Downtown Lakewood

Neighborhood Design Analysis

Bryan Townley

Table of Contents

Assets and Liabilities List……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3

Figure-Ground Map……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4

Historic Figure-Ground Comparison………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………5

Land Use Map……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6

Residential……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………7

Commercial………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….8

Institutional………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….9

Park Space………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….10

Gray Space………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….11

Lynch Map…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..12

Paths…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..13

Edges………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….14

Districts………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………15

Nodes…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………16

Landmarks………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….17

Strengths…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….18

Weaknesses………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..18

Opportunities………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………19

Threats………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..19

3

Assets

-Main Branch of Lakewood Public Library

-Strong, walkable commercial district

-Regionally-significant restaurants: Melt,

Deagan’s Kitchen, Eddie Cerino’s, The Root

-Stable residential districts with structures in

good repair

Liabilities

-Many surface parking lots scattered

throughout the neighborhood

-Some new construction with suburban

design including drive-thrus, parking lots,

and/or deep setbacks

-Large, underutilized office tower

-Lack of green space

4

Figure-Ground

The most noticeable features are the small,

detached houses that are scattered on the side

streets around the periphery of the map. While

the housing is fairly densely packed, its spacing

and slight setback from the streets suggests that it

was built during a transition from streetcar-

focused to automobile-focused development.

Larger structures flank Detroit Ave, and to a lesser

extent Warren Rd. The smaller of the structures

flanking Detroit represent the old urban fabric of

Lakewood’s streetcar suburb era. The larger of

these structures were built during subsequent

years as the auto became the dominant mode of

transportation. These larger figures are often

accompanied by a larger ground, relating to the

need for automobile parking and circulation.

5

Historic Figure-Ground Comparison, 1952 and

2015

The most visible difference between the 1952 and

2015 figure ground maps is the Marc’s plaza

constructed in the center of the neighborhood.

Also of note are the additions to the Lakewood

Hospital, located in the eastern portion of the

maps. Next to the hospital, the creation of the

Lakewood Center office complex, both north and

south of Detroit, represents another change

between the two maps. The post office, library,

and school office make up the other significant

changes between the two years.

The changes between the two maps seem to have

a common theme: they replace smaller structures

with larger ones, usually accompanied by a larger

ground (parking). In addition, some structures

that remain the same between the two maps have

expanded ground in 2015. One can see that this is

due to the demolition of residential structures

that once abutted the commercial structures

along Detroit. While this allows for the expansion

of parking and vehicular access, it disrupts the

urban fabric, decreases residential density in the

neighborhood, and hurts walkability. These

negative changes are further compounded by the

fact that several of the new structures, including

Lakewood Center (high vacancy) and Lakewood

Hospital (impending closure) have uncertain

futures.

6

Land Use

The following pages will describe the land use

pattern of the Downtown Lakewood

neighborhood. These are broken down into four

categories: residential, commercial, institutional,

and park space.

7

Residential

The residentially-zoned parcels are located

primarily along side streets around the periphery

of the neighborhood. When the neighborhood is

divided into quadrants by Detroit Ave and Warren

Rd, the Northwest, Southwest, and Northeast

quadrants are zoned as single and two family

residences, while residential parcels in the

Southeastern quadrant are zoned as high density,

single family.

8

Commercial

All commercially-zoned parcels in Downtown

Lakewood are located along Detroit Ave and the

southern portion of Warren Rd. The intersection

of those two streets represents the commercial

heart of the city. The highly linear arrangement of

commercial parcels also harkens to Lakewood’s

streetcar era, as each streetcar stop (or

intersection) along Detroit represented (and still

represents to a certain extent) a commercial node

for the residential side streets. Thus, every

streetcar stop was a miniature transit-oriented

development.

9

Institutional

Only three parcels in the neighborhood are

classified as institutional, including the Main

Branch of the Lakewood Public Library to the west

along Detroit, and Grant Elementary and the

Lakewood School District offices to the south.

10

Park Space

Downtown Lakewood is lacking in green space, as

only four small areas fit under this designation.

These include: Kauffman Park (the largest) in the

far west of the neighborhood, City Center Green

(a small plaza in front of the Marc’s parking lot),

Isaac Warren Park (essentially a parklet), and St.

Charles Court (a half-block green space wedged

between a railroad track and parking garage). The

lack of green space could potentially stem from

several factors: not explicitly designating green

space when the city was originally laid out,

replacing green space with surface parking when

automobiles became popular, or the large

Lakewood Park directly to the north reducing the

need for other parks in this neighborhood.

11

Gray Space

The majority of gray space in Downtown

Lakewood is comprised of surface parking lots

which are scattered behind the commercial

structures fronting Detroit Ave. The largest

surface lot is in front of the Marc’s supermarket

plaza at the intersection of Detroit and Warren.

