Emerging Neighborhoods
Three prominent community development groups in Cleveland have merged, and staffers say the resulting alliance will help strengthen community revitalization efforts across the city, foster more unified advocacy, and allow for greater efficiency in citywide efforts.
Neighborhood Progress Inc. (NPI), a community development intermediary that provides grants and technical assistance to community development corporations (CDCs), has merged with Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition (CNDC) and LiveCleveland. CNDC is a trade association of CDCs; LiveCleveland helps to market city neighborhoods.
That might sound like a mouthful of acronyms to the average city resident, but Joel Ratner, President of NPI, says the collaboration really is about improving Cleveland's neighborhoods.
"We'll have a greater ability to coordinate the marketing of neighborhoods along with advocacy, capacity building and all the other things we've traditionally done," he says. "This is really about uniting the strands of community development across the city in a way that's integrated and strategic rather than separate."
For example, says Ratner, CDCs will be able to have a stronger voice in education reform and other efforts that affect the entire city, residents will see an increased marketing presence, and CDC employees will benefit from shared services like healthcare. It adds up to more effective efforts to improve all of Cleveland.
"Our mission is to foster communities of choice and opportunity throughout Cleveland," says Ratner, who acknowledges that NPI will still only have resources to provide core operating support to a subset of city neighborhoods. "There are lots of ways we can play a role in lifting up all CDCs and neighborhoods."
CNDC Director Colleen Gilson says that while the merger idea was far from popular among CDCs at first -- they feared losing their independence -- individual leaders saw the value in fostering a citywide community development network that provides more effective services to all neighborhoods, not just a select few.
The merger will be publicly rolled out in September, with NPI moving into its new offices in the Saint Luke's project at Shaker Boulevard and E. 116th by January.
Source: Joel Ratner
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Neighborhood Progress Inc. (NPI), a community development intermediary that provides grants and technical assistance to community development corporations (CDCs), has merged with Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition (CNDC) and LiveCleveland. CNDC is a trade association of CDCs; LiveCleveland helps to market city neighborhoods.
That might sound like a mouthful of acronyms to the average city resident, but Joel Ratner, President of NPI, says the collaboration really is about improving Cleveland's neighborhoods.
"We'll have a greater ability to coordinate the marketing of neighborhoods along with advocacy, capacity building and all the other things we've traditionally done," he says. "This is really about uniting the strands of community development across the city in a way that's integrated and strategic rather than separate."
For example, says Ratner, CDCs will be able to have a stronger voice in education reform and other efforts that affect the entire city, residents will see an increased marketing presence, and CDC employees will benefit from shared services like healthcare. It adds up to more effective efforts to improve all of Cleveland.
"Our mission is to foster communities of choice and opportunity throughout Cleveland," says Ratner, who acknowledges that NPI will still only have resources to provide core operating support to a subset of city neighborhoods. "There are lots of ways we can play a role in lifting up all CDCs and neighborhoods."
CNDC Director Colleen Gilson says that while the merger idea was far from popular among CDCs at first -- they feared losing their independence -- individual leaders saw the value in fostering a citywide community development network that provides more effective services to all neighborhoods, not just a select few.
The merger will be publicly rolled out in September, with NPI moving into its new offices in the Saint Luke's project at Shaker Boulevard and E. 116th by January.
Source: Joel Ratner
Writer: Lee Chilcote
A trio of local creatives, whose work in the arts ranges from entrepreneurship to philanthropy, have been acknowledged for the impact they make on the community.
Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio, a nonprofit that promotes creative learning through the arts for local children and teenagers, announced the winners of its 2013 Arts, Education and Entrepreneurship Awards late last week.
As part of its 60th anniversary celebration, the organization recognized those who have made a lasting contribution in the three key categories, says development director Jerry Smith.
The winners are:
* Stephanie Morrison-Hrbek, founder and director of Near West Theatre. Located in the Gordon Square Arts District, the theater was deemed by Young Audiences as a bastion for Cleveland youth struggling with their identities.
* Anna Arnold, director of the Florence O’Donnell Wasmer Gallery. An artist and educator, Arnold works with at-risk children, encouraging them to positively express their thoughts and values through art.
