It's taken several months, but Vicky Poole says she's finally getting a
handle on what will grow well in a mall. Herbs, for one thing.
Poole is co-owner of Gardens Under Glass, the innovative urban hydroponic farm, market and experiment under the magnificent glass ceilings of Galleria at Erieview on East 9th Street. The growing began last winter. Poole recently added the Re-Source Center, selling related products from local vendors, some of whom, like A Piece of Cleveland, specialize in the reuse of old materials. The Re-Source Center itself "reuses" a space once occupied by a greeting card and candy store that vacated the Galleria long ago.
But farming remains Poole's focus. "I work on this around the clock," she says, with no hint of complaint. "It's quite a chore to keep track of the bugs and the growing conditions and all the things that go along with growing food."
The effort is worth it, she says, if it helps to promote local farming, nutrition and sustainable practices.
She's exploring the possibility of shifting to a non-profit model, which would suit her long-term vision of building comprehensive farming and sustainability education center around the crops. "The space is very conducive to demonstrations and instructions," she says.
But for now she needs to rely on good old-fashioned sales, and that's where the herbs come in. She's hoping to develop a steady customer base for the basil, tarragon and many others already available, as well as the oils and vinegars featuring her dried pepper seeds that are planned. Lots of people admire, Poole says; not many buy. She's hoping that changes as awareness of the benefits of locally grown produce, and her unique business, spreads.
"There's not one person who comes into this building who doesn't look around and say, 'My God, what a beautiful space,'" Poole says. But too often they focus more on what it once was, a vibrant retail mall, than on what it's becoming and could be. "Let's see what we can turn it into," she adds, "before the demise of another downtown building."
Source: Gardens Under Glass
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Poole is co-owner of Gardens Under Glass, the innovative urban hydroponic farm, market and experiment under the magnificent glass ceilings of Galleria at Erieview on East 9th Street. The growing began last winter. Poole recently added the Re-Source Center, selling related products from local vendors, some of whom, like A Piece of Cleveland, specialize in the reuse of old materials. The Re-Source Center itself "reuses" a space once occupied by a greeting card and candy store that vacated the Galleria long ago.
But farming remains Poole's focus. "I work on this around the clock," she says, with no hint of complaint. "It's quite a chore to keep track of the bugs and the growing conditions and all the things that go along with growing food."
The effort is worth it, she says, if it helps to promote local farming, nutrition and sustainable practices.
She's exploring the possibility of shifting to a non-profit model, which would suit her long-term vision of building comprehensive farming and sustainability education center around the crops. "The space is very conducive to demonstrations and instructions," she says.
But for now she needs to rely on good old-fashioned sales, and that's where the herbs come in. She's hoping to develop a steady customer base for the basil, tarragon and many others already available, as well as the oils and vinegars featuring her dried pepper seeds that are planned. Lots of people admire, Poole says; not many buy. She's hoping that changes as awareness of the benefits of locally grown produce, and her unique business, spreads.
"There's not one person who comes into this building who doesn't look around and say, 'My God, what a beautiful space,'" Poole says. But too often they focus more on what it once was, a vibrant retail mall, than on what it's becoming and could be. "Let's see what we can turn it into," she adds, "before the demise of another downtown building."
Source: Gardens Under Glass
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
What can we do with what we already have? That simple question drives two movements that are rapidly gaining momentum and reshaping Cleveland: urban farming and deconstruction -- because, for better or worse, land and condemned buildings are plentiful. In the same glass-half-full spirit, some local artists are turning to items that would otherwise have ended up in landfills to change perceptions about "trash," and perhaps spawn a new industry.
As the playful name hints, Pop-Up Gift Shop will open only briefly, from November 18 through December 19, at 2242 Euclid Ave., in Trinity Commons. The store will feature "handmade, reasonably priced, whimsical, interesting gifts crafted with an emphasis on reuse from local artists" -- like jewelry made from copper wire and liquor bottles, oil paintings on old Styrofoam, nightlights with shades made from artificial sweetener packets, and windchimes and ornaments from old bicycle parts, to name just a few.
The idea came when reuse artists Nicole McGee and Trish Supples met Dean Tracy Lind of Trinity Cathedral at the Sustainability Summit. McGee and Supples were looking for ways to promote "upcycling" -- McGee, for example, crafts colorful, decorative flowers out of old floor tiles -- and Lind had a storefront in need of an entrepreneur. Pop-Up was born.
"We were able to find a ton of artists" to participate, says Supples. And not all have tried this before. "Some established artists are taking this as a challenge to try reuse or upcycling."
On her web site, PlentyUnderfoot.com, McGee explains: "My creations are an extension of my view of the world -- that beauty and potential lie dormant all around us. Finding beauty underfoot is only one part of the process. Looking comes first. The waste stream of consumer culture is full of creative potential. Throw away less and create more!"
Source: Trish Supples
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
As the playful name hints, Pop-Up Gift Shop will open only briefly, from November 18 through December 19, at 2242 Euclid Ave., in Trinity Commons. The store will feature "handmade, reasonably priced, whimsical, interesting gifts crafted with an emphasis on reuse from local artists" -- like jewelry made from copper wire and liquor bottles, oil paintings on old Styrofoam, nightlights with shades made from artificial sweetener packets, and windchimes and ornaments from old bicycle parts, to name just a few.
The idea came when reuse artists Nicole McGee and Trish Supples met Dean Tracy Lind of Trinity Cathedral at the Sustainability Summit. McGee and Supples were looking for ways to promote "upcycling" -- McGee, for example, crafts colorful, decorative flowers out of old floor tiles -- and Lind had a storefront in need of an entrepreneur. Pop-Up was born.
"We were able to find a ton of artists" to participate, says Supples. And not all have tried this before. "Some established artists are taking this as a challenge to try reuse or upcycling."
