Northeast Ohio
First Suburbs Consortium
Economic Revitalization Initiative

City of Lakewood

Executive Summary
Community Specific Recommendations

Prepared by
Main Street Connections, LLC
January 10, 2001

Northeast Ohio First Suburbs Consortium
Economic Revitalization Initiative
City of Lakewood

Lakewood was one of ten communities who chose to take part in the Northeastern Ohio First Suburbs Consortium Economic Revitalization Initiative that was completed by Main Street Connections in September 2000.  For approximately one year, Main Street Connections researched and analyzed twenty-five commercial districts in ten older built-out cities in the Cleveland Metropolitan Area and recommendations were made, specific to each district and community.  Downtown Lakewood's Commercial District was examined in addition to the West End District and the Hilliard Triangle.

This executive summary will provide the reader with a description of the Economic Revitalization Initiative of which Lakewood was a part and outline the specific challenges and opportunities associated with Lakewood's downtown commercial district, as well as West End and the Hilliard Triangle area.  Suggested strategies to employ for each of the district's revitalization are detailed, in addition to the next steps that community members should take to realize a vision of the thriving business districts in the future.

Project Background

Upon learning of the Northeast Ohio First Suburbs Consortium and reading about some of the issues the group is attempting to address, Main Street Connections came to the conclusion that there could be significant advantages, both conceptually and economically, to addressing the urban revitalization opportunities and challenges of all its member communities at one time.

While every community is unique, the very existence of the consortium indicates that its members recognize shared challenges and opportunities and the potential for joint action.  Although each community has a distinctly different physical, social and economic environment, all rose from the same historical development trends and have historic buildings or other properties that could be used as development catalysts.  All are currently experiencing or suffering from the same retail and residential trends and all have the same types of zoning and code issues with which to deal.  While the solutions may differ, the organizational and funding issues are the same as well.

Although many communities across the nation are using a variety of strategies in an attempt to address the problems associated with urban sprawl, the collaborative and creative approach established for this Economic Revitalization Initiative by Main Street Connections is thought to be unique among such initiatives. Benefits anticipated from this shared approach included:

• cost efficiencies,
• the potential for development of collaborative organization, funding and marketing initiatives,
• an opportunity to develop a template that can be applied to the successful revitalization of commercial districts in other older neighborhoods and communities,
• and, finally because of its scale and comprehensive nature, the potential for informing elected officials and influencing legislative agendas at the regional, state and national level to create a more level playing field on which these communities can compete effectively.

Communities that participated in the Revitalization Initiative included: Bedford, Cleveland Heights, Euclid, Garfield Heights, Lakewood, Maple Heights, Shaker Heights, South Euclid, University Heights, and Warrensville Heights. Each of the ten participating communities were asked to identify from one to three commercial districts in their community that is in need of revitalization or redevelopment. The communities were encouraged to identify areas that, when taken together, represent the broadest possible range of troubled commercial areas one is likely to encounter in these older, built-out suburbs. In all, nineteen districts were selected for a review of existing development and redevelopment plans. The list of districts includes traditional downtowns, neighborhood commercial strips, historic shopping districts and struggling older shopping centers.

Once the districts had been identified, the following five-phase process was employed by Main Street Connections to guide participating communities in achieving their successful revitalization. The first two phases involving research, analysis, strategic implications and recommendations were funded through the generous contributions of the Cleveland Foundation, Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners, Ameritech, Bank One, Dollar Bank, Fifth Third Bank, FIRSTAR Bank, Huntington Bank, Key Bank, and National City Bank. Subsequent phases involving education, consensus building, detailed strategic planning for each district and implementation will be completed at the discretion of individual participating communities.

