On Friday, May 4, approximately 20 Kenmore residents and stakeholders strolled the sidewalks and alleyways of the Kenmore Blvd. The goal: to identify opportunities and improvements to make our “downtown” a more vibrant business-, pedestrian- and community-friendly zone.
“Jane’s Walk: Reimagine Kenmore’s Boulevard District” was led by Andrew Overbeck of MKSK urban design consultants from Columbus. The group was recently hired by Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance to create a community-driven plan for the area, with primary emphasis on the main commercial district.
Participating in the Jane’s Walk was Rachel Sweet, and her husband, Luuk, who recently relocated to Kenmore. She, like many walkers, noticed opportunities to creatively use things like extended sidewalk space at corners, alley spaces and parking lots behind boulevard businesses.
“I discovered new and exciting things” she said. “While Kenmore may be considered rough around the edges, people are excited and ready to put the work in for change.”
Longtime resident Jacob Ley mentioned the need for better lighting, particularly along the sidewalks. “Kenmore Blvd. seems to be lit primarily for cars,” something he hopes changes in order to bring more pedestrian traffic to the area.
In addition, KNA volunteers manned a feedback table outside of Live Music Now! during the Busk Until Dusk first Friday event. Residents marked on a map where they live, visit and avoid. They also considered and voted for their favorite of three street striping options for Kenmore Blvd., which – according to city officials – is set to be repaved as early as this summer. Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance is working with the city’s Office of Integrated Development to implement the most community-friendly option.
Other feedback will be used to help MKSK create concepts for community testing and feedback in July or August. If you weren’t able to attend the Jane’s Walk, there’s still time to make your voice heard via the brief community survey at www.betterkenmore.org/neighborhood-plan.
Jane’s Walk is an annual festival of free-citizen-led walking conversations inspired by community activist Jane Jacobs. Jane’s Walks encourage people to share stories about their neighborhoods, discover unseen aspects of their communities, and use walking as a way to connect with their neighbors. For more information, visit www.janeswalk.org.
Artist and Kenmore resident Caleb Aronhalt was named the winner of the Kenmore Imagineer project back in February. One of his design concepts was chosen to be made into a mural, which is now a reality on Kenmore Boulevard.
KNA: What was the inspiration for your mural design?
Caleb Aronhalt: I call these figures ‘Chirpies’ and I was inspired to make something colorful and fun that’s vibrant enough to be enjoyed by those who are driving by and walking by. A few things that artistically inspire me are hand done typography, the graffiti sprayed on the side of trains and video games like Super Mario Bros and Kirby.
KNA: What do you love about Kenmore?
CA: The main thing I love about Kenmore is the community. The friendships I’ve developed are the reason I call Kenmore home. I got involved with First Glance on Kenmore Blvd in 2012. After living in five different locations around Kenmore, my wife and I bought a house in 2017 and now call Kenmore home.
KNA: What would you like to see more of in Kenmore?
CA: I would like to see more people who are proud to say they live in Kenmore. I’ve lived here for seven years and there are so many positive things that I’ve witnessed and been a part of. My hope is that more people begin to see the potential Kenmore has and one day will become.
Efforts to return Kenmore Boulevard to a bustling business district are gaining momentum.
Akron City Council Planning Committee is considering changes to the boulevard’s zoning to add special development conditions for new construction and building renovation. The proposed zoning would regulate types of businesses allowed on the main strip through Kenmore, as well as their dimensions and proximity to the street.
A public hearing is planned for May 14 on the proposed Kenmore Urban Overlay Area, which would include the north and south sides of Kenmore Boulevard from 12th to 17th streets.
“It’s meant to protect the integrity of the main boulevard district and the community, to maintain the character of it,” said Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance Director Tina Boyes.
Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance is working alongside the city and the Knight Foundation to bring business back to the Kenmore business district by boosting walkability and bikeability while populating empty storefronts.
Structures along the boulevard were built at the turn of last century and designed with businesses downstairs and residences above. Most are three stories or less, built close to the sidewalk.
The proposed zoning would regulate the height and distance from the street for new construction. It would prohibit gas stations, parking lots as businesses and boulevard-facing drive-thru windows or parking lots.
“Parking lots break up the continuity and are discouraging to pedestrians and bike traffic,” Boyes said.
