Downtown Cleveland adds new retail tenants

The Klutch Cannabis store on lower Prospect Avenue in Downtown Cleveland has
a sign that used the same style as the original Record Rendezvous sign dating from
when the store opened here in the 1940s. The entire 1908-building was renovated
for $1.6 million (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

There is a recent surge of retailers opening in Downtown Cleveland due in part to a growing traffic base coming from several sectors. One is the continued strong residential population growth. Another is the increasing number of return-to-office requirements by employers. And the last is the growing number of year-round entertainment options downtown, based on the hours of operation of the new retailers.

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CSU abruptly ends U-Pass deal with GCRTA

Cleveland State University has long been a close partner to the Greater Cleveland
Regional Transit Authority in many ways, including its sponsorship of the bus rapid
transit-light route along Clifton-Lake through Cleveland and its West Shore suburbs.
But the financially troubled university has left transit riders at the curb by exiting
the U-Pass program (GCRTA). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Cleveland State University (CSU) notified its students this morning by e-mail that it will immediately discontinue its participation in the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s (GCRTA or RTA) U-Pass program. This program provided to CSU students vastly discounted monthly GCRTA passes which they could use for other transportation — to work, medical appointments, grocery shopping and more.

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Downtown’s latest high-rise gets finishing touches

The highest swimming pool in Cleveland is now open with more than a month to go
until Labor Day. And right after Labor Day is when the finishing touches on Skyline
776 are due to be completed (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Fifty weeks ago, NEOtrans got a tour of the Skyline 776 apartment tower just as its first tenants were moving in. But those tenants were moving into a 23-story high-rise that was still under construction and recovering from a sudden transition. Nearly a year later, work is still be done on the building, at 776 Euclid Ave. in Downtown Cleveland. But a lot has been done and there is finally an end-date in sight.

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Next lakefront trail extension to start in January

Aerial rendering of the soon-to-be-built Euclid Beach Connector Trail. When combined
with the existing trails in Euclid Beach and Wildwood parks to the east, or left in this
view, the total length of this trail will be about 1 mile long when complete in early
2027 (Cuyahoga County). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

It’s much nicer to consider a new lakefront trail project now in July rather than in January when construction is due to begin. But between now and then, the city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the Cleveland Metroparks will be finalizing agreements for the construction and maintenance of the Euclid Beach Connector Trail.

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Downtown Lakefront Multimodal Station can equal Browns Stadium in annual visits. Here’s how…

Many people might see two undeveloped rail stations, a highway barrier and an endan-
gered stadium. Planners with vision see a canvas on which Downtown Cleveland’s lake-
front access and development can be vastly improved to energize this mostly languid
part of the urban core (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Greater Clevelanders have often lamented the large number of downtown lakefront redevelopment plans that have come and gone without producing much, if anything — other than more paper. Sadly, so have the large number of plans for a downtown intermodal transportation hub. They’ve sparked as much as a match in a vacuum would.

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Cleveland Office, industrial markets dip in 2nd quarter

Downtown Cleveland’s Nine-Twelve District is hurting these days. This office building
at 1100 Superior Ave. is a emblematic of it. The building is headed to auction next month
due to lagging occupancy. But some buildings visible here have even more vacancies but
are awaiting conversion to residential — 925 Euclid, Ohio Savings and 800 Superior
(LoopNet). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

It’s not a good situation when the two major commercial segments of the market — office and industrial — are both seeing sluggish times in terms of leasing activity. In fact, both sectors in Greater Cleveland saw tenants give back more space to the market than they absorbed due to some large, high-profile departures.

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Lorain County Airport may help close Burke

Burke Lakefront Airport’s proximity to Downtown Cleveland is both an asset to Cleve-
land and, according to a city-commissioned study last year, an opportunity cost preventing
the city from enjoying even more benefits from this huge lakefront site. Yet the airport
cannot be closed unless other Greater Cleveland reliever airports offer the same or better
facilities at Burke (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

While NEOtrans usually doesn’t cover development news in the collar counties around Cuyahoga County, the funded expansion of Lorain County Regional Airport could have a significant impact on the urban core of Greater Cleveland. Specifically, it could provide a runway for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to allow the closure of Burke Lakefront Airport in Downtown Cleveland.

