Topic: Cuyahoga Falls: Random Development News & Info

[yanni_gogolak]

New thread started, topics merged.

[yanni_gogolak]

Portage Crossing development progresses in Cuyahoga Falls

By By Gina Mace
Special to the Beacon Journal

CUYAHOGA FALLS: Developers of the former State Road Shopping Center site say they are having success luring tenants.

By the time construction begins this fall or next spring, most of the retail spaces in the Portage Crossing development could be leased, Stark Enterprises Chief Operating Officer Steve Rubin said. It also is likely that work will begin on more of the available retail space than was previously expected, he said.

“As you recall, this was a project that could be taken in stages,” Rubin said. “When we’re done [negotiating], we can take it down in total and can commence on the total property. That is better for all of us.”

http://www.ohio.com/news/local-news/portage-crossing-development-progresses-in-cuyahoga-falls-1.223047

[yanni_gogolak]

Little movement in Portage Crossing development

By Gina Mace
Special to the Beacon Journal

CUYAHOGA FALLS: An anticipated update of the Portage Crossing development before Cuyahoga Falls City Council this week revealed little new information.

Truby said the city and the developer are planning a March 2012 groundbreaking for the major redevelopment of the site.

http://www.ohio.com/news/local-news/little-movement-in-portage-crossing-development-1.247948

[yanni_gogolak]

Must be some big money in grocery stores.

Acme to rebuild, expand State Road store

By Betty Lin-Fisher
Beacon Journal business writer

It took about 10 years of planning and acquiring parcels of land, but Acme Fresh Market officials are ready to rebuild their State Road store, which has been falling into disrepair, in Cuyahoga Falls.

http://www.ohio.com/business/lin-fisher/acme-to-rebuild-expand-state-road-store-1.257759


Giant Eagle might become grocer in Portage Crossing

By Betty Lin-Fisher
Beacon Journal business writer

A Giant Eagle official on Monday confirmed it could be an anchor in the new Portage Crossing development at the site of the former State Road Shopping Plaza, if the project moves forward.

http://www.ohio.com/business/lin-fisher/giant-eagle-might-become-grocer-in-portage-crossing-1.257778

Akron may seek federal loan to pay for new Highland Square grocery store

By Stephanie Warsmith
Beacon Journal staff writer

Unable to secure funding from other sources, Akron may seek a $3.8 million federal loan to pay for a long-awaited — and sometimes maligned — new grocery store in the Highland Square neighborhood.

City Council will have public hearings next Monday on whether the city should apply for the loan from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

http://www.ohio.com/news/local/akron-may-seek-federal-loan-to-pay-for-new-highland-square-grocery-store-1.257795

[Gramarye]

That's disappointing about that Giant Eagle, given that they already have a store just across Graham Road from where Portage Crossing will go.  One has to assume that the old store will close, and it's an open question whether that Graham Road space can be easily filled (especially with a newer, shinier development just across the street at Portage Crossing).  Cue all our previous discussions about the surfeit of retail space per capita in the USA.  It also makes me wonder what kinds of other tenants the new development is likely to get, and whether they'll likewise be cannibalizations from other nearby areas rather than real growth.

[yanni_gogolak]

Obviously they will have a very hard time filling the old building once they move. If someone wanted to move in that building they would be better off going in Portage Crossing. This seems to be the Wal-Mart model. Build new and let the old one go to waste sitting empty for years.

[audidave]

I don't think it will be that bad.  Perhaps a buehler's or an aldi will grab it.  I believe it was built by krogers in the early 80s.

[yanni_gogolak]

I don't think it will be that bad.  Perhaps a buehler's or an aldi will grab it.  I believe it was built by krogers in the early 80s.

I agree it would be good for those, but I think it's too big for Aldi's footprint. There is no way the residents would let an Aldi's there though. There have been multiple proposals to build new elderly (affordable) housing in that area and they were heavily contested because residents feel it will bring down the property values.

[13]

I think the acme is the only one of the three that is more than a pipedream at this point.  The portage crossing project was started before the financial collapse, and it seems like they are having trouble getting funding for it now.  Even if they do get the funding, I think they are going to have a hard time attracting tenants.  It is not near other major shopping areas and has poor highway access.  It is in an area where the population is shrinking and getting poorer.  Add to that the fact that most retailers do not have the money or the will to expand right now.  It would be better land use to simply rebuild the giant eagle at its current location and make the portage crossing area a park.  I believe the tops on graham has been sitting empty for several years now.  The last thing that area needs is two massive empty stores on one stretch of road.  I have been hearing about the highland square grocery store being almost ready to break ground since I moved here six years ago.  The lot size is simply not big enough to fit a grocery store.  At best it could hold a small corner store type grocer.