Developed about 60 years ago, Akron’s Zoning Code is based on shaping development to have a “suburban” feel with street-facing parking and buildings set back from the sidewalk. It isn’t compatible with Kenmore’s much older business district.
The city’s Great Streets program is also targeting Kenmore along with nine other Akron neighborhoods to help revitalize their small business districts.
In addition to revamping Kenmore’s zoning, the city, through Great Streets, plans to resurface Kenmore Boulevard and install a new roof at the Kenmore Community Center, which offers year-round programming on the boulevard.
The city also plans to look at improvements to the crosswalks on the boulevard and offer competitive facade grants to the business owners, said Akron Planning Director Jason Segedy.
The Great Streets initiative brings together the essential components of economic development, urban planning and engineering.
“It’s about doing lots of little things that are the details that add up to more than the sum of their parts,” Segedy said.
Without a populated central business district, Kenmore is losing local dollars to nearby shopping areas in Green and Montrose. The Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance is awaiting results of a study conducted by KM Date Community Planning. Initial findings estimate more than 80 percent of patrons to the boulevard businesses come from outside the neighborhood, Boyes said.
The study will shed light on the spending power of the neighborhood and 10 miles beyond its borders, and on the types of new businesses that would complement existing ones.
Kenmore hosts a growing music industry, with the Rialto Theatre, a live-music venue and studio, the Guitar Department, a new and used consignment shop that offers music lessons, on the Boulevard. Also on the strip, Lays Guitar Shop has been known since the ’60s for quality repairs and restoration, and is frequented by Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach and Cleveland native Joe Walsh.
Efforts are also underway to have the boulevard added to the National Register of Historic Places. The State Historic Preservation Office has indicated the Kenmore Boulevard business district is a viable district for successful nomination to the National Register.
“We have not yet had a site visit or pursued it with the national parks, but this approval from the state is the first step in the process,” Boyes said.
The Knight Foundation has supported Akron’s efforts to bring back its small business districts by funding Strong Towns, a nonprofit that’s working to help smaller cities like Akron bring economic stability back through incremental investments in key neighborhoods.
Working with Knight, Strong Town representatives plan to invest time and energy over the next year in Akron’s community development corporations in North Akron and Middlebury, and the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance.
In late September, the Knight Foundation invested $720,000 in the work of those same three neighborhood groups, which are considered ripe for growth. All three neighborhoods hosted successful Knight-funded Better Block festivals, showcasing the potential the neighborhoods have to become vibrant centers through community input and creativity.
The organizations will work together to come up with best practices for their own challenges, while supporting one another.
Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance is working alongside the city and the Knight Foundation to bring business back to the Kenmore business district by boosting walkability and bikeability while populating empty storefronts. (Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance)
AKRON, Ohio – Efforts to return Kenmore Boulevard to a bustling business district are gaining momentum.
Akron City Council Planning Committee is considering changes to the boulevard’s zoning to add special development conditions for new construction and building renovation. The proposed zoning would regulate types of businesses allowed on the main strip through Kenmore, as well as their dimensions and proximity to the street.
A public hearing is planned for May 14 on the proposed Kenmore Urban Overlay Area, which would include the north and south sides of Kenmore Boulevard from 12th to 17th streets.
“It’s meant to protect the integrity of the main boulevard district and the community, to maintain the character of it,” said Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance Director Tina Boyes.
Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance is working alongside the city and the Knight Foundation to bring business back to the Kenmore business district by boosting walkability and bikeability while populating empty storefronts.
Structures along the boulevard were built at the turn of last century and designed with businesses downstairs and residences above. Most are three stories or less, built close to the sidewalk.
The proposed zoning would regulate the height and distance from the street for new construction. It would prohibit gas stations, parking lots as businesses and boulevard-facing drive-thru windows or parking lots.
“Parking lots break up the continuity and are discouraging to pedestrians and bike traffic,” Boyes said.
Developed about 60 years ago, Akron’s Zoning Code is based on shaping development to have a “suburban” feel with street-facing parking and buildings set back from the sidewalk. It isn’t compatible with Kenmore’s much older business district.
The city’s Great Streets program is also targeting Kenmore along with nine other Akron neighborhoods to help revitalize their small business districts.
In addition to revamping Kenmore’s zoning, the city, through Great Streets, plans to resurface Kenmore Boulevard and install a new roof at the Kenmore Community Center, which offers year-round programming on the boulevard.
