Mixed-use, Class A office project proposed on blighted properties in Mentor’s Old Village – News-Herald.com

A portion of Mentors long-neglected Old Village area is targeted for a major upgrade.

Uptown Mentor LLC proposes a 40,000-square-foot, mixed-use, Class A office building at 8675 and 8695 Mentor Ave., near Little Mountain Road.

City Council recently authorized a development agreement with Uptown Mentor for construction, and exemption from taxation, of improvements to the parcels, comprising about 4 acres.

This is one of the commercial centers in Mentor's Old Village area that will be razed for a new office building project.

The legislation allows the city to provide certain infrastructure improvements via tax increment financing and property tax abatement incentives available in the Old Village Community Reinvestment Area.

Most of the existing storefronts on the property have been vacant for many years. Along with office space, developers envision restaurants and shops, and high-energy patio space.

As you know, this area is probably the most rundown, blighted and underutilized area of Mentor, said Uptown President Alison Sikora, who owns two other commercial properties nearby. It has been that way for decades, which has never made sense to me.

"I have always believed that Mentor should have a vibrant and walkable central business district," she added. "This area seems to be the prime location for such a development. The area is surrounded by well-established neighborhoods in all directions.

Studies completed by major commercial brokerage firms show that most employees appreciate the flexibility to work from home during the pandemic, but they also want to be able to work from an office, ideally closer to home, she said.

Employers, in turn, are predicted to accommodate those changes in the workforce by providing work near home options, studies show.

For this and other reasons, demand for suburban office space is on the rise, and that trend is predicted to continue, Sikora said. Mentor currently has lack of supply of quality office space. Moreover, office tenants want convenient amenities like nearby restaurants and shopping. Additionally, people are more interested than ever in outdoor dining options.

She said she and her brokers are actively pursuing tenants for this development, and they are in discussions with several that Mentor residents would be excited to have here.

She noted that she is working with local brokers and contractors with Mentor connections, where possible.

My sincere hope is that this development will have a catalytic effect, that it will become a local landmark, and that it will begin a transformation of that highly visible and vital area of our city, she said.

Her team has worked closely with the city during the last several months on bringing the project to this point. It still requires Planning Commission approval.

The project is welcomed by city officials, Mentor Economic Development Director Kevin Malecek said.

For many years, both the city and the public recognized these properties as an eyesore on bustling Mentor Avenue," he said, "And the opportunity to have a state-of-the-art, mixed-use building with Class A office facilities and a developer committed to making significant investment to improve the area is an extremely positive change.

It is also a recognition of what we are seeing in the commercial real estate market that with the pandemic, areas like Mentor, closer to peoples homes, may see growth opportunities in higher-end commercial possibilities.

Razing of the buildings is expected to take place in the spring, with construction soon to follow.

Ideally, Id like this development to be a shining example of collaboration and civic pride for many decades to come, Sikora said.

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Mixed-use, Class A office project proposed on blighted properties in Mentor's Old Village - News-Herald.com