Demolition starts for new Rite Aid!

We have received many calls about what is going on at the corner of East 185th Street and Lakeshore Boulevard. Well, the answer is Rite Aid is coming to the neighborhood! Several buildings are being razed to make way for the nearly 15,000 square foot building.

Northeast Shores is very excited to see work finally start on this project. When Medic Drugs closed across the region, East 185th Street was left without a pharmacy in the neighborhood's main commercial district. As soon as the Medic announcement occurred, we sprung into action in seeking a new pharmacy to East 185th Street.

We created an aggressive marketing piece to convince Rite Aid to take a strong look at the street. After several conversations in May 2006, it was clear that Rite Aid would start a campaign to find an appropriate site. Many of the sites shown to the Rite Aid representative were dismissed, because they were too small for their footprint. Frankly, we did not appreciate the amount of land necessary to construct a 15,000 square foot building with appropriate parking.

Thankfully, a site was achieved in July 2007 (after more than 14 months of negotiating various locations)! After a site was selected, Rite Aid moved towards getting appropriate city approvals. Now, after two years of work, the community can finally see something tangible regarding the new Rite Aid site.

With the new Fifth Third Bank, rehabilitated Save-A-Lot, and new Rite Aid, East 185th is experiencing some major investment by national brands. This development comes at a time that the regional economy is sluggish. So, please note the strong vote of confidence this investment represents. I hope you will join our excitement as we move forward in keeping East 185th Street a vibrant commercial district that meets the needs of our residents.