Across Marlowe Avenue from the Lakewood Common’s construction office, and behind the historic Curtis Block, is where city, school and development team officials will gather at noon Thursday for the official groundbreaking ceremony for the redevelopment of the former Lakewood Hospital site. Site preparation was getting underway last week (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Ex-Lakewood Hospital site comes back to life
Last week, NEOtrans was first to report that site preparation work was getting underway for the Lakewood Common redevelopment of the former Lakewood Hospital site. This week, we can report that the official groundbreaking ceremony is now scheduled.
At 12 noon Thursday, Sept. 25, officials from the City of Lakewood and Columbus-based developer CASTO will finally put shoves to soil for the $119 million mixed-use development. The groundbreaking site will be behind the historic Curtis Block, south of the corner of Detroit and Marlowe avenues.
Officials said the project will not only be a mix of uses but a mix of new construction and historic rehabilitation. Lakewood Common will bring hundreds of housing units, thousands of square feet of new retail space, and an inviting public plaza to the heart of Downtown Lakewood. Most of the city-owned Lakewood Hospital was closed in 2016 and its structures were demolished several years later.
Site plan for Lakewood Common, the branded name for what has long been simply called the Downtown Lakewood redevelopment. North is the top of the image and the development’s programming is displayed in the upper-right (Dimit).
“The City of Lakewood is excited to see this project break ground and for this site to come to life again and become a center of activity for our community,” said Mayor Meghan George in a written statement. “We cannot wait to see the project come to fruition.”
“We’re thrilled to break ground on this transformative project in the heart of Lakewood — this new vibrant community hub with apartments, 25,000 square feet of retail, and welcoming public spaces is more than new development,” said Brent Sobczak, president of CASTO Communities. “It’s the beginning of something truly special for generations to come.”
“This development will welcome new residents, add economic vitality, and provide wonderful new public space in the heart of Lakewood,” George added. “I am thankful to all who were involved in making this day happen – from the development team at CASTO to our city staff and City Council, as well as the many residents whose input helped us establish the community vision for the future of this site.”
The feature that gives the new development its name — Lakewood Common. This public space at the southeast corner of Detroit and Belle avenues and the ground-floor retail spaces behind it is designed to be the latest community gathering spot in Downtown Lakewood (Dimit).
When complete, the 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.
Behind the Curtis Block, seen here at the southeast corner of Detroit and Marlowe avenues, is where Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony will be held for Lakewood Common. The Curtis Block will be renovated with updated apartments and retail spaces (Dimit).
- 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.
As the development extends farther south into the old Lakewood Hospital site, the less dense it is planned to become. This view shows in the foreground Building Four with 87 garden-style apartments and Building Three just beyond with 74 apartments (Dimit).
“Throughout the process, this project has been strengthened by the active participation of our community, and we’re thrilled to realize the vision they’ve helped us shape, one which balances economic growth with affordable and accessible housing, public gathering space and restrooms, historic preservation, and vibrant density,” said Lakewood City Council President Sarah Kepple.
She added that this is a generational project, built on years of hard work and dedication by the city’s staff, expertise of citizen boards and commissions, perseverance and creative thinking by the development team. Development of this site has taken many tortuous twists and turns through two mayoral administration and two developers.
Kepple said Lakewood Common is the result of a partnership between the George administration, City Council, and the School Board, and her council colleagues. The project was finally launched last week after City Council authorized the sale of the 5.7-acre city-owned land for $1.5 million to CASTO and a tax increment finance agreement was executed.
In the center of the U-shaped garden-style apartments at the south end of Lakewood Common is another public space for community use. It will be next to a newly built street connecting Belle and Marlowe avenues. If the view turned around and faced north, it would look at the development’s new parking garage (Dimit).
George also recognized others who played important roles in the project, including a number of administrative departments that worked tirelessly over the years, especially Planning & Development, Public Works, Building & Housing, and the Law Department.
She also thanked the volunteer members of the multiple boards and commissions that reviewed and guided the project, and Lakewood City Schools for its partnership on key financing elements of the development.
CASTO’s project affiliate Belle Ave Partners in June purchased for $260,000 a house-turned-dentist office at 1417 Marlowe, Cuyahoga County property records show. It will be used as a construction office for Lakewood Common. A sign for Panizica Construction, a Mayfield Village-based general contractor, was posted on the property. Dimit Architects of Lakewood is the project’s designer.
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