Top 10 NEOtrans news stories of 2022

The Cleveland Browns’ football stadium could move from the
lakefront depending on studies now underway of the existing
FirstEnergy Stadium and of the Shoreway highway. If the latter
is moved away from the stadium site, the city and the Browns
could renovate the existing stadium. Two NEOtrans stories about
this subject were among the most-read articles of 2023 (AODK).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

The end of the year is a good time to look back and take stock of everything that’s happened in the past 12 months. For a local journalism outlet like NEOtrans, that means taking a measure of what articles resonated with the community the most. This year-end top-10 list of our most-read articles is how we’re measuring what resonated.

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Cleveland Clinic sees a busy 2023

Cleveland Clinic’s Main Campus, looking west toward downtown
before numerous major construction projects began (CCF).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

For several years, NEOtrans has been following the emergence, planning and development of major projects at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation’s Main Campus on the city’s East Side. In 2023, shovels will go into the ground for several of those projects which, in total, will rival the global health system’s last big building boom that occurred about 15 years ago. NEOtrans interviewed two of Cleveland Clinic’s leaders to learn more about the Clinic’s $1.3 billion construction program.

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Postmortem on Medical Mutual’s HQ decision

Medical Mutual of Ohio’s headquarters since 1947 has been in the
Rose Building in downtown Cleveland. Located at East 9th Street
and Prospect Avenue, the building will be vacated starting next
month (KJP). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

The decision for Medical Mutual of Ohio to abandon its downtown Cleveland headquarters for suburban Brooklyn was apparently less of a strategic move and more of a matter of which city’s public incentives got used first. And according to a local real estate insider, it was a short-term decision that could end up biting the Fortune 1000 company and downtown in their hind ends in the long term.

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Circle Square: looking ahead

This official, conceptual massing is based on the city-approved masterplan
for Circle Square along Stokes Boulevard in Cleveland’s University Circle. The
 nearest buildings are part of phase two which is already in the works (Bialosky).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

When Circle Square won a megaprojects tax credit earlier this month from the state, it helped set the financial foundations for the next structures in the massive undertaking in Cleveland’s University Circle. Already, Circle Square’s developers have forever changed the skyline of Cleveland’s second downtown. But more is about to come along Stokes Boulevard, between Euclid and Chester avenues.

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Old Brooklyn development plan wins support

A conceptual rendering of a proposed mixed-use development at the
northwest corner of Pearl Road and Memphis Avenue in the business
district of Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn. It features a market-rate apart-
ments over ground-floor commercial spaces, at left, a renovated St.
Luke Church and a community spaces along Pearl, at right (Desmone).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Plans for redeveloping the northwest corner of Pearl Road and Memphis Avenue in the heart of Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood were set in motion yesterday when a Pittsburgh-based architecture and development firm and its conceptual plan were selected by the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corp. (OBCDC). Desmone, OBCDC and other neighborhood stakeholders pledged to work together in the first quarter of 2023 to turn the proposal into an active project.

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Boost in historic tax credits benefits Ohio projects

The underperforming Erieview Tower office building and its Galleria retail
center received the maximum historic tax credit from the state for its $100
million redevelopment into modern offices, apartments, shops, restaurants
and a five-star W-brand hotel. At left is 45 Erieview, rebranded as The Bell
for its now-underway conversion to apartments. It won historic tax credits
at this time last year (KJP). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Ohio announced state support for 54 rehabilitation projects that will restore 57 historic buildings across the state including eight redevelopment projects in Cleveland. According to state officials, the projects statewide are expected to leverage approximately $1.01 billion in private investment. The projects were awarded funding as part of the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program (OHPTC), administered by the Ohio Department of Development. In total, 21 communities across the state are receiving awards, which total $64,132,847 in tax credits with $14.5 million of that going to Cleveland projects.

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Plans for $49M renovation, expansion of convention center revealed

An addition to the former Medical Mart, as part of its conversion to provid-
ing additional meeting and event spaces for the Huntington Convention
Center of Cleveland, extends the ground-floor use converted to a ball-
room out to Ontario Street, at left (TVS Design-Moody Nolan).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Plans for renovating, expanding and converting the ill-fated Global Center for Health Innovation into additional meeting and event spaces for the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland were made available to the public this week. They were released ahead of their scheduled review Thursday by the Cleveland Landmarks Commission. Those plans show the 120,000-square-foot former center, commonly referred to as the Medical Mart, would increase in size by more than 23,000 square feet so it could serve a new and hopefully more productive purpose.

