Posted March 18, 201411 yr I thought there was an East End development thread, but I cannot find it. Here is the progress on the new hotel in the old Goodyear area. Edit: East End website: http://www.eastendakron.com/
March 18, 201411 yr There was definitely an East End thread at some point; we might have lost it in the UOcalypse. I haven't been out that way in a while now--good to see the new hotel starting to take visible shape!
March 26, 201411 yr I hope they put a nice restaurant in the hotel as promised. I recently moved over to the heights and would love a nearby upscale choice.
March 27, 201411 yr Author I hope they put a nice restaurant in the hotel as promised. I recently moved over to the heights and would love a nearby upscale choice. Are they putting a nice restaurant in the hotel or in the old bank portion of the Goodyear buildings?
March 27, 201411 yr Author Hotel topping-off ceremony marks milestone in East Akron development By Jim Mackinnon Beacon Journal business writer Published: March 25, 2014 - 07:27 PM | Updated: March 26, 2014 - 12:21 PM The Hilton Garden Inn, part of the ongoing redevelopment of the former Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. campus, was “topped off” about 3 p.m. as a massive crane delicately placed a 5-ton concrete slab holding a small evergreen tree and an American flag on the roof. The crane operator was working blind — he couldn’t see the slab high over the hotel from his position inside the ground-level cabin. http://www.ohio.com/business/hotel-topping-off-ceremony-marks-milestone-in-east-akron-development-1.476049
March 27, 201411 yr There will be nice restaurant in the Goodyear Hall. Doubt the hotel will have much of or any restaurant.
March 27, 201411 yr Author There will be nice restaurant in the Goodyear Hall. Doubt the hotel will have much of or any restaurant. I would think they would have a bar with a small kitchen for "tapas" type crap...er, stuff at minimum.
March 27, 201411 yr The hotel is supposed to have a full service restaurant and bar from my understanding. I don't actually see the east end project portion of restaurants and retail in the near future.
November 4, 201410 yr Author Akron council approves tax break for Goodyear redevelopment project; money will be put back into the project By Stephanie Warsmith Beacon Journal staff writer Akron City Council voted Monday to approve a tax break on the redevelopment of the former Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. property, following through with an agreement approved last summer with the developer. Council approved Tax-Increment Financing (TIF) for 30 years for the redevelopment of the old Goodyear headquarters, Goodyear Hall and former Goodyear medical center buildings. http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/akron-council-approves-tax-break-for-goodyear-redevelopment-project-money-will-be-put-back-into-the-project-1.537895
November 19, 201410 yr Author Akron celebrates first new hotel since the 1980s By Jim Mackinnon Beacon Journal business writer Published: November 18, 2014 - 08:36 PM | Updated: November 19, 2014 - 07:10 AM The first hotel built in Akron in more than three decades is officially open for business. The Hilton Garden Inn, a key part of Industrial Realty Group’s East End redevelopment project of the former Goodyear campus, held its grand opening late Tuesday afternoon. http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/akron-celebrates-first-new-hotel-since-the-1980s-1.542184
November 19, 201410 yr Akron celebrates first new hotel since the 1980s That's incredible! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 26, 201410 yr Akron celebrates first new hotel since the 1980s That's incredible! It is. All of the new Akron area hotels have gone up just beyond the city limits--in Montrose, on South Arlington in Springfield Township, etc. Of course, the city hasn't exactly been aggressive in attracting new ones. Even UA could probably benefit from having more near campus. Since it devoured Quaker Square, it doesn't have any designated campus hotels in proximity, which seems rather unusual for a university of its size.
