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New proposal could breathe life into Akron's Landmark Building November 28, 2016 By Dan Shingler Akron's historic Landmark Building might soon get a $33 million face-lift that would convert the former savings and loan headquarters into a mixed-use development. Akron mayor Dan Horrigan has introduced legislation to city council's planning committee to authorize the sale of the building, along with some others on Main Street, his office announced on Monday, Nov. 28. http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20161128/NEWS/161129851/new-proposal-could-breathe-life-into-akrons-landmark-building Also, there is another deal in the works to bring another substantial housing project downtown.

Streetscape improvements in East Akron completed in seven months By Marilyn Miller Published: November 18, 2016 - 09:14 PM The city of Akron’s $5.5 million streetscape improvements project at the east end of East Market Street is complete. The redevelopment project, which began in April, showcases a main thoroughfare and centerpiece corridor at the former Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. headquarters, now known as East End. http://www.ohio.com/news/local/streetscape-improvements-in-east-akron-completed-in-seven-months-1.728283#

Fat Head's is doubling size of Middleburg Heights spot November 13, 2016 Updated 2 days ago By Jay Miller Fat Head's Brewing, the craft beer maker that started life as a saloon on Pittsburgh's South Side but took off commercially after it started making beer in Middleburg Heights, is growing again. It's planning a new central brewery on Engle Lake Road, in sight of Interstate 71 near the Bagley Road interchange, that will more than double its brewing capacity. The $11.4 million project includes a packaging operation that will allow the brewery, for the first time, to put its beer in cans. The building also will include a 250-seat full-service tap house/restaurant. http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20161113/NEWS/161119939/fat-heads-is-doubling-size-of-middleburg-heights-spot

Akron ready to celebrate Lock 4 By Rick Armon Published: November 17, 2016 - 03:25 PM | Updated: November 18, 2016 - 08:33 AM Akron is ready to flip the switch on Lock 4 — both figuratively and literally. The concrete-and-brick downtown space, tucked below street level, overlooks the Ohio & Erie Canal and a small waterfall. It’s an intimate gathering place that’s filled with the sounds of rushing water. But for years, it’s been a forgotten area, with much more attention focused on the neighboring Lock 3 park. http://www.ohio.com/news/local/akron-ready-to-celebrate-lock-4-1.727848 Akron Rubber Development Laboratory moving to Barberton site November 17, 2016 Updated 20 hours ago Akron Science & Technology By DON DETORE/RUBBER & PLASTICS NEWS Akron Rubber Development Laboratory Inc. has completed its acquisition of an 11-acre property in Barberton that the firm said eventually will house all of its laboratories. The property includes a 130,000-square-foot facility, the former Babcox & Wilcox site at North Van Buren and Robinson avenues, that will be converted into ARDL’s headquarters. Currently, ARDL occupies three separate properties in Akron -- two on Gilchrist Road and one on Kenmore Road -- totaling 55,000 square feet. http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20161117/NEWS01/161119483/akron-rubber-development-laboratory-moving-to-barberton-site

It's becoming a common business model around college campuses. http://www.theprovincekent.com/ Being that you have some insight into this type housing, do you think it's a good investment? Increases the up-front costs and makes it harder for first timers I would assume.

Akron redevelopment plan outlines steps to a vibrant downtown November 15, 2016 Updated 2 hours ago By CRAIN'S AKRON BUSINESS It's no secret that residential housing has been a key talking point for plenty of Akron officials about how to invigorate downtown. Now that issue — and focusing on a revitalized Main Street — is front and center in Phase 1 of the Downtown Vision and Redevelopment Plan Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan unveiled Tuesday, Nov. 15, at a news conference. "To compete regionally and nationally, Akron must have a thriving and prosperous urban core," Horrigan said in a statement. "We have remarkable potential for growth in Akron, but we need a long-term vision for our downtown and a deliberate, realistic plan to create conditions that will spur catalytic private sector investment." http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20161115/NEWS/161119772/akron-redevelopment-plan-outlines-steps-to-a-vibrant-downtown#utm_medium=email&utm_source=ccl-akronmorning&utm_campaign=ccl-akronmorning-20161116&email_realestate

AAA Akron Auto Club opens in new downtown home By Betty Lin-Fisher Beacon Journal business writer Published: November 11, 2016 - 03:40 PM The AAA Akron Auto Club has moved into its new home in downtown Akron, just across the street from the Metro regional transit station on South Broadway. “We definitely have a transportation theme here,” President and Chief Executive Officer Brian Thomas said as he looked out of his office window to the Metro station across the street. “We have the bus depot and trains passing by behind it.” http://www.ohio.com/business/aaa-akron-auto-club-opens-in-new-downtown-home-1.726549#

A lot of times, people who are talented chefs don't really have a handle on the business end, especially "don't treat cash like cash". Yea, hasn't worked for Symon, Sawyer or Bruell.

