Recreation space planned for Valor Acres

by Melissa Martin

An open outdoor area with grass, turf, picnic tables, fire pits, a stage, seating and an indoor pavilion will be added to the mixed-use portion of Valor Acres.

The recreation and rest area, called Valor Square, will sit to the north and slightly west of an office building at the corner of Brecksville and Miller roads.

DiGeronimo Development, which is building Valor Acres, unveiled the preliminary Valor Square plan Aug. 22 to the Brecksville Planning Commission.

“I think it’s fantastic,” commission Chairman Eric Lahrmer said.

Valor Square would not be for the city at large, but for residents and businesses in Valor Acres.

At the Aug. 22 meeting, Mackenzie Makepeace, director of mixed-use development with DiGeronimo, said the developer originally considered adding a 100,000-square-foot office building on the Valor Square site. However, she said, the mixed-use section already has plenty of office space.

The developer decided that green space for Valor Acres residents and workers was needed there and would attract tenants.

Michael Fant, vice president of workplace and mixed use with AoDK Inc., a Lakewood Architectural firm helping DiGeronimo with the Valor Acres project, said the pavilion would measure a little less than 2,000 square feet. Business tenants and restaurants in Valor Acres would use the pavilion for corporate events and popup eateries or cafés, Fant said. The pavilion would include restrooms and would have glass walls and garage doors that can be opened when the weather is nice, he added. Other site features may include a public art section on the back of the pavilion and a jungle gym for children. The stage would feature live performances.

Commission members recommended, among other things, opening Valor Square to the city at large and adding amenities and food options.

Josh Decker, project executive with DiGeronimo, said the developers will return to the commission in the future seeking preliminary approval for Valor Square. ∞