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Downtown multimodal station gets design funds

Circled in red is the potential location of and facilities for a new multimodal trans-
portation center on the Downtown Cleveland lakefront for bus and rail services plus
an extended port access roadway. The goal is to advance planning to a 30 percent
level of design so that the city will know how much funding will be needed to
finalize the design and build it (FO). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Improving access to a re-envisioned Downtown Cleveland lakefront by more than just driving has been a focus of the city’s lakefront master-planning process. But the details on how that could be done so far have been vague and conceptual. That will change as a result of a $960,000 federal grant awarded this week to the city.

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Westinghouse redevelopment is ‘Back on track’

An early rendering of a redeveloped Westinghouse factory shows several features still
in updated plans. The most prominent is the eight-story tower reflecting a sunrise over
Downtown Cleveland. Next is the façade of the old foundry which will remain, but this
doesn’t show the new foundry building proposed behind it. And in the background is a
 phase-two development idea that remains to be seen if it is still relevant (AoDK
Architects). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

After two years of outward silence, redevelopment of the former Westinghouse plant is showing new signs of life. Those signs are in the form of updated plans for the project which have become public. The vacant Westinghouse plant is located at 1200 W. 58th St. in Cleveland’s Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood.

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Soccer interests reject lakefront stadium

When the Cleveland Browns’ lease ends after the 2028 football season, could the
second level of Huntington Bank Field be removed and remainder of the facility
be converted into a soccer stadium? This is what it could look like (Methodicle).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

In a request for qualifications (RFQ) issued by the city of Cleveland last week for the development of lakefront land, all but 22 acres of it has a city masterplan established for it. That 22-acre exception is the site occupied by Huntington Bank Field which the city is offering up as a blank slate for those with ideas and other wherewithal.

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537 apartments for Cleveland’s East Side get boost

Signet Real Estate Group’s proposed Midtown development was rapidly advanced
from a conceptual design application to final approval today by the Cleveland Plan-
ning Commission’s Design Review Committee. It is just one of projects moving for-
ward on the city’s East Side (Vocon). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

In recent weeks, five major residential developments on Cleveland’s East Side are seeing substantial progress that could propel them to construction by the end of the year. And, 12-18 months thereafter, 537 new apartments, many of them with below-market rents, could be ready for residents to move in.

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Sherwin-Williams returning to office 100% in 2026

Sherwin-Williams' new headquarters tower at the west side of Downtown Cleveland's
Public Square awaits a move-in of employees in the coming months from its old
headquarters offices nearby. And employees will be moving in at the end of the
year from their offices at home where many have worked at least two days a week
since the pandemic (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, Sherwin-Williams (SHW) executives allowed the company’s office workers to either work from home, the office or a hybrid mix. That continued during the “Building Our Future” planning and construction of the new Downtown Cleveland headquarters and research center in suburban Brecksville. Until now.

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Three-building apartment complex planned on Euclid, Chester in Midtown

A three-building apartment complex is planned by Signet Real Estate Group with one
building fronting Euclid Avenue shown here, another on Chester Avenue and a third
in between. A driveway to the parking lot and the middle building runs under the
Euclid building which will also have a retail space at the far end (Vocon).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

After experiencing success with two other apartment complexes it built in recent years on Cleveland’s East Side, an Akron-based developer is pursuing a third. But each of the three developments by Signet Real Estate Group has used a different design approach,

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Ohio City townhomes may be stalled into 2026

As viewed from West 48th Street, it is clear that construction progress on the
Equinox Townhomes stopped months ago based on the condition of the site.
The reason is due to legal battles underway regarding the project’s finances
(NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Eleven townhomes in various states of construction progress have been sitting idle since last fall and are becoming a worry to neighbors, based on social media posts and inquiries to NEOtrans. But based on court filings, further construction progress on the Equinox Townhomes, 1420 W. 48th St., in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood may not happen for months.

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Cleveland offers lakefront stadium site to developers

The 1999-built Huntington Bank Field on Downtown Cleveland’s lakefront could be
gone in 2029 or soon thereafter. The city is asking developers who has the best ideas
and wherewithal to repurpose or replace it and activate the land around it, right up
to the water’s edge (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Huntington Bank Field may not be located on Downtown Cleveland’s lakefront for much longer after a new, enclosed stadium is built in suburban Brook Park. If so, what should replace it? And who should do it? The answer to those questions will be the result of a request for qualifications (RFQ) issued by the city and its partners today.

