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Akron officials tout downtown gains, polymer cluster and Lock 3 growth in budget hearing
Summary
Economic development officials told council the city will target individualized outreach to 250 businesses in 2026, highlighted 2025 results from the Elevate Greater Akron collaborative and said downtown'focused investments and a polymer innovation bid position Akron for private capital and job growth.
Economic development leaders briefed the Akron City Council'budget committee on a string of 2025 results and 2026 priorities, underscoring downtown activation, small-business supports and a nascent polymer industry cluster.
"In 2026, we intend to connect individually with more than 250 businesses," Susie Graham Moore told council, adding that the Elevate Greater Akron collaborative reached 288 businesses in 2025, including 102 MBE/WBE firms, closed 16 projects that brought an estimated 263 jobs and helped attract about $50 million in capital.
Moore described a mix of city programming and partner-delivered services to support business retention, expansion and attraction. The city budget reflects $495,000 for small-business assistance providers in 2026, she said, and staff pointed council toward the planning/CDBG pages for Great Streets and façade grant allocations. Council members were directed to page 74 of the budget book for CDBG-funded contractual items and a roughly $500,000 total for Great Streets-related activities in 2026.
Officials highlighted a cluster strategy for polymers: the city has pledged $750,000 over four years to support polymer industry development and said the designation as a federal and state polymer innovation hub has helped attract more than $100 million in related funding. Staff also said the city anticipates potential NSF Engines funding and a proposed $25 million polymer pilot facility on the University of Akron campus in 2026.
Downtown activation at Lock 3 was a recurring theme. City staff said experiments with national acts in 2025 supported a model that reduces summer programming subsidy by roughly 34 percent through sponsorships and earned revenue. Lock 3 drew more than 200,000 visitors in 2025, staff said, and Akron is targeting roughly 250,000 annual visitors and about 110 events (including national acts) in 2026. Some ticketed reserved seats were described in the presentation as priced in higher tiers (examples cited during Q&A included reserved seating in the $75 range and lawn tickets closer to $40), while many community events remain free.
Why it matters: Officials framed these investments as a way to leverage limited city resources, multiply private investment downtown and expand the tax base. Council members sought line-item transparency in the budget book for grants, Lock 3 operations and contractor/service contract costs.
What's next: Staff said they will return with contract-level details on Great Streets/CDBG line items and continued updates on Lock 3 programming and polymer funding pursuits.