On her web site, PlentyUnderfoot.com, McGee explains: "My creations are an extension of my view of the world -- that beauty and potential lie dormant all around us. Finding beauty underfoot is only one part of the process. Looking comes first. The waste stream of consumer culture is full of creative potential. Throw away less and create more!"
Source: Trish Supples
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Hundreds of Northeast Ohioans bike to work downtown. Many more surely
would, but for the challenges that present themselves upon arrival --
like parking and, well, sweating. But next year the city will have an
answer to those deterrents: The Bike Rack, set to open next spring in
the ground level of the parking garage at East 4th and High streets,
between Harry Buffalo restaurant and Quicken Loans Arena. Ground was
broken there in late October.
Modeled on bike stations in Europe and a growing number of American cities, The Bike Rack will offer bike commuters secure parking, lockers and facilities for showering and changing. The site will also rent bicycles, and the staff will include a technician who can help with repairs.
Kevin Cronin of Cleveland Bikes, which worked with the Jackson administration to develop the project, says that long-term goals include establishing relationships with hotels and promoting bike tours, to tap into the expanding bicycle tourism market.
"These are the things that open up when you have these sorts of facilities," he says. He also hopes that the project will raise awareness of biking among residents, and galvanize the bike community to rally for more bike-friendly infrastructure. A similar station in Chicago has been so popular, Cronin says, that plans for a second are under way.
The Downtown Cleveland Alliance will administer the site, and recently posted the job of operations manager. Cleveland Public Art is overseeing the design of the façade.
Source: Cleveland Bikes
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Modeled on bike stations in Europe and a growing number of American cities, The Bike Rack will offer bike commuters secure parking, lockers and facilities for showering and changing. The site will also rent bicycles, and the staff will include a technician who can help with repairs.
Kevin Cronin of Cleveland Bikes, which worked with the Jackson administration to develop the project, says that long-term goals include establishing relationships with hotels and promoting bike tours, to tap into the expanding bicycle tourism market.
"These are the things that open up when you have these sorts of facilities," he says. He also hopes that the project will raise awareness of biking among residents, and galvanize the bike community to rally for more bike-friendly infrastructure. A similar station in Chicago has been so popular, Cronin says, that plans for a second are under way.
The Downtown Cleveland Alliance will administer the site, and recently posted the job of operations manager. Cleveland Public Art is overseeing the design of the façade.
Source: Cleveland Bikes
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
local-food movement could benefit low-income areas most of all
The local food movement could not come at a better time. A new report from the Brookings Institute and The Reinvestment Fund shows that a disproportionately high number of Clevelanders live in "food deserts," communities that do not offer the benefits of a readily accessible supermarket.
Nationwide, an estimated 19 million Americans live in low-access areas, which for purposes of this study were determined not just by distance to the nearest supermarket, but population density and rates of car ownership, according to the report, "Getting to Market." In the 10 urban areas on which the researchers focused, about 1.7 million residents were found to live in areas where it's much more difficult to enjoy the benefits of supermarkets, like lower prices and greater produce selection.
Los Angeles, the largest metro region in the study, led the pack -- until the researchers controlled for size. " In that count Cleveland stands out, with more than 1 in 9 residents in the region living in low-access areas."
Cleveland also showed exceptionally high rates of "leakage," which refers to money leaving a community because its members are forced to shop elsewhere. Leakage in Cleveland was tallied at $508 million annually, second only to Los Angeles.
The Reinvestment Fund, which helped launch a Pennsylvania initiative to spur supermarket development in underserved areas that's since been replicated elsewhere, has posted all of its data online, to assist local policymakers and activists in their planning.
Source: Brookings Institute
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Nationwide, an estimated 19 million Americans live in low-access areas, which for purposes of this study were determined not just by distance to the nearest supermarket, but population density and rates of car ownership, according to the report, "Getting to Market." In the 10 urban areas on which the researchers focused, about 1.7 million residents were found to live in areas where it's much more difficult to enjoy the benefits of supermarkets, like lower prices and greater produce selection.
Los Angeles, the largest metro region in the study, led the pack -- until the researchers controlled for size. " In that count Cleveland stands out, with more than 1 in 9 residents in the region living in low-access areas."
Cleveland also showed exceptionally high rates of "leakage," which refers to money leaving a community because its members are forced to shop elsewhere. Leakage in Cleveland was tallied at $508 million annually, second only to Los Angeles.
The Reinvestment Fund, which helped launch a Pennsylvania initiative to spur supermarket development in underserved areas that's since been replicated elsewhere, has posted all of its data online, to assist local policymakers and activists in their planning.
Source: Brookings Institute
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Cleveland's slow but steady transformation from national leader in job
loss and foreclosures to national model for urban farming took another
major step forward last week in the Kinsman neighborhood. That's where
federal, state and city officials introduced the Cleveland Urban
Agriculture Incubator Pilot Project.
Six acres of land at East 83rd and Gill, donated from the City Land Bank, will be turned into a farm, thanks to $100,000 grants from the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the City of Cleveland, and $740,000 from the Ohio State University Extension, via the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It's the first urban farm to receive funding through the USDA's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, now in its second year.
The goals of the incubator are to promote entrepreneurship and access to fresh produce in an area that sorely needs both. If successful, the model will be replicated in other neighborhoods.
The OSU Extension will use half an acre of the land to train aspiring farmers. The remaining land will be leased in quarter-acre plots, beginning next spring.
The project grew in part out of the Urban Agriculture Innovation Zone established by Burten, Bell, Carter Development, Inc., which serves the area, according to BBC programs manager Sherita Mullins. BBC will recruit farmers from the community.
The state funds come from Gov. Strickland's Ohio Neighborhood Harvest initiative, which seeks to bring produce to the "food deserts" found in many low-income urban communities, and to boost local economies. Currently only about 3 percent of the estimated $43 billion that Ohioans spend on food annually goes to Ohio farms.