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Now arriving: Cleveland’s newest water taxi

Seen at the Flats East Bank’s boardwalk, the Cleveland Water Taxi’s Harbor Hopper
looks like a waterborne school bus from this view along the Cuyahoga River in
Downtown Cleveland (GCP Instagram). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

First there was the Holy Moses Water Taxi. Then there’s The eLCee2 Water Taxi, which still operates on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Next, starting on July 21, the Cleveland Water Taxi’s Harbor Hopper plans to offer daily schedules and intends to serve many more waterfront destinations in the future than its predecessors.

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GCRTA breaks ground on new E. 79th rail station

Local, state and federal dignitaries braved the hot sun to flip some dirt at the start of the
replacement of the East 79th Street Blue/Green Line station. The station is closed during
the 14-month-long, $10 million reconstruction project that is intended to boost and be-
nefit from the redevelopment of job-producing sites along the Opportunity Corridor
(Rep. Shontel Brown). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Sometimes a piece of underutilized infrastructure can be revived to be a part of not only its own rebirth, but that of its surrounding area. And in return, that rebirth helps to justify the existence of the infrastructure in the first place. In this case, the infrastructure is the East 79th Street Blue/Green Line station that was considered for closure a decade ago.

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Haslams buy $25M beachfront mansion in Florida

It’s not the purchase of a Florida mansion that raised eyebrows among several media
outlets but its timing, coming just three days after $600 million of Ohioans’ unclaimed
funds were given by state elected officials to the Haslams for their planned new sta-
dium in suburban Brook Park (Traded). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Three days after Ohio officials approved $600 million in state funds for the Haslam Sports Group’s new stadium in suburban Cleveland, billionaires Dee and Jimmy Haslam closed on the purchase of a $25 million beachfront mansion in Florida. The two events are either a remarkable coincidence or some tone-deaf scheduling.

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CHEERS permits drag on, Port makes interim move

he lakefront east of downtown and the harbor north of it are all connected to the Port’s
Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Strategy (CHEERS). Dredging of
the harbor to keep it open for shipping is deposited at the northeast corner of Burke
Lakefront Airport, seen at left. A dredging barge is visible just left of center (NEOtrans).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

With federal permitting dragging on to allow the Port of Cleveland to build on offshore island east of downtown, the Port board yesterday awarded a $4 million contract so the port could continue to deposit sediment from the Cleveland harbor and Cuyahoga River at the northeast corner of Burke Lakefront Airport until 2029.

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Cleveland developments to benefit from HB96

During a topping-off ceremony on July 8, crews set into place the last piece of struc-
tural steel (painted white) for the new Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance
Center for the first phase of Bedrock Real Estate’s Riverfront Cleveland develop-
ment. More projects on the riverfront and elsewhere downtown could be aided
by increased public incentives in the two-year state budget passed on
June 30 (Bedrock). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

When sifting through the many development incentives in the state’s newly passed two-year budget, it becomes clear that a lot of Cleveland urban core projects are going to be eligible for them and potentially benefit from them. But, as we saw from a state program to aid megaprojects, a program will only benefit a region if there are projects and their sponsors in that region who will apply for them.

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Year-round beer garden planned for Ohio City

Proposed for the southwest corner of Lorain Avenue and West 38th Street, the Noble
Market Biergarten involves renovating an existing building while adding a greenhouse
and patio for a year-round beer garden. The project’s backers say it will be the first such
beer garden in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood (Horton Harper).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A long-vacant gas station and underutilized historic building at the southwest corner of Lorain Avenue and West 38th Street is proposed to become a near-west-side expansion for Noble Beast Brewing Co. But this wouldn’t be another brewpub in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. Instead, if realized, it would be the neighborhood’s first year-round beer garden.

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Port OKs financing for Berea, Cleveland, Lakewood, Richmond Hts developments

Redevelopment of the Lakewood Hospital site by CASTO of Columbus will be
called Lakewood Common. It was awarded financing today by the Port of Cleveland
to get that project underway (Dimit). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

The Port of Cleveland board of directors today approved bonds for five major development projects in four communities across the region — Berea, Cleveland, Lakewood and Richmond Heights. The total investment from the developments in these communities total more than $405 million.

