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$62k planning grant from NOACA helps birdtown take flight
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
key bank to open new branch at steelyard commons
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
e4s: 10 years, 10k people engaged in sustainability
When Holly Harlan first started talking to people about Entrepreneurs for Sustainability (E4S) ten years ago, "people looked at me like I had three eyes. But I said, 'I think they're going to get this and they're going to love it.'"

Today, Harlan notes that the E4S network has been growing by more than 20 percent every year since it was founded. "We've attracted nearly 10,000 people from all sectors," Harlan says. "We've helped over 50 companies create a strategic plan for sustainability." The organization has also created a foundation on which Greater Cleveland can build a successful approach to sustainability. "We've gotten much better known since Mayor Frank Jackson has stepped in and held sustainability summits the last two years," Harlan says.

E4S is a networking organization that unites professionals interested in sustainability for their businesses and their community, but its scope goes beyond that. "We're an economic development group that sees sustainability as way to create value in the world," Harlan says.

Harlan steps down from the post of president and founder of E4S in mid-February to take on new projects. Mike Dungan, president and CEO of Bee Dance, a Cleveland business that repurposes materials classified as waste, will take over as interim president of E4S.

Harlan looks forward to visiting other cities and gauging their take on Cleveland's sustainability efforts. "We were one of the first business networks in the country focused on sustainability," she says. "The buzz is that Cleveland is known for innovative sustainability ideas, particularly in the area of local foods."


SOURCE: Holly Harlan
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
local firm helps mobile movers 'experience lakewood'
The Experience Lakewood app recently launched, linking users to information on businesses, dining, shopping and recreation in the city. The app can be downloaded from iTunes for free on any Apple-compatible device.

While business and shopping apps are becoming more plentiful, Experience Lakewood's focus on one particular city makes it unique, according to Barb Cagley, president of Cleveland's SCK Design, which created the app for Lakewood Alive, in partnership with the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce. "Regional apps are a newer trend," she says.

Another factor setting the Experience Lakewood app apart is that the content is controlled by the individual businesses. "The common platform for apps is to pull data that is generic and available to the public or provided by the user. This twist of control by businesses allows them to update their message, specials and events in real time," Cagley says.

Creating user-, community- and business-friendly apps has become more of a focus for the six-member SCK team, which has also built a reputation in creating websites, custom content management and SEO programs for the likes of Bedford Labs  and Cleveland Clinic Pharmacy. Last fall, SCK unveiled Experience Tremont. A Shop Legacy app for Legacy Village was recently released, and SCK is currently working on an Experience Kamm's Corners app.

No estimate is available on how many people may take advantage of the Experience Lakewood app. "The only data we can draw from is the Experience Tremont app," Cagley says. "After six months, over 5,000 people have downloaded it."


SOURCE: Barb Cagley
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
cleveland institute of art's pop-up gallery extends its stay
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


research at case leads to product that sucks up oil spills
Here's hoping we don't see any more oil spills like the one last year in the Gulf of Mexico, but should one occur, a discovery by researchers at Case Western Reserve University may provide expert assistance. It's an ultra-lightweight sponge made of clay and a touch of high-grade plastic. The combination of the two materials manages to draw oil out of contaminated water while leaving the fresh water behind.

David Schiraldi, PhD, professor and chair of the university's macromolecular science and engineering department, came up with the idea of the low-density, foam-like sponge a few years ago while conducting experiments on clays and polymers. Now Schiraldi is advancing the capabilities of Aeroclay(r), which is created by mixing clay, polymer and water in a blender and then freeze-drying it; the material can float on water and soak up oil, which can then be squeezed out of the sponge.

Last year, Aeroclay, Inc. was formed as an Ohio C Corporation, licensing the underlying intellectual properties from Case. A staff of five, including Schiraldi, is developing and marketing the product for a variety of functions: packaging, insulation and absorption.

A YouTube video offers a small-scale example of how the composite sponge can absorb oil, but Schiraldi and his team believe Aeroclay could be highly effective in cleaning up a major spill. "I'd like to make sure it is in place to help out in case of a future oil disaster," Schiraldi says.


