University Park Alliance to award entrepreneurs with money, assistance  

By Betty Lin-Fisher
Beacon Journal business writer
Published: April 24, 2012  

A fine art printmaking studio and gallery and a state-of-the-art indoor climbing facility have 
earned top honors among six finalists in the University Park Alliance (UPA) Start UP! Business Plan Competition. A panel of judges and advisory board members from the community picked the winners, Rubber City Prints and Summit City Climbing Gym, from 25 applicants that competed in the event sponsored by the Charter One Foundation. 

 The competition was designed to help attract businesses to the University Park neighborhood and “give aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to bolster their business acumen,” said leaders of UPA, a nonprofit group working on the redevelopment of 50 city blocks around the University of Akron and surrounding areas downtown. 

The two winners each will receive $17,500, assistance locating a suitable site within University Park and ongoing consulting support as they bring their business ideas to fruition from in-kind sponsors Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease LLC, and Meaden & Moore. 

About the winners: 

• Rubber City Prints, co-founded by Pam Testa and Nicole Schneider, is a collaborative fine art print studio and gallery offering intaglio, relief, screen-printing and letterpress capabilities as well as exhibition space. Through its future space in University Park, Rubber City Prints will seek to strengthen the local art community through educational workshops, internship opportunities and professional fine art printing services. A minimum of 2,500 square feet of industrial space will be required for the new venture. 

• Summit City Climbing Gym, an indoor climbing and fitness facility, will be an urban destination for fitness enthusiasts and adventure seekers.  

Co-founders Nathan and Liz Yokum have been leaders in the regional climbing community through owning and operating Rock Candy Holds LLC — a producer of indoor rock climbing holds in the U.S. with distribution internationally, UPA officials said. In addition to being the largest indoor climbing facility in the area, Summit City’s professionally designed 10,000-square- foot climbing space and extensive programming for all ages and abilities will set it apart from the existing indoor climbing facilities, officials said. 

 “All of the contestants submitted intriguing proposals, which resulted in a real challenge for our judges. We are pleased that the winning plans will introduce exciting new businesses to the University Park community, and we are already looking forward to next year’s competition,” UPA Executive Director Eric Anthony Johnson said. 

“The future is bright for Akron neighborhoods like University Park, and successful public/private sector partnerships like this one will continue to strengthen the city,” said Ken Marblestone, president of Charter One and RBS Citizens, Ohio. “University Park is such a diverse and exciting neighborhood. With the addition of two innovative new businesses — Summit City Climbing and Rubber City Prints — it is on the right track to become a thriving hub of economic diversity with a growing retail corridor.” 

Presented by Charter One Foundation through its Growing Communities Initiative, the competition also receives support from University of Akron Research Foundation; the Student Venture Fund at the University of Akron; Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease LLC; and Meaden & Moore. 

Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/blinfisher and see all her stories at www.ohio.com/betty. 

Download a PDF of this article

Download a PDF of this article

University Park Alliance, a nonprofit development corporation in Akron, said it has signed a partnership agreement with Equity Inc. of Columbus for the development firm to build and manage the first two buildings of a planned mixed-use development at East Market and Forge Streets in Akron.

 The partners did not put a proposed dollar cost on the two structures, which will be Equity's first Akron project.

University Park Alliance said Equity plans to start construction this spring on a two-story, 25,000-square-foot building that can be expanded later with a third story. It said the structure will house the central offices of Child Guidance & Family Solutions of Akron. University Park Alliance and Equity also propose to build a 75,000-square-foot commercial building by this fall on the site.

The site is part of a five-acre parcel that University Park Alliance owns in Akron's University Park neighborhood. The site will be developed as “Market Square,” a mixed-use project. University Park Alliance said it believes tenants of the commercial building would suit the development of Akron's Biomedical Corridor.

Child Guidance, a Summit County provider of behavioral services to children and family, said separately that it plans to relocate its central office from Locust Street in Akron to the new building.

Elaine Harlin, president of Child Guidance, said the move would strengthen its visibility and improve its environment for serving clients. She said it would sell its existing building to Akron Children's Hospital.

In commenting on the deal with Equity, University Park Alliance executive director Eric Anthony Johnson said in a statement, “The execution of this agreement is important because it sets a tone for the development of this parcel that is in line with UPA's master plan.”

Melanie Wollenberg, executive vice president of development for Equity, said the company believes in University Park Alliance's master plan and redevelopment vision for the 50-block University Park neighborhood bordering downtown and surrounding the University of Akron.

Equity operates seven regional offices and has completed transactions and developments in 36 states in office, retail, mixed-use, health care and other categories.

University Park Alliance is a nonprofit formed by the city of Akron, the University of Akron, the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce and other nonprofits, businesses and residents in the University Park neighborhood.   

Download a PDF of this article

 

Published: April 4, 2012

Download a PDF of this article

Download a PDF of this release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Beth B. Boggins
Senior Director, Communications and Community Relations
330.777.2072
bboggins@upakron.com

AKRON, Ohio – April 12, 2012 – University Park Alliance (UPA) has signed a partnership agreement with Equity Inc. (Equity), an Ohio real estate services firm to build and manage the first two buildings of a planned “Market Square” mixed-use development on the former Fred Martin Chevrolet auto dealership land on East Market and Forge Streets in University Park.

The approximately five-acre property was purchased by UPA late last year for redevelopment in accordance with its “Core City Vision Master Plan” unveiled in May 2011. The plan depicts Akron’s core city -- including University Park, downtown and surrounding areas -- as three major streets and four distinct development districts. The mixed-use development to be called “Market Square” is located on Market Street in the “Crossroads District” and includes a significant portion of an area designated by the City of Akron as the “Biomedical Corridor.” UPA’s master plan has targeted this area to be built around technology and innovation.

UPA and Equity will be working aggressively to identify and recruit a mix of tenants that are focused on medical, innovation, retail and possibly education –- all in support of the City’s Biomedical Corridor. The first building, scheduled to be under construction this spring, will be 25,000-square-feet in two stories with the foundational capacity to support a future third story, and will house the central offices of Child Guidance & Family Solutions. The second building is proposed to be approximately 3 times larger than the first and is expected to be under construction by fall 2012.

Equity is a multi-disciplinary real estate service provider with a focus on development and acquisitions, and a transaction footprint encompassing thirty-six states served from seven regional offices. The company has extensive development and construction experience in office, retail, healthcare, mixed-use and specialty real estate. Equity has originated over $1 billion in mixed-use projects, has a healthcare real estate portfolio valued in excess of $150 million and has completed over 200 construction projects.

