Cleveland Muni Lot In Crosshairs for Location of New DownTown Mall.

An outlet-mall landlord by the name Horizon Group Properties have been eyeing downtown Cleveland for years and says the market is in an obvious void when it comes to name-brand, discount shopping.

Downtown Cleveland has little to no retail, basically, practically speaking.

This would basically help downtown Cleveland and give shoppers and visitors a place to visit.

So why won’t the city green light the shopping center?

Construction near the downtown lakefront is challenging. The land under Burke, North Coast Harbor, the Shoreway and even the Muni Lot itself — was once was part of Lake Erie. About a century ago, Cleveland created new ground by piling residents’ cast-off furniture, other household trash, sand and dirt they dredged from the Cuyahoga River into the lake, driving the downtown coastline north.

So to begin building on the land It will require special permits and test to be done. Also the history creates certain legal complecities

“ money” because building on the land Requires lease agreements with the city and state 🤔. That’s why Horizon pivoted from the 20-acre Burke lot to the 36 acres on the opposite side of the Shoreway, where the company can build a less costly, lower-slung outlet mall with surface parking instead of a garage.

In an email, a spokeswoman for Mayor Frank Jackson said, “We have an understanding of the project and we are reviewing the proposed development plan. We may be able to provide additional details at a later date.”

Building anything significant on the Muni Lot also would require substantial investments in utilities, such as water, sewer and natural gas lines and telecommunications infrastructure. Those costs — and the question of how to divvy up the bill between private developers and the public sector — have been an impediment to building on and near the lakefront for decades.

Skoien acknowledged that Horizon has asked Cleveland for financial help, but he would not discuss specifics. As Clevelanders, all we know is there are no retail stores in downtown Cleveland. The Galleria is half dead. The shops at tower city, no offense, are outdated. They don’t offer that look that would attract the millions of people that come to Cleveland to spend there money here.

#themag #Topsykrett