Phase Process

Phase I: Research and Analysis

Once the districts had been identified, a series of public meetings, focus group interviews with affected property owners and merchants, and individual interviews with selected community and regional stakeholders were conducted to gather information and establish a basis for future consensus on the steps necessary for successful revitalization effort.  Additional research was conducted in the following areas involving or affecting the identified districts:

• Historical framework
• Current and projected regional growth patterns
• Regulatory structure
• Historic properties assessment
• Physical assessment
• Organization and funding analysis
• Retail market demand analysis
• Retail market supply analysis*
• Market analysis for potential complementary uses
• Other trends and issues
• Comparable projects and communities

*This analysis built on the comprehensive survey of existing retail in the region that is currently being compiled by the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission under the direction of Northeast Ohio Coordinating Agency.

As Phase I progressed, market research and interview findings were analyzed and conclusions were drawn regarding implications for the future of these districts.

Phase II: Strategic Implications and Recommendations

Building upon the information gathered and conclusions drawn in Phase I, Main Street Connections proceeded in  Phase II with the development of a comprehensive plan for the economic enhancement of the designated districts.  The comprehensive plan included the following elements:

• Retail market positioning strategies including market segment opportunities, merchandise and service offering opportunities and desired theme and image implications.
• Retail mix strategies including retention and expansion initiatives for existing merchants, category clustering opportunities, examples of new merchant types to be pursued and suggested leasing strategies and recruitment initiatives.
• Complementary use strategies for new residential, office, hotel, etc. where demand potential has been identified.
• Recommendations to address physical characteristics including parking, traffic, signal, image, amenities, building facades, historic preservation, reuse opportunities and tools, districting opportunities and linkage strategies to strengthen connections to surrounding features, neighborhoods and institutions.
• Organizational and funding alternatives including existing and potential sources and initiatives.
• Joint and individual marketing opportunities and strategies.
• Potential legislative initiatives.
• Action plan including implementation priorities and a detailed road map for initial steps to achieve revitalization objectives.

Approximately five months after presentation and acceptance of the Interim Report, Main Street Connections prepared and presented a Final Report containing detailed recommendations, charts and other illustrations sufficient to communicate a comprehensive vision for the revitalization of designated commercial districts in Northeast Ohio First Suburbs Consortium's participating communities.

Phase III: Education and Consensus Building

Following completion and presentation of the Final Report, Main Street Connections has proposed a series of seminars to be conducted regionally or  in each individual community as requested by consortium members.  A wide range of seminar topics is available and has been suggested to assist retailers, property owners, community representatives and citizen groups in their efforts to revitalize their individual businesses, properties and commercial districts.

Phase IV: Strategic Planning for Individual Communities

Once the joint has been completed and presented, each participating community will be given the option of refining the strategic direction suggested by the plan through a program of much more detailed research and planning.  Potential areas of additional research and analysis include additional community and stakeholder input, detailed building surveys, detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of existing and potential uses and specific organizational and funding strategies.

Phase V: Implementation

Virtually every community has, at some point invested time and money in plans that ended up gathering dust on a shelf.  The process Main Street Connections has devised for this project incorporates careful and detailed analysis, real world experience, economically driven and community-based strategies, education, consensus building and private sector leadership to achieve meaningful and successful revitalization of the designated commercial districts.  Recommendations are detailed, prioritized and actionable.  Assistance will be made available, where appropriate and desired, for the implementation of any or all recommendations contained in the Final Report and subsequent phases.

Economic Revitalization Initiative

West End District-Strengths and Opportunities

Physical Strengths and Opportunities

Appearance/Identity/Character

• Historic buildings with distinctive character.
• Newly developed buildings have maintained the style, context and aesthetic of the district.

Gateway/Accessibility/Linkages

• Strong accessibility to neighborhoods
• Direct and walkable pedestrian access, however heavy traffic hinders pedestrian activity.
• Adjacent to Rocky River Reservation.

