Ohio, planning orgs plan Amtrak expansions

Amtrak’s new Airo trains could show up on new services converging
at a passenger rail mini-hub in downtown Cleveland. That will depend
on whether the Federal Railroad Administration will award planning
money to the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Northeast
Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency to measure the costs and
 benefits of various service levels along those routes (Amtrak).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

While Gov. Mike DeWine made the big news this week about Ohio seeking federal money to plan for and pursue Amtrak passenger rail expansion on two Cleveland-based routes, those aren’t the only routes that will be pursued. The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) also confirmed today that it will be seeking funds for similar plans but for several other routes ending in Cleveland. If realized, the services that could result from those expansions would turn downtown Cleveland into a mini-hub for Amtrak.

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Seeds & Sprouts XXVI – UC tech building, EOC going downtown, Tech Ready Mix buys land

CedarTech and Cumberland Development are joining forces on updating a
six-story, 67-year-old office building at 10900 Carnegie Ave. in Cleveland’s
University Circle district. The renovations include enclosing a driveway
under the building and removing a pedestrian entrance facing Carnegie
(Dimit). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

CedarTech and Cumberland Development reveal office building plans. The Cleveland chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization is opening an office downtown. And concrete wholesaler Tech Ready Mix is acquiring a large property in Kinsman for what may be a new production facility.

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Lakewood site prepped for development

The size of the former National Tire and Battery site is best appreciated
from the east side of the building, The entire structure is about to be demo-
lished. In place of the NTB building, a temporary parking lot is proposed
until the property owner can move forward with plans to build a multi-story
 apartment building that includes a parking garage on the entire site seen
here (KJP). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Fences went up yesterday at Lakewood’s East End around a former National Tire & Battery (NTB) store and its parking lot at the southwest corner of Detroit and Coutant avenues. In the coming days, the NTB store will come down while hydraulic lifts in the building’s vehicle repair shop will be removed and possibly some of the soil surrounding the lifts, too. Those are just some of the activities that will prepare the site for the next phase of the Studio West 117 development.

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Downtown’s next high-rise to turn residential

While not one of East 9th Street’s tallest office towers, Ohio Savings Plaza’s
three-story podium makes it one of its most unique. That podium could figure
strongly into how a buyer and development team for the property might rede-
velop it or its sister building facing Perk Park with residential (Google).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Downtown Cleveland’s next office-to-residential conversion project appears to be in the works. But this one might not be a total changeover to a new use. Ohio Savings Plaza, with more than a half-million square feet divided among two buildings has something big going for it — it’s half-filled with office tenants. Or, half-empty if you’re a pessimist.

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Why the LaSalle Theater is for sale

Marquee of the LaSalle Theater on East 185th Street in Cleveland’s
Collinwood neighborhood. The theater is on the market and the rea-
sons why were confirmed by the owner (David Schwartz Photography
for LaSalle Theater). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Earlier this month, NEOtrans broke the story that a Collinwood landmark, the LaSalle Theater, 823 E. 185th St., had hit the market after 14 years of ownership by the Northeast Shores Development Corporation (NSDC). But with the building stabilized and the NSDC ending its service to the Cleveland neighborhood, officials from the community development corporation said it was time to sell.

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Centennial project downtown wins $15m HUD loan

One of downtown Cleveland’s largest buildings and one of its
most difficult office-to-residential conversions is The Centennial
at East 9th Street and Euclid Avenue. Despite and because of it
winning multiple sources of public funding, the redevelopment
project continues to lack a start date (Sandvick).
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The Centennial, one of downtown Cleveland’s most complicated, expensive and elusive redevelopment projects, got another sign that it is very much alive by winning a $15 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The financial assistance will be provided through HUD’s Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program and will be used to help finance the half-billion-dollar conversion of the former Huntington Building, 925 Euclid Ave., from mostly offices into primarily a residential property.

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New Hough housing seeks affordability

Located across the street from historic League Park where Major League
baseball and college football games were played from 1891-1949 could
soon be a 104-unit housing development called Allen Estates featuring
apartments and townhouses, plus four retail/restaurant spaces for
lease (CPC). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

As market-rate housing developments continue to be built in Hough, this east-side Cleveland neighborhood is facing a challenge it hasn’t had to deal with for a century — remaining affordable. To that end, two new developments are moving forward to offer up to 160 workforce housing units plus a few retailers/restaurants that will offer services to those new residents. Those would add to hundreds more housing units that were recently completed, are under construction or planned in response to strong job growth in and near University Circle.

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