White Pond updates: Marijuana dispensary and Sikich out, new housing development underway

One business has left a building on White Pond Drive in Akron, and another has withdrawn its plans to build a new headquarters there.

Chicago-based professional services firm Sikich moved one of its offices from the 274 White Pond Drive address in November to a Richfield office, said Jason Tuma, principal of assurance services and Northeast Ohio market lead at the firm, via email.

And Akron-based Klutch Cannabis won't be dispensing marijuana or constructing buildings for retailers to use at the corner of White Pond Drive and Naify Boulevard, as it had previously planned .

Meanwhile, Triton Property Ventures is moving forward with a residential development called White Pond Reserve off of White Pond Drive next to the vacant Sikich building.

Here's an update on the comings and goings on Akron's White Pond Drive:

Sikich relocates to Richfield

Most of Sikich's workforce is now remote, so the more than 30,000-square-foot White Pond Drive building that it moved local employees into in 2017 was no longer needed, Tuma said.

Sikich management did not respond to the Beacon Journal's request regarding the status of the 274 White Pond building.

Sikich's suite at 4020 Kinross Lakes Parkway in Richfield is about 6,000 square feet, Tuma said via email. He said it's a temporary space and that the company plans to move to a permanent space this year but declined to share more information about where the company is looking to move and what it is looking for in a permanent space.

"We remain committed to the Cleveland/Akron market, the community and our valued clients and team members here," Tuma said.

Klutch moves marijuana dispensary license to Northfield

Pete Nischt, Klutch's vice president of compliance and communications, said the marijuana dispensary license that the business planned to use at White Pond Drive is instead being used for a dispensary operation in Northfield .

"It's just that it was going to take us a lot longer in Akron at that site to get a building constructed," Nischt said. "There's kind of a lengthy process to get permitted and all that kind of stuff. And, so, it's just much simpler any time, I think, you're starting a business to go into a pre-existing building."

Nischt said city officials in Northfield have been communicative and were quick to approve the project.

"Whenever you have one of these licenses, you don't want to sit on it, and you want to kind of get started on it as quickly as possible," he said.

The latest on White Pond Reserve housing development

Triton President and COO Alan Gaffney told the Beacon on Monday that crews have started laying foundations and constructing frames for the 143 residential units that will be rented out at White Pond Reserve. They've also begun connecting sewer lines and plan to start putting in roads in roughly the next month, Gaffney said.

The 143 units will comprise about 19 buildings, Gaffney said, adding: "Our goal is hopefully by October, November, we have anywhere from 12 to 15 buildings up over there."

Gaffney previously told the Beacon that the average unit will be about 1,600 square feet and that some larger three-bedroom townhomes will be closer to 2,100 square feet. Leases will likely range from $1,900 to $2,100 per month, he said.

Additional phases of White Pond Reserve could include construction of more residential units, as well as restaurants and retail.

The development has been opposed by some neighboring residents and those with environmental concerns.

Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at pwilliams@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @pwilliamsOH.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: White Pond updates: Marijuana dispensary and Sikich out, new housing development underway