Innerbelt Archives - Signal Akron

An architectural rendering shows the interior of Legacy Building Project community center and museum complex in Sherbondy Hill. The drawings, done by the Cleveland architectural firm Robert P. Madison International Inc., were presented by organizers with the Akron Rites of Passage Institute to residents at the Ward 3 meeting in Sherbondy Hill Jan. 15. in Sherbondy Hill. The drawings, done by the Cleveland architectural firm Robert P. Madison International Inc., were presented by organizers with the Akron Rites of Passage Institute to residents at the Ward 3 meeting in Sherbondy Hill Jan. 15.

Arts and Culture

Akron’s new African American cultural center and museum will host classes this summer

by Kelsei Scott April 21, 2026April 21, 2026

The planned African American Cultural Center and Museum Complex in Akron’s Sherbondy Hill neighborhood is part of a broader effort to repair the lasting economic and cultural damage caused by the Akron Innerbelt, which displaced hundreds of Black families and businesses.

The Innerbelt Master Plan, a proposal intended to shepherd development near the decommissioned highway in order to repair harm enacted by its construction, received the green light Friday from Akron’s planning commission. One concern was raised by the Akron Public Schools, based on an image showing a proposed housing development in the parking lot of 10 N. Main St., the Akron Board of Education’s headquarters. The proposed redevelopment around the area would impact the parking lot on the property.

Innerbelt Master Plan clears next hurdle; developing parking lots a concern for some

by Arielle Kass April 18, 2026April 20, 2026

Akron resident Harrington Hargrove Jr. attends a launch party for the Akron Innerbelt Master Plan on Thursday, Oct. 23.

‘Don’t be just giving us dreams.’ Akron residents respond to newly released plan for Innerbelt

by Arielle Kass March 24, 2026March 23, 2026

After more than a year of interviews, workshops and community discussions, the City of Akron has released a master plan that aims to repair the harm caused by the construction of the Innerbelt, shown herein April of 2024, and the destruction of the neighborhood in its path. The plan, developed by Sasaki, a Boston-based planning and engineering firm, acknowledges that it will take decades — and tens of millions of dollars — to implement the litany of proposals that extend far beyond the currently decommissioned portion of the highway.

Final Akron Innerbelt plan focuses on more houses, new roads

by Arielle Kass March 23, 2026March 23, 2026

Roy Hodoh, shown here, talks about his family members whose photographs are part of the Horace and Evelyn Stewart Archive at the University of Akron. Roy’s father Rufus was close with Horace Stewart, a North Howard Street photographer who, along with his wife Evelyn, documented Black life in Akron for decades.

Arts and Culture

‘The story of me.’ Photos capture an Akron family’s roots in historic Black neighborhood

by Doug Brown February 13, 2026February 15, 2026

Ann'niyha Wilson, 17, a cousin of Jazmir Tucker's, demonstrates on South High Street near the Summit County Courthouse on Thursday, Oct. 2, after a grand jury determined Akron police officer Davon Fields will not face criminal charges for the November 2024 killing of 15-year-old Jazmir Tucker.

Here are Signal Akron’s most significant news stories of 2025

by Susan Zake January 2, 2026January 1, 2026

Akron resident Roberta Rogers (left), whose family was displaced by the Innerbelt when she was a teenager, talks with Nikita K. (right), an urban designer with the planning firm Sasaki, while looking at a map of the Innerbelt with cards showing proposed changes over time.

‘An opportunity to bring people back home.’ Akron’s Innerbelt Master Plan is unveiled

by Arielle Kass October 24, 2025October 24, 2025

Alykhan Mohamed (middle), project manager at Sasaki, shows a group of local residents a map of their Akron Innerbelt walking tour on June 12.

How Akron’s Innerbelt project will focus on more than the decommissioned highway

by Arielle Kass June 16, 2025June 15, 2025

Natasha Smith places a sticker on a map of the Innerbelt at a community meeting Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Smith, who lives in Sherbondy Hill, says the area needs better access to food and improved safety.

Residents: Should Akron’s Innerbelt be built for displaced families or everyone?

by Arielle Kass March 24, 2025March 21, 2025

Akron Mayor Shammas Malik

Akron’s Innerbelt project at risk of losing $10 million in federal funds

by Arielle Kass March 7, 2025October 23, 2025

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