CLEVELAND, Ohio — One Cleveland neighborhood is positioning itself for greatness. The Shoppes of Buckeye – the first piece of the transformation puzzle for the Buckeye Road corridor just had a $1 million overhaul of the plaza completed.
The area hasn't had a lot of investment in recent years, but that is changing.
The man behind it is Adam Lubkin, of Ibis Development Group.
"It's been a big project,” Lubkin said. "Trying to recreate magic within the city. I never was in Ohio before I bought this property. I kind of fell into it by luck."
He's a Florida real estate developer who'staking a chance on Cleveland.
"I don't have a wife, I don't have kids. This is my way of paying it forward to society,” Lubkin said.
The focus moving forward is a 1.4 mile stretch of the historic corridor.
“We want this work to absolutely honor the history of the street here and continue to tell that history, but we also want to build from that history and look ahead to the future," urban designer and planner with City Architect Michelle Bandy-Zalatoris said.
"We want to create a thriving commercial district for the neighborhood,” Bandy-Zalatoris said.
She's part of the Buckeye Refresh team, which is proposing a new streetscape that would add art, trees and benches.
The project also focuses on safety.
"Improving traffic safety, improving pedestrian safety and creating an environment that feels safer for residents," Bandy-Zalatoris said. "We absolutely want this process to represent the priorities and the voice of the community.”
Improvements to reduce crime in this area are already underway, according to Cleveland City Council. Lubkin's company has also hired a new security company to keep watch of the Shoppes of Buckeye.
"We are in the process of putting in cameras, we have better lighting,” said Ward 6 Cleveland City Councilman Blaine A. Griffin. "Even though he's from Florida, and I usually favor local investors, this guy has come in and has been a breath of fresh air."
