# General plan documents — cleveland-ohio Assembled by OpenPublica from the documents it serves for this government. Each section below is a separate publication by the government; page anchors (``) refer to pages of that section's own source PDF, linked in its heading. **Contains 1 document.** OpenPublica has pinned these slots for this government: combined. That is what we have looked for, not a statement that the government publishes nothing else — a plan element absent here may simply not have been reviewed yet. Last reviewed 2026-08-23. --- ## Complete Plan — Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Source: https://www.clevelandohio.gov/sites/clevelandohio/files/planning/Connecting%20Cleveland%202020%20CWP-%20FULL%20DOCUMENT%202024.pdf - Pages: 523 - Covers: circulation, combined, conservation, ej, housing, land_use, noise, open_space, safety - **Transcription findings were recorded for this document;** check figures against the source. <
> # Connecting Cleveland ## 2020 Citywide Plan The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan is the comprehensive plan for the future of Cleveland and its neighborhoods.[^p2-1] It seeks to create great neighborhoods by creating “connections” between people and places and opportunities. Creating connections means more than developing buildings. It means developing people and developing communities as well. It means linking the “physical” and the “social” in order to create a community that is truly viable and sustainable. The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan proposes not only to build houses but to build neighborhoods – vibrant neighborhoods, safe neighborhoods. It is plan that proposes not only to create shopping centers but to create mixed-use “town centers” that can become the focus of community life. And it is a plan that proposes not only to create jobs but to make job opportunities available to all Clevelanders. The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan lays out a practical vision to achieve its goals through a strategy that builds on the city’s unique assets and the assets in each of its diverse neighborhoods. [^p2-1]: *The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan replaces the Cleveland Civic Vision 2000 Citywide Plan as Cleveland’s adopted “general plan.” It was prepared through a process that engaged thousands of Clevelanders in community meetings and focus groups. The plan is also part of a broader initiative that incorporates plans for Cleveland’s waterfront and downtown. <
> # vision <
> Cleveland 2020... ...a national leader in biomedical technology and information technology – with connections to the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, NASA and other world-class innovators ...a center for advanced manufacturing – a national model for connecting new technologies to traditional industries ...a community with connections to good jobs for all residents and connections to the education and training demanded by those jobs ...a city with an accessible lakefront and riverfront, connected to waterfront neighborhoods and unique recreation opportunities ...a city of vibrant urban neighborhoods, with mixed-use districts and live-work spaces that attract creative and entrepreneurial people from across the region and the nation ...a community where racial, ethnic and social diversity is not simply tolerated but is embraced and celebrated in every neighborhood as one of Cleveland's greatest assets ...a city known for safe neighborhoods that are family-friendly and senior- friendly, connecting all residents to the conveniences of urban living ...a mecca for the arts and culture, with world-renowned institutions like the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Museum of Art joined by a vital local arts scene and public art in neighborhoods throughout the city ...a model for healthy living, with walkable neighborhoods, bike routes, ecological design, and community partnerships to provide recreation opportunities to Clevelanders of all ages, incomes and ability levels ...a pioneer in improving public education through partnerships to provide resources based on the needs of students rather than the wealth of communities The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan presents this vision of Cleveland's future, along with the actions that can be taken today to ensure that the vision will become reality. # action <
> The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* is more than a vision for Cleveland's future. It is also a "kit of tools" for use in implementing the plan, this year, next year and each year during the life of the plan. Among the plan's tools are: * a future land use map that sets a pattern for development throughout the city * recommendations for updates to the City's zoning map and zoning code * identification of development "opportunity zones" in each Cleveland neighborhood * proposals for development of contemporary shopping centers and industrial and office parks * identification of opportunities for new housing on hundreds of acres of land * plans for bike routes and greenways that connect Clevelanders to waterfronts and other destinations * identification of transportation and infrastructure improvements to facilitate the plan's development proposals * policy recommendations for an array of new and updated programs for development and community services. # connections <
> ## connecting people & places The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* is a plan about connections between people and places and opportunities. A great city is not merely a collection of buildings. It is a place of connections. At its simplest, a connection can be a bike path that connects a neighborhood to the waterfront or a bus line that connects people to jobs. At its most fundamental, a connection can be a shared space – an urban plaza, a neighborhood park, a community institution or even a coffee shop – that connects people to one another in a way that creates a sense of "place" and a sense of belonging – that elusive but enduring thing that we call "community." Other connections link people to the diverse opportunities available in a city – opportunities that for some city residents are so close but yet have remained just out of reach. These are connections to education, social services, jobs, health care, shopping, entertainment, the arts and culture. Finally, in an economy that is increasingly regional and global, there are the ever-more important connections between the neighborhood, the city, the region and the world. <
> ## building on assets Great neighborhoods and great cities are vibrant places that draw people to them because of the wonderful things they have to offer – because of their "assets." Cleveland has assets that make it the envy of cities everywhere – from its location on a "great lake," to its unparalleled national transportation access, to its world-renowned cultural, medical and educational institutions. Every neighborhood in Cleveland has its unique assets as well. Some of these assets are readily apparent, like the West Side Market in Ohio City, Karamu House in Fairfax, or the family-oriented housing in neighborhoods like Lee-Harvard and Kamm’s Corners. Other assets are somewhat hidden – overlooked even by many local residents – and need to be enhanced and publicized, like League Park in Hough or the Big Creek Valley in Old Brooklyn. The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan is an "asset-based" plan that seeks to build on the unique assets of Cleveland and each of its neighborhoods as the foundation for renewed growth and prosperity. # assets # opportunity regenerating land & buildings <
> Almost any Clevelander can see the city's challenges. The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* asks Clevelanders to look beyond the challenges, to view the city and its neighborhoods through a new lens, bringing into focus the incredible opportunities for rebirth that are now blurred by the shadow of the city's challenges. "Cleveland re-imagined" can be a city where challenges have been transformed into opportunities. * Contaminated "brownfield" sites can become opportunities for contemporary large-scale redevelopment. * Obsolete industrial buildings can be converted to trend-setting "live-work" space for artists and others seeking alternative housing. * Neglected commercial buildings in the heart of city neighborhoods can be renovated as fashionable "mixed-use" projects, with shops on the ground floor and housing above. * Troubled neighborhood schools can be redesigned and reprogrammed as neighborhood resource centers that promote interaction between students, parents and the community. * Abandoned rail lines represent opportunities to create trails for bicycling and hiking. <
> ### re-imagining places More and more Americans are tiring of "sprawl." They are tired of living in communities with so little character that it is difficult to distinguish one from another. They are tired of living in communities where there is nowhere to walk. Many long for the time when neighbors gathered together at town centers – shopping, working, learning, playing, praying and living, as members of a community. Ironically, developers are now trying to recreate the traditional urban town center in the midst of freeway-dominated suburbs. Although these developments succeed in some respects, they also testify to the fact that "there's nothing like the real thing!" Cleveland has the real thing – architecturally distinctive, walkable, mixed-use "places" that grew organically from roots that tap deep into the lifeblood of the city. The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* advocates that Cleveland enhance these mixed-use urban districts – connecting them to public transit and bikeways – and preserve their distinctive architecture as its principal strategy for creating competitive places in every city neighborhood. # choice ## creating communities of choice <
> With each passing year, people are becoming more mobile. Technology and income have freed many Americans, particularly the most talented and best educated, to "leave home" and follow their desires to places that offer what they seek in employment and lifestyle. "Communities of choice" for these individuals have replaced "communities of necessity." The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* recognizes that if Cleveland is to grow and prosper in the 21st century, Cleveland must "reverse the brain drain" and become competitive in attracting and retaining the mobile individual. Cleveland and its neighborhoods must become communities of choice. Just as important to Cleveland's future, however, is providing more choices for those Clevelanders who today have too few choices. This was the "mantra" of Cleveland's groundbreaking 1975 Policy Planning Report. Sadly, twenty years later, the need is just as great. Far too many Clevelanders remain trapped in "communities of necessity" – trapped by poverty, unemployment, discrimination, disability and inadequate education. The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* recognizes that Cleveland will never achieve true greatness until all Clevelanders are able to live in "communities of choice." <
> celebrating Cleveland's diversity Recent statistics show that America's most prosperous cities are those that attract talented individuals of all races, nationalities and lifestyles. These are cities where diversity is welcomed and celebrated. Cleveland is a city with a rich history of diversity. The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan proposes that Cleveland fully embrace its diversity, cultivate it, nurture it and market it as a key element of its revitalization strategy. Cleveland also offers a tremendous diversity of housing types, from single-family to townhouse to "live-work" to high-rise apartments. While many families with children seek opportunities to own single-family houses, many young professionals and seniors are seeking quality rental housing. As the central city of a major metropolitan area, Cleveland can offer the diversity of housing necessary to be truly competitive in attracting all segments of the population. Finally, Cleveland's size enables it to offer a diversity of opportunities for employment, education, worship, recreation, shopping and culture. Cleveland's challenge is to make these opportunities available to the all segments of its diverse population, regardless of race, nationality, income, age or disability. diversity # sustainability building for today and tomorrow <
> The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* seeks to re-create Cleveland as a city that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In other words, the plan seeks to create a “sustainable” Cleveland. A sustainable Cleveland is a city that conserves natural resources so that they are plentiful in the future. A sustainable Cleveland is a city that provides educational and employment opportunities to current residents in order to ensure economic prosperity for future generations. A sustainable Cleveland is city that provides opportunities for healthful living to all citizens. The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* proposes to achieve its goals for sustainability through actions such as the following: * Create high-density, mixed-use districts that promote travel by transit, walking and bicycling. * Amend building and zoning codes and add incentives to encourage “green building.” * Design safe routes for walking and bicycling, accessible to all residents. * Reduce use of energy and water in City facilities and vehicles. * Clean contaminated “brownfield” sites and promote beneficial re-use. <
> # Table of Contents Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Introduction.......................................................................................................................... Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. ## Summary Document ## Citywide Chapters Population ........................................................................................................................... Housing................................................................................................................................ Retail ................................................................................................................................... Economic Development........................................................................................................ Recreation & Open Space.................................................................................................... Sustainability ........................................................................................................................ Arts & Culture....................................................................................................................... Education & Community Facilities ........................................................................................ Transportation & Transit ....................................................................................................... Safety .................................................................................................................................. Preservation ......................................................................................................................... Opportunity & Equity............................................................................................................. ## Land Use & Zoning Introduction.......................................................................................................................... Land Use Categories ............................................................................................................ “Smart Zoning”...................................................................................................................... Land Use.............................................................................................................................. ## Capital Improvements ## Neighborhood Plans ### Planning District 1 Cudell .................................................................................................................................. Jefferson .............................................................................................................................. Kamm's Corners ................................................................................................................. Puritas-Longmead ................................................................................................................ Riverside .............................................................................................................................. West Boulevard .................................................................................................................... ### Planning District 2 Brooklyn Centre ................................................................................................................... Clark-Fulton ......................................................................................................................... Detroit-Shoreway ................................................................................................................. Ohio City ............................................................................................................................. Old Brooklyn ........................................................................................................................ Stockyards ............................................................................................................................ Tremont ................................................................................................................................. **Planning District 3** Central ................................................................................................................................... Downtown .............................................................................................................................. Goodrich-Kirtland Park ........................................................................................................... Industrial Valley ...................................................................................................................... North Broadway ...................................................................................................................... South Broadway ...................................................................................................................... **Planning District 4** Corlett ..................................................................................................................................... Kinsman ................................................................................................................................. Lee-Miles ............................................................................................................................... Mt. Pleasant ........................................................................................................................... Union-Miles ............................................................................................................................ Woodland Hills ........................................................................................................................ **Planning District 5** Buckeye-Shaker ..................................................................................................................... Fairfax .................................................................................................................................... Hough ..................................................................................................................................... St. Clair-Superior .................................................................................................................... University ................................................................................................................................ **Planning District 6** Euclid-Green ........................................................................................................................... Forest Hills ............................................................................................................................. Glenville ................................................................................................................................. North Collinwood ..................................................................................................................... South Collinwood ..................................................................................................................... **Glossary** # CONNECTING CLEVELAND 2020 # CITYWIDE PLAN **CITY OF CLEVELAND** *, Mayor* **CLEVELAND CITY PLANNING COMMISSION** *Robert N. Brown, Director* *Fred Collier, Citywide Plan Project Manager* **CITYWIDE PLAN STAFF** *Michael Bosak* *Kelley Britt* *Martin Cader* *George Cantor* *Marka Fields* *Kris Lucskay* *Claire Posius* **CONTRIBUTING STAFF** Scott Frantz, capital improvements plan Debbie Berry, lakefront planning Linda Henrichsen, downtown planning Maurice Ruelens, web design Susanne DeGennaro, planning James Danek, planning **ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS** Dennis Dooley, editing KSU Urban Design Center, graphic design CWRU Poverty Center, demographic analysis Chris Ronayne, Director, 2002-04 **CITY PLANNING COMMISSION MEMBERS** Anthony Coyne, Chairperson David Bowen Joseph Cimperman, City Council Lillian Kuri Larry Lumpkin Gloria Jean Pinckney Reverend Edward Small **FUNDING** The Cleveland Foundation The George Gund Foundation *Special thanks for the contributions of the Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition and all its member organizations, Cleveland City Council, Neighborhood Progress, and all the departments of Cleveland City government and the several County and regional agencies who contributed to the preparation of this plan.* *This plan is dedicated to the memory of Richard A. Shatten for his extraordinary vision and leadership in advancing planning and economic development in Cleveland and its region.* **Steering Committee** Bobbie Reichtell, Project Chair Vickie Johnson, Project Co-Chair <
> # Connecting Cleveland ## 2020 Citywide Plan Summary **Cleveland City Planning Commission** 601 Lakeside Avenue, Room 501 Cleveland, Ohio 44114 (216) 664-2210 http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/ *July 2007* **CITY OF CLEVELAND** Frank G. Jackson, *Mayor* **CLEVELAND CITY PLANNING COMMISSION** Robert Brown, *Director* Freddy Collier Jr., *Citywide Plan Project Manager* **CITYWIDE PLAN STAFF** Michael Bosak Kelly Britt Martin Cader George Cantor James Danek Marka Fields Kristofer Lucksay Claire Posius **CONTRIBUTING STAFF** Scott Frantz, *Capital Improvements Plan* Debbie Berry, *Lakefront Planning* Linda Henrichsen, *Downtown Planning* Maurice Ruelens, *Web Design* Susan DeGennaro, *Planning* **ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS** Dennis Dooley, *Editing* KSU Urban Design Center, *Graphic Design* CWRU Poverty Center, *Demographic Analysis* City Architecture, *Plan Mapping* Chris Ronayne, *Director, 2002-2004* **CITY PLANNING COMMISSION** Anthony Coyne, *Chairperson* David Bowen Joseph Cimperman, *City Council* Lillian Kuri Lawrence Lumpkin Gloria Jean Pinkney Norman Krumholz **FUNDING** The Cleveland Foundation The George Gund Foundation Special thanks for the contributions of the Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition and all its member organizations, Cleveland City Council, Neighborhood Progress, Inc, and all the departments of Cleveland City government, Cuyahoga County government and regional agencies that contributed to the preparation of this plan. *This plan is dedicated to the memory of Richard A. Shatten for his extraordinary vision and leadership in advancing planning and economic development in Cleveland and the region.* # CONTENTS <
> ## OVERVIEW The Comprehensive Plan..................................................................................................1 Evolution of a Civic Vision...............................................................................................2 Connecting Cleveland.......................................................................................................3 ## CLEVELAND IN PERSPECTIVE Introduction......................................................................................................................4 Strengths...........................................................................................................................4 Challenges.........................................................................................................................6 ## PLAN AND IMPLEMENTATION The Vision.........................................................................................................................8 Guiding Principles............................................................................................................9 A Neighborhood-Based Plan...........................................................................................10 Implementation.................................................................................................................11 ## GOALS AND POLICIES Housing............................................................................................................................13 Retail................................................................................................................................15 Economic Development....................................................................................................17 Recreation and Open Space..............................................................................................19 Community Services..........................................................................................................21 Safety................................................................................................................................23 Transportation and Infrastructure......................................................................................25 Arts and Culture...............................................................................................................27 Sustainability....................................................................................................................29 Preservation......................................................................................................................31 # OVERVIEW <
> What is the measure of a great city? The height of its skyscrapers? The size of its convention center? The number of Fortune 500 companies within its borders? The records of its sports teams? Although each of these can contribute to greatness, the ultimate measure of a city's greatness is the quality of life it offers to its citizens. A great city connects its citizens to great choices in housing, education, employment, services, shopping, entertainment and culture as well as to opportunities to live in neighborhoods that are safe, secure and vibrant. A great city truly can be a place that nurtures the body, the mind and the spirit of those who choose to make the city home. Just as importantly, a great city is a "city of choice and of choices" not just for its most privileged but also for those who have been denied access to many of the pathways that can lead to success and fulfillment in life. The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan is a new tool in Cleveland's climb to become a city of choice – a city that connects people and places and opportunities. This Summary introduces the plan and highlights its citywide recommendations. The full plan treats these citywide issues in greater detail, presents a block-by-block "future land use map," and focuses attention on each of Cleveland's 36 neighborhoods. [The complete plan is available online at http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us.] ## THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Cleveland's City Charter (in Section 76-2) directs the City Planning Commission to "make and adopt a general plan for the development and improvement of the city." This "general plan," more commonly known as a "comprehensive plan," serves as a blueprint or a roadmap for development and revitalization activities in the City. The comprehensive plan establishes an overarching vision of the City's future, typically looking out at least ten years, and provides guidance on development-related decisions that must be made on a day-to-day basis. Although some of a plan's recommendations will occur quickly, it is important to understand that other recommendations will occur only when market conditions are right or when necessary funding becomes available. Given this limited availability of public funds and the limited availability of land, the comprehensive plan is an essential tool in ensuring that the City makes the best use of scarce resources and in preventing the City from pursuing policies or supporting projects that work at cross-purposes. <
> CLEVELAND CIVIC VISION 2000 CITYWIDE PLAN # EVOLUTION OF A CIVIC VISION Between 1950 and 1990, Cleveland lost nearly half of its population and more than half of its jobs in manufacturing, historically the city's top job-producing sector. The concurrent increase in urban sprawl left behind a host of problems including vacant property, unemployment and contaminated land. As these challenges became increasingly evident, so too did the lack of a comprehensive strategy to address them and to take advantage of the emerging market for redevelopment. Cleveland’s *Civic Vision 2000 Plan*, completed in 1990, confronted these challenges by presenting a vision to re-structure Cleveland as a smaller but more viable city. The plan fostered the concentration of retail businesses in strategically located “neighborhood town centers.” The plan also facilitated creative re-use of excess industrial and commercial land, a resurgence in residential development, new industrial parks near freeway interchanges, and increased attention to urban design issues. Although *Civic Vision*, in many respects, put Cleveland back on track, it has been aptly observed, “*even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.*”[^p20-1] The 21st century presents Cleveland with challenges and opportunities that were not fully anticipated in 1990. Among the most pressing is the accelerating shift toward a knowledge-based economy – both a challenge and an opportunity for a city struggling to educate its children, yet rich in institutions of higher education and medical innovation. Just as significant are new opportunities to create competitive, mixed-use urban communities, fueled by changing demographics and changing lifestyles. The redevelopment successes of the 90’s made it increasingly evident to Clevelanders that physical development is not enough, as debilitating poverty persisted in the shadows of new buildings rising across the urban landscape. Unaddressed social needs have a way of undoing the best-laid plans of architects and planners. It is clear that “place-based” strategies addressing land use and physical development must be coupled with “people-based” strategies that address people’s needs for *connections* to education, jobs, services, recreation and the arts, as well as the need for “*connectedness*” to neighbors and to a supportive community. Cleveland, however, is a resilient city that has the ability to use the assets it built during its peak years to re-invent itself as a competitive place to live and do business for generations to come. * *Will Rogers, early 20th century American humorist* [^p20-1]: Will Rogers, early 20th century American humorist <
> # CONNECTING CLEVELAND The theme of the new *Citywide Plan* is "*connections.*" The plan is premised on the understanding that a great city is not merely a collection of buildings, but it is a place of connections – connections between *people* and *places* and *opportunities*. At its simplest, a connection can be a bike path that connects a neighborhood to the waterfront or a bus line that connects people to jobs. At its most fundamental, a connection can be a *shared space* – an urban plaza, a neighborhood park, a community institution or even a coffee shop – that connects people to one another in a way that creates a sense of "place" and a sense of belonging – that elusive but enduring thing that we call "community." Other essential connections link people to the diverse *opportunities* available in a city – opportunities that for some city residents are so close but yet have remained just out of reach. These are connections to education, social services, jobs, health care, shopping, entertainment, the arts and culture – the full array of opportunities and resources that only a large metropolitan area can provide. In this sense, the *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* is a plan that *connects* the "physical" and the "social" to create communities that are truly viable and sustainable. # CLEVELAND IN PERSPECTIVE <
> ## INTRODUCTION As technology continues to make the world a smaller place, people and businesses have never been so mobile. Gone are the days when parents could expect their children to grow up and remain close to home, and gone too are the days when communities could expect their hometown stores and businesses to remain as fixtures for a lifetime. For Cleveland to grow and prosper in the 21st century, Cleveland must find new ways to compete in attracting residents and businesses, not just in competition with its suburbs, but also in competition with other metropolitan areas across the nation and the world. How does Cleveland rank against other U.S. cities and metropolitan areas? Frankly assessing Cleveland’s deficiencies and aggressively building on its strengths is a prerequisite for Cleveland’s renewed success. It cannot be denied that Cleveland has fallen from the heights it had reached when it was the nation’s 5th largest city, with rapid job growth and a school system that was the envy of the region and the nation. Cleveland, however, is a resilient city that has the ability to use the assets it built during its peak years to re-invent itself as a competitive place to live and do business for generations to come. ## STRENGTHS *Cleveland's strengths range from the inherent advantage of its location on Lake Erie to the cultural and civic assets it developed when it was one of the nation's very largest cities to the newly developing assets flowing from the innovations of its medical and educational institutions. More specifically, Cleveland's principal strengths relative to other U.S. cities and regions include the following.* **Metropolitan Population.** Cleveland is the central city of the 16th largest metropolitan area in the nation, making Cleveland a major economic market. **Downtown Population.** The population of downtown Cleveland, although still relatively small, increased by 1/3 between 1990 and 2000, one of the largest gains recorded among major U.S. cities. **Medical Innovation.** Cleveland is home to the Cleveland Clinic, consistently ranked as the nation’s top cardiac center, and University Hospitals, featuring one of the nation’s top-ranked pediatric hospitals. <
> Cleveland’s institutions of higher learning have become increasingly important assets for economic development. [Peter B. Lewis Building at Case Western Reserve University] **Higher Education.** Cleveland is home to Case Western Reserve University, the only Ohio institution ranked among the nation’s top 50 universities, and Cleveland State University, featuring one of the nation’s top ten colleges of urban affairs. **Information Technology.** Cleveland has been recognized as a national leader in creating the “ultra-broadband” network needed to fuel information technology business development. **Waterfronts.** The shorelines of Lake Erie and the banks of the Cuyahoga River and its tributaries give Cleveland unparalleled opportunities for waterfront recreation. **Water.** Lake Erie gives Cleveland a supply of fresh water – supporting both manufacturing and residential development – that is the envy of cities across the nation, particularly in regions where fresh water is a scarce and precious commodity. **Air.** Cleveland’s airport system, including Cleveland Hopkins International and Burke Lakefront Airports, represents Ohio’s premier airline passenger and corporate general aviation options, respectively. Both are powerful local and regional economic engines while providing strategic and critical access to the world economy for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. **Location and Accessibility.** Cleveland is centrally located in the most populous region of the United States. In 2004, Cleveland was ranked first in the Midwest and fourth in the nation as a location for “logistics management,” with Cleveland’s interstate highway access cited as its top-ranking asset. In the most recent annual study of traffic congestion across the nation, the University of Texas ranks Cleveland 73rd in delays caused by congestion – making Cleveland one of the most accessible metropolitan areas in the United States **Neighborhood Institutions.** Cleveland is a city known nationally for the quantity and quality of its neighborhood organizations, including community development corporations that combine grassroots connections with technical skills to create unique capabilities for revitalizing neighborhoods. **Philanthropic Support.** Cleveland benefits from unusually strong philanthropic support from the non-profit and corporate sectors, including the Cleveland Foundation, the nation’s oldest and second largest community foundation and the model for community foundations worldwide. <
> Five decades of population loss in Cleveland have left a legacy of abandoned houses, particularly in near east side and near west side neighborhoods. # CHALLENGES The Brookings Institution analyzed data from the 2000 U.S. Census for Cleveland and 22 other cities. That analysis leaves no doubt that Cleveland faces serious challenges in creating a quality of life and an economic climate competitive with that found in its peer cities. Among the most significant findings in the Brookings analysis are the following. **Population.** Cleveland is now the 33rd largest city in America (in 2000), after having peaked as the 5th largest city in America in 1920 and having held onto a position in America's top ten most populous cities until 1970. **Income.** The median income of households in the City of Cleveland grew during the 1990s but ranks third lowest among the 100 largest cities in America. **Poverty.** The poverty rate in Cleveland declined in the 1990s but still ranked third highest among the 23 target cities in the 2000 U.S. Census. Cleveland has the second-highest black and Hispanic poverty rates of the 23 target cities in the *Brookings* analysis. **Education.** The percentage of Cleveland adults holding bachelor's degrees is fifth lowest among the 100 largest cities. Cleveland has the fourth highest share of older teens who left high school without a diploma. **Employment.** At the time of the 2000 U.S. Census survey, Cleveland had the highest unemployment rate among the 23 target cities. **Immigration.** Cleveland had the lowest foreign-born population share among the 23 cities studied by the *Brookings Institution*. In addition, only one in six Cleveland residents arrived within the last five years, giving Cleveland the sixth lowest share of "new arrivals" among the 23 target cities. **College Students.** Cleveland has the second smallest university student population among the 23 target cities. **Economically Dependent Population.** Seventy children and seniors are being supported by every 100 of Cleveland's working-age adults – the second highest percentage of economically dependent population found among the 23 target cities. **Households and Families.** Compared to the other cities, Cleveland has a relatively small married-couple family population and a large single-parent family population. <
> The loss of over 150,000 manufacturing jobs has left Cleveland with the challenge of finding productive re-use for abandoned industrial buildings. [near East 55th and Central Avenue] **Segregation.** Although the proportion of non-white population in Cleveland is roughly the same as the average in the 23 cities studied by the *Brookings Institution*, segregation of blacks from whites and of blacks from Hispanics, however, is far greater in Cleveland, with Cleveland ranking the 8th most segregated among the 23 cities. **Jobs in Manufacturing.** The percentage of Cleveland workers employed in manufacturing – a sector of the economy that has experienced significant job losses – is nearly double the average for the 23 target cities. **Job Location.** Only four of the 23 target cities have a smaller percentage of their working residents employed inside the city's boundaries than is the case in Cleveland. Over half of all commutes in the Cleveland metropolitan area begin and end in the suburbs. **Age of Housing Stock.** Half of Cleveland's housing units were built before World War II – the second highest percentage among the 23 target cities. **NOTE:** The 23 cities included in the analysis by the *Brookings Institution* area as follows (in order of population): New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio, Detroit, Indianapolis, Columbus, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Baltimore, Boston, Washington, Seattle, Denver, Portland, Cleveland, Kansas City, Atlanta, Oakland, Miami, Newark # PLAN AND IMPLEMENTATION <
> ## THE VISION What kind of place will Cleveland be in the year 2020? The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* presents a vision of Cleveland as a community that has learned how to make the most of its strengths and has re-positioned itself as ….. * a national leader in **biomedical technology** and **information technology** – with connections to the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, NASA and other world-class innovators * a center for **advanced manufacturing** – a national model for connecting new technologies to traditional industries * a community with connections to **good jobs for all residents** and connections to the education and training demanded by those jobs * a city known for **safe neighborhoods** that are **family-friendly** and **senior-friendly**, with **first-class city services** provided to all residents * a pioneer in improving **public education** through partnerships to provide resources based on the needs of students rather than the wealth of communities * a city known for its **accessible lakefront and riverfront**, connected to waterfront neighborhoods and unique recreation opportunities * a city of **vibrant urban neighborhoods**, with mixed-use districts and “live-work” spaces that attract creative and entrepreneurial individuals from across the region and the nation * a community where racial, ethnic and social **diversity** is not simply tolerated but is embraced and celebrated in every neighborhood as one of Cleveland’s greatest assets * a mecca for the **arts and culture**, with world-renowned institutions like the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Museum of Art joined by a vital local arts scene and public art in neighborhoods throughout the city * a model for **healthy living** and **sustainable development**, with walkable neighborhoods, bike routes, ecological design, and community partnerships to provide recreation opportunities to Clevelanders of all ages, incomes and ability levels <
> THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES In crafting its vision, the *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* is guided by the following principles: * ***Connections:*** connecting people and places and opportunities * ***Assets:*** building on assets in the city and each of its neighborhoods * ***Opportunity:*** "re-imagining" Cleveland to turn challenges into opportunities * ***Place:*** creating competitive urban "places" with character and identity * ***Choice:*** creating "communities of choice" in Cleveland for residents with many choices as well as for those with relatively few choices * ***Diversity:*** embracing and celebrating diversity in people, housing and opportunities * ***Sustainability:*** building a community that is healthful and viable These are the principles that underlie the plan and are incorporated into its goals, polices and recommendations for the City and for each of its neighborhoods. These principles will also inform and guide future actions on planning and development issues that emerge in the years after the plan's adoption. Planning Districts 1 – 6 and Neighborhood Areas* <
> *Neighborhood areas are known as “Statistical Planning Areas” (SPAs) # A NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED PLAN The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* is built on a foundation of plans created by neighborhood residents and stakeholders.* These grassroots plans are the building blocks for the *Citywide Plan*, firmly grounding the plan in the reality experienced by those who live and work in each neighborhood. By connecting neighborhood-based plans to a citywide planning context, Cleveland’s *Citywide Plan* is able to address neighborhood-level issues with policies that require a citywide approach. Just as importantly, the integration of neighborhood-based plans into the *Citywide Plan* makes it possible for the plan to address neighborhood issues with a degree of detail not typically seen in a citywide general plan. In crafting and presenting its vision, the *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* organizes the City around clusters of neighborhoods, rather than wards, as was the case with the plan’s predecessor, *Civic Vision 2000*. This neighborhood-based structure allows that plan to focus holistically on each City neighborhood as a building block of the larger plan. In order to consider the interaction between neighborhoods, the plan then groups 36 Cleveland neighborhoods (also known as Statistical Planning Areas) into six “districts,” which closely correspond to the City’s six Police Districts and Community Relations Districts. *Connecting Cleveland 2020* devotes a separate chapter to each of these six planning districts. Within each district chapter, the plan draws a portrait of each of the district’s neighborhoods, identifying the assets and opportunities that characterize that neighborhood. Issues that transcend neighborhood boundaries are discussed at the district level. *Copies of many of these neighborhood plans can be viewed through electronic links on the web-based version of the Citywide Plan. <
> Zoning is a key tool for implementing recommendations of the *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan*. # IMPLEMENTATION It has been said, only partly in jest, *"to plan is human, to implement is divine."* Plans that fail to produce results are, in fact, so common that the phrase "plans that sit on the shelf" has become a part of our vocabulary. To avoid this fate, the *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* has been designed to "jumpstart" its implementation by incorporating implementation strategies and capital improvement recommendations into the plan itself. No plan, however, can implement itself. Implementation of the *Connecting Cleveland* plan will require the coordinated efforts of all segments of City government and, critically, a precedent-setting degree of *regional cooperation*. Many of the tools necessary to implement the plan are already in place, but some of these tools are outdated and need to be re-thought and re-configured if they are to be effective in realizing the emerging vision for Cleveland’s future. An effective implementation strategy for the *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* needs to include the following components. **Marketing.** Cleveland is a community rich in assets – from its location on a Great Lake to the excellence of its cultural life and from its national transportation connections to its affordable cost of living. Effectively marketing these and other assets can attract businesses and residents to Cleveland without an over-reliance on financial incentives that deprive the City and its schools of the revenues required to provide first-class services. **Neighborhood Connections.** One means of improving the quality of life in Cleveland’s neighborhoods is to view each neighborhood holistically – with the goal of better coordinating and focusing the multitude of governmental and private services that are provided to that neighborhood. **Zoning.** Innovative zoning regulations and an updating of the City’s zoning map are core components in implementing the *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan*. That process has already begun and includes creation of the City’s first research district, first live-work district, first pedestrian-oriented retail district, and the City’s first zoning district that mandates mixed-use, multi-story development – each designed to implement aspects of the plan’s vision. Along with the zoning initiatives are *design guidelines* established to ensure that new development enhances the character of Cleveland’s neighborhoods and retail districts. <
> Neighborhood-based plans form the building blocks for the *Citywide Plan's* future land use map. Specialized zoning districts are being used in implementing the plan. **Capital Improvements.** The *Citywide Plan* identifies capital improvement projects that can be catalysts for the plan's development recommendations – such as a new road or a new transit connection proposed to provide improved access for economic development. In addition, the *Citywide Plan* is already being used as input for the City's newly re-instituted 5-year capital planning process, thereby helping the City to make strategic use of limited funds. **Incentive Programs.** Financial subsidies have fueled much of Cleveland's recent redevelopment. The *Citywide Plan* recommends that current incentive programs be re-evaluated to ensure that they achieve their objectives in a manner that minimizes use of limited City resources. The plan also recommends that programs be restructured or created to meet newly defined objectives, such as the promotion of "green" building, transit-oriented development, mixed-use development, technology transfer initiatives, and healthy lifestyles. **Funding Resources.** It is recognized that City resources alone will not be sufficient to achieve the goals laid out in the *Citywide Plan*. Consequently, the plan emphasizes the need for creative partnerships between the City, other governments and the private sector in pursuit of the plan's goals. A listing of current funding sources is incorporated into the text of the full plan. **Community Engagement.** Meaningful and broad-based public participation is critical in ensuring that the plan has the community support necessary for its implementation. The fact that the *Connecting Cleveland* plan is built on a firm base of community engagement is a good start, but the success of the plan will depend on a commitment on the part of the City and neighborhood-based organizations to continue that engagement. # GOALS AND POLICIES <
> Providing alternative housing types, such as “live-work” units, is one way of capitalizing on the City’s urban character to attract new residents. [Loftworks in Goodrich-Kirtland Park neighborhood] GOAL: Provide new and renovated housing that meets the needs and preferences of Clevelanders of all incomes, ages and lifestyles ## HOUSING ### Issues After decades with virtually no significant housing development, Cleveland now leads the region in the creation of new housing. Hundreds of new single-family houses and townhouses are breathing new life into neighborhoods in every part of the City. Conversion of obsolete warehouses into upscale housing and “live-work” spaces has attracted thousands of new residents seeking uniquely urban living environments. At the same time, programs for affordable housing and supportive housing are creating housing opportunities for those whose needs are not served by the private market. In the effort to meet its housing goals, the City must address issues as divergent as homelessness and suburban competition. More specifically, among the housing issues facing Cleveland are the following. * current housing choices that fail to fully meet the needs of individuals of all ages and incomes and ability levels * inadequate supply of housing that can attract mobile individuals with many housing choices * adapting housing incentives to changing market conditions * homelessness and the associated needs for supportive services * excessive numbers of dilapidated and abandoned residential buildings * weak private market for housing rehabilitation even in neighborhoods where new housing is being developed * obstacles to assembling sites for large-scale housing developments ### Policies **1. Decent and Affordable Housing.** Give highest priority among the City’s housing initiatives to the provision of decent and affordable housing for all Clevelanders. **2. Alternative Housing.** Attract residents seeking an urban lifestyle by offering alternative housing types, including townhouses, condominiums, live-work spaces, and converted commercial, industrial and institutional buildings. <
> Outstanding design and affordability do not have to be mutually exclusive goals in the development of new housing. [Arbor Park Village low-income housing development in the Central neighborhood] 3. **Competitive Places.** Create and preserve neighborhoods that are competitive urban places, characterized by mixed-use development, pedestrian-friendly design and transit access. 4. **Housing Choice.** Provide a diversity of housing types in neighborhoods throughout the city, maximizing choices for residents of all incomes, ages, ability levels and social circumstances. 5. **Code Enforcement.** Target residential code enforcement in a manner that helps stabilize neighborhoods without causing undue hardships for low-income households. 6. **Housing Incentives.** Ensure that financial incentives for housing development are the minimum necessary to be effective, and do not result in undue losses of revenue for city services or the public schools. 7. **Rehabilitation.** Give priority to housing rehabilitation as the most effective means of making affordable housing available to the greatest number of residents. 8. **Land Assembly.** Promote housing development through strategic, proactive land assembly. 9. **Homelessness.** Address homelessness through a multi-faceted strategy that includes emergency shelters, permanent supportive housing, medical and social services, and job training. 10. **Senior Housing.** Develop housing for senior citizens in proximity to shopping, medical facilities, social services, and public transportation. 11. **Design.** Ensure that the design of new and renovated houses complements the character of the surrounding neighborhood, through a design review process that is effective, expeditious and equitable. 12. **Neighborhood Plans.** Locate infill houses where neighborhood plans ensure a supportive environment for residential development. 13. **Green Building.** Encourage use of "green building" techniques in new and renovated housing through code changes and financial incentives. 14. **Housing Accessibility.** Expand the range of residential opportunities for persons with special housing needs. <
> A central focus of the *Citywide Plan’s* retail strategy is to re-establish the competitiveness of Cleveland’s neighborhood retail districts by building upon their traditional strengths as pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use districts with distinctive architectural character. *[West 25th Street in Ohio City]* GOAL: *Provide Cleveland residents with a broad range of high quality, conveniently located retail shopping opportunities* # RETAIL ## Issues Recent years have seen a marked improvement in shopping opportunities in many Cleveland neighborhoods, with the development of contemporary shopping centers and the renovation of historic retail buildings through the City’s Storefront Renovation Program. Nonetheless, Clevelanders remain underserved with respect to the quality and variety of shopping opportunities available in their neighborhoods and in their city. Studies show that Cleveland residents spend over a billion dollars a year in retail stores outside the City – thirty-three cents on every dollar spent on retail purchases. As new and renovated housing has risen in Cleveland’s neighborhoods, there is a growing mismatch between the increased spending power of residents and the lesser quality and variety of the retail shopping that serves their neighborhoods. The lack of a full range of quality retailing, along with the poor physical condition of some retail makes these otherwise attractive districts, neighborhoods less desirable as places to live. These issues and others, as highlighted below, must be addressed if Cleveland is to meet its goal to provide all Cleveland residents with a broad range of high-quality retailing. * poor-quality and limited variety of retailing in many neighborhoods * mismatch between residents’ spending power and retail shopping opportunities * unattractive “streetscapes,” signage and storefronts * retail districts lacking distinctive identities, consistent business hours, joint marketing, etc. * lack of convenient parking and transit options * intrusion of auto-oriented development into pedestrian-oriented districts * sparse retailing and vacant building and lots along major streets * safety problems and perceptions * absence of “big draw” retail anchors * lack of assembled land for large-scale retail development * ability of locally-owned businesses to compete with national chains <
> Strategically located large-scale shopping centers can complement services offered in traditional urban retail districts. [site of Steelyard Commons shopping center] ## Policies 1. **Building on Strengths.** Re-establish the competitiveness of Cleveland's neighborhood retail districts by building upon their traditional strengths as pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use districts with distinctive architectural character. 2. **Preservation.** Give priority to renovation and infill development, as opposed to large-scale new development, as the principal means of providing competitive retail shopping in Cleveland. 3. **Building Smart.** Strategically locate and design a limited number of large-scale shopping centers in a manner that will stem the outflow of retail spending from the City of Cleveland, while complementing the City's traditional retail districts. 4. **Consolidating.** Consolidate retail shopping to create and reinforce mixed-use "town centers" that serve as focal points of neighborhood activity. 5. **Niche Marketing.** Transform selected retail districts into regional attractions by clustering stores around common themes – including arts and culture, ethnic identities, antiques, and recreation and scenic resources. 6. **Tapping the Market.** Improve the quantity and quality of retailing in Cleveland neighborhoods by tapping into the hidden market that is often overlooked by national retailers, particularly in neighborhoods with large numbers of minorities and immigrants. 7. **Creating Employment.** Recognize that retailing provides jobs that are often the first introduction to the workforce for young people and that provide senior citizens with opportunities for supplemental income and socialization. 8. **Creating Wealth.** Maximize opportunities for Cleveland residents to own and operate retail businesses in the City. 9. **Connecting to Transit.** Link new and revitalized retail development to public transit, as well as to bicycle routes and cyclist amenities. 10. **Building Safe.** Design retail developments to maximize public safety, and work with merchant and community organizations to ensure ongoing safety. 11. **Streetscape.** Improve the appearance and vitality of retail district "streetscapes" through use of public art, banners and signs, benches, street trees, decorative paving, underground wiring, sidewalk cafes, etc. 12. **Parking.** Develop strategically located shared parking lots and garages in neighborhood retail districts that are under-served by parking. <
> Cleveland can capitalize on the presence of leading medical and educational institutions to attract bio-medical and information technology businesses. [Cleveland Clinic Heart Center] GOAL: Increase economic prosperity through job creation and improved access to jobs and business ownership by all segments of the Cleveland community # ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ## Issues During the first half of the 20th century, Cleveland's economy boomed in an era when the steel industry was king. Workers from Europe and later from the rural south flocked to Cleveland to find work and to raise families. Many of these manufacturing jobs paid well and required relatively little education. Today, another wave of opportunities is rolling in, except that this time the revolution is taking place in knowledge-based occupations. Cleveland is well positioned to capture a significant share of these jobs, given the region's assets in world-class medical institutions and universities, as well as its legacy of manufacturing know-how. Cleveland's challenge is to re-tool its industries and re-educate its workforce to compete in this knowledge-based economy. Cleveland also has an historic opportunity to create the vital urban neighborhoods – "neighborhoods of choice" – capable of attracting individuals with the education and talent to fuel those knowledge-based businesses. Nationally, the most prosperous regions are those that radiate out from strong, vibrant central cities. Likewise, it is not an oversimplification to state that northeast Ohio will prosper in the 21[^st] century only if Cleveland prospers. For Cleveland and its region to prosper, both must focus on expanding the economic base – not merely shifting jobs from one part of the region to another, but creating wealth by growing and attracting businesses that export goods and services outside the local economy. ## Policies 1. **Health Care Commerce.** Capitalize on the presence of world-renowned medical and educational institutions to grow businesses involved in health care procedures and products, while attracting patients and visitors from outside the region. 2. **Advanced Manufacturing.** Promote product design, product innovation and productivity process improvements to help industry shift from traditional production to higher-value and specialized output in sectors where Cleveland can create competitive advantages. [^st]: st <
> Despite long-term job losses, heavy manufacturing remains a vital part of Cleveland’s economy. [train at Mittal Steel plant on Cuyahoga River.] 3. **“Center of the Center”.** Strengthen the amenities, attractions, businesses and residential environment in the central city and its downtown as a keystone for regional economic growth. 4. **Learning.** Strengthen public education and access to lifelong workforce learning opportunities as a foundation for building a globally competitive economy and personal prosperity for Cleveland residents. 5. **Opportunity and Equity.** Ensure that all Clevelanders have the opportunity to benefit from local economic development activity. 6. **Infrastructure.** Plan long-term, coordinated improvements in roadways, transit, waterways, fiber and other infrastructure to foster retention and expansion of the economic base. 7. **Adaptive Re-Use.** Bring back into productive economic use advantageously located vacant properties and brownfield sites. 8. **Eco-Industry.** Make Cleveland a national leader in the development and application of green building, environmental remediation, alternative energy and sustainability technologies. 9. **Land Assembly.** Assemble freeway-accessible sites large enough to accommodate industrial and office park development.. 10. **Regionalism.** Promote the region’s broad range of business assets in competing collectively to attract businesses from beyond our regional economy. 11. **Incentives.** Use pubic financial incentives in proportion to the resulting local economic benefits, while ensuring that assistance program meets the full range of capital needs. 12. **“Hassle Factor”.** Make it easier and more predictable to do business in and with the City by implementing a customer-focused approach to regulation and approvals and by providing incentives in a manner that is transparent and easy to navigate. 13. **Quality of Life.** Create vibrant urban neighborhoods capable of attracting individuals who will fuel entrepreneurship and “new economy” businesses. 14. **Arts and Culture.** Utilize the arts and cultural offerings to attract highly talented and skilled individuals to live and work in the city. <
> Maximizing public access to waterfronts is an essential ingredient in any recipe for making Cleveland a more competitive place. [Whiskey Island on Lake Erie] GOAL: Provide high-quality recreation opportunities and facilities that meet the needs of Clevelanders of all ages, ability levels, incomes and interests # RECREATION & OPEN SPACE ## Issues Recreation amenities are becoming increasingly important to communities competing to attract and retain residents. In addition, the link between recreation and good health has become more and more evident. Bikeways, walking trails, climbing walls, skateparks, health clubs and marinas are now among the recreation amenities expected by residents choosing a place to live, in addition to such traditional facilities as playgrounds, baseball fields, swimming pools and the like. Although Cleveland is extraordinarily fortunate to be located on a Great Lake and along a major river valley, the region has failed to take full advantage of these natural assets as places of recreation. That is changing and will change even more dramatically as Cleveland's current waterfront plans are implemented. The potential for enhanced waterfront access gives Cleveland an historic opportunity to transform its image to a place where urban amenities are joined by scenic beauty and unique outdoor recreation activities. Another set of issues facing Cleveland revolves around the City's network of 140 parks, playgrounds, swimming pools and recreation centers. As the City's population has declined over the decades, its ability to maintain and program these facilities has been severely tested. The principal issue facing the City in this respect is how to provide the quality of recreation facilities and programs demanded by residents while living within the budget of a community with a reduced population and reduced resources. ## Policies 1. **Waterfront Access.** Maximize public access to the lakefront, riverfront and stream valleys, including safe and convenient access from nearby neighborhoods for pedestrians and bicyclists. 2. **Waterfront Recreation.** Develop and expand publicly accessible recreation sites along the lakefront and waterways. <
> Extension of the Towpath Trail to downtown Cleveland will open new recreation opportunities for City residents and will serve as the spine of a regional network of bike routes. [Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation] 3. **Bikeways.** Create a comprehensive network of bicycle routes, bicycle lanes and multi-purpose trails, safely linking neighborhoods to recreation sites, schools, shopping areas, places of employment and other destinations throughout the City and the region. 4. **Bicycle and Pedestrian Amenities.** Provide bicycle racks, benches, water fountains and other amenities to encourage bicycling and pedestrian travel throughout the City. 5. **Serving Neighborhoods.** Ensure that a wide range of recreation facilities are equitably distributed throughout the City, with playgrounds located within approximately 1/4-mile (a 5-minute walk) of all residents. 6. **Quality of Facilities.** Provide recreation facilities competitive with the best available in the region, consolidating large-scale facilities at transit-accessible locations. 7. **Diverse Programming.** Offer a diversity of recreation programs to serve the recreation needs and interests of Clevelanders of all ages, incomes, lifestyles and ability levels. 8. **Serving Working Adults.** Provide recreation services and equipment geared to the interests and schedules of working adults, supplementing recreation services oriented principally to children and seniors. 9. **Sharing Resources.** Increase the availability and quality of recreation services through shared use of facilities owned by the City, School District, YMCA and other non-profit organizations. 10. **Sharing Responsibilities.** Improve maintenance at public parks and recreation centers through “adopt-a-park” programs and corporate sponsorships. 11. **Community Gardens.** Reserve land for both temporary and permanent use as community gardens in every neighborhood throughout the City. 12. **Preserving Natural Areas.** Identify and protect natural areas characterized by stream valleys, wetlands, hillsides, forests and other environmentally sensitive and valuable features. 13. **Urban Forest.** Protect and expand the supply of street trees and landscaped areas within Cleveland’s urbanized districts, maximizing environmental and aesthetic benefits. <
> Schools can be designed and operated to serve as multi-purpose community centers, with a variety of activities offered during non-school hours. [Nathan Hale Middle School in Mt. Pleasant] GOAL: Connect communities and their institutions in a manner that nurtures the physical, mental and spiritual life of all residents # COMMUNITY SERVICES ## Issues The quality of life offered by a neighborhood is measured not only by the quality of its housing but by the quality of its *services*. Schools, libraries, medical offices, social service agencies and other community facilities provide services that are the prerequisites for a superior quality of life. These services have the power to connect all members of the community to opportunities to achieve economic security and personal fulfillment. Beyond the services themselves, the buildings that house these facilities can be powerful symbols of community. They embody our shared values and they are a visible acknowledgement that we are only as strong as the weakest among us and that our community's future depends on our ability to maximize the potential of every member of the community. The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* recognizes that even the best of services will be poorly delivered if the service facilities are not properly located, sited and designed. Those considerations are, therefore, critical elements of the plan and its implementation. Underlying most issues regarding the provision of community facilities and services is the commitment on the part of the wider community to provide financial and creative resources commensurate with the needs of residents in the City and in each of its neighborhoods. ## Policies 1. **Schools as Community Resources.** Utilize schools as centers for community education, open in the evenings and weekends for use by students as well as other neighborhood residents, as financial resources permit. 2. **School Design.** Ensure that schools are designed and sited so as to facilitate excellence in education and connections to the surrounding community. 3. **Education Partnerships.** Encourage businesses, institutions, universities and faith-based organizations to partner with local schools in offering diverse education and training opportunities for students and adults. <
> Convenient access is a prerequisite to providing effective community services to residents of City neighborhoods. [MetroHealth medical center on Broadway] 4. **Equitable Funding for Schools.** Advocate for a statewide system of school funding that responds to the needs of students rather than to the wealth of communities. 5. **Education Options.** Provide Clevelanders with education options that include traditional schools, magnet schools and charter schools, both public and private. 6. **Coordinated Neighborhood Services.** Facilitate cooperation between local service providers and community organizations to work at the neighborhood level to address the comprehensive needs of residents for education, training, health care, and social services. 7. **Personal Development.** Create locally-based programs that foster personal development and ethics as the foundation for strengthening the social fabric of communities and ensuring a better quality of life for residents. 8. **Community Libraries.** Support full-service libraries as centers for lifelong learning and intergenerational learning in each of Cleveland’s neighborhoods. 9. **Community Health Care.** Ensure that medical offices are located so as to supplement full-scale hospitals in serving residents of all Cleveland neighborhoods and that critical health care education is provided to students in elementary and secondary schools. 10. **Capital Improvements.** Coordinate capital improvements planning between the City and the School District to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of those expenditures. <
> Design features such as front porches and windows that put "eyes on the street" can make a significant and long-term contribution to improving neighborhood safety. GOAL: Improve public safety through safety-conscious design and through community-based solutions focused on crime prevention # SAFETY ## Issues Safety is the most fundamental characteristic of a desirable neighborhood. Nothing is more important to the well-being of residents than safety. The job of creating safe neighborhoods, however, cannot rest solely on police and fire and EMS officers. It takes the efforts of residents, businesses, judges, teachers, social workers and a host of others. City planning has an important but often overlooked role to play, particularly in the critical area of crime prevention. The design and layout of developments can help prevent crime or can make crime more likely. Areas hidden from view work to the advantage of criminals; areas open to public view and surveillance work to the advantage of residents, shoppers and employees. Similarly, poorly lit areas work to the advantage of criminals, while well-lit areas work to the advantage of the public. Just as important in preventing crime is action by the community to organize against crime. Merchants’ associations, block clubs and other groups, working in partnership with the police, can play a critical role in sending a message to criminals that their presence will not be tolerated. These same groups are working with local government and the courts to control and eliminate the dilapidated vacant buildings that are havens for drug trafficking and other crimes, while targeting other high-crime areas for additional police presence. ## Policies 1. **Safety by Design.** Incorporate "safety-by-design" standards in local zoning codes, building codes, master plans, and design review guidelines. 2. **Design Features.** Use safety-by-design standards to require adequate lighting, areas open to surveillance, window and porches along public streets, and safe pedestrian circulation systems. <
> Communities organizing against crime send the signal that criminal activity will not be tolerated. [sign for program to "weed" out crime and "seed" positive activities] 3. **Business District Patrols.** Work with merchant associations and local development corporations to institute security patrols in neighborhood and regional business districts. 4. **Police Presence.** Continue collaboration between the police and community groups to ensure greater police presence in areas experiencing increased criminal activity, and consider such programs as those that allow officers to take patrol cars home for increased visibility in residential areas. 5. **Technology.** Increase the efficiency of policing through use of such technology as video surveillance cameras, GIS mapping and data systems, and improved access to such information from police vehicles. 6. **Public Education.** Expand programs to educate residents and businesses on safety precautions and crime deterrence, while providing information to counter inaccurate perceptions of crime levels in Cleveland’s neighborhoods and downtown. <
> Encouraging mixed-use development in proximity to transit service can strengthen the competitiveness of urban neighborhoods. [RTA Waterfront Line station] GOAL: Provide a variety of transportation options that serve residents of all income levels and that promote economic development while protecting the quality of life in neighborhoods # TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE ## Issues Cleveland is located at a nexus of the regional and national transportation network, where freeway, rail, airline and shipping routes converge. This extraordinary transportation access was largely responsible for Cleveland’s growth as a national center of economic activity. On the local level, within the City itself, the rail lines branch off to serve local industry and the freeway system provides access to a system of roads that serve businesses and residents alike. Commuter rail lines complete the local transportation network, along with sidewalks for pedestrians and routes for bicyclists. Among the transportation issues facing Cleveland are the following. * an aging network of roads and bridges in need of repair and replacement * inadequate freeway access to industries, forcing truck traffic onto residential streets * an automobile-dominated region that reduces use of public transit and leaves many transit-dependent individuals under-served * insufficient opportunities for safe and convenient bicycle travel * unfulfilled potential to create transit-oriented development districts * the need for shipping to be balanced with needs for waterfront recreation * maintaining Cleveland’s long-term viability for national and international air travel ## Policies 1. **Transit-Oriented Development.** Target high-density development in proximity to transit stations and major bus stops in order to support public transit and strengthen the competitiveness of urban neighborhoods. 2. **Mixed-Use Development.** Encourage mixed-use development that reduces dependence on motorized vehicles to reach employment and shopping destinations. 3. **Mass Transit.** Support improved bus and rapid transit service, through public funding and employer incentives, to serve individuals who require or prefer mass transit and to reduce the pollution and roadway congestion caused by use of personal automobiles. <
> The *Citywide Plan* advocates placing priority on the upgrading of existing infrastructure in the allocation of transportation and infrastructure funding. *[Fulton Road Bridge over Big Creek valley]* 4. **Neighborhood Bus Service.** Continue and expand RTA’s “Community Circulator” program, providing convenient bus service to residents using mass transit to reach such neighborhood destinations as shopping, recreation and medical services. 5. **Transit Amenities.** Upgrade the condition of bus shelters, transit stations, and transit vehicles, and provide improved information on schedules and routes. 6. **Transit Line Extensions.** Consider strategic extensions to existing mass transit lines where significant ridership increases are likely. 7. **Bicycle Travel.** Develop a citywide and regional network of safe bicycle routes, connecting to work, school, shopping and recreation destinations; and make bicycle accommodation a routine component of roadway and development projects. 8. **Pedestrian Travel.** Make Cleveland a national model for pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, featuring conveniently-located sidewalks and paths, benches, and streetside development patterns. 9. **Maintenance of Existing Infrastructure.** Work with regional, state and federal agencies to give priority to the maintenance of existing transportation infrastructure in the allocation of transportation funding. 10. **Ports.** Ensure Cleveland’s long-term viability as a hub for air- and water-based transportation, while reserving appropriately located land for waterfront recreation. 11. **Regional Land Use Planning.** Coordinate transportation and infrastructure planning with land use plans designed to limit the negative impacts of urban sprawl and promote more efficient use of existing infrastructure and community facilities. 12. **Industrial Access.** Develop roads that provide direct truck access between freeways and industrial areas, by-passing neighborhoods where truck traffic degrades the quality of life for residents. 13. **Job Access.** Provide transit service between central city neighborhoods and employment concentrations in the city and in outlying areas. 14. **Traffic Calming.** Institute “traffic-calming” measures in residential areas and neighborhood shopping districts where existing traffic volumes and speeds create safety hazards and unpleasant conditions for residents and shoppers. <
> Local arts offerings reflect and represent the tremendous cultural and demographic diversity of the Cleveland community. [theatre production at Karamu House] GOAL: Enrich the lives of Clevelanders and strengthen economic vitality by establishing Cleveland as a world-class center for the arts # ARTS & CULTURE ## Issues The City of Cleveland enjoys celebrated status in the realm of arts and culture. Cleveland is home to two truly world-class institutions in the Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Museum of Art, the nation’s second largest performing arts complex in the theaters of Playhouse Square, and a number of nationally recognized arts organizations including the Cleveland Institutes of Music and Art, the Cleveland Playhouse, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the Tri-C Jazz Fest, among others. Cleveland also hosts several adventurous theaters and music ensembles, opera, dance, an expanding contemporary art gallery, and a growing number of venues for contemporary music. Today, the arts have become increasingly important as a magnet for attracting people and businesses to regions across the nation. Cleveland has the opportunity to capitalize on its enviable cultural assets as catalysts for neighborhood regeneration and community-wide economic development – even beyond the estimated $1.3 billion current impact of the arts on the regional economy. One of Cleveland’s challenges in accomplishing this goal will be to find the resources needed to support the arts – maintaining the quality of the region’s most prominent institutions in the face of the region’s long-term relative decline in population, while supporting those emerging arts organizations and artists who are exploring new territory at the edges of the contemporary arts scene. ## Policies 1. **Arts and the New Economy.** Support and market the arts as a magnet to attract creative and entrepreneurial individuals to the Cleveland region, thereby generating economic activity and jobs. 2. **Arts Districts.** Establish and market “arts districts” as an approach to revitalizing neighborhoods where galleries and other arts venues are concentrated. 3. **Catalysts.** Capitalize on the presence of theaters, museums and other major arts venues as catalysts for neighborhood and regional development. <
> Public art can help "tell the story" of a place and add a new dimension to its image. *[fence at Mill Creek waterfall]* 4. **Public Funding for the Arts.** Create local mechanisms for permanent and predictable public funding for a diversity of arts endeavors in the Cleveland region, supplementing private and other governmental funding sources. 5. **Public Art Programs.** Strengthen the City of Cleveland's new public art program and work with other governments, developers and corporations to incorporate public art as a standard component of development projects throughout the city 6. **Neighborhood Place-Making.** Use public art to strengthen the "sense of place" and highlight the heritage and character of each Cleveland neighborhood 7. **Live-Work Districts.** Create supportive environments for local artists by establishing live-work districts, where obsolete industrial buildings are transformed into residences and studios through use of financial incentives and innovative zoning. 8. **Accessibility.** Ensure that the arts are accessible and affordable to residents of all neighborhoods, income levels and ages, including arts programming in the public schools and expanded publicity and outreach. 9. **Cultural Diversity.** Ensure that the arts in Cleveland fully reflect and represent the cultural and demographic diversity of the Cleveland community. <
> The *Citywide Plan* promotes creation of renewable energy resources that take advantage of our natural assets and minimize negative environmental impacts. [wind turbine at the Great Lakes Science Center] GOAL: Ensure the long-term environmental, economic and social viability of Cleveland and its region # SUSTAINABILITY ## Issues A "sustainable Cleveland" is a community that meets the needs of the present without compromising the future. Because past generations lacked the understanding and the capabilities to achieve this, today we must address the consequences of actions that have, in fact, compromised our "present." These consequences include, among others, contaminated brownfield sites, urban sprawl, over-dependence on the automobile, energy-wasting buildings, poor water quality, and unhealthy lifestyles associated with unhealthful development patterns. Sustainability, however, requires even more than protection of our natural environment and our physical health. Just as important is the commitment to the minds of our children and all Clevelanders – providing them with the education that will enable them to adapt to ever-changing economic and social circumstances. In this sense, an educated community is a sustainable community, just as much as a healthy community is a sustainable community. ## Policies 1. **Sustainable Development Patterns.** Create high-density, mixed-use districts that promote travel by transit, walking and bicycling. 2. **Sustainable Neighborhoods.** Develop "full life-cycle neighborhoods" that provide housing and services for residents of all ages and incomes, with a healthful living environment and convenient access to jobs, shopping and recreation. 3. **Sustainable Economy.** Ensure that economic development, job training and education in the Cleveland region keep pace with national trends and emerging opportunities in order to provide jobs for current and future residents. 4. **Sustainable Development Practices.** Ensure that land is used in a manner that preserves and expands valuable open space, protects natural habitats, retains and replaces trees, prevents environmental contamination, and protects sensitive lands. 5. **High Performance/ Green Building.** Amend building and zoning codes and add financial incentives to encourage high performance "green building" that conserves resources and creates more healthful living and working environments. <
> “Greenbuilding” techniques can contribute to creating sustainable communities in Cleveland. [EcoVillage townhouses in Detroit-Shoreway] 6. **Nonmotorized Travel.** Design and develop safe routes for walking and bicycling, accessible to all residents, in order to reduce automobile dependency, improve health, and reduce the cost of travel. 7. **Motorized Travel.** Continue to upgrade current bus fleets with cleaner-burning vehicles and accelerate the replacement of vehicles in government and corporate fleets with more fuel-efficient and cleaner-burning vehicles. 8. **Mass Transit.** Increase use of mass transit through such initiatives as employer incentives, park-and-ride lots, and transit-oriented development projects. 9. **Energy Conservation.** Reduce use of energy and water in City facilities and vehicles and encourage similar practices by residents, businesses and other organizations. 10. **Renewable Energy.** Promote use of solar, wind, geothermal and other renewable energy resources. 11. **Brownfield Remediation.** Clean contaminated “brownfield” sites and promote beneficial re-use through regulatory action and increased funding to improve Cleveland’s environmental and economic health. 12. **Recycling and Waste Management.** Reduce waste disposal through municipal curbside recycling and programs for recycling tires, motor oil, yard waste, electronic equipment, demolition debris, and roadway materials, as well as by encouraging consumers to make choices that are less wasteful of resources. 13. **Water Quality.** Improve regional water quality by better managing stormwater runoff, strictly enforcing emission controls, reducing use of harmful lawn-care chemicals, restoring urban streams and rivers. 14. **Air Quality.** Improve regional air quality by strictly enforcing emission controls, increasing alternative energy production, and promoting use of mass transit, nonmotorized travel, and cleaner-powered vehicles. <
> Formally designating structures or districts as "historic" is an important tool for preserving Cleveland's past. GOAL: Foster preservation of historically and architecturally significant buildings and districts in the City of Cleveland # PRESERVATION ### Issues Tiring of cookie-cutter development that ends up making every street corner in America look like every other corner, with the same monotonous "fast food" style of architecture, Americans are increasingly drawn to places that have a distinctive character and ambiance. In Cleveland, it is the classic architecture of historic buildings that helps create this distinctive character. Cleveland's historic resources, however, are threatened every day by market forces, as well as by those who fail to recognize the true value of these irreplaceable assets. Through its Landmarks Commission and through its use of the federal Section 106 requirements, Cleveland possesses the regulatory tools necessary to preserve its historic buildings and districts. Since its creation in 1973, the Commission has designated 22 local historic districts, 29 National Register historic districts, and 234 individual landmark buildings and structures. *The real challenge facing Cleveland is how re-define the real estate market, educate property owners, and provide the financial incentives to ensure the economic viability of the community's landmark buildings.* ### Policies **1** **Marketing.** Capitalize on the presence of architecturally and historically significant buildings in promoting and marketing Cleveland's older neighborhoods as competitive places to live and visit **2** **Economic Re-Use.** Identify and pursue opportunities for economically viable re-use of significant structures threatened by neglect and possible demolition. **3** **Design Standards.** Establish design review standards that are effective and reasonable in protecting historic structures and in ensuring that new development is complementary to character of historic districts. **4** **Designation.** Protect historic buildings and districts through designation as local landmarks and through listing on the National Register of Historic Places. <
> Some older buildings can be preserved by renovating them for new uses that capitalize on their unique features and character. [*residential conversion of Tower Press Building at Superior and East 18th*] 5 **Education.** Increase public awareness of the history and architecture of Cleveland and its neighborhoods, as well as the value of historic preservation. 6 **Technical Assistance.** Provide property owners with technical assistance in maintaining and rehabilitating historic buildings. 7 **Preventative Maintenance.** Adopt and enforce laws that require preventative maintenance of historic buildings and structures. 8 **Funding.** Retain and expand funding for historic preservation at all levels of government, including tax credits for rehabilitation. # POPULATION <
> Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # POPULATION ## OVERVIEW Cleveland is the central city of the nation’s 15th most populous grouping of metropolitan areas—a seven-county region with a 2000 population of over 2.9 million. However, while the region’s overall population showed only very slow growth during the 1990s, the Cleveland metropolitan area saw a further decrease, as the decades-long trend known as “urban sprawl” continued. The city itself actually lost population at a slower rate during the 1990s than it had in previous decades, ending the century with 478,403 residents (2000 U.S. Census Bureau figure). As outward migration and development continue, it is Cleveland’s inner-ring suburbs that now find themselves facing many of the issues that the City has had to struggle with, including a declining population. Major demographic patterns and trends, in addition to urban sprawl, that the city is grappling with include the following: * Cleveland remains highly segregated. * Cleveland profits little from international migration. * Cleveland lacks a young, highly-educated population. * Cleveland has a growing minority population, with a majority of its residents now members of minority groups. * While Clevelanders’ incomes increased during the 1990s, the city’s workforce remains primarily low-wage. * Cleveland has a relatively small number of married-couple households and a large number of single-parent and single-person households. * Cleveland has a high ratio of children and seniors to wage earners. * The State of Ohio and the region are expected to continue in a slow growth pattern. Much of the information in this chapter comes from an analysis of the United States decennial census done by the Brookings Institution in a report entitled: “Cleveland in Focus: A Profile from Census 2000”. In the report, Cleveland is compared to 23 other large American cities, and a profile of Cleveland relative to those cities is presented. # TRENDS *Several trends emerge that give a clearer picture of the challenge before us, and may also suggest some areas of greatest vulnerability (or opportunity), where connections with appropriate community assets could be helpful. (Highlighted text refers to maps and charts with more detailed information located at the end of the chapter.)* * **Population:** Cleveland’s population has been declining since the 1950s. Thirty-two other U.S. cities are now larger than Cleveland, once the fifth largest city in America, though the pace of loss[^p53-1] slowed considerably in the 1990s. Cleveland’s Downtown[^p53-2], however, has performed well compared to downtowns in other cities. In 2000 the United States Census Bureau listed the city’s population at 478,403. Cleveland’s population loss during the 1990s was 5.4% compared to a loss of 8.9% during the 1980s. The number of households has also declined, albeit at a slower pace than population, and stood at 190,638 in 2000. (See Graph.) Out-migration of residents is the principal reason for Cleveland’s population loss. <
> [^p53-1]: [^p53-2]: Cuyahoga County has also started to see a decline in population. Despite a development pattern in which developed property (red areas on the maps below) covered over twice the land area in 2000 than it did in 1950, the county’s actual population in those two years was nearly identical. While there were 40% more households in Cuyahoga County by the end of that 50-year period (Household Trend)[^p54-3], the average number of household *members* had fallen from 3.1 to 2.39 for the county, and in the city of Cleveland, from 3.1 to 2.44. Development Pattern – 1948 Development Pattern – 2002 Cuyahoga County Cuyahoga County <
> <
> Source: Cuyahoga County Planning Commission While the core of the metropolitan area continued to decline in population, the outer suburbs continued to expand[^p54-4]. The four-county metropolitan statistical area that includes the city showed an increase of 1.4% or 25,000 people between 1990 and 2000. The pattern of population growth[^p54-5] shows much of the city and inner suburbs declining in population with the growth occurring at the periphery of Cuyahoga County and in surrounding counties. Some census tracts in and around Downtown Cleveland, which had previously experienced severe population declines, have shown population increases as a result of new housing construction. [^p54-3]: Household Trend [^p54-4]: suburbs continued to expand [^p54-5]: pattern of population growth Because major employment centers such as Downtown, University Circle and industrial districts are located within the city of Cleveland, the number of people that actually work in the city—and thus require many services on a daily basis—is larger than its residential population. The Census Bureau estimates that the city’s daytime population increases to approximately 593,000 due to the influx of commuters to their jobs. * **Ethnicity and Race:** Cleveland’s growth during the late 19th and early 20th centuries was fueled by immigrants who flocked to the city seeking jobs generated by the industrial revolution. Around the middle of the 20th century the number of immigrants entering the city, as was also the case with other cities across the country, decreased. But where many cities experienced a rise in immigration during the later 20th century, especially in terms of Hispanic and Asian immigrants, Cleveland did not see a dramatic increase in numbers. (Immigration Trend)[^p55-6]. In fact in 2000 Cleveland had the lowest foreign-born population[^p55-7] among the targeted cities studied by the Brookings Institution. Even within the Cleveland area, many suburban communities can boast a higher foreign-born population than the city of Cleveland. Many new immigrants, when they enter the country, bypass the central city and move directly to the suburbs. In Cleveland most of the foreign-born are of European or Asian decent.[^p55-8] Over the years an increasing percentage of the city’s population has been non-white. In 1990 just over half of Cleveland’s residents were non-whites. During the 1990s that number grew to 61.2 percent with the proportion of African-Americans and Hispanics increasing the most.[^p55-9] The segregation of African Americans from whites and of African-Americans from Hispanics exceeds the averages for many large cities. Cleveland’s African-American population is concentrated on the east side[^p55-10] of the city and in the near eastern suburbs. Hispanics are concentrated in the city’s west side[^p55-11] neighborhoods. <
> In 2000 over 50% of Cleveland’s population was African-American. [^p55-6]: (Immigration Trend) [^p55-7]: lowest foreign-born population [^p55-8]: decent. [^p55-9]: proportion of African-Americans and Hispanics increasing the most. [^p55-10]: concentrated on the east side [^p55-11]: concentrated in the city’s west side The city’s African-American population increased by 10,837 persons, from 235,405 in 1990 to 246,242 in 2000. This increase occurred primarily because births exceeded deaths by more than 26,000. There was a net out-migration of 15,329 African Americans during the decade, which partially offset the increase in population. Births among whites also exceeded the number of deaths by more than 9,300, but that coupled with a net out-migration of approximately 53,093 resulted in a decrease of 43,747 in the white population. At the neighborhood level[^p56-12], increases and decreases in net migration by race varied widely between 1990 and 2000. Some areas, like the Broadway and Collinwood neighborhoods, have seen a significant change in their racial makeup since 1990. * **Age Demographics:** Cities in general tend to be younger places than the suburbs. The median age of Clevelanders in 2000 was 33 as compared to the median for Cuyahoga County of 37.3. Young children age 5 to 9 make up the city’s largest age group. Baby boomers and young adults also comprise a large segment of the population. These age cohorts[^p56-13] were also the only ones in which Cleveland saw an increase in population between 1990 and 2000. The composition of the city of Cleveland’s population by age is illustrated in the following population bell. Cleveland – Population by Age Cohort, 2000 <
> Source: The Brookings Institution [^p56-12]: [^p56-13]: High concentrations of persons under the age of 18[^p57-14] are found on the southeast, northeast and near west sides of the city. Individuals over the age of 65[^p57-15] are concentrated in the city’s inner suburbs and parts of the east side. Some 70 children and seniors are being supported by every 100 of Cleveland’s working-age adults—the second highest percentage of economically dependent population[^p57-16] found among the 23 target cities looked at in the Brookings Institute study. * **Household Type:** Compared to other cities,[^p57-17] Cleveland has a relatively small married-couple family population and a large single-parent family population. The city also has a high percentage of single-person households. During the 1990s[^p57-18] the city of Cleveland saw a drop in married-couple households while it showed a slight increase in other household types. During that same period the suburbs saw rapid growth in single-parent and single-person households. The suburbs showed a slight growth in married-couples without children but also lost population in married-couple-with-children households. * **Turnover:** Cleveland has more long-term residents than many other cities. In 2000 only 16.1% of the city’s population had lived in a different city five years before (1995). Among the 23 cities targeted by the Brookings Institution study, Cleveland had the sixth lowest share of “new arrivals”. * **Education:** The nation’s long-term transition to a service-oriented “knowledge” economy means that places with a critical mass of educated workers have a competitive advantage. In 2000 in Cleveland, almost 1 in 4 children lived in a family with no working parents.[^p57-19] The percentage of Cleveland adults holding a bachelor’s degree[^p57-20] is the fifth lowest among the nation’s 100 largest cities. The percentage is rising but is still below the average for the 23 cities compared in the Brookings study. The city of Cleveland also has the second smallest university student population[^p57-21] among the 23 cities studied. <
> Cleveland is behind many major cities in university population and the number of residents with bachelor degrees. [^p57-14]: [^p57-15]: [^p57-16]: [^p57-17]: [^p57-18]: [^p57-19]: [^p57-20]: [^p57-21]: * **Income:** Cleveland's median household income in 2000 was $25,928, up 8.3% from its 1990 median income of $23,945. This was twice the national average increase of 4.0% but still left Cleveland ranked third lowest among the 100 largest cities[^p58-22] in the country. It was also just two-thirds of Cuyahoga County's median household income of $39,168. The national median income in 2000 was $41,994. Low-income households outnumber high-income households in the city by 5 to 1.[^p58-23] * **Poverty:** The poverty rate in Cleveland declined somewhat during the 1990s, going from 28.7% in 1990 to 26.3% in 2000. However, the child poverty rate (38%), was found to exceed the city average in 2000, while the elderly poverty rate (16.8%) came in below the city average. The greatest concentration of poverty[^p58-24] is found on the city's east and near west sides, where many of the city's Hispanic and African-American residents live. Not surprisingly, Cleveland had the second highest Hispanic and African-American poverty rates of the 23 target cities in the Brookings Study. # CHALLENGES *In light of the numbers and trends presented in foregoing section, Cleveland faces a number of challenges with respect to Population:* * **Net Out-Migration of Residents:** If population were solely determined by the ratio of births to deaths, Cleveland's population would be increasing. Given the city's relatively small senior population, as compared to its young person population, this same trend should continue into the future; but it is not expected to affect the bottom line. The city is losing population because more people are moving out than are moving in. * **Families and Married Couples Leaving the City:** The city has, in particular, seen an exodus of married couples both with and without children. Improvement in the Cleveland Public Schools is clearly a critical factor for addressing this issue. The affordable housing offered by Cleveland, on the other hand, should be an asset for attracting this household type. [^p58-22]: [^p58-23]: [^p58-24]: * **Lack of New Immigrants Making the City Their Home:** Historically, Cleveland has been the gateway into the United States for many immigrants, though the rate declined sharply during the last half of the 20th century. Other cities have seen a recent rise in immigrant populations, but Cleveland has lagged behind. The lack of new immigrants also has implications for the ethnic character and prosperity of the city. <
> Cleveland has lagged behind other cities in attracting new immigrants. [Goodrich-Kirtland Park neighborhood] * **Segregated Racial Patterns:** In some neighborhoods, integration has led to large shifts in racial composition. Such large shifts impact neighborhood stability. * **An Under-Educated Population:** Compared to many other large cities, Cleveland comes up short both in working-age residents with an education and residents working on an education. More education usually translates into higher incomes, which in turn enables the City to provide an array of important services for all of its residents. Such Cleveland assets as the Cleveland Clinic, the institutions of University Circle and Cleveland State University could be better capitalized upon. * **Downtown’s Still Unrealized Potential:** A residential population is key to a vibrant Downtown Cleveland, and a vibrant Downtown Cleveland would powerfully symbolize the vitality of the whole region. A residential base will also support accessory land uses such as retail that have tended in recent years to relocate away from the city center. Downtown Cleveland’s enormous potential is seen in the fact that it is one of the few areas in the city that has actually experienced population growth in the last decade. Entertainment venues such as Gateway and Playhouse Square, and natural features such as Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga Valley, constitute unique assets that can be built around. # POLICIES & STRATEGIES *With respect to population, the following policies should guide the City:* 1) **Migration.** Stem net out-migration. 2) **Families.** Make the city attractive again to families. 3) **Immigrants.** Attract more immigrants. 4) **Integration.** Foster integrated neighborhoods. 5) **Education.** Increase the educated population. 6) **Downtown.** Continue Downtown's residential growth. **Access & Choices:** Behind all of these policies is the recognition of the fact that, more than ever before, people can choose where they want to live. This is especially true of highly educated and creative persons of the sort that will be needed in great numbers between now and 2020 to drive the new economy, generate—and fill—the jobs of the 21st century, and make Cleveland competitive. Research has shown what attracts such people to an area. Things like * **Distinctive and interesting neighborhoods that offer an array of housing options**—from large old homes with big lawns to modern condominiums with stunning urban or waterfront views to roomy apartment lofts in charming historic districts. * **Access to shopping and dining, entertainment, public transportation, recreational facilities, nature and other amenities.** * **Access to first-rate educational, cultural and other opportunities, as well as to health care and state-of-the-art accommodations for older citizens and retirees.** * **A community that is supportive of new businesses and new ideas, where people are free to express their individuality and diversity in people and lifestyles is valued.** **The Need for Coordinated Thinking:** Thus, decisions made over the next 15 years in such subject areas as Housing or Transportation & Transit, or in neighborhoods around the city, by developers and others will affect Cleveland's ability to stem outward migration, stabilize the city’s population, and attract additional people with skills and ideas critical to its future competitiveness. The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* therefore proposes a broad range of land use and development policy recommendations—and identifies opportunities for new development—that are intended to increase *choice* and *access* and improve the *quality of life* in the city of Cleveland. Policies and strategies that deal with citywide issues are presented in the chapters on Housing, Retail, Economic Development, Recreation and Open Space, Sustainability, Arts and Culture, Education and Community Services, Transportation and Transit, Safety and Preservation. Goals and strategies and opportunities for development that are more specific to individual Cleveland neighborhoods are found in the District Chapters, one chapter for each of the city’s six planning districts. # ADDITIONAL MAPS AND CHARTS 1. Pace of Loss <
> 2. Cleveland’s Downtown Population <
> # 3. Household Trend <
> # 4. Suburbs Continue to Expand <
> Population - 12 Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # 5. Pattern of Population Growth <
> # 6. Immigration Trend <
> # 7. Lowest Foreign-Born Population <
> | Rank | Living Cities | Total Population | Foreign-born Population | Percent | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1 | Miami, FL | 362,470 | 215,739 | 59.5% | | 2 | Los Angeles, CA | 3,694,820 | 1,512,720 | 40.9% | | 3 | New York, NY | 8,008,278 | 2,871,032 | 35.9% | | 4 | Oakland, CA | 399,484 | 106,116 | 26.6% | | 5 | Boston, MA | 589,141 | 151,836 | 25.8% | | 6 | Dallas, TX | 1,188,580 | 290,436 | 24.4% | | 7 | Newark, NJ | 273,546 | 66,057 | 24.1% | | 8 | Chicago, IL | 2,896,016 | 628,903 | 21.7% | | 9 | Phoenix, AZ | 1,321,045 | 257,325 | 19.5% | | 10 | Denver, CO | 554,636 | 96,601 | 17.4% | | 11 | Seattle, WA | 563,374 | 94,952 | 16.9% | | 12 | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | 669,769 | 96,613 | 14.4% | | 13 | Portland, OR | 529,121 | 68,976 | 13.0% | | 14 | Washington, DC | 572,059 | 73,561 | 12.9% | | 15 | San Antonio, TX | 1,144,646 | 133,675 | 11.7% | | 16 | Philadelphia, PA | 1,517,550 | 137,205 | 9.0% | | 17 | Columbus, OH | 711,470 | 47,713 | 6.7% | | 18 | Atlanta, GA | 416,474 | 27,352 | 6.6% | | 19 | Kansas City, MO | 441,545 | 25,632 | 5.8% | | 20 | Detroit, MI | 951,270 | 45,541 | 4.8% | | 21 | Indianapolis, IN | 781,870 | 36,067 | 4.6% | | 22 | Baltimore, MD | 651,154 | 29,638 | 4.6% | | 23 | Cleveland, OH | 478,403 | 21,372 | 4.5% | | | All Living Cities | 28,716,721 | 7,035,062 | 24.5% | | | Nation | 281,421,906 | 31,107,889 | 11.1% | Source: The Brookings Institution # 8. European and Asian Descent <
> Source: The Brookings Institution 9. Proportion of African-Americans and Hispanics Increasing the Most <
> 10. African-American Concentrated on the East Side <
> ## 11. Hispanics Concentrated on the City’s West Side <
> ## 12. Migration – Neighborhood Level <
> 13. Age Cohorts <
> Source: The Brookings Institution 14. Under the Age of 18 <
> Source: DataPlace Population – 17 Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan ## 15. Over the Age 65 <
> ## 16. Economically Dependent Population <
> | Rank | Living Cities | Dependency Ratio | Children (0-17) | Working-age (18-64) | Elderly (65+) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1 | Detroit, MI | 71 | 31.1% | 58.5% | 10.4% | | 2 | Cleveland, OH | 70 | 28.5% | 59.0% | 12.5% | | 3 | Philadelphia, PA | 65 | 25.3% | 60.6% | 14.1% | | 4 | San Antonio, TX | 64 | 28.5% | 61.0% | 10.4% | | 5 | Miami, FL | 63 | 21.7% | 61.2% | 17.0% | | 6 | Baltimore, MD | 61 | 24.8% | 62.0% | 13.2% | | 7 | Newark, NJ | 59 | 27.9% | 62.8% | 9.3% | | 8 | Kansas City, MO | 59 | 25.4% | 62.9% | 11.7% | | 9 | Phoenix, AZ | 59 | 28.9% | 63.0% | 8.1% | | 10 | Indianapolis, IN | 58 | 25.7% | 63.4% | 11.0% | | 11 | Chicago, IL | 58 | 26.2% | 63.4% | 10.3% | | 12 | Los Angeles, CA | 57 | 26.6% | 63.8% | 9.7% | | 13 | New York, NY | 56 | 24.2% | 64.1% | 11.7% | | 14 | Oakland, CA | 55 | 25.0% | 64.6% | 10.5% | | 15 | Dallas, TX | 54 | 26.6% | 64.8% | 8.6% | | 16 | Minneapolis-St Paul, MN | 51 | 24.2% | 66.2% | 9.6% | | 17 | Denver, CO | 50 | 22.0% | 66.8% | 11.3% | | 18 | Columbus, OH | 49 | 24.2% | 67.0% | 8.9% | | 19 | Portland, OR | 48 | 21.1% | 67.4% | 11.6% | | 20 | Washington, DC | 48 | 20.1% | 67.7% | 12.2% | | 21 | Atlanta, GA | 47 | 22.3% | 67.9% | 9.7% | | 22 | Boston, MA | 43 | 19.8% | 69.8% | 10.4% | | 23 | Seattle, WA | 38 | 15.6% | 72.4% | 12.0% | | | All Living Cities | 57 | 25.2% | 63.9% | 10.9% | | | Nation | 62 | 25.7% | 61.9% | 12.4% | *The dependency ratio represents the number of children and seniors for every 100 adults age 18 to 64. Population – 18 Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # 17. Household Type <
> # 18. Household Type – Cleveland vs. Suburbs <
> Population – 19 | Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan ## 19. No Working Parents <
> | Rank | Living Cities | Children Living in Families | Children Living in Families with No Parents in Labor Force | Percent | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1 | Newark, NJ | 66,391 | 18,588 | 28.0% | | 2 | Miami, FL | 70,620 | 19,171 | 27.1% | | 3 | Washington, DC | 99,374 | 24,408 | 24.6% | | 4 | Atlanta, GA | 81,609 | 19,922 | 24.4% | | 5 | Detroit, MI | 261,080 | 63,293 | 24.2% | | 6 | Oakland, CA | 89,842 | 21,161 | 23.6% | | 7 | New York, NY | 1,767,267 | 407,401 | 23.1% | | 8 | Cleveland, OH | 122,939 | 28,233 | 23.0% | | 9 | Boston, MA | 106,516 | 24,252 | 22.8% | | 10 | Baltimore, MD | 137,315 | 31,259 | 22.8% | | 11 | Los Angeles, CA | 896,816 | 200,387 | 22.3% | | 12 | Philadelphia, PA | 343,503 | 75,384 | 21.9% | | 13 | Chicago, IL | 675,233 | 146,055 | 21.6% | | 14 | Dallas, TX | 284,869 | 54,358 | 19.1% | | 15 | Denver, CO | 110,483 | 19,212 | 17.4% | | 16 | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | 150,072 | 25,699 | 17.1% | | 17 | San Antonio, TX | 305,519 | 47,243 | 15.5% | | 18 | Phoenix, AZ | 350,141 | 53,471 | 15.3% | | 19 | Kansas City, MO | 103,352 | 14,581 | 14.1% | | 20 | Columbus, OH | 160,779 | 19,261 | 12.0% | | 21 | Indianapolis, IN | 186,615 | 20,247 | 10.8% | | 22 | Portland, OR | 103,278 | 9,723 | 9.4% | | 23 | Seattle, WA | 81,322 | 7,522 | 9.2% | | | All Living Cities | 6,554,935 | 1,350,831 | 20.6% | | | Nation | 67,882,626 | 7,096,231 | 10.5% | Source: The Brookings Institution ## 20. Bachelor Degrees <
> | Central Cities | Share of Pop. Over 25 w/B.A.s 2000 | Rank | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Akron, OH | 18.0% | 91 | | Philadelphia, PA | 17.9% | 92 | | Toledo, OH | 16.8% | 93 | | Miami, FL | 16.2% | 94 | | Stockton, CA | 15.4% | 95 | | Cleveland, OH | 11.4% | 96 | | Detroit, MI | 11.0% | 97 | | Hialeah, FL | 10.4% | 98 | | Santa Ana, CA | 9.2% | 99 | | Newark, NJ | 9.0% | 100 | Source: The Brookings Institution ## 21. University Student Population <
> | Rank | Living Cities | Population 15 or Older | Population 15 or Older Enrolled at University | Percent | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1 | Boston, MA | 490,749 | 85,847 | 17.5% | | 2 | Columbus, OH | 563,755 | 76,580 | 13.6% | | 3 | Seattle, WA | 489,677 | 65,399 | 13.4% | | 4 | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | 532,038 | 69,101 | 13.0% | | 5 | Washington, DC | 474,417 | 59,498 | 12.5% | | 6 | Atlanta, GA | 337,572 | 35,436 | 10.5% | | 7 | Los Angeles, CA | 2,853,991 | 287,532 | 10.1% | | 8 | Oakland, CA | 314,479 | 31,244 | 9.9% | | 9 | Philadelphia, PA | 1,194,967 | 115,671 | 9.7% | | 10 | Portland, OR | 435,445 | 41,429 | 9.5% | | 11 | Baltimore, MD | 515,550 | 48,736 | 9.5% | | 12 | New York, NY | 6,376,852 | 593,664 | 9.3% | | 13 | Chicago, IL | 2,253,912 | 209,810 | 9.3% | | 14 | San Antonio, TX | 870,155 | 74,407 | 8.6% | | 15 | Denver, CO | 451,498 | 38,309 | 8.5% | | 16 | Kansas City, MO | 346,961 | 26,433 | 7.6% | | 17 | Phoenix, AZ | 994,728 | 73,315 | 7.4% | | 18 | Newark, NJ | 209,388 | 15,312 | 7.3% | | 19 | Detroit, MI | 698,253 | 48,926 | 7.0% | | 20 | Miami, FL | 297,081 | 20,704 | 7.0% | | 21 | Indianapolis, IN | 612,692 | 42,498 | 6.9% | | 22 | Cleveland, OH | 361,237 | 23,468 | 6.5% | | 23 | Dallas, TX | 919,625 | 56,366 | 6.1% | | | All Living Cities | 22,595,022 | 2,187,377 | 9.7% | | | Nation | 221,148,671 | 17,483,243 | 7.9% | ## 22. Household Income <
