Ohio City
On the heels of a successful merger that brought together under one roof three nonprofit community development organizations, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP) has made a key hire to lead its policy and advocacy efforts. Alesha Washington, a Glenville native who most recently served as Director of Executive Administration and Government Relations at the Centers for Family and Children, recently joined CNP as its Senior Director of Advocacy, Policy and Research. Washington will lead strategic policy initiatives at the city, county, state and federal levels and identify and use academic research to inform community development strategies.
"Trying to create a shared advocacy platform for the CDC community is what attracted me to the role," says Washington. "There's a need and a longing for a very coordinated and aligned system. The goal is to work together to improve Cleveland's neighborhoods for all people."
"It's about connecting the dots," adds Joel Ratner, President of CNP. "The needs we're identifying at the neighborhood level should be articulated clearly, strongly and strategically to officials who are setting policy and government budgets."
In recent years, Ratner says, no such coordinated effort has existed. Policy priorities might include strategies and funding to address vacant and abandoned properties, maintaining and enhancing tax credit programs that lend to neighborhood development, and influencing the state budget.
Source: Alesha Washington, Joel Ratner
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"Trying to create a shared advocacy platform for the CDC community is what attracted me to the role," says Washington. "There's a need and a longing for a very coordinated and aligned system. The goal is to work together to improve Cleveland's neighborhoods for all people."
"It's about connecting the dots," adds Joel Ratner, President of CNP. "The needs we're identifying at the neighborhood level should be articulated clearly, strongly and strategically to officials who are setting policy and government budgets."
In recent years, Ratner says, no such coordinated effort has existed. Policy priorities might include strategies and funding to address vacant and abandoned properties, maintaining and enhancing tax credit programs that lend to neighborhood development, and influencing the state budget.
Source: Alesha Washington, Joel Ratner
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Great neighborhoods require great cafes. These so-called "third places" provide residents with a neutral place to meet, talk and take part in the daily discourse of life. Thanks to a maturing coffee movement, most of Cleveland's neighborhoods are now blessed with just such a place. Here are some of our favorites.
Amber Pompeii and her husband, Michael George, both Cleveland natives, spent the last couple of years in Seattle. While most people think of Seattle as a coffee hotspot, Pompeii discovered something different: tea. While working for Remedy Teas in Seattle, Pompeii saw that there’s a whole different mind-set in a tea shop than a coffee shop.
“Most of the time people walk into a coffee shop and it’s go, go, go, with a lot of carry out,” Pompeii says. “Tea is about taking time out of your day.”
Pompeii and George moved back to Cleveland eight months ago because they missed the city and wanted to bring the tea experience to Hingetown. They are on track to open Cleveland Tea Revival February 1. “It will be exactly like a coffee shop, where you go in and sit down, but we focus on tea, not coffee,” Pompeii says. “I love tea and there are not a lot of great places to buy tea in Cleveland.”
Cleveland Tea Revival will feature 50 organic teas, from white to black, as well as pu-erh, a fermented tea. Customers can enjoy a pot of tea in the café, take a cup to go, buy tea leaves or learn about the benefits of drinking tea. “We will focus on pure teas, that way you get a lot of natural flavors – buttery, flowery flavors with enzymes that help with digestion.” Pompeii currently is looking for local sources for pastries and plans to source locally for blending ingredients.
Pompeii went through the Bad Girl Ventures Fall 2013 business program and received a $25,000 loan from ECDI to help start Cleveland Tea Revival. While Pompeii and George are the only two employees right now, Pompeii says they plan to hire at least two people this year as the café gets off the ground.
Source: Amber Pompeii
Writer: Karin Connelly
“Most of the time people walk into a coffee shop and it’s go, go, go, with a lot of carry out,” Pompeii says. “Tea is about taking time out of your day.”
Pompeii and George moved back to Cleveland eight months ago because they missed the city and wanted to bring the tea experience to Hingetown. They are on track to open Cleveland Tea Revival February 1. “It will be exactly like a coffee shop, where you go in and sit down, but we focus on tea, not coffee,” Pompeii says. “I love tea and there are not a lot of great places to buy tea in Cleveland.”
