Plans Approved for Kent State Hotel in Downtown Kent

Plans for the in downtown Kent were approved unanimously Tuesday night by the Kent Planning Commission.

The final site plan approval comes two weeks after during a preliminary review of the hotel plans. That positive reaction continued Tuesday.

"I love the project. It's gorgeous," commission member Melissa Long said.

But she did express concern about the hotel's reliance on the for its parking needs.

Kent City Engineer Jim Bowling, who attended the meeting, said more than 450 parking spaces will be within a short walk of the hotel between the transit center and a new surface lot the city is planning to build downtown.

The transit center will have 365 spaces and the city lot will likely have at least 115. The surface lot will, however, be restricted to use by employees during regular daytime business hours. The lot will be open to the public on evenings and weekends.

Glavan Feher Architects, who are designing the hotel for Kent State and its partner, The Pizzuti Companies, presented the plans. Jeff Glavan, a partner in the firm, said one of the challenges they did face in designing the hotel was to integrate it into the downtown and all the projects that will surround it.

"To do a building on a triangular site with three corners is a major challenge for us," Glavan said. "The challenges we were meeting was how this is interfacing with the downtown, the activity at street level … and just the energy and excitement the project as a whole is going to have."

The main entrance to the 300-seat banquet and conference center will be on Erie Street across from the transit center. The main entrance to the hotel lobby will face South DePeyster Street and the city's project with Fairmount Properties. The corner of the building at Erie Street and Haymaker Parkway will face the extension of The Esplanade from the Kent State University campus.

Kent Economic Development Director Dan Smith said the city worked with Glavan and Pizzuti to ensure the hotel integrates well with all the projects, including .

"We’re really pleased with the plan that they’ve come up with, from the staff’s perspective," Smith said. "It’s very respective of the architecture throughout downtown."

The project still needs to go to the Kent Board of Zoning Appeals for a variance regarding frontage on Haymaker Parkway, but that is likely to pass as a mere formality.

A brand or flag for the hotel, such as Hyatt or Hilton, has not yet been selected. Glavan said there is a prominent brand under consideration.

"We’re in a very positive situation with the proposed flag right now," he said.