Nonprofit Shaker Square owners propose first comprehensive, ‘cohesive’ plan in decades

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Nonprofit Shaker Square owners propose first comprehensive, ‘cohesive’ plan in decades

With boots on the ground in Shaker Square to address a long list of deferred maintenance issues, the new nonprofit owners also expect to have a 10-month “community vision plan” in the works by the end of the year.

Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP) and Burten Bell Carr Development Corp. (BBC) set a Friday (July 14) deadline on a request for proposals (RFP) from consultants. Eight firms already have expressed interest as of last week — four of those local.

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July 2023 Newsletter

Newsletter

July 2023

Summer on the Square

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the first Summer on the Square event! It is our community that made the day shine so bright. View more photos on the Shaker Square Facebook page.

We look forward to continuing the summer fun at the next Summer on the Square event on Saturday, July 15. See you then! Find event details on the Shaker Square website.

Capital Improvements

If you have visited the Square recently, you’ve likely seen some of the improvements underway. Capital improvements currently happening on the Square include:
Storefront carpentry and masonry repairs, which will continue throughout the year.

Parking lot and exterior lighting upgrades to LED bulbs, which are on schedule to be completed this month
Bids for roofing, asphalt for the parking lots, and painting have been received, and the work will begin this month and next. The next two work items to bid are new HVAC units and storefront awnings.

Shaker Square Planning Engagement

Would you like to be involved in the Shaker Square visioning process? Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc. is looking for residents, business owners, and other stakeholders to serve on an advisory committee, evaluate RFP proposals, and participate in focus groups.

Fill out the form here to indicate your interest, and a member of the Burten, Bell, Carr team will follow up shortly.

Shaker Square Shopping Center Planning Engagement

Featured Tenant

Just two years after immigrating here from Ukraine in 1992, Elina Kreymerman opened Shaker Square Dry Cleaning & Tailoring. With her business continuing to run strong nearly 30 years later, today Elina is the longest-tenured business owner on Shaker Square.

Elina credits the neighborhoods surrounding Shaker Square for making her success possible, especially amid the challenges posed to businesses in recent years.

“Shaker Square is a great place,” Elina shares. “A lot of businesses like ours did not survive the pandemic, but we have very loyal customers around here. We know our customers, we know their children, and we even know their dogs! We’re a local business that serves our local community.”

This feature originally appeared on the Shaker Square social media channels. View the original post and learn more about other tenants on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

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15+ Things to Do in Cleveland This Weekend – Summer on the Square

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15+ Things to Do in Cleveland This Weekend

Shaker Square hosts a monthly series of community events to be held throughout the summer in the historic retail destination’s public space. The free-to-attend and family-friendly events will feature local businesses, organizations, artists, authors, and creators.

The Summer on the Square series will take place on the third Saturday of each summer month, with programming beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing throughout the afternoon.

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Family Friendly 'Summer on the Square' premieres Saturday at Shaker Square

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Family-friendly ‘Summer on the Square’ premieres Saturday at Shaker Square

Shaker Square will kick off its new “Summer on the Square” monthly series of free-to-attend, family-friendly events this Saturday (June 17).

Taking place on the third Saturday of each month through August and featuring local businesses, organizations, artists, authors and creators, the first installment will focus on health and wellness, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“The Summer on the Square series is an exciting opportunity to bring the community together and showcase the great amenities that Shaker Square has to offer,” said Joy D. Johnson, executive director of Burten, Bell, Carr, Inc., one of the new nonprofit owners.

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Cleveland Neighborhood Progress Announces Shaker Square Retail District RFP

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Cleveland Neighborhood Progress Announces Shaker Square Retail District RFP

Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, in partnership with Burten Bell Carr, is ready to move forward with a new vision for the area.

“Our goal is to build on the progress made in 2019 and hear from the community about their vision for the Square. To do so we are seeking experienced urban design and retail professionals to work collaboratively with us and the community in developing a long-term plan.” 

Download the RFP

Can Shaker Square’s rescuers come up with compelling new vision for a struggling Cleveland landmark?

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Can Shaker Square’s rescuers come up with compelling new vision for a struggling Cleveland landmark? - Cleveland.com

Shaker Square was the latest word in upscale urban innovation when it opened in 1929 as one of America’s first automobile- and transit-oriented shopping centers.