Source: Burten Bell Carter Development
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Six acres of land at East 83rd and Gill, donated from the City Land Bank, will be turned into a farm, thanks to $100,000 grants from the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the City of Cleveland, and $740,000 from the Ohio State University Extension, via the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It's the first urban farm to receive funding through the USDA's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, now in its second year.
The goals of the incubator are to promote entrepreneurship and access to fresh produce in an area that sorely needs both. If successful, the model will be replicated in other neighborhoods.
The OSU Extension will use half an acre of the land to train aspiring farmers. The remaining land will be leased in quarter-acre plots, beginning next spring.
The project grew in part out of the Urban Agriculture Innovation Zone established by Burten, Bell, Carter Development, Inc., which serves the area, according to BBC programs manager Sherita Mullins. BBC will recruit farmers from the community.
The state funds come from Gov. Strickland's Ohio Neighborhood Harvest initiative, which seeks to bring produce to the "food deserts" found in many low-income urban communities, and to boost local economies. Currently only about 3 percent of the estimated $43 billion that Ohioans spend on food annually goes to Ohio farms.
Source: Burten Bell Carter Development
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Mike Graley, a wine buyer for Heinen's for 20 years, is applying his expertise to a new venture, Battery Park Wine Bar,
a.k.a. YOLO Wine Bar in Battery Park. YOLO stands for "You Only Live
Once," which Graley says is the theme of his unpretentious,
contemporary joint, in the former Eveready plant in Detroit Shoreway's
Battery Park neighborhood.
This "not-so-typical wine bar," as Graley describes it, will carry well over 100 varieties, all sold at just $12 above retail -- unlike the more typical double retail. The same price structure will be used in the adjacent retail shop. Graley is talking to some Ohio wineries about carrying their labels.
The menu will feature "medium plates" of beef and lamb sliders, truffle mac and cheese, pork and veal meatballs, Ohio City Pasta and a variety of fries, plus cheese, meat and olive boards and salads.
The wine bar will be the first business to open in the Powerhouse, as the old Eveready plant is now known. The Powerhouse is in the heart of the Battery Park residential community, developed by Vintage Development Group. "It shows that redevelopment of the lakefront is a huge asset," says Jeff Ramsey, executive director of the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organzation. The Waterfront District Plan will greatly increase pedestrian and bicycle access to the lake by 2014.
YOLO Wine Bar is scheduled to open November 15. For updates send an e-mail to info@batteryparkwinebar.com.
Source: Mike Graley
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
This "not-so-typical wine bar," as Graley describes it, will carry well over 100 varieties, all sold at just $12 above retail -- unlike the more typical double retail. The same price structure will be used in the adjacent retail shop. Graley is talking to some Ohio wineries about carrying their labels.
The menu will feature "medium plates" of beef and lamb sliders, truffle mac and cheese, pork and veal meatballs, Ohio City Pasta and a variety of fries, plus cheese, meat and olive boards and salads.
The wine bar will be the first business to open in the Powerhouse, as the old Eveready plant is now known. The Powerhouse is in the heart of the Battery Park residential community, developed by Vintage Development Group. "It shows that redevelopment of the lakefront is a huge asset," says Jeff Ramsey, executive director of the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organzation. The Waterfront District Plan will greatly increase pedestrian and bicycle access to the lake by 2014.
YOLO Wine Bar is scheduled to open November 15. For updates send an e-mail to info@batteryparkwinebar.com.
Source: Mike Graley
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
How is it possible that hip Tremont has gone all this time without a
vintage shop? Whatever the explanation, the oversight has been remedied
with the opening of Deering Vintage at 2678 W. 14th St. (formerly Kelly Randall Gallery).
"It just seems like an exciting place to be right now," says owner Cynthia Deering, who owned Suite Lorain, at West 69th and Lorain, for 20 years before selling in March. Development in Detroit Shoreway to the north had resulted in Lorain becoming a little too rough for Deering's comfort.
Open just a few weeks, Deering says she already has repeat customers, especially among young neighborhood residents who appreciate having a green shopping option nearby.
"Business has never been better in my industry," due largely to the recession, Deering notes. "People really want to save money."
Deering Vintage carries men's and women's clothes and accessories, and some home items and furniture.
Source: Cythia Deering
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
"It just seems like an exciting place to be right now," says owner Cynthia Deering, who owned Suite Lorain, at West 69th and Lorain, for 20 years before selling in March. Development in Detroit Shoreway to the north had resulted in Lorain becoming a little too rough for Deering's comfort.
Open just a few weeks, Deering says she already has repeat customers, especially among young neighborhood residents who appreciate having a green shopping option nearby.
"Business has never been better in my industry," due largely to the recession, Deering notes. "People really want to save money."
Deering Vintage carries men's and women's clothes and accessories, and some home items and furniture.
Source: Cythia Deering
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
It's not a sports championship, but in some ways it's just as big. Last
week a consortium of some of the wealthiest banks and foundations in
the world announced that Cleveland would receive major support for
innovative developments that will create hundreds of new jobs where
they're needed most.
The Integration Initiative, by the New York-based Living Cities philanthropic collaborative, will pump almost $15 million in grants, loans and targeted investments into Cleveland. One of five cities chosen, Cleveland impressed the evaluators with plans to leverage the buying power of institutions in and around University Circle -- which spend some $3 billion annually on goods and services -- into new businesses and jobs. And not just any businesses, but innovative, green operations that provide their workers with more than just paychecks.
Some of the funding will be used to start or relocate businesses in the growing Heath-Tech Corridor between University Circle and Cleveland State. Other funds will expand the Evergreen Cooperatives network of employee-owned businesses, all of which meet the institutions' procurement needs in new ways, and satisfy Living Cities' demand for "game-changing" new strategies.
Evergreen Cooperative Laundry, for example, uses far less water than competitors, allowing the institutions to reduce their carbon footprints. The laundry currently employs 28, and will expand to 50. Ohio Solar Cooperative employs 25 -- already exceeding expectations -- and will hire another 50 over the next three years. The Green City Growers hydroponic greenhouse will employ 45 when it opens on East 55th Street later this year.
