University Expansion: Issues and Updates

Kent State University is a campus with an ever-growing student body, in a city that acknowledges its college community and does what it can to create an easy, safe environment for the college community. One of these creations is the expansion of the University Esplanade into downtown Kent.

The Esplanade expansion will complete several tasks, such as creating a safe walking space for students to reach downtown and create a connection between campus and city. But there have been more than a few bumps along the way.

THE WILLOW STREET PROJECT

Discussions about permanently shutting down Willow Street in order to stop traffic from crossing the Esplanade expansion into downtown Kent have created a disagreement between City Council and the University.

While the city wants to keep Willow Street open to traffic, the University wants to permanently shut it down from Main Street to College Street, according to City Councilman Wayne Wilson.

While the University made no comment, Councilman Wilson said the University wants to shut down the street from Main Street to College Street so students can feel safer crossing Willow Street to reach downtown.

“In my opinion, this is going to cause traffic nightmares elsewhere, like Lincoln Street, and it’s going to cause more traffic on Summit Street,” said Councilman Wilson. “They feel they have addressed some of the issues of how to correct those, but I don’t feel that they’re acceptable answers.”

City Council attempted to think of alternatives to shutting down the street while the issue was brought up.

“If [the University] feels it’s unsafe for people to be walking across Willow Street on the Esplanade, then it’s unsafe for people to be walking across Lincoln Street on the Esplanade,” Councilman Wilson said. “They could put traffic signals that are used for mid-block crossings and that way, the person coming down can push a button and after a certain amount of time, it would turn the traffic light red.”

City Council benched the issue during their meeting on Nov. 19. The decision will be made in Sept. 2015 after formal talks with the University.

Yet not all expansions have become issues. As the saying goes, “out with the old and in with the new,” which is exactly what the University plans to do with the Dubois Bookstore.

THE INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT BUILDING PROJECT

The Dubois Bookstore has been a placeholder on Lincoln Street, across from McGilvrey Hall, for years. But with University expansion comes change.

The upcoming Institutional Advancement Building (artist rendering pictured right) will replace the DuBois Bookstore on Lincoln Street by November 2015, according to University architects Michael Bruder and Vincent Putaturo.

The building is 34,000 square feet with 3 stories and several departments. “It’s the advancement relations, alumni relations, corporate and salvation relations, and the office of institutional advancement,” Putaturo said.

The new building will hold up to approximately 80 staff members and will also hold a student call center that will increase the capacity by about 20, according to Bruder.

The building will also bring about 125 new parking spaces. “[The lot] will hold all the staff and have additional parking for that end of campus,” Bruder said.

While the building is not located near the Esplanade, it still adds to the University’s expansion project.

“This parcel has been vacant for a long time, and we think it’s a good fit,” Bruder said. “It will bring additional alumni and visitors [near downtown]. While it’s not directly tied to the Esplanade, it’s only half of a block away.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TWEET