THE VISION ISSUE - City of Shaker Heights

going east.”
For now, the focus of the future mixed-use district centers
largely on the Van Aken Shopping Center, which is
owned by RMS Investment Corporation, the City-owned
Farnsleigh Road parking lot, and the right-of-way on both
sides of Van Aken where the Rapid terminal currently is
located.
“When the right-of-way is vacated, there will be almost
12 acres in the district that are ready for redevelopment,”
says Menesse. It’s this redevelopment that has some of the
intersection’s existing anchors looking forward to the upcoming
changes.
Support from Shaker Businesses,
Large and Small
For the past five years, more than 900 employees serving in
University Hospitals administrative functions have called
the former OfficeMax space on Warrensville Center Road
home. University Hospitals CEO Tom Zenty says that a
survey of employees, along with the building’s proximity
to area interstates, and the potential for return on investment,
led the hospital system to purchase the building in
late 2006.
“The redevelopment plans were discussed even then,
but we weren’t necessarily banking on that to occur,” says
Zenty, who lives just a short walk away from the UH building
in Shaker Heights. “But we’re happy about it because
we think it can provide better access for our employees to
all the activities of daily living.”
As the largest employer in Shaker Heights and a key district
anchor, University Hospitals is supportive of the City’s
redevelopment efforts.
“The City has been really great to work with and we’ve
had a positive experience at that location. Our employees
really like it because of the access to the freeway and accessibility
to their homes,” Zenty says.
Zenty, who walks to work when he can, is eager to witness
the improvements. “If we can do something to make
it more manageable and, from a traffic standpoint, more
efficient to navigate, then it would encourage development
and encourage people to engage in parts of the community
that they wouldn’t otherwise engage in,” he says.
Michael Feigenbaum, owner of Van Aken District newcomer
Lucy’s Sweet Surrender, is equally optimistic on
the Van Aken redevelopment. “I can’t imagine why there
wouldn’t be a resurgence here as a pedestrian-friendly,
park-friendly, consuming-friendly neighborhood,” he says,
recalling his days growing up in the nearby Lomond area.
“If that does happen, then certainly I’m in a position to
capitalize on it in many ways.”
While Feigenbaum is still sorting out how best to configure
his own bakery and lunchtime business in the former
Chandler and Rudd space, he has toyed with the concept of
opening the store’s Chagrin side once the reconfiguration
of the intersection is complete. “We’ve considered pulling
back a wall or adding a roll-up door where we’d have an
indoor/outdoor space that’s open to the street. Having it set
back in the bakery but open to the air would give it a nice
ambience,” he says.
Also significant to the district is the towering presence,
literally, of the last project designed by Walter Gropius:
Tower East. Gropius was one of the founders of the Bauhaus
School of architecture, and is commonly regarded as
one of the pioneers of modern architecture. Apart from the
building’s historic pedigree, it is coveted for its spectacular
views of downtown Cleveland and its high end professional
office space.
Both Braverman and Menesse have their eyes on the
long-term prospects of the redevelopment. “Economic development
is not for the faint of heart,” admits Menesse.
“It’s a long process. We want the community to understand
that the economic development cycle is 20 years long, and
we want them to be engaged in the process.”
Braverman says the project has the potential to replace
the intersection’s scary reputation with something considerably
more friendly. “You won’t have to avoid it anymore
because it will be a pleasant place to both go through and
to visit,” she explains. “And it will certainly improve our tax
base – it’s our best bet at redevelopment.”
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