The Observation Deck

Looking back at 2011 and a year of renovation at work (Rozi's Wine House) in downtown Lakewood, I have to say that I have an entirely new appreciation for the energy of Lakewood. As I watched the demolition and rebuilding of our storefront, there wasn't a day that went by that didn't have at least 10 people checking in to see what was going on with our renovations and follow up with the new vibe they are feeling in Lakewood. I'm not sure if it is a new vibe or just a refreshed one.

Maybe it is because I was in the middle of it all, but I felt like a buzz in the area was taking place. In our industry, the likes of Melt, Deagan's, Beer Engine and such have created a destination point for Lakewoodites as well as travelers. The mood and reaction I hear most while speaking with out of town customers at the store is one of great excitement followed with "I'll see you again soon." That is what I envision business in a strong community to be like. And thus far, in 2011, I have seen those customers again.

Like I said, I don't think this is necessarily a new concept or feeling, just a refreshed one.

Corey

Corey,
A few weeks back as I was thinking about all the stuff in front of the Architecture Review Board including CVS and McDonalds which drew so much attention, it occurred to me just how much of Lakewood has turned over a new leaf. Some buildings replaced but many others just refaced. Heck it wasn't that long ago that First Federal Lakewood or Geigers was redone, but now those are just old news (except for phase 2 of the interior of Geigers which still has that "new car smell"). Not too long ago one of my cousins came into town after being away for a few years and was just blown away after driving down Detroit. The landscape changes and it's hard to notice when you're in the middle of it, but see it with fresh eyes and it's clear.
While there will always be some who insist that the path is wrong or that their idea is better or that somehow we can move forward without leaving anything behind, there is no doubt that the signs are positive. To make an argument against relies on false premises, lack of perspective and redefining of terms. Cities on the skids do not see this level of investment in capital improvements. So long as the decisions have longevity (as opposed to following fashion trends that look dated as soon as the paint dries), then we should be in very good shape for the long term.
And by the way, thanks for adding Rozi's to the list of those investing in Lakewood.

"Not too long ago one of my cousins came into town after being away for a few years and was just blown away after driving down Detroit."

They must have driven West to East and turned around at the Winking Lizard..

Shawn Juris wrote:Cities on the skids do not see this level of investment in capital improvements.

Shawn,

Good point! So many people overlook all the hard work you guys are doing down at City Hall. From those of us who are not in the investment loop, please share some of your most important capital improvements of 2011.

Keep up the good work.

Matt

Matt,
While I have nothing but respect for the hard work within the departments at City Hall and all of the boards and commissions involved with the development process, their systems (which I would argue are awfully darned good now and still finding ways to improve further) would sit dormant if it wasn't for the interest and capital brought to the table from the private side. It's tough to timestamp a development (man, do I sound like a politician). There have been projects that got underway that we can see and others that were as simple as a purchase with the promise of future development.

Couple that come to mind, in addition to Corey's project are the ongoing work at Lusso's (St Hedwig's) and the changes at the former Bonne Belle building or the ongoing progress with the Bailey building which will return those buildings to a productive status. Obviously others have come with their share of controversy and debate which is inevitable when change happens.

I hope to have a full list of improvements like this as we look to develop a marketing promo for Lakewood. Still in the gestation phase so no promise of delivery date yet. To Corey's intitial comment there is a vibe here, now we need to resist the urge to downplay it and be critical as so often is the default emotion of Clevelanders (certainly one that I'm guilty of at times) and keep the momentum going.

Detroit between Bunts and the River has benefited from investment and attention and it shows. Congratulations to all. Living smack dab between Highland and Bunts, it feels like development flyover right now. I would love to see plans for improvement here. Please share.

Paul Schrimpf wrote:Detroit between Bunts and the River has benefited from investment and attention and it shows. Congratulations to all. Living smack dab between Highland and Bunts, it feels like development flyover right now. I would love to see plans for improvement here. Please share.

Paul

It would be interesting to see how many dollars and human hours have been poured into that
very small footprint. There is no doubt something is going on, but it would seem that the
most happening things are still the organic things as pointed out 7 years ago in this forum.

Lakewood remains as it always has been a great place to start a business, and through
quality and good service grow into something much larger. Some of the best "development"
has now expanded to other communities with great success. Lakewood is indeed blessed with
a bunch of residents and local businesses that get it.

.

I agree that organic development is the way it works best. Believe me, there are a number of positives in my zone. The new laundry place next to Tina's is really cool and looks to be well used, Red Rooster has been a surprise hit with absolutely terrific people running the place ... my son goes there and the owner will spot him change if he comes up short a few pennies for a snack ... stuff like that doesn't happen anymore. Peppers, the Shore and neighboring businesses, Ennis Court, Virginia Marti .. people do care. And there are spots for organic growth. The old Educators Annex is completely empty, then there's Bischof, Vedda ... small to medium spots that would make a nice home. And there are many walkers in our area!

I am concerned with the vacuous holes ... Spitzer, Ganley, Giant Eagle, the massive chained off areas across from and ajacent to the condos. I'm not in a rush to stick anything in there, but a recognition that there are in fact gaping holes in the commercial landscape, that residents would appreciate some indication of direction from the city ... at a minimum, that would be nice.

Paul Schrimpf wrote:I am concerned with the vacuous holes ... Spitzer, Ganley, Giant Eagle, the massive chained off areas across from and ajacent to the condos. I'm not in a rush to stick anything in there, but a recognition that there are in fact gaping holes in the commercial landscape, that residents would appreciate some indication of direction from the city ... at a minimum, that would be nice.