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GCRTA wins grant to build new East 79th Rapid stop

A key to transforming an area south of the Opportunity Corridor Boulevard
 into a vibrant neighborhood is the replacement of a station on the Greater
Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s light-rail Blue/Green line. This
is a vision for that area which has been supported by civic leaders in-
cluding the Cleveland Planning Commission (City Architecture).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Early last year, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) opened a new station at East 79th Street on its Airport-Windermere rail transit Red Line. Late next year, and less than 2,000 feet south, the transit agency could start construction on a new East 79th station on its downtown-Shaker Heights rail transit Blue/Green Lines. Both stations are seen as a key strategy to improve access for everyone to reach job sites being added along the new Opportunity Corridor Boulevard.

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Brownfield grants reveal progress on many projects

The Peninsula, a 316-unit residential community on Scranton Peninsula
in Cleveland’s Flats won more than $6 million, representing the largest
Ohio brownfield grant awarded in Cuyahoga County. That funding, plus
tax-increment financing from the city of Cleveland, will help the project
overcome rising construction  costs and interest rates, say its developer
NRP Group (BKV). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced $88 million in state support for 123 brownfield remediation projects that will help clean up hazardous and underutilized sites throughout the state. The Ohio Department of Development is funding the awards through the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program, which is designed to clean up and prepare hazardous brownfield sites for redevelopment. The projects announced today will impact communities in 35 counties across the state.

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Amtrak Ohio expansion may bypass state government

Amtrak’s new Airo trains to be built by Siemens Mobility. Starting in 2026,
these new trains will operate on all eastern routes shorter than 750 miles,
including on services purchased by several states surrounding Ohio
that could be extended to Cleveland (Amtrak).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Several initiatives that are in their early stages may instigate passenger rail expansion to Cleveland before the state of Ohio decides to get on board. That could be welcome timing considering the Federal Railroad Administration will solicit applications next week for funding to begin the process for developing new and expanded passenger rail services.

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Dog daycare chain eyeing downtown

From the outset of design for the new City Club Apartments tower in downtown
Cleveland, being a dog-friendly environment was emphasized as demonstrated
 in this and other renderings as well as by floor plans which assumed a dog day
care business would be a tenant. A Cleveland-area businessman wants to take
them up on that  suggestion by opening a dog day care franchise there (Vocon).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

A national dog daycare chain is eyeballing the Greater Cleveland area and may start by planting its flag in downtown Cleveland. Dogtopia franchisee and self-described dog lover Alex Mazzenga of Cleveland Heights is seeking to open a dog daycare business at the City Club Apartments, 776 Euclid Ave, according to a building permit application filed with the city this week. The investment necessary to build out the space, estimated by the permit at up to $1 million, shows there’s some serious puppy love involved.

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Phase 2 sought for Midtown apartment complex

Looking at The Foundry Lofts from the Carnegie Avenue side, the two
darker buildings are what is proposed to be added. The red buildings
closer to Euclid Avenue were completed last fall and are filling up
fast (City Architecture). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

With the paint still drying on the first phase of a mixed-use development called The Foundry Lofts, 7240 Euclid Ave., Signet Real Estate Group is asking the city for approvals to begin construction on an apartments-only phase two. The reason for moving forward so quickly on expanding the Midtown Cleveland development is because both residential and commercial leasing activity for the first phase have been strong.

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Odeon, 3 other Flats parcels sold to developer

The Odeon concert club and three other parcels on Old River Road on Cleve-
land’s Flats East Bank were sold to local real estate development financier
GBX Group. The same company is part of ambitious plans for several
neighboring buildings which belonged to the Samsel Supply Co. (KJP).
 CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

The Odeon concert club, 1295 Old River Rd., was among four contiguous parcels on Cleveland’s Flats East Bank sold last week to Cleveland-based GBX Group, a real estate development financier which specializes in structuring financing for historic rehabilitation projects. However, when contacted by NEOtrans, a GBX representative said their plans for the site would not be officially announced for at least two months.

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Canon takes aim at Cleveland

Opportunity Corridor, in Cleveland’s University Circle and the Cleveland
Clinic’s main campus, appears to be the favored location for the new Canon
Healthcare USA headquarters. And if rumors from several years ago remain
true, it is also the favored site for Canon Healthcare’s research, production
and warehouse facilities. This view looks north on East 105th Street at Frank
Avenue with the mostly vacant IBM Explorys building at right (Google).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Three years ago, the first rumors of Canon seeking to increase its presence in Cleveland surfaced. NEOtrans couldn’t report all of the gory details back then because it would compromise a source. So only some of the information was shared once it became publicly available. But the rest of the information from back then can be shared now that the Japanese imaging company let the cat out of the bag that it’s putting the headquarters for Canon’s newly created Canon Healthcare USA Inc.’s subsidiary in Greater Cleveland.