Built by the Van Sweringen brothers, the tycoons who went bust in the Depression, the square featured Georgian Revival-style buildings wrapped in an octagon around a five-acre central landscape. The “square” is bisected by a rapid transit line connecting the suburb of Shaker Heights to the east, and Terminal Tower downtown, to the west, both of which the brothers also built.

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March 2023 Newsletter (2 of 2)

Newsletter

March 2023 (2 of 2)

Shaker Square Website 

Shaker Square has a new website! View the full directory of tenants, see upcoming events happening in the Square, learn about the history of the area, and more at shakersquare.com.

Ownership Team Updates

The Shaker Square ownership team recently met with the local district manager of CVS to discuss the capital improvements planned for the Square and ways to improve overall customer experience.

Featured Tenant

Whether you’re 3 or 83, Cleveland City Dance has something for you. Owner Courtney Laves-Mearini moved this esteemed dance school to Shaker Square in 2008, and she’s worked to double her student population since then. As a longtime neighborhood resident and business owner, Courtney appreciates what the Square offers without having to get in a car: “if I need something I can walk to the grocery store, there are restaurants to eat at, there’s music on the weekends.”

This feature originally appeared on the Shaker Square social media channels. View the original post and learn more about other tenants on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

Events

Save the date! Our summer series of events kicks off on June 17, 2023. Watch your inbox and Shaker Square social media for details.

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Six months in, Shaker Square’s new owners make plan to spend millions fixing up property - The Land

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Six months in, Shaker Square’s new owners make plan to spend millions fixing up property - The Land

The new nonprofit owners of Shaker Square have completed a capital needs assessment of the property, and it calls for investing more than $7 million into the complex, which faced foreclosure last year. Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and Burten Bell Carr Inc. bought the property from The Coral Company in August for $11 million with help from the city of Cleveland. Since then, they have been meeting with merchants, doing repairs, and completing an assessment of improvements to the property.

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March 2023 Newsletter (1 of 2)

Newsletter

March 2023 (1 of 2)

Block by Block Around the Square
We’re excited to share that the Block by Block team at Shaker Square is fully staffed. Curb appeal and safety are top concerns for tenants and residents at the Square, and we have contracted with Block by Block to provide improved services from our clean and safe ambassadors seven days a week. Block by Block maintains the cleanliness of the Square and patrols the walks and parking lots.

The Short. Sweet. Film Fest.
Last week, The Short. Sweet. Film Fest. was held at Atlas Cinemas. The unique film experience showcased the works of student to veteran filmmakers across the county, with each film clocking in at less than 40 minutes.

Capital Improvements Starting Soon
According to a recently completed capital repairs assessment, improvements to the Square are expected to cost more than $10M over the next five years. Half of that money has already been raised thanks to the generosity of many donors, so improvements can begin immediately. The priorities for these improvements include roof replacements, façade improvements, electrical and HVAC upgrades, lighting, parking lots, and awnings. Details about these improvements were recently covered in a cleveland.com article.

The Shaker Square ownership team is already working to raise the other $5M needed to complete all of the projects listed in the capital needs assessment, in addition to funds that will support community programming and other activities across Shaker Square. When you see information about fundraising to support Shaker Square, know that these funds are being used to improve the Square for tenants, customers, and residents.

Follow Us
Follow us on our newly relaunched social media channels: @shakersquarecle across Facebook, Instagram, and X  We’ll be sharing updates on events happening on the Square and stories about the people who make Shaker Square a special place.

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Shaker Square’s new owners hit the roof with capital needs assessment - Cleveland.com

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Shaker Square’s new owners hit the roof with capital needs assessment - Cleveland.com

With an assessment of capital needs that could exceed $10 million, the new owners of Shaker Square have now expanded their priority checklist beyond three original items.

In no specific order, those were “roofs, roofs and roofs,” consultant Terri Hamilton Brown told the Shaker Square Alliance last year as the capital needs assessment was still being compiled.

Those replacements will still top the list, although the priorities will also include facade improvements, electrical and HVAC upgrades, lighting, parking lots and awnings, Burten Bell Carr Development Executive Director Joy Johnson said in a recent update to the Shaker Square Alliance.

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