Crocker Park is a major mixed-use development dedicated to the principles of new urbanism. The project objectives were to create a new city, oriented around a “Main Street,” in a highly suburban setting.  Crocker Park, located in a suburban setting on a 75-acre site, incorporates ground floor retail and commercial in a main street environment with upper-story residential and office space.  In total, Crocker Park encompasses 1.7 million square feet and provides for over 600 residential units.  The residential units are two stories over ground-level retail space and are a combination of both leased and owned spaces in a variety of sizes and types.

“The relationship between the height of the buildings and the width of the streets and sidewalks creates a comfortable, enveloping space that feels just right.”  Steven Litt, Cleveland Plain Dealer, December 19, 2004

Bialosky + Partners Architects unified plan and design guidelines to produce buildings of a proportion and mixture that are also reinforced by their siting and size -to create a pedestrian-friendly visiting and living environment.  Parking at street level and in structures, carefully planned to maximize accessibility while enhancing traffic flow and safety, encourages pedestrian movement and use.   Streets, crossings and intersections were created on a grid while providing pedestrian alleys and walkways to encourage movement.  The grid provides for the critical mass of urban interaction necessary to sustain a vital community.  Intersections and connections to and with green spaces were created to allow for both random and structured events and active and leisurely use.  A linear 60 ft. by 1000 ft. median park is at the heart of the project.  It is programmed beyond just an open space to feature venues and amenities for a variety of events.

As a result, Bialosky + Partners Architects has designed one of the largest mixed-use developments in the country; its design and construction needed to be carefully implemented to coincide with market rate absorption of the range of retail, commercial and residential units.