Did city derail scenic railroad extension?

A Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad train pulls into the Rockside Station
in suburban Independence. This is the farthest north the popular trains go
toward Cleveland. While there is an effort underway to extend the trains
north to downtown Cleveland, a legal action taken earlier this month
may have significantly complicated those efforts (KJP).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

While helping Bedrock Real Estate acquire land for its downtown riverfront development, the city of Cleveland may have also “significantly harmed” nascent efforts to extend Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSR) passenger trains north to downtown. That harm was the apparent result of the city releasing itself from a lien on current and former railroad rights of way along the Cuyahoga River from below Tower City Center south to near Interstate 490.

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Slavic Village industry to get trucked

Vacant for four years but standing for 136 years, The Empire Plow Co.
on East 65th Street is about to come down. Replacing the manufac-
turer that had its roots in the cotton fields of pre-Civil War Georgia
will be a new facility for local a trucking company (Google).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

The Empire Plow Co. has been in existence for 183 years. Its factory in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood has stood for 136 years. But since it’s been vacant for four years, it’s likely to be demolished by the end of this year. And, according to the property owner, the site is proposed to be bought by a local trucking firm that needs more space for its growing business.

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NE Ohio wins $26M in historic tax credits

A planned redevelopment of the Park Synagogue and its surrounding property
was the big winner in today’s award of Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits.
There were 11 projects in Northeast Ohio that won more than half of the
awarded tax credits in this latest round (SCA-Ardon Bar-Hama).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

An ambitious plan to redevelop the mostly vacated Park Synagogue, 3300 Mayfield Rd., and its 28 acres of land in Cleveland Heights was the big winner in today’s awarding of $50.56 million in Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits to 38 projects statewide. But Northeast Ohio overall did pretty in this latest round of historic tax credit awards, winning more than $26 million for 11 projects.

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Rebuild Cleveland to assemble new homes

The first modular home that a new Cleveland company intends to build
will rise quickly in July on a vacant lot on Colgate Avenue in Cleve-
land’s Detroit Shoreway neighborhood (Rebuild Cleveland).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

A new company comprised of local real estate veterans intends to break ground next week on its first new home to address a shortage of quality, affordable workforce housing and to continue neighborhood stabilization efforts. But construction of that home, a modular, manufactured structure, is due to be completed in less than one month. The company that will build this infill housing on vacant lots is called Rebuild Cleveland LLC and the neighborhood where they will start assembling them is the southern part of Cleveland’s Detroit Shoreway.

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Hough developments keep on coming

Across the street from Rockefeller Park, the vine-covered Linnette
Apartments, 1552 Ansel Ave., was demolished several months ago for
a mixed-income apartment building. Just beyond the two lighter-shaded
facades of the Regency Square Apartments, on either side of Kenmore Ave-
nue, two other apartment buildings in bad condition were knocked down in
the last few years (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Multiple construction projects are underway at the east end of Hough, closest to University Circle, and more are about to begin. While work is rapidly progressing on the apartments and townhomes for Park Lamont, two more projects are about to begin and a third is waiting in the wings for more financing to be awarded to it. All are in response to the growing number of University Circle-area jobs and students. Even affordable senior housing is being added in response to this growth, with the goal to make sure seniors don’t get squeezed out of a neighborhood experiencing rising rents.

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Eagle Avenue lift bridge to be demolished

The Eagle Avenue lift bridge over the Cuyahoga River in the Flats is due to
be demolished as early as next year according to public records. As of right
now, there appears to be no documented plans to replace the bridge with a
new one to link Scranton Peninsula to downtown Cleveland (Google).
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According to public records, the city of Cleveland is seeking to demolish the Eagle Avenue lift bridge over the Cuyahoga River as early as next year. There are no plans to replace the city-owned bridge which links a rapidly developing Scranton Peninsula in the Flats with downtown’s Gateway District and its venues for the Cleveland Guardians and Cleveland Cavaliers.

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City Club tower tenants announced

At the topping-off ceremony today for the City Club Apartments tower,
several dignitaries signed a flag to be hoisted atop the last steel beam
set on the 23-story tower. In the foreground from left are Cleveland
Mayor Justin Bibb, City Club Apartments Chairman/CEO Jonathan
Holtzman and Cleveland Bistros Principal Dean Valore (KJP).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Detroit-based City Club Apartments, a 104-year-old private real estate owner, developer and operator, held a Topping-Off event today on the 18th floor of its 23-story City Club Apartments-Cleveland mixed-use apartment and penthouse community. Mayor Justin Bibb and City Club Apartments Chairman and CEO Jonathan Holtzman were among the speakers at the event that celebrated the construction milestone, opening of the residential pre-leasing center nearby at 313 Euclid Ave. and the announcement of four café/restaurant/bar venues at the new 250-foot-tall tower.

