Larger site for bus terminal to give room to grow
Jan. 6, 2007
John Higgins, Akron Beacon Journal staff writer
The Metro Regional Transit Authority will discuss plans next week to build a $16.3 million bus transfer terminal at East Bartges Street and South Broadway.
Construction on the new center -- which will sit on about eight acres of city-donated property east of South Broadway -- is scheduled to start in 2008 and should be open in two years.
Informational meetings for the public and area property owners will be held at the Akron-Summit County Public Library, 60 S. High St., at 10 a.m. Tuesday and 6 p.m. Thursday.
Metro wants to hear from riders, neighbors and anyone with ideas about what amenities make sense in the terminal, such as restaurants, cafes and other vending opportunities.
When plans were announced in May, the city intended to donate four acres for the project. The eight-acre parcel the city now is donating is appraised at $2.3 million, which will count as the local share. The Ohio Department of Transportation will contribute $2 million, and $12 million will come from federal transportation funding.
Metro's director of planning and development, Kirt Conrad, said the original design on four acres would have required passengers to cross too much bus traffic to make their transfers conveniently or safely. The new, less cramped layout eliminates those conflicts and leaves Metro with room to expand.
``It's a much cleaner design,'' Conrad said.
Metro signed a letter of intent with the city in the last few weeks, Conrad said. The proposal must go to the city Planning Commission and the City Council.
``I'm pleased with the fact that they're going to have the additional land,'' said economist Rita Weinberg, who is the city's liaison to the Greater Akron Chamber. ``This is going to be far more efficient and safer for the users,'' she said.
Originally, the city bought land for Metro at East Market and Prospect streets, where the former Taylor Pontiac dealership was.
However, when a telemarketing firm bought the former Ohio Bureau of Employment Services building nearby, the city realized that the increased demand for parking would hamper its effort to develop Akron's historic former main post office, the Mayer building.
Akron Legacy Real Estate Development LLC recently bought the Mayer building, which sits between the telemarketing firm and the former auto dealership.
Now the city has a letter of intent from Akron Legacy to develop a long-term acute-care medical facility on the former dealership property, Weinberg said. Law director Max Rothal said late Friday afternoon that he wouldn't be able to decide whether the letter of intent could be released until Monday.
City officials were unwilling Friday to discuss the letter's details.
The property is within the city's new biomedical corridor, established last year to attract investment that complements the downtown hospitals. The city planning commission is expected to consider the plans at its meeting Friday. The council also must approve the deal.
The new transit terminal will replace Main Street as the primary location where passengers change buses.
Increased traffic on Main Street -- where passengers have changed buses downtown for about 20 years -- has made it dangerous for passengers, and large groups of high school students have started fights while changing buses in the afternoon.
The new transfer station will be enclosed, protecting passengers from bad weather, and it will be easier to control because it will all be on Metro property. The terminal will include a Metro customer service center, restrooms and other travel amenities.
Metro hopes Greyhound Bus Co. will move its Akron station to the site so that out-of-town passengers can easily transfer to city buses on arrival.
A regional tourist and visitor center might also be located at the terminal.
John Higgins can be reached at 330-996-3792.
