Thursday, December 6, 2012
Magistrate's order issued Wednesday, made public today
A Portage County magistrate has ruled that several requests for an injunction to stop the relocation of the Kent Wells Sherman House to 247 N. Water St. have all been denied by the court. Portage County magistrate Kent Graham issued his ruling in the case Wednesday, and the order became public for the first time this afternoon, essentially allowing the relocation of the house to the vacant lot between the Scribbles Coffee building and the Standing Rock Cultural Arts gallery. Kent residents under the banner Save the Standing Rock Garden filed requests for injunctions last month against the Kent Architectural Review Board, Kent Planning Commission and the Kent Wells Sherman House, Inc., board to try and stop the relocation of the historic …
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-81.358152
/articles/court-denies-all-injunction-requests-to-stop-wells-sherman-house
/locations/8322758
Friday, July 27, 2012
Planning Commission rejection of North Water Street site plan results in historic home having to be moved twice.
The demolition-threatened historic Kent Wells Sherman House is safe — at least through Dec. 1 — as Kent State University has agreed to temporarily house it on a scrap of College Avenue land it acquired last year during a swap with the city. Roger Thurman, vice president of the non-profit Kent Wells Sherman House Inc. board, said the temporary location is “good news for the house, but it’s not good news for us. It’s yet another complication, another detour for the house.” The 1858 Greek Revival-style house with ties to the Kent family and other early prominent citizens can be stored on the lot through Dec. 1, said Kent State spokesperson Emily Vincent. The house relocation from its present spot on East Erie Street is necessary for …
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Portage County Commissioners agree to majority of recommendations made by Kent advisory panel.
Design plans for the new Kent Municipal Court building were altered Tuesday by the Portage County Commissioners in response to recommendations made last week by the city’s Architectural Review Board. The design plan garnered four variances July 17 from the Kent Board of Zoning Appeals. The next day, ARB members suggested changes involving the location of the building’s lone public entryway, the structure’s front-yard setback and the number of parking spaces. Architect Allan Renzi of Richard L. Bowen & Associates in Cleveland shared the ARB’s design-change recommendations with commissioners, who were agreeable to several but opposed to one. Renzi said ARB members suggested constructing the building about 12 feet further back on the property…
Friday, July 20, 2012
Planning Commission OKs site plan despite concerns about limited parking on East Main Street lot.
A Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee has received the green light to build a two-story restaurant at a long-vacant former gas station site on East Main Street, across from Kent State University’s historic front campus. The Kent Planning Commission on Tuesday approved the site plan presented by architect Elizabeth Eaken of David Sommers & Associates on behalf of franchisee David Bloom, who was unable to attend the meeting. But that approval didn’t happen quickly. Commission members expressed concern that there will be only seven parking spaces on the small lot at the corner of East Main and University Drive to serve a restaurant with seating for 46 people. Bloom and Eaken told the Kent Board of Zoning Appeals in May they’re confident the eatery will…
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Planning Commission turns down site plan for North Water Street relocation of historic Kent Wells Sherman House.
Three of five Kent Planning Commission members chose green-space preservation over saving a Civil War-era home from possible demolition by rejecting plans Tuesday for relocating the Kent Wells Sherman House to a vacant North Water Street parcel. Commission members Anthony Catalano, John Gargan Jr. and Peter Paino voted against approving a site plan for the non-profit Kent Wells Sherman House Inc., a group formed in March to save the historic structure found to have ties to the Kent family and other prominent citizens. Voting in favor of the site plan were commission members Gregory Balbierz and Melissa Long. The house relocation from East Erie Street is necessary for construction of The Esplanade extension, a Kent State University led …
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-81.35816
Standing Rock Cultural Arts
257 N Water St, Kent, OH
/articles/green-space-trumps-historic-preservation
1857428
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Music, poetry, dancing and food were draws to Spicebush & Spearmint Festival.
About 50 artists and supporters of Standing Rock Cultural Arts whiled away their afternoon Sunday listening to music and poetry, watching children perform and play during the Spicebush & Spearmint Festival. The event was held to celebrate the green space located next to the North Water Street Gallery that has been used by Standing Rock over the past 20 years for events, programs and community gardening. “We wanted to be together to celebrate that space,” said Lisa Regula, one of the festival organizers. “There is something really special about that site. It just gives you a really positive vibe.” The Standing Rock Garden was chosen as the new location for the Kent Wells Sherman House, an 1858 Greek Revival home that must be moved from its …
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Board of Zoning Appeals grants parking and setback variances for East Main Street site.
Portage County Commissioners were granted four variances Monday by the Kent Board of Zoning Appeals related to construction of a new Kent Municipal Courthouse building at 303 E. Main St., next to the Kent Historical Society. The East Main Street parcel – previously home to a motel and currently a Jimmy John's sandwich shop that’s moving – will eventually house a two-story, 25,000-square-foot courthouse to replace the present court building on South Water Street. The variances approved Monday will: Allan Renzi of Richard L. Bowen & Associates in Cleveland told zoning board members Monday the courthouse structure can’t be moved further back on the “very tight” two-acre site due to the need for a swale in the parking lot to meet rainwater …
Group vying to save 1858 structure granted variances by zoning appeals board; more reviews on tap this week.
The effort to save the 1858 Kent Wells Sherman House from a wrecking ball cleared several zoning hurdles Monday, but must negotiate more governmental hurdles tonight and Wednesday to stave off an Aug. 4 demolition deadline. Kent’s Board of Zoning Appeals on Monday unanimously approved three variances requested by the non-profit group Kent Sherman Wells House Inc. to relocate the Greek Revival-style home from its present East Erie Street site to a vacant lot at 247 N. Water St. The move is necessary for construction of The Esplanade extension, a Kent State University led project designed to create a pedestrian link between campus and downtown Kent. The volunteer group working to save the house with ties to the Kent family and other …
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Kent Planning Commission tables vote for two weeks
A request for rooming house status by the owner of the University Oaks apartment complex has been delayed for at least two weeks. The Kent Planning Commission voted Tuesday to table their decision on the request, which would change the zoning status of the Horning Road complex. The rooming house status would allow the developers to rent all three bedrooms in their three bedroom units to unrelated tenants. As it stands, the property's existing R-4 zoning status — like all residential properties in the city — does not permit renting to more than two unrelated tenants per unit. Anderson Neigbors, the chief operating officer of Alabama-based Capstone Real Estate Investments, which owns the property, said the status is necessary in order to …
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-81.3349
500 Silver Oaks Dr, Kent, OH
/articles/rooming-house-request-for-university-oaks-delayed
/locations/7156242
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Public hearings set for April 16 and 17 to consider variance requests made by Born Free M.C. Toy Run Inc.
A motorcycle club well known in Portage County for its annual toy runs has purchased a dilipidated home at 325 W. Elm St. for use as a philanthropic institution/meeting house – but variances are needed before the club can officially call it home. Born Free M.C. Toy Run Inc. has applied for two variances allowing a philanthropic institution to be located on a local street instead of a major thoroughfare or at the intersection of a major thoroughfare, and a variance from the 100-foot setback requirement for philanthropic institution structures. A public hearing on the variance requests will be conducted at 7 p.m. April 16 by the Board of Zoning Appeals. The Planning Commission will conduct a separate hearing at 7 p.m. April 17 to review the …
Sue
9:30 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012
Alec, the people who have raised their voices to oppose the move of the house are certainly passionate about it, but they are not most Kent residents. They are a vocal small group of residents. I admire their willingness to stand up for what they believe, even though I disagree with them on this issue. But they are not most people in the city. Most Kent residents have said nothing in public about… more ›