Cleveland Neighborhood Progress presents Shaker Square vision plan to Shaker Heights City Council, seeks private partners and funding

Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP) on July 14 presented a vision plan for Shaker Square to the Shaker Heights City Council, outlining strategies to revive the historic plaza through a mix of retail, new housing, programmed events and infrastructure upgrades while seeking private-sector partners and additional funding.

The plan, described by Tanya Menes, president and CEO of Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, frames the effort as “a new era for a Cleveland Classic,” and breaks the work into three goals—inviting, inspiring and timeless—aimed at improving retail mix, activating upper-floor spaces and preserving the square’s historic green while making it safer and more usable.

Menes told the council the planning process ran about nine months beginning in January 2025 and drew participation from nearby neighborhoods including Shaker Heights, University Circle and portions of the West Side. She said the study shown to council recommends a retail mix oriented toward experiences, food and beverage and daily services, and calls for making better use of second-floor spaces—by installing elevators and enabling makers, wellness providers and nonprofits to occupy upper-floor suites.

Menes said CNP already has one elevator under construction in the quadrant that serves a local crisis center and plans fundraising to add elevators in other quadrants so second floors become usable. She described an RFP launched to recruit…