This document analyzes the downtown Lakewood neighborhood through various maps and diagrams. It identifies the neighborhood's assets as its historic commercial district along Detroit Ave with local restaurants and shops, and stable residential housing. Weaknesses include a lack of green space and an over-abundance of surface parking lots that disrupt the urban fabric. Opportunities exist to further enhance Detroit Ave and utilize parking facilities for events. Threats include the impending closure of Lakewood Hospital and increased freight train traffic.

1. Downtown
Lakewood
Neighborhood Design Analysis
Bryan Townley

2. Table of Contents
Assets and Liabilities List……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
Figure-Ground Map……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4
Historic Figure-Ground Comparison………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………5
Land Use Map……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6
Residential……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………7
Commercial………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….8
Institutional………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….9
Park Space………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….10
Gray Space………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….11
Lynch Map…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..12
Paths…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..13
Edges………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….14
Districts………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………15
Nodes…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………16
Landmarks………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….17
Strengths…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….18
Weaknesses………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..18
Opportunities………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………19
Threats………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..19

3. 3
Assets
-Main Branch of Lakewood Public Library
-Strong, walkable commercial district
-Regionally-significant restaurants: Melt,
Deagan’s Kitchen, Eddie Cerino’s, The Root
-Stable residential districts with structures in
good repair
Liabilities
-Many surface parking lots scattered
throughout the neighborhood
-Some new construction with suburban
design including drive-thrus, parking lots,
and/or deep setbacks
-Large, underutilized office tower
-Lack of green space

4. 4
Figure-Ground
The most noticeable features are the small,
detached houses that are scattered on the side
streets around the periphery of the map. While
the housing is fairly densely packed, its spacing
and slight setback from the streets suggests that it
was built during a transition from streetcar-
focused to automobile-focused development.
Larger structures flank Detroit Ave, and to a lesser
extent Warren Rd. The smaller of the structures
flanking Detroit represent the old urban fabric of
Lakewood’s streetcar suburb era. The larger of
these structures were built during subsequent
years as the auto became the dominant mode of
transportation. These larger figures are often
accompanied by a larger ground, relating to the
need for automobile parking and circulation.

5. 5
Historic Figure-Ground Comparison, 1952 and
2015
The most visible difference between the 1952 and
2015 figure ground maps is the Marc’s plaza
constructed in the center of the neighborhood.
Also of note are the additions to the Lakewood
Hospital, located in the eastern portion of the
maps. Next to the hospital, the creation of the
Lakewood Center office complex, both north and
south of Detroit, represents another change
between the two maps. The post office, library,
and school office make up the other significant
changes between the two years.
The changes between the two maps seem to have
a common theme: they replace smaller structures
with larger ones, usually accompanied by a larger
ground (parking). In addition, some structures
that remain the same between the two maps have
expanded ground in 2015. One can see that this is
due to the demolition of residential structures
that once abutted the commercial structures
along Detroit. While this allows for the expansion
of parking and vehicular access, it disrupts the
urban fabric, decreases residential density in the
neighborhood, and hurts walkability. These
negative changes are further compounded by the
fact that several of the new structures, including
Lakewood Center (high vacancy) and Lakewood
Hospital (impending closure) have uncertain
futures.

6. 6
Land Use
The following pages will describe the land use
pattern of the Downtown Lakewood
neighborhood. These are broken down into four
categories: residential, commercial, institutional,
and park space.

7. 7
Residential
The residentially-zoned parcels are located
primarily along side streets around the periphery
of the neighborhood. When the neighborhood is
divided into quadrants by Detroit Ave and Warren
Rd, the Northwest, Southwest, and Northeast
quadrants are zoned as single and two family
residences, while residential parcels in the
Southeastern quadrant are zoned as high density,
single family.

8. 8
Commercial
All commercially-zoned parcels in Downtown
Lakewood are located along Detroit Ave and the
southern portion of Warren Rd. The intersection
of those two streets represents the commercial
heart of the city. The highly linear arrangement of
commercial parcels also harkens to Lakewood’s
streetcar era, as each streetcar stop (or
intersection) along Detroit represented (and still
represents to a certain extent) a commercial node
for the residential side streets. Thus, every
streetcar stop was a miniature transit-oriented
development.

9. 9
Institutional
Only three parcels in the neighborhood are
classified as institutional, including the Main
Branch of the Lakewood Public Library to the west
along Detroit, and Grant Elementary and the
Lakewood School District offices to the south.

10. 10
Park Space
Downtown Lakewood is lacking in green space, as
only four small areas fit under this designation.
These include: Kauffman Park (the largest) in the
far west of the neighborhood, City Center Green
(a small plaza in front of the Marc’s parking lot),
Isaac Warren Park (essentially a parklet), and St.
Charles Court (a half-block green space wedged
between a railroad track and parking garage). The
lack of green space could potentially stem from
several factors: not explicitly designating green
space when the city was originally laid out,
replacing green space with surface parking when
automobiles became popular, or the large
Lakewood Park directly to the north reducing the
need for other parks in this neighborhood.

