Haha, the first pic I took I was closer to the window and I could see my complete reflection in it.  I'll post more pics as things move along.  My office isn't in that building, but I'm over there a lot for meetings.

What the reflection shows is that there is another, existing building next to the one under construction.

Live view of the construction progress can be found @

 

GoodyearHQ

Welcome to the forum, readybreak18! Sorry I missed your earlier posting.

Aerial view (via the GY Blimp!) of Goodyear HQ construction progress

 

 

Is this located near I-76?  I was driving westbound from Youngstown last weekend on my way down to Athens and saw a huge construction crane near downtown on 76.  Thought that was the new headquarters for a second, but I had thought they were building it out in the suburbs like they tend to do in Ohio.

Yes, this is located just south of 1-76 near the 1-77/route 8 central interchange in Akron:

 

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=211298638854958678242.0004b9c0bf1cffe8720ea&t=h&ll=41.057285,-81.47624&spn=0.022652,0.036478&z=14&output=embed

Is this located near I-76?  I was driving westbound from Youngstown last weekend on my way down to Athens and saw a huge construction crane near downtown on 76.  Thought that was the new headquarters for a second, but I had thought they were building it out in the suburbs like they tend to do in Ohio.

 

Goodyear is one of the few old-line rubber companies that has maintained its commitment to Akron.

Goodyear HQ construction continues on schedule

 

It’s starting to look like a real office building.

 

Windows are being installed at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s new global and North American headquarters off Innovation Way, formerly Martha Avenue, in East Akron.

 

The seven-story, 639,000-square-foot building will hold about 2,000 people.

 

Full article:

http://www.ohio.com/business/goodyear-hq-construction-continues-on-schedule-1.268739

"California-based developer Stu Lichter, who now owns most of the Goodyear campus, will redevelop and reuse the old Goodyear buildings once the new headquarters is finished."

 

This is among the more intersting parts to me, given the condition of the current Goodyear buildings.

"California-based developer Stu Lichter, who now owns most of the Goodyear campus, will redevelop and reuse the old Goodyear buildings once the new headquarters is finished."

 

This is among the more intersting parts to me, given the condition of the current Goodyear buildings.

 

This has been in the works for a while. There is a lot of interest in the old building, some by the County. Of course they are investing money into it, creating new lobbies and elevator shafts.

 

The picture of the install in that article really shows how "in depth" the facade design is.

 

Designer:"I'm going to have a small window, then a bigger one, then another smaller one that is translucent to block sun glare, then an insulated spandrel panel. Yea, this is going to be really snazzy."

Contractor: "Yea, we're going to need about 10,000 of them there panels."

 

70's design at its best.

Here are a couple of photos of the first of two tower cranes going up on the parking garage.

Lichter says plans, finances firming to redevelop Goodyear campus in 2013

 

Stu Lichter’s vision for redeveloping the aging Goodyear campus goes like this:

 

“Canal Place on steroids.”

 

http://www.ohio.com/business/lichter-says-plans-finances-firming-to-redevelop-goodyear-campus-in-2013-1.295789

Nice!  Here's hoping it actually works out, but I actually didn't know until just now that the guy who owns the Goodyear real estate is the same guy who did Canal Place.  That one seems to be working out reasonably well, so that gives me at least some hope.  It's going to be a massive undertaking, for good or ill, though.  That place is enormous, and you don't get the full extent of it either from I-76 or from Market alone.  It's not a building.  It's more than even just a campus--it's basically an entire neighborhood.

That place is enormous, and you don't get the full extent of it either from I-76 or from Market alone.  It's not a building.  It's more than even just a campus--it's basically an entire neighborhood.

Considering that it was essentially the downtown district of Goodyear Heights for Goodyear employees for decades, I'd say that's a spot on assessment. :-)

 

For my part, I'd love to eventually see Lichter fill in many of the underused parking lots around the buildings with additional development since the city is going to add  plenty of on-street parking. It's easy to imagine the district building out with an assortment of mixed-use 3 to 5 story buildings with apartments, office space and ground floor retail, as well as some townhomes. If the city ever redevelops Middlebury, Akron will then have a full on east side renaissance.

Over time, I can say that as well, but I'm always an easy sell on that: I categorically believe the surface parking lot to be at best a necessary evil and at worst an unnecessary one in basically any developed urban area.

 

However, realistically, I'm guessing that he's going to have trouble even filling all of the already-built space for a long time, and I can understand if his major budget investments go to updating the old buildings (many of which seriously need it) rather than building new.  (Hopefully those buildings are actually suitable for renovation in the first place.)

