'University Edge' Apartments Will See Demolition, Doubling of Sunrise Apartments Complex

Despite strong public opposition, a plan to demolish the on Rhodes Road and rebuild a complex twice the size was approved by the Kent Planning Commission Tuesday.

Neighbors of the apartment complex and their representative, John Kuhar, voiced opposition to plans from Hallmark Campus Communities to demolish the existing 98-unit complex and build a 201-unit complex on the site.

The new complex, dubbed University Edge, will include three new, four-story buildings with 201 units and 612 beds. The new project calls for 612 parking spaces.

A new element of the plans shown at Tuesday's meeting is a new traffic light at the intersection of Rhodes and Loop roads. The new stoplight is an effort to help calm the increase in traffic the project will bring to the area.

Jennifer Barone, Kent's planning engineer, said the city discussed the increase in traffic with the developer and neighboring .

"It was agreed the traffic light is the best solution," she said.

But Kuhar said he doesn't think a stoplight will solve traffic problems in the area, including speeding and sight problems on Rhodes Road from Glad Boulevard.

"Unless they figure out how to slow people down and make the hill disappear, this is going to be a continuing problem," Kuhar said.

Glad Boulevard resident Roger Gregory said bringing 400 new residents into a small area is going to have a negative effect on the surrounding neighbors.

"I’m very, very concerned about this development that is occurring in an area that is already a very dense housing area with regard to College Towers," Gregory said, referring to a large, nearby rental complex. "It's a dense housing project in an already dense housing area."

Commission member John Gargan said he also has concerns about the traffic increase.

A potential solution discussed previously will not work without cooperation from neighboring Kent State. The idea of creating a second access point to the property by cutting through Kent State property to Loop Road was floated at one point.

But Tom Euclide, Kent State vice president for facility planning and operations, said the university couldn't allow traffic so close to its child development center.

Adding more traffic near the childrens' play area is "out of the question," Euclide said.

"From the get-go, traffic is a big concern" planning commission chair Sean Kaine said. "It sounds like city staff has looked at it. Engineering staff has looked at it. I don’t know what more I can say."

Michael Fite, a partner in Hallmark Campus Communities, said the firm will pay to install the traffic light. And as part of the project, they will add a 10-foot-wide path along Rhodes Road in front of the property and connect it to the existing roadside bike path along Rhodes Road in Franklin Township.

The commission approved the site plans unanimously with the condition the complex staffs "courtesy officers" during after-hours when the business office is closed. In addition, the developer will pay a parks fee of no more than $8,340.

One final concern came from commission member Peter Paino, who said he didn't like the site plan because almost the entire property is paved over compared to the existing apartment complex. He lamented the loss of immediate green space within the complex.

But Fite pointed to open space on the neighboring college campus and the bike path as resources for the students.

"There’s no question there’s no play fields in this site plan," Fite said. "I don’t think I’m ever going to satisfy your desire for open space."