All Evergreen businesses allow workers to build equity in the company and share in profits. "An 8-, 9- 10-dollar-an-hour job is not really enough to change someone's life," says Lillian Kuri of the Cleveland Foundation, which coordinated the applications to Living Cities. "The ability for wealth creation is absolutely essential to changing neighborhoods."
Five more co-ops are in the pipeline, Kuri says. Two will launch "soon," the other three over the next one to two years.
Many of the foundations that make up Living Cities will be familiar to NPR listeners: the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, to name a few. Member banks include Bank of America, Deutche Bank and J.P. Morgan Chase. Cleveland Foundation is an affiliate member.
Source: Cleveland Foundation
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
The Integration Initiative, by the New York-based Living Cities philanthropic collaborative, will pump almost $15 million in grants, loans and targeted investments into Cleveland. One of five cities chosen, Cleveland impressed the evaluators with plans to leverage the buying power of institutions in and around University Circle -- which spend some $3 billion annually on goods and services -- into new businesses and jobs. And not just any businesses, but innovative, green operations that provide their workers with more than just paychecks.
Some of the funding will be used to start or relocate businesses in the growing Heath-Tech Corridor between University Circle and Cleveland State. Other funds will expand the Evergreen Cooperatives network of employee-owned businesses, all of which meet the institutions' procurement needs in new ways, and satisfy Living Cities' demand for "game-changing" new strategies.
Evergreen Cooperative Laundry, for example, uses far less water than competitors, allowing the institutions to reduce their carbon footprints. The laundry currently employs 28, and will expand to 50. Ohio Solar Cooperative employs 25 -- already exceeding expectations -- and will hire another 50 over the next three years. The Green City Growers hydroponic greenhouse will employ 45 when it opens on East 55th Street later this year.
All Evergreen businesses allow workers to build equity in the company and share in profits. "An 8-, 9- 10-dollar-an-hour job is not really enough to change someone's life," says Lillian Kuri of the Cleveland Foundation, which coordinated the applications to Living Cities. "The ability for wealth creation is absolutely essential to changing neighborhoods."
Five more co-ops are in the pipeline, Kuri says. Two will launch "soon," the other three over the next one to two years.
Many of the foundations that make up Living Cities will be familiar to NPR listeners: the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, to name a few. Member banks include Bank of America, Deutche Bank and J.P. Morgan Chase. Cleveland Foundation is an affiliate member.
Source: Cleveland Foundation
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Northeast Ohio could reap more than half the benefit of newly announced
state tax credits intended to spark development. Key Community
Development New Markets and Northeast Ohio Development Fund, both based
in Cuyahoga County, were awarded $3 million and $2 million,
respectively, in credits through the Ohio New Markets Tax Credits. All
told, $10 million in credits were distributed to four funds in this
first round of grants.
The credits are modeled after and supplement a federal program and are administered by the Ohio Department of Development. "By encouraging investments in areas of Ohio that need it most, we are ensuring future economic development opportunities and increased potential for new jobs," Director Lisa Patt-McDaniel said in a statement. "The Ohio New Markets Tax Credit program is one of the first of its kind in the country, and we are eager to see the new developments that come from this program."
Northeast Ohio Development Fund -- a joint venture between the Port of Cleveland, Ariel Ventures and Cohen & Co. accountants -- has identified several potential beneficiaries of the credits, according to the state, including the proposed Cleveland Aquarium, the Midtown Tech Park and the planned University Circle hotel.
Among the entities that Key may support are the Allen Theatre, which needs renovations, and Cleveland-based Ohio Solar Cooperative, an innovative, employee-owned company that leases and installs solar panels. Clients to date include the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, the City of Cleveland, and the Cleveland Housing Network.
Ohio Solar is part of the Evergreen Cooperatives network, which may benefit in other ways from the credits. Another recipient of the credits, Finance Fund, based in Franklin County, has listed the Green City Growers Cooperative, Evergreen Medical Recycling and Evergreen Record Retention Cooperative and companies it may support.
Source: Ohio Department of Development
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
The credits are modeled after and supplement a federal program and are administered by the Ohio Department of Development. "By encouraging investments in areas of Ohio that need it most, we are ensuring future economic development opportunities and increased potential for new jobs," Director Lisa Patt-McDaniel said in a statement. "The Ohio New Markets Tax Credit program is one of the first of its kind in the country, and we are eager to see the new developments that come from this program."
Northeast Ohio Development Fund -- a joint venture between the Port of Cleveland, Ariel Ventures and Cohen & Co. accountants -- has identified several potential beneficiaries of the credits, according to the state, including the proposed Cleveland Aquarium, the Midtown Tech Park and the planned University Circle hotel.
Among the entities that Key may support are the Allen Theatre, which needs renovations, and Cleveland-based Ohio Solar Cooperative, an innovative, employee-owned company that leases and installs solar panels. Clients to date include the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, the City of Cleveland, and the Cleveland Housing Network.
Ohio Solar is part of the Evergreen Cooperatives network, which may benefit in other ways from the credits. Another recipient of the credits, Finance Fund, based in Franklin County, has listed the Green City Growers Cooperative, Evergreen Medical Recycling and Evergreen Record Retention Cooperative and companies it may support.
Source: Ohio Department of Development
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
The location search tool on the Ohio Film Office's
new web site is a fun way to peruse some of the most scenic sites in
the state. Choosing category "Industrial," subcategory
"Factories/Plants/Mills," and region "Northern" will lead you to dozens
of photos of the Flats, in all its Rust Belt glory. You don't have to
be a filmmaker to enjoy it; the scenes almost start to write themselves.
But producers and directors are the intended users of the site, which was launched earlier this month in hopes of luring more production work to the state. "Ohio can work as a backdrop for any place or time period a producer is looking to capture," says Jeremy Henthorn, director of the Ohio Film Office.