“The execution of this agreement is important because it sets a tone for the development of this parcel that is in line with UPA’s master plan,” says UPA executive director Eric Anthony Johnson, Ph.D. “A strong and productive partnership with Equity will allow UPA to make good on its commitment to the City of Akron and others to find creative solutions for space needs. We look forward to making announcements of signed leases over the coming months as our tenant lineup for the second building is finalized."

Melanie Wollenberg, executive vice president of development for Equity said, “Equity believes in UPA's master plan and redevelopment vision and is pleased to become a part of it. We have completed transactions in over two-thirds of the country, and we appreciate the collaboration and leadership in Akron that is bringing this long-envisioned master plan to reality.”

About University Park Alliance

University Park Alliance (http://www.upakron.com/university-park-alliance) is a nonprofit community development corporation dedicated to advancing the transformation of University Park, the 50-block neighborhood surrounding The University of Akron. UPA’s urban reinvestment strategy is to capitalize on the economic synergy of Akron’s Anchor Institutions and develop University Park as a dense, walkable neighborhood with diverse cultural offerings, great healthcare, quality education and plenty of recreational and leisure opportunities. UPA receives major funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and its partners include The University of Akron, City of Akron, Summa Health System, Akron Beacon Journal, Akron Children's Hospital, Akron General Health System, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, Greater Akron Chamber, Akron Public Schools, and the University Park residential and business community.

By Dave Scott
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published: March 31, 2012 - 11:28 PM

Download a PDF of this article

By Marc Lefkowitz  |  March 21, 2012 

Download a PDF of this article

“Eds and Meds” are being hailed as engines of urban revitalization, much the way ‘retro’ baseball parks like The Jake and Camden Yards were in the 1990s. There are striking similarities between these two types of big bang development schemes. In the end, a metric of success applied across the two might be, How often do marquee structures like hospitals and stadia lead to more development, the kind that fill in the smaller-scale spaces?

Cleveland's Gateway, it can be argued, made the E. 4th Street revitalization possible. More accurately, the ball parks in combination with the Euclid Corridor streetscape and Bus-Rapid Transit project made this area of downtown spiffy and lively. In return, E. 4th Street has made downtown a very desirable place to live, work and play again.

Smart growth is a term used to describe the sustainability of land use, which is often measured in efficiencies or sometimes in placemaking power. Where development pressure is high, cities can and often do set the ground rules for development. Cities play a role in ensuring development is aware and responds to its context. In Cleveland and Akron, the big institutions have the resources, and are currently setting the stage for how and where development occurs.

In Cleveland, Eds and Meds driven development is a tale of two cities—there's Uptown and the Clinic campus. The difference couldn’t be more stark: UH and Case are filling in underperforming asphalt on Euclid and Mayfield with developments that promote walkable urbanism (whether it's affordable is a separate question considered here). The Clinic, meanwhile, designs its campus with little to no emphasis on building up neighborhood. Their ideas for public space in their latest Master Plan call for an internal greenway and an alignment of buildings where eyes are not on the street but continue the tradition of looking inward. The Clinic places buildings as objects in the center surrounded by the left over landscape. The approach historically has led to a campus that can often feel “sterile and monolithic,” PD Art and Architecture critic, Steven Litt, writes.

In his critique of the Clinic’s Master Plan, Litt notes that, “around the country, many urban universities and some medical centers—the “eds and meds”—are taking a more active role in relation to their surroundings… It’s exciting that the Clinic’s new plan indicates a strong commitment to Cleveland. At the same time, it’s natural to ask whether it might be doing more to heal the city around it.”

In Akron, University Park Alliance (UPA) is a non-profit developer similar to University Circle, Inc. Both UPA and UCI are building a consortium of big institutions toward major new developments in town. (Another great example of an ambitious urban campus revitalization that must be noted is Cleveland State University). Akron is in pre-development for two big, mixed-use projects—The Crossroads District and University Square—that aim to strengthen the physical connection between University of Akron and the major healthcare employers downtown, Akron General, Akron Children’s Hospital, and Summa.

According to UPA President, Dr. Eric Anthony Johnson, the idea is to reach out to a growing market who want to live, work, socialize in one walkable district at the crossroads of Akron’s main streets and health-related employment center.

“Cities are going to be emerging back on the radar, with rising gas prices and for reasons of talent attraction,” Johnson says.

Currently, only six percent of employees of the four big institutions live in the University Park district, he adds.

UPA hired Tripp Umbach to study the economic impact of infill development in Akron. In March, 2012 the firm reported that the urban core plan could expect a $183 million return on investment—based on the projected industries to occupy the development (retail, office, R&D) and the number of direct jobs created per square foot and indirect jobs and tax revenues.

“The world of economic development has changed dramatically,” Johnson says. “The old approach was go off and lure big companies with a wide net. The new world is about place. In biomedical, resources like talent go to great places. Boston, Seattle, San Francisco.”

UPA has signed on KUD International, a major developer who will put together the financing—a challenge with lenders unfamiliar with mixed-use developments.

With the backing of its partners, UPA is driving an agenda that includes affordable housing and a small business retail mix. The study forecasts enough demand within the Akron Metro area to green light 803 housing units, priced at $130,000.

“The report found that would be affordable to an inordinate amount of people living in Akron and the MSA,” Johnson says.

“Because we’re a mission-based organization, it gives us an advantage. We don’t have to say, I need a 12% profit margin to make it work. Now, I hope the higher price (residential) follows behind that…

“I hate to say it, but if you start with (the high net worth individual) you have it backwards. You don’t start with the risk adverse individuals; you don’t start with risk oblivious. The second category is risk aware. In this new world, with the real estate market being what it is and communities being strapped, they need an intermediary to make sure development will happen.”

In 2012, Johnson expects movement on at least two big infill projects. Ultimately, the plan calls for four mixed-use infill projects along Market, Main and Exchange streets.

Download a PDF of this release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Beth B. Boggins
Senior Director, Communications and Community Relations
330.777.2072
bboggins@upakron.com

Leader of the foremost organizational consulting and public opinion research firm and author of “The Coming Jobs War” to deliver keynote address.

AKRON, Ohio – April 3, 2012 – University Park Alliance (UPA), with presenting sponsor Dominion Foundation and support from Summa Health System, will host the 2012 University Park Alliance Annual Luncheon, on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., at The University of Akron (Quaker Station, 135 S. Broadway St.).  Luncheon attendees will learn more about UPA's plans for University Park and its priorities for investing in the community. Event proceeds will benefit UPA's scholarship fund for long-term residents of University Park.

