Hope everyone had a fantastic week! Let us know you favorite events or restaurants from this last winter season!
• Akron receives partial rental affordability loan
• Akron Budget in depth
• Fun Lottery Win!
-Local Farmers Market+ Tons of other events!
-JJ
Akron Launches $400K Loan to Preserve Affordable Apartments in Northwest Neighborhood
AKRON, Ohio - A new $400,000 city-backed loan could mark the start of a broader effort to preserve and stabilize affordable housing in Akron.
The City of Akron is providing the interest-only, two-year loan to Lana Jeter, president of Jeter Capital Investments, to help her purchase 32 apartments on Zahn Drive in Northwest Akron. About half of the units are currently vacant.
City officials say the deal could become the first project in a proposed revolving loan fund designed to help responsible investors acquire and rehabilitate aging rental properties before they fall further into disrepair.
What the Deal Does
The loan helped Jeter secure an additional $1.4 million in private financing to complete the purchase. She plans to invest roughly $400,000 of private funds into renovations.
Jeter said she intends to:
Rehab vacant units first
Keep rents below U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development affordability levels
Avoid tenant displacement
“The city backing up your loan just helps to get traditional financing,” Jeter said.
Ward 8 Councilman Bruce Bolden, who represents the area, called the move “pretty huge” for a part of Northwest Akron that has struggled with aging housing stock.
A New Tool for “Naturally Occurring” Affordable Housing
Akron Planning Director Kyle Julien said the proposed loan program would target what’s known as naturally occurring affordable housing — older multifamily properties that provide below-market rents but often need substantial upgrades.
Because these properties tend to generate lower returns, investors can struggle to obtain traditional financing. The city’s backing helps bridge that gap and attract private lenders.
“If we can make it easier for quality investors to acquire properties and invest in them, it will help raise the floor in terms of our housing stock,” Julien said.
Officials say the goal is to:
Sustain existing affordable housing
Prevent blight and disinvestment
Increase neighborhood stability and property values
Attract additional private capital
Pilot Program Still in Early Stages
City leaders describe the effort as being in its “incubation phase.” The fund could be seeded with another $400,000 to $500,000 in city dollars, but officials still must determine:
How borrowers will be vetted
Compliance requirements
What return the city expects
How funds will be recycled into future projects
Julien hopes the initiative can evolve from a one-time transaction into a scalable program.
“It can move away from being a transaction to being a program,” he said.
Akron Adopts $342M Capital Budget Focused on Roads, Water & Public Facilities
AKRON, Ohio - Akron City Council has approved a $341.9 million capital improvements budget for 2026, laying out major infrastructure investments across transportation, utilities, public safety, housing and parks.
The capital budget - adopted separately from the city’s operating budget outlines long-term investments in physical infrastructure throughout Akron.
🚧 Transportation & Roads: $53M+
More than $53 million is allocated for transportation infrastructure, including:
~$24 million for road projects
$10+ million for bridge renovations
$6.5 million to resurface approximately 52 centerline miles of roadway
Major repair work on:
Home Avenue
North Main Street (North Hill)
South Main Street (Bartges to Cedar)
$1 million for sidewalk repairs, covering roughly 225 repair requests
💧 Water & Sewer: $100M+
More than $100 million is dedicated to water and sewer projects, including:
Completion of the Northside Interceptor Tunnel
$23.5 million replacement of the Brittain Road Reservoir
$23.4 million to remove galvanized service lines connected to previously eliminated lead lines
The city aims to remove all galvanized lines by the end of 2027.
🏛️ Public Facilities & Safety
$4.2 million begins a multi-year renovation of the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center, home to the Akron Police Department
Elevator replacements
Heating and cooling system upgrades
Initial design for full renovation
🏡 Housing & Neighborhood Investment
$8.9 million for housing and community development
New infill housing
Support for neighborhood community development corporations
Initial implementation of the Innerbelt Master Plan
🌳 Parks & Public Spaces
$6.1 million for park and recreation improvements
Launch of a new City Meadows Program to enhance natural beauty, improve wildlife habitats and reduce mowing and stormwater runoff
AKRON, Ohio — After more than two decades of sticking with the same six numbers, an Akron man’s persistence finally paid off with a $3.5 million Classic Lotto jackpot, according to the Ohio Lottery.
The longtime player matched all six numbers — 6-8-16-20-26-45 — in the Feb. 4 drawing.
Why keep playing the same numbers for 22 years?
He says it simply: he’s “stubborn.”
That stubborn streak turned into a life-changing moment. Even without the ticket in hand at the time of the drawing, he immediately recognized the winning combination.
After 22 years, he knows the numbers by heart.
“I yelled to my wife, ‘We’re going to get a really big pool!’” he told lottery officials.
-An indoor farmers market will run 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Canton Museum of Art (1001 Market Ave. N.). The free event features local food vendors, health and wellness products, free soup and bread samples, recycled arts and crafts demos, free seeds, balloon art, and kids’ activities.
The market will continue on the third Saturday of each month: Feb. 21, March 21, April 18, and May 16.
GOOSEBUMPS: Tim Jacobus Retrospective + Meet & Greet
Sat Feb 21 | 10am–6pm | Akron Main Library (60 S High St)
Nostalgia + legit pop-culture art moment. Great “take the kids / go with friends” event.Wine, Cheese and Chocolate, Darling!
Sat Feb 21 | 7pm | Akron Civic Theatre (182 S Main St)
Big-tent tasting night (50+ wines). Perfect date night / group night.Akron Zoo: Board Game Night (Komodo Kingdom)
Sat Feb 21 | 5pm–9pm | Akron Zoo (500 Edgewood Ave)
Unique vibe: board games + animals + indoor hang. Easy win for a cold weekend.Need Skateshop Grand Opening
Sat Feb 21 | 12pm–8pm | Need Skateshop (30 N High St, Akron)
A “new downtown Akron” moment. Good for culture, local business support, and people-watching.2026 Oscar-Nominated Short Films (Pick a Program)
Fri Feb 20 | 5:15pm Live Action / 6:15pm Animated / 7:45pm Documentary | The Nightlight (30 N High St, Akron)
Best cinema night of the month. Choose the category that fits your mood.Northvale + Gabe Woodrow (with Stay Gone + Dearest Friend)
Fri Feb 20 | 7:30pm | Musica (51 E Market St, Akron)
High-energy live show with local support—great Friday plan.Akron Urban League Young Professionals: “Signature Sounds” ft. Esther Fitz
Sat Feb 21 | 8pm | BLU Jazz+ (47 E Market St, Akron)
Live vocals + upscale night-out feel. Strong “downtown date” option.Chili Cook-Off Indoor Farmers’ Market
Sat Feb 21 | 10am–1pm | Canton Museum of Art (1001 Market Ave N, Canton)
Food + community + indoor market. Easy Saturday daytime plan.Grand Kyiv Ballet presents: Snow White
Sun Feb 22 | 2pm–4:30pm | Canton Palace Theatre (605 Market Ave N, Canton)
Big cultural event, family-friendly, and genuinely special compared to typical weekends.Ask an Attorney: Family Law Legal Clinic
Tue Feb 24 | 3pm–5pm | Akron Main Library (60 S High St)
High utility. If anyone’s dealing with custody/divorce/child support questions, this is a real resource.
As always! Hope everyone is doing fabulous!