In May, real estate developer Dan Whalen left a Landmarks Commission meeting with a design approval in his pocket and a range of possibilities in the back of his mind. Those led him to consider building his latest development, a Marriott Tribute Portfolio boutique hotel, 1950 W 26 St., in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood, with an extensive amount of mass-timber construction.
Saturday, August 9, 2025
Friday, August 8, 2025
UC’s Skyline On Stokes is urban resort
If you end up spending little more than sleeping time in an apartment at Skyline On Stokes, you’re probably enjoying the lifestyle offered by University Circle’s latest residential property. And it’s not just because of where the new building is located. It’s also because the amenities inside the building are large, both in scale and in variety.
Thursday, August 7, 2025
Ohio City development plan returns after fire
At 1 a.m. April 10, 2024, a former funeral home dating to 1865 at 4434 Lorain Ave. in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood went up in flames. So too did real estate developer My Place Group’s plans for renovating it as part of a larger mixed-use development called 45 West.
CSU, GCRTA restart talks on U-Pass
One week ago, Cleveland State University (CSU) notified its students that it was ending its U-Pass that provided fee travel on Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) buses and trains. Today, GCRTA announced that conversations were occurring to continue to offer fare discount benefits to thousands of CSU students.
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
ODOT plans first-ever SmartLane in NE Ohio
With reconstruction of the Interstates 90/77 Central Interchange in Downtown Cleveland expected to begin next year, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has its sights set on the next phase of the massive Innerbelt project — and that next phase may include a technology that’s brand new to Northeast Ohio.
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
GCRTA to add more railcars to order
In two weeks, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) will likely authorize completion of its 60-car order of new trains to replace the oldest rail transit fleet in the nation. The Cuyahoga County-based transit agency is hurriedly trying to round up the last funding and complete the order before costs rise further.
Monday, August 4, 2025
Euclid Avenue building demolition postponed
Neither Mother Nature, the Cleveland Foundation or the Cleveland Planning Commission have so far been able to demolish a century-old building at Euclid Avenue and East 71st Street in Cleveland’s Midtown neighborhood. The tornado-damaged former showroom and warehouse of the Baker Electric Car Company, 7107-7113 Euclid, is in the crosshairs of a nearly four-acre redevelopment site.
Saturday, August 2, 2025
Cleveland leaves door open for Browns to stay
While it may be unlikely the existing Huntington Bank Field will remain standing if and when the Cleveland Browns leave it, the head of a nonprofit corporation overseeing lakefront development kept the door open for the National Football League team to return if it chooses. But the clock is running for the Browns’ owners to compete with other prospective lakefront developers to respond to a request for qualifications (RFQ) issued last month.
Friday, August 1, 2025
Cosm gets initial OK from Planning Commission
Bedrock Real Estate, Cosm and a project architect are already moving forward with plans to build a new immersive entertainment and hospitality venue in Downtown Cleveland known as Cosm Cleveland. And those conceptual plans crossed their first big hurdle today with unanimous support from the City Planning Commission.
Thursday, July 31, 2025
Downtown Cleveland adds new retail tenants
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.
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
CSU abruptly ends U-Pass deal with GCRTA
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.
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Downtown’s latest high-rise gets finishing touches
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.
Monday, July 28, 2025
Next lakefront trail extension to start in January
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.
Friday, July 25, 2025
Downtown Lakefront Multimodal Station can equal Browns Stadium in annual visits. Here’s how…
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.
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Cleveland Office, industrial markets dip in 2nd quarter
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.
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Lorain County Airport may help close Burke
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.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Downtown multimodal station gets design funds
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.
Monday, July 21, 2025
Westinghouse redevelopment is ‘Back on track’
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.
Saturday, July 19, 2025
Soccer interests reject lakefront stadium
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.
Friday, July 18, 2025
537 apartments for Cleveland’s East Side get boost
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.
Sherwin-Williams returning to office 100% in 2026
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.
Thursday, July 17, 2025
Three-building apartment complex planned on Euclid, Chester in Midtown
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,
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Ohio City townhomes may be stalled into 2026
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.
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Cleveland offers lakefront stadium site to developers
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.
Monday, July 14, 2025
Now arriving: Cleveland’s newest water taxi
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.
Saturday, July 12, 2025
GCRTA breaks ground on new E. 79th rail station
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.
Friday, July 11, 2025
Haslams buy $25M beachfront mansion in Florida
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.
CHEERS permits drag on, Port makes interim move
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.
Cleveland developments to benefit from HB96
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.
Thursday, July 10, 2025
Year-round beer garden planned for Ohio City
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.