The keynote speaker of this year’s luncheon will be Gallup chairman and CEO Jim Clifton. Clifton is also author of “The Coming Jobs War,” published in Oct. 2011, where he predicts that the next economic breakthrough in the U.S. will come from a combination of the forces within cities, great universities, and powerful local leaders. According to Clifton, these three compose the most reliable, controllable and predictable solution to America's biggest current problem -- winning the global war for good jobs.

“We are honored to have Jim Clifton as our keynote speaker,” says UPA executive director Eric Anthony Johnson, Ph.D.  “What he examines in his book is important and relevant to the work UPA is doing in Akron. The message he will deliver is that communities have to be more creative in the quest for jobs, talent and investment.”

Clifton has served as the CEO of Gallup since 1988. His most recent innovation, the Gallup World Poll, is designed to give the world’s 6 billion citizens a voice in virtually all key global issues. Under Mr. Clifton’s leadership, Gallup has achieved a fifteen-fold increase in its billing volume and expanded Gallup from a predominantly U.S.-based company to a worldwide organization with 40 offices in 30 countries and regions. Mr. Clifton serves on several boards and is chairman of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

For sponsorship, table and ticket information, visit the University Park Alliance website at www.upakron.com.

About University Park Alliance

University Park Alliance (http://www.upakron.com/university-park-alliance) is a nonprofit community development corporation dedicated to advancing the transformation of University Park, the 50-block neighborhood surrounding The University of Akron. UPA’s urban reinvestment strategy is to capitalize on the economic synergy of Akron’s Anchor Institutions and develop University Park as a dense, walkable neighborhood with diverse cultural offerings, great healthcare, quality education and plenty of recreational and leisure opportunities. UPA receives major funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and its partners include The University of Akron, City of Akron, Summa Health System, Akron Beacon Journal, Akron Children's Hospital, Akron General Health System, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, Greater Akron Chamber, Akron Public Schools, and the University Park residential and business community.

Wendy Holmes of Minneapolis-based Artspace USA will describe how artists’ communities spur economic and social benefits.

AKRON, Ohio – February 22, 2012 – Wendy Holmes, senior vice president of consulting and strategic partnerships for Artspace USA in Minneapolis, will deliver her presentation, “Building a Vibrant Community: Artist’s Live/Work Space as Redevelopment Catalyst,” to a sold out audience as part of the 3^rd annual University Park Alliance (UPA) Urban Innovators Speaker Series on Wednesday, Feb. 29 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Andrew Jackson House, 277 E. Mill St. in University Park, Akron.

 Artspace is America's leading nonprofit real estate developer of affordable space for artists and arts organizations. Holmes oversees a staff of four that identifies new communities and new opportunities for arts-related real estate projects across the country. In this capacity she has advanced cultural space objectives in more than 150 U.S. communities and played a principal role in identifying sites for Artspace projects in New York, Memphis, Tenn., El Paso, Texas, and Tallahassee, Fla., among other cities.

“University Park is a perfect place in Akron for an artist live/work community,” says UPA executive director Eric Anthony Johnson. “Arts are a proven economic engine that directly benefits the community by acting as a magnet to creative business and bringing round-the-clock vibrancy to an area.”

UPA’s Urban Innovators Speaker Series features world-class urban thinkers and practitioners who present creative approaches to planning, economy, and culture that can catalyze economic transformation in Northeast Ohio. The program provides a platform for the exploration of ideas to strengthen the innovation capacity of Akron as an urban center, creating new investment and jobs.

The Series is presented with support from the Greater Akron Chamber and The University of Akron, and in conjunction with promotional partners Western Reserve Public Media, through its show “Neotropolis,” and hyper-local citizen journalism news site the Akronist.

The final upcoming speaker in the series is Steve Davies, senior vice president of Project for Public Spaces in New York who will present “Healthy Food Hubs: Eliminating Food Deserts and Supporting Local Economies,” on March 28. David Primm, principal with Tripp Umbach in Pittsburgh kicked-off the series on Jan. 31 with his presentation "Projecting the Return on Investment and Economic Impact of UPA’s Core City Vision Plan.”

Both the Feb. 29 and March 28 presentations are sold-out, however a waiting list is available. Call 330-777-2072 or email info@upakron.com to be included on the waiting list. 

About University Park Alliance

University Park Alliance (http://www.upakron.com/university-park-alliance) is a nonprofit community development corporation dedicated to advancing the transformation of University Park, the 50-block neighborhood surrounding The University of Akron. UPA’s urban reinvestment strategy is to capitalize on the economic synergy of Akron’s Anchor Institutions and develop University Park as a dense, walkable neighborhood with diverse cultural offerings, great healthcare, quality education and plenty of recreational and leisure opportunities. UPA receives major funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and its partners include The University of Akron, City of Akron, Summa Health System, Akron Beacon Journal, Akron Children's Hospital, Akron General Health System, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, Greater Akron Chamber, Akron Public Schools, and the University Park residential and business community.

Download a PDF of this article

Leaders aim to help University Park area catch up to rest of downtown's revitalization

Photo credit: JANET CENTURY

Eric Johnson, who leads Akron’s University Park Alliance, in front of boards representing four redevelopment districts in UPA’s master plan. In the foreground is a part of a fence by renowned University Park artist Don Drumm.

In the center of Akron, the watery remains of the Ohio Canal and a steep hill have played a defining role in the city's growth since the 19th century. On one side is downtown Akron. On the other is an area now dubbed University Park, which encompasses 50 blocks boundedby Broadway, Arlington and East Market streets and Interstate 76.

With downtown Akron enjoying a buzz thanks to redevelopment projects from Canal Park to Quaker Square, civic leaders are adding University Park to their gaze.

University Park has many pluses but lacks the commercial and residential redevelopment of downtown; just one new commercial project of scale rose in University Park during the last realty boom. Spicer Village, a multimillion-dollar mixed-use project with retail and residential units, was the sole urban head-turner.

Reversing that trend with new commercial and residential properties is the task of the University Park Alliance, a public-private partnership organized as a community development corporation that can own and redevelop property.

UPA's staff leader is Eric Anthony Johnson, a New Orleans native with a doctorate in urban affairs and public policy and a résumé ranging from economic development in the city of Charlotte, N.C., to the realty manager for the aborted lakefront development plan of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority. Rather than head to the Sun Belt after Cleveland abandoned that plan, Dr. Johnson landed at UPA where he is again orchestrating a big urban development drive.

Big plans

Just over 14 months after Dr. Johnson came on board, significant steps are in place to set the table for redevelopment, and four projects that are part of a longer-term master plan already are moving forward.