Cleveland Tea Revival will feature 50 organic teas, from white to black, as well as pu-erh, a fermented tea. Customers can enjoy a pot of tea in the café, take a cup to go, buy tea leaves or learn about the benefits of drinking tea. “We will focus on pure teas, that way you get a lot of natural flavors – buttery, flowery flavors with enzymes that help with digestion.” Pompeii currently is looking for local sources for pastries and plans to source locally for blending ingredients.
Pompeii went through the Bad Girl Ventures Fall 2013 business program and received a $25,000 loan from ECDI to help start Cleveland Tea Revival. While Pompeii and George are the only two employees right now, Pompeii says they plan to hire at least two people this year as the café gets off the ground.
Source: Amber Pompeii
Writer: Karin Connelly
cleveland, the next brooklyn, says forbes
In a CNN Money feature titled "The Fortune Crystal Ball," the publication offers up its prognostications for the coming year, among them: Which cities will be the next Brooklyns, and which the next Detroits. Spoiler alert: Cleveland is pegged as a "Brooklyn."
"The American geography of prosperity has been driven by two big narratives in the past few years. On the one hand, there's Detroit, with its $18 billion in debt, pension mess, and population loss. On the other, there's Brooklyn, with its rocketing real estate prices, hip-luxe condos, and freshly foraged food stores," notes the money pub.
So, just what cities are deemed a "breakout town"?
New Brooklyns
Cleveland. The city is in the midst of a downtown revival that has seen not one, not two, but three Williamsburg-esque neighborhoods emerge: Tremont, Ohio City, and Gordon Square.
Odds of it becoming the "next Brooklyn" are placed at 63%.
Read the rest here.
"The American geography of prosperity has been driven by two big narratives in the past few years. On the one hand, there's Detroit, with its $18 billion in debt, pension mess, and population loss. On the other, there's Brooklyn, with its rocketing real estate prices, hip-luxe condos, and freshly foraged food stores," notes the money pub.
So, just what cities are deemed a "breakout town"?
New Brooklyns
Cleveland. The city is in the midst of a downtown revival that has seen not one, not two, but three Williamsburg-esque neighborhoods emerge: Tremont, Ohio City, and Gordon Square.
Odds of it becoming the "next Brooklyn" are placed at 63%.
Read the rest here.
urban bike mag covers cle's 'guerrilla stripers'
In the latest issue of Urban Velo, a magazine devoted to urban bike culture, writer Joe Baur covers the events leading up to the recent guerrilla striping incident along Detroit Avenue. The photographs in the piece were taken by Fresh Water photographer Bob Perkoski.
Because the officially sanctioned 1.7-mile bike lane along Detroit Avenue took a year longer than promised, local bike activists decided to get creative.
"The frustration became painfully public for city officials when a group of five 'guerrilla stripers' took it upon themselves to create a bike lane along a highly trafficked thoroughfare for cyclists in the near west side," Baur writes.
"Speaking under the condition of anonymity, one of the stripers explains that nobody even attempted to stop them during the hour they spent creating the lane."
Read the rest right here.
Because the officially sanctioned 1.7-mile bike lane along Detroit Avenue took a year longer than promised, local bike activists decided to get creative.
"The frustration became painfully public for city officials when a group of five 'guerrilla stripers' took it upon themselves to create a bike lane along a highly trafficked thoroughfare for cyclists in the near west side," Baur writes.
"Speaking under the condition of anonymity, one of the stripers explains that nobody even attempted to stop them during the hour they spent creating the lane."
Read the rest right here.
When remodeling a kitchen, people usually rely on friends for advice on contractors and architects. Brides use websites and friends as resources when planning their wedding. Entrepreneurs Brian Verne and Mike Eppich figured: Why not create a place where athletes can get advice on apparel?
So Verne and Eppich created Phenom, a mobile app where athletes can brag about the apparel and equipment they use to train. “Influences have a place,” says Verne. “Athletes are concerned with how they look and the products they are using.”
Phenom is designed to give amateur athletes a leg up on the decisions they make.
“Phenom connects athletes with the best gear, equipment and training opportunities based on what their peers are using right now,” says Verne. “From buying a new product to vetting a trainer, camp or combine, Phenom will become the easiest way for athletes to get the inspiration, advice, product information and professional reviews they need to win.”