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Seeds & Sprouts XXIX – CSU to start arena plans, Downtown garage demo, Olde Cedar’s replacement

Conceptual rendering for Cleveland State University’s new arena on Payne
Avenue, overlooking Interstate 90 at lower left. University officials are
reportedly starting the planning process by seeking a firm to design the
new 5,000- to 7,000-seat facility to host indoor sports, concerts and other
events and allow the university to demolish the 13,610-seat Wolstein
Center (CSU/Sasaki). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Cleveland State University is about to start work on plans for a new arena, a downtown parking garage will be demolished -- for a parking lot, and one of the oldest public housing projects in the USA along with the old juvenile justice center will be demolished for a mixed-income housing complex.

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Bibb appoints interim director

Cleveland City Hall (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Less than a week after Tessa Jackson left her post as Cleveland’s economic development director, Mayor Justin Bibb has found a replacement — at least temporarily. This morning, Bibb named Terri Hamilton Brown as the city’s interim director of economic development. She was sworn in and began work today following the departure of Tessa Jackson on June 15. The city expects to open the application process for the permanent position later this week.

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Erieview Tower project gains potent partner

The dark-shaded Tower at Erieview stands at the east end of the Galleria, as
seen here from East 9th Street in downtown Cleveland. Developer James
Kassouf gained a significant development partner that is helping to make
redevelopment of the tower and Galleria a reality (Google).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Despite recent departures from the project, development team members assured NEOtrans that the $100 million redevelopment of the Tower at Erieview in downtown Cleveland is still going forward. A big reason why is because the development team has gained a potent new member — an influential Cleveland-based law firm tied into active developer TurnDev and its financing arm TurnCap.

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Bedrock riverfront offices draw tenants

Bedrock’s riverfront development plan for downtown Cleveland continues to
attract interest from potential tenants, including from those seeking new office
spaces at a time when the office market is far from robust (Adjaye Associates).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Because of their cost and complexity, Downtown Cleveland megaprojects don’t usually have a strong track record of becoming a reality. But Bedrock Real Estate’s vision for the downtown riverfront between Tower City Center and the Cuyahoga River appears to be coming together more quickly as time goes on. And, in recent weeks, NEOtrans has learned that several large tenants are in the works for the major development.

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Erieview Tower redo faces setbacks

Redevelopment of the Erieview Tower in downtown Cleveland appears headed
back to the drawing board after two large, proposed tenants have reportedly
backed out of the project. This follows the recent and impending depar-
tures of two major law firms from the property as well (Google).
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Despite winning $23 million in tax credits to enable a $100 million historic and transformational redevelopment of the Tower at Erieview, two major proposed tenants are reportedly backing out of the project. Conversion of the 1964-built, 40-story office tower and its Galleria mall, 1301 E. 9th St., with more mixed uses could be facing an uphill climb with the apparent withdrawal of a luxury W Hotel and co-working chain Industrious.

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Scranton Peninsula then and now

 Screenshot of Scranton Peninsula video from NEOtrans' YouTube channel.

Scranton Peninsula is one of those places in Cleveland’s urban core that gets no love and seems to always be late to the party because of it. While it’s finally starting to see some significant redevelopment, the 80-acre Scranton Peninsula is historically one of the last areas of the Flats to get attention from investors and developers.

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Astro to launch from a Hard Rock

On the ground floor of the Skylight Office Tower, at the northwest corner
of West Huron Road and West 2nd Street in downtown’s Tower City complex,
a new, large and thematic establishment called The Astro Restaurant could open

as early as this September (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

After sitting empty for seven years, the space at Tower City Center that housed Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Cleveland finally will have a new restaurant with a new theme, possibly as early as this September. But it took an invitation from Bedrock Cleveland to consider the site at 230 W. Huron Rd. before the new restaurant’s partners decided to splashdown there.

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A dozen high-rises in the works downtown

Although only a conceptual rendering, sources say the first phase of lakefront
development may be two high-rises like these on East 9th Street between the
lakefront railroad tracks and the Shoreway relocated as a boulevard. This view
looks north on East 9th. Other potential high-rises are at left next to the proposed
North Coast Connector (AoDK). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Last week, NEOtrans wrote about three high-rises in a single development — the first phase of Bedrock’s riverfront site — that could see construction start by this time next year. But that is by no means the only downtown high-rise development in the works. NEOtrans is aware of a dozen potential high-rise projects of 10 stories or more in various stages of development, not including those already under construction downtown. This inventory includes only potential new-construction high-rises that could see a groundbreaking in the next couple of years, not major renovation projects like The Centennial, redevelopment of the Rose Building and others.

