That would be the corner of Detroit and Belle, for those wondering. Credit: CARNEGIE
The city of Lakewood is showcasing two proposals for the available space left over after the Lakewood Hospital transaction, and both feature glitzy mixed-use development that will fundamentally alter the downtown neighborhood. For those paying attention, that was the point all along.

Both Casto and Carnegie were granted “finalist” status, and both have pitched mid- or high-rise concepts for the Marlowe and Belle stretches of “downtown Lakewood,” which is a branded portion of Detroit Avenue. The projects are pretty similar, in that retail and upscale residential would be paired in fairly shiny environs. Lakewood really has nothing like this right now, with the Gold Coast being the only thing that really comes close — visually at least.

Read the Casto plan here.

Read the Carnegie plan here.

Credit: CASTO
No retail tenants have been finalized in either plan, though there seems to be plenty of space to court prospective businesses. Casto adds a good deal of green space (“The Green,” for events, and “The Grove,” for enjoying a public fountain). Carnegie favors a banquet hall as an anchor space and a bevy of high-end residential amenities, most of which are in short supply among the city’s agi ng housing stock.

Note that former Mayor Ed FitzGerald is working as the economic development adviser for Carnegie. FitzGerald was running the city when the Lakewood Hospital Association unveiled the Vision for Tomorrow plan, which marked the hospital as a center of excellent in four specialties while stripping the facility of, e.g., its trauma and pediatric programs. That moment in Lakewood Hospital history is vital in understanding how the LHA and the city got to the point of selling off the hospital and moving forward with this redevelopment plan.

The city’s Architectural Board of Review and Planning Commission will host a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. July 25  at City Hall to dig into these proposals on a more in-depth level. No decision will be made until later this year.

This article appears in Jul 5-11, 2017.

Eric Sandy is an award-winning Cleveland-based journalist. For a while, he was the managing editor of Scene. He now contributes jam band features every now and then.

5 replies on “Development Proposals Are In for the Former Lakewood Hospital Site”

  1. I think that, given the track record of Lakewood city hall with which you have documented at length, it would not exceed the bounds of responsible journalism to qualify “No decision will be made until later this year” with something like “the city says it will not announce a decision until later this year.”

    Lakewood city officialsincluding Fitzgerald, in a public forumhave made quite explicit their philosophy that decisions should be made before the public even hears that there’s an open question.

    Therefore it’s entirely reasonable to look at both their pattern of behavior, as well as their own words, and draw the conclusion that if something’s in the press then the substantive decisions have been made already.

  2. while Casto winning has a nice touch of slapping the Carnegie approach to hire Fitzgerald as a lobbyist…that Carnegie high rise is probably best for Lakewood. largest tax base increase.

  3. It is exactly what I expected and feared. Very similar to what happened to the downtown of the lakefront suburb just north of Chicago (Evanston, IL–home of Northwestern University), where I hung out a s a kid and lived for many years as an adult. Within a few short years, it was a forest of high-rises and 35-story condos. Approaching it from Lake Michigan, as you fly into O’Hare, it looks like a smaller downtown Chicago. Why? Because…it is one.

    The architectural gems that were two movie theaters? Gone. The five-story book store that had stood since 1895? Gone. The department store that had been there since the Twenties? Gone. All gone.

    That song “My City Is Gone” is not only about Akron, but about countless other American downtowns as well.

    All replaced by high-end retail, foodie eateries, craft-beer joints, and upscale retail. All gone…for playgrounds for the rich and the hipsters and the yupsters. Erased, like a blackboard…by an army of bulldozers.

    Whatever is built in Lakewood does not really matter. It was all a done deal as soon as the drive to destroy Lakewood Hospital began, and whatever is built there was inevitable, after the politicians, the Clinic, and the developers finalized their conspiracy…and undertook their drive to make it a reality.

    For those who are not happy with this deal…better come to downtown Lakewood NOW…before it’s gone.

    The West End project was stopped. This one was not. Towne Centre is coming instead, and it’s just the beginning. Enjoy the Lakewood of today, because it is about to disappear, and you will never get your city back.

    Chuckles the Clown

  4. Will Fast Eddie FitzGerald make sure to have a free parking space 24/7/365 included in the Carnegie development……in the dimly lighted section?!?

  5. This will kill the charming appeal of lakewood, create congestion, and alter the fundamental appeal of this city.

    If you’re a resident I would recommend you read both plans and come to your own decision if either of them actually promote the interests of the general public or just the interests of profiteers.

Comments are closed.