Cleveland Heights Cites First Interstate For Tall Grass

Mayor Ed Kelley said the grass hasn't been cut on the former Oakwood Country Club property since last year.

Mayor Ed Kelley said the City of Cleveland Heights has cited First Interstate Properties for a tall grass code violation on the former Oakwood Country Club property. First Interstate, based in Lyndhurst, owns the land in both South Euclid and Cleveland Heights. Construction of Oakwood Commons has already started on the South Euclid side. But detailed plans for the Cleveland Heights side have not been confirmed, said Mitchell Schneider, president of First Interstate. And the land has not been mowed this year, Kelley said. On the violation notice dated June 11 and included with this article, it instructs First Interstate to cut grass within two days of receiving the notice. If First Interstate does not cut it, the city will complete the work…

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First Interstate Elyria Limited Partnership Faces Foreclosure Suit

U.S. Bank National Association says First Interstate Elyria Limited Partnership owes $13.3 million of a $15 million loan.

PHOTO: A Fawn In The Yard

Deer are popular in these parts, but it's harder to spot fawns. Here's one photo from Cleveland Heights resident Fran Mentch. Thanks for sharing!

Resident Shares Photos of Oakwood Construction

Fran Mentch shares photos she took of construction on the former Oakwood Country Club site.

UPDATED: Walmart Signs On With Oakwood Commons, Severance Store Will Close

First Interstate Properties President Mitchell Schneider made the announcement today

Updated at 3:48 p.m. Thursday It's official — Walmart Supercenter has signed on with Oakwood Commons. Mitchell Schneider, president of First Interstate Properties, which is developing the former country club, announced today that he has signed an agreement with Walmart. But as one store opens, another will close. Walmart confirmed in a press release that the Oakwood store would "replace the existing discount store at Severance (Town) Center." The new store will be 177,000 square feet and employ more than 300 people. "The store will give associates (at Severance) the opportunity to relocate with the store (at Oakwood). We will also add an additional 85 jobs," said Daniel Morales, director of communications and community relations at Walmart…

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Garry Kanter

12:25 pm on Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The city never owned the property. It went directly from the country club to the developer. What we can *still* accomplish is to insist that any rezoning decision made by Cleveland Heights is made with all the facts presented. Not the $550k misinformation and demonization campaign that was waged in South Euclid. In that regard, I speak for 5 minutes at every CH city council meeting about how we …   more ›

Walmart May Be Anchor Store at Oakwood

What do you think about the possibility of a Walmart at Oakwood Commons?

A Walmart may be on its way to Oakwood. The former Oakwood Country Club site, which sits in both Cleveland Heights and South Euclid, could be "anchored by a 180,000-square-foot-Walmart," according to a promotional brochure created by Goodman Real Estate Services Group. Cleveland Heights resident Fran Mentch, who fought the development of Oakwood, said the brochure was posted on the Cleveland company's website but later removed. First Interstate Properties, the Lyndhurst-based commercial development company behind Steelyard Commons and Legacy Village, owns the land and plans to create a mix of parkland, retail and residential properties and call it "Oakwood Commons." According to an article in The Plain Dealer, First Interstate president …

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South Euclid Residents Vote to Rezone Oakwood

Unofficial, final results in from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections

South Euclid residents voted to rezone the former Oakwood Country Club Tuesday night. Unofficial, final results show that 4,272 voted for the rezoning, 3,451 voted against, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. First Interstate Properties of Lyndhurst, the developer that owns the 154-acre Oakwood land that is in both Cleveland Heights and South Euclid, is known for developing Legacy Village, Willoughby Commons, Steelyard Commons and Avon Commons, and plans to call the space "Oakwood Commons." The land in South Euclid was zoned for residential development. First Interstate’s plans call for a mix of parkland and residential and commercial properties — 69 acres of green space, 63 acres of retail and 22 acres of high-end …

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First Interstate Announces Purchase of Oakwood Property in Cleveland Heights

The development company now owns both the South Euclid and Cleveland Heights land

First Interstate Properties, Ltd., announced today that it has purchased 92 acres of the former Oakwood Country Club land in Cleveland Heights. The commercial development company behind Steelyard Commons and Legacy Village purchased the more than 60-acre South Euclid side in December 2010, and since has pursued the Cleveland Heights land. According to a press release issued today, “The preliminary concept for the Cleveland Heights parcel calls for a campus setting with a variety of living options for older adults, along with therapy and wellness facilities, retail, restaurants and civic use.” The proposed development will include apartments for “active, healthy adults over the age of 55” and a retirement community with independent and …

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'Battle for Brooklyn' Director Reaches out to Citizens for Oakwood

Documentary director arranges for local theater to screen film about a neighborhood's efforts to stop development and hosts discussion about the former Oakwood Country Club

The director of the documentary Battle for Brooklyn, which chronicles a neighborhood's fight to try and stop the Atlantic Yards project in the Prospect Heights area of the borough, has reached out to a local organization that is trying to stop development here. Michael Galinsky, director of the film, contacted Citizens for Oakwood, and said he supported the group's efforts to stop developer First Interstate Properties from constructing commercial and residential buildings on the former Oakwood Country Club, which straddles Cleveland Heights and South Euclid. He arranged for the Cleveland Institute of Art to host a screening of the film tonight and Saturday in the Cinematheque theater, 11141 East Blvd., and a Q&A discussion about Oakwood …

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Oakwood Rezoning Issue Now on November Ballot

Issue 96 asks South Euclid residents whether the former Oakwood Country Club should be rezoned from residential to commercial so that developers can build there

The issue asking South Euclid residents whether the former Oakwood Country Club should be rezoned is now on the November ballot, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website. Issue 96 reads, “Shall Ordinance No. 05-11, proposing to amend the zoning map of the City of South Euclid so as to change certain property known as the Oakwood Club from its existing Class R-75 “One-Family Residential District” to C-2 “General Commercial District” be approved? South Euclid City Council approved rezoning the more than 60 acres of Oakwood Club in the city from residential to commercial so that developer First Interstate Properties, which wants to construct residential and commercial properties and parkland, could build there. But a group …

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