The site also provides information on tax incentives available to productions that shoot here, and a data base of experienced crew. Need a Steadicam operator in Cleveland? A special effects coordinator willing to travel around the state? The data base also accept registrations from Ohioans looking for work.
In September the Plain Dealer reported that in its first year, the state's film tax credit has attracted nine productions that will spend a combined $33 million. They include 25 Hill, about a soap-box derby driver whose father dies in Afghanistan, which shot in Akron, and Unstoppable, the Denzel Washington action movie that opens November 12.
Source: Ohio Department of Development
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
But producers and directors are the intended users of the site, which was launched earlier this month in hopes of luring more production work to the state. "Ohio can work as a backdrop for any place or time period a producer is looking to capture," says Jeremy Henthorn, director of the Ohio Film Office.
The site also provides information on tax incentives available to productions that shoot here, and a data base of experienced crew. Need a Steadicam operator in Cleveland? A special effects coordinator willing to travel around the state? The data base also accept registrations from Ohioans looking for work.
In September the Plain Dealer reported that in its first year, the state's film tax credit has attracted nine productions that will spend a combined $33 million. They include 25 Hill, about a soap-box derby driver whose father dies in Afghanistan, which shot in Akron, and Unstoppable, the Denzel Washington action movie that opens November 12.
Source: Ohio Department of Development
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Thomas Paine would be proud. At a time when it seems like every new idea is first floated online, Plain Dealer architecture critic Steven Litt has chosen good old-fashioned paper as the primary vehicle for his impassioned paean to beautiful surroundings, Designing a Better Cleveland.
"To the extent that Cleveland fails to make the most of public and private investments in buildings, highways, bridges, streets, parks and waterfronts, it will waste opportunities, fail to compete effectively with its peers and damage its economy," Litt writes in the introduction. "Everyone, in other words, has a stake in good design."
Litt calls the slim, gorgeously designed booklet "a mini-primer on the ways in which citizens, developers, planners and designers can raise standards of civic design in Cleveland." But it's clearly also meant to inspire.
"Economists may disagree over whether excellent architecture and urban amenities such as streetscapes, bike trails and waterfront parks are a cause or consequence of economic vitality," he writes. "Regardless, it never makes sense to spend a dollar on mediocrity when the same dollar can buy excellence. The reality is that great design demands greater effort -- on the part of clients, designers, government agencies and citizens. Cleveland continues to be plagued by a chronic sense of low self-esteem and by the notion that trying to improve the city through better design isn't worth the effort.
"THIS VOLUME REJECTS THAT VIEW."
The book grew out of Spectrum: the Lockwood Thompson Dialogues at the Cleveland Public Library, and was facilitated by Cleveland Public Art.
Since the book's inroduction in the PD, Cleveland Public Art has received nearly 200 calls requesting copies, according to executive director Gregory Peckham. "That seems like a good benchmark when it comes to the interest of the public about the subject of civic design," Peckham notes.
Designing a Better Cleveland is also available online as a PDF.
Source: Plain Dealer
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
"To the extent that Cleveland fails to make the most of public and private investments in buildings, highways, bridges, streets, parks and waterfronts, it will waste opportunities, fail to compete effectively with its peers and damage its economy," Litt writes in the introduction. "Everyone, in other words, has a stake in good design."
Litt calls the slim, gorgeously designed booklet "a mini-primer on the ways in which citizens, developers, planners and designers can raise standards of civic design in Cleveland." But it's clearly also meant to inspire.
"Economists may disagree over whether excellent architecture and urban amenities such as streetscapes, bike trails and waterfront parks are a cause or consequence of economic vitality," he writes. "Regardless, it never makes sense to spend a dollar on mediocrity when the same dollar can buy excellence. The reality is that great design demands greater effort -- on the part of clients, designers, government agencies and citizens. Cleveland continues to be plagued by a chronic sense of low self-esteem and by the notion that trying to improve the city through better design isn't worth the effort.
"THIS VOLUME REJECTS THAT VIEW."
The book grew out of Spectrum: the Lockwood Thompson Dialogues at the Cleveland Public Library, and was facilitated by Cleveland Public Art.
Since the book's inroduction in the PD, Cleveland Public Art has received nearly 200 calls requesting copies, according to executive director Gregory Peckham. "That seems like a good benchmark when it comes to the interest of the public about the subject of civic design," Peckham notes.
Designing a Better Cleveland is also available online as a PDF.
Source: Plain Dealer
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority officials recently revealed that they are reconsidering long-stalled plans for a ferry between Ohio and Ontario. Last week, they announced another international transit plan, this time for container service.
The Port and Great Lakes Feeder Lines of Burlington, Ontario are discussing a deal that would make Cleveland the first city on the lakes with regular container service to and from Canada. The Cleveland-Montreal connection could begin as early as spring 2011. The new business would not require upgrades to existing Port facilities.
"This is an exciting economic opportunity for the port, the region and the state," says Port CEO William Friedman in a statement. "Simply put, Cleveland would be the first city on the Great Lakes that will have a pin on the global map when it comes to container service."
Great Lakes Feeder Lines launched in 2008 with one ship providing service between Halifax, Montreal and Toronto. The company now has two ships, which can take containers from trans-Atlantic ships and carry them across the lakes.
Source: Port of Cleveland
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
The Port and Great Lakes Feeder Lines of Burlington, Ontario are discussing a deal that would make Cleveland the first city on the lakes with regular container service to and from Canada. The Cleveland-Montreal connection could begin as early as spring 2011. The new business would not require upgrades to existing Port facilities.
"This is an exciting economic opportunity for the port, the region and the state," says Port CEO William Friedman in a statement. "Simply put, Cleveland would be the first city on the Great Lakes that will have a pin on the global map when it comes to container service."
