12th
Akron, Ohio, USA: Fresh Food For Thought On Highland Square Grocery
Self-described “new” Highland Square residents David and Amy Purcell recently wrote a letter to the West Side Leader about the years-old stalemate between the neighborhood’s residents and the city government and property owner.
A quick recap
For non-Akronites, the deal is this: Albrecht Inc. owns a chunk of land on a well-traveled corner that would be ideal for a grocery store. The neighborhood doesn’t have one of its own, and many of its residents don’t have a car, making it difficult to access the Acme two miles to the west. Neighborhood leaders have been trying to negociate for years, and the city claims to be interested in the cause as well, but… well, the mayor actually just moved out of Highland Square.
Anyway, the Purcell’s have observed that the fight over this little triangle of land is getting awfully hairy and wonder if the answer isn’t somewhere else nearby. I agree with them completely.
Here’s the letter’s original posting. In case the link rots, I’m pasting the letter below:
To the editor:
You don’t have to live in Highland Square very long to realize the neighborhood has its own Bermuda Triangle on the corner of West Market Street, Portage Path and Edgerton Road. It’s the triangle intended for the grocery, and all attempts over the past three years to fill that spot have disappeared into the void, raising ire and impatience.
At the “Brainstorming the Future of Highland Square” community forum March 24, old grievances were rehashed. Anger over the failure to move the plan forward dominated the conversation. The same voices raised the same questions and declared Highland Squarians want a grocery on the triangle lot.
Okay, we’re all clear on that point. What is less clear to newer residents like us is whether the vision and the agreement that was laid out a few years ago is the “only” viable option.
To be sure, we want a grocery, too. But we’re not completely convinced it must be placed on the triangle lot. Nor are we convinced it must meet the exact specifications as outlined in a revitalization plan presented six years ago. Or that Albrecht Inc. has a grand scheme to destroy Highland Square’s eclectic vibe with nothing but chain retailers and parking lots.
The grocery may be the ultimate key to this revitalization, but is it possible that the heart and soul of Highland Square could also be something else? Would the Square be just as vibrant with a family diner, a bakery, a community arts center and a deli? Could the Square become the walking neighborhood we dream of if we located the grocery somewhere outside the triangle?
Bottom line: What’s more important for Highland Square residents? That the grocery is placed on the triangle as it was once proposed or that we get a grocery at all? That the Square gets its grocery exactly as outlined in the original plan or that Highland Square becomes the incredible neighborhood we want it to be?
It’s time to consider and explore other alternatives. It’s time to be open to new ideas that incorporate opinions from all walks of life in Highland Square.
We feel deeply for the senior citizens and others who can’t easily get to the grocery store. They are the ones who truly suffer, not those of us who have the means to drive 2 miles east or west. Would entertaining other alternatives get us a grocery faster and get the neighborhood on a solid path to revitalization?
While the past can certainly inform us, it should not hamstring the process to develop Highland Square into the diverse walking neighborhood residents desire. We understand taxpayers have the right to be frustrated. But continuing to focus on past frustrations is getting us nowhere.
Highland Square residents pride themselves on being a diverse community. It’s time to walk the talk and respect and listen to diverse ideas on this topic.
David Purcell and Amy Purcell, Highland Square
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