RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- The glow from Thursday’s (May 8) opening of the Meijer store at Belle Oaks Marketplace had definitely not worn off by Tuesday (May 13) when City Council met.

The first store to open at the mixed-use development attracted an extremely large number of enthusiastic shoppers. Mayor Kim Thomas said Tuesday that there were some who camped out in the lot in order to be among the first to shop at the store, and to get a shot at one of the 200, $50 gift certificates given out in 10 minutes beginning at 6 a.m. on grand opening day.

“I was there (at Meijer) two days ago (Sunday, May 11) and I wanted to know about the sales -- $1.4 million in (the first) three days” Thomas told council.

“The highest (amount) of sales in Ohio, they had,” added Economic Development Director Chelsey Kovar of the state’s Meijer stores within that span of time.

Council President Bobby Jordan offered a report during Tuesday’s meeting in which he said, “I just want to state the fact, I want people to understand that this community has arrived.

“I don’t know if you have noticed, but the people who are there at Meijer’s, they’re not all from Richmond Heights. I talked to one of my co-workers, she lives in South Euclid, and they walked to Meijer’s, just to see it.

“I talked to one of the managers at Meijer’s and he said it was the highest earning ever from a Meijer’s in one day. Ever.”

On Thursday, not only did Meijer hold its grand opening, but a ribbon-cutting was held for the leasing office for Belle Oaks’ coming luxury apartments, and a ceremonial groundbreaking took place on the development’s northern end for its first building, which will include retail on the first floor and apartments on its two upper floors.

The leasing office, which will open to the public late this year in anticipation of the first rentals to come in summer, 2026, includes two model apartments. The models showed off the modern appurtenances that will be included in each Belle Oaks apartment unit.

Turning his attention to those apartments, Jordan further stated, “The apartments that are coming are first class. They are first class.

“Those (model) apartments, they really just (presented) more than what I had expected. And I talked to the owner of Belle Oaks (developer DealPoint Merrill’s CEO David Frank) and I said (to him that) I didn’t have high expectations, but when I saw the apartments I had to tell him, ‘You did it.’

“Those apartments are outstanding. They’re going to be beautiful.

“This is the time for you to take pride in your community,” Jordan told council members. “This is it. People are coming to this community. They’re looking at Richmond Heights as the city.

“We’ve got to take pride because this place ( city ) is there and it’s just going to get bigger.”

Jordan said that he also talked on Thursday to a Belle Oaks financial backer.

“He told me he wants two restaurants to come to that area (Belle Oaks site). He didn’t say what they were, but he wants two restaurants.

“This place is going to be very, very nice -- the whole city of Richmond Heights.”

On the development’s northern end, off Richmond Road, where that first retail/apartment building will be constructed beginning this coming July or August, there is room for three outparcels. The outparcels, which have yet to be sold, are located between Richmond Road and the coming first building.

A fourth outparcel along Richmond Road will become home to a Clean Express Auto Wash .

“Our mayor is going to continue to find money (seeking grants and other opportunities) to do things to make the city look beautiful,” Jordan said. “As citizens, we ought to take pride and do our part.”

As Meijer and Belle Oaks came to life May 8, in addition to the heavy opening day traffic, getting in and out of the development was made a bit more difficult by the fact that the north side of Wilson Mills Road was closed for repaving, allowing traffic to only proceed on the south side of the road adjacent to the Bell Oaks site.

City Engineer Justin Hazleton said that, on May 26, road work will shift to the south side of the road, with traffic permitted on the north side.

The work also includes new ADA curb ramps and curb repairs.

Hazleton said the Wilson Mills job is expected to be fully complete in early July.

Recreation Director Cameron Campbell said that the schedule for Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, will include a ceremony at 9 a.m. at the memorial at the front of Richmond Heights Community Park; the step off of the Memorial Day Parade at 10:30 a.m. from Momentive Technologies, 24400 Highland Road; and a picnic, from noon to 2 p.m., at the Community Park.

The parade will proceed up Highland Road, past Richmond Road, to Community Park, 27285 Highland Road.

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