Akron is getting ready to bulldoze a chunk of university real estate in the name of polymer progress, with city planners clearing the way for a pilot innovation facility that backers hope will kickstart a new cluster of labs, offices and high‑tech manufacturing jobs around the University of Akron.
The city’s planning commission advanced the Lincoln‑Mill Redevelopment Plan on Friday, centering a University of Akron property in a 39‑acre makeover near the edge of downtown. The proposal calls for the Lincoln Building to be demolished starting in June, so a new pilot polymer facility can rise next door to the university’s National Polymer Innovation Center. Supporters say the lab could be open by late next year, a potential seed for a larger innovation district tied to campus.
The planning commission’s May 15 endorsement pushes the Lincoln‑Mill plan toward formal adoption and would let the city use tax‑increment financing to improve properties inside the footprint. As reported by Signal Akron, the redevelopment zone covers two churches, a gas station, and five residences, and the mix of new zoning and financial incentives is pitched as a way to make the block more appealing to polymer companies and their suppliers…