Inspired by one of Mahatma Ghandi's famous mantras -- "we must become the change we wish to see in the world" -- Open Yoga Gallery, a yoga studio with a mission, will launch this weekend at 4736 Lorain Avenue in Ohio City.
"One of our goals is to get people onto the yoga mat for the first time," says April Arotin, the studio's founder. To that end, Open Yoga offers several classes per week that merely suggest a donation. During the opening weekend, the studio will offer free classes on Saturday from 12-6 p.m., as well as a free workshop for beginners on Sunday.
Open Yoga is a labor of love for Arotin, who lived in San Francisco before she moved back to Cleveland last summer. The studio is located in a storefront that was last used as an antique store -- 10 years ago. Arotin and the friends whom she corralled into helping her spent six months renovating the space.
To cut costs and keep with their green business practices, Arotin reused much of the existing space, cleaning the 1940s tile floor, for instance, rather than replacing it with shiny hardwood planks.
"Ninety percent of the furniture in our space is up-cycled," explains Arotin, meaning that it's been reclaimed from other spaces or purchased from thrift stores and refurbished. In addition, the studio has set an ambitious goal to produce zero waste.
To encourage walking, bicycling and carpooling, Open Yoga offers patrons a chance to win free classes if they choose alternative transportation. The 1,000-square-foot studio also functions as an art gallery, with local artists' work adorning the walls.
Although yoga is not often associated with inner city neighborhoods, Arotin wants to change this. "There's a perception that yoga is only for a specific demographic -- women with a lot of disposable income -- but we want to make it accessible," she says.
After all, yoga is not just about staying healthy and flexible; it's also about unlocking the potential for change. "Yoga helps us move our bodies in a way that we never thought possible," says Arotin, "and that can help us realize our true potential."
Source: April Arotin
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"One of our goals is to get people onto the yoga mat for the first time," says April Arotin, the studio's founder. To that end, Open Yoga offers several classes per week that merely suggest a donation. During the opening weekend, the studio will offer free classes on Saturday from 12-6 p.m., as well as a free workshop for beginners on Sunday.
Open Yoga is a labor of love for Arotin, who lived in San Francisco before she moved back to Cleveland last summer. The studio is located in a storefront that was last used as an antique store -- 10 years ago. Arotin and the friends whom she corralled into helping her spent six months renovating the space.
To cut costs and keep with their green business practices, Arotin reused much of the existing space, cleaning the 1940s tile floor, for instance, rather than replacing it with shiny hardwood planks.
"Ninety percent of the furniture in our space is up-cycled," explains Arotin, meaning that it's been reclaimed from other spaces or purchased from thrift stores and refurbished. In addition, the studio has set an ambitious goal to produce zero waste.
To encourage walking, bicycling and carpooling, Open Yoga offers patrons a chance to win free classes if they choose alternative transportation. The 1,000-square-foot studio also functions as an art gallery, with local artists' work adorning the walls.
Although yoga is not often associated with inner city neighborhoods, Arotin wants to change this. "There's a perception that yoga is only for a specific demographic -- women with a lot of disposable income -- but we want to make it accessible," she says.
After all, yoga is not just about staying healthy and flexible; it's also about unlocking the potential for change. "Yoga helps us move our bodies in a way that we never thought possible," says Arotin, "and that can help us realize our true potential."
Source: April Arotin
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Key Bank will open a new branch in October at Steelyard Commons, adding another retailer to the pioneering Tremont shopping center that debuted in 2007.
The bank will open five new branches and create 30 new jobs in Northeast Ohio during the next 15 months. Key Bank, which is headquartered in downtown Cleveland, cites available real estate, lower costs of construction, and "market disruption" -- the void left by banks that close or reduce services -- as factors driving its expansion. The other four new branches will be in Concord, Lyndhurst, Eastlake and Middleburg Heights.
The new Steelyard branch, scheduled to open in October, has been announced at a time when many competitors have cut branch operations and encouraged customers to bank online. A handful of banks, including Huntington and Key, have bucked the industry trend by expanding hours or opening new branches.
The new branch will be built on one of the last parcels in Steelyard Commons Phase I, says Chris Goodrich, Vice President of Asset Management with First Interstate Properties, the company that owns Steelyard.
"Our retailers are very happy with sales [at Steelyard]," says Goodrich. "While the national retail climate has slowed in the last few years, the environment is changing again as things pick up -- now I'm getting more calls from national retailers."
The key to Steelyard's success has been tapping into Cleveland's underserved market, Goodrich says. He cites the fact that Steelyard required two to three years to reach four million vehicle trips per year, whereas Legacy Village took five years to get to the same level.
The new Key branch will be a stand-alone building whose design incorporates elements of Steelyard's industrial heritage theme. The mall was built on the site of a former steel mill.
First Interstate hopes to start Phase II of Steelyard Commons, which will include an additional 200-250,000 square feet of retail, within the next few years.
Source: Chris Goodrich
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The bank will open five new branches and create 30 new jobs in Northeast Ohio during the next 15 months. Key Bank, which is headquartered in downtown Cleveland, cites available real estate, lower costs of construction, and "market disruption" -- the void left by banks that close or reduce services -- as factors driving its expansion. The other four new branches will be in Concord, Lyndhurst, Eastlake and Middleburg Heights.
The new Steelyard branch, scheduled to open in October, has been announced at a time when many competitors have cut branch operations and encouraged customers to bank online. A handful of banks, including Huntington and Key, have bucked the industry trend by expanding hours or opening new branches.
The new branch will be built on one of the last parcels in Steelyard Commons Phase I, says Chris Goodrich, Vice President of Asset Management with First Interstate Properties, the company that owns Steelyard.
"Our retailers are very happy with sales [at Steelyard]," says Goodrich. "While the national retail climate has slowed in the last few years, the environment is changing again as things pick up -- now I'm getting more calls from national retailers."
The key to Steelyard's success has been tapping into Cleveland's underserved market, Goodrich says. He cites the fact that Steelyard required two to three years to reach four million vehicle trips per year, whereas Legacy Village took five years to get to the same level.
The new Key branch will be a stand-alone building whose design incorporates elements of Steelyard's industrial heritage theme. The mall was built on the site of a former steel mill.
First Interstate hopes to start Phase II of Steelyard Commons, which will include an additional 200-250,000 square feet of retail, within the next few years.
Source: Chris Goodrich
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Skinny houses wedged onto small lots. Church steeples dotting the skyline. Factories and blue-collar taverns. Eastern-European accents heard on the street.
These phrases might call to mind multi-ethnic Cleveland neighborhoods like Tremont, St. Clair-Superior, Collinwood and Slavic Village, but Lakewood?
Ah, but you don't know Birdtown. Lakewood's only "company town" was carved out in the 1890s for employees of the National Carbon Company (now GrafTech). Located off Madison Avenue -- just west of Lakewood's border -- it was named for streets like Robin, Lark and Plover.
Yet in recent years, Lakewood's only historic district has begun looking ragged -- plagued by foreclosed homes, shabby retail, worn-out streets, and a lingering perception the area is unsafe. Two years ago, city planners and residents launched an effort to improve the area, citing its natural assets as a dense, walkable neighborhood just a stone's throw from parks, shopping and highways.
Now the planning effort is bearing fruit. Lakewood will complete the Madison East Birdtown Strategic Plan this month, and is applying for funding to implement improvements, including neighborhood identity signs, street lighting, pedestrian and bicycle safety enhancements, public art and park improvements.
