With a majority of property owners in one of Akron’s key bar districts on board, Akron City Council passed legislation on Monday that further pushes the concept of a Highland Square Special Improvement District closer to a fully funded and functioning operation. 

Monday’s legislation inches the neighborhood “to the much needed improvement that every single property owner has been asking for,” said Ward 1 Council Member Fran Wilson, whose district includes Highland Square’s commercial district, in an interview with Signal Akron. 

City Council voted unanimously on Monday to approve the collection of $100,000 annually over the next three years, on top of property taxes, from building owners located on a key quarter-mile stretch of West Market Street that frequently draws significant crowds and occasional incidents of violence on weekend nights. 

While property owners were generally aware they would be paying extra, Monday’s vote sets the specific dollar amount the building owners will pay, unless they successfully challenge the rate in front of an assessment board in the coming months. 

Concrete barriers on West Market Street in Akron's Highland Square neighborhood block street parking in front of the district’s bars.
Concrete barriers on West Market Street in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood block street parking in front of the district’s bars. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)

A formula proposed by the SID will charge the building owners in the district roughly $40.42 annually for every foot of the property’s frontage on West Market Street. 

For entities such as Highland Square Economic Development LLC, which owns the building where Mustard Seed Market & Cafe operates, the nearby building that is home to Chipotle and other restaurants and PNC Bank, that will mean annual payments of $12,570. The properties occupy 311 feet along West Market Street within the district’s boundaries, according to City Council records. 

A general safety plan for the Highland Square SID — led by Abraham Nabors, whose family owns Mustard Seed Market and is listed in legislation as the owner of Highland Square Economic Development LLC — was also approved by City Council. The plan allows for the money to be spent, on top of what taxes can pay for alone, on nightlife safety and “beautification” projects. 

What does the safety plan for Highland Square include?

  • Contracting with private security patrols, particularly on weekend nights.
  • Coordinating with the city and Akron Police Department on patrols.
  • Working with the city and property and business owners “to explore investments in district cameras and lighting.”
  • Developing “a plan for safe, accessible, and free/paid parking for day and night hours.”

What does the beautification plan include?

  • Planning and encouraging “the development of excellent, visually appealing, user-friendly public spaces.”
  • Supporting neighborhood cleanups plus snow and ice removal.
  • Funding projects for murals and banners, and creating a “district sound system for ambient music.”.

Government Reporter (he/him)
Doug Brown covers all things connected to the government in the city. He strives to hold elected officials and other powerful figures accountable to the community through easily digestible stories about complex issues. Prior to joining Signal Akron, Doug was a communications staffer at the ACLU of Oregon, news reporter for the Portland Mercury, staff writer for Cleveland Scene, and writer for Deadspin.com, among other roles. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Hiram College and a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University.

For routine messages, feel free to contact Doug Brown at doug@signalakron.org. If you have privacy concerns and/or want to share sensitive information, you can reach him on the end-to-end encrypted messaging app Signal (no connection to Signal Akron) under username @dbrown.2010 and encrypted email account db159@proton.me