Cleveland leaves door open for Browns to stay

Fifty acres of developable Downtown Cleveland lakefront land, lightly shaded and outlined
in blue, with another 15 acres set aside for public spaces are the subject of a pending offer
to prospective developers. That includes the 22-acre site of Huntington Bank Field where
the Cleveland Browns play roughly 10 home games per season until their lease with the city
runs out after the 2028 football season (NCWDC). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

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.

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Cosm gets initial OK from Planning Commission

Rather than submit detailed plans for the Cleveland Cosm to the Cleveland Planning Com-
mission, the project architect sought feedback from pictures of existing Cosm locations
and this rendering of the Detroit Cosm, now under construction at Cadillac Square,
 adjacent to Campus Martius Park (Rossetti). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

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.

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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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