St. Ignatius High breaks ground on DiSanto Hall

Construction officially got underway yesterday on a $40 million renovation and
construction project at St. Ignatius High School, next to its Wasmer Field. The
renovated library and added classrooms, locker rooms, offices and more
(Perspectus). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Shovels hit the soil yesterday at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood in a groundbreaking ceremony for a renovated and expanded academic building to be called DiSanto Hall. The building, when complete in the Fall 2025, is being named for the project’s largest donor Fred DiSanto and his wife Brittan.

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Downtown’s 800 Superior for sale, big tenant leaving

Through its owners rep, National General Insurance announced today that it will not
seek a renewal of its office lease with an Allstate affiliate that owns the 23-story 800
Superior building. Allstate owns National General and is putting the building up for
sale. It's the latest shake-up of the office market in Downtown Cleveland and
nationwide in the wake of the pandemic that introduced many to remote
working (CBRE Cleveland). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Today, CBRE Cleveland announced that is listing the 23-story 800 Superior office tower in Downtown Cleveland for sale and said one of the property's largest tenants, National General Insurance likely will not renew its lease at the building when it expires in two years. Meanwhile a spokesman for insurer AmTrust Financial, which is the building's other large tenant, said it intends to stay at the building. Both companies have naming rights on the building.

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North Coast Harbor getting $5M makeover

Crowds gather at North Coast Harbor on Labor Day weekend in 2022 to watch the
Cleveland National Air Show. Work is underway to upgrade the accessibility,
safety and aesthetics of North Coast Harbor with an eye toward completion
by May 2025 (KJP). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

North Coast Harbor is set for an upgrade, with a $4.99 million investment that is a result of Mayor Justin Bibb’s Reimagining Downtown Cleveland Plan. This comprehensive project aims to create a more safe, equitable and enjoyable waterfront experience for all visitors.

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Platform Brewery property is on tap

The former Platform Brewery production facility and warehouse at Fulton Road and
Vega Avenue is for sale. It is one of several properties in the immediate area that are in
play for possible redevelopment (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

The latest in a series of properties at the northwest end of Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood is in play for possible redevelopment. The former Platform Brewery, 3506 Vega Ave., hit the market today after the microbrewer ceased operations in February following its acquisition in 2019 by Anheuser-Busch.

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All GCRTA Blue Line stations in Shaker Heights to be rebuilt

This is what all of the single-level stations along the light-rail Blue Line in
Shaker Heights will soon look like, thanks to a federal grant awarded today.
Like the Farnsleigh station seen here, all will have new trackside platforms,
tactile edges, waiting areas and ramps to mini-high platforms so wheelchair
passengers and those unable to climb steps can board trains (KJP).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) needed $16 million from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to rebuild eight of its stations in Shaker Heights along the light-rail Blue Line. Not only did GCRTA get the full $16 million, it got the money it needed on the first try. That’s a big win considering the FTA received nearly $1.1 billion in requests nationwide for the $343 million in stations funding available this year.

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Greater Cleveland housing market among USA’s tightest

Houses for sale in Greater Cleveland have been harder to find for a while, but
that tightness in the market has become notable on a national scale, pushing
Greater Cleveland to near the top in real estate rankings that show it truly
is a seller’s market (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Spring time is the busiest time of the year for home shopping. That’s when most prospective buyers are out looking for new places to live and, under normal circumstances, it’s when most homeowners list their properties for sale. But these are not normal times in the housing market, especially in Greater Cleveland.

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Why aren’t the Browns buying this key piece of land?

Shown in white, FirstEnergy’s narrow strip of land is only about 100 feet wide but
extends about 1,400 feet into the center of the Brook Park site, shown in red, the
Haslam Sports Group apparently desires for a possible new domed stadium. On
that land is an active, high-voltage electrical transmission line that feeds a nearby
Ford engine plant. A football stadium cannot be built here until that utility right
of way is addressed. In the background is Cleveland Hopkins International Air-
port with Snow Road at lower left and Interstate 71 at lower right (Google).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

On Cuyahoga County real estate parcel maps, a narrow strip of land owned by FirstEnergy knifes into the heart of a Brook Park site the owner of the Cleveland Browns football team reportedly wants for a possible new domed stadium. Despite its prominence on the map, no one in Cleveland media apparently has asked its owner if it has any agreements with anyone for its potential sale — until now.