[KJP]

I have not seen anything about Portage Crossing until now. I hope these images will continue to show up here and not be removed by Stark Enterprises....

EXISTING






PROPOSED

[13]

I guess what I don't get is the need to build the grocery on the odd sized lot.  I think a lot of grocers turned them down because building there is trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.  Why not go down the street a few blocks and buy out one of the used car dealers or one of the sprawling one story office buildings and build a grocery store on a proper size lot.  I hate to sound like a pessimist, but after hearing and reading about it for so many years, I will believe it when I see dumptrucks pouring the foundation.  With that being said, I think the Mustard Seed is a good choice for the neighborhood.  If they can get it built, I imagine they will get quite a bit of business.  I am also intrigued to see what the design of the store will look like.  With such an odd shaped lot, it has a lot of potential to be architecturally interesting.

I was not aware that Stark Enterprises was the developer for the Portage Crossing project.  That does change my opinion somewhat.  But even with their reputation I think it may be difficult to draw retailers, and if the project does end up going through, it will probably only help to turn Chapel Hill into Rolling Acres, although it seems to be heading in that direction already.

[audidave]

That is drastically different from initial massings for portage crossing. I'm not sure i like this layout either but its very interesting how dramatic it now is forming a narrow canyon of retail up to the street.  I guess i like the southern section. The northern just seems to have too much parking. It could be ok if he brings in some strong big boxes (REI?).  My guess is the giant eagle will be their upscale market district style. I don't think they have any in Ohio. (edit: they have one in columbus now.)

[yanni_gogolak]

That is drastically different from initial massings for portage crossing. I'm not sure i like this layout either but its very interesting how dramatic it now is forming a narrow canyon of retail up to the street.  I guess i like the southern section. The northern just seems to have too much parking. It could be ok if he brings in some strong big boxes (REI?).  My guess is the giant eagle will be their upscale market district style. I don't think they have any in Ohio. (edit: they have one in columbus now.)

They modified the layout about 6 months back. The story is probably in this thread. They wanted more street parking for traffic calming, which is a good idea. If they can get everything done, it will be a destination for greater Akron residents.

[audidave]

Also there is space in north for outdoor events that used to occur there in the past. With the right store mix this could be a hit.  I would think with this type of set up they are not expecting people to park and hit multiple stores.  These have to be destinations of themselves and it will work just fine. 
   My assumption these are 2-3 story buildings at portage trail. I'm not sure i like all the street calming. That is a very busy section of road.  I think it would be cool to have a ped bridge connecting the 2 anchors rather than get crazy with street calming a major thoroughfare.

[yanni_gogolak]

Cuyahoga Falls officials to review Acme’s plans at public meeting

By Gina Mace
Special to the Beacon Journal

CUYAHOGA FALLS: City Council on Monday will get its first look at plans for an Acme Fresh Market that will replace the smaller State Road store.

The city’s Planning Commission approved plans for the $8 million, 52,500-square-foot construction project during its meeting Feb. 22.

http://www.ohio.com/news/local-news/cuyahoga-falls-officials-to-review-acme-s-plans-at-public-meeting-1.267821

[readybreak18]

Acme in Final Stage of Approval For New $8 Million Building

If all goes as planned, longtime customers of the 63-year-old Acme Fresh Market No. 10 store will be making their Thanksgiving dinner purchases in a brand new $8 million building located at the same State Road site.

Full article with rendering:
http://cuyahogafalls.patch.com/articles/acme-in-final-stage-of-approval-for-new-8-million-building

[readybreak18]

Portage Crossing gets Symon B Spot, other retailers

http://www.wkyc.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=240881

Giant Eagle is moving less than a block or two down the road another eye sore in Cuyahoga Falls!

Edit: corrected link / grammar

[jeremyck01]

^I was hoping they could convince a Trader Joe's to go into this new development.  Akron/the Falls need one. 

[audidave]

Another article in the Akron Beacon Journal that says all the same information but adds a mystery big box that is twice as big as the Giant Eagle space is close to signing. Most other American big box stores are within 3-5 miles of here some multiple times.  Of the big boxes that are not close by and could be that size, all have significant grocery component: whole foods, meijers, trader joes.  Obviously not one of them for Giant Eagle's sake.  So in the unlikely event of getting a surprise Northeast Ohio location for bass pro, REI, or  IKEA, I would say the safe bet would be Costco since the Akron area does not have one yet.  It would be very shrewd though of IKEA to place a store in geographic center of Northeast Ohio. Not sure they will.

