Amtrak Ohio expansion may bypass state government

Amtrak’s new Airo trains to be built by Siemens Mobility. Starting in 2026,
these new trains will operate on all eastern routes shorter than 750 miles,
including on services purchased by several states surrounding Ohio
that could be extended to Cleveland (Amtrak).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Several initiatives that are in their early stages may instigate passenger rail expansion to Cleveland before the state of Ohio decides to get on board. That could be welcome timing considering the Federal Railroad Administration will solicit applications next week for funding to begin the process for developing new and expanded passenger rail services.

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Dog daycare chain eyeing downtown

From the outset of design for the new City Club Apartments tower in downtown
Cleveland, being a dog-friendly environment was emphasized as demonstrated
 in this and other renderings as well as by floor plans which assumed a dog day
care business would be a tenant. A Cleveland-area businessman wants to take
them up on that  suggestion by opening a dog day care franchise there (Vocon).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

A national dog daycare chain is eyeballing the Greater Cleveland area and may start by planting its flag in downtown Cleveland. Dogtopia franchisee and self-described dog lover Alex Mazzenga of Cleveland Heights is seeking to open a dog daycare business at the City Club Apartments, 776 Euclid Ave, according to a building permit application filed with the city this week. The investment necessary to build out the space, estimated by the permit at up to $1 million, shows there’s some serious puppy love involved.

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Phase 2 sought for Midtown apartment complex

Looking at The Foundry Lofts from the Carnegie Avenue side, the two
darker buildings are what is proposed to be added. The red buildings
closer to Euclid Avenue were completed last fall and are filling up
fast (City Architecture). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

With the paint still drying on the first phase of a mixed-use development called The Foundry Lofts, 7240 Euclid Ave., Signet Real Estate Group is asking the city for approvals to begin construction on an apartments-only phase two. The reason for moving forward so quickly on expanding the Midtown Cleveland development is because both residential and commercial leasing activity for the first phase have been strong.

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Odeon, 3 other Flats parcels sold to developer

The Odeon concert club and three other parcels on Old River Road on Cleve-
land’s Flats East Bank were sold to local real estate development financier
GBX Group. The same company is part of ambitious plans for several
neighboring buildings which belonged to the Samsel Supply Co. (KJP).
 CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

The Odeon concert club, 1295 Old River Rd., was among four contiguous parcels on Cleveland’s Flats East Bank sold last week to Cleveland-based GBX Group, a real estate development financier which specializes in structuring financing for historic rehabilitation projects. However, when contacted by NEOtrans, a GBX representative said their plans for the site would not be officially announced for at least two months.

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Canon takes aim at Cleveland

Opportunity Corridor, in Cleveland’s University Circle and the Cleveland
Clinic’s main campus, appears to be the favored location for the new Canon
Healthcare USA headquarters. And if rumors from several years ago remain
true, it is also the favored site for Canon Healthcare’s research, production
and warehouse facilities. This view looks north on East 105th Street at Frank
Avenue with the mostly vacant IBM Explorys building at right (Google).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Three years ago, the first rumors of Canon seeking to increase its presence in Cleveland surfaced. NEOtrans couldn’t report all of the gory details back then because it would compromise a source. So only some of the information was shared once it became publicly available. But the rest of the information from back then can be shared now that the Japanese imaging company let the cat out of the bag that it’s putting the headquarters for Canon’s newly created Canon Healthcare USA Inc.’s subsidiary in Greater Cleveland.

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Four NE Ohio projects win TMUD credits

One of the most significant developments underway in Northeast Ohio
is the Circle Square megaproject between Euclid and Chester avenues
at Stokes Boulevard. At left is Library Lofts. Behind it is The Artisan
apartments, now the tallest building in University Circle. Front and
center is the historic and recently renovated Fenway Manor Apart-
ments. Behind it is a future hotel. The two buildings to the right
are also future projects — an office building in the foreground
with an apartment tower in the background. (Bialosky).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

In the first round of Ohio’s Transformational Mixed Use Development (TMUD) tax credit program, more than half of the major-city credits went to Cleveland. Today, more than half of those credits went to just two projects in Columbus. That left enough TMUD credits to benefit two projects in Cleveland — the Erieview redevelopment in downtown Cleveland and the Circle Square megaproject in University Circle. Unfortunately, that also meant that several other projects in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County were left out.

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Bridgeworks seeks options after 2nd TMUD snub

Rendering of the planned Bridgeworks mixed-use development in the
Hingetown section of Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. The deve-
lopment was turned down a second time by the state for a so-called Mega-
projects tax credit (Mass/LDA). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

The development team that has sought to build the high-rise Bridgeworks development, 2429 West Superior Viaduct, in the Hingetown section of Ohio City is left with more questions than answers today after being left off the awards list for Ohio Transformational Mixed Use Development (TMUD) tax credits the second time. The Ohio Tax Credit Authority passed over Bridgeworks in awarding TMUD credits to other projects statewide.

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