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County secures funding for Fresh Water Institute

In Cleveland’s post-industrial era, good and bad remnants of that era endure such as
this steel mill ore dock along the Cuyahoga River at Scranton Peninsula, where more
than 600 housing units are under construction in the shadows of Downtown Cleve-
land’s skyscrapers. Addressing the freshwater impacts and opportunities of those
good and bad legacies is among the charges of Cuyahoga County’s new Fresh
Water Institute (KJP). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne announced a $250,000 grant from the Cleveland Foundation to support the creation of a Fresh Water Institute in Greater Cleveland. He made the announcement yesterday during the Climate Leadership Conference in Downtown Cleveland.

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Cleveland’s Denison Manor may get rehabbed

Denison Manor Apartments and the Kleinschnitz Building at right are a few feet east
of the intersection of Denison and Lorain avenues in Cleveland’s West Boulevard
neighborhood. Its owner, a Long Island, NY investor, intends to turn its sub-
sidized apartments into larger, more marketable units (Google).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

An historic apartment building set near one of the west side’s most important intersections is proposed to get a major renovation by its new owner. The Denison Manor Apartments, 3206 W. 100th St. in Cleveland’s West Boulevard neighborhood, could get its interiors completely rebuilt to offer larger, more marketable, subsidized apartments. But work reportedly began without securing the proper permits and the city ordered the work halted.

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Cohen to name its Downtown HQ tower

In Downtown Cleveland, Cohen & Co. intends to rename the Playhouse Square
office tower formerly known as the Renaissance Center and later as US Bank
Centre (Stratus). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

With accounting and consulting firm Cohen & Co. growing its office staff in Downtown Cleveland and US Bank reducing its, there’s going to be a change at the top of the former Renaissance Center at Playhouse Square. Superior naming rights to the 1990-built, 16-story office building US Bank Centre, 1350 Euclid Ave., is going to pass to Cohen.

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Cleveland-area affordable housing wins financing

The Walton Senior Apartments is proposed to be built on a vacant lot
on Clark Avenue with access from Walton Avenue, west of Fulton
Road. This project won conditional approval from the state for
the coveted 9 percent Low Income Housing Tax Credits (RDL).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

While only one proposed affordable housing development in Cuyahoga County was awarded the coveted 9 percent Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) from the state, four others in the county got conditional approval, putting them in a good position to get financing in the near future. All five developments, if built, would add 247 total units of affordable housing in the county.

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Lakewood church may be razed for senior apartments

The 106-year-old Lakewood Baptist Church on Detroit Avenue faces demolition
by a local developer which seeks to raze the church for a senior apartment build-
ing while retaining and expanding the day center that uses the school building
in back (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

The days may be numbered for the historic Lakewood Baptist Church, 14321 Detroit Ave., just east of Downtown Lakewood. A Cleveland-based developer has at least an option to purchase the property and has notified two tenants of the church-school complex of its pending redevelopment into senior apartments.

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Urban Community School plans new athletic facility

Proposed on Urban Community School’s expanding campus in Cleveland, where
Ohio City meets the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood, is a new 30,000-square-
foot athletic facility. It is being sought to address space constraints in the growing
programs of Near West Recreation and other campus partners (Kaczmar).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

When you’re in expansion mode, it’s a pretty good indication that you’re doing something right. Urban Community School’s (UCS) latest manifestation of it doing something right could soon appear at its growing campus where Cleveland’s Ohio City meets the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood.

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Old treasures find new home in Tremont

Tim Yanko, left, and Dwight Kaczmarek, owners of All Things For You vintage
shop, stand out front of their store’s new location on West 14th Street in South
Tremont. After a sizable investment in the neighborhood, the partners are
getting ready for their grand opening weekend June 1 (Dan Milner).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Nine months after extensive flooding forced the closure their award-winning vintage shop on Lorain Avenue in Ohio city, Tim Yanko and Dwight Kaczmarek shared their excitement in welcoming All Things For You back to the near-West Side community. The partners’ new store is opening June 1 in South Tremont.

