The City of Akron is moving forward with its plans to rehabilitate the Cascade Parking Deck, which sits below Cascade Plaza on West Mill Street in downtown Akron. At Monday’s City Council meeting, the city requested a $400,000 budget for the design work needed to begin construction on the structure.

The deck provides parking for the plaza buildings and for downtown venues such as the Knight Stage, Civic Theatre, Lock 3 and Main Street festivals.
 
Earlier this year, the Ohio Senate and House signed off on a total of $5 million in investments for the redevelopment of Cascade Plaza. The city has budgeted an additional $900,000. 

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The parking deck is not the only structure on the plaza apparently headed toward revitalization— Akron’s former City Centre Hotel and the PNC Center at 1 Cascade Plaza are also set for redevelopment. 

The parking deck redesign will prioritize structural repairs focused on the top two floors in addition to repairing columns, patching concrete and replacing stairs and doorways, according to a news release from Akron Mayor Shammas Malik. 

The planned adjustments will help to address the ADA issues in the garage as well, said Director of Public Service Chris Ludle in the Public Service Committee meeting Monday. 

The design is also meant to improve wayfinding in the deck. The renovations will also include repainting the structure, adding new signs, updating the lighting and repairing leaks in pedestrian tunnels that connect visitors to Main Street. 

Additional security cameras will be installed as well. 

The design work will take about 10 weeks, the news release stated, with construction beginning in summer 2025. The work is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. 

“Improving the deck is a significant investment into the heart of our downtown which is crucial to the experience and accessibility of this corridor,” Malik said in the release. “These improvements will allow us to continue supporting residential, retail, and commercial growth and density downtown.”

The funding approval will be on the consent agenda for City Council to vote on at its Oct. 7 meeting.

Community & service reporter (they/them)
Reegan Davis Saunders is Signal Akron’s community & service reporter. Reegan studied journalism and art at Kent State University, and they are passionate about the intersection of the two disciplines.

Although Reegan grew up in metro Detroit, they have always been an Ohio State Buckeyes fan. After living in Kent the past few years, they are excited to explore more of Akron, especially the coffee shops.

At Signal Akron, Reegan hopes to serve underrepresented communities by creating more accessible content.