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Residents are mixed over proposed Giant Eagle
Residents are mixed over proposed Giant Eagle
By SUE REID
As plans for a nearly 100,000-square-foot Giant Eagle supermarket in Solon moves closer with a rezoning request before voters Nov. 3, residents expressed mixed views on the proposed redevelopment.
While many said they greatly depend on having a grocery store in the city, others expressed opposition to the "prototype" store being proposed.
"It doesn't have to be that big," Eleanor Melzer said of the store, which will feature a number of amenities, including a cafe and pharmacy. "It gets too big, and you just get lost."
Ms. Melzer said she shops mainly at Marc's on SOM Center Road (Route 91) and Giant Eagle in the Solar Center shopping plaza at SOM Center and Aurora (Route 43) roads.
"It's very important to have a grocery store in Solon," Mille Tylicki said. "I can walk to the Giant Eagle from where I live."
A senior citizen, Ms. Tylicki said that, as the population ages, it is important to have a grocery store close enough for them to travel to. She said, while she likes Giant Eagle, she prefers shopping at Heinen's, and wishes one would come to Solon. "Things are higher priced, but much better," Ms. Tylicki said.
She said, although Marc's is an option, the crowds there are a deterrent.
"When I go to Giant Eagle, I can get in and out and not wait around." Ms. Tylicki said she plans to give the new Giant Eagle a try.
The size of the prototype store would not bother him at all, Ellis Magen said. "It's very important to have a store in the city," he said. He also lives close to the Solar Center shopping plaza. He said that he and his wife do the majority of their shopping at Giant Eagle, Miles Market and Marc's.
"There's only two in our household, but we shop a lot," Mr. Magen said. "I depend on having a grocery store in Solon. It's convenient."
While he said he would support the rezoning request and the new Giant Eagle, he remains concerned about the other businesses in the Solar plaza, especially Chicago Deli. "We frequent there quite often," Mr. Magen said.
Al Magid said that, while he does not have anything against Giant Eagle, he doesn't particularly like "super-large stores."
"But I guess that's the wave of the future," Mr. Magid said.
He said his wife shops mainly at the Heinen's on Lander Circle in Pepper Pike and some at Miles Farmers Market. "We used to live in Pepper Pike," he said, "and she does 90 percent of our shopping there." He said he prefers a store more the size of a Heinen's.
"I don't need the cleaners or the pharmacy there," Mr. Magid said of the offerings in the prototype Giant Eagle.
Lawrence Fish said the city needs a larger Giant Eagle to compete with other food stores. Mr. Fish, who lives with his daughter, said she does her shopping at Walmart in Bainbridge, Giant Eagle in Solon and Marc's.
"She can get more for her money at Walmart and Marc's," Mr. Fish said. He said he would like to have a larger Giant Eagle, but he is uncertain if the prices would be more competitive with Marc's or Walmart.
Stow resident Meghan Foley, who works in Solon, said the city has a Marc's and Giant Eagle, which are not even a mile apart.
"I get what I need from what they already have here," she said. An environmental engineer, Ms. Foley said she is more of an advocate of improving or reusing existing space instead of redevelopment and cutting into "virgin land."
Don DeRoia said he thinks it is probably a good thing to update the shopping center.
"Other cities like us have stores that are updated," Mr. DeRoia said. "You want an anchor store. I've seen other updated stores, and I'm all for it.
"Having a large Giant Eagle and a more updated facility is good," he said. "If they are going to revitalize the shopping center, I'm all for it, because there are so many empty ones in the city."
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