Fran Mentch, the bloodied and bruised volunteer who tried to prevent big-box retail development of the former Oakwood Golf Course, gets to say “I told you so.”
For more than a year, there has been a persistent rumor that one of the first tenants in the new development would be WalMart – meaning that it will leave Severance in Cleveland Heights. I heard Mentch cite this tidbit often.
Turns out she was right.
I have not been told officially by anyone that WalMart is leaving Severance and moving to the Oakwood Commons development.
I haven’t called the developer or WalMart to confirm this.
But you can’t deny a brochure exists that clearly shows WalMart as an anchor of the new development.
The brochure was put online online at the website of Goodman Real Estate Services, the real estate company that is working to fill space at Oakwood Commons. A friend (not Fran, by the way) saw it, downloaded it and sent it to me. When she went back to the site it had been pulled down.
But here it is for you to see.
The brochure itself doesn’t technically say that WalMart has signed a contract to occupy Oakwood Commons. But it does show where a WalMart store is located on the development’s site plan.
If you want your own copy of the brochure? Here it is: Oakwood_Commons_Full_Brochure
The first page says “40 Acre development anchored by a 180,000 square foot WalMart”. That’s pretty definitive.
Thanks for posting this.
Fran is the best!
This isn’t over, yet. The rezoning is illegal. Help me get it overturned, and this horrible development stopped!!
We can do this!
Upon further review, I don’t agree with “bloodied and bruised”.
I would describe the words and accusations against her by the developer and some members of South Euclid City Council, certainly, Councilperson Goodman and Council President Miller as : Belittling, Beneath Contempt, Browbeating and Business As Usual.
I would describe Fran’s condition as Un-Bowed, Un-Bruised, Un-Bloodied, and Believe-you-me, Un-Broken.
This is the kind of crap Fran and the rest refused to passively accept:
McKenna Associates Inc. prepared the “cover” document for the SE City Council’s ill advised, and perhaps illegal, rezoning.
Can you spot the problem? The greatest minds at McKenna Associates Inc and the South Euclid City Council couldn’t. Neither could the SE Zoning Administrator, despite receiving 169 of them.
“Public Support for Rezoning. In response to project information mailed by the
developer to all South Euclid residents and Cleveland Heights residents adjacent to
the project site (more than 13,000 mailers distributed), respondents have shown
significant support for the proposed rezoning and subsequent commercial
development of the Oakwood site. To date, 169 or 90% of respondents approve the
proposed rezoning, while 19 or 10% of respondents disapprove of rezoning. Public
support for a proposed rezoning is important whenever proposed changes to land
use and the Comprehensive Plan are being contemplated.”
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=aGVpZ2h0c3Nuby5vcmd8d3d3fGd4OjUwZjhmOWU2ODM0ODM1OTE&pli=1
Here’s a hint: There isn’t any box to indicate “NO!”
Maybe I’ve been too hard on them. You decide:
“Speaking about his election victory and his critics, [South Euclid City Council President David F.] Miller said, “We have an educated group of residents who are not influenced by innuendo, nay-sayers, and half-empties. They see what myself and the mayor are doing and they believe in it. Their agenda was not acceptable to the majority of voters.
“They have to learn that if they don’t get in line, they’re going to get run over.”
Speaking about the Oakwood Commons critics, many of whom live in Cleveland Heights, Miller said, “Thank you and goodbye. Crawl back under the rock you came from.”
http://blog.cleveland.com/sunmessenger/2011/11/marty_gelfand_edges_incumbent.html
Nice bunch – Part II: “Anything”?, “Environmentalist” and SE City Council person Jane Goodman?
Really?? First Interstate – the property owner who needed a rezoning to build his Walmart – was gonna build a church?
June 22, 2011
Ward 4 Councilwoman Jane Goodman, who grew up close to the country club and in whose ward it is located, favors the development, but said she will continue to seek more from Schneider, such as even more pervious parking lot square footage.
Speaking of the development, she said after the work session, “This is the only way we’re going to get 21 acres of greenspace. We don’t own the property. If we don’t rezone it for this, anything can go on that property — churches, office buildings, schools — and they all need parking.”
http://blog.cleveland.com/sunmessenger/2011/06/oakwood_developer_tells_south.html
Oh yeah, thanks for *nothing*, PD:
“Oakwood project deserves support: editorial”
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2011/10/oakwood_project_deserves_suppo.html
3/10/2011
“YES”, or “YES”…
“Schneider said he is receiving positive input from South Euclid residents about the project. First Interstate recently sent out mailings to all South Euclid residents, as well as Cleveland Heights residents living within one mile of the site, asking if they supported the proposed development.”
“Just over 200 were returned as of March 8 and, South Euclid Community Services Director Keith Benjamin said, 92 percent of the responses were positive. Residents were asked to send back an enclosed postcard if they supported the project.”
————-
Check out the 2nd link.
There wasn’t any box to indicate “NO!”, just “YES”!
Apparently, despite receiving over 200 of them, out of over 13,000 mailed out, South Euclid Community Services Director Keith Benjamin didn’t notice this design flaw in the “survey”s design.
http://www.cleveland.com/sun/all/index.ssf/2011/03/developer_moves_ahead_with_pla.html
The “survey” card: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=aGVpZ2h0c3Nuby5vcmd8d3d3fGd4OjUwZjhmOWU2ODM0ODM1OTE
Al Norman, of Sprawl-Busters renown, has posted a new article about this “Walmart Village featuring Goodman Pahhk @ Oakwood” fiasco.
http://www.sprawl-busters.com/search.php?readstory=3940