A proposed commercial development on state Route 59 in Kent is troubling to residents of the adjacent neighborhood who fear an influx of traffic.
The vacant parcel at 1005 E. Main St. — directly across the street from the Kent State University campus — will become the site of a building for three tenants if an Akron-area company has its way.
A former funeral home that stood on the lot was razed by the developer in April 2016.
And timing is of the essence, according to residents, who have organized to protest what city officials say would become a coffee shop with drive-thru, a Verizon store and an unknown third tenant if the city’s planning commission approves the plans of LRC Realty at its next meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
If that happens, it would create increased traffic and “major disruptions,” according to Terry Kuhn, president of the University Woods Neighborhood Association. Kuhn has created a website addressing such concerns in detail, including site plans and traffic concerns.
A proposed drive-thru would cause increased traffic on the streets residents use to reach East Main Street (state Route 59), he said.
“My only access to Route 59 is through one of those arteries,” said Kuhn, who lives on nearby Woodhill Drive. “The concept is not bad. It is just in the wrong place. I would prefer something that didn’t drive a lot of traffic, like a doctor, lawyer or university office.
Kuhn said “city traffic engineers continue to have reservations about the traffic plan” submitted by the developer.
“Successful strategies to reduce and calm traffic on Crain Street leading onto East Main via Luther Avenue and Elmwood Drive would be reversed by the proposed drive-thru,” he said.
Zoning of the approximately 8,500-square-foot lot has changed a number of times over several decades. Originally commercial, it became residential and apartment use in the 1970s and later to its current C-R (commercial residential) designation.
“There has been ambiguity about the zoning itself over time,” said Kuhn.
Kim Sebaly, who has lived in the same house on Luther Avenue at the corner of Crain Avenue since 1979, said transportation studies “ignore the reality of traffic in the area.”
“They focus mostly on cars and small trucks,” he said. “But it is a buffering gateway for a very nice residential area that includes joggers, hikers, bikers and baby carriages.”
Traffic coming from Crain Street often makes it hazardous to back out of his driveway, Sebaly said.
“The problem is not just for the immediate neighborhood,” he said. “I’m talking about the health and welfare of the city.”
Sebaly said the traffic corridor along East Main, along the north side of the university, is already among the most well-traveled in the city.
“It makes no sense to add more to that,” he said.
Sebaly added he is not opposed to a restaurant on the site.
“Something that the neighbors might look to patronize,” he said. “Something that is more upscale than fast food.”
Trash dumpsters that attract wild animals, bright lights and noise at night are other fears of the residents, and they voiced those concerns at a meeting with developers last month.
Gary O’Nesti, special projects director for LRC Realty, attended the meeting and told the neighborhood group they were not considering changing the project.
He declined to identify the possible tenants.
“The use is permitted by codes,” O’Nesti said. “No variance is required. A drive-thru is permitted. The project is zoned appropriately in a commercial area with no conditional uses.”
O’Nesti said the city is reviewing the traffic situation and his company would comply with their recommendations.
“Retail development is what we do,” he said. “We are not apologizing. We have complied completely with city codes. And we met with the residents and are going out of our way to address their concerns.
“I think we do a great job to put together a quality project. We always work with the community the best we can.”
O’Nesti said if the planning commission approves the project, the next step will be a 30-day review by the city of architectural and design plans. If those are approved, the developer plans to break ground in midsummer.
He declined to say the cost of the project.
Kent’s engineering department is reviewing traffic plans for the site and will make recommendations to city staff, said Bridget Susel, director of the Community Development Department.
The planners would then consider how that will impact the overall project, along with other factors such as parking and lighting.
Since no variances are needed, City Council approval is not required.
“The planning commission will judge if it complies with the zoning code,” Susel said. “They don’t come out in support of any project. Public comments are part of the review. It is one of the variables.”
Kuhn is hoping public curiosity will direct traffic to his website at http://uhuw.weebly.com/.
“I’m trying to influence people who have a stake in this to voice their objections,” Kuhn said. “Once the word is out, people will object.”