Great Lakes Feeder Lines launched in 2008 with one ship providing service between Halifax, Montreal and Toronto. The company now has two ships, which can take containers from trans-Atlantic ships and carry them across the lakes.
Source: Port of Cleveland
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Bike-riding in the Cleveland area is up 50 percent since 2006, according to a recent survey by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA).
Cleveland Heights is hoping to push the figure even higher in next
year's survey with the addition of "sharrows" on city roads.
"Sharrow" is short for "share-the-road arrows," which are painted onto road surfaces. "You use them when you don't have enough room for a bike lane," explains Richard Wong, the city's director of planning and development. Sharrows are intended to remind bicyclists where they should ride -- with the flow of vehicular traffic, not against -- and to encourage drivers to share the road.
"They'll help reduce tension between bicyclists and motorists," says Nick Matthew of the Cleveland Heights Bicycle Coalition, which gathered more than 500 signatures on a petition urging the city to become one of the first in Northeast Ohio to adopt sharrows. Cleveland was the first, on Franklin Avenue.
Last week, just two months after the petition was presented to the city, sharrows were painted last week on Euclid Heights Boulevard, between Taylor and Coventry. (West of Coventry, where on-street parking is legal some hours, the city will install yellow "Share the Road" signs.) By next year, Wong says, the city plans to paint sharrows on Coventry, Lee and Fairmount.
Cleveland Heights ranks in the top 10 percent nationally for bicycle commuting by residents, according to data from the 2000 Census.
Source: Cleveland Heights Bicycle Coalition
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
"Sharrow" is short for "share-the-road arrows," which are painted onto road surfaces. "You use them when you don't have enough room for a bike lane," explains Richard Wong, the city's director of planning and development. Sharrows are intended to remind bicyclists where they should ride -- with the flow of vehicular traffic, not against -- and to encourage drivers to share the road.
"They'll help reduce tension between bicyclists and motorists," says Nick Matthew of the Cleveland Heights Bicycle Coalition, which gathered more than 500 signatures on a petition urging the city to become one of the first in Northeast Ohio to adopt sharrows. Cleveland was the first, on Franklin Avenue.
Last week, just two months after the petition was presented to the city, sharrows were painted last week on Euclid Heights Boulevard, between Taylor and Coventry. (West of Coventry, where on-street parking is legal some hours, the city will install yellow "Share the Road" signs.) By next year, Wong says, the city plans to paint sharrows on Coventry, Lee and Fairmount.
Cleveland Heights ranks in the top 10 percent nationally for bicycle commuting by residents, according to data from the 2000 Census.
Source: Cleveland Heights Bicycle Coalition
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Domokur Architects, based in Akron since 1979, has expanded into Cleveland via a merger with Tremont-based Michael Augoustidis.
"We like the neighborhood," says Linsey Domokur, who handles business development, "and we like having a Cleveland presence." The new office, at Starkweather and Professor, will house three new hires, including a specialist in the healthcare industry.
The firm's healthcare portfolio includes the Geneva Medical Center addition at University Hospitals, Akron City Hospital's Palliative Care Pavillion and Chardon Surgery Center. The firm has also designed several buildings for the J.M. Smucker Company in Orrville , the Cleveland Metroparks' Canal Way Visitors' Center and the Conneaut Public Library.
Domokur also opened a Chicago office in September.
Source: Domokur
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
"We like the neighborhood," says Linsey Domokur, who handles business development, "and we like having a Cleveland presence." The new office, at Starkweather and Professor, will house three new hires, including a specialist in the healthcare industry.
The firm's healthcare portfolio includes the Geneva Medical Center addition at University Hospitals, Akron City Hospital's Palliative Care Pavillion and Chardon Surgery Center. The firm has also designed several buildings for the J.M. Smucker Company in Orrville , the Cleveland Metroparks' Canal Way Visitors' Center and the Conneaut Public Library.
Domokur also opened a Chicago office in September.
Source: Domokur
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
City governments often get a bad rap. Cleveland's government is
especially vulnerable to dismissal, what with that lingering "mistake
on the lake" thing. But some informed government watchers — at Harvard,
no less — like what they see, at least in terms of the city's
willingness to cooperate with communities in building a better future.
The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, recently recognized the Strategic Investment Initiative (SSI) — a partnership between the non-profit Neighborhood Progress Inc. and the City of Cleveland — as a "Bright Idea." The newly created Bright Ideas program "is designed to recognize and share creative government initiatives around the country with interested public sector, nonprofit, and academic communities."
"My understanding is that this [honor] is fairly unusual," says Walter Wright, Neighborhood Progress's senior program officer. SSI involves the city, but grew out of Neighborhood Progress's work with community development corporations. Today it includes the CDCs in Buckeye, Detroit Shoreway, Ohio City, Slavic Village and five other communities. Neighborhood Progress describes SSI as "a market-driven approach that incorporates a deeper investment in neighborhood planning, a concentration of resources on larger-scale project investments and the introduction of more comprehensive strategies to improving quality of life through green spaces, public art, and neighborhood stabilization strategies."
The Bright Idea designation is "basically an honorific," Wright says. But he welcomes the opportunity to discuss the SSI model with like-minded folks from around the country who will learn of it thanks to the nod from Harvard.
Source: Neighborhood Progress Inc.
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, recently recognized the Strategic Investment Initiative (SSI) — a partnership between the non-profit Neighborhood Progress Inc. and the City of Cleveland — as a "Bright Idea." The newly created Bright Ideas program "is designed to recognize and share creative government initiatives around the country with interested public sector, nonprofit, and academic communities."
"My understanding is that this [honor] is fairly unusual," says Walter Wright, Neighborhood Progress's senior program officer. SSI involves the city, but grew out of Neighborhood Progress's work with community development corporations. Today it includes the CDCs in Buckeye, Detroit Shoreway, Ohio City, Slavic Village and five other communities. Neighborhood Progress describes SSI as "a market-driven approach that incorporates a deeper investment in neighborhood planning, a concentration of resources on larger-scale project investments and the introduction of more comprehensive strategies to improving quality of life through green spaces, public art, and neighborhood stabilization strategies."