Retail Strengths and Opportunities

• Existing retail base on which to build with strong tenants such as The Wilderness Shop and the Around the Corner bar.
• Charming and successful mixed-use area.
• Fair highway access.
• Fairly low vacancy rates in ground-floor retail/restaurants.
• Potential to market area retail as tourist destination because of the uniqueness of the area.
• Under-served market segments.
• Shortage of available small spaces in new centers for chain retailers.
• Retail consolidation trends are resulting in fewer big box retailers with sameness of offer and low customer service levels.  This provides opportunity to small unique retailers with high customer service levels often found in the commercial districts under study.

West End District-Strategies for Revitalization

Accomplishing the vision set forth in this plan requires the employment of various physical, retail market, regulatory, organizational/funding, capacity-building, and marketing strategies.  These strategies are outlined below.

Physical Strategies

• Further enhance the image of the West End.
• Redevelop and renovate inappropriate and out-of-character sites.
• Enhance the appearance of the blocks of buildings.
• Maintain and enhance existing historic buildings.
• Initiate appropriate infill projects that complement the district.
• Carefully reconfigure intersection in front of bus turn-around to make it safer.
• Provide attractive parking options.
• Develop new parking tactics by better utilizing behind-building parking, potentially including structured parking.
• Maximize on-street parking by exploring the feasibility of angled parking where appropriate.
• Incorporate directional signage to parking areas.
• Employ traffic-calming techniques and strengthen the pedestrian experience.
• Upgrade crosswalks.
• Coordinate traffic signaling to maintain 25 mph speed limit.
• Minimize the distance at crosswalks by creating "bulbs" at intersections.
• Maintain and upgrade streetscape and amenities.
• Implement appropriate and unique streetscape program.
• Eliminate excessive curb cuts.
• Amplify the West End's uniqueness with a full complement of streetscape amenities including lighting, seating, bike racks, planters, etc.
• Create attractive gateways and improve accessibility to business district.
• Create strong gateways into the district on Detroit at the Rocky River Bridge.
• Develop attractive identity/signage.
• Develop comprehensive signage program.
• Develop better signage to direct people into the West End, encouraging the use of exterior blade designs.
• Develop signage for parking and other general city directional signage.
• Improve infrastructure.
• Bury utility wires underground.

Retail Market Strategies

• Build on existing strengths.
• Strengths including strong neighborhoods, historic architecture, high traffic counts, strong existing merchants, and natural resources are all qualities that can strengthen and build on the existing commercial district.
• Strengthen the community image.
• Strengthen and maintain existing merchants.
• Initiate merchant seminars to cover such topics as restaurant or store design and layout, retail graphics and signage, marketing and promotions, on-line merchandising, and visual merchandising, product presentation and window displays.
• Attract retailers that sell home furnishings, home accessories, housewares, and small appliances.  These types of goods would serve to augment existing business concentrations and assist in the creation a district identity and destination draw, particularly during the day.
• Augment existing restaurant concentrations.
• Retain existing convenience good and services offered in the West End Business District and add more goods and services as opportunity arises.  There appears to be a limited opportunity in this retail category with demand for such items as CDs/tapes, reading materials, and hardware and services like laundromats.
• Build on existing base of shopping goods and services such as apparel, shoes, musical instruments, and pet shops.
• Increase market penetration by meeting demand of daytime workers.  With over 12,700 workers in trade area, the West End Business District should make an effort to attract those employees to its retail establishments, particularly its restaurants.

Housing Strategies

• Lakewood should consider redeveloping properties in the West End District into upscale, above-market rate housing.
• Although many apartments currently exist in Lakewood, many are not upscale developments.  Because of the West District's proximity to the Metroparks, River, burgeoning retail district, and Lake, the area would be an ideal location for high-end housing.  Cluster homes that in the West End District.  Ideally this housing would be located between Graber Drive and Scenic Street, South of Detroit Avenue.