11. 11
Gray Space
The majority of gray space in Downtown
Lakewood is comprised of surface parking lots
which are scattered behind the commercial
structures fronting Detroit Ave. The largest
surface lot is in front of the Marc’s supermarket
plaza at the intersection of Detroit and Warren.
The remaining gray space includes two parking
garages that serve the Lakewood Hospital and
underutilized Downtown office buildings. While
Detroit Ave has a fairly decent wall of buildings
along its length in the neighborhood, areas off the
street suffer from poor streetscapes created by
surface parking. Of particular issue are the blank
areas that the parking lots create along residential
side streets as they approach Detroit. However, if
surface lots absolutely must be located in
Downtown, it is a positive that they are located
behind the commercial structures.

12. 12
Lynch Map
The following pages will describe Downtown
Lakewood’s paths, edges, districts, nodes, and
landmarks.

13. 13
Lynch Map: Paths
The primary path through Downtown Lakewood is
Detroit Ave, which runs east-west through the city
and acts as the main focus of the neighborhood.
Detroit is also the primary transit thoroughfare,
carrying GCRTA’s 26 bus line. In addition, Detroit
is a major bikeway for both Lakewood and
Cleveland, demarcated by sharrows in both
directions. Warren Rd, Franklin Blvd, and Hilliard
Road are designated as secondary paths due to
their substantial volumes of traffic. Warren Rd
also carries the neighborhood’s only other GCRTA
bus line, the 83. Belle Ave is labeled as a tertiary
path due to its connections with Lakewood Park
to the north and its volumes of traffic around
Lakewood Hospital.

14. 14
Lynch Map: Edges
The Norfolk Southern railroad track, an edge,
forms the northern border of the neighborhood
and acts as transition from the more modest
housing to the south to the slightly more
extravagant housing to the north. I also labeled
Marc’s supermarket as an edge due to its L-
shaped impermeability and its framing of a large
expanse of parking.

15. 15
Lynch Map: Districts
On the Lynch Map I lay out two districts: the
Detroit Ave Commercial District, and the
Lakewood Hospital District. As is obvious the
Detroit Ave Commercial District encompasses the
retail and office structures that frame Detroit for
the length of the neighborhood. The Lakewood
Hospital District comprises of the hospital itself,
its ancillary structures, its surface parking, and its
parking garage.

16. 16
Lynch Map: Nodes
There are two main nodes of activity in
Downtown Lakewood: the intersection of Detroit
and Warren, and the intersection of Warren and
Franklin/Hilliard. The former receives a large
volume of automobile, transit, and pedestrian
traffic, while the latter mainly sees automobile
traffic. The Warren/Franklin/Hilliard intersection
is also laid out in a strange manner, so that
interesting sightlines are created. However, its
auto-focused streetscape surrounded by highly
suburban-designed structures holds it back from
its full potential.

17. 17
Lynch Map: Landmarks
Three structures in Downtown Lakewood are
designated as landmarks: the Lakewood Public
Library to the west, the Lakewood Center office
tower, and the Lakewood Hospital. These
structures’ landmark status comes largely from
their physical characteristics which allow them to
stand out in some way. The Lakewood Library has
a commanding presence along Detroit Ave with its
columns and large front plaza. The Lakewood
Center office tower is the tallest structure in the
neighborhood and can therefore be seen from
many vantage points. The Lakewood Hospital is
designated as a landmark due to its large size and
its prominence along Detroit Ave.