> | | Resident Median Income | | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | 2000 | Rank | | Cincinnati | $29,493 | 89 | | Hialeah | $29,492 | 90 | | Louisville | $28,843 | 91 | | Pittsburgh | $28,588 | 92 | | St. Louis | $27,156 | 93 | | New Orleans | $27,133 | 94 | | Rochester | $27,123 | 95 | | Newark | $26,913 | 96 | | Birmingham | $26,735 | 97 | | CLEVELAND | $25,928 | 98 | | Buffalo | $24,536 | 99 | | Miami | $23,483 | 100 | 23. Income Quintiles <
> 24. Poverty <
> Population – 22 Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan <
> Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # HOUSING # HOUSING ## OVERVIEW Cleveland is a city full of older homes with unique architectural styles not typically found in newer homes, much of which was built in the early 1900s. Many of the homes were built in close proximity to factories, giving residents access to available jobs. As advancement in transportation grew, the more affluent residents began to move further out, abandoning the housing in the central city. As people began to move from the inner city to the suburbs, the quality of housing began to decline. Many of the houses were converted to two-family and multi-family homes to accommodate the new immigrants that were moving to the area. These new immigrants developed several different, and unique, ethnic neighborhoods in the city. Cleveland’s industrial boom began to attract a great number of African Americans from the south looking for employment opportunities. As the African American population grew, racial tensions greatly increased, and many of those who could afford it moved out to the suburbs. As a result the number of homes that were either rented out or abandoned increased. The Urban Renewal (Housing Act of 1949) and the development of the highway system (Federal Highway Act of 1956) displaced many residents, and contributed to large concentrations of poverty in many neighborhoods on the east side. Redlining and white-flight had a significant impact on the ability of homeowners to maintain their property. As a result, the quality and value of housing began to decline and people moved out at alarming rates, which caused a decrease in the city’s tax base. During the 1990s Cleveland was able to utilize the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 to get banks to invest in the City’s revitalization efforts. Residents in areas that were once redlined by banks could now receive loans for home improvement or for the purchase of new homes. By 2002 Cleveland had risen to number one in new housing starts in Cuyahoga County. As we look to the future, we should focus not just on the number of housing units constructed, but also on the quality and type of housing in order to offer residents a greater variety of housing options so that Cleveland becomes a "community of choice". Income and lifestyle are critical factors when it comes to deciding where one is going to live. By using some of the assets we currently have, we can begin to create options for people of all ages, incomes, and lifestyles. There is tremendous opportunity for residential development in areas where retail and industry are no longer viable, particularly along many of our main streets. In some cases vacant buildings can be converted from another use (factory, school) to housing, as has been done for example, with the upscale lakefront condos now known as Quay 55 (a former automobile storage facility) and Famicos (formerly a women’s college). We must focus on creating sustainable neighborhoods that are safe and have access to basic services, shopping, and <
> Quay 55, a former car warehouse, is an example of how vacant commercial and industrial buildings can be adaptively renovated as housing. [Lakefront – Goodrich-Kirtland Park] opportunities for recreation to address the needs and desires of all residents. # TRENDS *Some interesting trends emerge from a study of census data that give a clearer picture of the challenges faced by the city of Cleveland in the area of Housing:* * **Household Size:** The average household size in Cleveland is 2.4 persons per household. Single-person households account for just 29% of Cleveland’s owner-occupied units and 41% of the renter-occupied units; whereas 2-to-4 person households account for 60% of the city’s owner-occupied units and 48% of renter-occupied units. * **Resident Tenure:** The decade ending in 2000 saw a decline in the total number of occupied units (both rental and owner-occupied). However, the percentage of occupied units owned by the people who were living in them increased from 48% to 49%. This is still low by suburban standards (where 70% of total housing units are owner-occupied). * **Age of Residents:** As the "Baby Boomers" reach 65, housing that serves the needs of seniors will need to grow proportionately if Cleveland wants to hold on to a significant segment of its population. Within the next 10 years almost 10% of the city's residents will be entering their senior years. The development of new senior housing *here* will allow these residents to remain in their communities and close to their relatives. * **Housing Units:** The total number of housing units available in the city of Cleveland decreased by 4% between 1990 (224,361) and 2000 (215,856). The largest drop was in Central, one of the oldest and poorest neighborhoods in the city, where available units fell by 32%. Many of the housing units in this neighborhood were in such poor condition they needed to be demolished; the good news is that this made room for new housing development. It was the downtown area, however, that saw the biggest increase in available housing (up 48%), as part a strategic effort to make downtown more vibrant. * **Vacancy Rate:** Although the vacancy rate in Cleveland rose only slightly between 1990 and 2000, from 11% to 12%, it is much higher than the 5% vacancy rate reported by the suburbs at the end of the same period. The Central and Riverside areas saw the largest drop in vacancies in the city due to the large number of demolitions, while Lee Miles and Downtown saw a significant increase in vacancies. Many of the new Downtown housing units, however, were just built and had not yet been occupied by the time the 2000 Census was taken. * **Housing Value:** According to the 2000 Census, the median housing value of owner-occupied units in the city was $71,000 as compared to $128,000 in the suburbs. The neighborhoods closer to the border of the city have higher median values than the neighborhoods closer to the central city. The near east side neighborhoods (with the exception of Central, which had a high number of demolitions) have the lowest median value, ranging between $32,000 and $55,000. Downtown and Kamm's Corners claimed the highest median value, ranging between $100,001 and $145,833. * **Affordability:** The affordability of housing in the city of Cleveland remained constant between 1990 and 2000. Relative to median family income, housing within the city is slightly less affordable in comparison to that in the county's suburbs. Residents in the city of Cleveland have a median family income that is 62% greater than the median price of housing, while the suburban residents have a median income that is 78% greater than the median price of housing. * **Residential Building Conditions:** Housing located closer to the central and near east side of Cleveland is in the poorest condition. The housing in neighborhoods along the border of the city is mostly rated above average; but a disturbing 42% of the units in Cleveland are rated below average by the County Auditor's office—as compared to 5% of the housing in the suburbs. * **Age of Housing Stock:** The city of Cleveland has the oldest housing stock in Cuyahoga County. According to the County Auditor's records, the median year to which residential structures date in Cleveland is 1920, as compared to the suburban median (1955). The oldest housing in the city is found in the neighborhoods immediately adjacent to Downtown, while the newest is located in Downtown Cleveland itself and in the neighborhoods that lie closer to the city's suburban borders. *Sources: US Census, Cuyahoga County Auditor, The Center for Community Solutions, Case Western Reserve University* # ASSETS Cleveland has a number of important assets in the area of Housing that can be built upon. These include: **Citirama:** An annual event inaugurated in 2003 by the Homebuilders Association of Great Cleveland (HBA) that encourages developers who might not otherwise have considered it to build in the city. The goal is to hold an annual Citirama event in each of Cleveland’s 36 neighborhoods promoting the urban lifestyle, the special character and advantages offered by each neighborhood, and the many housing options now available. and Unlike many of the newer “cookie cutter” developments, the homes built for Citirama have different architects, which offer a variety of housing styles that complement the neighborhood, including many energy-efficient/environmentally friendly “green” ideas. <
> Cityrama 2004 in Glenville neighborhood offers diverse architectural styles, while maintaining the unique character of the neighborhood. **Historically Significant Housing:** Many of the older homes in Cleveland were built with high quality building materials and beautiful historic architectural detail. The type of architecture and decorative elements in these older homes are not typically seen in more modern housing. **Ethnic Neighborhoods:** Cleveland’s neighborhoods historically were defined by the many different ethnic groups that migrated here from other countries in the late 1800s and early 1900s. One of the remaining ethnic neighborhoods is Little Italy, which is located at the southern edge of University Circle. Many of the descendants of the immigrants continue to reside in the city. There has been a recent influx of Hispanic and Asian immigrants. Many of the latter reside in the Goodrich/Kirtland Park neighborhood, while the majority of the Hispanic immigrants have settled on the near west side. **Proximity to Cultural Institutions and Entertainment Districts:** The city of Cleveland has unique cultural, historic and entertainment districts that could not be duplicated. These cultural assets are located within residential communities such as Tremont, University Circle, Buckeye-Shaker, North Collinwood, and the new Downtown residential areas. <
> Severance Hall, home of the Cleveland Orchestra, is an example of a cultural amenity which makes Cleveland neighborhoods unique. **Financial incentives:** As a way of encouraging housing development and home repair, the City of Cleveland has developed many programs offering financial assistance or incentives including help with arranging second mortgages, property tax abatement, low interest loans, grants, and rebates. (See Community Development Department Web Site: http://www.city.cleveland.oh.us/government/departments/commdev/cdind.html.) **Land Bank Program:** The City acquires vacant and abandoned property which it then resells to developers at a low cost. This program encourages the redevelopment of vacant land and assists in the elimination of blight and crime throughout the city. **Conveniently Located to Shopping and Transit:** Neighborhoods such as Shaker Square, University Circle and Ohio City offer residents access to a variety of amenities and a range of transportation options that make a neighborhood a convenient and pleasant place to live. These neighborhoods are also pedestrian-friendly places that foster a sense of community and the development of a sustainable environment. <
> The Shaker Square Historic District is a great example of transit-oriented development. # CHALLENGES Cleveland faces a number of specific challenges in the area of Housing that must be addressed: * **Housing Conditions:** The aging housing stock coupled with low-income households and owner disinvestment has contributed greatly to the declining condition of many of the homes in Cleveland. Repairing older homes that have been neglected for an extensive period of time can be costly. In most cases homeowners need financial assistance to make necessary repairs. Vacant and abandoned homes are a sign of decline in a community, and send that message to prospective homebuyers. One or two boarded up houses on a street can make the entire street appear to be blighted. Vacant homes tend to attract criminal activity. “The US Fire Administration reports that more than 12,000 fires in vacant structures are reported each year in the US, resulting in $73 million in property damage annually. More than 70% of fires in vacant or abandoned buildings are the result of arson or suspected arson.”¹ Due to the age of much of Cleveland’s housing stock, the presence of lead-based paint is a major concern. Of the 126,784 housing structures existing in Cleveland as of the year 2000, according to the County Auditor’s data, 123,485 were built prior to 1978, the year the federal government banned the use of lead- based paint. Elevated levels of lead were found in 26.8% of the children whose blood was tested between 1997 and 2000. The elimination of lead-based paint can be rather expensive and in some cases cost- prohibitive; but the effects of lead-based paint on the physical and mental development of children can be devastating. <
> Vacant houses, such as this one on Benham Avenue, can negate other positive neighborhood improvements, like the nearby renovation of Carol McClendon Park * **Code Enforcement:** Building code enforcement is a major concern of many Cleveland residents, but it is difficult to enforce the code on residents that do not have the financial means to make necessary repairs. * **Absentee Landlords:** Too often absentee landlords do not maintain their properties, contributing to a decrease in property value. Experience has shown those that do not live in close proximity to their property typically are not concerned with maintenance issues, and when made aware of them do everything possible to avoid making necessary repairs. * **Affordability:** The lack of affordable housing can lead to overcrowding, lost utilities, lack of home maintenance, homelessness, or sacrificing other necessities such as food or medication. Many of the City’s housing assistance programs are funded through CDBG (federal block grant) funds. With the recent cuts in CDGB funding, Cleveland will have to find other means to assist its residents. * **Predatory Lenders:** Many residents in low-income neighborhoods are taken advantage of by so-called predatory lenders, people or organizations that prey on the poor and the desire of many families with limited means or poor credit records to own a home. These loans are often characterized by higher-than-normal interest rates, penalties for early payoff, and/or “balloon” payments (the ability to make minimal payments, deferring the rest until some far-off date—which unfortunately one day rolls around). Predatory lenders typically prey on low-income minority communities where prime lending institutions do not exist. When residents cannot make the payments it often leads to foreclosure. The City of Cleveland has begun to address this issue by adding to the City’s housing law a codified ordinance addressing predatory lending (Chapter 659). * **Foreclosures:** A mortgage foreclosure not only result in the eviction of an individual or family who may have no other place to go, contributing to the instability of the neighbor and local economy, it is likely to leave a property in limbo for an extended period of time, [^p79-1]: text increasing the number of vacant and abandoned houses. The City loses tax revenue and the home becomes a potential breeding ground for crime and blight. Over the past decade, the number of foreclosures in Cuyahoga County has significantly increased. According to a study done in August of 2005 by Cuyahoga County, there were 2,582 foreclosures in 1995; it was estimated that by the end of 2005, however, the number of foreclosures *initiated that year* would top 12,000, with the highest percentage occurring in the city of Cleveland. According to an article in the *Plain Dealer*, HUD reported that Cleveland had a default rate of 12.46% for FHA loans, the *second highest default rate in the country.*[^p80-2] * **Disreputable Contractors:** Finding an honest skilled contractor can be a challenge for residents who want to build or rehab their home. Many residents have been taken advantage of by contractors who charge them for work that is either incomplete or not done according to code. In addition to being out the money paid to the contractor, the residents may incur fines and be served violation notices, which places an undue burden on them and may further impede their ability to improve the condition of their property. * **Providing Transitional Housing or Group Homes—the NIMBY syndrome:** There is a need for transitional housing in every community throughout the city. It can be difficult to find a location for housing for residents with special needs or those that seek to transition back into society after incarceration or homelessness (an estimated 16,000-plus individuals per year in Cuyahoga County). Many of those former prisoners being released back into the community are returning to the city of Cleveland. Many people do not want these transitional homes located in their neighborhood because they fear the residents will present an element of danger to their community; yet this type of housing is sorely needed and we must find a way to integrate it into the city. * **Land Assembly:** Assembling land for large-scale housing projects can be a challenge due to the number of different property owners that must be contacted and dealt with to assemble a sufficient number of adjacent lots. Areas once used for industrial or commercial purposes may be easier to appropriate, but they are usually not zoned for residential use, and remediation of polluted sites can be an expensive proposition. * **Making Housing in Cleveland Competitive:** If Cleveland is to be competitive in the housing market, it must be able to offer a variety of housing *options*. These days, people are often looking for a certain *type* of housing that will meet the needs of their particular lifestyle. **Seniors**, for example, typically seek housing that will allow them to be mobile and independent. Having everything on one level can be critical for some seniors. Senior apartment buildings should be built no higher than three stories or levels, in any case; and senior housing should be located within walking distance of necessary amenities <
> Beacon Place: new townhouse development along Euclid Avenue increases the variety of housing options in the Fairfax neighborhood [^p80-2]: Housing - 6 Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan such as grocery stores, drug stores, recreation, worship, and if possible libraries and community centers, and transportation, making it easier for them to get around on their own. Young, single professionals are typically looking for affordable for sale homes or rental units located in a safe area that offer a variety of shopping and entertainment amenities. Cleveland is in a position to offer just such housing in areas now designated for mixed-use, where there is access to housing—in the form of converted period buildings, above-street-level apartments over storefront businesses, lofts with dramatic urban views, or even combination live-work spaces—as well as to shopping and transportation. Like seniors and young singles, empty-nesters typically do not want to have to deal with maintaining a yard and therefore will be more likely to opt for a house with a small yard or an apartment or condominium. Families with children, on the other hand, may want to be in a neighborhood that offers larger lot sizes, to allow their children room to play, and homes with sufficient space to accommodate each member of the family. # POLICIES & STRATEGIES The overarching goal is to **provide new and renovated housing that meets the needs and preferences of Clevelanders of all incomes, ages and lifestyles.** The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Plan therefore puts forth a comprehensive set of policies relating to Housing citywide, each addressing a key issue—along with strategies through which we might take immediate steps toward implementing those policies: **1)** **Decent and Affordable Housing.** Give highest priority among the City’s housing initiatives to the provision of decent and affordable housing for all Clevelanders. a. Preserve and fully utilize the existing inventory of housing units with project-based rent subsidies for low income tenants. b. Increase the availability of high quality, below market-rate rental housing by maximizing the use of Low Income Housing Tax Credits, the Ohio Housing Trust Fund, Tax Exempt Bonds and the HOME Program. c. Utilize tax abatement to make newly built or rehabilitated, affordable housing available at the lowest sustainable rent. d. Promote the development of active tenant organizations to work with management in buildings with project-based rent subsidies to assure continued housing quality and affordability. e. Assure maximum utilization of available tenant-based rent subsidies to make housing affordable to low income families and individuals. f. Make homeownership financially feasible for additional households in stable, regional choice and other neighborhoods with specific reinvestment plans. g. Educate homebuyers on what is involved in financing and owning a home to increase their capacity to maintain and retain the home after purchase. **2)** **Alternative Housing.** Attract residents seeking an urban lifestyle by offering alternative housing types, including townhouses, condominiums, live-work spaces, and converted commercial, industrial and institutional buildings. a. Convert vacant commercial and mixed use buildings into housing where other amenities are developed to create lifestyle centers. b. Where a market exists, build townhouses along main streets where there is vacant land, demolish deteriorated commercial structures as needed and implement a property holding and maintenance program that makes land held for future use a community asset. **3)** **Competitive Places.** Create and preserve neighborhoods that are competitive urban places, characterized by mixed-use development, pedestrian-friendly design and transit access. a. Increase the number of high-density residential and mixed-use developments near transit facilities. b. Utilize Pedestrian Retail Overlay zoning to ensure that developments are pedestrian-friendly. c. Locate new housing near greenways increasing the opportunity for alternative means of transportation. **4)** **Housing Choice.** Provide a diversity of housing types in neighborhoods throughout the city, maximizing choices for residents of all incomes, ages, ability levels and social circumstances. a. Create more mixed-income communities. b. Assess the need for various types of housing in each neighborhood to determine what type of housing should be developed and develop a strategy for each neighborhood that markets or re-brands that community to compete for the identified market. c. Limit financial incentives to developments that demonstrate a new market for housing within each neighborhood or increases the affordability of such housing for low and moderate income families. d. Promote and encourage the use of universal design standards for all newly constructed housing. e. Ensure compliance with requirements concerning the creation of accessible units for all new construction or substantial rehabilitation housing development being assisted with CDBG, HOME or other federal funds. **5)** **Code Enforcement.** Target residential code enforcement in a manner that helps stabilize neighborhoods without causing undue hardships for low-income households. a. Provide training and resources that will allow homeowners to carry out more of their own maintenance and repair work. b. Offer a program that will help residents with financial constraints to prepare a budget that will help them to maintain their home. c. Develop a marketing strategy to promote existing home maintenance programs. d. Utilize neighborhood associations or other community organizations to organize volunteers to help correct code violations. (See, for example, http://www.rebuildingtogether.org/) e. Encourage the use of home repair loan programs that offer financing at discounted rates before using publicly funded loan and grant products to allow low and moderate income residents to meet their home repair needs. f. Reduce housing operating costs through weatherization assistance and energy efficient building techniques, thereby allowing more money to be available for home maintenance. g. Target vacant structures for code enforcement. h. Use rental registration program to assure that landlords maintain buildings to code. 6) **Housing Development Incentives.** Ensure that financial incentives for housing development are the minimum necessary to be effective, and do not result in undue losses of revenue for City services or the public schools. a. Reexamine the tax abatement program to determine its effectiveness. Look at changes that can be made to the policy that will sustain gains made in recent years, while increasing the revenue for the City and the public schools. 7) **Rehabilitation.** Give priority to housing rehabilitation as the most effective means of making affordable housing available to the greatest number of residents. a. Undertake rehabilitation in areas adjacent to catalytic development projects or in areas where residential new construction occurred to maximize the investment of public dollars. b. Work with non-profit and philanthropic organizations to create a prototype for redesign of obsolete residential structures common in the city including the Cleveland double, small multi-family buildings, and modest bungalows. c. Redirect federal funds to concentrate a larger portion of those resources on rehabilitation of vacant and abandoned property in areas with a specific redevelopment plan. 8) **Land Assembly.** Promote housing development through strategic, proactive land assembly. a. Work with CDCs, developers, market analysts and the community to identify acquisition strategies for priority areas for development of housing. b. Rezone areas to residential that are no longer appropriate for other uses. c. Remediate brownfield sites suitable for housing. d. Develop property maintenance capacity and standards for holding property until it can be reused at its highest and best use. 9) **Homelessness.** Address homelessness through a multi-faceted strategy that includes emergency shelters, permanent supportive housing, medical and social services, and job training. a. Assure that everyone with an emergency need for shelter has access to shelter. b. Utilize street outreach workers to seek out those homeless persons living outside the shelter system. c. Encourage all homeless service providers and funders to adopt a housing first policy which seeks to minimize shelter stays and stabilize individuals and families as soon as feasible within permanent housing linked to supportive services as needed. d. Continue to support the production of permanent supportive housing units that can offer the opportunity for long-term homeless persons to leave the shelter system. e. Within the shelter system, provide immediate assessment and linkages to case management and mainstream social services, including agencies providing mental health care, substance abuse treatment, medical services and assistance to veterans. f. Work with the criminal justice system to strengthen the support for the reentry into the community of person returning from incarceration. g. Expand resources for and educate residents about programs providing assistance in preventing the loss of housing through eviction or foreclosure. 10) **Senior Housing.** Develop housing for senior citizens in proximity to shopping, medical facilities, social services, and public transportation to support their ability to remain independent. a. Support development of senior housing that allows for and accommodates multigenerational families with designs that meet this need. b. Incorporate green space into new senior housing developments. c. Support development of senior housing that is located near transportation, shopping and medical services. d. Design housing that permits for ADA adaptation should future disabilities dictate. 11) **Design.** Ensure that the design of new and renovated houses complements the character of the surrounding neighborhood, through a design review process that is effective, expeditious and equitable. a. Develop housing design guidelines for new housing development with supplemental guidelines for specific areas that will give developers direction prior to meeting with the design review committee. b. Develop housing rehabilitation guidelines for minimum standards for the size of kitchens and bathrooms where significant "gut" rehab is being done. 12) **Neighborhood Plans.** Locate infill houses where neighborhood plans ensure a supportive environment for residential development. a. Limit the distribution of land bank properties for infill housing to areas that have a redevelopment plan in place. b. Utilize CDCs and other community agencies to acquire, renovate/reuse, and market vacant structures and vacant land in areas where plans have been developed. 13) **Green Building.** Encourage use of "green building" principles in new and renovated housing. a. Development a zoning code that encourages green building and requires the use of green building techniques where the cost of the project is not significantly increased. b. Offer financial incentives such as low-interest loans or tax abatement to projects that use green building techniques. 14) **Housing Accessibility.** Expand the range of residential opportunities for persons with special housing needs. a. Promote and encourage the use of universal design standards for all newly constructed housing. b. Ensure compliance with requirements concerning the creation of accessible units for all new construction or substantial rehabilitation housing development being assisted with CDBG, HOME or other federal funds. Specific identified opportunities relating to housing are listed in the Development Opportunities section of the Citywide Plan website. **References** 1. "Vacant Properties: The True Costs to Communities," *National Vacant Properties Campaign*, August 2005 (http://www.vacantproperties.org/) 2. Murray, Teresa Dixon, "Defaults blamed on Shady Lending," *The Plain Dealer*, July 7, 2005. <
> Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # RETAIL # RETAIL DEVELOPMENT ## OVERVIEW As a mature city, Cleveland faces many challenges in maintaining stable neighborhoods. One of those challenges is providing city neighborhoods with a full array of high quality shopping services. This has become increasingly difficult as the consumer base has spread outward (with retailers in hot pursuit), not only into suburban Cuyahoga County, but into the five-county metropolitan area that includes Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties. This thinning of the populace that once supported a host of neighborhood stores has, in turn, led to an inevitable erosion of shopping opportunities within the city. The result has been that many of the residents who have remained in Cleveland, particularly those in the outer fringe neighborhoods, are ironically now forced to travel to suburban and exurban areas even for basic goods and services. <
> The Gordon Square Arcade in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood typifies Cleveland’s streetcar-style retail architecture. [Gordon Square Arcade] Unlike many of the newer suburban communities, however, where the nearest shopping center frequently sits on an isolated outlying site accessible only by automobile, the neighborhood shopping district in Cleveland is seen as integral to the life—and viability—of the local community. Indeed, most of these retail districts, which tend to be linear in shape, date from the streetcar era of the 1910s and 1920s, before the automobile had become affordable to the masses, when most residents rode mass transit to and from work and other daily activities. At the end of the day, when they got off at their stop, they would patronize locally owned stores that were but a short walk from their homes. Major thoroughfares like Lorain and Detroit Avenues on the west side and St. Clair and Kinsman Avenues on the east are still lined with the remnants of this type of retail. In other cases, the integration of shopping into the neighborhood has been the result of a planning policy that places a value on the creation and preservation of an urban "sense of place" and endorses the concept that a vibrant retail district adds to the quality of life in the surrounding neighborhood. The presence of a variety of retailers offering a wide array of goods can be a deciding factor when families or individuals are looking for an area in which to rent an apartment or purchase a home. Being able to walk, bike or drive to a conveniently located retail node is, for many, the critical piece of an urban lifestyle and affords an option unavailable in most suburban areas. The Kamm’s Corners and Lee-Harvard <
> Sidewalk cafes add color, vitality and energy to traditional neighborhood retail areas [Shaker Square outdoor cafe] retail districts, revitalized in the 1990s through the reconstruction of their main shopping plazas, are examples of this type of deliberate retail planning. The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* takes the “sense of place” concept one step further. The Plan is predicated on the concept that a retail district can be much more than just a place to shop for the necessities of life. Rather, it views retail districts as places of “connection” in a neighborhood—lively, bustling forums where people gather to shop, dine, meet, converse and have a good time. A retail district can be a “town center” that gives a neighborhood its special character and identity; a retail district can also be seen as a generator of jobs and entrepreneurship that contributes to the economic health of a neighborhood and generates tax revenues to provide public services. ## TRENDS *Several trends have been identified that give a clearer picture of the challenge before us, and may also suggest some areas of greatest vulnerability (or opportunity), where connections with appropriate community assets could be helpful:* * **Rise and Growth of E-Commerce:** Since the mid-1990s, as use of the Internet has become widespread, there has been a corresponding rise in online shopping by consumers. No longer is it necessary to travel to a retail outlet to view products as diverse as clothing, books, household goods or electronics. Both entrepreneurs and traditional retailers have developed Web sites that offer the opportunity for comparison shopping, wide selection and the convenience of payment by credit card. The growth of shippers like Fed Ex, DHL and UPS has, in turn, made it possible to receive goods ordered online with next day service. This combination of factors has resulted in predictions that U.S. e-commerce will grow at a 19 % compound annual growth rate over the next decade. Continued growth in this segment of the retail economy could have a profound impact on traditional retailers who may as a result no longer need the number of retail outlets previously envisioned. E-commerce, with its low overhead and 24-hour cyberspace presence represents a real and growing threat to traditional store-based retailing, which in turn, impacts the prospects for additional neighborhood retail. * **“Big Box” Convenience:** Over the past decade, consumers have become accustomed to patronizing stores that provide one-stop shopping opportunities. So-called “big box” stores of 100,000-plus square feet featuring groceries, clothing and general merchandise, as well as video rentals, banking and car repair services, have proliferated across the country and in Ohio. Local examples include national retailers Wal-Mart, Target, Super Kmart and the super-sized supermarkets offered by regional chains like Giant Eagle and Topps. These stores, while they have been slow to enter the city of Cleveland, are turning <
> Cityview Center in suburban Garfield Heights combines big box retail in a power center setting. [Cityview Center, Garfield Heights] up in growing numbers along its periphery in suburbs such as Fairview Park, Brooklyn, Garfield Heights and Cleveland Heights. * **Power Center Retailing:** Concurrent with the rise of big box stores has been the growth of the “power center”, which typically features three or more big box stores interspersed with mid-sized and smaller stores within a strip or on adjoining outlots. Power centers range in size from 400,000 square feet to as much as 1-million square feet and typically include anchor stores such as warehouse clubs, discount department stores and stores featuring consumer electronics, home improvement and off-price clothing. The main impact of power centers has been on older strip shopping centers, which have seen many of their major tenants relocate to the newer power centers to feed off the customer draw of the big box anchors. The Steelyard Commons Shopping Center, due to open in April 2007 adjacent to the Tremont neighborhood, will become Cleveland’s first example of this type of retail offering. * **Retailers’ Anti-Urban Bias:** Since the 1960s and 1970s, large parts of Cleveland’s inner-ring neighborhoods have been effectively abandoned by the retail industry. The city itself hasn’t fared much better, as it suffers from a lack of grocery, discount department and consumer electronic stores. As a result, many residents are forced to travel long distances to shop in nearby suburban areas. Analysts attribute these conditions to perceptions by retailers and retail developers that city markets are less attractive than suburban venues. These include a shrinking population, undesirable demographics, safety concerns, a shortage, on the one hand, of buildings of sufficient size and, on the other, difficulties with land assembly, and the quality and dependability of the work force. The first two concerns involve perceptions that can be addressed by local community development corporations; the last three, issues that only local government can rectify. * **Demise of Locally-Owned Retailers:** The coming of national big box chain retailers to Northeast Ohio has brought with it a corresponding decline in the number of locally owned businesses Clevelanders can patronize. Specialty retailers offering everything from hardware or appliances to men’s or women’s clothing have found it difficult to compete with the buying power and discount pricing that the Home Depots, Best Buys and Targets of the world can offer. This change in buying habits has, in turn, had a profound effect on the city’s traditional retail streets (e.g., Lorain, St. Clair and Broadway Avenues), which have seen growing numbers of vacant storefronts as neighborhood-based retailers have gone out of business. These trends, at first glance, paint a rather bleak picture; but they are not the whole picture. Cleveland also has some significant strengths that must also be taken into consideration; these include a number of innovative programs and newly enacted zoning provisions that are yielding very promising results. As in other areas of city life, it is important to look, not only at the problems, but also at what tools can be utilized to effectuate positive changes. # ASSETS *Cleveland has a number of strong assets in the area of Retail Development that can be built upon. Among Cleveland’s hidden (or newly innovated) strengths are:* **Strong Retail Consumer Base:** The income, buying power and retail spending of city residents have long been thought incapable of supporting quality retail; Census figures, traditionally the major source for this kind of information, are often cited to support this assumption. Critics of this view, however, have questioned the reliability of these figures, which are largely gleaned from poverty and unemployment records, contending that the numbers dramatically understate the true health of the urban economy. Nevertheless, widespread beliefs regarding urban buying power has shaped the quality of goods and services found in many of the city’s newer retail developments, which are not on a par with those found in nearby suburbs. The Census figures, in any case, tell only part of the story. The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Plan* argues that other evidence suggests many national and local retailers are underestimating the buying power in Cleveland. The fact is that many city residents habitually travel to outlying suburban malls to enjoy a selection of merchandise that is not available to them in their own neighborhoods, while residents of the city’s so-called “edge” neighborhoods such as Collinwood or Kamm’s Corners admit they regularly slip “over the border” into Euclid or Rocky River to do their shopping. The 2020 Plan therefore advocates a policy to increase the quality of locally available retail to meet, not just the basic needs, but the *expectations and wants*, of city neighborhood residents. It is this realization, and strategy, that helped lay the groundwork for the Steelyard Commons project. **Architecturally Significant Retail Districts:** The architectural styles of commercial structures in Cleveland’s retail districts are often charming reminders of the era in which they were constructed. Many were built in the 1910s and 1920s during Cleveland’s streetcar heyday. Unlike many latter retail buildings, which are characterized by a setback, usually to accommodate a parking lot, these pre-automobile culture structures were typically built right up to the street right-of-way line, that is, the edge of the sidewalk. This vintage urban feature, when combined with modern transit accessibility and above-street-level housing, gives Cleveland’s retail districts a pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use character—and, in an era that once again values “walkable”, <
> The commercial buildings along West 25th Street in Ohio City create a pedestrian-friendly retail environment. [West 25th Street] largely self-sufficient neighborhoods, gives these areas a competitive edge over many nearby suburban retail centers. Ironically, the latest “cutting-edge” suburban retail developments such as Westlake’s Crocker Park and Lyndhurst’s Legacy Village are attempts to recapture the look and feel of these older urban districts through their “new urbanist” designs. Cleveland, on the other hand, has the real thing; and the *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Plan* proposes to re-establish the competitiveness of these special places. **Specialized Retail Districts:** Many of Cleveland’s retail districts have embraced the notion of “specialization” or “niche marketing.” Retail districts, for example, that would ordinarily attract only local shoppers have been transformed into regional attractions by offering a specialized clustering of goods and services not commonly found in a single location. In Cleveland, this specialization can take many forms, including: 1) “ethnic-themed” retail districts that capitalize on the diversity of population in city’s neighborhoods like Little Italy and Chinatown; 2) “arts and culture” retail districts that capitalize on their proximity to theaters, museums and similar institutions, such as Playhouse Square and the developing Gordon Square Cultural Arts District; 3) recreation- oriented retail districts like the Flats that are poised to capitalize on their proximity to Lake Erie, local waterways and the developing Towpath Trail system; and 4) districts such as Tremont and the Lorain Avenue Antiques District that specialize in such offerings as entertainment, dining, antiques, artwork, and household furnishings. Each of these areas is successfully capitalizing on the ability of a large metropolitan retail market to support specialized retail clusters. <
> *Mayfield Road in the Little Italy neighborhood attracts a region-wide clientele to its collection of art galleries and ethnic-themed restaurants. [Little Italy]* The City of Cleveland, for its part, has developed a number of important regulatory tools that constitute powerful instrumental assets in the area of Retail Development. These include: **Locally-Based Design Review Districts:** The City’s *Business Revitalization District (BRD)* zoning overlay permits community development corporations to establish locally-appointed and staffed design review boards. These bodies have jurisdiction within a geographically defined area and serve in an advisory capacity to the Cleveland City Planning Commission. Review by such groups helps to ensure that the design of all new construction and changes to existing building facades are compatible with the character of the surrounding architecture. To date, there are 17 active BRDs across the city. **Pedestrian Retail Overlay District:** This overlay zoning district is intended for use in neighborhood retail districts characterized by the presence of retail buildings located at the sidewalk’s edge. PRO districts ensure that the pedestrian-oriented character of these shopping areas is preserved. This is achieved through a requirement that any new buildings be set back no further than five (5) feet from a street right-of-way. It further allows for up to a 33 % reduction in required parking and mandates that accessory parking spaces be located at the rear of buildings, where feasible. Most importantly, while the PRO district permits those uses allowed in the underlying Local or General Retail district, it specifically prohibits certain uses that detract from the pedestrian-oriented character of the district. These uses include automobile sales lots, gas stations, car washes and restaurant drive-thrus, whose driveways intersect with a pedestrian retail street and inhibit the flow of sidewalk foot traffic. **Business Improvement Districts (BID):** Like many of its peer cities around the country, Cleveland has adopted enabling legislation that permits the establishment of *Business Improvement Districts*, commonly referred to as BIDs. Under the BID concept, property owners in a defined geographic area, such as a retail district, assess themselves a charge over and above their regular property taxes. This creates an income stream that provides funding for services at a level over and above that normally supplied by the municipality. Services that can be funded by a BID generally fall into three categories: aesthetics, safety and maintenance. Coordinated physical improvements such as new sidewalks, lighting, benches, trash receptacles and identity or directional signage can dramatically improve the appearance of local commercial streetscapes. The presence of additional security patrols or video cameras to complement City police services can enhance the perception of safety in a commercial area. Finally, the desirability of a commercial area as a place to shop and dine can be improved through the development of a regular maintenance program that focuses on sidewalk cleaning, graffiti removal and landscape maintenance services. **Storefront Renovation Program:** This initiative, begun in 1983 and run by the City’s Community Development Department, has been used to upgrade the visual appearance of more than 1,000 building façades citywide, representing an investment in excess of $30-million. The program offers rebates and/or low-interest loans in geographically targeted areas of the city to property owners who agree to comprehensively rehabilitate their building exteriors. Property owners are required to use construction materials and techniques based on the federal Secretary of the Interior’s commercial rehabilitation standards. To aid in this effort, professional design assistance, in the form of a detailed design standards manual and oversight by a storefront renovation specialist, is provided to program participants by the City of Cleveland. <
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> Before and after photos dramatically illustrate the impact of the City’s Storefront Renovation Program [Napier Building, Broadway Neighborhood] # CHALLENGES *Cleveland faces a number of challenges in the area of Retail Development that must be addressed. Several are identified here, along with some possible solutions:* * **Retail Land Assembly:** One of the major challenges facing developers seeking to construct new retail opportunities in Cleveland is the difficulty in assembling sites of sufficient scale. This is because the city has been fully developed or “built out” for many years. In areas where land is plentiful, it is often owned by a number of individual owners and/or may be contaminated due to past uses. Gaining title and securing a clean site can be a long, laborious and expensive proposition. The City-presently lacks a formal retail land assembly program that could be a useful tool for overcoming this often daunting challenge. * **Lack of Conveniently Located Parking:** One major limitation affecting the growth and success of Cleveland’s traditional strip-style retail is the shortage of inexpensive, conveniently-located parking. This is because much of the city’s inventory of retail space was developed during the streetcar era on shallow lots that front on major arterials. Parking was either not considered at all or was at best an afterthought. This situation greatly limits the development potential of available retail space that is otherwise advantageously located in the midst of Cleveland’s densely populated neighborhoods. The establishment of a City-sponsored Commercial Parking development strategy centered on identifying opportunity areas and coordinating the assembly and development of these sites into commercially viable parking lots could go a long way toward restoring the vitality of many of these commercial areas. * **Creating Neighborhood Wealth:** For reasons explained above, the wealth created by Clevelanders shopping in local stores all too often finds its way to the bank accounts of people living in other parts of the region and in other parts of the country. Although significant outside ownership is inevitable in today’s retail economy, there is real potential to increase the concentration of wealth in city neighborhoods by expanding opportunities for Clevelanders to own the stores in which they shop. The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Plan*, through its commitment to promoting small-scale, urban retail districts, will significantly increase prospects for local ownership, which is typically absent in larger-scale and “big box” retail developments. This commitment to an “urban form” that is conducive to local ownership must be supplemented by initiatives to provide the capital, financing and technical assistance required to facilitate successful entrepreneurship. * **Understanding Market Opportunities:** A close examination of many Cleveland retail districts a disturbing discrepancy between the buying power of the surrounding neighborhoods and the goods and services offered them in their own back yard. In many cases, this buying power rivals that of nearby suburban communities; the local retail offering, quite simply, doesn’t. In addition, the physical appearance of many city retail districts leaves much to be desired when compared with the orderliness and cleanliness of their suburban competition. So what would it take to get retailers and retail developers to appreciate the considerable, but too often hidden strengths offered by these city retail districts, such as ready access to densely populated markets with substantial collective buying power? Market studies are needed; and then, armed with these facts and insights, the city and community development corporations need to develop strategies incorporating everything from types of retail needed to parking solutions and streetscape designs that will better position the city’s retail districts vis-à-vis their suburban competitors. * **The Re-Invention of Local Retail:** Once astute retailers recognize that they need to compete with larger marketers, they must then examine the strengths and weaknesses of their own operations. While most can’t compete on price, there are other ways they can create a more formidable—and successful—operation. For example, by providing a higher level of personal service such as home delivery of goods, more convenient store hours, a wider assortment of various types of products, and the cleanliness and appearance of their store. # POLICIES & STRATEGIES The overarching goal is to **provide Cleveland residents with a broad range of high quality, conveniently located retail shopping opportunities.** The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Plan *therefore puts forth a comprehensive set of policies, each addressing a key issue—along with practical strategies through which we might take immediate steps toward their implementation:* **1) Building on Strengths.** Re-establish the competitiveness of Cleveland's neighborhood retail districts by building upon their traditional strengths as pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use districts with distinctive architectural character. a. Increase resources available through the City's storefront renovation program. Provide streamlined services to Storefront Renovation Program participants (i.e., priority permit review by Building & Housing). b. Prepare urban design and development plans, design guidelines, and retail market studies for each of the City's neighborhood retail districts. c. Use specialized zoning districts to foster well-designed, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use retail districts with an identifiable anchor use that generates traffic and helps define the district. d. Capitalize on Cleveland's rich cultural and ethnic diversity by incorporating cultural or ethnic themes into the strategies for strengthening retail areas. **2) Preservation.** Give priority to renovation and infill development, as opposed to large-scale new development, as the principal means of providing competitive retail shopping in Cleveland. a. Create "Business Improvement Districts" or other mechanism to channel funding to security, maintenance, streetscape, marketing, parking and other measures to strengthen neighborhood retail districts. b. Increase utilization of the City's nationally renowned Storefront Renovation program as a tool to facilitate aesthetic changes in commercial buildings in Cleveland's retail districts. c. Enforce building codes to (a) ensure vacant properties are properly maintained, and (b) Inspect properties with a view toward aesthetics and design when they inspect. d. Avoid public subsidies for retail projects that provide direct competition for existing designated retail districts. **3) Building Smart.** Strategically locate and design a limited number of large-scale shopping centers in a manner that will stem the outflow of retail spending from the city of Cleveland, while complementing the city's traditional retail districts. a. Undertake market studies to identify areas of the city that possess the requisite demographic and economic characteristics to support large-scale shopping centers that complement existing viable retail nodes. b. Target land assembly to facilitate development of strategically located shopping centers. c. Encourage the use of "green" building practices to reduce commercial building energy consumption and decrease the amount of storm water runoff. * Discourage demolition of viable, architecturally significant structures in target retail districts. 4) **Consolidating.** Consolidate retail shopping to create and reinforce mixed-use "town centers" that serve as focal points of neighborhood activity. a. Implement land-use plans for retail consolidation through zoning map changes. b. Employ the Pedestrian Retail Overlay (PRO) zoning district to ensure that a pedestrian-friendly character is maintained in neighborhood retail districts where retail buildings are located at the sidewalk's edge. c. Conduct retail market analysis for existing retail districts to determine uses that complement the established retail mix and promote the clustering of such establishments. 5) **Niche Marketing.** Transform selected retail districts into regional attractions by clustering stores around common themes—such as arts and culture, ethnic identities, antiques, and recreation and scenic resources. a. Capitalize on unique attributes like the Towpath Trail and University Circle, the West Side & East Side Markets to create distinct retail areas that offer a shopping experience that caters to a cross-section of residents ranging from core users to casual visitors. b. Encourage CDC’s to avoid costly individual placement of magazine and or newspaper ads as part of their neighborhood marketing campaigns in favor of larger area Web based advertising as a retail marketing tool c. Utilize street fairs, special sales, couponing, sponsorships and similar promotions to promote awareness of retail areas. * Create "welcome to the neighborhoods" coupon packages from area retailers that are either mass-mailed periodically, or mailed to new residents in the surrounding area. d. Market districts such as Chinatown, Little Italy, Tremont and Downtown as a single entity rather than an agglomeration of individual businesses. 6) **Tapping the Market.** Improve the quantity and quality of retail in Cleveland neighborhoods by tapping into hidden market segments that are often overlooked by national retailers. a. Provide national retailers with demographic and economic data such as Social Compact’s City of Cleveland Neighborhood Market Drilldown, which illustrates and quantifies the extent of the city’s understated buying power. * City should identify a retail "salesman" – high energy, charismatic – who knows retailing, understands the reasons retailers use for not locating here, and understands neighborhood markets enough to advocate and create counter-arguments in support of urban neighborhood locations. This person can then "sell" appropriate sites to attract retailers and restaurants with financial strength to cover market rents in improved buildings. b. Assemble and disseminate figures that show that the buying power of many of the city’s outlying neighborhoods, such as Kamm’s Corners, Lee-Harvard or Collinwood, rivals or exceeds that of adjacent suburban communities. c. Identify specific neighborhoods capable of supporting a “niche” retail environment. d. Utilize new “Discover Cleveland” concept where Visitors Bureau includes specific marketing to these “niche” neighborhoods and ways to get there. 7) **Creating Employment.** Recognize that retailing provides jobs that are often the first introduction to the workforce for young people and that provide senior citizens with opportunities for supplemental income and socialization. a. Pursue matches between retailers and young people and seniors as part of a workforce preparation strategy. 8) **Creating Wealth.** Maximize opportunities for Cleveland residents to own and operate retail businesses in the city. a. Target economic development assistance in a manner that facilitates local entrepreneurship and provides quality retailing and retailing in under-served areas. b. Solicit the assistance of larger ethnic and/or business-based groups in mentoring city residents as business owners. 9) **Connecting to Transit.** Link new and revitalized retail development to public transit, as well as to pedestrian and bicycle routes and public amenities. a. Provide pedestrian & cycling amenities such as bike racks, benches, water, air for tires, and lockers in and around major commercial districts and shopping centers. b. Work with the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority to develop additional community circulator bus routes to serve major retail districts citywide. c. Encourage the development of convenience retail at rapid transit stations and major transit nodes. 10) **Building Safe.** Design retail developments to maximize public safety, and work with merchant and community organizations to ensure ongoing safety and security. a. Incorporate reviews of public safety by qualified experts such as police officers into the design review process for major building and streetscape projects. 11) **Streetscape.** Improve the appearance and vitality of retail district “streetscapes” through the use of public art, banners and signs, benches, street trees, decorative paving, underground wiring, sidewalk cafes, etc. a. Coordinate a regularly scheduled City-sponsored maintenance program that provides basic maintenance for public rights-of-way elements within commercial districts, including sidewalks, light poles, street pavement and striping, street and pedestrian lights, etc. 12) **Parking.** Develop strategically located shared parking lots and garages in neighborhood retail districts that are under-served by parking. a. Conduct a detailed study of successful districts that appear to be “underparked” (e.g. Little Italy, Tremont) and conversely the use of unsuccessful or underutilized district parking plans developed in the 1980s (Kamms, Detroit-Shoreway, Ohio City) to determine best practices for successful parking/historic district program. b. Identify underutilized strategically located parcels in retail districts for acquisition and redevelopment as parking facilities. c. Work with community development corporations to create neighborhood-based management strategies to operate and maintain parking facilities. Specific identified opportunities relating to retail are listed in the Development Opportunities section of the Citywide Plan website. <
> Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT # ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ## OVERVIEW Prosperous cities are cities that have adapted to changing economic conditions. The cities that adapt most successfully are those that take stock of their assets and *connect* those assets to opportunities in *growing sectors of the economy*. Cleveland is fortunate to be a city rich in assets. The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* identifies Cleveland’s key economic assets and proposes economic development policies that build on the foundation of those assets. So, what are Cleveland’s economic assets? Some of them, such as Cleveland’s world-renowned medical and educational institutions, are now the subjects of much excited discussion. Some, such as the plentiful supply of fresh water provided by the Great Lakes and the manufacturing skills possessed by Cleveland’s workforce, have hardly been seen as assets at all. While others, such as Cleveland’s strengths in the arts and culture and the distinctive character of the city’s many urban neighborhoods, which have long been seen mostly as things to be proud of, are just now being recognized as potential engines of economic growth with the power to attract bright and talented entrepreneurs. <
> Case Western University is considered one of the premier research universities in the country, as well as its recognition as a tremendous local asset. [“The Turning Point” – Bellflower near East Blvd.] The new Citywide Plan proposes an economic development strategy that focuses on *connecting* the city’s assets to *opportunities for economic growth*. The opportunities for growth are as diverse as our various assets. For example, medical education and research can create jobs in the burgeoning new field of biotechnology. Also, Cleveland’s proven strengths in traditional manufacturing, coupled with the area’s considerable expertise in cyber technology and training, can develop jobs in computer-assisted manufacturing. Meanwhile, the city's distinctive urban neighborhoods and amenities, like an accessible lakefront and bike trail system connecting its nationally recognized park system, can, if properly developed and marketed, play an active role in creating jobs—by providing the kind of lively and stimulating urban environment that is known to attract creative individuals and fresh-thinking entrepreneurs of the sort who will drive the new "knowledge-based" economy. Indeed, in the very process of being converted to new use, even dubious "assets" such as brownfields and obsolete buildings create jobs in environmental remediation and "green" building. <
> Lakefront access at Edgewater Park will be greatly enhanced by the City’s Lakefront Plan, contributing further to Cleveland’s diverse urban environment. [Edgewater Park] construction—building local expertise in emerging industries that will soon be in great demand as the realities of environmental degradation and exploding energy needs worldwide sink in. # TRENDS *In plotting a course for future economic development in Cleveland, it is important to appreciate where we have been—and how we got there—as well as the changes that have occurred over the past half-century in the nature of the marketplace and the way business is done:* * **Steel-based Economy:** Most significant to Cleveland’s early economic growth were the steel industry and the related industries that make products from steel. As industry grew in Cleveland, so did the many businesses necessary to support industry, including banking, law, insurance and advertising. In recent decades, much of the steel-making industry and associated manufacturing industries have moved away from Midwestern cities like Cleveland to locations in the west and the south or even overseas. Cleveland’s challenge has been to retain as much of its core manufacturing industry as possible, sometimes in a modernized form, and to replace lost manufacturing jobs with equally high-paying jobs in growing sectors of the economy. Such sectors include bio-medical technology, advanced manufacturing, and information technology, as well as the more traditional fields of law, finance, marketing, and visitor-related services. <
> *Although many steel industry jobs have returned to Cleveland, advanced-technology steel production no longer requires thelarge workforce of the past. [Mittal Steel]* * **Favored Modes of Transportation:** Cleveland became a city in the first place because of the natural assets it enjoyed as a hub for commerce. Most important was its location at the confluence of two navigable waterways, Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River. The city’s rapid growth as a center of commerce and industry was fueled by the creation of additional transportation assets, most important among those being the Ohio & Erie Canal and rail lines, then port facilities, inter-state highways and Cleveland Hopkins Airport. As trucking has replaced rail- and water-based transportation, many firms have moved to suburban locations with better freeway access. <
> *The Cuyahoga River’s future may include consolidation and/or relocation of some existing industries to provide for more natural features in the river channel and riparian area. [Cuyahoga River near Lorain-Carnegie Bridge]* * **Workforce Requirements:** Steel, and steel-related, manufacturing in the period from the mid-19th through the last decades of the 20th century required a strong back, physical stamina, and the ability to master certain mostly mechanical skills, but not much formal education. The shift in recent decades to industries that make greater use of advanced technology has heightened the importance of a highly educated and technically skilled workforce. The presence of such a workforce can be a powerful factor in the willingness of companies to locate in Cleveland; just as important, this kind of preparedness will position Clevelander residents to secure higher-paying jobs in these emerging industries. * **Workforce Mobility:** Another dynamic, now also at work, is impacting Cleveland’s ability to remain economically competitive in the 21st century. Earlier in Cleveland’s history, it was the availability of jobs that attracted new residents and drove the area’s economic growth. Generally, jobs materialized as a result of things like geographic location (proximity to raw materials and markets) and available means of transportation (access to raw materials and markets). Today in Cleveland and throughout the nation, a new trend is in evidence: Jobs are being attracted to metropolitan areas by the *quality of life* available there. Advances in transportation and communication, especially computer networks and the Internet, have made many workers—and entrepreneurs—more mobile than ever. Bright and talented people, in particular, no longer feel "stuck" in their hometowns. Since they can, for practical purposes, do their work almost any place, many are willing to move anywhere in the nation to find the "ideal" quality of life. And experience has shown that where these people decide to relocate, jobs will follow. These days, the answer to the age-old riddle about the chicken and the egg is: *Who cares? Lure the chicken, get the eggs.* <
> Quality of life issues raise awareness of the importance of such entities as Cleveland Public Theatre in influencing job location decisions, for both businesses and workers. [Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood] * **Creating "Cities of Choice":** Thus, things that once seemed little more than frosting on the cake—the presence of a large lake, parks and other amenities, unique living situations, distinctive neighborhood settings and classic architecture, great cultural and educational resources, and access to a wide range of opportunities—from recreation to superior health care—take on an enormous importance. Indeed, contemporary urban research suggests, the perception of a city as a place that not only tolerates but values and supports diversity and individuality is becoming a strong factor in many people’s choice of where to live. In a time when people are increasingly aware that they have the ability to make many choices, the challenge is to give them reasons to choose Cleveland; and existing residents and companies, reasons to stay or to move back into the city. Economic development in the 21st century will (and must) be closely tied to all these things. The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Plan* therefore proposes *an integrated strategy* for economic development designed to accelerate Cleveland’s transition from a 19th- and 20th-century manufacturing town to a more diversified and vibrant center of commerce and industry for the 21st century. This time of transition is a time for a fresh vision of what we want our city to be by 2020, which in some cases may demand we abandon old ways of doing things and move, deliberately and thoughtfully, in new directions. * **New Directions:** Changing circumstances and a reassessment of Cleveland’s strengths in six areas, including the importance of a strong employment base, have led to a growing consensus that efforts in those areas should be focused in new directions or on new objectives: * **Advanced Manufacturing:** Build on Cleveland’s strong base in traditional manufacturing with technological adaptations needed to keep those industries competitive. * **Technology:** Leverage Cleveland’s formidable assets in the areas of medical research and higher education to generate jobs in biomedical technology and other high-tech fields. * **Connecting People and Jobs:** Improve *access* of city residents to good jobs through effective job training, employer incentive programs, and strategically deployed transit services. * **Regionalism:** Capitalize on the combined assets of the city and its region in a coordinated initiative for regional economic prosperity. * **Urban Living:** Capitalize on the new interest in urban neighborhoods and the unique opportunities offered by urban living to attract talented individuals and entrepreneurs to Cleveland. * **Culture & Recreation:** Enhance the attractiveness of urban living by developing a more robust arts community and better access to waterfronts and recreational opportunities. * **Immigration:** increase the immigrant population as a means inviting creative thinking and entrepreneurial activity. <
> Cleveland’s impressive manufacturing infrastructure still plays a vital role in the local economy, but its future competitiveness should be pursued jointly by all stakeholders, i.e., the private, public, and non-profit sectors. [Goodrich-Kirtland Park neibhborhood] It is important that the potential benefits and overarching purpose of economic development be kept in mind. * **Benefits:** The benefits of economic development to the local community are two-fold: (1) Jobs for city residents and a resulting higher standard of living; and (2) an expanded source of tax revenues to support the vital work of the City and its school district and a resulting higher level of services to city residents. * **Purpose:** If the full benefits of economic development are to be had, the whole purpose of this effort needs to be kept in mind in every phase and aspect of the process. The purpose of economic development can be summarized as follows: * Increase employment in the city and prevent job loss. * Maximize the number of jobs paying higher salaries. * "Connect" all city residents to job opportunities, including segments of the population that do not now fully share in the area's economic opportunities. "Economic development" means not only increasing the number and types of jobs located in the city, but also the access of city residents to those jobs. Stated even more succinctly, Cleveland's "Big Picture" goals for economic development could be expressed as follows: * More jobs * Better paying jobs * More jobs for city residents, including minorities # ASSETS *Each community and each region in the nation has its own unique combination of assets. Cleveland must use its assets as guideposts in charting a course to economic prosperity. It is recognized that Cleveland will not become the next Silicon Valley nor will it become the next Disney World! If Cleveland is to prosper economically, however, it must work to enhance those uniquely Cleveland assets that will make the city most competitive in the 21st century. Key assets on which Cleveland's economic growth and regeneration can and should be built can be grouped under the following headings:* **Access to Markets and Raw Materials:** * A central location within the metropolitan area and within a populous region of the nation * Excellent access to transportation by air, water, rail and highway **Manufacturing Capability:** * A well-established base of manufacturing firms, particularly in metals-related industries, and an associated skilled workforce **Plentiful Land, Water & Energy:** * Under-utilized land near freeway interchanges * Plentiful and affordable water resources * Readily available utilities, including a municipally-owned electric utility <
> **Nationally Ranked Institutions:** Nationally renowned medical and academic institutions, led by the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, and internationally known Gestalt Institute. The latter's integrative, deep-structure approach to The world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, one of the City's largest employers, is situatated in an industry sector (health care/biotechnology) poised for sustained growth. [Cleveland Clinic Intercontenal Hotel] human and organizational systems has been used effectively by small businesses, organizations and Fortune 500 companies held back by entrenched or conflicting ways of interacting to create organizational change that is both lasting and sustainable. **Cutting Edge Industries:** * **An emerging bio-medical technology sector**, associated with the area’s medical and academic institutions * **An emerging environment-related business sector**, focused on brownfield remediation, green building, alternative energy sources, etc. **Culture & Recreation:** * Nationally renowned cultural institutions, including the Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Playhouse, Karamu House and Playhouse Square Center (with 10,605 seats, the second largest performing arts center in the U.S., after New York’s Lincoln Center) * An **extensive park system**, including the famed “Emerald Necklace”Lake Erie, with 12 miles of shoreline, marinas, sail boating, fishing & lakefront living <
> Cleveland’s vibrant arts scene, which includes its historic theater district, contributes mightily to the City’s draw as a cultural destination spot. [Playhouse Square Center] **Urban Living:** * **Mixed-use, pedestrian- and transit-oriented neighborhoods** with distinctive, often historical architectural character, capable of attracting creative and entrepreneurial residents * Loft-style living, urban townhouse, historic homes and other **housing options** * A **strong network of neighborhood-based community development corporations** that tackle development challenges that the private sector is unwilling to. Examples include historic theatre renovation and urban wetlands enhancement. # CHALLENGES The challenges faced by Cleveland in the area of Economic Development are formidable and must be taken very seriously. Over the past several decades, the city of Cleveland has lost a significant amount of its manufacturing jobs, as companies have moved to suburban areas and other parts of the nation and the world. These jobs have not been fully replaced by equally high-paying jobs in growing sectors of the economy. Compounding the problem is the fact that the much of the city’s workforce has failed to keep pace with the education and skills required by companies in the technology and knowledge sectors of the economy. Understanding the challenges facing Cleveland’s economy is a prerequisite to achieving renewed prosperity. Among the challenges Cleveland faces in the area of economic development are: * **Industrial Sites** with Access to Rail or Water but **without Direct Access to Freeways** * **Obsolete Industrial Buildings:** Their multi-story construction, dilapidated condition and/or non-competitive location make them less attractive or marketable * **Inadequate** Supply of Workers with High-Tech Skills * **Sizable Segment of the Population Lacking Basic Literacy and Math Skills** * **Barriers to Employment** Due to Racial and Ethnic Prejudice * **Lack of Assembled Sites** of Sufficient Size for Major Development * **Brownfield Sites** Requiring Expensive Environmental Remediation Prior to Redevelopment * **Competition from Regions with Lower Labor Costs and Lower Land Costs** * **Competition from Cities Perceived to Offer a Better Quality of Life**, in the form of either standard residential environments or “new urbanist” environments * **Absence of a Governmental** Entity with a Mandate to Fund Public Development Projects of Regional Significance * **Insufficient Venture Capital** for Start-up Firms, particularly in high-tech sectors * **Negative Perceptions** of Public Schools and Neighborhood Safety <
> Industrial properties whose buildings have outlived their former glory (such that they are not suitable to be adaptively re-used) can be land-banked and cleared for new industrial uses. [Trinity Building in Detroit-Shoreway] <
> Brownfield sites are being re-envisioned as new industrial parks while funding is pursued for the necessary cleanup. [Midland Steel site in Cudell] It is important to keep several other things in mind as economic development is pursued: * **Competitiveness:** If Cleveland is to be truly competitive in the period ahead, each of these challenges must be addressed, as well as the opportunities that present themselves at the present time or loom in the near future—for it is in terms of the city’s future that we must all be thinking. Cleveland’s remarkable past has bequeathed to us many of the powerful assets which, imaginatively used—and in some cases, adapted to new uses—will be the building blocks on which that future rises. But the present moment is the only one in which we have the power to act, to forge new assets (such as a workforce armed with the new tools and technologies, and revitalized “neighborhoods of choice”) and to chart our course. * **A Shared Vision:** That begins with the articulation of a vision and a set of goals and strategies developed in ongoing dialogue with residents, front-line agencies, business leaders and other stakeholders in the city and constituent neighborhoods of Cleveland. Several cities in the newly formed European Economic Union have been accomplishing extraordinary things by putting together comprehensive, well-disseminated development plans based on shared values that set forth agreed-upon priorities, goals and strategies for achieving them. It is essential that everyone, at every level, be working in the same direction, with the same goals and priorities in mind; otherwise, we are working at cross purposes, one group’s or individual’s activities potentially thwarting or even undermining the community’s ability to achieve its long-term goals. * **Connecting Resources:** This is why the theme of *connectivity* is so key to this effort. When choices made in each sector of urban development are made with the whole, and its larger goals and priorities, in mind, individual developments can support or reinforce efforts being made in other sectors—and maximize the chances of both to succeed over the long run. A sustainable economy is one that takes into consideration all the things that could eventually render it unsustainable, and makes the most efficient use of its resources. As this generation of Americans is learning painfully, waste—whether it consists of human or material resources—has way of piling up and eventually jamming the wheels of continued progress. The most efficient machine, the men who built Cleveland the first time around would tell you, is one whose constituent parts are configured in such a way as to bring the most energy to bear on the challenge at hand. So it is with cities. In sum: The City of Cleveland’s economic development policies, to have the best chance of success over the long run, must be: * Based on agreed-upon priorities that have emerged from dialogue with residents and stakeholders * Sustainable over time * Asset-driven * Designed to make the most efficient use of public and private resources * Comprehensive as a group—that is, a *set of mutually reinforcing* policies for every area of Cleveland’s multifaceted life that impacts or is impacted by economic development * Focused on specific, manageable goals * Well disseminated, understood and “bought-into” citywide, at every level of activity # POLICIES & STRATEGIES The goal of these efforts is to *increase economic prosperity through job creation and improved access to jobs and business ownership by all segments of the Cleveland community*. The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Plan *therefore puts forth a comprehensive set of economic development policies, each focused on a specific goal, and strategies through which we might take immediate steps toward their implementation/achievement, in the following areas of the city’s life: I. **Health Care Commerce.** Capitalize on the presence of world-renowned medical and educational institutions to grow businesses involved in health care procedures and products, while attracting patients and visitors from outside the region. a. Ensure "places" for health industry-related manufacturing, and patient-centered commerce around the economic hub of greater University Circle, and elsewhere. b. Link new construction opportunities to Cleveland small business and residents, local purchasing and institution supply chain "mining" and recruitment to Cleveland. Prior to construction completion, plan for linking citizens, particularly within proximity to projects, to training and prepatory activities toward permanent jobs in the facility being built. c. Leverage to the City's benefit the business expansion, recruitment and product commercialization efforts of groups such as Greater Cleveland Partnership, BioEnterprise, WIRE-Net, etc. d. Develop a health industries training initiative to improve the fit between this industry and the skills of Clevelanders. 2. **Advanced Manufacturing.** Promote product design, product innovation and productivity process improvements to help industry shift from traditional production to higher-value and specialized output in sectors where Cleveland can create competitive advantages. a. Ensure "places" for manufacturing * Use the City Industrial/Commercial Land Bank to deliver underused land to market. * Promote the renovation of the most suitable existing building stock for contemporary manufacturing uses. * Adopt the land use recommendations of the Citywide 2020 plan through zoning. * Consider "Manufacturing Innovation Zones" that attract and focus public and private investment and assistance toward innovation and productivity. b. Continue support and use CIRI and WIRE-Net to connect businesses to improvement resources including our universities, Magnet, WIRE-Net, and the assets of the City-County Workforce system. c. Begin dialogues among city regulatory functions (Fire prevention, Health and Air Quality, Building and Housing, others) to ensure cost-effectiveness and efficiency as well as compliance. d. Reinforce "smart manufacturing" policies at state and federal level, and encourage state and federal incentive policies that create regional growth and not outmigration of existing industries. This could include, for example, pushing for more effective enforcement of existing trade agreements; and working for state policies to help reign in skyrocketing health care costs. e. Promote more water-intensive industries such as computer-chip manufacturing. 3. **"Center of the Center."** Strengthen the amenities, attractions, businesses and residential environment in the central city and its downtown as a keystone for regional economic growth. a. *Convention Center.* Create a contemporary and competitive convention center to support a vibrant, 24-hour downtown district and to create jobs in the hospitality, restaurant and related economic sectors. b. *"First 5 Strategy."* Fill in empty spaces between the already successful nodes of Downtown activity, by focusing on five high vacancy buildings and storefronts of opportunity. Consider re-tenancy, rehabilitation or entirely repurposing the now-obsolete spaces. c. *Connect Strengths.* Downtown has a variety of different strong but relatively isolated activity centers -- Warehouse District, Gateway, Playhouse Square, Flats, North Coast Harbor -- which often feel like islands unto themselves--to one another will make residents, workers, and visitors feel they are a part of a larger and more cohesive whole. d. Vigorously protect and enhance the American urban character of Cleveland as a key comparative advantage. Ensure each new development adds commensurate value. e. Grow downtown and commercial business clusters. Many downtown business service firms (technology, accounting, others) are small businesses and benefit from a central location with proximity to customers. Consider key high vacancy office buildings or above ground floor retail space in low to mid rise buildings for home-based and incubator businesses, technology or micro business service firms. Make downtown and other commercial districts business friendly with allied services. Creative city-financing would assist property owners to retrofit the buildings to today's desired office space and design for small businesses. f. Capitalize on Cleveland's dense fiber network and other technology infrastructure. Reinforce its role as regional technology hub. Replicate successes of technology centers, like Idea Center. g. Vigorously recruit consumer product showrooms to Euclid Avenue and beyond and link to associated local firms as part of a "District of Design" strategy. h. *Activate Streetlife.* Recruit and design for increased tenancies, densities, mix of uses, 24 hours uses, diversities of places to go for a diversity or audiences in downtown and commercial districts in other neighborhoods. Get more people on the street as both an indicator of nearby economic health and as an attractor to more, i. Continue to address perceptions and realities of Downtown safety. j. Continue to expand, improve, and market our tourism attractions to bring visitors to the City from inside and outside the region. k. *Market Cleveland.* Tell Cleveland's story to Cleveland, the nation and the world. Communicate what business activity is already going on, continue positive placements in national media and capitalize on the Cavaliers' television exposure in China. 4. **Learning.** Strengthen public education and access to lifelong workforce learning opportunities as a foundation for building a globally competitive economy and personal prosperity for Cleveland residents. a. Align city resources with needs of residents and demands of the employer marketplace. b. Integrate workforce development activities within the City's economic development practice, as workforce is one of several "factors of development" for business. c. Focus city resources to create year-round educational and workforce experiences in partnership with Cleveland Municipal School District as fundamental to long-term workforce competitiveness. d. Engage employers to determine how best to deploy resources to retain and grow employment opportunities for Clevelanders. e. Invest in people for the long-term; align their skills and interests with long-term job prospects. f. Use the City’s considerable IT infrastructure to bring the technology skills of all of our region’s residents into the 21st century. g. Use our regional assets to create opportunities so new workers will choose to relocate here, thus expanding our labor pool to meet business expansion opportunities. h. Continue to petition the Ohio General Assembly to address the proven inequities that currently exist in the way school districts are funded within Ohio. i. Establish ties with the Cleveland Institute of Art to allow for internships for industrial design students to work with small local manufacturing firms on new product development, product refinement, and possible expansion into new markets. j. Work with the Cleveland School District to initiate a "design-focused" high school that would expose more students to the elements of industrial design. Identify private funding for the initiative. k. Establish a city liaison to integrate higher education institutions into the City’s economic development program. l. Encourage local employers to provide on-site job training in cooperation with neighborhood-based organizations. Consider making such services a requirement for City financial assistance, as appropriate. **5. Opportunity and Equity.** Ensure that all Clevelanders have the opportunity to benefit from local economic development activity. a. Envision and achieve opportunities for local economic impact beyond mere "job counts and tax base" and link these directly to benefit Cleveland residents and businesses when offering a business assistance package as "performance based incentives"— i.e., the more a business delivers, the higher the proposed level of incentive. b. Use development deals to consider additional opportunities within a businesses' supply and value chains—such as "import substitution" of goods currently sourced from elsewhere and "supply chain mining" of providing firms that might benefit from being closer to their customers in Cleveland. c. Link residents' opportunity to economic development activity through the creation of employment programs and products that can be negotiated as part of a business assistance package. Wherever possible, consider offering value to employers (such as pre-screened applicants or customized training prior to opening a new facility) rather than merely mandating local hires. d. Consider targeted microenterprise, entrepreneurial and small business start-up programs as a means of opportunity for residents to build wealth. e. Focus on business activity already “anchored” in the community (such as educational and cultural institutions, churches, publicly-owned assets) as starting points for local wealth creation strategies such as “Buy Local” efforts. Aggressively investigate other local wealth creation strategies. f. Even the most seemingly blighted neighborhood still has assets, including the voluntary associations and organizations. Map and tap these assets. g. Improve transportation options for residents to places of employment. h. Focus efforts on locating businesses in neighborhoods with highest rates of unemployment. **6. Infrastructure.** Plan long-term, coordinated improvements in roadways, transit, waterways, fiber and other infrastructure to foster retention and expansion of the economic base. a. Launch City’s 5 year Capital Improvements Plan to support our manufacturing, industrial/commercial land bank downtown, and other neighborhood development plans b. Advocate as a region to state and federal governments for improvements to existing infrastructure in order to more easily connect Clevelanders to the city’s and region’s employment centers. c. Make use of the waterways as amenities and a value-enhancing element. d. Strengthen and continually improve Cleveland’s airport system as a powerful local and regional economic asset that provides critical access to the world economy for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Strengthen the relationship with Continental Airlines to ensure Cleveland has access to the world and the world has access to us. e. Maintain, reinforce, deepen the public realm (rights of way, sidewalk and tree lawns, streetscapes, and even the private facades behind them, as well as publicly owned property and facilities.) Use new development as a means to further enhance that public realm. f. Move critical infrastructure projects from concept to engineering, thus “fast tracking” them by enhancing their chances of being funded and implemented. g. Pursue the study, funding, and implementation of capital projects as recommended by the 2020 Citywide Plan. h. Encourage investment in commercial spaces, both downtown and in neighborhoods, which can be connected to the citywide and worldwide fiber optic networks i. Encourage the creation of wireless technology zones in public areas throughout the City. **7. Adaptive Re-Use.** Bring back into productive economic use advantageously located vacant properties and brownfield sites. a. Use Industrial/Commercial Land Bank to bring unproductive properties and buildings back into productive use. b. Pursue progressive enforcement options against property owners with blighting influences. Ensure minimum standards of repair, cleanliness and safety are always maintained. c. Seek external resources to cover the extraordinary costs of redeveloping urban properties, recognize the increased revenue benefits to urban schools and local government. d. Seek ways to improve the value of properties and buildings through reuse. e. Promote more construction site “deconstruction” and re-use of materials rather than demolition of structures for landfills. 8. **Eco-Industry.** Make Cleveland a national leader in the development and application of green building, environmental remediation, alternative energy and sustainability technologies. a. Pilot, then mainstream, high-performance building guidelines that reduce business operating costs and enhance personnel savings as well as generate demand for locally-produced goods and services. Consider the need for finance mechanisms to offset higher “first cost” items, repayable through eventual long-term savings. b. The City of Cleveland should take advantage of any and all opportunities to save money and/or reduce pollution by investing in and promoting energy derived from non-traditional sources. c. Offer financial assistance to locally-based entrepreneurial firms that wish to utilize bio-technology to help absorb toxic materials from polluted sites. d. Devise unique incentive programs that will encourage installation of site-specific wind/solar hybrid power generation for manufacturers who utilize large amounts of electricity. 9. **Land Assembly.** Assemble freeway-accessible sites large enough to accommodate industrial and office park development. a. Work more actively with private sector partners to use their expertise to physically and economically analyze underutilized properties and develop strategies for reusing them. b. Consider the use of eminent domain to obtain highly-underutilized and blighted railroad-owned land. c. Assemble sites and undertake take transportation improvements that minimize conflict between residential and industrial uses. 10. **Regionalism.** Promote the region’s broad range of business assets in competing collectively to attract businesses from beyond our regional economy. a. Conduct analyses to understand at a finer grain the city’s economic make up and its role within the regional economy. Match asset strengths with the business location needs of high growth-high yield sectors. b. Field an “offense” for City business recruitment by promoting regional assets to targeted national and international business segments and firms. c. Collectively strengthen the region’s economic assets with a coordinated approach to state and federal funding agencies. Ensure regulations and policies at those levels ensure a competitive central city and region. d. Ensure Cleveland is a competitive location for business by being predictable. Promote the Citywide Plan as the overall development framework and ensure other entities and agencies align their development-related activities with the plan, reinforce it and avoid fragmentation or diminished value by countering it. e. Share intelligence among economic development intermediaries and allied business support organizations so all relevant programs can be presented to a business/entrepreneur in a "one stop" fashion. Develop systems for cross referrals and "hot hand-offs" of potential clients to administering agencies. Develop outcome measures for loans made and business growth achieved as a result of interactions with these intermediaries, not merely counts of businesses consulted. f. Land more deals. Proactively coordinate efforts of local and state government and major non-profit economic development financial assistance providers (Port, Team NEO, Growth Capital, WECO, others) with respect to particular development projects. g. Partner with local institutions and local municipalities to combine purchasing power in such a way as to encourage the formation of local industries to provide more energy-efficient and sustainable products and services. h. Discuss with surrounding communities the possibility of collaboration on the construction of an alternative-power generation station, such as a wind farm, biomass-fueled furnace, or fuel cell utility, whose output could be used to lower energy costs for all partnering communities and to allow for low-cost energy to be used as an economic development tool. i. Discuss tax-revenue sharing with members of the Northeast Ohio First Suburbs Consortium. j. Promote the City of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio region as the Industrial Design Capital east of the Rocky Mountains. k. Eliminate incentive battles between municipalities and work together toward developing regional incentive strategies for businesses. **II. Incentives.** Use pubic financial incentives in proportion to the resulting local economic benefits, while ensuring that assistance program meets the full range of capital needs. a. Identify where new gaps in financial products might exist based on the experience of these intermediaries and businesses that have used the existing capital products (or sought to). Create specialized product to meet unique urban redevelopment needs. b. Maximize the use of private sector financial tools, using public sector tools where applicable, to offset some risk to enable more development to happen that wouldn't occur without public sector involvement. c. Seek ways to monetize and quantify the benefits of urban reinvestment to government in tax revenue and avoided social spending. Use as a justification for cost-effective state and federal government investment to spur even more urban redevelopment. Conversely, work with other municipalities nationally on an "urban agenda" to remove policies that harm the economic well-being of cities and incur avoidable costs to taxpayers. d. Adopt a "100 year" time frame for public decision-making. Make one test of development be whether it adds value for the next 100 years. e. Use efficiencies as one criterion of where the public sector should take action. f. Tap into local business networks as an entree to their national contacts for business recruitment. g. Promote our locational assets to businesses similar to those already existing in the area. h. Increase promotion of existing Empowerment Zone funds to qualifying businesses. **12. “Hassle Factor.”** Make it easier and more predictable to do business in and with the City by implementing a customer-focused approach to regulation and approvals and by providing incentives in a manner that is transparent and easy to navigate. a. Land use planning, zoning and other regulatory and permitted functions must be up front, clear, transparent, rational and predictable. Wherever possible make regulations “performance based,” self-verifiable rather than dependant on unclear or unpredictable standards and processes created to enforce them. Set the bar and enable those who meet it to develop “by right” not by committee approval. b. Enact standards and clear, enforceable regulations that prevent diminution of value. Especially in areas with low investment activity for periods of time, do not let future value be diminished by land uses, building types or other activities that degrade value in adjacent properties, streetscapes or districts. Encourage current and future investment by ensuring this value will not be negatively impacted by adjacent or nearby actions not consistent with the long-term and Citywide plans. c. Institute and ensure a “customer-focused” orientation for regulatory activities. Approach the applicant in policy and practices with a “getting to yes” spirit. Regulators must make it their business to help business invest. This means going beyond “no” to help wherever possible, a potential investor to get around obstacles while meeting or exceeding minimum government standards. d. Adopt internal coordination and transfer procedures to ensure business inquiries and requests are quickly routed to the appropriate division to be resolved. e. Create certainty for reuse with predictable, enforceable land use, zoning and other regulations. f. Ensure zoning and other regulation supports the appropriate reuse of buildings. Reconcile conflicting policies that hamper such reuse and drive development elsewhere beyond the city. g. Consider the multiple layers of government regulation and resolve conflicts where possible so that all policies reinforce the direction of the Citywide land use plan. h. Maintain active relationships with existing companies by establishing regular intervals of contact in order to identify barriers for staying and growing in the City. i. Allocate funding to allow for the hiring of 2-3 more Plans Examiners in the Department of Building and Housing to streamline the permitting process for those wishing to invest in the City. **13. Quality of Life.** Create vibrant urban neighborhoods capable of attracting individuals who will fuel entrepreneurship and “new economy” businesses. a. Ensure sub-area and finer-grain plans developed by the private sector, Community Development Corporations, or other intermediaries seek to reinforce and implement the policies and strategies in the Citywide land use plan and are undertaken in consultation with the City Planning Commission. b. Create a program that will attract developers who will be willing to work with property owners to renovate existing upper-floors (of mixed-use buildings in selected corridors) into upscale apartments or condos. c. Work with small businesses (existing and potential) such as coffee shops, art galleries, dance studios, artists, etc., to help finance start-ups or expansion into new neighborhoods through the use of loan guarantees or micro-loans. **14. Arts and Culture.** Utilize the arts and cultural offerings to attract highly talented and skilled individuals to live and work in the city. a. Create a Cabinet-level Department of Arts and Culture that would be a highly-visible co-promoter of sports-related events such as the Cleveland Grand Prix, the Gravity Games, etc. b. Establish and market “arts districts” as an approach to revitalizing neighborhoods where galleries and other arts venues are concentrated c. Capitalize on the presence of theaters, museums and other major arts venues as catalysts for neighborhood and regional development. d. Create local mechanisms for permanent and predictable public funding for a diversity of arts endeavors in the Cleveland region, supplementing private and other governmental funding sources e. Strengthen the City of Cleveland’s new public art program and work with other governments, developers and corporations to incorporate public art as a standard component of development projects throughout the city. f. Use public art to strengthen the “sense of place” and highlight the heritage and character of each Cleveland neighborhood g. Create supportive environments for local artists by establishing live-work districts, where obsolete industrial buildings are transformed into residences and studios through the use of financial incentives and innovative zoning h. Ensure that residents of all neighborhoods, income levels and ages have affordable access to the arts, including arts programming in the public schools i. Ensure that the arts in Cleveland fully reflect and represent the cultural and demographic diversity of the Cleveland community <
> Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # RECREATION & OPEN SPACE # RECREATION & OPEN SPACE ## OVERVIEW Parks and open spaces play an important part in the quality of life of city neighborhoods. It should come as no surprise, in fact, that numerous studies have found that the presence in a neighborhood of parks ands open space increases the value of surrounding properties. But parks and natural greenspace not only make our neighborhoods more attractive places, they provide opportunities for recreation and exercise essential to good health. The more health-conscious Clevelanders become, the more they will see the importance of creating an environment that makes a healthier life style easier to incorporate into one's daily life. Parks provide opportunities for neighbors to socialize and get to know one another, fostering a sense of community. <
> Recreational activity provides many physical, psychological and social benefits for a community. [Edgewater Park] Parks, even small pocket parks, foster the spirit of play. Play has been shown to improve a child's capacity to learn, reason and develop strength and coordination. The recreational opportunities afforded by parks, baseball diamonds and outdoor basketball courts, keep at-risk youth off the street and provide them with positive outlets for their energy. Attractive greenways and off-street trails that meander through a community can be used not only for recreation but for traveling to stores and other destinations. Bicycling provides an affordable alternative to combustion-driven transportation for many as well as a means of exercise. Developing greenways and connecting trails, along with some "bicycle-friendly" streets, is an effective way of encouraging residents to increase their physical activity. In addition to the health benefits, physical activity relieves symptoms of depression and anxiety and enhances psychological will being. A growing body of research indicates that just contact with the natural world improves physical and psychological health. <
> Street trees provide both aesthetic and environmental benefits. [Old Brooklyn neighborhood] Natural areas also form a kind of "green infrastructure" that performs many practical functions—such as improving air and water quality, reducing flooding and mitigating the effects of the "urban heat island"—that save communities money. By absorbing and filtering out nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and particulate matter with their leaves, trees in the city provide a vital air cleaning service to city residents. In the hot summer months, they offer shade, helping to reduce residential temperatures and the amount of energy required for air conditioning. By absorbing much of the rainfall and filtering out some of the airborne and surface pollutants rain collects, trees, landscaped areas and natural areas also have a positive impact on the amount and quality of storm water runoff that enters our streams and the sewer system. Some open spaces can even become community gardens, allowing residents to grow healthy fruits and vegetables, which can be expensive for lower-income residents to purchase at stores. # TRENDS Several trends have been identified that give a clearer picture of the challenge before us in the area of Recreation, and may also suggest some areas of greatest vulnerability (or opportunity), where connections with appropriate community assets could be helpful: * **Rise in Obesity:** Americans in general are getting fatter. In 2003 approximately 24.5% of adult Americans were obese and another 40% were overweight; and these numbers have been climbing over the last 20 years. Ohio is no exception. According to the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, 24% of Ohioans are obese; 12.9% of Ohio high school students are obese; and 11.1% of low-income children ages 2 to 5 are overweight. Obesity rates for low-income groups, it seems, are approximately twice as high as those for high-income groups; and obesity is a gateway to heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other chronic diseases. Nor is obesity is just an issue for adults. Childhood obesity is also on the rise. Obesity is also a financial issue. It not only levies a cost on the individual in terms of health and quality of life, it impacts the entire community in the form of higher health care costs, which raises everyone’s insurance premiums. The Trust for America's Health estimated that in 2003 Ohio spent $3.3 billion dollars on obesity-related medical care. Half of obesity related care is financed by Medicare and Medicaid. Meanwhile, Ohio spends $289 per person per year on medical costs related to obesity. The causes of obesity can include genetic predisposition and ethnicity, fast-food and full-service restaurant growth, unhealthy food environments, smoking and physical inactivity. Physically active jobs were the norm in 1950, but sedentary employment is now twice as common. Lack of physical education in the school day, too much time in front of the television or computer and lack of leisure-time physical activity and recreation contribute to weight gain. Developmental patterns that necessitate an over reliance on automobile travel and discourage physical activity are also part of the problem, while the lack of easily accessible and attractive parks and open space relegates many city residents to a sedentary, largely indoor existence. Driving downtown to see a Cavaliers game is not the same as tossing a few hoops yourself at a neighborhood court. * **Dwindling Greenspace:** Cleveland was once known as the "Forest City". With the spreading out of the metropolitan area from the city's core over time, however, most of the land in and near the city has been developed. This has taken its toll on the natural character of the area. It has been estimated that Cuyahoga County is now nearly 90% developed. Increased pressure for development of the few remaining natural areas has created the need for a more proactive approach to their preservation. At the same time, an opportunity has arisen, with the abandonment and underutilization of many previously developed places within the city, to restore previously degraded landscapes and features (such as waterfronts) and to incorporate greenspace into neighborhoods where it is sorely lacking. * **Poor Green Infrastructure Maintenance:** The American Forests organization estimates that tree cover in urban areas east of the Mississippi has declined by about 30% over the last 20 years, while the footprint of the urban areas has increased by 20%. This decline in tree cover negatively impacts air water quality. The tree and landscape cover that does exist on currently developed sites must be maintained; and trees that die must be replaced. The City’s Parks Department estimates that between 1,000 and 2,000 trees die annually in Cleveland and that 1,500 to 2,000 trees need to be planted just to maintain the current tree resource. The Parks Department’s Urban Forestry office maintains trees on City properties and right- of-way. American Forests suggests general tree canopy goals, for metropolitan areas east of the Mississippi, of 25% for urban residential zones and 15% for central business districts. * **New Forms of Recreation Overlooked:** A key to getting people to participate in recreation is providing them with the types of activity they desire. The City’s parks offer numerous recreation facilities such as ball fields, basketball and tennis courts, pools, playgrounds and recreation centers. There are many other types of recreation that have grown in popularity, however, that the City parks either do not provide facilities for or that are not easily accommodated. Skateboarding, mountain biking, rowing, dog runs, rock climbing and outdoor fitness courses are examples of the non-standard types of recreation facilities people want nowadays. Some of these might be provided through partnerships with other organizations or by nonprofit or user groups. <
> Abandoned and underused rail corridors provide opportunities to create greenways in the City. [Kingsbury Run area] # ASSETS *Cleveland has a number of important assets in the area of Recreation & Open Space that can be built upon. These include:* **Natural Features:** Cleveland is fortunate to be located on one of the largest bodies of fresh water in the world, Lake Erie. The lake has played an important role in the transportation of goods and materials that fuels the city’s economy and is one of the best sources of drinking water in the world. The vastness of Lake Erie creates an environment that is unusually compelling and lends itself to a wide variety of water-related activities. It also provides important habitat and migration corridors for a variety of birds and animals. The Cuyahoga River and Valley are also important natural features that link Cleveland with many communities situated further from the lakeshore. The navigation channel, the more natural sections of the river, and the valley hillsides also create unique places that provide the opportunity for a variety of recreational experiences. The various tributaries that flow from higher elevations down to Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River also create corridors that provide opportunities to connect city neighborhoods to the lakefront and river. The lakefront, hillsides along creek and river valleys, and the hillside of the Portage Escarpment offer excellent vistas of large parts of the city and Lake Erie. These views of expansive landscapes give the observer a strong sense of connection to the larger community. <
