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Lakewood Residents,

The ground was officially broken at the former Lakewood Hospital site last week. This event was the culmination of years of work and collaboration between City departments, our partners CASTO and Panzica, City Council, our volunteer boards and commissions, and all the Lakewood residents that provided feedback on the project plans. Thank you to everyone for your dedication. I am beyond excited for the new Lakewood Common development to bring new life and vibrancy to our downtown district. You can read more about the project in the article below.

Fall has arrived, and October brings a full schedule of fun events including the the Skatepark Ribbon Cutting Celebration, Spooky Pooch Parade, and Bike With A Mayor. Also in this issue, you can learn about and apply for several board and commission openings, read about the Heritage Home Program, and get updated on the latest public art project near Hayes Elementary.

Mayor Meghan F. George

Sun., October 5

Firefighter Recognition Ceremony

12:00 PM

Fire Station #1

Mon., October 6

Skatepark Ribbon Cutting and 20th Anniversary Celebration

6:00 PM

Lakewood Skatepark

Mon., October 6

City Council Meeting

7:30 PM

City Hall Auditorium

Tue., October 7

Lakewood PD Coffee With A Vet

9:00 AM

Cove Community Center

Tue., October 7

Bike With A Mayor

6:00 PM

Kauffman Park

Thu., October 9

Coffee With A Cop/Firefighter

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

The Doughnut Pantry

Sat., October 11

Spooky Pooch Parade

12:30 - 3:30 PM

Madison Park

Sat., October 11

Tree Giveaway Pickup Event

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Bernice Pyke Park

Sun., October 12

Car Seat Safety Check

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Fire Station 1

Mon., October 20

City Council Meeting

7:30 PM

City Hall Auditorium

Click below to view the City of Lakewood's full events calendar.

Lakewood Breaks Ground On Downtown Development

A new chapter has officially begun at the site of the former Lakewood Hospital. On September 25, city officials, county and state representatives, and project partners CASTO and Panzica came together to put the ceremonial gold shovels in the ground to mark the beginning of construction on Lakewood Common.

When complete, the $119 million Downtown Lakewood Development, which includes both new construction and the renovation of the historic Curtis Block, will feature the following elements:

• Housing: 303 total units of housing, comprised of 291 new apartments units spread across three buildings, five fully renovated units in the Curtis Block, and seven townhomes on Belle Avenue.
• Parking: a total of 567 structured parking spaces, including a 536-space parking garage that will serve the development and provide additional public parking, and another 31 garage spaces in the five-story mixed-use commercial / apartment building.
• Commercial: approximately 25,000 square feet of new ground floor retail in addition to the renovation of the Curtis Block historic first floor retail space, all of which will add new energy to Lakewood’s already bustling downtown business district.
• Outdoor Community Spaces: a 17,000 square foot plaza and community space (situated between the Curtis Block and the five-story mixed-used building at Belle and Detroit) that will be used for public events and gatherings. This plaza is in addition to a similar sized new public pocket park further south in the development and a linear park along Belle Avenue.
• Urban Design: key elements of the project’s design will promote downtown vitality and walkability, including a pedestrian walkway behind the Curtis Block that connects the public community space and another new connection between Marlowe and Belle Avenues.
• Construction Timeline: the project will be built in phases, with the parking garage taking shape first and then the residential and commercial spaces. The project is expected to be completed in approximately Spring of 2028, subject to outside factors.

City Of Lakewood Seeks Volunteers To Fill Upcoming Board And Commission Vacancies

The City of Lakewood is seeking applicants for openings on the following boards/commissions:

• Architectural Board of Review (ABR)
• Board of Zoning Appeals
• Citizens Advisory Committee
• Community Relations Advisory Commission
• Complete and Active Streets Education and Advisory Board
• Animal Safety and Welfare Advisory Board (LASWAB)

To read more about these boards and commissions and to apply for an opening, click below.

