A proposal that seeks to improve property near the University of Akron for the development of more polymer-related businesses got a boost Friday when it was endorsed by Akron’s planning commission.
The proposal, called the Lincoln-Mill Redevelopment Plan, intends to take advantage of the pilot innovation facility that will be built adjacent to the National Polymer Innovation Center on the university’s campus. That pilot facility will be used to help startup polymer businesses test and scale their ideas, and the redevelopment plan could pave the way for more businesses focused on polymers to grow in the area.
“What’s tens of jobs today will be hundreds of jobs in a couple years and thousands of jobs in a decade,” said Marshall Moore, a senior adviser with the cluster.
Moore said Friday that the building was “very well along the way” and that he was seeing national and international interest from businesses that wanted to locate in Akron as a result of the innovation center’s construction.
Already, he said, at least five businesses have expanded in or moved to Akron or the region as a result of the investment in polymer research. They are: MKV Polymers, a German company that recycles engineering plastics; G3 Mixing Technologies, which manufactures machinery for the rubber industry; BioVerde, a California company that uses plant fermentation to create a precursor to synthetic rubber; Spazzolplastica, an Italian company that manufactures wire basket spools; and Materium Technologies, a New Jersey company that uses artificial intelligence to design nanocomposite films.
The Polymer Industry Cluster has received nearly $100 million in grants to fund research and development projects, as well as workforce development and other investments. Friday, Bounce Innovation Hub also announced that it is taking applications for the second round of its Synthe6 Materials Accelerator, a 12-month program designed to support polymer commercialization. The program is open to Ohio businesses or those willing to relocate to the state.
The redevelopment proposal, and the expansion of plans for the Polymer Industry Cluster, align to help Akron establish itself as a focal area for innovation, said Tony Troppe, a developer who owns the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on East Market Street that is included in the redevelopment plan’s footprint.
“It’s good news, when others begin to affirm the expansion of a district for knowledge workers,” Troppe said.
He said he intends to turn the church into an advanced materials innovation hub, but the final redevelopment of the space would be driven by the end user.
Pilot innovation facility could be open late next year
The pilot innovation facility, which will be built where the Lincoln Building currently stands on the University of Akron’s campus, is expected to open late next year, Moore said. He said demolition should begin in June and take three months; it will take about a year to build the new facility.
Once construction is completed, the innovation facility will be able to host four projects at a time. Access to the facility will help startups in particular avoid what Moore called “the Valley of Death” — a situation where they don’t have the funding or ability to scale good ideas and fail.
The innovation center’s capacity will give those businesses somewhere to go to scale, Moore said. He expects as startups become small businesses, they may want to build facilities or acquire office space within the area of the redevelopment plan, to remain close to university facilities, Bounce and other resources.
The area where the former Wonder Bread bakery stood could soon host laboratory space or offices for polymer companies, Moore said. And the innovation hub will continue to be a draw, even as companies grow. It’s large enough that it will be useful to big businesses, too.
“There’s no facilities like this,” Moore said. “Most of the time when you build a scale-up facility like this, it’s designed for a very specific use.”
Moore said he expects the facility itself to bring about a dozen technician and other jobs to the area, but it could lead to more than 2,000 more as companies prove their models and grow.
“It’s really going to have a catalytic effect,” he said. “It will start boosting the small businesses. It will attract more collaboration. I think it’s a seed for a total kind of revitalization.”
The Polymer Industry Cluster will buy the polymer innovation facility property once the Lincoln Building has been demolished; Moore said the price is still being worked out. He said by putting the innovation lab next to the National Polymer Research Center, it allows the cluster to have a neutral space while still taking advantage of the nearby assets.
What’s the purpose of the redevelopment plan?
The entire area encompassed in the redevelopment plan is about 39 acres that also include two churches, a gas station and five residences. Bruce Taylor, one of the residents, said he was heartened to see in the plan that there was no intention to acquire property.
The proposed area for the plan is on the east edge of downtown Akron and is approximately bounded by East Market Street to the north, a railroad right-of-way to the west, the intersection of South Forge Street and East Market Street to the east, and East Buchtel Avenue between South Union and South College streets to the south.
By creating a redevelopment plan for the area, the city will have the option to use tax increment financing to help improve properties there. The overall intention, the proposal says, is to promote redevelopment and the creation of employment opportunities in the area.
The proposed plan would encourage land uses that positively impact the area and are in character with other nearby development as well as remove or renovate deteriorated properties and prohibit uses that aren’t compatible with plans for the area.
The plan says its purpose is to stimulate financial investment and new development, increase employment opportunities and encourage the use of underutilized land. City Council must approve the proposal before it is adopted.
Taylor said he thought it would be good to have some of the nearby land repurposed. Troppe, the developer, said he was pleased that St. Paul’s church was included in the proposed redevelopment area.
“I think we’re right at the front door,” he said. “It is the nexus, the entree portal. It’s most appropriate that the entree gateway should be included.”