SOURCE: David Schiraldi
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
cleveland third in the midwest in healthcare start-up dollars
According to BioEnterprise, Cleveland continues to be a leader in the Midwest when it comes to raising money for start-up healthcare companies. Last year, healthcare-related start-ups in Cleveland raised just over $135 million in investments. Cleveland was third in the Midwest in start-up allocations behind Chicago and Minneapolis, according to the Midwest Healthcare Venture Report released by Cleveland's BioEnterprise, which supports the growth of bioscience enterprises.

Cleveland-based start-ups benefited from the generosity of 64 national investors, according to the report. The area is also home to numerous healthcare investment companies, which contributed to local and out-of-region start-ups in 2010. These investors include Bridge Investment Fund, Primus Capital and Riverside, which completed 24 acquisitions in 2010.

Baiju Shah, president and CEO of BioEnterprise, says that the number of companies receiving investments has stayed high even through the recession. While 2010 was somewhat of a difficult year, Shah says that investment activity picked up toward the end of 2010.

Read the full prospectus here.


 

SOURCE: BioEnterprise
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
cleveland honored with 'gayest city' title from advocate
"Welcome to The Advocate's second annual look at our country's queerest burgs," announces the mag in a recent feature.

The Advocate admits at the outset that the magazine relied upon a "completely unscientific -- but still strangely accurate -- statistical equation" to come up with its "Gayest Cities in America" ranking. Regardless, Cleveland is fortunate to have made the list, coming in at #12 out of 15 spots.

"Gay issues have never been more of a lightning rod. Pop culture has never been so gleefully gay. And politicians have never been more gay-accepting -- or at least gay-aware. But no matter how visible LGBT people seem to be, there are some folks who still think we all live in Chelsea, West Hollywood, and the Castro. But, of course, that's far from the case."

The Advocate formulated a diverse and surprising list of cities "where gay people are living, loving, voting, and creating communities."

12. Cleveland

Who knew? Cleveland is about to become a major gay stomping ground. After much effort, the city won the bid to host the 2014 Gay Games (GayGames.com). "We see this as a springboard," says Sharon Kobayashi, vice president of the tourism group Positively Cleveland. "We hope to make Cleveland a gay destination." Things are changing quickly here: The city council added protections for transgender people to Cleveland's antidiscrimination laws in housing and employment, and there's a country line-dancing group, the Rainbow Wranglers, which meets every Thursday at the Mean Bull.

Read up on the entire list of cities here.

cleveland-based SS&G adds 22 to 400-plus staff
The accounting firm SS&G expanded its presence in the Midwest late last year by merging with Chicago-based Ahlbeck & Company. In doing so, Cleveland-headquartered SS&G added 22 members to its 400-plus staff and helped the firm to concentrate more intently on its growing base of Chicago clients. SS&G also has offices in Cincinnati, Columbus and Erlanger, Kentucky.

SS&G, which provides tax, assurance, employee benefit, payroll and consulting services, was named one of the top 50 accounting firms in the country to work for in 2011 by Vault, an online resource for career management and job search information. The firm was listed in the top 20 in individual categories, including overall diversity, culture, compensation, business outlook and manager relations.

"Providing our employees with a great place to work contributes to the overall success of our firm," says Gary Shamis, managing director of SS&G.

SS&G also continued to grow its Cleveland presence by further developing its SS&G Healthcare Consulting and SS&G Wealth Management entities. For example, Flourish: Women and Wealth Management, was launched as a product of the SS&G Wealth Management division. Flourish hosts events and offers strategies specifically geared to female investors.


SOURCE: SS&G
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
tennessean says cleveland 'scores first' in med-mart battle
Writing for the Tennessean, business health care reporter Getahn Ward claims that "Cleveland scores first in medical mart race with Nashville."

Following a momentous ground breaking where a laundry list of prospective tenants, conferences, conventions and trade shows planned for the $465 million mart and convention center were announced, Ward writes that Cleveland "scored major points" in the med-mart public relations battle battle.

