CCLB 02-18-08 A 13 CCLB 2/14/2008 4:14 PM Page 1 FEBRUARY 18-24, 2008 CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS 13 INSIDE 15 URBAN DESIGNER SEES PROMISE IN EAL STATE CITY’S R E LANDSCAPE. COMMERCIAL OUTSIDE THE BOX Smaller shopping plazas borrow design concepts from lifestyle centers By STAN BULLARD [email protected] spate of new, small Northeast Ohio shopping centers is borrowing design concepts from the big boys at Westlake’sA Crocker Park and Lyndhurst’s Legacy Village. Employing cues from neo-traditional design and lifestyle centers, several new developments have stores positioned closer to main streets or located in MARC GOLUB PHOTOS Emerald Square, a retail development at Crocker and Center Ridge roads in Westlake, echoes some of the designs and concepts of lifestyle multiple buildings separated by sidewalks centers, such as Crocker Park in Westlake and Legacy Village in Lyndhurst. or driveways. Also called “neo-urban,” the strategy recalls the designs of downtowns or older streetcar-era suburbs. Although not without its detractors, the shift is dramatic from that of the standard suburban shopping center of less than 40,000 square feet. These new designs eschew the hallmarks of their older counterparts, which often include a sea of parking in front a big, rectangular building lined with stores or an L- shaped structure that hugs the property’s back side. Consider the setting at Emerald Square, a retail development at the northeast corner of Crocker and ABOVE AND RIGHT: 100 Mills, at North- Borough in North Ridgeville, features Center Ridge roads in Westlake. an exercise center, a pizza place and See SHOPS Page 14 a brokerage firm. Green building gaining ground in local commercial sector By JENNIFER KEIRN priced green products and Local builders and architects all sectors are craving and tion waste recycling, low-VOC [email protected] unrealistic construction methods. echoed Mr. Doty’s assessment that demanding is education.” interior finishes (those with low But Mr. Doty persisted over the green building techniques in the levels of volatile organic ill Doty took some years in his support of green commercial sector increasingly are How green is green? compounds), sustainable site plans serious flak from his peers building principles “tempered with in demand by developers, building In the United States, the most that minimize impact to the native when he hopped on the a pragmatic approach,” and today owners, occupants and even widely accepted green building landscape and water- and energy- green-building bandwagon he finds himself with plenty of end-users. standard is the Leadership in efficiency. Bmore than 10 years ago. company in a flourishing local “In the last year, it has absolutely Energy and Environmental Design According to the U.S. Green This 30-plus-year architect and community of green-minded busted out,” said Timothy Panzica, (LEED) Green Building Rating Building Council’s online projects co-founder of Doty & Miller architects and commercial executive vice president of Mayfield System, a program developed in directory, only 30 buildings in Ohio Architects said he “got harassed” builders. Village-based Panzica Construction 2000 by the U.S. Green Building are currently LEED-certified. back then about his support for a “(Green building) is not yet Co. and chairman of the Greater Council. About a dozen of those are here movement hovering on the fringe, mainstream, but it’s not as tough a Cleveland Green Building A building earns LEED points by in Northeast Ohio, including the seen by many as a bunch of sell as it was,” Mr. Doty said. “I see Coalition. “Awareness is now making use of such green building WVIZ/PBS ideastream building tree-huggers promoting premium- us coming to a tipping point soon.” commonplace, and what people in materials and methods as construc- See GREEN Page 16 CCLB 02-18-08 A 14 CCLB 2/14/2008 1:12 PM Page 1 14 CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS WWW.CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM FEBRUARY 18-24, 2008 COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE Shops: Design blends residential, commercial features continued from PAGE 13 “A lot went into this because we southwest corner of state Route 83 “In a weaker economy, we’re “Are they really going to spend A building housing Kolick’s are a couple of miles from Crocker and Mills Road in North Ridgeville. more susceptible to building a more time there” if the centers have Jewelers sits closer to the intersection Park. With construction of Crocker- Since the homes at North- project in smaller pieces,” Mr. greater design flourishes? in Westlake than what is typical in the Stearns Road (to North Olmsted), Borough use a neo-traditional Kertesz said. “I don’t mind Moreover, Mr. Rantala said suburbs. The jewelry store is between there will be a lot more people design — they have front porches building a small