Communities across the country have an affordable housing crisis. The causes are many, and so must be the solutions.
My fear, based upon Akron’s history, is that rather than offering quality, sustainable dwellings with connections to parks, shopping and transportation, the proposals will be developer-based rather than community-based. Too often, projects have short-changed residents. These projects have been approved by a nearly unquestioning Planning Commission and then City Council.
The very densely constructed Silver Street apartment complex is directly across the street from light manufacturing, adjacent to abandoned housing with criminal activity and fire-damaged homes. The city has razed some of these homes…