First look: new 3-story restaurant-speakeasy downtown

In the new City Club Apartments’ tower in Downtown Cleveland, J’adore will
be a two-level French restaurant above a cabaret speakeasy called L'Ecrin Vert.
The design of the new establishments became publicly available yes-
terday (Vocon). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Although the names and themes were previously announced, designs for a new French-themed restaurant and speakeasy in Downtown Cleveland were made publicly available for the first time yesterday. They show a well-appointed establishment with a construction budget to match. The hospitality offerings are due to open later this year at the new 23-story City Club Apartments, 776 Euclid Ave., to offer Clevelanders more le plaisir.

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Cleveland police SWAT building costs rise

Looking east along a pitted access road to Clark Field next to Cleveland’s
Tremont neighborhood is the former Cleveland animal kennel, at left. It
will be Cleveland’s new SWAT unit facility. It is across the roadway from
an expanding Air Products Inc. Cleveland plant and next to the ramps
onto Interstate 490 (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Plans for converting the city of Cleveland’s former animal shelter at 2690 W. 7th St. near Clark Field into a new administrative and training center for the Cleveland Police Department’s SWAT unit are moving forward. But those building renovation plans are coming at a higher price — about 15 percent higher.

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Downtown office tower bucks residential trend

Soon to lose the name “Oswald Centre,” 1100 Superior Ave. in Downtown
Cleveland is going to remain as an office building despite a weak, post-pan-
demic office market. Its new owner is working to retain and attract new
office tenants, rather than convert the 54-year-old tower for residential
or mixed-uses as has been done to other aging office buildings
downtown (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Since actions speak louder than words, the rumors of the 22-story office tower 1100 Superior Ave. turning residential are getting shouted down. The louder message is coming from the building’s owner who is re-signing existing office tenants and attracting new ones, despite recent tenant losses and other hardships. The actions are likely the result of a short-term strategy resulting in another sale, however.

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Fairfax, Glenville, Hough developments unveiled

A design concept submitted to the city this week for the Allen Estates at
League Park in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood. Allen Estates represents
the first phase in the proposed Anchor 66 development masterplan for the
northwest flank of League Park. And it’s just one of four projects surround-
ing University Circle on City Planning Commission’s docket this
week (RDL). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

The economic development boom in Cleveland’s University Circle continues to be felt in the neighborhoods surrounding this epicenter of the local eds-and-meds jobs sector. Four new apartment development plans were revealed this week as they go on the design review docket at the City Planning Commission. Combined, all four projects could add more than 150 workforce housing units with many more in later phases.

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Tremont Treehouse Apartments plans announced

Wrapping around behind The Treehouse Pub and its outdoor patio, the proposed
Tremont Treehouse Apartments would be across Professor Street from
St. John Cantius Church which is shown here as a largely featureless
massing (GLSD). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A joint venture proposing a four-story apartment building in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood called the Treehouse Apartments, first reported by NEOtrans last month, will go before the City Planning Commission’s Design Review Committee to present their plans this Friday. While the project would add dozens of new housing units to the neighborhood to respond to as-yet unsatiated demand, it would also result in the demolition of three 19th-century houses.

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GCRTA’s new East 79th rail station is an Opportunity

A brightly lit passenger waiting environment at the rebuilt East 79th
Blue/Green Line Rapid station in Cleveland will also create greater
safety and a stronger street presence for the rail station. City and
transit officials said they want this station near the Opportunity
Corridor to help attract more development to the adjacent neigh-
borhood (Bowen). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Planning and design work has advanced far enough on the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s (GCRTA) new East 79th Street Blue/Green Line light-rail station to where renderings are being shared publicly. NEOtrans secured a copy of the designs and is publishing them here. But the plans are part of something larger — a growing investment in Cleveland’s Kinsman neighborhood.

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Downtown’s largest housing project in the works

Outlined in green, the 1930s-era Olde Cedar housing projects and the former
Cuyahoga County Juvenile Justice Center are the combined footprint for what
could be Downtown Cleveland’s largest-ever housing development (Google).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

With nearly 900 mixed-income apartments envisioned, a plan to develop the largest single housing development in Downtown Cleveland’s history is reportedly in the works. While it will take multiple phases and many years to build, the partners and the plans for the massive project are coming together.

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Seeds & Sprouts 34 - McKinsey moving, Dunham Tavern greening, Encompass opening, Nia’s Cafe Kinsmaning

McKinsey & Co.'s move to near the top of Key Tower in Downtown Cleveland is
the office market in a microcosm. Not only is the consulting firm shrinking
its office footprint, it's making a flight to quality (KJP).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

In this 34th installment of Seeds & Sprouts, we cover McKinsey & Co's planned move to near the top of Key Tower, Dunham Tavern & Gardens adding green infrastructure, Brooklyn Polish American Home to host Encompass Health's first foray into Northern Ohio, and Nia's Cafe & Store plans open on Kinsman Avenue in Mount Pleasant.

