Editor’s note: The editor's pick for the top story of 2012 in Kent is the city's downtown revitalization.
Downtown revitalization project
The city of Kent received the Ohio Economic Development Association’s 2012 Best Project of the Year award for the ongoing downtown revitalization project that has seen the construction of multiple new businesses and structures.
A total of 32 new businesses have opened in its central business district in the past 24 months, with 20 more expected to do so in the next year. The opening of a multi-tenant building housing the Davey Tree Resource Group and Ametek, located on the College Town Kent block at the corner of Haymaker Parkway and Water Street, occurred on Sept. 4.
Work is also underway for a 300-space parking structure and the KSU Gateway/Esplanade, a walkway that will connect the western edge of the KSU campus to downtown, is on the horizon as well.
