Kent OKs $5.6 Million for Parking Deck, Street Repair Downtown

Kent's continued investment in the downtown redevelopment, $5.7 million, was approved by Kent City Council this week.

Council voted to authorize issuing $4 million in bonds to pay for the to be included in the PARTA Kent Central Gateway transit center and parking deck.

The city agreed to pay the cost of building the upper, public parking levels as part of the city's partnership with PARTA on the $26 million transit center.

Council also voted to authorize issuing bonds of $1.65 million to pay street reconstruction costs for around several of the downtown redevelopment projects.

Kent Budget and Finance Director Dave Coffee said the vote to approve the $4 million in bonds for the parking deck was actually a renewal of the note issued in May 2011 for the same work.

"The $1.65 million is new debt" for the street reconstruction, Coffee said in an email.

The city plans to rebuild Erie Street between South Water Street and Haymaker Parkway and South DePeyster Street between Erie Street and Haymaker Parkway. The entire project cost is budgeted at $3.8 million.

The work will tie into improvements already made to Alley 4 and plans for a parking lot in the center of the city's redevelopment block. Redevelopment projects adjacent to the planned street work include the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center, Fairmount Properties redevelopment, Acorn Alley II and the PARTA bus transfer site and parking garage.