The City of Akron is gearing up for the next phase in the development of the former Akron Innerbelt area, calling on community members to play a pivotal role in shaping its destiny. A public workshop has been scheduled for January 8, 2025, aiming to update residents on the master planning so far and to gather further input, as reported by an official City of Akron announcement. This workshop will be hosted at the Ed Davis Community Center from 5 PM to 8 PM, and those interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP.
Since bringing on Sasaki, an established planning and design firm, in August 2024, the team has diligently laid the groundwork for this transformative project. Efforts have included pursuing federal funding of $10 million and recruiting Akron-based community coordinators to ensure that local perspectives steer the process forward. "The future of the Innerbelt is about reconnection," Akron Mayor Shammas Malik stated via the City of Akron's official website. In this comprehensive planning exercise, he underscored the significance of integrating the insights of those once displaced by the Innerbelt’s original construction.
The master plan builds off the City’s prior “Reconnecting Our Community” Initiative and seeks to devise tangible recommendations by fall 2025. Central to this enterprise is a community-driven approach, contrasting sharply with the previous top-down methods employed during the highway's initial creation. Mayor Malik has emphasized the importance of centering the voices of those impacted in a statement from the City of Akron's news release, imploring residents to participate in the upcoming meeting to gain insight into the prospective roadmap for the area's rejuvenation.
Details about the workshop highlight its "Level Setting" theme, intending to align the community on the progress accomplished to date, share experiences, and seek resident input for the plan's ongoing development. The January 8 meeting heralds the first of many conversations and collaborative opportunities as part of a nine-month engagement initiative. For more information or to register for the event, residents can visit the Eventbrite link provided by the city.