The plan -- which builds upon investments like the new Harrison Elementary School and artist lofts in the Lake Erie Screw Factory building -- coalesced in 2010 when Lakewood was awarded a $62,500 planning grant from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA). The city hired Dimit Architects of Lakewood to complete the plan.
"We'd like to resurface Madison Avenue in 2012 or 2013, and that project will include other streetscape enhancements such as decorative signal poles similar to those installed on Detroit Avenue," says Dru Siley, Assistant Planning Director for the city of Lakewood.
With Dimit applying the final touches to the plan, there's no word yet on whether one creative idea that emerged from the planning will be carried out -- putting birdhouses on streetcorners to function as public art, signage, and yes, feeding stations for actual birds.
Source: Dru Siley
Writer: Lee Chilcote
These phrases might call to mind multi-ethnic Cleveland neighborhoods like Tremont, St. Clair-Superior, Collinwood and Slavic Village, but Lakewood?
Ah, but you don't know Birdtown. Lakewood's only "company town" was carved out in the 1890s for employees of the National Carbon Company (now GrafTech). Located off Madison Avenue -- just west of Lakewood's border -- it was named for streets like Robin, Lark and Plover.
Yet in recent years, Lakewood's only historic district has begun looking ragged -- plagued by foreclosed homes, shabby retail, worn-out streets, and a lingering perception the area is unsafe. Two years ago, city planners and residents launched an effort to improve the area, citing its natural assets as a dense, walkable neighborhood just a stone's throw from parks, shopping and highways.
Now the planning effort is bearing fruit. Lakewood will complete the Madison East Birdtown Strategic Plan this month, and is applying for funding to implement improvements, including neighborhood identity signs, street lighting, pedestrian and bicycle safety enhancements, public art and park improvements.
The plan -- which builds upon investments like the new Harrison Elementary School and artist lofts in the Lake Erie Screw Factory building -- coalesced in 2010 when Lakewood was awarded a $62,500 planning grant from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA). The city hired Dimit Architects of Lakewood to complete the plan.
"We'd like to resurface Madison Avenue in 2012 or 2013, and that project will include other streetscape enhancements such as decorative signal poles similar to those installed on Detroit Avenue," says Dru Siley, Assistant Planning Director for the city of Lakewood.
With Dimit applying the final touches to the plan, there's no word yet on whether one creative idea that emerged from the planning will be carried out -- putting birdhouses on streetcorners to function as public art, signage, and yes, feeding stations for actual birds.
Source: Dru Siley
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Just a few short years ago, Cleveland State University students who wanted a meal before a grueling, four-hour evening class had limited options, meaning if Rascal House pizza wasn't your thing, you were limited to starving.
That was before CSU's master plan, a $300 million initiative to transform its urban campus into a friendlier, more vibrant environment with new student housing, classrooms and retail.
Recently, Jimmy John's opened a sandwich shop at 1938 Euclid Avenue in the "collegetown" block of campus (Euclid between E. 18th and the Innerbelt). And Moe's Southwest Grill is banging out a new franchise in the storefront next door.
"Due to the building's location in the heart of CSU's campus, with a growing student body, tenants expressed a lot of interest in leasing storefronts despite the slow economy," said Damon Taseff, a principal at Allegro Realty Advisors, the firm that purchased and renovated the property. "They viewed it as a no-brainer because of CSU's investment in the area."
He adds that CSU, like other urban universities, is wisely using its clout to redevelop the area. CSU's investment is one of the reasons why Allegro Realty Advisors decided last year to move their headquarters to the second floor of 1938 Euclid, Taseff says.
"Five years ago, we probably would not have bought the building," Taseff says. "The investment along the Euclid Corridor by the City, RTA and Cleveland State University has fundamentally changed the area."
Source: Damon Taseff
Writer: Lee Chilcote
That was before CSU's master plan, a $300 million initiative to transform its urban campus into a friendlier, more vibrant environment with new student housing, classrooms and retail.
Recently, Jimmy John's opened a sandwich shop at 1938 Euclid Avenue in the "collegetown" block of campus (Euclid between E. 18th and the Innerbelt). And Moe's Southwest Grill is banging out a new franchise in the storefront next door.
"Due to the building's location in the heart of CSU's campus, with a growing student body, tenants expressed a lot of interest in leasing storefronts despite the slow economy," said Damon Taseff, a principal at Allegro Realty Advisors, the firm that purchased and renovated the property. "They viewed it as a no-brainer because of CSU's investment in the area."
He adds that CSU, like other urban universities, is wisely using its clout to redevelop the area. CSU's investment is one of the reasons why Allegro Realty Advisors decided last year to move their headquarters to the second floor of 1938 Euclid, Taseff says.
"Five years ago, we probably would not have bought the building," Taseff says. "The investment along the Euclid Corridor by the City, RTA and Cleveland State University has fundamentally changed the area."
Source: Damon Taseff
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Damon Taseff's job is scouring Northeast Ohio's commercial real estate market to find the best deals for his clients. So it's no surprise that as he began looking for a new headquarters for his own company, Allegro Realty Advisors, he knew exactly what he wanted.
He rattles off the list with ease: "A downtown building that is unique, close to highways, with parking, in a place you could get in and out of easily and within walking distance to other downtown areas."
The desired criteria made for a short list. Literally. "We were looking for a unique work environment for our employees and to recruit talent. There were only a handful of options," says Taseff, a principal at Allegro, the largest exclusive tenant representation company based in Ohio.
That's when Taseff and his team discovered the former Morse Graphic Arts building at 1938 Euclid Avenue, which is located on the Euclid Corridor and in Cleveland State University's "collegetown" block (Euclid Ave. between E. 18th and the Innerbelt). The two-story, 15,000-square-foot building had what Allegro wanted: convenience in a vibrant, walkable, urban neighborhood.
In October, Allegro moved its headquarters from Independence to downtown Cleveland. Allegro's offices are located in a modern, 5,000-square-foot space on the second floor of the building, while the first floor houses three new storefronts. In total, 28 new full-time employees now call the building "home."
The structure had been vacant for several years and was "unusable" when Allegro purchased it, Taseff says. Allegro restored the terra cotta facade, replaced the windows, and developed a new western facade that includes a second-floor balcony. The firm also gutted the interior of the building, renovating it to modern standards.
The project, which was granted a Vacant Properties Initiative loan from the City of Cleveland, also benefited from Cleveland State University's purchase of the building to the west. CSU tore the structure down and created a park that is an oasis of green space, complete with walkway that threads together the disparate, urban campus.
Taseff says Allegro moved their headquarters downtown because it's more convenient for their employees and clients, and the firm wants to be part of the city's redevelopment. "We work on many projects for downtown clients and occasionally also work for the city," he says. "We felt that having our presence downtown would speak to our commitment to the city core and the things happening here."
Source: Damon Taseff
Writer: Lee Chilcote
He rattles off the list with ease: "A downtown building that is unique, close to highways, with parking, in a place you could get in and out of easily and within walking distance to other downtown areas."
The desired criteria made for a short list. Literally. "We were looking for a unique work environment for our employees and to recruit talent. There were only a handful of options," says Taseff, a principal at Allegro, the largest exclusive tenant representation company based in Ohio.