Google Maps now have very recent images of the Goodyear progress

 

....With the Akron Metro RTA-owned rail line between Canton, Akron, Hudson, Cuyahoga Valley and Kent directly behind. :-D

Progress continues at new Goodyear headquarters

 

By Jim Mackinnon

Beacon Journal business writer

Published: July 5, 2012 - 12:22 AM | Updated: July 5, 2012 - 07:17 AM

 

Lichter’s latest plans call for turning much of Goodyear Hall into apartments while retaining the building’s large theater and gymnasium. One idea is for the former bank at one corner of Goodyear Hall to be converted into what is called a boutique hotel.

 

Goodyear’s old headquarters will be gutted in places, with a large glass atrium put in and the building leased out as modern office space.

 

http://www.ohio.com/news/top-stories/progress-continues-at-new-goodyear-headquarters-1.318236

Google added hi res aerial images for Akron (I believe they are from August 2012).  Here is the Goodyear HQ progress

Oh, look, there's a rail line owned by Akron Metro RTA on the west side of the new headquarters building and that links to downtown Akron/University of Akron, downtown Cuyahoga Falls, downtown Kent/Kent State University, downtown Hudson, downtown Tallmadge, downtown Canton and to the Akron-Canton Airport.

 

.....Waiting for an idea to be connected to the heads of Akron-area leaders, including those at Akron Metro RTA.....

Goodyear move prompts redevelopment initiative in East Akron

By Jim Mackinnon

Beacon Journal business writer

 

Published: January 28, 2013 - 11:26 PM 

 

Goodyear move prompts redevelopment initiative in East Akron January 29,2013 04:26 AM GMT Jim Mackinnon Beacon Journal Publishing Co. Copyright � 2013 Beacon Journal Publishing Co. Inc and Black Press. All Rights Reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the express written consent of the Akron Beacon Journal is expressly prohibited. 

The Goodyear redevelopment project has a new name, the East End, complete with a logo that incorporates the tire company’s East Market Street clock tower.

 

And the East Akron site will be getting a new, 135-room hotel, with ground likely to be broken by summer, the developer says.

 

http://www.ohio.com/business/goodyear-move-prompts-redevelopment-initiative-in-east-akron-1.368690

/\/\/\

This was the most interesting part I thought:

 

The now-solidifying redevelopment and reuse plans call for the upper floors of Goodyear Hall to be turned into approximately 100, one- and two-bedroom apartments. The ground floor will hold retailers while the historical building’s 1,500-seat auditorium will be used for concerts and similar performances open to the public. The rest of the campus, including Goodyear’s current headquarters, will be converted into office space, retail and more.

 

 

We will see how this develops though. I'm not getting my hopes up yet, they have been working on this since 2007.

^ Akron Devolopment = snail's pace.

^ Akron Devolopment = snail's pace.

The demand and competition are both very minimal. It's more of a "build it and they will come" mentality.

Keep in mind, there is expected to be improvement along market st with transportation in one fashion or another. I think the brt thing will likely be a go. I hope that a train will also enhance that.  Placing a hotel and new housing options in area with "rapid" service to downtown and other points perhaps the valley and airport will make this area a nice urban area place to live without being downtown.

I agree that the pace of development in Akron has been painfully slow. Unless you train your eyes to watch UA and the city's hospitals, progress moves about as fast here as moss grows on rocks.

 

There's certainly room for the East End development to expand, though. Goodyear has quite a bit of old parking lot space along Goodyear Blvd and off East Market that could easily become home to new mixed used development. Or townhomes. Done right, the whole area has the potential to become something along the lines of a mini Columbus Arena District. You also have the Goodyear Branch Library in walking distance along Goodyear Blvd. The YMCA is there, too, although it is only a program branch and not a membership branch... Maybe it could be expanded into one?

 

I'm not much of a bus rapid transit advocate, which I think is a bit of a half-hearted step in lieu of a long-term solution in streetcars. I do see a greater benefit for the development and the city if Metro does decide to move forward with some kind of rapid rail service that at least connects East End with Downtown, Kent State, and presumably Akron-Canton Airport, if not to other transit service/hubs in the region.

Downtown Akron is fairly boxed in by the Cuyahoga Valley, UA, and hospital campuses. Only direction to expand is South or up, or perhaps over to the east end with good connections.

 

I'm not a fan of the BRT idea either. My understanding is that metro rta route happens to have the highest or second highest usage.  I would think express service would prob be good enough. Then adding a rail link as well.

I think Akron is doing a good job, and this East End project is exciting.  Seems like there's a lot of potential in that area.  BRT should be out of the question. 

The piecemeal development in the city is a little frustrating in my opinion.  Yes, it would be nice to have different areas develop so not everything is focused in one spot, but I think the synergy created by concentrating these projects would benefit the city overall.  As it is, what is one standalone Bridgestone facility going to spur down by West Wilbeth?  Nothing. 