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Biotech startup moving HQ to Cleveland

Durham, NC-based pharmaceutical start-up Lamassu Biotech announced today
that it is moving its headquarters to Cleveland in a partnership with the Cleve-
land Clinic (Cleveland Clinic). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A partnership with the Cleveland Clinic has prompted a four-year-old biotech startup to relocate its headquarters to Cleveland from Durham, NC, one of the points of the Research Triangle. However, Lamassu Pharma, LLC, has yet to identify the location of its offices. The small firm hopefully will one day grow into a force for positive change in the pharmaceutical industry.

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Cleveland soccer stadium backers seek $90M in public funds

View of the proposed 12,500-seat soccer stadium from a video presentation about
the project. This view is looking northwest toward Downtown Cleveland from the
south side of the Inner Belt highway (CSG). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Backers of a long-proposed soccer stadium in Downtown Cleveland have issued renderings, a video and a request for $90 million in public-sector financing to help support a $150 million, 12,500-seat stadium. The request is being publicized now because backers of the project are submitting a bid for a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team next month and a stadium is an essential ingredient of the application.

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Browns acquire, razing last house for big Berea project

A tree-studded neighborhood stood only months ago along Front Street at the north end
of Berea. It has been virtually cleared of all homes as well as a church for a large
mixed-use development led by the Cleveland Browns and its owner, the Haslam
Sports Group. The last few homes and the former Serpentini Collision Center,
at right, have been acquired by affiliates of the Cleveland Brown and ap-
proved for demolition (KJP). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Today, the Berea Planning Commission is expected to approve the demolition of a house that’s the final structure to be cleared for a $221 million mixed-use development planned by the Cleveland Browns and majority owner the Haslam Sports Group. That last house sold for a premium compared to the 43 other single-family homes plus other properties parcels that were acquired for the 38-acre development site.

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Cleveland-Cliffs commits to skyscraper

As one of 200 Public Square’s two largest tenants, Cleveland-Cliffs’ decision
to remain at Downtown Cleveland’s third-tallest skyscraper for a decade is a
relief to its new owners and puts to rest rumors of the steelmaker opting for
a new headquarters site (KJP). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Cleveland-Cliffs has put to rest rumors of its headquarters leaving downtown Cleveland’s third-tallest skyscraper for new digs by expanding and extending its lease at 200 Public Square. Not only did Cliffs add more space in the tower to just over 100,000 square feet, but it extended its lease there by another 10 years, according to a spokesman for the building’s leasing agent, Colliers International Group Inc.

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Ambassador Theatre building collapses

The south sidewalk and part of Superior Avenue in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood
were closed off this past weekend as the former Ambassador Theatre building began
collapsing into the street despite numerous warnings over the past month by city
officials to immediately evacuate the occupied building and take it down
(Khalid Hawthorne). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Despite multiple warnings over the past month by city officials of a potential collapse of the old Ambassador Theatre building, the building partially collapsed into Superior Avenue while a demolition request was due to be heard by a design-review committee in five days. Officials had instead urged an emergency evacuation of the occupied building and an expedited demolition.

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A ‘skinny-tall’ may rise in University Circle

Behind the historic Monmouth Building, seen here at center along Euclid Avenue
and East 116th Street in University Circle, a skinny but taller apartment building
may rise. WXZ Development of Fairview Park is planning to invest nearly $15
million in the project (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A local company with much development experience intends to deliver 52 apartments and multiple retail spaces among two buildings — an historic structure and a new building up to nine stories high at 11619 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland’s University Circle. WXZ Development Inc. of Fairview Park intends to build the new mixed-use structure on a tiny parking lot behind a renovated, landmark Monmouth Building.