That's when Taseff and his team discovered the former Morse Graphic Arts building at 1938 Euclid Avenue, which is located on the Euclid Corridor and in Cleveland State University's "collegetown" block (Euclid Ave. between E. 18th and the Innerbelt). The two-story, 15,000-square-foot building had what Allegro wanted: convenience in a vibrant, walkable, urban neighborhood.
In October, Allegro moved its headquarters from Independence to downtown Cleveland. Allegro's offices are located in a modern, 5,000-square-foot space on the second floor of the building, while the first floor houses three new storefronts. In total, 28 new full-time employees now call the building "home."
The structure had been vacant for several years and was "unusable" when Allegro purchased it, Taseff says. Allegro restored the terra cotta facade, replaced the windows, and developed a new western facade that includes a second-floor balcony. The firm also gutted the interior of the building, renovating it to modern standards.
The project, which was granted a Vacant Properties Initiative loan from the City of Cleveland, also benefited from Cleveland State University's purchase of the building to the west. CSU tore the structure down and created a park that is an oasis of green space, complete with walkway that threads together the disparate, urban campus.
Taseff says Allegro moved their headquarters downtown because it's more convenient for their employees and clients, and the firm wants to be part of the city's redevelopment. "We work on many projects for downtown clients and occasionally also work for the city," he says. "We felt that having our presence downtown would speak to our commitment to the city core and the things happening here."
Source: Damon Taseff
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Flaming Ice Cube. When this strange moniker debuted on a downtown storefront in July, the phrase alone was buzzworthy.
No, it's not a new superhero or Cirque du Soleil act. It's a restaurant in downtown Cleveland. Located in the Park Building on Public Square, Flaming Ice Cube (aka the Cube), is a tasty new vegan restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Yet the Cube didn't just one day appear in a puff of smoke, if you will. The opening was the result of careful planning and plotted enticement by two downtown residents, Robert Carillio and Jesse Howells, whose family owns the Park Building. The pair contacted the café's owners, who opened the original location in Boardman, Ohio, and recruited them to open a second location in Cleveland.
And Howells and Carillio didn't meet by accident either. They're both recent grads of the City Advocates program, an effort by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA) to engage young professionals in the revitalization of downtown.
"The Flaming Ice Cube was one of Robert's favorite Youngstown restaurants, and when he met Jesse through the City Advocates program, they contacted the café and sold them on opening a downtown location," explains Laura Kushnick, Development and Community Relations Manager for DCA. So far, more than 40 people have graduated from the program.
Here's how it works. For two years, City Advocates attend monthly meetings and take on a project that will advance downtown. When they emerge from the program, they are skilled community leaders.
Besides recruiting new retailers, DCA's City Advocates have created YouTube marketing videos, are developing a free bus loop to connect entertainment districts in the summer, and are working with the city to create a dog park in the central business district."
Currently, the City Advocate program is seeking new applicants. For information, visit the DCA website or contact Laura Kushnick. The deadline is Feb. 21st.
Source: Laura Kushnick
Writer: Lee Chilcote
No, it's not a new superhero or Cirque du Soleil act. It's a restaurant in downtown Cleveland. Located in the Park Building on Public Square, Flaming Ice Cube (aka the Cube), is a tasty new vegan restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Yet the Cube didn't just one day appear in a puff of smoke, if you will. The opening was the result of careful planning and plotted enticement by two downtown residents, Robert Carillio and Jesse Howells, whose family owns the Park Building. The pair contacted the café's owners, who opened the original location in Boardman, Ohio, and recruited them to open a second location in Cleveland.
And Howells and Carillio didn't meet by accident either. They're both recent grads of the City Advocates program, an effort by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA) to engage young professionals in the revitalization of downtown.
"The Flaming Ice Cube was one of Robert's favorite Youngstown restaurants, and when he met Jesse through the City Advocates program, they contacted the café and sold them on opening a downtown location," explains Laura Kushnick, Development and Community Relations Manager for DCA. So far, more than 40 people have graduated from the program.
Here's how it works. For two years, City Advocates attend monthly meetings and take on a project that will advance downtown. When they emerge from the program, they are skilled community leaders.
Besides recruiting new retailers, DCA's City Advocates have created YouTube marketing videos, are developing a free bus loop to connect entertainment districts in the summer, and are working with the city to create a dog park in the central business district."
Currently, the City Advocate program is seeking new applicants. For information, visit the DCA website or contact Laura Kushnick. The deadline is Feb. 21st.
Source: Laura Kushnick
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The controversy over the proposed Oakwood Commons development reinforces the need for Cleveland Heights to plan for future development, says a local nonprofit leader.
"We're being forced to react to the developer's plan because the city of Cleveland Heights does not have a plan," says Deanna Bremer Fisher, Executive Director of FutureHeights, a nonprofit that promotes community engagement in Cleveland Heights.
"I understand the need for additional tax revenue in our city, but we need to look at a highest-and-best-use study of the development site before proceeding," she adds.
The city of Cleveland Heights updated its Strategic Development Plan in 2010 for the first time in 17 years. The plan recommends that the city pursue economic development to expand its tax base, which has declined recently due to lower home values, foreclosed homes, and lack of new development. The Strategic Development Plan also recommends that the city study the feasibility of producing a land use Master Plan.
Richard Wong, the Planning Director for the city of Cleveland Heights, says that the city has no position on Oakwood Commons because a proposal has not yet been brought to the city. However, the city's 2010 Strategic Development Plan states that "redevelopment [of the Oakwood site] for big box commercial uses was strongly opposed by residents in the past and should not be considered."
The plan adds that land and buildings north of Oakwood Country Club to Mayfield Road should be considered as part of any development plan. This suggests that the city may try to leverage the project to stimulate redevelopment of the older retail area at Warrensville and Mayfield Roads.
First Interstate Properties, the developer of the proposed 154-acre, mixed-use shopping center on the site of the former Oakwood Country Club, recently purchased the portion of the property that is in South Euclid. The Severance Neighborhood Organization, a local citizens group, has questioned the need for additional retail in the area. South Euclid officials have expressed support for the project, arguing that the city needs new retail development and tax revenue.
Mitchell Schneider, President of First Interstate Properties, has an option to purchase the Cleveland Heights portion of Oakwood. Both properties require a zoning change to be developed as retail. Schneider says he hopes to win Cleveland Heights' approval, but that he could develop the South Euclid property alone if the city refuses.
Sources: Deanna Bremer Fisher, Richard Wong, Mitchell Schneider
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"We're being forced to react to the developer's plan because the city of Cleveland Heights does not have a plan," says Deanna Bremer Fisher, Executive Director of FutureHeights, a nonprofit that promotes community engagement in Cleveland Heights.
"I understand the need for additional tax revenue in our city, but we need to look at a highest-and-best-use study of the development site before proceeding," she adds.
The city of Cleveland Heights updated its Strategic Development Plan in 2010 for the first time in 17 years. The plan recommends that the city pursue economic development to expand its tax base, which has declined recently due to lower home values, foreclosed homes, and lack of new development. The Strategic Development Plan also recommends that the city study the feasibility of producing a land use Master Plan.
Richard Wong, the Planning Director for the city of Cleveland Heights, says that the city has no position on Oakwood Commons because a proposal has not yet been brought to the city. However, the city's 2010 Strategic Development Plan states that "redevelopment [of the Oakwood site] for big box commercial uses was strongly opposed by residents in the past and should not be considered."
