SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio. — The city of Shaker Heights plans to relocate the school district's transportation facilities to make way for a new neighborhood center along Lee Road.
Shaker Heights Mayor David Weiss said moving the bus garage would open space for an upgraded Chelton Park and a new building with shops, offices, and housing.
"It's intended to really transform not only the area to make it more of a thriving commercial district, but also to have a positive impact on the neighborhoods on either side of Lee Road, namely Moreland and Lomond," Weiss said. "And then ultimately this is about economic development. It's about creating jobs and attracting people to a new part of Shaker that frankly, hasn't had the same kind of investment that, for instance, the Van Aiken district has."
The proposed relocation is part of the Lee Road Action Plan, a $25 million project focused on transforming Lee Road from Chagrin Boulevard to Scottsdale Boulevard. Weiss said the city spent 10 years developing the plan through community input.
Resurfacing work is already visible along Lee Road. The plan also calls for improvements to pedestrian safety, new landscaping and lighting, and a reduction from four lanes to three with the addition of bike lanes.
According to the city's proposal, the school district's bus garage would move to the Green Road Transit Station, which is already home to a Greater Cleveland RTA transit center.
"What we would be contemplating would be making a substantial investment to make that whole area much more attractive, and there are lots of reasons for doing this," Weiss said. "We'll beautify the area economically. It makes sense because it's already a transit center."
In a statement to News 5, the Shaker Heights City School District said this is an early plan and that it looks forward to working with the city on the relocation process.
The city will present its proposal to the school board at the board's Oct. 27 meeting. Later this year, the city council and the school board will vote on a cooperative agreement.