building and putting stores in freestanding two other buildings, one facing coming from the south to that face each other across a main hoping they will come rather than buildings gives small retailers Crocker and the other Center Ridge. Westlake,” she said of the project street, while garage entrances are building a 100,000-square-foot issues they typically do not have to Brick, stone and stucco dress all designed by Zarzycki-Malik relegated to streets in the rear of the building and praying they will deal with, such as where to display the buildings while a fountain and Architects of Middleburg Heights. homes — Mr. Scaletta sought a come.” their wares because windows line similar feel for the commercial the walls of the buildings where courtyard set the tone. Most of the “We wanted something with a little Good and the bad parking is behind the stores. more curb appeal.” buildings. stores typically put shelves. The result: A retail building called Darrell Pattison, who designs He also maintains retailers in such Mary Smetana Kolick, who No more cinder blocks collaborated with her jewelry-store- 100 Mills and a similar-looking shopping centers as director of centers find it harder to receive owning husband Donald Kolick on Joe Scaletta, president of SDC office building with first-floor design at ka architecture of Cleve- deliveries with major parking areas Emerald Square, said the two Homes and Neighborhoods, said he storefronts. land, said he is enjoying watching located in areas typically relegated to decided they did not want to build did not want to do “a cinder-block RDL Architects of Shaker Heights the “new urbanism” principles of delivery trucks. a simple, traditional strip center for building with a flat roof” for the did the commercial and residential design migrate to smaller shopping “There’s nothing about these that th his new Westlake store, which commercial component of work, so the properties share 19 - centers. allows the retailers to do more busi- opened in late 2006 after decades at NorthBorough, a traditionally century design features, including a “These are being done by devel- ness,” Mr. Rantala said. “It’s an idea Westfield Great Northern mall in designed active adult neighbor- bright colorful façade that cost 20% opers who want a higher quality run amok from architects and city North Olmsted. hood that SDC is building at the more than a traditional shopping development or developers who are planning departments. They will center, Mr. Scaletta estimates. being pushed by cities who want have a harder time winning and “We designed the commercial them to do higher quality develop- keeping tenants.” buildings to go with the housing,” ments,” Mr. Pattison said. “It works Mr. Scaletta said. particularly well when you have a If you build it, will they come? The Shoppes of North Solon also corner piece of property.” The Northeast Ohio projects that were created to blend in with the Mr. Pattison said the big risk in embrace non-traditional design surroundings, which is largely resi- such designs is making sure the currently boast an eclectic mix of dential, yet not far from the sub- traffic flows properly. tenants, primarily locally owned urb’s industrial districts. The less land in a project, typical- small businesses or franchises, The project, designed by RSA ly the case with smaller centers, he ranging from dry cleaners to spas to Architects of Chagrin Falls, consists said, the more difficult and impor- ice cream stores. of five buildings sharing a Western tant it is to get the parking right so “I could have leased space imme- Reserve-style design on the shoppers can maneuver easily at diately to places selling beer, southeast corner of Brainard and the properties. cigarettes and Lottery tickets,” said Miles roads in Solon. However, not all retail experts Mr. Scaletta, whose existing tenants “It’s not your typical retail embrace breaking tried-and-true at 100 Mills include 24/7 Fitness, corner,” said Randy Kertesz, the plaza plans for shopping centers. Teresa’s Pizza and an Edward Jones president of Woodmere Village- Mark Rantala, executive vice stock brokerage. “But I wanted based Kertes Enterprises, which is president for brokerage at the something better than that.” behind the project. Krone Group, a retail-focused For his part, Mr. Kertesz sees Two of the buildings at the brokerage in Beachwood, said he such smaller shopping centers Shoppes of North Solon are really doesn’t like small centers filling a different place in the finished and a third is near with neo-traditional design market than other shopping completion. characteristics. venues. Mr. Rantala argues that the “These are geared to the local traditional in-line shopping center entrepreneur,” Mr. Kertesz said. format works best for neighbor- “The cost of the gables and clock BREAKING NEW GROUND? hood-oriented convenience towers and breaks (eye-catching centers.