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Planning for Kenmore's Better Block event is set for May 25 at the Rialto Theatre, an historic theater restored and managed by brothers Nate and Seth Vaill who want to bring the performing arts back to the Kenmore neighborhood.
(John R Aylward)
AKRON, Ohio -- Kenmore is the next Akron neighborhood planning to undergo a two-day transformation during a Better Block festival set for late summer.
Better Block is an engagement initiative that empowers residents to reshape and reactivate their neighborhood environment, while featuring what's great about their community.
Kenmore's Better Block, planned for Sept. 1-2, will be hosted by the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance. A kick off meeting is set for May 25 from 6-8 p.m. at the Rialto Theatre at 1000 Kenmore Boulevard.
Residents, business and property owners, and other stakeholders are invited to attend the kick off to share ideas for the business district. Check out Akron's Better Block website for more information on the kick off.
Kenmore's Better Block is intended to dovetail with the Akron's efforts to revitalize each of its 24 neighborhoods. Kenmore is an area that could include new zoning to encourage mixed-use development, a historic designation and urban design, according Akron Planning Director Jason Segedy.
"The Better Block will be a great way to help engage people on some of these efforts, and will undoubtedly spark ideas that we can incorporate into our planning work," Segedy said in a news release.
Kenmore's Better Block will be the 3rd such event in Akron in as many years, following North Hill in 2015 and Middlebury in 2016 The hope of its leaders is to reimagine Akron's largest neighborhood business district as a welcoming and vibrant area for residents and visitors.
"Our business district was once home to theaters, coffee shops, ice cream and soda fountains, clubs and a wide variety of small businesses frequented by folks from both the local neighborhood and the greater Akron community," Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance President David Hoppe said in a release. "It can be that place again, and Better Block will allow our residents to test their ideas."
Moderating the May 25 planning session will be Jason Roberts, the founder and CEO of Dallas-based Better Block Foundation, a nonprofit formed to create "complete streets" and to educate, equip and empower communities and their leaders to create healthy, vibrant neighborhoods.
The foundation has been integral in the development of North Hill's Exchange House, which opened as a community gathering place in March for the neighborhoods refugees and immigrants.
"Better Block Foundation is excited to be back in Akron for a project in the Kenmore neighborhood," Roberts said in a release. "The projects have been successful because there has always been great community support, and we cannot wait to see what ideas the Kenmore community brings."
Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance is seeking sponsors for the Better Block event. Sponsorship opportunities range from $100 to an exclusive $10,000 Event Sponsor. For more information, contact Kathy Hoppe, sponsorship chair, at KNAcares@gmail.com.
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