> Cleveland is fortunate to be located on one of the largest bodies of fresh water in the world. [Whiskey Island] **Existing Park Systems:** The Cleveland area benefits from a number of park systems administered at the local, county, state and national levels. Many of these parks are located along sections of the natural features cited above. The City of Cleveland’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Properties administers nearly 160 sites, from recreation centers to play lots. Some of the largest parks in the city were originally established in the 1890s as part of Cleveland’s first master park plan, which proposed a system of parks and parkways to that would ring the city. Gordon, Rockefeller, Wade, Shaker Lakes, Luke Easter, Garfield, Washington, Brookside and Edgewater parks, as well as West and MLK boulevards, were created as part of this first park system. A second system, consisting of countywide parks, was proposed in 1916. The Metroparks were established predominantly in areas that were still rural and suburban in the early part of the 20th century. The western part of the "Emerald Necklace", so named because the park system takes the form of a loop of reservations around Cuyahoga County, lies along the far western boundary of the city along the Rocky River. Metroparks facilities are also located in the city along sections of the Big Creek and Mill Creek. The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, the Mill Creek waterfall and the First Tee golf learning center at Washington Reservation are all facilities that the Metroparks operate within the city. The Metroparks have recently claimed an even greater presence within the first ring suburbs and the city with the expansion of the park system along West Creek, Mill Creek and the Cuyahoga River Valley. The establishment of the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation and the extension of the Towpath Trail north from the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to Harvard Road bring a major part of the Metroparks system to downtown Cleveland’s doorstep. The Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation and the Towpath Trail now connect the city to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which is one of the most visited parks in the national park system. Not only is a national park located in part of the Cuyahoga Valley, but there are a number of other national designations along the valley that may be leveraged to complement recreation and open space projects. The Ohio & Erie Canalway National Byway, the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Corridor, and the Cuyahoga American Heritage River all benefit, as officially designated natural treasures, from national programs promoting the history of the area. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad offers riders an alternative transportation choice for observing the natural and historic features of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, as well as providing connections to Akron and Canton. Its northern terminus is currently five miles south of the city of Cleveland at Rockside Road; but operators of the railroad would like to extend it north toward Downtown Cleveland. The State of Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources administers most of the public lakefront parks in the city including Edgewater Park, the East 55th Street Marina, Gordon Park, Euclid Beach, Villa Angela and Wildwood Park. These parks collectively cover approximately 450 acres. **City Park and Recreation Facilities:** The City of Cleveland’s Parks Department administers a wide range of recreational facilities including play lots, playgrounds, community parks, district parks and recreation centers. The few passive open spaces it administers are concentrated primarily near downtown. The roughly 160 sites located within the city cover approximately 1,400 acres and include 87 neighborhood level parks and 17 recreation centers. Approximately 180 urban gardens are located in city neighborhoods. A recent study by the Northeast Ohio Foodshed Network indicates that the $100,000 in block grant monies invested annually reap an annual $1,000,000 worth of produce for residents. Gardening itself provides needed physical activity for many people and is also an activity that promotes intergenerational contact. **Recreational Organizations:** “Communities” of residents drawn to various types of recreation, have formed been formed to promote their favorite pastime and organize events aimed at increasing participation. Rowing, road and mountain biking, walking, hiking, field trips for natural history buffs, and bird watching are all examples of local interests around which groups of enthusiasts have formed. These groups bring a great degree of expertise, passion and energy that can be mobilized to expand local recreational offerings. <
> Despite its image as an industrial river with water quality problems the recreational potential of the Cuyahoga River is currently being realized by some recreational organizations. [Western Reserve Rowing Foundation members] A number of private groups lease or own facilities on the waterfronts that have been improved to provide access to their members. In the Collinwood area, a number of small lakefront parks located at the ends of cul-de-sacs are owned and maintained by an association of homeowners on that street. A number of private marinas located on the lakefront and river channels provide water access to their members. # CHALLENGES *Cleveland faces a number of specific challenges in the area of Recreation & Open Space that need to be thoughtfully addressed:* * **City Neighborhoods Lack Access to Natural Resources and Larger Open Space Systems:** Enabling neighborhood residents to access the benefits of the Cleveland area’s tremendous natural resources and the splendid region-wide system of parks that ring the city would greatly enhance the opportunities for healthy exercise and recreation available to Clevelanders, as would making better connections between the neighborhoods and our City parks and recreation facilities. This was a major aspect of the City’s extensive lakefront planning process and is a signal feature of the resulting Lakefront Plan, which proposes specific and imaginative connections between existing neighborhoods and the city’s lakefront parks that would greatly increase public access to Lake Erie. Another challenge will be changing the perception of the Cuyahoga Valley as the division between the east and west sides of the city and giving it a new image as our central gathering place. The extension of the Towpath Trail from Harvard Avenue to Downtown Cleveland will provide many residents with an opportunity to discover the recreational possibilities of the Valley. Providing safe and attractive connections between the surrounding neighborhoods and the Towpath Trail will be necessary to take maximum advantage of it. The proposed trails and open space along the Lakefront and Valley will also provide an opportunity to better connect the city and its facilities to the larger system of parks and open space such as the Metroparks reservations and Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Many opportunities to make such connections have been identified in the Cuyahoga County Greenprint developed by the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission. <
> The extension of the Towpath Trail to Downtown Cleveland will open new recreational opportunities for many City residents. [Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation] The need for safer and more attractive connections between neighborhood recreation facilities within the city is addressed by the City’s Bike Cleveland Plan. To see the opportunities for recreation and open space that have been identified, consult the Cleveland Bikeway Master Plan Map and the Recreation & Open Space section of the individual district chapters. * **Insufficient Opportunities for Physical Activity:** The fact that city streets and bridges are designed to facilitate automobile traffic is another thing that keeps many Clevelanders in a sitting position even when they are outdoors. Making the "built environment" more conducive to walking and cycling, so residents can more easily incorporate physical activities into their daily lives, would thus be another way of fostering a healthier citizenry. In September of 2002 the Mayor's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee was formed. Its purpose is to establish citywide policies for bicycle and pedestrian-related improvements. The Advisory Committee produced the Bike Cleveland Plan to encourage public and private entities to set goals and implement key strategies that include: * Developing a network consisting of a minimum of 180 miles of trails and bike routes. * Attaining 2% bicycle usage for all short (5 miles & under) urban trips by the year 2020. * Improving air quality and the environment of Cleveland and reducing the use of diminishing natural resources. * Developing bicycling as a serious alternative transportation mode by the year 2010. * Increasing awareness of bicycle safety. If making Cleveland more bike-friendly is one way of creating a healthier community, providing neighborhood residents with access to affordable, healthy food is another key component of such an effort, which community gardening addresses. * **Polluted Everyday Environment:** A major challenge to creating a healthier community is cleaning up the everyday environment in which the city's residents live. Past development patterns and industrial processes have left in their wake polluted "brownfields" that now stand in the way of economic redevelopment efforts and compromise natural features such as valleys and waterways that hold so much opportunity as open space amenities. Cleaning up brownfields, restoring the quality of our air and waterways, and integrating economic development with the establishment of new "open space corridors" are all important elements of this challenge. * **Overburdened Storm Sewers:** We now recognize that even the newest developments have an impact on the quality of our environment. Concrete and roofing shingles don't absorb rainwater and snow the way soil does. When rain falls on hard surfaces like rooftops, parking lots and roadways, the runoff has to go somewhere, however, so it is directed to the sewer system as quickly as possible. But too much rainwater flowing into storm sewers in a short amount of time can overburden the system. Thankfully, the system has release valves designed for just such an occasion. The problem is that in much of the system storm water and sanitary sewage must share the same pipes; so when the overburdened sewer system release valves open they dump raw sewage directly into streams, the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie. As followers of the lakefront water quality advisories know, this negatively impacts recreational use of these natural assets for some period of time thereafter, not to mention the potential for creating additional recreation opportunities on our waterfronts. The regional sewer district is planning to spend $3 billion to help prevent many (but not all) of these occurrences by building large underground holding tanks. But the community also needs to start thinking in more wholistic terms: The choices we make and decisions that are made in one seemingly unrelated sector of city life can have consequences, whether we like it or not, for other sectors. Choosing to cover several more acres of land with concrete and buildings may make sense economically, but steps must be taken to ensure that some other precious asset will not pay the price. Those planning future developments on the land's surface need to take all these things into consideration and design their developments in such a way as to limit the amount of storm water that enters the sewer system at peak periods. The water quality of our rivers and lake is at stake. The time has come for *integrated* planning. * **Recreation Programs and Facilities Need Improvement:** Creating a more even distribution of facilities across the city has been identified as an issue. Providing facilities within reasonable walking distance that address the interests and needs of residents and is one part of the challenge; another is ensuring that the persons who staff all City facilities are knowledgeable, professional and friendly. * A 2003 report by the Trust for Public Land titled "The Excellent City Park System" showed that, compared to other medium-high population density cities, Cleveland had approximately 6 acres per 1,000 people compared to the average of 12 acres. For many years the City of Cleveland has had a policy of no new parks; but some established cities such as Denver and Seattle have actually increased their parkland by over 44 percent over the last 30 years. In many cities, however, a higher percentage of park lands are made up of so-called “natural properties”, which cost less to maintain. By contrast, most of Cleveland’s recreation facilities are “designed” landscapes that carry a higher operating cost. In addition, the City has limited resources. Through forming creative partnerships with other groups and organizations around specific opportunities, however, it may be able to identify new sources of revenue and find ways to make better use of existing staff and facilities. A number of opportunities currently exist to develop recreational settings that take advantage of certain natural features, as well as some very promising projects that fall outside the traditional scope of City of Cleveland parks. To see these, go to the Alternative Recreation Opportunities Map. <
> Recreation programming should serve the interests of all Clevelander’s including seniors and working adults. [Luke Easter Park] # POLICIES & STRATEGIES The goal of these efforts is to **provide high-quality recreation opportunities and facilities that meet the needs of Clevelanders of all ages, ability levels, incomes and interests.** It is with this goal in mind that the Connecting Cleveland 2020 Plan *puts forth a comprehensive set of policies relating to opportunities for Recreation and the enjoyment of Open Space citywide, along with specific strategies through which immediate steps may be taken toward their implementation:* **1)** **Waterfront Access:** Maximize public access to the lakefront, riverfront and stream valleys, including safe and convenient access from nearby neighborhoods for pedestrians and bicyclists. a. Implement the recommendations in Cleveland’s Lakefront Plan. * Replace the Memorial Shoreway downtown with the Lakefront Boulevard, a slower speed pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly byway. * Create new pedestrian bridges and underpasses. * Develop enhanced transit linkages and trail connections. b. Use existing or buried stream corridors to create greenways as access routes between neighborhoods and the Cuyahoga Valley and lakefront. c. Design trails that provide access to the water’s edge where feasible. d. Improve the visual access to vistas of natural and man-made landscapes by developing scenic overlooks or protecting scenic views enjoyed from public spaces. **2)** **Waterfront Recreation.** Develop and expand publicly accessible recreation sites along the lakefront and waterways. a. Implement the recommendations in Cleveland’s Lakefront Plan. * Develop new and expanded public beaches. * Establish new parkland and facilities. * Create a connected lakefront greenway network. b. Support the construction of Canal Basin Park. c. Integrate publicly accessible waterfront sites or walkways into private development projects. d. Support the development of facilities by private or non-profit organizations that promote water-related recreation such as rowing, sailing, kayaking, etc. **3) Bikeways.** Create a comprehensive network of bicycle routes, bicycle lanes and multi-purpose trails safely linking neighborhoods to recreation sites, schools, shopping areas, places of employment and other destinations throughout the city and the region. a. Continue the Mayor's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee as a body charged with establishing citywide policies for bicycle-related improvements. b. Focus improvements and signage along those routes and trails identified on the "Cleveland Bikeway Master Plan". c. Complete the Towpath Trail from Harvard Avenue to the proposed Canal Basin Park and eventually to Lake Erie. d. Enhance and upgrade existing portions of the Lakefront Bike Path. e. Plan and implement trail connections to the Towpath Trail and the Lakefront Bike Path from adjacent neighborhoods. f. Develop and expand continuous trails along waterways as part of broader greenway corridors. g. Coordinate bikeway planning with adjacent communities and the Cleveland Metroparks. h. Evaluate Ohio Department of Transportation property, railroad property and underutilized rights-of-way for use as potential trail routes. i. Incorporate, where appropriate, bike lanes or trails as part other capital improvement projects. j. Adopt standards and requirements for the design of trails and bike improvements for roadways in keeping with American Association of State and Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standards. k. Systematically identify and reduce road hazards and barriers such as potholes, glass, and sewer grates. l. Use educational programs within the police department and other agencies to teach children and adults, cyclists and motorists to safely share the roads and trails. m. Develop a City Bikeway Map, safety brochure and other bicycle publications that are regularly updated. 4) **Bicycle and Pedestrian Amenities.** Provide bicycle racks, benches, water fountains and other amenities to encourage bicycling and pedestrian travel throughout the city. a. Develop incentives and accommodations to encourage employees of the City, other public agencies and private industry to commute to work by bicycle. b. Establish secure bicycle parking at City buildings and parks. c. Develop programs for biking parking at existing downtown buildings and consider implementing bike parking requirements in Cleveland’s zoning code for new buildings and developments. d. Provide improved coordination of mass transit facilities, routes and bicycles. e. Support an Annual Bicycle Week to promote bicycle use in Cleveland. f. Design bicycle and pedestrian amenities as public art. 5) **Serving Neighborhoods.** Ensure that a wide range of recreation facilities are equitably distributed throughout the city, with playgrounds located within approximately ¼-mile (a 5-minute walk) of all residents. a. Create a variety of public open spaces and recreation activities at the city-, district-, neighborhood-, and sub-neighborhood level equitably distributed throughout the city. b. Focus development of new playgrounds in those areas further than ¼ mile from an existing recreation facility. c. Transform vacant lots into community gardens or pocket parks. d. Require greenspace amenities to be developed as part of new development projects. e. Evaluate Ohio Department of Transportation property, railroad property and underutilized rights-of-way for trail and open space/neighborhood greening opportunities. f. Improve the identity of parks through better wayfinding and signage. 6) **Quality of Facilities.** Provide recreation facilities competitive with the best available in the region, consolidating large-scale facilities at transit-accessible locations. a. Improve the opportunity for community input in the planning process for park construction or renovation. b. Partner with community organizations to train staff to deal with the challenges of today’s youth. c. Invest in professional development training for parks design and maintenance staff. d. Identify those programs residents would be willing to pay for to improve the quality of their facilities. e. Create a program to collect crime data in parks in order to better plan safety improvements. 7) **Diverse Programming.** Offer a diversity of recreation programs to serve the recreation needs and interests of Clevelanders of all ages, incomes, lifestyles and ability levels. a. Redefine conventional definitions of recreation and open space to include community resources such as community gardens, skateboard parks, mountain bike courses, etc. b. Use parks as community space to bring people together. c. Expand opportunities to interpret community heritage. d. Expand opportunities to facilitate exposure and participation in broader arts and cultural activities. e. Create a disability advisory committee in the Parks Department to address special needs use at parks. f. Create programs to assist low-income park users, such as fee reduction programs. g. Improve programming for seniors. 8) **Serving Working Adults.** Provide recreation services and equipment geared to the interests and schedules of working adults, supplementing recreation services oriented principally to children and seniors. a. Engage recreational clubs in the use of City facilities and the development of their own facilities that address their areas of interest. b. Review hours of operation to ensure that the desired programs or facilities are available at times convenient for working adults. c. Expand the participation with the health-care community in developing programs that address the exercise and health needs of working-age residents. 9) **Sharing Resources.** Increase the availability and quality of recreation services through shared use of facilities owned by the City, School District, YMCA and other nonprofit organizations. a. Take stronger advantage of national, state and nonprofit grants and programs designed to provide resources for natural area restoration. b. Explore the potential of using school facilities for off-hour recreational purposes to better serve neighborhood residents. c. Explore creative partnerships with other organizations to enhance programming and resource development. d. Use cemeteries as passive recreation opportunities for walking, biking or heritage interpretation. 10) **Sharing Responsibilities.** Improve maintenance of public parks and recreation centers through "adopt-a-park" programs and corporate sponsorships. a. Coordinate efforts with other government and nonprofit organizations with the goal of protecting and restoring the natural environment. b. Encourage volunteerism from local communities and adopt a labor-supported City policy. c. Consider other funding sources such as sponsorships, fees, partnerships, etc., to increase revenues for programs and facilities. d. Increase the use of labor from groups like the Court Community Services, Americorps, Civilian Conservation Corps, inner-city churches and nonprofit groups to provide added maintenance and programming. e. Charge non-residents for the use of facilities. **11) Community Gardens.** Reserve land for both temporary and permanent use as community gardens in every neighborhood throughout the city. a. Undertake an inventory of community gardens to identify those sites that should be protected for permanent use as gardens. b. Grant community gardens a status that protects them similarly to other park properties. c. Create a suitable nonprofit organization that is stable, able to manage multiple garden sites, able to address liability issues, and has a mission of conservation; or expand an urban gardening program to acquire, protect and manage garden sites in Cleveland. d. Establish community gardens in parts of the city not currently served. e. Develop and distribute a gardening curriculum to schools. **12) Preserving Natural Areas.** Identify and protect natural areas characterized by stream valleys, wetlands, hillsides, forests and other environmentally sensitive and valuable features. a. Adopt ordinances that protect environmentally sensitive areas such as hillsides, riparian areas and wetlands. b. Develop neighborhood-level plans centered on restoring the function and aesthetics of natural features and highlighting them as amenities for neighborhood preservation and restoration. c. Include water and habitat quality improvements as part of lakefront projects. d. Support the acquisition of, and assist in the assembly of, land that will facilitate the achievement of specific greenspace protection goals. e. Maintain most of Dike 14 as a nature preserve. f. Identify opportunities for wetland mitigation projects within the city. g. Engage organizations such as the Wildlife Habitat Council, which work with private businesses, to protect, restore and manage natural areas on private property in order to the presence of such assets in Cleveland. h. Educate property owners on best management practices that reduce the negative environmental impacts of residential structures and uses. i. Encourage the use of conservation easements on properties that will facilitate the achievement of a specific greenspace protection goal. j. Encourage the incorporation of low-impact development features into new development proposals. **13) Urban Forest.** Protect and expand the supply of street trees and landscaped areas within Cleveland’s urbanized districts, maximizing environmental and aesthetic benefits. a. Establish tree canopy goals for different types of uses within the city. b. Use satellite and aerial photography to target areas most in need of tree planting. c. Increase support for the City’s tree planting program. d. Consider development of a tree preservation ordinance that addresses private property. Specific identified opportunities relating to recreation are listed in the Development Opportunities section of the Citywide Plan website. <
> Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan SUSTAINABILITY # SUSTAINABILITY ## OVERVIEW **What is a Sustainable Cleveland?** Sustainability is commonly defined as the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Three overarching objectives of sustainability are known as the *Three E’s* – Economic Prosperity, Environmental Quality and Social Equity / Equal Opportunity. The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* seeks to recreate a city that considers the *Three E’s* in all decision-making for today and tomorrow. <
> Because past generations viewed natural resources as limitless, nature was something to be tamed and served as a dumping ground for myriads of waste, today we must address the consequences of actions that have, in fact, compromised our “present.” These consequences include, among others, contaminated brownfield sites, urban sprawl, over-dependence on the automobile, energy-wasting buildings, poor air and water quality, and unhealthy lifestyles associated with unhealthy development patterns. If we are wasteful and polluting of our local environment, we not only harm our own public health and the resources we depend upon to survive, but we add to global environmental and health problems. <
> Cleveland’s high profile icon of sustainability. [The Great Lakes Science Center’s Wind Turbine, Downtown] Sustainability, however, requires even more than protection of our natural environment and our physical health. Just as important is the commitment to the minds of our children and all Clevelanders – providing them with the education that will enable them to adapt to ever-changing economic and social circumstances. In this sense, an educated community is a sustainable community, just as much as a healthy community is a sustainable community. **Where We Are with Sustainability** A trend toward urban living in cities like Chicago and Columbus and thriving neighborhoods in Cleveland, like Tremont and Ohio City, show us that we need to have the tools and diversity of housing stock in place to attract people to the City. Although Cleveland’s population continues to decline, we have many assets to build off of in order to bring people back to the City. Cleveland already has an urban form that can accommodate much more density and liveliness. Developing in urban environments is inherently sustainable rather than building on undeveloped land (“greenfields”) in the outer suburbs, because the infrastructure (which is costly to construct and maintain) is already in place as is the older building stock that can be rehabilitated and re-used. The City Planning Commission has been working to create mixed-use neighborhoods that are pedestrian friendly, bicycle friendly and transit-oriented to make Cleveland a more competitive place to live, work and visit. A major portion of that work has been amending the City’s zoning code to promote sustainable development (“smart zoning”). For years Cleveland’s zoning code has been much more accommodating to mixed-use land use patterns as compared to many other cities because of the “pyramidal” nature of the regulations. That is, uses which are considered more intense (e.g. industry) are not allowed in districts zoned for less intense uses (e.g. residences), but less intense uses could be developed in districts zoned for more intense uses. For example, a district might be zoned for retail, but the zoning would allow single-, two- or multi-family uses to be developed there. To further promote sustainable development the City has recently made the following changes to the zoning code: * **Open Space & Recreation (OSR) District** – New zoning classification to protect and make permanent public parks, community gardens, open spaces and natural areas for recreation, scenic and environmental enhancement (Chapter 342). * **Midtown Mixed-Use District** – New form-based zoning district to encourage dense, compact land development with a pedestrian-oriented mix of uses and design criteria set to complement the Euclid Corridor Transportation Project investment (Chapter 344). * **Live-Work Overlay District** – New overlay district that permits the re-use of older, under-utilized industrial buildings for a combination of living and working space, even in industrial districts that otherwise prohibit residential use (Chapter 346). Recycling existing buildings uses less energy and resources than building new, and capitalizes on construction quality far superior to what is typically constructed today. * **Business Revitalization Districts (BRDs)** – Districts with neighborhood-level design review committees that mandate the review of all exterior building and site modifications to ensure compatibility with each specific neighborhood’s historic character. BRDs play an important role in protecting the density, balance of uses and pedestrian orientation that make these communities sustainable. In 2006, there are 17 BRDs established in the City. (Chapter 303). * **Pedestrian Retail Overlay (PRO) District** – Zoning overlay district created to preserve the pedestrian-oriented character of our unique shopping districts, accomplished through regulatory tools addressing building placement, use, reduced parking requirements, etc. (Chapter 343.23). * **Downtown Surface Parking Lot Prohibition** - Prohibits new surface parking lots in the core of downtown to preserve downtown’s urban architectural character (Chapter 349.14). * **Urban Lot Sizes** – Amendment to Cleveland’s subdivision regulations allowing the creation of “substandard” lots (e.g., lots that are smaller than otherwise required) where such small lot sizes are characteristic of many of our older, urban density neighborhoods (Chapter 309.26). * **Urban Townhouse District** – New zoning district created to ease the approval process for townhouse developments of varying densities. Townhouses are an urban housing form underrepresented in Cleveland’s housing stock (Chapter 337.031). <
> This park conversion is a wonderful, green respite for downtown workers from the concrete parking lot that stood in its place in 2005. [Mall C, Downtown] * **Planned Unit Development (PUD) Overlay District** – New overlay district which provides zoning flexibility in return for innovative site planning and urban design amenities (Chapter 334). In addition to changes to the zoning code, the City has undertaken a number of other initiatives to promote sustainability. * The City has created the positions of **Sustainability Programs Manager** and **Land Revitalization Manager**, two important jobs aimed at reducing costs by ensuring that resources are used efficiently and that contaminated lands are cleaned and put back into productive use. * Many projects have resulted from these two positions including construction and demolition debris recycling in the Division of Water; the City’s 2006 Anti-Idling Policy for City vehicles; the purchase of hybrid City vehicles (32 hybrids in fleet as of September 2006); and an Industrial Landbank Program to assemble and clean up industrial sites for redevelopment. * **Transit Oriented Development (TOD)** – TOD is a tool used to create high density, walkable mixed-use, mixed-income development around new rail stations and transit stops. TOD is implemented through site review and the intent is to improve quality of life through reducing household transportation expenses, reducing environmental effects and pollution from automobile exhaust in a city with very high asthma rates. <
> Cleveland’s model of a sustainable, transit oriented neighborhood with high density housing, transit-accessibility, in a walkable shopping and entertainment district. [Shaker Square, Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood] * **Pedestrian Oriented Development (POD)** – POD is also implemented through design and site review. By recommending building placement at the sidewalk and parking at the rear the City encourages pedestrian convenience. * **Draft Citywide Bikeway Plan** – City Planning has developed its first draft bike plan with recommendations for the locations of bike routes, lanes and multi-purpose trails throughout Cleveland. The plan also proposes connections that will link City neighborhoods and neighboring suburbs as part of a regional bikeway network. * **City Racks / City Seats Program** – The program will install 500 bike racks around Cleveland at schools, recreation centers, neighborhood retail districts, downtown, etc. 200 benches will be installed or replaced in parks and retail districts for use by pedestrians. * **Mayor’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee** – The City has established an interdepartmental committee that reviews roadway/planning projects to ensure bicycling and pedestrian accommodations. * **Mayor’s Streetscape Committee** – This interdepartmental committee reviews changes to the public right-of-way that affect urban design. The intention is to decrease visual clutter and incorporate amenities like street trees, banners and bike lanes on Cleveland streets. * **Plans Review Training** - The Cleveland Building and Housing Department is training building inspectors and plans examiners in green / high performance building review. * **Development Incentives** - Cleveland’s Economic Development Department is currently working to create development standards and incentives for green / high performance development for the Industrial Landbank Program. * **Housing Trust Fund** – The Cleveland Community Development Department included financial incentives for green / high performance building (including an Energy Star credit and LEED silver bonus) as part of the 2006 Housing Trust Fund (HTF) application. The HTF dedicates funds annually to support affordable housing. Many City initiatives were created without the intent of being ‘sustainable,’ but are sustainable in nature by combating sprawl. * **Rehabilitation programs** that aim to preserve and bring back existing housing stock. * The Cleveland Landmarks Commission encourages preservation of historically and architecturally significant buildings. * The Cleveland Community Development Department has several residential and commercial rehabilitation and renovation programs. * **New housing construction program** within Cleveland’s Community Development Department. Because the majority of our new housing is built on vacant lots, this infill development is inherently sustainable because it uses the existing infrastructure and results in few demolitions. **Where We’re Going** The City needs to be a leader in making Cleveland sustainable. If we embrace sustainability principles and acknowledge our greatest challenges, high levels of poverty and a distressed economy, we will find holistic solutions that strengthen our community in the long-run. With Cleveland’s manufacturing base and skilled labor pool, it is a natural place for industries oriented towards sustainability to develop. A sustainable Cleveland cannot be addressed passively, and will require major reassessment of the way we look at all components of our City within the greater region, an effort that needs the political will of community leaders and the public. With serious national and global issues affecting our daily lives, from dwindling oil reserves to rising costs of living, we must position ourselves so we can sustain our population when times get tough. We also must push for a political climate at the state level that is more sympathetic to urban issues. A sustainable Cleveland is a city that conserves natural resources so that they are plentiful in the future. A sustainable Cleveland is a city that provides educational and employment opportunities to current residents in order to ensure economic prosperity for future generations. A sustainable Cleveland is a city that provides opportunities for healthy living to all citizens. A sustainable Cleveland is one that makes short-term decisions, be they cultural, economic, social or environmental, with our community’s long-term health and vitality in mind. We must have the courage and determination to imagine a new Cleveland, a Cleveland for the 21st century. The time has come for all of us to stop thinking of Cleveland as a “Rust Belt” city struggling to regain its glorious but smoky past and start thinking of ourselves as the residents of a dynamic urban center in a most enviable natural setting, planning and laying the groundwork for its exciting future as the *Green City on a Blue Lake*. **TRENDS** Several trends have been identified that give a clearer picture of the challenge before us in the area of Sustainability, and may also suggest some areas of greatest vulnerability (or opportunity), where connections with appropriate community assets could be helpful. **Cleveland’s Population Decline:** Cleveland’s population has declined dramatically from its peak of 914,000 in 1950 to 478,403 in 2000. The consequence has been a sharply reduced City tax base, resulting in concentrated poverty, blighted buildings and vacant lots peppering the previously natural landscape. The ironic upside to this loss of population is an opportunity to redevelop land in ways that respect the natural environment and do not undermine the health of our population. This is already being done in other downsized cities around the world. For example, in Eastern Germany mass demolition of whole blocks of underutilized, deteriorating apartment buildings has led to a massive re-vegetation effort - making urban life more pleasant (and healthful) for the remaining residents, and more attractive to prospective residents. **Environmental Degradation:** The Northeast Ohio region has challenging environmental issues. While air and water quality do not meet stringent federal health standards, both have made major strides over the past 30 years with notable improvements in air quality. Expansion of urban areas (aka sprawl) has resulted in widespread environmental degradation with the reduction of riparian areas, wetlands, farmland, wildlife and plant habitat. This in turn has led to rising greenhouse and heat island effects, flooding problems, soil contamination, and poor air and water quality. Disinvestment in urban areas has led to an increase in brownfield sites and a dramatically decreased tax base which has direct negative effects on human health, quality of life, and our valuable natural resources. **Land Use Patterns:** Cleveland was once known as the “Forest City.” As the metropolitan area has sprawled out over time, most of the land in and near the City has been developed, changing the natural character of the community. It is estimated that Cuyahoga County is nearly 90% developed with no net increase in population over the past half century. These sprawling trends are not sustainable for our local or regional health. As Cleveland’s metropolitan area continues to sprawl, our infrastructure becomes more widespread and strained, which negatively impacts our City’s and region’s health as the tax base declines. This has also created increased development pressure on the few remaining natural areas, necessitating a more proactive approach towards open space preservation. In addition, Northeast Ohio has traditionally supported a diversity of agricultural enterprises, owing to the diverse micro-climates and geological influences of Lake Erie. Prime agricultural land is continuously being retired, threatening the long-term food security of the region. **Rise in Obesity & Other Lifestyle-Related Illnesses:** Americans in general are getting fatter. In 2003, approximately 24% of adult Americans were obese and another 40% were overweight. These numbers have been climbing over the last 20 years. Obesity rates are approximately twice as high in low-income groups as compared to high-income groups, and obesity is a gateway to heart disease, diabetes, and a host of other diseases. Obesity is an issue for adults and now children. Not only does obesity cost the individual in terms of health and quality of life, but it costs everyone in terms of health care costs. The Trust for America’s Health estimated that total state medical costs for Ohio in 2003 associated with obesity were $3.3 billion dollars. The cause of obesity can include genetic predisposition and a culture that promotes the consumption of high calorie foods. Many lower-income communities lack access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and other foods needed for a healthy diet. The Cleveland Department of Public Health has identified several “food deserts” across metropolitan Cleveland where residents lack access to foods needed for a healthy diet. For many neighborhoods, fast food establishments and convenience stores offer the only close and reliable access to daily food. In addition, where physically active jobs were the norm in 1950, sedentary employment is now twice as common. Development patterns that necessitate an over reliance on automobile travel and discourage physical activity are also part of the problem, which includes the lack of easily accessible and attractive parks and open space. **Local Foods Purchasing:** According to a 2002 study at Cleveland State University, Cuyahoga County residents and businesses collectively purchased over $3 billion in food each year. Yet, most of these food dollars left the region and even the state, following an average 1,300 mile transportation chain. There are encouraging trends toward increased demand for local food in Northeast Ohio, as evidenced by 32 farmers markets which provide outlets for smaller-scale family farmers to sell directly to the public. Numerous restaurants and grocers are placing increased emphasis on purchasing locally and Oberlin College’s dining services acquire roughly 40% of their food from local sources. Initiatives such as City Fresh are targeting limited income neighborhoods with Fresh Stop markets which provide neighborhood-based local food distribution and nutrition education. Increased demand is providing new opportunities for farmers throughout the region, including urban market gardeners growing food within city limits. **Transportation:** Compared to similar size cities around the nation, Cleveland has the advantage of relatively minor traffic congestion problems. Yet, as we continue to add and widen highways regionally, we increase outer-ring roadway congestion and urban sprawl. Automobiles release a chemical mixture into the air that is the leading cause of urban smog and the largest contributor to the serious environmental problems of acid rain and global warming. Cars also emit several toxic substances into the air that have been connected to severe health problems, including respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses as well as cancer. Bumper-to-bumper traffic wastes not only peoples’ time and productivity, but fuel, increasing our dependency on foreign oil. Vehicles in the United States consume roughly one-quarter of the total energy currently being produced and two-thirds of all oil. In the 1970s, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States relied on overseas sources for over one-third of its oil; today our dependence has grown to 56%. By 2025, if nothing is done, that figure could reach 68%. **Education & the Changing Economy:** Dramatic changes in the U.S. economy have had several effects on the City of Cleveland and its working-age population. One outcome is a drastic reduction in available well-paying jobs due to the loss of much heavy manufacturing and almost a dozen corporate headquarters of major companies. Cleveland now has a large pool of workers unable to use their manufacturing-based skills, a 31% poverty rate citywide, and an under-educated population unable to take advantage of the consumer- and service-based employment opportunities of today. <
> Vacant industrial buildings scattered throughout the city are in need of clean-up and re-use to improve neighborhood image, and environmental and public health. [Former GE Plant – Goodrich-Kirtland Park neighborhood] One way to address the loss in manufacturing jobs is to aggressively draw renewable energy jobs to the region that utilize our manufacturing skilled work force (e.g. developing wind turbine components). Another way is to recognize the shift in recent decades to industries that make greater use of advanced technology, and aggressively grow a highly educated and technically skilled workforce. **Workforce Mobility:** Cleveland’s ability to remain economically competitive in the 21st century is impacted by workforce mobility. Earlier in Cleveland’s history, it was the availability of jobs that attracted new residents and drove the area’s economic growth. Today in Cleveland and throughout the nation, a new trend is in evidence. Jobs are being attracted to metropolitan areas by the *quality of life* available there. Advances in transportation and communication, especially computer networks and the internet, have made many workers—and entrepreneurs—more mobile than ever, making it of utmost importance that Cleveland becomes a “City of Choice”. Contemporary urban research suggests that the perception of a city as a place that not only tolerates but values and supports diversity and individuality is becoming a strong factor in many people’s choice of where to live. Economic development in the 21st century will (and must) be closely tied to all these things. **Waste Slows Progress:** A *sustainable* economy is one that takes into consideration all the things that could eventually render it unsustainable, and makes the most efficient use of its local resources. As this generation of Americans is learning painfully, waste—whether it consists of human or material resources—has a way of piling up and eventually jamming the wheels of continued progress. Cleveland’s remarkable past has given us many of the powerful assets which, imaginatively used—and in some cases, adapted to new uses—will be the building blocks on which that future rises. But the present moment is the only one in which we have the power to act, to forge new assets (such as a workforce armed with the new tools and technologies, and revitalized “neighborhoods of choice”) and to chart our course. Some recent trends and developments in several areas hold considerable promise: **High Performance / Green Building:** The impact of the built environment on public health and the environment has led to a new field called green building. Green / sustainable / high performance (all synonymous terms) building practices promote healthier living and working environments, and are more resource-efficient than conventional building practices. <
> The built environment accounts for roughly one-third of all energy, water and materials used and generates similar proportions of pollution. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranks indoor air quality as one of the top five environmental health risks today, which negatively affects health and work performance in buildings. EPA also estimates that the average family spends nearly $1,900 annually on energy bills. Benefits of green building technologies include strengthening local economies and communities, waste reduction, decreased water use, energy savings, reduced operating and maintenance costs, improved indoor air quality, and conserving natural resources and habitats. Less quantifiable benefits include improved public health, employee morale, productivity and public image. While building high-performance can increase initial costs of construction by roughly 2-7%, the cost savings are realized in a relatively short period of time. **Energy Conservation / Renewable Energy:** “Fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil provide most of the energy used by industry and consumers in the United States. These non-renewable sources of energy impact land, water, and air across geographical scales, and in the U.S. are directly responsible for: 98% of CO² (carbon dioxide), 95% of NOˣ (nitrogen oxide), 93% of SO² (sulfur dioxide), 54% of non-methane VOC (volatile organic compounds), and 34% of CH⁴ (methane) emissions. In the long run, achieving sustainability will require that energy be produced by cleaner and more efficient technologies, be used more efficiently and with greater conservation, and be developed from renewable sources.” (from *EPA’s website* on *Sustainability, Energy & the Environment*) Wind energy is currently the fastest-growing energy source when compared to solar and non-hydro renewable sources, but still accounts for less than 1% of the of national energy production. By 2020, the American Wind Energy Association anticipates that it will grow to 6%. A U.S. Department of Energy report showed Ohio second only to California in terms of new job potential in the wind-energy sector. The report stated that wind power could create 11,688 full-time jobs in Ohio and 8,549 in Michigan (*Green Energy Ohio* website). Cleveland needs to utilize its manufacturing base and infrastructure to capture wind and solar power job growth. **Recycling & Solid Waste Disposal:** Landfills and incineration lead to harmful air emissions, and to pollutants that can leach into surface and groundwater over time. While recovery of methane gas (a landfill byproduct) can and should be recovered for alternative fuel use, landfills are very costly to build, manage and close. Although Ohio has plenty of landfill space in the near future, conserving landfill space now will prevent building new or expanding existing landfills. One of the largest contributors of landfill waste is construction and demolition (C&D) debris, which in some states account for 20-30% of municipal waste. New industries are emerging to divert waste from C&D landfills, such as deconstruction, the recovery of salvageable building materials for reuse or resale which occurs during remodeling or demolition projects. These new recycling industries established to reduce both sanitary and C&D landfill waste need to be promoted and become standard practice in Cleveland. The economics also support diversion of waste: for every truckload of waste we send to a local landfill, the City of Cleveland must *pay* for the disposal; for every truckload of ‘waste’ diverted from the landfill and recycled, the City of Cleveland actually *makes* money. By encouraging recycling and educating our population about the benefits of recycling, we use taxpayer money more prudently and increase our wealth as a community. # ASSETS *Cleveland has a number of important assets in the area of Sustainability that can be built upon, a number of which are discussed below.* **Reduced Population & Unused or Underused Land:** As was mentioned in the Trends Section, Cleveland’s population decline has afforded the opportunity to redevelop excess, underutilized land in ways that respect the natural environment and do not undermine the health of our population. **Sustainability Programs Manager Position:** On May 26, 2005, the City of Cleveland hired its first Sustainability Programs Manager, with funds from the Cleveland and George Gund Foundations, upon the recommendation of a consortium of local sustainability organization led by the nonprofit *EcoCity Cleveland*. The strategies and objectives of this initiative are set by a steering committee composed of local nonprofit representatives, City Council, and Public Utility Department representatives. The Sustainability Manager’s charge is to reduce the City’s costs through the implementation of energy efficiency programs, new policies and incentives aimed at promoting green building, and other sustainability efforts. A *Sustainability Advisory Committee*, to be formed in 2006, will be made up of representatives of environmental groups, CDCs, businesses, the public health community and other appropriate bodies or sectors. **City Successes to Build Upon:** The City has implemented many sustainable initiatives that can be used as models by other programs and expanded upon, which are outlined in detail in the Overview Section. **Regional Successes to Build Upon:** The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration was formed to identify strategies for restoring and protecting the Great Lakes in a sustainable manner. The Collaboration completed the *Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy: To Restore and Protect the Great Lakes* in December 2005 with the support of the Great Lakes mayors and other Great Lakes leadership groups. The Voices & Choices Initiative is a Northeast Ohio, community-driven effort to pool resources and identify ways to improve the regional economy and prosperity. The Northeast Ohio First Suburbs Consortium, a group of Cleveland inner ring suburban municipalities, was formed to address issues facing developed communities with limited financial resources, to encourage redevelopment and to strengthen local economies in a sustainable, cooperative manner. The Cuyahoga Valley Initiative, a Cuyahoga County Planning plan, aims to promote redeveloping the Cuyahoga River Valley in a sustainable manner through building upon existing assets in the valley, using the valley to unify the region's communities, renewing the economy, and restoring the urban ecology. The Greater Cleveland Rapid Transit Authority (GCRTA) created a Commuter Advantage Program that rewards transit users with pre-tax benefits. Another regionally focused organization is Greater Ohio, a citizen-based network promoting regional issues to grow our economy and quality of life through smart land use. The City Fresh initiative of the New Agrarian Center and Ohio State University Extension provides a regional approach to local food development by linking farmers with limited-income neighborhoods in the city. Such urban to rural linkages will be critical in fostering greater economic networking between core cities and the countryside. The region also has a rich history with Community Development Corporations and Settlement Houses. Places like University Settlement, Merrick House, Friendly Inn, and Alta House, to name a few, developed as community-based prototypes for the sustainability movement, in that they supported the industrial economy by providing a social center for new immigrants to acclimate to Cleveland. These institutions promote community health through public health education measures and they strengthen our neighborhoods. **Local Sustainability Network and Resources:** Strong networks are already in place promoting sustainability in Cleveland, such as the Entrepreneurs for Sustainability. Grassroots groups like EcoCity Cleveland, Cleveland Green Building Coalition, and Green Energy Ohio are well established, while colleges and other institutions are leading the way locally in green building construction. Funders such as the Cleveland and George Gund Foundations are supporting sustainability projects; the Enterprise Foundation is taking the lead in building energy-efficient, green homes for low income families (Green Communities Initiative); and many advocacy groups promote sustainability, from bicycle advocacy to air quality and physical health to education. All of these local efforts are developing expertise and an information base that will help build a City sustainability program. <
> This solar array is one element of the Cleveland Environmental Center's green building attributes. This 1918 bank building is the first commercial, historic green building retrofit project in Ohio and is a national model. [Ohio City neighborhood, photograph by David Beach] Indeed, the Cleveland area can draw on a number of other academic resources, such as Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, Baldwin Wallace, and Oberlin College, which are doing pioneering work in sustainability. **Local Models for Sustainable Neighborhood Development:** Among the more impressive examples are the Cleveland EcoVillage which includes a broader EcoVillage Plan and EcoVation demonstration green homes; the Cleveland Environmental Center; and Slavic Village’s Greenway Plan. Also in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood, an exciting initiative know as the *Active Living by Design Community Partnership* program is demonstrating how fully developed, low-resource neighborhoods can be retrofitted and transformed into a more healthy place to live and work through a mix of physical projects, programs and policies that promote physical activity. Efforts such as these need to be commended and replicated throughout the City. **National Models:** Much can be learned and borrowed from cities like Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Denver, and Santa Monica, which are leaders in the creation of sustainability initiatives. **Infrastructure and Land Use:** Cleveland already has infrastructure and mixed-use land patterns in place that are sustainable. This form is even being copied by nearby suburban communities that want a mix of uses in a walkable, lively area (e.g. Crocker Park) with interesting architecture and stores coming right up to the sidewalk. From a developer’s point of view, we have the “main streets” (concentrated shopping and essential services) and the urban form (mixed-use business and residential areas) that provide the basis for “walkable” communities, allowing people to live, work and play within a walkable area. We can also work to create higher concentrations of residential around transit stops to create more dense, transit oriented neighborhoods (Transit Oriented Development) (See *Car-Free In Cleveland*, an EcoCity Cleveland 2000 publication). City Council has passed a number of more flexible ordinances (see Overview Section) to allow developments with less parking and the first official form-based zoning chapter to *mandate* mixed-use development in MidTown Cleveland. Cleveland can better utilize municipal and private utilities (water, power, storm water control, etc.) to create sustainable infrastructure and streets. Sustainable street design concepts include planting trees, creating environments that are welcoming and safe for pedestrians and bicycles, improving storm water management practices, and installing more energy efficient lighting to name a few. **Natural Features:** Cleveland is fortunate to be located on one of the largest bodies of freshwater in the world, Lake Erie. The lake has been instrumental in the transportation of goods and materials that fuel the City’s economy and is one of the largest sources of potable freshwater on the planet. The vastness of Lake Erie creates an environment that has a unique power of attraction and lends itself to a wide variety of water-related activities. It also provides important habitat and migration corridors for a stunning variety of birds and animals. The Cuyahoga River and Valley are also important features that link Cleveland to many communities away from the lakeshore. <
> Valuing and protecting our incredible natural resources needs to be prime focus in development and redevelopment in Cleveland. [Lake Erie] The navigation channel, the more natural sections of the river and the valley hillsides create unique places that provide the opportunity for a variety of recreational experiences; while the various tributaries that flow from higher elevations to Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River create corridors that provide opportunities to connect city neighborhoods to the lakefront and river. The lakefront, hillsides along creek and river valleys, and the hillside of the Portage Escarpment offer excellent vistas of large parts of the city and Lake Erie. These views of expansive landscapes give residents a strong sense of connection to the larger community. As water quality has improved over the past decades, tributaries of the Cuyahoga are becoming repopulated with steelhead trout, distinguishing Cleveland as a nationally recognized fishing destination. Cleveland benefits from the regional Metroparks system, an ‘Emerald Necklace’ of 16 reservations that cover 21,000 acres of land with an extensive network of nature education centers, golf courses, bicycle and walking trails, fishing, etc. Four parks sit within the City of Cleveland including the Big Creek valley, home to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, the Brookside Park, and portions of the Rocky River and Washington Reservations. The Washington Reservation is home to the First Tee Golf Course and a horticulture center that offers courses. Another regional gem is the Ohio and Erie Canalway, a 110-mile heritage corridor that follows the Ohio & Erie Canal and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad connecting Cleveland to New Philadelphia. This National Heritage Area and National Byway system promotes its diverse landscapes from natural to urban, building off of natural beauty (e.g. the Cuyahoga Valley National Park) and history. # CHALLENGES *Cleveland faces a number of challenges in its efforts to create Sustainability that must be addressed.* **Personnel Inadequate to Implement a Sustainability Program:** Hiring additional City employees to implement a sustainability program may seem like an expense until we analyze the cost savings in operations citywide such a program will demonstrably generate over time. The City needs to dedicate more staff to implement sustainability initiatives and to write grants for additional funding opportunities. **Financial Resources Lacking to Advance Sustainability Efforts and Create Incentives:** More money is needed for advancing sustainability initiatives such as brownfields clean-up and reuse, greenway development, and cash incentives for green building projects. **Sustainability a Low Priority:** Cleveland is years behind leading cities in the sustainability movement. Serious efforts focusing on sustainability to help cut costs, lure companies to the region, and improve quality of life issues are long overdue and critical to the City's and the region's future competitiveness. An educational effort directed at private and public sector decision-makers, the City's youth, and taxpayers must be planned and initiated immediately. **Social Conditions:** The quality of life in Cleveland is pivotal to luring new residents and businesses to the City and retaining current residents. This means addressing the education crisis in the City's public schools, segregation (Cleveland was the third-most segregated city in the country according to an analysis of the 2000 Census Bureau Report), slow economic growth, high levels of poverty and homelessness, and a depleted tax base. **Food:** Rising fuel prices, less reliable fuel supplies, and climate change will necessitate a long-term shift to localized food systems. Integrating regional food security into a long-term economic development plan will ensure that adequate land resources are devoted to sustainable food production. Using vacant lots, rooftops, and even old buildings for agricultural production (e.g. aquaculture, vermiculture, greenhouse production, beekeeping) for urban agricultural production can provide a reliable source of fresh local food that minimizes distances traveled. Utilizing local fuel sources (e.g. biodiesel from waste grease or vegetable oils) and selecting natural building techniques (e.g. strawbale construction, earth plaster) can also provide new opportunities for local farmers while securing sustainable sources of energy and building materials. **Energy-Wasteful Construction Continues:** Given the high percentage of Cleveland households that qualify as low-income and the rising cost of energy (up 50% in one year, 2004-5), it is irresponsible to continue to develop housing that is not energy-efficient. Regulations must be put in place that mandate high performance / green building, especially for all new construction and rehabilitation of low-income housing. **Air Quality and Environmental Degradation:** In order to become more competitive nationally, we must comply with environmental standards for air and water quality. In an age where companies are free to locate anywhere, we must improve our environment and public health in order to lure companies and families to the region. If air quality is poor, resulting in non-attainment, economic development can be hindered because some industries will not be able to operate in the area. **Transportation:** As fuel prices continue to increase, we must provide alternative, affordable options for our residents. Creating more compact, sustainable communities with a variety of transportation modes is a way to plan our communities around people rather than for our cars. We must provide transportation choices for our community that are bike and pedestrian friendly, that encourage mass transit and vehicle car pooling. We must begin to make choices favoring alternative technologies such as cleaner fuels and cleaner modes of transportation (like our existing shipping industry). And we must use our purchasing power to favor hybrid energy-efficient vehicles. Although public transit is very costly and hard to 'justify' for a city of our size, poverty data must be taken into consideration, as low-income residents need an extensive public transportation system in order to have access to opportunities. More east-west connections and connections to the southeast of the City are needed to serve a greater portion of people in Cleveland. **State and Federal Policies:** Many policies at the state and federal level do not favor older urban areas, instead promoting urban sprawl and transportation policies that encroach into diminishing open space and farmlands. This development pattern leads to urban disinvestment, costly maintenance of expansive infrastructure, and natural resource depletion. Ohio needs to follow the example of more progressive states like Maryland and Minnesota and adopt 'smart growth' initiatives that seek to re-invest in urban areas. And the federal government needs to lead the way by establishing controls on sprawl to help strengthen the sustainability of our country as a whole. ## POLICIES & STRATEGIES The larger goal of all activity in the area of Sustainability is to **ensure the long-term environmental, economic and social viability of Cleveland and its region.** The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan proposes the following set of policies, each addressing a key issue, and strategies for implementation. I) **Sustainable Development Patterns.** Create high-density, mixed-use districts that promote travel by transit, walking, and bicycling. a. Support regional efforts to reduce suburban sprawl in order to strengthen and reinvest in the City of Cleveland and our urban core, while supporting farmland preservation and expansion efforts (e.g. the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy) and other land protection efforts (e.g. the Western Reserve Land Conservancy). b. Engage in a sustainable development planning process to develop clear, useful guidelines, and provide technical assistance to Community Development Corporations (CDCs) and private developers involved in neighborhood development projects. c. Integrate sustainable design and construction practices and the use of eco-friendly materials into major infrastructure and neighborhood-scale redevelopment projects. d. Support Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) initiatives that increase the density of housing along bus lines and near transit stops. e. Improve public transit to provide a clean, convenient, and efficient alternative to automobile use. f. Change traffic codes to be more pedestrian- and bike-friendly and create safe bike routes connecting residents to amenities and other key destinations. g. Partner with other public and private entities to develop a sustainable design resource center. 2) **Sustainable Neighborhoods.** Develop “full life-cycle neighborhoods” that provide housing and services for residents of all ages and incomes, with a healthy living environment and convenient access to jobs, shopping and recreation. a. Ensure that residents can meet their basic needs by providing: affordable housing to meet the needs of all ages, incomes, and special needs; access to affordable health care; employment and income to support individuals and families; safe communities and work places; and access to locally produced, affordable food. * Provide basic needs services within walking or cycling distance of residents (e.g. grocery stores and community gardens). b. Ensure that residents can advance themselves through: access to a variety of local and/or regional jobs; through advanced education opportunities; through affordable recreation, leisure or cultural facilities and programs; through opportunities for cultural and artistic expression; and through opportunities to promote health and well-being. * Retrofit and transform built-out, low-resource neighborhoods through physical projects, programs and policies that promote physical activity and access to nutritious food, by following the example of the Slavic Village neighborhoods' *Active Living by Design Community Partnership* program. * Encourage residents to lead healthier lifestyles through exercise, community involvement, and by taking advantage of educational opportunities in the community to learn about obesity and other health risks. * Develop increased access to electronic communications to address the digital divide. c. Ensure that residents have opportunities to participate in social or community activities to improve quality of life by encouraging: community economic development; embracing diverse communities; involvement in public processes; by providing opportunities for social community interaction and access to arts, cultural and community activities; and support of local community organizations and networks. * Incorporate environmental and sustainability interests into community organizing and neighborhood planning efforts. * Encourage participation in block clubs and neighborhood watch programs to increase public safety and to assist community members in taking ownership of their neighborhood. * Promoting community gardens, youth gardens, and urban market gardens in neighborhoods to provide a source of supplemental income, greenspace, more accessible fresh affordable foods, and to enhance social networks and community. * Encourage transit use to improve quality of life by cutting household transportation expenses while reducing the impacts of pollution on public health and the environment. * Examine existing City programs to determine whether they support, or work against, the goal of creating full life-cycle neighborhoods, and make any necessary modifications. d. Ensure that minority and low-income populations are not disproportionately affected by adverse human health or environmental conditions. * Use information related to environmental and human health risks and ensure that local programs, policies or activities have not unfairly affected minority or low-income populations. * Ensure that communities and neighborhoods have a strong voice in environmental decision-making and problem solving and build capacity for constructive engagement and problem-solving. * Receive full protection from existing environmental rules and regulations by ensuring that all permitted facilities in a neighborhood are in compliance with their environmental permits. * Conduct enhanced review of any new or expanding air or water emissions, or solid or hazardous waste facilities. 3) **Sustainable Economy.** Ensure that economic development and job training in the Cleveland region keep pace with national trends and emerging opportunities in order to provide jobs for current and future residents. a. Foster relationships between industry and environmental interests to maintain Cleveland's industrial health while incorporating sustainable business practices. b. Create environmentally sustainable developments, such as eco-industrial parks or zero waste businesses, where networks of firms exchange products and by-products to optimize economic, employment and environmental objectives. What is waste for one company may be a raw material and revenue for another. c. Foster the growth of businesses and industries that are developing or manufacturing technology, products or materials for high performance / green building, ecologically responsible waste disposal or recycling, local food, and clean energy production. * Provide incentives to encourage sustainably-minded businesses to locate in Cleveland, and commend existing companies that follow pollution prevention and product stewardship practices. * Improve the capacity to store and process locally grown foods to encourage the development of food-related businesses, which provides basic entrepreneurial training, creates new markets for local farmers, and captures more value from food than is currently purchased from outside of the region. * Foster growth of the deconstruction industry in Cleveland, the recovery of salvageable building materials for reuse or resale to the green/sustainable construction marketplace. d. Ensure that the Cleveland public schools are providing children with the skills and resources that will enable them to pursue advanced education or become gainfully employed in today’s marketplace. e. Encourage the efficient use of resources by adopting sustainable business practices for businesses, organizations and local governmental agencies in Cleveland. * Reduce consumption of resources by City agencies in order to save money and reduce disposal costs. * Utilize local food production as an opportunity to teach basic entrepreneurial skills and sustainable business practices to urban residents. * Develop a plan to increase adoption of sustainable practices by Cleveland businesses including the production of a resource guide. f. Use the City’s purchasing power to support the local economy, the public health and the environment, and encourage other entities to the do the same. * Reduce City purchasing of products that may be harmful to public health or the environment and, where possible, seek less harmful substitutes (e.g. purchase wood products from sustainably managed forests and recycled-content paper). * Purchase more products and food from local and regional companies. * Work with local economic development groups to map the locations of local suppliers and distribute that information to encourage the purchase of local materials. * Encourage local businesses such as restaurants, schools, groceries, farmers markets, and convenience stores to purchase fresh, locally-produced, organic produce. * Consider human health and environmental impacts when the City makes planning, contracting, purchasing, or operating decisions. See the Economic Development chapter for more policies and strategies. 4) Sustainable Development Practices. Ensure that land is used in a manner that preserves and expands valuable open space, protects natural habitats, retains and replaces trees, prevents environmental contamination, and protects sensitive lands. a. Develop and maintain a comprehensive open space system that protects the natural environment while providing passive and active recreation opportunities, which is equitably distributed throughout the community. * Create a long-range open space plan for open space and habitat preservation and restoration that identifies opportunities, sets priorities and details acquisition and management strategies. * Create a new land conservancy or land trust, or expand an existing group to hold property for open space projects. * Actively solicit donations of property or easements to protect and enhance identified resources. b. Develop neighborhood level plans centered on restoring the function and aesthetics of natural features and highlight them as amenities for neighborhood preservation and restoration. * Ensure that neighborhood master plans and other planning efforts include preservation and enhancement of significant natural and scenic resources. * Incorporate new fish and wildlife habitat elements into park plans and landscaping. * Include noise reduction as a major goal in neighborhood planning efforts. * Encourage the incorporation of low impact development features into new development proposals. * Include water and habitat quality improvements as part of any water related (rivers, lakes, streams) recommendations. * Promote existing neighborhood greening efforts like the Broadway Greenway Plan, which advocates the creation of multi-modal routes linking neighborhood parks to public open space, neighborhood assets, and the regional Towpath hiking trail system. c. Protect natural areas characterized by stream valleys, stream valleys / riparian areas, wetlands, hillsides, forests and other environmentally sensitive and valuable features. * Support preservation of regional habitat and biodiversity by promoting land use patterns that encourage growth within the City rather than in undeveloped areas. * Encourage preservation and maintenance of existing natural habitat in new development or redevelopment projects and require mitigation if damage is unavoidable. * Encourage the use of greenspace protection tools, such as conservation easements, and adopt ordinances that will assist in achieving preservation goals. * Protect natural resources from sediment and other forms of pollution through use of vegetation, erosion control measures during construction, settling ponds and other structural and non-structural means. * Correct lakefront and riverfront erosion conditions where it is in the public interest to do so. * Protect land from changes that would make it unsafe or unsightly (e.g. excavation, quarrying). * Establish policies regarding the appropriateness of “fill” (using earth to build up the level of low-lying land). * When and if filling is approved, require the highest engineering standards to ensure safety and consistency with the future use of that property. * Protect recreation and open spaces by making them permanent. * Analyze existing recreation and open space for use and access by residents and appropriateness for rezoning as an Open Space & Recreation (OSR) Zoning District (Chapter 342 of zoning code). * Reserve land for either temporary and permanent community gardens or urban market gardens in every neighborhood throughout the City. o Protect and retain trees of significant historical, cultural, horticultural, environmental, and aesthetic value. * Add City staff to handle review of areas deemed critically sensitive. d. Improve the quality of existing open space and natural features including restoring their natural functions to lessen the negative impact of human development on the local ecosystem. * Protect and improve the quality of street trees, landscaped areas, urban forests and wildlife habitats within Cleveland, in order to maximize their environmental and aesthetic benefits. * Consider the value of the functions trees provide (wildlife habitat, property value enhancement, open space enjoyment, soil stabilization and greenhouse effect mitigation) in decisions related to infrastructure and development / redevelopment projects. * Restore natural function to the Lake Erie shoreline. * Improve and make urban cemeteries more usable and active. * Maximize public access to the lakefront, riverfront and stream valleys, including safe and convenient access from nearby neighborhoods for pedestrians and bicyclists. * Raise the importance of local restoration projects such as those for Doan Brook, Big Creek, Mill Creek, and Euclid Creek. e. Acquire additional open space in underserved areas and increase vegetative cover in the City to help decrease the urban heat island effect caused by impermeable surfaces. * Support the acquisition of, and assist in the assembly of, land that will expand greenspace opportunities in the City. * Aggregate underutilized and/or vacant land for neighborhood green spaces (e.g. new parks, community gardens, desalinization gardens, and wetlands). * Improve and expand publicly accessible recreation sites and greenways along the lakefront and other waterways such as Doan Brook, Treadway Creek, Big Creek, Mill Creek and Euclid Creek. * Increase staff and funding allocated for greenway restoration projects. * Consider development of an urban forest management plan that establishes goals for tree planting, maintenance and greenbelt restoration and identifies priority actions to improve the number of healthy trees. * Expand land dedicated to urban agriculture (e.g. community gardens) to increase local food production and to support community building and nutrition education. * Encourage the utilization of vacant land and rooftops within the city for market garden or agricultural production. * Partner with local organizations groups like City Fresh part of the New Agrarian Center to promote access to local food systems. * Purchase local produce for the Cleveland City Hall cafeteria and encourage other institutions to do the same (e.g. medical and research facilities, schools, and colleges). * Utilize green technology (e.g. green roofs, permeable pavement, bioretention cells, and pocket wetlands) to help decrease urban heat island effect, to lower energy costs, and to incorporate water quality features. * Promote existing green roof projects (e.g. the Cleveland Environmental Center, several Cleveland Division of Water facilities like the Baldwin covered reservoir, and the Convention Center green roof) and local green roof installation companies (e.g. The Garland Company). o Encourage the City of Cleveland to promote green roof technology by installing them on City buildings where appropriate. f. Manage City operations in ways that work with natural systems to minimize negative impacts to the environment and reduce costs to the City. * Design, construct and operate all City facilities to limit environmental impacts through energy efficiency, water conservation, waste minimization, pollution prevention and/or resource efficient materials. * Planning, contracting, purchasing, and operating decisions should consider the environmental and economic costs and should include the suppliers’ commitment to protecting the environment. * On City property, cultivate ecosystems that encourage native wildlife. * Use regionally appropriate plants (native species) on all City property to reduce maintenance costs and to create native habitats supportive to local wildlife and resistant to local insects, diseases and climate conditions. * Monitor the use of native and non-native plants on new or replaced public landscaped areas and non-recreational turf areas. * Utilize local resources to gather and distribute information about native plant species (e.g. Cleveland Natural History Museum, Holden Arboretum, Big Creek initiative website). * Encourage the development of small-scale horticultural enterprises to propagate native plants that can be utilized for native vegetation and habitat restoration initiatives. g. Expand public/private partnerships to more effectively involve citizens and non-governmental organizations in the care and enhancement of habitat for native plants and wildlife. * Engage organizations like the Wildlife Habitat Council (works with private businesses to protect, restore and manage natural areas on private property) to expand their presence in Cleveland. * Coordinate with local, state and federal regulatory agencies to address proposed developments within natural resource areas. * Continue and expand cooperative relationships with regulatory and local non-profit agencies to promote environmental stewardship. * Involve citizens, community groups and non-profit organizations in the care and enhancement of urban forests and wildlife habitat. * Allow for Adopt-A-groups, other community groups and volunteers to clean up and maintain streets, parks, streams, etc. h. Educate property owners, residents and City personnel on water quality best management practices (BMPs) that reduce negative environmental impacts. * Map all parks, “green” projects, outdoor recreation opportunities and natural assets and distribute widely as a regional branding/marketing tool. * Improve City’s role in public environmental education and provide opportunities for public involvement in recreation management and maintenance. * Educate employees about environmental impacts through training in environmental stewardship programs at community and recreation centers. See the Recreation & Open Space chapter for more policies and strategies specific to recreation and the waterfront. 5) **High Performance / Green Building.** Amend building and zoning codes and add financial incentives to encourage high performance “green building” that conserves resources and creates more healthful living and working environments. a. Ensure that City policies and codes allow high performance building to proceed with same ease as other new construction and rehabilitation projects. (Seattle’s Sustainable Building Policy is a good model.) * Create high performance building design and construction guidelines for the City of Cleveland. * Train City staff to provide high performance building technical assistance to developers and the public. b. Develop a high performance building rating system in Cleveland for a variety of building types, including commercial, residential, and affordable housing. * Develop a high performance building policy and requirements for all City-owned and funded construction projects; set goals and timelines for what percentage of new construction must be green. * Develop a high performance rating system, administrative rules, project tracking, criteria, outreach and marketing. * Conduct research on barriers to high performance building in Cleveland and develop tools to remove impediments. c. Create incentives and subsidies to encourage developers to build high performance. * Provide residential and commercial incentives by creating City programs that provide homeowners and developers with grants or rebates for new construction and major remodeling projects that meet high performance guidelines as defined by the City. * Offer a combination of technical assistance, grants, low-interest loans, and discounted energy audits. * Follow the example set by the cities of Shaker Heights and Lakewood. d. Educate officials, City staff, developers, private and public sector decision makers, and the general public about the reasons for, and benefits of, high performance building. * Develop materials (e.g. brochures, fact sheets, newsletters, event displays) and a marketing campaign to promote high performance building principles and technology in Cleveland. * Develop a web site that contains information on City programs, guidelines, incentives, case studies, emerging technologies, and links related to high performance building. * Develop and deliver high performance building-related training and workshop curriculum. * Encourage local purchase of all materials (within 500 miles of the City). * Arrange for local high performance buildings to be featured in case studies, home tours and other education and outreach initiatives. * Evaluate current projects to see how well they meet high performance building goals in the City. 6) **Nonmotorized Travel.** Design and develop safe routes for walking and bicycling, accessible to all residents, in order to reduce automobile dependency, improve health, and reduce the cost of travel. a. Modify traffic codes and adopt street design standards that are bike- and pedestrian-friendly, and adopt standards and requirements for the design of trails and bike improvements for roadways in keeping with the American Association of State and Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standards. b. Require that pedestrians and bicyclists are accommodated in all roadway and capital improvement projects; allocate a portion of City roadway improvement money for bike and pedestrian enhancements. c. Create a comprehensive network of bicycle routes, bicycle lanes and multi-purpose trails that safely link neighborhoods to recreation sites, schools, shopping areas, places of employment and other destinations throughout the City and region. * Evaluate Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) property, railroad property and underutilized rights-of-way for use as potential trail routes. * Develop and expand continuous trails along waterways as part of broader greenway corridors. * Coordinate bikeway planning with adjacent communities and the Cleveland Metroparks. * Improve coordination of mass transit facilities, routes and bicycle amenities throughout the City. d. Develop incentives and accommodations to encourage employees of the City, other public agencies and private industry to commute to work on foot or by bicycle. * Create car-free districts and pedestrian-friendly streets, and designate special areas and times for minimal automobile use. * Provide bicycle racks, benches, water fountains and other amenities to encourage bicycling and pedestrian travel throughout the City. * Establish secure bicycle parking throughout the City and support the City Racks / City Seats program to install ~500 bike racks and ~200 benches in Cleveland. * Create a centralized downtown bike station providing services for bicycle commuters, such as secure bicycle parking and showers (e.g. Chicago’s Millennium Park Bike Station). * Reduce City employee work trips by encouraging walking and biking to meetings instead of driving fleet cars. * Consider implementing bike parking requirements in Cleveland’s zoning code for new buildings and developments. * Design bicycle and pedestrian amenities as public art. e. Improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and access throughout the City. * Improve crosswalk safety by consolidating crosswalks, signal, and transit stop locations for safety and convenience. * Improve the aesthetic experience for pedestrians by designing wider sidewalks where appropriate, and using materials and treatments that invite pedestrian activity. * Develop ‘Safe Routes to Schools’ programs in all neighborhoods to improve safety conditions for children walking and biking to school. * Identify and reduce road hazards and barriers to bicyclists (e.g. potholes, glass, and sewer grates). * Increase driver awareness of bicyclists and pedestrians through education and marketing, and promote local and national programs. * Use educational programs within the police department, schools and other agencies to teach children and adults, cyclists and motorists to safely share the roads and trails. f. Increase community interaction through ‘street reclaiming’ to increasing social, cultural, recreational and economic activity in neighborhood streets. * Promote block club activity and neighborhood parties and festivals. * Incorporate benches, art displays and other design features to encourage community interaction on sidewalks and front lawns. g. Market walking and bicycling as a way to reduce household costs and to improve health and the environment for Clevelanders. * Develop a City Bikeway Map, safety brochure and other bicycle publications that are regularly updated. * Promote bike-to-work programs and bike advocacy groups such as Ohio City Bike Co-op and ClevelandBikes!. See the Recreation & Open Space chapter and the Bikeway Master Plan for more policies and strategies. **7)** **Motorized Travel.** Continue to upgrade current bus fleets with cleaner-burning vehicles, and accelerate the replacement of vehicles in government and corporate fleets with more fuel-efficient and cleaner-burning vehicles. a. Increase investment in and support clean fleet programs, including clean buses to improve air quality, public health, and ridership. * Support City efforts to purchase energy efficient, hybrid vehicles. * Support City’s 2006 Anti-Idling Policy, to eliminate unnecessary idling of city vehicles as a way to reduce fuel consumption and harmful carbon emissions. * Support the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s (GCRTA) clean bus fleet initiative and encourage more bus and transit improvements. * Expand the use of biofuels (e.g. ethanol, biodiesel) in City vehicles. * Increase the use of fuel-efficient and alternative fuel engines like mopeds, motor scooters and motorcycles, and provide adequate facilities (e.g. parking spaces). b. Decrease automobile use in the City. * Support car-sharing programs and reduce the percentage of City employees driving to work alone. * Reduce the amount of fuel used by City employees for work trips by reimbursing them for using transit instead of City fleet cars. * Create and publicize park-and-ride lots near transit stations. * Implement a citywide transportation plan and make recommendations for new bus routes or facilities and priorities for investment (Transportation Development Opportunities). c. Manage traffic and design transportation facilities in such a way as to enhance neighborhood aesthetics and quality of life. * Develop roads that provide direct truck access between freeways and industrial areas and, whenever possible, divert cars and trucks from residential neighborhoods onto major streets and nonresidential streets. * Use traffic-calming and other design features to enhance neighborhood livability. * Preserve natural geography and protect views, historical sites and archaeological resources when designing transportation facilities. * Encourage the use of sustainable design and construction practices in major local and regional transportation infrastructure improvements. 8) **Mass Transit.** Increase use of mass transit through such initiatives as employer incentives, park-and-ride lots, and transit-oriented development projects. a. Increase investments in and support clean public transportation, including modern commuter trains to improve air quality, public health, and ridership. * Continue to develop relationships between the City of Cleveland and local and regional transportation agencies to increase public transit opportunities and awareness; and work with other agencies to create multi-modal hubs. * Implement a citywide transit plan and make recommendations for new transit routes or facilities and priorities for investment ([Transit Development Opportunities](https://)). b. Create incentives to encourage transit use and reduce driving. * Promote GCRTA’s [Commuter Advantage Program](https://) offering discounts on public transportation fares. * Educate the public about the benefits of mass transit versus the automobile. * Create faster and more comfortable transit service, and improve rider information and marketing plans. c. Utilize transit stations as catalysts for creating dense, attractive, compact, livable and walkable neighborhoods ([Transit-Oriented Development](https://)). * Increase the density of housing near transit facilities, along bus lines and within mixed-use retail corridors. * Encourage a mix of compatible land uses at transit stations designated on the [Transit Opportunities](https://) list. 9) **Energy Conservation.** Reduce use of energy and water in City-owned facilities and vehicles and encourage similar practices by residents, businesses and other organizations. a. Establish Cleveland as a national model for energy management and efficiency in all City facilities and operations, and encourage similar practices by residents, businesses, and other organizations. * Conduct an energy audit of all City-owned facilities to gather information about their use of, and expenditures on, electricity, natural gas, fuel oil and gasoline. * Establish efficiency standards and an energy reduction challenge for all City departments, and provide the tools and information needed to identify opportunities to reduce City greenhouse gas emissions in decisions on purchasing, operations and construction. * Purchase only the most energy-efficient appliances (e.g. air conditioners, refrigerators, copy machines, computers, and automobiles) that use cleaner fuels (e.g. biodiesel). * Convert all traffic lights to light-emitting diodes (LED), which are less expensive to use and last 10 times longer than conventional fixtures. * Encourage the use of non-automotive transportation by City employees and the public. * Encourage land use patterns and methods of transportation that use less energy. * Install green roof technology on City Hall and other City buildings to increase energy efficiency and reduce replacement costs, as green roofs can last twice as long as conventional roofs. * Plant trees as a way to reduce heating and cooling costs (e.g. strategically plant deciduous trees to block summer heat, and when leaves drop sunlight warms buildings in winter months; or plant evergreen trees to block cold winter winds). * Develop and promulgate a local action plan for reducing Cleveland’s contribution to global warming, and disseminate information (through public meetings, printed materials, the City’s web site and the media). * Show local residents and businesses how to estimate their greenhouse gas emissions and how to identify potential reduction opportunities. b. Promote energy conservation through City programs and projects for residential, commercial and wholesale City customers. * Require landlords and homeowners receiving City tax abatement to purchase only appliances meeting Energy Star efficiency standards. * Make housing rehabilitation the official City preference, whenever possible, over demolition and new construction, as utilizing existing housing uses less energy and resources and recognizes the superior construction methods/materials of older housing stock. * Create or expand programs, such as the City's low-income and multi-family housing weatherization program, to help lower energy bills for low-income residents through improved energy efficiency in homes. * Partner with local utilities and the State to assist multi-family property owners in getting energy audits; create a marketing campaign (direct mailings, advertisements in multi-family housing publications and tradeshows) to get homes insulated and weatherized through these partnerships. * Provide residential customers of CPP/FirstEnergy with technical assistance and incentives for energy efficiency improvements. * Utilize local/national foundations to help provide funding for energy-efficient apartment projects. c. Improve the economic vitality of commerce and industry in Cleveland by promoting effective energy management practices. * Provide local businesses with the tools to estimate their greenhouse gas emissions and potential reduction opportunities. * Provide technical assistance/utility coordination and incentives to small commercial and larger commercial/industrial customers (through CPP/FirstEnergy) for energy efficiency improvements. * Encourage the purchase of energy-efficient appliances and cars. d. Restructure Cleveland Public Power to be a provider of energy services rather than a delivery company for kilowatt-hours of electricity. 10) **Renewable Energy.** Promote use of solar, wind, geothermal and other renewable energy resources. a. The City should take a leadership role in encouraging local electricity suppliers and the general public to use local, non-polluting, renewable energy and to recycle energy and fuels through education and outreach. b. Work to eliminate the use of fossil fuel-burning sources of electric power for City operations by purchasing alternative energy sources. c. Set goals for decreasing the use of fossil fuels, and promote use of alternative fuels, in vehicles and equipment owned by the City, transit or fleet operators, and the public. d. Ensure that businesses have the ability to purchase at least part of their electricity from renewable sources. e. Provide incentives to encourage local residential, commercial and industrial consumers to manufacture, purchase, and install renewable energy systems. 11) **Brownfield Remediation.** Clean contaminated “brownfield” sites and promote beneficial re-use through regulatory action and increased funding to improve Cleveland’s environmental and economic health. a. Increase support and funding for the City’s Industrial Landbank Program which is intended to return brownfields to productive use by prioritizing, assembling and rehabilitating the properties. b. Promote the participation of non-profit community development organizations in the development of brownfields to encourage development that meets community needs. c. Promote community involvement in the planning and implementation of redeveloping brownfields. d. Promote the protection of public health and the environment in developing brownfields. * Promote cleaner re-use of cleaned land by requiring new buildings to meet and exceedgreen / high performance building standards aimed at restoring environmental conditions and encourage healthy living and working environments. 12) **Recycling and Waste Management.** Reduce waste disposal through municipal curbside recycling and programs for recycling tires, motor oil, yard waste, electronic equipment, demolition debris, and roadway materials, as well as by encouraging consumers to make choices that are less wasteful of resources. a. Decrease overall community consumption by purchasing materials in bulk whenever possible to avoid wasteful individually-packaged products. b. Minimize the quantity and toxicity of solid waste generated from City facilities and operations through waste reduction, reuse and recycling. * Work with all City departments and their contractors to improve and expand recycling and waste reduction efforts (e.g. direct all City departments and their contractors to set an example by purchasing only sustainable materials like recycled paper). * Measure the volume and toxicity of hazardous material purchased by the City and take steps to reduce the use of such materials. * Include language in construction request for bids and proposals requiring recycling and waste reduction, and during construction projects through reuse and grinding of materials onsite. c. Control illegal disposal and eliminate land disposal of untreated waste. * Reduce illegal dumping and nuisance problems by coordinating collection of large items with haulers and scrap metal recyclers in targeted neighborhoods. * Consider increasing dumping and landfill fees regionally to make recycling of materials a more economically viable alternative. * Consider charging a franchise or tonnage fee for all land disposal that would be used to help fund residential solid-waste, recycling and green / high performance building programs. * Ensure the City’s capability to respond quickly to reported violations. d. Improve and expand residential and commercial waste reduction, reuse and recycling. * Make recycling as easy as possible for residents and businesses. * Improve the design of recycling receptacles for ease of use, and as funds become available reinstitute the curbside recycling program. * Expand the recycling program to include yard debris service and leaf pick-up citywide with opportunities to compost food waste. * Aggressively promote residential and commercial recycling through education and outreach programs (e.g. at schools, recreation centers, public events, etc.). * Expand consumer education programs designed to increase awareness and teach residents the basics of composting and other practices that help reduce solid waste disposal. * Promote the City’s newest Commercial Recycling Program by getting large commercial operators and multifamily buildings to use the free recycling containers provided by the City. * Provide recycling assistance to multi-family housing complexes and consider installing recycling receptacles that are easily accessible and user-friendly. * Encourage the establishment of new businesses promoting alternative means of waste reduction (e.g. composting, vermiculture). * Create a commercial food-waste collection and processing business to divert that type of waste from landfills. * Explore and evaluate new recycling markets for additional types of materials (e.g. plastics, computers and other electronic equipment). e. City departments and contractors shall divert as much construction and demolition (C&D) debris from landfills as possible through waste reduction, reuse and recycling. * Require City departments to follow the lead of the Division of Waters’ Construction and Demolition Waste reduction ordinance, requiring that 50% of C&D waste be recycled or reused (Ordinance C-57, Construction and Demolition Waste). * Consider creating financial incentives to encourage waste haulers to increase their diversion of C&D material from landfills. f. Support deconstruction (the recovery of salvageable building materials for reuse or resale) during remodeling and demolition projects conducted by the City, unless the building must be demolished or repaired quickly for health or safety reasons. * Create an ordinance mandating deconstruction, whenever possible, over demolition. * Promote deconstruction as a viable means of generating economic development by creating jobs in low-income neighborhoods, reducing waste disposal costs and offering new business opportunities such as a materials resale warehouse (e.g. Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore). * Provide informational brochures about deconstruction and salvage options to all citizens applying for building demolition or remodeling permits. * Foster partnerships between the local demolition and deconstruction industries so that recovery and reuse of building materials can be maximized in a manner that is profitable for both. * Work with local builders to develop guidelines and procedures designed to increase C&D recycling and expand the deconstruction market in Cleveland. (See Cuyahoga County Solid Waste Districts’ Construction Debris resources.) **13)** **Water Quality.** Improve regional water quality by better managing storm water runoff, strictly enforcing emission controls, reducing use of harmful lawn-care chemicals, and restoring urban streams and rivers. a. Support regional sprawl management initiatives aimed at reducing automobile use and other factors contributing to water pollution. b. Support Northeast Ohio Regional Storm Water task force recommendations for consistent and prescriptive storm water ordinances in the region. c. Support the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) plan addressing Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) events so as to reduce the amount of untreated wastewater being released into water resources. d. Coordinate major development projects with County and suburban governments to reduce sewer overload impacts. e. Work regionally to improve programs and management strategies designed to prevent and reduce contamination of street runoff and storm water from all sources and encourage appropriate post construction best management practices (BMPs) based on site and soil conditions to improve water quality. * Study the feasibility of establishing a regional Storm Water Authority to solely address storm water issues related to impervious surfaces (e.g. surface parking lots). * Identify and disseminate BMPs and establish policies that facilitate effective management of both the quantity and quality of storm water runoff caused by land development. * Encourage organic gardening techniques in park/cemetery/vacant land maintenance, and plant low maintenance native plant species to decrease water use and pesticide runoff. * Implement innovative storm water quality and quantity management techniques like bioretention cells, pocket wetlands, enhanced water quality swales, water quality filter strips, tree box filters and storm water ponds to filter and reduce storm water quantity. * Limit nonpoint source pollution that comes from diffuse land use sources (e.g. salts, sediments and chemicals) carried to lakes and streams by surface runoff. * Investigate banning the use of pesticides on all public property (following the example Cleveland Heights set in 1995). o Educate landowners about alternatives to pesticides and herbicides (e.g. natural / organic lawn care techniques) and create incentives to encourage use of alternatives. * Work with businesses and the community to provide education about the importance of, and methods for, controlling the release of all contaminants into storm drains. e. Control storage, manufacture, transportation, use and disposal of hazardous substances, especially in areas with sensitive aquatic ecosystems, such as the Cuyahoga River Valley and Lake Erie watersheds. f. Cooperate and coordinate efforts with state and federal agencies to minimize illegal discharges into water from both permitted and non-permitted sources. g. Promote non-polluting recreational uses of Lake Erie and other fresh water resources in the area. h. Promote water efficiency through programs and projects designed for water customers. * Set goals for reducing water use by all regional consumers. * Set up a “rain barrel” program to inform the public about the cost savings and other benefits of collecting rainwater from rooftop runoff (e.g. for garden irrigation). i. Implement exemplary water efficiency measures in all City facilities and operations and urge the Greater Cleveland community to use similar practices. * Install more efficient technologies, such as low-flow water fixtures, in City buildings. * Install computerized irrigation systems in City parks. * Decrease the overall community consumption of non-local, non-recyclable, non-recycled water. j. Conserve significant wetlands, riparian areas and bodies of water for the purpose of containing and regulating storm water runoff, to prevent flooding, to provide sediment and erosion control to improve overall water quality. * Create a comprehensive drainage plan to identify priority actions to improve water quality, drainage and aquatic habitat. * Regulate development within identified drainageways, water bodies, riparian areas and wetlands by passing riparian and wetland setback ordinances. * Restore natural drainage systems and urban streams in neighborhoods. * Create manuals for landowners and developers on installing natural drainage systems. 14) **Air Quality.** Improve regional air quality by strictly enforcing emission controls, increasing alternative energy production, and promoting the use of mass transit, nonmotorized travel, and cleaner-powered vehicles. a. Work to calculate and reduce Cleveland’s carbon footprint to fulfill goals of the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement signed on July 3, 2006, which follows the example set by over 200 U.S. cities that support the Kyoto Protocol (a United Nations pact to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases in order to improve air quality and address climate change concerns) and develop financial incentives for City staff and citizens to achieve reductions in the City’s carbon emissions. b. Ensure that air quality in Cleveland meets state and federal air quality standards. * Implement a climate protection plan with goals and strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions citywide. c. Promote the development of non-polluting industries and work with existing industries to help them comply with established industrial emission control regulations. d. Encourage greater use of transit and transit oriented design. * Support the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s (GCRTA) clean bus fleet initiative. e. Reduce the use of fossil fuels in automobiles and trucks. * Promote the use of clean-burning, alternative-fueled vehicles by large fleet operators, transit operators and the public as a way to reduce impacts on air quality. * Encourage the location of a biodiesel production facility here. * Promote the use of alternative modes of transportation such as carpooling, bicycling, walking and transit as a means to improve air quality. * Actively discourage the wasteful practice of vehicle idling; support the City’s 2006 Anti-Idling Policy, which eliminates unnecessary idling of City vehicles as a way to reduce fuel consumption and harmful carbon emissions. f. Reduce and eventually eliminate the use of fossil fuel-burning sources of electric power. * Purchase energy generated from alternative sources such as wind or geothermal power. * Implement energy conservation strategies in all City-owned facilities and operations. g. Improve indoor air quality in all renovation and new construction projects by utilizing high performance / green building techniques in City-owned facilities and in private construction. h. Protect existing greenspace and increase vegetation citywide to help offset the release of greenhouse gases. * Promote green roof tops as a way to increase vegetation, lead by example and install a green roof on City Hall. i. Expand consumer education programs to increase the public’s awareness and understanding of air quality issues. (See the American Lung Association’s Web site on air quality issues.) j. Ensure that no one geographic area or socioeconomic group in the city is being unfairly impacted by air pollution. # ARTS & CULTURE <
> Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # ARTS & CULTURE ## OVERVIEW The arts contribute to quality of life by making communities more livable. They help to define a sense of identity, a sense of place, and they serve as a vehicle for the preservation and transmission of culture. The arts help to form an educated and aware public by promoting understanding in a diverse society and by promoting inquisitive thought and the open exchange of ideas and values. The arts can encourage an individual's creativity and the generation of new ideas. They play a vital role in the development of desirable products and increasing available choices, whether it is types of housing or leisure activities. Release, relaxation, entertainment and spiritual uplifting are all benefits of the arts. Creating Distinctive Places: Arts and culture are keys to making the Cleveland area an interesting and attractive place to live, work, and recreate. They are a key component for attracting creative and entrepreneurial individuals from across the region and the nation. Arts and culture provide important insights that affect the details of design and result in great architecture, landscapes and public improvements. In addition to shaping the physical form of a place, arts and culture play an important role in creating a social connection between people and the place through interpretation of its natural features, history, and meanings and the telling of its stories. <
