New Cleveland Police HQ groundbreaking

Downtown Cleveland seeks post-pandemic boost

By Ken Prendergast / June 6, 2023

The City of Cleveland and Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA), in partnership with Cuyahoga County, Destination Cleveland and Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP), today unveiled Reimagining Downtown Cleveland. Over the next one to five years, this series of short- and intermediate-term strategies will accelerate the evolution of Downtown Cleveland from a 9-to-5 central business district into a diverse, vibrant, and accessible mixed-use, 18-hour, 15-minute neighborhood.

CWRU reveals research center details

By Ken Prendergast / June 6, 2023

Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) President Eric Kaler yesterday announced the details of the university’s new, 200,000-square-foot research center intended to promote collaborative discovery and innovation. Called the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building (ISEB), the $300 million investment represents the university’s largest-ever project on the Case Quad, northeast of Euclid Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Bedrock riverfront phase 1 uses ID’d

By Ken Prendergast / June 2, 2023

Plans for Bedrock Real Estate’s riverfront development alongside Tower City Center in downtown Cleveland are rapidly coming together after recent city approvals of its development masterplan. Those plans, albeit still at a conceptual stage, provide insights into Bedrock’s desires and thinking about what land uses it wants to include in its first phase. From those plans and other new information, it appears that the uses to be included are primarily ones that Bedrock’s owner Dan Gilbert can control.

New company amassing Cleveland properties

By Ken Prendergast / June 1, 2023

A deep-pocketed company that’s less than two years old and based in suburban Westlake has been busily acquiring residential properties in Cleveland, primarily on the city’s West Side. And last week, the company, Sanctus Capital LLC, made its biggest purchase yet — a 5-acre parcel at 3400 Vega Ave. sold by Caraustar Recovered Fiber Group Inc. that was home to Leisy Brewing Co., once Cleveland’s largest independent brewery.

Playhouse Square announces new projects

By Ken Prendergast / May 31, 2023

First reported by NEOtrans more than two months ago, the Playhouse Square Foundation announced officially today that it will begin work in June on converting half of the Bulkley Building, 1501 Euclid Ave., in downtown Cleveland into market-rate apartments. Additionally, the nonprofit community development organization also said it has converted the fourth floor of the Hanna Building, across the street at 1422 Euclid, into co-working spaces called Backstage at PSQ.

Getting Tower City on track

By Ken Prendergast / May 29, 2023

When you have an opportunity to expend the same or similar effort and money that would achieve the better of two outcomes, why not pursue the better outcome? That’s the decision Greater Cleveland has yet to make when looking at a transportation ingredient to two major waterfront development masterplans. One is the downtown lakefront development led by the Haslam Sports Group. The other is the Tower City Riverfront development led by Bedrock Real Estate. Both are supported by civic organizations and all levels of government.

Voss factory conversion comes into focus

By Ken Prendergast / May 27, 2023

Legislation was introduced this week by several Cleveland City Council members to help finance the conversion of the abandoned Voss Industries plant, 2168 W. 25th St., in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood into a mixed-use complex. The projected price tag to carry out the redo is at least $62 million. While the property’s owner and developer MRN Ltd. has been kicking around various ideas for reusing the property for the last couple of years, none of those concepts have advanced as far as this stage of nailing down its financing for a specific program.

Downtown project wins financing

By Ken Prendergast / May 26, 2023

With financing now in hand, look for demolition and construction work to start this summer for the Residences at Bolivar, 1060-1124 Bolivar Rd., in downtown Cleveland’s Gateway neighborhood. The work was made possible by Chicago-based JLL Capital Markets arranging $38.5 million in construction financing and co-general partner equity in the project from an affiliate of another Chicago firm, Leopardo Companies. JLL Capital Markets announced the financing in a written statement this week.

Brownhoist lifts a new future

By Ken Prendergast / May 25, 2023

Some buildings are just walls, floors and a roof. Others have architecture, history and modifications that encourage visitors and tenants to crane their head or to look around each corner as they listen to their buildings’ curators tell stories and experiences about them. Its setting is among the reasons why the Brownhoist Building, 4403 St. Clair Ave., in Cleveland’s St. Clair-Superior neighborhood has become an idea-generating co-working space for artists.

Greater Cleveland: poverty amid plenty

By Ken Prendergast / May 23, 2023

Amid the good news in Ohio and especially in Greater Cleveland that unemployment has fallen to pre-pandemic lows is the harsh reality that inner-city joblessness remains high. This is despite thousands of jobs made available by economic growth and retiring Baby Boomers. Meanwhile, three-fourths of all available jobs are beyond the reach of public transportation or, where public transportation is fast and frequent, there are many jobs but few quality housing options.