Public Square info hub gets grant, design approval

A proposed programming hub for Downtown Cleveland’s Public Square was approved
today by the City Planning Commission and could appear this spring next to Superior
Avenue (LAND Studio). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Improvements to Cleveland’s Public Square took a step forward today when the City Planning Commission unanimously approved a temporary, yet robust programming hub. The hub, designed to replace tents currently used by staffers for downtown events would not only provide workers shelter and a place to store materials, but also function as a kiosk for posting event schedules and wayfinding.

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Pioneer/Jaja restaurants at INTRO set repair plans

The area outlined in red including an elevator suffered structural damage from a car
crash early in the morning Oct. 31, 2024. Also, the bollard next to the arrow sign at
left was damaged along with the sidewalk. All of those items will be restored to their
original condition by September (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Just after 3 a.m. on Halloween 2024, an Audi crashed at high speed into a section of the INTRO mixed-use complex, at 2050 Gehring Ave. in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. While the driver wasn’t seriously hurt, the damage to the structure was so severe that two restaurants, Pioneer and Jaja, affected by the crash are still closed and repairs won’t be completed until 10 months after the initial impact.

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Rebuild Cleveland, FutureHeights unite to add housing

Modular home construction in Greater Cleveland is becoming increasingly popular
with improved manufacturing quality and housing styles. Such infill housing can
be affordably built on-site in a matter of hours once the foundation is in place
(Rebuild Cleveland). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Rebuild Cleveland, LLC and FutureHeights, Inc. have embarked on an official collaboration to bring transformative infill housing development to Cleveland Heights. This partnership leverages Rebuild Cleveland’s considered approach to residential development and FutureHeights’ extensive track record of creatively engaging the community to develop exceptional housing that is responsive to the community’s needs and respectful of its architectural heritage.

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Van Aken District’s next big project starts in March

The Arcadia at the Van Aken District in Shaker Heights is scheduled to see
construction start in March with completion set for Fall 2026 (RDL).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

When one project is completed at a megaproject district, a good sign of its health is to see another project in same area start soon thereafter. That’s what is due to happen in a couple of weeks at the Van Aken District in Shaker Heights, according to a Columbus-based developer.

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Lake Shore Power Station site redo a long play

Northeast of Downtown Cleveland, a lake-fed discharge pond is left over from the
former First Energy Lake Shore Power Station that was demolished in 2017. Several
cooling ponds and associated structures are proposed to be demolished in the next
few years by a new property owner to make way for future development (IDA).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

The owner of one of Cleveland’s largest privately owned lakefront properties announced its intentions to redevelop the site. But some of its proposed uses were not welcomed by a lakefront advocacy group.

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Great Lakes Brewing IDs Scranton Peninsula project

This 2-acre site between Cuyahoga River and Carter Road on Scranton Peninsula is
proposed to become a potential waterfront entertainment venture and beer garden
for Great Lakes Brewing Company. Remnants of a former Republic Steel mill that
closed in 1973 remain on site. The middle retaining wall reportedly will be kept
 while the wall at right will be removed. In the background are two apartment
complexes under construction with downtown’s skyline beyond (KJP).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC) officials today confirmed a report published by NEOtrans last weekend that they are pursuing development on Cleveland’s Scranton Peninsula in the Flats. The first phase of that development was described by GLBC founders Pat and Dan Conway as “a potential entertainment venture and beer garden,” in a statement they issued today.

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Ronayne ‘optimistic’ about Browns staying downtown

Although Downtown Cleveland’s existing Huntington Bank Field is five years newer
than the two professional sports facilities at the nearby Gateway Sports and Enter-
tainment Complex, renovations were chosen for them. City and county officials
also want the football stadium renovated whereas the owners of the Cleve-
land Browns want a new, enclosed stadium in suburban Brook
Park (HSG). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Active discussions between the city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the owners of the Cleveland Browns are back on for the $1.2 billion renovation of the city-owned, 1999-built stadium on Downtown Cleveland’s lakefront, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne told NEOtrans in an interview today.

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Cleveland, Lakewood projects boosted by Port

The Carriage Co., a $51.6 million mixed-use redevelopment of the former Voss
Industries plant in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood, received financial
assistance today from the Port of Cleveland that will help it get renovations
work underway by spring (SA Group). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Three redevelopment projects — two on Cleveland’s west side and one in Lakewood — were awarded financial assistance today by the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority’s board of directors to advance them to construction in the coming weeks. The assistance totaled more than $97 million worth of financing, sales tax savings and bonds.

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Pinecrest bought by North Carolina firm

Looking north from Harvard Road at Interstate 271, the 640,000-square-foot Pinecrest
lifestyle center in Orange draws business primarily from the affluent eastern suburbs
of Greater Cleveland (Tanger). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Tanger, a publicly traded owner and operator of outlet and open-air retail shopping centers, has acquired Pinecrest, a 640,000-square-foot open-air, grocery-anchored, mixed-use center at Harvard Road and Interstate 271 in Greater Cleveland’s eastern suburb of Orange Village.

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UH invests $3M in housing next to League Park

The Gateway66 affordable housing development located on East 66th Street in Cleve-
land’s Hough neighborhood just got a $3 million boost from University Hospitals.
This view is looking north on East 66th at Linwood Avenue. A corner of Historic
League Park is visible at far right (PCI). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Two big actions happened in the past week to support new affordable housing next to Historic League Park in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood. One was a $3 million investment by University Hospitals in the proposed Gateway66 apartment complex. The other was a building permit application submitted to the city for that project.