Jorge Lagueruela, president of North Carolina's Trinity Furniture, a future tenant of Cleveland's Medical Mart, goes so far as to predict Cleveland's position as national leader in the field:

"Cleveland is doing it. Nashville is talking about it," Hughes is quoted as saying. "From the standpoint of the health-care industry, Cleveland is going to become the hub in the United States, and this new center is going to be the beacon for that."

Shrugging off concerns that Nashville is behind, with very few actual commitments, Nashville mart leasing consultant Jeff Haynes says, "Historically, Nashville hasn't been a pre-leasing market. In any asset class, people normally want to see the brick-and-mortar and to touch the facility. As the new convention center nears completion, then your leasing velocity will intensify and increase for the medical mart."

Michael Hughes, the managing director of research and consulting at Red 7 Media in Scottsdale called Cleveland's list of conventions impressive, adding that a successful medical convention and meetings business probably will drive permanent showroom leases.

Read the whole report here.

film fest celebrates 35th year by leasing all tower city theaters
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
idea engine 'scores' with latest sports-themed app
The team at Idea Engine could feel the wheels turning when they met with local innovator Dave Petno, who approached Idea Engine with a web application he was interested in having developed: a custom tool that allows high school sports scores and statistics to be submitted to the media as well as to family and friends of the sports program.

The business communication solutions company saw the potential in this idea, and ScoreFeeder was born. The way ScoreFeeder works is that a team coach or rep enters scores and stats from a game onto the site, and that information is sent via email to media outlets chosen by the team. Schools also have the opportunity to receive instant updates of scores from their conference. The service is free and can be used by high school teams across the country. ScoreFeeder is currently available for basketball, with other sports to be available soon, according to Dan Carbone, chief technology officer for Idea Engine.

The seven-member Idea Engine team is working with an iPad developer to see if the application can be used on the iPad as well.

Carbone says that the ScoreFeeder concept allowed Idea Engine to develop a custom web application that goes beyond the traditional website or e-commerce site. "ScoreFeeder.com adds a counterpart to social networking by providing an interactive tool focused on a particular audience and particular interest," he says.


SOURCE: Idea Engine
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
wind turbines on lake erie likely to stir up significant job growth
Recent news of a lease option for offshore submerged land in Lake Erie created waves of excitement for longtime proponents of wind turbines along our Great Lake. We'll likely be seeing the blades of five giant wind turbines twirling high above the shore by mid-2012, bringing with them about 600 new jobs.

A study commissioned by NorTech last August revealed that those 600 jobs are just the beginning. Moving beyond the five-turbine pilot project and into a proposed 5,000 megawatts of wind energy by 2030, the State of Ohio could sustain as many as 15,000 jobs. About 8,000 of those would likely be located in our region.

"Because the equipment is so large, you'll have to do the work very close to where it's being commissioned," says Dave Karpinski, vice president of NorTech who heads NorTech Energy Enterprise, an initiative focused on Northeast Ohio's advanced energy industry. New skill sets for divers and drillers will be created. Legal and regulatory experts will be needed. The development of a vast maritime industry, with towing ships, specialized vessels and crews, could also take the region to new heights in advanced energy, he adds.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. With this, the first least option to be issued in the Great Lakes, Cleveland will see an initial upsurge in engineering jobs and permitting work, according to Karpinski. By the middle of next year, manufacturing and geotech work will be in greater demand, he adds.

Orders will begin for the five initial wind turbines this year. The momentum of what they will bring to Cleveland is just starting to be felt.

SOURCE: Dave Karpinski
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
oakwood foes ask, 'do we really need another mall?'
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
cleveland clinic joins forces with medstar to bring inventions to market
Billed as "the first of its kind between two large U.S. health systems," a recently announced collaboration between the Cleveland Clinic and MedStar Health (Georgetown University Hospital, among others) will help speed medical inventions to market, as a recent Washington Post article states.

Titled "Cleveland Clinic, MedStar join forces to move medical technologies to market," the article goes on to say that moving medical technologies to market is a relatively new endeavor for health systems and academic medical centers. But Cleveland Clinic Innovations has licensed more than 250 technologies and started 35 new companies to market products.

