City of Kent is Finalist in Economic Development Awards
It may be better known for its black squirrels and world-famous university, but the City of Kent’s Revitalization Project, a $100 million downtown redevelopment initiative, has been named as a Finalist for the Ohio Economic Development Association’s 2011 Annual Excellence Awards.
The Annual Excellence Awards recognize the achievements of individuals and organizations in Ohio for exemplary efforts in the area of economic and workforce development.
Kent’s ongoing downtown development efforts include:
* Fairmount Properties downtown redevelopment project in conjunction with the City of Kent
* Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center, now under construction [pictured above]
* Acorn Alley II, following on the success of Acorn Alley, featuring stores such as Laziza, Wild Earth Outfitters, Popped! and Zoupwerks.
* Esplanade extension that runs from downtown to the Kent State University campus
* PARTA Kent Central Gateway transit center, across the street from the new hotel project
The combined projects are expected to generate 969 construction jobs over the coming years.
One Response to “City of Kent is Finalist in Economic Development Awards”
Bob Mayfield
The City of Kent, Kent State University, Main Street Kent, The Kent Area Chamber of Commerce, Ron Burbick and the other developers, Portage County. Downtown Kent Corporation, The local Banks and many more, show what working together can achieve. Very refreshing to see. This will be a case study at some grad school in the future.
Kent, an unique shopping and dinning experience, is only getting better. Watch what happens in the next couple of years.