Verne describes Phenom as “an app to promote your style and your hustle.” Users create a digital profile in a virtual locker to share what they like and are using. “The virtual locker has information on how they’re using that stuff, where they’re using it and how they’re training and competing,” explains Verne.
After first starting a successful performance apparel company, Verne and Eppich decided they needed to expand their vision. “We wanted an app that had a heartbeat, to capture things in real time – people getting ready to train and wanting to compare equipment,” says Eppich. “The whole idea is to see an athlete’s day or athletic career in every single segment, from the training they do to their post-workout after the game.”
Verne and Eppich have seven part-time employees in New York, a vice president of finance in Boston and are planning on hiring two to three full time developers in their Cleveland headquarters. On January 7, the two will head to New York to pitch Phenom to investors in First Growth Venture Network’s SecondGrowth.
To build awareness of the app, Phenom recently hosted an open house during a soft launch at their downtown Cleveland offices.
Source: Brian Verne and Mike Eppich
Writer: Karin Connelly
So Verne and Eppich created Phenom, a mobile app where athletes can brag about the apparel and equipment they use to train. “Influences have a place,” says Verne. “Athletes are concerned with how they look and the products they are using.”
Phenom is designed to give amateur athletes a leg up on the decisions they make.
“Phenom connects athletes with the best gear, equipment and training opportunities based on what their peers are using right now,” says Verne. “From buying a new product to vetting a trainer, camp or combine, Phenom will become the easiest way for athletes to get the inspiration, advice, product information and professional reviews they need to win.”
Verne describes Phenom as “an app to promote your style and your hustle.” Users create a digital profile in a virtual locker to share what they like and are using. “The virtual locker has information on how they’re using that stuff, where they’re using it and how they’re training and competing,” explains Verne.
After first starting a successful performance apparel company, Verne and Eppich decided they needed to expand their vision. “We wanted an app that had a heartbeat, to capture things in real time – people getting ready to train and wanting to compare equipment,” says Eppich. “The whole idea is to see an athlete’s day or athletic career in every single segment, from the training they do to their post-workout after the game.”
Verne and Eppich have seven part-time employees in New York, a vice president of finance in Boston and are planning on hiring two to three full time developers in their Cleveland headquarters. On January 7, the two will head to New York to pitch Phenom to investors in First Growth Venture Network’s SecondGrowth.
To build awareness of the app, Phenom recently hosted an open house during a soft launch at their downtown Cleveland offices.
Source: Brian Verne and Mike Eppich
Writer: Karin Connelly
On any given night in Cleveland, it's not too difficult to see the economic impact represented by a seemingly simple glass of suds. Breweries had an undeniably positive effect on Ohio City, and now the arrival of more breweries promises to boost the economic prospects of other neighborhoods.
Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, a nonprofit community development organization, has begun offering Cleveland City Life tours to expose suburbanites, millenials, empty-nesters, boomerangs and newcomers to town to all the city has to offer.
CNP Director of Marketing Jeff Kipp says the tours really are about helping Clevelanders see for themselves the positive change taking place in the city.
"We'll do the proverbial handholding and take you into the neighborhoods," he says. "You see the positive headlines and positive trends, but a big chunk of our population doesn't have firsthand experience with the city. This is about removing that intimidation factor and bridging the gap."
Tours starts in Ohio City and include stops in Detroit Shoreway, the lakefront, University Circle, Little Italy, Midtown, downtown and Tremont. Along the way, it also touches on neighborhoods such as Cudell, Glenville and Fairfax. Each lasts two hours, costs $12 and comes with a free Live!Cleveland/City Life T-shirt.
"As we drive through University Circle, we can reference the excitement that's happening in North Shore Collinwood," Kipp explains, adding that while the tours can't feasibly cover the whole city, they will highlight all city neighborhoods.
The tours are being marketed through CNP's website and partner organizations such as Global Cleveland and the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. There currently are tours scheduled between Christmas and New Year's and around the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.
"This is a way to roll out the red carpet and give a reintroduction to your Cleveland neighbors," Kipp adds.
