University Oaks Buying Land on Horning for Parking

Applicant withdraws parking variance request; will return in June with new request

Whether or not a proposed project in Kent has enough parking seems to be the key question as of late for the city's planning boards. The Kent Board of Zoning Appeals listened to a parking variance request from the company turning the former Silver Oaks Place apartments into the "University Oaks" student apartments this week, but ultimately the firm asked the board to table their vote on the issue until next month after zoning board members expressed concerns over their parking proposal. Capstone Real Estate Investments initially wanted a variance from the board so that off-site parking for the apartments could be 820 feet from the property line, whereas the zoning code doesn't allow off-site parking to be more than 700 feet away. That …

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Chris (Kit) Myers

12:55 pm on Thursday, May 24, 2012

Thanks, Colleen.   more ›

Editor's Picks for Top Stories of 2011

Editor's Picks: Tragic Saga at Silver Oaks

Kent Patch is republishing the editor's picks for top stories of 2011 this week with brief updates.

Editor's Note: there's not much to say that hasn't already been said about the Silver Oaks seniors who were forced out of their retirement community near Kent State University. We've been covering every aspect of the story from that Thursday morning when residents first started getting their eviction notices. Below is one of the original stories, republished today as one of the editor's picks for top stories of 2011. Aug. 17, 2011 Two of the churches closest to Silver Oaks Place are helping the residents there find a new place to live. The Kent United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church of Kent have been helping their senior members forced to leave the complex as they struggle to find new homes. Owner Tell Real Estate Trust …

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Appliances from Silver Oaks to be Donated to Service Agencies

Habitat for Humanity of Portage County and Family and Community Services to get 260 refrigerators and stoves

About 520 appliances from the former Silver Oaks Place retirement community will be donated to service agencies in Kent and Portage County. Bridget Susel, Kent's acting director of the Community Development Department, said she worked with the new owners of the property, Capstone Development Corp., to orchestrate the donation when she learned the developer would be replacing all the major appliances in the complex. Susel said Capstone plans to donate 260 refrigerators and stoves to Family & Community Services and the Portage County Habitat for Humanity ReStore. "It will help a lot of families in the county that are in need," she said. "I’m glad to see it will help people and not end up in a landfill." Susel said some of the appliances were…

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Settlement in Silver Oaks Case; Story Not Over Yet

The developer that bought the Silver Oaks Place retirement community reached a settlement with 49 of its former residents

A confidential settlement reached last week between 49 former Silver Oaks Place residents and the developer who forced them out isn't the end of the story. Attorneys for the current owners of the retirement complex, Tell Real Estate Trust, and the prospective owner, Alabama-based Capstone Development Corp., reached the agreement with the seniors through mediation led by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. The inclusion of a confidentiality clause means the Silver Oaks seniors who participated signed an agreement that they wouldn't disclose the details of the settlement. Marilyn Holloway was one of those 49 who signed the deal, and until Monday she was one of five people still living at the complex. Holloway moved out Monday along with Tom …

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Capstone Linked to Kent State Over Silver Oaks

The Alabama developer was in talks with Kent State about the retirement complex

Letter: Students Should Support Silver Oaks Residents

Letters to the editor can be emailed to Matt.Fredmonsky@patch.com

On July 21st of this year, Capstone Development Corp. — a student housing developer — notified the seniors of the Silver Oaks Place community that they would be evicted as of Oct. 1 and would need to find new residences. This is an unrealistic timetable for senior citizens to find new residences. They live on fixed incomes, many are unable to get around efficiently, and lack the general resources needed to move from a place that they have called home. These are people in need of advocates. These are human beings being forced from their homes. These are people who need our help. Since this outrageous incident occurred, the seniors have received the help of the Kent City Council, Civil Rights Attorney Avery Friedman, non-profit organizations…

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Mail Delivery to Resume at Silver Oaks Today

Residents stopped getting mail after Oct. 1 move-out date

Mail delivery should resume Thursday for residents of Silver Oaks Place, many of whom haven't gotten mail delivered to them since Friday. Several residents said they hadn't received mail since the Saturday, Oct. 1 move-out date dictated by Alabama-based Capstone Development Corp., which is in talks to buy the 13-acre retirement complex and turn it into student housing. Dave Mercer, postmaster for the Kent post office, told Kent Patch Wednesday they hadn't stopped delivery even though several residents said they hadn't received mail or seen a mail carrier in the complex since Friday. Mercer said they will continue to deliver mail to the remaining residents as long as the mail carrier can get to the apartment buildings safely. Tom Hudak, one…

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Update: Resident Says Mail Delivery Stopped to Silver Oaks

Post office: only construction would prohibit mail delivery

Editor's Note: this story was updated at 10 a.m. with an interview from another Silver Oaks resident. One of the few remaining residents of Silver Oaks Place says the U.S. Postal Service has stopped delivering mail to the complex. Christine Maxwell was waiting for a package yesterday that, like most of her deliveries from the post office, she was tracking online. "Yesterday I saw it was on the truck for delivery in the morning, and then only an hour later I got (an online) notification that said ‘No one home, business closed,'" Maxwell said. "When I called (the post office) I was told they were aware of the situation at Silver Oaks, and they had been notified to stop and desist mail." Maxwell said her online notification also said the mail…

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PHOTOS: Seniors Silenced on Silver Oaks Mediation

Discussions 'ongoing' over fate of retirement complex near Kent State

Only the seniors of Silver Oaks Place, their closest supporters and the attorneys involved know what happened at a mediation session in Cleveland Wednesday. About 20 seniors trekked from the retirement complex near Kent State University to downtown Cleveland Wednesday for the mediation, which was led by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. The mediation session, held at the Lausche State Office Building, involved the seniors' attorney, Avery Friedman, and lawyers for the current owners of the retirement complex, Tell Real Estate Trust, and the prospective owner, Alabama-based Capstone Development Corp. Everyone who took part in the closed-door talks signed confidentiality agreements prohibiting them from talking about the details of the …

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