Port OKs financing for Berea, Cleveland, Lakewood, Richmond Hts developments
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.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Collinwood site picked for modular home factory
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.
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Cosm was planned for Haslam’s Brook Park site
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.
Monday, July 7, 2025
Cosm confirms it is coming to Downtown Cleveland
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.
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Sherwin-Williams set to open new R&D Center
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.
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Warehouse District megaproject site offered
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.
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
GCRTA to aid in the expansion of two parks
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.
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Winners, losers from the Browns’ new stadium
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.
Monday, June 30, 2025
Cleveland wins WNBA team, new downtown activity
Starting in May 2028, Cleveland’s new Womens National Basketball Association (WNBA) team will begin playing in Downtown Cleveland at Rocket Arena. The expansion team will play half of its 44-game schedule at home and, if attendance is at least near the league-wide average, will help soften the impact of the Cleveland Browns football team moving from downtown to suburban Brook Park the following year.
Saturday, June 28, 2025
Port to start $25M rehab of huge warehouse
In the coming weeks, major improvements will be made to the Port of Cleveland’s largest warehouse, a terminal warehouse that’s so large it equals the size of two ships. Plans for those improvements were submitted yesterday to the city in an application for a building permit to get started on the work as soon as possible.
Friday, June 27, 2025
Haslams acquire Brook Park land for stadium
Although the deed transfer was signed June 24, the document transferring 179 acres of land to an affiliate of the Haslam Sports Group for a new stadium in Brook Park didn’t become public until today. Nonetheless, this is the deal that helps set the stage for the construction of a new $3.6 billion enclosed stadium and proposed supportive development for the new home of the Cleveland Browns.
Hough senior housing tests first new zoning in 96 years
Cleveland City Planning Commission today approved designs for a 55-unit affordable senior housing development in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood. While that isn’t such a big story anymore, given the heightened pace of investment in this former poster child enclave of urban decay, it is when you consider the plans for this project were submitted to the city only in May.
Thursday, June 26, 2025
Development near Edgewater Park revived
Three years ago, a team led by Beachwood-based Property Advisors Group (PAG) planned to build a large residential development at 8400 Lake Ave., overlooking Edgewater Park in Cleveland’s Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood. But with construction costs and interest rates rising, the timing wasn’t right. While costs are still high, the city’s new form-based zoning code may make a scaled-down project achievable and in a timely manner.
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Fenn Tower leads historic tax credit winners
Northeast Ohio did well in the latest round of Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program awards, garnering nearly half of all awards in terms of dollar amount and total number of projects aided today. By contrast, only one project in fast-growing Central Ohio was awarded historic tax credits by the Ohio Department of Development.
Cleveland Clinic to nearly double Avon Hospital’s size
To meet the growing demand for patient care on Cleveland’s west side, a growing Cleveland Clinic announced plans to significantly expand both Avon Hospital and Richard E. Jacobs Family Health Center. The $340 million project would nearly double the size of the campus, which is located just north of the Interstate 90-Nagel Road interchange in Avon.
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Ports of Cleveland, Shannon Foynes to link USA, EU
Officials from the Port of Cleveland have signed a strategic agreement with those of Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC), Ireland’s second-largest port operator, to strengthen trade ties and unlock new business and economic opportunities between the Great Lakes region and Europe.
Monday, June 23, 2025
Sinito walks away from running Millennia
Frank T. Sinito, founder of Millennia Companies, has stepped away from managing the day-to-day business of one of the nation’s largest owners and managers of affordable housing properties. In announcing this and other leadership changes, the company said it will be selling off parts of its affordable housing portfolio and expanding investments into market-rate housing.
Friday, June 20, 2025
Downtown Cleveland won’t miss the Browns
A downtown is a horrible place for a National Football League (NFL) stadium. It’s why half of the 32 NFL teams don’t play their home games at downtown-based venues. And when the Cleveland Browns leave downtown for suburban Brook Park, it will be Downtown Cleveland that gains the most their move, not Brook Park. The reasons for this are many.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Ohio teams support DeWine’s stadium funding plan
Fifteen of Ohio’s professional sports teams from among the major and minor leagues joined together in sending a letter to state leadership, expressing support for Gov. Mike DeWine’s proposed process to allocate funding for sports facility projects through House Bill 96 and the Ohio Unclaimed Funds proposal. But, noticeably absent were the two teams with the largest stadium funding requests.
University Circle site offered for mid-rise apartments
A small piece of land in University Circle with big possibilities is being offered for sale or redevelopment in partnership with the current owner, Rico Pietro, a well-known local real estate broker. But no construction is imminent as the current user, a contract ambulance service for Cleveland Clinic, is only halfway through a 10-year lease on the site.