Kent Courthouse Debate Continues

The saga over where the new Kent courthouse should be built continued this month, when Portage County Commissioner Maureen Frederick suggested yet another location for the new building.

In a June 2 letter to city officials, Frederick suggested the city swap land in its downtown redevelopment block at the corner of Haymaker Parkway and South DePeyster Street for land adjacent to the current courthouse downtown.

The land Frederick has suggested for the new courthouse is owned by Kent State University and was the initial site for the Kent State hotel. The university obtained that land in a swap with the city for land within the development block at the corner of South Water Street and Haymaker Parkway.

The hotel has since been relocated across South DePeyster Street, and that section of the redevelopment block has no plans at this time. Randy Ruttenberg, a principal in Fairmount Properties, the city's redevelopment partner, has said they would likely develop that section of the block as mixed-use buildings if it remains vacant.

As with any such decision, Kent City Council members would have to sign off on the idea.

You can read Frederick's letter, which is attached to this article. Also, see this morning's Record-Courier article on Frederick's proposal.

Past coverage of the Kent courthouse on Kent Patch: