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Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

    Proposition Made to Build Outlet Mall in Downtown Cleveland

    Proposition Made to Build Outlet Mall in Downtown Cleveland

    Based on the eerie desolation of the Tower City retail stores downtown, one would imagine that adding more brand-name shopping places downtown would be a dead-end business venture.

    But the Illinois-based Horizon Group Properties has identified the potential for a successful outlet mall in Cleveland’s Lakefront Municipal Parking Lot. According to cleveland.com, the lot–which is frequently used for Browns tailgates–is located around South Marginal Road and the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway. Building on that ground has turned many individuals away in the past because of its poor soil and the difficulty of expanding pipelines and natural gas lines to that area. Nonetheless, Horizon is confident that they can make the location work.

    Cleveland 19 reports that he 320,000 square foot project would include more than 60 retail outlets, plus entertainment spaces and restaurants. Although no leases have been revealed, possibles stores in the development could include Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, Timberland, and Nike.

    Horizon chose Cleveland mainly because it lacks significant retail space, and because the closest outlet mall is 30 miles away in Aurora. The group and those involved in the project say that there are already many retailers interested in the location, and that it will be a major attraction for tourists, visiting families, and event attendees. Because of this, they say, the city is more likely to assist them in their venture.

    The plan is being met with some criticism, including from Lakewood students.

    “I’d be concerned about traffic in the area, especially if there is a sporting event going on,” says Ava Clause, a senior at Lakewood High School. “It already gets so bad on that strip of the highway.”

    If the plans are approved by the city, Horizon hopes to complete the project in 2022.

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