November 26, 201410 yr Author Akron celebrates first new hotel since the 1980s That's incredible! It is. All of the new Akron area hotels have gone up just beyond the city limits--in Montrose, on South Arlington in Springfield Township, etc. Of course, the city hasn't exactly been aggressive in attracting new ones. Even UA could probably benefit from having more near campus. Since it devoured Quaker Square, it doesn't have any designated campus hotels in proximity, which seems rather unusual for a university of its size. They are working on it: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,8063.420.html
November 27, 201410 yr Akron celebrates first new hotel since the 1980s That's incredible! It is. All of the new Akron area hotels have gone up just beyond the city limits--in Montrose, on South Arlington in Springfield Township, etc. Of course, the city hasn't exactly been aggressive in attracting new ones. Even UA could probably benefit from having more near campus. Since it devoured Quaker Square, it doesn't have any designated campus hotels in proximity, which seems rather unusual for a university of its size. They probably would have had more potential success Downtown or at UA had they moved faster on hotels. Now the market has been further saturated by all of the new suburban hotels.
November 27, 201410 yr Akron celebrates first new hotel since the 1980s That's incredible! It is. All of the new Akron area hotels have gone up just beyond the city limits--in Montrose, on South Arlington in Springfield Township, etc. Of course, the city hasn't exactly been aggressive in attracting new ones. Even UA could probably benefit from having more near campus. Since it devoured Quaker Square, it doesn't have any designated campus hotels in proximity, which seems rather unusual for a university of its size. They probably would have had more potential success Downtown or at UA had they moved faster on hotels. Now the market has been further saturated by all of the new suburban hotels. You're kidding right? People will stay at these hotels exactly because they are close to downtown and campus. That's the whole point of building them: to serve an under served segment of the market.
April 24, 201510 yr East End developer ready to rent apartments in refurbished Goodyear Hall http://www.ohio.com/news/local/east-end-developer-ready-to-rent-apartments-in-refurbished-goodyear-hall-1.585991 Come July, newly built apartments in Goodyear Hall will welcome their first tenants. And it’s likely that the stretch of East Market Street in front will see major changes before the year is out as well. Contractors continue to cut, saw, screw, hammer and drill away to put in windows, wallboard, plumbing, fixtures and do lots of other work at the six-story landmark building, part of the ongoing East End redevelopment of the former Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. campus in East Akron. Work to build a large glass atrium and new entrance at the former Goodyear headquarters also is expected to start soon.
April 24, 201510 yr ^ What a great project. I'm glad it's all coming together. I wonder how they're doing with preleasing.
April 24, 201510 yr ^ What a great project. I'm glad it's all coming together. I wonder how they're doing with preleasing. Stu Lichter mentioned in the article that they have already received a number of deposits for the first round of apartments, so I'm guessing that's a positive. Particularly considering that anything beyond a tiny studio is going to be out of range for all but some of the more established and successful professionals and well-to-do in the Greater Akron area, or else young professionals starting out that are willing to pair up and share a place together. Their target market seems to be established executives and professionals at area anchor institutions and companies, e.g. University of Akron, Akron Public Schools, First Energy, Akron GeneralCleveland Clinic, Summa and Gojo, successful doctors and attorneys, and maybe also the handful of empty nester Boomers who aren't terrified of the city and are looking to downsize from their McMansions in Stow, Green, Medina, Portage County, etc. In any case, it will be interesting to see how this progresses. I would love to see East End be successful and eventually extend that success throughout the old "Goodyear Valley/HQ district" and also into the gentrification and redevelopment of Middlebury, particularly around the Arlington/Market crossroads and Exchange terminus. A full-on renaissance for Middlebury is probably years down the road at this point, but you gotta start somewhere I guess.