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Four NE Ohio projects win TMUD credits

One of the most significant developments underway in Northeast Ohio
is the Circle Square megaproject between Euclid and Chester avenues
at Stokes Boulevard. At left is Library Lofts. Behind it is The Artisan
apartments, now the tallest building in University Circle. Front and
center is the historic and recently renovated Fenway Manor Apart-
ments. Behind it is a future hotel. The two buildings to the right
are also future projects — an office building in the foreground
with an apartment tower in the background. (Bialosky).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

In the first round of Ohio’s Transformational Mixed Use Development (TMUD) tax credit program, more than half of the major-city credits went to Cleveland. Today, more than half of those credits went to just two projects in Columbus. That left enough TMUD credits to benefit two projects in Cleveland — the Erieview redevelopment in downtown Cleveland and the Circle Square megaproject in University Circle. Unfortunately, that also meant that several other projects in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County were left out.

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Bridgeworks seeks options after 2nd TMUD snub

Rendering of the planned Bridgeworks mixed-use development in the
Hingetown section of Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. The deve-
lopment was turned down a second time by the state for a so-called Mega-
projects tax credit (Mass/LDA). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

The development team that has sought to build the high-rise Bridgeworks development, 2429 West Superior Viaduct, in the Hingetown section of Ohio City is left with more questions than answers today after being left off the awards list for Ohio Transformational Mixed Use Development (TMUD) tax credits the second time. The Ohio Tax Credit Authority passed over Bridgeworks in awarding TMUD credits to other projects statewide.

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Up to $10M coming to Irishtown Bend Park

If enough funding can be found, Irishtown Bend Park would line the east
edge of West 25th Street in Ohio City, north of the Riverview Towers
Apartments toward the Detroit-Superior Bridge seen in the distance.
If a challenge grant announced today is matched by 2024, half of
the funding will be in place to start building the park (Plural).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

In a project beset with hurdles — primarily centered around money — the effort to move forward on developing the 23-acre Irishtown Bend Park in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood got a big financial boost today. That boost came from a $5 million challenge grant from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation. If enough donations are received by the end of 2024 to match the challenge dollar-for-dollar, it could generate up to $10 million.

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Making waves on Cleveland’s lakefront

This is one of the ideas for improving the East 55th Marina area on
Cleveland’s lakefront. This concept is for a new multi-use facility
on North Marginal Road at the marina, which is being considered
by the Cleveland Metroparks. This and other ideas are being con-
sidered as part of a larger vision called the Cleveland Harbor
Eastern  Embayment Resilience Strategy (Contributed).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Depositing of fill dirt, removal of a pedestrian bridge and plans for a combined restaurant, event center and boat launch are all in the works along Cleveland’s lakefront. And these activities are early, yet tangible indications of potential next steps for even larger changes along where the city meets its greatest natural asset.

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Stark has new buyer for downtown site

Stark Enterprises reportedly has a new buyer for the nearly 3 acres of land
on which it publicly sought to build the high-rise, mixed-use development
called nuCLEus. Considering the likely high sale price, the buyer is some-
one with deep pockets who will want to develop the site quickly with
large buildings to recoup its big investment (Stark).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARE THEM

If it’s December, then there’s a new buyer emerging for the so-called “nuCLEus” properties owned by Cleveland-based Stark Enterprises. But there’s a few differences with the potential sale of downtown land in the Gateway District compared to last year’s deal that fell through. Perhaps the most significant difference this time is that Stark’s CEO isn’t denying it.

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Bedrock’s ambitious Tower City, riverfront plans

Bedrock Real Estate’s masterplan for the Cuyahoga Riverfront below Tower
City Center will reportedly take decades to realize (Adjaye Associates).
 CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

After months of work, Bedrock Real Estate of Detroit and its masterplan architect David Adjaye Associates of Ghana today released their vision for the Cuyahoga Riverfront below Tower City Center in downtown Cleveland. The $3.5 billion vision would add more than 3.5 million square feet of mixed uses next to the former railroad passenger terminal turned shopping center. It’s the latest in a century’s worth of ambitious visions of the waterfront closest to Public Square.

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