Ohio City development plan returns after fire

he new plan for the 45 West mixed-use development offers a more commanding
presence on Lorain Avenue in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. But a design-
review committee suggested that larger presence at the south end should allow it
to reduce the building’s scale at the north end, next to smaller homes (Vocon).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

At 1 a.m. April 10, 2024, a former funeral home dating to 1865 at 4434 Lorain Ave. in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood went up in flames. So too did real estate developer My Place Group’s plans for renovating it as part of a larger mixed-use development called 45 West.

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CSU, GCRTA restart talks on U-Pass

Thousands of Cleveland State University students use the university’s U-Pass program
each semester for free travel on Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority buses and
trains regardless of purpose. Last week, CSU announced it was ending the program. This
week, the transit agency and university officials were working on options to provide
fare benefits to students (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

One week ago, Cleveland State University (CSU) notified its students that it was ending its U-Pass that provided fee travel on Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) buses and trains. Today, GCRTA announced that conversations were occurring to continue to offer fare discount benefits to thousands of CSU students.

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ODOT plans first-ever SmartLane in NE Ohio

The Ohio Department of Transportation will create a SmartLane along a congested
stretch of Interstate 90 near Downtown Cleveland, through Dead Man’s Curve. This
unofficial rendering looks west toward downtown and the curve. The inner lane at
left will be the SmartLane (Methodicle). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

With reconstruction of the Interstates 90/77 Central Interchange in Downtown Cleveland expected to begin next year, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has its sights set on the next phase of the massive Innerbelt project — and that next phase may include a technology that’s brand new to Northeast Ohio.

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GCRTA to add more railcars to order

Greater Cleveland’s new rapid transit trains are starting to look like trains at the
Siemens Mobility factory in Sacramento, CA. These are two halves of a rail car
that will be connected to each other at a hinge to create a single “articulated”
car. Cleveland will get 60 of these starting next year (GCRTA).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

In two weeks, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) will likely authorize completion of its 60-car order of new trains to replace the oldest rail transit fleet in the nation. The Cuyahoga County-based transit agency is hurriedly trying to round up the last funding and complete the order before costs rise further.

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Euclid Avenue building demolition postponed

This century-old structure on Euclid Avenue at East 71st Street in Cleveland’s
Midtown neighborhood is proposed for demolition to avail a future development
site. But the demolition was postponed by the Planning Commission which sought
more information. The site is next to a station on the HealthLine bus rapid
transit (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Neither Mother Nature, the Cleveland Foundation or the Cleveland Planning Commission have so far been able to demolish a century-old building at Euclid Avenue and East 71st Street in Cleveland’s Midtown neighborhood. The tornado-damaged former showroom and warehouse of the Baker Electric Car Company, 7107-7113 Euclid, is in the crosshairs of a nearly four-acre redevelopment site.

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Cleveland leaves door open for Browns to stay

Fifty acres of developable Downtown Cleveland lakefront land, lightly shaded and outlined
in blue, with another 15 acres set aside for public spaces are the subject of a pending offer
to prospective developers. That includes the 22-acre site of Huntington Bank Field where
the Cleveland Browns play roughly 10 home games per season until their lease with the city
runs out after the 2028 football season (NCWDC). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

While it may be unlikely the existing Huntington Bank Field will remain standing if and when the Cleveland Browns leave it, the head of a nonprofit corporation overseeing lakefront development kept the door open for the National Football League team to return if it chooses. But the clock is running for the Browns’ owners to compete with other prospective lakefront developers to respond to a request for qualifications (RFQ) issued last month.

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Cosm gets initial OK from Planning Commission

Rather than submit detailed plans for the Cleveland Cosm to the Cleveland Planning Com-
mission, the project architect sought feedback from pictures of existing Cosm locations
and this rendering of the Detroit Cosm, now under construction at Cadillac Square,
 adjacent to Campus Martius Park (Rossetti). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Bedrock Real Estate, Cosm and a project architect are already moving forward with plans to build a new immersive entertainment and hospitality venue in Downtown Cleveland known as Cosm Cleveland. And those conceptual plans crossed their first big hurdle today with unanimous support from the City Planning Commission.

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