Beyond describing them as “mixed-use” projects — usually mixes of retail, office and residential uses in one property — at four undisclosed locations, Dr. Johnson would offer no more detail.

He does point to the wish list, though, for the four projects, which UPA wants up by 2016 — 803 residential units, at least one hotel and nearly 113,000 square feet of retail and 260,000 square feet of office space. One reason Dr. Johnson declines to outline site-specific projects is that UPA and potential developers may want to acquire additional land to the sites.

Dr. Johnson said one reason he made Akron his next stop after Cleveland after touring the UPA geography was the makeup of its 17-member board.

Not only does it include Akron Mayor Donald Plusquellic and Summit County Executive Russell M. Pry, but Thomas Strauss, Summa Health System's president and CEO, Luis Proenza, president of the University of Akron and others also are involved. Summa and the University of Akron both are within UPA's turf.

“Communities that are organized to reduce fragmentation will flourish in the future,” Dr. Johnson said. “Resources are too limited for them otherwise.”

David Lieberth, deputy mayor of Akron, said UPA's plans are designed so they capitalize on opportunities for both downtown and the UPA despite the geography separating the two. Moreover, University of Akron actions — from buying the old Polsky's department store in the '80s to fueling demand for new student-focused housing downtown — have helped bridge the gap between the two.

Mr. Lieberth said Mayor Plusquellic, who was in China last week, supported the UPA plan with a big condition: It had to impact the city beyond UPA borders.

A little bit of help

Despite this generally being one of the least opportune times to launch realty programs of scope, Dr. Johnson and his staff are undertaking no little plans.

UPA has selected as its realty development partner KUD International LLC, a United States real estate development arm of the Japanese construction and realty conglomerate Kajima Corp., a Japanese concern that is one of the world's largest builders and developers.

Dr. Johnson said KUD will help UPA advance its agenda on many levels. At the get-go last month, KUD signing on helped UPA broadcast through the media its plans worldwide. News of the association last October meant mentions of the 50-block UPA plan ran in cities from New York to Chicago and Tokyo to Mumbai. Part of it also is clout: KUD's parent is a billion-dollar construction concern active in 20 countries.

Dr. Johnson said KUD will offer up a project manager to assist UPA on each development project, and it will supplement the alliance's limited staff of six. Moreover, KUD will provide financing and construction guarantees for projects UPA undertakes in its district.

“A local developer may have a nice plan for a project,” he said, “but may not have the financing capability for it. Here is KUD, which has financing relationships and can provide guarantees that will help secure financing.”

For KUD, the Akron alliance offered an opportunity to work collaboratively to produce projects which may involve local developers and others, said Tom Winter, KUD senior vice president. He said KUD is looking at ground-up construction for the four opportunities Dr. Johnson discussed, and some enlist local firms. At least one expert sees the KUD role as vital to the nascent efforts of UPA.

Steve Strnisha, a finance expert who specializes in complex urban projects and is now a senior executive with the Cleveland International Fund, which provides international investors with U.S. financing opportunities, said the KUD association would open lenders' doors.

“A construction cost and guarantee is absolutely critical to any project of scale from a lenders' perspective,” Mr. Strnisha said. “It shows there is a commitment to bring in a project at a given price. You don't want to have to go to the developer or the developer's partners to come in with more money if it's needed.”

 Download a PDF of this article

You do not have to look too closely at our nation’s checkbook to realize the extent to which cities will struggle in 2012 to transform into increasingly competitive and lively communities. Urban redevelopment will happen in cities that are creative, specific and unified.

Akron, Ohio, is an example of a city that is positioning itself well, having a master plan for growth that seeks to trigger hundreds of millions of dollars in development in 2012 and beyond.

Surprised? If so, it is understandable.  Akron is the former Rubber Capitol of the World, a city with an industrial heritage.  As such, its economic challenges reflect that of many other “legacy cities” struggling to recover from deep manufacturing losses. 

Consider this profile of Akron from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2010:

       ·  Unemployment at 16.2 percent in Akron, compared to a national average of 10.8 percent;

       ·  Median household income of $31,171, compared to $50,046 for the nation as a whole;

       ·  Population that declined 8.3 percent since 2000 while the nation’s population increased by 9.9 percent during the same period.

With major support from the Knight Foundation, Akron’s nonprofit real estate development corporation, University Park Alliance (UPA), is drawing on existing resources – including a community spirit of collaboration – to help turn the tide.  In July 2010, UPA hired Dr. Eric Anthony Johnson as its executive director -- giving Akron a leader in urban development with world-class credentials and hands-on experience at national, state and local levels. 

When he came to Akron, Johnson recognized a city ready for new opportunity.

Even in the worst of times, Akron’s mayor of 24 years, Don Plusquellic, had aggressively pursued downtown redevelopment projects.  What’s more, University of Akron President Luis Proenza was about to complete more than $500 million in capital spending on new and upgraded university facilities and landscaping.

Johnson saw a growing university that interacted with downtown Akron, a committed philanthropic base and three nearby high-quality regional hospitals, all with close ties to a regional medical school (Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown). 

Under Johnson’s leadership, UPA identified five anchor institutions: the university, the three local hospitals and the Akron Public Schools. UPA then commissioned a study by Pittsburgh-based consulting firm Tripp Umbach to quantify the institutions’ economic impact. In an April 2011 report, Tripp Umbach estimated that these five institutions alone supported 20,612 jobs in the immediate area around the university, and more than 29,000 jobs in the state. In addition, these same institutions directly employed 15,547 people in Akron’s urban core.  Their combined economic impact: more than $2.5 billion of economic activity in the area around The University of Akron and downtown, and $3.5 billion of economic activity within Ohio.

Included in the numbers: institutional expenditures for employment, operations, capital improvements, goods and services, along with spending by staff, visitors and vendors.

Having defined the scope of this combined economic strength, UPA engaged EE&K

Architects to develop a master development plan. EE&K is a firm already well known for its design of many successful urban revitalization projects such as New York City’s Battery Park and Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

The firm’s plan for Akron’s core includes loft apartments along the refurbished Ohio & Erie Canal near Akron Children’s Hospital and downtown Akron, space for research and development firms, and retail development.

Key to the plan is the creation of a biomedical corridor with the help of the Austen BioInnovation Institute. The institute seeks to establish Akron as a leading location for biomaterials and medicine, health care innovation and commercialization. Because of the University of Akron’s nationally-ranked programs in synthetic materials and polymer research, Akron’s leaders chose to focus new job development around innovations that draw on existing competencies.

This vision -- coupled with UPA's determination to implement it -- recently attracted the real estate development firm KUD International to Akron as a key strategic partner in managing and financially backing new building and renovation.