Source: Jeff Kipp
Writer: Lee Chilcote
CNP Director of Marketing Jeff Kipp says the tours really are about helping Clevelanders see for themselves the positive change taking place in the city.
"We'll do the proverbial handholding and take you into the neighborhoods," he says. "You see the positive headlines and positive trends, but a big chunk of our population doesn't have firsthand experience with the city. This is about removing that intimidation factor and bridging the gap."
Tours starts in Ohio City and include stops in Detroit Shoreway, the lakefront, University Circle, Little Italy, Midtown, downtown and Tremont. Along the way, it also touches on neighborhoods such as Cudell, Glenville and Fairfax. Each lasts two hours, costs $12 and comes with a free Live!Cleveland/City Life T-shirt.
"As we drive through University Circle, we can reference the excitement that's happening in North Shore Collinwood," Kipp explains, adding that while the tours can't feasibly cover the whole city, they will highlight all city neighborhoods.
The tours are being marketed through CNP's website and partner organizations such as Global Cleveland and the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. There currently are tours scheduled between Christmas and New Year's and around the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.
"This is a way to roll out the red carpet and give a reintroduction to your Cleveland neighbors," Kipp adds.
Source: Jeff Kipp
Writer: Lee Chilcote
forbes praises great lakes brewing, ohio city
In a Forbes feature titled “Beer Entrepreneurs Fuel Comeback of Struggling Cleveland Neighborhood,” staff writer Dan Alexander explores the history of Great Lakes Brewing Company and the birth of other small breweries in the area.
From humble beginnings to what the Ohio City neighborhood is today, Great Lakes Brewing Company has a lot to do with the area’s revival, the story confirms.
"Since 1986 the Conways have bought four buildings in the neighborhood, called Ohio City. They are the beer men who became unlikely leaders of the neighborhood’s revival. In the last decade, other entrepreneurs have joined the Conways in Ohio City. Since 2005, the crime rate in the neighborhood has plummeted 24%, and real estate values have more than doubled."
“It was a struggling neighborhood,” adds Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson. “Twenty years later, you go over there, nighttime Friday or Saturday night, it’s going to be packed. Cars can’t move, people just everywhere.”
Alexander goes on to detail his meet-up with Sam McNulty, owner of six local establishments in the area. McNulty remains optimistic of the area, with everyone agreeing there is no reason he shouldn’t be.
Check out the full piece here.
From humble beginnings to what the Ohio City neighborhood is today, Great Lakes Brewing Company has a lot to do with the area’s revival, the story confirms.
"Since 1986 the Conways have bought four buildings in the neighborhood, called Ohio City. They are the beer men who became unlikely leaders of the neighborhood’s revival. In the last decade, other entrepreneurs have joined the Conways in Ohio City. Since 2005, the crime rate in the neighborhood has plummeted 24%, and real estate values have more than doubled."
“It was a struggling neighborhood,” adds Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson. “Twenty years later, you go over there, nighttime Friday or Saturday night, it’s going to be packed. Cars can’t move, people just everywhere.”
Alexander goes on to detail his meet-up with Sam McNulty, owner of six local establishments in the area. McNulty remains optimistic of the area, with everyone agreeing there is no reason he shouldn’t be.
Check out the full piece here.
new study on regionalism comes at ideal time, says next city
In a feature titled "Three Lessons on Regionalism," Bill Bradley, writing for Next City, outlines the findings of a report recently released by Fund for Our Economic Future.
"Regionalism, from Paris to Portland, offers cities with closely woven outlying suburbs opportunities to broaden their tax bases, increase minimum wages and develop unified approaches to transit -- which could, in turn, give low-wage workers better access to jobs. Advocates have touted these benefits for years. Now, a new report explores how regional collaboration can help spur economic growth."
The Northeast Ohio-based Fund for Our Economic Future, which along with the Knight Foundation, released the report.
In sum: "Data is hugely important, investing in groups that find funding can enlarge your pools of grant money, and big thinkers must be instrumental in turning those grand ideas into reality."
Read the rest here.