Here is the article, since i teased. Not sure if it was posted already with all the random akron news stories that have been posted in the last week. http://www.ohio.com/news/local-news/tenants-including-michael-symon-restaurant-announced-for-portage-crossing-development-in-cuyahoga-falls-1.294839
Some amusing and typical dot bomb commenters too.

[readybreak18]

I also saw the Ohio.com article and I was wondering Costco as well.  Wouldn't be a terrible location for them, but again not very close to the highway which would discourage any big box.  Also, I really thought Kohl's was going to be announced as an anchor, maybe they are still in the running.  Regardless of who ends up there it will cause more empty shells of older retail in northern Akron,  This will hurt the Howe Road area and possibly Fairlawn.  Shortsightedness by the regional leaders in my mind to add more retail to an overly saturated area.  Green space would have been better use for the majority of that land.

[audidave]

I don't think highway access is supercritical with the volume of cars.  It would make more sense for a costco in Montrose but then maybe that is too much competition and expense to get a lease deal.    Falls is a good population center that wouldn't have to make the trip over to Montrose.

 I don't see a need for a Kohls in the Falls. One is in Macedonia, another is in Stow. There is one in Akron on S Arlington. I'm surprised they aren't in Montrose area someplace.  That would be the most obvious place for a Kohls.

[jeremyck01]

^^^Tradre Joe's stores have a relatively small amount of square footage and wouldn't come close to the size of the mystery space you are talking about.

[readybreak18]

Menards Signs On To Portage Crossing

Menards, a Wisconsin-based, home improvement retailer, will join Giant Eagle and act as the second anchor store in the much-anticipated Portage Crossing development, said Robert Stark, CEO of the Stark Enterprises, during Monday night's Cuyahoga Falls Committee meeting.

http://cuyahogafalls.patch.com/articles/menards-coming-to-portage-crossing

So, no Costco, but I think this is actually a better fit for the city since it has lot of older homes that are always in need of repair this will be a successful business for the city.  Even though there is a Home Depot in the city limits and Lowe's right next to the city I believe the demand for home improvement is great enough to sustain them all.

[audidave]

I guess i'm ok with this. I'm not familiar with Menards at all. Hopefully they add something that their competitors don't.
   Here is a little more in depth article in the akron beacon journal. http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/menards-to-be-anchor-in-state-road-redevelopment-1.297350.
Note at the bottom of the article it gets a quote from Starks discussing the next project in the Falls that he's interested in right downtown. That will be more intriguing for me how Stark will attempt to redevelop a downtown riverfront area that was built on a footprint that pre-dates the automobile.  I can't see him "Wolsteining" the property.  This seems more of a challenge than there is area to lease or develop.  It perhaps gets back to the debate in the Falls at least of opening up front street traffic or keeping it closed. With dams coming out of the river right there, and the neighborhood being updated from the Sheraton to the gorge, maybe a fresh perspective of linking the downtown to the river is what Starks is excited about.  What that means i have no idea except that would seem to be the antithesis of his M.O.  I don't see him "shopping" space at trade shows in Vegas trying to get eateries or retailers to move into 5-10k spaces.  Its certainly a challenging location and i look forward to seeing what his vision is and how that will get people to want to visit front street mall.

[gobuck86]

Hey everyone,

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I just wanted to check in and ask about any information about the Portage Crossing Complex their building in Cuyahoga Falls. I just came across it the other day online and was surprised because I've heard absolutely nothing about it. I see it's being built by the company who developed Crocker Park.

I wanted to ask about any information on this since it seems like information is hard to come by. When is the anticipated opening date? Is it supposed to be a "mini" Crocker Park? Are people excited for this?

Here's some renderings I found online and thanks to anyone who can provide any information!

[X]

First I've seen of it.  It's an odd site design, as it looks like they made the retail front on a real street, as opposed to Crocker Park.  But most of it is surface parking and standard outlot development.  Can developers only ever get it half right?

[gotribe]

I think it's on a brownfield site.  This project has been tossed around for several years.  The first I heard o fit was 2008.  I think at that time, there was going to be a Target and Kohls in it.

In any event, not like Crocker Park at all really.  Lots of surface lots with standard outlots.  There was never a residential component to it either.  Very simeilar to the Brunswick Town Center on 303. 

[NEOBuckeye]

^I could see Kohls opening a store there maybe, but no way Target will move from Howe Ave over there or build another store so close in this area. They are just off Rt.8 and the location they have is one of the highest grossing in the Akron-Canton region. Why give that up?

