Luxury Living Meets Walkable Community
By Lydia Kacala
A typical day at the Van Aken District looks different for everyone. Visiting the mixed-use center, which offers shopping and dining experiences as well as opportunities to live Upstairs at Van Aken or at the new RAYE apartments across Farnsleigh Road in Shaker Heights, you’ll find local residents and visitors alike spending their time leisurely shopping, grabbing lunch or dinner with their loved ones or walking around the area.
Rathner
Jesse Rathner, general manager of the Van Aken District, tells Jstyle many different kinds of people can be seen gathering at the development to dine, shop, get their hair or nails done, or even just to people watch.
“We’re a poll for the community, not just Shaker, but for the surrounding suburbs in (the) Greater Cleveland Metropolitan area, specifically on the east side suburbs,” Rathner says. “And, it’s a family-friendly destination, so we see kids, we see adults, we see grandparents (and) empty nesters, who come and use Van Aken for their leisure, discretionary time.”
The living spaces at and near the Van Aken District allow it to develop its own community, and keep those that it serves closer to the area, he notes. Those living in the area can also benefit, with amenities being right outside their front doors.
By adding more living spaces through RAYE, the Van Aken District is able to increase foot traffic while investing more into the area.
“Really, it allows us to, not that we don’t already, but enhance the vested interest that we already have in the area because this is the front door step out of people’s homes – which it was for some, but we’ve now doubled down on that by adding RAYE and the number of units that are there and who’s living there and what they’re seeing,” he says. “It’s an opportunity for us to really challenge us in the right way to continue to make the property shine the way we want it to.”
Rathner says he has one main hope for the future of RAYE and the Van Aken District –
growth. He hopes for the future of the apartment building and area to remain intertwined, continuing to work together to create community and be a “mutually beneficial experience” to one another.
“My hope is that they help fortify together to create this downtown of Shaker Heights and make it a heartbeat for the city – that people will want to keep coming to Van Aken, consider living in Ray, consider the district as their home and their destination to gather and have that grow as the district continues to grow,” he says.