> Art can reinforce the story and meaning of a place. [Mill Creek Waterfall] The Arts as an Economic Engine: A healthy and stable arts and cultural sector is a cornerstone for the region's continued economic and social vitality. The arts contribute more than $1.3 billion annually to the regional economy and arts and cultural institutions have brought Cleveland national and worldwide recognition. It is estimated that 25 percent of visitors to Northeast Ohio arts and cultural assets come from outside the seven-county region. The Cleveland Orchestra is world renowned, and Playhouse Square boasts the largest concentration of theatres between New York and Chicago. Historically, artists have been heavily integrated into the business fabric of the community: Companies specializing in lithography, engraving, publishing, ceramics, furniture, textiles, etc., have all employed artists in the development of their products. Today the Cleveland Institute of Art educates students for jobs in fields such as industrial design, graphic design, science and biomedical communications and digital art. Creative Thought and Innovation: Data from the College Entrance Examination Board show that students who take four years or more of arts and music classes in high school score 90 to 100 points better on their SAT than students who took only one-half year or less. The ability to think critically, creatively, and innovatively are all benefits of exposure to the arts. These skills will become more important for securing a prosperous economic future as more jobs for unskilled and low-skilled labor are relocated outside of the United States. # TRENDS Several trends emerge that give a clearer picture of the challenge before us, and may also suggest areas of greatest vulnerability (or opportunity), where connections with appropriate community assets could be helpful: * **Public Involvement in the Arts:** Nationally, attendance at live performances has seen an increase, but it has not grown as much as the market for recorded and broadcast performances has. A Rand Corporation report attributes the increase in population growth, not in the percentage of the population that attends live performances. Cleveland’s lack of population growth makes generating increased attendance for arts programs more difficult. * **Competition:** Americans are placing a premium on flexibility of their time and favor experiences that allow them to choose when and where. Younger generations, which are more technologically savvy, appear to be more comfortable with entertainment provided through the Internet and other emerging technologies and could be less inclined to attend live performances. The improved quality of electronically reproduced entertainment, the rising cost of attending live performances and an increased desire among Americans for home-based leisure activities are other factors that favor media-delivered entertainment. In addition, the fact that the arts are no longer an integral part of most students’ curriculum means that several generations of Americans and Clevelanders have now graduated with no background in the arts and no preparation to enjoy them. * **The Future of Arts Organizations:** The Rand Corporation’s research forecasts that the performing arts world will be divided into big organizations and smaller-scale operations, and those that cater to a broad public versus niche markets. Big organizations will rely increasingly on mass advertising and celebrity to attract large audiences, while small organizations will have to become more dynamic and more diverse, focusing on low-budget, low-tech productions and relying heavily on volunteer labor. Many will cater to local and specialized markets, particularly ethno-cultural communities. It is the mid-size organizations, however, that will face the biggest challenge: As they continue to be squeezed financially, they will need to become either larger and more prestigious or smaller and more community-oriented. As many of these organizations are forced to scale down their budgets and aspirations, talented newcomers will need to look elsewhere for opportunities to get experience in the performing arts, with universities playing a larger role as developers of young talent. * **Sources of Arts Funding:** Earned income (i.e., box office) constitutes 66% of total revenue for Northeast Ohio arts and cultural organizations—notably better than the national average, which a Rand Research brief on the Arts sets at around 50%. But local organizations fall short of national standards with respect to cash reserves, which are equal here to only 14% of the operating budget compared to the benchmark figure of 25%; and 70% of the area’s arts and cultural organizations do not meet national standards for endowments. Government funding for the arts typically has accounted for a small percentage of arts funding, but since the early 1990s the *mix* has changed: While federal funding has declined by almost 50%, state and local appropriations have increased. State and local grants, however, tend to focus more on the social and economic benefits of the arts. Nationally, arts organizations have become increasingly dependent on private contributions, which now comprise approximately one-third of non-profit revenues. Cleveland’s performing arts institutions have enjoyed strong support from individuals, corporations and foundations. * **The Role of Heritage:** But a city’s culture comprises more than its institutions. It is found in the architecture, signage, cuisine, music, traditions, taste in clothing and other accoutrements, the ways of talking and interacting, of worship and recreation, mourning and celebration, that define that city's neighborhoods. The cultural character of Cleveland is the legacy of the many ethnic groups that settled here, founded and worked the city's businesses, indeed, created its institutions, and called Cleveland home. The rich mélange of immigrant populations that settled in Cleveland arrived in waves and often settled in enclaves of people from the same home country. In the late 1800s, most foreign-born residents were of German or Irish descent. As the economy boomed and manufacturing jobs multiplied, Cleveland became a magnet for others seeking work and a chance for a better life. Around the turn of the 20th century, Eastern Europeans such as Czechs and Poles converged in large numbers. Austrians, Hungarians and Russians arrived just before World War I; and as the economy geared up for war and the troop ships took on men, African-Americans from the South now streamed north in even larger numbers to find work. Each of these groups was drawn, understandably, to the neighborhoods that rang with familiar sounds and smells, the comforting symbols and ways—in short, the culture—of its own people. The following map from the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History shows the location of traditional ethnic neighborhoods in the first half of the 20th century. <
> * **New Immigrants—the Missing Ingredient:** A crucial element has been missing from Cleveland’s economic recovery over the last two decades: an infusion of fresh energy, valuable skills and new ideas of the sort that large numbers of immigrants brought to the city during the second half of the 19th century and first half of the 20th. Significant numbers of new immigrants are still arriving in America—often bringing needed technological skills and other training, or at least an eagerness to work and learn—but, as the next graphic shows, they are no longer being drawn to Cleveland in any significant numbers. By the mid-Seventies the long negative trend had reversed for cities like New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and St, Paul-Minneapolis, where the influx of new blood has continued to rise steadily. The same graph also makes it painfully clear that Cleveland is not yet participating from this trend. Though the percentage of the city’s population that is foreign-born is up slightly from what it was in 1990 (4.1%), by 2000 it had barely reached 4.5% compared with 11.1% nationwide. Chicago, now with more than 25% of its citizenry foreign-born, and New York with more than 35% are fast approaching the levels they boasted at the time of the First World War, when Cleveland’s immigrant population reached 35%. **Percent of foreign-born residents, 1900 - 2000** <
> Of course these figures do not tell the whole story. For example, while the percentage of foreign-born in Cleveland was 4.5% in 2000, the rate for Cuyahoga County overall was 6.4%. In earlier times, most immigrants settled in the center city and then gradually moved out toward the suburbs as their families became established. Many recent immigrants have bypassed the central city altogether. In 2000, foreign-born made up 7.3% of the suburban population, with some of the highest concentrations found in Hillcrest suburbs such as Mayfield Heights (18.1%), Richmond Heights (17.4%) and Beachwood (15.5%). To the south, Parma, Parma Heights and Seven Hills also had relatively high concentrations. Other patterns also emerge: Approximately 58% of the foreign-born suburbanites in 2000 had come from Europe (as compared with 41% in the city of Cleveland), and just 5.7% from Latin America, versus 22% in Cleveland. Asian immigrants made up about the same share in both the city of Cleveland (29%) and the suburbs. * **Designated Heritage Districts:** The City of Cleveland protects the integrity of historic and cultural structures through the work of the [Landmarks Commission](http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/landmark/index.php). The commission reviews proposed changes to individual structures of note as well as designation of distinctive districts throughout the city. Efforts have also been made to preserve, and promote a greater awareness of—and access to—other assets that constitute a part of Cleveland’s cultural heritage. In 1998 the Cuyahoga River was named as one of 14 [American Heritage Rivers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Heritage_Rivers). Two years earlier, in 1996, the federal government designated the 88-mile [Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor](https://www.nps.gov/ohea/index.htm), which, centered on the Cuyahoga Valley with extensions out to University Circle, includes a significant section of the city. A [management plan](https://www.nps.gov/ohea/learn/management/index.htm) for the corridor was developed in 2000 to identify ways to protect and enhance resources that tell the story of the impact of the Ohio & Erie Canal and the subsequent industrial heritage of the area. The plan proposes telling these stories through journeys via a variety of transportation modes. In 1996, major driving routes along the canal corridor were designated as the Ohio & Erie Canal Scenic Byway. Three such routes run along the Cuyahoga Valley within the city: 1) West 25th Street to Broadview to Schaaf Road; 2) Independence Road; and 3) Warner Road to Broadway. The proposed Towpath Trail and Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway extensions to downtown Cleveland are also part of the City’s plan to expand the modes of transportation (and access to amenities) available to Clevelanders. * **Public Art:** Public art, whether freestanding pieces or elements incorporated into the design of buildings or other functional structures, contributes to the shaping of memorable places, often by telling the stories of those places. Public art, moreover, can be created on a variety of scales. Downtown Cleveland’s 1903 Group Plan, comprising the 500-foot-wide outdoor mall and seven public buildings, is an example of civic design on a grand scale that created a whole district that was both distinctive in character and physically inspiring. (The earliest and most complete civic center plan for a major city outside of Washington, D.C., it was recognition across the country and praise in national journals.) Public art may also be incorporated into individual buildings, functional elements of buildings or outdoor spaces, or self-contained works. The City of Cleveland recently showed its support for public art by enacting legislation requiring that 1.5% of the budget for every City project of over $350,000 go to public art. Streetscape projects are included in this requirement. As part of the [Public Art Program](https://planning.clevelandohio.gov/design/publicart.php), an advisory committee of design professionals and community representatives has been established to assist in soliciting designs and obtaining community input. <
> Art is often open to individual interpretation and can be a source to inspire public discourse. [Free Stamp on Willard Park] # ASSETS *Cleveland has a number of important assets in the area of Arts & Culture that can be built upon:* The Community Partnership for Arts and Culture showed in its “Economic Activity Report” that arts and culture industry provides the equivalent of 3,700 full-time jobs in Northeast Ohio and direct and indirect organizational and audience spending of $1.4 billion annually. It’s estimated that 8.5 million persons attend museums or other attractions here annually. **Performing Arts Organizations & Venues:** Local arts and cultural institutions have brought the city of Cleveland national and worldwide recognition. The Cleveland Orchestra is considered one of the best in the world. Its home, Severance Hall, is an icon in the University Circle area and one of the most highly regarded concert halls in America. Listed below are a number of other performing organizations, museums, theatres and other venues that contribute to Cleveland’s rich cultural landscape. <
> Severance Hall is home of the world renowned Cleveland Orchestra and an example of how private philanthropy has had a profound impact on the cultural heritage of the City. [Severance Hall] Performing Organizations * Apollo’s Fire (Baroque Orchestra) * Cleveland Orchestra * Red {An Orchestra} * Cleveland Chamber Symphony * Cleveland Opera * Lyric Opera Cleveland * Jazz Heritage Orchestra * Cleveland Jazz Orchestra * Cleveland Pops Orchestra * Cleveland Institute of Music * Ohio Ballet Theaters * Playhouse Square Center (Ohio, Palace, State, Allen & Hanna theaters) * Great Lakes Theatre Festival * The Cleveland Playhouse * Cleveland Public Theatre * Dobama Theater * Karamu House * Charenton Theater * Near West Theatre, Inc * Beck Center for the Arts * Cain Park Presenting Organizations * Cleveland Cinematheque * Cleveland Film Society/Cleveland International Film Festival * Dance Cleveland * Cleveland Chamber Music Society Museums University Circle - Cleveland Museum of Art - Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) - Cleveland Museum of Natural History - Western Reserve Historical Society - Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum North Coast Harbor - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum - Great Lakes Science Center - Steamship William G Mather Museum Other - Dunham Tavern Museum - Cleveland State University Art Gallery - President James A. Garfield Memorial Regional - Pro Football Hall of Fame (Canton) - National Inventors Hall of Fame (Akron) - Lawnfield (Mentor) - Hale Farm & Village (Bath) - Cleveland Botanical Garden - Cleveland Children's Museum - African-American Museum - Dittrick Medical History Museum - USS Cod Submarine - International Women's Air and Space Museum - Soldiers and Sailors Monument (Civil War Museum) - Cleveland Metroparks Zoo - The Sculpture Center **Support Organizations:** The Cleveland area has many nonprofit organizations and programs that support its arts, heritage and cultural resources and are working to improve them and open them to a larger audience. Listed below are a number of those organizations. * The Community Partnership for Arts and Culture was launched in 1997 by The Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, and The Cleveland Cultural Coalition to serve as a central voice for a large array of organizations and to find ways to strengthen Northeast Ohio’s cultural assets and enable more residents and visitors to enjoy them. In 2000, after gathering input and ideas from many players, the Partnership issued the Northeast Ohio's Arts and Culture Plan, a blueprint for success that includes policies relating to such critical matters as access, learning, partnerships and resources, and is now working to get its recommendations implemented. * The Cleveland Artists Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to regional art history and education that was founded in 1984. Its mission is to preserve, exhibit, actively collect, research and document the artistic heritage of Northeast Ohio. CAF encourages a more comprehensive discussion of artistic traditions and innovations in Cleveland and carries out exhibits, events and benefits. * The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency established in 1965 to promote the development of the arts and preserve Ohio’s cultural heritage. OAC does this by providing grants and services in the areas of arts education, capacity building for organizations, individual creativity, arts innovation, arts access, support for ongoing programs, and international partnerships. * Ohio Citizens for the Arts is a statewide nonprofit grassroots membership organization working to increase public support for the arts in Ohio. OCA advocates on public policy issues that impact the arts and on arts issues. It has a lobbyist in the state house and provides information to citizens and elected officials about relevant issues. * The Northeast Ohio Jazz Society is a volunteer nonprofit organization that advocates for jazz as an art form by furthering awareness and appreciation through performance and education. * Young Audiences of Greater Cleveland, founded in 1953, is the country's oldest and largest nonprofit arts-in-education organization. With the primary goal of making the arts essential to the education and development of all school-aged children, Young Audiences serves as a resource for both students and teachers—by providing performances, workshops, residencies, pre-school programs, and assistance with programs and events. * Art House is a nonprofit art center located in historic Brooklyn Centre, whose mission is to nurture involvement in the arts and culture. It achieves its mission through classes, workshops and professional development programs. * The Cleveland Institute of Art is one of the top professional colleges of art and design in the country. Established in 1882, CIA typically has an enrollment of 600 students. The school trains students for careers in a variety of professions related to the arts—including gallery artists, product and transportation designers, graphic designers, photographers, contemporary craftsmen, and educators. It offers programs in design and materials, integrated media, visual arts and liberal arts. To keep its curriculum current, CIA recently established programs in science and biomedical communications and digital art. <
> Integrating art into the design of products makes them more attractive to consumers. [Cleveland Institute of Art] * The Cleveland Institute of Music, which opened its doors in 1920, offers degrees in music and musical arts. It has an enrollment of approximately 400 Conservatory Students and 1,700 Preparatory and Continuing Education Students. It presents more than 125 concerts each year featuring the CIM Orchestra, Opera Theater, faculty and visiting artists, as well as 250 student recitals annually. * The Cleveland Music School Settlement, a community music school established in 1911 that offers music instruction, summer camps, preschool and day school programs, and a nationally acclaimed music therapy department to people of all ages and abilities. * Several of the colleges and universities in the Cleveland area also offer degrees or courses related to the arts. Cleveland State University offers degrees in Art Education, Art History and Studio Art. Within its College of Arts and Sciences, Case Western Reserve University has departments of Art History and Education, Classics, History, Music, and Theatre & Dance. Cuyahoga Community College offers theater courses as part of its liberal arts program. John Carroll University’s Department of Art History and Humanities offers majors and minors in both fields. Notre Dame College has an Art Department that offers degrees in studio and graphic arts. Baldwin Wallace College offers majors in Art and Art History, Communication and Theater, Music and Theater Arts. Ursuline College offers degrees in arts, art therapy, history, music, fashion design & merchandising, and historic preservation. * Kent State University’s Urban Design Center promotes the quality of urban places through technical design assistance, research, education and advocacy. Operating out of the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative located in Downtown Cleveland, it assists community groups and provides services in master planning, commercial district revitalization, recreation planning, design guidelines, historic preservation, residential redevelopment, campus planning, and streetscape design. * The Sculpture Center fulfills its mission of making sculpture a part of the civic dialogue by promoting the preservation of outdoor sculpture, exhibiting sculpture, and educating artists and audiences about the role of sculpture past and present. * Cleveland Public Art is an independent, nonprofit organization promoting public art projects that create unique spaces in the urban landscape. It acts as a vehicle for collaboration between artists and design professionals. CPA has been instrumental in facilitating improved design for a variety of civic projects such as the Cleveland Public Library’s Eastman Reading Garden, the Orchard School Fence, and the Detroit-Superior Bridge Public Promenade. * The Ohio Canal Corridor works to implement many of the recommendations of the management plan of the Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor. Priority projects include extending the Towpath Trail and Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway to Downtown Cleveland and the establishment of Canal Basin Park. * Foundations: From the beginning Cleveland’s arts and cultural institutions have received strong support from philanthropic individuals and groups. That support continues today with the generosity of many families and foundations, including two of Cleveland’s largest, the Cleveland Foundation and the George Gund Foundation. The Kulas and William Bascom Little foundations fund music education and composers, respectively. **Ethnic Diversity:** Even a casual perusal of the Cleveland White Pages (and Business White Pages) attests to the rich diversity of cultures still represented here; a drive through the city’s 36 neighborhoods, taking note of the names of businesses, churches, social clubs and specialty shops, puts a face on our ethnic diversity. As of the 2000 federal census, 9.2% of the city’s residents were of German background (not the same as “foreign-born” immigrants, though some may be); 8.2%, Irish; 4.8%, Polish; 4.6%, Italian—but according to the City’s Community Relations Board, more than 117 different cultures are represented in the city of Cleveland. <
> At the West Side Market the variety of the City’s ethnic heritage is reflected in the foods that can be purchased. [West Side Market] Even the largest group, African Americans, who make up 52.1% of the city’s population, represent a variety of cultures, from Ethiopian and Nigerian to Ghanaian and Liberian, as shops and restaurants will attest. Another 7.3% identified themselves, using a government bureaucracy-created category, as Hispanic, but the majority are actually of Puerto Rican heritage, with the rest—as restaurant and shop signs reveal—including everything from Mexican and Cuban to Peruvian and a number of other Central and South American countries (an Ecuadorian bakery), which represent very different cultural traditions. Asians made up 1.3% of the population, once again representing several different ethnic heritages. Thais, Chinese, Cambodians, Japanese, Koreans and Vietnamese—as well as Greeks, Lebanese, Russian Jews, Serbs, Indians, and Native Americans are all visible here, and contribute to the rich diversity of Cleveland’s cultural and culinary offerings: The most recent edition of a popular book, *Cleveland Ethnic Eats*, profiles more than 350 ethnic restaurants and markets in the area. Some are clustered in proudly ethnic neighborhoods such as Little Italy or Slavic Village; others are part of the lively cultural mix that gives well-established commercial corridors their special character—The Croatian Bookshop (6315 St. Clair) just a few doors east of the popular Empress Taytu Ethiopian Restaurant (6125 St. Clair). **Ethnic Organizations:** Many of the ethnic groups in the Cleveland area have social organizations that arrange events, festivals and parades associated with their heritage and some even have facilities or museums where events are held and where their culture is documented. Two of the largest parades in the City of Cleveland, St. Patrick and Columbus Day parades, are organized by the Irish and Italian communities. A sample of the diverse ethnic organizations facilities than can be found around the Cleveland area include: the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, the Hungarian Heritage Museum, the Ukrainian Museum-Archives, Bohemian National Hall, the Temple-Tifereth Museum of Religious Art, the African-American Museum, the Sachsenheim Hall, the Spanish American Committee, the Organization of Chinese Americans of Greater Cleveland, and the Polka Hall of Fame. **Historical Archives:** The Jewish, African American, Irish American, and Italian American archives of the Western Reserve Historical Society actively collect, house and exhibit materials and artifacts that tell the story of their respective ethnic groups in Cleveland, beginning with the earliest immigrants, and their signal contributions to the city’s history. **Religious Organizations:** Many ethnic communities center on their churches. Even former parishioners who have moved to the suburbs, return regularly to the old neighborhood church in the city for services and the experience of community. In addition to serving as a meeting place and living symbol of the community, the churches often function as anchors for the area in which they are located, providing indispensable social services such as food kitchens or after-school tutoring for neighborhood children. The Cleveland Cultural Gardens, a string of 24 landscaped gardens, with statuary, along East Boulevard and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in Rockefeller Park honors many of the city’s ethnic heritages. These delightful areas, a manifestation of those communities’ identities and a stirring reminder of their cultural contributions to civilization, are annually the settings of weddings and other gatherings. The City’s Community Relations Board is responsible for improving cross-cultural relations among these different groups. It accomplishes its mission through activities in three areas: community outreach, human relations training and community education, and special events. <
> A “Sense of Place”: The city already has a number of neighborhoods and historic districts that have a unique and distinct character and generate activity because of their strong association with artistic, architectural, historical or ethnic characteristics. Little Italy and Slavic Village are two neighborhoods that are strongly associated with their ethnic past. The West Side Market, which provides Clevelanders with access to a variety of ethnic foods in a setting reminiscent of times past, is a cornerstone of Ohio City and its revitalization. Larchmere Avenue and sections of Lorain Avenue generate economic activity focused on art and antiques. Tremont is known not only for its restaurants, nightclubs and art galleries (ArtWalk is a regular event that draws visitors), but also for the architecture of the many churches that grace its streets. Local festivals are an opportunity to celebrate the uniqueness of our neighborhoods and sense of place. [Hessler Road Street Fair] The broad tree lawns that characterize Tremont’s West 14th Street corridor as well as West Boulevard are also a mark of distinction for these places. Shaker Square’s unique physical layout, walkability, excellent transit access and sense of place have continued to be its strength. University Circle, with its university, museums, hospitals and park-like setting, is a prime activity generator for the entire region. Downtown Cleveland boasts a number of vibrant districts, such as Playhouse Square, North Coast Harbor, Gateway and the Warehouse District, that owe a large part of their identity (and attraction for consumers and, increasingly, residents) from their architecture or from arts and culture. Many other neighborhoods in the city of Cleveland possess similar assets on which they could capitalize. ## CHALLENGES Cleveland faces a number of challenges in the area of Arts & Culture that, creatively addressed, could help these neighborhoods realize their full potential: * **Public Unawareness of Cultural Opportunities:** Ninety percent of the respondents to a public survey conducted by the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture agreed that the area’s arts and cultural resources are a source of great pride—but more than 60% admitted they had not attended programs because they had not been aware of them. New ways must be found to capture the attention of today's busy, message-inundated city residents. * **Neighborhoods Lacking Art’s Stimulation and Affirmation:** Art, in the form of public art or architecture, or the creative configuration of public spaces, calls us to excellence, self-realization and worthy aspirations, and reminds us of the power of creativity to rise above our failures and pedestrian thinking. It binds people and communities together by creating shared experiences (as music, cultural festivals and sidewalk performances also can do) and common points of reference. It may honor a neighborhood’s heritage or awaken pride in its contributions, hold up role models for the young, or form part of an area’s distinctive identity—and appeal to prospective residents and new businesses. Integrating the arts more fully into the fabric and the day-to-day life of a community, in short, provides food for the spirit while creating more attractive places. * **Lack of Appreciation for What the Arts Provide:** As a result of diminished arts education, our schools are denying young people the chance to experience the stimulation and rich sense of self and of life’s possibilities the arts can provide, not to mention the opportunity to discover and hone what may be marketable talents. Perhaps even more disturbingly, this deprivation will result in an urban population that does not recognize the value, never mind the very real satisfactions, of the arts: a narrowing of our horizons that will ultimately take its toll on entrepreneurial creativity and vision, limiting Cleveland’s future—beginning with the continued viability of its cultural institutions. With the decrease in demand, and supporters, some of this city’s most powerful assets could be in jeopardy. In the balance are the thousands of jobs and the tax revenue these activities produce, as well as our ability to attract the kind of educated, fresh-thinking people who will generate jobs—and make Cleveland competitive—in the new knowledge-based global economy. <
> Early exposure to the arts supports the development of creative and innovative thinking. [Karamu Early Childhood Development Center] Arts and cultural education programs must be designed that expand and *broaden* the audience for the arts; this effort must be inclusive in character, finding creative ways to engage people of all ages, genders, ethnic background and economic status. Providing neighborhood residents with opportunities to experience the arts in a more familiar context could help demystify the cultural experience. The involvement of area companies must also be sought. Popular support—and the convinced backing of Cleveland’s business—are key to obtaining the funding necessary to restore and expand educational offerings in our schools and neighborhoods. * **Slow Market Growth:** A potential barrier to audience growth and support for arts and cultural institutions is the slowness of the city to increase its population. In most cities, it has been population growth, not an increase in public participation, which has resulted in higher attendance at cultural performances. * **Electronic Competition:** Traditional cultural venues are facing another challenge these days in the competition for the public’s limited leisure time and discretionary income—from the electronic media. Continual improvements in technology, including the quality, flexibility and interactive participation, of pre-produced entertainment are producing new entertainment options that are especially attractive to younger audiences. * **Inadequate Access:** Visitors complain of the difficulty of getting from one cultural venue to another, the stress of having to navigate unfamiliar streets, and the expense of multiple parking fees. A coordinated transportation system linking cultural amenities scattered throughout the area would be an important step in the right direction. Residents of some neighborhoods feel they lack equal access to these amenities because of geographical isolation or ticket prices well above their income, while members of some minority groups say their cultural interests or tastes are ignored or looked down on by arts programmers. * **Insufficient Resources:** Most local cultural institutions, scrambling just to stay in business in these challenging times, lack expertise much less the additional resources to adapt to changing circumstances. One way to help these groups function more efficiently while exploring ways and means of reaching a larger public is more collaborations and networking between arts and cultural organizations—and between cultural and non-artistic entities. A more businesslike approach to operations is also needed to ensure that what money is available is spent wisely. This will require the development of a strong pool of interested citizens combining practical skills with sensitivity to the special needs and goals of the arts who are willing to work as board-members and volunteers. * **Limited Public Funding:** There is limited local public funding support for cultural organizations. The decrease in federal funding for the arts has put more of the burden of support on state and local governments. Northeast Ohio lags behind other regions in per capita local and county support of arts and culture. Developing the consensus needed to establish comprehensive local funding will require broad-based leadership. The incorporation of more public art into public projects—along with having greater input from the arts community into the design of public capital improvements—would greatly improve the area's "sense of place", promote diverse neighborhoods, and preserve elements of each one's distinctive character and heritage that is in danger of being lost. # POLICIES & STRATEGIES The overarching goal is to **enrich the lives of Clevelanders and to strengthen economic vitality by establishing Cleveland as a world-class center for the arts.** The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Plan therefore puts forth a comprehensive set of Arts & Culture policies, each addressing a critical issue, along with strategies through which immediate steps can be taken toward their implementation/achievement: I) **Arts & the New Economy.** Support and market the arts as a magnet to attract creative and entrepreneurial individuals to the Cleveland region, thereby generating economic activity and jobs. a. Use the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture's report, "Northeast Ohio's Arts and Cultural Plan" as a guide for the arts communities participation in the Cleveland region's renewal and development agenda. b. Recruit more public and private sector leaders to serve in the arts and cultural sector and involve more arts leadership on civic boards. c. Develop print and electronic materials that will highlight the region's varied arts and cultural opportunities as recruitment tools. d. Conduct arts and cultural education trade shows that highlight arts efforts. e. Provide internships with artists and cultural organizations. f. Encourage the interaction of arts organizations with other disciplines such as engineering and marketing to integrate more art into product development. g. Develop creative and flexible ticket packages that give people the opportunity to attend a variety of arts and cultural experiences and lodging/ticket/meal packages to encourage extended stays. h. Maintain economic, consumer, education, tourism and social impact data to measure the success of programs and strategies and to identify new opportunities. 2) **Arts Districts.** Establish and market “arts districts” as an approach to revitalizing neighborhoods where galleries and other arts venues are concentrated. a. Identify those areas where the architectural quality of the buildings and the flexibility of the space for living, working and exhibiting lend themselves to the “arts district” model. b. Establish the City’s Live-Work District overlay zoning in those areas where the building stock is applicable and an arts district is desired. c. Offer financial incentives for art and cultural organizations or enterprises to locate or developers to invest in an art district. d. Leverage broadband and wireless communications networks as assets in the development of arts districts. e. Support the creation and preservation of inviting public spaces and common areas in the district that encourage people to congregate, interact and exchange ideas, f. Conduct “city walks” that connect residents to the district and highlight its history, architecture, natural environment and current activity. g. Encourage the location of retail, entertainment and services that complement an arts district. 3) **Catalysts.** Capitalize on the presence of theaters, museums and other major arts venues as catalysts for neighborhood and regional development. a. Develop stronger ties between art and cultural institutions and institutions of higher learning as part of the creation of “college towns” in the vicinity of colleges and universities. b. Encourage the creation of exterior exhibits, programs or physical improvements that bring the creativity of the venue out into its larger neighborhood. c. Design public capital improvements to reflect the presence of these major art and cultural institutions. 4) **Public Funding for the Arts.** Create local mechanisms for permanent and predictable public funding for a diversity of arts endeavors in the Cleveland region, supplementing private and other governmental funding sources. a. Create a comprehensive and accountable grants process. b. Create a low-interest loan program for the arts and cultural sector. c. Establish pooled benefits programs for arts and cultural organizations in order to reduce the costs of benefits for employees. d. Link sponsors to cultural education programs. e. Create professional development fellowships at major cultural organizations. f. Match business volunteer expertise to cultural organization needs. 5) **Public Art Programs.** Strengthen the City of Cleveland's new public art program and work with other governments, developers and corporations to incorporate public art as a standard component of development projects throughout the city. a. Assign an administrator within the City government as the arts and culture liaison. b. Establish a forum between the arts community, government and the private sector to discuss issues related to public art in the development process. c. Utilize the arts community to provide technical assistance on public arts projects. 6) **Neighborhood Place-Making.** Use public art to strengthen the "sense of place" and highlight the heritage and character of each Cleveland neighborhood. a. Support the development of fairs and festivals that highlight the history and culture of places around the City. b. Leverage resources and technical expertise available through the nationally designated Ohio & Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor. c. Coordinate and design public improvements along the routes designated as the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Scenic Byway and the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail National Scenic Byway to help tell the tale of those routes and to direct motorists to nearby venues. d. Involve the community in park design and ensure that community heritage is reflected in improvements. e. Include public art in streetscape improvements and road and bridge reconstruction projects. f. Improve access to and interpretation at local cemeteries as a connection to the heritage of the community. 7) **Live-Work Districts.** Create supportive environments for local artists by establishing live-work districts, where obsolete industrial buildings are transformed into residences and studios through the use of financial incentives and innovative zoning. a. Identify places throughout the city that may be suitable for use of the City's Live-Work Overlay District Zoning. b. Encourage businesses that complement the needs of local artists to locate in the vicinity of live-work districts. 8) **Accessibility.** Ensure that residents of all neighborhoods, income levels and ages have affordable access to the arts, including arts programming in the public schools. a. Encourage arts organizations to expand their outreach and publicity to the city's neighborhoods. b. Encourage partnerships among community groups, arts and cultural organizations and the City to pool resources and share expenses to reduce the cost of staging events. c. Develop print and electronic materials that will promote the value and diversity of arts and culture, highlight the region's varied arts and cultural opportunities, and provide a calendar of events. d. Expand and create portable arts and cultural programs. e. Expand arts and cultural programs in non-traditional venues such as parks, recreation centers, senior centers, community centers, hospitals, places of worship and shopping areas. f. Provide training for teachers to incorporate the arts into their lesson plans. g. Expand arts and cultural curriculum services to more schools and organize student arts and cultural clubs. h. Incorporate art into public capital improvements. i. Route public transit to arts and cultural events and facilities, and provide arts and cultural information in public transit vehicles. 9) **Cultural Diversity.** Ensure that the arts in Cleveland fully reflect and represent the cultural and demographic diversity of the Cleveland community. a. Bring disparate groups together for participation in cross-cultural events. b. Support exchange programs that help form partnerships with arts professionals and organizations abroad. c. Forge stronger ties with local ethnic and religious organizations to broaden the awareness and participation in their social events. d. Support the development of signature projects that promote the heritage of ethnic groups concentrated in certain locations in the city. Specific opportunities relating to arts and culture are identified in the Development Opportunities section of the Citywide Plan website. <
> Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # EDUCATION & COMMUNITY FACILITIES # EDUCATION & COMMUNITY SERVICES ## OVERVIEW It is a widely accepted fact, backed up by many studies, that education plays an enormously important role in the economic success (or failure) of an individual, a community, a city, indeed, of an entire region. A high school graduate will on average earn more in his or her lifetime than a high school dropout; a college graduate, twice as much as someone who has only finished high school; an individual with post-graduate education, even more. Indeed, with the coming of a knowledge- and information-based economy, this will be truer than ever before. What is not as widely realized is that the general *level* of education in a community, or region, or state affects *everybody's* prospects—for better, or for worse. It is a perfect example of how a rising tide lifts all boats, or conversely, of how a drastic lowering of the sea level can leave many boats—even the fastest, best-outfitted, most expertly steered ones—run aground and stranded on the reefs. The most innovative business ideas in the world are worthless without people with the skills to implement them. **Lifelong Learning Opportunities:** This includes not only children and young adults preparing to enter the work force (and the polling booth) but those already there who are eager to qualify for a better or more challenging opportunity. This, too, is how cities advance. <
> Programs such as Digital Vision are providing life long learning opportunities for all residents by closing the digital divide. In concept, training centers should be an ideal mechanism for providing residents with the opportunity to learn basic life skills. Unfortunately, the type of training and services provided at many centers here prepare participants only for jobs with minimal wages and minimal opportunities, in today's highly educated workforce. Basic skills are just that: *basic*. Most of these centers don't begin to offer the array of training and skills being taught in formal or private educational facilities such as Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University or John Carroll University. Until we find ways to give neighborhood residents access to the kind of training that will enable them to claim those jobs—or the skills to successfully launch and build a small business Cleveland will continue to experience high rates of poverty and low rates of educational and entrepreneurial achievement. Education opportunity is only half the key to progress; the other is *access*. **Figure 1** shows Digital Vision Technology Centers in Cleveland. These centers provide access to computers for individuals and communities lacking computer access or training. The provision of centers such as these offers the opportunities for lifelong learning and allows residents to maximize their potential. Figure 1 <
> **Revitalizing Public Education:** In the course of the 1990s, the city of Cleveland lost 16,000 married-couple households. Of course, it also welcomed some as new residents. But, this is the telling part, for every person the city gained, our suburban counterparts gained 40 (Source: *In Focus*, a Census 2000 profile published by the Brookings Institution). The principal reason given was married couples that might otherwise *have chosen Cleveland as home* because of other factors are faced with choosing their children over the amenities and unique advantages offered by city life. Their concern for the quality of their children’s education ranks first on the list of potential deal breakers. This statistic should be a call to action for local leadership. The time has come to face this reality and take genuinely helpful action—in the form of new policies that will *facilitate* counter actions against this damaging trend, with so much at stake. Among the key factors that must be imaginatively and definitively addressed, if Cleveland is to be able to retain and attract families (and businesses) to the city, are: the condition of school buildings, student-teacher ratios, classroom curriculum, extra-curricular programming, adequate funding, graduation rates and public perception of Cleveland’s public schools. *Failure to address these issues will lead to a further population decline in our city and its neighborhoods.* Leading the recent initiatives underway in Cleveland is The CMSD School Building Rehabilitation Plan, which is already being implemented with the renovation, replacement or consolidation of all 120 schools within the Cleveland Municipal School District. Many of these structures are indeed worth saving. Constructed in the early part of the 20th century, they were not only well constructed, with high quality materials and many elegant touches, but have architectural significant features or in some cases are associated with historical events that have made them important icons in their respective communities (see CMSD Historic Schools). For many neighborhood residents, these 49 historic schools embody their community's heritage and serve as a symbol of continuity, contributing to a sense of place. In a growing number of urban communities around the U.S., such structures have, in the course of renovation, become vibrant community resource centers used by adults and families after hours for a variety of purposes, to the great benefit of the community. Often, renovating and updating these structures, while preserving and restoring their distinctive features, is not only more cost effective than demolition and replacement, it actually creates more jobs. Besides the physical condition of Cleveland's public school buildings, two other key factors in the future of the city's schools that should command the focus—and equally decisive action—of local government, parents, teachers and our school board in the years ahead are the need for improvements in educational resources, and the social conditions that have such a negative impact on CMSD students. As mentioned briefly above, several elementary and middle schools in the District are now in the process of being consolidated to form K-8 schools. This approach will allow students at the vulnerable "middle school" age, who often experience emotional disorientation and anxiety at being pulled from a familiar context and suddenly thrown in with strangers from other neighborhoods, to continue in a more communal and supportive atmosphere like the one found in many small town schools throughout the country. The District's new K-8 program will also enable it to use limited resources more responsibly, which should positively impact future operating budgets. **Young Adults:** The city of Cleveland also has a large number of young adults of high school or college age (16-24) who are not even enrolled in school, or have some school but no professional degree, and are in fact unemployed. In short, there exists a serious disconnect between that <
> John Hay High School in University Circle is one of the district's historic schools that has been restored due to its architectural & historic significance <
> Louisa M Alcott K-8 school will house elementary, middle, & Junior High School students on one campus; a model typically seen in private institutions. substantial segment of the population and the enormous opportunities offered by our higher educational facilities. Although there are no short-term solutions to this huge problem, it is surely beyond disagreement that Cleveland residents desperately need better access to these educational resources. It is no secret that many high school graduates are woefully unprepared to take advantage of the opportunities offered at the college level; what is equally disturbing, however, is that many of the students who are qualified either can't afford to attend college or, once there, or even having made it as far as graduate school, are forced to drop out for financial reasons or because they are needed at home. Not only are individual hopes and dreams being frustrated, but these lives and talents, and what they could have contributed to the community, are being wasted. Year after year, a real chance to break the cycle of poverty and build the more highly educated work force needed to attract and keep new high-tech businesses and the dollars they will generate is being lost. # TRENDS *A hard look at the numbers and trends that define Cleveland's current situation with respect to the birth rate, educational attendance and attainment will give a clearer picture of the challenge before us, and may also suggest some areas of greatest vulnerability (or opportunity), where connections with appropriate community assets could be helpful:* * **Families with Children:** In 2000, when the federal census took its once-a-decade "snap shot" of Cleveland's demographics, 60% of Cleveland families had children under age 18 living at home. Worth noting is the fact that this percentage appeared to be growing at an even faster rate in the city than in Cuyahoga County as a whole. The implications of this trend are sobering, suggesting as they do that in future years (1) more public resources for primary and secondary education may be required, (2) area colleges and technical schools may need to increase their capacity, (3) more jobs may need to be created by the regional economy, and (4) the need for social services also may increase. * **Teen Births:** In one four-year period, from 1996 to 2000, the average number of births to underage or teen mothers (age 10 to 17) recorded in Cleveland was 24.4 for every 1,000 females in that age cohort—a rate double the county average. It is a documented fact that young women and girls who give birth during their school-age years frequently suffer, as a result, significant economic and social hardships—which tend to drastically limit their educational attainment and employability when these mothers reach adulthood, perpetuating the cycle of multi-generational poverty. * **School Enrollment:** At the same time, the census revealed, a smaller percentage of Cleveland's three-to-17-year-olds were enrolled in school (90.2%) than their counterparts county-wide (92.0%). The *percentage* of children enrolled in school is a key figure because it will impact the overall education level of the city's future workforce (and parents and voters). A low enrollment rate now means that fewer children are *receiving* even a basic education, which will severely limit their employability as adults (as well as their functioning in other important capacities vital to the community's future). * **Enrollment, Employment and Unemployment of 16-19 Year Olds:** Though it is lower than the county average, the percentage of 16-19 year olds living in the city that were either employed or enrolled in school climbed from 81.2% in 1990 to about 83.0% by the turn of the century. However, that means that 17% of the city's 16-19 year olds—an alarming 4,363 persons--were neither in school nor gainfully employed. This indicator is disturbing in another way as well, it as also measures the ability of our educational system to retain and train students, and of our business sector to provide employment for our graduates. Although improvements are being made in both places, 4,363 is still far too large a number for a community serious about being competitive—much less a good place to live—to accept. **Figure 2** <
> Figure 2 shows the geographic distribution by neighborhood (by percentage of each neighborhood's population falling into that age group) of 16-19 year olds who are neither currently enrolled in school nor are high school graduates. Seven of the neighborhoods within the city that had significant percentages of youths 16-19 who were neither enrolled in school nor high school graduates, on the other hand, are home to some of the largest youth populations in the city. Though the percentage of young people falling into this category in neighborhoods such as Central and Kinsman may be smaller, so are the hard numbers, due to the fact that these areas have lost much of their population; while in others, such as like Ohio City, Tremont and Jefferson, the larger percentage of youths not enrolled in school or holding diplomas is in some ways offset by the fact that these SPAs also claim a fair percentage of the city's educated population. * **Educational Attainment, Ages 25-34 BA:** Nationwide, the number of 25-to-34 year olds declined by 8.0% nationwide during the 1990s, primarily due to the aging of the baby boomer generation. In Cleveland, however, this particular cohort shrunk by twice that. At the same time, the share of adults holding college degrees grew only very slowly here, which, taken together with the shrinking size of the 25-34 cohort, contributed to a low level of residents with degrees. According to the 2000 census, Cleveland ranked 96th on the list of the 100 largest U.S. cities in college degree attainment, with only 11% of its population holding bachelor's or professional degrees. In contrast to the trend that prevails in other cities, however, Cleveland's low educational attainment rates are not just confined to one specific group. All of Cleveland's minority populations—blacks, economically disadvantaged whites, and Hispanics—appear to suffer from lower than average educational attainment. And "suffer" is the right word here. **Figure 3** <
> **Figure 3** shows the distribution by neighborhood of Cleveland residents holding college or professional degrees. Although the overall percentage is low at 11.4%, it's hard not to notice that, with the exception of Tremont and Ohio City, the neighborhoods with the highest percentages—Downtown, Edgewater, Kamm's Corners, University, North Collinwood and Buckeye-Shaker—all have something in common: They are all *edge neighborhoods*, communities that border either suburban areas or the waterfront. These neighborhoods also tend to have higher real estate values and amenities unmatched by other SPAs within the central city, thus tending to attract a larger share of highly educated residents. Arguably, Tremont and Ohio City, which also attract this segment of the population, lie along another waterfront, the Cuyahoga River Valley, with its dramatic vistas and views of downtown, which makes the high-lying neighborhoods of the near west side feel like cosmopolitan counterparts to the business center on the opposite bank. This pattern has led, historically, to a kind of "hopscotch" effect: As central city residents become more affluent, they tend to move in stages from the central core toward the city's edge, with every economic plateau they reach carrying them further out—and in the process confirming the axiom “more money, more space, more amenities.” Clevelanders, in other words, continue to associate success with suburban living. Another lesson here might be that new residential developments within the city that give more attention to things like “more space” and “more amenities” might begin to reverse that thinking, and that trend. * **High School Graduation Rates:** In 1998, the graduation rates for students in the Cleveland Municipal School District were the lowest among the region’s 103 public school districts. However, this figure has been steadily rising, from 33 percent in 1999 to 36 percent in 2001. Students who are unable to graduate from high school will find themselves at a severe disadvantage in the job market, not to mention ineligible for college or professional degree programs. But it must not be forgotten that high school graduation rates also impact the overall preparedness of Cleveland’s future work force, and thus interest or lack of interest on the part of companies considering whether to locate, or remain, here. In short, high school graduation rates affect *everybody’s*—the entire community’s—future prospects, and the economic development of the region. Many of the assets on which we hope to build, along with certain taken-for-granted amenities that impact the quality of life in Cleveland, could be in jeopardy, while the need for social services will increase. Each percentage point by which the graduation rate is increased is another building block of the city’s future competitiveness put in place. **Figure 4** <
> **Figure 4** illustrates the percent of individuals age 25 and over with at least a high school diploma. Downtown, Edgewater, Kamm’s Corners and Riverside have the largest percentages of high school graduates. * **Mothers in the Labor Force with Children Under Age Six:** Cleveland had a smaller proportion of mothers in the labor force with children under age six (61.9%) than the county as a whole in 2000. However, comparison with the previous census figures reveals that Education & Community Facilities - 7 Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Cleveland’s rate rose more steeply than the county as a whole since 1990, when only 48.1% of city mothers with children under six were working outside the home. This jump of nearly 14 percentage points in Cleveland was almost half again as high as the increase experienced by the suburbs during the same period. The highest figure was in the Lee-Miles SPA, where almost 81% were employed; the lowest, in the near west side’s Ohio City neighborhood, with 48.2%. *Source: Social Indicators 2003, Case Center for Poverty & Social Change* The Federation for Community Solutions provides information to help social service agencies make decisions. In 2003 it issued a social indicators report on childcare which can be accessed here. The report shows the availability of child day care by neighborhood. Neighborhoods such as Lee Harvard which have a high percentage of single working mothers require a great deal of day care options. For other reasons communities such as Central also have high childcare facility needs due to higher percentages of young mothers who are not in the workforce and are of school aged (teen mothers). The city must focus its attention and resources on working with faith-based intuitions to promote programs for teens and adults that teaches and reinforces family values and healthy relationships. The only way to deal with the systemic social problems that often force government to spend monetary and human resources to deal with them is a proactive strategy that includes dealing with the behaviors that lead to social decline. The faith-based community is a critical link to countering the negative social trends that lead to broken families and unwed mothers. The problem has been the lack of acknowledgment of the root problems that contribute to the social and moral decay of our communities. # ASSETS Cleveland’s educational infrastructure has several components, none of which can be left out of the equation. The revitalization of the city’s public schools justifiably commands the lion’s share of attention. But it must not be forgotten that Cleveland’s educational resources also comprise a large number of private schools, several colleges and universities, as well as community facilities and training centers. Let us look briefly at each of these community assets, since the work ahead will involve not only taking the necessary steps to maximize the effectiveness of each, but to explore and build useful connections between these entities, and to find ways of creating greater access by the surrounding communities to these valuable programs and facilities. ## PUBLIC SCHOOLS * The Cleveland Municipal School District (CMSD), which operates 121 schools, has the responsibility, at any one time, for about 72,000 of the city’s future employers, employees, managers, voters and parents. Its work is, quite appropriately, the business of the City and all of its residents, since it is driven by tax dollars and must therefore answer to the mayor and the citizens. Among the dramatic innovations introduced since 1998, when voters <
> CMSD Administration Building located in downtown Cleveland is the headquarters of the Cleveland Public Schools gave Cleveland’s mayor control of the public schools is a strong focus on the connection between education and a student’s eventual livelihood. Six “Career Clusters” have been identified—Arts & Communication, Business & Management, Environmental & Agricultural Systems, Health Services, Human Resources, and Industrial & Engineering Systems; an extensive list of jobs possible in each area have been identified along with the level of education required for each (high school diploma, two-year college or technical school, four-year college and beyond); and help in offering students to identify how their talents and interests correspond. (e.g., “able to dissect smaller pieces from the big picture,” “work with critical details” -Industrial & Engineering Systems or “work physically close to people,” “respond quickly and clearly in emergencies,” “have strong memorization and problem-solving skills” - Health Services Career ) “Career Pathways” for each cluster are laid out in detail, with additional information about what high school courses and subsequent education or special training a student interested in a particular career will need to pursue. The CMSD Web site even provides an Individual Career Planning Guide, with spaces to be filled in, that charts the course—all part of a new effort to get high school students to think about the future they want for themselves and how what they do now will open those doors one by one. A number of schools, some beginning with kindergarten, have developed specialties in particular subject areas such as science (3), foreign languages/international studies (1) or computer technology (5) –nine areas in all—while several others offer special teaching approaches (Montessori, Accelerated Learning, Year-round Classes). Several schools have dress codes. Several offer Enrichment Center programs before and after regular hours. Proficiency-test scores have improved dramatically. In the critical subjects of math and reading—the keys to so many well-paying careers—the scores of Cleveland’s fourth-and sixth-graders have improved *more than twice as fast* as the statewide averages—increasing by an average of more than 160% between 1998 and 2003—and leaving Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Toledo and the rest of Ohio’s major urban centers behind. Cleveland’s public school graduation rate has gone from 28% to 50.2%, and CMSD now offers a number of Continuing Education programs for adults. Though the system, admittedly, still has a long way to go, these certainly constitute hopeful signs, and new strengths that can be built upon if the funds can be found. ### PRIVATE SCHOOLS * Cleveland’s private or parochial schools have long operated on the K-8 model, and many have fine track records. But private education is not an economically viable option for most of the city’s residents, with tuition costs continuing to increase on an annual basis. Indeed, recent years have seen the closing and/or consolidation of several of these “college preparatory” schools. The city of Cleveland is home to three prepschools for boys: Cleveland Benedictine, and St. Ignatius, and one co-ed high school, Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School, formed by the <
> Benedictine High School is one of three all male high schools within the City of Cleveland serving young men from all over the region merger in the early 90’s of exclusively male St. Joseph High School, and Villa Angela Academy, a high school for girls. The latter, along with the now closed Erieview Catholic, were the longest standing all-female schools in Cleveland. The only options for girls and families able to afford this type of education now exist only in nearby suburbs. Meanwhile, the challenges being faced by public education and the high cost of traditional private institutions, have led to innovative (if controversial) experiments in alternative forms of education throughout the country, and locally, that include magnet schools, charter schools, home schooling, and technical schools, of which Cleveland has its share. ## COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES * Few people, asked to guess the number of colleges and universities make Greater Cleveland their home, would guess 22. But that is how many there are, with a combined student population of 143,000. And if you took an expanding compass like the one you used in high school geometry, and stuck the metal end in a map of northeast Ohio at a point just a little further south and east around, say, Akron, and scored a circle with a 50-mile radius, that circle would encompass an even larger number—32 to be precise. *No other region* in the country, outside of New York, can boast so many institutions of higher learning. With such a multitude of educational opportunities right here, this area could <
> CWRU is a major anchor of University Circle providing degrees and course of study in numerous fields including engineering, law, medicine, businesses, arts and social sciences. be way ahead of many other parts of the country in earning-power and the generation of new jobs. As a perusal of their respective Web sites attests, **Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, John Carroll University, Ursuline College, Baldwin-Wallace College and Cuyahoga Community College** offer unique programs and partnerships that prepare students for work in business and industry and the leading professions as well as in exciting new fields; and, less than an hour’s drive away, other distinguished institutions such as **Oberlin College, Kent State University, the University of Akron, Hiram College, Lorain County and Lakeland Community Colleges**, and the **College of Wooster** offer outstanding opportunities and innovative curricula. Seeing our colleges and universities as *community* assets and resources means finding ways to *utilize* them to create a competitive advantage for the residents of the surrounding neighborhoods. It also means spinning off new research and discoveries into new companies and jobs. Unless we can find ways, working with these institutions and other entities here, to give neighborhood residents real access to opportunity at the front end, there will be nobody to take advantage of the opportunities being generated by our universities at the other end. And the great new ideas will, as in the past, have to be taken elsewhere to find the people to turn them into money. # OTHER RESOURCES Some other programs or institutions that constitute important educational resources for Cleveland residents include: * The Cleveland Public Library (“The People’s University”), with 28 branches and extensive 24-hour on-line services. The main library has 30 miles of bookshelves and 10 million catalogued items and is equipped with the latest electronic resources. Among the first major public libraries in the country to offer 24-hour dial-up access to its online catalogue and various electronic databases, in 1991 the Library was again a national leader by making Internet databases available to the public. * The Cuyahoga County Early Childhood Initiative, a county-wide collaboration of public, private, and non-profit groups launched in 1999, that seeks to eliminate service gaps and barriers to opportunity for children from birth to age five by improving service coordination and interagency communication. Focusing on effective parenting, child care and child health, this program has, through home visits by a professional nurse to every new or teen mother, identified more than 4,000 children with developmental delays and disabilities and linked them and their families to early intervention services. * City Year Cleveland, a member of AmeriCorps, recruits young people of all backgrounds, ages 17-24, for a demanding year of community service and leadership development in 16 U.S. communities and Johannesburg, South Africa. (City Year Louisiana, 50 members strong, will be helping to rebuild an area devastated by Hurricane Katrina and serving the needs of displaced children and families.) One of those cities is Cleveland, where City Year volunteers staff tutoring programs and other services geared to strengthen literacy and improve the academic performance of children in the Cleveland Municipal School District. * E City Cleveland, founded in 2002 by John Zitner (former president and CEO of a successful Cleveland-based software firm acquired by Xerox Corporation in 1998) in collaboration with the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, offers city youths from low-income families an innovative educational program that uses their street smarts, tough minded survival instincts and creativity to help them build the academic, life, technology and business skills they will need to become economically productive members of society. At its Entrepreneurship Preparatory School—which combines a rigorous academic program with a strict disciplinary policy—students, teachers, families and staff maintain a close community through meals, meetings, performances, classes and community service. * Cleveland Job Corps and One-Stop System offers job placement assistance and workforce development services to job seekers and businesses. * The Urban Community School, a non-graded, multicultural school with two campuses founded in 1968 serves the at-risk children of Cleveland’s west side through junior high school. More than 91% of UCS graduates go on to college. * The Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, an internationally recognized center that trains organizational consultants, psychologists, social workers, teachers, health care providers, and individuals who work with families, children or adolescents in a cutting-edge, integrative approach to facilitating real change and growth. * **WVIZ /PBS-90.3 WCPN ideastream** and its new **Idea Center** on Playhouse Square, where glass-windowed hallways let school children and others watch shows being produced and edited. WVIZ/PBS ideastream’s Educational Services (ranked the best in Ohio) include helping teachers to teach, and students to learn, with technology-based tools; running workshops that help parents and childcare professionals build effective learning environments for children using public television and other media; providing innovative multiple-media products, interactive video distance learning, and professional development courses online and in workshop settings; and, in partnership with various colleges and universities, college credits. WCPN, northeast Ohio’s NPR station, has won the Society of Professional Journalists’ award for Best News Room Operation several times during the past decade. * An array of museums and cultural institutions, a number of which operate special outreach or on-site programs for school-age youth. These include two indisputably world-class treasures—the **Cleveland Orchestra** and **Cleveland Museum of Art**—and such nationally recognized cultural venues as the **Cleveland Play House**, **Great Lakes Theater Festival**, **Cleveland Opera**, **Cleveland Music School Settlement**, **Cleveland Botanical Garden**, **Cleveland Museum of Natural History**, **Karamu**, **Western Reserve Historical Society**, **Crawford Auto & Aviation Museum**, **Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)**, **Playhouse Square Center**, **Rainy Institute**, the **Children’s Museum of Cleveland** and **Cleveland Metroparks Zoo**. ## COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE Besides such nationally ranked facilities as the **Cleveland Clinic**, **University Hospitals of Cleveland**, and **MetroHealth Medical Center**, Cleveland has a number of neighborhood-based facilities that include: * **Northeast Ohio Neighborhood Health Services Inc. (NEON)**, with facilities in Hough and Collinwood, provides underserved and low-income women with access to a comprehensive array of health care services, including pediatrics, adult medicine, family medicine, geriatric medicine, OB/GYN, family planning, mammography, ultrasound, dentistry, optometry, podiatry and dermatology, along with nutritional, social work, health education and outreach services. * **Otis Moss Jr. University Hospitals Medical Center**, established in 1997 by Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in conjunction with University Hospitals of Cleveland, provides high quality patient care in a spiritually supportive environment. Offering a wide range of primary and specialty care medical services, including pain management, OB/GYN, pediatrics and rheumatology, features an on-site laboratory. <
> NEON (Northeast Ohio Neighborhood Health Services) East 123[^rd] & Superior Avenue in Forest Hills * **MetroHealth Buckeye Health Center** As part of an effort to provide neighborhood level medical care to residents in Cleveland Metro Health developed neighborhood health centers throughout neighborhoods citywide. The Buckeye Medical Center completed in 2003 provides multi-specialty services for residents living in the neighborhood. Its programs are built through partnerships with the communities served, and with other development organizations and health providers. * The Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland (founded in 1970), one of the few such facilities in the nation to have survived, provides a wide range of services to the working poor at no charge. <
> The Otis Moss Jr. University Hospitals medical Center in Fairfax provides high quality patient care in a spiritually supportive environment Other community-based health care resources in Cleveland are listed by neighborhood in the individual district chapters. # CHALLENGES *The challenges facing Cleveland in the area of Education can be summarized as follows:* * **Deteriorating School Buildings:** Learning is hard enough; but many students must also deal with the daily distraction of a deteriorated setting, windows leaking cold drafts, too little or too much heat, poor lighting or acoustics, outdated facilities, or the threat of collapsing roofs and ceilings. Not to mention the demoralizing message such things send. * **Still Too Many High School Dropouts:** With nearly 4,500 (or 17%) of the city's 16-19 year- olds neither currently enrolled in school nor gainfully employed, Cleveland's future competitiveness is by that much diminished, and social problems guaranteed, especially in neighbors where the percentage of young people who have removed themselves from the proven path of opportunity is high. * **Few College or Professional Degrees:** With only 11% of Cleveland's population holding bachelors or professional degrees, putting it 96th on the list of the 100 largest U.S. cities, it will be difficult to attract and hold new high-tech industries and well-paying jobs. * **Alienated or Intimidated Parents:** Many city residents who are now parents of school-age children themselves do not know how to help their children have a successful experience in school, or are uncomfortable entering the school building or engaging staff, because they themselves had a bad experience in school. * **Lack of Community Support for the Educational Process:** Some communities do not seem to really grasp the implications of their children's success or failure in school for their future employability and success in life, or for the future competitiveness of the city or their own neighborhood. Rejection of recent school levies has forced the lay-off of hundreds of teachers, jeopardizing hard won gains. Extensive research has shown that hiring highly- qualified teachers, and lowering the teacher-student ratio, are key to success. * **Charter schools draining desperately needed funds:** According to *The Plain Dealer*, Cleveland’s charter schools, which are privately-run but tax-funded, “have sucked $150 million from the school district’s operating funds in the last seven years—and are expected to draw off another $324 million over the next four.” * **Births to Underage or Teen Mothers:** The failure of communities to seriously address the anxieties, unmet needs and self-destructive acting out of their adolescent members results in the removal of a growing segment of our youth from the path to opportunity, deprives the community of the educated workforce it will need to be competitive and prosperous in tomorrow’s marketplace, and multiplies the social problems that soak up precious resources. * **Many Adults with Unmarketable Skills:** Adult residents, or school dropouts, who find themselves with insufficient or outdated skills have inadequate resources to which to turn for the education or specialized training that would qualify them for well-paying jobs with high-tech and other emerging industries. * **Real or Perceived Lack of Access to Educational Opportunities Beyond High School:** Many public high school students have a real or perceived lack of access to area opportunities for higher education, and sometimes the resources to take advantage of, or fully realize, those opportunities. Some are intimidated by the whole idea of attending a university; for others, college is simply not a reality they can associate with their own lives. * **Little Exposure to the “Work Culture”:** For many school-age children, especially those with few role models and thus little first- or even second-hand experience of the “world of work,” the skills they are being taught in school have little connection in their minds with their own ability to succeed in life and have the things they want; career goals tend to be fantasy-fueled (rock star, TV actress, the next Lebron James) or inchoate. No mystery that clothes and having fun seem far more real. * **Lack of Child Care:** With more mothers with children under the age of six (that is, too young to attend school) forced to seek employment, there is a crucial—and growing—shortage of adequate child care, for which society, and individual communities, will eventually pay a bitter price. * **Education:** How well we “do Education” will directly affect life here in several areas: * **Competitiveness:** The level of education attained by the city’s workforce will, quite simply, be a crucial determiner (or limiter) of Cleveland’s (and the region’s) ability to compete in the global marketplace. In order to attract, and hold, new high-tech and emerging industries, the city must provide a workforce with the skills and level of sophistication required by these enterprises. * **Quality of Life:** The ability to qualify for and hold a well-paying job is also key, of course, to the quality of life enjoyed by individuals and families. The level of education attained by residents will therefore determine (or limit) the level of prosperity and opportunity not only of the individual involved but of those other family members who are dependent on that individual’s earning power, well beyond the year 2020. Nor can the needs of residents who are beyond their formal schooling years be neglected: The fight for quality of life, competitiveness, jobs with new high-tech industries, the ability of Cleveland residents to move up to more challenging (and better-paying) positions, begins with today’s adults. * Community Health & Stability: Undereducated adults are not only likely to contribute significantly less to the economic base that allows a community to provide the amenities and essential services that make urban life (and neighborhoods) vibrant, and attractive to new residents and businesses, they are more likely to require additional social services. High school graduates are twice as likely to smoke, much less likely to exercise, almost twice as likely to get divorced, as college-educated individuals, and more likely to be unemployed, trapped in low-paying jobs, or inadequately insured. Poor health, bad habits that destroy both individuals’ lives and families, crime, and neglect of property can be some of the consequences of inadequate income and unrealized potential. And all of them exact a cost that must be borne by the community, further depleting resources that could have been spent on other things. College graduates, on the other hand, are nearly twice as likely to vote, more than twice as likely to volunteer their time, and much more likely to give blood. The point is that education is vitally connected to almost everything else. (Source: The New York Times) * Needed - An Integrated Strategy: This is why the theme of connectivity is so critical to our efforts to revitalize the city’s Education picture. Just as other sectors—from local employers and to merchants and sports franchises—will be impacted by the success or failure of these efforts, so can they all do things that will help to make the difference. Health care providers, recreational and fitness facilities, universities and community colleges, churches, social service agencies and neighborhood centers, cultural institutions, our school buildings themselves all have important roles to play in the development of the healthy, thoughtful, well educated citizens—parents, voters, entrepreneurs, employees, managers, teachers, civic leaders and care givers—we will need to carry on the life of this community in the years ahead. If Cleveland is to be truly competitive in the period ahead, each of these challenges must be addressed, as well as the opportunities that present themselves at the present time or loom in the near future—for it is in terms of the city’s future that we must all be thinking. ## POLICIES & STRATEGIES The goal of Cleveland’s efforts in the area of Education & Community Services is to **connect communities and their institutions in a manner that nurtures the physical, mental and spiritual life of all residents.** The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Plan *therefore* sets forth a comprehensive set of policies for Education & Community Services that address key issues, along with strategies through which we might take immediate steps toward their implementation. It is imperative, given the seriousness of the situation and the implications of educational attainment for Cleveland’s future economic development, that interested entities work together under a coordinated plan. **I) Schools as Community Resources.** Utilize schools as centers for community education, open in the evenings and weekends for use by students as well as other neighborhood residents. a. Insure that school buildings are open to the community, wherever that is feasible, to supplement deficiencies in neighborhood recreation opportunities and educational opportunities for non-school-age individuals. b. Initiate programs that utilize school buildings to house new educational initiatives targeted to community residents. 2) **School Design.** Ensure that schools are designed and sited so as to facilitate excellence in education and connections to the surrounding community. Besides providing better learning (and teaching) environments for students and teachers, making a dramatic and highly visible investment in a neighborhood’s school building has been shown to strengthen the connection between a community and the institutions that exist to serve it, encouraging active, mutually beneficial relationships, as well as other investments in the physical condition of the neighborhood. The new or renovated buildings should fit the character, the needs, and the aspirations of their respective communities. Many may not immediately see the link between physical and social development. But social conditions should dictate how and where we develop our structures (including schools), the design of those facilities, and how limited land resources will be used. All structures should address the physical, social, and economic well being of the people occupying them. Thus, with social indicators as a guide, physical development can be used to help counter negative social trends and address community needs. The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* espouses the principle that physical development should not be driven solely by profit considerations, but also by *the needs of local communities*. Assessing these needs will help us identify opportunities to develop communities that are *sustainable*—that is, where all the parts work together with a minimum waste of energy and resources to support the larger goals of that community. A neighborhood school presents such an opportunity. a. Implement the CMSD Physical Redevelopment Plan, insuring that the best possible design quality is achieved on all buildings—with the needs and goals of the local community in mind—preserving, where that proves appropriate and cost-efficient, buildings of historic character or significance. b. Identify key opportunities where school buildings can be integrated into natural aspects of the neighborhood such as parks, greenspaces or trails. 3) **Educational Partnerships.** Encourage businesses, institutions, universities and faith-based organizations to partner with local schools in offering diverse education and training opportunities for students and adults. a. Encourage Cleveland’s business community to take a larger share of responsibility for the education of our future worker/citizens through corporate sponsorships of individual schools and the formation of a corporate, industrial and service sector business organization devoted to constructive and imaginative interaction with school-age children. b. Encourage the business community to develop more innovative and sustained relationships with the City’s public schools aimed at creating meaningful continuity and connections between students’ educational experience and their future opportunities. c. Encourage local faith-based institutions to work with schools, particularly in providing counseling at the high school level on teen and adolescent issues such as pre-marital sex, drug use, and alcohol abuse—not merely saying that these things are wrong, or pointing out the potential consequences for their lives and the lives of other innocent people, but helping them see these things as choices that may well close certain important doors, and shut them out of certain opportunities, forever. d. Link corporations, small businesses, churches, hospitals and other agencies to City schools in a host of creative initiatives including mentoring, job shadowing, internships, and site visits to real work places to see first hand what is involved in doing certain jobs, holding a job and working as part of a team on a daily basis. e. Encourage the active participation of the academic community, the church community, and the health & wellness community in the work of neighborhood revitalization. As critical components and examples of the way a community functions and develops, they have much to contribute to the education of tomorrow’s worker/citizens. f. Utilize our universities and other higher educational resources to continue attracting talented students from abroad, building on the notion that “Education is the doorway to immigration.” g. Ask local groups of alumni from major universities and historically black colleges across the country to create or sponsor opportunities for students currently attending their alma-maters to visit Cleveland, have a work experience here, or interview with local firms, agencies or government offices. h. Link our challenged schools to these world-class institutions by encouraging the latter to give graduate students academic credit for time spent working in the Cleveland Municipal School District. i. Create special arrangements that allow qualified Cleveland high school students to take certain classes at local colleges or universities, thus enabling them to become less intimidated by the idea of college life and more excited about the real opportunities for personal advancement and discovery that exist for them right here in northeast Ohio. j. Work with the Knowledge Works Foundation, the State of Ohio’s largest education philanthropy, which is currently developing innovative programs to improve college access and readiness among graduating high school seniors and identifying ways to make higher education more accessible to low-wage workers. The foundation’s Ohio Bridges to Opportunity Initiative is seeking to change workforce and education policy and practice so that more low-wage working adults can earn post-secondary credentials and the skills necessary to succeed in a knowledge-based economy. 4) **Equitable Funding for Schools.** Bring about a statewide system of school funding that responds to the needs of students rather than to the wealth of communities. a. Advocate and work with elected officials, business and other influential leaders in Cleveland, Columbus and around the state, as well as with the electorate, to establish such a system 5) **Education Options.** Provide Cleveland residents, including teens that are neither enrolled in school nor employed, with education options that include traditional schools, magnet schools, training centers, vocational schools, along with public and private institutions. a. Encourage and facilitate such alternative opportunities as: * Business education or training initiatives led by local businesses or foundations * Workforce development * Specialized training * Vocational education * Entrepreneurship or business training opportunities for individuals with resources but insufficient preparatory education * Restructuring of training and educational programs to focus on business and entrepreneurial education b. Create neighborhood educational campuses to promote lifetime learning and provide educational opportunities for adult residents that bring together various educational and training resources in a single accessible location (e.g., Kroc Center). Bringing classrooms to our communities is a critical piece of community and economic development. Education does not have to have stopped after high school for many of our residents. Lifetime learning should be an option for all neighborhood residents. Learning computer and other new skills, training for specific kinds of jobs, learning about community building, or even just expanding one's horizons or life-coping skills all have the potential to change the lives and prospects of residents—and in the process put Cleveland in a more competitive position, which benefits all of us. The City (and residents) of Cleveland must begin to think of education as a long-term capital investment, like bridge repair or a new roadway, that can create economic benefits in both the short and long term. The City of Cleveland should therefore promote and, as many cities are now doing, provide places within neighborhoods for this type of activity. Large vacant or abandoned areas such as the 40-acre Coit Road site in South Collinwood, along its border with the city's Forest Hills community, provide a perfect opportunity for a pilot project. These two neighborhoods have the lowest graduation rates in the city, and unemployment and crime rates that are among the highest in the city. By offering a combination on one campus of education, healthy recreation and job training, a site such as Coit Road could have a major impact on the social and economic condition of this community. It would be, in effect, a haven where the "people element" of community revitalization could be fostered and developed. Not developing the human component will, as we already know, in the long run cost even more. 6) **Coordinated Neighborhood Services.** Facilitate cooperation between local service providers and community organizations to work at the neighborhood level to address the comprehensive needs of residents for education, training, health care, and social services. a. Fund and facilitate community organizing around key issues as part of the work of local CDCs. Local development corporations (CDCs) are a key link between the people in a neighborhood and the institutions, agencies and public officials that serve them. The city's CDC infrastructure, already in place, could therefore serve as a practical way of connecting communities to pertinent entities through the conversion of selected CDCs into social, as opposed to physical, development entities. Redevelopment in every city neighborhood should be done in a fashion that is conducive to the physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing—and life progress—of its residents. Organizing people around key community goals and circumstances that affect them is thus the first step in improving the quality of life in a neighborhood. b. Encourage community development organizations to begin to look beyond their traditional scope (housing, retail, industrial, and greenspace development) to larger goals and considerations such as access to health care and job training, or the infusion of technology to facilitate personal development; refocus the mission of CDCs that aren’t achieving their physical development objectives to allow more grassroots level interaction with residents and other agencies who deal with social development issues. c. Provide accessible, affordable, and high-quality childcare to families residing in the city who need it. Make childcare centers an integrated part of educational campuses and community centers at targeted locations, wherever feasible. 7) **Personal Development.** Create locally based programs that foster personal development and ethics as the foundation for strengthening the social fabric of communities and ensuring a better quality of life for residents. “Family and individual progress do not take place in a vacuum; they are linked to community progress. All social enterprises—from common security to economic development—are built on relationships of trust and mutual dependence. Given a chance to function properly, families and communities support and sustain one another’s best efforts and aspirations.” (Source: *The Cleveland Community-Building Initiative: Four Neighborhoods Begin to Address the Conditions that Maintain Poverty*, Dennis J. Dooley, 1997) a. Protect public investment in neighborhoods by creating programs that utilize existing educational and faith-based facilities to teach and foster community-building principles and strategies. Millions of dollars have already been and will be invested in Cleveland communities. These investments must be maintained and protected if communities are to move forward and build on what is there. In particular, community facilities, such as schools, which provide a number of important services in our neighborhoods that impact the quality of life, need a great deal of attention. Because they are no one’s personal property, individuals may feel no personal responsibility for their physical condition. If these investments in the community’s future are to be protected, “Nobody’s buildings” must become “Our buildings.” Therefore, programs and services that promote a strong sense of community and social ethics become essential components of neighborhood progress. Not only can they help stem the kind of socially unacceptable behavior that leads to the breakdown of the community (and spare the City the cost of constantly policing such behavior), but such “community-building” activities can actually help create the kind of grassroots support and spirit of cooperation that makes it possible for a neighborhood to realize and sustain its vision. This Plan has embraced the idea that neighborhood redevelopment should begin with the people who live there: they need to see themselves as the reason, indeed as the collateral, for reinvestment. “Community building” means helping individual residents begin to see their stake in the common good and their part in achieving it, with the result that personal ethics become linked with social ethics and behavior: “I don’t destroy school buildings and other investments in our community because me and my family are some of the people whose future these things will impact.” b. Include residents in the planning process to insure that new or renovated facilities will be seen as addressing, and do in fact address, the community’s own sense of its identity and aspirations. The quality, design, and location of these facilities are just as important as the services they provide. Part of the key to achieving what we like to call “a superior quality of life” for our neighborhood is taking the time upfront to determine how these facilities and services fit into the fabric of our neighborhood, both aesthetically and socially. The local community must be included in that discussion. People who have facilities and services forced upon them, or imposed as it were from above, with all the important choices and decisions already made, rarely tend to feel the same sense of ownership or stake in the success of these enterprises as people who have had a hand in shaping them. "Community building," writes the respected authority Lisbeth Schorr in *Common Purpose: Strengthening Families and Neighborhoods to Rebuild America* (1977), is about "a process of change grounded in local life and priorities. . . .based on the belief that inner-city residents and institutions can and must be primary actors in efforts to solve the problems of their neighborhoods." (See also "Countering Urban Disinvestment through Community-Building Initiatives," by Arthur J. Naparstek and Dennis J. Dooley, in the journal *Social Work*, Sept. 1997; reprinted in *Community Building: Renewal, Well-Being, and Shared Responsibility*, ed. Patricia L. Ewalt et al., NASW Press, Washington, D.C., 1998.) c. Facilitate the purchase, renovation and conversion of older, disused structures into neighborhood facilities such as recreation, cultural arts or family resource centers offering other opportunities and resources to help foster individual, family or community progress. d. Work with neighborhood schools, libraries and other existing community facilities to provide residents with access to additional services and opportunities for growth of a type not currently available to them, such as guided discussions with practice on subjects like parenting or handling stress, help with job searches, resume preparation, mock job interviews with helpful critiques, or life coaching sessions by experienced individuals willing to volunteer their insights and know-how—any of which could be tied to available reading materials, thus introducing people to another resource and reinforcing their tendency to think of these facilities as resources. **8) Community Libraries.** Support full-service libraries as centers for lifelong learning and intergenerational learning in each of Cleveland’s neighborhoods. Over the past decade, several Cleveland neighborhoods have acquired access to an extraordinary resource in the form of new computer-equipped libraries, such as the Memorial-Nottingham Branch (North Collinwood) and the Langston Hughes Branch (Glenville) of the Cleveland Public Library. For residents without their own computers, these new information centers constitute a tremendous resource, providing not only access to reading material anywhere in the CleveNet Library System but a connection to the rest of the world. But even such state-of-the-art libraries do not fully remedy the problem of lack of access to all of the resources needed by the residents of city neighborhoods. To help them realize their full potential, we must create a healthy and supportive setting in which people can grow and make Cleveland more competitive; other new and existing neighborhood library facilities must be also be developed. **9) Community Health Care.** Ensure that medical offices are located so as to supplement full-scale hospitals in serving residents of all Cleveland neighborhoods. a. Reinforce community health care needs through partnerships with faith-based institutions and hospitals to create more neighborhood health care facilities in close proximity to seniors and residents who lack adequate medical insurance. (For existing examples of such facilities, see Assets section above.) **10. Capital Improvements.** Coordinate capital improvements planning between the City and the School District to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of those expenditures. Specific opportunities relating to Education are identified in the Development Opportunities section and within each of the planning district narratives. # APPENDICES ## EDUCATIONAL CAMPUSES An *educational campus* is a cluster of connected buildings that offers the larger community a variety of developmental activities by bringing together many community services such as health care, education, training, workforce development, and business services with opportunities for recreation and spiritual development on one site. When combined on one site, the environment created is a campus-like setting for social development in challenged communities. The combination of social service, educational, and recreational buildings creates an opportunity for lifelong alternatives for youth, seniors, and all segments of the community. An investment in such a campus is an investment in human capital, which ultimately results in more productive residents. An educational campus, in short, can: * Serve as an incubator for developing people. * Eliminate the redundancies in community service. * Provide education, recreation, training, and spiritual development. * Offer more than just academic education. * Generate more federal and state dollars for our neighborhoods. * Become an educational & training center for all of the residents of the neighborhood. Creating an educational campus requires: * A large tract of land in a neighborhood. * Forming partnerships with various entities agencies and organizations. * Combining the services of many agencies on one campus. ## COMMUNITY CENTERS The term *community center* refers to a facility that provides opportunities for social interaction through community activities, recreation, community events, education or training (sometimes including Internet-based courses) or other programs, as well as meeting spaces. Community centers may be operated by a paid staff and are proactively determine community needs. They try to be innovative in helping to meet those needs, and a benefit to all groups in the community. They are non-competitive and strive to complement other resources in the community. Though community centers and educational campuses are somewhat similar in concept, the latter require much more space. A community center typically consists of a single building or, in some cases, a series of connected buildings offering a variety of social activities. Generally, a community center is one component of an *integrated network* of services. It should be inclusive and easily accessible, and encourage active involvement by neighborhoods residents. <
> To learn more about community school centers & educational campuses from around the country, go to the Coalition for Community Schools website. ### LINKING UNIVERSITY & COMMUNITY: A CASE STUDY The neighborhoods surrounding the University of Southern California’s University Park and Health Sciences campuses are among the most culturally vibrant and historically significant in the city of Los Angeles. The University Park area, downtown Los Angeles, and the arts & education corridor that connects them are home to an array of outstanding museums, galleries, theaters, sport venues, gardens, libraries, churches and colleges; while the Health Sciences campus and its surrounding neighborhoods are rich with historical landmarks, architectural treasures, public parks, and arts centers. This unique mix of education and entertainment opportunities, art and culture, past and future—all sitting within a few city miles—draws millions of visitors from all over the world each year. But what makes this exciting cultural and educational destination even more interesting is that it is also a residential neighborhood. Here, living side by side, are not only students, faculty and other professionals, but working people of all types and backgrounds—as culturally diverse a community as you could ask for: a living laboratory of community collaboration that has become an exciting model for urban revitalization. Residents regularly team up with university volunteers to create safe streets and fine schools, making the area, in short, a good place to raise children. The university, for its part, is committed to using its expertise and influence in government and business circles to address the needs of the people who live, work, study and worship in the neighborhoods surrounding its University Park and Health Sciences campuses, targeting such things as safety issues and educational, cultural and economic opportunities. By forming respectful partnerships and real collaborations with its neighbors that link university and community resources, USC has played a vital (and much appreciated) part in significantly enhancing the quality of life of its neighbors. This is an example of community building in the best sense: It (1) builds on assets, (2) involves residents in setting goals and shaping strategies to achieve them, (3) targets an area of manageable size with which the residents identify, (4) crafts a neighborhood-specific strategy, (5) brings maximum expertise and resources to solving problems by forging creative partnerships and program linkages, (6) is holistic and integrative in character—acknowledging the interlocking nature of a community's problems, and (7) structures each initiative in a manner that reinforces community values and builds social and human capital. (See Arthur J. Naparstek and Dennis J. Dooley, *Community Building in Public Housing: Ties that Bind People and Their Communities*, Foreword by Andrew Cuomo, The Urban Institute, Washington, D.C., 1997.) For more details, see the University of Southern California's Web site: http://www.usc.edu/ <
> Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # TRANSPORTATION & TRANSIT # TRANSPORTATION & TRANSIT ## OVERVIEW Like many cities that developed in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Cleveland grew because of its proximity to good transportation routes: in Cleveland’s case, its location at the conjunction of two navigable waterways, Lake Erie and the Ohio & Erie Canal. The construction of a number of railroad lines in the mid-1800s accelerated Cleveland’s growth. Without these transportation routes, neither raw materials nor prospective new residents could easily have reached Cleveland from outside the region, nor could things produced in the Cleveland area have been shipped to remote markets. As the city expanded in area, economic activity, and population, its transportation infrastructure was under pressure to keep pace. As a result, much of the infrastructure that remains in place today was built between the late-1800s and the mid-1900s. During that period, industrial and commercial establishments shipped and received goods via the numerous railroads that served the city or by horse-drawn wagon; people moved on foot or by electric trolley. Indeed, much of the city’s development occurred with the conveniences of freight railroads and streetcar routes in mind. These arteries, after all, carried the lifeblood of the city—the one, raw materials and manufactured products; the other, workers and customers—and did so with singular efficiency. Purveyors of goods and services, naturally, wanted to be located along the streetcar routes; industries, along the railroad right-of-ways; and working families, within walking distance of those jobs. Enter the internal combustion engine. By the mid-20th century, a large portion of the goods produced in Cleveland were being moved by truck; people, by auto or public transit; and portions of the freight and intra-city passenger rail system were being dismantled. A superior network of local and regional roadways, bridges and rapid transit facilities, as well as Interstate highways, were planned and developed. In the latter part of the century—as non-motorized forms of transportation became increasingly popular—a network of multi-purpose trails, bicycle lanes, and other bike/pedestrian facilities were developed; others are now in the planning stages. <
> All of these resources, plus its commercial airports and water port facilities, have given Cleveland a sound base of transportation infrastructure on which to build in the 21st century. Key improvements to this base, including expansion where necessary, and maintenance of the entire system will likely be the thrust of transportation infrastructure investments in the coming decades. Cleveland developed and prospered due to its proximity to good transportation routes. Served by navigable waterways, several cross-country railroad lines, and regional and Interstate highways. [The Innerbelt (I-90) Bridge over the Cuyahoga River and the Norfolk Southern Railroad in the Flats] # ASSETS *The transportation network is a region’s life blood and quality transportation facilities can enhance its economic vitality. Fortunately, Cleveland has developed a multi-modal transportation network that provides access to its commercial, industrial, and residential areas. The elements of this network include the following:* **Streets:** The City contains approximately 300 miles of arterial and collector roadways and 1,000 miles of residential city streets which provide access to all properties. It also includes 499 bridges (with the City bearing responsibility for the maintenance of 126 of them). **Freeways:** The City is served by nearly 50 miles of limited access highways including three mainline freeways including I-90, I-77, I-71 which provide access from points east, west, and south giving Cleveland direct freeway links to such places Boston, New York, Chicago, and the Pacific Coast. It is also served by I-480, I-490, and SR 176 (Jennings Freeway) which act as important connecting links between the mainlines and which provide access to other portions of the City. In addition, it has access to I-80 (Ohio Turnpike) several miles to the south and I-271 through the eastern suburbs. **Mass Transportation:** The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) was created in 1975 with the merger of the Cleveland Transit System and several suburban lines. The network currently includes 650 buses serving 101 routes, 108 rail transit cars serving 52 stations on 34 miles of track (3 lines) as well as a fleet of paratransit vehicles to accommodate people with physical or mental disabilities. Countywide, the system serves approximately 55.5 million passengers annually. In 1968, Cleveland was the first American city to connect its Central Business District to its airport via rail rapid transit. In 1996, RTA completed a light rail transit extension from its Downtown terminal to the lakefront and the attractions located there. <
> Completed in 1996, RTA’s Waterfront Line was constructed to connect the City’s Downtown mass transit terminal to the new attractions located along the lakefront) [RTA Waterfront Line train near the North Coast Harbor station] **Railroads:** The City of Cleveland is served by two national mainline freight railroads (Norfolk Southern and CSX) and a number of smaller industrial and switching railroads that provide additional access to local commercial and industrial customers throughout the area. The City is also provided with inter-city passenger service by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) at its lakefront station. **Airports:** Two general aviation airports are located within the City of Cleveland including Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and <
> Cleveland Hopkins International Airport handles 259,000 take-offs and landings annually (2005) making it northern Ohio’s busiest airport. [A commercial jetliner arriving at Hopkins] Burke Lakefront Airport. Hopkins was opened in 1925 as the first municipal airport in the United States. It handles nearly 264,000 take-offs and landings and nearly 12 million passengers annually (2004) and is a hub for Continental Airlines. Located downtown, Burke is a general aviation facility that opened in 1947 and handles approximately 84,000 take-offs & landings (2004). Burke also serves as host to two major annual events, the Cleveland Grand Prix auto race and the Cleveland National Air Show. **Port Facilities:** The City of Cleveland is served by the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, which is the third largest port on the Great Lakes. It includes significant facilities both along the Lake Erie shoreline as well as along the northerly most five miles of the Cuyahoga River, which is dredged to a depth that allows the passage of bulk carrying ships. Since the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959, Cleveland has been connected by water to international markets worldwide. The Port handles 12-16 million metric tons of cargo annually which represents approximately $1 billion in imports/exports. <
> The Port of Cleveland, third largest on the Great Lakes, includes facilities on Lake Erie as well as the Cuyahoga River. [A Great Lakes bulk carrier at the Whiskey Island dock on Lake Erie] ## CHALLENGES Cleveland, nevertheless, faces a number of specific challenges in the area of Transportation & Transit, which need to be addressed: * **Inadequate Truck Access to Major Highways:** Because many of the companies that made Cleveland a highly successful manufacturing center were (and are) located near rail lines, without direct access to major roadways, both outbound and inbound trucks have had little choice but to utilize local residential streets, thus disrupting formerly quiet neighborhoods and taking a heavy toll on the streets themselves—not to mention often having to navigating circuitous and confusing routes. Despite the fact that the area’s freeway system is now complete and provides excellent access to and from other parts of the state and country, access to that system remains a problem faced by many businesses, especially those located in older industrial areas away from interchanges. * **Issues Facing Public Transportation:** Despite a high rate of automobile usage and a well-developed roadway network, a large segment of the city’s population is not being adequately served. The reality is that many residents either lack access to a car, are too young to drive, or (with the rising cost of gasoline) choose not to use one for all trips. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority operates an extensive system of bus and rapid transit lines throughout Cuyahoga County that provides transportation for tens of thousands of such residents each day. However, shifts in residential and employment patterns, and the aging of the transit infrastructure—along with the fact that a smaller share of the traveling public now uses public transportation—constitute trends that must be addressed by RTA and the City in order to provide better service to residents who are dependent on that resource or would use it if it offered better connections to necessities and opportunities. * **Growing Desire for Non-motorized Access to Amenities:** Residents who, in growing numbers, seek alternatives to dependence on gasoline-powered vehicles—and/or opportunities for improving personal fitness and good health—are complaining of insufficient means of non-motorized access to Cleveland’s amenities, both natural and built. While a system of multi-purpose trails has been developed in area parks and along certain corridors, many of the city’s attractions still lack adequate bicycle or pedestrian access or are accessible to only the most determined riders and walkers. In order to create a more vibrant, livable urban center, bicycle and pedestrian access to all areas of the city must be given a new priority. <
