Transportation : Development News

Construction work has begun on a $1 million facelift to W. 6th Street, which will soon be transformed into a more attractive pedestrian-friendly environment that will include wider sidewalks, larger outdoor cafes, new public art and a branding campaign.

Thomas Starinsky of the Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation says that the impetus for the project came when officials realized that most of the buildings in the area had been restored, and that neighborhood leaders now needed to focus their attention on improving the "space between buildings."

"As the Global Center for Health Innovation, Convention Center and Ernst and Young Tower became a reality, we realized we needed to kick it up a notch," he says. "We pushed the City of Cleveland to make sure this project would be completed before the Global Center and the Convention Center open."

The project, which should be completed July 18th, is being funded through federal transportation enhancement dollars combined with a 20 percent city match. New banners and flower baskets are being paid for by sponsorships and memberships.

The downside is that businesses along W. 6th Street will sacrifice their patios this spring. "They're excited, but not about four months of construction," says Starinsky. "But we're taking it off like a band-aid and getting it done fast."

Although W. 6th perhaps is best known for its (occasionally infamous) clubs, Starinsky says the district's identity is not only diverse -- he cites a range of excellent ethnic cuisine in a few compact blocks -- but also quickly evolving.

"We have 3,000 residents and employees today, and we're adding 2,000 more employees with the Ernst and Young Tower," he says. "We recognize there will be a different type of person walking around here from the Convention Center and Global Center. We look at this as an opportunity to step up the Warehouse District."

Starinsky cites Take 5 jazz club as an example of the kind of new business that he hopes will add to the Warehouse District's ever-blossoming entertainment and dining scene. "There needs to be more diversity of food and entertainment."

The project also will include public art that tells the story of the Warehouse District. The 11-foot tall displays, which will be installed in the streetscape on W. 6th Street and eventually throughout the district, are designed by artist Corrie Slawson and authored by Warehouse District Director Tom Yablonsky.


Source: Thomas Starinsky
Writer: Lee Chilcote

The final inspections for Cleveland Culinary Launch and Kitchen take place this week, and a customer is planning to come in the next day. The organizers behind Cleveland's first-ever shared commercial kitchen hope that's a sign of good things to come.

The kitchen's goal is to help local food entrepreneurs bring products to market. With so many food truck owners, caterers, urban gardeners and budding chefs making their products in cramped home quarters or church kitchens that aren't always available, the group behind the venture hopes to fill a growing need.

"We're a food launchhouse," says Carolyn Priemer, whose family-owned real estate company is a partner in the project, along with Tim Skaryd of Hospitality Marketing and Sales and the Economic and Community Development Institute (ECDI). "Ours is the only facility in Cleveland that you can pay as you use."

The facility allows entrepreneurs to lease time for $18-24 per hour. The kitchen, which was built by Cleveland State University before it moved to the new student center, has stations for baking, catering, canning, thermal processing and dry packing. The venue also has dry storage and walk-in coolers and freezers.

ECDI is available to offer loans to food entrepreneurs, and the partners plan to offer classes as well. Hospitality Sales and Marketing is a food brokerage, and Skaryd says he will help customers with small-scale canning and labeling.

So far, prospective customers that have expressed interest include food truck operators, an ice cream maker, tea maker and granola bar maker, among others. Priemer says that she's gotten inquiries with only word-of-mouth marketing.

The facility is available for use 24/7, and has its own security system and key card access. Users do not have to sign a lease, but must sign a basic user agreement.

Will it be profitable? Priemer says that will depend on the amount of usage, and right now it could go either way. However, she hopes entrepreneurs will see the value not only in the space, but in networking opportunities with other startups.

"There is no food hub for businesses," she says. "This seems to connect a lot of areas of the food industry here. We're planning to hold networking events to bolster the local food community, including bringing in some guest chefs."

Cleveland Culinary Launch and Kitchen is located at 2800 Euclid Avenue.


