There’s now a formal process for developers to propose a project that would preserve part of the historic Firestone Plant #1. But the City of Akron’s timeline shortens the amount of time developers have to come up with ideas — City Council members set an original deadline of Nov. 21 — and sets a minimum purchase price of $5 million.
The $5 million price tag would be used to replace a State of Ohio demolition grant that was meant to tear down the building and that could be lost if the 115-year-old structure isn’t demolished by a state deadline for spending that money.
This is the second recent project the city has taken this tack for. The other is the Bowen School building, which had a minimum purchase price of $800,000 in order to replace state demolition money if the project isn’t completed.
With both projects, the required minimum sale price will be returned to the buyer if the project is completed; if it is not, the money will be used for demolition.
One developer has proposed the Bowen School be turned into a hotel. Dana Noel, the advocacy chair of Progress Through Preservation, said he thought more proposals would have come through for that project with more time. He’s worried that the “onerous” conditions placed on the Firestone Plant #1 proposal — which include an Oct. 27 deadline for proposals, in addition to the $5 million price — will doom the chance to save a portion of the building.
“These things just take time,” Noel said. “It’s very unrealistic.”
Is there enough time to save Firestone Plant #1?
City Council had previously approved the demolition of much of Firestone Plant #1, with the understanding that the front bay and the clocktower would be preserved and reused. But in recent months, city employees proposed that the whole structure be demolished.
That proposal didn’t pass the muster of the city’s Urban Design and Historic Preservation Commission, so that board’s denial was appealed to City Council.
Monday, in an 11-0 vote, members of City Council agreed to give the city permission to tear down the whole structure, but only if the city spent the next two months trying to find someone who could save it. They gave staffers a Nov. 21 deadline.
But the request for proposals the city put out Friday afternoon says any proposals will be due Oct. 27. A winner will be awarded Nov. 12.
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A spokesperson for the city did not respond to a request for comment about why the timeframe for developers had been shortened.
Noel said he was worried that the city was only putting the request for proposals on its website and sending it to local media when “they should be going nationally on something like this.”
But he thinks that, realistically, it could take a year or more to come to an agreement. The city isn’t offering that.
Because the back of the property is going to be demolished regardless, the city is requiring that any buyer close on the property before demolition has reached the front bay that would be preserved. That’s expected to be March 2026.
If that doesn’t happen, the request for proposals says, the project will not move forward.
The goal: redevelopment of Akron history
The city touts the historic tax credits, new market tax credits and opportunity zone money that would be available for any developer who decides to remake the old plant. The request for proposals says only projects that prioritize the adaptive reuse of the front bay, including the clock tower, will be considered.
It says the property “can be a catalyst for the Firestone Park area,” but that realizing a vision for the property will require creativity. In an interview, Akron Planning Director Kyle Julien said previously that the building’s layout makes it hard for manufacturing or other industrial uses, while environmental issues and an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency mean it can’t be turned into apartments.
The current zoning allows for industrial, commercial and retail uses. Environmental covenants and deed restrictions limit some potential reuse options.
The city, which acquired the property from Bridgestone in 2013, is currently abating asbestos and beginning some interior demolition.
“The goal of this RFP is to see the redevelopment of a piece of Akron’s History,” the request says.
Potential developers will be able to tour the building at some point in October.
Noel, with Progress Through Preservation, said he thinks it’s clear the city intends to tear the building down and is going through the motions to make it look like an effort is being made to keep it.
“They’ve stacked the deck,” he said. “Instead of working with a developer, they’re making it very hard for a developer.”