May 29 Akron Board of Zoning Appeals meeting
Covered by Documenter Bruce Taylor (see his notes here)
Members of the Akron Board of Zoning Appeals voted unanimously May 29 to approve a zoning appeal by Archbishop Hoban to support its expansion plan. The parochial school in East Akron presented a $20 million expansion plan to the board that includes a new 1,500-seat gymnasium, a 14,538-square-foot student center and a cafeteria.
The school campus, located just east of the Central Interchange, is zoned Single Family Residence Use District. The school needed approval from the board before proceeding, according to city planners.
The four-phase improvement plan is expected to begin this fall with phase one construction of a student center. A new food service area will also be added.
Classroom space, gymnasium part of upgrades
Phase two will begin sometime in 2025. It involves altering interior spaces in Foley Commons, an existing student center, to classroom space. In addition, the current food service area will switch to office space.
“The [new] student center will centralize all before- and after-school activities, creating a more secure environment for students to study and enjoy time with peers,” according to an April 30 press release posted to Hoban’s website.
Phase three includes a multisport gymnasium. It includes new locker rooms, restrooms and an atrium lobby. The final phase includes a three-story classroom wing in the northeast corner of the school.
“It is Hoban’s intent to construct Phases Three and Four as soon as funding permits,” according to a planning department memo.
Plans include ‘Hoban blue’ aluminum
In 2022, Hoban announced its fundraising campaign “Every Knight, Every Day Capital Campaign.” A year later, the school renovated 30 classrooms, according to a school press release.
The design and materials used in the upcoming additions will match the existing school, including “Hoban blue aluminum panels and bronze tinted windows.” None of the additions will be higher than 50 feet, the allowable height for a school.
“And we will, once and for all, finally bring air conditioning to the halls and classrooms of Archbishop Hoban High School,” according to the school’s announcement. Hoban was founded in 1953.
City planners said in their memo that “the school is an asset to the community, and the additions should have little impact on the surrounding neighborhood.”
The plans are subject to several conditions, including:
- Submission of a landscaping plan that conforms to city standards
- Submission of a stormwater runoff plan during construction
- Off-street and dust-proofed parking for construction workers and off-street storage space for construction materials.
The school’s plan moves to Akron City Council for discussions and final approval, though neither is scheduled, as of May 30.
Read Documenter Bruce Taylor’s notes here:
