February 2008 Archives

I am a Regional Property Manger for The Coral Company, and the Manager of Shaker Square retail district in Cleveland, Ohio. I have been in shopping center management for about 12 years, and have been a devout suburbanite for most of my life. I can say that I have never encountered a property like Shaker Square.

 

Shaker Square is situated in the center of both urban and suburban areas of Cleveland, and is host to all walks of life. The buildings are full of character, and are almost 80 years old. Since I have experience working with today's "lifestyle centers", I know that Shaker Square is the Real Deal - one of the first open-air shopping centers in this country.

 

Being in the midst of it now, I can feel the positive energy being created as more award-winning restaurants and quality tenants are added to the already burgeoning mix of Night and Day.  Shaker Square is emerging as a "place to be" - a destination for dining, shopping, working, and playing - and I'm glad to be a part of it. Suburbanites and City Folk alike would do well to pay us a visit.

 

Check out www.visitshakersquare.com for more about Shaker Square.

One of the most exciting parts of our mixed-use redevelopment project in Solon is the opportunity to create a project that will be a national leader in sustainable design and green building.  With a 90+ acre project site, we can impact a community on a far greater scale than with individual buildings.  Building a green neighborhood improves the overall public health of a community and reduces its impact on the surrounding area.  We plan to create a walkable neighborhood that reduces dependence on cars and promotes a more healthy Solon while being conscious of its impact on the environment. 

Throughout our design process, we have been considering strategies to minimize our carbon footprint - from incorporating high energy-efficiency systems into the buildings to creating green and/or or light-colored roofs that treat stormwater and reduce heat island effects to utilizing recycled materials in construction.  We have been studying the new LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) neighborhood development program from the US Green Building Council to identify the ways in which our project can be a model community for sustainable design.   As we continue to move forward, I'll post on some of the key decisions we are making to "green" the project and promote a sustainable Solon.

       

When I first started working at The Coral Company four years ago, I had no idea that developers were actually interested in building and redeveloping within the city limits. It was refreshing to know that my company, among a small handful of similar builders, were taking part in creating viable communities and neighborhoods within the greater city limits.

This reuse and redevelopment of inner ring suburban land, known as Smart Growth, is just the opposite of exurbia (the decades of low density development in the outer reaches of suburbia that have created traffic congestion, long commutes, air and water pollution, inadequate transit options and a decline in green space). By building in established suburbs, green space is conserved, new howmeowners are provided with more choices to live, work, and play, given more transit alternatives and cities thrive again with the increased tax base.

Some guiding principles of Smart Growth development that The Coral Company follows are:

• making sure new developments reflect the character of the surrounding neighborhoods
• designating and keeping green space for the enjoyment of everyone - in the present and for the future
• building where established infrastructure, jobs, and transportation are
• offering trans-generational housing choices to result in greater neighborhood diversity
• providing open space connections to encourage walking, cycling, or use of public transportation
• creating a sense of place by incorporating the local community's culture, heritage, and history into the new development

Makes sense and sounds smart, doesn't it?

Leanne van Beers-Werneke is the Director of Marketing for The Coral Company.