The City’s Lee Road Corridor Action Plan is a visionary reinvestment plan for the section of Lee from Chagrin Boulevard south to the city limits. The plan is a schematic for transforming the area into a thriving commercial district that is attractive, walkable, and bikeable.
The plan will address four critical elements:
Urban design and streetscape, to improve the overall design and appearance of the Corridor. The City is anticipating a $1.5 million grant from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) for streetscape and multipurpose path funding.
Economic development and facilities strategy, to optimize business development opportunities along the Corridor and to consider the redevelopment and best use of public facilities.“The plan calls for investment in a part of the community that has not seen large-scale reinvestment since work was completed at the Shaker Town Center shopping area in 2005,” says Joyce Braverman, director of the City’s Planning Department.“Due to resident-led efforts, the residential neighborhoods adjacent to the Corridor have become stronger and more vibrant,” she says. “The plan will foster the same spirit, and create equitable, inclusive approaches to development in the Corridor.”
Transportation, to establish a multi-faceted plan for all modes of transportation using information collected in traffi c studies. This will enhance connectivity within and between neighborhoods and the commercial district.The City anticipates a $3.7 million grant from NOACA for road reconstruction and resurfacing. “Connectivity between the business district and adjacent residential neighborhoods, between businesses and residents, and between residents and potential jobs is important,” says Braverman.
Accordingly, the plan will include community and stakeholder engagement, to gather input from residents, neighborhood associations, business owners, and property owners.
Visit the Lee Road Action Plan project page on the City’s website for the latest updates.
Already, many businesses in the Corridor are benefitting, with help from the City’s economic development programs, private investment, and the Shaker Heights Development Corporation (SHDC), a non-profit whose mission is to enhance the City’s commercial revitalization efforts. In the following stories, Shaker Life looks at the latest initiative of the SHDC as well as some of the businesses that are lighting the way along the Corridor.
Driving Change
Crystal Jones, Matt Wright and their daughter, Nyomi. Photographs by Damian Eduardos
MWW1 is the poster child for what the Lee Road Corridor can become: a location for thriving businesses with connections to the adjacent community – and to the community at large through its work with the Shaker Schools.
The Shaker Heights Development Corporation’s Shaker Lee Development Fund will allow residents to support the development of the Chagrin-Lee business district.
Business Expansion on Lee Road
Established businesses are expanding their operations along the Lee Road Corridor, some of them with the help of the Shaker Heights Development Corporation, the City, and various business grants. Here are some success stories:
Process Canine began as a side gig for owner Amanda Corr, but has now grown into a thriving (and expanding) business on Lee Road.
CarTeCor Kitchens & Baths helps Shaker residents create the homes of their dreams from a stunning showroom on Lee Road.
The new owners of Shaker Heights Animal Hospital are expanding this beloved veterinary clinic to a new location in the heart of the Chagrin Lee District.