> Although the city is served by a number of multi-purpose trails, many area attractions are not adequately accessible by non-motorized means. Priority must be given to the construction of additional facilities to enhance bicycle and pedestrian connectivity. [Multi-purpose trail in the Cleveland Metroparks’ Rocky River Reservation] * **Deteriorating or Outdated Infrastructure:** Perhaps the most critical of all the issues Cleveland faces as it strives to create the superior transportation infrastructure the city will need to compete in the coming decades, involves outmoded or deficient facilities. Much of the existing infrastructure was constructed before World War II and will need to be repaired or replaced over the next several years. Keeping the existing system in good condition while adding or expanding critical elements is a formidable challenge that must be met. <
> Much of Cleveland’s existing transportation infrastructure was constructed prior to World War II. In order to ensure that the city is able to remain accessible and economically viable, this aging infrastructure will continue to require ongoing maintenance, upgrading or replacement) [Fulton Road Bridge over the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Big Creek] * **Access is Key:** As can be seen from the foregoing, the transportation and transportation infrastructure of a city is, and must be, shaped by the changing needs of its residents and its economy. History also shows that a city’s transportation infrastructure has a huge impact on access—or lack of access—to opportunities and has a direct impact on the quality of life in its neighborhoods. Roads, bridges and public transportation must therefore be planned in the light of those needs and that potential impact. Indeed, the transportation infrastructure Cleveland puts in place or refurbishes over the next decade or so can, if it is wisely planned, support the City’s ability to achieve its goals in other areas of city life, such as providing appealing housing options and “neighborhoods of choice,” better access to jobs and amenities, a supportive (and attractive) environment for business, and a more vibrant economy. By the same token, certain decisions made in these other areas can strengthen the sustainability of the city’s transportation infrastructure. * **An Integrated Strategy:** What is needed, therefore, is an integrated plan and set of stated policies that pulls together these related interests and uses them to support one another, while addressing the challenges identified above. # POLICIES & STRATEGIES The goal of the City’s efforts in the area of Transportation and Transportation Infrastructure is to *provide a variety of transportation options that serve residents of all income levels and that promote economic development while protecting the quality of life in neighborhoods.* With this goal and the challenges identified above in mind, the Connecting Cleveland 2020 Plan therefore sets forth a comprehensive set of policies, each addressing a key issue, and strategies through which we might take immediate steps toward their implementation: **1) Transit-Oriented Development.** Target high-density development in proximity to transit stations and major bus stops in order to support public transit and strengthen the competitiveness of urban neighborhoods. a. Work with the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) to target areas in which large tracts of vacant or underutilized land exist around current and future rapid transit stations, exploring Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) opportunities at each. b. Encourage high-density residential development around transit stations. **2) Mixed-Use Development.** Encourage mixed-use development that reduces dependence on motorized vehicles to reach employment and shopping destinations. a. Work with developers to provide residential options that include above-street-level apartments, including lofts and live/work units, in retail districts (mixed use development) and housing within walking distance of shopping areas, major employers or public transit. **3) Mass Transit.** Support improved bus and rapid transit service to serve individuals who require or prefer mass transit and to reduce the pollution and roadway congestion caused by use of personal automobiles. a. Use public funding and employer incentives to strengthen and maintain public transit services across the city and region as alternatives to private vehicles. b. Fund innovative, incentive-based programs (such as tax credits) to encourage the use of alternative transportation modes such as public transit, walking or biking. c. Promote alternative modes of travel, including transit, that are cost-effective and less harmful to the environment than the private auto. d. Encourage the use of hybrid vehicles to replace traditional fuel automobiles. 4) **Neighborhood Bus Service.** Provide convenient bus service to residents who depend on mass transit to reach such neighborhood destinations as shopping, recreation and medical services. a. Encourage RTA to continue, and expand, its "Community Circulator" program. 5) **Transit Amenities.** Work with the RTA to upgrade the condition of bus shelters, transit stations, and transit vehicles, and to provide improved information on schedules and routes. a. Assist RTA in the implementation of their transit waiting environment improvements program within the City of Cleveland's borders. (Please contact RTA's Department of Planning and Programming for further information regarding that program.) 6) **Transit Line Extensions.** Consider strategic extensions of existing mass transit lines where significant ridership increases are likely. a. Explore the possible extension of the Waterfront Line to connect the northeastern neighborhoods and suburban areas to Downtown. b. Explore the possible creation of new rapid transit lines westerly through the Cudell neighborhood toward the cities of Lakewood and Rocky River and southeasterly through the Corlett and Union Miles neighborhoods. 7) **Bicycle Travel.** Develop a citywide and regional network of safe bicycle routes connecting residential areas to work, school, shopping, and recreation destinations; and make bicycle accommodation a routine component of roadway and development projects. a. Make Cleveland a more bicycle-friendly city by actively encouraging public and private development and maintenance of facilities that allow easy bicycle access to all of its amenities. b. Provide good bicycling infrastructure and facilities around shopping areas, parks and other attractions to enhance accessibility, improve personal health, and preserve the environment. 8) **Pedestrian Travel.** Make Cleveland a model for pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, featuring conveniently located sidewalks and paths, benches and streetside development patterns. a. Actively encourage the development and maintenance of facilities that allow easy pedestrian access to all of its amenities. b. Provide good pedestrian infrastructure and facilities around shopping areas, parks and other attractions to enhance accessibility, improve personal health, and preserve the environment. c. Plan new pedestrian-friendly developments in areas where people have transportation choices such as rapid transit train and bus service. 9) **Maintenance of Existing Infrastructure.** Cleveland's transportation infrastructure needs to be maintained and updated to accommodate shifts in modes of transportation and in residential, business, and commercial patterns to enable the city and its opportunities to remain economically viable and accessible to all. a. Work with regional, state and federal agencies to give priority to the maintenance of existing transportation infrastructure in the allocation of transportation funding. b. Improve the conditions of key transit stations by targeting those in substandard condition and replacing them with updated designs that incorporate new technological features. c. Emphasize greater efficiency and cleanliness in all public transportation vehicles and facilities. d. Enhance the aesthetic quality of all new and rebuilt transportation facilities whenever possible. Such enhancements could include the utilization of special pavement textures and/or colors, adding vegetation, adding unique design elements or paint colors or the inclusion of public art. 10) **Ports.** Ensure Cleveland's long-term viability as a hub for air- and water-based transportation, while reserving appropriately located land for waterfront recreation. 11) **Regional Land Use Planning.** Coordinate roadway and transit development planning with land use plans designed to limit the negative impacts of urban sprawl and promote more efficient use of existing infrastructure and community facilities. a. Promote regional and statewide planning that combines the transportation, land use, and environmental efforts of all affected parties. b. Support greater public involvement in the transportation and land-use planning process. 12) **Industrial Access:** Develop roads that provide direct truck access between freeways and industrial areas, bypassing residential neighborhoods where truck traffic degrades the quality of life. a. Implement key access improvements in neighborhoods that make it easier for trucks and other commercial vehicles to access major roadways, bypassing residential neighborhoods, where feasible. b. Implement existing plans for access roadways. c. Plan for new access roads, such as the Bessemer Road (11) Project, in Collinwood, Kinsman, Central and other neighborhoods where industry operates in close proximity to residential areas. 13) **Job Access.** Provide transit service between central city neighborhoods and employment concentrations in the city and in outlying areas. a. Work with RTA, project engineers, and developers to ensure that new and existing places of employment can be accessed by RTA vehicles and encourage RTA to serve these areas on a regular basis. 14) **Traffic Calming.** Institute “traffic-calming” measures in residential areas and neighborhood shopping districts where existing traffic volumes and speeds create safety hazards and unpleasant conditions for residents and shoppers. Effective traffic-calming measures include lane narrowing, speed humps, rumble strips, curb extensions, small deflector or channeling islands, roundabouts, chicanes, marked bicycle lanes, advisory signage, tighter corner radii, special pavement textures (cobbles, bricks, etc.) and markings to designate special areas, and trees planted along the street to create a sense of enclosure and a pedestrian-oriented environment. a. Implement traffic-calming measures in neighborhoods where existing traffic levels degrade the quality of life for residents and discourage residential or commercial redevelopment. Major transportation improvements that are proposed in the Citywide Plan can be found in the [Capital Improvements](Capital Improvements) section. For more information regarding: * **The City of Cleveland’s Bicycle Plan:** See the Recreation chapter of this document. * **Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s services and planning activities:** Visit [www.gcrta.org](www.gcrta.org). * **Port of Cleveland & Cuyahoga County:** Visit [www.portofcleveland.com](www.portofcleveland.com). * **Cleveland Hopkins International Airport:** Visit [www.clevelandairport.com](www.clevelandairport.com). * **Key Road & Bridge Construction Projects** for the current year: See City Projects at [www.city.cleveland.oh.us/index1.html](www.city.cleveland.oh.us/index1.html). <
> Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # SAFETY # SAFETY ## OVERVIEW A primary function of government is the protection of citizens, as well as of private and public property. Laws and their enforcement play a major part in this work, of course. In recent decades, however, we have become increasingly aware of the true cost of crime, not only to the victims and the perpetrators, but to the community as well such as the ongoing expense, for example, of building and maintaining prisons; the care and feeding of inmates—sometimes for years; recidivism; and, not to be forgotten, the damage to families, both the victim’s and the perpetrator’s. This is why the traditional bulwarks of law and enforcement have been joined in recent years by a third area of governmental involvement: prevention. It can take many forms; it requires the cooperation of city residents; it involves recognizing patterns of activity that can lead to crime and defusing volatile situations; and, if done right, it pays off. Indeed, preventative action is now seen as the most effective way of reducing the need for law enforcement officers to intervene as enforcers, beginning the whole costly (and sometimes dangerous) process of arrest, prosecution and incarceration. **Prevention Costs Less than Enforcement:** Just as a number of factors can contribute to criminal activity, so there are several preventive avenues that can lead to the reduction of and decreased potential for criminal activity. The Connecting Cleveland Plan outlines some specific ways in which residents, and Law enforcement personnel, the City and other stakeholders of our neighborhoods can begin the process of reducing the likelihood of crime in their communities. The more effort and energy we put into defusing criminal activity today, the fewer dollars we will need to spend on enforcing the Law and punishing criminals tomorrow. **Some Lessons Learned:** In most major conflicts throughout the world, battles are fought on two fronts. There is the physical war, which utilizes hand-to-hand combat, weapons and technology. And then there is the other war, which does not entail weapons and bloodshed. Here the goal is to create human connections, getting the people who pose the threat to see that their own best long-term interests lay in cooperation and constructive activity. The sad fact is, there is a war going on in many of our neighborhoods between police, gangs and other at-risk youth who believe their best interests are served by activities that violate the Law and endanger themselves and others. Simply writing these youths off as a menace to society and a segment of the population that should be rounded up and locked away somewhere is an easy response; but that is to put the whole burden on the police and the courts, which, as we have seen, is no longer a realistic or affordable alternative. It also ignores the human cost, and fosters a polarized, cynical community in which each side thinks only of itself. **Replacing Alienation with a Sense of Community:** If we approach our antagonists, in the work place or the streets, thinking only of the outcome that will meet *our* needs, nothing will change. Ostracize them, lock them up; they will be back, and others will take their place. The only real way to interrupt the cycle, as the great wisdom traditions of the world have understood, is to want a good outcome for one’s antagonist too (a win win situation). That requires listening to her needs, his anger, their frustrations, and then working together to craft an outcome that will answer *both* your needs. This is after all the whole principal of community, and the only approach that addresses the problem at its roots and therefore brings with it the possibility of progress. If nations have not yet learned this lesson, successful married couples, skilled organizational facilitators, and a growing number of parents, have; and a growing body of evidence shows it works. Thoughtful initiatives addressing the dynamic that exists between police and neighborhood youth are currently under way at the Police Student Academy and PAL (Police Athletic League); but the realities on the street are sobering. The social and economic conditions—and negative influences—that impact our young people and adolescents have become much more challenging than at any time in Cleveland's history. There is no simple solution to these problems. <
> Programs such as Jim Brown's Amer-I-Can are effective tools for connecting with ex-offenders and at risk individuals by redirecting their attitude and focus making them accountable to themselves & their community It is going to take every segment of the community—neighbors, churches, businesses, social services, health care and educational institutions, civic organizations, government, the media, law enforcement officers and the courts—playing its respective role with a new thoughtfulness and determination, as part of a coordinated strategy, to make real change in the lives of youths and thus to have a positive impact on criminal activity. Other cities throughout the country are taking bold steps to deal with at-risk youth and gang violence. To learn more about what they are doing, and the thinking behind it, go to the Best Practices section at the end of this chapter. **Somebody’s Big Brothers or Sisters:** The key is to see the youthful offender not simply as a hoodlum or gang member, but as somebody’s son or daughter, somebody’s big brother or little sister. Many of us can remember a time when you could ask a child what he or she wanted to be when they grew up, and the reply would come quickly and easily: a doctor, a lawyer, a fireman, a nurse, a police officer. Nor was it an accident that these particular walks of life were so frequently cited: All were seen as everyday heroes who enjoyed the respect and admiration of the community, particularly its youth. Acting in such a way as to rekindle that respect, trust and admiration is the only way to head off a grim future that is otherwise inevitable. It is here, in the battle for these young people’s hearts and minds, that the real war on crime needs to be waged. Ironically, such an effort will not cost anything like the millions of dollars required to build and operate more prisons, mete out punishment and repair the social and economic toll of anti-social or violent behavior, only the willingness of dedicated officers, residents and others to take the time to connect and communicate with our young people. Law enforcement officers know, better than anyone, that today’s youths will become either tomorrow’s leaders or productive citizens or tomorrow’s criminals. Opportunities exist for law enforcement officers to reconnect with the youth in our neighborhoods. This kind of positive interaction must be encouraged and facilitated. One place this is happening is the Student Police Academy, a Police-initiated collaboration with the Cleveland Municipal School District (CMSD) that allows students to become Junior Police Cadets as a way of building a positive image of police among city youth and stimulating interest in law enforcement. **“Crime Colleges” for seniors:** Each year, hundreds of seniors become victims of crimes either physical or financial. Estimates from the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) show an increase of 150% in reported cases of elder abuse nationwide since 1986. In 1998, in response to the growing awareness of crimes against seniors, Kentucky Attorney General Ben Chandler developed a successful initiative to educate seniors about the crimes typically perpetrated against them, teach them how to protect themselves, and how to report illegal activities. The State of Kentucky created a senior advisory council consisting of 20 individuals drawn from various state and local agencies. What makes Kentucky’s approach unique is that it has established something called “Senior Crime Colleges”. These are seminars, held in places like nursing homes or malls or at church gatherings or community events, at which seniors learn about crime from state and local law enforcement officials and experts in deceptive financial dealings. These “Crime Colleges” are operated by the Office of Senior Protection, which, though modestly staffed, has proven effective in bringing together an impressive array of expertise--including State law enforcement, consumer, and financial experts—to focus on crimes against seniors. Cleveland could offer a similar program by utilizing the resources of the City's Department of Aging and its Consumer Affairs Division. This would be especially helpful in neighborhoods with a large concentration of persons over the age of 65 who are vulnerable to criminal activity. <
> **Figure 1:** Areas where large concentrations of seniors reside can make good target areas for programs that increases safety awareness **Engaging the Community:** Although the education and training of modern-day police officers, along with higher salary, has helped to unravel the tangled web of political and personal corruption associated with the unsophisticated and underpaid beat cop of earlier eras, it has also become increasingly clear that combating contemporary crime requires a different approach. The police must always maintain their ability to rush to a crime-in-progress, of course; but new research shows that only one in three crimes is ever reported; and only two in five violent crimes; and that “crimes-in-progress” now typically constitute less than 5% of all calls for police service. The irony of these statistics is that, while citizens still witness the committing of many crimes, they are simply not reporting them—a phenomenon that was dramatically symbolized by New York’s infamous Kitty Genovese case, when neighbors watched from their windows while a woman was slaughtered, but never called the police—either because they don't want to "get involved" or because they see the police as strangers and community outsiders as likely to turn on them. (One Cleveland resident explained why he hadn't reported numerous drug-related incidents on his street: “You call in the cops, and pretty soon they’re poking around into all kinds of things, like [building] code violations or somebody who’s operating a day care center in their home without a license.” As a society, we have also become more aware of the cycle of violence spawned by the “hidden crimes” of child abuse and domestic violence, and the part the abuse of illegal, and legal, substances plays in the crime and violence that plague the community. For these additional reasons, law enforcement in communities around the U.S. is increasingly taking the form of preventative, “grassroots” activities. Beginning to see policing, in Cleveland, as involving a heavy component of planning in Cleveland will allow neighborhood communities to take a “proactive” approach to crime control—by instilling in residents a sense of their responsibility as the community’s first line of defense. A bottom-up approach to crime containment can only occur if police, prosecutors, residents and other stakeholders are working in collaboration. **Addressing, Not Just Relocating, Problems:** All too often, a neighborhood’s “crime problem” is not really solved but only relocated to another part of the city. When criminal activity declines in one area, it always seems to rise somewhere else: Bust five drug dealers at East 99th & St Clair, and the illegal drug trade increases proportionately a few blocks away. The result is that the demands on limited law enforcement personnel are never reduced significantly just scattered. For professionals who realize that a neighborhood police presence, for maximum effectiveness, has to be “constant, not sporadic” and that order must be created, not simply “maintained”, this is a frustrating situation. The result is that success tends to be measured in number of arrests rather than, as it should be, in fewer incidences of criminal activity. And when the statistics show that certain problems have actually been reduced in a neighborhood, instead of continuing to support the activities that contributed to the decline, the funding for those programs is frequently cut back or withdrawn, so that the problem reemerges. The take-home lesson here, if we are willing to learn it, is that we must continue to * Train and deploy specialized units with the professional skills to defuse situations that could foster violence or other criminal activities. * Expand the scope of existing police services in our neighborhoods to include beat cops, police mini-stations, and auxiliary police. * Foster and support neighborhood community crime councils. * Develop a much-needed pool of funding for the personnel and advertisements needed to improve police-community relations and counter the perception that certain areas are unsafe—which can keep people (and potential new residents) away, creating a self-fulfilling situation. A sustained commitment to these measures is critical for the successful functioning of the Division of Police in Cleveland. **The Role of Developers and Design:** A comprehensive, coordinated effort is the best approach to eliminating conditions that contribute to crime and fear. That means that decisions, in other apparently unrelated sectors of activity, that impact or perpetuate those conditions or the ability of the community to mediate them must be made with the larger interests and aspirations of the community—and the problems that hold it back—in mind. Choices made in the related areas of land use and development, for example. Whether they are aware of it or not, planners and architects can play a powerful role in the reduction and the prevention of crime, for it is they who determine how well and to what extent an environment will serve legitimate users. Cities throughout the country are enjoying the benefits of having supported programs that approach the physical environment with a view to the reduction of crime. But many planners and designers are only now beginning to appreciate the responsibility that comes with their jobs, which includes the obligation to protect the general health, safety and welfare of the citizenry, and adopting standards by which urban design can be regulated to reduce the likelihood of criminal activity. <
> Natural access control is a technique commonly used by planners and designers to create a strong perception of safety in the physical environment. Urban planning and design techniques that facilitate the prevention of crime and a sense of security are now being utilized by progressive cities that are serious about crime reduction. The principle of Natural Surveillance—creating open spaces where visibility is maximized—has been shown to impact crime. Other commonly used techniques include Territorial Reinforcement and Natural Access Control, the use of fences, shrubs and other aesthetically pleasing elements to send a keep-out message to would-be intruders. Creating opportunities for urban planners and designers, community groups and police to understand how the physical environment can support the general welfare of a community should therefore be a priority for Cleveland. **Rethinking the Way We Address Juvenile Crime:** A well-known African proverb says that it takes an entire village to raise a child. In our society, that means all the players in the community. No sector stands apart; rather, each has its part to play. It is time the criminal justice system began using both the stick *and the carrot* to keep youngsters on the right track. If only because of the expense, we must begin to treat jail and prison space as a precious resource that should not be squandered when other solutions would not only cost less, but work better. Imagining a fresh approach to any community problem involves first stepping back and taking in the "big picture". Youthful street-corner drug dealing for example, does not occur in a vacuum. It is connected to other problems in the life of a neighborhood: everything from prostitution and robberies, crack babies, to buildings defaced with graffiti, the prophetic "handwriting on the wall" that are often the first sign that a neighborhood is on its way down. They act like a magnet for drug and other crimes. The ability of the neighborhood to create legitimate jobs, prosperity, and opportunities for advancement that its residents deserve is diminished by the moment when such symbols of disrespect begin to accumulate. <
> Police programs such as "cops in schools" allows interaction between police and students. Indeed, the frequency with which phrases like "dissing" somebody—and its opposite, "showing respect"—are invoked by disaffected urban youth suggests a deeply-held value that might be appealed to and built upon through strategically designed programs. What if these angry youngsters, instead of being isolated and further alienated, were engaged in constructive activities that allowed them to see the destructive consequences of disrespecting the rights of others to a decent life and nurturing environment—and to experience the respect of the community for their positive contributions to the those things—through, for example, the creation of. a credible program of restorative community service. Young offenders might be organized into squads whose job it is to eradicate graffiti within 24 hours after it appears, under the close supervision of the Community Policing Officer and neighborhood groups. While helping to undo some of the damage to the community's prospects that drug dealing contributes, such a program would also provide these often fatherless (or alienated) youths with the chance to interact with healthy role models and to get to know police officers in less threatening, indeed constructive, circumstances. The officers, in turn, would have the opportunity to get to know these kids, learning firsthand which ones just need a pat on the back and which need keeping an eye on. There might even be a rationale for paying the kids for their work. Heretical as this suggestion might seem at first blush, consider: Such an arrangement would enable these youngsters to experience—many for the first time in their lives—the satisfaction of earning a day's pay for an honest day's work; and it would still be cheaper than incarceration. **Community-Based Problem Solving:** Imagine for a moment the potential energy for good—indeed, the multiplier effect of the synergies thus created—that could be harnessed by assembling a community-based problem-solving team composed of police, prosecutors, judges, probation and parole officers, community residents, school and church leaders, and an ever-shifting and expanding roster of other community leaders who have experience (or connections) to contribute. Put a hospital administrator on the team, for example, and creative solutions to youthful drug dealing might have young offenders working at the hospital on those horrific weekend nights when drug violence escalates. Consider the impact on these impressionable boys and girls of having to take care of crack babies. Like the once not-yet-tried concept of community *policing*, a community *criminal justice* system would directly involve the community as partners in identifying and prioritizing problems; moreover, it would enlist the help of all the community's sectors in creating imaginative solutions. To begin with, there needs to be a public debate about how we think about crime and its prevention in this city, and what our priorities should be as we craft our response to this deepening problem. Taxpayers are beginning to see that, as a result of mandatory sentencing, they are paying out millions of dollars to build new prison cells to keep relatively low-level drug "mules" behind bars for a decade or more. What taxpayers may not yet grasp is this policy has on what some would suggest ought to be higher priorities: With prisons under pressure to make space for the hapless pawns of the lucrative drug trade, third-time felony rapists typically serve only about seven years these days before they are back on the street. Is this really what the community wants? How do we bring city residents into discussions about the real trade-offs and priorities involved? What must change to enable the average citizen to take his or her place at the table when decisions are made about the best use of the finite number of jail and prison beds available? Community policing could serve as a model for imagining our way to a fully realized system of community criminal justice. By the same token, the history of the struggle to implement community policing provides a cautionary tale. The first obstacle that must be overcome is denial—the refusal of many citizens and officials to accept that the failures of the existing system demand more than minor reforms. Another is the delusion, once having set a new mechanism in place, that the job can be done with insufficient resources. In Cleveland, for example, the limited number of community policing officers works against their ability to be effective. Our commitment to such promising strategies needs to match the level of concern we share about the problems they address—and the potential payoff in tax revenue and lives saved, to say nothing of the future viability of our neighborhoods. **Needed: A Plan That Acknowledges Everyone’s Concerns:** Bringing neighborhood residents, the judiciary system and other sectors of community life together around a new strategy—and set of priorities—for addressing crime, particularly as it involves the young, requires nothing less than a new way of thinking about these problems. For devising a strategy that will achieve results that best serve the community over the long run is only one of the challenges Cleveland faces; the other is crafting a plan that speaks meaningfully to many concerns and very different points of view. Law makers, judges, police, neighbors, merchants, educators, religious leaders, corporate decision makers, those marketing the city to prospective home buyers and new businesses, victims, older citizens, alienated youngsters, parents, younger brothers and sisters—each of these group sees youthful crime in a different way, in a different context, and with its own set of priorities. A plan that does not acknowledge—and address—the reality each of these is dealing with will never satisfy all of the players. Therefore, a way must be found to integrate all of their perspectives, and all of their concerns, into one plan. **Drawing On Cleveland’s Unique Resources:** Fortunately, Cleveland has resources in this regard that are rare if not unique in the nation. Cleveland State University is the recognized authority in the region on Diversity Management, the art of dealing with differences in the course of team building, in which CSU offers training workshops, advanced courses and a master’s degree. Faculty at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University have been in the forefront of the development of Appreciative Inquiry as a method for developing more effective social and organizational systems addressing key concerns both here and on the international stage. The Gestalt Institute of Cleveland (GIC) is internationally renowned for its faculty expertise and training programs in a revolutionary approach to bridging the gap between the different “realities” of seemingly incompatible perspectives. Of special relevance where the challenges of crafting a new approach to youth crime is concerned is the Institute’s groundbreaking work in the new field known as Integral Development (see sidebar), a seminal breakthrough in the facilitation of organizational and societal change. At its core is the powerful conceptual system called Spiral Dynamics, which played a crucial role in the peaceful transition of South Africa from apartheid to democracy (see Beck & Linscott, *The Crucible: Forging South Africa’s Future*, New Paradigm Press, 1991). Of particular value to social workers, primary and secondary school teachers, juvenile court judges and other officials, and law enforcement personnel would be the GIC course that focuses on working with children and adolescents, which teaches professionals how to recognize the signs of fundamental problems, including post-traumatic stress, in the way children move and hold their bodies; and teaches ways of interacting with, and guiding, them that acknowledge their realities, build a relationship of trust, and support progress toward maturity and self respect. # TRENDS *An examination of census data reveals certain patterns and trends across Cleveland’s neighborhoods that are deeply disturbing and cry out for attention.* * **Juvenile Delinquency:** On this map, the darkest shaded areas indicate the highest concentrations of youths designated as "juvenile delinquents". It should come as no surprise that these are also the city’s poorest neighborhoods. <
> * **Young Adults Neither Employed nor Attending School:** On this map, the darker areas represent neighborhoods where census takers found large concentrations of 16-to-19-year-olds not enrolled in school and not in the workforce. (The reader will note that these areas—again, no surprise—correlate highly with those reporting the highest level of juvenile crime.) Roughly 4,300 youths citywide fall into this category, with more joining their ranks each year. This statistic is a crucial one, since what it measures is our ability to (a) educate our youth and (b) provide them with other opportunities beyond, or outside of, high school. Neighborhood level initiatives outlined in the Connecting Cleveland plan could begin to stem this negative trend. <
> * **Robbery:** The next map tracks the distribution of robberies in Cleveland. Many of the areas where robberies occur most frequently are, once again, the same areas in which high concentrations of other criminal activities are found—presenting police, City government and residents with a very clear picture of where targeted efforts need to be initiated. <
> * **Property Crimes:** Certain other types of crime, on the other hand, do not seem to follow the same pattern. Crimes involving property, for example, occur more frequently in areas where the social conditions are not considered particularly dismal for example property crimes occur in neighborhoods where residents are better off, which makes sense when you think about it. <
> * **Violent Crime:** One of the most stunning patterns revealed by this map is the disturbing *correlation* between violent criminal activities and certain social indicators: Where a high incidence of violent crime is found, one also finds concentrations of lower-income residents, low educational attainment, high dropout and truancy rates, a low level of employment, indeed, a lack either of employment opportunities or of access to training in marketable skills—access, in other words, to hope. It should not take a rocket scientist to make the connection. The path to addressing the problem of juvenile delinquency becomes clear: concentrated, highly strategic implementation of the recommendations outlined in the Connecting Cleveland 2020 plan. <
> * **Narcotics:** One of the City's primary goals in the area of development has direct implications for safety and the perception of safety: The creation of viable neighborhood retail districts promotes increased pedestrian, residential, retail and commercial activity, making these areas less desolate and thus seen as less dangerous. As this map shows, however, the majority of narcotics arrests tend to occur within and along the city's major corridors. Considering the investment being made citywide in these areas, it may be necessary to implement deliberate anticrime measures—such as promoting the user of design principles that maximize sight lines and eliminate opportunities for mischief, as well as deploying bike-, mounted- and foot-patrol units strategically in these areas—to insure both the perception and reality of personal safety and secure property. ### Narcotics Arrests (2005) <
> Prepared by: Cleveland City Planning Commission (2006) Source: City of Cleveland, Cleveland Division of Police (2006) # CHALLENGES In the general area of safety, Cleveland faces a number of issues, and specific challenges under each, that must be addressed: * **Areas Perceived as Unsafe** * Areas of concentrated dilapidation * Graffiti * Youth loitering * **Gangs** * Young adults neither enrolled in school nor gainfully employed * Juvenile delinquency * **Crimes against Seniors** * Predatory lending * Predatory home repair and maintenance services * The vulnerability of many seniors to these scams * **Police-Community Relations** * Low level of familiarity and trust between police officers and residents * Poor relationship between police officers and neighborhood youth * Limited visibility of police officers in problem areas * **Police Resources and Deployment** * Insufficient police officers and resources with which to meet community needs * Poor response times * **Community Responsibility and Involvement** * Lack of neighbor-to-neighbor communication and dialogue regarding criminal activity * Lack of open, honest communication with police officers * Lack of adult supervision and visibility in neighborhoods * Not enough neighborhood Block Watches and community councils to address neighborhood concerns and propose solutions * Lack of appreciation on the part of the voting public for the dynamics of alienation and the nurturing of hope and a sense of belonging * **Factors Contributing to Alienation and Youth Crime** * Lack of accessible education and employment options * Drug addiction * Negative peer pressure * Family problems * Childhood trauma, including witnessed violence, whose symptoms often go unrecognized, and which lead to the “short-circuiting” of rational thought, triggering survival-mode responses in threatening situations—and responses from law enforcement personnel or educators that only reinforce these destructive, self-defeating behaviors # POLICIES & STRATEGIES The overarching goal or purpose of these efforts is to **improve public safety through safety-conscious design and community-based solutions focused on crime prevention.** The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Plan therefore sets forth a comprehensive set of policies for the area of safety, each addressing a critical issue—along with specific strategies through which we might take immediate steps toward their implementation: **1) Safety by Design.** Incorporate “safety-by-design” standards into local zoning codes, building codes, master plans, and design review guidelines. a. The Planning Commission should adopt safety-by-design standards for the city of Cleveland to insure that development projects have a positive impact on safety perceptions within the project area. For example, assign a safety officer to every special project or community planning initiative whose job it is to highlight potential safety concerns that a development may cause. b. Have each neighborhood in the city conduct a neighborhood safety audit using planning, police, public services, and local residents to assess problems that contribute to crime on the front end. **2) Design Features.** Use safety-by-design standards to require adequate lighting, areas open to surveillance, windows and porches along public streets, and safe pedestrian circulation systems. **3) Business District Patrols.** Work with merchant associations and local development corporations to institute security patrols in neighborhood and regional business districts. a. Assign to particular neighborhoods an officer familiar with the unique problems that neighborhood faces. b. Establish a safe house and mini station in each of these neighborhoods, which will allow police to build relationships with residents of that community. c. Protect the investment of millions of dollars that have been and will be made in our business districts with the necessary level of police presence. **4) Police Presence.** Continue collaboration between police and community groups to ensure greater police presence in areas experiencing increased criminal activity, and consider implementing programs such allowing officers to take patrol cars home for increased visibility in residential areas. a. Create a long-term plan to eventually have one auxiliary officer per neighborhood and an auxiliary office for each neighborhood. b. Develop “community policing” by working with all agencies and networking with block clubs to do problem solving and conflict resolution, and take a more proactive approach to utilizing volunteers to assist with community policing. c. Gradually restructure the Police Department around 36 precincts, within the six police districts, which will allow officers to strengthen relationships with residents. The only interaction residents in some neighborhoods ever have with the police is when they get arrested. Police officers need to be seen as part of the community and not as invaders. d. Deploy manpower according to need and size of the neighborhood. If the police know the residents, they will be more sensitive and understanding of the needs and the issues of that particular community. Phase in pilot program one neighborhood at a time. 5) **Technology.** Increase the efficiency of policing through use of such technology as video surveillance cameras, GIS mapping and data systems, and improved access to such information from police vehicles. a. Utilize red light cameras as a means of increasing traffic safety among drivers and pedestrians in key locations. b. Install timed traffic signals at cross walks to increase pedestrian safety. 6) **Public Education.** Expand programs designed to educate residents and businesses on safety precautions and crime deterrence, while providing information to counter inaccurate perceptions of crime levels in Cleveland’s neighborhoods and downtown. a. Work with faith-based institutions on programs to address the major issue of the lost family structure, which affects values passed on to youths in the city and ultimately contributes to menacing behavior. b. Develop a new interdepartmental philosophy that promotes pro-active, positive involvement by police and community engagement instead of focusing solely on reactive law enforcement. c. Work with police, fire and EMS units to develop programs that provide supervised recreation after school that combat alienation and association with delinquent or violent peers and introduce several protective factors, including skills for leisure activities and opportunities to become involved with other youth and adults. d. Develop a budget for a media campaign advertising local police department efforts and promoting a positive image of the law enforcement community through print ads, billboards, and commercials. e. Assemble a community-based problem-solving team composed of police, prosecutors, judges, probation and parole officers, as well as community residents, school and church leaders, and a shifting and expanding roster of other community leaders who might help to ensure meaningful collaboration around at-risk youth and juvenile offenders. f. Put, for example, a hospital administrator on the team charged with creating solutions to youthful drug dealing, such as requiring young offenders to work at the hospital on those horrific weekend nights when drug violence escalates, or having them care for crack babies. # BEST PRACTICES Cleveland could draw promising ideas, and perhaps find workable models, in some of the innovative approaches to crime- and safety-related concerns that have been devised and tried out by other cities. Analyzing these programs and their impact on problems common to many American cities could facilitate the development of similar, or different, initiatives in Cleveland. (Source: Cleveland Neighborhood Development Corporation, at http://www.cndc2.org/.) U.S. Office of Justice Programs FY2003 Grants - Ohio **Abandoned Buildings** * In Chicago, IL, the *Troubled Buildings Initiative* targets properties in danger of deteriorating beyond repair, which frequently leads to abandonment. Different City departments, along with many supporting organizations, put pressure on the owners of these properties through the assessment of fines and other means. Lenders and mortgage holders are also brought into the process of dealing with vacant and abandoned buildings. * In Humboldt, TN, through rigorous code enforcement, a number of vacant or substandard dwellings, buildings, mobile homes, outbuildings and garages—as well as non-functioning or unsafe cars, vans/SUVs and pick-up trucks—have been removed. * In New York City, NY, under the *Third Party Transfer Initiative*, the City, working with Neighborhood Restore (composed of representatives from leading financial institutions and CDCs, and mediators) find responsible landlords for distressed properties, speed up the transfer of ownership of these properties, and ensure development assistance from the City. * In Providence, RI, because abandoned cars were a major problem, and there was no easy way to report the problem, the Providence Police Department created a nuisance complaint form. Residents complete these forms and give them directly to the *Weed & Seed* program coordinator, who is responsible for contacting the agency charged with taking care of abandoned vehicles. **At-Risk Youth** * In Boston, MA, an intervention strategy program to help families support at-risk youth was created through *Operation Home Front*. A police officer and a community leader (e.g., block watch captain or a member of the clergy) go to the home of youths whose conduct shows warning signs of gang involvement and speak with the families. * In Burlington, VT, the *Public Safety Project*, in partnership with Club Youth Speak-Out, a local youth initiative, held a *Pizza-and-“What I Hate about My Neighborhood” Party*. The response was outstanding: Every other Friday night 10 to 15 junior high and high school students now come together to work on changing something they dislike about the neighborhood. * In Eugene, OR, *Safe Havens*, comprising 49 different programs and spread over 11 sites (such as Bethel public schools, Bethel Branch Library, Peterson Barn Community Center and the Red Cross), provides alternative activities for at-risk youth that are both appealing and constructive. These include literary pursuits, art programs and (the most popular) a teen club. The *Cascade Truancy Prevention Project* targets attendance problems in local schools by providing help with homework, home visits and whatever special services might be needed to address individual or family problems negatively impacting school attendance or academic success. The *Willamette Youth Interns Program* provides high school students with job experience through internships with Weed and Seed-affiliated programs. - In Humboldt, TN, school dropout rates decreased as a result of the availability of additional assistance in a "safe haven—where two certified teachers provide additional assistance to students who need help with their school work. Other services offered include computer training, health information, and recreational activities. One of the most successful programs is *Challenges & Choices*, a youth violence prevention program that has police officers using different strategies to teach third, fifth, and seventh graders how to defuse potentially violent situations that arise among their peers. - In Philadelphia, PA, adult volunteers (55 and older) were paired with youth, ages 10-13, in a program designed to create bonds of trust through community service activities, a life skills curriculum, and parent training workshops. The older mentors give youths the support and encouragement they need to resist such negative forces in their environment as drugs or violence. - In Phoenix, AZ, where street gangs and drugs are a major concern, neighborhood officials and police officers target at-risk youths in order to educate them about the dangers posed by these activities. Third and fourth graders participate in a program called *GREAT (Gang Resistance Education and Training)*; fifth and sixth graders, in *DARE (Drug Awareness and Resistance Education)*. Also, the Alwun House Foundation's *Garfield Youth and Leadership Group* provides a prevention-through-the-arts program and sponsors marches against crime, drugs, and violence. - In Richmond, KY, interventions targeting high school freshman included conflict resolution training and the formation of a *SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions)* club. All students referred for behavioral problems were required to go through the *Violence Prevention Curriculum*; teachers, to attend professional development sessions on the topic of "good student/teacher relationships". School security assessments, crisis response drills and a committee that monitors violent incidents were put into place. - In Tempe, AZ, a number of programs were created, including one known as *Chicanos por la Causa*, which involves home visits, a daily police presence on the school campus, after-school activities designed to boost self-esteem, and a special community event (e.g., a *Cinco de Mayo* festival that gave police officers from that neighborhood's beat an opportunity to meet community members). - In Trenton, NJ, the *SCOOP* program (*Social Celebrations Opportunities Organizations People*) offers youth, ages 7-18, more than 100 activities after school and on Saturdays. The program was started when city leaders decided that children should not be held back from participating in activities because of lack of money, transportation, or geographical access. More than 700 children participate, and 3,000 are registered with the program. ### Burglary & Theft - In London, England, a study showed a noticeable reduction in retail shop burglaries when *closed-circuit television* was introduced to the area. - In Portland, OR, a study showed that improving the *lighting* of a retail district reduces the number of burglaries that occur, since burglars are more likely to target less lit areas for fear of being seen. Improved lighting provides the greatest benefit for minimal cost. - In Roseville, MN, home to two of the state's largest shopping malls, shoplifting was a major issue. The Roseville Police Department now offers *shoplifting prevention courses* to owners and employees of retail establishments that cover such subjects as how to spot a shoplifter, what to do if they notice shoplifting, and how to detect suspicious checks and credit cards. ### Commercial Redevelopment * In Seattle, WA, the Southeast Seattle Community Safety Initiative, Seattle Police Department, and Homesight (a community development corporation) targeted commercial buildings with high levels of crime. The first two worked together to reduce crime in those buildings, while Homesight centered community development projects around these sites. Volunteers were crucial to this effort, enabling Homesight and the SPD to move quickly into, and to complete, projects that would otherwise have required significant fundraising efforts. * In Toledo, OH, threatened by the loss of business to the suburbs, blight, the perception of crime and the demolition of historic buildings, the Lagrange Development Corporation, neighborhood business owners, local community leaders, and the Toledo Police Department came together to establish the *Lagrange Main Street Program* to revitalize the neighborhood's central commercial street. ### Community Apathy * In Burlington, VT, low levels of pride and a sense of despair felt by many residents led to the *Public Safety Project*. Created by the Burlington Police Department, the City's Community and Economic Development Office—with the help of neighborhood residents and elected officials, several nonprofit agencies, and the University of Vermont—the project is staffed by five AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteers who are constantly on the streets making contact with residents, showing them that something is being done to combat the problem. * In Humboldt, TN, residents say they felt safer when police increased their presence in the community with bicycle and foot patrols in the targeted area. * In Tempe, AZ, though area residents were very angry and suspicious of certain individuals and their activities, they were afraid to report crimes occurring within their community because, on the one hand, they feared retribution from local drug dealers and, on the other, felt they had been abandoned by the police. The *Beat 16* project (named for the police beat on which it focuses) was created to enable residents to reclaim their neighborhood. Once residents felt comfortable with the officers assigned the project, information began pouring in about illegal activities taking place in the neighborhood. ### Community-Police Relations * In Buffalo, NY, residents were invited to work alongside seven law enforcement officials on a 46-member *Steering Committee* charged with developing policies designed to promote better relations and more effective collaboration between police and residents. * In Little Rock, AR, a *Citizen's Police Academy* was created to allow residents to participate in law enforcement activities and to share their concerns with officers; and, with funding from the City, the *Officer Next Door* program was set up to help police officers purchase homes in high-crime neighborhoods. The officers were required to commit to the residence for a period of five years. * In Minneapolis, MN, the *Franklin Avenue Community Safety Center* was established in the heart of a crime-plagued business district to foster and facilitate cooperation between police and the community's residents, who now work together to reduce crime, exchange information, address livability issues, and enhance crime prevention methods. * In Phoenix, AZ, plainclothes and beat officers from the *Neighborhood Enforcement Team* participate in monthly meetings at which residents lay out their concerns relating to crime in their community. Law enforcement officers also participate in *Block Watch* and *Drug Free Zone* programs; and the Phoenix Police Department provides the community with a written report showing law enforcement activity in the neighborhood during the month. * In Portland, OR, the *Shop-with-a-Cop* program, teamed up 45 police officers with 99 kids for a shopping trip to the local Fred Meyer department store. Each of the kids was given a store gift card, a bag of school supplies, a membership to the Boys and Girls Club, and a free haircut at a local salon. * In Providence, RI, police made nuisance complaints easier by creating a nuisance complaint form, which the resident completes and gives directly to the *Weed & Seed* program coordinator, who then contacts the City agency responsible for fixing the problem—whether it be a problem property, litter, or an abandoned vehicle. Eliminating the red tape has allowed faster responses to problems; physical improvements have repaired residents’ feelings of distrust towards the police. * In Seattle, WA, a forum was created in which police, residents and other neighborhood stakeholders meet regularly to discuss current issues, review crime reports, and coordinate work groups. Keeping the same *Community Patrol* officers patrolling the same areas has been key. Previously, officers rotated patrols, making it near impossible for residents to get to know a particular officer. * In St. Paul, MN, beat cops and business owners have come to know each other on a first name basis through the *Summer Patrol* program in which officers talk with business owners on a regular basis to learn their concerns and tips they might have regarding crime in the neighborhood. Beat officers have also come to know business owners through a beat cell phone the officer carries and which business owners can call without having to go through 911 dispatch. * In Tacoma, WA, relationships between the police and residents being tense and mistrusting, it was agreed that the only solution was community-based crime-reduction and -prevention programs. The *Drug House Elimination Task Force* recommended that officers operate out of a substation created from a former drug house in the neighborhood. The success of the *DHETF* depends on the surveillance that residents and business owners provide. It regularly conducts neighborhood walks, noting problem properties, talking with neighbors, and cleaning up litter along the way. * In Tempe, AZ, area residents, fearing retribution from local drug dealers, were afraid to report criminal activity. Feeling they had been abandoned by the police, residents were extremely reluctant to work with them. The *Beat 16* project was created to enable residents to reclaim their neighborhood. Once the residents felt comfortable with the officers working on the project, information began pouring in about illegal activities taking place in the neighborhood. * In Toledo, OH, a mechanism was put in place to address issues between the community and police. Known as the *Steering Committee*, it is made up of social service providers; city agencies; faith-based groups; congressional staff; residents; representatives from the schools, the Lagrange Development Corporation, and City, County, and federal law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies. An off-duty officer responds to individual complaints and works with two entities created by the *Weed & Seed/Community Safety Initiative* program: Citizens on Patrol and the Crime Task Force. This collaboration is said to have created an atmosphere of safety and trust within the community. ### Dumping * In Seattle, WA, the *Southeast Seattle Community Safety Initiative* works with the Columbia City Business Association to collect annual dues from the businesses which are used to pay for various projects such as street cleaning, picking up litter, and cleaning up illegal dumping sites. ### Drugs * In Albuquerque, NM, a new position, *community and prosecutions coordinator* (CPC), was created in the district attorney's office, who maintains a database of drug-trafficking cases and notifies neighborhood associations and crime victims of the upcoming cases from their respective neighborhoods. The purpose is enable crime victims to be present, along with representatives of the pertinent neighborhood associations, at the hearings. The CPC also helps neighborhoods set up neighborhood associations, then works closely with them through their crime prevention activities. * In Boston, MA, gang drug rings being the biggest problem, efforts to disassemble the gangs were put in place (*see Gangs*). * In Eugene, OR, a public safety forum that included representatives of the office of the district attorney, the Eugene Police Department, and the existing neighborhood associations developed a "user-friendly" brochure with tips for residents on how to deal with neighborhood drug trafficking. * In Humboldt, TN, *Weed & Seed* programs have resulted in improved coordination between local and federal law enforcement agencies and resulted in the arrest of 10 local drug dealers. * In Little Rock, AR, drug houses were a major problem, so the City created a program titled *SAFE (Support, Abatement, Fines and Enforcement)* under which police officers, the Office of the City's Attorney, fire Inspectors and code enforcement officers work together to address problem properties. The *SAFE* team gradually moves from helping landlords to taking legal action against problem tenants and owners. * In Los Angeles, CA, LAPD detectives, along with the Vice Control Unit, take part in stakeouts targeting illegal drugs sales. * In Minneapolis, MN, the City's Police Department sent officers into the streets on foot, bicycles and horseback to patrol the area and make law enforcement more visible. According to MPD representatives, officers on these patrols have been one of the most effective ways of curbing drug dealing. Drug stings are routinely based out of the *Franklin Avenue Community Safety Center*, located in the heart of the crime-ridden business district, rather than out of the Precinct Center. * In Phoenix, AZ, community stakeholders constantly identified gang-related crime as one of their major concerns, one of the crimes being drugs; so monthly meetings were instituted that are attended by beat officers, plainclothes Neighborhood Enforcement Team officers—and residents, who are given the opportunity to develop and update their *Top Ten List* of drug law violators or locations. Together, the Phoenix Police Gang Unit, the Drug Enforcement Bureau and the *Violent Street Gang Task Force* have targeted drug activity and the identification and shutting down of drug houses; while a federal grant was used to hire a fulltime community prosecutor whose job is to go after drug houses. Fifth and sixth graders participate in *DARE (Drug Awareness and Resistance Education)*. The PPD has also implemented the *Drug Education for Youth Program (DEFY)*. Officers recruit 9-to-12-year-olds for a one-week summer camp, which the officers attend as counselors/mentors. Officers also participate in Block Watch and Drug Free Zone Programs. * In San Bernadino County, CA, a *Drug Court* based on the Dade County, FL, model was established as an alternative to jail time. Treatment consists of one-on-one substance abuse counseling, drug test monitoring, educational/therapy groups, relapse prevention and Narcotics/Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. After one year, the individual graduates from the program with clean/sober living skills. Individuals who fail this program may have the charges against them reinstated at the discretion of the courts. * In Tacoma, WA, a *Drug House Elimination Task Force* was set up, which is comprised of a group of officers who operate out of a substation (a former drug house) within the community. The task force meets regularly to discuss problem sites, participate in training, share information on best practices from other communities, and brainstorm practical approaches to shutting down specific drug houses, such as working with the property owners, their tenants and local community groups. * In Tempe, AZ, the Tempe Police Department’s Selective Enforcement Unit (SEU) created a drug enforcement effort called *Sweep 16*. Police Beat 16, for which the project was named, was known as a place where outsiders could come in to purchase heroin safely. *Sweep 16* was an undercover buy-and-bust operation that targeted heroin dealing and trafficking. The SEU worked closely with a detective in the Criminal Investigation Division to identify known offenders in the area. * In Toledo, OH, when a drug house is brought to community members' attention, they draft a letter to the owner of the property asking him or her to meet with a smaller group to discuss problems at the property. At this meeting, the *Weed & Seed* director, police, and community members present their issues, and then offer assistance with eviction. They also train landlords in more effective ways to screen prospective tenants. ### Gangs * In Albuquerque, NM, street gangs, being responsible for a high degree of drug dealing in the city, constituted a major problem. The trials and sentencing of gang members are now monitored by a *community and prosecutions coordinator* (CPC), who contacts the neighborhood associations from the communities in which the gang members resided so association (i.e., neighborhood) representatives can be present at the trials and sentencing and thus stay on top of the situation and track the whereabouts of gang members. * In Boston, MA, a similar effort includes *enhanced prosecution of serial offenders*, *protection for participating witnesses*, *counseling and intervention with families of at-risk youth*, and *the elimination of chronic gang activity locations*. Also, loitering, drug dealing and other threatening behaviors were reduced by transforming both residential and commercial properties into valuable space for new home ownership or commercial opportunities. Through *Operation Home Front*, a police officer and community leader (i.e. block watch captain or clergy member) visit the homes of youth whose conduct shows warning signs of gang involvement and speak frankly with the families. Also, the District Attorney appropriated funds for a *Special Prosecutor* to work with police and community members on the *pursuit of "high impact players"* on the violent gang scene. Money was also set aside for a Victim Witness Advocate who works with the Special Prosecutor to provide protection for witnesses that participate in the prosecution. * In Los Angeles, CA, a *Gang Incident Tracking System* (GITS) was created so that all gang-related incidents reported by law enforcement officers could be fed into a database. Enabling police to track gang activity by where incidents are happening with the greatest frequency. * In New York City, NY, *Victim Services, Inc.* has implemented a program that teaches students, faculty and family members how to cope with or avoid crime activity, including gang violence, they are liable to encounter on almost a daily basis. The program includes an *anti-violence curriculum* (including gang violence), on-site counseling and support groups, as well as *peer mediation/conflict resolution* programs. * In Phoenix, AZ, community stakeholders called upon the Phoenix Police Gang Unit and Drug Enforcement Bureau along with the Violent Street Gang Task Force for intensive involvement. These entities now work together to eliminate gang activity by providing surveillance and arrest of violent gang members and targeting repeat offenders for enhanced prosecution. Third and fourth graders participate in an early intervention program called GREAT (Gang Resistance Education and Training Program), which aims at nipping the problem in the bud. * In San Diego, CA, the strategy was to use paid informants to make videotaped drug buys in targeted neighborhoods, which resulted in the eventual arrest of street-level and mid-level members of the Crips, Bloods and another gang. The majority of gang members arrested pled guilty and was sentenced to prison. * In Wichita, KS, the *Wichita/Sedgewick County Neighborhood Initiative* is a consortium of grassroots community organizations, public agencies, including law enforcement, City government, the schools, interested nonprofit and for-profit private sector businesses, labor groups, and civic organizations that have pledged to work together to reduce gang-related violence. The initiative brings all of the parties to the table regularly—including grassroots anti-gang groups, police representatives—and gang members themselves. ### Graffiti * In Burlington, VT, the *First Response Team*, launched in 2001, promises clean-up of graffiti within 72 hours, and organizes weekly volunteer clean-ups, volunteer training, youth learning services, adopt-a-block, mural and other restorative activities, and community service for prosecuted graffiti vandals. In 2004, with an operating budget of just $34,000, the *FRT* cleaned up more than 900 locations. * In Caldwell, ID, youth and adult volunteers formed a *task force to remove graffiti*. It is run by the Idaho Chamber of Commerce in coordination with police and other local agencies, and equipment kept at the Chamber's downtown site. The minute new graffiti is spotted, the task force coordinator is notified. The coordinator then assigns a group to remove the graffiti. This approach has been so successful that Juvenile Court has asked to be able to assign youth to help out with the task force as their court-ordered sentence for non-violent crimes. * In Charleston, SC, students cleaned up graffiti and other damage around the school to help make the surrounding neighborhood more attractive. * In Kansas City, KS, a *Graffiti Task Force* was created by a group of public and private organizations to address and find a solution to the graffiti problem. This coalition worked to change ordinances and expand public and youth education, and coordinated a new abatement effort; and a graffiti hotline set up. * In Los Angeles, CA, the City created a *"Graffiti Free Zone"*. The first stage involves two undercover officers that patrol problem areas on foot and identify new graffiti. Next, the locations of graffiti are relayed to the Dunbar Economic Development Corporation, which is under contract by the Department of Public Works to remove graffiti. This department provides community groups with trucks and other equipment to remove graffiti. Over time, the crackdowns on graffiti are becoming stricter. To ensure the safety of the graffiti removal team, the undercover cops take the photographs to be used in prosecuting these offenses against private and community property. * In San Jose, CA, an *Anti-Graffiti Program* started in 1999 has reduced graffiti by 95 percent. The San Jose Police Department has made arresting graffiti vandals a priority, along with installing surveillance cameras, and targeting repeat offenders. Under the *You Tag You Lose* program, any vandal caught "tagging" (defacing property with graffiti) loses his or her driver's license for one year and is required to pay a fine and clean up the graffiti. Some 2,700 neighborhood volunteers have been trained and equipped to keep their communities clear of graffiti. ### High Crime Rate * In Albuquerque, NM, the creation of a *community and prosecutions coordinator (CPC)* in the district attorney's office has enabled neighborhood associations to actively participate in the monitoring of criminal activity and enforcement. The CPC maintains a database of court cases and notifies neighborhood associations of upcoming cases in which criminals, from their neighborhoods will be going up for trial or sentencing, and works closely with the associations in their crime prevention activities. * In Boston, MA, community organizers, leaders and property owners meet monthly with the Police Department to identify what actions need to be taken to deal with identified "hot spots" or problem properties. Gang violence and gang drug rings have been the crimes most often targeted by organizers and police. (see *Gangs*). * In Burlington, VT, the *Public Safety Project* has been established to address both actual and perceived crime. Five Americorps*VISTA volunteers staff the project: Indeed, the key to *PSP*s success is the presence of the VISTAs on the streets, where they stay regularly in contact with residents by knocking on doors, visit with crossing guards and business owners, and spend time in parks and local stores, which gives each VISTA volunteer a feel for the neighborhood. In addition, *Public Safety Forums* were set up to allow residents to help shape a course of action for each problem. *PSP* staff members also run monthly training programs for community leaders in areas such as outreach strategies, flyer and newsletter design, meeting facilitation, conflict mediation, fire safety, self defense and urban gardening. * In Eugene, OR, the *Bethel Public Safety Station* was created in 2001 so residents would have a place to report crimes and gather public safety information, contributing to better overall service by police to the community. The *Bethel Community Accountability Board* is composed of a group of residents who decide sanctions for low- and moderate-risk offenders who have committed crimes in the area. * In Minneapolis, MN, the police have made themselves more visible in three different ways. The MPD moved its base of operations from the Precinct Center to the *Franklin Avenue Community Safety Center*, located in the heart of the crime-ridden business district; officers took to the streets on bicycles; and informal police activity of other kinds has grown out of the different aspects of the Safety Center. * In Phoenix, AZ, a *Beat Accountability Program* was set up under which the officers walk or patrol the beat take responsibility for problem solving in that neighborhood. Beat officers and plainclothes *Neighborhood Enforcement Team* officers attend monthly meetings at which residents air concerns ranging from abandoned vehicles and prostitution to drug houses. * In Seattle, WA, in order to get a better understanding of the crime occurring in Southeast Seattle, project leaders launched a multi-agency crime-tracking system using GIS technology. The project tracks crime activity and trends and the combines this information with land use, code violation, and property owner data on the same map so connections can be studied and opportunities identified. * In St. Paul, MN, a *"Make the Call" Campaign* had police officers and members of the Crime & Safety Committee visit businesses and provide them with bright cards (to be hung near cash registers) telling cashiers when to call the police, and what department could be the most helpful in the given circumstances, along with phone numbers. The *Summer Patrol Program* gives officers an opportunity to visit with business owners on a regular basis, so they can become better informed about owners' concerns and receive their suggestions for dealing with nuisance activities and crime. Beat cops now carry a cell phone whose spp business owners can phone them directly without having to go through 911 emergency dispatch. An officer works with the East Side Neighborhood Development Company to help businesses with *Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design*. Any business requesting funds from the ESNDC must past the scrutiny of the committee and stick with *CPTED* principles. * In Toledo, OH, an officer on foot patrol now walks the Lagrange Street Business District, heightening police presence without advertising that the City is having problems in that district. Also, through the *Weed & Seed/Community Safety Initiative* program, *Citizens on Patrol* was created to monitor and report criminal activity in the neighborhood, and a *Crime Task Force* set up that identified the top ten crime hot spots in the neighborhood and prioritized them for attention. ### Litter * In Los Angeles, CA, monthly beautification projects are funded by the City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works' *Operation Clean Sweep*. The Dunbar Economic Development Corporation, LAPD Newton Division, *Operation Clean Sweep*, and the Trinity Community Block Club coordinate these activities, which include litter removal, recycling, and environmental education. * In Providence, RI, the *Nuisance Abatement Task Force* (see *Problem Properties*) handles a variety of jobs that range from dealing with problem properties to cleaning up garbage and hazardous materials that have been long neglected, after a property was secured by the Task Force. Also, *nuisance complaint forms* were created by the Providence Police Department which residents can fill out and give to the *Weed & Seed* program coordinator, who is then responsible for contacting the agency charged with picking up the litter. * In Seattle, WA, the *Southeast Seattle Community Safety Initiative* works with the Columbia City Business Association to collect annual dues from the businesses that are used to pay for different projects such as street cleaning, litter, and cleaning up illegal dumping sites. * In Tacoma, WA, the *Drug House Elimination Task Force*, composed of police officers who work out of a substation within the community (a former drug house), regularly conduct neighborhood walks to identify problem properties, picking up litter as they go. ### Loitering * In Huntsville, AL, the Huntsville Housing Authority adopted a *trespass resolution* in 1994 after residents complained that non-residents were responsible for drug dealing, vandalism and violence. Anyone who has been charged with a crime, threatened violence, damaged housing authority property, or had a confrontation with a Housing Authority officer while on Huntsville Housing Authority property is banned from HHA property for a period of one year. Those who violate this law are subject to up to 180 days in jail. * In Seattle, WA, police efforts to control loitering having proven ineffective, business owners decided to use *music* to disperse homeless persons and area youth who were loitering around their businesses, scaring away customers. They installed outdoor speakers that played either country or classical music. ### Noise * In Burlington, VT, noise was identified as a major issue in a section of the city in which many college students reside. As a result, a *Neighborhood Walk* was initiated, in which police officers, residents, University officials, and Public Safety Project AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteers (see *High Crime Rate*) walk the streets between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. asking partiers to quiet down, cleaning up graffiti, and getting to know the neighbors, who then have a harder time refusing to com ply with their requests and become allies in the anti-noise effort. # Panhandling * In Little Rock, AR, when citizens complained about beggars becoming aggressive or angry when denied a handout, the City set up an *undercover police task force to target professional panhandlers and aggressive beggars*. The primary target is not the homeless, but professional panhandlers who have a permanent address in Little Rock. * In New York City, NY, in order to make the subways safer, the New York Transit Authority banned panhandlers from the subways, resulting in a 15 percent decrease in felonies in the subway system. # Problem Properties * In Boston, MA, police gathered information on properties, or "hot spots", that were the root of much drug and gang activity in the city from local tenants and neighborhood crime watch meetings. * In Burlington, VT, three *working groups* were organized, each targeting a specific geographical area. Each group includes a *City Code Enforcement Officer*, a *Public Safety Project VISTA* volunteer (see *High Crime Rate*) assigned to the area, the Police Lieutenant assigned to the neighborhood, and the City's mediation specialist. Problem properties are brought to the working group's attention by complaints from neighbors, a recommendation from a VISTA volunteer, or multiple police calls to the same property. The working group then figures out a response based on the type of problem. In some instances, *informal front lawn meetings* are created to mediate conflict between neighbors or students from the University of Vermont. In other instances a letter is sent to the landlord explaining the problem his or her property has had on the effect of the community. If this does not work, code enforcement officers will issue fines. In severe cases, the landlord is urged by the Code Enforcement Office to sell the property. * In Little Rock, AR, a program titled *SAFE (Support, Abatement, Fines, and Enforcement)* was set up, through which police officers, the City's Attorney's Office, Fire Inspectors, and Code Enforcement Officers address problem properties. The *SAFE* team gradually moves from helping landlords to taking legal action against problem tenants and owners. As long as the landlord is willing to comply, the team will do all within its power to help, whether it be arranging for emergency repair grants, dumpster funds for demolition projects, or funds for facade improvement of rental properties. One officer, a *SAFE* team member, teaches classes for landlords and residents about state and local housing regulations. * In Phoenix, AZ, through a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, the City hired a *fulltime community prosecutor* to address slum properties. A code inspector aggressively goes after blighted rental properties with the goal of bringing them into compliance. * In Providence, RI, the Olneyville *Weed & Seed* program works with the City's multi-agency *Nuisance Abatement Task Force* to deal with problem properties. This task force is headed by the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office and includes the Providence Police and Fire Departments, the offices of Code Enforcement, Public Works, Building Inspections and Standards, and *Weed & Seed*. Owners of nuisance properties who fail to comply with the standards brought to their attention by the Task Force may be forced to forfeit their property, which can then be turned over to a nonprofit organization at an affordable cost. The Task Force also works with landlords to take a more active role in maintaining their properties, and trains owners of apartments to screen new tenants in a more effective way. * In Seattle, WA, the *Southeast Seattle Community Safety Initiative*, Seattle Police Department, and Homesight (a community development corporation) targeted commercial buildings with high levels of crime. Together, the Southeast Seattle CSI and the SPD addressed the crime aspect while Homesight centered community development projects around these locations. Volunteers were a huge part of this effort, enabling Homesight and the SPD to complete projects that would otherwise have required significant fundraising efforts. * In Tacoma, WA, the *Drug House Elimination Task Force*, which includes Tacoma police officers who work out of a substation within the community (a former drug house), targets problem properties, conducts code enforcement inspections and works with the owners to resolve the problems. The *DHETF* also addresses reoccurring illegal activity by communicating with property owners, their tenants, local community groups, and neighbors. ### Prostitution * In Grand Rapids, MI, several programs have resulted from the work of the *Prostitution Round Table (PRT)*, a committee charged with finding solutions to prostitution. One is the *Open Door Program*, which provides safe refuge for women from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. and is staffed by women recovering from many of the same issues as the women coming off the street. Another program, the *Social Work and Police Partnership (SWAPP)*, is a partnership between Grand Valley State University's School of Social Work and the Grand Rapids Police Department. Under this innovative program, social workers ride along with community police providing direct assistance for women trying to make a living as prostitutes, as well as assistance in court, jail and elsewhere. A third program, *Start Treatment of Prostitutes (STOP)*, is a day treatment program spearheaded by Cindy Sikkema, probation officer for the 61st District Court. * In Minneapolis, MN, prostitution stings are routinely based out of the *Franklin Avenue Community Safety Center*, located in the heart of the crime-ridden business district, rather than out of the Precinct Center. In addition, having *officers on bicycle patrol, horseback,* and *foot patrol*, according to MPD representatives, has had a substantial impact on the curbing of prostitution. * In Phoenix, AZ, through the use of a federal grant, the City employed a *fulltime community prosecutor who targets prostitution*. A *neighborhood impact letter* was created to educate judges about the negative impacts of prostitution in the neighborhood. Neighborhood residents are present at sentencing hearings and have requested that the prostitutes be given travel restrictions, prohibiting them from entering the neighborhood during the period of probation. ### Public Intoxication * In Tacoma, WA, where the chronic public inebriant (CPI) is seen as adding to the criminal activity and deterioration of the area, an *Alcohol Impact Area* was established with the help of the Washington State Liquor Control Board. Merchants within this area are prohibited from selling certain types of alcohol during certain hours. ### Trespassing * In Providence, RI, the *Nuisance Abatement Task Force* (see *Problem Properties*) urges owners of properties where criminal activity is a chronic problem to complete *"No Trespassing" forms* that allow police to arrest any person not authorized to be on the property. **Truancy** * In Lehigh County, PA, the *Pennsylvania School-Based Probation Program* is a supervision model in which the juvenile probation officer works in the schools themselves rather than the traditional courthouse environment. This model allows the probation officer to contact clients more frequently and observe client interactions with peers in a social setting, and to actively enforce conditions of probation such as school attendance. * In Phoenix, AZ, school personnel monitor school attendance and notify parents if their child has more than three unexcused absences. The parents are required to respond and describe the measures they have taken to make sure their child is attending school. If the child continues to miss school, the school notifies the prosecutor or police department to ask that criminal charges be filed against the parents. The prosecutor has the option of offering a deferred prosecution diversion program, instead of criminal charges. * In Toledo, OH, funding is provided, through the *Weed & Seed* grant, for local officers to work exclusively on truancy. These officers receive daily attendance sheets from the Board of Education which they look over, drive through neighborhoods, and visit the homes of truant students. The students are then transported to the Truancy Center, where they receive intensive intervention from *Parents Helping Parents* and Social Outreach Workers before going back to school. **Unsafe Walk to School** * In Los Angeles, CA, unsafe routes to and from school in a certain area having been identified as a major concern, the Newton Division of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) increased the number of patrols on Central Avenue, where most of the problems occurred, both before and after school. **Vandalism** * In Burlington, VT, unsupervised youth were causing problems throughout the city's neighborhoods. Youth vandalism was a major problem. The parents were approached and a street resource day created and the streets with lined with recreation opportunities. Both measures met with minimal success, so the *Public Safety Project*, working together with *Club Youth Speak-Out* (a local youth initiative), held a *Pizza-and-"What I Hate About My Neighborhood" Party*. Participation in the event by teenage residents was outstanding and has led to the continual involvement of teens in the effort to protect their community. <
> Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan PRESERVATION # PRESERVATION ## OVERVIEW Preservation pays. Between 1995 and 2006 more than 541 million dollars in investment in the city was generated by the historic rehabilitation tax credit. This figure does not include the large investments made through low interest loans, the Storefront Renovation Program, or other financial incentives available to property owners. Throughout Cleveland, investment in historic neighborhoods has resulted in tangible physical improvements, the preservation of irreplaceable landmarks, and a stronger sense of neighborhood identity. But it is also an understanding of historic and architectural significance that gives true meaning to preservation. Whether it be an individual house, commercial building, or neighborhood, economic incentives and a strong landmarks ordinance are only meaningful if we recognize the rich heritage and architectural qualities that they are designed to protect. This chapter seeks to outline ways in which we must recognize historic preservation as a vital component of city-wide planning in Cleveland in the 21[^st] century. Cleveland's first buildings were log cabins, and among them was the house of Rebecca and Lorenzo Carter, the city's first permanent residents, built in 1797. The Carter log cabin was probably long gone by the time Cleveland's oldest standing downtown buildings were built in the 1850s: the Hilliard Block on West 9[^th] Street and Old Stone Church on Public Square. There are buildings like the Dunham Tavern on Euclid Avenue, the West House in West Park, and the Rodolphus Edwards House on Buckeye Road that date from the first half of the 19[^th] century, but it is the period of 1870 to 1930 from which most of the city's existing rich and remarkable building stock dates. And as we proceed into the 21[^st] century, more and more buildings and building types of the recent past will become eligible for designation and preservation. <
> A panoramic view of Public Square, looking east, taken c. 1912 In July of 1796, Moses Cleaveland and his band of surveyors landed on the east bank of the river the local Indian tribes called *cuyahoga* ("crooked"), blazing trees to mark off the village green and the major thoroughfares of this would-be capital of Connecticut's Western Reserve. The downtown street pattern and the public square reflect the typical town plan found throughout New England. The settlement grew slowly until the opening of the Ohio and Erie Canal in 1832, when, situated as it was at the northern terminus of the canal, it found itself advantageously positioned to capitalize on the soon booming two-way commerce, expanding rapidly over the next couple of decades as a trans-shipment center. This era was the origin of the commercial warehouses that would line the Flats and the high ground immediately east of the river we now know as the Warehouse District. The Irish and Germans who came to work on the canal settled into the neighborhoods in walking [^st]: st distance of their jobs, adding their folkways and cultures to those of the original Yankee population. As the village continued to grow, another settlement on the west side of the Cuyahoga, known as Ohio City, also prospered. When it was annexed to Cleveland in 1854, the population of the city mushroomed overnight to more than 20,000 people. The opening of the Soo Canal in upper Michigan in 1856 made iron ore from the north readily available in the lower Great Lakes region. Once again, Cleveland's location was ripe—this time for the development of steel manufacture. With access to both the southern Ohio and West Virginia coal fields, and to the iron ore of the Mesabi Range on the northern shore of Lake Superior, Cleveland was poised for opportunity—and seized it. The first steel mill, the Cleveland Rolling Mill, was opened in 1857 in the Newburgh neighborhood centered around Miles Park on the city's southeast side. The city's industrial growth continued during and after the Civil War, when the discovery of oil in Western Pennsylvania led to the founding in 1870 of the Standard Oil Company. Cleveland quickly became the center of the nation's oil industry, and one of the most diversified of the nation's industrial cities. Industrial growth spurred the development of wealth, and a growing population of Eastern Europeans, Southern Europeans and African-Americans from the South flooded into Cleveland in waves to fill the jobs being created. The Victorian-era homes that today give Ohio City, Franklin- West Clinton, Prospect Avenue, Ingleside, Brooklyn Centre, and Broadway much of their distinctive character were built during this prosperous era. Tremont and Little Italy are still chock-a-block with the dwellings of immigrants who worked in the city's factories. Commercial districts also developed to meet the needs of the growing population, stretching out along the streetcar lines that served Lorain, Broadway, and St. Clair Avenues, and around Lorain Station and Gordon Square. As the 20th approached and the city experienced the growing pressures of economic, population, and industrial growth, civic leaders sought a new great vision for Cleveland, one that strived to improve the social, governmental, and aesthetic conditions of the city. Inspired by the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, they enlisted a Group Plan Commission, including the planner and architect Daniel Burnham, in 1903 to plan what would become the city's Mall and new civic center. Over the next 30 years it would become one of the most completely realized expressions of the national movement known as the City Beautiful. The City Beautiful Movement also left its mark on park and parkway development throughout the city: East Boulevard was planned as a connection between Lake Erie and Garfield Park; West Boulevard as a parkway between Lake Erie and Brookside Park. Notable for their planning and landscaping, the boulevards (and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive) are still lined today with notable residential architecture from the early 1900s. The cultural grouping of buildings known as University Circle also came out of this era. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance Hall, and many of the Case Western Reserve University buildings were built with fortunes made in Cleveland industry. <
> West Boulevard was planned as a parkway between Lake Erie and Brookside Park as part of the City Beautiful Movement in the early 1900s. The city continued rapid industrial and population growth through the first two decades of the 20th century. The city also continued to grow through annexation, notably adding the villages of Glenville, Collinwood, and West Park during this period. Cleveland saw an explosive growth of commercial office space in the downtown area. The Terminal Tower, completed in 1930, was a ground-breaking development that included commercial retail, hotel, offices, and a railway station. When it opened, it was the tallest building outside of New York City. Its developers, Oris and Mantis Van Sweringen, were also responsible for the residential development of Shaker Heights and Shaker Square. Building and population growth slowed dramatically during the Depression and World War II. <
> The Cleveland Union Terminal, which was the tallest building outside of New York City when it was completed in 1930, was a ground-breaking development that included commercial retail, hotel, offices, and a railway station. After World War II, urban renewal, a national movement that sought to revitalize America's urban areas, produced in Cleveland plans like Erieview which envisioned a new modern office center for the downtown. It was also a period of intensive expansion of the interstate highway system, which resulted in better transportation connections. Both aspects of this movement, however, produced effects which were less auspicious. Urban renewal justified the demolition of blighted areas of the city, ignoring buildings and neighborhoods with historic significance. Interstate highways caused the elimination of older neighborhoods or split and isolated neighborhoods like Tremont. The continuing rise of the automobile and the growth of suburbs and suburban shopping malls all had an impact on the character of commercial streets. Growing concern for the loss of historic buildings nationally resulted in passage of the National Historic Preservation Act in 1966. In Cleveland, the early 1970s saw the establishment of the Cleveland Restoration Society and the creation of an historic preservation board within City government, the Cleveland Landmarks Commission. Even during Cleveland's civic renaissance in the 1980s and 90s, preservation was often a central issue. Projects like the Sohio Building, Tower City, the Gateway sports complex, and construction of the Society Tower and Marriot Hotel raised concerns about the loss or potential loss of historic fabric. New commercial shopping strips and the growth of new neighborhood drug stores in the 1980s and 1990s meant the loss of many historic buildings that characterized Cleveland's urban commercial nodes. In recent years there has been an explosion of downtown housing and the restoration and adaptive reuse of historic buildings throughout the city. The Union Gospel Press Apartments in Tremont is an exciting residential re-use of a unique complex of buildings long awaiting a deserving resurrection. The restoration and expansion of Park Lane Villa Apartments is the fitting renewal of a stately residential hotel. Today, as suburban developers attempt to create “life-style centers” and cul-de-sacs lined with neo-Victorian houses, we are reminded that the vision they are seeking to create derives from the elements that have grown from and define the city: real Victorian neighborhoods like Ohio City, truly urban shopping areas like Shaker Square, and the historic architecture that reflects the heritage of a still great city. It is the historic and architectural resources already found in the city that give Cleveland neighborhoods their identity and appeal, and which we must continue to preserve. # TRENDS *Several trends have been noted in recent years that have shaped current attitudes about historic and older buildings and that have implications for the preservation and rehabilitation of Cleveland’s architectural legacy:* * **The Changing Focus of Historic Preservation:** Over the past three decades, the Historic Preservation Movement has moved from its original focus on the preservation of architectural masterpieces and buildings of historical significance to a growing interest in preserving the architectural character of “Main Street” America—the community schools and churches that link neighborhood residents with their historic roots and provide a sense of continuity and neighborhood identity; the obsolete but architecturally interesting commercial, industrial or institutional structures; and, last but not least, the vintage homes that give a neighborhood much of its distinctive character. * **Outward Migration:** As the phenomenon known as “urban sprawl” continues to erode the tax base and the economic viability of cities, like Cleveland, that anchor whole regions and provide amenities and a host of opportunities that small communities cannot, the city’s housing stock, a valuable commodity, is being lost to vandals and the wrecking ball. Some of it is, of course, beyond repair; but much of it still constitutes a potential asset that, properly refurbished and strategically marketed, could be key to reversing the population drain and building a new, vibrant future for Cleveland and its neighborhoods. The mistakes of Urban Renewal, the well-meaning, but short-sighted, national movement that gutted Cleveland and so many other cities of irreplaceable architectural assets (and part of their history) in the 1960s and early ’70s destroyed the integrity of many urban neighborhoods. * **The Growing Demand for Decent, Affordable Housing:** As the cost of living (and owning or renting a dwelling) continues to climb in other parts of the country, one of Cleveland’s strongest assets remains its affordable housing. Indeed, as a result of stepped-up new housing development and concerted efforts at rehabilitation of older homes, the median value of housing in the city’s neighborhoods is rising at a faster rate that the county-wide rate. * **Rehab vs. New Construction:** There is a growing realization here that rehabbing is often significantly less costly than demolition and new construction. This is true of many school buildings built in another era, often with high quality materials and rich architectural details. A stunning example is John Hay High School, which has been lovingly restored to its former glory and renovated to meet contemporary needs and school building codes. In a precedent-setting move, the Cleveland Municipal School District (CMSD) agreed to consider rethinking its Master <
> Plan calling for the demolition of 24 school buildings eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places if an analysis of four schools by a team of experienced professionals recruited by the Cleveland Restoration Society showed they could be renovated at a substantial savings. If even some of these 49 historic buildings can be rehabilitated, the savings to CMSD and taxpayers could be significant. In a very real sense, Cleveland’s interesting past is beginning to be seen by many as an important component for its future, a collection of valuable assets that by 2020 could be playing a powerful role in the city’s and region’s competitiveness and “livability”—two things a city will have to be about in the 21st century. # ASSETS *Cleveland has a number of important assets in the area of Preservation that can be built upon:* ## HISTORIC BUILDING STOCK Cleveland has 22 local landmark historic districts and 234 individual landmarks, together representing more than 3,500 buildings. (Map of local landmark sites and districts) In addition, there are currently 167 individual buildings and 29 historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places, many of which are also designated as Cleveland landmarks. (Access GIS browser map of historic districts here) The city’s neighborhoods contain an unusually large stock of older homes exemplifying architectural styles favored in earlier periods of Cleveland’s, and the nation’s, history. Neighborhoods such as Tremont and Ohio City have built their successful comebacks in large part on the distinctive character of many of the homes that line their streets. Excellent examples of distinguished, high style architecture can be found throughout the city. Styles such as Italianate, Queen Anne, Stick, Colonial Revival, Tudor, Classical, and Craftsman can be found in neighborhoods as diverse as Ohio City, Brooklyn Centre, East and West Boulevards, and Tremont. In addition to high style architecture, Cleveland has an abundance of significant vernacular housing types. Homesteads, American Foursquares, and whole streets and neighborhoods of Cleveland <
> Cleveland’s neighborhoods, such as Jay Avenue, in Ohio City, contain many older homes that exemplify classic architectural styles, which were popular in earlier periods of Cleveland’s, and the nation’s history. Doubles are among types that define the character and history of the city. Often accompanied by an eclectic mix of stylistic elements and materials, these vernacular types are important resources in their own right. Cleveland’s neighborhoods are also characterized by significant examples of churches, libraries, commercial buildings, large-scale industrial buildings, and public schools. As much as housing, these building types help to define the nature of "neighborhood," and ultimately give neighborhoods their sense of vitality and diversity. Cleveland’s long industrial heritage is reflected in a significant number of industrial buildings and structures. Unique large and small scale industrial complexes can be found throughout the city, from the Flats to Collinwood to Detroit-Shoreway. Cleveland’s amazing variety of significant bridges and bridge types are perhaps the most prominent reflection of the city’s industrial character and history. # OHIO & ERIE CANAL NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR The Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor was established in 1996 by the United States Congress. Heritage corridors are eligible for assistance through the U.S. Department of Interior and are established to help local entities protect and use historical, cultural and recreational resources for community benefit while raising awareness of their importance. The Ohio and Erie National Heritage Corridor is centered on the Cuyahoga Valley and is focused on telling the story of the Ohio and Erie Canal’s importance to the growth of Cleveland and the early national economy. Other major themes of the Corridor’s story are the area’s natural setting, its use as a transportation route and the histories of the communities drawn to it. # GOVERNMENT AGENCIES * The Cleveland Landmarks Commission is an 11-member board of preservation-minded individuals consisting of architects, historians, property owners, attorneys, Cleveland City Council representatives, the Director of City Planning and the Commissioner of Architecture. It is responsible for determining whether buildings, sites or historic districts are eligible for designation as landmarks. Following criteria listed in the City’s Landmarks Ordinance and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, the Commission reviews building and demolition permits for Designated Cleveland Landmarks and Districts and issues Certificates of Appropriateness where warranted. Local Design Review committees act as advisory committees to the Landmarks Commission. The Commission also conducts a continuing survey of historic properties within the City for the purposes of designation as a Cleveland Landmark and/or listing on the National Register of Historic Places; informs citizens about the architectural and historical heritage of Cleveland; and, as a certified local government agency, acts in coordination with the Ohio Historic <
> The Cleveland Landmarks Commission reviews building and demolition permits for Designated Cleveland Landmarks and Districts, conducts a continuing survey of historic properties within the City and informs citizens about the architectural and historical heritage of Cleveland. Preservation Office in cases involving Section 106/Environmental Reviews and National Register of Historic Places designations. # ORGANIZATIONAL EXPERTISE * The Cleveland Restoration Society (CRS) is a nonprofit community organization that strives to develop economically viable solutions to preservation challenges in order to preserve and enhance the architectural heritage of our region. Founded in 1972, CRS is a Local Partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is the primary local historic preservation organization in Northeastern Ohio. The mission of the Cleveland Restoration Society is to advance the preservation of Greater Cleveland's historic resources through creative initiatives aimed at assisting property owners with the preservation of historic properties; skillful and well-placed advocacy for significant and threatened landmarks; programs designed to educate property owners and the public, and to foster increased interest in the quality of Greater Cleveland's built environment. Nationally recognized, CRS uses tools such as historic preservation easements; housing receivership statutes to save historic homes threatened with demolition; and the Heritage Home Loan Program (see Financial Resources below). It runs one of only 10 Sacred Landmarks assistance programs in the country that provide technical assistance to religious institutions. Through its Neighborhood Preservation Program, one of the nation’s largest, CRS has assisted more than 900 property owners with projects representing nearly $16 million in neighborhood investment by providing technical assistance and information regarding the conservation of building materials, the appropriate repair and replacement of deteriorated or missing architectural features, and general maintenance issues common to older homes. Exterior rehabilitation is emphasized in order to create a visible, positive impact in each neighborhood. * The Preservation Resource Center of Northeast Ohio (PRC), established in 1999 and operated by CRS, provides professional technical assistance and expert advice to private individuals, organizations, and local governments in Cuyahoga and six surrounding counties dealing with preservation issues and/or projects. # PRIVATE SECTOR EXPERTISE * Cleveland is home to several architectural firms with considerable experience and award-winning track records in historic preservation and adaptive reuse; private contractors with experience in historic restoration; and historic preservation consultants proficient in historical research, architectural assessment, and the uses of the historic tax credit. # FINANCIAL RESOURCES * The City of Cleveland Department of Community Development offers many programs to assist homeowners and commercial property owners through the Division of Neighborhood Services, the Division of Neighborhood Development, and the Storefront Renovation Program. For more information go to: * The Cuyahoga County Treasurer’s Heritage Home Loan Program, created in partnership with the Cleveland Restoration Society (CRS) and KeyBank, offers technical assistance and/or low-interest loans to property owners in participating cities within the county for the restoration and improvement of historic and older homes. Since the latter is defined, using the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places, as 50 years of age or older, much if not most of Cleveland’s housing stock potentially qualifies. Houses built before 1956, including rental properties up to a three-family structure, that have no vinyl or aluminum siding are eligible for both exterior and interior projects ranging from new roofs or additions to painting, landscaping, porch or widow repair, driveways, storm window installation, and kitchen/bath renovations. <
