Akron Children’s Hospital in Rocky River starts site prep

A peek through the construction fencing around this 1980-built office building on Center Ridge
Road in Rocky River reveals a construction trailer and site preparations for the first west-suburban Cleveland location of Akron Children’s Hospital (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Site preparation plus interior and exterior demolition got underway this week for Akron Children’s Hospital’s $30 million renovation and repurposing of the 46-year-old Plaza West office building at 20220 Center Ridge Rd. in suburban Rocky River into an outpatient pediatrics care center.

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Port OKs housing for Cleveland, Euclid

A model home for another 10 to be built on East 67th Street in Cleveland’s St. Clair-Superior
neighborhood is already being marketed. The Port of Cleveland is financially supporting the
construction of these for-sale, owner-occupied houses (Knez Homes).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

The Port of Cleveland Board of Directors on Thursday approved financial support for two projects that will bring new housing, jobs and investment to two Northeast Ohio communities.

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New partnership to advance Cuyahoga TOD

In 2022, the first of two 24-story apartment towers at Circle Square in Cleveland’s University
Circle was under construction. Today, the second tower next door is just getting underway a few
steps from the HealthLine bus rapid transit (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Five regional organizations joined forces today to announce the launch of Cuyahoga TOD, a long-term, collaborative effort to advance transit-oriented development (TOD) in Cuyahoga County communities.

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Students get a kick out of linking soccer with transit

Next to the Interstate 90 Inner Belt bridges in Downtown Cleveland, a group of Cornell University
urban planning students were given a tour of the site of the proposed Gateway South soccer stadium
by Cleveland Soccer Group’s Gina Prodan Kelly, closest to the camera, and CSG CEO Michael
Murphy, standing next-closest (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A group of Cornell University urban planning students came to Cleveland this week with a scholarly objective — learn about potential soccer facilities and suggest how they can link with their surroundings, including public transit. They left with ideas for and discoveries about Cleveland that could result in more than an academic exercise.

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A monumental icon for Cleveland’s lakefront

Judy McGlinchy, left, and Craig Astler presented “monumental” ideas for redeveloping
Downtown Cleveland’s North Coast Harbor at a public meeting last week at Merwin’s
Wharf in the Flats (Paul Heney). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

With the Cleveland Browns leaving the city for Brook Park in the next few years, plans for what’s next on the lakefront are heating up. Architectural firm MVRDV, based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, is expected to unveil an update of the entire lakefront plans in the next month or two, on behalf of the nonprofit North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation.

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Here’s what to know about Shaker Square’s ‘form-based’ zoning

Many visitors arrive to Cleveland’s Shaker Square on transit vehicles, such as this GCRTA Blue
Line train which originated at Tower City in Downtown Cleveland (Harrison Whittaker).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

It’s no secret that Cleveland’s complicated and restrictive zoning code stifles new construction, hinders neighborhood walkability, and renders countless existing buildings noncompliant. Yet it remains to be seen how well its emerging Form-Based Code can resolve these issues.

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West Park Shopping Center to fill vacancy

Although each of West Park Shopping Center’s three largest retail spaces shown here have the same
placeholder signage, in reality only the largest retail space at left is vacant. That will soon change
as a new fitness center will occupy it (Onyx Creative). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A filing submitted to the City of Cleveland today revealed the identity of a new tenant that will fill the largest space at the West Park Shopping Center on Lorain Avenue at West 150th Street.

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Buyer saves historic factory from demolition

The nation’s largest manufacturer of gasoline-powered automobiles at the start of 20th century was
the Winton Motor Carriage Co. on Berea Road north of Madison Avenue in Cleveland’s Cudell
neighborhood. Most of the original factory still stands, and now it has a new owner with a plan.
Note the test track around the perimeter of the plant (The Motor World-Wikimedia).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

One of Cleveland’s most historic industrial properties is no longer on the to-be-demolished list after it was acquired by a Greater Cleveland-based developer. That property is the four-parcel, 7.3-acre former Winton Motor Carriage Works, 10300-10630 Berea Rd. in Cleveland’s Cudell neighborhood.

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Gateway55 anchor tenant ID’d

Reese Consumer Health has signed on as the anchor tenant for the Gateway 55 light-
industrial development on East 55th Street in Cleveland’s Slavic Village (Bowen).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Reese Consumer Health, a 120-year-old family-owned, Cleveland-based company that planned to consolidate and expand its facilities earlier this year at a new structure on Woodland Avenue, will instead land at another location.

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UC’s next high-rise sees construction advance quickly

The new East Stokes tower is named for its location. It’s on the east side of Stokes Boulevard
at Chester Avenue. The sign on Stokes says this short section of the street south of Chester to
Reserve Court is closed for 450 days as of Sept. 21. It’s the next tower in the Circle Square
development; the tallest is The Artisan seen at far right. In the distance is the 20-story
One University Circle (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of all the construction happening in and near Cleveland’s University Circle. And for those who don’t travel to or through here very often, you may be surprised to see the next big construction project is already making lots of progress as these photos from yesterday show.

