Nela Park may add residential

From the air looking west into the sun setting next to distant Downtown
Cleveland, Nela Park looks much smaller than it does from the ground.
Three commercial buildings on the former campus of General Electric’s
Lighting Division could be converted to residential by its new owner
Phoenix Investors (LoopNet). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Many Greater Clevelanders have at least some familiarity with a place that could soon become home to many Greater Clevelanders. The owner of the former General Electric Lighting headquarters, 1975 Noble Rd. in East Cleveland, is preparing plans to convert several office buildings within the 94-acre Nela Park Campus into apartments and make those intentions known at a meeting of local stakeholders, possibly as early as this month, according to a source familiar with the project.

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Courthouse proposals are on trial

The Justice Center’s courthouse tower is in the center of this view. But one
of the options for replacing the tower is to build a new courthouse where
approximately this view was taken — from just north of the intersection
of Lakeside Avenue and West 6th Street. This view is from the elevated
Shoreway highway which may not be here much longer. In front of the
current courthouse tower and slightly to the left is a Cuyahoga
County office building called Courthouse Square that is also
in play (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

In local real estate parlance, a “whale” is a development project whose total floorspace measures 1 million square feet or more. Not only are they big, they’re tough to get. But there are two Cleveland entities who were able to do what Capt. Ahab could not — catch the whale. Two whales are under construction right now — Sherwin-Williams’ new headquarters tower downtown and Cleveland Clinic’s new Neurological Institute in the Fairfax neighborhood, near University Circle. A third whale is in the early stages of the chase, a stage where things are most fluid and thus, very intriguing.

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Downtown retail revival plan announced

Not a soul was in sight at The Avenue shopping mall at Tower City Center
last weekend, despite the rainy, cool weather that might have otherwise
prompted people to linger indoors. There was no pre-Halloween program-
ming or other activities to attract people to possibly shop and spend
money (KJP). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Downtown Cleveland, Inc. today shared its Downtown Retail Strategy, designed as a roadmap to create a thriving retail environment in the urban core. Unveiled by Downtown Cleveland, Inc. President & CEO Michael Deemer during the 2023 State of Downtown at The City Club of Cleveland, the plan is one of Reimagining Downtown Cleveland’s near-term economic priorities. It aims to fill gaps in the city center’s marketplace and serve existing residents and businesses.

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Collinwood school reopens as apartments

There’s no mistaking that a portion of the Longfellow School Apartments
in Cleveland’s North Collinwood neighborhood was fashioned from a
former school building. Chalkboards, wood cabinets and students’
cubbies remain for residents’ use in the new senior housing
complex (Vesta). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

When schools are converted into apartments, they don’t always look like schools anymore — at least on the inside. The Longfellow School Apartments in Cleveland’s North Collinwood neighborhood put that notion into detention. Located at 650 E. 140th St. just south of Interstate 90, Longfellow had its second ribbon-cutting ceremony last week nearly 100 years after its first.

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Cleveland, Maple Hts projects add hundreds of jobs

A new company to Cleveland, LabConnect will open on Carnegie Avenue at
what has been the Athersys headquarters for nearly 20 years. LabConnect's
expansion to Cleveland could happen in early 2024 (Google).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Tennessee-based laboratory services company LabConnect and local fermented foods producer Cleveland Kitchen Co. were approved this week for a combined $1.1 million in state job creation tax credits for up to 250 new jobs at facilities in Cleveland. Meanwhile, a growing Vendors Exchange International, LLC plans to move its offices and manufacturing facilities from a western suburb to Maple Heights where it will expand to more than 70 jobs, thanks to financial support from Maple Heights. 

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County Courthouse project gets seven proposals

An intriguing proposal for the new Cuyahoga County Courthouse was
submitted by DBL Development LLC, a partnership of local companies
seeking to locate the court facilities in multiple structures that would
replicate historic buildings from downtown Cleveland’s past (DMD).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

While the specific proposals for a new or renovated Cuyahoga County courthouse haven’t been publicly released yet by the county, a list of who submitted the proposals was provided to NEOtrans as a result of a public records request. And the list of seven respondents provides some insight as to who has presented what for the county’s nearly 900,000-square-foot courthouse facility that could cost $400 million to $700 million to build or renovate.

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Gordon Square: more apartments, townhomes

Looking north toward the proposed Breakwater Residences, the existing
Edison at Gordon Square apartments just beyond, and Lake Erie in
the distance. Herman Park is at the bottom of the image (Dimit).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Less than a year after acquiring the Premium Metals property, 5901-6001 Breakwater Ave., in Cleveland’s Gordon Square neighborhood, Beachwood-based developer TurnDev has released conceptual plans for developing the site with a mix of multifamily apartments and townhomes. Tentatively called Breakwater Residences, its 193 housing units and a long, five-story building represent a significant project but not as large as what was previously proposed for the site by another developer. And it’s less dense than what the city’s zoning code allows.

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