> Sandstone details accent window openings and corners on William Cullen Bryant Elementary School, built in 1930. HHLP staff also provides assistance on household maintenance issues, design guidelines, use of historical colors and appropriate materials, custom construction specifications and locating qualified contractors (the choice of which is entirely up to the home owner). There is no out-of-pocket cost for the loan, no closing cost and no points. There are also no income restrictions and interest from the loan is tax deductible. * The federal government’s Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program has been a key tool in the preservation and renewal of many of Cleveland’s historic buildings and neighborhoods. Between 1995 and 2006 this program generated more than 541 million dollars in investment in the city. # CHALLENGES *Cleveland faces a number of specific challenges in the area of Historic Preservation, which need to be addressed:* * **Public Education on the Benefits of Preservation:** Despite the recognized economic benefits of historic preservation, there remains a continuing and urgent need to ensure the preservation of the city's most significant neighborhood buildings in addition to preserving the overall character of residential and commercial historic districts. The challenge lies in the need to convey to property owners, developers, architects, contractors, and all citizens the ways in which these tangible links to our past are important to the quality of life in Cleveland today, and for our future--how they represent who we are and what we value as a city and a community. * **Use of Synthetic Replacement Materials:** With growing pressure from property owners to use synthetic materials such as vinyl windows and siding, there is a need to educate the public about the advantages, financial as well as less tangible, of maintaining original materials and design elements. As building technologies and economic realities change, there is also a need on the part of the preservation community to develop a more sophisticated approach to the uses, methods, and application of synthetic materials. * **Adaptive Reuse of Historic Buildings:** Though Cleveland has witnessed a significant amount of adaptive reuse of historic buildings in the recent past, the need will continue for creative ways to find new uses for buildings that have lost their original function. Whether it is a warehouse, a church, a school, or other building type that speaks to the quality of life and vitality of a neighborhood, renewed efforts will be required to find economically feasible and historically sensitive ways to preserve them. * **People's Changing Expectations:** As we move into the 21st century, people's expectations about their living, working, and educational needs, especially their expectations about housing, will continue to evolve. The desire to incorporate more convenient amenities, less maintenance, more security, and modern elements in their houses will be reflected in new construction and the way in which historic housing stock is renovated. Attached garages, use of synthetic materials, nearby parking, larger more efficient interiors, and new in-fill housing are some of the pressures that will require guidelines if historic neighborhoods and buildings are to retain the elements, both large and small, that give them their unique character. People will continue to desire modern residences, state-of-the-art facilities, and convenient amenities for their changing lifestyles. The feeling that "new is better than old" must be challenged by an equally strong assertion that modern, cutting-edge 21st century amenities can be found in the creative and economically feasible reuse of historic buildings. * **New Construction and Public Amenities:** Equally important to the preservation of our historic neighborhoods is an approach to new in-fill construction that respects both the reality of new construction methods and the overall character of the existing historic context. Review of new design should respect contemporary methods and materials, but emphasize characteristics that define any given historic neighborhood, including large issues like scale, massing, and porch configuration, and design details like railings and window surrounds. There must be an expectation of high quality in design that respects, without imitating, the historic context. Equally important are the retention of public elements that contribute to the character and quality of life in historic neighborhoods. Streetscape elements, parks, curb cuts, and landscaping are elements which also contribute to the nature of the buildings they are intended to complement and enhance. # POLICIES & STRATEGIES In light of the fact that a sense of history and the architectural character of an area's buildings, monuments and public spaces are an important part of what makes urban neighborhoods, and older cities, attractive to residents and businesses, Cleveland's overriding goal in this area of activity should be to **foster preservation of historically and architecturally significant buildings and districts in the city of Cleveland.** The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Plan therefore puts forth a comprehensive set of economic development policies, each addressing a specific issue—along with specific strategies— aimed at making the most of these unique assets: **I) Marketing.** Capitalize on the presence of architecturally and historically significant buildings in promoting and marketing Cleveland's older neighborhoods as competitive places to live and visit. a. Make improvements to the Cleveland Landmarks Commission website to highlight locally designated buildings and historic districts. Include design guidelines, an improved list of individual landmarks and historic districts with photographs, and use examples from Cleveland to illustrate various architectural styles. Complete the file on important architects in Cleveland’s history, and continue distribution and development of brochures describing the city’s historic districts. b. Support the efforts of the Ohio Canal Corridor organization to tell the story of the Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor. c. Develop brochures highlighting the distinctive character of individual neighborhoods and their historic architecture, and bring material and ideas to in-flight magazines, out-of-town papers, and publications aimed at young, mobile, creative individuals and other sought-after housing markets. 2) **Economic Re-Use.** Identify and pursue opportunities for economically viable re-use of significant structures threatened by neglect and possible demolition. a. Complete National Register nominations for other areas of the city that qualify for National Register status. The National Register designation provides historic tax credit for major rehabilitation. 3) **Design Standards.** Establish design review standards that are effective and reasonable in protecting historic structures and in ensuring that new development complements the character of historic districts. a. Issue complete citywide design guidelines for historic properties, developed by the Cleveland Landmarks Commission, both in printed form and on the internet at the City's website. These guidelines will address residential, commercial and religious properties that have been designated locally or are located within locally designated historic districts. They will also outline the process for seeking approval from the Landmarks Commission and the Design Review committees. 4) **Designation.** Protect historic buildings and districts through designation as local landmarks and through listing on the National Register of Historic Places. a. Designate additional local historic districts and properties eligible to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Projected Cleveland Landmark historic districts include Gordon Square, Franklin-West Clinton, and Lorain Avenue Variety Theater Historic Districts. b. Complete National Register nominations for additional areas that are eligible for listing. c. Update the Landmarks Commission ordinance to reflect changes in law regarding notification of property owners and the county recorder. d. Update zoning maps to include designated local landmarks in addition to the local historic districts currently indicated on the zoning map. 5) **Education.** Increase public awareness of the history and architecture of Cleveland and its neighborhoods, and of the value of historic preservation. a. Work with organizations like the Cleveland Restoration Society, Cleveland media, the Cleveland Visitors & Convention Bureau, CityProwl, and Cool Cleveland to organize neighborhood and historic architecture walks, and Lolly the Trolley motor tours, featuring open houses, knowledgeable speakers and docents drawn from Ursuline College, local architecture firms specializing in historic restoration, Cleveland State University, Cuyahoga Community College, and the Kent State University Northeast Ohio Design Collaborative. b. Where possible, schedule neighborhood walks to coincide with community street festivals, art fairs, outdoor (or indoor) concerts and cultural events organized around historic anniversaries and figures important to a neighborhood and its identity. c. Collaborate with local entities, including neighborhood-based community development corporations (CDCs), to develop brochures highlighting the distinctive character of individual neighborhoods and their historic architecture, and bring material and ideas to in-flight magazines, out-of-town papers, and publications aimed at young, mobile, creative individuals and other sought-after housing markets. d. Work with the local print and electronic media to explore the benefits of preserving, restoring or finding creative re-uses for vintage or historic structures—both in Cleveland and elsewhere around the country where such efforts have paid off. e. Encourage property owners to investigate the history of their neighborhood and building, especially through use of the resources listed in the Cleveland Public Library's "A Checklist for Property Research in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County." **6) Technical Assistance.** Provide property owners with technical assistance in maintaining and rehabilitating historic buildings. a. Continue to provide technical assistance through Landmarks Commission staff to property owners, design review committee members, and the Landmarks Commission itself regarding Certificates of Appropriateness. **7) Preventative Maintenance.** Adopt and enforce laws that require preventative maintenance of historic buildings and structures. a. Expand use of the minimum maintenance provisions of the Landmarks Commission ordinance. b. Review the condition of local landmarks, and of properties within historic districts. c. Work with design review committees on strategies to deal with problem properties. **8) Funding.** Retain and expand funding for historic preservation at all levels of government, including tax credits for rehabilitation. a. Pursue additional funding opportunities available through grants, the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service. <
> Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan OPPORTUNITY & EQUITY # Opportunity and Equity: ## Building Assets for Clevelanders* Cleveland has earned its reputation as a comeback city. After decades of decline and disinvestment, Cleveland is in the midst of a resurgence. Thousands of single-family homes and townhouses are rising from vacant lots all across the city. Outdated warehouses and office buildings are being transformed into trend-setting lofts and condominiums in downtown and nearby neighborhoods. Middle-income households are returning from the suburbs, drawn by the renewed vibrancy of city living. Seven new neighborhood shopping centers now complement over a thousand renovated storefronts, providing retail services to residents, old and new. And industrial parks and commerce districts are bringing jobs to locations from Collinwood on the east to Midtown to areas near Hopkins International Airport on the west. *The comeback, however, has failed to reach tens of thousands of Clevelanders and has failed to reach into the heart of many neighborhoods.* After more than a decade of dramatic progress in urban revitalization, over a quarter of all Clevelanders continue to live below the poverty level, with as many as 65 percent of residents living below the poverty line in some neighborhoods (as recorded in the 2000 U.S. Census). In 2004 and again in 2006, Cleveland was named the poorest large city in the nation. In addition, the typical Cleveland household in 1999, earned only about two-thirds the income of the typical household in most inner-ring suburbs. Similar disparities exist with respect to unemployment, where Cleveland’s unemployment rate was recorded at 11 percent in the 2000 Census, with a rate as high as 33 percent in one Cleveland neighborhood, compared to a rate of 4 percent in suburban Cuyahoga County. While a major focus of the *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* is making Cleveland a more competitive place for those who have many choices in where to live and work and visit, the plan has an equal responsibility – or perhaps a greater responsibility – to provide more choices for those whose choices are limited by poverty, inadequate education, discrimination, health conditions and a host of other issues. The 1975 *Cleveland Policy Planning Report* stated this policy in the following manner: *In the context of limited resources, the Cleveland City Planning Commission will give priority attention to the task of promoting a wider range of choices for those Cleveland residents who have few, if any, choices.* The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* recognizes that, given current regional patterns of housing and transportation, the central city will continue to be the home to the region’s poorest citizens for the foreseeable future. Although many of the plan’s recommendations will benefit poor residents as well as those who are better off, the plan devotes special attention to policies designed to empower those who have been passed over by the recent tide of revitalization. *** * This chapter was written by former City Planning Director Norman Krumholz in collaboration with current City Planning Director Robert Brown. # AFFORDABLE HOUSING The Cleveland City Planning Commission has been actively engaged with neighborhood-based organizations since the early 1970s. Originally, City Planning staff provided support services to neighborhood-based advocacy organizations. Then, as many of the advocacy organizations became non-profit Community Development Corporations (CDCs), the planners, in both the City Planning office and the Community Development Department, extended their collaborative strategy to provide advice, technical assistance, and resources. In the 1980s, the planners helped emerging CDCs buy, rehabilitate, and preserve significant buildings in their neighborhoods, prepare applications under the Urban Development Action Grant program, and prepare short-term and long-term neighborhood plans. Planners assembled the complicated financing package for the low-income rental development at Lexington Village in Hough. Cleveland’s planners continue to help to CDCs in finding development sites, tailoring zoning regulations to facilitate development, helping open up access to essential funding, and working closely on planning initiatives of all sorts. In 1981, six small CDCs, with help from Cleveland’s planners and a $400,000 loan from the City’s Community Development Department, came together to form the Cleveland Housing Network (CHN), a non-profit organization that continues to grow while supplying much of the City’s affordable housing. In 2004, CHN had a budget of $85.9 million and 107 employees. It operated four distinct programs: (1) low-income rental housing on scattered sites through its Lease-Purchase program; (2) rehabilitated single-family home sales; (3) energy conservation and weatherization and (4) supportive services including financial literacy. Since its founding, CHN has produced 2,100 homes for families of very low income with a lease that offers them an option to buy at low cost. CHN has also produced 1,200 rehabilitated homes for low- and moderate-income first-time buyers. The organization’s insulation and energy conservation program has assisted 57,000 greater Cleveland residents to reduce their energy costs by approximately 30 percent. And its supportive service program has helped 700 of CHN’s families to transition from public assistance to full-time employment. In 2003, CHN sold off its first group of low-rent homes, offering poor tenants the possibility of home ownership. In that sale, 26 of 27 households exercised their option to purchase their home and, thereby, enjoyed a huge loan-to-value advantage. The homes ranged in estimated market value from $55,000 to $80,000, while the actual purchase price averaged $6,500 to $16,000. The large gap between the sales price and the market value means that the residents now have substantial equity in their homes and have accumulated a valuable asset. An additional 463 lease-purchase homes will be eligible for sale to residents from 2006 to 2010. In addition to assisting CHN and Cleveland’s CDCs, planners in Community Development and City Planning are working to decentralize poverty in the HOPE VI program of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority and the Housing Choice Voucher program. Both HOPE VI and Housing Choice Vouchers are targeted to very low-income families who currently live in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Planners are helping select scattered sites for the construction of new or rehabilitated homes for families displaced by the HOPE VI program. Planners are also providing data to help counsel voucher holders to make the best possible use of their assistance and move to communities where their children will attend well-performing public schools where their academic outcomes can improve. When families receive counseling in conjunction with housing assistance, many are able to improve their education or skills and enter the labor market, and some significantly increase their earnings and assets. **LAND BANKING** Land banking is another responsibility shared by Cleveland’s planners, principally in the City’s Community Development Department. In many cities, especially in the Midwest and Northeast, declining populations since the 1950s have reduced the demand for housing and other structures. Vacant housing and vacant lots numbering in the thousands are often the result. In response, urban planners often draft local and state legislation regarding tax delinquent and abandoned properties, help conceive and design land banks, and help develop property disposition schemes to restore properties to productive use. In Cleveland, planners have been involved in land banking since 1972. After studying the problem, the planners drafted a state bill enabling certain municipalities in Ohio to set up land banks. The planners then helped organize a coalition to lobby the bill into law. The successful effort changed state law, shortened and streamlined the foreclosure procedure dealing with tax delinquent land, and enabled Cleveland to set up a land bank to receive parcels, clear titles and liens, and dispose of the land for reuse. From 1976 to 2000, the Cleveland land bank acquired, cleared and sold over 8,000 parcels, most of which were sold to CDCs for development or adjacent property owners. As CDCs and developers will attest, these properties have become essential building blocks in neighborhood revitalization. Cleveland’s planners today continue their long-term efforts to facilitate and expand the land bank process. **REGIONAL INEQUALITY** Regional socioeconomic inequality is very high in the Cleveland region. Differences are nearly always presented in terms of central city/suburban disparities, with striking rates of poverty, unemployment, and inequality of opportunity in the central city. The spatial distribution of inequality, and particularly the increasing isolation of low-income African-American populations in Cleveland and its inner suburbs, results from population and job dispersion out of the central city, relative obsolescence of infrastructure in the older city, racial discrimination, and suburban zoning laws that limit housing for low-income minorities. Cleveland’s planners have been working on decentralizing poverty since the 1970s when the planning commission published “A Fair-Share Plan for Low-Income Housing in Cuyahoga County” and also published a “Plan for the New Town of Warren’s Ridge”, a proposed new town development including affordable housing on land owned by Cleveland but located in the former Warrensville Township, an eastern suburb. Although both efforts failed, Cleveland planners continued working toward the goal of providing affordable housing in the greater Cleveland region, giving Cleveland families access to housing choices and expanded job and educational opportunities. Today, the work of Cleveland’s planners has largely shifted to providing those housing, job and education opportunities within the urban core itself through initiatives to make Cleveland and its neighborhoods “communities of choice” for residents and businesses alike. Cleveland planners are also working with the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority and the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) to provide ■reverse commute■ programs to connect neighborhoods of high unemployment in the central city to neighborhoods in the suburbs where many new jobs in the region are developing. ## INCOME Cleveland is engaged in a variety of strategies to raise family incomes. An important component of this strategy is to increase use of the Earned Income Tax, a federal refundable tax credit program available to working families and individuals earning low and moderate incomes. Eligible working families were able to receive an average of $1,900 and as much as $4,300 during 2006. Cleveland officials have joined with others in the Cuyahoga EITC Coalition in a campaign to make sure that every family in Cleveland and the County that is eligible for the EITC credit takes advantage of it. Officials are locating low- and moderate-income city neighborhoods, identifying areas where eligible taxpayers are not filing for the EITC credit and helping develop local outreach campaigns aiming at 100 percent filing. In Cleveland, the EITC Coalition recruited a group of volunteers who in 2005 filed over 3,000 Earned Income Tax Applications and recovered over $1 million for eligible working families. The model includes EITC education and outreach, free tax preparation services, local government, business and CDC involvement in EITC promotion and constituent information. In addition to work on the EITC, Cleveland's planners can join with other public and private leaders to redress the fact that lower income families tend to pay higher than average prices for many basic household necessities■including financial services and insurance-- than higher income families. For example, lower income consumers are much more likely to pay high prices to cash checks and take out payday loans in businesses that tend to be densely concentrated in low income neighborhoods. In some neighborhoods, consumers pay up to an additional $50 to cash a $500 check. Planners and others can work to use their licensing, zoning and regulatory authority to limit the fees and interest rates charged by fringe businesses and curb the development of these businesses while working, on the other hand, to connect banks and other members of the competitive, mainstream economy to lower income neighborhoods and consumers. The city, school district and other interested parties have an opportunity to promote consumer responsibility and provide lower-income consumers with better market information. This can enable consumers to make more informed decisions, which means knowing which companies to buy from, what goods and services to stay away from, and how to manage day- to-day budget demands. Planners can work with others in the city to make public investments in basic consumer education, which would help lower-income families get ahead by bringing down the inflated prices they often pay for basic necessities. ## URBAN GARDENS AND FOOD Cleveland has a 30-year history of supporting community gardens and local food growing. The city provides land and resources to help people grow nutritious food, develop important skills, and build stronger communities and healthier environments. In 2006, close to 3,500 participants grew food for their families and communities in 163 community gardens in the city and produced over $1.4 million worth of produce. Urban gardens convert vacant land into productive, attractive and inviting spaces. Gardens offer a physically and mentally healthy place to engage children and adults in outdoor recreation. In addition, three large urban gardens operated by the Cleveland Botanical Garden provide jobs and income to urban youth as gardeners. Cleveland’s planners believe that the urban garden program should be widened and strengthened for a number of reasons bourn out by various studies that show: * *Crime reduction* * *Increased property values*, especially on properties located within 1,000 feet of the garden * *Economic development* to provide local food at fair cost and create jobs and income * *Health benefits* in the form of decreased levels of obesity and diabetes * *Food security* to help provide fresh food, stretch food budgets, sell foods at farmers markets, and donate surplus food to neighbors or food pantries. Accordingly, Cleveland’s planners will work with neighborhood groups to select additional sites that are appropriately located for an enlarged community garden program and will work with the city and other funders to provide adequate resources to the Botanical Garden, Ohio State University Extension, Cuyahoga Community Land Trust and other collaborators interested in gardens and food production. In support of this program, the Cleveland Planning Commission approved in 2007 the adoption of a new section of the zoning code – Chapter 336, Urban Garden District – to protect and preserve Cleveland’s urban garden areas. This may be the nation’s first zoning district designed specifically to reserve land for community gardens. ## GOALS AND POLICIES The *Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan* proposes a wide range of goals and policies designed to provide greater opportunity and equity for all Clevelanders, particularly those who remain near the socioeconomic bottom of the community. These goals and policies (taken from other chapters of the plan) include the following. **Housing (Goal).** *Provide new and renovated housing that meets the needs and preferences of Clevelanders of all incomes, ages and lifestyles.* **Decent and Affordable Housing.** Give highest priority among the City's housing initiatives to the provision of decent and affordable housing for all Clevelanders. **Housing Choice.** Provide a diversity of housing types in neighborhoods throughout the City, maximizing choices for residents of all economic and social circumstances. **Rehabilitation.** Give priority to housing rehabilitation as the most effective means of making affordable housing available to the greatest number of residents. **Homelessness.** Address homelessness through a multi-faceted strategy that includes emergency shelters, permanent supportive housing, medical and social services, and job training. **Senior Housing.** Develop housing for senior citizens in proximity to shopping, medical facilities, social services, and public transportation. **Retail (Goal).** *Provide Cleveland residents with a broad range of high quality, conveniently located retail shopping opportunities.* **Tapping the Market.** Improve the quantity and quality of retailing in Cleveland neighborhoods by tapping in to the hidden market that is often overlooked by national retailers, particularly in neighborhoods with large numbers of minorities and immigrants. **Creating Wealth.** Maximize opportunities for Cleveland residents to own and operate retail businesses in the City. **Economic Development (Goal).** *Increase economic prosperity through job creation and improved access to jobs and business ownership by all segments of the Cleveland community.* **Education.** Strengthen public education in Cleveland as the foundation for economic development and personal prosperity. **Job Training.** Improve access to job training opportunities that enable Cleveland residents to more fully participate in growing sectors of the economy. **Inclusiveness.** Ensure that minorities and City residents are fully represented in all employment sectors. **Recreation (Goal).** *Provide high-quality recreation opportunities and facilities that meet the needs of Clevelanders of all ages, ability levels, incomes and interests.* **Serving Neighborhoods.** Ensure that a wide range of recreation facilities are equitably distributed throughout the City, with playgrounds located within approximately ¼-mile (a 5-minute walk) of all residents. **Diverse Programming.** Offer a diversity of recreation programs to serve the recreation needs and interests of Clevelanders of all ages, incomes, lifestyles and ability levels. **Community Gardens.** Reserve land for both temporary and permanent use as community gardens in every neighborhood throughout the City. **Community Services (Goal).** *Connect communities and their institutions in a manner that nurtures the physical, mental and spiritual life of all residents.* **Schools as Community Resources.** Utilize schools as centers for community education, open in the evenings and weekends for use by students as well as other neighborhood residents, as financial resources permit. **Equitable Funding for Schools.** Advocate for a statewide system of school funding that responds to the needs of students rather than to the wealth of communities. **Coordinated Neighborhood Services.** Facilitate cooperation between local service providers and community organizations to work at the neighborhood level to address the comprehensive needs of residents for education, training, health care, and social services. **Community Libraries.** Support full-service libraries as centers for lifelong learning and intergenerational learning in each of Cleveland’s neighborhoods. **Community Health Care.** Ensure that medical offices are located so as to supplement full-scale hospitals in serving residents of all Cleveland neighborhoods and that critical health care education is provided to students in elementary and secondary schools. **Transportation and Infrastructure (Goal).** *Provide a variety of transportation options that serve residents of all income levels and that promote economic development while protecting the quality of life in neighborhoods.* **Mass Transit.** Support improved bus and rapid transit service, through public funding and employer incentives, to serve individuals who require or prefer mass transit and to reduce the pollution and roadway congestion caused by use of personal automobiles. **Neighborhood Bus Service.** Continue and expand RTA’s “Community Circulator” program, providing convenient bus service to residents using mass transit to reach such neighborhood destinations as shopping, recreation and medical services. **Job Access.** Provide transit service between central city neighborhoods and employment concentrations in the city and in outlying areas. **Arts and Culture (Goal).** *Enrich the lives of Clevelanders and strengthen economic vitality by establishing Cleveland as a world-class center for the arts.* **Accessibility.** Ensure that the arts are accessible and affordable to residents of all neighborhoods, income levels and ages, including arts programming in the public schools and expanded publicity and outreach. **Cultural Diversity.** Ensure that the arts in Cleveland fully reflect and represent the cultural and demographic diversity of the Cleveland community. **Sustainability (Goal).** Ensure the long-term environmental, economic and social viability of Cleveland and its region. **Sustainable Neighborhoods.** Develop “full life-cycle neighborhoods” that provide housing and services for residents of all ages and incomes, with a healthful living environment and convenient access to jobs, shopping and recreation. **Sustainable Economy.** Ensure that economic development, job training and education in the Cleveland region keep pace with national trends and emerging opportunities in order to provide jobs for current and future residents. # Land Use and Zoning- Introduction A key component of the **Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan** is its land use plan. “Land use” is a term planners use to describe the development of land. Some of the more common land use categories are Residential, Retail, Office, Industrial, Institutional and Recreation. For example, land occupied by houses would be classified as “Residential” with respect to land use; whereas land occupied by a school or a hospital would be classified as “Institutional.” (A list and description of the land use categories used in the Citywide Plan follows). **Conventional Land Use Planning.** Historically, land use was the key concept in community planning, because the classic comprehensive plan was, in essence, a plan for the arrangement of land uses. The core of a classic plan is a map of a community showing a preferred pattern of land use – i.e., which areas of the community should be residential, which areas should be commercial, which areas should be industrial, etc. In fact, part of the impetus for planning in America was dissatisfaction with the pattern of land use that resulted from a lack of planning, where, for example, a smoke-spewing factory might be located next to a group of homes. In such situations it was easy to see the harm caused by the absence of land use planning – residents whose quality of life was harmed by the smoke, noise, vibration and unsightliness of industry, and industry whose ability to operate and expand and transport its products was harmed by the proximity of housing. In one respect, conventional land use planning was too successful. The reaction against the incompatible mixture of unplanned land uses resulted in an over-reaction, creating communities where land uses were so completely separated that something important was lost. What was created was the stereotypical post-WWII American suburb, where large tracts of single-family housing are separated from large shopping centers and large industrial and office parks – all very homogeneous and all accessible only by automobile. <
> What was lost was the vitality that is created by the interaction of land uses. What was lost were neighborhoods where residents can walk to a grocery store or coffee shop, where many children can walk or ride a bike to school, and where the streets are alive with activity in the daytime and the evening, on the weekdays and the weekends. **Contemporary Land Use Planning.** Contemporary planning attempts to strike a balance between the truly incompatible land use patterns that resulted from the absence of planning and the sterility that results from planning that places too much value on the separation of land uses. Planners today better understand the value of diversity in land use and development. Like other contemporary plans, the **Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan** not only advocates diversity but celebrates it -- promoting lively, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly urban districts as the foundation for revitalization and redevelopment. The plan recognizes diversity in development (and in people!) as an asset that can give Cleveland and its neighborhoods a meaningful advantage in the competition for residents, shoppers, visitors and businesses. “Planning for diversity” may seem like a contradiction in terms. It might be assumed that diversity “happens” and that planning promotes uniformity. In fact, neither is the case. It is true that some <
> Contemporary land use planning promotes lively, mixed-use urban districts as the foundation for revitalization. [Ohio City] successful, vibrant mixed-use districts grew incrementally, almost organically, without the benefit of planning. However, it is also a fact that many truly abominable places just "happened" - in the chaos of unplanned development. While many residents today value the ability to walk to a neighborhood coffee shop, few are clamoring for auto repair garages or metal stamping plants to open next door to their homes! Contemporary planning strives to create an environment that permits diversity to flourish while preventing the harm that can result from unplanned, unregulated development. "Complexity with compatibility" is a term that could describe the new urban form that is the goal of contemporary land use planning. Cleveland's new commitment to promoting urban-style districts is reflected in the greater emphasis given to "Mixed-Use" districts in the Connecting Cleveland 2020 land use plan, as compared to the earlier Civic Vision 2000 plan. Throughout the city, the new plan proposes mixed-use districts that feature retail stores, restaurants and offices mixed with housing in a pedestrian-oriented, transit-oriented environment. Other proposed mixed-use districts take advantage of opportunities for "live-work" space in areas characterized by older industrial buildings that are no longer in demand by traditional industrial operations. Land Use Planning and Zoning. In the context of comprehensive planning, "zoning" is one of the tools used to implement a plan. Whereas the land use plan is a "guide" for development, zoning is the "law" that regulates development. A zoning code and map, just like a land use plan, reflects certain underlying assumptions about what a community should be. As conventional land use plans promoted the separation of land uses into relatively homogeneous districts, conventional zoning codes were enacted to mandate those development patterns. In fact, zoning was so commonly used to enforce uniformity in development and to exclude diversity that the term "zoning" became linked with the adjective "exclusionary," as in "exclusionary zoning." <
> Conventional zoning failed to recognize the benefits of mixing housing with complementary shopping and employment opportunities. ["What's Ahead for Cleveland," 1941] However, just as zoning can be used to implement a conventional, exclusionary land use plan, zoning can also be a powerful tool in implementing a contemporary, "inclusionary" land use plan. The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan proposes to use innovative, inclusionary zoning techniques to promote the creation of mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented urban districts. The City has already enacted a number of these zoning provisions, including a Pedestrian Retail Overlay District, a Live-Work Overlay District, and a Planned Unit Development Overlay District - each of which promotes the goals of mixed-use development and pedestrian-oriented development. A summary of these zoning regulations is included under the title [**“Smart Zoning in Cleveland.”**]( "Smart Zoning in Cleveland.") <
> New zoning regulations in Cleveland encourage mixed-use development with housing on upper floors and pedestrian-oriented retail uses on the ground floor. [ T o w e r P r e s s B u i l d i n g ] Once the **Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan** is adopted, along with its future land use map, the plan will be implemented by an updating of the City’s zoning map to reflect the new future land use map. For access to the **Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan** existing and proposed land use maps and tables [**click here.**]( "click here.") # Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan ## LAND USE DEFINITIONS **One- and Two-Family Residential:** low-density residential areas characterized by single-family and two-family houses. **Townhouse:** medium-density residential areas characterized by attached single-family units. **Multi-Family Residential:** medium- to high-density residential areas characterized principally by apartment buildings or large-scale complexes of townhouses. **Office:** commercial areas characterized by general, medical and professional office buildings. **Retail:** commercial areas characterized by businesses serving frequent shopping and entertainment needs. **Commercial Service:** commercial areas characterized by businesses primarily serving other businesses (such as contractors, wholesalers, machine repair shops, etc.) and by businesses serving infrequent shopping needs (such as auto sales and auto repair). **Light Industry:** areas characterized by warehouses, distributors and light manufacturing uses which do not produce high levels of noise, vibration, dust, smoke or pollution and do not include outdoor storage. **Heavy Industry:** areas characterized by manufacturing and processing operations which produce relatively high levels of noise, vibration, dust, smoke or pollution or which include outdoor storage. **Recreation/Open Space:** parks, playgrounds, recreation centers, stadiums, and land reserved for outdoor open space. **Institutional:** areas occupied by schools, churches, hospitals, museums, governmental buildings, community facilities, etc. **Transportation/Utilities:** areas devoted to railroads, transit lines, freeways, airports, electric sub-stations, water and sewage treatment plants, etc. **Vacant Land:** areas not occupied by buildings or active land uses and not reserved for recreation or open space. **Mixed-Use/ Residential-:** areas characterized by upper floor residential uses mixed with ground floor retail or office uses, arranged in a complementary manner. **Mixed-Use/ “Live-Work”:** areas characterized by housing and complementary business or industrial uses in shared spaces. Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan **Mixed-Use/ Downtown:** areas characterized by upper floor residential and/or office uses mixed with ground floor retail, arranged in a complementary manner. **Commercial Parking:** independent parking lots or garages serving an area or district, rather than as accessory to a single property, and typically operated on a fee-for-parking basis. # Existing Land Use VACANT LAND SINGLE FAMILY TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING # Future Land Use SINGLE / TWO FAMILY MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN TOWNHOUSE MULTI FAMILY MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK OFFICE RETAIL COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) “SMART ZONING” in CLEVELAND The Cleveland City Planning Commission has made the creation of mixed-use neighborhoods that are pedestrian friendly, bicycle friendly and transit oriented a centerpiece of a wide-ranging initiative to make Cleveland more competitive as place to live, work and visit. “Connecting Cleveland 2020” is the name of the emerging comprehensive plan that will articulate this new vision for the city. A key ingredient in the initiative is reform of the city’s zoning code, a project that has been underway for several years. Some of the city’s recent accomplishments in zoning code reform are summarized below. Pedestrian Retail Overlay District. This overlay zoning district allows the city to designate selected neighborhood commercial districts as places where all new buildings must be placed at the sidewalk edge, ground floor frontages must be devoted to retail uses, parking requirements are reduced, and drive-through lanes are prohibited on the pedestrian street frontage. Live-Work District. This recently adopted overlay district permits older, under-utilized industrial buildings to be re-used for a combination of living and working space, even in industrial districts that otherwise prohibit residential use. The regulations also eliminate the requirement for provision of additional off-street parking, which would normally be triggered by the “change of use.” Downtown Surface Parking Lot Prohibition. With the development of the Gateway sports complex (Jacobs Field and Gund arena), Cleveland feared that the increased demand for parking would result in an increased appetite for building demolition on the part of downtown property owners. The city moved proactively by adopting an ordinance that prohibited new surface parking lots in the core of downtown. Although the ordinance includes necessary exceptions to prevent “regulatory takings” of property when it can be proved that surface parking is the only economically feasible use, the ordinance has been successful in contributing to the preservation and re-use of downtown buildings. Urban Lot Sizes. A simple and little publicized amendment to Cleveland’s subdivision regulations in the mid-1990’s allows the City Planning Commission to approve the creation of “substandard” lots (i.e., lots that are smaller than otherwise required) where such lot sizes are characteristic of the neighborhood. Whereas the city’s zoning code requires new residential lots to be at least 40 feet wide and 4,800 square feet in area, the Planning Commission has used the new provision to permit the creation of lots that are as narrow as 25 feet and as small as approximately 2,000 square feet in order to allow development of single-family and two-family houses that fit the scale of older, urban-density neighborhoods. Without this provision, such lot split proposals would have faced an uncertain outcome in a routine zoning variance procedure. Urban Townhouse Districts. Recognizing that townhouses are an urban housing form that are under-represented in Cleveland’s housing stock, the city adopted a set of three townhouse districts intended to ease the approval process for townhouse developments of varying densities. The regulations allow the city to zone property in one of three districts, each permitting a different townhouse density, with the most urban of those districts permitting the buildings to cover 100% of the lot area. **Planned Unit Development District.** Cleveland’s PUD District provides zoning flexibility in return for innovative site planning and urban design amenities. In recent years, the regulations have been used to facilitate developments as diverse as a subdivision of detached condominium units clustered around a wooded common area and a truly unique development of apartment buildings, restaurants and offices integrated with the pedestrian re-use of a historic bridge remnant along the Cuyahoga River. **Introduction** - The following tables summarize citywide land use data for the year 2000 and for the proposed land use under the recommendations of the 2020 Citywide Plan. Differences in the categories between the tables are the additions of the “Mixed-use: Residential/Retail” and “Mixed-use: Downtown” categories under the Proposed Land Use table, which are reflective of one of the Plan’s major land use recommendations which is to encourage more mixed-use development in order to promote more walkable and transit-friendly neighborhoods. For a more detailed description of the uses under each land use type refer to the **Land Use Definitions**. ### Citywide Land Use -2000 Proposed Citywide Land Use -2020 | Land Use Type | Acres | % | Land Use Type | Acres | % | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Vacant Land | 2,755 | 5.5 | Single- and Two-family | 16,495.6 | 33.1% | | Single-and Two-family | 14,456 | 29.0 | Townhouse | 425.5 | 0.9% | | Townhouse | 110 | 0.2 | Mixed-use: Live-Work | 51.5 | 0.1% | | Mixed-use: Live-Work | 15 | 0.0 | Multi-family | 1,389.6 | 2.8% | | Multi-family | 1,832 | 3.7 | Mixed-use: Residential/Retail | 770.7 | 1.5% | | Office | 357 | 0.7 | Mixed-use: Downtown | 210.7 | 0.4% | | Retail | 1,591 | 3.2 | Office | 512.4 | 1.0% | | Commercial Service | 800 | 1.6 | Retail | 1,349.4 | 2.7% | | Light Industry | 3,171 | 6.4 | Commercial Service | 983.3 | 2.0% | | Heavy Industry | 3,253 | 6.5 | Light Industry | 3,905.9 | 7.8% | | Institutional | 3,144 | 6.3 | Heavy Industry | 2,304.4 | 4.6% | | Recreation/Open Space | 3,495 | 7.0 | Institutional | 3,000.1 | 6.0% | | Transportation/Utilities | 6,936 | 13.9 | Recreation/Open Space | 4250 | 8.5% | | Commercial Parking | 181 | 0.4 | Transportation/Utilities | 6,422.9 | 12.9% | | Local Streets | 7,476 | 15.0 | Commercial Parking | 38.1 | 0.1% | | Water | 317 | 0.6 | Local Streets | 7,462.1 | 15.0% | | **TOTAL** | **49,889** | **100.0** | Water | 317 | 0.6% | | | | | **TOTAL** | 49,889.2 | 100.0% | (Note: The numbers in the proposed land use table does not reflect proposals in the City’s Waterfront Plan to construct new land and islands in Lake Erie for Port of Cleveland and open space development) **Summary** - In addition to a proposed increase in mixed-use development, the Plan proposes continued development of townhouses as an appropriate housing option for the City’s urban neighborhoods. The numbers also show a proposed increase in open space which reflects plans to increase access to the lakefront and to extend and make connections to the Towpath Trail and the Ohio and Erie Canal Reservation. As a result the proposed figure for transportation/utilities is reduced as the peripheries of Burke Lakefront Airport are proposed for open space. The numbers also show a proposed increase in office and light industrial uses with a corresponding decrease in heavy industry. The level of retail use is generally expected to remain the same, even though the pattern of retail development may change. Although the acreage for Retail is less in the proposed land use table due to consolidation of retail into nodes, mixed-use developments often include retail as a component. In some cases a reduction in acres for a land use category in the proposed table is partly a function of the mapping. Whereas it is expected that closed schools and obsolete multi-family structures will be redeveloped for other uses, some of the reduction for the Institutional and Multi-family categories results from generalizing the land use on the proposed land use map. **Citywide Land Use Maps** – Click on the following links to access existing and proposed land use maps for the City. [Citywide Land Use Map -2000] [Citywide Proposed Land Use Map -2020] **Planning District Land Use** – Downloadable land use maps and tables for each planning district are available by clicking on the pdf buttons below. [PDF] **Citywide** (All 6 Districts in one file) ** [PDF] **District 1** [PDF] **District 2** [PDF] **District 3** [PDF] **District 4** [PDF] **District 5** [PDF] **District 6** <
> **This is a relatively large file (13MB) and may take longer to download on a slow connection. # PROPOSED LAND USE ## CONNECTING CLEVELAND 2020 CITYWIDE PLAN | LAND USE TYPE | ACRES | PERCENT | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | SINGLE- AND TWO-FAMILY | 16,496 | 33.1 % | | TOWNHOUSE | 426 | 0.9 | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | 52 | 0.1 | | MULTI-FAMILY | 1,390 | 2.8 | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL & RETAIL | 771 | 1.5 | | MIXED-USE: DOWNTOWN | 211 | 0.4 | | OFFICE | 512 | 1.0 | | RETAIL | 1,349 | 2.7 | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | 983 | 2.0 | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | 3,906 | 7.8 | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | 2,304 | 4.6 | | INSTITUTIONAL | 3,000 | 6.0 | | RECREATION / OPEN SPACE | 4,250 | 8.5 | | TRANSPORTATION / UTILITIES | 6,423 | 12.9 | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | 38 | 0.1 | | LOCAL STREETS | 7,462 | 15.0 | | WATER | 317 | 0.6 | <
> PROPOSED LAND USE (2020) SINGLE / TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # EXISTING LAND USE - 2000 # DISTRICT 1 **LEGEND** * VACANT LAND * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * PLANNING DISTRICT <
> | LAND USE TYPE | ACRES | PERCENT | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | VACANT | 111 | 0.9 % | | SINGLE- AND TWO-FAMILY | 3,993 | 33.5 | | TOWNHOUSE | 20 | 0.2 | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | 1 | 0.0 | | MULTI-FAMILY | 293 | 2.5 | | OFFICE | 73 | 0.6 | | RETAIL | 278 | 2.3 | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | 470 | 3.9 | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | 760 | 6.4 | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | 350 | 2.9 | | INSTITUTIONAL | 346 | 2.9 | | RECREATION / OPEN SPACE | 985 | 8.3 | | TRANSPORTATION / UTILITIES | 2,788 | 23.4 | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | 0 | 0.0 | | LOCAL STREETS | 1,455 | 12.2 | | WATER | 0 | 0.0 | | **TOTAL LAND AREA** | 11,922 | 100.0 % | # PROPOSED LAND USE - 2020 # DISTRICT 1 LEGEND * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL & RETAIL * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * PLANNING DISTRICT <
> | LAND USE TYPE | ACRES | PERCENT | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | SINGLE- AND TWO-FAMILY | 4,003 | 33.6 % | | TOWNHOUSE | 46 | 0.4 | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | 0 | 0.0 | | MULTI-FAMILY | 273 | 2.3 | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL & RETAIL | 101 | 0.8 | | OFFICE | 108 | 0.9 | | RETAIL | 288 | 2.4 | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | 420 | 3.5 | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | 885 | 7.4 | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | 328 | 2.7 | | INSTITUTIONAL | 332 | 2.8 | | RECREATION / OPEN SPACE | 943 | 7.9 | | TRANSPORTATION / UTILITIES | 2,744 | 23.0 | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | 0 | 0.0 | | LOCAL STREETS | 1,451 | 12.2 | | WATER | 0 | 0.0 | | **TOTAL LAND AREA** | **11,922** | **100.0%** | # EXISTING LAND USE - 2000 # DISTRICT 2 <
> **LEGEND** | | | |---|---| | | VACANT LAND | | | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | | | | |---|---| | | PLANNING DISTRICT | | LAND USE TYPE | ACRES | PERCENT | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | VACANT | 621 | 5.9 % | | SINGLE- AND TWO-FAMILY | 2,870 | 27.4 | | TOWNHOUSE | 35 | 0.3 | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | 1 | 0.0 | | MULTI-FAMILY | 338 | 3.2 | | OFFICE | 26 | 0.3 | | RETAIL | 393 | 3.7 | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | 83 | 0.8 | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | 805 | 7.7 | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | 802 | 7.7 | | INSTITUTIONAL | 641 | 6.1 | | RECREATION / OPEN SPACE | 805 | 7.7 | | TRANSPORTATION / UTILITIES | 1,372 | 13.1 | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | 23 | 0.2 | | LOCAL STREETS | 1,537 | 14.7 | | WATER | 170 | 1.6 | | **TOTAL LAND AREA** | 10,476 | 100.0 % | # PROPOSED LAND USE - 2020 # DISTRICT 2 <
> ## LEGEND * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL & RETAIL * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * PLANNING DISTRICT | LAND USE TYPE | ACRES | PERCENT | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | SINGLE- AND TWO-FAMILY | 3,215 | 30.7% | | TOWNHOUSE | 125 | 1.2 | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | 9 | 0.1 | | MULTI-FAMILY | 267 | 2.5 | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL & RETAIL | 200 | 1.9 | | OFFICE | 13 | 0.1 | | RETAIL | 450 | 4.3 | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | 102 | 1.0 | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | 708 | 6.8 | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | 635 | 6.1 | | INSTITUTIONAL | 617 | 5.9 | | RECREATION / OPEN SPACE | 1,091 | 10.4 | | TRANSPORTATION / UTILITIES | 1,325 | 12.6 | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | 2 | 0.0 | | LOCAL STREETS | 1,549 | 14.8 | | WATER | 170 | 1.6 | | **TOTAL LAND AREA** | 10,476 | 100.0% | # EXISTING LAND USE - 2000 # DISTRICT 3 LEGEND * VACANT LAND * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * PLANNING DISTRICT <
> | LAND USE TYPE | ACRES | PERCENT | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | VACANT | 435 | 5.1% | | SINGLE- AND TWO-FAMILY | 1,121 | 13.1 | | TOWNHOUSE | 47 | 0.5 | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | 11 | 0.1 | | MULTI-FAMILY | 306 | 3.6 | | OFFICE | 208 | 2.4 | | RETAIL | 285 | 3.3 | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | 82 | 1.0 | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | 881 | 10.3 | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | 1,254 | 14.7 | | INSTITUTIONAL | 657 | 7.7 | | RECREATION / OPEN SPACE | 379 | 4.4 | | TRANSPORTATION / UTILITIES | 1,409 | 16.5 | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | 158 | 1.8 | | LOCAL STREETS | 1,197 | 14.0 | | WATER | 125 | 1.5 | | | | | | **TOTAL LAND AREA** | 8,555 | 100.0% | <
> <
> # PROPOSED LAND USE - 2020 # DISTRICT 3 <
> **LEGEND** * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL & RETAIL * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * PLANNING DISTRICT | LAND USE TYPE | ACRES | PERCENT | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | SINGLE- AND TWO-FAMILY | 1,384 | 16.2 % | | TOWNHOUSE | 109 | 1.3 | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | 21 | 0.2 | | MULTI-FAMILY | 234 | 2.7 | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL & RETAIL | 221 | 2.6 | | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | 211 | 2.5 | | OFFICE | 173 | 2.0 | | RETAIL | 146 | 1.7 | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | 218 | 2.5 | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | 940 | 11.0 | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | 1,074 | 12.6 | | INSTITUTIONAL | 614 | 7.2 | | RECREATION / OPEN SPACE | 747 | 8.7 | | TRANSPORTATION / UTILITIES | 1,132 | 13.2 | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | 34 | 0.4 | | LOCAL STREETS | 1,174 | 13.7 | | WATER | 125 | 1.5 | | | | | | **TOTAL LAND AREA** | 8,555 | 100.0 % | # EXISTING LAND USE - 2000 # DISTRICT 4 <
> **LEGEND** * [ ] VACANT LAND * [ ] SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * [ ] TOWNHOUSE * [ ] MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * [ ] MULTI FAMILY * [ ] OFFICE * [ ] RETAIL * [ ] COMMERCIAL SERVICES * [ ] LIGHT INDUSTRY * [ ] HEAVY INDUSTRY * [ ] INSTITUTIONAL * [ ] RECREATION/OPEN SPACE * [ ] TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * [ ] COMMERCIAL PARKING * [—] PLANNING DISTRICT | LAND USE TYPE | ACRES | PERCENT | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | VACANT | 569 | 7.9% | | SINGLE- AND TWO-FAMILY | 3,061 | 42.3 | | TOWNHOUSE | 0 | 0.0 | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | 0 | 0.0 | | MULTI-FAMILY | 223 | 3.1 | | OFFICE | 12 | 0.2 | | RETAIL | 198 | 2.7 | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | 66 | 0.9 | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | 383 | 5.3 | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | 229 | 3.2 | | INSTITUTIONAL | 426 | 5.9 | | RECREATION / OPEN SPACE | 359 | 5.0 | | TRANSPORTATION / UTILITIES | 363 | 5.0 | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | 0 | 0.0 | | LOCAL STREETS | 1,346 | 18.6 | | WATER | 0 | 0.0 | | | | | | **TOTAL LAND AREA** | 7,233 | 100.0% | # PROPOSED LAND USE - 2020 # DISTRICT 4 <
> | LAND USE TYPE | ACRES | PERCENT | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | SINGLE- AND TWO-FAMILY | 3,504 | 48.4% | | TOWNHOUSE | 35 | 0.5 | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | 7 | 0.1 | | MULTI-FAMILY | 189 | 2.6 | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL & RETAIL | 41 | 0.6 | | OFFICE | 38 | 0.5 | | RETAIL | 186 | 2.6 | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | 128 | 1.8 | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | 546 | 7.6 | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | 141 | 1.9 | | INSTITUTIONAL | 383 | 5.3 | | RECREATION / OPEN SPACE | 376 | 5.2 | | TRANSPORTATION / UTILITIES | 313 | 4.3 | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | 0 | 0.0 | | LOCAL STREETS | 1,346 | 18.6 | | WATER | 0 | 0.0 | | | | | | **TOTAL LAND AREA** | 7,233 | 100.0% | LEGEND SINGLE / TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL & RETAIL MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING PLANNING DISTRICT <
> # EXISTING LAND USE - 2000 # DISTRICT 5 LEGEND VACANT LAND SINGLE / TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING PLANNING DISTRICT <
> | LAND USE TYPE | ACRES | PERCENT | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | VACANT | 575 | 11.8% | | SINGLE- AND TWO-FAMILY | 1,109 | 22.8 | | TOWNHOUSE | 5 | 0.1 | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | 3 | 0.1 | | MULTI-FAMILY | 375 | 7.7 | | OFFICE | 26 | 0.5 | | RETAIL | 169 | 3.5 | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | 28 | 0.6 | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | 137 | 2.8 | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | 74 | 1.5 | | INSTITUTIONAL | 748 | 15.4 | | RECREATION / OPEN SPACE | 359 | 7.4 | | TRANSPORTATION / UTILITIES | 360 | 7.4 | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | 0 | 0.0 | | LOCAL STREETS | 884 | 18.2 | | WATER | 9 | 0.2 | | **TOTAL LAND AREA** | **4,860** | **100.0%** | # PROPOSED LAND USE - 2020 DISTRICT 5 <
> ### LEGEND * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL & RETAIL * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * PLANNING DISTRICT | LAND USE TYPE | ACRES | PERCENT | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | SINGLE- AND TWO-FAMILY | 1,565 | 32.2% | | TOWNHOUSE | 57 | 1.2 | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | 30 | 0.6 | | MULTI-FAMILY | 267 | 5.5 | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL & RETAIL | 190 | 3.9 | | OFFICE | 122 | 2.5 | | RETAIL | 123 | 2.5 | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | 41 | 0.8 | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | 174 | 3.6 | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | 34 | 0.7 | | INSTITUTIONAL | 733 | 15.1 | | RECREATION / OPEN SPACE | 362 | 7.4 | | TRANSPORTATION / UTILITIES | 278 | 5.7 | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | 0 | 0.0 | | LOCAL STREETS | 901 | 18.5 | | WATER | 9 | 0.2 | | **TOTAL LAND AREA** | 4,860 | 100.0% | # EXISTING LAND USE - 2000 # DISTRICT 6 **LEGEND** | | | | :--- | :--- | | □ | VACANT LAND | | ■ | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | ■ | TOWNHOUSE | | ▨ | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | ■ | MULTI FAMILY | | ■ | OFFICE | | ■ | RETAIL | | ■ | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | ■ | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | ■ | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | ■ | INSTITUTIONAL | | ■ | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE | | ■ | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | ▨ | COMMERCIAL PARKING | | ■ | PLANNING DISTRICT | <
> | LAND USE TYPE | ACRES | PERCENT | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | VACANT | 443 | 6.5% | | SINGLE- AND TWO-FAMILY | 2,303 | 33.6 | | TOWNHOUSE | 5 | 0.1 | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | 0 | 0.0 | | MULTI-FAMILY | 299 | 4.4 | | OFFICE | 11 | 0.2 | | RETAIL | 269 | 3.9 | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | 71 | 1.0 | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | 250 | 3.7 | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | 544 | 8.0 | | INSTITUTIONAL | 326 | 4.8 | | RECREATION / OPEN SPACE | 609 | 8.9 | | TRANSPORTATION / UTILITIES | 644 | 9.4 | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | 0 | 0.0 | | LOCAL STREETS | 1,057 | 15.5 | | WATER | 13 | 0.2 | | **TOTAL LAND AREA** | 6,843 | 100.0% | <
> # EXISTING LAND USE - 2000 # DISTRICT 6 **LEGEND** * VACANT LAND * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * PLANNING DISTRICT <
> | LAND USE TYPE | ACRES | PERCENT | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | VACANT | 443 | 6.5% | | SINGLE- AND TWO-FAMILY | 2,303 | 33.6 | | TOWNHOUSE | 5 | 0.1 | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | 0 | 0.0 | | MULTI-FAMILY | 299 | 4.4 | | OFFICE | 11 | 0.2 | | RETAIL | 269 | 3.9 | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | 71 | 1.0 | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | 250 | 3.7 | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | 544 | 8.0 | | INSTITUTIONAL | 326 | 4.8 | | RECREATION / OPEN SPACE | 609 | 8.9 | | TRANSPORTATION / UTILITIES | 644 | 9.4 | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | 0 | 0.0 | | LOCAL STREETS | 1,057 | 15.5 | | WATER | 13 | 0.2 | | | | | | **TOTAL LAND AREA** | 6,843 | 100.0% | <
> # PROPOSED LAND USE - 2020 DISTRICT 6 **LEGEND** * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL & RETAIL * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * PLANNING DISTRICT <
> ### LAND USE TYPE | | ACRES | PERCENT | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | SINGLE- AND TWO-FAMILY | 2,825 | 41.3% | | TOWNHOUSE | 59 | 0.9 | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | 0 | 0.0 | | MULTI-FAMILY | 176 | 2.6 | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL & RETAIL | 26 | 0.4 | | OFFICE | 59 | 0.9 | | RETAIL | 191 | 2.8 | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | 75 | 1.1 | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | 594 | 8.7 | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | 95 | 1.4 | | INSTITUTIONAL | 322 | 4.7 | | RECREATION / OPEN SPACE | 735 | 10.7 | | TRANSPORTATION / UTILITIES | 630 | 9.2 | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | 2 | 0.0 | | LOCAL STREETS | 1,040 | 15.2 | | WATER | 13 | 0.2 | | | | | | **TOTAL LAND AREA** | 6,843 | 100.0% | <
> # Capital Improvements **Introduction** - The capital improvements section identifies specific recommendations for maintaining and improving Cleveland's transportation and transit infrastructure. A well functioning transportation system is vital to the economic vitality of the City. The type and location of these capital expenditures will also have a direct impact on the future pattern of land use, investment and development. In addition to maintaining the condition of the existing infrastructure, the City of Cleveland also faces issues related to improving business access to highways, providing improved public transit options and increasing the number of safe and attractive opportunities for non-motorized transportation. <
> **Goals** - Major goals addressed in Citywide Plan's list of capital improvement recommendations include: Transportation: * Improvement of the innerbelt freeway, the innerbelt bridge and its approaches * Developing stronger connections to Lake Erie * Creating better north-south movements through the Cuyahoga Valley * Extending the Towpath Trail to Downtown and connecting it to the neighborhoods * Connecting the east side and University Circle better to the freeway system * Upgrading the condition of a variety of existing roads, bridges and streetscapes. Transit: * Strengthening the corridor between Downtown and Euclid Avenue , two of the City's major employment centers * Improving transit-oriented development opportunities * Expand rapid transit opportunities to more neighborhoods * Accommodating inter-city rail transportation A more complete description of issues and strategies can be found in the citywide Transportation Chapter of the Full Text Document . Transportation issues related to each Planning District are addressed in each of the District Chapters, also located within the Full Text Document. **Funding Capital Improvements** - Capital improvements are funded through a combination of local, state and federal monies. The City of Cleveland generally provides local funds through the issuance of general obligation bonds. The bonds provide upfront pots of money for large projects and are repaid over a number of years with local tax dollars. Most large projects are undertaken with funds obtained from a variety of state and federal programs. The general obligation bonds provide the local share of projects costs that state and federal programs require. Some community development projects, such as the infrastructure improvements necessary to build a new housing proposal, are financed with 100 percent City money. How local capital improvement monies are allocated is determined by the City's administration with approval from City Council. # District 1 **Location.** District 1 is located on Cleveland’s far west side. It consists of seven neighborhoods (or “Statistical Planning Areas”): *Edgewater, Cudell, West Boulevard, Jefferson, Puritas-Longmead, Kamm’s Corners* and *Riverside*. Residents also refer to much of the District, specifically the area west of West 117 th Street, as “Westpark”, a reference to the Village of West Park which was annexed by the City in 1923. The 18.6 -square-mile District 1 includes all of Wards 19, 20 and 21 and most of Ward 17. Small pieces of Ward 17 are also in the district. The district is well served by three interstate highways (I-71, I-90 and I-480), the west side rapid transit line and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport which occupies the southwest corner of the district. **Population.** The population of District 1, according to the 2000 Census, stands at 96,325. Of that number, roughly 78% are white, 12% black, 2% of Asian/Pacific background, less than 1% American Indian and 5% “Other”. Three percent of the district’s population also identify themselves as Hispanic. Incomes of residents in the district are generally the highest in the City. Except for the Edgewater neighborhood which has a large concentration of rental units near Lake Erie and the rapid transit line, homeownership rates are also among the highest in the City. **Development Patterns.** Two major natural features form the western and northern boundaries of the district. The Rocky River Reservation, part of the Cleveland Metroparks’ Emerald Necklace, forms the western border of District 1 protecting the entire river valley and providing one of the largest areas of greenspace in the City. The northern edge of the district is Lake Erie which is lined with some of the highest priced houses in the City. Just to the east along the lakeshore is Edgewater State Park. A variety of smaller parks are scattered throughout other parts of the district to serve residents. Much of the district is residential and it generally has the highest housing values in the City. Multi-family housing is concentrated near Lake Erie and near the rapid transit line which runs from northeast to southwest through the center of the district and which connects Hopkins Airport with Downtown. Industrial uses are located in corridors along the rail lines that traverse the district. Modern industrial and office parks are located along Interstate 480 near the airport. Lorain Avenue developed as a major street car route emanating from downtown and subsequently has become the main retail corridor of the City’s west side. At the eastern end of the district Clifton and West Boulevards, known for their wide treelawns and substantial residential structures, have been designated historic districts as has the Lorain Station area near West 98 th Street, which at one time was a terminus for the street car line. District 1 Neighborhood links: * [Cudell](http://) * [Edgewater](http://) * [Jefferson](http://) * [Kamms Corners](http://) * [Puritas Longmead](http://) * [Riverside](http://) * [West Boulevard](http://) # CUDELL NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** Cudell is named after noted architect Frank E. Cudell, a German immigrant who had inherited a large estate from his father-in-law. Cudell bequeathed the estate to the City in 1916 and the tower which stands on the property today, just east of the Cudell Recreation Center, is a memorial to him from his wife, Emma. The neighborhood became a part of the City through annexations in 1894 and 1904. It developed as a working class community during the first two decades of the 20th century with residents employed at the many industries around the rail lines that crisscrossed the neighborhood. Construction of interstate 90 in the 1960s isolated the Lorain Avenue area from the bulk of the neighborhood. Most of the housing is one- and two-family except for a concentration of apartments near the rapid transit line near Detroit and West Boulevard. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood's most significant assets are: * the *Cudell Recreation Center* and associated *Cudell Fine Arts Center* * the *West Boulevard Historic District* * the *WEBCO industrial area* which still is home to many industrial companies * *good access to interstate 90* * the *Westown Shopping Center*, built in the 1980s on the site of a former Sears store **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Cudell neighborhood today are: * housing stock deterioration, particularly several blocks on either side of West Blvd., between Madison and Lorain. * need for further commercial reinvestment (including building renovation) throughout the neighborhood * re-use of industrial sites for job-producing industry sectors, rather than as warehouses/storage facilities **Vision.** The Cudell neighborhood incorporates an interesting mix of old and new, with all types of land uses represented throughout. This urban character should be enhanced by choosing redevelopment strategies that complement that character, whenever possible. Among the development opportunities and initiatives underway or proposed are the following: * target housing programs for streets around the West Tech Lofts * determine appropriate and complimentary land uses south of I-90 near the new Target development * continue to effectively clean-up and market the former Monarch Aluminum and Midland Steel sites for appropriate industrial end-users (already underway by the City’s Dept. of Economic Development) * redevelop Madison Avenue (maintaining mostly residential feel with some storefront renovation) and Berea Road (building on current industrial mix) * create a vision for the Lorain Station Historic District that will work to preserve the important mixed-use building stock there, including the installation of a vastly-improved pedestrian bridge near the West Tech lofts * develop a bike route along West Blvd which connects to Edgewater Park on the north and Brookside Park in the Big Creek Valley to the south * create a pocket park on currently vacant land at the intersection of West Blvd and Detroit # Cudell ## Neighborhood Assets -2006 <
> ### Legend | | | | :--- | :--- | | 🟡 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | 🚩 | Other Schools | | 🔵 | Miscellaneous | | 🟪 | EMS | | 🚒 | Fire | | 🔼 | Health | | 🏥 | Hospital | | 🟢 | Parks (see below) | | 🚔 | Police | | 🟤 | Service | | 🟧 | Utilities | | 🟢 | Library | | 🟩 | Parks | | ▨ | Historic District | <
> # Cudell Typology and Housing Projects <
> | Typology Program Mix | Regional Choice | Stable | Transitional | Fragile | Distressed | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Code Enforcement Action | | 🏠 | | | | | Senior Initiative | 🏠 | 🏠 | 🏠 | 🏠 | 🏠 | | Rehab - conv. And widely avail | 🏠 | 🏠 | | | | | Rehab - subsidized | | 🏠 | 🏠 target | 🏠 target | | | Exterior | | 🏠 | 🏠 | 🏠 | | | Vacant Affordable | | 🏠 | 🏠 target | 🏠 target | | | Large scale projects - strengthen asset base | | 🏠 | | 🏠 target | 🏠 | | Demo and Landbank | | | 🏠 target | 🏠 target | 🏠 | <
> **City of Cleveland** **Department of Community Development** January 2, 2007 # Cudell ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **West 117th** - Determine redevelopment opportunities on block-by-block basis - Expand existing BRD boundaries - TBD **Detroit-Shoreway** - Implement Gordon Square Cultural Arts District Plan - Encourage development of arts & entertainment-related retail uses clustered around the Detroit/West 65th intersection. - Establish Cleveland Landmarks District on Detroit Avenue, between West 45th and West 85th Sts - Install new streetscape improvements on Detroit Ave, between West 58th and West 70th Sts - Add neighborhood convenience retail **Lorain/West 98th** - Implement streetscape improvements **Lorain/Westown** - Acquire land for parking - Rezone district as appropriate - Apply incentives for renovation of mixed-use buildings - Implement streetscape per recommendations in Lorain Avenue Master Plan # Cudell ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 1.E.4 Former Midland Steel Site – light industrial use 1.E.5 Berea Road Site – light industrial use 1.E.7 Former Monarch Aluminum/Trinity Building Site – light industrial use 1.H.5 Madison Avenue Site – infill townhouse development 1.P.3 Detroit Avenue Site - pocket park on current vacant land near rail tracks 1.R.5 West 130th Street Site - potential for shopping plaza or large store development <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | ![](https://via.placeholder.com/20/007aff/000000?text=+) | Economic Development Opportunities | | ![](https://via.placeholder.com/20/fff000/000000?text=+) | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | ![](https://via.placeholder.com/20/fff999/000000?text=+) | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | ![](https://via.placeholder.com/20/ff0000/000000?text=+) | Retail Opportunities | | ![](https://via.placeholder.com/20/00ff00/000000?text=+) | Recreation Opportunities | | ![](https://via.placeholder.com/20/00ffff/000000?text=+) | School Opportunities | | ![](https://via.placeholder.com/20/ffc0cb/000000?text=+) | Arts Opportunities | # Cudell ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Existing Land Use - Year 2000 | | | | :--- | :--- | | | VACANT LAND | | | SINGLE FAMILY | | | TWO FAMILY | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | | | CUDELL BOUNDARY | | | WATER | # Cudell ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Proposed Land Use - Year 2020 * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * CUDELL BOUNDARY * WATER <
> # EDGEWATER NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** Edgewater is distinguished by its dramatic Lake Erie frontage and by its tree-lined streets, its impressive housing stock, and its vibrant Clifton Boulevard Historic District retail area. The neighborhood existed as part of the Village of West Cleveland from 1871 until its annexation to Cleveland in 1894 and became known in the last years of the 19th century for its large estates that were home to wealthy and influential Clevelanders such as Marcus Hanna. North of Clifton Boulevard the housing is predominantly single-family but south of Clifton Boulevard the neighborhood is a mix of one and two-family homes. Larger apartment buildings line the south side of Clifton Boulevard and are also located in the vicinity of Detroit Avenue. There is some industry located along the rail line that makes up neighborhood’s southern boundary and separates it from Cudell. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * its *tree-lined streets* and proximity to *Lake Erie* * the closeness of *Edgewater State Park* which features one of the city’s largest beaches, playfields, picnic areas, a boat-launching ramp and off-shore fishing platforms * the *Clifton Boulevard* retail district * the *character and style* of many of the older homes along Edgewater Drive and Lake Avenue and in the Clifton Boulevard Historic District * *rapid transit stops* at West 117th and West Boulevard **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Edgewater neighborhood today are: * maintaining and rehabbing housing stock as needed between Clifton and Franklin Blvds. * guiding reinvestment along West 117th Street **Vision.** The Edgewater neighborhood, although asset-rich, should continue to strive for neighborhood-scale, high-quality new development where appropriate, especially along the high-visibility and heavily-trafficked West 117th Street arterial. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * finding a viable use for the former Fifth Christian Scientist Church building (at Lake and West 117th) and the surrounding parcel * further discussion regarding streetscape improvements along Clifton Blvd. * installation of a potential rail stop for future West Shore Commuter Rail * enhanced appearance of overhead bridges at Detroit near RTA station and West Blvd. and Desmond * encouraging industrial redevelopment near Franklin and West 112th * create bike route along West Blvd connecting to neighborhoods south of Lake Erie * create a passive greenspace for the neighborhood around Detroit Avenue near West 110th Street # Edgewater ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> **Legend** | | | | :--- | :--- | | 🚩 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | 🚩 | Other Schools | | ● | Miscellaneous | | ■ | EMS | | ⛑ | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | ⚰ | Hospital | | ▪ | Parks (see below) | | 🚓 | Police | | ● | Service | | ■ | Utilities | | 📚 | Library | | ■ | Parks | | ▨ | Historic District | Aerial: Airphoto USA 2005 # Edgewater Typology and Housing Projects <
> | | Regional Choice | Stable | Transitional | Fragile | Distressed | | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | | Code Enforcement Action | ♠ | ♠ | | | | | Senior Initiative | ♠ | ♠ | ♠ | ♠ | ♠ | | Rehab - conv. And widely avail | ♠ | ♠ | | | | | Rehab - subsidized | | ♠ | ♠ target | ♠ target | | | Exterior | | ♠ | ♠ | ♠ | | | Vacant Affordable | | ♠ | ♠ target | ♠ target | | | Large scale projects - strengthen asset base | | ♠ | ♠ | ♠ | ♠ | | Demo and Landbank | | | ♠ target | ♠ target | ♠ | **HOUSING PROJECTS** * Target Neighborhoods * Current and Future Projects * Large Projects **Residential Investments** * Market Rate New * Market Rate Rehab * Affordable New * Affordable Rehab **Neighborhood Market Typology** **DETAILED RANGE** * OVER 4.71 * 4.71 * 4.57 (REGIONAL CHOICE) * 4.43 * 4.29 * 4.14 * 4.00 * 3.86 * 3.71 (STABLE) * 3.57 * 3.43 * 3.29 * 3.14 * 3.00 * 2.86 (TRANSITIONAL) * 2.71 * 2.57 * 2.43 * 2.29 * 2.14 (FRAGILE) * 2.00 * 1.86 * 1.71 (DISTRESSED) * 1.57 * UNDER 1.57 * NON-RESIDENTIAL City of Cleveland Department of Community Development January 2, 2007 # Edgewater ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **West 117th** - Determine redevelopment opportunities on block-by-block basis - Expand existing BRD boundaries - TBD **Detroit-Shoreway** - Implement Gordon Square Cultural Arts District Plan - Encourage development of arts & entertainment-related retail uses clustered around the Detroit/West 65th intersection. - Establish Cleveland Landmarks District on Detroit Avenue, between West 45th and West 85th Sts - Install new streetscape improvements on Detroit Ave, between West 58th and West 70th Sts - Add neighborhood convenience retail **Lorain/West 98th** - Implement streetscape improvements # Edgewater Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 1.E.6 West 112th Street Site – light industrial use 1.H.6 West 112th Street Site – potential for townhouse redevelopment 1.H.7 Detroit Avenue Site – townhouse development 1.R.2 West 130th Street Site – potential for shopping plaza or large store development <
> ## Development Opportunities * Economic Development Opportunities * Housing Opportunities: New Construction * Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab * Retail Opportunities * Recreation Opportunities * School Opportunities * Arts Opportunities # Edgewater ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** * VACANT LAND * SINGLE FAMILY * TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * EDGEWATER BOUNDARY * WATER # Edgewater Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** | | | | :--- | :--- | | | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) | | | EDGEWATER BOUNDARY | | | WATER | # JEFFERSON NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY Description. Jefferson was annexed to Cleveland as part of the City’s final major territorial expansion in 1923 when the Village of West Park was annexed. The neighborhood shares the name with Jefferson Park which is located near its center on Lorain Avenue, just west of West 130[^th]. The initial major wave of construction occurred after World War I with the construction of residential streets within walking distance of the extension of streetcar lines along Lorain Avenue. Areas further from Lorain Avenue began to develop after World War II. The neighborhood is mainly single-family housing with some doubles intermixed on the older streets near Lorain Avenue. Industry and a few apartment buildings are located in the vicinity of the rail and rapid transit lines that run from the airport to downtown along the western edge of the neighborhood. <
> Assets. Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * convenient parks are scattered throughout neighborhood including Halloran, Mohican and Jefferson * the Lorain Avenue retail district * areas employment near the interstates and rail corridors * easy access to rapid transit stations * good access to both interstates 71 and 90 Challenges. Among the challenges faced by the Jefferson neighborhood today are: * proliferation of vacant residential structures due to foreclosures * concentrations of vacant storefronts along Lorain Avenue Vision. The Jefferson neighborhood has the potential for some of the most exciting redevelopment in the City’s far west side. A renovated Variety Theatre, currently vacant, can serve as the focal point for the creation of a neighborhood downtown which would also incorporate the rehabilitation of other outstanding mixed-use building stock, primarily from the 1920s, centered around the Theatre. Other initiatives and opportunities include: * targeted efforts to make absentee property owners (such as out-of-state banks, savings and loans, etc) take more responsibility for upkeep and eventual marketing of foreclosed properties * implementation of streetscape, parking enhancements, and targeted urban design improvements as called out for in the Lorain Avenue Master Plan in stages as needed or as opportunities arise * construction of a new access road to help facilitate truck access to the Elmwood industrial area from Berea Road * target housing programs on streets south of the Variety Theatre area * focusing on the area around West 140[^th]/Lorain Avenue for additional small-area master planning [^th]: th # Jefferson ## Neighborhood Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend | | | |---|---| | 🚩 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | 🚩 | Other Schools | | ● | Miscellaneous | | ■ | EMS | | ▲ | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | ▨ | Hospital | | • | Parks (see below) | | 🗲 | Police | | ● | Service | | ■ | Utilities | | ▨ | Historic District | | ■ | Parks | | 🗲 | Library | # Jefferson Typology and Housing Projects ## Typology Program Mix | | Regional Choice | Stable | Transitional | Fragile | Distressed | | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | | Code Enforcement Action | ⌂ | ⌂ | | | | | Senior Initiative | | ⌂ | ⌂ | ⌂ | ⌂ | | Rehab - conv. And widely avail | ⌂ | ⌂ | | | | | Rehab - subsidized | | ⌂ | ⌂ target | ⌂ target | | | Vacant Affordable | | ⌂ | ⌂ target | ⌂ target | | | Large scale projects - strengthen asset base | | ⌂ | | ⌂ | ⌂ | | Demo and Landbank | | | ⌂ target | ⌂ target | ⌂ | <
> ## Neighborhood Market Typology **DETAILED RANGE** * OVER 4.71 * 4.71 * 4.57 * 4.43 * 4.29 * 4.14 * 4.00 * 3.86 * 3.71 * 3.57 * 3.43 * 3.29 * 3.14 * 3.00 * 2.86 * 2.71 * 2.57 * 2.43 * 2.29 * 2.14 * 2.00 * 1.86 * 1.71 * 1.57 * UNDER 1.57 * NON-RESIDENTIAL **REGIONAL CHOICE** **STABLE** **TRANSITIONAL** **FRAGILE** **DISTRESSED** ## HOUSING PROJECTS * Target Neighborhoods * Current and Future Projects * Large Projects ## Residential Investments * Market Rate New * Market Rate Rehab * Affordable New * Affordable Rehab City of Cleveland Department of Community Development January 2, 2007 # Jefferson ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **West 11th** - Determine redevelopment opportunities on block-by-block basis - Expand existing BRD boundaries - TBD **Warren Village** - No changes recommended **Lorain/Fairwood** - Prepare local area plan **Lorain/Westown** - Acquire land for parking - Rezone district as appropriate - Apply incentives for renovation of mixed-use buildings - Implement streetscape per recommendations in Lorain Avenue Master Plan **Kamms Corners** - Implement streetscape plan **Puritas/W. 150th/W. 140th** - Establish new Business Revitalization District # Jefferson ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 1.A.1 Variety Theatre Arts District - opportunity for revitalization of area with uses that compliment renovated Variety Theatre 1.S.1 Former Nathaniel Hawthorne School - potential for reuse after school building is decommissioned <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | 🟦 | Economic Development Opportunities | | 🟨 | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | 🟨 | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | 🟥 | Retail Opportunities | | 🟩 | Recreation Opportunities | | ▓ | School Opportunities | | 🟪 | Arts Opportunities | # Jefferson Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** * VACANT LAND * SINGLE FAMILY * TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * [--] JEFFERSON BOUNDARY * [::::] WATER <
> # Jefferson Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Proposed Land Use - Year 2020 * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * JEFFERSON BOUNDARY * WATER <
> # KAMM’S CORNERS NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** The neighborhood takes its name from the intersection of Lorain Avenue and Rocky River Drive, which was called Kamm’s Corner in honor of Oswald Kamm, who opened a grocery store there in 1875 and later a post office. But it was the establishment in 1898 of Puritas Springs Park that was to make Kamm’s Corners a popular destination for the next 60 years and the hub of the area known as West Park. It was here that the street car and interurban lines converged and opened the way for substantial development after World War I. The neighborhood was annexed by the City of Cleveland in 1923. It is predominantly single-family residences with retail corridors along Lorain Avenue and Rocky River Drive. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * some of the strongest residential areas in the city * its proximity to the Cleveland Metroparks’ *Rocky River Reservation* * *Gunning Park Recreation Center* on Puritas Road * *Fairview General Hospital* located adjacent to the *Kamm’s Corners retail area* * easy access to *rapid transit stations* in the eastern part of the neighborhood **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Kamm’s Corners neighborhood today are: * arrest signs of disinvestment in retail corridor on Lorain Avenue * control advancement of more retail uses on Rocky River Drive south of Lorain **Vision.** The Kamm’s Corners neighborhood has maintained a vitality and desirability in its residential properties for many years. However, the commercial areas have been in need of a renaissance, which is currently underway. The following initiatives are contributing to this rebirth: * strong marketing and application of the City of Cleveland’s Storefront Renovation Program has encouraged many property owners to reinvest in their commercial buildings * implementation of the Kamm’s Corners Business Revitalization District has fostered a more aesthetically-appropriate commercial environment * the Kamm’s Streetscape Improvement Project is expected to generate even more excitement and investment activity along Lorain Avenue, once all funding has been identified * bike connections across the Lorain Avenue bridge to the Rocky River Reservation entrance will connect the neighborhood to the existing bike network in the Rocky River valley * the promotion of residential developments along Rocky River Drive south of Lorain Avenue (with one or two retail nodes strengthened) is meant to keep the bulk of new retail development in the neighborhood along Lorain Avenue # Kamm's Corners ## Neighborhood Assets - 2006 <
> **Legend** | | | | :--- | :--- | | 📯 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | 🚩 | Other Schools | | ● | Miscellaneous | | 🟥 | EMS | | 🚒 | Fire | | 🔺 | Health | | 🇭 | Hospital | | • | Parks (see below) | | 🚓 | Police | | 🟤 | Service | | 🟫 | Utilities | | 🚻 | Library | | 🟩 | Parks | | ▧ | Historic District | # Kamm's Corners ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **West 117th** - Determine redevelopment opportunities on block-by-block basis - Expand existing BRD boundaries - TBD **Warren Village** - No changes recommended **Lorain/West 98th** - Implement streetscape improvements **Lorain/Westtown** - Acquire land for parking - Rezone district as appropriate - Apply incentives for renovation of mixed-use buildings - Implement streetscape per recommendations in Lorain Avenue Master Plan **Lorain/Fairwood** - Prepare local area plan **Kamms Corners** - Implement streetscape plan **Puritas/W. 150th/W. 140th** - Establish new Business Revitalization District # Kamm's Corners ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 1.E.1 Emerald Corporate Park – office park development 1.E.2 Cleveland Business Park – office and light industrial use 1.R.3 Bellaire Corridor – opportunity for full-scale grocery store/mixed-use development <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | █ | Economic Development Opportunities | | █ | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | █ | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | █ | Retail Opportunities | | █ | Recreation Opportunities | | █ | School Opportunities | | █ | Arts Opportunities | # Kamm's Corners ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** VACANT LAND SINGLE FAMILY TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING KAMM'S CORNERS BOUNDARY WATER <
> # Kamm's Corners Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * KAMM'S CORNERS BOUNDARY * WATER <
> # PURITAS-LONGMEAD NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** Puritas-Longmead takes it name from two streets located in the neighborhood which form an east-west line near its center. It became a part of Cleveland with the annexation of the Village of West Park in 1923. The northeast corner of the neighborhood was originally part of the Linndale development that was laid out at the end of the 19th century by real estate developer George Linn and which became a train switching center. Most of the housing, however, dates from after World War II and is predominantly single-family homes. A few multi-family complexes are located along Puritas and Bellaire Roads. The rail lines and highways that traverse it break the neighborhood into a number of distinct residential enclaves. The largest concentration of industrial parks in the city is located near Interstate 480. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * sections of the *Chevy Branch of the Big Creek* which flow above ground through parts of the neighborhood * excellent access to Interstates 71 and 480 * numerous *businesses* located in the industrial parks within the neighborhood * the *Puritas Road business district* * the *1st District* police headquarters **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Puritas-Longmead neighborhood today are: * deteriorating housing and high crime concentrations in some areas * high concentrations of juvenile crime around Bellaire and West 130th Street * need for commercial revitalization along parts of West 130th Street **Vision.** The Puritas-Longmead neighborhood is a solid, middle-class neighborhood that is facing pressure to maintain its quality of life. Targeting programs to stabilize deteriorating parts of the neighborhood is essential to containing and eliminating negative conditions. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * target housing programs on the streets off Bellaire Road, east of West 130th Street * implement the Ward 19 PACE Project in the Bellaire/West 130th area * the Puritas Wetlands project, a wildlife enhancement in a stormwater retention basin off Industrial Parkway * discussions on implementation of a design review district on Puritas Avenue * identification of industrial/commercial lands that could be redeveloped for alternative energy component manufacturing and brownfield remediation technologies * undertake bike route improvements along Bellaire and Puritas Avenues # Puritas-Longmead ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> **Legend** * Cleveland Municipal Schools * Other Schools * * EMS * Fire * Health * Hospital * Parks (see below) * Police * Service * Utilities * Library * Parks * Historic District # Puritas-Longmead ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> # Puritas-Longmead ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 1.E.3 Abrams Site – heavy and/or light industrial use 1.H.1 Bellaire Corridor – mixed-use, single-family, townhouse development 1.P.1 Stormwater Detention Pond – opportunity for bird sanctuary and passive recreation 1.P.2 Bellaire Road – opportunity for bioremediation of soil and conversion to natural/passive greenspace 1.R.1 Rocky River Drive Sites – opportunity for stand-alone or mixed-use retail 1.R.4 Lorain Corridor – opportunity for retail in conjunction with streetscape improvements ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | ![Economic Development Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/project-pages/images/legend_eco.png) | Economic Development Opportunities | | ![Housing Opportunities: New Construction](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/project-pages/images/legend_housing_new.png) | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | ![Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/project-pages/images/legend_housing_rehab.png) | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | ![Retail Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/project-pages/images/legend_retail.png) | Retail Opportunities | | ![Recreation Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/project-pages/images/legend_rec.png) | Recreation Opportunities | | ![School Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/project-pages/images/legend_school.png) | School Opportunities | | ![Arts Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/project-pages/images/legend_arts.png) | Arts Opportunities | <
> # Puritas-Longmead Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** | | | | :--- | :--- | | | VACANT LAND | | | SINGLE FAMILY | | | TWO FAMILY | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | | | PURITAS-LONGMEAD BOUNDARY | | | WATER | <
> # Puritas-Longmead Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** | | | | :--- | :--- | | ■ | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | ■ | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | | ■ | TOWNHOUSE | | ■ | MULTI FAMILY | | ■ | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE | | ■ | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | ■ | OFFICE | | ■ | RETAIL | | ■ | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | ■ | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | ■ | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | ■ | INSTITUTIONAL | | ■ | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | ■ | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | ■ | PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) | | ■ | PURITAS-LONGMEAD BOUNDARY | | ■ | WATER | <
> <
> # RIVERSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY Description. Riverside takes it name from its location along the eastern side of the Rocky River and its valley. Most housing is single-family and dates from after World War II. There are a couple large multi-family developments located off Puritas and Rocky River Drive in the neighborhood. Well over half of the neighborhood’s area is occupied by Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The airport was first built in 1925 when City Manager William R. Hopkins obtained the city council's agreement to issue bonds to build an airport. This area has undergone many recent changes. Cleveland and Brook Park have swapped land to accommodate the long-needed airport runway expansion and FAA regulations regarding acceptable noise levels for residential areas near airports have necessitated the removal of many single-family homes from just north of Interstate 480. Some of these areas have been redeveloped for industrial parks. <
> Assets. Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * excellent access to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport * access to interstates 71 and 480 * proximity to NASA Glenn Research Center * office and business parks near the airport * proximity to Cleveland Metroparks’ Rocky River Reservation Challenges. Among the challenges faced by the Riverside neighborhood today are: * further development of available land in the Cleveland Business Park * need for reinvestment along Rocky River Drive south of Puritas Avenue * need to consider Hopkins Airport more from an economic development standpoint * preservation of the existing character of Old Grayton Road Vision. Although a large amount of residential structures have been removed from the Riverside neighborhood relatively recently, the remaining residential units in the neighborhood are solidly maintained, the re-located baseball diamonds are well-received, and new construction at the CMHA Riverside Estates is uplifting that portion of Rocky River Drive. However, most of the southern part of the neighborhood is simply more suitable for further industrial and office development. Future initiatives in Riverside should include: * taking advantage of the close proximity to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and NASA Glenn Research Center to attract future development * continued discussion as to how much (if any) new retail to promote along Rocky River Drive * determining a streamlined process to more quickly develop land in Cleveland Business Park * consideration of tighter design review procedures for any further mixed-use developments near Old Grayton Road # Riverside Community Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend | | | | :--- | :--- | | | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | | Other Schools | | | Miscellaneous | | | EMS | | | Fire | | | Health | | | Hospital | | | Parks (see below) | | | Police | | | Service | | | Utilities | | | Library | | | Parks | | | Historic District | Aerial: Airphoto USA 2005 # Riverside ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Kamms Corners** - Implement streetscape plan **Puritas/W. 150th/W. 140th** - Establish new Business Revitalization District # Riverside ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 1.E.1 Emerald Corporate Park – office park development 1.E.2 Cleveland Business Park – office and light industrial use 1.R.3 Bellaire Corridor – opportunity for full-scale grocery store/mixed-use development <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | | Economic Development Opportunities | | | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | | Retail Opportunities | | | Recreation Opportunities | | | School Opportunities | | | Arts Opportunities | # Riverside Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** VACANT LAND SINGLE FAMILY TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING RIVERSIDE BOUNDARY WATER <
> # Riverside Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * RIVERSIDE BOUNDARY * WATER <
> # WEST BOULEVARD NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** West Boulevard is named after the north-south thoroughfare designed to connect Edgewater Park, on the north, with Brookside Park, on the south, as part of parkway system envisioned to encircle the City. The winding roadway's 130-foot right-of-way is one of the City's widest and its broad tree lawns provide a park-like setting for hundreds of solid, well-kept houses. The principal portion of the neighborhood was incorporated in 1902, as part of Linndale, before the Cleveland annexed most of that community one year later. Housing in the neighborhood tends to become newer the farther west one goes. The Clark/ Lorain/ Denison area has a large amount of housing from the late 1800s whereas the West 117th/Bellaire area is predominantly post World War II construction. Lorain Avenue forms the neighborhood's main commercial street and industry is limited to sites with direct access to the rail line that forms the border with the City of Brooklyn. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood's most significant assets are: * the *Lorain Station* and *West Boulevard* historic districts which center on two of the neighborhood's main arterials * *St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church*, a familiar landmark on the corner of West Boulevard & Lorain Avenue * *good* access to both interstates 71 and 90 * the *Lorain Avenue* retail district which includes the Westown Shopping Center **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the West Boulevard neighborhood today are: * housing stock deterioration in various areas throughout the neighborhood * proliferation of less-than-desirable commercial uses (i.e., used car lots, taverns) and vacant storefronts along Lorain Avenue **Vision.** The West Boulevard neighborhood, although primarily residential, has important commercial connections that require sensitive reinvestment. Among the development opportunities and initiatives currently underway or proposed are the following: * create a vision for the Lorain Station Historic District that will work to preserve the important mixed-use building stock there * implementation of Lorain Avenue Master Plan * working to save Louis Agassiz school from demolition * stimulating reinvestment along West 105th Street, perhaps through promotion of Live-Work district * identification of potential townhouse redevelopment sites along Denison Avenue * undertake improvements to create bike routes along West Boulevard and Bellaire Road # West Boulevard # Community Assets - 2006 <
> ## Legend | | | |---|---| | 🟡 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | ◬ | Other Schools | | 🔵 | Miscellaneous | | 🟪 | EMS | | 🏠 | Fire | | 🔺 | Health | | 🟦 | Hospital | | ⚫ | Parks (see below) | | 🚓 | Police | | 🟤 | Service | | 🟫 | Utilities | | ♿ | Library | | 🟩 | Parks | | ▨ | Historic District | # West Boulevard ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **West 117th** - Determine redevelopment opportunities on block-by-block basis - Expand existing BRD boundaries - TBD **Lorain/West 98th** - Implement streetscape improvements **Lorain/Westown** - Acquire land for parking - Rezone district as appropriate - Apply incentives for renovation of mixed-use buildings - Implement streetscape per recommendations in Lorain Avenue Master Plan **Lorain/Fairwood** - Prepare local area plan **Stockyards** - Establish consolidated retail district centered around K-Mart Plaza along West 65th St between West 67th Pl and West 65th St - Establish Cleveland Landmarks District on Clark Ave, between West 48th St and West 53rd St - Establish design guidelines and BRD for portions of West 65th St, Storer Ave and Denison Ave - Create identity/directional signage at major neighborhood gateways - Create infill development strategy for Clark and Denison Aves # West Boulevard Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 1.H.3 Denison Corridor – townhouse development on various parcels <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | ![Economic Development Opportunities](https://i.imgur.com/K7p48P4.png) | Economic Development Opportunities | | ![Housing Opportunities: New Construction](https://i.imgur.com/i95jY0g.png) | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | ![Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab](https://i.imgur.com/k91Jv5K.png) | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | ![Retail Opportunities](https://i.imgur.com/XqT2Jg3.png) | Retail Opportunities | | ![Recreation Opportunities](https://i.imgur.com/04S6yT1.png) | Recreation Opportunities | | ![School Opportunities](https://i.imgur.com/Qk7xH4c.png) | School Opportunities | | ![Arts Opportunities](https://i.imgur.com/oWd63rU.png) | Arts Opportunities | # West Boulevard ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Existing Land Use - Year 2000 | | | | :--- | :--- | | | VACANT LAND | | | SINGLE FAMILY | | | TWO FAMILY | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | | | WEST BOULEVARD BOUNDARY | | | WATER | # West Boulevard ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> | Proposed Land Use - Year 2020 | | :--- | | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | | TOWNHOUSE | | MULTI FAMILY | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | OFFICE | | RETAIL | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | INSTITUTIONAL | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) | | WEST BOULEVARD BOUNDARY | | WATER | # District 2 **Location.** Planning District 2 is located on Cleveland’s near west side. It is roughly rectangular in shape and covers 16.3 square miles. The District is bounded on the north by Lake Erie, on the east by the Cuyahoga River Valley, on the south by Brookpark Road and the City of Parma, and on the west by the City of Brooklyn and a variety of streets in the vicinity of West 73 rd and West 85 th Streets. District 2 comprises seven neighborhoods (or “Statistical Planning Areas”): *Detroit-Shoreway, Ohio City, Tremont, Stockyards, Clark-Fulton, Brooklyn Centre and Old Brooklyn*. The District includes all of City Council Wards 14, 15, and 16, the majority of Ward 17, those portions of Ward 13 located west of the Cuyahoga River, and a small sliver of Ward 18 encompassing Edgewater State Park. The West Shoreway and Interstates 90, 71 & 480 provide excellent east-west movements and State Route 176 (“Jennings Freeway”) facilitates north-south movements along the west rim of the Cuyahoga Valley. **Population.** In 2000, the neighborhoods that comprise District 2 had a total population of 100,181. Approximately 73% of the population was white and 11% African-American. Another 11% of the population identified themselves as “Other”. The highest concentration of Hispanics in the City lives on the near west side in District 2. In total 21% of the district population identified themselves as Hispanic, ranging from 40% in Clark-Fulton to 6% in Old Brooklyn. Generally incomes and home ownership rates are higher in the southern part of the district in Old Brooklyn and Brooklyn Centre. Neighborhoods near Downtown however, like Ohio City and Tremont, have recently experienced a great deal of housing renovation and construction attracting new residents with incomes that are much higher than long-time residents. **Development Patterns.** The District’s pattern of physical development has been greatly influenced by its topography. Many of the main east-west streets, such as Detroit and Lorain Avenues, were upgrades of the original native-american trails that followed beach ridges of ancient lakes which were deeper than Lake Erie. These streets became main commercial corridors. The lakefront and valleys of the Cuyahoga River, Walworth Run (now culverted underground) and Big Creek provided the railroads with flat or gently sloping land to run their tracks. Subsequently industrial districts, which needed access to the railroads to move their goods, developed along these rail corridors. In some places the natural features were capitalized on to establish parks. Edgewater and Brookside Parks occupy substantial portions of the lakefront and Big Creek valley. The northern half of the district is located on what is known as the Lake Plain. Once part of the lake bottom, this land is relatively level and allowed for easy development of residential neighborhoods in a grid pattern. The advent of the Interstate Highway System, built between the late-1950s and the mid-1970s, had a major impact on many of the District’s neighborhoods. The construction of Interstates 71 and 90, radically altered traditional development and commuting patterns and also cut off neighborhoods like Ohio City and Tremont and Clark-Fulton and Brooklyn Centre from one another. The construction of the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway in the early 1940s also cut off the nearby Detroit-Shoreway and Ohio City neighborhoods from easy access to the lakefront. District 2 Neighborhood links: * **[Brooklyn Centre](http://www.brooklyncentre.org)** * **[Clark-Fulton](https://planning.city.cleveland.oh.gov/cwp/Clark-Fulton.php)** * **[Detroit Shoreway](https://planning.city.cleveland.oh.gov/cwp/DetroitShoreway.php)** * **[Ohio City](https://planning.city.cleveland.oh.gov/cwp/OhioCity.php)** * **[Old Brooklyn](https://planning.city.cleveland.oh.gov/cwp/OldBrooklyn.php)** * **[Stockyards](https://planning.city.cleveland.oh.gov/cwp/Stockyards.php)** * **[Tremont](https://planning.city.cleveland.oh.gov/cwp/Tremont.php)** # BROOKLYN CENTRE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY <
> **Description.** Brooklyn Centre became a part of Cleveland with the annexation of Brooklyn Village in 1894. Although first settled in the 1820s along Pearl Street, the lifeline to Cleveland, a substantial business district developed around the intersection of Pearl and Denison after the extension of a streetcar line 1869. The oldest remaining houses in Brooklyn Centre date from the middle of the 19th century. Most residential development occurred, however, after annexation between 1900 and 1915 and is a mix of one- and two-families and small multi-family buildings. Pearl Road is still the neighborhood’s main commercial street and industrial uses are located in and near the Big Creek Valley and Cuyahoga River. **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * *MetroHealth Medical Center* which is one of the region’s main trauma centers * *historic* residential and commercial buildings and Riverside Cemetery which form the basis for the Brooklyn Centre Historic District * *Pearl Road retail* including Aldi’s and the Brooklyn Centre Shopping Center * good *freeway access* to interstate 71 and state route 176 * proximity to *Brookside Reservation* and the *Metroparks Zoo* **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Brooklyn Centre neighborhood today are: * physical condition of apartment buildings and absentee-owned single and two-family homes on residential side streets * vacant former Brooklyn YMCA building on Pearl Road at Seltzer Avenue * poor condition of streetscape along West 25th Street and Denison Avenue * lack of direct access to Lower Big Creek Valley and Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail * hillside subsidence and ongoing property loss along rim of Lower Big Creek Valley **Vision.** Continue the ongoing effort to capitalize on the neighborhood’s modestly-priced historic building stock, retail establishments and its location adjacent to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail to create a desirable residential enclave. Among the other development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * convert Masonic Temple Building and former East Denison School to housing * link Brooklyn Centre to Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail via neighborhood connector from Calgary Park through Lower Big Creek Valley * undertake streetscape improvements along Pearl Road that are complementary to the western route of the Ohio and Erie Canal Scenic Byway * pursue hillside stabilization measures in areas where erosion threatens public infrastructure components * develop retail node associated with Towpath Trail and Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad at intersection of Harvard Avenue and Jennings Road # Brooklyn Centre ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> **Legend** * Cleveland Municipal Schools * Other Schools * Miscellaneous * EMS * Fire * Health * Hospital * Parks (see below) * Police * Service * Utilities * Library * Parks * Historic District Aerial: Airphoto USA 2005 Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # Brooklyn Centre ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Stockyards** - Establish consolidated retail district centered around K-Mart Plaza along West 65th St between West 67th Pl and West 65th St - Establish Cleveland Landmarks District on Clark Ave, between West 48th St and West 53rd St - Establish design guidelines and BRD for portions of West 65th St, Storer Ave and Denison Ave - Create identity/directional signage at major neighborhood gateways - Create infill development strategy for Clark and Denison Aves **Clark-Fulton** - Focus redevelopment efforts on West 25th/Clark intersection - Redevelop vacant & underutilized buildings and properties - Develop streetscape enhancement plan for portions of Clark Ave and West 25th St - Consolidate Latino-oriented businesses on West 25th St into regional retail destination **Steelyard Commons** - New regional shopping center **Brooklyn Centre** - Consolidate utility poles to create less cluttered streetscape - Target underutilized properties for mixed-use development Masonic Temple and YMCA Building. - Improve deteriorated housing conditions on adjacent side streets. **Old Brooklyn** - Establish restaurant/retail uses adjacent to MetroHealth South campus - Concentrate retail/develop Pedestrian Retail Overlay District along Pearl Rd, from Broadview Rd to Memphis Ave - Recruit deep discount-style retailers (Marc's, Big Lots, etc.) to serve as retail district anchor - Narrow Pearl Rd right-of-way and develop streetscape enhancement plan - Develop comprehensive parking strategy # Brooklyn Centre ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 2.A.10 New Fulton Road Bridge - decorative lighting & banners highlighting Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in conjunction with construction of new high-level bridge by Cuyahoga County Engineer 2.A.11 Brooklyn-Brighton Bridge - decorative lighting & banners highlighting Cleveland Metroparks Zoo on existing high-level bridge 2.A.8 Towpath Trail - public art & interpretive exhibits along 5.5-Mile extension of regional multi-purpose recreational trail 2.A.9 Art House - neighborhood-based organization offering visual and creative arts classes 2.H.26 Brooklyn Centre - mixed-use: residential + retail/office on adaptively reused upper floors 2.H.27 Former East Denison School - multi-family residential adaptive reuse 2.P.12 Lower Big Creek Area - use this 150-acre area to provide area residents with new accessible open space and a multi-purpose trail 2.R.5 Steelyard Commons - development of a 1-million square foot regional shopping center and related out-lots <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | ![Economic Development Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/placeholder) | Economic Development Opportunities | | ![Housing Opportunities: New Construction](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/placeholder) | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | ![Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/placeholder) | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | ![Retail Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/placeholder) | Retail Opportunities | | ![Recreation Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/placeholder) | Recreation Opportunities | | ![School Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/placeholder) | School Opportunities | | ![Arts Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/placeholder) | Arts Opportunities | # Brooklyn Centre ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** * VACANT LAND * SINGLE FAMILY * TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * BROOKLYN CENTRE BOUNDARY * WATER Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # Brooklyn Centre ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * WATER * BROOKLYN CENTRE BOUNDARY # CLARK-FULTON NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY <
> **Description.** Clark-Fulton may be able to lay claim to the city’s most diverse ethnic population, including a large and growing Hispanic segment and an increasing number of African-Americans—as well as a healthy representation of descendents of the Central and Eastern European immigrants—Germans, Czechs, Italians, Slovaks and Poles—who originally settled here in the mid-1800s to be near the factories and, it is said, the breweries that were springing up nearby. It became a part of the city when portions of Brooklyn Township were annexed to Cleveland in the late 1800s. Physical development patters in the Clark-Fulton area were also changed dramatically during the 1960's and 1970's by the construction of I-71 and I-90. These highways act to separate and isolate the neighborhood from surrounding areas. **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * *MetroHealth Medical Center* founded in 1889 as City Hospital * the *West 25th Street-Clark Avenue retail district* which includes locally owned ethnic restaurants and stores that cater to the retail needs of this diverse neighborhood * the *2nd District police* headquarters * *Lincoln-West High School* and *Meyer Pool* * *new housing developments* including Milford Place and Metro Lofts **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Clark-Fulton neighborhood today are: * limited variety of housing options * unattractive streetscape conditions along main commercial streets - Clark Avenue Avenue, Fulton Road and West 25th Street * vacant residential lots concentrated in northern portion of planning district * abundant vacant commercial and second floor space in buildings along West 25th Street * vacant and underutilized properties on West 25th Street in vicinity of MetroHealth Medical Center campus **Vision.** Increase the appeal of Clark-Fulton as a residential locale through highlighting its traditional ethnic diversity, potential for new and varied housing stock and location along the Ohio & Erie Canalway Scenic Byway. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * pursue opportunities for adaptive reuse of commercial and industrial buildings as apartment and condominium-style loft residential units on West 25th Street and on West 33rd Street, in vicinity of St. Rocco Catholic Church * facilitate infill housing development on scattered site residential lots * develop a vibrant, ethnic-based mixed use district at corner of West 25th Street and Clark Avenue consisting of residential, retail and office uses * create infill retail development strategy for Clark Avenue between West 25th Street and Fulton Road that benefits from traffic heading to and from Steelyard Commons * tell the “neighborhood story” through the development of interpretive exhibits on West 25th Street along the route of the Ohio & Erie Canal Scenic Byway * establish development project of scale along west side of West 25th Street, opposite MetroHealth Medical Center campus * program streetscape improvements along major commercial arterials like West 25th Street, Clark Avenue and Fulton Road # Clark-Fulton ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> **Legend** | | | |---|---| | 🚩 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | ⚑ | Other Schools | | ● | Miscellaneous | | ■ | EMS | | ⛑ | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | 🏥 | Hospital | | • | Parks (see below) | | 🚔 | Police | | ● | Service | | ● | Utilities | | 🛈 | Library | | 🟩 | Parks | | ▨ | Historic District | # Clark-Fulton ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Stockyards** - Establish consolidated retail district centered around K-Mart Plaza along West 65th St between West 67th Pl and West 65th St - Establish Cleveland Landmarks District on Clark Ave, between West 48th St and West 53rd St - Establish design guidelines and BRD for portions of West 65th St, Storer Ave and Denison Ave - Create identity/directional signage at major neighborhood gateways - Create infill development strategy for Clark and Denison Aves **Clark-Fulton** - Focus redevelopment efforts on West 25th/ Clark intersection - Redevelop vacant & underutilized buildings and properties - Develop streetscape enhancement plan for portions of Clark Ave and West 25th St - Consolidate Latino-oriented businesses on West 25th St into regional retail destination **Brooklyn Centre** - Consolidate utility poles to create less cluttered streetscape - Target underutilized properties for mixed-use development Masonic Temple and YMCA Building. - Improve deteriorated housing conditions on adjacent side streets. **Steelyard Commons** - New regional shopping center # Clark-Fulton ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 2.A.6 Canalway Ohio National Scenic Byway - auto & bicycle-oriented route that highlights Ohio & Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor 2.A.7 Hispanic Village - development of Hispanic-themed arts, cultural and retail district 2.H.20 St. Rocco Area - multi-family residential & mixed-use: live-work 2.H.21 Fulton Road & Roehl Avenue - townhouse residential 2.H.22 West 25th Street-Metro Area - retail & mixed-use: residential + retail/office primarily on infill sites 2.R.6 West 25th Street-Clark Avenue - redevelopment of vacant & underutilized grocery store and surface parking lot properties ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | ![Economic Development Opportunities](https://via.placeholder.com/15/00AEEF/00AEEF) | Economic Development Opportunities | | ![Housing Opportunities: New Construction](https://via.placeholder.com/15/FFF200/FFF200) | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | ![Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab](https://via.placeholder.com/15/FFFFCC/FFFFCC) | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | ![Retail Opportunities](https://via.placeholder.com/15/ED1C24/ED1C24) | Retail Opportunities | | ![Recreation Opportunities](https://via.placeholder.com/15/8DC63F/8DC63F) | Recreation Opportunities | | ![School Opportunities](https://via.placeholder.com/15/0071BC/0071BC) | School Opportunities | | ![Arts Opportunities](https://via.placeholder.com/15/F7941E/F7941E) | Arts Opportunities | <
> # Clark-Fulton ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** * VACANT LAND * SINGLE FAMILY * TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * CLARK-FULTON BOUNDARY * WATER <
> # Clark-Fulton ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * CLARK-FULTON BOUNDARY * WATER # DETROIT-SHOREWAY NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** Development began in the neighborhood in the 1850s along Detroit Street (Avenue), a major route connecting Cleveland with regions to the west and serving as the neighborhood's main commercial district. Beginning in the late 1890s, industries began locating along the rail lines on the bluffs overlooking Lake Erie and then began to develop further to the south, along the rail lines running through the Walworth Run Valley. Detroit-Shoreway was built as a middle-income neighborhood, with a mix of single- and two-family homes and small multi-family structures, with more architecturally distinguished homes constructed along Franklin Avenue. There is still a strong presence of Italian and Romanian-American ethnic communities. In recent years, new waves of immigration have brought growing numbers of Hispanic and Asian residents. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood's most significant assets are: * its proximity to *Lake Erie* and Edgewater Park * the *West 65th*/Detroit retail district anchored by the Gordon Square Arcade and a growing cultural, performing arts and entertainment environment * a regionally renowned *antiques and collectibles district* on Lorain Avenue between West 45th Street and Clark Avenue * the Eco-Village, an environmentally sensitive new housing development built in conjunction with adjacent rapid transit and recreational amenities at West 65th and Lorain * new housing projects such as Ashbury Tower and Battery Park on former industrial sites **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood today are: * creating stronger connections to the Lake Erie shoreline * the cost to clean-up contaminated industrial sites for reuse * attracting more retail uses to serve the shopping needs of residents * improving the appearance along the main commercial corridors of Detroit and Lorain * poor housing conditions in the neighborhood south of Lorain Avenue **Vision.** Detroit-Shoreway has the potential to be a highly desirable lakefront community with a vibrant cultural scene and easy access to Downtown Cleveland. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * transform the West Shoreway from an expressway to a boulevard and create additional and strengthened connections from the existing street grid to the lakefront * create a strong north-south connection along West 65th Street from Clark Avenue (at the proposed West Side Reliever High School and Zone Recreation Center) north to the lakefront, with improved landscaping and bike lanes * develop housing on vacated industrial sites along the bluff to take advantage of lake views * identify and construct an off-street trail route east of West 65th Street for the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway * undertake streetscape improvements on Detroit Avenue between West 58th and West 73rd to support the cultural and entertainment district that is emerging, and encourage complementary uses to locate there * undertake streetscape improvements along Lorain Avenue from West 52nd to West 82nd * explore additional transit-oriented development opportunities, using sustainable design practices, around the West 65th rapid transit station * target housing program activity in the vicinity of Eco-Village # Detroit-Shoreway ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> | Legend | | | :--- | :--- | | 🔲 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | ⚑ | Other Schools | | ● | Miscellaneous | | 🟦 | EMS | | ⛑ | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | 🏥 | Hospital | | ⋅ | Parks (see below) | | 👮 | Police | | ● | Service | | ■ | Utilities | | ⛫ | Library | | ■ | Parks | | ▨ | Historic District | Aerial: Airphoto USA 2005 Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # Detroit-Shoreway Typology and Housing Projects <
> | | Regional Choice | Stable | Transitional | Fragile | Distressed | | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | | Code Enforcement Action | | ♠ | | | | | Senior Initiative | ♠ | ♠ | ♠ | ♠ | ♠ | | Rehab - conv. And widely avail | | ♠ | | | | | Rehab - subsidized | | ♠ | ♠ | target | target | | Exterior | | ♠ | | | | | Vacant Affordable | | ♠ | target | target | | | Large scale projects - strengthen asset base | | ♠ | | | | | Demo and Landbank | | ♠ | target | target | | <
> City of Cleveland Department of Community Development January 2, 2007 # Detroit-Shoreway ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **West 117th** - Determine redevelopment opportunities on block-by-block basis - Expand existing BRD boundaries - TBD **Detroit-Shoreway** - Implement Gordon Square Cultural Arts District Plan - Encourage development of arts & entertainment-related retail uses clustered around the Detroit/West 65th intersection. - Establish Cleveland Landmarks District on Detroit Avenue, between West 45th and West 85th Sts - Install new streetscape improvements on Detroit Ave, between West 58th and West 70th Sts - Add neighborhood convenience retail **Ohio City** - Establish mixed-use district around the West 25th St-Lorain Ave intersection - Create transit-oriented development on air rights adjacent to RTA's Ohio City Red Line Rapid Transit station at Lorain Ave & West 24th St - Promote additional ethnically-oriented eating and drinking establishments - Recruit additional urban-based, niche specific retailers on West 25th St **Lorain/Westown** - Acquire land for parking - Rezone district as appropriate - Apply incentives for renovation of mixed-use buildings - Implement streetscape per recommendations in Lorain Avenue Master Plan **Lorain/West 98th** - Implement streetscape improvements **Stockyards** - Establish consolidated retail district centered around K-Mart Plaza along West 65th St between West 67th Pl and West 53rd St - Establish Cleveland Landmarks District on Clark Ave, between West 48th St and West 53rd St - Establish design guidelines and BRD for portions of West 65th St, Storer Ave and Denison Ave - Create identity/directional signage at major neighborhood gateways - Create infill development strategy for Clark and Denison Aves **Clark-Fulton** - Focus redevelopment efforts on West 25th/Clark intersection - Redevelop vacant & underutilized buildings and properties - Develop streetscape enhancement plan for portions of Clark Ave and West 25th St - Consolidate Latino-oriented businesses on West 25th St into regional retail destination # Detroit-Shoreway ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 2.A.1 Gordon Square Cultural Arts District - redevelopment of historic theater properties with neighborhood & arts-related retail 2.A.3 Lorain Avenue Antiques District - concentration of antique and second-hand retail shops 2.H.1 Battery Park Site – opportunity for multi-family, townhouse and single-family residential development 2.H.2 Westinghouse Building – conversion from industrial to multi-family residential 2.H.23 Hope Avenue - ODOT I-90 residual r-o-w single-family residential 2.H.3 Marsh-Allan Complex – conversion from industrial to multi-family residential 2.H.4 Lawn Avenue – 1.5-acre Turner’s Hall property offers opportunity for single-family residential development 2.H.5 West 58th Street & Lorain Avenue – scattered-site single-family/townhouse development and mixed-use residential 2.H.6 Lorain Avenue North – multi-family or townhouse-style residential development 2.P.1 Edgewater Park Expansion – utilize 35-acres of new lakefront open space to accommodate beach and marina 2.P.4 Old River Channel Park – create 15 acres of new riverfront open space 2.R.1 Gordon Square Cultural Arts District – neighborhood convenience and arts-related retail development 2.R.2 Detroit South – develop new retail as part of a larger mixed-use development strategy for this area 2.S.1 Max S. Hayes Vocational High School Renovation – renovation of existing school facility <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | | Economic Development Opportunities | | | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | | Retail Opportunities | | | Recreation Opportunities | | | School Opportunities | | | Arts Opportunities | # Detroit-Shoreway Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** * VACANT LAND * SINGLE FAMILY * TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * DETROIT-SHOREWAY BOUNDARY * WATER # Detroit-Shoreway ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Proposed Land Use - Year 2020 | | | | :--- | :--- | | ![#ffffcc](https://via.placeholder.com/15/ffffcc/000000?text=+) | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | ![#fabf8f](https://via.placeholder.com/15/fabf8f/000000?text=+) | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | | ![#ffc000](https://via.placeholder.com/15/ffc000/000000?text=+) | TOWNHOUSE | | ![#996633](https://via.placeholder.com/15/996633/000000?text=+) | MULTI FAMILY | | ![#f79646](https://via.placeholder.com/15/f79646/000000?text=+) | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE | | ![#ffcc00_stripe](https://via.placeholder.com/15/ffcc00/000000?text=///) | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | ![#ffc7ce](https://via.placeholder.com/15/ffc7ce/000000?text=+) | OFFICE | | ![#ff0000](https://via.placeholder.com/15/ff0000/000000?text=+) | RETAIL | | ![#e26b0a](https://via.placeholder.com/15/e26b0a/000000?text=+) | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | ![#ccffff](https://via.placeholder.com/15/ccffff/000000?text=+) | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | ![#0000ff](https://via.placeholder.com/15/0000ff/000000?text=+) | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | ![#00b050](https://via.placeholder.com/15/00b050/000000?text=+) | INSTITUTIONAL | | ![#92d050](https://via.placeholder.com/15/92d050/000000?text=+) | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | ![#d9d9d9](https://via.placeholder.com/15/d9d9d9/000000?text=+) | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | ![#d9d9d9_cross](https://via.placeholder.com/15/d9d9d9/000000?text=xxx) | PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) | | ![#000000_dash](https://via.placeholder.com/15/000000/000000?text=---) | DETROIT-SHOREWAY BOUNDARY | | ![#c6d9f1](https://via.placeholder.com/15/c6d9f1/000000?text=+) | WATER | # OHIO CITY NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY <
> **Description.** Ohio City was incorporated as its own municipality in 1836 just two days before the incorporation of the "rival" City of Cleveland. It was subsequently annexed to Cleveland in 1854. Housing in Ohio City dates principally from the late 19th century. The predominantly Victorian-style one- and two-family buildings range from modest working class houses to the luxurious residences on portions of Franklin Boulevard and Clinton Avenue. The commercial district at Lorain and West 25th was first established in 1840 as "Market Square". The neighborhood is home to many institutional uses and social service agencies. Lakeview Terrace Estates, built in 1935, was among the first public housing projects in the country. The history, location and major assets of the neighborhood have spurred the renovation of large areas of the neighborhood over the past 30 years. **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * the *West Side Market*, which was built in 1912 and replaced the older Pearl Road Market * proximity and views of Downtown, Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga Valley * *Lutheran Medical Center* which specializes in orthopedics and spine, behavioral health and chronic wound care * *St. Ignatius High School*, a prominent Jesuit institution which since 1886 has provided college preparatory courses for young men * Many architecturally significant buildings that contribute to the *Ohio City Historic District* **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Ohio City neighborhood today are: * high concentration of social service agencies and subsidized housing units * improving the appearance of commercial corridors like Detroit and Lorain Avenues and West 25th Street * deteriorating older housing stock * vacant industrial brownfield sites in need of redevelopment * junkyards negatively impacting prospects for adjacent redevelopment **Vision.** Take advantage of Ohio City’s historic building stock, proximity to Downtown Cleveland and the Flats, and emerging levels of entrepreneurship to create a premier mixed-use neighborhood. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * create transit-oriented mixed-use development adjacent to RTA’s Ohio City Red Line Rapid Transit station at West 25th Street and Lorain Avenue * implement phases 7-12 of the Stonebridge mixed-use redevelopment project * develop infill housing on two large former industrial sites at Fulton Road and Monroe Avenue * create mixed-use district along Detroit Avenue between West 25th and West 45th Streets * implement Riverview Hope VI scattered site housing project * develop contemporary light-industrial park in Queen Barber area at West 25th Street-I-90 interchange * facilitate relocation of Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority facilities to parts of Whiskey Island and new island to the north in the lake as proposed in Waterfront Plan * create better access to the portion of Whiskey Island to remain as open space # Ohio City ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend * Cleveland Municipal Schools * Other Schools * Miscellaneous * EMS * Fire * Health * Hospital * Parks (see below) * Police * Service * Utilities * Library * Parks * Historic District # Ohio City Typology and Housing Projects ## Neighborhood Market Typology ### DETAILED RANGE * OVER 4.71 * 4.71 * 4.57 * 4.43 * 4.29 * 4.14 * 4.00 * 3.86 * 3.71 * 3.57 * 3.43 * 3.29 * 3.14 * 3.00 * 2.86 * 2.71 * 2.57 * 2.43 * 2.29 * 2.14 * 2.00 * 1.86 * 1.71 * 1.57 * UNDER 1.57 * NON-RESIDENTIAL REGIONAL CHOICE STABLE TRANSITIONAL FRAGILE DISTRESSED <
> ## Typology Program Mix | | Regional Choice | Stable | Transitional | Fragile | Distressed | | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | | Code Enforcement Action | ⛑ | ⛑ | | | | | Senior Initiative | ⛑ | ⛑ | ⛑ | ⛑ | ⛑ | | Rehab - conv. And widely avail | ⛑ | ⛑ | | | | | Rehab - subsidized | | ⛑ | ⛑ target | ⛑ target | | | Exterior | | ⛑ | ⛑ | ⛑ | | | Vacant Affordable | | ⛑ | ⛑ target | ⛑ target | | | Large scale projects - strengthen asset base | | ⛑ | | | ⛑ | | Demo and Landbank | | | ⛑ target | ⛑ target | ⛑ | ## HOUSING PROJECTS * Target Neighborhoods * Current and Future Projects * Large Projects ### Residential Investments * Market Rate New * Market Rate Rehab * Affordable New * Affordable Rehab City of Cleveland Department of Community Development January 2, 2007 # Ohio City ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Detroit-Shoreway** - Implement Gordon Square Cultural Arts District Plan - Encourage development of arts & entertainment-related retail uses clustered around the Detroit/West 65th intersection. - Establish Cleveland Landmarks District on Detroit Avenue, between West 45th and West 85th Sts - Install new streetscape improvements on Detroit Ave, between West 58th and West 70th Sts - Add neighborhood convenience retail **Stockyards** - Establish consolidated retail district centered around K-Mart Plaza along West 65th St between West 67th Pl and West 65th St - Establish Cleveland Landmarks District on Clark Ave, between West 48th St and West 53rd St - Establish design guidelines and BRD for portions of West 65th St, Storer Ave and Denison Ave - Create identity/directional signage at major neighborhood gateways - Create infill development strategy for Clark and Denison Aves **Ohio City** - Establish mixed-use district around the West 25th St-Lorain Ave intersection - Create transit-oriented development on air rights adjacent to RTA's Ohio City Red Line Rapid Transit station at Lorain Ave & West 24th St - Promote additional ethnically-oriented eating and drinking establishments - Recruit additional urban-based, niche specific retailers on West 25th St **Clark-Fulton** - Focus redevelopment efforts on West 25th/Clark intersection - Redevelop vacant & underutilized buildings and properties - Develop streetscape enhancement plan for portions of Clark Ave and West 25th St - Consolidate Latino-oriented businesses on West 25th St into regional retail destination - Develop residential and neighborhood services on West 25th St - Create design guidelines for residential corridors - Create local business assistance neighborhood networks **Steelyard Commons** - New regional shopping center # Ohio City ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 2.A.2 New Towpath Trail Bridge - public art opportunity in conjunction with proposed new signature pedestrian bridge 2.A.7 Hispanic Village - development of Hispanic-themed arts, cultural and retail district 2.E.1 Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority Relocation – 110-acres reclaimed from the lake could accommodate a new port facility and industrial development 2.E.2 Lorain Avenue & Columbus Road – retail and/or office development on RTA air rights as part of a transit-oriented development project 2.E.3 West 25th-Lorain-Gehring Corridor – develop infill retail and/or office space 2.E.4 West 25th Street-Barber Avenue – redevelop area for light industrial use 2.H.10 Stonebridge Phases 7-12 – mixed-use: (residential + retail/office space) 2.H.11 Lorain Avenue & Columbus Road – RTA air rights offer opportunity for mixed-use development (residential and retail/office space) 2.H.12 West 25th-Lorain-Gehring Corridor – mixed-use (residential + retail/office space) development 2.H.13 Fulton Road & Monroe Avenue – townhouse residential development 2.H.14 Junk Yard Site – single-family residential development 2.H.7 Detroit Avenue South – mixed-use residential and retail/office 2.H.8 Clinton Avenue – townhouse residential development 2.H.9 CMHA Hope VI Project – townhouse residential development 2.P.2 Port of Cleveland Relocation and New Public Park – 50-acres of new lakefront recreational use in conjunction with the Port of Cleveland's possible relocation 2.P.3 Whiskey Island Park – preserve 30 acres of lakefront open space and historic Coast Guard station to accommodate beach, marina and other recreation uses 2.P.5 Jim Mahone Green – preserve two acres of open space as a new park with prime lakefront views, a.k.a. Dogbone Park 2.P.6 Towpath Trail Extension – develop the 5.5-mile long extension connecting the new regional multi-purpose trail system to downtown Cleveland 2.P.8 Walworth Run Greenway – construction of a neighborhood multi-purpose trail connection to the Towpath Trail 2.R.3 Detroit-Shoreway East – develop new retail as part of a larger mixed-use development 2.R.4 West 25th-Lorain-Gehring – transit-oriented development opportunity includes air rights over RTA tracks and Market Plaza property 2.R.6 West 25th Street-Clark Avenue – redevelopment of vacant & underutilized grocery store and surface parking lot properties 2.S.2 Thomas Jefferson Middle School Replacement – construction of a new middle school building to replace the existing facility <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | | Economic Development Opportunities | | | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | | Retail Opportunities | | | Recreation Opportunities | | | School Opportunities | | | Arts Opportunities | # Ohio City Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Existing Land Use - Year 2000 | | | | :--- | :--- | | | VACANT LAND | | | SINGLE FAMILY | | | TWO FAMILY | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | | | OHIO CITY BOUNDARY | | | WATER | # Ohio City Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** | | | | :--- | :--- | | | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) | | | OHIO CITY BOUNDARY | | | WATER | <
> # OLD BROOKLYN NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** Old Brooklyn includes the part of Cleveland south of Big Creek. The neighborhood was annexed to Cleveland in sections during the early 1900s. Beginning in the 1880s, the area around Schaaf Road became one of the first places in the Midwest to use greenhouses for the year-round growing of vegetables and by the 1920s was one of the nation's leading producers of greenhouse vegetables. Most of these sites have since been redeveloped for housing. The neighborhood is predominantly housing with commercial and industrial uses located along its periphery near highways and river valleys. Older streets off Pearl and State are a mix of one- and two-family houses but areas built after World War II are mainly single-family. The neighborhood also has a number of larger multi-family complexes in scattered locations. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * *stable residential neighborhoods* * *central location* in the region with good freeway access * *natural features* such as the Big Creek and Cuyahoga River valleys which are centerpieces for Brookside and the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservations * the *Cleveland Metroparks Zoo*, located since 1908 in the Big Creek Valley **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Old Brooklyn neighborhood today are: * clean-up and redevelopment of abandoned landfill properties * connect the neighborhood with the Towpath Trail and Cuyahoga River Valley via Lower Big Creek Valley * hillside subsidence and ongoing property loss along rim of Lower Big Creek Valley * redevelopment of vacant and underutilized commercial “stores and suites” buildings along main commercial corridors * deteriorating absentee-owned rental housing * redevelopment opportunities along Brookpark Road commercial corridor **Vision.** The Old Brooklyn neighborhood enjoys good regional accessibility due to the presence of Interstates 71 and 480 and the State 176 (Jennings) Freeway. The area’s variety and overall quality of housing stock and close proximity to both the Lower Big Creek Valley and the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail combine to make it a desirable residential neighborhood of choice. Among the other development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * development of new infill housing on scattered vacant sites on Spring, Schaaf and Pearl Roads * create neighborhood linkage to Towpath Trail via the Lower Big Creek Valley and the Treadway Creek Trail * convert Henninger Landfill property and portions of Lower Big Creek Valley into active and passive green space * redevelopment of traditional downtown Old Brooklyn retail node at Pearl-Broadview-Memphis intersection * rehabilitation of absentee-owned multi-family housing, particularly in Broadview- Pearl-Biddulph/Saratoga triangle * undertake streetscape improvements along Broadview and Pearl Roads that are complementary to the western route of the Ohio and Erie Canal Scenic Byway * pursue hillside stabilization measures in areas where erosion threatens public infrastructure components # Old Brooklyn ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> **Legend** * Cleveland Municipal Schools * Other Schools * Miscellaneous * EMS * Fire * Health * Hospital * Parks (see below) * Police * Service * Utilities * Library * Parks * Historic District # Old Brooklyn ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Stockyards** - Establish consolidated retail district centered around K-Mart Plaza along West 65th St between West 67th Pl and West 65th St - Establish Cleveland Landmarks District on Clark Ave, between West 48th St and West 53rd St - Establish design guidelines and BRD for portions of West 65th St, Storer Ave and Denison Ave - Create identity/directional signage at major neighborhood gateways - Create infill development strategy for Clark and Denison Aves **Brooklyn Centre** - Consolidate utility poles to create less cluttered streetscape - Target underutilized properties for mixed-use development Masonic Temple and YMCA Building. - Improve deteriorated housing conditions on adjacent side streets. **Steelyard Commons** - New regional shopping center **Old Brooklyn** - Establish restaurant/retail uses adjacent to MetroHealth South campus - Concentrate retail/develop Pedestrian Retail Overlay District along Pearl Rd, from Broadview Rd to Memphis Ave - Recruit deep discount-style retailers (Marc's, Big Lots, etc.) to serve as retail district anchor - Narrow Pearl Rd right-of-way and develop streetscape enhancement plan - Develop comprehensive parking strategy # Old Brooklyn ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 2.A.10 New Fulton Road Bridge - decorative lighting & banners highlighting Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, construction of new high-level bridge by Cuyahoga County Engineer 2.E.12 Broadview Road – develop new retail as part of larger mixed-use redevelopment strategy for this area 2.E.13 Schaaf Road Office Site – develop new office uses with panoramic views of the downtown skyline 2.H.28 Broadview Rd. Site – mixed-use: residential + retail/office 2.H.29 State Rd Site – mixed-use: residential + retail/office 2.H.30 Oak Park Motel Site - mix of townhouse, mixed-use: residential + retail/office, & multi-family residential new construction 2.H.31 Spring Road Landfill Property - brownfield site clean-up for single- and/or multi-family residential 2.H.32 Schaaf Road Nursery Site - townhouse residential new construction 2.P.11 Henninger Landfill – reclaim this 40-acre brownfield property to create a combination of open space and multi-purpose trail, with urban camping sites and/or an extreme sports park 2.P.12 Lower Big Creek Area – use this 150-acre area to provide area residents with new accessible open space and a multi-purpose trail 2.P.13 Treadway Creek Ravine Greenway – ecological restoration of a 21-acre greenspace and construction of a neighborhood multi-purpose trail connection 2.P.14 Mayview Ravine Property – preserve natural open space area featuring steep slopes and heavy forestation 2.P.15 Bradley Road Landfill – preserve former landfill property into passive open space that will sbuffer between residences from industrial and transportation uses 2.P.10 Foote Park Expansion – utilize this newly available land to create an additional acre of open space for Foote Park 2.R.8 Pearl Road-Henninger Road - retail development opportunity opposite Metroparks Zoo entrance 2.R.9 Broadview Road - retail as part of larger mixed-use redevelopment strategy ## Development Opportunities Economic Development Opportunities Housing Opportunities: New Construction Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab Retail Opportunities Recreation Opportunities School Opportunities Arts Opportunities <
> # Old Brooklyn Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** * VACANT LAND * SINGLE FAMILY * TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * OLD BROOKLYN BOUNDARY * WATER <
> # Old Brooklyn Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Proposed Land Use - Year 2020 * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * OLD BROOKLYN BOUNDARY * WATER <
> # STOCKYARDS NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** The neighborhood gets its name from the Cleveland Union livestock yards that thrived here throughout the first half of the 20th century. At its peak, the area was home to the country’s seventh largest meat slaughtering/packing operation. But by the late 1960s trucking largely replaced shipping by rail and the meat industry moving most of its operations west. In 1968, the stockyards shut down and a large part of the area was redeveloped as a shopping center. The loss of heavy industry impacted the area greatly during the period from 1970 to the mid-1990s. Today, the neighborhood is generally characterized by the industrial and commercial districts which are centered on the rail lines that run through its southern and western sections. The bulk of the housing is located in the northern and eastern section and is mainly a mix of one- and two- family houses with the earliest construction closest to the industrial districts. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * K Mart Plaza shopping center on West 65th Street * *convenient access to interstate 71* * close proximity to both the *Walworth Run valley* to its north and *Big Creek valley* along its southern border * close proximity to both the *Zone* and *Clark* recreation centers and the proposed *West Side Reliever High School* at West 65th and Clark **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Stockyards neighborhood today are: * deteriorating older housing stock * vacant industrial sites * lack of conveniently located parks and open space * deteriorated physical infrastructure * attracting additional retail uses to serve the shopping needs of residents * visual appearance of commercial corridors along Denison, Clark and Storer Avenues. **Vision.** Stockyards is a neighborhood that faces many challenges. In order to ensure that it remains a viable residential neighborhood with retail amenities, significant redevelopment efforts must be undertaken. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * commercial redevelopment plan for West 65th Street * expansion of the K-Mart Plaza Shopping Center southward to Storer Avenue * development of contemporary business/light industrial park at SE corner of Ridge Road and Denison Avenue * completion of the Ashbury Towers residential development * development of additional market rate housing “projects of scale” constructed on vacant former industrial sites east of West 65th Street * creation of park and playground facilities located adjacent to densely developed residential areas * link the Towpath Trail to the West Side Reliever High School/Zone Recreation Center via a greenway and multi-purpose trail along Train Avenue/Walworth Run corridor * create a strong north-south connection along West 65th Street from Clark Avenue (at the proposed West Side Reliever High School and Zone Recreation Center) north to the lakefront with improved landscaping and bike lanes. * reconstruct Train Avenue roadway as a truck and commuter route linking Stockyards to Downtown Cleveland # Stockyards ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend * Cleveland Municipal Schools * Other Schools * Miscellaneous * EMS * Fire * Health * Hospital * Parks (see below) * Police * Service * Utilities * Library * Parks * Historic District # Stockyards Typology and Housing Projects <
> ## Typology Program Mix | | Regional Choice | Stable | Transitional | Fragile | Distressed | | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | | Code Enforcement Action | ⌂ | ⌂ | | | | | Senior Initiative | ⌂ | ⌂ | ⌂ | ⌂ | ⌂ | | Rehab – conv. And widely avail | ⌂ | ⌂ | | | | | Rehab - subsidized | | ⌂ | target | target | | | Exterior | | ⌂ | | | | | Vacant Affordable | | ⌂ | target | target | | | Large scale projects - strengthen asset base | | ⌂ | | | ⌂ | | Demo and Landbank | | | target | target | ⌂ | ## Neighborhood Market Typology **DETAILED RANGE** * OVER 4.71 * 4.71 * 4.57 * 4.43 * 4.29 * 4.14 * 4.00 * 3.86 * 3.71 * 3.57 * 3.43 * 3.29 * 3.14 * 3.00 * 2.86 * 2.71 * 2.57 * 2.43 * 2.29 * 2.14 * 2.00 * 1.86 * 1.71 * 1.57 * UNDER 1.57 * NON-RESIDENTIAL REGIONAL CHOICE STABLE TRANSITIONAL FRAGILE DISTRESSED ## HOUSING PROJECTS Target Neighborhoods Current and Future Projects Large Projects ## Residential Investments Market Rate New Market Rate Rehab Affordable New Affordable Rehab City of Cleveland Department of Community Development January 2, 2007 # Stockyards # Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> ### Detroit-Shoreway - Implement Gordon Square Cultural Arts District Plan - Encourage development of arts & entertainment-related retail uses clustered around the Detroit/West 65th intersection. - Establish Cleveland Landmarks District on Detroit Avenue, between West 45th and West 85th Sts - Install new streetscape improvements on Detroit Ave, between West 58th and West 70th Sts - Add neighborhood convenience retail ### Lorain/West 98th - Implement streetscape improvements ### Stockyards - Establish consolidated retail district centered around K-Mart Plaza along West 65th St between West 67th Pl and West 65th St - Establish Cleveland Landmarks District on Clark Ave, between West 48th St and West 53rd St - Establish design guidelines and BRD for portions of West 65th St, Storer Ave and Denison Ave - Create identity/directional signage at major neighborhood gateways - Create infill development strategy for Clark and Denison Aves ### Ohio City - Establish mixed-use district around the West 25th St-Lorain Ave intersection - Create transit-oriented development on sites adjacent to RTA's Ohio City Red Line Rail Transit station at Lorain Ave & West 24th St - Promote additional ethnically-oriented eating and drinking establishments - Recruit additional urban-based, niche specialty retailers on West 25th St ### Clark-Fulton - Focus redevelopment efforts on West 25th/Clark intersection - Redevelop vacant & underutilized buildings and properties - Develop streetscape enhancement plan for portions of Clark Ave and West 25th St - Consolidate Latino-oriented businesses on West 25th St into regional retail destination ### Brooklyn Centre - Consolidate utility poles to create less cluttered streetscape - Target underutilized properties for mixed-use development Masonic Temple and YMCA Building. - Improve deteriorated housing conditions on adjacent side streets. ### Old Brooklyn - Establish restaurant/retail uses adjacent to MetroHealth South campus - Concentrate retail/develop Pedestrian Retail Overlay District along Pearl Rd, from Broadview Rd to Memphis Ave - Recruit deep discount-style retailers (Marc's, Big Lots, etc.) to serve as retail district anchor - Narrow Pearl Rd right-of-way and develop streetscape enhancement plan - Develop comprehensive parking strategy # Stockyards ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 2.E.10 Ridge Road-Denison Avenue – redevelopment of existing retail properties into new light-industrial development 2.E.11 Denison-West 67th-Barberton – redevelop infill properties for light-industrial uses 2.E.8 Stockyards(West) – redevelopment and expansion of the existing shopping center into adjoining industrial property 2.E.9 Stockyards (East) – develop as a contemporary light-industrial park 2.H.24 Neville & West 73rd - townhouse residential new construction 2.H.25 Wentworth – mixed-use: residential + retail/office on adaptively reused upper floors 2.P.9 Stockyards Neighborhood Park – create a new neighborhood park 2.R.7 Stockyards (West) - redevelopment & expansion of existing community-level shopping center # Development Opportunities Economic Development Opportunities Housing Opportunities: New Construction Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab Retail Opportunities Recreation Opportunities School Opportunities Arts Opportunities <
> # Stockyards Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** * VACANT LAND * SINGLE FAMILY * TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * STOCKYARDS * WATER <
> # Stockyards Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * STOCKYARDS * WATER <
> # TREMONT NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** In its past Tremont was the site of two Union Army camps during the Civil War and was briefly the home of the city’s first institution of higher learning, Cleveland University (1851-1953). The area was first developed as an upper-middle class neighborhood with larger lots but as housing was needed to accommodate workers in the businesses in the industrial valley second houses were built on many lots and the density increased. Tremont’s traditional urban fabric was adversely affected by the construction of Interstate Highways 71, 90 and 490 which isolated it from surrounding neighborhoods. Today many people think of Tremont as just the area around Professor Street but it also includes residential enclaves along Scranton Road and south of I-490. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * *proximity and views* of Downtown and the Cuyahoga Valley * the many *historic churches* with distinct steeples located throughout the neighborhood * the *Professor Street retail district* with many trendy restaurants and taverns * the wide tree lawns which contribute to a very *pedestrian comfortable environment and sense of place* * *Lincoln Park* which resembles a New England village green, complete with gazebo * major *new housing developments* which are contributing to the neighborhood’s rebirth **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Tremont neighborhood today are: * maintenance of affordable housing opportunities * continued poor air quality and environmental conditions * lack of parking to accommodate residents and businesses * integration of new infill housing within existing urban context * relative isolation from adjoining neighborhoods * poor access to Tremont Playfields * controlling the spread of unplanned retail development along Quigley/West 3rd Street, north of Steelyard Commons **Vision.** Capitalize on Tremont’s scenic views, ethnic heritage and proximity to Downtown Cleveland and the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, assets that make it a choice destination for visitors and potential residents. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * continue to promote Tremont as a regional dining and arts destination * create neighborhood connections to the Towpath Trail * develop scenic overlooks along University Avenue from which to view the Downtown skyline and industrial Flats * better connect the neighborhood to Tremont Valley Playfield * promote Tremont as a heritage tourism site that merges the story of steelmaking and ethnic settlement * develop off-street parking facilities to accommodate commercial parking demand * create a mixed-use development strategy for the Scranton Road Peninsula that accommodates housing, retail, office and recreation uses * identify a route for Flats Intermodal Connector Roadway to accommodate industrial truck traffic traveling between lakefront and regional interstate highway system # Tremont ## Neighborhood Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend | | | | :--- | :--- | | ▷ | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | ◬ | Other Schools | | ● | Miscellaneous | | ■ | EMS | | ⛑ | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | H | Hospital | | • | Parks (see below) | | 🚓 | Police | | ● | Service | | ⧫ | Utilities | | ⛼ | Library | | ▨ | Parks | | ▧ | Historic District | # Tremont Typology and Housing Projects <
> | | Regional Choice | Stable | Transitional | Fragile | Distressed | | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | | Code Enforcement Action | 📦 | 📦 | | | | | Senior Initiative | 📦 | 📦 | 📦 | 📦 | 📦 | | Rehab - conv. And widely avail | 📦 | 📦 | | | | | Rehab - subsidized | | 📦 | 📦 target | 📦 target | | | Exterior | | 📦 | 📦 | 📦 | | | Vacant Affordable | | 📦 | 📦 target | 📦 target | | | Large scale projects - strengthen asset base | | 📦 | | 📦 | 📦 | | Demo and Landbank | | | 📦 target | 📦 target | 📦 | **HOUSING PROJECTS** [ ] Target Neighborhoods [ ] Current and Future Projects (O) Large Projects **Residential Investments** [ ] Market Rate New [ ] Market Rate Rehab [ ] Affordable New [ ] Affordable Rehab Neighborhood Market Typology DETAILED RANGE OVER 4.71 4.71 4.57 4.43 4.29 4.14 4.00 3.86 3.71 3.57 3.43 3.29 3.14 3.00 2.86 2.71 2.57 2.43 2.29 2.14 2.00 1.86 1.71 1.57 UNDER 1.57 NON-RESIDENTIAL REGIONAL CHOICE STABLE TRANSITIONAL FRAGILE DISTRESSED City of Cleveland Department of Community Development 0 0.05 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 Miles January 2, 2007 # Tremont # Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Ohio City** - Establish mixed-use district around the West 25th St-Lorain Ave intersection - Create transit-oriented development on air rights adjacent to RTA's Ohio City Red Line Rapid Transit station at Lorain Ave & West 24th St - Promote additional ethnically-oriented eating and drinking establishments - Recruit additional urban-based, niche specific retailers on West 25th St **Clark-Fulton** - Focus redevelopment efforts on West 25th/Clark intersection - Redevelop vacant & underutilized buildings and properties - Develop streetscape enhancement plan for portions of Clark Ave and West 25th St - Consolidate Latino-oriented businesses on West 25th St into regional retail destination **Tremont** - Develop and implement streetscape plan for Professor St, between West 11th St and Jefferson Ave - Create off-street parking plan to accommodate restaurant and bar patrons - Create identity/directional signage at major neighborhood gateways **Steelyard Commons** - New regional shopping center **Brooklyn Centre** - Consolidate utility poles to create less cluttered streetscape - Target underutilized properties for mixed-use development Masonic Temple and YMCA Building. - Improve deteriorated housing conditions on adjacent side streets. # Tremont ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 2.A.4 Tremont Art Galleries & Historic Churches – collection of art galleries and historic ethnic church architecture 2.A.5 Steelyard Commons Steel Heritage Interpretive Exhibit - small interpretive exhibit commemorating steelmaking, housed in historic building 2.A.7 Hispanic Village - development of Hispanic-themed arts, cultural and retail district 2.E.5 Scranton Road Peninsula – develop 65-acre site to accommodate new mixed-use development featuring residential, office and commercial uses 2.E.6 Steelyard Commons – 127-acre site will accommodate an up-to-1-million-square-foot regional shopping center and related out-lot development 2.E.7 Mittal Steel Industrial Property – 15-acre site will accommodate new light-industrial development 2.H.12 West 25th-Lorain-Gehring Corridor – mixed-use (residential + retail/office space) development 2.H.15 Scranton Peninsula – mixed-use (residential + retail/office space) development 2.H.16 Abbey Avenue Area – single-family residential development 2.H.17 Brevier Avenue – single-family residential development 2.H.18 Ohio Awning Area – multi-family and single-family residential 2.H.19 Clark Avenue-West 25th Street – mixed-use: residential + retail/office on adaptively reused upper floors and new construction 2.H.33 Tremont Pointe - development of mixed-income neighborhood to include low and market rate rental and for-sale town homes and multi-family units 2.P.6 Towpath Trail Extension – develop the 5.5-mile long extension connecting the new regional multi-purpose trail system to downtown Cleveland 2.P.7 Mittal Steel/Cuyahoga Riverfront – develop this six-acre linear parcel along the Cuyahoga River to accommodate the new Towpath Trail 2.P.8 Walworth Run Greenway – construction of a neighborhood multi-purpose trail connection to the Towpath Trail 2.R.4 West 25th-Lorain-Gehring – transit-oriented development opportunity includes air rights over RTA tracks and Market Plaza property 2.R.5 Steelyard Commons – development of a 1-million square foot regional shopping center and related out-lots <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | | Economic Development Opportunities | | | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | | Retail Opportunities | | | Recreation Opportunities | | | School Opportunities | | | Arts Opportunities | # Tremont ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** VACANT LAND SINGLE FAMILY TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING TREMONT WATER # Tremont ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * TREMONT * WATER <
> # District 3 **Location.** District 3 is a 13.4 square-mile area in the center of the city consisting of six neighborhoods. It is bounded on the north by Lake Erie; on the west by the Cuyahoga River, on the east by various street corridors running from East 55th Street at the District’s northeastern edge to East 99th Street at its southeastern edge; and on the south by the suburbs of Cuyahoga Heights, Newburgh Heights and Garfield Heights. The District’s six neighborhoods (or “Statistical Planning Areas”) are *Downtown*, *Goodrich-Kirtland Park*, *Central*, *North Broadway*, *South Broadway* and the *Industrial Valley*. The District also comprises all of City Council Ward 12, large portions of Wards 5 and 13, and small portions of Wards 2 and 7. **Population.** District 3 has the smallest population (54,002) of any of the City’s six planning districts due to the large areas that are developed for industrial, office and institutional use. The median household income in District 3, as of the 2000 Census, was $19,317, about $6,600 less than the citywide average and poverty rate was 34%, 9% higher than the citywide average. Part of this is due to the large public housing projects located in the Central area. Twice as many households in the District rent as compared to owning their homes although in the Broadway neighborhoods the ratio is closer to 50-50. District 3 has approximately the same number of white residents (26,455) and African-American residents (23,670) although the distribution varies widely at the neighborhood level. The City’s largest Asian community is located in the Goodrich-Kirtland Park neighborhood, where about a quarter of the population is of Asian decent. **Development Patterns.** The two major natural features which comprise the District’s north and western boundaries, Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River have predominantly been developed as access for port and industrial uses. Many of the District’s smaller natural features, like Kingsbury Run, Morgan Run and Burk Branch have been buried and displaced by rail lines and industrial development. Public access to these features is available, however, at places like North Coast Harbor on Lake Erie and the Flats on the Cuyahoga River. Mill Creek, at the extreme southern end of the District and home to the tallest waterfall in the county, has been the focus of greenspace restoration efforts. Downtown, Euclid Corridor and the Quadrangle area give District 3 the largest amount of office space in the City. Many institutional uses, such as government buildings, Cleveland State University and Cuyahoga Community College are also located in and near Downtown. Residential uses only make up approximately 17% of land use in the district. Many residential areas are smaller enclaves surrounded by non-residential uses. Interstates 77 and 90 provide north-south movement through the District and are major commuter routes to Downtown Cleveland and nearby commercial areas. District 3 Neighborhood links: * **[Central](http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/cwp/central.php)** * **[Downtown](http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/cwp/downtown.php)** * **[Goodrich-Kirtland Park](http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/cwp/goodrich.php)** * **[Industrial Valley](http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/cwp/ind_valley.php)** * **[North Broadway](http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/cwp/n_broadway.php)** * **[South Broadway](http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/cwp/s_broadway.php)** # CENTRAL NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** German settlers that farmed the land in the 1840s and 1850s were among the neighborhood’s earliest residents. Later, Central became the first home for a wide range of ethnic groups immigrating to the city, including Austro-Hungarians, Italians and Jewish immigrants from Poland and Russia which found affordable places to live and plenty of jobs at the nearby foundries and steel mills. African-Americans moved in from the South during the 1930s. It was the city’s most populated neighborhood during the depression and overcrowding eventually led to deteriorating conditions. Slum clearance and highway construction resulted in the demolition of much of the neighborhood’s original housing. Today, the largest concentration of public housing in the city is located in Central. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * a concentration of *new single-family housing* developments, * the campuses of *Cuyahoga Community College* and *Cleveland State University* * *St. Vincent Charity Hospital* * the *Northern Ohio Food Terminals* where many foods enter the region * good access to interstates 77, 90 and 490 * the presence of numerous other *institutions and churches* **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Central neighborhood today are: * large tracts of vacant land that invite illegal dumping and create unwatched, often dangerous areas where crime can occur * concentrations of poverty and low levels of home ownership * deteriorating older housing * lack of quality retail * vacant industrial sites * junkyards that negatively impact adjacent development * lack of park and open space in parts of the neighborhood **Vision.** Create a solid residential neighborhood for people of all incomes that benefit from being in close proximity to jobs in Downtown, the Euclid Corridor and the Industrial Valley. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * continue support of housing developments in the City’s Home Ownership Zone * develop new retail on vacant land at the East 55th and Woodland intersection and undertake improvements to make the district more pedestrian friendly * assemble sites for commercial and business development in the vicinity of East 55th and I-490 * capitalize on Euclid Corridor improvements to attract additional companies * construct an RTA transit center at Prospect and East 22nd near Cleveland State * promote investments in public art at Arbor Park, East 55th and Woodland and the Maingate area * rehabilitate East 30th, Cedar and Woodland/Kinsman and undertake streetscape improvements at the East 55th/Woodland intersection * create bike routes along Community College and East 55th * create a landscaped green space area at the east end of the Homeownership Zone as a buffer from railroad activity # Central ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> **Legend** * Cleveland Municipal Schools * Other Schools * Miscellaneous * EMS * Fire * Health * Hospital * Parks (see below) * Police * Service * Utilities * Library * Parks * Historic District # Central Typology and Housing Projects <
> | | Regional Choice | Stable | Transitional | Fragile | Distressed | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Code Enforcement Action | | 🏚️ | | | | | Senior Initiative | | 🏚️ | 🏚️ | 🏚️ | 🏚️ | | Rehab - conv. And widely avail | | 🏚️ | | | | | Rehab - subsidized | | 🏚️ | 🏚️ target | 🏚️ target | | | Exterior | | 🏚️ | 🏚️ | 🏚️ | | | Vacant Affordable | | 🏚️ | 🏚️ target | 🏚️ target | | | Large scale projects - strengthen asset base | | 🏚️ | | | | | Demo and Landbank | | 🏚️ | 🏚️ target | 🏚️ target | | ### Neighborhood Market Typology **DETAILED RANGE** * OVER 4.71 * 4.71 * 4.57 ─── REGIONAL CHOICE * 4.43 * 4.29 * 4.14 * 4.00 * 3.86 * 3.71 ─── STABLE * 3.57 * 3.43 * 3.29 * 3.14 * 3.00 * 2.86 * 2.71 ─── TRANSITIONAL * 2.57 * 2.43 * 2.29 * 2.14 * 2.00 ─── FRAGILE * 1.86 * 1.71 * 1.57 * UNDER 1.57 ─── DISTRESSED * NON-RESIDENTIAL **HOUSING PROJECTS** * Target Neighborhoods * Current and Future Projects * Home Ownership Zone * ◯ Large Projects **Residential Investments** * Market Rate New * Market Rate Rehab * Affordable New * Affordable Rehab City of Cleveland Department of Community Development January 2, 2007 # Central # Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Payne Avenue** - Create more parking - Identify neighborhood as Chinatown with signage and banners - Market district to specialty retailers - Green the street with trees - Attract uses that will better serve surrounding diverse neighborhood and college student population **Midtown Mixed-Use District** - Encourage transit-oriented mixed-use development - Re-establish street edge - Develop parking to rear of buildings - Attract retail to serve businesses & residential uses **East 55th & Woodland** - Create neighborhood level shopping/lifestyle center on southwest corner (possibly food terminal related; cultural center, jazz clubs) - Bring back historic clock tower as neighborhood icon at southeast corner - Reconfigure intersection to make safer and more pedestrian/bicycle friendly - Increase safety by attracting uses that "put eyes on the street" **Cedar Avenue** - Create northern gateway to Fairfax - Construct streetscape improvements - esp along Clinic Parking - Near E. 79th: neighborhood based retail - Near Clinic: retail for workers & residents - Mix retail with accessory office, research space **Tremont** - Develop and implement streetscape plan for Professor St, between West 11th St and Jefferson Ave - Creat off-street parking plan to accommodate restaurant and bar patrons - Create identity/directional signage at major neighborhood gateways **East 93rd & Kinsman** - Construct a new shopping center - Add streetscape improvements - Add crosswalks at intesection to improve pedestrian access # Central ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 3.A.10 Maingate Mural 1 - opportunity for folk art inspired mural depicting the Northern Ohio Food Terminal on Cold Storage building 3.A.11 Maingate Mural 2 - opportunity for mural depicting history of Maingate, Industrial Valley and public transportation 3.A.12 E. 55th and Woodland Avenue - opportunity for public art to complement retail development opportunity 3.A.13 Woodland Cemetery - opportunity for cemetery improvements such as restoring/reinstalling metal historic gate 3.A.9 Arbor Park Excess Land - opportunity for cultural arts or civic center for the Central neighborhood. 3.E.6 Euclid Avenue Opportunities - underutilized and vacant land along the Euclid Avenue corridor offers opportunities 3.E.8 Scrap Yard Land - redevelop scrap yard land as less intensive light industrial use to complement housing investments on north side of Woodland Avenue 3.E.9 Maingate Business Park East - create new industrial development opportunities on underutilized land 3.H.19 Prospect Townhouses - opportunity to build townhouses using Premier Industries parking lot to the north and underutilized parking lots to the south 3.H.20 Colonel Charles Young Square Area Opportunities - develop on underutilized and vacant land along the Euclid corridor with mixed-use (office, residential & retail) development 3.H.21 MidTown Mixed-Use District - opportunity to develop a new mixed-use neighborhood centered around the existing historic district and available land 3.H.22 Cedar-Central Infill Housing - opportunity for single-family infill housing strategy 3.H.23 Poets District Residential/Mixed-Use Development - large scale development strategy for single-family housing and the re-use of industrial buildings for multi-family development 3.P.9 Homeownership Zone Greenspace - develop a landscaped greenspace to buffer residential development from railroad activity 3.R.10 East 55th & Woodland - opportunity for retail development on vacant land 3.R.9 Euclid Avenue Opportunities - develop on underutilized and vacant land along the Euclid Avenue corridor with support retail to complement mixed-use development <
> **Development Opportunities** * Economic Development Opportunities * Housing Opportunities: New Construction * Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab * Retail Opportunities * Recreation Opportunities * School Opportunities * Arts Opportunities # Central Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** VACANT LAND SINGLE FAMILY TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING CENTRAL BOUNDARY WATER # Central Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Proposed Land Use - Year 2020 * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * CENTRAL BOUNDARY * WATER # DOWNTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** Founded in 1796 near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, Cleveland grew rapidly as a transportation hub following the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal in 1832. Public Square, at the heart of downtown, was laid out by Moses Cleaveland in 1796 and its grid has remained largely unchanged since. The lakefront, where the Rock Hall and Burke Airport currently sit, was the site of the Great Lakes Exposition in 1936-1937, which drew 11 million visitors downtown. The Cleveland Port and Burke Lakefront Airport now take up most of the lakefront land abutting Downtown. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s assets are: * historic Public Square, surrounded by three of Cleveland’s landmark skyscrapers, Terminal Tower, Key Tower, and the former BP Building * proximity to Lake Erie and the banks of the Cuyahoga River * dense concentration of business and office space, including multinational financial services companies, law firms, manufacturing, and government employers * professional football, baseball, and basketball teams, each with their own stadiums/arenas * major cultural institutions and districts, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Center and Playhouse Square, the second largest theater complex in North America * growing residential neighborhoods in the Warehouse District, Euclid and E. 4th, and around Cleveland State University * grand architecture and historic buildings, including the Euclid and Colonial Arcades, Huntington Building, and many others * hub of public transportation at Public Square, Tower City, and along the new Euclid Corridor * easy connections to Interstates 90, 77, and 71 **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced in the Downtown neighborhood today are: * a shrinking business community and rising commercial vacancy rates * numerous vacant storefronts and buildings, particularly on Euclid Avenue * lack of street life after business hours and on weekends * limited retail options * the Lakefront is physically cut off from Downtown by the Shoreway * aggressive panhandlers and perception downtown is unsafe * increasing numbers of people moving and living further and further away from Downtown **Vision.** Make Downtown a vibrant, 24-7 neighborhood of choice to live, work, and play. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * construct the Flats East Bank development, a mixed use residential, commercial, and retail project * develop the vacant lots on W. 6th in the Warehouse District into a mixed use Main Street development, with residential and retail space * rebuild the Cleveland Technology Center at 14th and Rockwell, to complement the Avenue District neighborhood * transform Public Square into a useable public space in the heart of Downtown * redevelop the vacant lots and surface parking on E. 14th between Prospect and Carnegie into a facility that complements the Playhouse Square arts district * build more downtown housing at the Park Building on Public Square, on the parking garage at E. 6th and Euclid, at 1001-1101 Euclid, and at Stonebridge in the Flats. * fill in the empty spaces Downtown between the already successful nodes of Downtown activity, with targeted building redevelopment and retail surrounding Euclid Avenue # Downtown ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend | | | | :--- | :--- | | 🚩 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | ⚑ | Other Schools | | ● | Miscellaneous | | ■ | EMS | | ⛑ | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | H | Hospital | | • | Parks (see below) | | 👮 | Police | | ● | Service | | ● | Utilities | | ℹ | Library | | ■ | Parks | | // | Historic District | | -- | Downtown | # Downtown ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Payne Avenue** - Create more parking - Identify neighborhood as Chinatown with signage and banners - Market district to specialty retailers - Green the street with trees - Attract uses that will better serve surrounding diverse neighborhood and college student population **East 55th & Woodland** - Create neighborhood level shopping/lifestyle center on southwest corner (possibly food terminal related; cultural center, jazz clubs) - Bring back historic clock tower as neighborhood icon at southeast corner - Reconfigure intersection to make safer and more pedestrian/bicycle friendly - Increase safety by attracting uses that “put eyes on the street” **Ohio City** - Establish mixed-use district around the West 25th St-Lorain Ave interstection - Create transit-oriented development on air rights adjacent to RTA’s Ohio City Red Line Rapid Transit station at Lorain Ave & West 24th St - Promote additional ethnically-oriented eating and drinking establishments - Recruit additional urban-based, niche specific retailers on West 25th St **Tremont** - Develop and implement streetscape plan for Professor St. between West 11th St and Jefferson Ave - Creat off-street parking plan to accommodate restaurant and bar patrons - Create identity/directional signage at major neighborhood gateways # Downtown ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 3.A.1 North Coast Harbor 2.A.2 New Towpath Trail Bridge 3.A.2 Trolleyville Electric Railway 3.A.3 Pedestrian Bridges 3.A.4 Kirtland Park 3.A.5 Historic Warehouse District neighborhood 3.A.6 Playhouse Square / Theater District 3.A.7 Live-Work Arts District 3.E.6 Euclid Avenue Opportunities 3.H.1 Lakefront Plan Neighborhood 3.H.13 Historic Gateway Neighborhood 3.H.14 Cleveland State University (CSU) Neighborhood Housing 3.H.18 College Town District Block Development Plan 3.H.3 Flats East Bank 3.H.4 Historic Warehouse District Neighborhood 3.H.6 The Avenue District 3.P.1 East End of Burke Lakefront Airport 3.P.3 Enhancing Cleveland's Lakefront Bikeway 3.P.4 Kirtland Park 3.P.5 Overlook Park 3.P.6 Huntington Park 3.P.7 Canal Basin Park 3.P.8 Public Square 3.R.1 Lakefront Plan Neighborhood 3.R.2 Flats East Bank 3.R.3 Historic Warehouse District neighborhood 3.R.4 The Avenue District 3.R.7 Historic Gateway Neighborhood 3.R.9 Euclid Avenue Opportunities <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | | Economic Development Opportunities | | | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | | Retail Opportunities | | | Recreation Opportunities | | | School Opportunities | | | Arts Opportunities | # Downtown Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** | | | | :--- | :--- | | | VACANT LAND | | | SINGLE FAMILY | | | TWO FAMILY | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | | | DOWNTOWN BOUNDARY | | | WATER | <
> # Downtown Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** | | | | :--- | :--- | | | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) | | | DOWNTOWN BOUNDARY | | | WATER | # GOODRICH-KIRTLAND PARK NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY <
> **Description.** This neighborhood began to urbanize as far back as the 1870s and 1880s as industries sprang up north of St. Clair Avenue to be near the rail lines that ran along Lake Erie’s southern shore. In 1910 as many as 29,000 people lived in the neighborhood but that has decreased to less than 5,000 in 2000 as many residential uses have been replaced by businesses over time. The remaining housing tends to be a mix of single-family, two-family and small multi-family building built before 1900 and located in clusters on relatively small residential blocks between major commercial and industrial districts and corridors. **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * close proximity to *downtown* and easy access to *Interstate 90* * close proximity to *Lake Erie* * warehouse buildings being converted into spaces where *artists can live and work* * the neighborhood’s *rich ethnic diversity* including the City’s largest concentration of Asian-Americans * numerous commercial and industrial businesses in the *LADCO area* * portions of the neighborhood are in the City’s *Empowerment Zone* **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Goodrich-Kirtland Park neighborhood today are: * rail lines, industries, and the East Shoreway which combine to form a major barrier for the neighborhood’s residents to Lake Erie * incompatibility between residential and industrial uses * ability of older and lower income residents to maintain property * lack of parking and streetscape amenities for Payne Avenue businesses * updating industrial properties to meet modern needs * redevelopment of major obsolete facilities like the Richmond Bros. building on East 55th **Vision.** The neighborhood’s ethnic diversity and potential concentration of unique live-work spaces lay a foundation for developing as a center of creativity in the City. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * establish an arts and live work district along Payne, St. Clair and Superior Avenues * provide a variety of housing options for new and existing residents through a wide variety of strategies including rehabilitation, infill, and adaptive reuse * target housing for sites shown on the Waterfront Plan such as Quay 55, Kirtland Bluffs and Royal Brass * improve roadways in the LADCO industrial area to maintain good truck access * reuse vacant and underutilized land and convert old structures to accommodate new businesses * create pedestrian linkages over the Shoreway to better connect the neighborhood to the lakefront * create recreational opportunities in Kirtland Park that provide alternative recreation for all its residents * undertake streetscape improvements to upgrade the appearance of the Payne Avenue retail district and to highlight the city’s Asian-American community # Goodrich-Kirtland Park ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend | | | | :--- | :--- | | 🚩 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | ⚑ | Other Schools | | ● | Miscellaneous | | ■ | EMS | | 🚒 | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | ⛑ | Hospital | | • | Parks (see below) | | 🚔 | Police | | ● | Service | | ■ | Utilities | | ⛐ | Library | | ■ | Parks | | ▧ | Historic District | | ▧ | Live Work District | # Goodrich-Kirtland Park ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Maritime Service Center** - Restaurant & retail oriented to boaters & visitors **St. Clair Ave** - Undertake streetscape enhancements - Capitalize on live-work designation - Target underutilized properties for redevelopment - Work with property owners on safety and code enforcement - Create stronger connections to the lakefront **Payne Avenue** - Create more parking - Identify neighborhood as Chinatown with signage and banners - Market district to specialty retailers - Green the street with trees - Attract uses that will better serve surrounding diverse neighborhood and college student population **Midtown Mixed-Use District** - Encourage transit-oriented mixed-use development - Re-establish street edge - Develop parking to rear of buildings - Attract retail to serve businesses & residential uses **East 55th & Woodland** - Create neighborhood level shopping/lifestyle center on southwest corner (possibly food terminal related; cultural center, jazz clubs) - Bring back historic clock tower as neighborhood icon at southeast corner - Reconfigure intersection to make safer and more pedestrian/bicycle friendly - Increase safety by attracting uses that "put eyes on the street" # Goodrich-Kirtland Park ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 3.A.2 Trolleyville Electric Railway - opportunity to operate historic trolley cars on GCRTA's Waterfront Line 3.A.7 Live-Work Arts District - opportunity for banners, public art to promote artists district 3.A.8 Payne Avenue Cultural / Retail District - opportunity for gateway celebrating Asian community 3.E.1 Elwell-Parker Site - rehabilitated industrial space available for office or light manufacturing 3.E.2 Tyler Village - reuse of existing industrial buildings for mixed-use development including light industrial, commercial and residential uses 3.E.3 Asian Town Center - conversion of an industrial building (formerly Kichler Lighting) into a retail and office building 3.E.4 Ward Bakery Site - City-owned environmentally clean land available for office development or light industrial uses 3.E.5 East 40th & Euclid Site - underutilized surface parking lots offer an opportunity to develop office or institutional facilities 3.E.6 Euclid Avenue Opportunities - capitalizing on the Euclid Corridor project investment, for mixed-use development (office, retail and residential) 3.H.10 Pearson Site - opportunity to convert industrial use to residential mix of cluster homes and townhouses 3.H.12 Stanard School Site - opportunity to convert former school building to apartments 3.H.15 Richmond Brothers Site - opportunity to redevelop building for mixed-use development consisting of loft apartments and retail uses 3.H.16 Champion Site - opportunity to convert from industrial use to new construction flats 3.H.17 Payne-Perkins Infill Housing - opportunity for concerted infill housing strategy 3.H.2 Quay 55 Phase 2 - opportunity for townhouse development to the east of Quay 55 renovation of the former Nicholson Terminal 3.H.5 Kirtland Bluffs - opportunity for residential development 3.H.8 Tyler Village - opportunity for re-use of existing industrial buildings for mixed-use development including residential, light industrial and commercial uses 3.H.9 Royal Brass Site - opportunity to convert industrial use to residential with potential for cluster homes 3.P.2 Cleveland Public Power (CPP) Plant - significant portions of the former Cleveland Public Power Plant are vacant and may be reused for indoor recreation 3.P.3 Enhancing Cleveland's Lakefront Bikeway - open up views of, and public access to, the lake, by removing fences and other obstacles along North Marginal Road 3.R.5 Tyler Village - opportunity for reuse of underutilized and vacant land along the Euclid Avenue corridor with support retail and mixed-use development 3.R.6 Asian Town Center - conversion of an industrial building (formerly Kichler Lighting) to a retail and office building 3.R.9 Euclid Avenue Opportunities - develop on underutilized and vacant land along the Euclid Avenue corridor with support retail and mixed-use development 3.H.1 Lakefront Plan Neighborhood - develop water oriented, mixed-use development along lakefront as designated by Cleveland's Lakefront Plan 3.H.1 Lakefront Plan Neighborhood - develop water oriented, mixed-use development along lakefront as designated by Cleveland's Lakefront Plan 3.H.11 City Desk Site - opportunity to convert building from commercial services use to apartments 3.H.7 Ross Printing - potential for conversion from industrial use into townhouse development ## Development Opportunities * Economic Development Opportunities * Housing Opportunities: New Construction * Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab * Retail Opportunities * Recreation Opportunities * School Opportunities * Arts Opportunities <
> # Goodrich-Kirtland Park Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** VACANT LAND SINGLE FAMILY TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING GOODRICH-KIRTLAND PARK BOUNDARY WATER # Goodrich-Kirtland Park Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** | | | | :--- | :--- | | | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) | | | GOODRICH-KIRTLAND PARK BOUNDARY | | | WATER | # INDUSTRIAL VALLEY NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** The Industrial Valley has the smallest population of any city neighborhood, due to the predominance of industry in this area. It was here, in 1870, that the young John D. Rockefeller established his Standard Oil Company and, through his control of shipping, refining and distributing, made Cleveland the center of the American refining industry. Chemicals and steel were also major industries that still have a presence today. Distribution is also a major economic activity in this part of the City. Much of the riverfront is occupied by piles of raw material that are brought into the area by boat and are used in the building and steel industries. Residences are limited to a few streets around East 49th and Pershing which could be considered part of the North Broadway neighborhood. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood's most significant assets are: * access to *interstates 77*, 490 and 90 * access to navigable portions of the *Cuyahoga River* * proximity to *downtown* * RTA's *rapid transit line* in the northern portion of the area * *Mittal Steel's* east side works * the region's *Main Post Office* facility on Orange Avenue **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Industrial Valley neighborhood today are: * large areas of underutilized industrial land, many which need clean-up because they are considered "brownfields" * determining whether the stockpiling of building materials is the best use for many sites along the Cuyahoga riverfront * replacement of failing bulkheading along the navigable portion of the river * improving access between the interstate system and portions of the valley * determining how the industrial area can be less of an obstacle between the Cuyahoga River and the neighborhoods to the north and east **Vision.** Regeneration of industrial brownfield sites for new development and revitalization of the Cuyahoga River can serve as catalysts for the creation and locating of industries focused on sustainable products and processes. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * utilize the industrial acreage in Industrial Valley to attract new companies to underused areas such as the Zaclon and Coke Oven site * connect Industrial Valley to surrounding communities via trail connections such as the Morgana Run trail connector * further study the economic benefit of material piles along the Cuyahoga River to understand whether it is the best use of the land and whether there are alternative locations for this use * take advantage of Industrial Valley's potential connection to the towpath trail via the Kingsbury Run trail connector * restore and clean-up the mouth of the Kingsbury Run at the Cuyahoga River as a natural area and example of environmental restoration # Industrial Valley ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> ## Legend | | | | :--- | :--- | | 🚩 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | 📍 | Other Schools | | 🔵 | | | 🟪 | EMS | | 🚒 | Fire | | 🔺 | Health | | 🏥 | Hospital | | ⏺ | Parks (see below) | | 🚔 | Police | | 🟤 | Service | | 🟧 | Utilities | | 🚹 | Library | | 🟩 | Parks | | 🟥 | Historic District | # Industrial Valley ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 3.E.10 BP Lab Site – opportunity for industrial development 3.E.11 Zaclon Site – facilitate the consolidation of the company's operations (and buildings) onto six acres 3.E.16 Coke Oven Site – the ISG-owned property will be cleaned and donated to the City of Cleveland and redeveloped as an industrial park 3.E.7 Norfolk Southern Site – opportunity for either light industrial or retail uses 3.P.10 Mouth of Kingsbury Run – new park with connections to the future Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad stop and proposed Kingsbury Run Connector Trail 3.P.11 Kingsbury Run Connector to Towpath Trail – create bike path to connect to Garfield Park Reservation and Mill Creek Trail 3.P.14 Morgana Run Rail Trail Extension – continue Morgana Run rail trail westward toward the Cuyahoga River and proposed Towpath Trail 3.R.8 Norfolk Southern Site – opportunity for either retail or light industrial uses <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | █ | Economic Development Opportunities | | █ | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | █ | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | █ | Retail Opportunities | | █ | Recreation Opportunities | | █ | School Opportunities | | █ | Arts Opportunities | # Industrial Valley Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** * VACANT LAND * SINGLE FAMILY * TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * INDUSTRIAL VALLEY BOUNDARY * WATER <
> # Industrial Valley Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** | | | |---|---| | | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) | | | INDUSTRIAL VALLEY BOUNDARY | | | WATER | # NORTH BROADWAY NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** The construction of the Ohio and Erie Canal and the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad in the first half of the 19th century led to industrial growth and increased commercial trade in the Broadway area, including the establishment of several steel mills. This attracted an influx of Czech and Polish immigrants in the 1870s. The small working-class cottages that they constructed to live in still represent a majority of the housing in the neighborhood today. Between 1950 and 1980 the neighborhood experienced an out-migration of residents to the suburbs. Today North Broadway has a very diverse population of Eastern Europeans, African Americans, Puerto Ricans and Appalachian Caucasians. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * the *historic Broadway and East 55th Street* retail district * *good access* to interstates 77 and 490 * many *businesses* in the East 55th /Bessemer Ave area * *natural features* like the Kingsbury Run & Morgana Run valleys * *historic structures* like Our Lady of Lourdes church and Bohemian National Hall **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the North Broadway neighborhood today are: * the decreasing level of home ownership over the past two decades * vacant and boarded homes * incompatibility between industrial and residential uses * underutilized industrial area south of East 55th and I-490 * underutilized natural amenities and lack of open space * vacant storefronts in the Broadway retail district * reuse of the former St. Michaels Hospital site **Vision.** Create a mixed-income community, close to jobs, which better capitalizes on its history and currently underutilized greenspace to increase its desirability. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * revitalize old industrial sites and build key connector roads to create economic development opportunities for industry in areas such as the I-490 Triangle, Bessemer at East 55th, the Coke Oven site and the Union/Aetna area * develop housing options at various price points in North Broadway using rehabilitation, conversion and new infill in areas such as the former St Michael’s Hospital site, Willow School neighborhood, and the Dalton Avenue/East 52nd neighborhood * develop niche retail opportunities in North Broadway that complement and benefit from activity generated by the Morgana Run trail and trailhead * better use the existing greenspace and clean-up additional land to create new greenspace in the Kingbury Run valley corridor * make North Broadway a safer community by increased police presence with officers integrating with residents via bike and foot patrols * undertake improvements, such as public art and interpretive kiosks, along the route of the Ohio and Erie Canal Scenic Byway on Broadway * target housing programs in the St. Hyacinth neighborhood off East 65th Street # North Broadway ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend | | | |---|---| | 🟡 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | 🚩 | Other Schools | | 🔵 | Miscellaneous | | 🟣 | EMS | | 🟥 | Fire | | 🔺 | Health | | 🏥 | Hospital | | ⏺ | Parks (see below) | | 🚔 | Police | | 🟤 | Service | | 🟨 | Utilities | | 🛄 | Library | | 🟩 | Parks | | 🟥// | Historic District | # North Broadway Typology and Housing Projects <
> ## Typology Program Mix | | Regional Choice | Stable | Transitional | Fragile | Distressed | | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | | Code Enforcement Action | 🏠 | 🏠 | | | | | Senior Initiative | 🏠 | 🏠 | 🏠 | 🏠 | 🏠 | | Rehab – conv. And widely avail | 🏠 | 🏠 | | | | | Rehab – subsidized | | 🏠 | 🏠 | 🏠 target | 🏠 target | | Exterior | | 🏠 | 🏠 | 🏠 | 🏠 | | Vacant Affordable | | 🏠 | 🏠 target | 🏠 target | | | Large scale projects – strengthen asset base | | 🏠 | | 🏠 | 🏠 | | Demo and Landbank | | | 🏠 target | 🏠 target | 🏠 | ## Neighborhood Market Typology **DETAILED RANGE** * OVER 4.71 * 4.71 * 4.57 * 4.43 * 4.29 * 4.14 * 4.00 * 3.86 * 3.71 * 3.57 * 3.43 * 3.29 * 3.14 * 3.00 * 2.86 * 2.71 * 2.57 * 2.43 * 2.29 * 2.14 * 2.00 * 1.86 * 1.71 * 1.57 * UNDER 1.57 * NON-RESIDENTIAL REGIONAL CHOICE STABLE TRANSITIONAL FRAGILE DISTRESSED ## HOUSING PROJECTS * Target Neighborhoods * Current and Future Projects * Large Projects ### Residential Investments * Market Rate New * Market Rate Rehab * Affordable New * Affordable Rehab City of Cleveland Department of Community Development January 2, 2007 # North Broadway ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **East 55th & Woodland** - Create neighborhood level shopping/lifestyle center on southwest corner (possibly food terminal related; cultural center, jazz clubs) - Bring back historic clock tower as neighborhood icon at southeast corner - Reconfigure intersection to make safer and more pedestrian/bicycle friendly - Increase safety by attracting uses that "put eyes on the street" **Broadway** - Consolidate and renovate retail between E. 55th and Aetna - Improve streetscape following recommendations in TLCI study - Recruit local residents to work at businesses - Work with existing businesses to stay and grow and attract new retail and services **Slavic Village** - Capitalize on and grow ethnic shops and restaurants - Renovate storefronts & increase code enforcement - Develop infill retail - Create a "town center" greenspace on south side of street between E 53rd & E 54th - Implement "Fleet Ave Planning & Design Study" recommendations (streetscape, bike lanes, gateway features, signage) - Develop vacant lots for off-street parking **Cedar Avenue** - Create northern gateway to area - Construct streetscape improvements along Clinic Parking - Near E. 79th: neighborhood retail - Near Clinic: retail for workers/visitors - Mix retail with accessory office uses **East 93rd & Kinsman** - Construct a new shopping center - Add streetscape improvements - Add crosswalks at intesection to improve pedestrian access **East 71st & Harvard** - Recruit businesses as vacancies occur - Develop new architecturally compatible buildings at the street line in place of parking lots - Improve landscaping of existing parking lots in district and make them more pedestrian-friendly - Improve aesthetics of Silverman’s Plaza facades and increase parking lot landscaping # North Broadway ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 3.A.14 Sidaway Pedestrian Bridge - rehabilitation of and opportunity for public art and interpretive history of Kingsbury Run Ravine 3.A.15 Broadway Scenic Byway - encourage implementation of Urban Design Center's Broadway CanalWay Ohio Scenic Byway Master Plan 3.E.12 I-490 Triangle - opportunity to retain and/or expand existing industries and create new industrial development 3.E.13 Bessemer Site at East 55th Street - vacant land offers opportunity for light industrial development 3.E.14 BP 2 / Adolpha Site - vacant land that has been environmentally cleaned to commercial standard presents opportunity for industrial development 3.E.15 Bessemer/Garden Valley Area - retain and/or expand existing industries and create new industrial development opportunities on underutilized land 3.E.18 Willow School Neighborhood - extensive vacant land offers opportunity for large-scale infill and rehabilitation 3.H.26 St. Hyacinth Neighborhood - opportunity for large-scale rehabilitation and construction of minor infill housing 3.H.27 Barkwill Park Neighborhood - opportunity for large-scale rehabilitation of aged housing and construction of minor infill housing on vacant lots 3.H.28 Former St. Michael Hospital Site - opportunity for large-scale rehabilitation of aged housing and construction of minor infill housing on vacant lots 3.H.29 Broadway and East 55th Street Area - vacant land offers opportunity to construct higher-density housing (multi-family and townhouses) 3.H.30 Dalton Avenue/East 52nd Neighborhood - opportunity for large-scale rehabilitation of aged and boarded-up housing with construction of minor infill housing 3.P.11 Kingsbury Run Connector to Towpath Trail - create bike path to connect to Garfield Park Reservation and Mill Creek Trail, opportunities to clean-up 3.P.12 Kingsbury Run Valley - new park bridging the St. Hyacinth neighborhood and Garden Valley with safe, programmed recreation opportunities 3.P.13 Sidaway Pedestrian Bridge - repair bridge connecting the and Kinsman neighborhoods 3.P.15 Lower Woolen Mills Site - opportunity to relocate two Morgana ball fields to land adjacent to the Morgana Run bike trail 3.R.11 St. Hyacinth Neighborhood - opportunity to create a small retail/commercial and establish a corridor connecting the neighborhood to the RTA 3.R.12 Morgana Run Rail Trailheads - the presence of the new multi-use trail has created an opportunity for recreational retail 3.S.1 Mound School - the building of the new Mound school off-site offers an opportunity for reuse <
> ## Development Opportunities * Economic Development Opportunities * Housing Opportunities: New Construction * Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab * Retail Opportunities * Recreation Opportunities * School Opportunities * Arts Opportunities # North Broadway ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** VACANT LAND SINGLE FAMILY TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING NORTH BROADWAY BOUNDARY WATER # North Broadway Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** | | | | :--- | :--- | | | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) | | | NORTH BROADWAY BOUNDARY | | | WATER | # SOUTH BROADWAY NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY Description. The Broadway area was settled not long after Moses Cleaveland and his survey party arrived in the summer of 1796. The early “Newburgh” settlement was actually larger than Cleveland as its higher ground provided a reprieve from mosquitoes and the Mill Creek provided running water to power mills. With construction of the canal and railroad in the second quarter of the 19th century, commercial trade boomed in the Broadway area along with the manufacturing of products. Most housing in the neighborhood dates from between the Civil War and the Depression. The rail lines, natural features and highway that traverse the neighborhood segments the residential into distinct sub-areas. The housing stock includes many two-family and small multi-family buildings. <
> Assets. Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * the *Third Federal Savings headquarters* which employs over 500 people * the *Fleet Avenue retail district* which is the heart of “Slavic Village” * access to interstate 77 * new single-family, townhouse and senior housing projects * the *Mill Creek Valley*, home to the highest waterfall in Cuyahoga County * Morgana Trail and Metroparks trails that provide recreation alternatives to residents and connect regional parks like Washington and Garfield Reservations Challenges. Among the challenges faced by the South Broadway neighborhood today are: * changing neighborhood demographics * deteriorating housing conditions and vandalism in portions of the neighborhood * incompatibility between industrial and residential uses * access to industrial areas east of Broadway Avenue * vacancies in older commercial buildings along Broadway * lack of outdoor recreation at South High School Vision. Undertaking projects that improve access and create ready-for-development industrial sites can recapture the vibrancy and “mill town” quality that the neighborhood once had by surrounding the neighborhood with jobs that are within a short distance of residences. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * develop new housing through the targeted demolition of condemned structures taking advantage of perceived neighborhood housing impediments * target housing programs on streets around the Cloisters housing development and Fleet Avenue streetscape improvements * create a neighborhood well connected to amenities inside and outside of its borders via trails and greenways * construct streetscape and bikeway improvements along Fleet Avenue * create retail viability through consolidation and proximity to residential development * undertake improvements, such as public art and interpretive kiosks, along the route of the Ohio and Erie Canal Scenic Byway on Broadway and Warner Road to tell the story of the industrial history of the neighborhood * focus on crime prevention and community based solutions to mitigate negative perceptions of safety * create a neighborhood that is clean, safe and senior friendly * develop outdoor recreation and football field for South High School and Cleveland Central Catholic High School # South Broadway ## Neighborhood Assets - 2006 <
> **Legend** | | | | :--- | :--- | | | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | | Other Schools | | ● | Miscellaneous | | | EMS | | | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | H | Hospital | | • | Parks (see below) | | | Police | | ● | Service | | | Utilities | | | Library | | | Parks | | | Historic District | # South Broadway ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Broadway** - Consolidate and renovate retail between E. 55th and Aetna - Improve streetscape following recommendations in TLCI study - Recruit local residents to work at businesses - Work with existing businesses to stay and grow and attract new retail and services **Steelyard Commons** - New regional shopping center **Slavic Village** - Capitalize on and grow ethnic shops and restaurants - Renovate storefronts & increase code enforcement - Develop infill retail - Create a "town center" greenspace on south side of street between E 53rd & E 54th - Implement "Fleet Ave Planning & Design Study" recommendations (streetscape, bike lanes, gateway features, signage) - Develop vacant lots for off-street parking **East 93rd & Kinsman** - Construct a new shopping center - Add streetscape improvements - Add crosswalks at intesection to improve pedestrian access **East 71st & Harvard** - Recruit businesses as vacancies occur - Develop new architecturally compatible buildings at the street line in place of parking lots - Improve landscaping of existing parking lots in district and make them more pedestrian-friendly - Improve aesthetics of Silverman's Plaza facades and increase parking lot landscaping # South Broadway ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 3.R.14 Warner Road – consolidate scattered retail within this node 3.A.16 Morgana Run Rail-Trail Trailheads - opportunity for recreation or neighborhood oriented public art at trail heads 3.E.16 Coke Oven Site – the ISG-owned property will be cleaned and donated to the City of Cleveland and redeveloped as an industrial park 3.E.17 Independence Neighborhood Industrial Property – opportunity for new industrial development 3.E.18 East 78th Street Realignment Opportunities – the realignment of East 78th Street offers an opportunity to expand industry 3.H.31 Bading Avenue – underutilized parking lots offer an opportunity to develop new housing with great views 3.H.32 Warsawa Neighborhood – opportunity to replace corner vacancies and obsolete structures with marketable residential 3.H.33 Union-Aetna Neighborhood – opportunity for large-scale infill and new housing development on vacant lots along with the rehabilitation of distressed housing 3.H.34 East 71st Street – opportunity to replace obsolete buildings with single-, two-family and townhouses 3.H.35 Warner Road Neighborhood – opportunity to replace obsolete buildings between small retail nodes with new single- and two-family homes and townhouses 3.P.14 Morgana Run Rail Trail Extension – continue Morgana Run rail trail westward toward the Cuyahoga River and proposed Towpath Trail 3.P.16 Washington Park Expansion – take advantage of the opportunity to expand Washington Park to the west on landfill property as each phase of the landfill is closed 3.P.17 Warner Road – recreation-oriented development to complement Mill Creek falls, bike trail, and housing development 3.R.12 Morgana Run Rail Trailhead – the presence of the new multi-use trail has created an opportunity for recreational retail at the trail heads and along the trail's route 3.R.13 Fleet Avenue – opportunity to create a town square with public parking <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | | Economic Development Opportunities | | | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | | Retail Opportunities | | | Recreation Opportunities | | | School Opportunities | | | Arts Opportunities | # South Broadway Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Existing Land Use - Year 2000 * VACANT LAND * SINGLE FAMILY * TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * SOUTH BROADWAY BOUNDARY * WATER # South Broadway Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * SOUTH BROADWAY BOUNDARY * WATER District 4 **Location.** District 4 covers the southeast side of Cleveland, encompassing 11.3 square miles. It is comprised of six neighborhoods (or “Statistical Planning Areas”): *Kinsman, Woodland Hills, Mt. Pleasant, Union-Miles Park, Corlett* and *Lee-Miles*. District 4 includes all of Ward 1, most of Wards 2 and 3, and parts of Wards 4, 5 and 6. It is bordered by Shaker Heights and Warrensville Heights to the east, and Maple Heights and Garfield Heights to the south. Four major streets provide direct access from the southeast side of Cleveland to Downtown: Kinsman Road, Shaker Boulevard, Buckeye Road and Woodland Avenue. Interstate 480 is the District’s southern boundary and is accessed via the Broadway/Lee Road interchanges. The northern section of the District is served by rapid transit service. **Population.** Having been home, at one time or another, to many different European immigrant groups, the District is now 97% African-American. In 2000 the total population of District 4 was 87,327. But while this figure represents a drop of 10% from the 1990 number, the rate of decline has greatly decreased. In 2000 the median household income was $25,128, about $800 below the City average, but varied widely by neighborhood. The median income of Lee-Miles of $36,400 was almost triple the Kinsman neighborhood’s figure of $12,500. Neighborhoods with higher incomes also have higher home ownership rates. As a whole home ownership throughout the district was 56% for occupied units. **Development Patterns.** District 4 is a predominantly residential area located on, and at the top of, the hillside (the “Portage Escarpment”) that rises to the eastern suburbs. The western edge of the District which lays at the base of the hillside, however, is largely industrial, occupied by uses that located along the rail corridors that traverse the City’s near east side. These industrial areas and the adjacent residential neighborhoods are interspersed with numerous vacant properties. Up the hill the residential neighborhoods are much more solid and the hillside affords many areas, including Luke Easter Park, with beautiful views of the downtown skyline. MLK Boulevard, a wide tree-lined boulevard that was established as part of the City’s first parks master plan, emanates from University Circle and runs north-south through the center of the District. Many of the residential structures, especially in the northern and western portions of the District, are two-family homes. These neighborhoods are served by commercial districts and plazas along main streets such as Buckeye, Kinsman and Lee Roads. A narrow band of industry developed along the southern edge of the district. The rail line which they developed around is rarely used now. Interstate 480 is currently the main regional access for businesses. The City established a modern industrial park near its southeastern boundary to capitalize on this access. District 4 Neighborhood links: * **Corlett** * **Kinsman** * **Lee-Miles** * **Mt Pleasant** * **Union-Miles** * **Woodland Hills** # CORLETT NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY <
> Description. Corlett is a predominantly residential neighborhood that became a part of Cleveland when the villages of Corlett and East View were respectively annexed in 1909 and 1917. Initial development occurred around where the Erie railroad crossed the intersection of East 131st and Miles. Most housing was built between World War I and the Depression although the easternmost streets in the neighborhood were built after World War II. East 131st Street is the major commercial and institutional corridor and a narrow band of industrial uses follow the rail corridor near Miles Ave. Assets. Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * the new *John Adams High School* and athletic field on MLK Boulevard * the East 131st and Miles retail district Challenges. Among the challenges faced by the Corlett neighborhood today are: * housing choices limited to single- and two-family structures * expense of maintaining older housing for residents * poor streetscape design in the East 131st and Miles retail district * retail space occupied by non-retail uses limiting retail vitality * increased, or alternative, use of rail corridor running through neighborhood Vision. Corlett can build off of the energy created by the construction of John Adams High School, having a strengthened housing market with access to quality retail and recreation. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * development of the Miles Shopping Plaza at the northeast corner of East 131st and Miles * redevelopment of the Union-Miles Shopping Plaza at the southwest corner of East 131st and Miles * reconfiguration of the intersection of East 131st and Miles * streetscape improvements along East 131st Street and Miles Avenue * streetscape improvements along East 116th Street between Glenboro Avenue and Dove Avenue * development of infill housing and housing rehabilitation in the area around John Adams High School * target housing programs on streets in the northwestern corner of the neighborhood # Corlett ## Neighborhood Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend | | | |---|---| | ⚑ | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | ⚑ | Other Schools | | ● | Miscellaneous | | ■ | EMS | | ☗ | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | ◧ | Hospital | | • | Parks (see below) | | 🚗 | Police | | ● | Service | | ● | Utilities | | ▨ | Library | | ■ | Parks | | ▧ | Historic District | **East 93rd & Kinsman** - Construct a new shopping center - Add streetscape improvements - Add crosswalks at intersection to improve pedestrian access **South Broadway** **East 71st & Harvard** - Recruit businesses as vacancies occur - Develop new architecturally compatible buildings at the street line in place of parking lots - Improve landscaping of existing parking lots in district and make them more pedestrian-friendly - Improve aesthetics of Silverman's Plaza facades and increase parking lot landscaping <
> **Corlett** **Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies** **Kinsman Road** - Develop a parking plan to accommodate business - Restore architecturally distinct buildings - Improve retail mix to serve needs of local residents - Undertake streetscape improvements **East 131st & Miles** - Construct a new shopping center - Add streetscape improvements - Improve retail mix - Reconfigure E. 131st/Miles intersection to make it easier to navigate - Include district in the storefront renovation program **Lee-Harvard** - Undertake streetscape improvements - Develop parking plan - Improve facades & signage - Improve maintenance # Corlett ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 4.R.5 East 131st & Miles – demolish or rehab existing retail and assemble property for large-scale retail development <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | ![Economic Development Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/Cleveland-City-Planning/Connecting-Cleveland-2020/images/legend_blue.png) | Economic Development Opportunities | | ![Housing Opportunities: New Construction](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/Cleveland-City-Planning/Connecting-Cleveland-2020/images/legend_yellow.png) | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | ![Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/Cleveland-City-Planning/Connecting-Cleveland-2020/images/legend_lightyellow.png) | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | ![Retail Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/Cleveland-City-Planning/Connecting-Cleveland-2020/images/legend_red.png) | Retail Opportunities | | ![Recreation Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/Cleveland-City-Planning/Connecting-Cleveland-2020/images/legend_green.png) | Recreation Opportunities | | ![School Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/Cleveland-City-Planning/Connecting-Cleveland-2020/images/legend_teal.png) | School Opportunities | | ![Arts Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/Cleveland-City-Planning/Connecting-Cleveland-2020/images/legend_pink.png) | Arts Opportunities | # Corlett ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Existing Land Use - Year 2000 * VACANT LAND * SINGLE FAMILY * TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * RETAIL (upper floor uses)I * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * CORLETT BOUNDARY * WATER # Corlett ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Proposed Land Use - Year 2020 | | | | :--- | :--- | | ![SINGLE / TWO FAMILY](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAF0lEQVR4nGJi+A8HDCgBSiNmNIyS1wAAR/E0gQfFf+8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | ![MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAM0lEQVR4nGNgGAWjYBSMglEwCkbBKBgFo2AUjIJRMApGwSgYBaNgFIyCUUAHAAEEAAB1wQABG1F4eAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==) | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | | ![TOWNHOUSE](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAE0lEQVR4nGJi+A8HDCgBSiNmNIwBAF1vP74b7H/DAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC) | TOWNHOUSE | | ![MULTI FAMILY](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAE0lEQVR4nGJi+A8HDCgBSiNmNIwBAF1vP74b7H/DAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC) | MULTI FAMILY | | ![MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAALklEQVR4nGNgGAVDGTgKRsEoGAWjYBSMglEwCkbBKBgFo2AUjIJRMApGAT4AAAD25wABu2w4+gAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==) | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE | | ![MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAALklEQVR4nGNgGAVDGTgKRsEoGAWjYBSMglEwCkbBKBgFo2AUjIJRMApGAT4AAAD25wABu2w4+gAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==) | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | ![OFFICE](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAGElEQVR4nGJi+A8HDCgBSiNmNIwBAF1vPwBAkE5w+j9YkAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==) | OFFICE | | ![RETAIL](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAH0lEQVR4nGJi+A8HDCgBSiNmNIwBAF1vP74b7H/DAQD360a+H4J72gAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==) | RETAIL | | ![COMMERCIAL SERVICES](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAHUlEQVR4nGJi+A8HDCgBSiNmNIwBAF1vP74b7H/DAQDrBEYe/rU4/gAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==) | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | ![LIGHT INDUSTRY](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAFklEQVR4nGJi+A8HDCgBSiNmNIwBAF1vPwDqQz5/D3yRkAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==) | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | ![HEAVY INDUSTRY](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAE0lEQVR4nGJi+A8HDCgBSiNmNIwBAF1vP74b7H/DAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC) | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | ![INSTITUTIONAL](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAFklEQVR4nGJi+A8HDCgBSiNmNIwBAF1vPwDqQz5/D3yRkAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==) | INSTITUTIONAL | | ![RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAFklEQVR4nGJi+A8HDCgBSiNmNIwBAF1vPwDqQz5/D3yRkAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==) | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | ![TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAFklEQVR4nGJi+A8HDCgBSiNmNIwBAF1vPwDqQz5/D3yRkAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==) | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | ![PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY)](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAIUlEQVR4nGJi+A8HDCgBSiNmNIwBAF1vP74b7H/DAQC3vEa+G4J72gAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==) | PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) | | ![CORLETT BOUNDARY](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAGUlEQVR4nGJi+A8HDCgBSiNmNIwBAF1vPwBq4j5/D4/s9QAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==) | CORLETT BOUNDARY | | ![WATER](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAIUlEQVR4nGJi+A8HDCgBSiNmNIwBAF1vP74b7H/DAQC3vEa+G4J72gAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==) | WATER | # KINSMAN NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY <
> **Description.** It was the coming of the railroads—specifically the freight line linking Cleveland and Pittsburgh—followed by the extension in the 1860s and ’70s of streetcar lines along Kinsman Road and Woodland Avenue that brought about the development of this area, as factories sprang up south of Woodland along East 79th Street. Housing and retail had to be developed quickly for the workers who flowed into the area to apply for jobs. The neighborhood developed as a number of individual residential enclaves interspersed along the rail lines and industrial districts. **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * service from both RTA’s Red and Blue/Green Line *rapid transit lines* * nearby access to *Interstate 490* * a number of *industrial employers* such as the Orlando Baking Company * the *Ken Johnson Recreation Center* * the *Marion Motley Playfield* which occupies a portion of the Kingsbury Run Valley **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Kinsman neighborhood today are: * deteriorated housing conditions and large areas of vacant lots * incompatibility between railroads and residential * industrial brownfield sites which need clean-up before redeveloping * illegal dumping on vacant sites * roadways whose width and turning radii do not easily accommodate industrial traffic and access to the interstate system * outdated and unattractive retail buildings at East 93rd and Kinsman **Vision.** Rebuild the neighborhood offering greater amenities and a variety of housing types to accommodate people with different lifestyles and various levels of income. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed for Kinsman are the following: * development of housing and community center on vacant land off of Kinsman between Laisy and St. Catherine * construct a new shopping plaza at the southwest corner of East 93rd and Kinsman * construct a new mini-shopping plaza along Kinsman between East 72nd and East 75th * construct Opportunity Blvd. to open up access to the Forgotten Triangle area * development of vacant and underutilized land west of the Hemisphere site * reconstruction of the Sidaway Bridge over the Kingsbury Run Valley * use open space and underutilized land in the Kingsbury Run Valley for trail development # Kinsman ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> ## Legend * 🚩 Cleveland Municipal Schools * ⚑ Other Schools * ● Miscellaneous * ■ EMS * ⌂ Fire * ▲ Health * H Hospital * • Parks (see below) * 🚔 Police * ● Service * ■ Utilities * ⛍ Library * ■ Parks * ▧ Historic District <
> # Kinsman Typology and Housing Projects <
> | | Regional Choice | Stable | Transitional | Fragile | Distressed | | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | | Code Enforcement Action | 📦 | 📦 | | | | | Senior Initiative | 📦 | 📦 | | 📦 | 📦 | | Rehab - conv. And widely avail | 📦 | 📦 | | | | | Rehab - subsidized | | 📦 | 📦 target | 📦 target | | | Exterior | | 📦 | 📦 | 📦 | | | Vacant Affordable | | 📦 | 📦 target | 📦 target | | | Large scale projects - strengthen asset base | | 📦 | 📦 | 📦 | 📦 | | Demo and Landbank | | | 📦 target | 📦 target | 📦 | ### Neighborhood Market Typology **DETAILED RANGE** * OVER 4.71 * 4.71 * 4.57 * 4.43 * 4.29 * 4.14 * 4.00 * 3.86 * 3.71 * 3.57 * 3.43 * 3.29 * 3.14 * 3.00 * 2.86 * 2.71 * 2.57 * 2.43 * 2.29 * 2.14 * 2.00 * 1.86 * 1.71 * 1.57 * UNDER 1.57 * NON-RESIDENTIAL ### HOUSING PROJECTS * Target Neighborhoods * Current and Future Projects * Large Projects ### Residential Investments * Market Rate New * Market Rate Rehab * Affordable New * Affordable Rehab City of Cleveland Department of Community Development January 2, 2007 # Kinsman # Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Cedar Avenue** - Create northern gateway to Fairfax - Construct streetscape improvements - esp along Clinic Parking - Near E. 79th: neighborhood based retail - Near Clinic: retail for workers & residents - Mix retail with accessory office, research space **East 55th & Woodland** - Create neighborhood level shopping/lifestyle center on southwest corner (possibly food terminal related; cultural center, jazz clubs) - Bring back historic clock tower as neighborhood icon at southeast corner - Reconfigure intersection to make safer and more pedestrian/bicycle friendly - Increase safety by attracting uses that "put eyes on the street" **Broadway** - Consolidate and renovate retail between E. 55th and Aetna - Improve streetscape following recommendations in TLCI study - Recruit local residents to work at businesses - Work with existing businesses to stay and grow and attract new retail and services **East 93rd & Kinsman** - Construct a new shopping center - Add streetscape improvements - Add crosswalks at intesection to improve pedestrian access **Slavic Village** - Capitalize on and grow ethnic shops and restaurants - Renovate storefronts & increase code enforcement - Develop infill retail - Create a "town center" greenspace on south side of street between E 53rd & E 54th - Implement "Fleet Ave Planning & Design Study" recommendations (streetscape, bike lanes, gateway features, signage) - Develop vacant lots for off-street parking **East 71st & Harvard** - Recruit businesses as vacancies occur - Develop new architecturally compatible buildings at the street line in place of parking lots - Improve landscaping of existing parking lots in district and make them more pedestrian-friendly - Improve aesthetics of Silverman's Plaza facades and increase parking lot landscaping # Kinsman ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 4.A.1 Cityview Park - pocket park & gateway signage to Buckeye-Shaker/Woodland Hills neighborhood 4.E.1 Buckeye Sites - potential industrial park 4.E.2 Hemisphere II - opportunity for new industrial development 4.E.3 Hemisphere Development - opportunity for industrial park 4.E.4 Union Miles Properties - opportunity for new and expanded industrial development 4.E.5 Woodland & East 93rd - opportunity for new business development in underutilized area 4.H.1 Sidaway Site - opportunity for single-family housing 4.H.2 Forgotten Triangle - opportunity for single- and multi-family housing 4.H.3 Garden Valley - demolish existing and build new multi-family and infill housing 4.H.4 Laisy & St. Catherine - single-family housing 4.H.6 Woodhill - opportunity for townhouse single- and multi-family housing with great views of the city skyline 4.P.1 Kingsbury Run - opportunity to develop linear park and trail 4.P.2 Marion Motley Playfield - redevelopment of existing playing field 4.P.3 Troy Lee Jones Cultural Garden - opportunity for a community garden 4.P.4 Ken Johnson Recreation Center - expansion of recreation center and park 4.R.1 Kinsman Road - opportunity for development of small-scale retail to serve area 4.R.2 Kinsman Square - demolish existing plaza and retail buildings for large-scale retail development 4.R.4 Cityview Area - demolition of existing buildings and construction of new mixed-use buildings and small-scale retail <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | | Economic Development Opportunities | | | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | | Retail Opportunities | | | Recreation Opportunities | | | School Opportunities | | | Arts Opportunities | # Kinsman Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** | | | |---|---| | | VACANT LAND | | | SINGLE FAMILY | | | TWO FAMILY | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | | | KINSMAN BOUNDARY | | | WATER | # Kinsman Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** | | | | :--- | :--- | | | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) | | :--: | KINSMAN BOUNDARY | | | WATER | <
