AKRON, Oho -- Craig Thompson Architecture is putting out a call to artists, developers, architects and other creative types interested in brainstorming new designs for Akron's Innerbelt.

The Akron firm is co-hosting the Akron Innerbelt Design Charrette - an intensive, collaborative planning session - on Saturday, June 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kent State College of Architecture Environmental Design 132 S. Lincoln St. in Kent. Anyone with ideas and an ability to sketch is welcome to participate and should RSVP here.

The plan is to bring together people who are passionate about the city's urban landscape to come up with ideas that will impress the city of Akron, said architect Craig Thompson, principal of the organizing firm.

"What we hope to achieve as the end result is a series of drawings that show the local level of creativity to convince the city that we have enough here locally, so they don't have to go outside the city for the master plan for the Innerbelt," Thompson said.

Closing the Innerbelt's north end has been discussed for several years, but now that demolition is underway, the project is attracting developers, Thompson said.

A graduate of Kent's College of Architecture and Environmental Design, Thompson worked

The red area represents roughly 30 acres the city eventually wants redeveloped for mixed use.

around the world before moving back to Akron in 2009, where he's raising his family. He's drawn to the Innerbelt project because of difficulty the multiple elevations and curving roadways present.

"It's one of the most complex urban designs I've ever looked at," he said. "There's no grid. It's a super big challenge but that's what I love about it."

The city has been considering a variety of uses for the 30-acre section at the north end of the Innerbelt. City officials have said they would like to see multiple types of residences there, a central park, and a possibly water feature.

The Akron Downtown Vision and Redevelopment plan, released late last year, refers to the Innerbelt as an "opportunity site." The plan recommends developing a master plan that enables mixed-use development to create a sustainable neighborhood that includes green connections to the Towpath Trail.

As a highway, the Innerbelt has been problematic since its inception. The $90 million six-lane freeway stretching from downtown to the western leg of I-77 was intended to reduce congestion on city streets and surrounding highways. But it never lived up to projections.

The highway also effectively cut off the city's north end and several neighborhoods, including West Hill and Summit Lake. The city reported the highway and the now-closed intersection of the Innerbelt and North Main Street had the highest crash rates in the area.

The charrette is also sponsored by Kent State University, AIA Akron, Mota, Wheeler-Boltz Architects, Braun & Steidl Architects and Historic Arts Management District.

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