transit – NEOtrans

At best, federal funds for major projects on hold

Ken Prendergast / January 24, 2025

Millions, if not hundreds of millions of federal tax dollars awarded to local infrastructure and energy projects may be at risk from a 90-day funding freeze and review mandated earlier this week by the new Trump Administration. That possibility was raised today at the first board meeting of the year for Greater Cleveland’s metropolitan planning organization (MPO) which distributes federal funds to transportation and air quality programs.

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Clinic’s next big parking garage reveals growing pains

Ken Prendergast / November 17, 2024

The largest structure on the Cleveland Clinic’s Main Campus isn’t the new 1-million-square-foot Neurological Building on Carnegie Avenue. Instead it’s the 1.56-million-square-foot East 89th Street Parking Garage just west of the Neuro Building. And immediately west of that, on the former site of the Cleveland Play House, Clinic officials are reportedly considering another large parking garage that has transit advocacy groups calling for healthier options.

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Cleveland Moves plan seeks resident input

Ken Prendergast / August 3, 2024

The City of Cleveland recently launched public engagement for Cleveland Moves — the city’s five-year multimodal transportation plan. Cleveland Moves will create a strategy that builds on the city’s ongoing work to make it safer, more comfortable, and more convenient to walk, bike, and take transit in the city. A presentation about the planning process and its goals was delivered yesterday to the City Planning Commission.

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The fate of East Cleveland

Ken Prendergast / August 23, 2023

In the 1950s, after my mother Edith March Prendergast divorced her first husband, she moved herself and her two boys to Greater Cleveland to be near family. After a brief stay at the Alcazar Hotel, she settled at the south end of Glenmont Avenue in Cleveland Heights. Then she moved to the north end of Glenmont which is in East Cleveland. There, she, Dale and Dean stayed until the early 1960s when she married my father James and moved into his home in Lyndhurst.

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Browns Stadium talks tackled for no gain

Ken Prendergast / July 26, 2023

At a press conference this week, Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam raised some eyebrows with their comments about the current stadium and where the football team might play in the future. Among other remarks, Jimmy Haslam interjected that “The only thing Dee and I would say for sure is we’re not leaving Northeast Ohio.” According to a team source familiar with its negotiations with the city of Cleveland, that remark was a subtle nudge to the city to resolve an apparent impasse in negotiations. The source added that, if the team doesn’t see more progress, it could leave Cleveland for a new stadium in the suburbs.

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Downtown Lakefront projects flow

Ken Prendergast / July 11, 2023

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

Ken Prendergast / July 7, 2023

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 Joel Zagelbaum of Brooklyn, NY to apply for building permits to start construction.

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Miketo’s Lorain Ave stake growing

Ken Prendergast / June 7, 2023

A 28,000-square-foot mixed-use development called 4732 Lorain is proposed at the west end of Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood offers to expand densification and neighborhood vibrancy west along Lorain Avenue. And, it would expand real estate developer and owner Jim Miketo’s investments west along that rapidly redeveloping thoroughfare as well.

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Greater Cleveland: poverty amid plenty

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.

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From Jersey barriers to Raptors on Public Square

Ken Prendergast / May 19, 2023

Out go the Jersey barriers. In come the Raptors. That was the decision today by the Cleveland Planning Commission to redesign downtown’s Public Square from its 2016 redesign. In fact, the $3.5 million plan as approved would restore one aspect of the 2016 Public Square renovation which cost $50 million. That would be to restore the planned sharrows on both sides of Superior Avenue in the middle of the square. The approved redesign places 60 new bollards along the slimmed-down street which will remain bus-only through the square.

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