THE VISION ISSUE - City of Shaker Heights

“When you look at the driving force
in the City’s investment in the Zalud
building, it was to get real estate brokers,
developers, and business owners
to see that we could be and would be
innovative,” explains Menesse. “But it
was also about the Lee Road transformation.
We wanted to show that we
will invest in making improvements so
that we can bring activity to the area.”
That has happened, thanks to
LaunchHouse, and that means more
customers for Shaker Town Center.
And when combined with the Lee
Road infrastructure improvements,
which could start in the next few years,
it’s a step toward creating the environment
that will make the Lee commercial
district attractive to private investment.
That could help spur new retail and
restaurants on Lee Road. And the City
also would like to see private office
space along Lee geared to small companies,
including some that started at
LaunchHouse that are now ready to
expand.
“We’ve just taken our first commercial
property on Lee, a foreclosure,
which will be torn down in the next
year and become a parking lot,” says
Menesse. “Is there a huge need for that
at the moment Not necessarily. But
my conversation with the orthodontist
might have been different if we had
that at the time. Well, as soon as we
do, I’ll call him.”
striking
the Perfect
Balance
BY DIANA SIMEON
In 2010, the City of Shaker Heights
created an economic development
plan. Research conducted in that process
revealed that Shaker residents are
hungry for change, for tax relief, for
better retail and restaurants, and for
new and vibrant commercial districts
that they can patronize and into which
they may be able to move their own
working lives.
The following series of interviews
with Shaker residents reveal the extent
to which the Work-Live benefit plays
out. These benefits include personal
ease and convenience, which the residents
readily acknowledge, but also
the fostering of more commercial activity
in the City, and lower local income
taxes than they would pay if they
worked elsewhere.
What these interviews articulate is
that Work-Live in Shaker Heights is a
value proposition consistent with the
other values we prize, such as architectural
superiority in our homes, educational
excellence in our schools and a
shared sense of value in the community
itself.
These business professionals enjoy
the freedom to spend more time
with their families and experience a
strengthening of their emotional attachment
to our community. They
stay engaged with their neighbors, the
schools and other important institutions.
In other words, engaged with all
of the fundamental elements that have
defined the City’s values for 100 years.
Values-based community vitality
nourishes economic vitality, which is
why Work-Live is a key component
of the City’s economic development
marketing campaign. We encourage
all residents to learn more about
the prospect of bringing their business
lives closer to their home lives in
Shaker Heights. We recommend you
start imagining Shaker’s future by visiting
work-live-shakerheights.com and
clicking on the Vision Video link.
A view from Tower East looking
across the Van Aken District
and Shaker Heights toward the
Cleveland skyline. PHOTO BY
GREEN STREET STUDIO.
SHAKER LIFE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2013 57