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UCS’s West 47th remake to include new ballpark

The south end of West 47th Street is due to look very different by this time next year,
featuring Urban Community School’s new Little League Ballpark.But all of West
47th, seen at left in this south-looking rendering, is looking different these days
with more than $11 million worth of capital improvements underway (Kaczmar).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

For leaders of the Urban Community School (UCS), West 47th Street has been a street of dreams. But those dreams are becoming a reality in 2025, with more to come by the end of the year – including a new baseball field of dreams.

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Great Lakes Brewing picks Scranton Peninsula

On Scranton Peninsula, a Great Lakes Brewing Company tasting room and beer garden
was proposed between the Cuyahoga River and Carter Road in 2017. This is a concep-
tual image showing what that could look like and includes a concrete retaining wall
left behind from a former Republic Steel mill complex. But it is not known yet
what the company has in mind for the waterfront site (Coburn).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

There’s still a lot we don’t know about Great Lakes Brewing Company’s (GLBC) vision for Scranton Peninsula in Cleveland. But NEOtrans has learned is that there are once again plans for the independent craft brewery to make a big investment in Cleveland Flats rather than relocate to an exurban site along an interstate highway.

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University Circle tower goes back to drawing board

The conceptual rendering of East Stokes is likely to change but it isn’t publicly
known by how much. Construction costs for the proposed tower came in higher
than expected, forcing the development team to look at ways of cutting costs
and possibly increasing revenues from the planned component of the
Circle (SCB). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Design review of East Stokes, what would be University Circle’s tallest building, was moving along at a rapid clip last fall. Things were moving so quickly that the development team, led by PCP Voyager, anticipated that if City Planning Commission could approve the final plans by Thanksgiving, a spring groundbreaking of 24-story apartment tower might be possible.

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Commission OKs Bedrock’s riverfront masterplan

Proposed uses in Bedrock’s riverfront masterplan, the final version of which was
approved today by the City Planning Commission’s Design Review Committee
(MKSK). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A design review panel of Cleveland’s Planning Commission today approved Bedrock’s final masterplan for its multi-phase, $3.5 billion riverfront development. But while the vote was unanimous, commission members asked some pointed questions about how all of its components would successfully come together.

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Sherwin-Williams HQ opening delayed 7 months

The silver Sherwin-Williams headquarters tower is at center-left in this
Downtown Cleveland skyline sunset view. Work continues on the new
616-foot tower and its pavilion on Public Square, including construc-
tion repairs that will delay the grand opening ceremony by seven
months (Paul J. Heney). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

NEOtrans was first to report several weeks ago that a grand-opening ceremony for Sherwin-Williams’ new headquarters was scheduled for next month despite that a “major hiccup and flaw” in construction of the tower had to be repaired. Now, that ceremony has been pushed back by seven months, according to public records secured by NEOtrans.

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Chipotle expanding to Ohio City

The current site of Soho Chicken + Whiskey in Ohio City’s Market
District will become a new Chipotle Mexican Grill. But fans of Soho
need not despair as the popular establishment will be moving nearby
rather than closing (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

When the chains start replacing mom-n-pop businesses in a growing neighborhood, some welcome them as a validation of its success while others reject them as a weakening of a neighborhood’s uniqueness that created that success in the first place. The replacement next year of the popular Soho Chicken + Whiskey with a Chipotle Mexican Grill is the latest example of that shift in Ohio City’s Market District in Cleveland.

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Is DeWine’s stadium tax idea a good bet?

An enclosed Huntington Bank Field in suburban Brook Park could be supported by
a new sports facility and education fund proposed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. But
the fund would be site-agnostic, giving life to those seeking to keep the Cleveland
Browns playing their home games in Downtown Cleveland (HKS).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Everything from helping to finance a new stadium for the Cleveland Browns to funding sports programs for low-income families could be supported by a new sports facility and education fund sought by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in his proposed state budget. But the proposed fund doesn’t pick a stadium site for the Browns, which appears to give Downtown Cleveland site backers more of a win than it does for the owners of the pro football team.

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Canon Healthcare USA picks Cleveland for HQ

The vacant former IBM Explorys headquarters at Cedar Avenue and East 105th Street
will be acquired by Canon Healthcare USA for its new headquarters. This acquisition,
in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic and others, represents a first step toward a
lot more investment in the surrounding area, including advanced manufacturing
(Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Over the past several years, Canon Healthcare USA was considering multiple locations inside and out of Greater Cleveland for its new headquarters. While most real estate insiders believed it would land at the former IBM Explorys headquarters, 10500 Cedar Ave., in Cleveland’s University Circle, it was not a done deal. With the city’s passage of a job creation income tax credit last night, it now appears to be.

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Receiver appointed for Downtown office complex

The North Point office complex in Downtown Cleveland includes 901 Lakeside
Ave. at left, 1001 Lakeside at right, and a parking garage behind them with its
primary entrance off East 9th Street in the distance at far left (Google).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

On Friday, Judge Christopher Boyko at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio ordered the North Point office complex in Downtown Cleveland be placed in the hands of a receiver to manage the property and, more specifically, to pay its creditors. The request was made earlier in the week by Wells Fargo Bank, as trustee for the benefit of the registered holders of GS Mortgage Securities Corp.’s distressed loan collateralized by the property.

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Downtown hotel to have new operator

Proposed new signage on the front of the historic New England Building, also called
the Guardian Building, on Euclid Avenue will replace that of the current hotelier, a
Holiday Inn Express (Mira Development). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

After 26 years in business, Downtown Cleveland’s Holiday Inn Express, 629 Euclid Ave., will close. But its already got a replacement lined up in the form of an AC Hotel by Marriott, according to a developer leading the transformation.

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