Thursday, March 7, 2013
Existing regulations call for $750,000 investment, 4,000 square feet of space before city will approve liquor license transfer
Kent's regulations for allowing the transfer of liquor licenses via Ohio's "Trex" liquor license transfer process may be adjusted to allow some flexibility for approving proposed new bars and restaurants. Kent City Council voted Wednesday to have city administrators take a second look at local guidelines set last fall establishing requirements for business owners looking to open a new bar in the city by transferring in an existing liquor license from another Ohio community via the trex transfer. The existing guidelines set by council spell out requirements that must be met before council would sign off on a trex request. The existing guidelines are: "Are those too high?" Kent Economic Development Director Dan Smith said. "What if there’s a…
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
City administrators reviewing creation of comprehensive licensing program for rental properties in Kent
The idea of creating a comprehensive rental property licensing program in Kent will be up for a vote at Kent City Council this year. City administrators are in the midst of reviewing the idea after council voted in March 2012 to have the idea analyzed. Kent Community Development Director Bridge Susel gave an update on the city staff's progress to members of the Kent Planning Commission recently. "We know there are illegal boarding houses," Susel said. "But it’s really hard to prove it. Code enforcement can only take it so far." The issue has been a topic of debate for years in Kent, but it has come to the forefront again as property owners have sought formal approval from the city to convert houses zoned as single-family to the multi-…
Thursday, February 7, 2013
City council hears recommendations from sustainability commission on dealing with controversial drilling method
Members of Kent City Council quizzed residents who have been studying fracking for months whether the city can regulate, ban or even promote the controversial drilling method Wednesday. After an hour of talks council took no formal action on the issue. Dan Schweitzer, chairperson of the Kent Sustainability Commission, presented the group's recommendations to council for addressing the issue after spending the past several months studying the practice. In the end, Schweitzer said the issue may be less critical for Kent residents, who live in densely populated neighborhoods with the majority using city water service rather than natural wells. "I don’t think at this point in time it’s likely anyone’s going to buy property in Kent and drill a …
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Kent Sustainability Commission will make recommendations for regulating the controversial drilling practice locally
Members of Kent City Council will hear several recommendations for regulating the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas drilling at tonight's meeting. The Kent Sustainability Commission, a citizen board which has spent the past several months researching the issue, will present their suggestions for local laws and practices designed to regulate drilling on the local level. It won't be the first time city council has heard from residents about fracking. Most recently, members of the group Concerned Citizens of Ohio attended a council meeting last month to urge action on the issue. Their goal is to see local laws adopted to protect residents and the city from potential damages caused to infrastructure, water …
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
The former Alley 5 runs through the middle of the Davey Tree and AMETEK redevelopment block.
Locke Lane, formerly known as Alley 5 in downtown Kent, is now a one-way street for eastbound motorists only, according to the Kent Engineering Division. All traffic using Locke Lane must enter at South Water Street and exit at South DePeyster Street. The lane runs through the middle of the Davey Tree and AMETEK redevelopment block. Kent City Council voted in September to rename the alley "Locke Lane" in honor of Gary Locke, who died Sept. 16, 2012, following a 13-month battle with leukemia. Councilman Garret Ferrara, who suggested renaming the alley, said the gesture was appropriate given Locke's contribution to the downtown redevelopment as a member of the city's senior administration. For more information about Locke Lane's new one-way …
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Mayors Against Illegal Guns asking White House for action on gun regulations
No one directly named Sandy Hook Elementary or the terrible tragedy that befell the small community of Newtown, CT, but it was clear what members of Kent City Council were talking about Wednesday. The shootings Friday that left 26 dead, including 20 school-age children, prompted Kent City Councilman Garret Ferrara to suggest the city examine how best to respond to an emergency situation and coordinate all parties involved. "In light of what’s happened over the past week, it’s going to boil down to a function of money and preparedness," Ferrara said. "The biggest issue is being prepared and letting our citizens know that everybody is prepared. It’s going to come down to money in the sense that it doesn’t make any sense for individual …
Friday, November 30, 2012
Send your letters to the editor via email to Matt.Fredmonsky@Patch.com
Dear Members of Kent City Council The pleasure was mine to have the opportunity to address council for the vacated council seat held by Robin Turner, Weds Nov. 28, 2012. Even though the results were not favorable in my behalf, I thank you for allowing me the opportunity to address you and to bring to your attention a concern for the city that I as a life time resident, property and business owner share with other residents. This concerns the housing services in Kent and the deteriorating housing stock. While I am elated at the development in downtown Kent, my concern is that the city does not lag behind in overseeing and promoting adequate and affordable housing in neighborhoods to support the needs of a growing and robust city. I shared …
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Scott Flynn will take over at-large seat vacated by Robin Turner
A lifetime Kent resident practicing law downtown will join the dais at Kent City Council to help craft local laws and steer the direction of the Tree City. Members of council appointed Kent attorney Scott Flynn Wednesday night to take over the at-large seat vacated by Robin Turner earlier this month. Flynn was appointed after about 90 minutes of interviews with nine of the 11 people who applied for the position and after three rounds of balloting by council. The vote was narrowed to Flynn and a former staffer for Congressman Tim Ryan, Sean Buchanan, by the third round. Flynn received five votes to win the appointment. "It’s always been in my nature to give back to the community," Flynn said. "I think I’ve got a good grasp on what the …
Longtime South End resident recognized for service to council
Former at-large Kent City Council representative Robin Turner was honored by his former colleagues and Kent Mayor Jerry Fiala Wednesday at council's regular meeting. Fiala recognized Turner by reading a proclomation declaring Wednesday to have been "Robin Turner Day" in Kent in honor of his almost five years of service on the city's top legislative body. Turner was appointed in January 2008 after the death of longtime friend and councilman William Schultz. Turner was then re-elected in 2012 to a four-year term, but he resigned Nov. 1 in order to retire. Turner thanked both members of council and the city administration for working with him during his tenure. "What we endeavor to do as a council, by meeting the challenges of what, I think, …
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Flynn one of 11 applicants for vacancy created by resignation of Robin Turner
Kent City Council appointed Scott Flynn tonight to fill the vacancy left by Robin Turner, who resigned Nov. 1. Flynn was one of 11 applicants for the position who were interviewed by council Wednesday for the at-large position. "I think I know a lot of the issues that are affecting the majority of the citizens," Flynn told council during his appointment interview. Look for the full story Thursday on Kent Patch.
Aaron D
5:57 am on Monday, March 11, 2013
Agreed! I think there was for a long time, truth to the affluence statement, but it has been nearly twenty in the past. Kent has changed since the West River neighborhood was a miniature ghetto of abandoned buildings. more ›