KUD’s decision to come to Akron positions the city for hundreds of millions in new capital investment. It amounts to the remaking of an entire urban landscape with the help of a development firm that could spend its time and investment in many other places—but instead, saw the promise of Akron and came here.

Interestingly, KUD says it landed in Akron for the same reasons that attracted Johnson to the city:  Collaborative leadership, common goals and a compelling vision for a better tomorrow.

Challenges remain. But with the KUD partnership, we can expect shovels to be in the ground in 2012. The cranes you’ll see represent not just a new skyline, but also a new economic future for this once tire-dominated town.

Download a PDF of this article

In Alexandria, Va., an old torpedo factory has been repurposed as a cooperative artist space. In Santa Cruz, Calif., the site of a former tannery was transformed into 100 live/work spaces for artists. There’s a common thread of urban redevelopment at work.

The mission of Artspace, a non-profit real estate developer, is to help create places for artists to live and work — and in the meantime, make the surrounding community a better place. Wendy Holmes, senior vice president of consulting and strategic partnerships at the Minneapolis non-profit, spoke Wednesday night at the Andrew Jackson House in downtown Akron about how artists can be a catalyst for positive change.

Her presentation, complete with many visual examples of live/work spaces around the country, was part of the Urban Innovators lecture series presented by University Park Alliance, a Knight Arts grantee

In  the traditional Ojibway culture, Holmes said, there is no single word for artist, because making art is so engrained into everyday life. Americans today see things differently, but Holmes made an argument for putting the intrinsic value of the arts first. First, help the people who make art to flourish. Then, not only will their neighborhoods become more appealing and livable, but those economic benefits that everyone is looking for will follow, too, said Holmes.

Politicians and artists sat alongside others from the community to take in Holmes’s presentation. A Q&A session afterward drew numerous comments from artists. One noted the need for more exhibit space locally. Another envied the benefits of Artspace projects in consolidating artists work/space with businesses and other amenities within walking distance — something that she’d like to see in Akron’s downtown.

Of course, Akron has its own Summit Artspace — unrelated to the Minneapolis non-profit — which provides gallery space, artist studio space and office space, although not living space or combined live/work space for artists. After the presentation, Holmes said she planned to visit Summit Artspace on Thursday.

Eric Anthony Johnson, University Park Alliance’s executive director, asked everyone in attendance Wednesday night to join his group as catalysts for change in the 50-block core of downtown Akron that University Park Alliance serves. An appreciative chuckle spread through the crowd when Johnson said, “It’s tough work. It’s tough work. It’s tough work.”

The final speaker in University Park Alliance’s Urban Innovators series is Steve Davies, senior vice president of Project for Public Spaces in New York. He’ll present “Healthy Food Hubs: Eliminating Food Deserts and Supporting Local Economies,” on March 28. The free event is sold out, but a waiting list is available.

Download a PDF of this article

What will it take to transform the University Park neighborhood near downtown Akron into a vibrant hub of economic activity, neighborhood life and cultural creativity?

Wendy Holmes of ArtSpace USA pointed the University Park Alliance, community leaders and artists to a critical piece of the puzzle: Nurture artists, ensuring that they have access to defined, affordable living and work spaces (colonies, as it were), where they will have the necessary stability to develop and market their talents. ArtSpace USA, a nonprofit real estate developer and consulting company, creates housing, work and commercial spaces for artists.

Holmes highlights correctly the need to build up a residential environment that can sustain the creative arts and artists. By their very nature of testing new forms, mingling the familiar and unfamiliar, pushing the envelop, artists bring an infectious energy. They invite social and economic interactions within and beyond their community.

There are challenges, as Holmes points out, to sustaining creative enclaves. Too often, the work of artists restores an urban neighborhood only for them to be pushed out by rising rents after the area becomes respectable and desirable. That challenge will come later. For now, University Park has the assets and promise to be Akron’s colony of artists.

Download a PDF of this article

Dozens of communities across the country are recycling old warehouses, factories and department stores into exciting artist communities that attract economic development while also giving back to their neighborhoods.

But it’s important to keep those defined live-and-work spaces affordable so the resident artists don’t become victims of their own success, said Wendy Holmes of Artspace USA, a consulting group that has completed 30 projects from New York to California.

Holmes, this month’s guest of the University Park Alliance “Urban Innovators” speaker series, addressed about 100 artists, elected officials and community leaders at the Andrew Jackson House in Akron’s University Park neighborhood Wednesday. The series features national experts who can offer creative approaches to transforming neighborhoods.

Artspace USA was founded in 1979 after the city of Minneapolis mourned the loss of a great artists’ neighborhood that did so well in re-inventing an urban area that rents rose, forcing the artists out.

In recent years, the nonprofit real estate developer has worked with 150 communities that have or are considering defined artist communities.

“Space is precious to artists,” Holmes said, noting that Artspace projects typically offer 200 more square feet than other apartments so that artists have work room.

Also, a third-party analysis of the projects found affordable housing allows resident artists to “drop one of their two or three jobs” and focus on their art, Holmes said.

The neighborhood surrounding an artists’ complex also benefits from collecting creative types in one place, she added.

The streets tend to be lively, making them safer, and the artists might offer community dance classes, give arts instruction or organize youth music camps.

The ever-changing nature of art also brings an element of “surprise” to a neighborhood, the way a museum stays relevant by changing exhibits, she said.

UPA Director Eric Johnson said University Park is a perfect place for the kind of enclave Holmes encourages.

“Arts are a proven economic engine that directly benefits the community by acting as a magnet to creative businesses and [by] bringing round-the-clock vibrancy to an area,” he said.

Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/paulaschleis.

The University Park Alliance, with funding from the Knight Foundation, will pay a security firm about $300,000 a year for private patrols of the neighborhood on the southern edge of the University of Akron campus from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. (Karen Schiely/Akron Beacon Journal)

With billions of dollars at stake, a safe walk down a University Park street is imperative.

Come midnight tonight, a private security force will debut around the southern edge of the University of Akron campus to help protect this redeveloping neighborhood.

Residents and business owners in the 15 city blocks are being prepped for the new presence. Uniformed officers will be walking the streets, driving in SUVs and, when weather permits, riding bicycles.

The nonprofit University Park Alliance, with major funding from the Knight Foundation, is paying a security firm about $300,000 a year for the service. Five guards will patrol the area from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday. Eight will be on duty during the same hours Thursday through Saturday.

For now, the patrols will encompass a quadrant in the area between Spicer and Grant streets from East Exchange south toward Power Street. Signs are already up at the University Park Safe Neighborhood Center at 491 Brown St.

