Lakeside Centre owners seek rezoning

2/26/2005

The same week the last retailers in the Lakeside Centre left, the mall's owners have asked to change its zoning to allow light manufacturing, and a commercial real estate agent says a supplier to DaimlerChrysler AG is interested in locating there.

Robert Davis, deputy director of the Toledo plan commission, said the owners of Lakeside, formerly North Towne Square mall, want the zoning changed from CMX commercial-retail to IL so that a variety of commercial and light industrial uses would be permitted.

The request was filed this week and is expected to be on the plan commission's April 14 agenda.

Pete Shawaker, a partner at Michael Realty Co. in Toledo, said an auto parts supplier to the Toledo Jeep Assembly Plant toured the vacant Dillard's department store at the center last week and said it is one of three sites in Toledo it may use.

The supplier needs in excess of 100,000 square feet, Mr. Shawaker said.

The Dillard's store has 182,000 square feet and the mall's owners, Beverly Hills, Calif., businessmen Jack Kashani and Sammy Kahen, recently had the second floor of the former department store removed so that a manufacturer or warehouser could use the building.

Chrysler has been using the former mall's parking lot to store finished Jeep Libertys and Wranglers. "Jeep likes the site," Mr. Shawaker said. "We've been talking to Chrysler directly about it for further uses."