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Hope everyone had a good week. A few things that stood out today:
Hope everyone’s getting ready for a good long weekend. A few things stood out today:
• Akron residents have a new housing “Plan of the People”
• Northside Marketplace is staying open, but trust is still being rebuilt
• Stark/Canton has a full Memorial Day weekend slate, from ribs to parades
-JJ
1. Akron residents send 9 housing fixes to city leaders
Akron’s Civic Assembly finished months of work by advancing nine housing proposals to City Council and Mayor Shammas Malik’s administration. The group, made up of 65 residents, is calling the package its “Plan of the People,” and the proposals are meant to give the city a resident-built roadmap for tackling housing problems. The ideas range from practical transparency tools, like a public database of housing-code violations tied to specific properties, to financial tools like low-cost repair loans for owner-occupants.
What makes this especially worth watching is the process behind it. The proposals did not come from a single office or outside consultant - they came from Akronites deliberating together across neighborhoods and backgrounds. Some ideas overlap with work already being discussed by the city, including down-payment assistance and stronger housing-code efforts, while others could push the conversation into more difficult territory, like treating criminal history as a protected class in housing decisions. The next question is whether city leaders treat this as a ceremonial listening exercise or as a real policy pipeline.
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2. Northside Marketplace stays open during a messy transition
Northside Marketplace is staying open for roughly the next 60 days, but the situation is still complicated. Current manager Justin Lepley will remain involved during the transition, even though vendors have accused him of owing them about $68,000, while landlord Joel Testa says Lepley also owes roughly $250,000 in rent. Some vendors say keeping Lepley in place temporarily is the only way to avoid a full shutdown before the marketplace can reopen under a new structure.
The next chapter is expected to be a vendor-led nonprofit, with a new payment system that would pay sellers in real time when their products are purchased. That matters because the whole purpose of Northside Marketplace was to give local entrepreneurs an easier way to sell in downtown Akron without running a full storefront. The problem now is trust: vendors need to believe they will actually get paid, shoppers need to know their money is supporting makers, and the market has to prove it can survive the transition without losing its community value.
Summit Metro Parks weighs in on property-tax debate
Signal Akron’s Documenters covered Summit Metro Parks’ decision to support a statewide public-education campaign about proposals to eliminate Ohio property taxes. At a May 12 Board of Park Commissioners meeting, Executive Director Lisa King said property taxes fund about 90% of Summit Metro Parks’ programs and safety services. That means any major move away from property taxes would not be a distant budget issue - it could touch park maintenance, programming, ranger services, conservation work, and the everyday experience of using the park system.
The story is useful because property-tax debates often get framed almost entirely around schools or homeowner bills. Those are obviously important, but parks are part of the same ecosystem. Summit Metro Parks is one of the region’s most-used public assets, and the board is trying to make sure residents understand what could be at stake before statewide tax changes move further. The meeting also touched on deer management and the park system’s cross-country course at Silver Creek Metro Park, but the bigger signal was clear: parks want a seat in the property-tax conversation.
-New Carroll County power plant draws support and concern
Chestnut Run Energy is proposing a 1,300-megawatt natural gas power plant northeast of Carrollton, and the project is already drawing both support and concern. At a local hearing hosted by the Ohio Power Siting Board, six people spoke in favor and four opposed the project. Supporters pointed to construction jobs, long-term tax revenue, and the need for more power generation as demand grows. The proposed plant would be built on 30 acres within a larger 240-acre property and could begin construction later this year if approved.
Opponents raised familiar but serious questions: Would the facility actually lower local energy costs? Could it affect nearby property values or the rural character of the area? And could unused land around the project eventually become part of a data-center buildout? Those concerns matter because Ohio communities are increasingly being asked to weigh energy infrastructure, data growth, tax revenue, land use, and quality of life all at once. The next major step is an evidentiary hearing June 3 in Columbus, where the project’s formal record will continue to develop.
Cleveland and Brook Park settlement could unlock I-X Center redevelopment
Ideastream’s Reporters Roundtable highlighted a settlement between Cleveland and Brook Park over long-running disputes tied to airport land and the I-X Center. The I-X Center is massive - about 2.2 million square feet - and redevelopment plans have been slowed by disagreements involving Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Brook Park, and land tied to a never-built runway. The settlement could clear the way for Cleveland to move forward with redevelopment.
This is not an Akron-Canton story in the narrowest sense, but it matters for the region. Northeast Ohio has a lot of legacy assets - big buildings, old industrial sites, public land, and underused infrastructure -that could become either anchors or liabilities depending on how cities handle them. The I-X Center is one of the biggest examples. If redevelopment finally moves, it could affect jobs, events, logistics, airport-area growth, and how other communities think about repurposing large sites.
Some events for the next few days!!
•Friday, May 22 through Sunday, May 24: Hall of Fame Ribs Burnoff at the Pro Football Hall of Fame campus. Free admission, ribs, music, family activities, and Sunday fireworks.
Saturday, May 23: Live @ The Locks in downtown Akron, 3 to 8 p.m., with free local music at Lock 3 and Lock 4.
Saturday, May 23: Hartville Memorial Day ceremony at Memorial Park, 10 a.m.
Monday, May 25: Canton Memorial Day parade begins at 10 a.m. near Timken Career Campus and heads toward the McKinley National Memorial.
Monday, May 25: Massillon Memorial Day parade begins at 9:30 a.m., ending near Veterans Memorial Park.
Monday, May 25: Green’s Memorial Day events run from breakfast through afternoon, including a parade, ceremony, car show, and picnic.
Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and we look forward to continuing to hear all of your recommendations!