CentroVilla25 project starts

At today’s groundbreaking ceremony for CentroVilla25, Jenice Contreras,
executive director of the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic
Development, spoke on the decades-long development necessary to
make the centro mercado, or central market, for Cleveland’s
Latino community a reality (Cleveland Construction).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A $12 million project to redevelop a vacant warehouse as the cultural and business center of Cleveland’s Latino community got underway today after many years of planning and fundraising led by the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development (NEOHCED). Their unceasing efforts were rewarded with a groundbreaking ceremony at the former H.J. Weber warehouse, 3140 W. 25th St., that is due to reopen as CentroVilla25 in Fall 2024.

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Port Board OK’s $60M Irishtown Bend stabilization

Looking northward from West 25th Street at the planned Irishtown Bend
Park in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. The view is from the top
of the Cuyahoga River valley with downtown Cleveland on the other
side (Plural). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Today the Cleveland port authority’s board of directors approved the hiring of an Ohio construction company for nearly $60 million to stabilize and rehabilitate the Irishtown Bend hillside, a project that is being done foremost to maintain the Cuyahoga River shipping channel. But the work also must be done before any construction can start on the 23-acre Irishtown Bend Park in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood.

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Downtown Lakefront projects flow

A ground-level view of the $100 million expansion of the Rock & Roll Hall
of Fame from a vantage point that could someday be in the right of way of
a new boulevard that replaces that Shoreway highway (PAU).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Several large-scale projects along downtown Cleveland’s lakefront are moving forward thanks to developments in recent days. In addition to multi-million-dollar grants being awarded for lakefront projects, the City Planning Commission approved plans for the $100 million expansion of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Also, a national nonprofit that promotes racial equity revealed it is partnering with the city on designing an inclusive lakefront. And plans for converting the Shoreway highway into a boulevard are crystalizing but may complicate Amtrak’s passenger rail expansion plans.

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West 73rd Apartments OK’d

Nearly 200 housing units could be added soon to a fast-growing section of
Cleveland’s Gordon Square neighborhood. This is a view of the West 73rd
Street Apartments from the intersection of Herman Avenue and West 73rd
Street. The facades of the two buildings “step down” as they get closer to
the street to reduce their street presence (HortonHarper).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

After more than a year of debate, the design-review committee of City Planning Commission gave its final approval of a proposed apartment complex at 1321-1357 W. 73rd St. in Cleveland’s Gordon Square neighborhood. The unanimous vote sets the stage for the developer Joe Zagelbaum of Brooklyn, NY to apply for building permits to start construction.

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Bedrock buys SHW HQ, R&D for $48.5 million

Sherwin-Williams’ research center (center-foreground) and its headquarters
(to the upper right of the research center) are both visible from the Carter
Road lift bridge over the Cuyahoga River. This riverfront site is due to be-
come Bedrock Real Estate’s major play for downtown Cleveland over the
coming decades (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Newly available public records show that Bedrock Real Estate of Detroit paid $48.5 million total for Sherwin-Williams’ soon-to-be-vacated Landmark Building and John Breen Technology Center, both in downtown Cleveland. Although the sale of those properties closed last week, their sale amounts weren’t public available until today. The Landmark Building is currently Sherwin-Williams’ global headquarters and the Breen Technology Center is the global coatings giant’s primary research and development (R&D) facility for another year or so.

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West 117th’s fast-food makeover

Changes are coming for three fast-food restaurants along a short section of a
West 117th Street in Cleveland, across the street from Lakewood. The Pizza
Hut at left will be replaced by an urgent care center while the Arby’s at right
will be razed and replaced with a new-style Arby’s. Less than 1,000 feet
north, a Wendy’s is also getting a new appearance (Google).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

The sites of three fast-food restaurants in a short stretch of the Cleveland side of West 117th Street are about to get a new look. But only one of them isn’t going to be slinging its quick, cheap chow anymore. The other two will continue to offer fast food and to make it easy, if not easier to grab the grub and go without having to get out of your car. And all three sites will continue the practice of building single-use structures along a busy thoroughfare whose car-dependent land-use patterns have more in common with outer suburbia than being in the midst of one of Greater Cleveland’s most densely populated areas.

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Did city derail scenic railroad extension?

A Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad train pulls into the Rockside Station
in suburban Independence. This is the farthest north the popular trains go
toward Cleveland. While there is an effort underway to extend the trains
north to downtown Cleveland, a legal action taken earlier this month
may have significantly complicated those efforts (KJP).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

While helping Bedrock Real Estate acquire land for its downtown riverfront development, the city of Cleveland may have also “significantly harmed” nascent efforts to extend Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSR) passenger trains north to downtown. That harm was the apparent result of the city releasing itself from a lien on current and former railroad rights of way along the Cuyahoga River from below Tower City Center south to near Interstate 490.

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