Also, Portage Crossings is going to be too isolated to really become a regional draw for people like Summit or Belden Village Malls (or like Chapel Hill once was), and it doesn't help that CFalls still enforces ridiculous 25 MPH speed limits on their roads. It may do okay as the equivalent of a suped-up strip center, but unless they are going to build a ton of new housing and apartments around it, it won't be much more than that. The days of State Road being a shopping destination are long gone.

[yanni_gogolak]

Check the Akron thread around April 13, 2012. They are supposed to start construction shortly with stores opening in 2014.

[readybreak18]

Glad this now has its own thread.

Here is more information from the developer: http://www.portagecrossing.com/

[yanni_gogolak]

Movie theater in play for proposed Portage Crossing development in Cuyahoga Falls

By Betty Lin-Fisher
Beacon Journal business writer
Published: November 12, 2012 - 11:54 PM

A movie theater might be coming soon to the proposed Portage Crossing retail development in Cuyahoga Falls.

City officials and the developer are mum about whether that could mean Menard’s or Giant Eagle, the previously announced anchors, might no longer be in the project.

http://www.ohio.com/business/movie-theater-in-play-for-proposed-portage-crossing-development-in-cuyahoga-falls-1.349648


This project is a joke. They are already having retailers back out and they haven't even broken ground yet.

[willyboy]

Its also getting a B-Spot....

[jeremyck01]

Movie theater in play for proposed Portage Crossing development in Cuyahoga Falls

By Betty Lin-Fisher
Beacon Journal business writer
Published: November 12, 2012 - 11:54 PM

A movie theater might be coming soon to the proposed Portage Crossing retail development in Cuyahoga Falls.

City officials and the developer are mum about whether that could mean Menard’s or Giant Eagle, the previously announced anchors, might no longer be in the project.

http://www.ohio.com/business/movie-theater-in-play-for-proposed-portage-crossing-development-in-cuyahoga-falls-1.349648


This project is a joke. They are already having retailers back out and they haven't even broken ground yet.

Why do you consider this project a joke?  Retail shuffles are common between the announcing and the completion of a shopping complex.  This project is a vast improvement over what was there.  If they do include a movie theater, I hope they look at the Rave Cinemas chain, which we have here in LA (and one recently opened in Columbus) and they are pretty nice and less expensive than, say, The Grove movie theater.  The Akron area is severely lacking in modern theater amenities.  I was at Regal Cinemas in Montrose while I was visiting a couple weeks ago and that theater hasn't changed in the 11 years since I've moved.  Small screens, lousy "stadium" seating, small chairs.  And with the AMC chain pulling out of Akron a couple years ago, it's time for some fresh blood.

[yanni_gogolak]

Movie theater in play for proposed Portage Crossing development in Cuyahoga Falls

By Betty Lin-Fisher
Beacon Journal business writer
Published: November 12, 2012 - 11:54 PM

A movie theater might be coming soon to the proposed Portage Crossing retail development in Cuyahoga Falls.

City officials and the developer are mum about whether that could mean Menard’s or Giant Eagle, the previously announced anchors, might no longer be in the project.

http://www.ohio.com/business/movie-theater-in-play-for-proposed-portage-crossing-development-in-cuyahoga-falls-1.349648


This project is a joke. They are already having retailers back out and they haven't even broken ground yet.

Why do you consider this project a joke?  Retail shuffles are common between the announcing and the completion of a shopping complex.  This project is a vast improvement over what was there.  If they do include a movie theater, I hope they look at the Rave Cinemas chain, which we have here in LA (and one recently opened in Columbus) and they are pretty nice and less expensive than, say, The Grove movie theater.  The Akron area is severely lacking in modern theater amenities.  I was at Regal Cinemas in Montrose while I was visiting a couple weeks ago and that theater hasn't changed in the 11 years since I've moved.  Small screens, lousy "stadium" seating, small chairs.  And with the AMC chain pulling out of Akron a couple years ago, it's time for some fresh blood.

There's an AMC and Regal in Chapel Hill, less than 10 minutes from where this is. All it will do is shut one of them down. I do agree that we need a more modern cinema in the area, and bring a dang IMAX already.

It's a joke because of how long it is taking to break ground and Stark keeps stringing the public along with their "announcements". They had everybody excited about the size that Menard's was going to be, now it looks like they are backing out before ground is even broken.

[jeremyck01]

^ I see.  Also, I should have been more clear, the AMC theater I was referring to pulled out of Montrose by the Mustard Seed.  That space is now retail, but it has left Montrose with only one theater.