The city also plans to look at improvements to the crosswalks on the boulevard and offer competitive facade grants to the business owners, said Akron Planning Director Jason Segedy.
The Great Streets initiative brings together the essential components of economic development, urban planning and engineering.
“It’s about doing lots of little things that are the details that add up to more than the sum of their parts,” Segedy said.
Without a populated central business district, Kenmore is losing local dollars to nearby shopping areas in Green and Montrose. The Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance is awaiting results of a study conducted by KM Date Community Planning. Initial findings estimate more than 80 percent of patrons to the boulevard businesses come from outside the neighborhood, Boyes said.
The study will shed light on the spending power of the neighborhood and 10 miles beyond its borders, and on the types of new businesses that would complement existing ones.
Kenmore hosts a growing music industry, with the Rialto Theatre, a live-music venue and studio, the Guitar Department, a new and used consignment shop that offers music lessons, on the Boulevard. Also on the strip, Lays Guitar Shop has been known since the ’60s for quality repairs and restoration, and is frequented by Black Keysguitarist Dan Auerbach and Cleveland native Joe Walsh.
Efforts are also underway to have the boulevard added to the National Register of Historic Places. The State Historic Preservation Office has indicated the Kenmore Boulevard business district is a viable district for successful nomination to the National Register.
“We have not yet had a site visit or pursued it with the national parks, but this approval from the state is the first step in the process,” Boyes said.
The Knight Foundation has supported Akron’s efforts to bring back its small business districts by funding Strong Towns, a nonprofit that’s working to help smaller cities like Akron bring economic stability back through incremental investments in key neighborhoods.
Working with Knight, Strong Town representatives plan to invest time and energy over the next year in Akron’s community development corporations in North Akron and Middlebury, and the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance.
In late September, the Knight Foundation invested $720,000 in the work of those same three neighborhood groups, which are considered ripe for growth. All three neighborhoods hosted successful Knight-funded Better Block festivals, showcasing the potential the neighborhoods have to become vibrant centers through community input and creativity.
The organizations will work together to come up with best practices for their own challenges, while supporting one another.
Strong Towns President Charles Marohn presents at the 2016 Canadian Institute of Planners Conference. Marohn will speak in Akron at 5:45 p.m., April 17 at the Akron Civic Theatre. (Rob McMorris)
AKRON, Ohio – A new initiative launching this month is expected to help Akron boost its economic vitality while laying the groundwork for similar cities across the nation.
Strong Towns, a Minnesota-based nonprofit, is working to help smaller cities like Akron bring economic stability back through incremental investments in key neighborhoods.
The year-long project in Akron, funded in part through a $120,000 Knight Foundation grant, will be groundbreaking for Strong Towns.
While the group will continue to work with other cities, it plans to invest a majority of time and energy in partnerships with the Knight Foundation and Akron’s community development groups in North Akron, Middlebury and Kenmore, said Rachel Quenau, Strong Towns Communications Director.
“We see so much possibility, if people redirected their efforts to small-scale incremental investments that focus on the city’s core neighborhoods,” Quenau said.
Strong Towns will conduct a tax analysis of key areas of the city to identify where Akron would gain the most through investment. It also will share examples of similar cities that had success through initiatives that could be tailored for Akron.
The outcome of the work could be a model for other similar cities.
Lay’s Guitar Shop Co-Owner Joel Shinn shows his custom guitars to national touring musician Ray Goren. Photo by Amanda Rabinowitz
Editor’s note: This story originally incorrectly stated that Marc Lee Shannon is the former guitarist for Michael Stanley. Shannon is still with the band
A few city blocks in east Akron are coming back to life with the help of musicians. For this week’s Shuffle, WKSU’s Amanda Rabinowitz walked Kenmore Boulevard to hear how the community is rebuilding a music district.
When you make the turn off the I-76 exit ramp and onto Akron’s Kenmore Boulevard, it’s hard to tell at first glance that this is the site of a renaissance. The busy street is riddled with potholes. The brick buildings are old, and many are vacant. But if you look closer — or rather listen closer — there’s life.
A music district
Kenmore Boulevard now has two live music venues, recording studios and guitar shops along the three-block downtown district. It’s largely the work of the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance that’s been trying to overcome the area’s reputation as abandoned and unsafe. The Alliance’s director, Tina Boyes, says working with musicians captures the neighborhood’s working-class history.