* Jeff Lachina, CEO of Lachina. The entrepreneur's educational product company recruits from Cleveland Institute of Art and other area universities to demonstrate to students that an active career in the arts can happen locally.
The three award-winners each will have an endowment established in their names, and be recognized during Young Audience's anniversary commemoration in September.
"They all reached out into the community in a unique way, touching the lives of people for whom the arts is not always readily available," says Smith.
SOURCE: Jerry Smith, Jennifer Abelson
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio, a nonprofit that promotes creative learning through the arts for local children and teenagers, announced the winners of its 2013 Arts, Education and Entrepreneurship Awards late last week.
As part of its 60th anniversary celebration, the organization recognized those who have made a lasting contribution in the three key categories, says development director Jerry Smith.
The winners are:
* Stephanie Morrison-Hrbek, founder and director of Near West Theatre. Located in the Gordon Square Arts District, the theater was deemed by Young Audiences as a bastion for Cleveland youth struggling with their identities.
* Anna Arnold, director of the Florence O’Donnell Wasmer Gallery. An artist and educator, Arnold works with at-risk children, encouraging them to positively express their thoughts and values through art.
* Jeff Lachina, CEO of Lachina. The entrepreneur's educational product company recruits from Cleveland Institute of Art and other area universities to demonstrate to students that an active career in the arts can happen locally.
The three award-winners each will have an endowment established in their names, and be recognized during Young Audience's anniversary commemoration in September.
"They all reached out into the community in a unique way, touching the lives of people for whom the arts is not always readily available," says Smith.
SOURCE: Jerry Smith, Jennifer Abelson
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Stormwater run-off can overflow sewers, flood homes, erode roads and streambanks, and pollute our beloved waterways. Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is seeking to address these issues with a stormwater management program. Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, manager of watershed programs for NEORSD, explains what the venture means for the average resident.
Young urbanist leaders who were in Cleveland this week for Next City's annual Vanguard conference were asked a provocative question about this city's future. With new development activity happening in neighborhoods across a city that still is devastatingly poor, how can we do a better job of ensuring that these projects will benefit our poorest residents?
"I'm a little concerned that as we build projects, we're creating a city for yuppies and a city for everyone else," commented Ari Maron of MRN Ltd. in a presentation to 40 leaders from across the U.S. and Canada engaged in fields such as urban planning, entrepreneurship and sustainability. "How many cupcake and yogurt shops can a city sustain?"
Heads nodded and attendees laughed as Maron admitted the challenge was as much to himself as others, since MRN owns three of the city's most prominent new developments, E. Fourth Street in downtown Cleveland, Uptown in University Circle and property along W. 25th in Ohio City.
Several attendees noted that they were surprised by how few of the city's larger developments have translated into prosperity for surrounding neighborhoods. Sitting in the newly-built Museum of Contemporary Art at University Circle, leaders asked how that area's success could benefit its low-income neighbors.
Maron cited the Greater University Circle Initiative and local hiring and procuring efforts by University Hospitals and others. MRN has committed to hiring local residents for its projects, and the company now employs 285 city residents.
"When people from the neighborhood work here, they take ownership of the project because it's their neighborhood," he said, citing DoubleTree Hotel as one example of a University Circle project that employees many local residents.
An attendee from Chicago noted that Cleveland appears to be behind in adding bike-friendly infrastructure. He cited the recent addition of separated bicycle lanes to Surmac Avenue in Chicago as a game-changing project for his city. "Cleveland needs to do one really good pilot project," said the attendee.
Next City is a national nonprofit media organization that organizes the Vanguard conference to highlight best urban practices and develop young urban leaders. Updates from the conference are being posted on Next City's daily blog.
Source: Next City, Ari Maron
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"I'm a little concerned that as we build projects, we're creating a city for yuppies and a city for everyone else," commented Ari Maron of MRN Ltd. in a presentation to 40 leaders from across the U.S. and Canada engaged in fields such as urban planning, entrepreneurship and sustainability. "How many cupcake and yogurt shops can a city sustain?"
Heads nodded and attendees laughed as Maron admitted the challenge was as much to himself as others, since MRN owns three of the city's most prominent new developments, E. Fourth Street in downtown Cleveland, Uptown in University Circle and property along W. 25th in Ohio City.
