Seven city-owned parcels across from Firestone Stadium in Akron have sat empty since 2015, and now the city wants developers to finally do something with them. Akron is accepting proposals from qualified developers to purchase and build on the land at 1730 S. Main St., with a submission deadline of 4 p.m. on Dec. 1.
According to Cleveland 19 News, the city owns all seven parcels, which together total about 26,500 square feet. The property sits at the corner of West Wilbeth Road and South Main Street in the Firestone Park neighborhood, directly across the street from the historic Firestone Stadium.
Firestone Park grew out of Akron’s rubber-industry history: a City of Akron planning proposal says the neighborhood was developed in 1915 as housing for Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. workers. The same document identified South Main Street’s business district as increasingly underused and described neighborhood business districts as targets for renewed commercial investment. The vacant corner sits within that longer effort to connect the area’s industrial past with useful neighborhood services and businesses.
The zoning on the site varies by parcel. Some are zoned for commercial use, others for retail, and one is zoned residential, according to the outlet's report. That mix gives developers some flexibility in how they approach the corner, though the city has laid out clear limits on what it's willing to accept.
What the City Wants and Won't Allow
Akron's request for proposals notes that the location can serve two different kinds of neighbors at once: industrial business employees to the west and the residential neighborhood to the east. The city is framing the site as a connector rather than just another commercial lot, hoping it can do double duty for workers and residents alike.
There's also a clear no list. The city says it won't consider proposals involving outdoor sales of vehicles and merchandise, per the station's report. That restriction signals Akron is steering away from uses that have historically left similar corridors looking more like a parking lot than a neighborhood anchor.
Suzie Grahm Moore, Akron's director of economic development, framed the effort around giving South Main Street a clearer identity. “We would like to see South Main Street built out in a way that serves the neighborhood, that does bring some more commercial activity,” she said, per the same account.
Betting on a Long-Vacant Corridor
The city hopes that redevelopment of the property will attract more people to the area and connect downtown with the surrounding neighborhoods, the article notes. For a site that's been sitting empty for over a decade, that's a meaningful ask — turning a dormant stretch of South Main into something that actually pulls foot traffic from both directions.
Firestone Stadium remains an active sports facility, not just a landmark across the street. Akron’s recreation department lists the stadium and Pony Field as a baseball and softball complex, and says both fields were upgraded to full turf in 2023. That ongoing recreational use gives the proposed redevelopment a nearby public destination to complement, rather than replace, as the city weighs what kind of commercial activity belongs at the corner.
Developers interested in submitting a proposal have two options for getting it to the city. Proposals can be dropped off at the City of Akron Department of Economic Development, located at 166 South High Street, Room 400, Akron, Ohio, 44308, or uploaded online through the city's real estate development application by selecting the listing for 1730 S Main RFP.
Whether the Dec. 1 deadline produces a viable plan for the corner remains to be seen. What's clear for now is that Akron has formally opened the door for developers to reimagine a stretch of South Main Street that's been waiting for a second act since 2015.