“You see them on the stage and you look up to them, but man, these are salt of the earth people — these are people who have hustled their entire lives. I feel like that’s what we’re doing as the neighborhood organization. We’re hustling.”
The new and the old Boyes says Kenmore’s music revitalization is a combination of the new and the old. Our first visit is to Lays Guitar Shop, which has been in business for more than 50 years. Joel Shin and his brother are known worldwide for their work restoring and building guitars.
“We’re trying to bring this community back to where people want to walk along the streets and feel safe again,” Shinn says.
The colorful Rialto Theater in Kenmore’s music district. Photo by Amanda Rabinowitz
The Rialto Theater The hub of Kenmore’s music district, is the Rialto Theater, which used to be a movie theater.
Musician brothers Seth and Nate Vaill took over this 100-year-old building in 2010 at first to open a couple recording studios. Now, it’s also a music venue that books local and national musicians three nights a week.
“Every time we’d get a little money we would finish something else. We did a lot of traveling and a lot of the music venues you would play in say, New York City, would be warm, intimate places. And we thought once we painted the walls, we could start fulfilling that here. It morphed into that, pretty much.”
‘I call it sprinkling fairy dust.’
Seth and Nate built an apartment on the building’s second floor and lived there while they worked on getting the venue ready. They’ve since moved out, but stayed in Kenmore.
“People who have lived here longer than Nate and I — I mean we’ve only lived here for seven years — that have lived here their whole lives. They have a lot of pride here. And they are open arms wanting to see this place be successful.”
Live Music Now is a pop-venue that will book shows through May, with the idea that someone will take it over permanently. Photo by Amanda Rabinowitz
Pop-up Venue Live Music Now The Rialto has been so successful, that it’s needed help meeting demand booking events. Enter Live Music Now, a pop-up venue that opened earlier this year down the street.
“Seth and Nate down at the Rialto were feeling like an island,” Boyes says. “We felt the burden to help them out, but also to show that there’s more than just one trick in this neighborhood.”
‘We’re the sons and daughters of steel and rubber workers. And our work ethic was always deeply embedded in us. … This neighborhood just represents to me the essence of that lost America.’
Tina Boyes and the Neighborhood Alliance have leased this former bar that was in shambles just six months ago. They got volunteers to paint the walls, add custom lighting and rebuild the small stage. They have local musicians and others booking shows. The Alliance has the lease through May, with the hopes that someone will take it over.
“I call it sprinkling fairy dust,” Boyes says. “Showcase something and get people thinking. Because honestly you can say things all day long, but until people experience, it, they need to know what it feels like. And this feels good.”
Former Michael Stanley guitarist Marc Lee Shannon recently performed at Kenmore’s Live Music Now. Photo by Amanda Rabinowitz.
A grassroots revival On this night, Marc Lee Shannon is performing. The guitarist for Cleveland rocker Michael Stanley, Shannon lives in Akron and is launching a solo career. He says he wants to support Kenmore’s revival.
“We’re the sons and daughters, grandchildren of steel and rubber workers. And our work ethic was always deeply embedded in us when we grew up. This neighborhood just represents to me the essence of that lost America. And I think that I can do anything to be a part of a revitalization of that heritage, I don’t think there’s anything more that America needs right now.”
And that’s the overall model of Kenmore’s music district: Community. Back out on the Boulevard, it’s still pretty quiet with the exception of the busy traffic. Boyes says she wants to keep working to have more people feeling comfortable walking the streets, by adding coffee shops and more businesses. And she thinks they’ll get there, one beat at a time.
AKRON, Ohio – The city of Akron is working with Copenhagenize Design Co. to plan a connected bicycle grid that will make it easier for residents to bicycle around the city.
The grid, which will be funded in part by a $127,000 John S. and James L. Knight Foundation grant, is the next step in the city’s plan to build out its bicycling infrastructure. Currently, the city has 25 miles of bike lanes and 16 additional miles are in the planning or construction phases.
“To truly become a more bicycle-friendly community, Akron needs a core network of connected bike lanes that will link our neighborhoods to key destinations and business districts across the city,” Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said in a news release. “Most importantly, to be effective, these bike lanes need to be safe and welcoming for all users, and designed with input from the residents and stakeholders they serve.”
According to Horrigan, the Copenhagenize program will establish a road map and design principles that determine how, where and when to install bike lanes over the next few decades. The city has already tested bike lanes at Better Block events, and is planning additional bicycle engagement event this year.