Several attendees noted that they were surprised by how few of the city's larger developments have translated into prosperity for surrounding neighborhoods. Sitting in the newly-built Museum of Contemporary Art at University Circle, leaders asked how that area's success could benefit its low-income neighbors.
Maron cited the Greater University Circle Initiative and local hiring and procuring efforts by University Hospitals and others. MRN has committed to hiring local residents for its projects, and the company now employs 285 city residents.
"When people from the neighborhood work here, they take ownership of the project because it's their neighborhood," he said, citing DoubleTree Hotel as one example of a University Circle project that employees many local residents.
An attendee from Chicago noted that Cleveland appears to be behind in adding bike-friendly infrastructure. He cited the recent addition of separated bicycle lanes to Surmac Avenue in Chicago as a game-changing project for his city. "Cleveland needs to do one really good pilot project," said the attendee.
Next City is a national nonprofit media organization that organizes the Vanguard conference to highlight best urban practices and develop young urban leaders. Updates from the conference are being posted on Next City's daily blog.
Source: Next City, Ari Maron
Writer: Lee Chilcote
With downtown Cleveland seeing more than $2 billion in travel-related development, we must step up and make sure visitors are provided with the best possible service. We want them to spread the word when they get home about how great Cleveland is.
That was the message from David Gilbert, CEO of Positively Cleveland, at the organization's recent annual meeting. Based on recent research, the organization has determined that the city has "a communication gap" rather than "a product gap."
"We have the product -- amenities that most cities would be jealous of," said Gilbert. "We don't have enough people experiencing it."
To close that gap, Gilbert unveiled an aggressive plan to train hospitality workers as well as locals in how to better market the city and welcome and direct visitors. Positively Cleveland will also focus on legibility and wayfinding signage, online information, streetscape improvements, visitor hospitality, altering local perceptions and better destination branding and communications.
"We've done a great job of building big buildings, but we need more than that," Gilbert said. "It's 'what was the walk like?,' not just the Rock Hall experience."
Source: David Gilbert
Writer: Lee Chilcote
That was the message from David Gilbert, CEO of Positively Cleveland, at the organization's recent annual meeting. Based on recent research, the organization has determined that the city has "a communication gap" rather than "a product gap."
"We have the product -- amenities that most cities would be jealous of," said Gilbert. "We don't have enough people experiencing it."
To close that gap, Gilbert unveiled an aggressive plan to train hospitality workers as well as locals in how to better market the city and welcome and direct visitors. Positively Cleveland will also focus on legibility and wayfinding signage, online information, streetscape improvements, visitor hospitality, altering local perceptions and better destination branding and communications.
"We've done a great job of building big buildings, but we need more than that," Gilbert said. "It's 'what was the walk like?,' not just the Rock Hall experience."
Source: David Gilbert
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Mansfield Frazier, the entrepreneurial mastermind behind the improbable Chateau Hough vineyard at E. 66th and Hough, says he will break ground on the world's first biocellar this year. He's raised more than half of the $100,000 needed to complete the experimental, innovative project.
"This is about growing crops in the wintertime," says Frazier. The biocellar, which has been described as a passive solar greenhouse, will consist of a glass structure built on top of the basement of a demolished home. "We plan to grow mushrooms because they're $12 a pound, an acre yield higher than anything else. This is about renewing neighborhoods, reusing buildings and creating wealth in the inner city."
"The biocellar is based on two concepts," Frazier explains of the glass-topped structure developed by permaculture designer Jean Loria. "One is a root cellar, which has been around thousands of years, and the other is a greenhouse. It's basically taking a greenhouse structure and putting it on top of a root cellar."
Frazier says that he hopes to break ground in July so that the biocellar will be completed by fall. The two- to three-month build-out will be handled by Don Lasker of ALL Construction, and Frazier will also employ a lot of neighborhood residents and guys from a local halfway house. The biocellar was designed by Arkinetics.
Funding sources include local councilpeople, stormwater management funding from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District and a local angel investor.
"We're budgeting $100,000 for the first one, but hopefully the cost will go down once we know what we're doing," says Frazier. "We know the science is there."
Source: Mansfield Frazier
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"This is about growing crops in the wintertime," says Frazier. The biocellar, which has been described as a passive solar greenhouse, will consist of a glass structure built on top of the basement of a demolished home. "We plan to grow mushrooms because they're $12 a pound, an acre yield higher than anything else. This is about renewing neighborhoods, reusing buildings and creating wealth in the inner city."