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CLE Consulting Firm leaving Downtown for MidTown

Located on the northwest corner of Euclid Avenue and East 71st Street in
Cleveland’s MidTown neighborhood, the vacant Euclid Gallery Building
is reportedly going to be the new headquarters of the CLE Consulting
Firm after the property’s sale closes. A station on the Greater Cleveland
Regional Transit Authority’s HealthLine bus rapid transit is out
front (LoopNet). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

CLE Consulting Firm, a growing provider of business accounting and tax services, has reached a purchase agreement to acquire the Euclid Gallery Building, 7029 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland’s MidTown neighborhood, public records show. The faded masonry building will reportedly be renovated as the new headquarters for the company which also has offices in Akron, Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo and Atlanta.

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Tremont hillside development plan regains life

This is a massing for two multi-family buildings proposed by J Roc Develop-
ment just downslope from the Towpath Trail in Cleveland’s Tremont neighbor-
hood. This rendering suggests that buildings built to a proposed maximum
height of 60 feet would not block views of downtown from the trail and the
homes south of it. A massing is a mostly featureless box showing the potential
scale of conceptual buildings in a proposed development (J Roc).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A large, proposed redevelopment of former industrial and railroad lands on a hillside in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood is showing renewed signs of life after a court battle was settled in December. That settlement involved land being divvied up so a rezoning can move forward and an asphalt plant can continue to operate. If the land is rezoned by City Council, a mostly residential development can proceed — next to the asphalt plant.

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Cleveland’s Select Medical Fairhill Hospital to see major rehab

The three-story Select Medical Fairhill Hospital will be converted into a
32-bed rehabilitation facility as part of a $12 million renovation project
(Select Medical). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Just uphill from the Cleveland Clinic’s main campus, Select Medical Fairhill Hospital is seeking a significant renovation and partial conversion of its recovery-care hospital to provide rehabilitation services. The fate of this facility was unknown after Select Medical recently closed another facility near Downtown Cleveland.

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State launches All Ohio Future Fund to support new development projects

Up to $750 million is available from the Ohio Department of Development
to help with infrastructure costs to make potential job-producing sites ready
for new development (KJP). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Gov. Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik yesterday announced $750 million in funding is now available to assist communities with infrastructure costs to create project-ready economic development sites.

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Haslams keep options open for Brook Park site

In Brook Park, the Forward Innovation Center-West may or may not be the
site of a future Cleveland Browns stadium. But it would figure into the final
destination of the stadium two sources said, potentially by allowing the
United States Postal Service distribution facility near Downtown Cleveland
to be relocated to here. An Amazon distribution center is visible in the
background (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

NEOtrans’ scoop last week that the owners of the Cleveland Browns are reportedly buying a 176-acre parcel in suburban Brook Park led to a flurry of discussion about what that means since the sources didn’t say why. The most obvious speculation is that the land is for a new stadium venue for home games for the National Football League franchise. But that may be only partly true. Instead, one option is to apparently use it as part of a land trade for a stadium.

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Cleveland getting 10 new nonstops from Frontier Airlines

Frontier Airlines will add in May direct flights to 10 cities, including several
currently lacking nonstops, in addition to the direct flights to New York-
LaGuardia and Minneapolis-St. Paul it announced last month (By
MarcelX42). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

New nonstop air service from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) will be offered by Frontier Airlines to 10 additional destinations starting this May. Those destinations include New Orleans, Jacksonville, Houston, Myrtle Beach, Austin, Charleston, Savannah, Salt Lake City, Pensacola and Baltimore.

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Cleveland wins grants for Public Square, Ohio City public spaces

Downtown residents and visitors gather on Cleveland’s Public Square on
Christmas Eve 2023 to take in the holiday lighting. With the weather too
warm for the ice rink to be open, there was nothing else to do except walk
around and take photographs. There were no performers, vendors or other
ways for the visitors to interact with this public space at the heart of
the city (KJP). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A pair of $100,000 grants were awarded to improve two public spaces in Cleveland that are visited by people from throughout the metropolitan area and beyond. The grants were awarded by the New York City-based Project for Public Spaces from funding originally provided by the General Motors Corp. to offer more inclusive, welcoming environments.

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Cleveland AGA Building to fuel start-ups

This is the original 1925-built American Gas Association Appliance Testing
Laboratory on East 62nd Street. This building and its two additions are the
subject of a nearly $3 million renovation effort by local entrepreneurs who
want to move their growing e-commerce textile business here as well as
help other aspiring entrepreneurs realize their dreams (Google).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Like many of Cleveland’s historic but vacant commercial buildings, the former American Gas Association (AGA) laboratory in Cleveland’s St. Clair-Superior neighborhood is about to get renovated for a new use. Unlike many other buildings, this one isn’t being converted into apartments. Instead, its new uses are intended to create long-term jobs and new businesses, especially among young women and minorities.