"Regionalism, from Paris to Portland, offers cities with closely woven outlying suburbs opportunities to broaden their tax bases, increase minimum wages and develop unified approaches to transit -- which could, in turn, give low-wage workers better access to jobs. Advocates have touted these benefits for years. Now, a new report explores how regional collaboration can help spur economic growth."
The Northeast Ohio-based Fund for Our Economic Future, which along with the Knight Foundation, released the report.
In sum: "Data is hugely important, investing in groups that find funding can enlarge your pools of grant money, and big thinkers must be instrumental in turning those grand ideas into reality."
Read the rest here.
It's a fact that $68 of every $100 spent locally returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. We all know that shopping small is good for the local community, but what are the real and tangible benefits behind the movement? A closer look reveals how buying local feeds our region in ways both obvious and subtle.
Michelle Venorsky and Kate Davis have worked at some of the top advertising and communications agencies in town, recently at Marcus Thomas. But the dream of starting their own agency prompted the two, along with three other partners, to launch Hello! agency in September.
“We’ve had this idea brewing for a while now,” says Venorsky. “We absolutely love what we do and we’ve been working together for 10 years.”
Hello! focuses on developing close connections with their clients, Venorsky says, by engaging relationships and finding out what makes them tick. So it seemed only natural to name the agency Hello!. “When you think about any relationship, you have to introduce yourself,” says Venorsky. “We call ourselves an 'engagement agency' – we build relationships on insight and research.”
Davis, with a background in cultural anthropology, handles the research end – figuring out why people do certain things. Venorsky handles the public relations, marketing and social media aspects. Venorsky says it was the right time to take an “intelligent risk” and hang out their own shingle.
“There’s never been a better time or an easier time to build a relationship with your customers with so many media platforms,” Venorsky says. “We’re trying to be medianostic and build something that matters.”
Hello! is still looking for the ideal office space in Ohio City or Tremont, but in the meantime, Venorsky and Hall are busy signing on clients. They’ve landed four accounts so far.
Source: Michelle Venorsky
Writer: Karin Connelly
“We’ve had this idea brewing for a while now,” says Venorsky. “We absolutely love what we do and we’ve been working together for 10 years.”
Hello! focuses on developing close connections with their clients, Venorsky says, by engaging relationships and finding out what makes them tick. So it seemed only natural to name the agency Hello!. “When you think about any relationship, you have to introduce yourself,” says Venorsky. “We call ourselves an 'engagement agency' – we build relationships on insight and research.”
Davis, with a background in cultural anthropology, handles the research end – figuring out why people do certain things. Venorsky handles the public relations, marketing and social media aspects. Venorsky says it was the right time to take an “intelligent risk” and hang out their own shingle.
“There’s never been a better time or an easier time to build a relationship with your customers with so many media platforms,” Venorsky says. “We’re trying to be medianostic and build something that matters.”
Hello! is still looking for the ideal office space in Ohio City or Tremont, but in the meantime, Venorsky and Hall are busy signing on clients. They’ve landed four accounts so far.
Source: Michelle Venorsky
Writer: Karin Connelly
Since the Great Recession, more and more folks have been living the "gigging life," working multiple jobs or hopping from one project to the next in hopes of cobbling together a living budget. While that might seem arduous, it also allows those living the lifestyle to follow their true passion.
new grant program funds business incubator, other innovative community projects
A new grant program launched by Neighborhood Progress Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides funding and technical assistance to community development corporations in Cleveland, recently awarded $200,000 to five projects. The recipients include a new business incubation program in North Collinwood, youth programming in Ohio City and surrounding neighborhoods, an effort in Central to teach fourth graders about healthy, local food, arts-based development in St. Clair Superior, and a community engagement effort in Tremont.
"The program came to be when we, as an organization, made a decision to develop a program that all CDCs had access to," says Colleen Gilson, Vice President of CDC Services for NPI, of the Neighborhood Solutions grant program. "The idea was, let's not be prescriptive. Let's let CDCs tell us what their solution to a neighborhood problem is or a cool project in their service area."
