A special privateƒ{public collaboration, involving $9 million of New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) from Finance Fund and $6.5 million from the Development Fund of the Western Reserve (DFWR), will help Kent State University (KSU) Foundation to finance a new hotel and conference center, which will provide 472 regional employment opportunities besides bolstering economic development and boosting the regional tourism.
The City of Kent, the KSU Foundation, the Finance Fund, DFWR that is regulated by the Development Finance Authority of Summit Country, and The Pizzuti Companies of Columbus were all collaborators in the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center undertaking at downtown Kent valued at $15.6 million.
The new hotel will include 95 rooms and is a segment of a bigger $100 million reconstruction venture in downtown Kent that will include housing, office and retail spaces. The building of the hotel slated to be thrown open in spring 2013 is expected to create 430 construction work opportunities. On completion, the hotel and conference center is anticipated to generate 42 long-term jobs for people in the region. The region suffers from a 29% poverty rate.
The new venture will provide service to university guests and will be a great aid in tourism in the region. Besides, business establishments and corporates from Kent and Akron regions will probably conduct business conferences and special functions in the conference center/ballroom that seats 300 persons and spreads over 5400 sq. ft. The hotel will also provide a learning environment for students of KSU, especially those who joined the hospitality management degree plan.
Source: http://www.kent.edu