City Approves Buying Parcels for Chill Can Project By George Nelson | November 11, 2016 YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Youngstown Board of Control approved buying four parcels on North Lane Avenue Thursday in accordance with the East Side Urban Renewal Plan and the Joseph Co. International’s proposed $20 million chill-can complex. The city will pay $170,000 plus moving and closing expenses for the properties, according to documents. http://businessjournaldaily.com/city-approves-buying-parcels-for-chill-can-project/ Public Library Breaks Ground on Kusalaba Branch By George Nelson | November 11, 2016 YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The siblings of the late Michael Kusalaba left no doubt Thursday as to how their brother would have felt about the new library building that will bear his name in about a year. Mary Ann Huwig of Alliance and Ray Kucalaba of Beaver Township – Michael had changed his surname to reflect its original spelling — were among those who attended yesterday’s groundbreaking for the Michael Kusalaba Branch Library of the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County. http://businessjournaldaily.com/public-library-breaks-ground-on-kusalaba-branch/

Probably not far from it. Is that shutter really necessary? Black turned out better than I thought it would from the renderings. Still not sure how much I like it, will have to see in person. Overall I hope people can appreciate the design and money being put into some of these and lack thereof on others. I think the difference is pretty noticeable.

State releases $12 million toward replacement of Akron's Route 8 bridge By Jennifer Conn, Akron reporter, cleveland.com on October 31, 2016 at 5:17 PM, updated October 31, 2016 at 5:24 PM AKRON, Ohio – The state has released $12 million for the Ohio Department of Transportation's project to replace the Route 8 bridge in Akron. The money will be used for design work and preparation of construction contract plans. The project is scheduled to begin in 2020 and cost $120 million. ODOT plans to replace the 1,500-foot-long bridge, known as the North Expressway Viaduct, which carries Route 8 over East North Street and the Little Cuyahoga River Valley. http://www.cleveland.com/akron/index.ssf/2016/10/state_releases_12_million_towa.html#incart_river_home There is a link to comments which give a little more in-depth commentary on the proposal. Seems to still be very early in the decision making process.

Demolition of former Rolling Acres begins By Betty Lin-Fisher Published: October 28, 2016 - 12:46 PM | Updated: October 28, 2016 - 01:04 PM Demolition of the former Rolling Acres Mall has begun. As an excavator and a Bobcat were slowly picking away at the stores between the former Sears and Dillards department stores in the southwest corner of the mall on Friday, Cristina Morrow and her partner, Cayden Horvath, stood outside the fence and watched. http://www.ohio.com/business/demolition-of-former-rolling-acres-begins-1.722864

Library Awards Contracts for Kusalaba Branch By George Nelson | October 28, 2016 BOARDMAN, Ohio – Contracts must be signed first, but the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County expects the new Michael Kusalaba Branch to be completed in about a year. The library’s building and sites committee met at the Boardman Branch Thursday morning to open bids and award contracts for the branch, which will be built on the site of the former West Branch on Mahoning Avenue. http://businessjournaldaily.com/library-awards-contracts-for-kusalaba-branch/ Hampton Inn Adds 101 Rooms at Eastwood Complex By George Nelson | October 28, 2016 NILES, Ohio – The newly opened Hampton Inn and Suites fills a long-standing void for a Hilton property at the Eastwood Mall Complex, a TMI Hospitality official said Thursday. Local officeholders joined Hampton Inn and TMI representatives to cut a ribbon at the Hampton Inn, which opened Sept. 1. The 101-room hotel joins the Residence Inn, another TMI property in the mall complex. http://businessjournaldaily.com/hampton-inn-adds-101-rooms-at-eastwood-complex/

Plant expansion turns Canton into a hub for Ball Corp. October 22, 2016 Updated 18 hours ago By Dan Shingler Canton is fully living up to its name, thanks to Colorado-based Ball Corp. Ball — known to cooks everywhere for its home-canning supplies and to food and consumer-product makers as a major packaging company — is doubling the size of its plant on Warner Road in Canton and more than quadrupling its staff to over 100. http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20161022/NEWS/161029994/plant-expansion-turns-canton-into-a-hub-for-ball-corp

Fat Head's Brewery eyes Canton and Charlotte, N.C., for expansion By Rick Armon Published: October 27, 2016 The Ohio-based brewery is eyeing a brewpub at 3885-3893 Everhard Road in a Plain Township plaza that also has an Earth Fare and is located just down the street from the Westfield Belden Village mall. At 10,000 square feet, the brewpub would be slightly smaller than the Fat Head’s location in North Olmsted but would feature an outdoor patio. Fat Head’s also operates a brewpub in Portland, Ore., a production brewery in Middleburg Heights and a restaurant in Pittsburgh. http://www.ohio.com/blogs/the-beer-blog/the-beer-blog-1.273124/fat-head-s-brewery-eyes-canton-and-charlotte-n-c-for-expansion-1.722634