 

I hope the Goodyear project takes off, but it seems very University Circle on a smaller scale (not in a good way).  Development, a mile or two of decimation, and development again.  And I just don't see the attraction of a hotel in that location at this point in time.  Goodyear business will not come anywhere near supporting that.  A hotel anywhere in the city proper would be best downtown, either as infill or by Northside as was proposed.  But if they can get it to work, it is definitely better than the historical method of redeveloping those properties.  (See General's 30 year old dirt pit)

 

A BRT route is totally half assed.  Don't get me wrong, it's progress - baby steps - but it doesn't show the kind of permanency that would really spur additional development.  It's like the transit equivalent of food trucks.  However given the hostility towards public transportation, if they can get something done along the lines of the Healthline it would be a big step towards something more substantial in the future.

 

I'm not usually negative but I do think some of the recent opportunity could have been capitalized on a bit better.

The piecemeal development in the city is a little frustrating in my opinion.  Yes, it would be nice to have different areas develop so not everything is focused in one spot, but I think the synergy created by concentrating these projects would benefit the city overall.

 

That wasn't really an option in this case.  The Goodyear HQ is where it is.  It would have been great if the company had chosen to build its new HQ downtown, but they didn't.  The old HQ could not and cannot be turned into a downtown redevelopment opportunity because it simply isn't in Downtown.  I fail to see the squandered opportunity here.

 

You might be suggesting that the developer should have just let the Goodyear site go fallow and concentrated its money in Downtown instead, but even that might not have been possible for financing reasons--and the Goodyear HQ is a massive site and it is important for the city that it not lie fallow.

I'll be interested to see what happens once GY moves out of the building.  It's the only office building I've ever been in where I looked around and thought "I can tell people used to smoke in here".  I have to imagine the rehab will be more extensive than projected.

The piecemeal development in the city is a little frustrating in my opinion.  Yes, it would be nice to have different areas develop so not everything is focused in one spot, but I think the synergy created by concentrating these projects would benefit the city overall.

 

That wasn't really an option in this case.  The Goodyear HQ is where it is.  It would have been great if the company had chosen to build its new HQ downtown, but they didn't.  The old HQ could not and cannot be turned into a downtown redevelopment opportunity because it simply isn't in Downtown.  I fail to see the squandered opportunity here.

 

You might be suggesting that the developer should have just let the Goodyear site go fallow and concentrated its money in Downtown instead, but even that might not have been possible for financing reasons--and the Goodyear HQ is a massive site and it is important for the city that it not lie fallow.

 

It was a comment on the greater collection of recent development.  OR they could move the Goodyear HQ like the Hower House.  Just cut it in two pieces and throw it on a trailer, right?

The piecemeal development in the city is a little frustrating in my opinion.  Yes, it would be nice to have different areas develop so not everything is focused in one spot, but I think the synergy created by concentrating these projects would benefit the city overall.

 

That wasn't really an option in this case.  The Goodyear HQ is where it is.  It would have been great if the company had chosen to build its new HQ downtown, but they didn't.  The old HQ could not and cannot be turned into a downtown redevelopment opportunity because it simply isn't in Downtown.  I fail to see the squandered opportunity here.

 

You might be suggesting that the developer should have just let the Goodyear site go fallow and concentrated its money in Downtown instead, but even that might not have been possible for financing reasons--and the Goodyear HQ is a massive site and it is important for the city that it not lie fallow.

 

It was a comment on the greater collection of recent development.  OR they could move the Goodyear HQ like the Hower House.  Just cut it in two pieces and throw it on a trailer, right?

 

Wrong....airlift

Goodyear Moving Into New Headquarters Featured

Written by  Mike Ward

 

It's moving week for one of Akron's biggest corporate names.

 

After 115 years in Akron, Goodyear will have a new address. The company begins moving into its new worldwide headquarters on Innovation Way - formerly Martha Avenue - this week.

 

Goodyear spokesman Scott Baughman says the tire-making giant will start occuping the new headquarters this week.

 

http://www.akronnewsnow.com/news/local/item/74340-goodyear-moving-into-new-headquarters

 

Finally, a sign that Goodyear will be moving into its new headquarters soon

 

By Jim Mackinnon

Beacon Journal business writer

 

The first group of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. employees start moving into the company’s new $120 million global headquarters project next week and it’s likely many of them will be walking by a new street-level sign marking their new workplace.

 

Workers are putting the finishing touches on the new headquarters off Innovation Way, the street that was previously called Martha Avenue.

 

http://www.ohio.com/news/top-stories/finally-a-sign-that-goodyear-will-be-moving-into-its-new-headquarters-soon-1.373661