Van Aken District Wins Planning Award

SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH — Shaker Heights' Van Aken District won a 2019 Ohio Planning Award this week, the city announced. The awards program honors planning and leadership on development projects in Ohio.

“The Van Aken District came into existence after 18 years of planning, five city plans, and more than 60 public meetings," said Shaker’s Planning Director Joyce Braverman. “We are grateful that this project has received such tremendous support and recognition.”

The Van Aken District is a mixed-use development. The project required a $100 million investment and added 60,000 square feet of office space, 100,000 square feet of retail space and 101 housing units. It was the single largest construction project in Shaker Heights' history.

The district received the Focused Planning Award during a reception at the Ohio Theater in Playhouse Square on October 3. The awards ceremony is put on by the Ohio Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA).

APA Ohio Planning Awards Chair Matthew Schmidt, AICP, noted that the 2019 awards “are representative of the amazing impact planners have in communities throughout the state. From the creation of public spaces, to long-term visioning, and addressing social needs, the projects represented in this list only touch on the vast breadth of how our profession is changing Ohio for the better.”