Rock Ventures: First Detroit, now Cleveland

It’s almost impossible to take a picture in Downtown Detroit and not
include a property that belongs to or is connected ith Dan Gilbert’s
Rock Ventures LLC. Start with the Qline streetcar running along 3
miles of Woodward Avenue which was partially funded and man-
aged by Rock Ventures. Then, at far left, Bedrock is building the
$1.4 billion Hudson’s Site development. Just beyond it are three
high-rises owned by Bedrock — One Campus Martius, First
National Building and Ally Detroit Center. Along the side-
walk at right are many more Bedrock-owned buildings
with retailers given free or below-market rent. Cleve-
land is next, Bedrock officials say (KJP).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

Billionaire Dan Gilbert can ride up and down Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit and admire his work like no one else can. He can point at buildings like a kid checking out baseball cards in a collector’s showcase and say “got it, need it, got it, got it…” Perhaps he and his real estate company Bedrock might have the opportunity to do that soon in downtown Cleveland, too.

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Commission OKs Tremont rezoning

The western edge of a nearly 25-acre site, at right, that’s proposed to be
down-zoned from industrial to retail in Cleveland is seen at the bottom
of Literary Street hill. This is also the edge of residential development
in Tremont, visible just beyond the Towpath Trail’s bridge. At left is the
Electric Gardens apartments developed by J Roc which is seeking the
zoning change (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A nearly 25-acre area of land on a hillside at the north end of Tremont was recommended for rezoning by the City Planning Commission yesterday to allow more development closer to the Cuyahoga River. But the rezoning, primarily from general industry to general retail to accommodate new residential, neighborhood shops and restaurants, was opposed by the industries currently using those properties. Planning commission members responded that the rezoning allows existing uses to continue and that the rezoning is consistent with the city’s land use plans, namely its Vision For The Valley.

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Sneak peek at GCRTA’s new trains

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) is reportedly in

  negotiations with Siemens Mobility to supply dozens of trains like this one for

use on all three of the metro area’s rail lines. The standardization of trains

 and infrastructure means GCRTA could offer a one-seat ride with no transfers

from Shaker Heights to the Airport or from Windermere to Cleveland

Browns games and special events on the lakefront trains (Siemens).

CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

When the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) acquired new Italian-built Breda trains for its Blue and Green light-rail lines linking Shaker Heights and downtown Cleveland, Jimmy Carter was still in the White House. It was only a few years later, in Ronald Reagan’s first term, when GCRTA received new Japanese-made Tokyu trains for its heavy-rail Red Line between Cleveland Hopkins Airport and Windermere. GCRTA is still relying on trains that predate the mullet. To say that these trains are due for a replacement is an understatement.

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Huge Tremont hillside development site is in the works

Potentially one of the largest and most attractive development sites in
the city of Cleveland is being assembled on a Tremont hillside above
the Cuyahoga River. Tremont-based developer J Roc Development has
at least 18 acres under a purchase agreement with up to 25 acres to be
rezoned for a mixed-use residential-retail development (Google).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

A former railroad yard-turned-asphalt plant at the edge of one of Cleveland’s hottest neighborhoods is the location of an emerging, large development site that could add shops, restaurants, other small businesses and hundreds of homes at a riverfront location. The developer leading the charge for this nearly 25-acre site is the same one involved in helping to move forward the 25-acre Thunderbird development on Scranton Peninsula in the Flats. But there appears to be some disagreement as to whether neighbors support or oppose the development.

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Sherwin-Williams seeks “strategic developments” at HQ

A purple outline of a building or buildings on the strategic development
site of the North Block of Sherwin-Williams’ headquarters campus
suggests what is possible. This view is from the corner of West 6th
Street and St. Clair Avenue in downtown Cleveland’s Warehouse
District. Renderings of SHW’s complex headquarters tower and
parking garage are in the background (Property of Sherwin-
Williams Company). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

When Sherwin-Williams (SHW) finalized a deal last month with Florida-based Benderson Realty Development Co. to buy a big stake in its new global headquarters, the conversations reportedly began with different intentions. According to sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, those intentions were both more modest and more grand, depending on how one looks it, and could play out further over the coming year.

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Seeds & Sprouts XXV — Park Place Tech stays, LaSalle Theater available, Grant Thornton moving

Park Place Technologies currently occupied Building No. 2, at lower left,
in the Landerbrook Corporate Center in Mayfield Heights. It will reportedly
expand into the neighboring Building No. 3 at lower right (Shelbourne).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

In this article, Park Place Technologies plans to stay and expand in Mayfield Heights, the LaSalle Theater is on the market in Collinwood, and Grant Thornton is moving, shrinking its downtown Cleveland office.

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Progressive Field final plans announced

 By Opening Day of the 2025 Major League Baseball season, which typically
starts in early April, the Cleveland Guardians said they expect the $202.5
million renovation of Progressive Field to be completed. The team will

fund approximately one-third of the facility’s renovation costs (Manica).

CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

The Cleveland Guardians today announced renovation projects that are scheduled to be completed over the next three years as a result of the Cleveland Guardians new lease extension at Progressive Field announced last year. Progressive Field Reimagined will improve and extend the life of Progressive Field, which is the 11th-oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball, and will include renovations to the Upper Deck, Terrace Club, Dugout Club, home and visiting Clubhouses & Service Level, and the Guardians Administrative Offices.

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