The private officers from G4S Secure Solutions will not be armed, nor will they have arrest powers. What they will have are eyes and ears geared toward deterring crime and blight. Officers will have direct radio contact with Akron police as well as University of Akron police and serve as a support system for law enforcement and residents.

“The objective is to be fully ingrained in the community,” said Eric Anthony Johnson, the alliance’s executive director. “The issue of public safety is important for everybody. We see public safety as the anchor of a great place to live and work.”

The community comprises more than UA students. The alliance’s goal is to transform 50 blocks of the city surrounding the campus and make the neighborhood a vibrant, urban community that attracts professionals and families.

Millions of dollars have already been invested and recent studies undertaken by the alliance show a potential economic impact of more than $1.8 billion a year – and $90 million in tax revenue – by the year 2030. That is on top of $2.5 billion annually produced by the alliance’s main anchors: UA and the city’s three hospitals and other businesses.

Akron police Chief James Nice said he welcomes the extra help that he said can only provide better safety for residents as well as his officers. The private officers will provide escorts for pedestrians, report suspicious activity, deter panhandlers and take note of unsafe or blighted buildings.

“[It’s] a visual deterrent for the would-be criminals [that] gives the community an extra set of eyes and ears,” Nice said. “This is beneficial not only to the residents in the neighborhood, but also to the officers working the neighborhoods.”

UA police Chief Paul Callahan could not be reached for comment.

Johnson, a resident of University Park, said he believes the urban neighborhood is already a safe place to live and work, despite a public perception fueled by occasional burglaries or robberies.

“I think the perception is greater than reality,” he said.

Public safety serves as an anchor to any thriving development, he said.

With the alliance’s goal of transforming the neighborhood, it must also convey a strong public safety agenda.

He dismissed the notion that the security force would serve as neighborhood ambassadors, such as the workers in blue and yellow jackets who walk beats around downtown Akron. Instead, the officers, many with military backgrounds, will convey strength in numbers and give the neighborhood a safety force presence and serve as a symbol that crime will not be tolerated, he said.

The patrols may eventually spread deeper into the 50-block development region.“What we’re saying to people is if you’re looking to commit criminal acts in University Park, that’s not acceptable,” Johnson said.Phil Trexler can be reached at 330-996-3717 or ptrexler@thebeaconjournal.com.

Download a PDF of this release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Beth B. Boggins
Senior Director, Communications and Community Relations
330.777.2072
bboggins@upakron.com

Urban Innovators Speaker Series Continues with Sold Out Presentation on Artist’s Live/Work Space as Redevelopment Catalyst

Wendy Holmes of Minneapolis-based Artspace USA will describe how artists’ communities spur economic and social benefits.

AKRON, Ohio – February 22, 2012 – Wendy Holmes, senior vice president of consulting and strategic partnerships for Artspace USA in Minneapolis, will deliver her presentation, “Building a Vibrant Community: Artist’s Live/Work Space as Redevelopment Catalyst,” to a sold out audience as part of the 3^rd annual University Park Alliance (UPA) Urban Innovators Speaker Series on Wednesday, Feb. 29 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Andrew Jackson House, 277 E. Mill St. in University Park, Akron.

Artspace is America's leading nonprofit real estate developer of affordable space for artists and arts organizations. Holmes oversees a staff of four that identifies new communities and new opportunities for arts-related real estate projects across the country. In this capacity she has advanced cultural space objectives in more than 150 U.S. communities and played a principal role in identifying sites for Artspace projects in New York, Memphis, Tenn., El Paso, Texas, and Tallahassee, Fla., among other cities.

“University Park is a perfect place in Akron for an artist live/work community,” says UPA executive director Eric Anthony Johnson. “Arts are a proven economic engine that directly benefits the community by acting as a magnet to creative business and bringing round-the-clock vibrancy to an area.”

UPA’s Urban Innovators Speaker Series features world-class urban thinkers and practitioners who present creative approaches to planning, economy, and culture that can catalyze economic transformation in Northeast Ohio. The program provides a platform for the exploration of ideas to strengthen the innovation capacity of Akron as an urban center, creating new investment and jobs.

The Series is presented with support from the Greater Akron Chamber and The University of Akron, and in conjunction with promotional partners Western Reserve Public Media, through its show “Neotropolis,” and hyper-local citizen journalism news site the Akronist.

The final upcoming speaker in the series is Steve Davies, senior vice president of Project for Public Spaces in New York who will present “Healthy Food Hubs: Eliminating Food Deserts and Supporting Local Economies,” on March 28. David Primm, principal with Tripp Umbach in Pittsburgh kicked-off the series on Jan. 31 with his presentation "Projecting the Return on Investment and Economic Impact of UPA’s Core City Vision Plan.”

Both the Feb. 29 and March 28 presentations are sold-out, however a waiting list is available. Call 330-777-2072 or email info@upakron.com to be included on the waiting list.

About University Park Alliance

University Park Alliance (http://www.upakron.com/university-park-alliance) is a nonprofit community development corporation dedicated to advancing the transformation of University Park, the 50-block neighborhood surrounding The University of Akron. UPA’s urban reinvestment strategy is to capitalize on the economic synergy of Akron’s Anchor Institutions and develop University Park as a dense, walkable neighborhood with diverse cultural offerings, great healthcare, quality education and plenty of recreational and leisure opportunities. UPA receives major funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and its partners include The University of Akron, City of Akron, Summa Health System, Akron Beacon Journal, Akron Children's Hospital, Akron General Health System, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, Greater Akron Chamber, Akron Public Schools, and the University Park residential and business community.

Download a PDF of this article

Last week, a study in Akron, Ohio found that a plan to revamp the former industrial city’s downtown is not only economically viable, but would bring nearly 15,000 jobs to the area within 20 years.

By adding almost 5 million square feet of new office, retail and residential space to the streetscape, development would also generate about $90 million in tax revenue for the city, according to the study.

Like many Midwestern cities, Akron has an urban core anchored by several major businesses – such as tire giant Goodyear and Purell manufacturer GOJO Industries – along with a few cultural centers and a handful of hospitals. But in the space between them, there isn’t much.

Which is why University Park Alliance (UPA), a local non-profit development corporation, devised the Core City Development Plan. Unveiled last May, the project aims to make Akron denser by infilling a huge swath of land near the University of Akron, the city’s third-largest employer and geographical epicenter. 

“It is not a plan that’s been sitting on the shelf,” said UPA executive director Eric Johnson. “It is executable.”

