book.