Source: Carolyn Priemer
Writer: Lee Chilcote

PlayhouseSquare will soon add another delicious restaurant to the district, adding fuel to its quest to become a 24/7 neighborhood that encourages theater patrons to stick around long after the shows end. Entrepreneurs Jiyoung and John Sung will open Sung's House next month, adding a Korean and Japanese restaurant to the downtown scene.

"It's not traditional Korean food -- it's fusion style," says Jiyoung Sung, who moved from Michigan to be close to family. "We're also building a sushi bar."

John Sung worked as a sushi chef for 13 years before moving to Cleveland. The venue is a big leap for the couple. "We're happy and nervous at the same time. We're excited about having our own place, but it's kind of frightening, too."

The price range for lunch will be $8-10, while dinner items will be around $15, keeping the menu affordable for CSU students and downtown office workers.

"We think those who live, work and visit here will appreciate having yet another great choice of where to eat," says Cindi Szymanski of PlayhouseSquare, which owns the building. "The planned Korean and Japanese menu choices, including sushi, will bring a currently unrepresented style of cuisine to PlayhouseSquare."

Why did the couple choose PlayhouseSquare? "My uncle is a professor at CSU, and he knows the area very well," says Jiyoung Sung. "He recommended it to us."

The restaurant will be located at 1507 Euclid Avenue, in the former China Sea Express space. It is expected to open in May.


Source: Jiyoung Sung
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Some creative, outside-the-box thinking by the city's leading urban design and cycling advocates has led to the creation of four additional "bike boxes," which are to be installed this spring in various Cleveland neighborhoods.

The newest wave of bike boxes are modeled after a successful pilot project at Nano Brew in Ohio City. That installation transformed a steel shipping container into a colorful curbside bike garage for two-wheeled visitors.

By offering secure, covered parking in a bike corral that also functions as dynamic, placemaking public art, the Bridge Avenue bike box does more than simply provide practical parking: It brands the city as a place that prioritizes cycling.

"It's really a center of gravity," says Greg Peckham, Managing Director of LAND Studio, the nonprofit that spearheaded the project with Bike Cleveland. "It's as much about a safe, convenient, protected place to park your bike as it is about making a statement that cycling is an important mode of transportation in the city."

Peckham says that Ohio City's bike box is very well used on days when the West Side Market is open and in the evening when riders coast in for dinner or a drink. With the street's bike racks often at capacity, the bike box was critical, he says.

The new bike boxes will be installed in time for Bike Month in May. The locations are Gordon Square (a barn-red beauty outside Happy Dog), Tremont (two "half loaves," as Peckham calls them, outside South Side and Tremont Tap House), St. Clair Superior (location TBD) and a final, undetermined community.

The bike boxes are being custom-fabricated by Rust Belt Welding, which is an entrepreneurial duo that has made creative bike parking a calling card for their work. Each of the boxes is being designed with neighborhood input -- hence Tremont's half-boxes, which amount to a shipping container split in two.

The project is being supported by Charter One Growing Communities, which has also funded retail attraction efforts in Ohio City, downtown and St. Clair Superior.

Peckham says the new designs accommodate more bikes and use lighter colors. Users can expect more innovations in the future -- LAND Studio is working to secure funding so that green roofs and solar panels can be added to the boxes.

The bike boxes are being maintained through partnerships with neighboring businesses, which agree to maintain, clean and keep secure the facilities.


Source: Greg Peckham
Writer: Lee Chilcote

With over 11 million visitors expected in downtown Cleveland this year (up from nine million last year), RTA officials sought last year to better connect the city's neighborhoods via public transportation. Their goal was to ensure that RTA is the transportation mode of choice for visitors to downtown. 

Six months ago, RTA was able to launch expanded, free shuttle service downtown on weeknights and weekends, thanks to $2.88 million in federal transit money and $720,000 in donations. The program is funded for the next three years.

Speaking at a downtown tour last week, RTA General Manager Joe Calabrese touted the trolley service as a huge success for downtown Cleveland that will enhance the visitor experience as the Global Health Innovation Center opens.

