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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Cleveland Office, industrial markets dip in 2nd quarter

Downtown Cleveland’s Nine-Twelve District is hurting these days. This office building
at 1100 Superior Ave. is a emblematic of it. The building is headed to auction next month
due to lagging occupancy. But some buildings visible here have even more vacancies but
are awaiting conversion to residential — 925 Euclid, Ohio Savings and 800 Superior
(LoopNet). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

It’s not a good situation when the two major commercial segments of the market — office and industrial — are both seeing sluggish times in terms of leasing activity. In fact, both sectors in Greater Cleveland saw tenants give back more space to the market than they absorbed due to some large, high-profile departures.

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Lorain County Airport may help close Burke

Burke Lakefront Airport’s proximity to Downtown Cleveland is both an asset to Cleve-
land and, according to a city-commissioned study last year, an opportunity cost preventing
the city from enjoying even more benefits from this huge lakefront site. Yet the airport
cannot be closed unless other Greater Cleveland reliever airports offer the same or better
facilities at Burke (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

While NEOtrans usually doesn’t cover development news in the collar counties around Cuyahoga County, the funded expansion of Lorain County Regional Airport could have a significant impact on the urban core of Greater Cleveland. Specifically, it could provide a runway for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to allow the closure of Burke Lakefront Airport in Downtown Cleveland.

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Downtown multimodal station gets design funds

Circled in red is the potential location of and facilities for a new multimodal trans-
portation center on the Downtown Cleveland lakefront for bus and rail services plus
an extended port access roadway. The goal is to advance planning to a 30 percent
level of design so that the city will know how much funding will be needed to
finalize the design and build it (FO). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Improving access to a re-envisioned Downtown Cleveland lakefront by more than just driving has been a focus of the city’s lakefront master-planning process. But the details on how that could be done so far have been vague and conceptual. That will change as a result of a $960,000 federal grant awarded this week to the city.

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