Shaker Heights Working to Keep Starbucks at Van Aken

City officials in Shaker Heights are not certain what will happen to Starbucks on Van Aken and Chagrin Boulevards, but, a spokesperson said, the store will not close in May, as rumors predict.

The stretch of Van Aken Boulevard between Farnsleigh Road and Chagrin Boulevard will close* when the city permanently reroutes traffic to Farnsleigh Road as the first step in the Van Aken District redevelopment project.

Construction begins in early 2014, but the exact date of Van Aken's closure is unknown.

When the project is complete, city officials hope that the Van Aken district will be a vibrant, walkable, four-way intersection with a mix of retail, office and community space.

But while that peice of Van Aken Boulevard is being demolished, Starbucks will need to find a new home. And city officials hope if will remain in the Van Aken district. 

"It’s a gathering spot," said Shaker Heights city spokesperson Vicki Blank. "It’s the kind of retail that residents want ... It lends a lot of the kind of atmosphere that people want in their community. It's very much a part of the kind of district that Shaker Heights wants to have."

For now, the city is working with Starbucks to keep it in its current location for as close to the start of construction as possible, and helping the company look for a new space in the area.

Blank added that the city would announce as soon as they know where and when Starbucks will move.

*Editor's Note: The original version of this article reported that Van Aken would close in January 2014. In fact, construction begins in early 2014 but the road will not close right away.