Top Story
23 Developments Named Finalists for the Urban Land Institute's Americas Awards for Excellence
Twenty-three impressive developments from across North America have been selected as finalists for
Van Aken District- 2021 ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Finalist
May 4, 2021
Photo By Randall L. Schieber
The internal streets evoke the park-like character of Shaker Heights’ Garden City neighborhoods. Streetscapes are adorned with large open planters with a mix of large caliper tree species and perennial plantings.
Photo By Aerial Agents
The ‘living room’ is the heart of the Van Aken District and consists of sloping lawn and plaza areas that tie back to the Shaker’s history as a Garden City. It is a front yard for residents of the 103-unit apartment building and a space to share with the residents of Shaker Heights and beyond.
Location: Shaker Heights, OH, USA
Developers: RMS Investment Corporation
Designers: Bialosky Cleveland; MKSK; Dimit Architects
Site Size: 7 Acres
Photo By Randall L. Schieber
The Market Hall is a unique concept for the region featuring many local artisans and restaurants. The Hall is open to the public during the day and spills out into a outdoor ‘garden’ space, engaging with the streetscape.
The Van Aken District is the product of a long-term planning effort to transform the auto-oriented environment around the Cleveland RTA terminal to a pedestrian-centric, transit-oriented retail development. The development sits at the intersection of Chagrin Boulevard and Warrensville Center Road – previously a six-point intersection that was considered for decades to be one of the most dangerous in the region.
Photo By RMS
Mitchell’s Homemade Ice Cream is a gem-like building that faces the ‘living room.’ The paving pattern of the plaza extends into the building and large windows open up onto the green space emphasizing the dialogue between the inside and outside spaces.
With changes to the traffic configuration and lane reductions along the two corridors, the development replaces a 40s-era 100,000-square-foot strip shopping center with a 7-acre vibrant, walkable ‘downtown’ for the Shaker Heights community. The project primarily serves a population of over 200,000 people and is a destination for nearly half a million people living in greater Cleveland.
Photo By RMS
Pop-up events such as open-air markets and outdoor movies attract different populations to the Van Aken District. The development provides something for everyone.
The concept for the new Van Aken District development goes back to the early 20th Century vision for the City of Shaker Heights planned as a “Garden City” suburban oasis that could easily be reached by rail from bustling downtown Cleveland. The area’s natural features and vegetation were leveraged in planning the residential community with only necessary commercial amenities.
Photo By RMS
In accordance with social distancing practices during COVID, Tuttle Road was transformed into an expansion of the Market Hall ‘garden’.
The Van Aken District reflects this original concept with lush landscaping and tree lined boulevards throughout the district in a small scale, walkable neighborhood setting with a central public gathering space. The new development provides a true ‘downtown’ for Shaker Heights where there was none before and attracts people of all ages to experience the unique center with a “best of local” retail strategy.