Regulatory Strategies

• Consider establishing a Special Improvement District (SID) to fund such items as infrastructure enhancement and maintenance, additional parking and parking lot security and promotions.  Consideration should be given to funding a voluntary program of improvements and maintenance for six months to a year to demonstrate the viability and return potential of such a program to district property owners.
• Consider developing screening guidelines for parking in the district.
• Establish the district as a mixed-use development.

Organization and Funding Strategies

• In addition to forming a 501 (c) 3 non-profit as suggested in Downtown Lakewood's organizations recommendations, the West End could be an ideal candidate for the formation of a Special Improvement District to fund items as infrastructure enhancement and maintenance, additional parking and parking lot security and promotions.

Downtown Lakewood-Strengths and Opportunities

Physical Strengths and Opportunities

Parking and Circulation

• Generally adequate vehicle and pedestrian circulation.
• Existing on-street parking that serves as an auto-pedestrian buffer.

Appearance/Identity

• Historic buildings with distinctive character and economic redevelopment potential.
• Unique personality and character.

Gateway/Accessibility/Linkages

• Relatively pedestrian friendly.
• Typically on a traditional transportation artery or major arterial (which is why they became suburbs in the first place).
• Linkage between downtown, parks and Lake Erie.

Investment

• Underutilized commercial sites with redevelopment potential.
• Willingness of some property owners to invest in their properties.

Retail Strengths and Opportunities

• Existing retail base on which to build with strong tenants such as Marc's, well-known coffee shops, Geiger's Sporting Goods, and Rozi's Wine Shop, Harrison's Fine Furniture and Interiors.
• Presence of a number of independent business owners who compete well with chain competitors because of their excellent customer service.
• Under-served market segments.
• Shortage of available small spaces in new centers for chain retailers.
• Retail consolidation trends are resulting in fewer big box retailers with sameness of offer and low customer service levels.  This provides opportunity  to small unique retailers with high customer service levels often found in the commercial districts under study.

Housing Strengths and Opportunities 

• Housing stock is generally sound and/or aesthetically pleasing.
• Marketability because of downtown Lakewood's accessibility to both outer suburban employment centers and the amenities and entertainment opportunities of downtown Cleveland.
• Aging population seeking low-maintenance housing properties in areas where a renewed sense of community exists.

Downtown Lakewood-Strategies for Revitalization

Accomplishing the vision set forth in this plan requires the employment of various physical, retail market, regulatory, organizational/funding, capacity-building, and market strategies.  These strategies are outlined below.

Physical Strategies

• Dramatically improve the image of downtown and strengthen Downtown Lakewood's "sense of place."
• Incorporate storefront enhancement renovations and upgrades.
• Redevelop and renovate inappropriate and out-of-character sites.
• Enhance the appearance of the backs of buildings.
• Maintain and enhance existing historic buildings.
• Initiate appropriate infill projects that complement the district.
• Create a civic space or city plaza on Detroit between St. Charles and Belle.
• Carefully develop corner sites.
• Encourage appropriate retail design.
• Provide attractive parking options.
• Develop new parking tactics by better utilizing behind-building parking.
• Maximize on-street parking by exploring the feasibility of angled parking where appropriate.
• Screen parking lots.
• Incorporate directional signage to parking areas.
• Employ traffic-calming techniques and strengthen the pedestrian experience.
• Upgrade crosswalks.
• Coordinate traffic signaling to maintain 25 mph speed limit.
• Minimize the distance at crosswalks by creating "bulbs" at intersections.
• Maintain and upgrade streetscape amenities.
• Implement appropriate and unique streetscape program.
• Eliminate excessive curbs cuts.
• Amplify downtown Lakewood uniqueness with a full complement of streetscape amenities including lighting, seating, bike racks, and planters.
• Create attractive gateways and improve accessibility to business district.
• Create strong gateways into Downtown Lakewood at Clifton and Lake as well as on I-90 at Warren.
• Develop attractive identity/signage.
• Develop comprehensive signage program.
• Develop better signage to direct people into Downtown Lakewood, encouraging the use of exterior blade signs.
• Develop signage for parking and other general city directional signage.
• Improve infrastructure.
• Bury utility wires underground.