“We are excited to talk to residents across Akron about cycling in their city and build a strategy that helps create long-standing improvements to bike safety, connectivity and citizen mobility” said Michael Wexler, partner and urban designer from Copenhagenize Design Co., in a news release.
The grant will be managed by the City of Akron Office of Integrated Development, along with the Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition.
Kenmore residents of all ages perused the walls of the Rialto Theatre. Suspense filled the room as budding artists and novices alike awaited the results: Would their creation be a cash-prize winner? Or, better yet, would it get chosen for a mural to be created on one of 15 locations along Kenmore Boulevard?
On Thursday, February 8, Kenmore Imagineer participants gathered in the historic theater to hear the results of the community-wide coloring book contest led by Mac Love, founder of the project and Chief Catalyst of Art x Love. Over 120 entries were submitted and over 3,000 of this free 16-page coloring book circulated across the community. The goal: To generate new ideas for bringing life back to Kenmore Boulevard’s public spaces.
“We came up with the Kenmore Imagineer as a way to engage every generation and create platform to discuss a shared vision for Kenmore’s future,” Love explained.
It was all part of Art X Love’s @Play project, which received a $241,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation last year to solve community problems using art and play. Kenmore joins the Middlebury neighborhood of East Akron as the first @Play locations in Akron.
The winner for best entry for each of the 15 locations won a $100 prize and their art will be on display at the Rialto Theatre for all to see.
To sweeten the pot, Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance partnered with Art X Love to fund the actual creation of one the murals. Caleb Aronhalt, a local artist and Kenmore resident, will soon see his “Kenmore, Oh” entry become a reality on one building on Kenmore Boulevard, joining Studio 1008 and Kenmore Komics and Games as mural buildings.
The entry included a halo hovering over a large block-lettered “Kenmore,” with “Ohio” written in script as an homage to when Kenmore was once its own city.
“We loved Caleb’s mural because it reclaims the Kenmore name in a very positive way,” said Tina Boyes, executive director of Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance. “With the merger of the school, and with so many in our neighborhood fearing – even feeling – a loss of identity, Caleb’s mural helps to ensure that identity is here to stay.”
In addition to the Kenmore Imagineer project, Love’s Art X Love developed a Kenmore-proud interactive mural for September’s Kenmore Better Block event. There, residents and visitors alike contributed their designs and colors to an eight-foot-tall mural to be displayed at a yet-to-be-determined location on Kenmore Boulevard.
“I’ll tell you right now, Kenmore’s revival won’t be a cookie-cutter model of something you’ve seen elsewhere. It is going to be real, unique, genuine and fun,” he explained. “I don’t think Kenmore’s residents would have it any other way.”
Here is a full list of Kenmore Imagineer winners. See their artwork at the Rialto Theatre.
Students are being transformed into musicians every week right here in Kenmore.
Open Tone Music Academy began just two years ago with a simple idea: to offer tuition-free music lessons to fifth- through eighth-grade students. What started as a word-of-mouth opportunity has grown to an over 20-student program, featuring three total hours of weekly music training that includes theory, piano, sectionals and group lessons.
“This is no free babysitting service,” said Dennis Reynolds, one of the program’s directors. “This is a conservatory for students who are serious about music and want to study it on a high level.”
Reynolds said students are dedicated to their music; giving up their Saturday morning to go to Open Tone Academy because they want to.
Additionally, their learning extends far beyond simple As and Bs.;
“It’s more than just reading music. It’s learning integrity. Learning how to work together. Learning how to empathize in a way other disciplines don’t teach. These kids are gaining character,” said Matt Garrett, the program’s director.
Between Open Tone and Live Music Now, music opportunities are erupting in Kenmore, bringing a little extra “soul” to the Boulevard District. When asked the impact music can have on Kenmore, Dennis responded, “Revitalization in the Kenmore community starts with these kids.”
Open Tone Music plans to expand this unique opportunity in the next few years, starting with an intense summer music camp in June, potential programing for high school students, a recital series, expanding the academy’s size and even branching out into other art areas.
For now, join Matt Garrett and his horn-blowing friends, the Open Tone All-Stars, every first Thursday of the month at Live Music Now!, 952 Kenmore Blvd. For more information, visit Facebook.com/KenmoreLiveMusicNow.