November 12, 20159 yr Author East End redevelopment of former Goodyear campus hits milestones By Jim Mackinnon Beacon Journal business writer It’s a milestone week for The East End redevelopment project of the former Goodyear campus — and there’s more work to be done. The East End Residences, which involved converting the former Goodyear Hall into 105 apartments and retail space while retaining the large gymnasium and 1,200-seat theater, celebrated its grand opening Wednesday. The first tenants moved in during July. http://www.ohio.com/business/jim-mackinnon/east-end-redevelopment-of-former-goodyear-campus-hits-milestones-1.639817
December 21, 20159 yr Author East End Residences development in Akron might be tip of the iceberg More buildings await reinvention at former Goodyear headquarters By Stan Bullard The lights are back on at the former Goodyear Hall in Akron — and may even snap on and off more at night than in the past. That’s because people are living in the six-story building at 1220 East Market St., which has been repurposed from former offices to the East End Residences. The apartment building is the second project in Downey, Calif.-based Industrial Realty Group’s massive remake of the former corporate headquarters of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. The first addition was a Hilton Garden Inn that opened in 2014 on East Market, a year after IRG finished a new global headquarters for the tire maker at 200 Innovation Way. http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20151220/NEWS/151219907/east-end-residences-development-in-akron-might-be-tip-of-the-iceberg#utm_medium=email&utm_source=ccl-akronmorning&utm_campaign=ccl-akronmorning-20151221
December 22, 20159 yr Similar to comments in that article, I heard one-bedrooms are full. Now waiting-list stage.
December 23, 20159 yr Author Similar to comments in that article, I heard one-bedrooms are full. Now waiting-list stage. Are they market rate or affordable housing?
December 24, 20159 yr Both. Not sure of the breakdown but there are some of each. The website shows the units/floorplans so you can get an idea there.
December 28, 20159 yr Author Both. Not sure of the breakdown but there are some of each. The website shows the units/floorplans so you can get an idea there. Looking back on some of the old articles, it says 22 affordable, 105 total. Honestly surprised they are almost full charging $1.15 - $2 s.f.
January 8, 20169 yr No street facing retail opened yet, but the old gymnasium was refurbished and there is a group called Rubber City Sports running out of that. There is a picture of the gym on their site. http://www.rubbercitysports.com/associations/associations_about/rubber-city-sports Pretty solid foot traffic from that already. The old theater is currently being renovated. Pretty sure streetscape renovations for Market will follow that.
January 8, 20169 yr In addition to the ground level space directly facing Market, you also have the corner of the building that was the old bank. They are planning a restaurant in that space.
January 8, 20169 yr Author Yes, I'm aware of all of that. There are no amenities in that area though to support living. That's why I'm surprised. It basically the same circumstances that Northside Lofts faced / faces. High prices and no amenities.
January 8, 20169 yr Yes, I'm aware of all of that. There are no amenities in that area though to support living. That's why I'm surprised. It basically the same circumstances that Northside Lofts faced / faces. High prices and no amenities. I agree on there not being anything in the immediate vicinity as far as amenities. The Northside Lofts even have Luigi's right there. Nothing like that around here. Closest thing of note is probably the new Goodyear HQ. This does have the benefit of being immediately off 76/77. Also probably helps that it is apartments and not condominiums like the Northside Lofts.
January 9, 20169 yr I guess Akron has to start somewhere. It would probably help a great deal if East End leads to efforts to redevelop a larger part of the East Market corridor back towards Downtown Akron, particularly through the woefully neglected "Middlebury Triangle" crossings of Arlington, East Exchange and East Market. That area during Akron's Rubber Industry heyday had department stores and functioned as a "Second Downtown" of sorts. Decades of disinvestment and blight have rendered it an afterthought, but East End seems to have the potential to lead to its resurrection.
January 10, 20169 yr I guess Akron has to start somewhere. It would probably help a great deal if East End leads to efforts to redevelop a larger part of the East Market corridor back towards Downtown Akron, particularly through the woefully neglected "Middlebury Triangle" crossings of Arlington, East Exchange and East Market. That area during Akron's Rubber Industry heyday had department stores and functioned as a "Second Downtown" of sorts. Decades of disinvestment and blight have rendered it an afterthought, but East End seems to have the potential to lead to its resurrection. That reminds me there is a supermarket right there on Exchange. That isn't far at all from this project.