The plan adds that land and buildings north of Oakwood Country Club to Mayfield Road should be considered as part of any development plan. This suggests that the city may try to leverage the project to stimulate redevelopment of the older retail area at Warrensville and Mayfield Roads.
First Interstate Properties, the developer of the proposed 154-acre, mixed-use shopping center on the site of the former Oakwood Country Club, recently purchased the portion of the property that is in South Euclid. The Severance Neighborhood Organization, a local citizens group, has questioned the need for additional retail in the area. South Euclid officials have expressed support for the project, arguing that the city needs new retail development and tax revenue.
Mitchell Schneider, President of First Interstate Properties, has an option to purchase the Cleveland Heights portion of Oakwood. Both properties require a zoning change to be developed as retail. Schneider says he hopes to win Cleveland Heights' approval, but that he could develop the South Euclid property alone if the city refuses.
Sources: Deanna Bremer Fisher, Richard Wong, Mitchell Schneider
Writer: Lee Chilcote
This year, Cleveland film buffs will have an even better excuse to take the week off to watch movies at the 2011 Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF).
For the first time in its 35 year history, CIFF is leasing all 11 theaters at Tower City Cinemas in Tower City Center. The expansion will accommodate the growing number of ticket-holders during the 11-day event, which will be held this year from March 24th through April 3rd.
Have you been looking forward this winter to spending one of Cleveland's bleakest months watching movies for 10 hours a day? This year, you'll have even more chances to catch your favorite flicks, says Patrick Shepherd, Associate Director of the Cleveland Film Society (CFS), the nonprofit that organizes the festival.
CIFF attendance and film entries have more than doubled since 2003, Shepherd says, providing the requisite market demand to justify leasing all 11 theaters in Tower City Cinemas. Last year's record turnout of 71,500 admissions made it possible to offer more showings of sell-out films.
"Last year, we sold a record number of stand-by tickets," Shepherd explains. "We're not increasing the number of films we're showing -- instead, we're expanding our capacity by offering more screenings, and by showing sell-out films in two theatres at once."
CIFF program guides will be available throughout Northeast Ohio during the week of February 28th. Tickets will go on sale to CIFF members on Friday, March 4th. Non-members can purchase tickets beginning on Friday, March 11th.
On top of offering patrons a chance to see films from around the world, the CIFF provides a boost to downtown Cleveland. "We are increasing our already significant economic impact on downtown," Shepherd says.
Source: Patrick Shepherd
Writer: Lee Chilcote
For the first time in its 35 year history, CIFF is leasing all 11 theaters at Tower City Cinemas in Tower City Center. The expansion will accommodate the growing number of ticket-holders during the 11-day event, which will be held this year from March 24th through April 3rd.
Have you been looking forward this winter to spending one of Cleveland's bleakest months watching movies for 10 hours a day? This year, you'll have even more chances to catch your favorite flicks, says Patrick Shepherd, Associate Director of the Cleveland Film Society (CFS), the nonprofit that organizes the festival.
CIFF attendance and film entries have more than doubled since 2003, Shepherd says, providing the requisite market demand to justify leasing all 11 theaters in Tower City Cinemas. Last year's record turnout of 71,500 admissions made it possible to offer more showings of sell-out films.
"Last year, we sold a record number of stand-by tickets," Shepherd explains. "We're not increasing the number of films we're showing -- instead, we're expanding our capacity by offering more screenings, and by showing sell-out films in two theatres at once."
CIFF program guides will be available throughout Northeast Ohio during the week of February 28th. Tickets will go on sale to CIFF members on Friday, March 4th. Non-members can purchase tickets beginning on Friday, March 11th.
On top of offering patrons a chance to see films from around the world, the CIFF provides a boost to downtown Cleveland. "We are increasing our already significant economic impact on downtown," Shepherd says.
Source: Patrick Shepherd
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Downtown Cleveland is ripe for new retail development. That's the message being conveyed by two local entrepreneurs who will open Dredgers Union, a 4,500 square foot apparel and home-goods store on East 4th Street in June of this year.
One part mall alternative, one part purveyor of urban chic, Dredgers Union will sell private-label men's and women's clothing, made-to-measure suits and dress shirts, kitchen and home items, and clothing brands that are new to Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. It will be located in a former department store building at 2043 East 4th Street.
The store is being founded by two local entrepreneurs, Danielle DeBoe and Sean Bilovecky. DeBoe is the creator of Room Service, a popular boutique that originally opened in the Gordon Square Arts District in 2007. Seizing growth opportunities even in a down market, DeBoe moved her shop this past fall to a larger storefront on West 25th Street in Ohio City. DeBoe also created "Made in the 216," a popular event that showcases local artists and designers.
Bilovecky is a clothing designer who created Wrath Arcane, a mens-wear label that gained a devoted following and distribution deals before it folded. Faced with a dwindling number of buyers due to the recession, Bilovecky shut down the label in October. He plans to create a new private label clothing line for Dredgers Union.
Downtown department stores may be a thing of the past, yet DeBoe believes her store will offer an edgy alternative to bland big box stores that will lure shoppers to downtown again. "Retail today is so homogenized," she says. "At the same time, people are increasingly cognizant of local, independent stores because we offer something different."
She hopes Dredgers Union will start a trend that revives downtown retail. "People are not trained to come downtown for retail," she says. "We have to reeducate them."
Source: Danielle DeBoe
Writer: Lee Chilcote
One part mall alternative, one part purveyor of urban chic, Dredgers Union will sell private-label men's and women's clothing, made-to-measure suits and dress shirts, kitchen and home items, and clothing brands that are new to Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. It will be located in a former department store building at 2043 East 4th Street.
The store is being founded by two local entrepreneurs, Danielle DeBoe and Sean Bilovecky. DeBoe is the creator of Room Service, a popular boutique that originally opened in the Gordon Square Arts District in 2007. Seizing growth opportunities even in a down market, DeBoe moved her shop this past fall to a larger storefront on West 25th Street in Ohio City. DeBoe also created "Made in the 216," a popular event that showcases local artists and designers.
Bilovecky is a clothing designer who created Wrath Arcane, a mens-wear label that gained a devoted following and distribution deals before it folded. Faced with a dwindling number of buyers due to the recession, Bilovecky shut down the label in October. He plans to create a new private label clothing line for Dredgers Union.
Downtown department stores may be a thing of the past, yet DeBoe believes her store will offer an edgy alternative to bland big box stores that will lure shoppers to downtown again. "Retail today is so homogenized," she says. "At the same time, people are increasingly cognizant of local, independent stores because we offer something different."
She hopes Dredgers Union will start a trend that revives downtown retail. "People are not trained to come downtown for retail," she says. "We have to reeducate them."
Source: Danielle DeBoe
Writer: Lee Chilcote
A temporary gallery that was launched last year by the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) has extended its lease for the spring semester. The Visual Arts and Technology Center, dubbed "the Coventry Center" because of its location in a long-empty storefront on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights, will enhance CIA's connections off-campus, its founder says.
"Many of our students live in the area, and Coventry has a long history of arts involvement," says Saul Ostrow, Chair of the Visual Arts and Technologies Department. "One of our goals is to bring the arts out of their academic environment, and to offer a resource for the community."