Citing what he calls “super-ultra-conservative estimates,” Johnson said that, between strengthening existing anchor businesses and attracting new companies to over 3 million square feet of added corporate space, the plan has earned the economic legitimacy to move forward.

Although specific details have not yet been made public, the plan calls for four separate construction sites slated to break ground later this year. The building would occur within 50 square blocks – a compact but appreciable trapezoidal chunk of the 62-square-mile city. Flanking the target area are Main Street to the west, Market Street to the northeast, and Exchange Street to the south.

As previously noted, faded industrial cities across the U.S. have spent the past few years trying to revive much-needed businesses in their metro areas. Non-profits have taken the lead, collaborating with local officials and private entrepreneurs to give their home cities the necessary shots in the arm. Can Akron place its bets on a single, sweeping makeover from its most visible development corporation? 

Matt Bevilacqua is associate editor of Next American City. Follow him @mattbevi.

| Feb 6th, 2012

download a PDF of this release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Beth B. Boggins
Senior Director, Communications and Community Relations
330.777.2072
bboggins@upakron.com

High-visibility nighttime safety patrols will enhance safety and livability

AKRON, Ohio – February 6, 2012 – University Park Alliance (UPA) today launched the University Park Safe Neighborhood Initiative in the University Park neighborhood south of Exchange St. and The University of Akron campus.

In coordination with the University of Akron Police Department (UAPD) and Akron Police Department (APS), unarmed Safe Neighborhood Officers (SNO) will provide nightly patrols, on foot and via bicycle or branded vehicles. The goal of the program is to obtain a heightened level of coverage and cooperation for crime prevention, personal safety and property protection in the neighborhood.

SNO will provide escorts for pedestrians, report graffiti, deter panhandling, report on blighted properties, provide crime prevention information, and identify and report suspicious activity. SNO will report safety issues and suspicious incidents directly to the UAPD dispatch agents who will contact proper authorities (either UAPD or APD).

“Improving the quality of life in the University Park neighborhood is a priority for us,” UPA executive director Eric Anthony Johnson said. “Working with community leaders, neighborhood residents and business owners – this is one of several initiatives that UPA is developing to help improve and attract investment to University Park residential neighborhoods and commercial districts.”

The Safe Neighborhood Initiative program will be operated on behalf of UPA by G4S Secure Solutions USA, the world's leading international security solutions group. Initially, the program patrol area will be bounded by Exchange St., Spicer St., Power St. and Grant St, with potential to expand coverage in the future. Patrol hours will be from 8 p.m. – 4 a.m., seven days a week.

“The University of Akron Police Department is looking forward to partnering with University Park Alliance on this initiative,” said UAPD chief of police, Paul Callahan.  “Through this collaboration, the students, businesses and families will be able to pursue their dreams and ambitions in an environment conducive to success. We are excited to see this project proceed in such a positive manner.”

James Nice, APD chief of police said, "Establishing this safety patrol program in the University Park neighborhood gives the community an extra set of eyes and ears. This is beneficial not only to the residents in the neighborhood, but also to the officers working the neighborhoods."

About University Park Alliance

University Park Alliance (http://www.upakron.com/university-park-alliance) is a nonprofit community development corporation dedicated to advancing the transformation of University Park, the 50-block neighborhood surrounding The University of Akron. UPA’s urban reinvestment strategy is to capitalize on the economic synergy of Akron’s Anchor Institutions and develop University Park as a dense, walkable neighborhood with diverse cultural offerings, great healthcare, quality education and plenty of recreational and leisure opportunities. UPA receives major funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and its partners include The University of Akron, City of Akron, Summa Health System, Akron Beacon Journal, Akron Children's Hospital, Akron General Health System, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, Greater Akron Chamber, Akron Public Schools, and the University Park residential and business community.

Download a PDF of this editorial

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 Download a copy of this release

Contact: Beth B. Boggins
Senior Director, Communications and Community Relations
330.777.2072
bboggins@upakron.com

Plan is achievable and by 2030 will generate $1.8 billion in economic impact, $90
million in tax revenue and 14,392 jobs

AKRON, Ohio – February 1, 2012 – University Park Alliance (UPA) today released the findings of
two parallel reports showing that by 2030 the annual economic impact of UPA’s Core City
Vision Plan can be transformational and successful redevelopment in Akron’s urban core is
feasible. The two studies commissioned by UPA are entitled:  “Projecting the Return on
Investment and Economic Impact of UPA’s Core City Vision Plan” – conducted by research firm
Tripp Umbach of Pittsburgh, PA; and “University Park: Akron’s Urban Alternative” – conducted
by Tetra Tech Inc. of Arlington, VA.

“The outcomes of these studies form an analytical platform to support a new reality for
Akron -- our urban core has a lot to offer and build on,” UPA executive director Eric Anthony
Johnson said. “Even though population has been declining and unemployment has been on the
rise in recent years, Akron remains a large economy with substantial purchasing power. Wages
are on the rise, as are jobs in the healthcare sector.  Income, spending potential, and real
estate demand are higher than assumed. The opportunity for redevelopment is much greater
than most people think. We have to capitalize on it.”

The Core City Vision Plan demand model contained within the “University Park: Akron’s Urban
Alternative” study is based on ultra-conservative average annual growth rate forecasts within
the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) including .04% population growth, .28% growth
in number of households, .28% income growth by bracket, and .62% employment growth. 

Among the findings released: 

• By 2030, UPA’s Core City Vision Plan, if implemented, will generate $1.8 billion
  economic impact, $90 million tax revenue and 14,392 jobs

• UPA’s early planned residential development and operations by 2016 will generate
  more than $250 million of economic impact, more than 2,500 jobs and $16 million
  of tax and government revenue.

• UPA’s planned Initial retail, office and hotel developments by 2016 will annually contribute
  $183 million of economic activity, 1,400 jobs and $9 million of tax revenue for University Park. 

• A compound annual growth rate of 2.73% from 2000 to 2009 shows the average wage
  per job in Akron is rising.

• As manufacturing and retail jobs have declined, healthcare continues to add jobs to
  the local economy.

• Akron remains a large economy with substantial purchasing power with:

                  $27.5 billion Gross Regional Product

                  $13.4 billion Wage and Income Disbursements

• 131,000 or 46% of all households in the Akron MSA make more than $50 thousand per year.

• A $130,000 residence is affordable to nearly 75,000 households in the Akron MSA.

• Retail spending potential, commercial space and hospitality demand in the Akron MSA is larger than assumed. 

• University of Akron students who don’t live on campus are also a very large market reaching 8,000 by 2016

• UPA’s full development plan is feasible as it builds on existing economic, population,social and
  real estate supply trends.

