Mon Feb 13 2012
By Matt Fredmonsky
Record-Courier staff writer
Kent residents got yet another chance to participate in the planning phase for the proposed multi-modal facility during two open houses Wednesday.
The sessions were held on the campus of Kent State University and at Kent's city hall complex. Employees of TranSystems, the transportation consulting firm working with the city, university and PARTA, administered the open houses and gathered feedback from residents who attended.
The open houses also revealed the location selected by the consulting firm after several public information gathering sessions were held. Displays showed the facility, dubbed the Kent Central Gateway, spanning a large plot of land near downtown from the intersection of East Main and DePeyster streets east to the intersection of Haymaker Parkway and East Main Street and south to Erie Street.
Josh Sikich, TranSystems Kent project planner, said the last phase of the planning project involved choosing the location.
As residents entered city hall, Sikich cautioned them the layout and design is still very much in the preliminary phase.
The proposals included two similar design themes. Key differences appeared in where bus traffic was routed; one layout directed buses onto Haymaker Parkway and another funneled them out onto East Main Street.
Each design conception incorporated a pedestrian bridge spanning the five-lane Haymaker Parkway east to connect the downtown area with neighborhoods adjacent to the campus.
The proposals also included space for retail development tied to transit needs, which could include a car rental facility, a bicycle rental or service shop or additional public service facilities.
Kent Public Service Director Gene Roberts, who also is a member of the facility steering committee, said the selected location would take advantage of the existing grade by using the hill to mask the multiple-level structure.
Roberts said the site would have the least impact on existing infrastructure, in terms of demolition, for its proximity to both downtown and the campus.
Susan Swartz, TranSystems Kent project manager, said between 35 and 40 students stopped during the university's open house Wednesday to talk to TranSystems employees about the project.
"Which was a lot better than the last time," Swartz said.
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