"RTA experienced five percent growth last year," he said. "We think downtown growth will help us. We want to make public transit a viable option for tourists."

As downtown experiences a so-called "parking crunch," Calabrese said that RTA is increasingly becoming the transportation mode of choice. Trolleys run until 11 p.m.

There are five lines: The C-line, which links the casino with the convention center; the L-line, which focuses on lakefront destinations; the NineTwelve line, which helps shuttle office workers from large garages to offices on E. 9th; the E-line on Euclid Avenue; and the B-line on Superior and Lakeside Avenues. Trolleys start at 7 a.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. on weekends, and they arrive every 10 minutes.

The trolleys also serve downtown's growing residential population, expected to swell from 11,000 to 14,000 as new apartment projects open in the next two years. Another benefit? Helping office workers get around downtown easily.


Source: Joe Calabrese
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Fifth Church of Christ Scientist, built in 1927 at W. 117th and Clifton, has sat vacant for over two decades with little in the way of maintenance or repairs. In that time, it has suffered from major structural deterioration that would cost millions to fix.

Giant Eagle donated the property to the City of Cleveland in 2002, but it was in severe disrepair even then. The city has been unable to find any developers willing or able to repurpose it. The building is landlocked and has no available parking.

Although a neighborhood group has formed in the hopes of saving it, Anitz Brindza of Cudell Improvement Inc., which has tried for years to find a buyer or tenant for the historic site, says it is likely a fait accomplis that the building will come down.

"A lot of people that [organizer] Jeon Francis of Save Fifth Church has whipped into a frenzy are under the impression that the church is in a salvageable condition," says Brindza. "It is not. It is so deteriorated from neglect and abuse that a $10 million price tag would probably only scratch the surface. The dome is supported by steel infrastructure that really could come down at any time."

Francis disagrees. "Preserving the building truly could be a fantastic catalyst for the economic and social revitalization of this neighborhood. We want to work with the councilperson and the CDC to champion repurposing of this historic building."

The Save Fifth Church group has initiated a petition drive to collect signatures in support of the church's preservation, is pressuring Councilman Jay Westbrook to support saving the church, and is trying to help find a donor, buyer or developer.

The City of Cleveland has not formally stated its intention to pursue demolition of the building, and Westbrook did not return a call seeking comment for this story.

Brindza says that after years of delays, the Shoppes on Clifton project at W. 117th and Clifton adjacent to the church could move forward soon. The developer, The Carnegie Companies, is in active negotiations with a major anchor tenant.

Although the developer is not at liberty to name that prospective tenant, Brindza says that the neighborhood has always expressed a desire for a grocery store at this spot, and Carnegie has pursued major grocery tenants.

Any future development plans would be presented to the community before being submitted for city approvals. Brindza hopes for a pedestrian-friendly project.

"This is one of the most highly-coveted corners in Cleveland," Brindza says. "It has tremendous traffic counts. But the beauty of it is that it's a pedestrian area too. Whatever is designed needs to be an urban center to serve both pedestrians and commuters."

Major architectural elements of Fifth Church could be repurposed into the retail project or made into public art in other areas of the community.


Source: Anita Brindza, Jeon Francis
Writer: Lee Chilcote

During a recent address at the City Club of Cleveland, Joel Ratner of Neighborhood Progress Inc. touted recent success stories that the nonprofit has invested in, including a new home for The Intergenerational School underway at the Saint Luke's campus.

Ratner believes that even though Cleveland has been hard hit by the foreclosure crisis, the city can stabilize its population and begin to grow again through promoting thoughtful, equitable, synergistic development that helps everyone succeed.

"For a long time, there was a debate over whether it makes sense to invest in people or place," said Ratner. "However, we believe it should be people and place."

Ratner cited Pittsburgh as an example of a city whose population has been right-sized and has even begun to grow again in recent years.

As examples of why community development matters, Ratner presented statistics showing that neighborhoods where NPI invested heavily over the past decade not only fell less steeply in the recession, but are also coming back more quickly than others. He also believes that every Cleveland neighborhood can be successful.