"The biocellar is based on two concepts," Frazier explains of the glass-topped structure developed by permaculture designer Jean Loria. "One is a root cellar, which has been around thousands of years, and the other is a greenhouse. It's basically taking a greenhouse structure and putting it on top of a root cellar."
Frazier says that he hopes to break ground in July so that the biocellar will be completed by fall. The two- to three-month build-out will be handled by Don Lasker of ALL Construction, and Frazier will also employ a lot of neighborhood residents and guys from a local halfway house. The biocellar was designed by Arkinetics.
Funding sources include local councilpeople, stormwater management funding from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District and a local angel investor.
"We're budgeting $100,000 for the first one, but hopefully the cost will go down once we know what we're doing," says Frazier. "We know the science is there."
Source: Mansfield Frazier
Writer: Lee Chilcote
As cities continue to become more bike-friendly, new bike-based businesses are springing up to support the movement. These bike-centric businesses are both banking on and promoting a growing interest in riding, and in the process they are boosting their cities' economies.
cleveland schools trying new educational approach
In a CBS News story titled “Public, charter schools team up in Cleveland,” Dean Reynolds writes of Cleveland’s historically poor performance in standardized testing and efforts to improve such data through specialized charter schools.
“The classrooms are quiet and small -- 15 kids or less. There's individual instruction from teachers on everything from public speaking to personal etiquette.”
While the traditional schools are struggling with behavior issues, large class sizes, and overall poor performance, Alan Roskamm, CEO of a group of charters, shares that in the right environment the children can thrive.
"Many people will say you have to fix poverty before you can fix education. We believe it is upside down. The only way to fix poverty is to provide our children with a quality education," Roskamm was quoted in the article.
Read the full story here.
“The classrooms are quiet and small -- 15 kids or less. There's individual instruction from teachers on everything from public speaking to personal etiquette.”
While the traditional schools are struggling with behavior issues, large class sizes, and overall poor performance, Alan Roskamm, CEO of a group of charters, shares that in the right environment the children can thrive.
"Many people will say you have to fix poverty before you can fix education. We believe it is upside down. The only way to fix poverty is to provide our children with a quality education," Roskamm was quoted in the article.
Read the full story here.
Elisabeth Sapell admits that she has a sweet tooth. But she also grew up in her family’s grocery store, Sapell’s Bi-Rite in Lakewood. So she paired her love for candy with her knowledge of the grocery store industry and will soon open the supermarket of candy stores, Candytropolis on Richmond Road across from Richmond Mall.
“It’s a large candy superstore,” Sapell explains. “It’s 6,000 square feet of pretty much every candy you can think of. You name it, it will be there. It’s a city with the streets lined with colorful candy fun.”
Sapell wanted to start her own business for a while before she came up with the idea for Candytropolis and joined Bad Girl Ventures' spring 2013 class. While she acknowledges the candy market is saturated, Sapell’s vision of a superstore that carries variety, specialty items and gift baskets, paired with a prominent online presence, will set her apart from the rest.
And Sapell has candy. “Candy makes everyone happy,” she gushes, pointing out that different candies conjure up nostalgic memories to any age. “It’s recession proof. Everyone wants a treat when times are tough.”
But Sapell also has a solid business plan in place. In fact, she was a finalist in the BGV business plan competition, and the experience helped solidify her vision.
“It was the opportunity to go to the classes, meet a lot of people and make connections,” she says. “And I wanted to be around like-minded people who wanted to do something on their own terms. It gets lonely when you’re trying to plan.” She also received an SBA loan after learning about the option through the BGV program.
Sapell recently hired an assistant manager and has candidates lined up for stock people, cashiers, a team leader and a social media specialist. Candytropolis is scheduled to open in September.
Source: Elisabeth Sapell
Writer: Karin Connelly
“It’s a large candy superstore,” Sapell explains. “It’s 6,000 square feet of pretty much every candy you can think of. You name it, it will be there. It’s a city with the streets lined with colorful candy fun.”