The awards break down as follows: NPI awarded $45,000 to ActiVacant, a program to recruit entrepreneurs to vacant retail spaces on E. 185th; $45,000 to Near West Recreation to expand its network of youth programming, including baseball, soccer, softball, basketball and bowling; $45,000 to St. Clair Superior for its Urban Upcycle project; $45,000 to Burton Bell Carr for its Urban Farm Diet Program; and $20,000 to Tremont West for its efforts to engage residents in creating a community-based development plan around MetroHealth.
Gilson says the projects reflect "deep collaboration" and non-traditional approaches towards community development. For instance, Near West Recreation is an effort to engage and retain families in six neighborhoods on the near west side -- Ohio City, Tremont, Stockyards, Clark-Fulton and Detroit Shoreway -- and build "intergenerational mixed-income neighborhoods." ActiVacant, spearheaded by Northeast Shores, is a "new take on the American dream" and a "business incubation project on steroids" that will entice young retailers to fill empty spaces on E. 185th by offering them free or reduced rent for a period of time, access to mentors and other support, and incentives for meeting benchmarks.
"The process was pretty amazing," says Gilson, describing a Shark Tank-esque format in which finalists presented in front of a panel of community development leaders, who then ranked and voted on winners. "We invited other CDCs to come watch and learn from their peers, and it was a really good opportunity to learn."
Source: Colleen Gilson
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"The program came to be when we, as an organization, made a decision to develop a program that all CDCs had access to," says Colleen Gilson, Vice President of CDC Services for NPI, of the Neighborhood Solutions grant program. "The idea was, let's not be prescriptive. Let's let CDCs tell us what their solution to a neighborhood problem is or a cool project in their service area."
The awards break down as follows: NPI awarded $45,000 to ActiVacant, a program to recruit entrepreneurs to vacant retail spaces on E. 185th; $45,000 to Near West Recreation to expand its network of youth programming, including baseball, soccer, softball, basketball and bowling; $45,000 to St. Clair Superior for its Urban Upcycle project; $45,000 to Burton Bell Carr for its Urban Farm Diet Program; and $20,000 to Tremont West for its efforts to engage residents in creating a community-based development plan around MetroHealth.
Gilson says the projects reflect "deep collaboration" and non-traditional approaches towards community development. For instance, Near West Recreation is an effort to engage and retain families in six neighborhoods on the near west side -- Ohio City, Tremont, Stockyards, Clark-Fulton and Detroit Shoreway -- and build "intergenerational mixed-income neighborhoods." ActiVacant, spearheaded by Northeast Shores, is a "new take on the American dream" and a "business incubation project on steroids" that will entice young retailers to fill empty spaces on E. 185th by offering them free or reduced rent for a period of time, access to mentors and other support, and incentives for meeting benchmarks.
"The process was pretty amazing," says Gilson, describing a Shark Tank-esque format in which finalists presented in front of a panel of community development leaders, who then ranked and voted on winners. "We invited other CDCs to come watch and learn from their peers, and it was a really good opportunity to learn."
Source: Colleen Gilson
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Duck Island neighborhood, which is situated off Abbey Road between Ohio City and Tremont, got its name because characters used to "duck" in here to escape cops during Prohibition. At least that's the legend that local residents like to offer.
Somehow, despite the sea-change development that's occurred in Tremont and Ohio City over the years, Duck Island has kept its tucked-away identity. Some new projects were built here, but others were stymied over the years by local residents opposed to density. But that may change over the next few years.
As developers like Andrew Brickman, Knez Homes and Sam McNulty buy up land in Duck Island, the Tremont West Development Corporation is leading a process to engage residents and stakeholders in shaping the future of Duck Island. And that future will likely involve new development, in some fashion or another.
"There's a lot of development being discussed in Duck Island, and the goal is to get the neighborhood on board with what's coming and create win-wins," says Cory Riordan, Director of Tremont West. "We want to have the conversation in advance and be proactive about how the development interacts with the community."
To that end, Tremont West is hosting a community design "charette" December 5-7 at St. Wendelyn's Church. Kent State University's Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative will lead the process, which will result in a new development plan for the area, encompassing everything from housing to infrastructure to home repair.
"People rise to the bar that's set for them," says Riordan. "The planning process won't just focus on development -- we want to look at improving Abbey Park and giving seniors the ability to fix their homes -- but new developments are driving the need for it. The result will be a community vision for moving forward."