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City Hall intervenes in Reserve Square sale

With two 23-story towers, the 1-million-square-foot, mixed-use Reserve Square at the east
end of Downtown Cleveland has been the subject of a federal foreclosure case since July
2025 (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration filed a legal action this week in federal court to intervene in a foreclosure lawsuit involving the Reserve Square property in Downtown Cleveland. City Law Director Mark Griffin said the intervention was necessary to protect downtown and to make sure that Reserve Square’s residents have safe accommodations.

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Large factory sold, to stay industrial

On a 12-acre site in Cleveland’s Euclid-Green neighborhood, hosting 265,000 square feet of
industrial structures, the former Meyer Products snowplow factory will be leased to new users.
At the same time, a long-term vision for repurposing the site with advanced manufacturing and/
or distribution facilities will be formulated (CBRE). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A local investor partnership comprised of Reuven Dessler and Rico Pietro acquired a large factory complex in Cleveland’s Euclid-Green neighborhood for a simple reason — it was too good of a deal to pass up.

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Downtown at Valor Acres nears completion

The $678 million Valor Acres development in Brecksville has begun welcoming hundreds
of new residents to the southern edge of Cuyahoga County (Harrison Whittaker).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

The finished touches are being added to Valor Acres, a $678 million mixed-use lifestyle development in Brecksville. In this edition of Progress Pics, we take a walkthrough of the main street activity known as Downtown at Valor Acres, which is now open to pedestrians.

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Developers of 9 school sites ID’d

Collinwood High School is the largest school building that was awarded a new end-user as a result
of a city-led request for proposals process. A local and a national firm won the opportunity to
redevelop this large, historic school property (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

New end users of nine closed schools were identified by the City of Cleveland today to reactivate those properties with new uses including senior affordable housing, social services, retail/community event space, and other projects.

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Historic Flats buildings listed for sale

A trio of 19th-century buildings, including the former Arhaus Furniture headquarters, on Old
River Road on Cleveland’s Flats East Bank are for sale and could benefit from emerging
developments nearby (CRESCO). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Three of the most historic buildings on Cleveland’s Flats East Bank are now available for sale. And now might be an opportune time for them to get repositioned and redeveloped with other nearby properties getting new directions, too.

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Lakewood tackles infrastructure, housing needs with new construction

From the corner of Detroit and Belle avenues, the first building at CASTO’s Lakewood
Common development in Downtown Lakewood has topped out (Harrison Whittaker).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

While Lakewood lacks the undeveloped greenfield sites that allow outer-ring suburbs to accommodate growth through sprawl, building expansions and infill projects on vacant lots are allowing the historic streetcar suburb to grow its housing supply to meet new demand.

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Lakefront’s Mandel Community Trail opened today

The Mandel Community Trail runs along the north side of North Marginal Road and the Shore-
way highway, connecting Downtown Cleveland at East 9th Street and Gordon Park at East
55th Street. Much of the lakefront here is only worth passing through, not visiting,
featuring barbed wire and Burke Lakefront Airport on the right (Noah Belli).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Today, officials and community partners celebrated the opening of the Mandel Community Trail, a $12 million, 2.7-mile off-road connection along Cleveland’s east-side lakefront between Downtown Cleveland at East 9th Street and Gordon Park at East 55th Street.

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Stalking horse bidder not selected for 925 Euclid

Downtown Cleveland’s second-largest building, as measured in square feet, is 925 Euclid. A
court-appointed receiver of this foreclosed property declined to seek a stalking horse bidder
prior to a scheduled auction in November (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A court-appointed receiver of Downtown Cleveland’s second-largest building has opted not to select a stalking horse bidder prior to a scheduled auction to satisfy a foreclosure action.

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CSU seeks new uses for Cole Center

Cleveland State University is offering to sell or lease its vacated Joseph E. Cole Center for
Continuing Education on Chester Avenue. The 68-year-old building is located east of the
Inner Belt highway, putting it just outside its main campus downtown (CSU).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

On the same day that Cleveland State University (CSU) celebrated completing the renovation of historic Fenn Tower, another aging property at the east end of its Downtown Cleveland main campus awaits a new, unknown fate.

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California-based Kinomatic is Cleveland dreaming

California-based health-tech firm Kinomatic has moved into the Hoyt Block at West St. Clair
Avenue and West 6th Street in Downtown Cleveland’s Warehouse District. It’s the company’s
first expansion beyond the Golden State (LoopNet). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

In its first expansion outside of California, health-tech firm Kinomatic leased office space in Downtown Cleveland’s Warehouse District and has plans for growing and leasing a lot more space here.

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