The remaining gray space includes two parking

garages that serve the Lakewood Hospital and

underutilized Downtown office buildings. While

Detroit Ave has a fairly decent wall of buildings

along its length in the neighborhood, areas off the

street suffer from poor streetscapes created by

surface parking. Of particular issue are the blank

areas that the parking lots create along residential

side streets as they approach Detroit. However, if

surface lots absolutely must be located in

Downtown, it is a positive that they are located

behind the commercial structures.

12

Lynch Map

The following pages will describe Downtown

Lakewood’s paths, edges, districts, nodes, and

landmarks.

13

Lynch Map: Paths

The primary path through Downtown Lakewood is

Detroit Ave, which runs east-west through the city

and acts as the main focus of the neighborhood.

Detroit is also the primary transit thoroughfare,

carrying GCRTA’s 26 bus line. In addition, Detroit

is a major bikeway for both Lakewood and

Cleveland, demarcated by sharrows in both

directions. Warren Rd, Franklin Blvd, and Hilliard

Road are designated as secondary paths due to

their substantial volumes of traffic. Warren Rd

also carries the neighborhood’s only other GCRTA

bus line, the 83. Belle Ave is labeled as a tertiary

path due to its connections with Lakewood Park

to the north and its volumes of traffic around

Lakewood Hospital.

14

Lynch Map: Edges

The Norfolk Southern railroad track, an edge,

forms the northern border of the neighborhood

and acts as transition from the more modest

housing to the south to the slightly more

extravagant housing to the north. I also labeled

Marc’s supermarket as an edge due to its L-

shaped impermeability and its framing of a large

expanse of parking.

15

Lynch Map: Districts

On the Lynch Map I lay out two districts: the

Detroit Ave Commercial District, and the

Lakewood Hospital District. As is obvious the

Detroit Ave Commercial District encompasses the

retail and office structures that frame Detroit for

the length of the neighborhood. The Lakewood

Hospital District comprises of the hospital itself,

its ancillary structures, its surface parking, and its

parking garage.

16

Lynch Map: Nodes

There are two main nodes of activity in

Downtown Lakewood: the intersection of Detroit

and Warren, and the intersection of Warren and

Franklin/Hilliard. The former receives a large

volume of automobile, transit, and pedestrian

traffic, while the latter mainly sees automobile

traffic. The Warren/Franklin/Hilliard intersection

is also laid out in a strange manner, so that

interesting sightlines are created. However, its

auto-focused streetscape surrounded by highly

suburban-designed structures holds it back from

its full potential.

17

Lynch Map: Landmarks

Three structures in Downtown Lakewood are

designated as landmarks: the Lakewood Public

Library to the west, the Lakewood Center office

tower, and the Lakewood Hospital. These

structures’ landmark status comes largely from

their physical characteristics which allow them to

stand out in some way. The Lakewood Library has

a commanding presence along Detroit Ave with its

columns and large front plaza. The Lakewood

Center office tower is the tallest structure in the

neighborhood and can therefore be seen from

many vantage points. The Lakewood Hospital is

designated as a landmark due to its large size and

its prominence along Detroit Ave.

18

Strengths

Downtown Lakewood has a very defined commercial strip along Detroit Ave that is

comprised of restaurants and shops that serve both people that live in the immediate

area (Marc’s, Discount Drug Mart, The Place To Be, The Root) and those that may live

elsewhere in the region (Melt, Eddie Cerino’s, Campbell’s Sweets, 16 Bit Bar+Arcade).

The draw of this strong, historic commercial district creates a healthy pedestrian life in

the neighborhood, especially on the weekends. The City of Lakewood recently

undertook a streetscape overhaul along Detroit Ave, adding new traffic signals and

crosswalk signage, brick-paved crosswalks, new wayfinding signage, and bike

infrastructure, including on-street bike corrals. The streetscape improvements have

spurred a revitalization of the storefronts of the old commercial structures along

Detroit, filling in some gaps that previously existed. While still a heavily trafficked street,

these improvements have created a more aesthetically and functionally-pleasing

environment for pedestrians.

The housing stock of Downtown Lakewood, the majority of which is detached single and

two-family, is of good repair and is generally well maintained. The City of Lakewood

conducts programs and classes which teach residents the proper upkeep of their 100+

year old homes. The overwhelming majority of these homes have one or two story

“Lakewood” or “Cleveland Porches” which add an “eyes on the street” element, even on

the neighborhood’s relatively quiet residential streets. Residents often decorate their

porches with plantings, flags, tables and chairs, and lighting, which add interest and

personality to the otherwise modest homes. The majority of the apartments in

Downtown Lakewood are located on the second and third stories of the commercial

structures fronting Detroit Ave, or are located directly behind. As mentioned previously,

the streetscape enhancements have spurred a refurbishing of many of these old

structures.