January 11, 20169 yr Author I guess Akron has to start somewhere. It would probably help a great deal if East End leads to efforts to redevelop a larger part of the East Market corridor back towards Downtown Akron, particularly through the woefully neglected "Middlebury Triangle" crossings of Arlington, East Exchange and East Market. That area during Akron's Rubber Industry heyday had department stores and functioned as a "Second Downtown" of sorts. Decades of disinvestment and blight have rendered it an afterthought, but East End seems to have the potential to lead to its resurrection. That reminds me there is a supermarket right there on Exchange. That isn't far at all from this project. True, I guess Middlebury / Dave's Market is not that far from these apartments.
January 12, 20169 yr ^It really isn't. Between East End now and Dave's, the Middlebury area seems to have two solid anchors to support additional redevelopment within this particular part of Akron. Granted, it would be helpful if the two were a little closer together for starters, but I could still very easily see the city targeting this particular corridor for redevelopment and reinvestment.
January 17, 20169 yr It'll be interesting to see how the city handles the streetscape changes with this development. I think they are widening sidewalks and adding some street parking and then eliminating traffic lanes along with that. I'm curious if that'll just apply to Market there starting at Goodyear Blvd or how far up Market it'll stretch. I think Market and/or Exchange from this area straight through Middlebury to the UA campus could be prime for some type of street level change. They are still busy roads but certainly not as heavily traveled as they used to be.
March 15, 20169 yr Author Two new concert venues coming to Akron's East End complex March 15, 2016 Updated 19 minutes ago By Sue Walton The former Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. headquarters on East Market Street will even see more life soon as two new concert venues are set to debut there. Goodyear Theater, with a seating capacity of 1,458, will open Wednesday, April 12, according to a March 15 news release. The other venue is Goodyear Hall with a capacity of 3,500. The release did not specify an opening for the hall. http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20160315/NEWS/160319885/two-new-concert-venues-coming-to-akrons-east-end-complex#utm_medium=email&utm_source=ccl-akronbreaking&utm_campaign=ccl-akronbreaking-20160315
March 15, 20169 yr Two new concert venues coming to Akron's East End complex March 15, 2016 Updated 19 minutes ago By Sue Walton The former Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. headquarters on East Market Street will even see more life soon as two new concert venues are set to debut there. Goodyear Theater, with a seating capacity of 1,458, will open Wednesday, April 12, according to a March 15 news release. The other venue is Goodyear Hall with a capacity of 3,500. The release did not specify an opening for the hall. http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20160315/NEWS/160319885/two-new-concert-venues-coming-to-akrons-east-end-complex#utm_medium=email&utm_source=ccl-akronbreaking&utm_campaign=ccl-akronbreaking-20160315 I wonder how this will affect the Akron Civic Theater's bookings.
March 18, 20169 yr There's givething and takething away ... remember that EJ Thomas dramatically reduced its public availability due to UA's budget crisis. That said, I'm surprised that any developer identified a market for two new concert venues in the East End, regardless of what happened at EJT.
March 18, 20169 yr These seem rather large, but in general I think it's hard to go wrong with concert venues. Akron has a rich musical history and might want to promote that more.
March 22, 20169 yr Sounds like a key part of the (re-)development strategy for East End. Two brand new concert venues (hopefully) draw in people, who in turn attract more entertainment venues--bars, restaurants, etc., which then draw in more people, and so on. Probably doesn't hurt either that the Hilton Garden Inn provides the district with a legitimate nearby hotel and place for concertgoers to crash. I do wonder as well though, how much these will compete with and take away business from the Civic Theater, which has been barely staying afloat for years while competing with EJ Thomas for events, at least up until recently. Unfortunately, Akron just doesn't seem to be the sort of place these days that can support multiple large concert venues, particularly with Cleveland being so relatively close. Not that East End itself is a bad concept overall, but the city doesn't so much need two more indoor stages for touring performers as much as it could benefit from simply having a few more vibrant "go-to" districts in addition to Downtown and Highland Square, places with a more or less organic mix of restaurants, shops, and outdoor public space, as well as unique attractions. Honestly, they'd probably be better off renting out the old Goodyear Hall Gymnasium to Akron Public Schools and surrounding school districts for high school basketball games. East High/CLC in particular could desperately use a bigger main gym that seats more than 500 people for games and other events. Several area suburban high schools have practice facilities that are less cramped. Meanwhile, maybe they could use the Goodyear Theater for screening movies.
