CLEVELAND, Ohio — A developer planning to overhaul the site of a former Kmart in West Park plans to bring an ALDI grocer, Starbucks and other national chains to the Cleveland neighborhood.
The New York City-based TLM Realty plans to transform the site at Lorain Avenue and West 150th Street, which has sat dormant since the Kmart closed in 2017 and became somewhat of an eyesore to residents and those passing through the busy intersection.
In addition to an ALDI, which will be in a new building on the easternmost portion of the site, TLM has agreements for Burlington, Ross Dress for Less and Big Lots to fill the space where the Kmart once sat, according to a Facebook post by the West Park Kamm’s Neighborhood Development organization. A new Starbucks, meanwhile, is slated for the site’s northwest corner.
“Crews have already begun some initial demolition work. In the coming weeks, perimeter fencing will go up so that additional site preparation and construction can begin,” the Sept. 17 post said, adding that the stores will hopefully open in late fall of next year.
A Popeye’s on site will remain, while longtime tenant Rubin’s Family Restaurant is slated to move off the property and across the street. TLM has also enlisted the CBRE real estate firm to market 8,500 square feet of space behind the proposed ALDI to local retailers and restaurants. The community development organization said the space will be used by between three and five tenants.
TLM detailed the plans in public meetings earlier this year, and the rumor mill has churned for some time as to what stores would go on the site.
The owner also plans to demolish the vacant Marquard apartment along Lorain Avenue, which dates back nearly a century and was once home to Cowan’s Pub. While many residents have embraced the plans for the site, that portion has drawn some opposition from historic preservationists who do not want to see the razing of a vestige of the legacy of the Marquard family, which produced generations of builders who were well-known in the region.
Executives at TLM have said razing the apartment building is necessary to ensuring the property is attractive enough to ALDI.
City Councilman Charles Slife said in a text Wednesday that the project is “a critical investment at a key intersection that will serve the daily needs of residents and neighbors from surrounding neighborhoods, including those who use public transportation.”
Read more:
Marquard mansion, an eccentric Cleveland landmark, is demolished after years of neglect
Kmart to close 5 stores in Ohio including ones in Cleveland, Eastlake and Wadsworth
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