Kent State Approves 5-Story Parking Deck

KENT, OH — Kent State University will begin work on a new signature gateway in the summer of 2020, the school announced Wednesday. The project will include construction of the university's first parking deck.

The Main Street parking deck will be off of Midway Drive, between Williamson House, Nixson Hall and the Center for the Performing Arts. The deck will be five stories and will be built into the hillside. University officials hope its location will minimize its "visual impact" on the campus and surrounding neighborhood.

The $29 million parking deck will have 1,100 paring spaces and will support the new College of Business Administration building, a renovated White Hall and other facilities. The project will be financed through bond financing.

“The parking deck is an integral part of the front campus renovation and new signature entrance to our campus from Main Street,” Kent State President Todd Diacon said. “The result will be a picturesque entrance that will help improve pedestrian safety, connect walkways and provide additional parking spaces that have long been sought by faculty and students, including commuter students.”

University officials hope the deck will opened by fall 2021. Kent State is working with Payto Architects to design the cast-in-place concrete structure with brick accents to match the design of the College of Business Administration building.

In March 2018, the Kent State Board of Trustees approved a $1 billion master plan, which included the Gateway to a Distinctive Kent State tenet. The focus of the plan was to make the campus' front-facing entrance more welcoming, link campus-wide spaces, and expand collaboration with the city of Kent.