Charrette will run from August 17-19 at Todaro’s Party Center
Akron, Ohio, August 11, 2021 — The cities of Akron and Cuyahoga Falls invite the public to participate in the creation of a Master Plan that will guide the future of the Merriman Valley and Schumacher areas. Next week, August 17 – 19, urban planners Farr Associates and their team of consultants will be doing a design charrette in the Merriman Valley Schumacher study area. A charrette is a focused period of design activity that takes place over several days. The consultants will be working on-site and engaging with stakeholders in a collaborative process where public concerns and aspirations can be incorporated into the design in real-time. The goal is to successfully translate diverse stakeholder input into a mutually agreed upon Master Plan.
The charrette will take place at Todaro’s Party Center located at 1820 Akron Peninsula Road in Akron. Masks will be required for anyone attending any of the events listed below. They will be provided for anyone that does not have one.
SCHEDULE FOR THE 3-DAY PUBLIC PLANNING CHARRETTE
Public Workshop #2 – Scenario Evaluation
Tuesday, August 17, 2021: 5:30 – 7:00 pm
Live Event at Todaro’s
Open Studio Time
Wednesday and Thursday, August 18 & 19, 10:00 am – noon, 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm
In person at Todaro’s
Public Workshop #3 – Preferred Plan Presentation
Thursday, August 19, 2021: 5:30 – 7:00 pm
Live Event at Todaro’s
After a robust virtual discussion at Public Workshop #1 that took place on July 15, Farr Associates has continued to gather data and incorporate public feedback into several possible Master Plan scenarios. At Public Workshop #2 on August 17, Farr Associates will present various plan scenarios and highlight the strengths, challenges, and overall potential of each. Attendees will be able to participate in ranking and feedback exercises that will help the design team better understand community preferences for each option. The following two days, members of the public are welcome to stop by the charrette studio at Todaro’s Party Center during open studio times to see the design process in action and share ideas with the design team. At Public Workshop #3 on the final night of the charrette, August 19, Farr Associates will present the Preferred Plan to the public for another round of feedback.
The City of Akron and the City of Cuyahoga Falls are collaborating on this master planning process for the Merriman Valley and Schumacher areas of our cities. Farr Associates is a nationally recognized planning firm that specializes in urban design, sustainable architecture, and environmentally-sensitive design. Through this planning process, the two cities hope to ensure that the Merriman Valley and Schumacher neighborhoods become more walkable, healthy, equitable, beautiful, and resilient places to live, work, and play.
To learn more about the Master Plan, visit Akron's website here or Cuyahoga Falls' website here.
For any questions/comments regarding the Merriman Valley & Schumacher Area Master Plan:
In Akron, call: 330-375-2090, or email ValleyPlan@akronohio.gov.
In Cuyahoga Falls, call: 330-971-8135, or email.