gozips19 Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 here's a nice article from the abj about the new dorms at quaker square click me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipsrifle Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 It will be interesting to keep an eye on that area of town to see what happens in the next few years. My guess is that you will see some new establishments pop up with 200+ new full time residents in the area. I read a lot of comments criticizing UA for the purchase, but you watch, UA will be THE force revitalizing downtown in the future. How many cities are trying to get more residential space downtown to help bring it to life?? UA just pumped 200+ people into downtown in one weekend. I would not be suprised if the exising hotel space becomes additional dorms in 2 years and the other, currently unused space mentioned in the article eventually gets turned into dorm space. Result: 400+ residents living in downtown in 2 years. What would Cleveland or Detroit do to get that??? Now, what happens if UA buys the Mayflower???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZippyRulz Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Now, what happens if UA buys the Mayflower????I hope we find out soon. They could replace it with a new dorm tower. I could see Main St. becoming the new Zip Strip, especially with a new arena. The City of Akron should buy out the nearly-dead Rolling Acres Mall for a pittance, move their offices over there, sell their downtown properties to UA for market value and use the windfall to reduce taxes for a few years. That would also free up some much needed parking spaces. Before you laugh, I've already seen some malls that have a Sheriff's office, library branch, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Now, what happens if UA buys the Mayflower????We demolish it and use it for the downtown basketball/hockey arena. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziptrumpet87 Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 It appears something is happening to one of the buildings where the downtown arena was projected to be. The facia bricks have been removed as if they are getting ready to repair the building. That could be bad for the arena plans, but on the other hand, I always like to see progress downtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Just stopped by Quaker Square to see how the new student population is affecting it. That place has a lot of potential, but has filled none of it. The Pie Factory will have very long lines for the forseeable future, but that's because it's just about the only thing there. Any enterprising soul would stand to make a lot of money if they opened up a shop there now. The students are starving for convenience, and it's a 15 minute walk to get anywhere from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipsrifle Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Maybe I'm the odd man out, but I don't really see an urgent, pressing need for a downtown arena. Once we can start filling the JAR, then, maybe we need it, but I would favor jacking up ticket prices if the JAR keeps selling out rather than build a new arena. Also, from some of the descriptions on the board here, we probably have a really good home court advantage with the JAR and don't need to give that up. Sure, the JAR may need some rennovation in the future, and maybe we should just upgrade. I'm not a big fan of sports complexes as a means to redevelop a downtown, especially in cities without Major Pro teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 It will be interesting to keep an eye on that area of town to see what happens in the next few years. My guess is that you will see some new establishments pop up with 200+ new full time residents in the area. I read a lot of comments criticizing UA for the purchase, but you watch, UA will be THE force revitalizing downtown in the future. How many cities are trying to get more residential space downtown to help bring it to life?? UA just pumped 200+ people into downtown in one weekend. I would not be suprised if the exising hotel space becomes additional dorms in 2 years and the other, currently unused space mentioned in the article eventually gets turned into dorm space. Result: 400+ residents living in downtown in 2 years. What would Cleveland or Detroit do to get that??? Now, what happens if UA buys the Mayflower????It is interesting you mention the Mayflower. I've been thinking the same for a few years now! I was hoping that w/ the new Akron Art Museum and northside downtown development, Quaker Square would revitalize itself to it's former glory. I know that was likely hoping against hope, but it still causes me to have some mixed feelings about the U moving in there. But the Mayflower?! It would be a 100% positive move for the city if the U would buy that property. I hope this does not sound mean, but I'm going to say it anyway: let's just say that the current residents of the Mayflower are, uh... different, and frankly, they repel the very type of person that downtown is trying to attract - young, yupi professionals with expendable income.Also, you're absolutely right about cities being desperate for downtown residents. UA's current evolution from commuter school to residential school can help downtown immensely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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