In November, Akron City Council adopted a new zoning code to facilitate the implementation of the Merriman Valley Schumacher Master Plan.
The plan, which emphasizes economic development, conservation and accessibility for the area, utilizes form-based zoning code, which replaces the 100-year-old code and lays out a guideline for redesigning the area. It will allow for the necessary changes but restrict additions that aren’t in line with the city’s vision, which is aimed at preserving the Merriman Valley’s green spaces while building more centers for shopping and entertainment.
The Merriman Valley neighborhood is distinctive – it’s home to Cascade Valley Metro Park and the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, and it lies just south of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which had more than 2.9 million visitors in 2022.
Akron and Cuyahoga Falls began a collaborative effort in 2021 to redevelop the Merriman Valley and the Schumacher area along Portage Trail Extension. If successful, it could mean the Valley becomes an ecotourism destination for Akron and a gateway to the national park.
A new way to facilitate vibrant spaces
The original zoning, known as a use-based system, is typically characterized by a lack of mixed-use spaces. This type of zoning produces residential areas that are separate from commercial districts.
The biggest difference between the conventional and form-based codes is that the latter is more visual. Form-based zoning codes use pictures, diagrams and illustrations, in addition to text and tables, to define design standards. It is specific – the code describes what some may think are minor details, such as what kinds of plants can be put in the ground or the types of signage that can be used on storefronts.
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The intent behind Akron’s form-based code is to encourage the development of “healthy, equitable, beautiful, and resilient neighborhoods.”
Two tools the code uses to categorize the Merriman Valley landscape are Open Space Conservation Districts and Conservation Neighborhoods.
Spaces designated as Open Space Conservation are set aside for conservation, restoration and passive recreation such as trail running. Conservation Neighborhoods, on the other hand, allow for development but require preserving 70% of the existing open space.
Altogether, the code is meant to increase the public’s access to nature.
Launching the gateway community
More than 6,700 Akron residents live in the 5.214-square-mile neighborhood that makes up the Merriman Valley, but it wasn’t always a part of the city. From the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s, portions of the former Northampton Township were annexed by the cities of Akron and Cuyahoga Falls to create the Merriman Valley-Schumacher area.
The historically confusing boundaries between the two cities made redevelopment difficult, so the Merriman Valley Plan allowed both cities to provide input on the shared area.
The cities hired architectural firm Farr Associates to develop the plan. The firm worked with the cities’ councils and residents to make decisions about the neighborhood and how best to highlight the Merriman Valley’s assets, all while opening up space for new residential and commercial endeavors.
The developments created by the Merriman Valley Plan, for example, added trail loops and shopping centers and would encourage CVNP visitors to make a stop in the neighborhood.
Jodie Grasgreen, co-founder of the citizen action group Preserve the Valley, said her greatest concern is that the Merriman Valley won’t be pedestrian-centric. Preserve the Valley formed in 2020 to prevent the sale of Theiss Woods and ensure Akron residents had a seat at the table in creating the Merriman Valley Plan.
“We have to be serious about what a gateway area is,” Grasgreen said. She wants the area to be multifaceted, prioritize local shopkeepers and impact local artists in a positive way.
Planners focused on ways to uplift the area as Akron residents helped finalize the Merriman Valley Plan. The artistic director of Weathervane Playhouse, Melanie YC Pepe, regularly attended the meetings and wanted to ensure the plan created a safer environment for pedestrians.
“The early meetings were really a lot of Q&A about what’s great about the Valley, what the challenges are in the Valley, what would people change if they could,” Pepe said. “Some of it was just really practical. Like, even though there are areas to walk in the Valley, crossing the street is a major challenge.”
Pepe is eager for visitors to take advantage of everything the entertainment district has to offer.
“That kind of thinking is just going to help connect a lot of really cool opportunities and make the Valley a place where you can come and spend a day outside, do something inside or grab a bite to eat,” Pepe said.
Paul Ortiz, the owner of Portal West Coffee, grew up in Akron but moved away in his 20s. He returned to the city a few years ago to set down roots and start his coffee roasting business.
As a cyclist and runner, Ortiz wants the area to become more accessible.
“I want to see more connectivity, [starting in] Cuyahoga Falls and being able to just bike down to the Valley through the towpath and crossing the river,” Ortiz said. “I lived on the West Coast for some time, and the beauty of it was that I didn’t need to have a car. I could just get around on a bicycle.”
What’s going to happen to Theiss Woods?
Theiss Woods is a city-owned, 45-acre green space just north of the Merriman Valley planning area. Initially, the woods were put on the market at an asking price of $361,250 and were headed toward residential development. Akron residents spoke out against this, and City Council allowed conservation groups to make bids as well. The Western Reserve Land Conservancy offered the city $410,000 for the property.
In June, the city decided to not to consider the bids and instead chose to conserve Theiss Woods through its own initiative.
The conservation reprieve, however, is only for five years. Grasgreen said during this time Theiss Woods can be used for educational purposes. She is unsure what Theiss Woods’ fate will be when the term ends, but she is prepared to advocate for preservation again.
Get to know: The Merriman Valley
“We’ll do whatever we can. Hopefully, we won’t have to start another campaign,” Grasgreen said.
But Grasgeen said the issue is bigger than Theiss Woods or the Merriman Valley.
“The citizens of Akron, no matter where they live, and if they’ve never even heard of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, need to know what an environmental justice issue is,” Grasgreen said. “We have to broaden what that means to the general public. If you don’t have a park in your neighborhood, that’s an environmental justice issue, because that’s going to affect your health and safety.”
Next steps for Merriman Valley
Mayor-elect Shammas Malik was the council member for Ward 8, which includes the Merriman Valley, when negotiations over the plan were taking place. Malik played a hand in making sure Akron residents were heard during the process, so they are hopeful he will continue to push the development forward.
“I think he’s just going to make it easier for the City of Akron to initiate the plan, because he understands so much about it,” Pepe said. “He doesn’t have to pick up the history.”
As Malik steps into office in January, he’ll need to assign a staff member to oversee the plan’s implementation.
“It’s gonna be hard work for Shammas,” Grasgreen said. “And he is connected with us in that. He knows where we stand, and he listens well. And he is committed to getting a sustainability person in his cabinet.”
For now, Ortiz is excited about Malik’s vision for the future.
“He’s been having conversations with the community around him and really painting a picture for us to dream and see what it’s going to be like in the future,” Ortiz said. “He’s not in office yet, so it’s too soon to tell what it’s going to be like, but the intentions are really good.”