18. 18
Strengths
Downtown Lakewood has a very defined commercial strip along Detroit Ave that is
comprised of restaurants and shops that serve both people that live in the immediate
area (Marc’s, Discount Drug Mart, The Place To Be, The Root) and those that may live
elsewhere in the region (Melt, Eddie Cerino’s, Campbell’s Sweets, 16 Bit Bar+Arcade).
The draw of this strong, historic commercial district creates a healthy pedestrian life in
the neighborhood, especially on the weekends. The City of Lakewood recently
undertook a streetscape overhaul along Detroit Ave, adding new traffic signals and
crosswalk signage, brick-paved crosswalks, new wayfinding signage, and bike
infrastructure, including on-street bike corrals. The streetscape improvements have
spurred a revitalization of the storefronts of the old commercial structures along
Detroit, filling in some gaps that previously existed. While still a heavily trafficked street,
these improvements have created a more aesthetically and functionally-pleasing
environment for pedestrians.
The housing stock of Downtown Lakewood, the majority of which is detached single and
two-family, is of good repair and is generally well maintained. The City of Lakewood
conducts programs and classes which teach residents the proper upkeep of their 100+
year old homes. The overwhelming majority of these homes have one or two story
“Lakewood” or “Cleveland Porches” which add an “eyes on the street” element, even on
the neighborhood’s relatively quiet residential streets. Residents often decorate their
porches with plantings, flags, tables and chairs, and lighting, which add interest and
personality to the otherwise modest homes. The majority of the apartments in
Downtown Lakewood are located on the second and third stories of the commercial
structures fronting Detroit Ave, or are located directly behind. As mentioned previously,
the streetscape enhancements have spurred a refurbishing of many of these old
structures.
Around the time of the streetscape improvements, the Main Branch of the Lakewood
Public Library underwent a major overhaul, enhancing an already strong neighborhood
asset. The Library’s front plaza, directly abutting Detroit, has diverse programming
during the summer months, including farmer’s markets and concerts.
Weaknesses
In spite of its great walkability, Downtown Lakewood still suffers from auto-centricity.
While it succeeds as a “park once” district, the vast majority of outside visitors (who are
quite numerous) arrive via automobile. Because of this, there is a large amount of
surface and garage parking in the neighborhood, as can be seen in the gray space map.
While Detroit Ave itself is a vibrant commercial stretch, its parking behind the
commercial structures creates a “dead zone” between the commercial and residential
areas. With many curb cuts and a lack of general interest, many pedestrians are not
drawn to wander off of Detroit. The Marc’s plaza has the largest of such parking lots, as
the building is set back from both Detroit and Warren, right in the center of the city.
The auto-centricity continues in some newer structures’ very suburban designs,
complete with drive-thrus and parking in the front. Including the Burger King, Einstein
Bros. Bagels, Speedway, and the post office, these buildings further hurt the
neighborhood’s walkability. Another newer (1960s-70s) structure, the Lakewood Center
office complex, is partially vacant. Without a full roster of tenants, the complex is not
reaching its full potential in contributing to the vibrancy and pedestrian life of the
neighborhood that an increase of office workers would provide.
While Lakewood overall is known as being one of the most green (both literally and
environmentally) communities in Northeast Ohio, Downtown is nearly devoid of green
space. The only park of any significance in the neighborhood is Kauffman Park, which
houses several forms of recreation. The other “parks” in Downtown are essentially
parklets which serve to offer a brief respite from concrete and asphalt hardscapes.
Detroit Ave itself is seriously lacking in trees, or really vegetation of any type.

19. 19
Opportunities
The neighborhood has the ability to further capitalize on the effects of the rebuilt
Detroit Ave streetscape, if improvements are continued. As mentioned, adding trees
along Detroit Ave would help to enhance the street both aesthetically and
environmentally. The City of Lakewood could also become more aggressive in its shared
parking policy, possibly better utilizing its garage spaces. In this way, large outdoor
events could be held on the surface lots. If shared parking becomes a more viable
option, some of the lots could potentially be sites of development.
The neighborhood could also further capitalize on Lakewood’s “food destination” status
by creating restaurant environments that better interact with pedestrian life and the
street. Several establishments along the stretch, including 16-Bit Bar+Arcade and Rozi’s
Wine House, have started to experiment with somewhat innovative patio design. These
patios are partially covered and may have retractable windows which help account for
changes in weather. While the sidewalks are not wide enough for these establishments
to build full-size patios, they show that outdoor environments are possible, and may
actually boost business. Future patios could also be built extending into the parallel
parking spaces of the street. These parklet patios have been seen in other cities around
the country, and would greatly complement the neighborhood’s status as a food
destination.
Threats
A near-term threat to Downtown Lakewood recently manifested itself with the
announcement of the impending closing of the Lakewood Hospital. Due to apparent
financial distress, the hospital, a branch of the Cleveland Clinic, will close and be
replaced with a recreation/community center and clinic. The inevitable loss of
employees and the loss of a neighborhood institution will likely have negative effects on
Downtown Lakewood. The unexpectedness with which the closing was announced and
the relatively unclear future of the site has instilled unease among Lakewood residents.
The doubling of freight train traffic through Downtown Lakewood during the summer of
2014 represents another recent threat to the neighborhood. The majority of residential
side streets in the neighborhood cross the railroad track- a feature that greatly helps
accessibility if train traffic is of low enough volumes. However, when volumes are
increased, these side-street at-grade crossings present safety hazards, especially for
pedestrians. The noise pollution from increased train traffic could also make the
surrounding properties less desirable.
In addition, the constant threat of age looms over older neighborhoods. As much of the
neighborhood’s structures have surpassed or will soon be surpassing the 100 year mark,
upkeep is a constant issue. The programs that the City of Lakewood has in place for
homeowners or landlords for the proper maintenance of their property are necessary in
the fight against deterioration.
As with many popular urban destinations, Downtown Lakewood fights the perception
that it has a lack of parking. And in keeping with these locations, it doesn’t actually have
a lack of parking. The unwillingness of visitors to park a short distance away from their
destination and then walk a bit is a behavior that people have been trained on since
WWII. Unlikely to be resolved by a single neighborhood, this systemic behavior is a
country-wide issue. Because of this, Downtown Lakewood’s rising dining scene, and its
inevitable increase in traffic, could create a situation in which people push for even
more parking. Lakewood city planners must be cognizant of the fact that alternate
options to increasing surface lots exist. A parking audit may be a useful tool in making
sure that the City is getting the optimal results from the parking that already exists,
rather than simply adding more. Also, events such as the closing of the Lakewood
Hospital may reduce some parking demand and create more shared parking
opportunities.