THE VISION ISSUE - City of Shaker Heights

Shaker Heights Development Corporation
Shaker Heights has long been a community that has relied almost exclusively
on its residential tax base. Current economic challenges make it imperative
that Shaker invest in its commercial areas in order to diversify the
City’s tax base.
In order to attract new residents and businesses to Shaker Heights, the
City must continue to maintain the assets that have made our City strong:
housing, parks, neighborhoods, and services. Strengthening our commercial
districts is critical to sustaining the quality of life in our community. In
view of this new economic landscape, placemaking initiatives from commercial
streetscapes to land banking will need to be supported in part by
the citizens of Shaker Heights.
The Shaker Heights Development Corporation (SHDC) was created to
initiate and guide economic and community development projects on behalf
of the citizens of Shaker Heights in order to create jobs, seed businesses,
provide educational opportunities, and to revitalize commercial districts and
neighborhoods.
The SHDC has the following goals:
Revitalize the Lee Road commercial district and in doing so, strengthen
the Lomond and Moreland neighborhoods
Seed new companies and create jobs in the City of Shaker Heights and
the surrounding region, with a focus on high growth opportunities
Foster entrepreneurial educational opportunities to avoid brain drain in
Northeast Ohio
Provide a vehicle to engage the citizens of Shaker Heights and the surrounding
region in economic and community development efforts
Guide the redevelopment of the Van Aken District into a walkable mixed
use district
The SHDC is a community improvement corporation established by the
City of Shaker Heights in 1981. As an agent of the City of Shaker Heights,
the board is made up of citizen members, City staff, and elected officials.
The City acts as the fiduciary agent for the SHDC. The organization’s tax
exempt 501(c)3 status allows it to accept charitable donations. For more
information about giving, please contact SHDC President John J. Boyle
at j.boyleiii@csuohio.edu.
nificant redevelopment is planned.
Over the past year, Menesse has
been busy meeting with real estate
brokers and working to get commercially
available properties listed
on Shaker Heights’ web site. Having
this list available online is essential,
especially when it comes to marketing
the Van Aken redevelopment
district. “In the first phase of development,
we’re going to encourage a
developer to put in 60,000 square
feet of office space. And the only way
we’re going to be able to do that is if
we have a list of businesses that are
ready to go,” Menesse explains.
Just as much as the City will rely
on marketing and Menesse’s economic
development efforts, residents’
involvement is equally important
to improving the business
climate here.
“We really want the residents to
understand that their engagement in
our economic development success
is crucial. So, as you’re talking with
your friends who own businesses,
ask them to just think about Shaker,”
says Menesse. “What we’ve done
is pare the Van Aken District plans
down to what is realistic for a firstring
suburb with the distinction and
quality that we have here, but that
also has lots of challenges. We’ve laid
the groundwork for it. Now it’s time
to move.”
Opening a business can be tricky – well – business.
Let us make it as easy as possible for you to do business in Shaker Heights. The Economic Development
Department is happy to help at any point in the process. For a Vision Kit contact us at
economic.development@shakeronline.com or 216-491-1334.
46 WWW.SHAKERONLINE.COM