Ratner touted the recently-announced Slavic Village Reclaim Project, which leverages private investment by Safeco Properties and Forest City to help rehab 2,000+ properties on 440 acres, as one example of innovative best practices.

He also cited NPI's partnership with the Key Bank Financial Education Center to help low-income residents build wealth through savings and investment programs. Through a possible merger with Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition and LiveCleveland, Ratner hopes to begin serving additional neighborhoods.


Source: Joel Ratner
Writer: Lee Chilcote

This week, Ohio City Incorporated and Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization launched an unprecedented joint process to develop a streetscape plan for long-suffering Lorain Avenue.

The street, which runs through the heart of Cleveland's west side, was historically a bustling neighborhood retail corridor. Although it fell on hard times beginning in the 70s, it has recently drawn investment by entrepreneurs like Ian P.E. of Palookaville Chili and David Ellison of D.H. Ellison Architects.

The street's classic, character-filled architecture as well as investment by major players like St. Ignatius High School and Urban Community School have made it an attractive breeding ground for up-and-coming members of the creative class.

If this week's public meeting was any indication, neighborhood residents, businesses and stakeholders will have plenty of passionate opinions about the future of this main street. They won't hold back in sharing them, either.

A capacity crowd that showed up to the meeting at Urban Community School voiced concerns about on-street parking, bike lanes, retaining the mixed-use character of the street and ensuring that low-income residents are engaged.

Behnke Associates and Michael Baker Jr. Inc. have been hired to help develop a plan that will include "traffic analysis, utility and signage recommendations as well as cycling analysis, green infrastructure and complete streetscape treatments," according to a handout provided by OCI, DSCDO and the City of Cleveland.

Early signs indicate that the plan will be quite different from those developed for Detroit Avenue and West 25th Street. For one thing, Lorain Avenue is narrower than those streets, which will make it tougher to widen sidewalks and create dedicated bike lanes. Secondly, the street's tenants range from antique shops to manufacturing businesses, making it a distinct challenge to serve all of them.

Nonetheless, representatives of the city and both CDC's pledged to create an inclusive plan that could serve as a model for "complete and green streets" that incorporate all modes of transportation and minimize environmental impacts.

Want to voice your vision for Lorain? A survey will be available beginning March 11th on the OCI and DSCDO websites, and a workshop is scheduled for May 28th.


Source: OCI, DSCDO, City of Cleveland
Writer: Lee Chilcote

As the number of cyclists and pedestrians on the near west side grows and car traffic remains relatively flat, urban planners are giving several streets a "road diet" to make them friendlier for bikers and walkers while still accessible to drivers.

The result will be some of the city's first model green streets.

"We're starting to create all this connectivity," says Ward 15 Councilman Matt Zone, who has helped push green initiatives through city hall, including the "complete and green streets" legislation that passed last year. "The city is realizing they have to accept and build out and incorporate all modes of transportation."

So what does a "road diet" look like? The recently-completed plan for W. 65th Street between Denison Avenue and the lakefront shows curb bumpouts with additional landscaping, striped sharrows for road riders, and a 10-foot-wide multimodal path for peds and cyclists who prefer not to ride in the street.

If the pretty pictures become a reality -- a process that will take several years and require an application to the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency for millions in federal dollars -- it could result in a "healthier" street that better connects the investments happening in near west side neighborhoods.

"This is the main north-south thoroughfare between West Boulevard and W. 25th," says Zone. "We can build off the momentum we've created here. You'll eventually be able to bike from Edgewater Beach to the zoo via W. 65th."

Among the assets in the area, Zone cited the Gordon Square Arts District, the new Max Hayes High School scheduled to break ground this year, the EcoVillage, major employers and eight schools. The W. 65th project will cost about $6 million.

Most importantly, Zone says, streetscape projects like the W. 65th Street re-do make roads safer for kids who walk to school and families without access to a car.

