Posted by Henry J. Gomez ~ Plain Dealer Reporter on
Related link click hereRelated file click to downloadWhen Bob Stark unveiled Crocker Park in Westlake two years ago this month, some had doubts it would be anything more than another shopping center, let alone the mixed-use lifestyle center the developer had promised.
It didn't help that only six stores were ready for the grand opening. West Siders expected a splashy debut, much like the arrival of Legacy Village on the East Side a year earlier.
Today, 52 retailers are open at Crocker Park. The more than 150 apartments built above the street-level stores are 98 percent leased. And with several big projects in the works, the property has become one of the hottest pieces of real estate in Cleveland's western suburbs.
"Crocker Park is not a shopping center," Stark said in a recent interview at his Woodmere office. "Crocker Park is not a mall. Retail is in the minority here."
It may have taken a while, but the empty field Stark sowed with Crocker Park is showing signs of becoming a true lifestyle center - a place where people can live, work and play.
A look at Stark's latest efforts reveals an emphasis not on upscale shopping but on:
Upscale housing. The Coral Co. of Beachwood has begun construction on Westhampton, which will include 116 homes ranging in price from $290,000 to more than $700,000.
Upscale hotels. For more than a year Stark has been talking about a "boutique-style" hotel he originally expected to open this summer. Delays have pushed back construction to 2007, but Stark is not discouraged. "Actually, I'd like to be able to build two," the developer said.
Arts and entertainment. Stark aggressively pitched, but ultimately failed, to lure the Beck Center for the Arts away from nearby Lakewood. The effort is emblematic of his pursuit of more community-oriented services, such as a Central Park-style gathering area with a chess garden.
Health and wellness. Construction has begun on a Gold's Gym, expected to open next spring. The 46,520-square-foot location will include a pool, elevated track, and basketball, racquetball and squash courts as well as more than 150 cardio machines and a women-only fitness area. In the past, "we've just settled for mediocre fitness facilities," Stark bragged.
Stark said he's also in negotiations with the Cleveland Clinic to open a $75 million suburban campus on the property. It would be just as much a coup as snagging the Beck Center, but a Clinic spokeswoman would not confirm Crocker Park as a possible destination for an expanded, West Side family health center. The Clinic has a facility nearby on Clemens Road.
Education. Another potential recruit is Cuyahoga Community College, which is interested in opening an adult-learning branch at Crocker Park. Tri-C spokesman Michael Devlin said the college is "in very serious discussions with Bob Stark" but is trying to determine funding.
Stark envisions the Clinic and Tri-C supporting each other through a joint medical training program. He also expects Tri-C classes to focus on the hospitality industry and complement his hotel plans. "We're really excited about the prospects of all these things," he said.
Is that excitement premature? After all, Stark and others felt Crocker Park had a legitimate shot at landing the Beck Center before its leaders decided to stay in Lakewood.
But some real estate professionals believe Crocker Park's emergence as a town center makes it attractive to health and cultural institutions looking to relocate or add a location.
"Crocker Park, at least in Cleveland, has become a very well-known point of reference," said Keith Hamulak, a real estate specialist with the Cleveland office of commercial real estate services firm CB Richard Ellis. "For an organization, it's important to feed off that draw."
Others who've followed Stark's work are impressed with how far and fast Crocker Park has come along, particularly after opening with only six stores.
"Stark is a magician," said Alec Pacella, a vice president and retail specialist at the Cleveland office of commercial real estate services firm Grubb & Ellis. "He's that type of guy who has that touch. He says he's going to do something and he does it."
One example is Westhampton, the $45 million for-sale housing development, where the first of 116 homes are expected to open in early 2007. The appeal of Crocker Park encouraged Peter Rubin, Coral Co.'s president and chief executive, to step outside his typical comfort zone.
The developer agreed earlier this year to tackle Crocker Park's for-sale residential piece.
"Crocker Park is dedicated to creating a real urban neighborhood," said Rubin, whose projects are mainly located in Cleveland and the inner-ring suburbs. "Westhampton is really the type of housing and sidewalk-driven neighborhood that Coral is used to building."
The homes will range in size from 1,500-square-foot city-style lofts and 3-story townhouses to large, 3,500-square-foot manor-style estates. If the waiting list is any indication, the project will be a huge success. Rubin said he has pre-sold six of the first 22 homes and has "hundreds and hundreds" on a list being worked through to firm up commitments for the other units.
Between the retail and residential growth, Crocker Park has manufactured an urban-style downtown for suburban Westlake, said Robert Parry, the city's planning director.
"The city, even though it goes back to 1811, really didn't have a downtown," said Parry, who recalled early skepticism regarding Stark's first proposal of Crocker Park in 2000.
"A lot of people did question it and said it wouldn't happen," Parry continued. "Sometimes, I walk through there and pinch myself just to see if we really did it."
