AKRON, Ohio — Liberty Commons is poised to make a major comeback, and bring a large swath of the Merriman Valley business district with it.
Situated near the southernmost border of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Liberty Commons was once the home of night spots packed on weekends, and several restaurants, including Liberty Street Brewing, known for its popular Dragon Slayer beer, featured on taps across the city.
But the valley hasn’t been a popular destination for years.
Now, LAL & Sons LLC, which bought Liberty Commons in 2021, has applied to the city to turn the valley into Akron’s fourth Community Entertainment District.
The new CED would cover more than 24 acres along Merriman Road/Riverview Road, the application shows. Stretching from Liberty Commons and the Weathervane Playhouse Theater to the Parkwood Plaza on North Portage Path, the CED would include all existing establishments in between.
After reviewing the application for the new CED, and obtaining additional information, the mayor’s office forwarded the information to Akron City Council on Dec. 21 with a recommendation for approval.
According to Mayor Dan Horrigan, “… the CED has the potential to substantially contribute to the entertainment, retail, social and other opportunities for the city of Akron.”
Unlike other entertainment districts in the city — Northside, the East End and downtown — the Merriman Valley CED would not have a provision allowing open containers outside an establishment, the city said.
The CED would cover 24 acres along Riverview Road from Liberty Commons to the Parkwood Plaza. (Graphic courtesy of LAL & Sons)
However, according to Ohio law, the CED could house new bars, despite Akron’s waiting list for establishments seeking D-5 licenses, which allow alcohol sales until 2:30 a.m.
D-5 licenses are in short supply in Akron because a city can have only one D-5 liquor license for every 2,000 residents, the city said, and they’ve all been issued.
The new CED, however, would generate a pool of several new D-5j permits, the city said.
The only difference between the two types of permit is location — D-5j permits are valid within a CED only, according to the state, but there is no limit to how many CEDs a city can have.
There’s no single reason the Merriman Valley faded out of the spotlight over the years.
A website dedicated to Liberty Commons’ revival points to the valley’s split ownership. The area is divided between Akron and Cuyahoga Falls, which only recently began work on a master plan for development.
The new CED is intended to enable the growth of new and existing retail, food service and entertainment offerings, LAL & Sons’ application said.
Plans for new amenities include restaurants, including an upscale dining establishment, and an outdoor amphitheater with a park for concerts, exercise classes and yoga.
According to the Liberty Commons website, if the CED is approved, construction will be underway this summer.
Akron City Council will consider the application for the Merriman Valley CED at its regular council meeting on Jan. 30.