• Assuming a continued moderate economic recovery and a continued focus on core city
  advantages, there is underlying demand that supports the UPA development plan.

 
About University Park Alliance
 
University Park Alliance (http://www.upakron.com/university-park-alliance) is a nonprofit
community development corporation dedicated to advancing the transformation of University
Park, the 50-block neighborhood surrounding The University of Akron. UPA’s urban
reinvestment strategy is to capitalize on the economic synergy of Akron’s Anchor Institutions
and develop University Park as a dense, walkable neighborhood with diverse cultural
offerings, great healthcare, quality education and plenty of recreational and leisure
opportunities. UPA receives major funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
and its partners include The University of Akron, City of Akron, Summa Health System, Akron
Beacon Journal, Akron Children's Hospital, Akron General Health System, Akron Metropolitan
Housing Authority, Greater Akron Chamber, Akron Public Schools, and the University Park
residential and business community

Download a copy of this release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Beth B. Boggins
Senior Director, Communications and Community Relations
330.835.8181
bboggins@upakron.com

Winners of the University Park Start UP! Competition Will Received Financial Awards Up to $10,000

AKRON, Ohio – January 24, 2012 – University Park Alliance (UPA) has received a $35,000 grant from Charter One Foundation through its Growing Communities Initiative to support the Start UP! Business Plan Competition. Charter One’s money will help promote the development of new businesses in University Park through cash awards of up to $10,000.

“Charter One is proud to partner with University Park Alliance to grow our communities and enhance our neighborhoods. The small business grant competition is an exciting opportunity to support entrepreneurs and help bring their fresh, new ideas to life,” said Ken Marblestone, President of Charter One and RBS Citizens, Ohio.

UPA executive director Eric Anthony Johnson said, “We are grateful to Charter One for their commitment to UPA’s future vision for University Park. Their contribution will help create new small businesses and spur the entrepreneurship needed for the development of a thriving mixed-use neighborhood that will attract and retain talent, generate economic activity and create jobs.”

The goal of the Competition is to help attract and assist new business, especially business providing basic but missing services in the University Park neighborhood, and to give aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to bolster their business acumen.

Initial Competition applications were submitted in December 2011. Those selected to continue will receive individual guidance on writing a business and in spring 2012, finalists will present their plans before a panel of judges to determine the winners. In addition to funding, entrepreneurs submitting winning business plans will receive assistance in locating a suitable site within University Park and ongoing consulting support as they bring their business ideas to fruition.

The Competition is presented by UPA with support Charter One Foundation through its Growing Communities Initiative, University of Akron Research Foundation, The Student Venture Fund at The University of Akron, Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease LLC, and Meaden & Moore.

About University Park Alliance

University Park Alliance (http://www.upakron.com/university-park-alliance) is a nonprofit community development corporation dedicated to advancing the transformation of University Park, the 50-block neighborhood surrounding The University of Akron. UPA’s urban reinvestment strategy is to capitalize on the economic synergy of Akron’s Anchor Institutions and develop University Park as a dense, walkable neighborhood with diverse cultural offerings, great healthcare, quality education and plenty of recreational and leisure opportunities. UPA receives major funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and its partners include The University of Akron, City of Akron, Summa Health System, Akron Beacon Journal, Akron Children's Hospital, Akron General Health System, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, Greater Akron Chamber, Akron Public Schools, and the University Park residential and business community.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Beth B. Boggins
Senior Director, Communications and Community Relations
330.777.2072
bboggins@upakron.com

Findings Will Be Presented That Point to the Successful Redevelopment of Akron’s Core Through UPA’s Core City Vision Plan.

AKRON, Ohio – January 19, 2012 – University Park Alliance (UPA) will release the findings of two new parallel reports, " Projecting the Return on Investment and Economic Impact of UPA’s Core City Vision Plan,” and, “University Park: Akron’s Urban Alternative,” to kick off its third annual Urban Innovators Speaker Series on Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 6:30 – 8 p.m. at Andrew Jackson House, 277 E. Mill St. in University Park, Akron. The studies find that by 2030 the annual economic impact of UPA’s Core City Vision Plan, a master redevelopment plan recently commissioned by UPA, can be transformational and successful redevelopment in Akron’s urban core is possible.

The studies were commissioned by UPA and conducted by research firms Tripp Umbach of Pittsburgh, PA and Tetra Tech of Arlington, VA. David Primm, principal with Tripp Umbach, and UPA executive director Eric Anthony Johnson, Ph.D., will present the findings. “The outcomes of these studies are tremendously encouraging,” says Johnson. “They show without question that there is underlying demand that supports the UPA development plan and that the plan will provide valuable economic returns as it builds on existing trends to offer something new to Akron – an urban alternative. These findings strongly corroborate that core city redevelopment in Akron is feasible.”

UPA’s Urban Innovators Speaker Series features world-class urban thinkers and practitioners who present creative approaches to planning, economy, and culture that can catalyze economic transformation in Northeast Ohio. The program provides a platform for the exploration of ideas to strengthen the innovation capacity of Akron as an urban center, creating new investment and jobs.

The Series is presented with support from the Greater Akron Chamber and The University of Akron, and in conjunction with promotional partners Western Reserve Public Media, through its show “Neotropolis,” and hyper-local citizen journalism news site the Akronist.

Upcoming speakers in the Series are Wendy Holmes, senior vice president of Artspace in Minneapolis, MN who will present “Building a Vibrant Community: Artists’ Live/Work Space as a Redevelopment Catalyst” on Feb. 29; and, Steve Davies, senior vice president of Project for Public Spaces in New York, NY who will present “Healthy Food Hubs: Eliminating Food Deserts and Supporting Local Economies,” on March 28.

The presentations are free and open to the public. Seating will be limited to 100 per presentation and reservations are required. Call 330-777-2070 or email info@upakron.com.

About University Park Alliance

University Park Alliance (http://www.upakron.com/university-park-alliance) is a nonprofit community development corporation dedicated to advancing the transformation of University Park, the 50-block neighborhood surrounding The University of Akron. UPA’s urban reinvestment strategy is to capitalize on the economic synergy of Akron’s Anchor Institutions and develop University Park as a dense, walkable neighborhood with diverse cultural offerings, great healthcare, quality education and plenty of recreational and leisure opportunities. UPA receives major funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and its partners include The University of Akron, City of Akron, Summa Health System, Akron Beacon Journal, Akron Children's Hospital, Akron General Health System, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, Greater Akron Chamber, Akron Public Schools, and the University Park residential and business community.

Download a PDF of this article