The center also shows CIA's commitment to expanding its campus boundaries and giving students opportunities to create art in a real world setting, says Ostrow. "We want to go beyond gallery walls and build ties with the community," he says.
On Friday, February 18th from 7-9 pm, the center, which is located at 1854 Coventry Road, will host a poetry and storytelling slam as part of "Cleveland Stories," a partnership between the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative and CIA's Reinberger Galleries that seeks to "investigate the real and imagined history of Cleveland."
Future gallery events will include open studios, sidewalk art shows, and an exhibit of Cleveland charter school students' artwork to be curated by CIA students. The center will be open Friday-Sunday beginning in February.
Those who are interested in contributing urban histories -- real or imagined -- to the Cleveland Stories project can visit http://www.cudc.kent.edu for guidelines.
Source: Saul Ostrow
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"Many of our students live in the area, and Coventry has a long history of arts involvement," says Saul Ostrow, Chair of the Visual Arts and Technologies Department. "One of our goals is to bring the arts out of their academic environment, and to offer a resource for the community."
The center also shows CIA's commitment to expanding its campus boundaries and giving students opportunities to create art in a real world setting, says Ostrow. "We want to go beyond gallery walls and build ties with the community," he says.
On Friday, February 18th from 7-9 pm, the center, which is located at 1854 Coventry Road, will host a poetry and storytelling slam as part of "Cleveland Stories," a partnership between the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative and CIA's Reinberger Galleries that seeks to "investigate the real and imagined history of Cleveland."
Future gallery events will include open studios, sidewalk art shows, and an exhibit of Cleveland charter school students' artwork to be curated by CIA students. The center will be open Friday-Sunday beginning in February.
Those who are interested in contributing urban histories -- real or imagined -- to the Cleveland Stories project can visit http://www.cudc.kent.edu for guidelines.
Source: Saul Ostrow
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Joe Miceli has deep roots in the Cleveland east side neighborhood where Miceli Dairy Products, a 62-year-old cheese producer, is located. In fact, he grew up on East 90th Street in a house that was torn down in 1963 to make room for the expanding company.
Now the company is growing again, and Miceli is planting deeper roots in the neighborhood -- while adding 60 new jobs to the city's tax base. The company has secured financing for a $16-20 million expansion that is scheduled to break ground this year.
"Some people think of this neighborhood as lost or forgotten, but we don't agree," says Miceli. "This is an ideal location -- one mile from the Cleveland Clinic, close to highways and downtown and not far from where the Opportunity Corridor is being planned."
Miceli Dairy Products is located on East 90th Street off of Buckeye Road in an area that has often been dubbed "The Forgotten Triangle" because of its high levels of poverty, vast tracts of vacant land, and lack of new business development.
Expansion might seem simple enough given the proliferation of vacant land, yet part of the site is a polluted brown field. Despite a raft of challenges and being courted by other communities, Miceli chose to stay.
In January, the Small Business Administration awarded Miceli a $5.49 million loan through its 504 program, which helps small businesses with plant and equipment expansion. The loan is the largest in the SBA program's history. Additional funding will come from Cleveland banks. Miceli is now conducting tests on the brown field site.
The project's first phase will be complete by 2012, enabling the 138-employee company to double its production of ricotta, one of the cheeses it ships to grocery stores nationwide. The second phase, to be completed a few years later, will include a new mozzarella and provolone factory and a facility to transform waste from the cheese-manufacturing process into energy.
Source: Joe Miceli
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Now the company is growing again, and Miceli is planting deeper roots in the neighborhood -- while adding 60 new jobs to the city's tax base. The company has secured financing for a $16-20 million expansion that is scheduled to break ground this year.
"Some people think of this neighborhood as lost or forgotten, but we don't agree," says Miceli. "This is an ideal location -- one mile from the Cleveland Clinic, close to highways and downtown and not far from where the Opportunity Corridor is being planned."
Miceli Dairy Products is located on East 90th Street off of Buckeye Road in an area that has often been dubbed "The Forgotten Triangle" because of its high levels of poverty, vast tracts of vacant land, and lack of new business development.
Expansion might seem simple enough given the proliferation of vacant land, yet part of the site is a polluted brown field. Despite a raft of challenges and being courted by other communities, Miceli chose to stay.
In January, the Small Business Administration awarded Miceli a $5.49 million loan through its 504 program, which helps small businesses with plant and equipment expansion. The loan is the largest in the SBA program's history. Additional funding will come from Cleveland banks. Miceli is now conducting tests on the brown field site.
The project's first phase will be complete by 2012, enabling the 138-employee company to double its production of ricotta, one of the cheeses it ships to grocery stores nationwide. The second phase, to be completed a few years later, will include a new mozzarella and provolone factory and a facility to transform waste from the cheese-manufacturing process into energy.
Source: Joe Miceli
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Flats has often been called the birthplace of Cleveland. Soon, it will gain a new tagline when it's reborn as the city's first green-certified neighborhood.
The Wolstein Group and Fairmount Properties, co-developers of the Flats East Bank project, are using sustainable building practices in the $272 million project, which broke ground in December. The project's financing dried up in 2008, but the developers revived the deal, cobbling together more than 35 public and private funding sources. The first phase will include an office tower, hotel, retail and 14-acre riverfront park.
Last year, the U.S. Green Building Council certified that the project had met Phase I criteria for Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND). LEED is considered to be the national standard for sustainable design.
"Early on, the developers committed to pursue LEED Neighborhood status, and also a green-built project," says Justin Glanville, Project Director for Building Cleveland by Design (BCBD), a collaboration of two nonprofits, ParkWorks and Cleveland Public Art, to inject more thoughtful design into prominent building projects in Cleveland.
"This is the direction the market is headed," adds Glanville. "Prospective tenants asked the developers about energy-efficient design because it lowers occupancy costs."
The Flats East Bank project meets LEED-ND criteria by incorporating LEED-certified buildings, energy-efficient lighting fixtures, the use of recycled content in building materials, roof gardens, reduced water use, and a reduced parking footprint. It also gets points for compact development, connection to the river and brown field remediation.
BCBD states that Cleveland is fourth in the U.S. in the number of projects seeking LEED-ND certification. The developers hired BCBD to complete the certification process.
Source: Justin Glanville
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Wolstein Group and Fairmount Properties, co-developers of the Flats East Bank project, are using sustainable building practices in the $272 million project, which broke ground in December. The project's financing dried up in 2008, but the developers revived the deal, cobbling together more than 35 public and private funding sources. The first phase will include an office tower, hotel, retail and 14-acre riverfront park.
Last year, the U.S. Green Building Council certified that the project had met Phase I criteria for Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND). LEED is considered to be the national standard for sustainable design.
"Early on, the developers committed to pursue LEED Neighborhood status, and also a green-built project," says Justin Glanville, Project Director for Building Cleveland by Design (BCBD), a collaboration of two nonprofits, ParkWorks and Cleveland Public Art, to inject more thoughtful design into prominent building projects in Cleveland.
"This is the direction the market is headed," adds Glanville. "Prospective tenants asked the developers about energy-efficient design because it lowers occupancy costs."
The Flats East Bank project meets LEED-ND criteria by incorporating LEED-certified buildings, energy-efficient lighting fixtures, the use of recycled content in building materials, roof gardens, reduced water use, and a reduced parking footprint. It also gets points for compact development, connection to the river and brown field remediation.
