Mon Feb 13 2012
Though it's not legally binding, the "declaration of collective intent" members of Kent City Council have accepted is good news for the community because it indicates the downtown redevelopment project is closer to reality.
Parties to the document are Kent State University, the Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority, the Kent City Schools, Fairmont Properties, the Pizzuti Development organization and the city of Kent.
Portage County apparently moved too slowly to accommodate the construction deadlines the city requires for the project to go forward, but the Portage County commissioners went on record in a recent letter to the Record-Courier expressing their interest in playing a role in what the commissioners called a "once in a lifetime opportunity."
That's good news, indeed, because it means that in some form the proposed municipal court complex will become part of the overall redevelopment program that has already been immeasurably bolstered by the commitments of the city of Kent, Kent State University, PARTA and the Pizutti Development organization, which has the know-how, resources and contacts to make this project a go.
The project so far envisions a redevelopment of six acres and connector points with the Kent State campus that will link it closer to the downtown. It mentions the proposed hotel-conference center complex with 100 guest rooms, 20 suites, 8,000 square feet of banquet and meeting space and a 50-seat restaurant and lobby bar. Helping financially shore up this project will be 2,000 square feet of office space leased to Kent State University, an indicator of the university's commitment.
The draft of the plan also refers to PARTA's proposed 300-space parking facility and transit center with additional retail space. Even if the TIGER grant under consideration at the Federal Highway Administration is not funded, PARTA and the city of Kent have pursued other options that will likely result in the project going ahead in some form. This is important because it will give the downtown the parking spaces it needs for rejuvenation to sustain itself.
This program is a winner on several counts. Kent will end up with a vibrant city center. The university, the community's biggest and most important employer, will have helped Kent become a true and attractive college town, a real plus in recruiting and retaining students. Businesses and industries, seeing a better Kent, will be more likely to consider it among sites for location. The county will reap the benefit of higher property taxes, stronger sales tax revenue streams and a terrific anchor point for the countywide bus system known as PARTA. The judiciary could end up with a functional and attractive courthouse.
Of course, the reality is that no spade of dirt has yet been turned. The downtown project is still a proposal. However, with the signing of the collective document of intent and its acceptance by Kent City Council this exciting proposal is closer than it has ever been to becoming a reality.
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