Release Date: February 8,2024
Ohio House Approves $2.5M for City of Akron
Process will continue with Ohio Senate this Spring
Akron, Ohio, Feb. 8, 2024 — On Wednesday, the Ohio House of Representatives voted 75-19 in favor of House Bill 2 which earmarks $350M from the state's pandemic fund. This funding includes $2.5M to the City of Akron to support the redevelopment of Cascade Plaza through repairs to the Cascade parking structure which sits beneath four tower buildings on the downtown plaza.
Akron’s application was supported by a number of community stakeholders, including the University of Akron, Akron Energy Systems, the County of Summit, Huntington Bank, Akron Children's Hospital, Testa Companies, Downtown Akron Partnership, OKSK, LLC, Akron RubberDucks, the Greater Akron Chamber, Summa Hospital, the Akron Art Museum, PNC Bank, Development Finance Authority, Summa Hospital, and Akron/Summit Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The House also allocated funding for a number of other local institutions, including the University of Akron’s Polsky redevelopment, the Akron Zoo, Akron-Canton Airport, Akron Art Museum, Akron Community Health Center, and Child Guidance and Family Solutions.
“I want to thank all of our community partners and our area legislators including Representative Casey Weinstein, Representative Bill Roemer, and Former Representative Tavia Galonski for their help in securing this critical funding for our region,” said Mayor Malik. “I’d also like to thank the House Majority and Minority Leadership for their support of this bipartisan bill making important investments across our state. These dollars will help Akron and the surrounding communities grow and prosper. For Akron, this money represents a significant investment in downtown redevelopment as we expand residential and retail uses, while maintaining and growing commercial office usage.”
“I’d also like to share a congratulations to our newest State Representative Veronica Sims,” continued Mayor Malik. “I have worked closely with Rep. Sims for many years and look forward to working with her and the rest of our area legislators in the Ohio House and Senate as we advocate for our city.”