BCBD states that Cleveland is fourth in the U.S. in the number of projects seeking LEED-ND certification. The developers hired BCBD to complete the certification process.
Source: Justin Glanville
Writer: Lee Chilcote
If South Euclid's Green Neighborhoods Initiative were a reality TV show, it would be called "Extreme Bungalow Makeover." The suburb has now completed renovations on two previously bank-owned bungalows. In December, the city hosted an open house to showcase the dwellings to buyers looking for a low-maintenance lifestyle.
"The city realized it has aging housing stock that doesn't make sense in today's marketplace, and wanted to do something," says Joe Del Re, New Business Development Manager for Home Again Homes, the company that rehabbed the properties.
Historically a quiet, tucked-away suburb known for its ubiquitous bungalows, South Euclid has been hit hard by the mortgage crisis and is saddled with 600 vacant homes. The Green Neighborhoods Initiative, launched in 2010, targets two areas pocked by empty properties. South Euclid plans to rehab 10 foreclosures by the end of 2011.
To make the project possible, the city applied for and was awarded a grant of almost $1 million from the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program and the Vacant Residential Property Fund of the First Suburbs Development Council. "The city put more into the rehab than the homes sell for," explains Del Re. "Grant funding helps cover the gap."
The city hopes the bungalows, priced at $129,900, will prove attractive to condo buyers and empty nesters. Features include first floor bedrooms, modern floor plans, high-efficiency furnaces, whole house insulation and Energy Star appliances. To qualify, buyers must meet income guidelines of 120% of Average Median Income -- about $70,000 for a family of four. South Euclid is also offering $10,000 down payment assistance.
Despite the hooks, the houses haven't sold. "It's a tough market and we haven't seen traction so far," says Del Re. "I expect things to get a little better in 2011."
Source: Joe Del Re
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"The city realized it has aging housing stock that doesn't make sense in today's marketplace, and wanted to do something," says Joe Del Re, New Business Development Manager for Home Again Homes, the company that rehabbed the properties.
Historically a quiet, tucked-away suburb known for its ubiquitous bungalows, South Euclid has been hit hard by the mortgage crisis and is saddled with 600 vacant homes. The Green Neighborhoods Initiative, launched in 2010, targets two areas pocked by empty properties. South Euclid plans to rehab 10 foreclosures by the end of 2011.
To make the project possible, the city applied for and was awarded a grant of almost $1 million from the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program and the Vacant Residential Property Fund of the First Suburbs Development Council. "The city put more into the rehab than the homes sell for," explains Del Re. "Grant funding helps cover the gap."
The city hopes the bungalows, priced at $129,900, will prove attractive to condo buyers and empty nesters. Features include first floor bedrooms, modern floor plans, high-efficiency furnaces, whole house insulation and Energy Star appliances. To qualify, buyers must meet income guidelines of 120% of Average Median Income -- about $70,000 for a family of four. South Euclid is also offering $10,000 down payment assistance.
Despite the hooks, the houses haven't sold. "It's a tough market and we haven't seen traction so far," says Del Re. "I expect things to get a little better in 2011."
Source: Joe Del Re
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Alex Tapie has always wanted to open an art gallery, the kind of space that provides young, emerging artists with an opportunity to show their work to an audience.
"I wanted to create a space that was interactive and that would demystify the art experience," says Tapie, a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art. "A collective gallery, studio and venue space."
She mentioned the idea to fellow artists Brian Straw, Dan Price and Suzanne Cofer. "We all clicked creatively," Tapie says. Survival Kit art gallery was born.
The gallery opened with a bang in December, attracting over 200 people to its first show. Rotating exhibits and events, including music and craft fairs, are planned for 2011. On Friday and Saturday, Jan. 21-22, Survival Kit will host the 4th Coast Pop Up Market, an exhibit by local artists, designers and vendors that features art, vintage clothing and music.
Getting to this point wasn't easy, say the owners. To turn vision into reality, Tapie and her cohorts first had to find a space. They stumbled upon the perfect location, a 4,500-square-foot space in the 78th Street Studios, a hub for arts-related businesses in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, which Tapie labels "a great arts community."
The problem was that the space was "trashed." Tapie talked the landlord into letting her fix it up in exchange for cheap -- even free -- rent. The artists spent five months cleaning trash and debris, scraping tile, painting floors and building walls.
As for the name, Tapie says it's fitting because the gallery is a creative lifeline for young artists seeking community here. "We started joking around that this project was our survival kit -- that we could survive collectively," Tapie says. "The name just fit." And stuck.
Source: Alex Tapie
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"I wanted to create a space that was interactive and that would demystify the art experience," says Tapie, a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art. "A collective gallery, studio and venue space."
She mentioned the idea to fellow artists Brian Straw, Dan Price and Suzanne Cofer. "We all clicked creatively," Tapie says. Survival Kit art gallery was born.
The gallery opened with a bang in December, attracting over 200 people to its first show. Rotating exhibits and events, including music and craft fairs, are planned for 2011. On Friday and Saturday, Jan. 21-22, Survival Kit will host the 4th Coast Pop Up Market, an exhibit by local artists, designers and vendors that features art, vintage clothing and music.
Getting to this point wasn't easy, say the owners. To turn vision into reality, Tapie and her cohorts first had to find a space. They stumbled upon the perfect location, a 4,500-square-foot space in the 78th Street Studios, a hub for arts-related businesses in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, which Tapie labels "a great arts community."
The problem was that the space was "trashed." Tapie talked the landlord into letting her fix it up in exchange for cheap -- even free -- rent. The artists spent five months cleaning trash and debris, scraping tile, painting floors and building walls.
As for the name, Tapie says it's fitting because the gallery is a creative lifeline for young artists seeking community here. "We started joking around that this project was our survival kit -- that we could survive collectively," Tapie says. "The name just fit." And stuck.
Source: Alex Tapie
Writer: Lee Chilcote
When it comes to retail, how much is too much? That's the question being raised by residents who live near the former Oakwood Country Club, a 154-acre parcel where First Interstate Properties proposes to build a shopping mall that would rival nearby Legacy Village in size.
"There are moribund, vacant retail areas all over the Heights, so why do we need another mall?" asks Fran Mentch, president of the Severance Neighborhood Organization (SNO), a Cleveland Heights-based neighborhood group. "It would be one thing if the project added value, but this would only hurt existing stores."
Oakwood Commons, as the proposal is called, is a mixed-use lifestyle center on Warrensville Center Road. The retail portion of the development would be 63 acres and include a mixture of large big-box stores, smaller shops and restaurants. The developer also wants to preserve nearly half of the property by giving it to Cleveland Heights and South Euclid to create a park.
"This densely populated area is underserved by national retailers," counters First Interstate president Mitchell Schneider, "and there is more demand than can be accommodated by University Square, Severance and Cedar Center." His development would include stores that are new to the area. And because "investment begets investment," he explains, it would also lead to improvements in older retail areas.
According to a 2007 study completed by professor James Kastelic of Cleveland State University's Levin College of Urban Affairs, Northeast Ohio has a retail surplus of just over 22 million square feet. Between 2000 and 2007, the study shows, Cuyahoga County's population declined by 6% while its retail space grew by 5%.
According to Kastelic, a Senior Park Planner with the Cleveland Metroparks, new retail could only be successful by luring customers from existing areas. Because the region is not growing, he stresses, "It would cut the pie into more pieces" rather than add value.