Sapell wanted to start her own business for a while before she came up with the idea for Candytropolis and joined Bad Girl Ventures' spring 2013 class. While she acknowledges the candy market is saturated, Sapell’s vision of a superstore that carries variety, specialty items and gift baskets, paired with a prominent online presence, will set her apart from the rest.
And Sapell has candy. “Candy makes everyone happy,” she gushes, pointing out that different candies conjure up nostalgic memories to any age. “It’s recession proof. Everyone wants a treat when times are tough.”
But Sapell also has a solid business plan in place. In fact, she was a finalist in the BGV business plan competition, and the experience helped solidify her vision.
“It was the opportunity to go to the classes, meet a lot of people and make connections,” she says. “And I wanted to be around like-minded people who wanted to do something on their own terms. It gets lonely when you’re trying to plan.” She also received an SBA loan after learning about the option through the BGV program.
Sapell recently hired an assistant manager and has candidates lined up for stock people, cashiers, a team leader and a social media specialist. Candytropolis is scheduled to open in September.
Source: Elisabeth Sapell
Writer: Karin Connelly
It's been four years since Cleveland began allowing residents to keep chickens and one year for Cleveland Heights. Rather than the chicken-induced apocalypse predicted by some vocal critics, neither city has experienced any significant issues. In fact, chickens are improving communities in unexpected ways.
While public officials beat the drum for more money to raze vacant homes, others are saying, "Not so fast." Creative developers have crafted a way to renovate homes for as little money as it would take to demo them. The loft-like homes offer a taste of downtown, done on a dime.
The brave escape of three women held captive in a Cleveland home has garnered a philanthropic response from local political and business entities.
The Cleveland Courage Fund was established by Cleveland City Council members Brian Cummins, Matt Zone and Dona Brady to benefit kidnap victims Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Berry's daughter. The funds were set up at the Cleveland Foundation and Key Bank two days after the release of the survivors, and have raised $650,000 to date. The total includes a $50,000 gift from the Cleveland Foundation and a $10,000 donation from Key Bank.
Money can be donated through the foundation's website or at KeyBank branches throughout Northeast Ohio, says Tom Stevens, the bank's vice chair and chief administrative officer. Prospective donors also can mail funds to the Cleveland Courage Fund care of the Cleveland Foundation, 1422 Euclid Ave., Suite 1300, Cleveland, Ohio, 44115.
KeyBank is providing pro bono financial council to the affected women and their families."We hope that through the generosity of the public, we can help these women get the resources they need," Stevens says. "We are delighted to serve as advisors to help ensure that Gina, Michelle and Amanda are able to use the money for their well-being."
Since its inception, the fund has received contributions from all 50 states as well as overseas. Groups including Jones Day, which is providing free legal council to the women, and The Centers for Families and Children are working to get every penny of the donated dollars into the right hands.
"People have been very generous with their contributions," says Stevens.
SOURCE: Tom Stevens
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
The Cleveland Courage Fund was established by Cleveland City Council members Brian Cummins, Matt Zone and Dona Brady to benefit kidnap victims Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Berry's daughter. The funds were set up at the Cleveland Foundation and Key Bank two days after the release of the survivors, and have raised $650,000 to date. The total includes a $50,000 gift from the Cleveland Foundation and a $10,000 donation from Key Bank.
Money can be donated through the foundation's website or at KeyBank branches throughout Northeast Ohio, says Tom Stevens, the bank's vice chair and chief administrative officer. Prospective donors also can mail funds to the Cleveland Courage Fund care of the Cleveland Foundation, 1422 Euclid Ave., Suite 1300, Cleveland, Ohio, 44115.
KeyBank is providing pro bono financial council to the affected women and their families."We hope that through the generosity of the public, we can help these women get the resources they need," Stevens says. "We are delighted to serve as advisors to help ensure that Gina, Michelle and Amanda are able to use the money for their well-being."
Since its inception, the fund has received contributions from all 50 states as well as overseas. Groups including Jones Day, which is providing free legal council to the women, and The Centers for Families and Children are working to get every penny of the donated dollars into the right hands.
"People have been very generous with their contributions," says Stevens.
SOURCE: Tom Stevens
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
San Francisco and Austin offer residential curbside composting, but such forward-thinking green ideas have yet to become a reality in Cleveland. A recently-awarded grant from Enterprise Community Partners, however, will help the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization think through how to develop a community composting facility for restaurants in the Cleveland EcoVillage.