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Port of Cleveland OKs $32M in site upgrades

The Port of Cleveland is the only container port on the Great Lakes, with
bi-weekly service between Cleveland and Antwerp, Belgium on a service
called the Cleveland-Europe Express (Port of Cleveland).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Cleveland’s international water port took a significant stride this week toward the future as its board approved the allocation of $32.1 million in federal and state grants to help rehabilitate and modernize a key warehouse and upgrade electrical infrastructure at its General Cargo Terminal. This strategic move will ensure ongoing efficiency of port facilities and prepare the port for upcoming electrification efforts.

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Cleveland seeks developers for Slavic Village school site

A boarded-up Fullerton Elementary School, shortly before it was demolished.
This now-cleared, 2.6-acre site is being offered for redevelopment by the
city of Cleveland and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District
(Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A site in Cleveland’s Slavic Village that has hosted school facilities for the last 127 years could host a new use in the coming years depending on the response to a request for qualifications (RFQ) from prospective developers. That RFQ was issued this week by the city of Cleveland’s Department of Community Development, in partnership with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD).

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Browns owners buying 176 acres in Brook Park

This is the 210-acre Forward Innovation Center-West in the Cleveland suburb
of Brook Park, next to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Several sources
say the owners of the Cleveland Browns are acquiring most of this property, lead-
ing to speculation that this site could be the location of a new football stadium
and supportive development, absent an intensified effort by the city of Cleve-
land to retain them (Weston). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

The owners of the Cleveland Browns football team have reportedly reached a purchase agreement to acquire a large piece of land in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park, leading to speculation that the Browns could leave the city of Cleveland for the second time in the team’s 78-year history.

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Cleveland’s MLK Plaza redevelopment plans revealed

The 52-year-old Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza in Cleveland’s Hough neigh-
borhood is due to be demolished for 118 apartments, 24 townhomes and
ground-floor retail/commercial spaces at Wade Park Avenue and Craw-
ford  Road (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARE THEM.

During a rezoning hearing for the redevelopment of Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza, 9300 Wade Park Ave. in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood, the developer revealed her plans for the site. Those plans show the plaza would be demolished for a sizable, mixed-use development that could provide 142 residential units, both multi-family and single family, plus at least 15 leasable spaces for commercial tenants.

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Downtown Cleveland skyscraper sold to NY firm with big retail portfolio

In a sale due to close next month, a New York-based real estate investment
firm is near to taking possession of downtown Cleveland’s third-tallest sky-
scraper, 200 Public Square. Separately, a parking company is buying the
tower’s garage, not visible behind the building (Adam Greene).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

According to two sources, Downtown Cleveland’s third-tallest skyscraper has been sold to a New York-based company that has more than its share of cheap or faded retail properties including many in Ohio. But the parking garage for the skyscraper, 200 Public Square, was reportedly sold separately to a buyer in Chicago that owns downtown parking properties nationwide, one of the sources said.

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Flats luxury finally coming home

A dozen luxury townhomes in Cleveland’s Flats are planned at the bottom
of the hillside along Carter Road just east of Columbus Road. This view is
looking west from the existing Lake Link Trail, toward Columbus Road and
the Regional Transit Authority viaduct. The Cuyahoga River is at right, just
out of view (Horton Harper). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

It’s the type of housing development that could not be achieved in Cleveland’s Flats until now. And the proof of that statement rests with the multiple prior attempts at developing this site. While there’s still a ways to go, a big step forward was made on Friday when City Planning Commission’s Design Review Committee approved the construction of luxury housing and a retaining wall along Carter Road.

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Sherwin-Williams parked its HQ parking options

Looking east along what used to be Frankfort Avenue, the new Sherwin-
Williams headquarters tower is at right or south and its new parking garage
is at left. Future phases of the headquarters campus will be built in the
 foreground (KJP). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

When brainstorming the next phase of Sherwin-Williams’ global headquarters in Downtown Cleveland, a big question is what to do with all of those big metal boxes that people bring to work with them each morning. On average, each one weighs 2 tons and to park one requires at least 300 square feet of storage space, including driveways and ramps. Like health care, the cost of community transportation falls onto American corporations unlike their European and Asian counterparts.

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Cleveland’s Watterson-Lake redevelopment evolves

An updated but low-resolution rendering that was submitted to the Ohio
Housing Financing Agency shows the evolution of the Watterson-Lake
redevelopment project. It includes some design refinements like bigger
corner balconies, civic gardens and more detail for the proposed town-
homes at left. In this northwest-looking view, West 74th Street is in the
foreground and Detroit Avenue is on the other side of the proposed
large building (Stantec). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

More details are emerging for the proposed Watterson-Lake redevelopment in Cleveland’s Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood including the project’s growing size, parking situation, how it will be funded and who will manage the property. According to a project funding application posted earlier this month by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA), the answer to the last question is the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA).

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