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Differing views, values on Downtown Lakefront causing Browns to consider Brook Park

Cleveland Browns Stadium sets on 30 acres of prime downtown lakefront land,
but for how long? City officials and Browns ownership have differing views on
how the land around the stadium should be used, prompting the Haslams to look
elsewhere for its next home venue. City officials seem okay with that (Google).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

As the old saying goes, “Show me your budget — I will tell you what you value.” Along those same lines, if you want to know what Cleveland city officials vs. the owners of the Cleveland Browns want from their returns on investment in the lakefront, show me your actions, not your words.

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Ohio City is first site for Whalen’s new venture

Dan Whalen, after 12 years of working for others in real estate, the former
quarterback at Willoughby South High School, Case Western Reserve
University and Cleveland Gladiators will now be quarterbacking his own
real estate firm (LinkedIn). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

What does a quarterback like to do? Run a winning team and call his own plays. With that, Cleveland-area native and former pro football quarterback Dan Whalen is taking the snap from center this week and launching his own real estate development and investment firm — Places Development. Not only is the new firm based in Cleveland, Whalen said much of his business focus will be on Cleveland.

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CSU students: Here’s how to get the Waterfront Line on track…

An outbound Waterfront Line train passes recent developments at Flats East Bank
on Labor Day weekend in 2018. More transit-supportive development is needed
along the Waterfront Line, especially affordable housing and commercial tenants
like grocers, basic clothing stores and health care providers (KJP).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

When a group of 16 urban planning graduate students from Cleveland State University (CSU) took a critical look at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s (GCRTA) light-rail Waterfront Line, they unsurprisingly found a number of things lacking. But there were some surprises discovered during their research that could boost ridership if addressed effectively.

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Bridgeworks eyes late-summer groundbreaking

A seven-story Bridgeworks moved a step closer to construction after the city’s
board of zoning appeals re-granted two variances that had expired from the
prior plan which was for a 15-story mixed-use building at the west end of the
Detroit-Superior Bridge (GLSD). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A representative of a development partnership told the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) yesterday that the long-awaited Bridgeworks development in Cleveland’s Ohio City’s neighborhood could “hopefully” see a groundbreaking ceremony by late summer. But there are still a few more hurdles to clear before that happens, including an appearance before the city’s Landmarks Commission in the coming weeks.

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Cleveland: a target of rail competitors?

At top, a Brightline train departs Miami Central Station for Orlando while, at
bottom, an Amtrak train departs Chicago Union Station for Milwaukee. The 79-
125 mph Brightline train, one of 16 per day in each direction, is supported by
revenues from station-area developments. The 79 mph Amtrak train, one of
eight in each direction, is sponsored by the states of Illinois and Wisconsin (Fred
Grimm/VisitFlorida, Illinois DOT). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Last week, two things happened in the rail world that are probably related. They have been brewing in the background for a while, but they finally appeared in public almost simultaneously. Federal corporation Amtrak and private-sector company Brightline showed their hands that they may compete for Ohio passenger rail expansions and real estate developments. And Cleveland may end up the winner.

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Growing industry moving to Cleveland

This abandoned towing business on Train Avenue at West 30th Street is proposed to
be demolished for a new two-story office building and fabrication plant for Sixth
City Glazing, a growing company that began only six years ago in suburban
North Royalton (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Along a Cleveland street known historically for dumping everything from trash to murder victims, a long-neglected property is about to gain something almost priceless — a future. On Train Avenue in the city’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood, a truck terminal turned junk yard, infested with weeds, littered with abandoned vehicles and tagged with graffiti, is due to be replaced by a growing glass-glazing business and nearly 20 jobs from the suburbs.

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Brook Park stadium rendering confirmed real

Northward-looking rendering of Cleveland Browns’ proposed domed stadium
in Brook Park. This image was brightened up a bit from the original so
that more ground-level details could be seen (anonymous).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM. 

NEOtrans has secured a copy of a rendering showing the proposed multipurpose domed stadium sought by the owner of the Cleveland Browns football team in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park. NEOtrans has confirmed from two of its best stadium sources that the rendering is real. The sources were upset at whoever leaked the rendering.

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