Redevelopment Plan:
The Lee Road Corridor
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the lee road corridor: a visionary reinvestment
The City’s Lee Road Corridor Connections 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:
l 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.
l 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.”
l Transportation, to establish a multi-faceted plan for all modes of
transportation using information collected in traffic studies. This will enhance
connectivity within and between neighborhoods and the commercial district.
The City anticpates 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.
l Accordingly, the plan will include community and stakeholder
engagement, to gather input from residents, neighborhood associations,
business owners, and property owners.
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. SL
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