The Observation Deck

Last night the latest version of the One-Lakewood Strip Mall errrr Multi-Use strip mall was unveiled.


Original

Again this is not final, just the latest version of the thing Mayor Summers, City Council, most of the School Board, Build Lakewood and select civic leaders demanded that we tear down a full service hospital, our largest employer, and anchor to downtown to hurry up and build! Once again the Hospital was bringing in money, a couple million a year, supplied the area with 1,600 high paying jobs, supported another 1,000 jobs in the downtown area and created a perfect hub for downtown businesses.

The yet to be finalized one-lakewood strip mall will not pay residents back on our investment for over 76 years. Lakewood Hospital would have made another $50 million plus, and would have left us with $200 million in assets to redevelop, or sell off for top dollar.

The one-lakewood strip mall will not pay residents back a single dollar on our investment for over 76 years.

Now those who demanded that we hurry and vote on a bed of lies and false promises made by the Mayor and backed up by council are telling everyone to forget the past, forget the full service hospital, forget the $200 million plus in assets you just lost. Look, we have once again over promised and delivered a strip mall! Well, the term strip mall infuriates the civic leaders who seem unable to dream farther than a strip mall, they like "lifestyle centers"

Well, here at the Observer we try not to lie.

Go to Google and search "Multi-Use Strip Malls" and you will see...


Another Multi-Use Strip Mall, NOT One-Lakewood Multi-Use Strip Mall.


Another Multi-Use Strip Mall, NOT One-Lakewood Multi-Use Strip Mall.


Another Multi-Use Strip Mall, NOT One-Lakewood Multi-Use Strip Mall.

While when "one-lakewood" shows up in a strip mall search it seems to fall incredibly short of what real multi use strip malls look like and are doing.

This will be more like Marc's Plaza with apartments added above it.

Lifestyle Center!!!! Downtown Center!!!!!

These are the same people who demanded you vote immediately without knowing the truth, and promised you a full service hospital.



If that is a full service hospital, then one-lakewood is a multi-use strip mall.

One of the things I have noticed with the last two administrations, they tell you nothing, but love to sneak stuff up on you. It pays to look hard at documents and think just how small minded lost souls would think. How would I think if I only cared about myself and my friends, and wanted to gut Lakewood of its regular residents. Only then does it all start to open up.



One Lakewood strip mall was surrounded by homes on 2.5 sides. Marlowe, Franklin, Belle.

So what is the building they have added to the back of the drawing, a hint at phase 2? There is always a phase 2? It took this administration 10 years to tell us they closed the hospital, and that was only after they were repeatedly shown to be liars about it. Why would they mention Phase 2 deep into residential neighborhoods?

Time to stop the secret bullshit at Lakewood City Hall. They work for us, and they represent us.

Elected officials, I know it will be tough, but try honest, transparent, accountable at least for the summer of 2019. Baby steps is progress.

.

That top pic looks like a hospital. Pretty funny - tear a real one down and replace it with condos that look like a hospital building!

The round part adds immensely - conjured up images of the towers at MetroHealth. Are they trying to tell us something?

Mr. O'Bryan, thank you for this very interesting and illustrated update.

I do have a couple of questions:

1. Where is the parking garage going to be built?

2. Is the Curtis Block now slated for demolition too?

http://www.onelakewood.com/downtowndevelopment/

The above was the April 11 update. I see nothing that looks like the image at the top of this post.

If the top image is really the latest version, there has been a significant change - and a lesser “vision.”

Mark,
As of last night, the Curtis Block remains. Of course, we know how things are subject to change with this administration.

The curviness of the tower is supposedly, a 'nod to Lakewood Hospital '.

I arrived a bit late at the meeting, so I missed the main presenter's name.

From the City website:

"Both the City and developer have conducted extensive environmental and geotechnical due diligence on the site. There is no indication that there are any unusual impediments to redevelopment of the site. Overall, we are on target for completion of the project in line with the Development Agreement between the City and Carnegie Management and Development. The goal remains to have the new construction begin in 2019. This is an ambitious goal to be clear, but it is one that we are all working towards."

Here is the rendering referred to by Ms. Conant.
Lakewood has chosen its path.

Quote of the night (from the presenter)....

"Carnegie's being really aggressive in trying to fill the space with good tenants."

(Well, well, well.)

I joined Amazon Prime a few months ago. I am finding that for my needs this is starting to replace my old shopping habits with greater ease and satisfaction.
(Not trying to link this at all to this proposal )

by Stan Austin
I joined Amazon Prime a few months ago. I am finding that for my needs this is starting to replace my old shopping habits with greater ease and satisfaction.
(Not trying to link this at all to this proposal

)


Oh Stan….. you don’t want to miss out on the manufactured vibrancy, that will spontaneously arise at the new site?. Or, do you?

I learned last night, that what makes downtown Cleveland’s E. 4th Street so successful is the congestedness of the area. People want to be near other people. They like congestion.

With Lakewood already be dense, folks are going to gravitate this mixed-used area of congestion.

(Is it still being called One Lakewood Place? That name was never mentioned last night.)

With 3 ‘living room areas’, a water feature, a piece of functional art that will serve as a picnic table, curving walkways, tiered steps (think Solstice Steps), and more, well….. it’s a place that people are just going to want to be.

https://kvoa.com/news/national-news/201 ... announced/
"Retail apocalypse? More than 3,000 stores closures announced"

Just a reminder. The new center may fill but if it does it will come at a cost to existing brick-and-mortar shops.

Like Stan, we have A-Prime and it's made a huge difference in our shopping habits. We even keep a box at the UPS store to keep deliveries away from porch pirates.

pj bennett wrote:Quote of the night (from the presenter)....

"Carnegie's being really aggressive in trying to fill the space with good tenants."

(Well, well, well.)

I’ll bet they are - they are probably realizing it’s going to be harder than they thought to get tenants.

As of now, are there ANY signed tenants?

Bridget Conant wrote:

pj bennett wrote:Quote of the night (from the presenter)....

"Carnegie's being really aggressive in trying to fill the space with good tenants."

(Well, well, well.)

I’ll bet they are - they are probably realizing it’s going to be harder than they thought to get tenants.

As of now, are there ANY signed tenants?

Yes, one large brand name tenant... yawn

I have learned, until it materializes, it is BS.

This group lies more then they tell the truth.

.

What large name brand tenant?

It shouldn’t be a secret.

Bridget Conant

As of now, are there ANY signed tenants?

George P. of Carnegie Development had the perfect opportunity last night to crow about having signed on a tenant.
But, he stayed mum.

I keep remembering that Carnegie is developing its mixed-use development baby teeth in Lakewood.
Its only other experience was that of a barn some years ago somewhere in upstate New York.

Thing is, I don't know why any tenant would sign on until there is a completion date in sight.
Has the pond/river/water issue been resolved? Are all systems go?
Does anyone know?

Maybe that's why the water feature.
The underground water will be diverted, and consequently be the power behind the water feature that was mentioned last night.

New buzz word. 'Winter Garden'.