LAKEWOOD, Ohio — Lakewood's downtown area will soon be transformed after the city has entered a formal agreement to turn a six-acre parcel of land on Detroit Avenue into a mixed-use development.
On Monday, the City of Lakewood approved a formal agreement that clears the way for the former site of Lakewood Hospital to be redeveloped into nearly 300 residential units, along with over thousands of square feet of commercial/retail space, a parking garage, and green spaces.
"The City of Lakewood is excited to have a final agreement in place that achieves the goals our residents established during the initial visioning process for this site,” said Mayor Meghan F. George. “This development will deliver hundreds of housing units with diverse options; thousands of square feet of new commercial space; new jobs and income tax revenue; a welcoming public space; high quality architectural and environmental design; historic preservation of the Curtis Block; and increased activity in the heart of Downtown Lakewood.”
Lakewood Hospital was officially closed in 2016 and its buildings were demolished starting in 2019. Since then, the unused land has become known as "The Pit" by residents, who even began a Facebook group.
THE VISION
The development is being led by CASTO, a Columbus-based company. Plans call for the "Downtown Development" to actually be several buildings:
- Building 1: A five-story residential/mixed-use building that will have commercial space on the ground floor, a garage with 31 parking spaces, and four floors with a total of 132 residential units.
- Building 2: A three-story parking garage with 536 spaces.
- Building 3: A four-story apartment building with 74 units.
- Building 4: A three-story apartment building with 87 units.
Planners also intend to "preserve the historic exterior" of the Curtis Block building on the corner of Detroit Avenue and Marlowe Avenue, with retail and an additional five residential units.
In addition, there will be seven single-family townhouses for sale at the southern end of the development.
City officials say the development would be "the largest construction of new, market rate residential units in Lakewood in over 50 years," as well as "the largest development of affordable housing units in Lakewood in nearly 50 years."