Akron Dish: Stray Dog finds home at Office tavern in North Hill; PizzaFire arrives in Kent; free tea if Indians win World Series; cabbage roll dinner in Green and more By Katie Byard Beacon Journal staff writer Published: October 25, 2016 - 06:04 PM | Updated: October 26, 2016 - 12:59 PM The former Office in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood has captured a Stray Dog. Charly Murphy, owner of Stray Dog food carts, is taking the helm in the kitchen of the Office City Tavern at 778 N. Main St. It will reopen at 3 p.m. Friday. http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/food-notes/akron-dish-stray-dog-finds-home-at-office-tavern-in-north-hill-pizzafire-arrives-in-kent-free-tea-if-indians-win-world-series-cabbage-roll-dinner-in-green-and-more-1.722146#

One only needs to drive through the neighborhoods of Cleveland to see that bad design is making it through the process on a regular basis. I've been through and around the process enough to know that it's broken. And in my opinion, not worth fixing. Just abandon it. What's the worst that could happen? Legally, municipalities are not allowed to dictate design, only materials. While some do have Architectural Review Boards, they are only allowed to suggest. When they do more than that they can be taken to court.

"... if a little uninteresting." haha, please show us some of the great infill homes going on in Cleveland right now?

Phantom Fireworks Buys Former Cafaro Headquarters October 19, 2016 YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Cafaro Company and Phantom Fireworks finalized an agreement Tuesday for the sale of Cafaro’s former corporate offices at 2445 Belmont Ave. Terms were not disclosed and the transaction is not yet posted in public records. An online auction conducted in July drew a final bid of $1,345,000, which did not meet the buyer’s reserve of $1.5 million. The property was valued at $2.6 million. http://businessjournaldaily.com/phantom-fireworks-buys-former-cafaro-headquarters/

Akron Dish: Piada expands; Southern food at Venice Cafe; Kingfish opens in Montrose By Katie Byard Published: October 18, 2016 - 05:51 PM | Updated: October 19, 2016 - 12:15 PM Today, we’re all over the culinary and geographic map. Italian street food is coming to Cuyahoga Falls and West Akron, and Southern flavors — hot chicken and shrimp and grits — have arrived at Kent’s Venice Cafe. And the new Kingfish — which aims for a New England seafood house vibe — has opened on “Restaurant Hill” in Copley Township. Here are some morsels about each. http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/food-notes/akron-dish-piada-expands-southern-food-at-venice-cafe-kingfish-opens-in-montrose-1.720264#

Strange hodgepodge design.

Ohio approves Stark State College’s Akron campus, groundbreaking scheduled for end of month By Nick Glunt Published: October 17, 2016 - 05:38 PM | Updated: October 18, 2016 - 08:26 AM Construction on Stark State College’s Akron campus is expected to begin by the end of the month following the Ohio Controlling Board’s approval of the project on Monday. The board approved the project with a unanimous vote Monday afternoon. The vote was delayed last month after board member State Sen. Tom Sawyer, D-Akron, expressed concern that Stark State might poach students from the already-declining enrollment at the University of Akron. http://www.ohio.com/news/local/ohio-approves-stark-state-college-s-akron-campus-groundbreaking-scheduled-for-end-of-month-1.719958

Cool! Yes, that area has been a mess all Summer.

Akron Children's plans expansion of Considine Professional Building October 12, 2016 By Lydia Coutré In a step toward bringing together its downtown Akron outpatient clinics and programs, Akron Children's Hospital will break ground in February on an addition that nearly doubles the size of its Considine Professional Building. The 230,000-square-foot addition to the seven-story facility across from the main hospital building continues the campus transformation that began in 2012 with the groundbreaking on the Kay Jewelers Pavilion, which included a new emergency department, neonatal intensive care unit and the GOJO Outpatient Surgery Center. http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20161012/NEWS/161019931/akron-childrens-plans-expansion-of-considine-professional-building

Akron wants to move Lock 4 redevelopment forward; files complaint against developer By Jennifer Conn, Akron reporter, cleveland.com on October 11, 2016 at 10:57 AM, updated October 11, 2016 at 12:33 PM KRON, Ohio -- The city of Akron wants the deeds back to key properties in the heart of the central business district. The buildings, intended to provide much-needed downtown residential housing, have sat stagnant despite a development agreement inked years ago. The city recently filed a complaint in Summit County Common Pleas Court and wants Main Street Partners and BTE Enterprises, both headed by Jack Crews of Kent, and Greg Kaser of Terramark Partners in Georgia, to respond by the end of the month. http://www.cleveland.com/akron/index.ssf/2016/10/akron_looks_to_move_lock_4_red.html