New Giant Eagle Part of Solar Center Redevelopment

The long-awaited redevelopment of will include a new, free-standing grocery store and a GetGo gas station.

The development, which has been , has received new life after Echo Development agreed to purchase and development the aging shopping plaza at SOM Center and Aurora roads.

The only possible catch is the time frame: Echo has until April 15 to gain city council approval, because that's when the company's purchase option expires, said Rob Frankland, Solon's planning director.

Frankland, who showed site plans to city council Tuesday night, said that the Giant Eagle will be about 92,000 square feet, and be built on the southern edge of the property.

A GetGo gas station will also be built along SOM Center Road near the current entrance to the plaza.

The development agreement between Echo and the city, which was approved Tuesday, says that the existing Giant Eagle will remain open while the new store is being built.

City officials said they were very pleased with the latest movement on the project, which appeared dead after the original four development partners filed lawsuits against each other, forcing the city to intervene.

But Pittsburgh-based Echo, which has built many Giant Eagle stores, will provide the city with a more simplified approach, since they will be the sole owner and developer.

And the city will know by April whether the project will move on or not.

Vice Mayor Ed Kraus said that Solar Center has been a project fraught with "trials and tribulations."

"It’s great that this project is getting off the ground," he said. "I really feel we have found a true development partner in Echo."

Now the city council's various committees will each examine the project and make its recommendations. Planning will get first crack at it. They will hold a hearing on the project Jan. 24.

Kraus said residents will have a number of times to comment on the project.

"This is just the beginning of the process," he said.