Description. The neighborhood is the location of one of the nations earliest planned shopping areas and Cleveland?s best example of transit-oriented development, Shaker Square. Developed by the Van Swerigen brothers in the 1920s the neighborhood is distinguished by the rows of apartment buildings that line the rapid transit tracks that connect the neighborhood to downtown and the airport. West of North and South Moreland Boulevards the neighborhood is predominantly two-family houses. East of that line it is mainly single-family homes. During the early 1900s the Buckeye Road area attracted so many Hungarian immigrants it became known as Cleveland?s ?Little Hungary.
Assets. Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are:
- Shaker Square, one of the most unique places in Cleveland
- the Larchmere Boulevard antiques district
- the Buckeye retail district which serves the shopping needs of the neighborhood
- RTA’s Blue and Green rapid transit lines
- historic multi-family and single-family neighborhoods
- schools that address the requirements of special needs children such as the Sunbeam School and the Alexander Graham Bell School
Challenges. Among the challenges faced by the Buckeye Shaker neighborhood today are:
- finding alternative uses for portions of Buckeye Road no longer viable for retail
- addressing impacts on the perceptions of crime in nearby neighborhoods on Shaker Square and the Larchmere antiques district
- concentrations of two-family homes in poor condition south of Buckeye & east of East 116 th
- improving regional roadway access
Vision. Attract and retain a diverse population by building off of existing assets to maintain and strengthen a sustainable, transit-oriented and pedestrian-friendly neighborhood. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed for the neighborhood are the following:
- develop Buckeye as the premier neighborhood retail corridor through streetscape and storefront initiatives to encourage entrepreneurship and investment
- develop a community in Buckeye that offers housing options of all types and price points
- connect the Buckeye neighborhood to recreation resources found in Cleveland and in outlying communities via trail development linking to the Shaker Lakes, Zelman George Recreation Center and Shaker Square
- capitalize on institutional partnerships to provide development resources both physical and social to surrounding community
- develop an arts and cultural district along Buckeye Road to promote history & heritage, provide entertainment, and promote local artistic talent
- work to maintain the unique retail mix that makes Larchmere and Shaker Square regional destinations
Printable version: can be downloaded here.
Maps (current as of May 2007): Assets, Development Opportunities, Land Use (existing and proposed), and Retail Strategies are available here. (PDF)
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