The Bright Idea designation is "basically an honorific," Wright says. But he welcomes the opportunity to discuss the SSI model with like-minded folks from around the country who will learn of it thanks to the nod from Harvard.
Source: Neighborhood Progress Inc.
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
"Restoring Properties, Rebuilding Communities," a new report from the Center for Community Progress, cites a Cleveland-based grassroots program as an example for other cities also struggling with widespread property vacancy.
The report, released at the start of last week's national Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference in Cleveland, outlines the longstanding problem, exacerbated in recent years by foreclosures and the recession: Across the country, from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt, homeowner, rental, commercial and industrial vacancy rates are at their highest levels in decades, and still rising. In some places years of progress is coming undone.
But the report also examines some promising approaches, including Cleveland's "neighborhood stabilization team." Representatives from Neighborhood Progress Inc., Case Western Reserve University and ESOP (Empowering and Strengthening Ohio's People) meet regularly with counterparts from 14 community development corporations to share information and coordinate plans.
Neighborhood Progress brings 20 years of experience in community investment and land reuse. ESOP's foreclosure prevention assistance program has become a national model. Case's Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development maintains the NEO CANDO data base, which stores a wide range of data on neighborhoods throughout Northeast Ohio. Combined they provide an invaluable array of resources for the CDCs on the front lines.
"The effort is a comprehensive approach," the report explains, "aimed at both ends of the stabilization challenge – preventing abandonment … and converting abandoned properties for productive use."
"Many cities now recognize that they will not return to their one-time peak populations, nor to their history as manufacturing centers," the report states. "This admission has fundamentally changed how they think about themselves and their future; it has unleashed … a host of creative initiatives that challenge the traditional ideas of city planning and open the door to a new way of thinking about these cities."
Source: Center for Community Progress
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
The report, released at the start of last week's national Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference in Cleveland, outlines the longstanding problem, exacerbated in recent years by foreclosures and the recession: Across the country, from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt, homeowner, rental, commercial and industrial vacancy rates are at their highest levels in decades, and still rising. In some places years of progress is coming undone.
But the report also examines some promising approaches, including Cleveland's "neighborhood stabilization team." Representatives from Neighborhood Progress Inc., Case Western Reserve University and ESOP (Empowering and Strengthening Ohio's People) meet regularly with counterparts from 14 community development corporations to share information and coordinate plans.
Neighborhood Progress brings 20 years of experience in community investment and land reuse. ESOP's foreclosure prevention assistance program has become a national model. Case's Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development maintains the NEO CANDO data base, which stores a wide range of data on neighborhoods throughout Northeast Ohio. Combined they provide an invaluable array of resources for the CDCs on the front lines.
"The effort is a comprehensive approach," the report explains, "aimed at both ends of the stabilization challenge – preventing abandonment … and converting abandoned properties for productive use."
"Many cities now recognize that they will not return to their one-time peak populations, nor to their history as manufacturing centers," the report states. "This admission has fundamentally changed how they think about themselves and their future; it has unleashed … a host of creative initiatives that challenge the traditional ideas of city planning and open the door to a new way of thinking about these cities."
Source: Center for Community Progress
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Danielle DeBoe does not object to the descriptor "retail pioneer," but
notes that her business decisions are guided less by simple dollars and
cents than by a desire to help Cleveland realize its potential. That's
why she's preparing to relocate her jewelry/art/accessories/lifestyle
shop Room Service
from West 65th and Detroit, in the popular Gordon Square Arts District,
to the up-and-coming Ohio City Market District, around West 25th and
Lorain.
"I'm motivated by a challenge," says DeBoe, an Ohio City resident who set up shop in Gordon Square "before anyone knew what it was."
"It isn't just the retail end that drives me," she adds. "I like feeling that I'm helping to move along progress in Cleveland in general."
Few approach that effort as imaginatively as DeBoe does. Her side projects include the Made in the 216 shopping event and Dinner with Strangers, which is like networking only cooler.
Her relocation is part of an ongoing development push led by Ohio City Near West CDC and private developer MRN Ltd. The goal is to build on and expand the growth that's occurred on West 25th north of Lorain Avenue.
"Businesses are meant to serve the community in some way," DeBoe says. "If Room Service can help encourage people to cross over Lorain and shop, I'm willing to give it a go.
Source: Danielle DeBoe
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
"I'm motivated by a challenge," says DeBoe, an Ohio City resident who set up shop in Gordon Square "before anyone knew what it was."
"It isn't just the retail end that drives me," she adds. "I like feeling that I'm helping to move along progress in Cleveland in general."
Few approach that effort as imaginatively as DeBoe does. Her side projects include the Made in the 216 shopping event and Dinner with Strangers, which is like networking only cooler.
Her relocation is part of an ongoing development push led by Ohio City Near West CDC and private developer MRN Ltd. The goal is to build on and expand the growth that's occurred on West 25th north of Lorain Avenue.
"Businesses are meant to serve the community in some way," DeBoe says. "If Room Service can help encourage people to cross over Lorain and shop, I'm willing to give it a go.
Source: Danielle DeBoe
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Last summer, planners in the Cleveland, Akron and Youngstown areas
spent two intense months assembling a consortium of 21 public- and
private-sector entities and applying for a new type of grant available
from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Now the real
work begins.
Last week HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan visited the Cleveland-based offices of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) to announce that the consortium had been awarded $4.25 million dollars available through the Sustainable Communities Initiative. The initiative is part of the Obama administration's Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which seeks to coordinate the efforts of HUD, the EPA and the U.S. Department of Transportation in helping cities rebuild. The Northeast Ohio Consortium for a Regional Plan for Sustainable Development, as the 21-member group is called, was one of 45 chosen for a grant.
