As the saying goes, "you've got to spend money to make money." With a new $35 million award in tax credits from the U.S. Department of Treasury, Cleveland Development Advisors (CDA) plans to spur economic development in the city by financing projects that lead to more business opportunities.

CDA, an affiliate of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, was one of six entities in Ohio to be awarded this latest round of federal tax credits. CDA plans to use the award to focus on ... Read more >

The Capitol Theatre, a three-screen movie theater at Detroit and W. 65th Street that opened in late 2009, has met its projections by attracting 45,000 patrons in its first year.

The pioneering venue is the only indie movie theater on Cleveland's west side. The Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization (DCSDO), the nonprofit developer, secured financing and broke ground on the project just a few months before the collapse of the financial markets in 2008. The the... Read more >

To paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld: "Taco Tuesdays -- what's up with that?" Seems that all across this great city, barflies are bellying up to the counter for bottomless plates of dirt-cheap tacos. While the origins of this fad are fuzzy, the rationale behind the trend is simple enough: offer deeply discounted tacos to hungry diners in hopes of upping business on a traditionally slow weeknight. Some fans hit up new spots weekly, while others fashion a taco-themed pub crawl... Read more >

Since 2001, Cleveland Public Theatre has been fostering original works by independent Northeast Ohio artists through its residency program. Titled Big [BOX], the program provides budding talent access to resources such as stage management, production staff, box office, and marketing and advertising support. For one week, artists are "given the keys to the theater" to polish their productions, culminating in a full-weekend run.

Through its residency program, Big [BOX], Cleveland Public Theatre fosters original works by independent Northeast Ohio artists. Fresh Water photographer Bob Perkoski sat in on the rehearsals of two past and one upcoming production -- "Fast Forward-Rewind-Stop," "Cowboy Poet" and "Through Her Eyes" -- and prepared this engrossing pictorial feature. Please turn off cell phones before taking your seat.

For years, the trend in Ohio City was for young couples to buy homes, live there a few years, and then flee to the suburbs when they had kids. Thanks to a close-knit group of pioneering parents, that story may soon have a different ending. With hopes for a new public charter school becoming a reality, many young parents see a future that doesn't include a home in suburbia.

When it opens next week, XYZ Tavern will fill what Detroit Shoreway residents say is a need for good, casual and affordable fare. And that's just what they'll get, promises owner Randy Kelley, who along with partners Linda Syrek and Alan Glazen will dish out scratch-made comfort food in a modern tavern setting. For nearly five months, Fresh Water photographer Bob Perkoski documented the progression that transformed Perry's Family Restaurant, a long-shuttered greasy spoon, into XYZ... Read more >

In a spirit reminiscent of progressive outposts like Seattle, Cleveland is becoming a national leader in deconstruction, a movement that treats vacant homes across the region not as an eyesore but a post-natural resource.

When it comes to real estate, Howard Grandon believes in second chances. That's why he's transforming a former illicit nightclub in Detroit Shoreway into market-rate apartments and storefronts, which he hopes will continue to breathe new life into an old neighborhood.

Mike Graley, a wine buyer for Heinen's for 20 years, is applying his expertise to a new venture, Battery Park Wine Bar,a.k.a. YOLO Wine Bar in Battery Park. YOLO stands for "You Only LiveOnce," which Graley says is the theme of his unpretentious,contemporary joint, in the former Eveready plant in Detroit Shoreway'sBattery Park neighborhood.

This "not-so-typical wine bar," asGraley describes it, will carry well over 100 varieties, all sold at just$12 above retail -- unlike... Read more >

The Civic Commons is a modern-day marriage of online technology, citizen journalism, and civic collaboration. The mission? To inform, engage and lead local residents to action on any number of weighty topics. Our guides: Dan Moulthrop and Noelle Celeste.

City governments often get a bad rap. Cleveland's government isespecially vulnerable to dismissal, what with that lingering "mistakeon the lake" thing. But some informed government watchers — at Harvard,no less — like what they see, at least in terms of the city'swillingness to cooperate with communities in building a better future.

The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation,at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, recently recognizedthe Strateg... Read more >

Someday the Medical Mart may make Cleveland an essential destination for healthcare professions. But the city has already achieved such status among those who study blight, which is why Cleveland is hosting the third national Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference, which continues through Friday at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel on Public Square.

"This is by far the biggest," says Jennifer Leonard of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Community Progress, which organi... Read more >

What's it like to be a Cleveland locavore? Spend a day with Dan Scharf, an attorney who smokes meat, cures ham, and raises chickens, and you'll find out. Hint: It involves a lot of shopping.