Schneider takes issue with Kastelic's study. "Much of that retail is functionally obsolescent," he says. "When it comes to national retailers, Northeast Ohio is not over-retailed. We have fewer square feet per capita than many other metro areas."
Source: Fran Mentch; James Kastelic
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"There are moribund, vacant retail areas all over the Heights, so why do we need another mall?" asks Fran Mentch, president of the Severance Neighborhood Organization (SNO), a Cleveland Heights-based neighborhood group. "It would be one thing if the project added value, but this would only hurt existing stores."
Oakwood Commons, as the proposal is called, is a mixed-use lifestyle center on Warrensville Center Road. The retail portion of the development would be 63 acres and include a mixture of large big-box stores, smaller shops and restaurants. The developer also wants to preserve nearly half of the property by giving it to Cleveland Heights and South Euclid to create a park.
"This densely populated area is underserved by national retailers," counters First Interstate president Mitchell Schneider, "and there is more demand than can be accommodated by University Square, Severance and Cedar Center." His development would include stores that are new to the area. And because "investment begets investment," he explains, it would also lead to improvements in older retail areas.
According to a 2007 study completed by professor James Kastelic of Cleveland State University's Levin College of Urban Affairs, Northeast Ohio has a retail surplus of just over 22 million square feet. Between 2000 and 2007, the study shows, Cuyahoga County's population declined by 6% while its retail space grew by 5%.
According to Kastelic, a Senior Park Planner with the Cleveland Metroparks, new retail could only be successful by luring customers from existing areas. Because the region is not growing, he stresses, "It would cut the pie into more pieces" rather than add value.
Schneider takes issue with Kastelic's study. "Much of that retail is functionally obsolescent," he says. "When it comes to national retailers, Northeast Ohio is not over-retailed. We have fewer square feet per capita than many other metro areas."
Source: Fran Mentch; James Kastelic
Writer: Lee Chilcote
What soul food restaurants lack in ambiance, they often make up for in good, down-home cuisine -- the modest digs are part of the charm and lend authenticity to the tried-and-true menus of chicken and biscuits, greens, and mac and cheese.
Yet Zanzibar Soul Fusion, a new restaurant now open at Shaker Square, is no ordinary soul food joint. The new hotspot offers soul food with a twist, dishing out traditional southern comforts in the atmosphere of an upscale lounge.
"We offer a foundation of soul food fused with other popular food items from different ethnic groups," says owner Akin Affrica. "It's Southern comfort food for the masses."
Affrica, a third-generation restaurant owner whose family also owns Angie's Soul Café, says that soul food fans will recognize the scratch cooking, traditional recipes and fresh ingredients, but will be surprised by the fresh, unusual take on soul food.
Instead of artichoke and spinach dip, for instance, chef Tony Fortner substitutes collard greens. Other unique, mouth-watering treats include the shrimp Po' Boys with lime zest sauce and slaw, and the Soul Rolls, a southern take on the Chinese egg roll.
Zanzibar also adds a new flavor to Shaker Square, the historic east side shopping center that's become a restaurant destination since it was purchased by the Coral Company in 2004. "I've always wanted to open a soul food restaurant here," Affrica says, "so when the owners contacted me, I figured it was meant to be."
Source: Akin Affrica
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Yet Zanzibar Soul Fusion, a new restaurant now open at Shaker Square, is no ordinary soul food joint. The new hotspot offers soul food with a twist, dishing out traditional southern comforts in the atmosphere of an upscale lounge.
"We offer a foundation of soul food fused with other popular food items from different ethnic groups," says owner Akin Affrica. "It's Southern comfort food for the masses."
Affrica, a third-generation restaurant owner whose family also owns Angie's Soul Café, says that soul food fans will recognize the scratch cooking, traditional recipes and fresh ingredients, but will be surprised by the fresh, unusual take on soul food.
Instead of artichoke and spinach dip, for instance, chef Tony Fortner substitutes collard greens. Other unique, mouth-watering treats include the shrimp Po' Boys with lime zest sauce and slaw, and the Soul Rolls, a southern take on the Chinese egg roll.
Zanzibar also adds a new flavor to Shaker Square, the historic east side shopping center that's become a restaurant destination since it was purchased by the Coral Company in 2004. "I've always wanted to open a soul food restaurant here," Affrica says, "so when the owners contacted me, I figured it was meant to be."
Source: Akin Affrica
Writer: Lee Chilcote
When it comes to rainfall, we tend to focus on keeping it off of our heads -- not where it goes after hitting the pavement. Yet storm water runoff is a major issue in Northeast Ohio. With every downpour, millions of gallons of rainwater run off parking lots, streets and sidewalks, carrying pollutants into our streams, rivers and Lake Erie.
A new program launched by the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) in December aims to address Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO's) that result in untreated wastewater entering our rivers and Lake Erie. NEORSD is evaluating the potential to control CSO's by helping communities to design streets, sidewalks and other impervious areas in ways that reduce runoff. NEORSD has committed to spending at least $42 million to control a minimum of 44 million gallons per year of CSO through the use of better storm water management or "green infrastructure." commits
"This is about the re-greening of our urban areas and potentially making a positive out of our vacant land problems," says Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, Manager of Watershed Programs with NEORSD.
Take your local commercial district as an example. Landscaping requires water and maintenance. Every time it rains, the water sluices towards the catch basins in the street, ending up in the lake. What if communities designed streets so that rainwater funnels to the plants, providing more sustainable landscaping and reusing the water?
Forty-two million is a razor-thin slice of the $3 billion sewer upgrade, but NEORSD officials are hoping that a few key pilot projects will lead to a big change in how Northeast Ohio communities plan and implement infrastructure projects.
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Source: Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, NEORSD
A new program launched by the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) in December aims to address Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO's) that result in untreated wastewater entering our rivers and Lake Erie. NEORSD is evaluating the potential to control CSO's by helping communities to design streets, sidewalks and other impervious areas in ways that reduce runoff. NEORSD has committed to spending at least $42 million to control a minimum of 44 million gallons per year of CSO through the use of better storm water management or "green infrastructure." commits
"This is about the re-greening of our urban areas and potentially making a positive out of our vacant land problems," says Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, Manager of Watershed Programs with NEORSD.
Take your local commercial district as an example. Landscaping requires water and maintenance. Every time it rains, the water sluices towards the catch basins in the street, ending up in the lake. What if communities designed streets so that rainwater funnels to the plants, providing more sustainable landscaping and reusing the water?
Forty-two million is a razor-thin slice of the $3 billion sewer upgrade, but NEORSD officials are hoping that a few key pilot projects will lead to a big change in how Northeast Ohio communities plan and implement infrastructure projects.
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Source: Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, NEORSD
Don't call us Silicon Valley just yet, but Cleveland has a growing list of small and mid-sized technology companies that call downtown home. In late December, Strongsville technology company MCPc announced that the firm will join their ranks, bringing 165 jobs and their corporate headquarters to downtown Cleveland in June.
MCPc, an international provider of tech products and support services with 320 employees, will move to the Plain Dealer building at 1801 Superior Ave., just east of the central business district. As two reasons behind its move, the company cited a desire to join downtown's growing hub of tech companies, and to be more centrally located. Incentives from the City of Cleveland and State of Ohio sweetened the deal.
