The inside scoop on how decades of planning and economic development unfold in Shaker Heights, plus updates on Lee Road improvements and the new Arcadia development at Van Aken District.
By Sharon Holbrook
Joyce Braverman, the City’s director of planning, and
Laura Englehart, director of economic development for
Shaker Heights.
If you’ve been around a carpenter or other handy person long enough, you’ve probably heard the old saying: “Measure twice, cut once.”
In other words, it’s better to plan thoroughly than to make a hard-to-correct mistake.
When it comes to economic development and other major improvements in Shaker Heights, the City “measures” at least twice – if not three, four, or more times.
Take, for example, the Van Aken District. The popular destination has been open since 2019, but its roots stretch back more than two decades. After multiple planning studies, over 60 community meetings, and a major multi-phase construction project, the VAD is still being expanded and enhanced.
This constantly evolving process of investment and development in Shaker Heights – on multiple projectsat the same time, over many years – is extraordinarily complex. (See sidebar on the steps involved for major development projects in Shaker.)
Many Shaker residents already know that Shaker Heights was built almost entirely as a residential community. Because this can create overdependence on residential property taxes, the City has long been working to diversify its tax base. Allowing thoughtful additions of more businesses and dense residential development brings more income and business tax revenue to Shaker. Not just any development will do, though: the City insists on development that offers the amenities that residents want and that maintains our city’s unique character.
Let’s check in on the status of two current development projects, the Arcadia mixed-use building at the Van Aken District and the Lee Road Action Plan, and what we can expect from these in the coming months and years.
Arcadia
This summer, site preparation began for the Arcadia building at Warrensville Center and Farnsleigh Roads, on the site of the old Qua Buick dealership. A five-story apartment building with second floor office and street-level retail spaces is expected to be complete in 2027.
This wasn’t always the plan for this parcel. In the mid-2010s, the Fresh Market grocery store from the old Van Aken Center was slated to move here. But when that company decided to retrench and ultimately closed more than a dozen stores in multiple states, the City returned to the planning process. This change opened the door for more dense, mixed-use development to complement the existing development at the Van Aken District.
View of the Arcadia from Warrensville Center Rd.
“The more density and vitality that you add to the District, the more successful all of the local small businesses can be,” says Laura Englehart, director of economic development for Shaker Heights, about the positive, multiplying effect that the City hopes Arcadia and each phase of VAD will bring.
Arcadia will cater to different residents than Upstairs (in the heart of the District) and RAYE (on Farnsleigh Road). Here, there will be 141 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. Twenty-five of the one-bedrooms will be set aside for “middle-income” renters. These apartments, although identical to the other one-bedrooms in every way, will have caps on rent that are tied to income.
Englehart anticipates that Arcadia’s middle-income apartments will be within financial reach for households earning 80-100% of area median income as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “We wanted to be intentional about making sure that we were creating housing options for everyone in Shaker Heights, at all ages, at all stages of your life,” she says of the variety of District housing options that Arcadia will join.
Columbus-based developer Metropolitan Holdings was drawn to the project because of its location in the Van Aken District and its walkability and access to transit and amenities. “Our goal is to build on the momentum already thriving in the Van Aken District and help carry it forward for years to come,” says Matthew Vekasy, Metropolitan’s CEO.
View of the Arcadia from the intersection of Farnsleigh and Helen Roads. This view is of the building’s elevation change to three stories and dormers —elements that fit into the architecture of the homes on Helen Road.
Arcadia has been designed to blend and connect with its neighbors. Both business and residential neighbors have been invited to multiple community meetings to give their input. As a result, the back of the five-story building will gradually step down to three floors to blend with its single-family neighbors on Helen Road. On Farnsleigh Road, brownstone-style entrances will provide a neighborhood feel. Residents will park in a hidden parking garage while customers and clients will use a small surface lot.
Up to three retail tenants – not yet selected – will anchor the first floor. Shaker Heights-based RDL Architects, which is designing the project, will occupy office space on the second floor of the building.
The Lee Road Action Plan, which focuses on enhancing the streetscape, commercial areas, and traffic patterns on this busy road, requires a somewhat different approach.
As with the Van Aken District, resident input and careful planning are at the center of the process. But here, there is no clearing of property and there are fewer opportunities to assemble land parcels to attract a developer. Instead, the City is working directly with residents, businesses, and other partners to enhance this commercial district.
Lee Road
Improvements to Lee Road will include road narrowing; friendlier spaces for bicycles and pedestrians; amenities like new benches, lighting, and trees; consolidated, more efficient parking at businesses; and later, an expanded Chelton Park for more community gathering space.
The whole length of Lee Road in Shaker, from the Cleveland border in the south to Cleveland Heights in the north, is slated for public infrastructure and traffic improvements, but commercial improvements will emphasize Lee Road south of Chagrin Boulevard.
Rendeing of Lee Road after the Complete Street project is finished.