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Collinwood site picked for modular home factory

Eleven years after it closed and less than a year before it was demolished, General
Electric’s Pitney Glass Works on East 152nd Street in Cleveland stood silent in July
2022 as a powerful reminder of America’s industrial prowess. Now cleared, the site
was named as the city’s preferred location for the construction of a modular home
factory (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A 22-acre site at 1133-1175 East 152nd Street in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood was selected by city officials as the future home of a new factory for manufacturing affordable, modular homes. Now, the city has to decide which of four candidate companies it will offer the site to build its factory.

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Cosm was planned for Haslam’s Brook Park site

In a rendering that’s been circulating publicly for months, showing the planned,
enclosed Huntington Bank Field in Brook Park, closer inspection reveals that a
Cosm venue was planned for the mixed-use district adjacent to it. Cosm was con-
sidering it seriously enough to allow its logo to be used in this official rendering.
But Cosm ended up locating in Downtown Cleveland (HKS).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM. 

This could be a battle to watch in the coming years — a battle of the billionaires and their venues for Northeast Ohio’s entertainment dollars. And in the latest round, the win goes to Dan Gilbert, David Blitzer and Downtown Cleveland for securing the fifth US location of Cosm, an immersive technology sports and entertainment attraction. But it almost went to suburban Brook Park.

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Cosm confirms it is coming to Downtown Cleveland

Based on preliminary site plans secured by NEOtrans, the external design of the
Dallas Cosm is comparable to what is planned for Downtown Cleveland. The site
plan revealed by NEOtrans several weeks ago suggests that this will be the north-
west corner of Cleveland’s Cosm, surrounded by new parking facilities and future
development (Cosm). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Cosm, Bedrock, and Rock Entertainment Group (REG) announced today that Cosm, a leading immersive technology, media and entertainment company, will anchor Bedrock’s mixed-use Rock Block development in Downtown Cleveland’s Gateway District. NEOtrans was first to report on this pending development three weeks ago when site-preparation plans were submitted to the city.

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Sherwin-Williams set to open new R&D Center

Finishing touches are being put on Sherwin-Williams’ new Morikis Global Techno-
logy Center in Brecksville. Employees will start moving into the sprawling facility
in late-September and be done with the relocations by Christmas (Sherwin-Williams).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Schedules are coming into focus for the relocation of about 900 Sherwin-Williams’ employees who will be moving into the global coatings giant’s new Morikis Global Technology Center in south-suburban Brecksville. The change will also affect hundreds of Sherwin-Williams employees in Downtown Cleveland and in east-suburban Warrensville Heights.

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Warehouse District megaproject site offered

With the Rockefeller Building hitting the market at the same as the neighboring
Warehouse District parking lots owned by Stark Enterprises, it makes the larger
site more attractive to out-of-market investors. This rendering of the Rockefeller
Building and a conceptual neighboring tower on West Superior Avenue is part
of  the marketing (Leopardo-Heart). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

It’s not often that a 4.2-acre canvas in the heart of a busy central business district can be marketed to investors. But that’s what a swath of property in Downtown Cleveland’s Warehouse District can offer now that the Rockefeller Building is back on the market. And the larger property offering allows the Rockefeller to potentially be sold at a discount.

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GCRTA to aid in the expansion of two parks

Several parcels belonging to the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, below
its soaring Cuyahoga Viaduct near Downtown Cleveland, will be licensed to the
Cleveland Metroparks for an expansion of its Rivergate Park, seen here on the other
side of the Cuyahoga River (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Two parks in Cleveland are due to expand thanks to contributions of land by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA). The two parks involved are the Cleveland Metroparks’ Rivergate Park in the Flats near Downtown Cleveland and Hillside Park in the Kinsman neighborhood on the city’s East Side.

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Winners, losers from the Browns’ new stadium

In four years, this will likely be the scene at Brook Park, Ohio when the Cleveland
Browns open their 2029 season to fans and to critics alike. In fact, every winner in
this scenario has a down side, just as every loser has an upside (HKS).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

There are winners and there are losers in the Haslam Sports Group’s effort to build a new, enclosed stadium in suburban Brook Park. But it is worth noting that all of the winners have lost something just as all of the losers have won something. And there are variables to this equation that will remain unknown until the future and those who choose to shape it reveal them.

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