Other green-street projects on the near west side include bike lanes on Detroit Avenue (which will be striped this spring), the planned Train Avenue corridor greenway, the creation of bike lanes on W. 41st and 44th streets in Ohio City (to be completed this year), a new streetscape for Denison Avenue (a few years away) and a planning process for Lorain Avenue (launching this month).

The West 65th Street corridor study was completed by Environmental Design Group, which has offices in both Cleveland and Akron.


Source: Matt Zone
Writer: Lee Chilcote

The trio of Oberlin developers written up in the New York Times for the perseverance and creativity behind their successful East College Street project have selected the long-vacant Fairmont Creamery in Tremont as the site of their next real estate deal.

Sustainable Community Associates, which marries for-profit development with a community development philosophy, aims to bridge the gap between Tremont and Ohio City by filling it with an interesting, sustainably-built apartment, retail and office project.

"People want to live here, to be close to downtown and the West Side Market," says Josh Rosen, a principal of SCA with Naomi Sabel and Ben Ezinga. "There's an opportunity because of the work other groups have done to get to this point."

"Tremont and Ohio City are thriving neighborhoods, and the creamery sits at the intersection," adds Sabel. "This is the logical flow for the two neighborhoods to meet."

The developers hope to use a combination of equity, conventional financing, state and federal historic tax credits, New Markets Tax Credits and other incentives to redevelop the 1930s brick building into dozens of new apartments. They're also hoping to add office space for entrepreneurs, a full-size gym and rooftop deck. The building, perched on the edge of the industrial Flats, has downtown views.

SCA currently has a two-year option on the 100,000-square-foot property at 1720 Willey Avenue. It is empty but for a nickel-plating business operated in the basement by 75-year-old owner Donald Dickson, who is eager to sell.

The developers aim to start construction by November and finish by late 2014. They hope to lease units as they renovate the building, meaning that the first tenants could move into the property as soon as next year if all goes well.

Although some might view the property as isolated and disconnected from the bustling heart of Tremont and Ohio City, these developers have a different vision. They see a well-kept, underutilized neighborhood that could be so much more.

"When we developed the East College Street project, they said people wouldn't walk that far," says Rosen, whose fully-leased project in downtown Oberlin includes a coffee shop, ice cream shop and other retailers. "Yet once you add bike paths and other amenities, people get an expanded sense of where to go."

This is perhaps the most ambitious aspect of SCA's $13 million project -- beyond the long-vacant building. The developers understand the need to not simply redevelop a building, but leverage that investment for the neighborhood.

"If you can successfully put together financing, what you end up seeing is a project that not only changes the built environment but also the local economy," says Rosen. "We want to use the project to help entrepreneurs open businesses."

"Cleveland doesn't just need more development, but the right kind of development," Rosen adds. "We hope to be able to bring that about."


Source: Ben Ezinga, Josh Rosen, Naomi Sabel
Writer: Lee Chilcote

The Cleveland Hostel on W. 25th Street in Ohio City recently acquired a collection of eight bikes for rental purposes. It plans to offer daily rentals to visitors and locals who want to explore the city on two wheels come spring (or now, if you're a snow rider).

"We just got 'em a week and a half ago," says Mark Raymond, the Geneva native who opened Cleveland's first hostel last August. "The Akron Bike Club came up for the West Side Market Centennial on the Towpath, and they liked the hostel so much they donated these bikes."

The eight two-wheelers -- a mix of road bikes and cruisers -- are available for $15 per day if you're a hostel guest or $20 per day if you're not. The bikes are available during regular hostel hours: 9 a.m. until 10 p.m.

Renting bikes was always part of Raymond's plan, and he's excited to showcase his city to travelers who don't have a car or prefer to get around without one. In the past six months, he's hosted travelers from 40 countries around the globe.

The Cleveland Hostel has also hosted visiting artists and individuals affiliated with Cleveland Public Theatre, LAND Studio and other groups. Raymond already has the entire hostel booked by a group of Germans for the Gay Games in 2014.

The hostel is also open to Ohio City residents and the general public for event rentals and special events. Raymond will host bands on the second floor during Brite Winter Festival on Saturday, February 16th. He's even found a hidden market in Clevelanders looking for a place to crash during Ohio City outings.