Retail Market Strategies

• Build on existing strengths.
• Strengths including strong neighborhoods, historic architecture, high traffic counts, strong existing merchants, major employers, civic and cultural amenities, and natural resources are all qualities that can strengthen and build on the existing commercial district.
• Strengthen the community image.
• Develop a mix of uses.
• Utilize both upper and lower floors in the downtown commercial district with housing and office uses located on upper floors and retail located on lower floors.
• Strengthen and maintain existing merchants.
• Initiate merchant seminars to cover such topics as restaurant or store design and layout, retail graphics and signage, marketing and promotions, on-line merchandising, and visual merchandising, product presentation and window displays.
• Retain existing convenience goods and services offered in Downtown Lakewood's Business District and add more goods and services.  Opportunities exist in this category for additional square footage in restaurants, grocery, and reading materials.
• Build on the existing shopping goods and services retail category that currently exists in Downtown Lakewood and add retailers that sell pet supplies and service, family apparel, and footwear.
• Augment existing specialty food concentrations with complementary uses to create an identity and a destination draw.
• An unusual overabundance of specialty food stores exist in Downtown Lakewood's Primary Market Area.  Specialty food stores include such establishments as bakeries, candy stores, ice cream shops, delicatessens, and meat markets.  Efforts should be made to locate these types of retail establishments in specific area in order to create a destination district.
• Increase market penetration by meeting the demand of daytime workers.
• With over 11,000 workers in the trade area, the Downtown Lakewood Business District should make an effort to attract those employees to its retail establishments, particularly its restaurants.
• Further analyze downtown Lakewood's retail market, as the district becomes stronger and determine what additional demand for goods and services might exist.
• Other daytime workers could also be attracted to locate to downtown Lakewood if the proper amenities were offered.  The city should strive to accomplish the following objectives to improve its competitive advantage over other office developments downtown and in outlying areas.
• Improve telecommunications capabilities
• Address issues of parking availability.
• Improve the appearance of downtown, particularly of vacant storefronts.

Housing Strategies

• Market downtown Lakewood's accessibility to both outer suburban employment centers and the amenities and entertainment opportunities of downtown Cleveland.
• Renovate upper floors in downtown buildings into unique apartments marketed to empty nesters, young professionals, and the aging population.

Regulatory Strategies

• Consider creating a Conservation District that would serve as a starting point for Conservation District guidelines which would encourage appropriate rehabilitation and new design, drawing cues from existing historic structures.
• Take advantage of the emerging telecommunications market through the use of fiber optics and revise zoning code to reflect this potential use.
• Encourage mixed-use options in any future redevelopment.

Organizational and Funding Strategies  

• Approach the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority for assistance in financing a new public parking deck for downtown.
• Consider target marketing a revamped storefront renovation program in the downtown.

Hilliard Triangle District-Strengths and Opportunities  

Physical Strengths and Opportunities

Linkages and Adjacencies

• The district is well-connected to the surrounding neighborhood.
• Recreation and greenspace exist within the community.
• Bus routes service both Hilliard and Madison and connect the district via mass transit.

Architecture

• The presence of the historic theater offers a potential redevelopment opportunity, providing other issues related to parking, district image, etc. are addressed.

Retail Strengths and Opportunities

• Central location and access.
• Shortage of available small spaces in new centers for chain retailers.
• Retails consolidation trends are resulting in fewer big box retailers with sameness of offer and low customer service levels.  This provides opportunity to small unique retailers with high customer service levels often found in the commercial districts under study.

Hilliard Triangle-Strategies for Revitalization

Accomplishing the vision set forth in this plan requires the employment of various physical, retail market, regulatory, organizational/funding, capacity-building, and marketing strategies.  These strategies are outlined below.

