Lakewood Center North.jpg

The Lakewood Center North 15-story office tower will be converted into mostly apartments, owner says.

(Bruce Geiselman, special to cleveland.com)

LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- The owner of Lakewood Center North plans to turn much of the 15-story downtown office building into upscale apartments.

Plans include creating 182 one- and two-bedroom units on 12 of the 15 floors. Apartment sizes will range from 700 to 1,300 square feet, and rents are expected to start at $1,000 per month. In addition, more retail space will be added to the ground floor.

Kowit & Company Real Estate Group announced its plans Friday for the 260,000-square-foot building at 14600 Detroit Ave. The company, headed by real estate broker Brad Kowit, bought the building three years ago. The building in recent years has had only 50 percent occupancy. Its largest tenant, New York Life, plans to move to a new location in Downtown Cleveland at the end of this year.

Kowit said the departure of the building's largest tenant opens the door for converting the building to a mixed-use tower offering new housing options in Downtown Lakewood. The housing market in Lakewood is strong at this time, Kowit said.

"We are almost maxed out in terms of office space in Lakewood," he said.

The apartments will offer amenities including stainless steel appliances, a dog walking area, grilling area, 1,000 car parking garage next door, restaurants within walking distance, and a fitness area.

"We are excited about being the first to offer high-rise apartment living in the heart of Lakewood," Kowit said. "The amenities that the community has to offer, the location and the views to the lake and Downtown Cleveland are spectacular."

Lakewood Mayor Michael Summers said the plan would offer housing alternatives for those wanting to live in Lakewood.

"This strategic shift to include housing at Lakewood Center North will only serve to strengthen our diverse housing offering for years to come," Summers said.

Lakewood Center North was built in the 1970s as part of a high-rise commercial development boom.

"With Forage Public House at the ground floor, as well as office users such as Zaremba Group and Regency Construction, the addition of residential options will make Lakewood Center North the largest mixed-use building in Lakewood," Summers said.

Plans will be submitted to the city later this spring, with construction expected to begin in late 2016. Construction could take two years to complete.

Follow cleveland.com on Facebook and @LWOhio on Twitter