Although citywide composting may not be in the cards right now, the pilot project could demonstrate ways to scale up composting in a range of city neighborhoods.
A similar $40,000 grant was also awarded to Burton Bell Carr Inc. to develop a safer streetscape plan for the Kinsman EcoDistrict. Forty percent of area residents do not have a car, and a recent multi-car accident here injured five people. BBC will develop a plan to improve the ability to safely bike and walk on Kinsman.
"Cleveland was the only city in the nation that got two projects funded through this program, which is pretty exciting," says Michelle Mulcahy with Enterprise Community Partners. "These projects are neighborhood-scale sustainability approaches that support the area's ongoing community development work."
Once the plans are finalized, these projects also could become national test cases for how to green cities, furthering Cleveland's reputation as a leader in this area.
Enterprise also recently issued a Request for Proposals to provide funding for a neighborhood-based climate action plan that would become part of a citywide plan.
Source: Michelle Mulcahy, Mark McDermott
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Although citywide composting may not be in the cards right now, the pilot project could demonstrate ways to scale up composting in a range of city neighborhoods.
A similar $40,000 grant was also awarded to Burton Bell Carr Inc. to develop a safer streetscape plan for the Kinsman EcoDistrict. Forty percent of area residents do not have a car, and a recent multi-car accident here injured five people. BBC will develop a plan to improve the ability to safely bike and walk on Kinsman.
"Cleveland was the only city in the nation that got two projects funded through this program, which is pretty exciting," says Michelle Mulcahy with Enterprise Community Partners. "These projects are neighborhood-scale sustainability approaches that support the area's ongoing community development work."
Once the plans are finalized, these projects also could become national test cases for how to green cities, furthering Cleveland's reputation as a leader in this area.
Enterprise also recently issued a Request for Proposals to provide funding for a neighborhood-based climate action plan that would become part of a citywide plan.
Source: Michelle Mulcahy, Mark McDermott
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Banks typically lend money to projects; developing them typically is left to homebuilders. Yet Third Federal, which started in a Slavic Village storefront 75 years ago, has taken the unusual step of assembling land and breaking ground on a huge community here.
Construction is underway at Trailside at Morgana Run, a 95-home development that will feature affordably-priced homes within a completely new urban subdivision with access to green space and a rail-trail. The project is located at Aetna and E. 71st Street next to the bank headquarters.
"Slavic Village really is the phoenix rising up in the city," says Jennifer Rosa, Public Relations Manager with Third Federal. "It's not that we couldn't find a developer; it's that the project is so important to us, we want to hold it to our standards and control it. We wanted to provide additional funding to keep Slavic Village going."
The project has taken over a decade to get to this point. Third Federal acquired land from individual owners and cleaned it up using Clean Ohio funds and other sources. The bank formed a public-private partnership with the City of Cleveland, Slavic Village Development and Zaremba Homes and designed the project. Then the recession came along and walloped any plans to break ground until now.
Homes at Trailside at Morgana Run will be priced from $126,000-$132,000 and feature two to three bedrooms and a single-floor master suite option. With down payment assistance, monthly payments fall well below rental rates for similar units.
Rosa says the timing couldn't be better. "We're seeing more jobs being created, more people living in the city. This is a place where people can afford a home."
The first 10 homes are under construction and nearly to the point of being framed. A model home will be available to walk through in July. Although none of the homes are sold yet, Rosa says that buyer interest has been strong.
The urban pioneers who live here will be greeted by a "prairie-like feel," Rosa says. "There will be lots of green space with native Ohio plants and grasses."
Source: Jennifer Rosa
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Construction is underway at Trailside at Morgana Run, a 95-home development that will feature affordably-priced homes within a completely new urban subdivision with access to green space and a rail-trail. The project is located at Aetna and E. 71st Street next to the bank headquarters.
"Slavic Village really is the phoenix rising up in the city," says Jennifer Rosa, Public Relations Manager with Third Federal. "It's not that we couldn't find a developer; it's that the project is so important to us, we want to hold it to our standards and control it. We wanted to provide additional funding to keep Slavic Village going."
