Shaker Square wraps up $5 million in renovations

Two years after being taken over by a nonprofit, Shaker Square is wrapping up $5 million worth of renovations meant to help existing businesses and attract new ones to the nation's second-oldest planned shopping center.

Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc. hosted local stakeholders Monday to highlight progress being done on Shaker Square, including new HVAC systems, new roofs, outdoor lighting, awnings, historic light fixtures and other items that added up to 20 years of delayed routine maintenance.

RELATED: Growing number of vacant storefronts in Cleveland's Shaker Square raises concerns among business owners

On top of building improvements, road construction continues concurrently on Shaker Square. Organizers told News 5 that it is expected to wrap up this fall.

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Tania Menesse, CEO and president of Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, said that Dave's Markets had renewed its lease for six years and is slated to spend $750,000 to improve and upgrade its store.

"This is the historic asset to revitalize the southeast side of Cleveland," Menesse said. "You can’t have backups in your sewers, and you can’t run a wonderful Montessori preschool and not have the heat work, which is what happened the winter before we purchased the square."

Right now, the square only has about 15% of its storefronts vacant, most of which are on the second floor, which is not ADA accessible.

"Shaker Square has within literally walking distance of each other, some of the most affluent people in Cleveland, some of the, frankly, poorest people in Cleveland and then everybody in between," Menesse said.

Going forward, Menesse told News 5 they're looking for feedback from the community on the grand vision for Shaker Square's future, with an event from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 19th.

That event will take place inside the former Dewey's, which is where Melissa Hirsch, the owner of Larchmere's UnBar Cafe, plans to open Cafe Indigo, a coffee and ice cream shop.

"It feels like confirmation that this is the time to be doing this," she said. "Revitalizing the square is such a big deal and for me to get in at that time and do the same transformation at this corner, I feel the stars are aligned."