The money will allow the consortium to set up and oversee a private nonprofit that will explore ways in which the 12 counties — and nearly 500 municipalities — of the Cleveland, Akron and Youngstown regions can work together, according to Sara Maier, senior planner for NOACA. The three-year study "will give us a tool box of what we can do as a region moving forward," Maier explains. Issues like housing, sustainability, transportation and economic competitiveness, she adds, "don't stop at county lines."
As for the longterm goal, the application stated it thusly: "We envision a "Green City on a Blue Lake.' Over the last decade many factors have converged to make now the optimal time for the 12 counties, four [metropolitan planning organizations] and more than 480 governments in Northeast Ohio to unite for the purpose of planning for sustainable development. It is over the last decade that we have come to accept the reality that our economy is truly regional."
Participants hailing from Cleveland include officials from NOACA, Cuyahoga County, the City of Cleveland, Cleveland State University's Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority and the Fund for Our Economic Future (which organized the application effort).
Consortium members have also pledged more than $2 million in matching grants, exceeding the HUD requirement.
Source: NOACA
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Last week HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan visited the Cleveland-based offices of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) to announce that the consortium had been awarded $4.25 million dollars available through the Sustainable Communities Initiative. The initiative is part of the Obama administration's Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which seeks to coordinate the efforts of HUD, the EPA and the U.S. Department of Transportation in helping cities rebuild. The Northeast Ohio Consortium for a Regional Plan for Sustainable Development, as the 21-member group is called, was one of 45 chosen for a grant.
The money will allow the consortium to set up and oversee a private nonprofit that will explore ways in which the 12 counties — and nearly 500 municipalities — of the Cleveland, Akron and Youngstown regions can work together, according to Sara Maier, senior planner for NOACA. The three-year study "will give us a tool box of what we can do as a region moving forward," Maier explains. Issues like housing, sustainability, transportation and economic competitiveness, she adds, "don't stop at county lines."
As for the longterm goal, the application stated it thusly: "We envision a "Green City on a Blue Lake.' Over the last decade many factors have converged to make now the optimal time for the 12 counties, four [metropolitan planning organizations] and more than 480 governments in Northeast Ohio to unite for the purpose of planning for sustainable development. It is over the last decade that we have come to accept the reality that our economy is truly regional."
Participants hailing from Cleveland include officials from NOACA, Cuyahoga County, the City of Cleveland, Cleveland State University's Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority and the Fund for Our Economic Future (which organized the application effort).
Consortium members have also pledged more than $2 million in matching grants, exceeding the HUD requirement.
Source: NOACA
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Among the many services provided by the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD) is job training and placement for adults. As local manufacturing jobs have dwindled, the board has had to look elsewhere. One solution that seems promising is local farming.
"We're trying to be more entrepreneurial," says spokeswoman Lula Holt Robertson.
The effort began last year with a single farm at East 55th and Stanard. The site, formerly a school, was donated by the city in 2009. Work began in June, with assistance from The Ohio State University Extension. Today 10 CCBDD clients are employed there, plus a manager and employment specialist.
The program has been so successful that the board hopes to establish nine more gardens over the next five years, and develop relationships with local restaurants, as well as farmers' markets.
The next site will be downtown. Cleveland City Council recently approved gardening on City Hall property, near the Free Stamp, thanks to legislation introduced by Councilman Joe Cimperman. Holt Robertson says that to her knowledge the CCBDD is the first entity of its type in the nation to launch an urban farming program.
Source: Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
"We're trying to be more entrepreneurial," says spokeswoman Lula Holt Robertson.
The effort began last year with a single farm at East 55th and Stanard. The site, formerly a school, was donated by the city in 2009. Work began in June, with assistance from The Ohio State University Extension. Today 10 CCBDD clients are employed there, plus a manager and employment specialist.
The program has been so successful that the board hopes to establish nine more gardens over the next five years, and develop relationships with local restaurants, as well as farmers' markets.
The next site will be downtown. Cleveland City Council recently approved gardening on City Hall property, near the Free Stamp, thanks to legislation introduced by Councilman Joe Cimperman. Holt Robertson says that to her knowledge the CCBDD is the first entity of its type in the nation to launch an urban farming program.
Source: Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Neither the departure of LeBron James nor the specter of another losing
Browns season has dampened enthusiasm among restaurateurs to join the
downtown sports-bar scene. The newest member is City Tap, which opens
Friday at 748 Prospect, on the grave of the former Boneyard and Forti's.
Owner Eric Pelham grew up near Norwalk but frequently visited Cleveland for games, and continued to after graduating from Bowling Green State University. His like-named bar in Bowling Green celebrated its first birthday in September, and he plans to replicate that formula here: a sports-bar feel (17 televisions) with restaurant-quality food (fresh-cut fries, handmade burgers, plus the usual wraps, salads and appetizers) and 40 beers.
Located away from "the hubbub of West Sixth," City Tap is the kind of pre-game stop "where you could bring your wife or girlfriend," Pelham explains. The two-and-a-half-month renovation included restoring the original floor and recreating the back-lit bottle display found behind the bar at his first location, but with three times as many bottles.
City Tap will also be open for lunch seven days week.
Source: Eric Pelham
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Owner Eric Pelham grew up near Norwalk but frequently visited Cleveland for games, and continued to after graduating from Bowling Green State University. His like-named bar in Bowling Green celebrated its first birthday in September, and he plans to replicate that formula here: a sports-bar feel (17 televisions) with restaurant-quality food (fresh-cut fries, handmade burgers, plus the usual wraps, salads and appetizers) and 40 beers.
Located away from "the hubbub of West Sixth," City Tap is the kind of pre-game stop "where you could bring your wife or girlfriend," Pelham explains. The two-and-a-half-month renovation included restoring the original floor and recreating the back-lit bottle display found behind the bar at his first location, but with three times as many bottles.
City Tap will also be open for lunch seven days week.
Source: Eric Pelham
Writer: Frank W. Lewis