Commercial improvement efforts are focused on enhancing existing buildings and businesses, but it’s possible that some buildings could come down in the future if they are too deteriorated to save, says Englehart. That said, the City respects “the existing fabric of the neighborhood,” she adds. Any changes to commercial properties or businesses along the road will be more incremental than anything at larger redevelopment sites like in the Van Aken District, for example. For now, the continues to work with property owners on Lee Road to set the stage for those incremental private improvements and developments to follow soon after the planned public infrastructure investments.
As early as 2012, early plans were made to enhance Lee Road. Before any formal plans could be made, a professional traffic study was conducted in 2021 to ensure that Lee Road could handle the removal of a lane for car traffic, says Joyce Braverman, the City’s director of planning. Additional traffic analysis is being conducted before construction begins to make sure nothing has changed.
Development is an ongoing process for Shaker Heights, and there’s always something to look forward to.
Beginning in late 2021, the City undertook a year-long community process of visioning, listening, and planning. At multiple meetings, participants weighed in on everything from how comfortable they feel crossing the street to what kind of businesses and public improvements they want. One common wish is for a diner or restaurant, which current zoning laws do not allow. The City has hired a zoning consultant to reconsider allowable uses on Lee Road.
The Planning Department has secured $24 million in funding commitments for Lee Road public infrastructure improvements, and the total budget is $30 million. Right now, the City is partnering with Cuyahoga County on engineering and landscape design to fine-tune planning and to prepare for road construction. After selecting a contractor that understands the community’s vision – likely in summer 2026 – road construction is set to begin by fall 2026. The city of Cleveland is coordinating on the Lee Road vision and is undertaking its own Lee Road improvements from the Shaker border south, and they are about a year behind Shaker in their process, says Braverman.
As always, development is an ongoing process for Shaker Heights, and there’s always something to look forward to.
This image from 2004 is an aerial view of the intersection that is currently the home of the Van Aken District. The colored sections indicate main areas of development and improvement that have led to today’s current VAD footprint. The green the former six-way intersection that was reduced to an intersection of Chagrin and Warrensville roads only. Orange is the former home of Qua Buick, now Arcadia. Blue is the former Van Aken Town Center strip mall and parking lot, now VAD. Purple is the former City-owner lot, now Arcadia.
The Invisible Steps to a New City Center
Let’s take the Van Aken District as an example to see how major development happens here in Shaker. Twenty years ago, the spot where Mitchell’s Ice Cream sits was smack in the middle of a huge asphalt parking lot. That parking lot and the previous footprint of the Van Aken/Warrensville/Chagrin/ Northfield intersection appear in the image on the left. It took four major steps to get from that sea of pavement to a place where you can walk, play, shop, and enjoy an ice cream cone or a meal.
VISIONING In 2000, Shaker Heights adopted a Strategic Investment Plan with a focus on prioritizing walkable, mixed-use areas. The car-centric, aging eastern end of Van Aken Boulevard was identified as a potential development site. This step is long-term goal setting – like looking around your own home and prioritizing what you’d like to remodel, even before you have the money or specific plans to do so.
PLANNING Here’s where things start to get more detailed. The City starts gathering Shaker residents’ input, considering a variety of plans, including the 2008 Warrensville/Van Aken Transit Oriented Development Plan, and applying for grants to defray costs to the City and taxpayers. In the complex case of the Van Aken District, six different plans were needed between 2000 and 2020 to address infrastructure (including reconfiguring the Warrensville-Chagrin intersection and the building of new streets); transit-oriented development to enhance Rapid and bus connections; economic development; public amenities; and more. The City’s Planning Department spearheads this process, although the department also collaborates closely with the Economic Development Department and other city departments.
DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS Here’s where the Planning Department passes the baton to the Economic Development Department, although it’s still a tight partnership. Economic Development requests proposals from developers that fulfill development objectives set by City Council. They then choose the best fit for Shaker and the specific City development site under consideration, and negotiate agreements with the developer about everyone’s obligations and what kinds of businesses and residences will be included in the project.
CONSTRUCTION In the first phase of actual construction, the planned infrastructure is now built – streets, utilities, and the overall layout are put into place. Next, the developer gets to work – first designing the project and then building it – and patient Shaker residents finally get to see the new amenities go up. If we’re still comparing this to remodeling at your house, this is when the plumbing work is all behind you and you finally get to see some counters and cabinets go in.
And then … it’s done? Well, no.
There’s ongoing stewardship of any development in Shaker Heights – the developers and the City each have contractual obligations for the Van Aken District, for example. Businesses also naturally come and go, and the Economic Development Department is always in touch with each individual business and helps identify new retailers as needed.
With a large project like the Van Aken District, the City may return to Steps 1-4 multiple times for different phases – like the recently completed RAYE apartment building and the new Arcadia building now under construction. In the years to come, look for the process to repeat for future parcels and buildings in the District.
