Erie Street to get Tree Makeover Starting Monday

27 trees total will be added to downtown Kent as part of the city's redevelopment project

Erie Street is going to look a lot different starting Monday. The city will start planting trees on the newly repaved and reconstructed road in the heart of the city's redevelopment. Kent Arborist Gerald Shanley said in total the city will add 27 trees as part of the redevelopment, and that includes trees on Erie, South Water and South DePeyster streets along with trees in the new parking lot. Shanley said three varieties of trees will be planted, including London planetrees, elm and zelkova trees. Once in the ground, the trees will stand about 12 feet tall. Shanley said the trees won't reach full maturity because of the location. "In 10 years I hope to have a 25- to 35-foot tree there if we can get 10 years out of them," he said. Erie …

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UPDATE: Sen. Rob Portman to Campaign in Kent Friday

Ohio senator to promote Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney

UPDATE: Ohio Lt. Governor Mary Taylor will campaign with Portman in Kent today. Ohio Sen. Rob Portman will campaign in downtown Kent this afternoon for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Portman, a Cincinnati native, has spent the past several weeks making stops on the campaign trail and speaking to media in support of the Romney campaign. He will speak in Kent at 4:30 p.m. at the Romney campaign office on the third floor in Acorn Alley II. While Portman is speaking in Kent, Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan will be speaking at a rally in North Canton.

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WATCH: Council, Media Tour Old Kent Hotel

Members of Kent City Council and the local media got their first look inside the building, which the city bought for $735,000 last week

Dead pigeons and missing windows aside, members of Kent City Council are optimistic the old Kent hotel can be restored. Kent City Manager Dave Ruller and Kent Service Director Gene Roberts took council members and local media on a tour this afternoon of the vacant, five-story downtown landmark, which the city bought for $735,000 from former owner Gregg Vilk last week. For many, it was their first time in the building — or their first visit in a number of years. Council agreed to buy the building last month with the goal of seeing it restored either by a private developer or through a partnership with the city. Councilwoman Tracy Wallach said she believes the building has the potential to be restored, and she suggested a community-based …

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Kent Hosts 16th Annual Heritage Festival Saturday

Event includes fireworks, fair-style food, craft vendors and more

The 16th-annual Kent Heritage Festival is from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday in downtown Kent. With everything from train rides to fireworks, the free event is designed to appeal to a wide age range. "It's beneficial for our community because it's a coming together,” Kent Mayor Jerry Fiala said. ENTERTAINMENT Entertainment begins on the Main Stage at 10 a.m. with a group from the Roberts Conservatory of Dance. Performances on the Erie Street and North Water Street stages start at 11 a.m. The entertainment is a mix of local dance studios, cloggers, belly dancers, local bands and a rock orchestra. A complete entertainment listing is available on the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce website. “The fact is that there are so many different types of …

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'Acorn Plaza' Goes to Kent Planning Commission

Open, common area part of new Acorn Alley II construction

Plans for the new "Acorn Plaza" open space between Acorn Alley I and II will go to the Kent Planning Commission tonight for approval. In November, the commission approved plans for the first phase of Acorn Alley II, which is under construction along Erie Street. Phase two of Acorn Alley II includes plans for the plaza and a two-story building that will feature retail on the first floor with commercial space on the second floor. The centerpiece of the plaza will be a squirrel sculpture commissioned by developer Ron Burbick. Look for coverage from tonight's planning commission meeting here on Kent Patch.

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Construction on Kent State Hotel Could Start this Summer

95-room hotel, 300-seat conference center will open in late 2012

Construction on the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center could start later this summer following Monday night's approval of a variance for the project. The Kent State Foundation, which is building the center with Columbus hotelier The Pizzuti Companies, is planning to open the hotel late in 2012 when the new Kent Central Gateway transit center opens. Don Wheat, vice president for public and private projects for Pizzuti, said the hotel plans need one final blessing from the university foundation, and they expect to get that in June. "At that point, we're off to the races," he said. "We're hoping to start with some of the earlier construction late this summer." Wheat said they're "very close" to closing the deal on a flag for …

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Kasha Legeza

2:51 pm on Tuesday, May 17, 2011

When my husband's parents come in from Baton Rouge they always stay in a Streetsboro hotel. Having a nice hotel in Kent will be so convenient for all of us!   more ›

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Downtown Kent Goes Green for Earth Day Festivities

'Who's Your Mama' events wrapped up Saturday with a block party downtown

The “Who’s Your Mama?” festival is an annual event in Portage County whose purpose is to celebrate Earth Day and bring a greater awareness of sustainable, ecological activities to a large number of people in our region. A wind-powered website with details on the festival can be found at www.whosyourmama.org.

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Businesses Coming to Acorn Alley II Announced

A Mediterranean restaurant, gourmet popcorn shop and gift store will be among the new tenants

Developer Ron Burbick said Wednesday that retail space in the second phase of his successful Acorn Alley downtown development is “100 percent sold out” and that he has serious buyers lined up for most of the second-floor luxury condominiums being built. Burbick shared details of Acorn Alley II’s progress with alumni of Leadership Portage County who had gathered at The Tannery. The communications business, operated in partnership with Kent State University, is located on the second floor of the original Acorn Alley. Outside, construction workers had just finished a day that included erecting steel framing for Acorn Alley II on Erie Street. The new structure is being built parallel to Main Street, but perpendicular to the existing Acorn …

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Michelle Sahr

7:36 am on Saturday, April 16, 2011

Me too... excited about Zoupwerks. They are almost completely gluten free! Yipee!   more ›

Kent, County Officials Discuss Courthouse Options

No formal action taken as both sides agree to try again to work together on the project

Kent and Portage County officials sat down Thursday afternoon to talk about plans for a new courthouse and whether or not it will be built in the city. No formal action was taken, but both sides generally agreed to take another look at whether a partnership between both government entities could save the county money on the new courthouse. And from Kent's perspective, city officials may be hoping the third time's the charm. At the start of the meeting, Kent City Manager Dave Ruller gave a brief history of the past two attempts on the city's behalf to work together with the county on the new courthouse. The first, about four years ago, started when the city approached the county with the idea of working together to build a combined …

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Construction on Acorn Alley II Progresses

Workers are laying the concrete footers for the new buildings that will line Erie Street

Spring-like temperatures greeted construction workers laying the foundations Wednesday for the second phase of Ron Burbick's successful Acorn Alley retail development. Workers with Kent-based Metis Construction continued pouring the footers and worked on the elevator foundation base Wednesday for downtown Kent's next redevelopment project. Metis, the general contractor for the project, expects the foundation work will continue through next week.

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