The project has taken over a decade to get to this point. Third Federal acquired land from individual owners and cleaned it up using Clean Ohio funds and other sources. The bank formed a public-private partnership with the City of Cleveland, Slavic Village Development and Zaremba Homes and designed the project. Then the recession came along and walloped any plans to break ground until now.
Homes at Trailside at Morgana Run will be priced from $126,000-$132,000 and feature two to three bedrooms and a single-floor master suite option. With down payment assistance, monthly payments fall well below rental rates for similar units.
Rosa says the timing couldn't be better. "We're seeing more jobs being created, more people living in the city. This is a place where people can afford a home."
The first 10 homes are under construction and nearly to the point of being framed. A model home will be available to walk through in July. Although none of the homes are sold yet, Rosa says that buyer interest has been strong.
The urban pioneers who live here will be greeted by a "prairie-like feel," Rosa says. "There will be lots of green space with native Ohio plants and grasses."
Source: Jennifer Rosa
Writer: Lee Chilcote
East, West, North and South -- it's getting easier and easier to score a hot, fresh and delicious meal from a food truck. In just three years' time, the Cleveland food truck scene has zoomed from 0 to 60, with dozens of rigs scattered all over town. Here's a little help finding them.
Jewels Johnson dabbled in a few different career paths before she found her true calling: baked goods. She grew up in Shaker Heights, went off to London, Charlotte, Las Vegas and Chicago before returning to Shaker in 2006 to work as a teacher at Shaker Heights High School.
Then, in 2011, armed with her grandmother’s recipe box, Johnson opened Sugar Plum Cake Company. “I’m a self-taught baker; my grandmother taught my mom and my mom taught me,” she says. “My inheritance was a 1937 KitchenAid mixer, the oldest known certified one that still works.”
Sugar Plum specializes in custom made cakes, cupcakes and other goodies. Everything is custom made to order. Johnson’s baked goods are so popular she quit her teaching job this year to concentrate on Sugar Plum full-time.
“For me, baking was really something to do during the summer,” Johnson says. “But it allowed me to quit my job two years later.” The business has taken off, and customers usually have to order at least a week in advance. Sugar Plum has 600 clients, with more than 400 being repeat customers. Johnson reports that sales have increased by at least 50 percent per quarter.
Earlier this month, Sugar Plum Cake Company was named the grand prize winner of the Spring 2013 Bad Girl Ventures Business Plan Competition. Johnson received a $25,000 loan to grow her business.
Johnson recently teamed up with Fresh Fork Market to develop a line of baking mixes using locally sourced flour and natural sweeteners, called Devour! Gourmet Baking Mixes. The line features a variety of cake, brownie, pancake and bread mixes. The line is available through Fresh Fork Market and Sugar Plum. Johnson is working with some additional retail sites to carry the Devour! line.
Johnson in the in the process of looking for a permanent location, where she intends to offer pop-up space for local artists while selling her cakes. She employs seasonal workers during peak times to help with deliveries and plans to hire three permanent employees this year to help with the Devour! production.
Source: Jewels Johnson
Writer: Karin Connelly
Then, in 2011, armed with her grandmother’s recipe box, Johnson opened Sugar Plum Cake Company. “I’m a self-taught baker; my grandmother taught my mom and my mom taught me,” she says. “My inheritance was a 1937 KitchenAid mixer, the oldest known certified one that still works.”
Sugar Plum specializes in custom made cakes, cupcakes and other goodies. Everything is custom made to order. Johnson’s baked goods are so popular she quit her teaching job this year to concentrate on Sugar Plum full-time.
“For me, baking was really something to do during the summer,” Johnson says. “But it allowed me to quit my job two years later.” The business has taken off, and customers usually have to order at least a week in advance. Sugar Plum has 600 clients, with more than 400 being repeat customers. Johnson reports that sales have increased by at least 50 percent per quarter.
Earlier this month, Sugar Plum Cake Company was named the grand prize winner of the Spring 2013 Bad Girl Ventures Business Plan Competition. Johnson received a $25,000 loan to grow her business.
Johnson recently teamed up with Fresh Fork Market to develop a line of baking mixes using locally sourced flour and natural sweeteners, called Devour! Gourmet Baking Mixes. The line features a variety of cake, brownie, pancake and bread mixes. The line is available through Fresh Fork Market and Sugar Plum. Johnson is working with some additional retail sites to carry the Devour! line.