Currently, there are only six new for-sale housing units officially proposed in Duck Island, a townhouse project being developed by Knez. Yet Riordan confirmed that developable land in Duck Island could result in dozens of new units in the coming years. For example, developer Andrew Brickman owns the former Bridgeview Cafe on Lorain Avenue, and that site alone could hold a large development.
In other Tremont news, the Professor Avenue streetscape project is nearly done. Artist Olga Ziemska has created "Dendrite," a public art piece that will function as seating and a gathering place, at the plaza at the corner of W. 10th, Fairfield and Professor. She intends to install it by the end of November, weather permitting.
Source: Cory Riordan, Olga Ziemska
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Somehow, despite the sea-change development that's occurred in Tremont and Ohio City over the years, Duck Island has kept its tucked-away identity. Some new projects were built here, but others were stymied over the years by local residents opposed to density. But that may change over the next few years.
As developers like Andrew Brickman, Knez Homes and Sam McNulty buy up land in Duck Island, the Tremont West Development Corporation is leading a process to engage residents and stakeholders in shaping the future of Duck Island. And that future will likely involve new development, in some fashion or another.
"There's a lot of development being discussed in Duck Island, and the goal is to get the neighborhood on board with what's coming and create win-wins," says Cory Riordan, Director of Tremont West. "We want to have the conversation in advance and be proactive about how the development interacts with the community."
To that end, Tremont West is hosting a community design "charette" December 5-7 at St. Wendelyn's Church. Kent State University's Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative will lead the process, which will result in a new development plan for the area, encompassing everything from housing to infrastructure to home repair.
"People rise to the bar that's set for them," says Riordan. "The planning process won't just focus on development -- we want to look at improving Abbey Park and giving seniors the ability to fix their homes -- but new developments are driving the need for it. The result will be a community vision for moving forward."
Currently, there are only six new for-sale housing units officially proposed in Duck Island, a townhouse project being developed by Knez. Yet Riordan confirmed that developable land in Duck Island could result in dozens of new units in the coming years. For example, developer Andrew Brickman owns the former Bridgeview Cafe on Lorain Avenue, and that site alone could hold a large development.
In other Tremont news, the Professor Avenue streetscape project is nearly done. Artist Olga Ziemska has created "Dendrite," a public art piece that will function as seating and a gathering place, at the plaza at the corner of W. 10th, Fairfield and Professor. She intends to install it by the end of November, weather permitting.
Source: Cory Riordan, Olga Ziemska
Writer: Lee Chilcote
time out chicago loves it some christmas ale
In a Time Out Chicago blurb titled “Drink this now: Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Christmas Ale,” blogger Karl Klockars raves about the liquid gold we Clevelanders know simply as "Crack Ale."
“The Christmas Ale is a revered beer in the Rust Belt. Criminals in Cleveland recently broke into the brewery and stole 500 feet of copper wiring, but left the Xmas Ale untouched," Klockars writes. "I choose to believe that this is less an indication of the idiocy of thieves, and more a belief that not even scofflaws would dare touch the Christmas Ale. As such, it’s perfectly okay to crack a few of these open well before the holiday.”
Klockars goes on to give a beer nerd’s detailed description of the brew, including this nugget: "This beer sets the bar once again -- as it does most years -- for what a winter warmer beer should be: It’s rich without being overwhelming. It's complex, spicy, savory and subtly sweet. And it's very drinkable."
Enjoy the full piece here.
“The Christmas Ale is a revered beer in the Rust Belt. Criminals in Cleveland recently broke into the brewery and stole 500 feet of copper wiring, but left the Xmas Ale untouched," Klockars writes. "I choose to believe that this is less an indication of the idiocy of thieves, and more a belief that not even scofflaws would dare touch the Christmas Ale. As such, it’s perfectly okay to crack a few of these open well before the holiday.”
Klockars goes on to give a beer nerd’s detailed description of the brew, including this nugget: "This beer sets the bar once again -- as it does most years -- for what a winter warmer beer should be: It’s rich without being overwhelming. It's complex, spicy, savory and subtly sweet. And it's very drinkable."
Enjoy the full piece here.