What — we inquired in our inside voices — on earth?
The outlet mall is “under development,” on the HGP website, and it’s a proposed 350,000 square-foot monstrosity, occupying prime real estate on a blank-canvas waterfront that civic leaders were supposed to be rallying to develop in the best possible, most civically responsible way.
So imagine our surprise when an outlet mall appeared to be getting buy-in from folks like Fred Geis, the local developer-supreme who now sits (controversially) on the Cleveland Planning Commission and who’s company has an option on the 20-acre site.
The words from a February Plain Dealer editorial on the subject now seem prophetic.
“There’s a big conflict of interest here and it’s far more than perception,” the Plain Dealer wrote about Geis’s appointment to the Planning Commission. “Fred Geis, a Cleveland resident, owns several parcels of land in Cleveland and works closely with the city to craft public financing deals and to obtain low-interest loans for his projects. That seems at odds with a commitment to serve on an independent board that is supposed to protect the public interest…even if the interests of developers get hurt in the process.”
Fist bump, PD.
Geis told Steve Litt that he was under a confidentiality agreement with HGP, and wouldn’t comment until the concept became “more than a vague dream.” But he’d been quoted in Jarboe’s initial story saying that HGP had already met with city and county officials and that they (Geis himself and the purported officials) were “all very anxious to see them come to Cleveland.”
Yikes.
Litt was on the money when he noted that the current design appears to be “driven by profit maximization, not a desire to be part of a neighborhood,” a desire which would also seem totally incongruous with the new downtown neighborhood that developer Dick Pace has been pushing: Schools! Grocery stores! Green spaces! And outlet malls?
After decades of discussion and wishful thinking about the lakefront — about doing the lakefront right — Cleveland seemed to be heading in the right direction at last with its recent wave of downtown development. This HGP project would signal not only a regression, but an absolute betrayal of residents, residents who deserve more than Lodi on the water.
If Cleveland leaders have any balls at all, they’ll shut this shit down.
This article appears in Jul 27 – Aug 2, 2016.
I concur. This is the absolute last thing that should be built on this site. It directly contradicts everything the City as a whole has been striving towards. There is also the question: Is it even needed?warranted?wanted? I think not. Let us aim to fill the gaps in retail, with the The old Arcade, The Avenue at Tower City and the Galleria. Building this would be a blunder for a City right now at the height of it’s game (Public Square, Cavs Championship, Successful RNC)
Just use Tower City… can’t get an anchor store in there, but we’ll get an outlet mall :-
– Make America Shop Again –
No, no, no, no, no. I agree with the other commenters. Utilize existing empty retail space before doing something like this abomination.
are they smoking meth somewhere in the city planning department?
Don’t worry, it will never happen. If the democrats that run Cleveland have their way, the most prime land in the city will be used for a public housing project.
An outlet mall? On the lakefront? Fuck this tacky exurban noise. Malls are so Eighties…or even before.
If they are sofa king wonderful, how come suburb after suburb is seeing them empty out and being demolished?
Put down the pipe, assclowns. Send this shmuck packing, right back to Medina or Strongsville, before he destroys downtown in order to “save” it.
We don’t need “saviors”…either retail or political…in either Cleveland or D.C.
Chuckles the Clown
We need some protesters to have a die-in because of projects like this killing our lakefront.
One of the worst ideas ever for this potentially great waterfront property. No aesthetic vision.
Horrible idea. Even a Navy Pier (Chicago) type thing is better then this!
To EazyBreezyOne, you’re an idiot. If you were smart then you’d know the leaders of this city are trying to get rid of public housing all over the city, anyway, an outlet mall would be an embarrassment at this point. Maybe 20 years ago, this would’ve been great but in 2016, absolutely not. What happened to the proposed clean up of the lakefront and green spaces idea from a few years ago. Any retail development in downtown should have its focus only and only on Tower City, the Old Arcade and the Galleria, especially the Galleria, it can be filled with high retail stores similar to Beachwood Place and Crocker Park. The Old Arcade can be filled with local retailers and vendors and Tower City can be the casual, everyday mall similar to Great Northern and Southpark, nothing too fancy and the store selection is diverse to attract different types of shoppers. Malls aren’t outdated, they lack diversity with the types of stores they have. Cleveland is the only major city I’ve been in that doesn’t have a major mall or shopping plaza in its downtown area. Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Cincinnati and Columbus all have one
Outlet malls are booming. Yes, the traditional mall is struggling immensely, outlet malls are most certainly not though. Philadelphia is building a huge outlet mall downtown. New Orleans already has one opened in 2014.
Millenials want to live in walkable downtown neighborhoods, not have to drive to the suburbs.
I agree its a bit tacky, but it creates jobs and brings people to downtown.