Around the time of the streetscape improvements, the Main Branch of the Lakewood

Public Library underwent a major overhaul, enhancing an already strong neighborhood

asset. The Library’s front plaza, directly abutting Detroit, has diverse programming

during the summer months, including farmer’s markets and concerts.

Weaknesses

In spite of its great walkability, Downtown Lakewood still suffers from auto-centricity.

While it succeeds as a “park once” district, the vast majority of outside visitors (who are

quite numerous) arrive via automobile. Because of this, there is a large amount of

surface and garage parking in the neighborhood, as can be seen in the gray space map.

While Detroit Ave itself is a vibrant commercial stretch, its parking behind the

commercial structures creates a “dead zone” between the commercial and residential

areas. With many curb cuts and a lack of general interest, many pedestrians are not

drawn to wander off of Detroit. The Marc’s plaza has the largest of such parking lots, as

the building is set back from both Detroit and Warren, right in the center of the city.

The auto-centricity continues in some newer structures’ very suburban designs,

complete with drive-thrus and parking in the front. Including the Burger King, Einstein

Bros. Bagels, Speedway, and the post office, these buildings further hurt the

neighborhood’s walkability. Another newer (1960s-70s) structure, the Lakewood Center

office complex, is partially vacant. Without a full roster of tenants, the complex is not

reaching its full potential in contributing to the vibrancy and pedestrian life of the

neighborhood that an increase of office workers would provide.

While Lakewood overall is known as being one of the most green (both literally and

environmentally) communities in Northeast Ohio, Downtown is nearly devoid of green

space. The only park of any significance in the neighborhood is Kauffman Park, which

houses several forms of recreation. The other “parks” in Downtown are essentially

parklets which serve to offer a brief respite from concrete and asphalt hardscapes.

Detroit Ave itself is seriously lacking in trees, or really vegetation of any type.

19

Opportunities

The neighborhood has the ability to further capitalize on the effects of the rebuilt

Detroit Ave streetscape, if improvements are continued. As mentioned, adding trees

along Detroit Ave would help to enhance the street both aesthetically and

environmentally. The City of Lakewood could also become more aggressive in its shared

parking policy, possibly better utilizing its garage spaces. In this way, large outdoor

events could be held on the surface lots. If shared parking becomes a more viable

option, some of the lots could potentially be sites of development.

The neighborhood could also further capitalize on Lakewood’s “food destination” status

by creating restaurant environments that better interact with pedestrian life and the

street. Several establishments along the stretch, including 16-Bit Bar+Arcade and Rozi’s

Wine House, have started to experiment with somewhat innovative patio design. These

patios are partially covered and may have retractable windows which help account for

changes in weather. While the sidewalks are not wide enough for these establishments

to build full-size patios, they show that outdoor environments are possible, and may

actually boost business. Future patios could also be built extending into the parallel

parking spaces of the street. These parklet patios have been seen in other cities around

the country, and would greatly complement the neighborhood’s status as a food

destination.

Threats

A near-term threat to Downtown Lakewood recently manifested itself with the

announcement of the impending closing of the Lakewood Hospital. Due to apparent

financial distress, the hospital, a branch of the Cleveland Clinic, will close and be

replaced with a recreation/community center and clinic. The inevitable loss of

employees and the loss of a neighborhood institution will likely have negative effects on

Downtown Lakewood. The unexpectedness with which the closing was announced and

the relatively unclear future of the site has instilled unease among Lakewood residents.

The doubling of freight train traffic through Downtown Lakewood during the summer of

2014 represents another recent threat to the neighborhood. The majority of residential

side streets in the neighborhood cross the railroad track- a feature that greatly helps

accessibility if train traffic is of low enough volumes. However, when volumes are

increased, these side-street at-grade crossings present safety hazards, especially for

pedestrians. The noise pollution from increased train traffic could also make the

surrounding properties less desirable.

In addition, the constant threat of age looms over older neighborhoods. As much of the

neighborhood’s structures have surpassed or will soon be surpassing the 100 year mark,

upkeep is a constant issue. The programs that the City of Lakewood has in place for

homeowners or landlords for the proper maintenance of their property are necessary in

the fight against deterioration.

As with many popular urban destinations, Downtown Lakewood fights the perception

that it has a lack of parking. And in keeping with these locations, it doesn’t actually have

a lack of parking. The unwillingness of visitors to park a short distance away from their

destination and then walk a bit is a behavior that people have been trained on since

WWII. Unlikely to be resolved by a single neighborhood, this systemic behavior is a

country-wide issue. Because of this, Downtown Lakewood’s rising dining scene, and its

inevitable increase in traffic, could create a situation in which people push for even

more parking. Lakewood city planners must be cognizant of the fact that alternate

options to increasing surface lots exist. A parking audit may be a useful tool in making

sure that the City is getting the optimal results from the parking that already exists,

rather than simply adding more. Also, events such as the closing of the Lakewood

Hospital may reduce some parking demand and create more shared parking

opportunities.