"The Cleveland model is a combination of royalties from licenses of technologies to established companies and the sale of shares in spin-off companies. Royalties from licensing generate about $10 million yearly, but overall revenue is increasing significantly," Chris Coburn, executive director of Cleveland Clinic Innovations, is quoted in the article as saying.

"Reinventing the wheel everywhere isn't as favorable an option as forging collaboration," Thomas J. Graham of Cleveland Clinic Innovations states. "This allows us to open up a larger-scale collaboration that can be helpful in improving patient access, getting clinical answers and expanding innovation."

Read the full prognosis here.


med mart groundbreaking finally arrives this week
Some said it would never happen, but the day is finally arriving: A groundbreaking ceremony for the Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center takes place this Friday, January 14. Construction has already gotten underway near Lakeside Avenue, though, signifying that the much-anticipated, often-controversial $465 million project will become a reality. Completion of the project is expected to be sometime in 2013.

For many, the building's external progress will be almost as significant as the list of committed exhibitors  inside. According to MMPI, the Chicago-based trade show and property management firm, the first 40-plus companies that have signed letters of intent to lease showroom space will be also be revealed on January 14. According to Dave Johnson, spokesperson for the Medical Mart, 31 conferences and trade shows have also committed to hosting their events in the new convention center.

The Medical Mart is targeting healthcare manufacturers and service providers to show off their wares and services inside the complex. The latest innovations and products are likely to be housed within the facility.  The interiors will feature 235,000 square feet of display space, 60,000 square feet of meeting rooms, 230,000 square feet for exhibitions and a 30,000-square-foot ballroom.


SOURCE: Dave Johnson,
Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center
WRITER: Diane DiPiero
survival kit, a new gallery, debuts in detroit shoreway
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
cleve hotspots fair well in mag's 'best of ohio' list
In its January article titled "Best of Ohio," Ohio magazine lists what it believes are the best places to go and things to do around the Buckeye state. Cleveland-based attractions faired well, snagging four spots on the list.

Under the category "Best Way to End the Work Week," Happy Dog's polka happy hour is billed as "a riotous affair" where "a fake-beard-clad polka aficionado spins classics for a diverse crowd of college students, families and seniors, all dancing along to scratchy tunes spun on vintage vinyl."

Those with a sweet tooth were directed to Lilly Handmade Chocolates. "What a concept: selling artisanal chocolates and fine wines and craft beer in one location," the article declares. "Amanda and Joshua Montague, both classically trained chefs, help customers pair spirits with delicious chocolates, some of which also have a hint of alcohol."

Listed as a "Restaurant to Bank On," Dante Boccuzzi's Dante restaurant in Tremont dishes out a "reliably delectable menu including pasta, fish and beef, it's located in the regal confines of an old bank, and guests can request to dine in the old vault."

Earning props for its big makeover this year, Cleveland's IngenuityFest snags the category best "Fest Makeover," citing the new location beneath the Veterans Memorial Bridge as reason #1. "In 2010, one of Cleveland's most unique festivals changed things up a bit and brought in more fest-goers than ever: More than 40,000 people.

Check out the rest of the rankings here.

flats east bank to be cleveland’s first green-certified neighborhood
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

cleveland gears up for new bike parking facility
No brakes are being applied now on the new Bike Rack parking station in Downtown Cleveland. The City of Cleveland is overseeing the transformation of a city-owned parking garage at East 4th Street and Huron Road, expected to be completed this spring.

A search for a bike station operation manager was announced last month by Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA), and the position was offered, but the name of the applicant has not yet been identified. DCA says it was in search of an entrepreneurial-spirited individual to manage the Bike Rack and make it a self-sustaining business. The goal is for the Bike Rack to eventually be owned and operated by the manager without DCA involvement. In addition to the full-time operation manager, the Bike Rack will initially employ two part-time staffers.

More than just a place to park your two-wheeler, the Bike Rack will offer lockers, bicycle repair services, bike rental and an information center. The garage will be open 24/7 and will have room for at least 50 bikes, according to Josh Taylor, marketing and public relations manager for DCA. If this first venture into bike parking is as successful as experts predict, other stations will likely open around the city in the future, Taylor adds.


SOURCE: Josh Taylor
WRITER: Diane DiPiero