"We've had a lot of people from the area stay here, especially around New Year's," he says. "They'll see a show, have dinner and then spend the night in the hostel."


Source: Mark Raymond
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Nearly 100 years after it was first constructed, the Hope Memorial bridge, which is home to the famous Guardians of Transportation statues and connects downtown to Ohio City, is now considered to be "complete."

That's because a 14.5 foot protected bikeway just opened, making the street safer and more accessible for pedestrians and bicyclists who would prefer not to ride in the street. The $4.5 million investment is consistent with the city's new Complete and Green Streets law, which requires sustainable transportation options to be incorporated into new road projects.

"We really want to encourage more people to bike more often. Anytime you can create an environment where you can take kids out, you know it’s a safe place," says Jacob Van Sickle, Executive Director of the nonprofit group Bike Cleveland. "We're always advocating for infrastructure that makes biking as safe and stress-free as possible. To create a mode shift, that's where we need to be."

The Ohio Department of Transportation agreed to pay for the bikeway as well as bike-friendly enhancements to the Abbey Road bridge a few years ago. At the time, it was offered as a concession to multimodal transportation advocates who had pressed for bike lanes to be built on the new I-90 Innerbelt bridge.

The Carnegie-Ontario intersection also has been made safer for pedestrians and cyclists thanks to a new pathway along the bridge's northeast end. That pathway will lead cyclists and walkers to cross at Eagle Avenue. Finally, the Guardians of Transportation statues will also be lit at night as part of the roadway project.


Source: Jacob Van Sickle
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Downtown resident (and Fresh Water contributor) Joe Baur doesn't have a lot of experience as a community organizer, but he jumped into the political fray after learning that Rock Gaming, owner of the Horseshoe Casino, intends to build a skywalk to the historic Higbee building.

"Skywalks are vibrancy-killers," Baur says of the proposed glass-and-steel bridge, which would traverse diagonally the intersection of Ontario and Prospect, providing a direct link between garage and casino. "Rock Gaming said they'd mesh their enterprise into the existing fabric of downtown Cleveland. This mars a historic building. We're not in a position to risk what street life we have."

Councilman Joe Cimperman, who represents downtown Cleveland, supports the skywalk, arguing that it will ensure pedestrian safety while continuing to foster economic development.

"Am I part of the pro-skywalk lobby? Do I wear a button supporting it? No. But I support this one," says Cimperman. "The historic aspect is worthy of debate, but these are debates that growing cities are going to have. The question is, how do you preserve the best of what you have while also creating opportunities?"

The simmering debate over the proposed skywalk raises the question of how urban casinos can best be woven into the fabric of cities while maximizing spinoff to other local businesses. Casino owners have long sought to keep their patrons inside their venues -- many casinos don't even have windows -- yet Cleveland's casino is notably different. Situated in the historic Higbee building, the developers went to pains to carefully restore the long-vacant structure.

Cimperman says that nearby restaurant owners have reported spikes in traffic as a result of the casino, while Baur maintains that the skywalk will kill off hopes of revitalizing the vacant storefronts in lower Prospect Avenue. The debate -- which is far from finished -- is garnering buzz on Facebook and social media.

To fight the proposed skywalk, Baur has formed a social media group called Our CLE and launched a petition drive aimed at Cimperman and Mayor Frank Jackson, who has also expressed support for the project. So far, the group has garnered over 100 signatures and attracted attention from local TV media.

Rock Gaming has said that the skywalk is necessary to provide casino-goers the comfort, security and convenience they've come to expect. Yet Baur cites urban planning studies showing that skywalks discourage pedestrian traffic and deaden street life. They also feed into the perception that downtown is unsafe and discourage visitors from patronizing other businesses, he maintains.

"How are we going to fight the perception that downtown isn't safe if we're going to placate to that perception by building a skywalk?" he asks. "If Rock Gaming really believes that their visitors will feel unsafe and cold with that grueling 270-foot walk, then the shuttle that runs 24 hours per day should be sufficient."

