How do you rebuild a commercial street that hasn't been allowed to have a restaurant in about fifty years?
Shaker Heights started with the rules. In February 2026, City Council changed the zoning so that restaurants are a permitted use on Lee Road again. Cleveland.com reported it was the first time since the 1970s. Seven months later, contractors began digging up the street. The order matters for anyone who drives through the Chagrin-Lee corner this fall. The lane closures are the second step of the plan. New tenants are arriving on the first.
The Permission Came First
The rezoning set up two "commercial mixed-use" districts, one on each side of Lee, because lots on the west side are much larger. Cleveland.com's account of the February vote quoted Mayor David Weiss calling the new map and code a "backbone" for the rest of the project. The main changes:
- Restaurants are a permitted use on Lee Road again.
- Live entertainment is allowed as an accessory use on both sides of the Chagrin-Lee corridor.
- Kiosks are allowed as pop-up retail.
- New drive-thru lanes and car repair shops are prohibited. Existing businesses can stay under grandfather clauses.
- Cocktail bars are a conditional use in the Shaker Towne Center and Van Aken districts, and on Larchmere Boulevard.
That list describes the street the city is planning for. The plan covers the three-quarter-mile stretch of Lee from Van Aken Boulevard south to the Cleveland border, which the Lee Road Action Plan calls for turning into a walkable, bike-friendly, transit-oriented commercial district. Under the old rules, a café with outdoor seating along a new cycle track wasn't allowed. Now it is, years before the cycle track gets built.
What's Happening Under the Street This Fall
Most of the first construction phase happens below the pavement. Cuyahoga County's contractor, Perk, is replacing sewer and water lines on Lee Road south of Van Aken, and the city's project page expects that work to last through the end of 2026. In its October 1 update, the County Department of Public Works reported that the southbound lanes are closed from Chagrin Boulevard to Lomond Boulevard, with traffic in both directions sharing the northbound lanes. Crews were staging equipment and digging small test holes ahead of the sewer work.
The closures affect three common errands:
- Heinen's. The left-turn lane into the Heinen's lot from southbound Lee stays open while the work is underway. The store's own listing gives its address as 16611 Chagrin Blvd.
- Shaker Main Library and the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Community Building. The Lee Road entrance is closed during this phase. The city's notice sends visitors to the Chagrin Boulevard entrance at Chelton Road.
- Driving south toward Cleveland. In November and December, the one-lane-each-way pattern moves to the stretch from Lomond Boulevard to Invermere Avenue, which is in Cleveland. The city says it will post details before work on that section begins.
This phase also includes some tree removal in the commercial district south of Van Aken. The project will end up planting 182 new trees, including two rows on the west side of Lee, one on each side of the new cycle track. The city describes the new trees as mostly native, salt-tolerant species chosen for urban streets. Detours and lane closures come down for the winter.
Two Chagrin Storefronts That Didn't Wait
Two businesses on Chagrin Boulevard, just east of Lee, show what the new rules are already attracting.
Blu Basil, 20126 Chagrin Blvd. Cleveland Scene reported in February that the Indian restaurant planned to open its third location here in mid-to-late February. By the city's Summer 2026 business update, it had its liquor license and was serving a full bar along with new summer menu items. The phone number is 216-490-1177.
KneadED, 20106 Chagrin Blvd. Next door, in the space that used to hold Juma Gallery and the BarNone wine café, chefs Saidah Farrell and Adenike Harper have been building a cooperative bakery and cocoa café. Cleveland.com reported that they signed up eight independent bakers and confectioners plus two pastry chefs to bake or sell there. The same report said KneadED planned a grand opening on October 17 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a week of activities to follow. On August 24, City Council approved a conditional-use permit for the space as a cooperative bakery and instructional school, with classes of up to 16 adults and children. The planned programs include "Bake Therapy" and "Peace of Cake" classes for young people interested in baking careers. KneadED's website also describes shared kitchen access and business training for bakers.
Lee Road itself has changed too. Two new murals went up this summer at 3649 and 3705 Lee Road. The city counts them as part of the public art called for in the Lee Road Action Plan, which was adopted in 2023, and held an artist talk and dedication on July 29. A few doors from the first mural, the city's summer update listed Beloved Hearts Enrichment Center at 3655 Lee as now open. In late August, the fourth annual Chagrin-Lee Fest filled the intersection with food trucks, local vendors and live entertainment, with more programming at The Dealership at 3558 Lee Road.
Four Phases Through Spring 2029
The road will look different after each season. Here's the city's schedule:
| Phase | When | Where | How traffic moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fall 2026 | Sewer work on Lee south of Van Aken | One lane each way through the work zone |
| 2 | Spring to fall 2027 | West side of Lee, Chagrin to Scottsdale | One southbound lane open; northbound detoured |
| 3 | Spring to fall 2028 | East side of Lee, Chagrin to Scottsdale | One lane open; traffic detoured |
| 4 | Spring 2029 | Lee north of Van Aken | One northbound lane open; southbound detoured |
When it's done, most of Lee will go from four lanes to three, with one lane each way and a center turn lane. North of Van Aken, bikes get on-street lanes. South of Van Aken, they get a two-way bike path separated from traffic. The project also adds new sidewalks, benches, lighting and landscaping. The city puts the total cost at $30 million and says more than $24 million of that comes from grants from Cuyahoga County, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency and the Ohio Department of Transportation. The County's project page lists a construction contract of $23,917,214.74 and a scheduled completion date of May 30, 2029.
The 2027 and 2028 seasons will matter most for the businesses. Those are the years when crews work directly in front of the storefronts between Chagrin and Scottsdale, one side of the street at a time.
What the Scottsdale Corner Is Waiting For
The other end of the corridor is less finished. At the northeast corner of Lee and Scottsdale Boulevard, the Shaker Heights Development Corporation and the Shaker Lee Development Fund have bought five properties from 3717 to 3733 Lee Road. The fund owns three and SHDC owns two. Cleveland.com reported in September that the partners planned economic studies and were looking for possible demolition funding. The city also hopes to eventually buy the school district's bus depot for a mixed-use "neighborhood center," possibly with a Lee Road entrance to Chelton Park.
Help for current businesses is also in the works. At a September 14 council work session, SHDC listed construction mitigation grants, direct outreach to businesses and community events as its support tools, with grant administration in its 2027 work plan. The timing fits the schedule above, since the west side of Lee between Chagrin and Scottsdale is the next stretch to close, starting in spring 2027.
To follow the work as it moves, the County posts monthly updates on its Lee Road Rehabilitation page, and the city sends detour notices to its Lee Road email list.
If you're weighing how the Lee Road construction schedule fits into your own plans, Adam Kaufman follows these changes closely. Just Ask Adam.