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BofA: they’re coming to Cleveland

More than 4 million people live within a one-hour drive of downtown Cleveland.
That population supports big-city amenities that are available at small-town prices.
And to the north of downtown is one of the Great Lakes, an ecosystems that
contains 84 percent of North America’s freshwater. If you want it, you have
to come here to get it. And growing numbers of  people are doing just that
(ClevelandWater.com). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Another leading indicator of potential population growth in Greater Cleveland was published this week by Bank of America (BofA), one of the nation’s Big Four banking institutions, serving more than 10 percent of all bank deposits of the United States. In a BofA June report, it put Greater Cleveland among the top metro areas benefitting from pandemic-instigated domestic migration trends, with its positive inflow-over-outflow rate ranking up there with the likes of Austin, Tampa, Orlando and Dallas.

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Miketo’s Lorain Ave stake growing

Jim Miketo’s latest development along Lorain Avenue in Cleveland’s Ohio
City neighborhood is a mixed-use, retail-residential project called 4732 Lorain
comprised of new construction, at center-right, and an historic renovation, at left.
The site is across the street from MetroHealth’s family health center and the Urban
Community School (Horton Harper). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A 28,000-square-foot mixed-use development called 4732 Lorain is proposed at the west end of Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood offer to expand the densification and neighborhood vibrancy west along Lorain Avenue. And, it would expand real estate developer and owner Jim Miketo’s investments west along that rapidly redeveloping thoroughfare.

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Downtown Cleveland seeks post-pandemic boost

In 2015, Perk Park in downtown Cleveland was filled with people enjoying a
break from work during lunch. Now, tens of thousands of former downtown
office employees are working from home, straining restaurants and shops,
some of which have closed. A strategy to boost downtown from being
dependent on office workers was adopted (KJP).
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The City of Cleveland and Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA), in partnership with Cuyahoga County, Destination Cleveland and Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP), today unveiled Reimagining Downtown Cleveland. Over the next one to five years, this series of short- and intermediate-term strategies will accelerate the evolution of Downtown Cleveland from a 9-to-5 central business district into a diverse, vibrant, and accessible mixed-use, 18-hour, 15-minute neighborhood.

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CWRU reveals research center details

A preliminary rendering of Case Western Reserve University’s proposed $300
million Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building as seen from the
commons of Case Quad (HGA). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) President Eric Kaler yesterday announced the details of the university’s new, 200,000-square-foot research center intended to promote collaborative discovery and innovation. Called the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building (ISEB), the $300 million investment represents the university’s largest-ever project on the Case Quad, northeast of Euclid Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

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Bedrock riverfront phase 1 uses ID’d

Bedrock Real Estate’s phase one of its Tower City Riverfront development
is becoming clearer. According to sources and other data, the buildings in
phase one are identified as (A) Cleveland Cavaliers’ practice facility, (B) a
hotel possibly Shinola brand, (C) office building likely for Rocket Mortgage,
and (D) a residential building,  possibly condominiums (Adjaye Associates).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Plans for Bedrock Real Estate’s riverfront development alongside Tower City Center in downtown Cleveland are rapidly coming together after recent city approvals of its development masterplan. Those plans, albeit still at a conceptual stage, provide insights into Bedrock’s desires and thinking about what land uses it wants to include in its first phase. From those plans and other new information, it appears that the uses to be included are primarily ones that Bedrock’s owner Dan Gilbert can control.

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New company amassing Cleveland properties

Once the site of the Leisy Brewing Co. and known more recently as the
Caraustar recycling plant, this property at the northeast corner of Fulton
Road and Vega Avenue in Cleveland has sold to a new, enigmatic com-
pany called Sanctus Capital LLC that apparently has deep pockets. It is
one of many property acquisitions by Sanctus in the past year (Google).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

A deep-pocketed company less than two years old and based in suburban Westlake has been busily acquiring residential properties in Cleveland, primarily on the city’s West Side. And last week, the company, Sanctus Capital LLC, made its biggest purchase yet — a 5-acre parcel at 3400 Vega Ave. sold by Caraustar Recovered Fiber Group Inc. that was home to Leisy Brewing Co., once Cleveland’s largest independent brewery.

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