> # LEE-MILES NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY <
> **Description.** Lee-Miles is a suburb-like neighborhood with most of its housing stock dating from after World War II. Over 90% of its housing is in single-family homes (compared to a citywide average of 53%). The neighborhood also boasts large parks, modern shopping plazas and an industrial park. It became a part of Cleveland when parts of Miles Heights Village were annexed in 1927, 1928 and 1932. **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * many owner-occupied *single-family homes* located along beautiful-tree lined streets * *Kerruish Park* (located along the Mill Creek) and Frederick Douglass Park * the *Lee-Harvard Shopping Plaza* which is anchored by a grocery store * the *John F. Kennedy High School* and recreation center on Harvard Avenue * the *Cleveland Industrial Park* which has convenient access to I-480 **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Lee-Miles neighborhood today are: * limited housing options * pockets of neglected housing stock especially near the Cleveland Industrial Park * poor sign, storefront and streetscape aesthetics in retail areas * adequate parking for some businesses along Lee Road * redevelopment of vacant sites at the Lee-Miles intersection **Vision.** Strengthen and maintain high quality housing, offering suburban style living within the City. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed for Lee-Harvard are the following: * upgrade Kerruish Park and add a nature center and trails that connect to other communities along Mill Creek in keeping with proposals in the county greenspace plan * encourage mixed use development on vacant land at the intersection of Lee and Miles * target code enforcement along Miles Avenue * target housing programs on street off South Miles Avenue * upgrade storefronts along Lee Road * undertake streetscape improvements along Lee Road and Harvard Avenue to improve aesthetic appearance of the retail district * rehab housing in the Miles Heights area # Lee-Miles ## Neighborhood Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend | | | | :---: | :--- | | 🟨 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | 🚩 | Other Schools | | 🔵 | Miscellaneous | | 🟪 | EMS | | 🏠 | Fire | | 🔺 | Health | | 🏥 | Hospital | | ⚫ | Parks (see below) | | 🚔 | Police | | 🟤 | Service | | 🟧 | Utilities | | 🟦 | Library | | 🟩 | Parks | | ▨ | Historic District | # Lee-Miles ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Buckeye Rd.** - Infill construction to reinforce pedstrian orientation - Establish Pedestrian Retail Overlay District east of East 116th - Capitalize on assets to create distinct places on the street - Consolidate retail by developing housing & office at east end of district - Encourage auto-oriented uses near Buckeye Plaza - Relocate library and Harvey Rice school **Kinsman Road** - Develop a parking plan to accommodate business - Restore architecturally distinct buildings - Improve retail mix to serve needs of local residents - Undertake streetscape improvements **East 131st & Miles** - Construct a new shopping center - Add streetscape improvements - Improve retail mix - Reconfigure E. 131st/Miles intersection to make it easier to navigate - Include district in the storefront renovation program **Lee-Harvard** - Undertake streetscape improvements - Develop parking plan - Improve facades & signage - Improve maintenance # Lee-Miles ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 4.P.10 Fredrick Douglas Park - upgrade existing park 4.P.11 Kerruish Park - upgrade existing trails and a nature center 4.P.9 Miles Heights Park - upgrade existing park 4.R.6 Lee & Miles – opportunity for mixed-use (retail/housing) development <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | ░░░ | Economic Development Opportunities | | ▓▓▓ | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | ▧▧▧ | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | ▨▨▨ | Retail Opportunities | | ▒▒▒ | Recreation Opportunities | | ▤▤▤ | School Opportunities | | ▧▧▧ | Arts Opportunities | # Lee-Miles ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Existing Land Use - Year 2000 * VACANT LAND * SINGLE FAMILY * TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * LEE-MILES BOUNDARY * WATER <
> # Lee-Miles ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Proposed Land Use - Year 2020 | | | | :--- | :--- | | ![Single / Two Family](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFAY5a7v+5gAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAAySURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMA54gZk8f8K0sAAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | ![Mixed Use: Downtown](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFBw09n+i1wAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAA1SURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMAyXoZg+Q+N88AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | | ![Townhouse](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFBg08s0HkQAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAA2SURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMA9e4Zg11l60QAAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | TOWNHOUSE | | ![Multi Family](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFBw7Z2yY3gAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAA1SURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMAUgYZg+M9F4oAAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | MULTI FAMILY | | ![Mixed Use: Residential + Retail/Office](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFB0Wn1pD6AAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAA5SURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMA76QZg6YqF4oAAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE | | ![Mixed Use: Live-Work](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFB0T6x/hYgAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAA1SURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMAo8AZg4U0F4oAAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | ![Office](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFB0bCjH/rAAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAA0SURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMASrIZg6xG60cAAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | OFFICE | | ![Retail](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFB0jHn5sLgAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAAySURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMA06wZg8w8i0EAAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | RETAIL | | ![Commercial Services](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFB0Sj52z0QAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAA2SURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMA+7YZg12N60QAAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | ![Light Industry](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFB0zF53y8QAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAAzSURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMAx/wZg9Tci0EAAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | ![Heavy Industry](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFB0x1bK8/gAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAA0SURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMA54AZg2W560cAAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | ![Institutional](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFB07O7Qo/wAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAA1SURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMA0z0Zg+5nF4oAAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | INSTITUTIONAL | | ![Recreation/Open Space/Landscape](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFB0W7Jv3cQAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAAzSURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMAsuAZg/Y9i0EAAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | ![Transportation / Public Utilities](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFB00V4u3HAAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAA0SURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMA54AZg20c60cAAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | ![Parking (Downtown Only)](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFB0f0mJ8+AAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAA1SURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMAxQEZg40gF4oAAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) | | ![Lee-Miles Boundary](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFB0n4u7p/gAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAA1SURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMArv8Zg50oF4oAAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | LEE-MILES BOUNDARY | | ![Water](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAUCAYAAACNiR0NAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4woSFB0r3j9i8AAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAA1SURBVDjLY2AYBaNgFIyCUUAP+P8fT0wM04gHjBiNBoNBMBoNBsH/A03j/6oYhKJw1AMAsuYZg/Y6F4oAAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | WATER | # MT PLEASANT NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** Mt. Pleasant was first settled in 1826 as a farming community and remained rural until the 1920's when residential subdivisions were developed. The African-American community has a history of homeownership in Mt. Pleasant dating back to 1893, making Mt. Pleasant one of the earliest locations for large-scale homeownership by African Americans in greater Cleveland. Today, Mt. Pleasant is a solid residential neighborhood characterized by single- and two-family houses on tree-lined streets. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * the historic *Martin Luther King Blvd.* residential district along the neighborhood’s western edge, * the *Kinsman Road* neighborhood retail district, * *Luke Easter Park*, the City’s largest neighborhood park, and the contemporary *Zelma George Recreation Center*, both located immediately west of Mt. Pleasant * the new *A.J. Rickoff Elementary School*, opened in 2005 at East 147th & Kinsman * the *Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Family Service Center* at East 139th & Kinsman **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood today are: * deteriorated, vacant and underutilized commercial buildings along portions of Kinsman Road * housing maintenance needs for deteriorating housing on side streets including both single and multi-family structures * vacant houses throughout the neighborhood * absentee landlords that don’t maintain single and two-family rental properties * scattered vacant lots throughout the neighborhood that are not maintained * a two-family housing strategy addressing the competitiveness and challenges of this housing type **Vision.** A vibrant Kinsman Road retail district can be the centerpiece for a revitalized Mt. Pleasant neighborhood and create a seamless boarder between Cleveland and Shaker Heights. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed for Mt. Pleasant are the following: * infill retail development on vacant land within the Kinsman Road retail district * target housing programs south of Lambert between East 131st and East 140th * renovation of storefronts along the Kinsman and Union retail corridor * demolition of commercial buildings and construction of townhouses along Kinsman between East 117th and East 126th * relocation of the Mt. Pleasant Library from East 140th and Kinsman to vacant land next to Alexander Hamilton Rec. Center to continue development of an intergenerational campus * trail/bikeway connection along MLK Blvd. that would tie into a citywide bikeway system # Mt Pleasant ## Neighborhood Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend | | | | :--- | :--- | | 🚩 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | ⚑ | Other Schools | | **Facilities** | | | ● | Miscellaneous | | ● | EMS | | ⛑ | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | 🏥 | Hospital | | ▪ | Parks (see below) | | 🚓 | Police | | ● | Service | | 🔲 | Utilities | | ⛿ | Library | | ■ | Parks | | ▨ | Historic District | Aerial: Airphoto USA 2005 Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # Mt Pleasant ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Shaker Square/Larchmere** - Maintain retail mix that creates unique districts - Focus on improving deteriorated conditions in adjacent neighborhoods **Buckeye Rd.** - Infill construction to reinforce pedstrian orientation - Establish Pedestrian Retail Overlay District east of East 116th - Capitalize on assets to create distinct places on the street - Consolidate retail by developing housing & office at east end of district - Encourage auto-oriented uses near Buckeye Plaza - Relocate library and Harvey Rice school **East 93rd & Kinsman** - Construct a new shopping center - Add streetscape improvements - Add crosswalks at intersection to improve pedestrian access **Kinsman Road** - Develop a parking plan to accommodate business - Restore architecturally distinct buildings - Improve retail mix to serve needs of local residents - Undertake streetscape improvements **East 131st & Miles** - Construct a new shopping center - Add streetscape improvements - Improve retail mix - Reconfigure E. 131st/Miles intersection to make it easier to navigate - Include district in the storefront renovation program **Lee-Harvard** - Undertake streetscape improvements - Develop parking plan - Improve facades & signage - Improve maintenance **East 71st & Harvard** - Recruit businesses as vacancies occur - Develop new architecturally compatible buildings at the street line in place of parking lots - Improve landscaping of existing parking lots in district and make them more pedestrian-friendly - Improve aesthetics of Silverman's Plaza facades and increase parking lot landscaping # Mount Pleasant ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 4.H.12 East 140th Street - rehab existing vacant multi-family buildings 4.H.11 Kinsman Road - opportunity to demolish underutilized structures for townhouse development 4.A.5 Mt. Pleasant Heritage House - opportunity to develop a cultural center 4.A.6 Kinsman Point - opportunity for Public Art at intersection of Kinsman & Union 4.P.8 Hamilton Park - demolish the industrial buildings at Union Avenue and East 132nd Street and develop a park to complement Alexander Hamilton Recreation Center <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | | Economic Development Opportunities | | | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | | Retail Opportunities | | | Recreation Opportunities | | | School Opportunities | | | Arts Opportunities | # Mt. Pleasant ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Existing Land Use - Year 2000 | | | | :--- | :--- | | | VACANT LAND | | | SINGLE FAMILY | | | TWO FAMILY | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | | | MT PLEASANT BOUNDARY | | | WATER | # Mt. Pleasant Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Proposed Land Use - Year 2020 | | | | :--- | :--- | | | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) | | | MT PLEASANT BOUNDARY | | | WATER | # UNION-MILES PARK NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** Origin of the present Union-Miles neighborhood can be traced to the old village of Newburgh, which held the distinction of being the region's largest settlement at the start of the 19th century. In the mid-1800s Irish and Welsh immigrants came seeking work in the steel mills near East 91st and East 93rd streets. Slovenians, Czechs and Romanians began to arrive in the 1890s and continued to settle here well into the 1930s. The neighborhood is predominantly residential east of East 93rd Street except for a corridor of industry along Harvard Avenue that follows the rail line that heads east toward Solon. Additional industry is located along the rail lines west of East 93rd Street. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood's most significant assets are: * the *Miles Park Historic District*, originally the public square of Newburgh village * the Earle Turner Recreation Center and Miles YMCA on Miles Road * the Union-Miles industrial area which provides jobs for many neighborhood residents * Calvary Cemetery, which acts as a large green space at the edge of the neighborhood **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Union-Miles Park neighborhood today are: * large numbers of vacant lots scattered throughout the neighborhood * poor housing conditions, especially in areas west of East 93rd in close proximity to industrial uses * small obsolete housing that is difficult to sell * poor access from industrial areas to the interstate highway system * lack of room for businesses to expand **Vision.** Expanded access to jobs, recreational, and retail opportunities will make Union-Miles a neighborhood in which people desire to live work and play. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * consolidate land between East 91st and East 93rd south of Union for expansion and new development of industrial businesses * implement the Bessemer Avenue II extension plan to improve industrial access * implement streetscape improvements along East 93rd from Harvard to Miles * develop a new park from East 96th to East 100th between Sandusky and Way * rehab housing around Carol McClendon Park * open up access to Carol McClendon Park off of Union Ave. to increase visibility * create a historic district along Miles between Elmarge and East 113th * undertake improvements to facilitate implementation of the City Loop bike route along MLK Blvd. and Aetna Road # Union-Miles Park ## Neighborhood Assets 2006 <
> **Legend** * Cleveland Municipal Schools * Other Schools * Miscellaneous * EMS * Fire * Health * Hospital * Parks (see below) * Police * Service * Utilities * Library * Parks * Historic District # Union-Miles Park ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Buckeye Rd.** - Infill construction to reinforce pedestrian orientation - Establish Pedestrian Retail Overlay District east of East 116th - Capitalize on assets to create distinct places on the street - Consolidate retail by developing housing & office at east end of district - Encourage auto-oriented uses near Buckeye Plaza - Relocate library and Harvey Rice school **East 93rd & Kinsman** - Construct a new shopping center - Add streetscape improvements - Add crosswalks at intersection to improve pedestrian access **East 131st & Miles** - Construct a new shopping center - Add streetscape improvements - Improve retail mix - Reconfigure E. 131st/Miles intersection to make it easier to navigate - Include district in the storefront renovation program **East 71st & Harvard** - Recruit businesses as vacancies occur - Develop new architecturally compatible buildings at the street line in place of parking lots - Improve landscaping of existing parking lots in district and make them more pedestrian-friendly - Improve aesthetics of Silverman's Plaza facades and increase parking lot landscaping # Union Miles Park ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 4.A.3 Miles Avenue - potential historic district 4.E.4 Union Miles Properties - opportunity for new and expanded industrial development 4.H.10 Miles Area - opportunity for infill housing 4.H.9 Beacon/Gibson - opportunity for rehab and infill housing to compliment the renovation of Carol McClendon Park 4.P.5 Jack Rabbit Hill - development of a new park at Jack Rabbit Hill in Union Miles neighborhood 4.P.6 Prince Avenue Park - opportunity for a pocket park or a community garden 4.R.3 Broadway & Miles - opportunity to develop small-scale retail ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | ![Economic Development Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/images/blue_box.png) | Economic Development Opportunities | | ![Housing Opportunities: New Construction](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/images/yellow_box.png) | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | ![Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/images/yellow_hatch_box.png) | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | ![Retail Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/images/red_hatch_box.png) | Retail Opportunities | | ![Recreation Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/images/green_hatch_box.png) | Recreation Opportunities | | ![School Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/images/green_box.png) | School Opportunities | | ![Arts Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/images/pink_box.png) | Arts Opportunities | <
> # Union-Miles Park ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** * VACANT LAND * SINGLE FAMILY * TWO FAMILY * TOWNHOUSE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * MULTI FAMILY * OFFICE * RETAIL * RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * COMMERCIAL PARKING * UNION-MILES PARK BOUNDARY * WATER <
> <
> # Union-Miles Park Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** | | | | :--- | :--- | | | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) | | | UNION-MILES PARK BOUNDARY | | | WATER | <
> # WOODLAND HILLS NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** This area was originally part of the village of Newburgh with a number of streets near Buckeye Road developed during the late 1800s. But it was in the decades between 1900 and 1930 that Woodland Hills (which became part of Cleveland in 1913) was heavily settled—largely by Hungarian immigrants. It is predominantly a residential neighborhood with many two-family structures and sits on the hillside that overlooks the rail lines and industrial development that occurred at its base to the west. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * RTA’s Blue/Green *rapid transit line* which runs in the median of Shaker Boulevard * MLK *Boulevard* and the 116 acre *Luke Easter Park* which were developed as part of Cleveland’s original park and parkway master plan in the 1890s * *retail in modern shopping plazas* at Buckeye Plaza and Reservoir Place * *Benedictine High School*, the Benedictine Order of Cleveland’s home base in Cleveland for almost 80 years **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Woodland Hills neighborhood today are: * declining owner occupancy rates * generally poor housing maintenance * a two-family housing strategy addressing the competitiveness and challenges of this housing type * dumping and illegal activities on vacant lots **Vision.** Attract and retain a diverse population by building off of existing assets to create a sustainable, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood that will offer a variety of housing options with connections to desired services, retail, and recreational amenities. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * opportunity for transit-oriented development at the intersection of Woodhill, Buckeye, and Shaker, taking advantage of the Woodhill rapid station and the view of the downtown skyline * continued building and marketing of houses at St. Luke’s Point * targeted rehabilitation and infill housing in the area north of the St. Luke’s site from MLK Blvd. to Woodstock Avenue between East 110th and East 116th Streets * relocation of Harvey Rice School and library from East 116th and Buckeye to East 116th and Shaker Blvd. * implementation of the Uptown Cleveland Roadway Plan * undertake streetscape improvements along East 116th Street between Shaker Blvd. and Forest Avenue * undertake improvements to facilitate a bikeway or bike route along MLK Blvd. # Woodland Hills ## Neighborhood Assets - 2006 <
> **Legend** * ⛳ Cleveland Municipal Schools * 🚩 Other Schools * 🔵 Miscellaneous * 🟪 EMS * 🚨 Fire * 🔺 Health * 🏥 Hospital * ▪️ Parks (see below) * 🚔 Police * 🟡 Service * 🟫 Utilities * 🛈 Library * 🟩 Parks * ▨ Historic District Aerial: Airphoto USA 2005 Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # Woodland Hills ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Little Italy** - Develop comprehensive parking strategy - Improve gateways and streetscape - Consolidate valet areas & establish truck delivery zones - Develop infill mixed-use development - Market district more aggressively to region - Relocate transit station closer to Mayfield Rd. - Add neighborhood services to retail mix **Cedar Avenue** - Create northern gateway to Fairfax - Construct streetscape improvements - esp along Clinic Parking - Near E.79th: neighborhood based retail - Near Clinic: retail for workers & residents - Mix retail with accessory office, research space **Shaker Square/Larchmere** - Maintain retail mix that creates unique districts - Focus on improving deteriorated conditions in adjacent neighborhoods **Buckeye Rd.** - Infill construction to reinforce pedestrian orientation - Establish Pedestrian Retail Overlay District east of East 116th - Capitalize on assets to create distinct places on the street - Consolidate retail by developing housing & office at east end of district - Encourage auto-oriented uses near Buckeye Plaza - Relocate library and Harvey Rice school **East 93rd & Kinsman** - Construct a new shopping center - Add streetscape improvements - Add crosswalks at intersection to improve pedestrian access # Woodland Hills ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 4.A.1 Cityview Park - pocket park & gateway signage to Buckeye-Shaker/Woodland Hills neighborhood 4.A.2 St. Luke's Point - public art at the St. Luke's housing site 4.A.4 Mt. Carmel Point - opportunity for public art at the gateway to the Woodland Hills neighborhood 4.H.6 Woodhill – opportunity for townhouse single- and multi-family housing with great views of the city's skyline 4.H.7 Mt. Carmel Area – opportunities for rehab and infill housing 4.H.8 St. Luke's Point – construction of multi- and single-family housing 4.P.7 Kinsman Road Junkyard Site – expansion of existing park 4.R.4 Cityview Area – demolition of existing buildings and construction of new mixed-use buildings and small-scale retail 4.S.1 Harvey Rice – Relocation of Harvey Rice School to St. Luke's site <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | | Economic Development Opportunities | | | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | | Retail Opportunities | | | Recreation Opportunities | | | School Opportunities | | | Arts Opportunities | # Woodland Hills Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** VACANT LAND SINGLE FAMILY TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING WOODLAND HILLS BOUNDARY WATER <
> # Woodland Hills Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * WOODLAND HILLS BOUNDARY * WATER <
> # District 5 **Location.** District 5 sits on Cleveland’s east side, between the Central and Goodrich-Kirtland Park neighborhoods to the west and Glenville, Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights to the east. It stretches from Lake Erie south to the Shaker Square area. It is composed of five neighborhoods (or “Statistical Planning Areas”): *Fairfax, Hough, St. Clair-Superior, Buckeye-Shaker,* and *University*, each of which brings its own unique style and character to the fabric of the city. In terms of political representation, District 5 comprises City Council Wards 4, 6 & 7 and parts of Wards 8 & 13. The only highway to traverse the District is Interstate 90 along the lakefront. A trio of main streets, Euclid, Chester and Carnegie Avenues form a major east-west commuter corridor between Downtown Cleveland and University Circle and the eastern suburbs. The eastern portion of the district is well served by rapid transit lines which also provide access to Downtown. **Population.** In 2000 the District’s total population was approximately 60,600 residents, the majority of whom were African-American (about 78%). The white population comprised 17% of the residents and 2% identified themselves as Hispanic. Despite its racial breakdown, however, District 5’s cultural composition is actually very diverse, as many Slovenians, Hungarians, Italians, Ethiopians and other nationality groups that immigrated to Cleveland years ago have remained in their original neighborhoods. **Development Patterns.** Within the boundaries of District 5 is University Circle, an unsurpassed cluster of distinguished medical, cultural and educational establishments, covering more than one square mile which draws students, medical patients and visitors from around the nation and the world. The Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals are among the institutions located in Cleveland’s second largest employment center. Doan Brook, which flows from the Shaker Lakes to Lake Erie serves as the centerpiece for a series of parks (Rockefeller, Wade, Ambler) that provide University Circle a green entryway and setting. As a busy crossroads of the east side, District 5 is home to a large number of key commercial corridors such as St. Clair Avenue, Buckeye Road, Larchmere Avenue, Euclid Avenue, Mayfield Road and Shaker Square. Shaker Square and the nearby Larchmere antiques district attract shoppers and collectors from the far corners of Greater Cleveland. Developed around a rapid transit line, the apartments and retail at Shaker Square is an early example of transit-oriented development. Concentrations of multi-family housing are also concentrated near University Circle. In Hough the availability and inexpensive cost of vacant city lots has resulted in the construction of many large new single-family homes that have kept or attracted wealthy African-American households to the City. District 5 Neighborhood links: * **[Buckeye Shaker](http://buckeyeshaker)** * **[Fairfax](http://fairfax)** * **[Hough](http://hough)** * **[St. Clair](http://stclair)** * **[University](http://university)** # BUCKEYE-SHAKER NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY <
> **Description.** The neighborhood is the location of one of the nations earliest planned shopping areas and Cleveland’s best example of transit-oriented development, Shaker Square. Developed by the Van Swerigen brothers in the 1920s the neighborhood is distinguished by the rows of apartment buildings that line the rapid transit tracks that connect the neighborhood to downtown and the airport. West of North and South Moreland Boulevards the neighborhood is predominantly two-family houses. East of that line it is mainly single-family homes. During the early 1900s the Buckeye Road area attracted so many Hungarian immigrants it became known as Cleveland’s “Little Hungary.” **Assets.** The neighborhood has many assets that make it a desirable neighborhood including: * Shaker Square, one of the most unique places in Cleveland * the *Larchmere Boulevard* antiques district * the Buckeye retail district which serves the shopping needs of the neighborhood * RTA’s Blue and Green *rapid transit lines* * *historic* multi-family and single-family neighborhoods * *schools* that address the requirements of special needs children such as the Sunbeam School and the Alexander Graham Bell School **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood are: * finding alternative uses for portions of Buckeye Road no longer viable for retail * addressing impacts on the perceptions of crime in nearby neighborhoods on Shaker Square and the Larchmere antiques district * concentrations of two-family homes in poor condition south of Buckeye & east of East 116th * improving regional roadway access **Vision.** Attract and retain a diverse population by building off of existing assets to maintain and strengthen a sustainable, transit-oriented and pedestrian-friendly neighborhood. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed for the neighborhood are the following: * develop Buckeye as the premier neighborhood retail corridor through streetscape and storefront initiatives to encourage entrepreneurship and investment * develop a community in Buckeye that offers housing options of all types and price points * connect the Buckeye neighborhood to recreation resources found in Cleveland and in outlying communities via trail development linking to the Shaker Lakes, Zelman George Recreation Center and Shaker Square * capitalize on institutional partnerships to provide development resources both physical and social to surrounding community * develop an arts and cultural district along Buckeye Road to promote history & heritage, provide entertainment, and promote local artistic talent * work to maintain the unique retail mix that makes Larchmere and Shaker Square regional destinations # Buckeye-Shaker ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend | | | |---|---| | ⚑ | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | ⚑ | Other Schools | | ● | | | ■ | EMS | | 🏠 | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | 🄗 | Hospital | | • | Parks (see below) | | ⚯ | Police | | ● | Service | | ■ | Utilities | | ⛼ | Library | | ■ | Parks | | ▧ | Historic District | # Buckeye-Shaker ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Little Italy** - Develop comprehensive parking strategy - Improve gateways and streetscape - Consolidate valet areas & establish truck delivery zones - Develop infill mixed-use projects - Market district more aggressively to region - Relocate transit station closer to Mayfield Rd - Add neighborhood services to retail mix **Shaker Square/Larchmere** - Maintain retail mix that creates unique districts - Focus on improving deteriorated conditions in adjacent neighborhoods **Buckeye Rd.** - Infill construction to reinforce pedstrian orientation - Establish Pedestrian Retail Overlay District east of East 116th - Capitalize on assets to create distinct places on street - Consolidate retail by developing housing & office at east end of district - Encourage auto-oriented uses near Buckeye Plaza - Relocate library and Harvey Rice School **Kinsman Road** - Develop a parking plan to accommodate business - Restore architecturally distinct buildings - Improve retail mix to serve needs of local residents - Undertake streetscape improvements # Buckeye-Shaker ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities Buckeye Shaker 5.A.10 Moreland Theater - restoration of existing theater for performing arts Buckeye Shaker 5.A.11 Artesian Square - proposed arts district Buckeye Shaker 5.A.8 Shaker Square - historical marker signage, could be incorporated on street banners or kiosk at transit stop Buckeye Shaker 5.A.9 Buckeye - addition of public art and banners on Buckeye consistent with the Buckeye Road masterplan Buckeye Shaker 5.H.18 Benjamin Rose Site - development of single-family senior housing Buckeye Shaker 5.H.19 Buckeye Shaker South Area - problem areas targeted for rehab/code enforcement <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | ![Economic Development Opportunities](https://via.placeholder.com/15/009FE3/009FE3) | Economic Development Opportunities | | ![Housing Opportunities: New Construction](https://via.placeholder.com/15/FFF200/FFF200) | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | ![Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab](https://via.placeholder.com/15/FFF200/FFF200) (hatched) | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | ![Retail Opportunities](https://via.placeholder.com/15/ED1C24/ED1C24) | Retail Opportunities | | ![Recreation Opportunities](https://via.placeholder.com/15/22B14C/22B14C) | Recreation Opportunities | | ![School Opportunities](https://via.placeholder.com/15/7092BE/7092BE) | School Opportunities | | ![Arts Opportunities](https://via.placeholder.com/15/FFA2C3/FFA2C3) | Arts Opportunities | # Buckeye-Shaker Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** VACANT LAND SINGLE FAMILY TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL RETAIL (upper floor uses)l COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING BUCKEYE-SHAKER BOUNDARY WATER # Buckeye-Shaker Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * BUCKEYE-SHAKER BOUNDARY * WATER <
> # FAIRFAX NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** After its annexation to Cleveland in 1872, the neighborhood underwent a period of rapid residential development which continued until about 1920. The neighborhood is predominantly residential south of Cedar Road and is a mix of one- and two-family houses and small apartment buildings. Industries are located along the rail lines that make up the southeast and southwest boundaries of the neighborhood. North of Cedar Road much of the neighborhood is occupied by the Cleveland Clinic and other institutional and commercial uses. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are: * the *Karamu House* which, founded in 1917 is the oldest African-American theater in the country and which also operates an early childhood development center * the *Cleveland Clinic* which, with a 30,000 person payroll, is the State’s fourth largest employer * the *Cleveland Play House* founded in 1916, claims the honor of being the oldest continuously operating regional theater in the U.S. * access via the *Regional Transit Authority’s Red Line* * improvements associated with the *Euclid Corridor project* * being within the boundaries of the City’s *Empowerment Zone* * County investments in the *Quincy Place and Youth Intervention Center* projects **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Fairfax neighborhood today are: * deteriorated housing conditions * vacant lots scattered throughout the neighborhood * creating a fluid transition between the Cleveland Clinic Campus and the neighborhood and capitalizing on its proximity to the Clinic * attracting retail that will serve the needs of residents * providing better access to industrial areas and redeveloping brownfield sites * improving the aesthetics along major routes such as Carnegie, Cedar & East 105th **Vision.** Create an attractive, desirable, and vibrant mixed-income neighborhood by revitalizing its residential heart, creating new centers around community anchors and reconnecting Fairfax with adjacent communities. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * capitalize on the proximity of Fairfax to University Circle and Euclid Corridor, leveraging those investments * leverage key institutions, such the Juvenile Intervention Center, Karamu House, and the Olivet University Hospital Medical Center, to provide economic opportunity for new and existing residents * create job centers in Fairfax through strategic initiatives such as Fairfax Triangle new economy neighborhood, and the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center * reinvest in key arterial roads in Fairfax including Quincy, Carnegie, and Woodland through strategic small scale investments * connect the Fairfax neighborhood to University Circle and surrounding areas of the city via opportunity corridor * capitalize on the presence of religious and cultural institutions in Fairfax by integrating them with the surrounding areas via programmatic and social service means * develop alternative housing providing affordable mixed-use single- and two-family structures in appropriate locations # Fairfax ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend | | | |---|---| | 🚩 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | ⚑ | Other Schools | | ● | Miscellaneous | | ■ | EMS | | ⛑ | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | ⊞ | Hospital | | • | Parks (see below) | | ⬤ | Police | | ● | Service | | ⬤ | Utilities | | ☍ | Library | | ■ | Parks | | ▧ | Historic District | # Fairfax Typology and Housing Projects <
> ### HOUSING PROJECTS * Target Neighborhoods * Current and Future Projects * Home Ownership Zone O Large Projects ### Residential Investments * Market Rate New * Market Rate Rehab * Affordable New * Affordable Rehab ### Typology Program Mix | | Regional Choice | Stable | Transitional | Fragile | Distressed | | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | | Code Enforcement Action | 🏚️ | 🏚️ | | | | | Senior Initiative | 🏚️ | 🏚️ | 🏚️ | 🏚️ | 🏚️ | | Rehab - conv. And widely avail | 🏚️ | 🏚️ | | | | | Rehab - subsidized | | 🏚️ | 🏚️ target | 🏚️ target | | | Exterior | | 🏚️ | 🏚️ | 🏚️ | | | Vacant Affordable | | 🏚️ | 🏚️ target | 🏚️ target | | | Large scale projects - strengthen asset base | | 🏚️ | | | 🏚️ | | Demo and Landbank | | 🏚️ | 🏚️ target | 🏚️ target | | ### Neighborhood Market Typology DETAILED RANGE * OVER 4.71 * 4.71 * 4.57 (REGIONAL CHOICE) * 4.43 * 4.29 * 4.14 * 4.00 * 3.86 (STABLE) * 3.71 * 3.57 * 3.43 * 3.29 * 3.14 * 3.00 (TRANSITIONAL) * 2.86 * 2.71 * 2.57 * 2.43 * 2.29 * 2.14 * 2.00 (FRAGILE) * 1.86 * 1.71 * 1.57 * UNDER 1.57 (DISTRESSED) * NON-RESIDENTIAL City of Cleveland Department of Community Development January 2, 2007 # Fairfax # Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **League Park** - Create retail related to restoration of historic baseball park and as part of surrounding development **Midtown Mixed-Use District** - Encourage transit-oriented mixed-use development - Re-establish street edge - Develop parking to rear of buidings - Attract retail to serve business & residential uses **Cedar Avenue** - Create northern gateway to Fairfax - Construct streetscape improvements - esp along Clinic Parking - Near E 79th - neighborhood based retail - Near Clinic - retail for workers & residents - Mix retail with accessory office, research space **East 55th & Woodland** - Create neighborhood level shopping/lifestyle center on southwest corner (possibly food terminal related; cultural center, jazz clubs) - Bring back historic clock tower as neighborhood icon at southeast corner - Reconfigure intersection to make safer and more pedestrian/bicycle friendly - Increase safety by attracting uses that "put eyes on the street" **Mayfield/Euclid** - Build off vitality of Little Italy - Create more pedestrian-oriented environment - Locate institutional retail near streets - Maintain safety activities **Little Italy** - Develop comprehensive parking strategy - Improve gateways and streetscape - Consolidate valet areas & establish truck delivery zones - Develop infill mixed-use projects - Market district more aggressively to region - Relocate transit station closer to Mayfield Rd - Add neighborhood services to retail mix **Shaker Square/Larchmere** - Maintain retail mix that creates unique districts - Focus on improving deteriorated conditions in adjacent neighborhoods **Buckeye Rd.** - Infill construction to reinforce pedestrian orientation - Establish Pedestrian Retail Overlay District east of East 116th - Capitalize on assets to create distinct places on street - Consolidate retail by developing housing & office at east end of district - Encourage auto-oriented uses near Buckeye Plaza - Relocate library and Harvey Rice School # Fairfax ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 5.A.4 The Cleveland Playhouse - opportunity for acquisition & expansion of adjacent parcels to accommodate entertainment & retail 5.A.6 Karamu - opportunity to develop signage for existing facility and complementary development in the surrounding area that highlights the prominent African American theater (Karamu Theater district) 5.A.7 Larchmere - addition of public art and banners highlighting antique district 5.E.2 Fairfax Manufacturing Campus – acquire vacant site for economic reuse to provide jobs in the Fairfax neighborhood for residents through development of light industrial uses 5.E.3 Quincy Avenue – acquire key sites for neighborhood retail and housing redevelopment consistent with the Fairfax Master Plan; i.e., retail/ housing /mixed-use 5.E.4 Former Industrial Buildings – adaptive reuse of facility into live-work space 5.E.5 Schmidt Brewery Site – adaptive reuse of vacant building as proposed future juvenile intervention facility 5.E.6 Quincy Basin – acquire key vacant parcel for development of light industrial use as outlined in the Fairfax Master Plan 5.E.7 Victoreen Building – adaptive reuse of existing vacant structure for light industrial use 5.E.8 CMSD Building – adaptive reuse of existing structure for proposed new business and office space 5.E.9 Frank Avenue Area - redevelop the area for office, institutional, and research facilities 5.H.15 Cedar & East 105th - redevelop the area to a mixed-use district 5.H.16 Golden Avenue Area – development of single-family infill housing in conjunction with targeted rehabilitation of existing housing 5.H.17 Woodland East Area – development of single-family infill housing in conjunction with targeted rehabilitation of existing housing 5.P.6 Fairfax Park – upgrade this neighborhood park to serve as a multi-faceted recreation area for the Fairfax neighborhood, with basketball and tennis courts, track and open space, along with a small indoor facility on the site 5.P.7 Woodland Park – develop a new neighborhood park to include a ball diamond, basketball courts, greenspace and parking area 5.R.5 Euclid Avenue Opportunities – develop on underutilized and vacant land along the Euclid Avenue corridor with support retail to complement mixed-use development, building off of the Euclid Corridor project investment 5.R.7 East 83rd & Euclid – possible restaurant/entertainment reuse in conjunction with the Cleveland Playhouse 5.R.8 Carnegie & East 83rd – development of a retail/entertainment center <
> ## Development Opportunities * Economic Development Opportunities * Housing Opportunities: New Construction * Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab * Retail Opportunities * Recreation Opportunities * School Opportunities * Arts Opportunities # Fairfax Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** VACANT LAND SINGLE FAMILY TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL RETAIL (upper floor uses)l COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING FAIRFAX BOUNDARY WATER # Fairfax ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * FAIRFAX BOUNDARY * WATER # HOUGH NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** In the late 1800s, Hough (which takes its name from the street named after two early landowners, Oliver and Eliza Hough) was a prosperous neighborhood with impressive mansions and wealthy residents. Today Hough is still predominantly residential but also home to a wide variety of institutional uses that are scattered around the neighborhood. Single-family, two-family, townhouse, small and large apartment buildings are also intermixed throughout the neighborhood. <
> **Assets.** Although much of the neighborhood has suffered deterioration since the riots of the 1960s, a renaissance of new housing construction has shown promise for the neighborhood's future. Other neighborhood assets include: * *proximity to major employment centers* like the Cleveland Clinic and University Circle * being within the boundaries of the City’s Empowerment Zone * *Rockefeller Park* which makes up the neighborhood's eastern boundary * *institutional uses* like the African-American Museum, the Ronald McDonald House, the Rainey Institute, Eliza Bryant Village and the Cleveland Society for the Blind * *League Park*, former home of Cleveland's professional baseball teams * the *Church Square* shopping center * Martin Luther King and East High Schools and the Thurgood Marshall Recreation center **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the Hough neighborhood are: * large numbers of vacant residential lots throughout the neighborhood * large older homes that are expensive for residents to maintain and heat * attracting retail and services that accommodate needs of the residents * capitalizing on the proximity to University Circle, the Cleveland Clinic and Rockefeller Park to match residents with jobs and to make the neighborhood a choice for those already working at these major employers **Vision.** Promote the combination of economic development and education initiative resulting in jobs and improved quality of life for Hough residents. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * offer economic and entrepreneurial opportunities for alternative industries such as music and entertainment using the Agora entertainment complex on Euclid Avenue * capitalize on and celebrate the neighborhood’s rich arts and cultural heritage through developments such as the League Park revitalization, development of an African-American Museum Complex, the little Africa development, and a monument remembering the Hough riots * take advantage of educational resources to provide the type of education and training needed by youth (ex. Wilson Middle School which will relocate at East 55th Street with a curriculum focused on safety, health and public administration) * develop a community where youth activity and youth opportunities are the cornerstone for long term stability (4 kids foundation) * clean abandoned and contaminated land and add greenspace * capitalize on the presence of, and proximity to, educational, medical and cultural institutions in University Circle and create connections to the Hough neighborhood * continue to make Hough a neighborhood of choice for residents seeking high end and market rate housing while creating affordable housing in appropriate locations * insure that Hough becomes a center for job creation with both high and lower end employment opportunities * develop the Upper Chester neighborhood to capture existing employees and future employees of nearby institutions in University Circle and on Euclid Avenue # Hough # Community Assets - 2006 <
> ## Legend | | | | :--- | :--- | | 🟨 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | 🚩 | Other Schools | | 🔵 | Miscellaneous | | 🟣 | EMS | | 🚒 | Fire | | 🔺 | Health | | 🏥 | Hospital | | ⚫ | Parks (see below) | | 🚗 | Police | | 🟡 | Service | | 🟫 | Utilities | | 🟦 | Library | | 🟩 | Parks | | ▨ | Historic District | # Hough # Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **St. Clair Ave** - Undertake streetscape enhancements - Capitalize on live-work designation - Target underutilized properties for redevelopment - Work with property owners on safety and code enforcement - Create stronger connections to the lakefront **Superior/Addison** - Develop node of locally owned businesses - Construct infill buildings & parking **League Park** - Create retail related to restoration of historic baseball park and as part of surrounding development **Midtown Mixed-Use District** - Encourage transit-oriented mixed-use development - Re-establish street edge - Develop parking to rear of buidings - Attract retail to serve business & residential uses **MLK Plaza** - Demolish & reconstruct retail center - Blend niche retail, live entertainment & ethnic dining **Cedar Avenue** - Create northern gateway to Fairfax - Construct streetscape improvements - esp along Clinic Parking - Near E 79th - neighborhood based retail - Near Clinic - retail for workers & residents - Mix retail with accessory office, research space **Garrett Square** - Demolish structures beyond repair - Improve security: lighting, cameras, police mini-station - Recruit new retail chains - Integrate residential uses into district - Develop on vacant and underused properties **Mayfield/Euclid** - Build off vitality of Little Italy - Create more pedestrian-oriented environment - Locate institutional retail near streets - Maintain safety activities **Little Italy** - Develop comprehensive parking strategy - Improve gateways and streetscape - Consolidate valet areas & establish truck delivery zones - Develop infill mixed-use projects - Market district more aggressively to region - Relocate transit station closer to Mayfield Rd - Add neighborhood services to retail mix # Hough ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 5.A.2 League Park Area - (murals, statues, signage, etc.) highlighted the old Negro Leagues 5.A.3 African American Museum - potential relocation for redevelopment and expansion of African American History museum 5.E.1 Midtown Technology Center Area – opportunity for higher density development combining retail, office, warehousing and tech uses with major transportation enhancements 5.H.10 Melrose Area – multiple opportunities for infill or rehabbed housing 5.H.11 Birchdale-Wade Area - single-family infill housing and rehab of multi-family structures to capitalize on nearby shopping plaza renovation 5.H.12 Upper Chester – to be redeveloped as part of the Upper Chester Plan (single-family infill/rehab/mixed-use) 5.H.14 Midtown Mixed-Use District – high-density mixed-use (residential/retail and office/retail) development as proposed in the Midtown Redevelopment Plan 5.H.9 Pennsylvania Avenue – infill housing development 5.P.2 Pennsylvania-Zoeter – redevelopment of existing open space to accommodate community recreation activities (playfields, baseball diamond with benches, etc.) 5.P.4 League Park – proposed ball park and community recreation amenities highlighting the historic Negro leagues 5.R.2 League Park Retail – development of mixed-use retail/residential to complement League Park development 5.R.3 Addison & 79th – opportunity for a small-scale retail development centered around the neighborhood's green space 5.R.4 Martin Luther King Plaza – demolition and reconstruction of this neighborhood retail center 5.R.5 Euclid Avenue Opportunities – develop on underutilized and vacant land along the Euclid Avenue corridor with support retail to complement mixed-use development 5.S.2 Daniel E. Morgan School – construct a new community facility offering adult education programming during non-school hours and use of the existing greenspace as a community park <
> ### Development Opportunities * Economic Development Opportunities * Housing Opportunities: New Construction * Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab * Retail Opportunities * Recreation Opportunities * School Opportunities * Arts Opportunities # Hough Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** VACANT LAND SINGLE FAMILY TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL RETAIL (upper floor uses)l COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING HOUGH BOUNDARY WATER # Hough Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * HOUGH BOUNDARY * WATER # ST. CLAIR-SUPERIOR NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY <
> **Description.** St. Clair-Superior became home to large numbers of Slovenian and Lithuanian immigrants in the 1870s and 1880s due to the location of industries close to St. Clair Avenue. The character and architecture of the area still show the strong influence of its Eastern European settlers. The neighborhood is predominantly residential south of St. Clair Avenue and mainly industrial with small pockets of houses north of St. Clair Avenue. The industries originally located along the rail lines that follow the bluff along the lakeshore. St. Clair Avenue is a wide arterial that is the main commercial street of the neighborhood. **Assets.** Among the neighborhoods major assets are: * *proximity to Lake Erie and major open spaces* like Gordon Park, the East 55th Marina and Rockefeller Park * *good regional access* via the the East 55th and East 72nd interchanges of Interstate 90 * *the St. Clair Avenue retail district* which reflects the neighborhood’s incredible cultural diversity in the many ethnic restaurants, shops and bakeries * *the Slovenian National Home* constructed in 1924 whose auditorium can accommodate over 1,300 people **Challenges.** * preventing deteriorating conditions in the southern and eastern portion of the neighborhood from negatively impacting more stable areas * lack of variety and of new housing * large vacant industrial and institutional uses * consolidating retail into more viable nodes along St. Clair and Superior * creating stronger connections to the lakefront **Vision.** The provision of affordable spaces for artists and small businesses in a mixed-use environment which also benefits from its proximity to Lake Erie can be a cornerstone for revitalizing St. Clair-Superior. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * reinforce St. Clair Avenue as the neighborhood’s premier retail district through streetscape and pedestrian enhancements * create a presence and appreciation for arts and culture in the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood through the establishment of an arts district * encourage the reuse of upper floor living areas above commercial uses to create live-work environments * renovate underutilized warehouse and commercial buildings for adaptable reuse such as housing or other entrepreneurial endeavors * connect St. Clair-Superior to lakefront and Rockefeller Park through bicycle and pedestrian amenities as called out in the Waterfront Plan * provide the necessary basic amenities for residents in St Clair-Superior such as shopping and better access to recreation * target housing programs around the St. Vitus area # St. Clair-Superior ## Neighborhood Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend * Cleveland Municipal Schools * Other Schools * Miscellaneous * EMS * Fire * Health * Hospital * Parks (see below) * Police * Service * Utilities * Library * Parks * Historic District # St. Clair-Superior Typology and Housing Projects <
> | Typology Program Mix | | | | | | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Regional Choice | Stable | Transitional | Fragile | Distressed | | Code Enforcement Action | | | | | | | Senior Initiative | | | | | | | Rehab - conv. And widely avail | | | | | | | Rehab - subsidized | | | | target | target | | Exterior | | | | | | | Vacant Affordable | | | | target | target | | Large scale projects - strengthen asset base | | | | | | | Demo and Landbank | | | | target | target | <
> City of Cleveland Department of Community Development January 2, 2007 # St. Clair-Superior ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Maritime Service Center** - Restaurant & retail oriented to boaters & visitors **St. Clair Ave** - Undertake streetscape enhancements - Capitalize on live-work designation - Target underutilized properties for redevelopment - Work with property owners on safety and code enforcement - Create stronger connections to the lakefront **League Park** - Create retail related to restoration of historic baseball park and as part of surrounding development **New Retail:** - New retail along street frontage **Superior/Addison** - Develop node of locally owned businesses - Construct infill buildings & parking **Glenville Towne Center** - Improve building facades & signs - Improve security: police mini-station, foot patrols, cameras, employee training - Improve landscaping - Scheduled roadway improvements and utility line burial **MLK Plaza** - Demolish & reconstruct retail center - Blend niche retail, live entertainment & ethnic dining # St.Clair-Superior ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 5.H.1 Former Howard Johnson Motel – opportunity for mixed-use residential/retail development 5.H.2 Reese Paper Area – opportunity for townhouse development on vacant parcels 5.H.3 Former Tops Supermarket Site – opportunity for high-density mixed-use residential/retail development 5.H.4 East 71st Properties – rehabilitation or demolition of dilapidated homes for infill/rehab 5.H.5 Addison Road Site – opportunity for development of single-family townhouses 5.H.6 St. Vitus Area – work on concerted demolition, infill housing and rehabilitation to enhance nearby investment in the St. Vitus neighborhood 5.H.7 Kosciusko Area – opportunities for development of single-family infill or rehabilitated housing accompanied by code enforcement 5.H.8 North Superior – opportunities for townhouse and infill development and targeted rehabilitation 5.A.1 St Clair - add public art and banners 5.R.1 Addison & Superior – development of neighborhood shopping amenities with mixed-use retail and office space 5.S.1 Willson Elementary School – opportunity for possible adaptive reuse of this building as a community center after the school is relocated 5.P.1 Grdina Park – implement upgrades to park as generated through 2006 planning process <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | ![Economic Development Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/markdown/image_icons/blue_square.png) | Economic Development Opportunities | | ![Housing Opportunities: New Construction](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/markdown/image_icons/yellow_square.png) | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | ![Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/markdown/image_icons/orange_square.png) | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | ![Retail Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/markdown/image_icons/red_crosshatched_square.png) | Retail Opportunities | | ![Recreation Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/markdown/image_icons/green_crosshatched_square.png) | Recreation Opportunities | | ![School Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/markdown/image_icons/teal_grid_square.png) | School Opportunities | | ![Arts Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/markdown/image_icons/pink_square.png) | Arts Opportunities | # St. Clair-Superior Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** VACANT LAND SINGLE FAMILY TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL RETAIL (upper floor uses)l COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING ST. CLAIR-SUPERIOR BOUNDARY WATER # St. Clair-Superior ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Proposed Land Use - Year 2020 | | | | :--- | :--- | | | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) | | | ST. CLAIR-SUPERIOR BOUNDARY | | | WATER | # UNIVERSITY NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** The University neighborhood encompasses two of Cleveland’s most well known places, University Circle and Little Italy. University Circle came into being in the 1880s with the donation of 63 acres of wooded parkland to the City by financier Jeptha Wade, one of the creators of Western Union. “Little Italy” was established in the late 1800s by Italian immigrants who settled there for lucrative employment in the nearby marble works. The dense housing in Little Italy represents the largest residential area in the neighborhood. There are a few other isolated streets of residential and student housing located in the neighborhood. The majority of the land in the neighborhood is either institutional use or park land. <
> **Assets.** University is home to many institutions that are not only assets to the neighborhood but the region as well. Among the assets in the neighborhood are: * *educational institutions* like Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Cleveland Music School Settlement, John Hay High School and the Arts Magnet School * *health institutions* the University Hospitals and the Veterans Hospital * *cultural attractions* such as the Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance Hall, the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Children’s Museum and the Cleveland Botanical Gardens * *natural features* such as Doan Brook and the hillside to the “Heights” * *open spaces* such as Wade Park, Ambler Park and Lakeview Cemetery **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the University neighborhood are: * increasing the variety of housing available for a variety of markets and identifying locations for new housing * maintaining aging historically significant housing * undertaking improvements that will maintain the vibrancy of Little Italy’s commercial district * creating a lively center of activity for University Circle * reconfiguring roadways to improve sense of place and traffic flow * better integrating rapid transit stations into the fabric of the district * creating development sites for institutional expansion and spin-off development **Vision.** Maintain the University area as a leading center of arts, education and health care but with an improved sense of neighborhood and an increased variety of housing options. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * encourage institutional improvements that maintain University Circle as a center of arts and culture for the region * encourage the student, faculty and worker populations of the universities and institutions to live in the neighborhood by providing the necessary housing, retail, entertainment job, and technological amenities they require and create a 24 hour environment * reinforce University Circle as the number two economic center for the region behind downtown * develop neighborhood connections utilizing natural amenities such as Doan Brook and Rockefeller Park * undertake roadway and intersection improvements that create gateways, increase safety and improve pedestrian friendliness * undertake improvements to transit stations that will foster the construction of transit-oriented development projects # University ## Neighborhood Assets - 2006 <
> ## Legend | | | | :--- | :--- | | 🚩 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | ⛳ | Other Schools | | ● | Miscellaneous | | ■ | EMS | | ⛑️ | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | 🏥 | Hospital | | ▪ | Parks (see below) | | 🚓 | Police | | ● | Service | | ■ | Utilities | | 🛈 | Library | | 🟩 | Parks | | ▧ | Historic District | # University Typology and Housing Projects <
> ## Typology Program Mix | | Regional Choice | Stable | Transitional | Fragile | Distressed | | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | | Code Enforcement Action | 🏚 | 🏚 | | | | | Senior Initiative | 🏚 | 🏚 | 🏚 | 🏚 | 🏚 | | Rehab - conv. And widely avail | 🏚 | 🏚 | | | | | Rehab - subsidized | | 🏚 | 🏚target | 🏚target | | | Exterior | | 🏚 | 🏚 | 🏚 | 🏚 | | Vacant Affordable | | 🏚 | 🏚target | 🏚target | | | Large scale projects - strengthen asset base | | 🏚 | | 🏚 | 🏚 | | Demo and Landbank | | | 🏚target | 🏚target | 🏚 | ## Neighborhood Market Typology **DETAILED RANGE** * OVER 4.71 * 4.71 * 4.57 * 4.43 * 4.29 * 4.14 * 4.00 * 3.86 * 3.71 * 3.57 * 3.43 * 3.29 * 3.14 * 3.00 * 2.86 * 2.71 * 2.57 * 2.43 * 2.29 * 2.14 * 2.00 * 1.86 * 1.71 * 1.57 * UNDER 1.57 * NON-RESIDENTIAL **REGIONAL CHOICE** **STABLE** **TRANSITIONAL** **FRAGILE** **DISTRESSED** ## HOUSING PROJECTS * [ ] Target Neighborhoods * [ ] Current and Future Projects * ○ Large Projects ## Residential Investments * [ ] Market Rate New * [ ] Market Rate Rehab * [ ] Affordable New * [ ] Affordable Rehab City of Cleveland Department of Community Development January 2, 2007 # University ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Garrett Square** - Demolish structures beyond repair - Improve security: lighting, cameras, police mini-station - Recruit new retail chains - Integrate residential uses into district - Develop on vacant and underused properties **MLK Plaza** - Demolish & reconstruct retail center - Blend niche retail, live entertainment & ethnic dining **Mayfield/Euclid** - Build off vitality of Little Italy - Create more pedestrian-oriented environment - Locate institutional retail near streets - Maintain safety activities **Little Italy** - Develop comprehensive parking strategy - Improve gateways and streetscape - Consolidate valet areas & establish truck delivery zones - Develop infill mixed-use projects - Market district more aggressively to region - Relocate transit station closer to Mayfield Rd - Add neighborhood services to retail mix **Cedar Avenue** - Create northern gateway to Fairfax - Construct streetscape improvements - esp along Clinic Parking - Near E 79th - neighborhood based retail - Near Clinic - retail for workers & residents - Mix retail with accessory office, research space **Shaker Square/Larchmere** - Maintain retail mix that creates unique districts - Focus on improving deteriorated conditions in adjacent neighborhoods **Buckeye Rd.** - Infill construction to reinforce pedstrian orientation - Establish Pedestrian Retail Overlay District east of East 116th - Capitalize on assets to create distinct places on street - Consolidate retail by developing housing & office at east end of district - Encourage auto-oriented uses near Buckeye Plaza - Relocate library and Harvey Rice School # University ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 5.H.13 Little Italy North – targeted rehab and code enforcement where housing is in deteriorated condition 5.H.15 Cedar & East 105th – opportunity for development of mixed-use live-work units 5.A.5 University Circle - addition of historical markers highlighting the university neighborhoods history & cultural institutions 5.E.9 Frank Avenue Area – redevelop the area for office, institutional, and research facilities 5.P.3 Lakeview Cemetery – addition of benches, aesthetic improvements, historical markers and trails to allow for passive recreation 5.P.5 Ambler Park – develop passive recreation amenities at existing park near the RTA transit stop with seating-area lighting and pedestrian trails 5.P.8 Stokes Parkway – add recreational amenities such as walking and bike trails, benches, basketball and tennis courts 5.R.6 Ford & Euclid – development of mixed-use retail with higher-density residential above 5.S.3 John Hay Renovation – take advantage of the opportunity presented by the massive renovation of the school building and grounds <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | | Economic Development Opportunities | | | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | | Retail Opportunities | | | Recreation Opportunities | | | School Opportunities | | | Arts Opportunities | # University Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Existing Land Use - Year 2000 | | | | :--- | :--- | | | VACANT LAND | | | SINGLE FAMILY | | | TWO FAMILY | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | RETAIL (upper floor uses) | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | | --- | UNIVERSITY BOUNDARY | | | WATER | # University Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * UNIVERSITY BOUNDARY * WATER District 6 **Location.** District 6 occupies the northeast sector of the City of Cleveland, stretching 3 miles along the Lake Erie shoreline. It is 12 square miles in area and is comprised of six neighborhoods (or “Statistical Planning Areas”): *Glenville* and *Forest Hills* to the west, and *North Collinwood, South Collinwood* and *Euclid-Green* to the east. The District includes all of Wards 10 and 11 and most of Wards 8 and 9. It is bordered on the east and south by the suburbs of Euclid, South Euclid, Cleveland Heights and East Cleveland, with Bratenahl to the northwest. Interstate highway I-90 runs in an east-west direction through the district, providing convenient access to downtown, with interchanges at Martin Luther King Boulevard, Eddy Road, East 156 th and East 185 th Streets. Major east-west roads include Lakeshore, St. Clair, Superior and Euclid. Two heavily traveled freight rail lines run through District 6, one paralleling the Shoreway and the other paralleling Euclid Avenue and East 131 st Street. **Population.** District 6 is home to 79,369 residents (as recorded in the 2000 U.S. Census). This is equivalent to the combined populations of the nearby suburbs of Cleveland Heights and South Euclid. The district’s population is relatively stable, down 6.4% from 1990, similar to the citywide trend. African-American residents constitute 82% of the district’s population. Household incomes in District 6 are in the moderate range, with 1999 median household incomes higher in the north and the east – $29,327 in Euclid Park and $27,286 in North Collinwood – and lower in the west – $21,686 in Glenville – compared to a citywide figure of $25,928. **Development Patterns.** The Lake Erie shoreline, four stream valleys and two freight rail lines have set the pattern for development in District 6 for over a hundred years. *Parks* and *housing* have been developed in proximity to Doan Brook (through Rockefeller Park), Dugway Brook (through Forest Hills Park and Lakeview Cemetary), Nine Mile Creek (paralleling Belvoir Boulevard), and Euclid Creek (through North Collinwood and Euclid Beach State Park), as well as along the Lake Erie Shoreline, particularly in North Collinwood and in the adjacent Village of Bratenahl. Large-scale *industry* developed along the former New York Central/ Conrail (now CSX) freight line in North Collinwood and along the former Norfolk & Western (now Norfolk & Southern) line in the South Collinwood/ Nottingham area. *Retail* shopping districts developed along the area’s principal arterial streets, including St.Clair, Superior, Lakeshore, Euclid, East 105 th, East 152 nd and East 185 th District 6 Neighborhood links: * **Euclid-Green** * **Forest Hills** * **Glenville** * **North Collinwood** * **South Collinwood** # EUCLID-GREEN NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY Description. Euclid-Green is known for its quaint residential areas, scenic views and winding streets. A hillside runs through the center of the neighborhood just south of Euclid Avenue. The portion of the neighborhood at the bottom of the hill was developed predominantly during the 1920s including industry along the rail line and commercial along Euclid Avenue. A second wave of construction occurred during the 1950s and 1960s as the area at the top of the hill was developed. Originally part of Euclid, Euclid-Green was annexed by the City of Cleveland in 1926. <
> Assets. Among this predominantly residential neighborhood's assets are: * scenic vistas from the steeply banked terrain south of Euclid Avenue * the 45-acre Endora Park * Euclid Park Elementary School Challenges. Among the challenges faced in the Euclid-Green neighborhood today are: * property maintenance on certain streets such as Torbenson Dr. and Cliffview Ave. * erosion problems on some properties along the hillside * attracting residents living on streets at the top of the hill to patronize retail establishments along Euclid Avenue * limited expansion opportunities for industries located along the rail lines * improving access for businesses to the interstate highway system Vision. Strengthening existing housing and taking advantage of the areas natural features can reinforce the neighborhood's feel of a suburb in the city. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * create alternative recreation opportunities utilizing natural amenities such as Endora Park * regenerate neighborhood retail in Euclid Park through investment in the Greenlight shopping center * beautify Euclid Avenue through streetscape and pedestrian enhancements * capitalize on the topography and forest like environment as a sales tool for residential development * target housing programs on streets near the Greenlight shopping center * working with cities of Euclid and South Euclid to create a trail on an abandoned rail line that once served the bluestone quarries and would link to Euclid Reservation # Euclid-Green ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> **Legend** * Cleveland Municipal Schools * Other Schools * Miscellaneous * EMS * Fire * Health * Hospital * Parks (see below) * Police * Service * Utilities * Library * Parks * Historic District # Euclid-Green ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Waterloo:** - Form merchants association - Conduct street sales, festivals - Improve streetscape & lighting - Capitalize on entertainment orientation **Five Points:** - Improve & expand retail choices incl. supermarket - Develop as "Village Center" - Make more pedestrian friendly, add greenspace - Integrate with adjacent recreation improvements # Euclid-Green ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 6.P.5 Endora Park – make community park improvements to provide informal passive recreation, such as trails, picnic areas and open space, miniature golf 6.R.7 Euclid Avenue Greenlight Shopping Center – demolition and redevelopment of former shopping center site and an adjacent parcel fronting on Euclid Avenue <
> ## Development Opportunities * Economic Development Opportunities * Housing Opportunities: New Construction * Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab * Retail Opportunities * Recreation Opportunities * School Opportunties * Arts Opportunities # Euclid-Green ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** VACANT LAND SINGLE FAMILY TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL RETAIL (upper floor uses)l COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING EUCLID-GREEN BOUNDARY WATER <
> # Euclid-Green ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * EUCLID-GREEN BOUNDARY * WATER <
> # FOREST HILLS NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** Forest Hills gets its name from the summer estate of the John D. Rockefeller which was used by his family until 1917. The area was a vacationing spot for many wealthy Clevelanders during this time period. The neighborhood began to develop intensely between 1910 and 1930 and is predominantly residential. Many of the houses are two-family structures, especially on the streets around Forest Hills Parkway in the vicinity of Arlington Avenue. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood's most significant assets are: * the 65 acre *Forest Hills Park* which runs north/south through the neighborhood and provides a natural setting for Glenville High School & Recreation Center, Patrick Henry Middle School and Forest Hills Parkway Elementary * close freeway access via the Eddy Road interchange with Interstate 90 * the *Eddy Road industrial district* which is home to around 20 companies * the *Garrett Square* and *Three Points* commercial districts **Challenges.** Among the challenges facing Forest Hills today are: * deteriorated housing conditions especially in the northwest portion of the neighborhood * lack of housing for senior citizens * deteriorated storefronts, vacant lots and unattractive streetscape in retail districts * limited recreational amenities in Forest Hills Parkway beyond those for school-age children **Vision.** Forest Hills Parkway is a unifying element in the neighborhood that can be strengthened further to create an improved sense of place and identity. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed for the Forest Hills neighborhood are the following: * connect Glenville and Forest Hills residents to new recreation opportunities utilizing natural amenities such as Forest Hills Parkway * make Forest Hills a neighborhood that is safe for residents and business * develop an aesthetically pleasing retail environment in the Garrett Square area linking Cleveland and East Cleveland retail business * develop new and rehabilitated affordable housing in key areas of the neighborhood to create housing stability * link Forest Hills to University Circle through key developments along East 118th street, Ashbury, Euclid, Lakeview and Mayfield * regenerate the land and structure of the now vacant tops market for new retail use * utilize multifamily structures as an opportunity to provide affordable housing options # Forest Hills ## Neighborhood Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend | | | |---|---| | 🚩 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | ⚑ | Other Schools | | ⏺ | Miscellaneous | | ■ | EMS | | 🏠 | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | 🏥 | Hospital | | 🔸 | Parks (see below) | | 🚓 | Police | | ⬤ | Service | | ⬛ | Utilities | | 📚 | Library | | 🟩 | Parks | | ▨ | Historic District | # Forest Hills ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Waterloo:** - Form merchants association - Conduct street sales, festivals - Improve streetscape & lighting - Capitalize on entertainment orientation **Five Points:** - Improve & expand retail choice - Develop as "Village Center" - Make more pedestrian friendly - Integrate with adjacent recreation **Glenville Towne Center** - Improve building facades & signs - Improve security: police mini-station, foot patrols - cameras, employee training - Improve landscaping - Schedule roadway improvements and utility - line burial **Garrett Square:** - Demolish structures beyond repair - Improve security: lighting, cameras, police mini-station - Recruit new retail chains - Integrate residential uses into district - Develop on vacant and underused properties **MLK Plaza** - Demolish & reconstruct retail center - Blend niche retail, live entertainment & ethnic dining # Forest Hills ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 6.A.4 Garrett Square Public Art - art piece honoring Garrett Morgan at East 123rd & Lakeview 6.A.6 RTA Station Bridge Beautification - decorative lighting wall murals and signage 6.E.3 Former National Acme building - light industrial use 6.E.4 Chem Properties - roughly 3 acres - light industrial uses proposed 6.H.10 Brookwood & East 120th Area - opportunity for infill/rehab using various city programs 6.H.11 Brackland/Arlington Area - various sites for infill/targeted rehabilitation & code enforcement 6.H.12 Shaw & St. Clair Triangle - opportunity for higher-density residential development including mixed-use high-rise and townhouses 6.P.3 Forest Hills Parkway - parkway enhancements to include renovations such as signage, lighting, ball fields, and indoor/outdoor recreation 6.R.4 Garrett Square Retail Area - redevelopment and rehabilitation of vacant and dilapidated parcels and structures 6.R.5 Three Points - opportunity to develop mixed-use residential/commercial space 6.S.2 Forest Hills Park Elementary - opportunity to redesign the existing school to take better advantage of its park setting 6.S.3 Glenville High School - opportunity to redesign the existing school to take better advantage of its park setting 6.S.4 Patrick Henry - opportunity to construct a new school that takes better advantage of its park setting <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | |---|---| | | Economic Development Opportunities | | | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | | Retail Opportunities | | | Recreation Opportunities | | | School Opportunities | | | Arts Opportunities | # Forest Hills Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Existing Land Use - Year 2000 | | | | :--- | :--- | | VACANT LAND | | | SINGLE FAMILY | | | TWO FAMILY | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | RETAIL (upper floor uses) | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | | | FOREST HILLS BOUNDARY | | | WATER | | <
> # Forest Hills Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Proposed Land Use - Year 2020 | | | | :--- | :--- | | ![SINGLE / TWO FAMILY](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | SINGLE / TWO FAMILY | | ![MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN | | ![TOWNHOUSE](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | TOWNHOUSE | | ![MULTI FAMILY](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | MULTI FAMILY | | ![MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE | | ![MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | ![OFFICE](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | OFFICE | | ![RETAIL](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | RETAIL | | ![COMMERCIAL SERVICES](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | ![LIGHT INDUSTRY](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | ![HEAVY INDUSTRY](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | ![INSTITUTIONAL](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | INSTITUTIONAL | | ![RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | ![TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | ![PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY)](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) | | ![FOREST HILLS BOUNDARY](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | FOREST HILLS BOUNDARY | | ![WATER](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACAAAAAQCAYAAABqY1UqAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAHklEQVR4nGP8z8AAwP9/5IARJtYwGg0D5hFNDQMAx1QdE3bWkY8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=) | WATER | # GLENVILLE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** The neighborhood was originally incorporated as the Village of Glenville in 1870 and was annexed to Cleveland in 1905. Shady, thick glens through which little streams tumbled gave the area its picturesque name. During the late 1890s the area was known for its farm produce and was also a vacation spot for wealthy Clevelanders. Major development occurred in the neighborhood between 1900 and 1930. The neighborhood is predominantly residential with many streets a mix of single-family, two-family and small multi-family buildings. <
> **Assets.** Among the neighborhood’s assets are: * *Rockefeller Park* in the Doan Creek Valley, home to the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, the City Greenhouse and the Harrison Dillard Bikeway * the concentration of *churches* along East 105th Street * the *Glenville Towne Centre commercial district* featuring the East Side Market and Glenville Wall of Fame * proximity to the institutions of *University Circle* * proximity to *Lake Erie*, Gordon Park and Dike 14 * *historic residential districts* adjacent to Rockefeller Park and University Circle **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced in the Glenville neighborhood today are: * vacant lots scattered throughout the neighborhood * areas of large aging houses that are expensive to maintain and heat * limited variety of housing options * deteriorated storefronts, vacant lots and unattractive streetscape in retail districts * the largely vacant former White Motor Company site north of St. Clair, near East 79th * capitalizing on the proximity to University Circle, Rockefeller Park and Lake Erie **Vision.** Make Glenville a neighborhood of choice by building on its unique location near University Circle, Lake Erie and Rockefeller Park and the strength of its religious institutions. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * implement the Heritage Lane housing development along East 105th Street, just north of University Circle * create housing options for residents that offer variety in size, style, price-point, and housing type * target housing programs around streets near University Circle and Tanner Court * undertake streetscape enhancements along the major neighborhood arterials of East 105th, Superior, and St. Clair to complement housing and institutional investments and promote new retail investment * focus retail at nodes at East 105th/St. Clair, East 105th/Superior and Garrett Square * renovate and redevelop the White Motors site at East 79th and St. Clair into a regional retail center * restore the 88-acre Dike 14 into an accessible natural resource area on the lakefront * make Gordon Park more accessible and better connected to the lakefront and Rockefeller Park by extending and realigning MLK Boulevard at its northern end and by creating a more substantial land bridge connection over the shoreway * pursue improvements to make Rockefeller Park more user-friendly and advocate for the addition of an African-American Cultural Garden * capitalize on the heritage of Glenville residents through arts and cultural initiatives celebrating the accomplishments of its many famous residents # Glenville Community Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend | | | |---|---| | 🔲 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | ⚑ | Other Schools | | ● | Miscellaneous | | ■ | EMS | | ⛑ | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | ⛉ | Hospital | | • | Parks (see below) | | ● | Police | | ● | Service | | ■ | Utilities | | ▨ | Library | | ■ | Parks | | ▨ | Historic District | # Glenville Typology and Housing Projects <
> | Typology Program Mix | Regional Choice | Stable | Transitional | Fragile | Distressed | | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | | Code Enforcement Action | 🏠 | 🏠 | | | | | Senior Initiative | 🏠 | 🏠 | | 🏠 | 🏠 | | Rehab - conv. And widely avail | 🏠 | 🏠 | | | | | Rehab - subsidized | 🏠 | 🏠 | 🏠 target | 🏠 target | | | Exterior | 🏠 | 🏠 | 🏠 target | 🏠 target | | | Vacant Affordable | 🏠 | 🏠 | 🏠 target | 🏠 target | | | Large scale projects - strengthen asset base | 🏠 | 🏠 | 🏠 | 🏠 target | 🏠 | | Demo and Landbank | | 🏠 | 🏠 target | 🏠 target | | City of Cleveland Department of Community Development January 2, 2007 # Glenville ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Glenville Towne Center** - Improve building facades & signs - Improve security: police mini-station, foot patrols cameras, employee training - Improve landscaping - Schedule roadway improvements and utility line burial **New Retail:** - New retail along street frontage **Superior/Addison** - Develop node of locally owned businesses - Construct infill buildings & parking **MLK Plaza** - Demolish & reconstruct retail center - Blend niche retail, live entertainment & ethnic dining **Garrett Square:** - Demolish structures beyond repair - Improve security: lighting, cameras, police mini-station - Recruit new retail chains - Integrate residential uses into district - Develop on vacant and underused properties **Mayfield/Euclid** - Build off vitality of Little Italy - Create more pedestrian-oriented environment - Locate institutional retail near the street - Maintain safety activities **Little Italy** - Develop comprehensive parking strategy - Improve gateways and streetscape - Consolidate valet areas & establish truck delivery zones - Develop infill mixed-use projects - Market district more aggressively to region - Relocate transit station closer to Mayfield Rd. - Add neighborhood services to retail mix # Glenville ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 6.A.1 African American Cultural Garden in Rockefeller Park 6.A.2 East 105th Street Wall - wall mural on East 105th Street at the Bratenahl border celebrating the multi-ethnic heritage 6.A.3 Glenville Wall of Fame - opportunity for famous Glenville residents to be honored on brick wall mural 6.A.5 Lakeview Road Bridge Beautification - decorative lighting, wall murals, and signage 6.E.1 White Motors Site - redevelop vacant/underutilized industrial site for new light industrial development 6.H.1 East 88th & Carr Area - use vacant land on East 88th Street and Carr Avenue for development of multi-family housing 6.H.2 Columbia & Greenlawn - acquire site and demolish existing structure on east side of East 105th Street to create mixed-use housing 6.H.3 Olivet & Hathaway - opportunity for higher-density, townhouse development along East 105th Street 6.H.4 Superior & East 105th - opportunity for high-density development of 150 new housing units including mixed-use residential/retail and townhouses 6.H.5 Tanner Area - opportunities for infill housing construction 6.H.6 Superior Avenue Area - acquire key vacant parcels along Superior Avenue between East 105th Street and Lakeview Road for townhouse development 6.H.7 Lakeview Row - utilize vacant parcels on Lakeview Road just south of Hot Sauce Williams for townhouse development 6.H.8 Ashbury & Lakeview - rehabilitation or demolition of abandoned or underutilized buildings to create housing opportunities for planned unit development 6.H.9 Parkwood/Linn Drive Area - vacant land and dilapidated structures offer opportunities here for infill housing & rehabilitation of still usable structrures 6.P.1 Dike 14 - restoration of 88 acres of a confined disposal facility into an accessible natural resource area on the lakefront 6.P.2 Gordon Park - development of a multi-purpose recreation facility and aquatic center 6.R.1 White Motor Site - redevelop the portion of a former industrial site that fronts on a main arterial for retail development 6.R.2 St Clair & East 106th - develop a neighborhood retail shopping center in an underserved area 6.R.3 East 105th & Superior - opportunity for a new retail center and mixed-use development using vacant land and underutilized structures 6.S.1 Charles Lake Elementary - opportunity for the reuse of a former school building as an Environmental Education Center <
> ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | ![Economic Development Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/city-planning/cleveland/images/legend_economic.png) | Economic Development Opportunities | | ![Housing Opportunities: New Construction](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/city-planning/cleveland/images/legend_housing_new.png) | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | ![Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/city-planning/cleveland/images/legend_housing_infill.png) | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | ![Retail Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/city-planning/cleveland/images/legend_retail.png) | Retail Opportunities | | ![Recreation Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/city-planning/cleveland/images/legend_recreation.png) | Recreation Opportunities | | ![School Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/city-planning/cleveland/images/legend_school.png) | School Opportunities | | ![Arts Opportunities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/city-planning/cleveland/images/legend_arts.png) | Arts Opportunities | # Glenville ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Existing Land Use - Year 2000 | | | | :--- | :--- | | | VACANT LAND | | | SINGLE FAMILY | | | TWO FAMILY | | | TOWNHOUSE | | | MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK | | | MULTI FAMILY | | | OFFICE | | | RETAIL | | | RETAIL (w/ upper floor uses) | | | COMMERCIAL SERVICES | | | LIGHT INDUSTRY | | | HEAVY INDUSTRY | | | INSTITUTIONAL | | | RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE | | | TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES | | | COMMERCIAL PARKING | | | GLENVILLE BOUNDARY | | | WATER | # Glenville ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Proposed Land Use - Year 2020 * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * GLENVILLE BOUNDARY * WATER # NORTH COLLINWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** North Collinwood sits on the shores of Lake Erie and became a part of the City of Cleveland when the villages of Collinwood and Nottingham were annexed in 1910 and 1913 respectively. Early in its history it was a large vineyard area whose grapes were shipped via the rail yard to markets outside the region. Today most of the neighborhood north of I-90 is residential with housing dating from a throughout the 20th century. Apartment buildings are generally concentrated along Lakeshore Boulevard. Industrial uses are concentrated in a narrow band between I-90 and the rail lines. <
> **Assets.** There are still many strong areas of residential in the neighborhood, especially in the vicinity of Lake Erie. Other neighborhood assets include: * *Lake Erie* and the approximately three miles of shoreline in North Collinwood * *Euclid Creek* which flows through the neighborhood and meets the lake at Wildwood State Park * *Euclid Beach and Wildwood State Parks* which include the historic gateway arch of former Euclid Beach Amusement Park * *Humphrey Park*, proposed location of a new city recreation center * the *East 185th Street* retail district which is one of the strongest in the city * *Lakeshore Boulevard*, which is the route of the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway and the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Scenic Byway * *Villa Angela/St. Joseph High School* which provides college preparatory education to over 500 students **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced in the North Collinwood neighborhood are: * deteriorating housing conditions west of East 152nd Street * underutilized housing above storefronts in retail districts * erosion problems for lakefront property owners * loss of grocery store and tiring appearance of storefronts and streetscape on East 185th Street * vacant stores in the Lakeshore retail district * capitalizing better on proximity to Lake Erie and Euclid Creek **Vision.** Creating a stronger orientation to Lake Erie is a major strategy for solidifying the neighborhood and attracting new investment. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following: * develop better connections to Lake Erie taking full advantage of Collinwood’s proximity to the lake via Euclid Beach and Wildwood Park * utilize North Collinwood’s natural amenities to connect to surrounding communities and enhance neighborhood quality of life through the development of the Euclid Creek watershed connector trail and Lakeshore scenic byway * regenerate Collinwood’s retail districts through strategic investment and streetscape to create unique yet convenient destinations for residents in Cleveland and Euclid * create an entertainment district in North Collinwood by investment in the Waterloo District * utilize the neighborhoods history and heritage to develop arts and cultural events and images where appropriate * take full advantage of concentrations of old multifamily structures to develop housing opportunities at a variety of price points * target housing programs on streets west of East 152nd and south of Lakeshore Blvd. * make North Collinwood a safe neighborhood for residents and businesses # North Collinwood ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> **Legend** | | | | :--- | :--- | | 🚩 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | ⚑ | Other Schools | | ● | Miscellaneous | | 🚑 | EMS | | 🚒 | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | H | Hospital | | • | Parks (see below) | | 🚓 | Police | | ● | Service | | ■ | Utilities | | ⛼ | Library | | ■ | Parks | | ▧ | Historic District | Aerial: Airphoto USA 2005 Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan # North Collinwood ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Lakeshore:** - Build off Euclid Beach history - Capitalize on parks programming & lakefront location - Aggressively recruit new businesses - Incorporate landscaped medians & public art - Improve signage **Waterloo:** - Form merchants association - Conduct street sales, festivals - Improve streetscape & lighting - Capitalize on entertainment orientation **Five Points:** - Improve & expand retail choices incl. supermarket - Develop as "Village Center" - Make more pedestrian friendly, add greenspace - Integrate with adjacent recreation improvements **East 185th Street:** - Form merchants association - Est. special improvement district - Establish design guidelines - Update unified district image - Eliminate streetscape clutter - Improve on-street parking - Improve landscaping & street furniture # North Collinwood ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities ## Development Opportunities * Economic Development Opportunities * Housing Opportunities: New Construction * Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab * Retail Opportunities * Recreation Opportunities * School Opportunities * Arts Opportunities <
> 6.A.7 Pedestrian Bridge Overpasses - lighting, signage, trail connection, theme highlighting Collinwood 6.A.8 Lakeshore Blvd Bridge Beautification - upgrade bridge with decorative lighting and wall improvements 6.A.9 Lake Erie Coastal Scenic Byway - promote improvements that highlight nationally designated scenic byway 6.E.6 Northern Lakes Management Properties - scrap yard currently underutilized provides access to Bratenahl site by way of Coit Road in Cleveland - proposed residential 6.P.6 Humphrey Park - expand the existing park by converting an existing retail structure to an indoor recreation center, providing multiple opportunities for indoor/outdoor recreation 6.P.7 Euclid Beach Park and Wildwood Park - develop and reconfigure the existing parks, including overall cosmetic improvements, to create visible and accessible connections to the neighborhood 6.P.8 Lower Euclid Creek - restoration and preservation of existing creek system with development of a trail connection linking Euclid Creek to the waterfront # North Collinwood Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Existing Land Use - Year 2000 VACANT LAND SINGLE FAMILY TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL RETAIL (upper floor uses)l COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING NORTH COLLINWOOD BOUNDARY WATER # North Collinwood Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> ### Proposed Land Use - Year 2020 * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * NORTH COLLINWOOD BOUNDARY * WATER # SOUTH COLLINWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY **Description.** The South Collinwood neighborhood is a mixture of residential enclaves interspersed with industrial districts that developed along the rail lines which followed the southern shore of Lake Erie. Industrial development accelerated rapidly following the construction of the Collinwood Yards rail switching center and freight yard. It became a neighborhood of Cleveland when the villages of Collinwood and Nottingham were annexed to the City in 1910 and 1913. Most of the housing dates from before 1930 with the oldest cluster, from the late 1800s, located around East 152nd north of St. Clair. <
> **Assets.** Among South Collinwood’s assets are: * a *cluster of community facilities* around the Five Points area including a post office, library, 6th District police headquarters, fire company 31 and Collinwood High School * a *new sports facility* for Collinwood High School * a *new Job Corp facility* at East 140th and St. Clair * the *Five Points retail district* at East 152nd and St. Clair * *Euclid Creek* which flows from the Metroparks Euclid Creek reservation to the lakefront state parks **Challenges.** Among the challenges faced by the South Collinwood neighborhood today are: * deteriorated housing conditions west of East 152nd Street * difficult to build on vacant lots * limited retail choices, unattractive sites and buildings and auto-oriented layout in the Five Points retail district * vacant industrial properties and brownfield sites, many in close proximity to residential neighborhoods * poor access to the interstate highway system for industrial properties along and south of St. Clair Avenue **Vision.** A strong sense of place created around improvements to the institutional and commercial uses at the Five Points intersection can serve as a centerpiece for revitalization of surrounding residential streets. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed for South Collinwood are the following: * provide diverse recreation for all ages and ability levels through recreation partnerships and strategic use of its land resources * foster the development of its residents through the strategic development of education and Job training centers * provide affordable housing options for residents by the regeneration of abandoned and underutilized structures * create good connections to surrounding communities and the overall Region via bicycle and pedestrian trails (especially in the vicinity of Euclid Creek and East 152nd) with strong bus and rail connections * create and develop a positive image through reconstruction of major thoroughfares and streetscape enhancements along St Clair and East 152nd * target housing programs on streets south of St. Clair and east of Ivanhoe # Lake Erie # South Collinwood ## Community Assets - 2006 <
> ### Legend | | | | :--- | :--- | | 🚩 | Cleveland Municipal Schools | | 🚏 | Other Schools | | ● | | | ■ | EMS | | 🚒 | Fire | | ▲ | Health | | 🏥 | Hospital | | ● | Parks (see below) | | 👮 | Police | | ● | Service | | 🏢 | Utilities | | 🏛 | Library | | ■ | Parks | | ▨ | Historic District | # South Collinwood ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Retail District Strategies <
> **Lakeshore:** - Build off Euclid Beach history - Capitalize on parks programming & lakefront location - Aggressively recruit new businesses - Incorporate landscaped medians & public art - Improve signage **Waterloo:** - Form merchants association - Conduct street sales, festivals - Improve streetscape & lighting - Capitalize on entertainment orientation **Five Points:** - Improve & expand retail choices incl. supermarket - Develop as "Village Center" - Make more pedestrian friendly, add greenspace - Integrate with adjacent recreation improvements **East 185th Street:** - Form merchants association - Est. special improvements district - Establish design guidelines - Update unified district image - Eliminate streetscape clutter - Improve on-street parking - Improve landscaping & street furniture # South Collinwood ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan - Development Opportunities 6.E.2 Bratenahl Property - 27 acres of clean vacant land currently owned by Forest City in the Village of Bratenahl - retail use proposed 6.E.5 Water Tower Park Coit Rd Site - 40 acres - 23 acres for proposed Job Corp with 17 acres available with use undetermined 6.E.7 Five Points Industrial Area - reutilization of vacant and underutilized structures multi-use area dominated by recreation related uses 6.E.8 Mandalay Properties - proposed light industrial use 6.E.9 Nottingham Business Campus - partially occupied - commercial & light industrial uses proposed 6.H.13 St. Clair/Woodworth Area - opportunities on various available sites for planned unit development, townhouses or infill housing 6.H.14 Galewood Area - multiple opportunities for infill/targeted rehab 6.H.15 Coit Corner - vacant parcels fronting on the southwest corner of East 140th Street and St Clair Avenue offer opportunities for infill housing 6.H.16 Aspinwall/St Clair Area - targeted rehabilitation/code enforcement 6.P.4 Five Points Area - acquisition of former industrial property for the development of a neighborhood sports complex and recreation campus 6.P.8 Lower Euclid Creek - restoration and preservation of existing creek system with development of a trail connection linking Euclid Creek to the waterfront 6.P.9 Quarry Trail - develop trail along the route of a former rail spur that serviced the bluestone quarries in South Euclid with opportunity for heritage interpretation 6.R.6 Five Points - opportunity for complementary mixed-use development created by the presence of new recreational amenities just south of a highly accessible intersection 6.S.5 Collinwood High School - acquisition of industrial property adjacent to Collinwood High School for the development of a sports campus ## Development Opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | ▓▓▓ | Economic Development Opportunities | | ▓▓▓ | Housing Opportunities: New Construction | | ▓▓▓ | Housing Opportunities: Infill/Rehab | | ▓▓▓ | Retail Opportunities | | ▓▓▓ | Recreation Opportunities | | ▓▓▓ | School Opportunities | | ▓▓▓ | Arts Opportunities | <
> # South Collinwood ## Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Existing Land Use - Year 2000** VACANT LAND SINGLE FAMILY TWO FAMILY TOWNHOUSE MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK MULTI FAMILY OFFICE RETAIL RETAIL (upper floor uses)l COMMERCIAL SERVICES LIGHT INDUSTRY HEAVY INDUSTRY INSTITUTIONAL RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMERCIAL PARKING SOUTH COLLINWOOD BOUNDARY WATER <
> # South Collinwood Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan Land Use <
> **Proposed Land Use - Year 2020** * SINGLE / TWO FAMILY * MIXED USE: DOWNTOWN * TOWNHOUSE * MULTI FAMILY * MIXED USE: RESIDENTIAL + RETAIL/OFFICE * MIXED USE: LIVE-WORK * OFFICE * RETAIL * COMMERCIAL SERVICES * LIGHT INDUSTRY * HEAVY INDUSTRY * INSTITUTIONAL * RECREATION/OPEN SPACE/LANDSCAPE * TRANSPORTATION / PUBLIC UTILITIES * PARKING (DOWNTOWN ONLY) * SOUTH COLLINWOOD BOUNDARY * WATER # GLOSSARY Understanding the terms used in the citywide plan are important factors in insuring a logical understanding of the plans proposals and policies. Below is a list of terms used in the Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan along with illustrations to facilitate readers in conceptualizing the Language used throughout the Plan. **Comprehensive Planning** - Municipal Planning on a metropolitan or regional level that is based on overall, not jurisdictional boundaries. These plans typically addresses services and/ or land utilization. <
> Fairview Park Land Use Map **Infill Development** -The practice of building on vacant or undeveloped parcels in dense areas - particularly in urban and inner suburban neighborhoods. This concept promotes compact development, which can allow undeveloped land to remain open and green. <
> Detroit’s New Center **Brownfield Development** - Reuse of land that is often abandoned, environmentally contaminated, and has typically had an industrial tenant. Brownfield’s are often found in most cities (frequently in low-income neighborhoods) and are able to be regenerated for productive reuse. This is a key component to maximizing use of the built environment and promoting compact dense development. <
> Cleveland Food Bank **Greenspace** - Green areas, including parks that are often connected and accessible to the everyday lives of people in existing neighborhoods and communities <
> "Sunning On The Great Lawn" **New Urbanism** - A movement to build and rebuild communities on a human scale-interconnecting streets, homes with porches, pedestrian friendly traffic patterns, shared open space and greenways, local retail businesses that are near housing and services, and construction practices that are environmentally sensitive. In suburbia, may be a new “town center” or in cities may be called and “urban village.” <
> Crocker Park **Traffic Calming** - Techniques that better integrate traffic flow and improve the quality of life in existing, dense neighborhoods. Examples include narrower roadways, on street parking buffers, green barriers, fewer and broader crosswalks, roundabouts, signage and special curb bump outs. <
> Portland Office of Transportation **Core Jobs** - Jobs found in the core neighborhoods of cities and communities that are near housing, transit and services. This strategy can correct the disparity between where people live and where jobs are found in either the urban or the suburban/rural context. <
> Cleveland Clinic **Walkable Communities** - Communities with a quality of life that allows for housing, jobs, schools, services and amenities to be assessable by a walk or bike-ride-not a car ride. <
> Oxford Street, London **Land Use Planning** - Planning which regulates the use of land which seeks to maximize development in existing communities, minimize intrusion into green areas, and create and enhance a sustainable quality of life by determining complementary uses of land in given areas. <
> Solon Zoning Map **Green-Development** - Buildings that use environmentally friendly construction practices and are energy efficient. There are a number of public and private incentives for green development, and increasingly, nonprofit developers use green construction as a way of increasing the expendable resources of lower income persons. <
> Trinity Commons, Cleveland **Mixed Income Housing Development** -Developments that includes housing for all income levels. In urban neighborhoods, it is a tool to deconcentrate poverty. In suburban neighborhoods, it is a design principle that designates a percentage of housing to different price ranges and may include persons with very low income. <
> Riverview, Hope IV 3 **Transit Oriented Development (TOD)-** Mixed-Use, higher density development, along with complementary public uses, jobs, retail and services centered on existing or new transportation facilities (including bus, rail, automobile, bicycle and pedestrian). In many cities, neighborhood redevelopment strategies are increasingly centered on TOD principles. <
> Conceptual Drawing from Newurbanism.org **Smart Codes -** Modification of existing state and local building and Zoning codes to allow the development of regulations that foster smart growth activity. These activities include green building, smart rehab and the establishment of zoning requirements or districts that facilitate mixed use, dense, pedestrian oriented development. **Growth Management -** A central tenant of sustainable development that espouses the idea that uncontrolled growth cannot be sustained over time and that communities should intentionally plan the ways they want to develop <
> Chula Vista, California **Assets -** An asset can be defined as a place, organization, structure or amenities that add value to a neighborhood or community and can be used as leverage for the growth or benefit of a particular neighborhood or community. Although some communities may be unaware of their assets , what people in a community value define its assets. They can include physical developments, natural amenities, and organizations that produce a return directly (economically) or indirectly (through some type of service). <
> Severance Hall **Sustainable Neighborhood Development** - Organizations have different views on what sustainable development means, the connecting Cleveland Citywide Plan views it from a physical, social and economic development perspective the following are elements of sustainable neighborhoods. * ***People*-friendly streets** * *A mix of uses in an area* * *Provide the benefits of town-like density* * *Building on a human scale* * *Diversity at all levels* * ***Environmentally* sensitive design and architecture** * *Economically self sufficient* * *Superior air quality* * *Use of techniques and practices that foster efficient re-use of waste materials* * ***Economically sustainable*** <
> European Commission on Sustainable Development <
> The United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development **Livable Neighborhoods** - Deals with people, the environment and economic conditions. Some see livable communities and sustainable communities as one in the same. Although closely related because both have similar characteristics there are fundamental differences. Here are a few things that describe livable communities. * *Safe* * *Housing is affordable* * *Services Accessible* * *Opportunities exist for everyone* * *Healthy & aesthetically pleasing environment* * *Transit Oriented* <
> From: *Site Planning and Community Design for Great Neighborhoods* by Frederick D. Jarvis **Opportunity Zones** - Any existing large scale or consolidated area that can be identified as a future development opportunity. These areas have the potential to spur addition development within an immediate area or create Job & population growth in and around a site or series of sites. **Smart Neighborhood Growth** - Neighborhoods where people can live, work, shop and have an identity. Planned communities that connect people with safe and accessible transit, affordable housing, schools, jobs, open space, parks, retail as well as other desired amenities. **Neighborhood District** - An area within a neighborhood that constitutes two or more city blocks characterized by a dominant land use. Neighborhood districts can be defined as retail, institutional, residential, Live-work etc. **Mix Use District** - Consist of two or more city blocks characterized by mix-use developments. (Series of mixed use developments clustered together) <
> Crocker Park, Westlake, Ohio **Mixed Use Development** - Projects that combine various types of developments such as residential, retail, and offices into one project. This concept promotes comprehensive revitalization through retention or addition of housing, services and jobs. <
> Excelsior Boulevard in St. Louis Park, Minnesota