Johnson in the in the process of looking for a permanent location, where she intends to offer pop-up space for local artists while selling her cakes. She employs seasonal workers during peak times to help with deliveries and plans to hire three permanent employees this year to help with the Devour! production.
Source: Jewels Johnson
Writer: Karin Connelly
salon features slavic village in housing bubble feature
In a Salon story titled “Cleveland: Ground zero for the housing bubble,” Edward McClelland shares a compelling tale of how the housing collapse hit Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood with a first-hand account from a lifelong resident.
“If houses go to heaven, then Classen Avenue, in the Cleveland neighborhood of Slavic Village, has been the scene of a mass Rapture. Ted Michols watched it all happen. A retired trade magazine editor, a bachelor, a man who likes to sit on his porch and share the neighborhood with passersby he’s known fifty years, Michols has lived his entire life in a little square house his grandfather bought in 1923.”
McClelland writes of Michols experience from the very beginning of the end up to modern day troubles and turmoil in his lengthy feature.
Read the complete piece here.
“If houses go to heaven, then Classen Avenue, in the Cleveland neighborhood of Slavic Village, has been the scene of a mass Rapture. Ted Michols watched it all happen. A retired trade magazine editor, a bachelor, a man who likes to sit on his porch and share the neighborhood with passersby he’s known fifty years, Michols has lived his entire life in a little square house his grandfather bought in 1923.”
McClelland writes of Michols experience from the very beginning of the end up to modern day troubles and turmoil in his lengthy feature.
Read the complete piece here.
The Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, a nationally-recognized research organization, service provider and policy advocate that works with older adults and caregivers, is set to open a new 6,000-square-foot administrative headquarters and training center.
"What's new about the facility is that we intend to broaden the scope of our training to a couple of new audiences," says CEO Richard Browdie of the building at Fairhill Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. "There are many professions that interface with older people and their families on a routine basis but may or may not have any training available to them."
The building also provides Benjamin Rose with the first permanent home for its training programs. Traditionally, such programs had been conducted at off-site locations. Browdie finds it poetic that the organization is building its home in the Shaker-Buckeye neighborhood of Cleveland where they've been for many years.
"The board just really came back to the conclusion that, no matter what they did, they wanted to remain here in the city," he says. "We have replications of our evidence-based practices all over the country, but our home is in Cleveland."
The building cost about $7.5 million and the project cost $11.4 million. Funds came from the sale of another facility to Kindred Hospital, New Markets Tax Credits and other sources. Browdie says the facility will also be available for rent for retreats and other events hosted by nonprofits organizations with compatible missions. The hilltop location offers sweeping views of downtown Cleveland.
Benjamin Rose will celebrate with a free afternoon celebration on Sunday, May 19th from 2-4 p.m. The new BRIA training center is located at 11890 Fairhill.
Source: Richard Browdie
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"What's new about the facility is that we intend to broaden the scope of our training to a couple of new audiences," says CEO Richard Browdie of the building at Fairhill Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. "There are many professions that interface with older people and their families on a routine basis but may or may not have any training available to them."
The building also provides Benjamin Rose with the first permanent home for its training programs. Traditionally, such programs had been conducted at off-site locations. Browdie finds it poetic that the organization is building its home in the Shaker-Buckeye neighborhood of Cleveland where they've been for many years.
"The board just really came back to the conclusion that, no matter what they did, they wanted to remain here in the city," he says. "We have replications of our evidence-based practices all over the country, but our home is in Cleveland."
The building cost about $7.5 million and the project cost $11.4 million. Funds came from the sale of another facility to Kindred Hospital, New Markets Tax Credits and other sources. Browdie says the facility will also be available for rent for retreats and other events hosted by nonprofits organizations with compatible missions. The hilltop location offers sweeping views of downtown Cleveland.
Benjamin Rose will celebrate with a free afternoon celebration on Sunday, May 19th from 2-4 p.m. The new BRIA training center is located at 11890 Fairhill.
Source: Richard Browdie
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Cleveland rocks, that much we know. But it also is home to a band of crafty individuals who make music in a more physical sense, by building the instruments others use to play beautiful music. Guitars, amps and pipe organs all are handcrafted by passionate peeps right here in town.