Jennifer Kulczycki, a spokesperson for Rock Gaming, says that ensuring comfort for casino-goers is the primary motivation behind the skywalk -- not perceived criminal activity downtown. "Many of our customers are elderly, and people have been asking us for assistance getting back and forth," she says. "The whole effect of putting the casino in the Higbee building has been rejuvenating that area. We wouldn't build the skywalk if we didn't believe the street would remain active."

The skywalk would shave 100 feet off the trek from garage to casino, Baur says, reducing it to 170 feet. The venue began offering a 24-hour shuttle earlier this year, yet Rock Gaming has continued to pursue plans for the skywalk.

For the skywalk to be built, the city must review technical construction documents and issue a building permit. It could not deny the skywalk for design reasons, since it was approved by the Planning Commission last year. Currently, the developers are fighting a ruling by the National Park Service that would threaten millions of dollars in historic tax credits claimed by building owner Forest City Enterprises.

This week, an appeal filed by Rock Gaming will be heard by the Chief Appeals Officer of the National Register of Historic Places in Washington D.C. In essence, the park service has said that the skywalk is not in keeping with the historic character of the building, and Rock Gaming is contesting that decision.

Yet even if Rock Gaming loses its appeal, the project could go ahead, says Thomas Starinsky, Associate Director of Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corporation. Forest City has only a few years until its tax credit period expires -- meaning it could go ahead and add the skywalk now, forgoing a prorated amount of the credits, or wait until the period is over and do so without incurring a loss.

The developers also believe that the skywalk is necessary for Phase II, a $600-million project slated to be built behind Tower City Center overlooking the Cuyahoga River. The two phases will be connected via Tower City.

According to projections that were deemed conservative when it opened, the city is expected to earn about $20 million per year in tax revenue from the casino. Yet Baur says that the decision by Cimperman and Jackson to support the project is short-sighted. It does not take into account the long-term negative effects of the skywalk on the historic integrity of downtown and viability of area businesses.

"The City of Minneapolis won't allow skywalks in historic districts -- they realize that because of the ones built in the '60s, they're struggling to get their retail back," he says. "Some cities, like Baltimore, are demolishing skywalks."

Cimperman vehemently disagrees. "The casino is employing 1,800 people," he says. "The key is balancing economic development with good design. We had the same debate about the Medical Mart because it's located on the Malls designed by Daniel Burnham. We ended up creating something that people are really proud of."

Kulczycki says Rock Gaming and its architects have carefully designed a skywalk that fits into the streetscape. Yet Baur maintains that there's no way to dress up the skywalk -- it is what it is. "You can't make it work [at the Higbee Building]."

The skywalk, which was first proposed last year, may seem like an about-face from the pro-urban approach that Rock Gaming promised when its leaders launched efforts to legalize gambling in Ohio in 2009. Yet Cimperman cites multiple public meetings that were held to allow input. "This is not something that was done behind closed doors," he says. "It was part of the original proposal."

If the skywalk project moves forward, it won't be the first time that Rock Gaming has developed a controversial project in the face of organized community opposition. Last year, the corporation successfully purchased and demolished the historic Columbia building on Prospect Avenue to build a parking garage.

The casino skywalk is also not the only one that's being considered right now in downtown Cleveland. The developers of the Westin Hotel on St. Clair Avenue across from the Medical Mart and Convention Center have also proposed a new skywalk. Many preservationists deem that skywalk, which would link the hotel to Public Auditorium, as being even more injurious to the city's historic fabric.


Source: Joe Baur
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Anyone who's ever visited the catacombs-like lower level of the Detroit-Superior Bridge -- which offers amazing views of downtown Cleveland, the Flats and the Cuyahoga River from a setting that feels like the industrial bowels of Cleveland -- has probably asked themselves, "Why isn't this open more often?"

In response to public demand, Cuyahoga County has made the bridge more accessible. The Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC) and other partners hosted events here this summer, the Cleveland Design Competition hosted its awards ceremony here last week, and the bridge even had its first wedding.