"From major sporting events to entertainment venues, downtown Cleveland has a lot to offer our customers," says Beth Stec, Director of Corporate Communications and Human Resources. She added, "Our CEO, Mike Trebilcock, was excited about moving downtown."
The move was also celebrated by the Plain Dealer, whose headquarters is now just 70 percent full after years of cost-cutting. The building was completely occupied when it was built in 2001. MCPc plans to fill about 48,000 square feet on the third floor, as well as 49,000 square feet within the first floor parking garage. MCPc will spend about $3 million on improvements, including a new Customer Experience Center to allow clients to experience products first-hand, and a technology and distribution center.
MCPc plans to create at least 45 new jobs in downtown Cleveland. Since 2004, more than 30 technology companies have set up shop downtown, bringing over 1,000 jobs. More than half of these businesses moved from Cleveland suburbs.
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Source: Beth Stec, MCPc
MCPc, an international provider of tech products and support services with 320 employees, will move to the Plain Dealer building at 1801 Superior Ave., just east of the central business district. As two reasons behind its move, the company cited a desire to join downtown's growing hub of tech companies, and to be more centrally located. Incentives from the City of Cleveland and State of Ohio sweetened the deal.
"From major sporting events to entertainment venues, downtown Cleveland has a lot to offer our customers," says Beth Stec, Director of Corporate Communications and Human Resources. She added, "Our CEO, Mike Trebilcock, was excited about moving downtown."
The move was also celebrated by the Plain Dealer, whose headquarters is now just 70 percent full after years of cost-cutting. The building was completely occupied when it was built in 2001. MCPc plans to fill about 48,000 square feet on the third floor, as well as 49,000 square feet within the first floor parking garage. MCPc will spend about $3 million on improvements, including a new Customer Experience Center to allow clients to experience products first-hand, and a technology and distribution center.
MCPc plans to create at least 45 new jobs in downtown Cleveland. Since 2004, more than 30 technology companies have set up shop downtown, bringing over 1,000 jobs. More than half of these businesses moved from Cleveland suburbs.
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Source: Beth Stec, MCPc
The recent announcement of a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create urban farms along Kinsman Avenue is just one example of the growing power of the green movement in Cleveland's urban neighborhoods.
Another example is the 2009 award of a $75,000 grant from the U.S. EPA to help create Neighborhood Leadership for Environmental Health (NLEH), a partnership between three nonprofits to improve the environmental health of four east side neighborhoods. Organizers launched the program in 2010 and convened a neighborhood summit in October.
"This is a grassroots effort to help people to understand the issues, prioritize the ones that are most important, and develop ways to address them," says Mark McLain, Director of Health and Environmental Initiatives at Neighborhood Leadership Institute (NLI). "It's about taking action to make our communities healthier."
NLEH is a partnership between Environmental Health Watch, the Earthday Coalition and the Neighborhood Leadership Institute. The four targeted neighborhoods are Central, Fairfax, Mount Pleasant and Buckeye-Woodland. Since launching the effort, organizers have brought together a group of residents and stakeholders to brainstorm top environmental issues. Currently the group is winnowing down the list to their most important concerns, as well as specific projects to address them in 2011. Issues include air pollution, energy inefficiency in homes, childhood lead poisoning and asthma.
Once the planning is complete, the nonprofits plan to apply for additional EPA funding to implement projects to improve the environmental health of these communities.
McLain says this project is unique because it uses a grassroots approach and focuses on 'greening' entire neighborhoods. "There is growing awareness in inner-city neighborhoods that issues like health, safety and education relate to the environment," he says.
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Source: Mark McLain, Neighborhood Leadership Institute
Another example is the 2009 award of a $75,000 grant from the U.S. EPA to help create Neighborhood Leadership for Environmental Health (NLEH), a partnership between three nonprofits to improve the environmental health of four east side neighborhoods. Organizers launched the program in 2010 and convened a neighborhood summit in October.
"This is a grassroots effort to help people to understand the issues, prioritize the ones that are most important, and develop ways to address them," says Mark McLain, Director of Health and Environmental Initiatives at Neighborhood Leadership Institute (NLI). "It's about taking action to make our communities healthier."
NLEH is a partnership between Environmental Health Watch, the Earthday Coalition and the Neighborhood Leadership Institute. The four targeted neighborhoods are Central, Fairfax, Mount Pleasant and Buckeye-Woodland. Since launching the effort, organizers have brought together a group of residents and stakeholders to brainstorm top environmental issues. Currently the group is winnowing down the list to their most important concerns, as well as specific projects to address them in 2011. Issues include air pollution, energy inefficiency in homes, childhood lead poisoning and asthma.
Once the planning is complete, the nonprofits plan to apply for additional EPA funding to implement projects to improve the environmental health of these communities.
McLain says this project is unique because it uses a grassroots approach and focuses on 'greening' entire neighborhoods. "There is growing awareness in inner-city neighborhoods that issues like health, safety and education relate to the environment," he says.
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Source: Mark McLain, Neighborhood Leadership Institute
heights' new development director sees opportunity everywhere
Howard Thompson's appraisals of Cleveland Heights bring to mind the phrase "target-rich environment." The city's new development director, on the job about three weeks, enthusiastically rattles off the opportunities he sees for the inner-ring suburb in 2011.
There's the old Coventry School, parts of which will be used next year by Ensemble Theatre. In the rest, Thompson imagines an entrepreneurial development center. There's the on-again, off-again Top of the Hill plan, which would bring some combination of new housing, commercial and office space to the 3.5-acre city-owned site, most of it parking lot, at Cedar Road and Euclid Heights Boulevard (behind Nighttown). There's the former Oakwood Country Club, which many would like to see preserved as green space but is also a rare large tract (144 acres) in an otherwise densely packed city.
Heights' commercial and residential density -- and close proximity to each other -- are desirable traits, says Thompson, who worked most recently in Beachwood. "But it's also a bit of a challenge at the same time," he adds, "because you have to create development opportunities."
There are many small-scale opportunities in Heights' many architecturally intriguing but technologically lacking buildings. "Some properties just need to be updated or renovated," he says. And as businesses in nearby University Circle grow, Heights could become an attractive place to expand.
Thompson's career began in Cleveland Heights. He interned in city hall while earning a master's degree in public administration at Cleveland State in the early '90s.
Source: Howard Thompson
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
There's the old Coventry School, parts of which will be used next year by Ensemble Theatre. In the rest, Thompson imagines an entrepreneurial development center. There's the on-again, off-again Top of the Hill plan, which would bring some combination of new housing, commercial and office space to the 3.5-acre city-owned site, most of it parking lot, at Cedar Road and Euclid Heights Boulevard (behind Nighttown). There's the former Oakwood Country Club, which many would like to see preserved as green space but is also a rare large tract (144 acres) in an otherwise densely packed city.
Heights' commercial and residential density -- and close proximity to each other -- are desirable traits, says Thompson, who worked most recently in Beachwood. "But it's also a bit of a challenge at the same time," he adds, "because you have to create development opportunities."
There are many small-scale opportunities in Heights' many architecturally intriguing but technologically lacking buildings. "Some properties just need to be updated or renovated," he says. And as businesses in nearby University Circle grow, Heights could become an attractive place to expand.
Thompson's career began in Cleveland Heights. He interned in city hall while earning a master's degree in public administration at Cleveland State in the early '90s.
Source: Howard Thompson
Writer: Frank W. Lewis