Located seven miles west of Akron, Ohio, Old Barberton was a planned industrial town built by O.C. Barber in 1891. Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company was chosen to master plan 730 acres recently annexed into Barberton following the Planning Department’s request for qualifications in the fall of 1997. Zoned as Agriculture and Land Conservation when annexed in 1997, the western section of the site is 210 acres of mostly farmland, owned by four different families. The eastern section totals 190 acres including a large manmade lake. The remaining middle section of 330 acres is part of the Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor and also contains the city’s sewage treatment facility.

The master plan proposes two separate neighborhoods: Fairland to the west and Van Buren to the east. The Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor remains undeveloped, with the exception of proposed trails and a simple observation tower. Fairland is a complete, mixed-use neighborhood including a main square with sites proposed for a supermarket and a school. Van Buren, due to its current condition, lends itself to the inclusion of light industrial use, in addition to more typical commercial and residential uses.

In 2001, Forest City purchased 80% of the Fairland neighborhood, which was renamed as New Haven. Construction began in January 2002.

website: www.newhavencommunity.com

project tearsheet: 162 Kb PDF file