Paul,

We identified them as dead zones. And they are not always empty spots. Dead Zones were
areas of a block or more, that did not encourage walk in traffic, or broke the "vibe" of the area.
On a Friday or Saturday night, especially a holiday night and you can see hundreds
of people making the trek between Larchmont and Kenilworth. The end of one drinking zone
and the start of the next, though there is a little break at Iggy's and the Rush. While drunk
young people can easily make the span, does the usual "shopper" make the jump?

Then as you mention you have large purpose built buildings that can be reconfigured in
everything but space, and that space makes them very tough to move. I had a friend that
had a great idea for Ganley and or the old Giant Eagle. She had about $500,000 to invest
on an interesting idea that has succeeded in larger towns. But the cost of the building and
parking, and rebuild put it out of her hands. The point is Big Box stores are the only people
that have the $$$$$$$ to come in, unless the city is willing to help with ax breaks etc.

While the city seems really set on treating Lakewood like Milan, or Wooster Ohio, two other
"Mainstreet" cities that were looked at as models to shoot for. The city actually mirrors
Clark and Rush Streets in Chicago nearly identically in every way except population. Two
large streets with bus routes, separated by 4 blocks of residential. While Lakewood has a
"Vibe" of organic home grown businesses, the streets need their own vibe too, and with
Dead Zones it becomes harder and harder to define or brand.

Madison Ave. does seem like a much better shopping street. Not a state route so easy to
close down for events. But the dead zones there are huge. LHS field, The old Dussalt
Moving building, Graf Tech, St. Clements, etc. Though they are starting to grasp "long"
and are branding it "Uptown" and "Restaurant Row" they will need more help in the form
of $$$$$$$ and the same focus that has been put on 6 blocks in downtown.

Yeah Lakewood has a Vibe that would seem damn hard to kill, thank god. It would be nice
now if those at city hall and other leadership roles understood it.

.

Paul Schrimpf wrote:I am concerned with the vacuous holes ... Spitzer, Ganley, Giant Eagle, the massive chained off areas across from and ajacent to the condos. I'm not in a rush to stick anything in there, but a recognition that there are in fact gaping holes in the commercial landscape, that residents would appreciate some indication of direction from the city ... at a minimum, that would be nice.

It has been awhile but I recall the Mayor mentioning a new "dollar store" plan for Ganley and a Get Go move to the old Giant Eagle space. Apparently the operation at Manor Park exceeded their expectations and they need more space.

Paul,
If there was a better way to aggregate all of the goings on in terms of development and moves in and out, it would be a God send. I'll keep trying to think of a better way but in the meantime, here's a couple links and and a summary.
http://planning.co.cuyahoga.oh.us/blog/ ... /lakewood/
http://onelakewood.com/Boards_Commissio ... dards.aspx
http://onelakewood.com/Development/Default.aspx

Now, Dru Siley is far better at these reports than me, but in the interest of time I'll give it a shot.
To Meg's point there will continue to be development of the large parcels that you mentioned. The empty lots at Rockport have their wheels turning again.
Naturally big undertakings like those take more time than just flipping tenants in a small office and the administration (Mayor and Director Siley) have shown creativity in releasing an RFP for the Spitzer site. Unfortunately, it didn't result in a dream project but we're not done yet. Additionally, in the vein of perspective, building new is not exactly the popular thing right now yet Lakewood continues to see new construction.
There is some potential good news with the Giel/Detroit building. While I enjoyed speaking with the folks at Seven Sigma the property management has shifted to Winwood for the building on the northside of Detroit as well as their existing arrangment with the building on the south side of Detroit (which is almost fully occupied). It's a challenging property but for the right tenants could be a nice pickup now depending on what happens with Spitzer just across the street.

Thanks for the feedback. I understand that the holes will be difficult to fill, and it's good to get a feel for what approaches are being tried and who's potentially interested. I agree that the old Educators annex will be a tough one unless its a true walk up draw.. the parking and traffic around Giel is a bear with the pizza and chinese places constantly battling for parking and high takeout traffic.

Keep us posted, and thanks again for taking the time to share in this space...

Looking ahead to the next census one analyst predicts that Ohio will lose another Congressional seat because of a decline in population. I think it is safe to assume that Cuyahoga County will also continue to lose population and jobs.

That leaves Lakewood in a very vulnerable position.

Part of the problem is that taxpayer institutions like Cleveland State and Tri-C and RITA are using Cuyahoga County tax dollars to encourage people to leave Cuyahoga County.

MHS' homeless resettlement plans and "transitional housing" in Lakewood's residential neighborhoods doesn't help either. Since I'm sure the people who run those institutions are aware of the damage they are doing we have to assume they don't care. I'm reminded of the conversation I overheard at Don's Lighthouse Inn. A one time member of MHS board was explaining his opposition to the resettlement policy and exclaimed "they just don't care".

All the hard work done to improve Detroit Avenue will quickly be undone if the City continues to lose taxpayers and if good neighbors are being driven out by bad neighbors.

I'm not very optimistic. The only real job generator in Cuyahoga County is in the medical field and those few medical jobs that remain in Lakewood will soon be transferred to Westlake. It would be nice if an elected official here in the City would go public with their private disgust at what is going on.

Of course Lakewood's problems are really Cuyahoga County's problems. It certainly doesn't help that our County leaders are sold on the idea that economic growth is generated by all those taxpayer subsidized institutions like the new Medical Mart. I'm not sure how an empty convention center generates jobs but our County leadership is sure of it.