March 22, 20169 yr ^ I wondered already and am still wondering how the Civic will fare. There was a plan floated a few years ago to fix up the buildings around the Civic. Wonder what happened? Also Akron leaders recently returned from a visit to Greenville, SC to learn from that city's renaissance. I wonder what Akron's leaders learned and what they are doing about it. Two new concert venues coming to Akron's East End complex March 15, 2016 Updated 19 minutes ago By Sue Walton The former Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. headquarters on East Market Street will even see more life soon as two new concert venues are set to debut there. Goodyear Theater, with a seating capacity of 1,458, will open Wednesday, April 12, according to a March 15 news release. The other venue is Goodyear Hall with a capacity of 3,500. The release did not specify an opening for the hall. http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20160315/NEWS/160319885/two-new-concert-venues-coming-to-akrons-east-end-complex#utm_medium=email&utm_source=ccl-akronbreaking&utm_campaign=ccl-akronbreaking-20160315 I wonder how this will affect the Akron Civic Theater's bookings.
March 23, 20169 yr Author The Civic is doing fine now. They hired a national company a couple years ago to do bookings which in-turn brought national acts to the venue. Before they did everything in house. The Landmark Block, as it is known, around the Civic has been under developer control since before the market crash. I had heard that it was up for option at the end of last year, but I think the developer renewed it. This is all hearsay, so I'm not sure what actually is happening. The Chamber trips to other cities seem to have little impact on "change" in our community. At least from what I see. A group visited Milwaukee two years ago. I'm not sure what ever came of that. The Knight Foundation however has sponsored some trips, more aimed at young professionals, and they have actually had some community impact. Among other initiatives, Akron2Akron was created which are guided tours of Akron's neighborhoods that are open to the public.
April 2, 20169 yr Honestly, they'd probably be better off renting out the old Goodyear Hall Gymnasium to Akron Public Schools and surrounding school districts for high school basketball games. East High/CLC in particular could desperately use a bigger main gym that seats more than 500 people for games and other events. Several area suburban high schools have practice facilities that are less cramped. No basketball but the old gym has been hosting volleyball and futsal (indoor soccer) and they seem to have it filled up pretty good. Weeknight leagues and weekend tournaments seem to keep it pretty packed. Also, construction has started on East Market to do the streetscape changes. E Market from clock tower down to around Hilton down to 2 lanes.
April 3, 20169 yr There's givething and takething away ... remember that EJ Thomas dramatically reduced its public availability due to UA's budget crisis. That said, I'm surprised that any developer identified a market for two new concert venues in the East End, regardless of what happened at EJT. It's a "growth industry" in a lot of cities, Musica is pretty successful but a little dated now, and EJT/UA is a disaster even though Akron actually has great demographics for entertainment. OKC has gone from having no respectable live music venue besides the symphony hall, to 6 awesome ones under development right now. Austin opens a new music hall every other year. I could see this working and being a huge success here. Worst case it will be great for the first few years and really establish the East End, and 15 years from now people will say "Yeah do you remember that concert hall at Goodyear? They used to get pretty decent shows back then.." Yet another Akron project that other mid-sized Midwestern cities would kill for...
May 14, 20169 yr http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/05/goodyear_theater_hall_in_akron.html
October 17, 20168 yr E Market in this area has been under construction adding the street parking for awhile. Looks like it is close. Arches over road as seen below going in this week.
November 6, 20168 yr Love the arches! But I also wonder if there is any sort of historical significance/precedent for them along that stretch of East Market? Or were they perhaps inspired by the stretch of High Street in Columbus's Short North district?
November 6, 20168 yr Love the arches! But I also wonder if there is any sort of historical significance/precedent for them along that stretch of East Market? Or were they perhaps inspired by the stretch of High Street in Columbus's Short North district? Good question. For what it's worth it was an Akron company that installed the High Street arches.
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