Physical Strategies

• Create a master redevelopment plan that establishes the district core at Madison and Hilliard.
• Reconfigure street and control traffic leading into the Madison and Hilliard intersection by terminating Carabel, Rosewood, and Orchard Grove one block from the intersection and creating two new east/west side streets.
• Redevelop new core configuration with multi-story mixed-use structures at the sidewalks.
• Redevelop inappropriate structures on Madison between Woodward and Arthur.
• Give consideration to relocating the park to the western edge of the triangle at Hilliard, Madison and Woodward which would put it in closer proximity to schools and free the corner for redevelopment.
• Renovate the historic theater.
• Create design standards within the district for existing structures as well as redevelopment opportunities.
• Renovate and restore the theater to community landmark and asset.
• Create storefront renovation program within the district that reestablishes existing buildings while enhancing retail presence.
• Develop a master plan for redevelopment at the core of Hilliard and Madison to create a unique and entertaining atmosphere.
• Create a parking program within the Hilliard Triangle that enhances the consumer's experience.
• Maximize parking configurations and opportunities behind buildings.
• Establish on-street parking throughout the district including angled parking where appropriate.
• Consider valet parking for theater special events.
• Convert underutilized commercial sites along Hilliard, south and west of Madison, to parking to support theater and commercial district.
• Explore possibility of non-peak hour angled parking if width of street permits.
• Create unique experience within the district by enhancing all components of access and streetscape programs.
• Create a pedestrian-friendly design at the Madison-Hilliard intersection.
• Design a distinct and unique streetscape program for the core district.
• Create comprehensive identity program that enhances gateways, parking, promotions, events, etc. within the district.
• Reconfigure street layout to eliminate the seven street intersection and to connect Hilliard and Madison away from the intersection.

Retail Market Strategies

• Retain existing home remodeling establishments and add more goods and services as opportunity arises.
• Much of the Hilliard Commercial District consists of retail establishments in the furniture retail classification.  These clusters of retail bring customers from a large trade area and could be built upon with additional establishments that offer complementary retail goods and services.
• Consider redeveloping the district and redefining its identity.
• Results of market analysis indicate that little opportunity for additional retail uses exists in the Hilliard Triangle Business   District.  The results of the analysis and market area's high vacancy rate (nearly 20%, primarily sue to vacant theater) point to the fact that the district needs should be repositioned and potentially redeveloped with some key anchor, possibly the historic theater.

Regulatory Strategies

• Develop zoning code guidelines that permit mixed-use development in the Hilliard Triangle District.
• Nominate the theater building for the National Register Listing.
• Utilize the Conservation District approach similar to the approach recommended for the other two Lakewood districts.

Next Steps

Main Street Connections has successfully completed Phases I and II of the Revitalization Initiative for the Northeast Ohio Fist Suburbs Consortium.  Below is a list of recommended "next steps" that should be followed to result in the accomplishment of Lakewood's revitalization plan. 

• Build community consensus.
• Refine and detail plans.
• Develop a Special Improvement District for the West End.
• Pursue financial resources for the construction of an additional parking garage downtown.
• Establish Conservation Districts for the West End, Downtown, and Hilliard Triangle District.
• Nominate the theater in the Hilliard Triangle for the National Register.
• Refine zoning codes to reflect mixed-use development guidelines in all three districts and strengthen regulations regarding parking lot screening.
• Develop recruitment materials.
• Identify catalytic projects.
• Train merchants and property owners.

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Planning Commission
Schedule of Community Meetings on the
MAIN STREET CONNECTIONS STUDY

Downtown Commmunity Meeting
March 8, 2001
Masonic Temple
15300 Detroit Avenue

West End of Detroit Avenue Community Meeting
March 15, 2001
Lakewood Congregational Church
1375 West Clifton Boulevard

Hilliard Triangle Community Meeting
March 22, 2001
Grace United Presbyterian Church
1659 Rosewood Avenue

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City of Lakewood
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