From the corner of Detroit and Belle avenues, the first building at CASTO’s Lakewood Common development has topped out (Harrison Whittaker). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Progress Pics: Lakewood Common, Thoreau Place, Marlowe Townhomes, more
While Lakewood lacks the undeveloped greenfield sites that allow outer-ring suburbs to accommodate growth through sprawl, building expansions and infill projects on vacant lots are allowing the historic streetcar suburb to grow its housing supply to meet new demand.
At 15501 Madison Ave., a compact single-story structure formerly used as a gas station and auto mechanic shop was converted into Vital Pilates and Wellness Bar in 2025.
Now, Cleveland-based MJM Building standards is more than doubling the building’s square footage by expanding into the underutilized air space above its roof.
A commercial building expansion at Vital Pilates & Wellness Bar on Madison Avenue demonstrates how vertical space can be utilized to add square footage (Harrison Whittaker).
Meanwhile in Downtown Lakewood, Columbus-based CASTO is developing Lakewood Common, a $119 million mixed-use project on the former Lakewood Hospital site.
At 14519 Detroit Ave., the project’s first building has reached its final height. The structure will feature 132 apartments over 25,000 square feet of retail space.
On its north side, a 17,000-square-foot plaza and community space will be constructed fronting Detroit Avenue, while the historic Curtis Block building at the corner of Detroit and Marlowe avenues will be renovated with apartments and retail.
The historic mixed-use Curtis Block building will be renovated at the corner of Detroit and Marlowe avenues (Harrison Whittaker).
Lakewood Common will include 567 off-street parking spaces — most of them in a 536-space, multilevel garage under construction directly south of the new building.
The additional spaces will accommodate parking needs for the development’s future phases, including a 74-unit four-story apartment building, 87-unit three-story apartment building, and seven townhomes.
Cleveland-based Panzica Construction is Lakewood Common’s general contractor. Dimit Architects of Lakewood designed the development.
A 536-space parking garage is under construction on the east side of Belle Avenue (Harrison Whittaker).
Lakewood’s apartment boom won’t stop with Lakewood Common. In fact, the city’s next big multifamily development appears to be moving forward behind the scenes.
On August 6, DiGeronimo Development won approval for a lot consolidation at 13815 Detroit Ave., clearing the path for the first of a pair of four-story buildings at The View on Detroit.
That structure, referred to as The View East, would offer 65 apartments over ground-level retail, while its neighbor across Parkwood Road would add 55 more apartments. A total of 140 off-street parking spaces would be created to serve the 110 residential units.
Train enthusiasts and heavy sleepers will rejoice at the opportunity to own a townhome at Thoreau Place, overlooking the historic Nickel Plate Railroad (Harrison Whittaker).
In addition to rental units, a number of infill and townhome developments are creating opportunities for owner-occupied housing in Lakewood.
At 1300 Thoreau Rd., a permit was issued in November for the construction of 10 townhomes and one single-family home overlooking the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks. The development, called Thoreau Place, is being led by Hilane Realty in collaboration with Garfield Heights-based developer Driven 4 Group.
While construction on the single-family home has been underway for months, a permit was issued in August to allow for plumbing work for the 10 townhomes. Earlier this month, three homes were listed for sale.
On the east side of Marlowe Avenue south of Madison Avenue, the first of 16 townhomes have begun construction (Harrison Whittaker).
Further south, another townhome project has started construction at the southeast corner of Madison and Marlowe avenues on the site of the demolished St. Clement School and convent buildings.
Led by Greenlight Building Co. of Cleveland, the 16-unit townhome development was modified from a previous proposal to allow for more living space by moving four planned homes on Madison slightly closer to the street.
The Marlowe townhomes were designed by Cleveland-based architectural firm Onyx Creative. Building permits have been issued for the first eight units, all of which have been listed for sale.
Clockwise from top left, new single-family homes stand in various stages of construction on St. Charles Avenue, Lakewood Avenue, Edanola Avenue, and Clifton Road (Harrison Whittaker).
Other residential construction consists of “infilling” vacant lots with new single-family homes and renovating or expanding existing residences with new additions.
A number of major construction projects in Lakewood are not residential at all, however. At 14740 Lakewood Heights Blvd., the aging Winterhurst Ice Arena is seeing an investment of $8 million across three phases of renovations.
In 2023, the City took back control of the ice arena from a third-party operator, ending its lease with the private company. It also created a long-term capital improvement plan for the facility.
At Warren Road and Lakewood Heights Boulevard, the second phase of renovations at Winterhurst Ice Arena include a 12,000-square-foot expansion (Harrison Whittaker).
While the first phase of work consisted of upgraded mechanical systems and improvements to lobby and lounge areas, phase two renovations include a 12,000-square-foot addition to accommodate new locker rooms, an indoor training and warmup area, and ADA accessibility improvements.
The final phase of the project will replace the facility’s HVAC system. Renovations are expected to wrap up in 2027.
Two major infrastructure projects have also seen significant progress in Lakewood. The city is spending $21.6 million to replace a deteriorating water main, storm drains, and sewer main on Bunts Road — the latter of which is a century old — as well as reconstruct roadway infrastructure.
A reopened section of Bunts Road, directly outside of Lakewood High School, shows how the rest of the north-south street is expected to look after reconstruction (Harrison Whittaker).
The overhauled street, already reopened between Madison Avenue and Franklin Boulevard, will consist of one travel lane per direction for vehicles and a parking lane on the west side of the street. It also includes the replacement of sidewalks and curbs and the construction of an off-street walking and biking path.
The path is intended to improve cycling safety for residents of Lakewood, one of the only cities in Ohio where every student is encouraged to walk or bike to school. Despite that, some neighbors have protested the path, calling it “unsafe” and “harmful.”
At the west end of Clifton Boulevard, construction has begun on another piece of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure: the Lake-Clifton Connector. The 1.2-mile off-street walking and biking path, in the works for the past 18 years, will improve the connection between Lakewood and neighboring Rocky River.
Construction is underway on a redesigned section of Clifton Boulevard between Lakewood and Rocky River. At right, a narrow sidewalk will be replaced with a spacious walking and biking path (Harrison Whittaker).
Notably, the project also involves the construction of the first roundabout in the city of Lakewood. A short section of Clifton will be rebuilt with two lanes for vehicle traffic.
The trail project is expected to cost $11 million, with completion targeted by September 2027. According to the City, Lake-Clifton “is the first of several similar neighborhood connections planned,” with the Detroit Road and Hilliard Boulevard bridges targeted for future improvements.
For more construction updates around Greater Cleveland, check out NEOtrans’ other Progress Pics articles.
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