"My husband and I were looking for a place that was outdoors, public and covered," says Carla Kurtz, who recently got married on the bridge. "One of our friends heard you could use the space for events like this. It was fairly easy."

That's a change from previous administrations, says Terry Schwarz, Director of the CUDC, who is helping to lead the planning process for the bridge's future.

"Bonnie Teeuwen, the Director of Public Works, her philosophy has been if James [Levin] and I can borrow the bridge, she should make it available to everybody," says Schwarz. "There's a process, a permit form and a fee. You describe how you'll use it. I genuinely feel the way we figure out how to use the bridge is by using it."

The biggest challenge, Schwarz says, is that anyone planning an event must hire security. The bridge span is nearly a mile long, and there are plenty of dark, craggy places. It requires seven county deputies to keep it fully open.

Schwarz is now examining design alternatives for keeping the bridge open during regular hours, a process that was funded by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA). The focus is on making the bridge a connection between downtown Cleveland and Ohio City for cyclists and pedestrians.

"We're looking at a dedicated path for fast-moving cyclists, because commuters have said they'd use the lower level as a quick cross over the river," says Schwarz. "We're also looking at another multi-purpose path for pedestrians and bikes."

The CUDC is also examining possibilities for anchor development -- market-rate housing is the most likely option - at either end of the bridge. Such development could treat the bridge as a nearby amenity, generating a critical mass of users.

"The development might generate enough of revenue to pay for patrols," she says.

Another option would be to have the bridge open for limited hours. For instance, it could be open from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays for cyclists crossing the river. That connection would be especially valuable in inclement weather or during winter.

"The idea isn't that the lower level is replacing the upper level, which is already bike-friendly, but that it provides an alternative," says Schwarz. "Detroit Avenue is emerging as the main east-west arterial for bikes, and this is a connection."

The CUDC expects to wrap up the planning process early next year and present a final proposal to Cuyahoga County and NOACA. From there, the management entities would need to seek funding to transform that plan into a reality.


Source: Terry Schwarz
Writer: Lee Chilcote

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) has broken ground on an $18.5 million redevelopment of its Cedar-University rapid station that will make it safer, easier to navigate, more efficient and more inviting. RTA officials hope it will become a stronger hub for the growing University Circle area and its surrounding neighborhoods.

"It will look a heck of a lot better," says Mary Shaffer, Media Relations Manager with RTA, of the project's impact. "It is safe and functioning now, but there will be a greater sense of security. We want to help people in the community to be able to recommend RTA."

The current Cedar-University rapid station was built nearly 50 years ago. The facility's layout requires a long walk to transfer between bus and rail, and greater efficiency and easier connections will offer a huge improvement, Shaffer says.

"We'll have bus and rail on the same side of the street, and that will make it a lot easier for transfers," says Shaffer. "Behind Tower City and Windermere/Stokes, this is the largest bus-rail transfer station that we have in the RTA network."

The glassy new station will also be more attractive and welcoming. "When you have things like MOCA coming into the area, having a state-of-the-art rail/bus station in the heart of the University Circle area is really a positive thing."

RTA won a $10.5 million competitive TIGER II grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to be able to complete the project. The agency also contributed $4 million from its own capital budget and raised money from other local sources.

The station is actually the first of two newly revamped stations in the University Circle area. The University Circle-Little Italy station is next to be redeveloped, and that project was recently funded by a federal transportation grant, as well.

The Cedar-University station will incorporate additional green space and public art. RTA will also increase the frequency of its train service to serve local riders.

Shaffer says that RTA is now seeing the 17th straight month of growth in overall ridership. The Red Line leads the pack. She says this is attributable to higher gas prices and new development in Cleveland that is making it harder to find parking.

"This is most likely attributable to people who are making the decision to ride," says Shaffer. "They want to avoid the Innerbelt or see a lack of parking in University Circle or by the Clinic. We're glad to be a solution for them."


Source: Mary Shaffer
Writer: Lee Chilcote