Mayor's Corner: Heritage Home Program Continues To See Strong Interest And Spur Major Investment in Lakewood’s Historic Housing Stock

Last year, the City of Lakewood and the Cleveland Restoration Society began a partnership that allows owners of Lakewood homes built over 50 years ago to access the resources of the Heritage Home Program. This means homeowners can obtain low-cost, below-market-rate financing as well as the advice and tips of experts on repairing, upgrading, and maintaining historic buildings. When we launched the partnership, our goal was to leverage the program to help maintain and improve one of Lakewood’s defining attributes – the character of our beautiful, historic housing stock. After a year and a half, we can see that the impact of the program has been significant for our homeowners and our community. 

For those of you who may not be aware of Heritage Homes, the program offers two key pieces of support for Lakewood homeowners. The first is the expertise and advice side – Lakewood homeowners can access impartial and independent technical assistance and advice for home repair and maintenance projects. And they can get that support for free. Homeowners have used this advice to help find and evaluate contractors, obtain key advice on repairs and upgrades, or even decide on the right paint colors and patterns for their historic Lakewood. The other pillar of the program is the ability of Heritage Home to link homeowners with low-cost loans, with fixed rates as low as 1.4%, which provides incredible value and helps make projects workable for many of our owners who might otherwise have to delay work due to the costs involved. 

Over the first 15 months of the program, over 350 Lakewood site visits have been performed by Restoration Society staff and professionals and over 100 Lakewood homeowners have taken advantage of the program’s technical assistance capacity for free guidance. These are impressive numbers that show us that the program has gained awareness in Lakewood and confirms something we already knew – the people of Lakewood care about their historic homes. Another statistic that is exciting is the amount of investment this program is supporting. Through the low-cost loan aspect of Heritage Homes, nearly $2.5 million in loans have been provided to Lakewood homeowners. This is important as we are making our Lakewood homeowner dollars go further with these reduced costs, meaning people can put more money into their upgrades and repairs instead of paying interest. Finally, the total project value of homeowner work where Heritage Homes has been involved is in excess of $21 million dollars – this number is tremendous, and I am very proud of our Lakewood homeowners for investing so much in our community. 

I continue to strongly encourage homeowners who are thinking about upgrades or repairs to get in touch with the Heritage Home Program. The technical assistance costs nothing and provides impressive value. The loans are hard to beat when you consider the rates that you will encounter in market rate loan. You can reach the Restoration Society at 216-426-3116 or visit the website: www.heritagehomeprogram.org.

I also want to say thank you to all the homeowners who have taken advantage of the Heritage Home Program to date and used that support and dollars to keep our Lakewood homes in excellent condition. We are fortunate to live in a community that values the character and beauty of our historic housing stock. Let’s continue to find ways to continue our tradition of taking pride in our homes.

Lakewood Skatepark To Celebrate Upgrades at Ribbon Cutting/20th Anniversary Celebration

We are celebrating the new-look Lakewood Skatepark! Join City officials for a ribbon cutting and 20th anniversary celebration on Monday, October 6 at 6:00 PM. The event will feature food, drinks, and live music.

Over the fall, winter, and early spring of 2024-2025, the Lakewood Skatepark underwent a renovation that included the addition of new skate features including a large in-ground bowl. This summer, a shade structure was built on the south side of the park to provide a place for skaters and spectators relief from the sun.

Painting has begun on Delaware Avenue near Hayes Elementary School, where colorful painted bumpouts will add beauty and enhance safety for pedestrians.

"The goal of [the program] is to illustrate where pedestrians are, making it more clear for vehicles to see that this is a pedestrian space, and also reducing the crosswalk width and reducing crossing times," said Amanda Cramer, City Planner and project manager of Lakewood's public art initiative, Spectacular Vernacular.

Artists were chosen in June of 2024 by Lakewood's Public Art Advisory Board following an RFP process that took place in the spring of 2024.

City of Lakewood | lakewoodoh.gov