The City of Kent Plans to Remodel Main Street to Better Serve Residents of Ward Six

By Halena Sepulveda and Samantha Wright

The City of Kent is planning to remodel Main Street in an attempt for the road to better serve residents of ward six. 

Although most residents agree that ward six is a community where they feel safe, one of the top concerns many residents and council members have regarding the ward is the amount of traffic that residents experience. A large section of the street is located within the ward that includes the area connecting the University to the Starbucks on Main Street which is often a high traffic area.

“There’s a lot less gas stations here,” laughs Sophia Mazella, a freshman at Kent State University. “I know that’s so weird but where I’m from there’s like a million gas stations on every corner.” She says this was one thing about ward six that she immediately noticed compared to her hometown in Toledo and equates the amount of gas stations to the high traffic. 

While some residents are concerned about students cutting through their streets to get to the university, others are more concerned about the limited parking available. 

“At least, on my street I feel like my kids are safe riding their bikes and such but I know like once you get downtown it’s a little difficult to park,” says Laura Caparso, a five year resident of ward six.

The project will involve several aspects of the road to be altered including the addition of a round-a-bout along with the remodeling of the sidewalks on Main Street.

“The university is chipping in some property so that we can have the sidewalks widened for the ease of pedestrians and for safety,” says at large councilwoman Gwen Rosenberg. 

The renovation will include areas such as Terrace and White Hall which both already have sidewalks that line Main Street.

By redoing Main Street the city plans to create a new entry point for the university while also creating more space for the public to walk. Pedestrian safety is a top priority for the ward and the goal behind the remodeling of Main Street is to reduce traffic flow to make it safer for the pedestrians and residents of the area while adding to the aesthetic appeal. 

After the recent remodel of Crain Street, residents of the ward would like to see more construction that will allow for quicker and safer transportation while also keeping the community a place that feels like home. 

“It kind of looks more like you’re entering into a Neighborhood,” Rosenberg says now that renovations have gone underway. 

Residents of ward six and the city of Kent have had the opportunity to attend meetings with the city’s engineer Jim Bowling and stakeholders to envision what the renovations of the Main Street corridor could look like going forward. 

Rosenberg says there are plans of adding new traffic circles downtown along with the addition of sidewalks. “This is gonna be a huge, huge project that’s definitely going to impact ward six.” 

The number of residents from ward six that have attended these meetings have helped to ensure that their voices are being heard by their council members and that their opinions are being validated by their community. 

Rosenberg says that the remodeling of Main Street is anticipated to have a positive impact on the residents of ward six and the city of Kent as a whole. “The university of course is listening and our city engineer is listening to have a project that will really beautify that part of town, it’ll reduce some of the traffic flow, and make it safer for pedestrians.”

With close-knit neighborhoods, trees in almost every yard, and residents walking on most streets, the sixth ward of the City of Kent is a welcoming environment for its residents and reflects the diversity that has made a home in Kent. 

“I feel safe here, it’s very peaceful when I walk and even at night,” says A Kent State freshman, Maddie, who just moved to kent in August.

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The neighborhoods are surrounded by businesses, churches, and schools and ward six is home to many different religions, races, and incomes. As of 2021, Kent is home to a 79.70 percent white population along with an 8.5 percent African American population, 5 percent Asian and .86 percent of other races. 

There are four churches located within the ward, all with different Christian denominations. There is also a Mosque located on Crain Avenue known as the Masjid of Kent that holds prayer services open to both Muslim and non-Muslim members of the community. 

Along with a variety of religious beliefs, ward six comprises a variation of businesses that play a key role in the ward’s economic intake and growth. The area is home to common fast food and chain restaurants such as Hibachi Express and Starbucks, but it also has sit down restaurants like Pho King which is located on East Main Street. 

Like every other community across the nation the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted ward six and the businesses in Kent suffered in many ways when it came to the pandemic. COVID caused significant changes to the lives of community members at work, school, and even their incomes. 

Ward six residents of the university, however, don’t have as many options as other ward residents. “I would love if there were more food options available on campus during the weekends,” says Kent State student Lizzie.

Don Schjeldah, owner of the North Kent Water Brewery located on the corner of Lake Street, had to push back the brewery’s opening by a few months due to the shut down. “It finally was able to open in November of 2020 at the peak of the pandemic.” The owner of the brewery said, “We had a big delay in getting our liquor license, we had some delays in getting a building permit, delays in getting our occupancy and our health permit… so it was really nobody’s fault, that was just the pandemic,” he says.

Schjeldah said that once the governor allowed masks to come off in public,  the brewery’s business got a lot better. “We have a pretty good following from the neighborhood that treat our brewery like it’s their local hangout and that’s exactly what we wanted to do.” Now that the vaccine is available, the city encourages members of ward six and the other wards of Kent to receive a vaccination to keep the community safe around them.