The Rotary Club of Akron had the pleasure of listening to Suzie Graham, President, and CEO of Downtown Akron Partnership during our Tuesday, March 7th Club meeting. For many Rotarians present at the meeting or viewing online, I am sure much of what Suzie presented was new to us. For that matter, how many Rotarians reading this article, actually know what the Downtown Akron Partnership (DAP) actually does?  Suzie mobilizes positive partnerships and oversees the planning and implementation of programs and services to anticipate and address the needs of the neighborhood. Her work centers on the necessity of a thriving urban core and the importance of downtown as a key indicator of the health and success of the city and region. She works closely with government, corporate, education, non-profit, human services, and small business stakeholders to assist their efforts and benefit the holistic downtown experience. Suzie facilitates efforts to enhance and promote downtown as an economic driver, hub for arts and culture, partner in driving equity, champion of the city's identity, and place for all people. To be completely honest, I don’t think my article can do justice to what all is being accomplished. I would encourage our readers to check out the recording from Suzie’s presentation as well as checking out their website at www.downtownakron.com. Suzie began her presentation discussing the vision and development plan that is being revised for 2022 +. The mission of DAP is “Building a vibrant and valuable downtown for all.” There are 4 main goals attached to their mission. These goals are: - Ensure and Clean, Safe, and Welcoming downtown
- Ensure a vibrant and strong economic development
- Provide member outreach and services
- Engage and Strategize
The last development/strategic plan was created in 2018, so what has been accomplished during that time? Goal # 1 Concentrate on the Core: 1) Enliven the central spine of the city, 2) Prioritize projects and improvements that activate Main Street and start filling in inactive spaces along the most critical spine of the city. Results: We have seen Residential Growth, Placemaking, and Infrastructure improvements. Approximately 1,800 individuals are now living downtown. Residential housing is at 90% occupancy. $46 million dollars have been spent on the redesign and utility upgrade of Main Street. Results: From a Strategic, Hospitality, Retail Development and Expansiion perspective the following improvements are noted. A campaign to Elevate Greater Akron has been created along with a refocus on Downtown Main Street as a Great Street. The BLU-tique Hotel is operating. Small business growth and storefront retention has started downtown through the CARES Act Grants and Repair Grants. Akron Children’s Hospital and the University of Akron College of Business and UA Polsky façade have expanded and there is planned renovations for Polsky and Lock 3. Goal # 2 Create a Residential Downtown: 1) Repurpose/renovate older buildings for residential, 2) Encourage mixed use development, 3) Convert older office buildings into residential, mixed use, 4) Enable shared parking strategies, and 5) Employ traffic calming, appealing sidewalk environments with street trees and walkable streetscape. Results: $176 million dollars in residential investment since 2018. 525 new or converted, 235 rehab, and 86 under construction. This is a net gain of 611 units plus reinvestment in aging subsidized housing. In addition to the 2 Goals described above, the following goals were also addressed from the initial 2018 strategic plan. For further information on the progress with these goals, I encourage you to view the recorded presentation or view the slide presentation. Goal # 3 Foster an Entrepreneurial Downtown
Goal # 4 Facilitate Public and Private Investment Downtown
Goal # 5 Invest in a Welcoming, Multimodal and Connected Downtown
Goal # 6 Activate Downtown
The DAP is soliciting feedback on their proposed 2022 + Strategic Development Plan. You can check out the DAP Website’s Project “landing page” which includes Information and FAQ’s, Plan Presentations and documents. In addition you can have Interactive Engagement by taking their Survey, their Ideas Board or their Community Mapping. DAP is committed to making Akron a vibrant and valuable city for all. Suzie ended her presentation with the following: What You Think Matters! Lets Talk! Yours in Service, Terry Dalton Club Secretary and Scholarship Chair |
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