Regional Economy
After a decade of standing still, the Flats are on the move. Check out some of the newest developments changing this mixed-use neighborhood, from the Lake Link Trail to plans for a new boathouse on the Cuyahoga River.
In a report released Sunday by Team NEO, the automotive industry in Northeast Ohio is expected to hold a lot of promise in the upcoming decade. According to the report, the area has the second-largest Tier I auto production markets in the country, meaning the suppliers here make the parts the go directly on the vehicles, second only to Detroit.
Team NEO predicts the Gross Regional Product (GRP) in automotive to grow by 79 percent to become a $4.5 billion industry by 2024. Employment is also expected to grow by 19 percent. Jacob Duritsky, managing director of research for Team NEO, attribute the predicted growth to the area’s diverse mix of auto manufacturing.
“No one has a crystal ball, but based on our industry mix, the trend is pretty steady,” Duritsky says. Add to the mix the jobs brought back to the Avon Lake Ford plant and the scheduled manufacture of Ford’s medium trucks, the F650 and F750, as well as tremendous investment in Ford’s Brookpark and Lordstown plants and Honda’s presence in the state, automotive has a strong hold in an industry that is expected to decline elsewhere in the country.
Automotive is one of only two manufacturing industries in Northeast Ohio to grow in the next 10 years. The other is food manufacturing. “We’re experiencing manufacturing employment, essentially, to remain flat,” says Jenny Febbo, Team NEO vice president of marketing and communications. “Automotive is one of only two expected to grow.
Team NEO predicts the Gross Regional Product (GRP) in automotive to grow by 79 percent to become a $4.5 billion industry by 2024. Employment is also expected to grow by 19 percent. Jacob Duritsky, managing director of research for Team NEO, attribute the predicted growth to the area’s diverse mix of auto manufacturing.
“No one has a crystal ball, but based on our industry mix, the trend is pretty steady,” Duritsky says. Add to the mix the jobs brought back to the Avon Lake Ford plant and the scheduled manufacture of Ford’s medium trucks, the F650 and F750, as well as tremendous investment in Ford’s Brookpark and Lordstown plants and Honda’s presence in the state, automotive has a strong hold in an industry that is expected to decline elsewhere in the country.
Automotive is one of only two manufacturing industries in Northeast Ohio to grow in the next 10 years. The other is food manufacturing. “We’re experiencing manufacturing employment, essentially, to remain flat,” says Jenny Febbo, Team NEO vice president of marketing and communications. “Automotive is one of only two expected to grow.
In this candid, wide-ranging interview, the leader of the Cleveland Foundation discusses its centennial gifts, the Greater University Circle Initiative, the Transformation Plan and more.
KeyCorp's business practices are becoming as green as the currency handled by its nearly 1,000 branches nationwide, according to a recently released 2013 Corporate Responsibility (CR) Report.
In earning its eighth consecutive "Outstanding" rating on the Community Reinvestment Act exam, the financial institution has emphasized its conscientious approach to banking, citizenship and operations. That responsibly includes establishing operational policies that protect the environment, notes KeyCorp head of sustainability Andrew Watterson.
Last year, the corporation invested more than $6 million in energy efficiency improvement projects in KeyCorp buildings nationally. This includes lighting retrofits and HVAC improvements, diversion of waste from landfills, and nearly 5,000 tons of recycled office paper.
In addition, over 900 KeyCorp facilities are engaged in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program, an effort promoting power saving products and buildings in order to reduce pollution and energy consumption. On the local front, the bank's Tiedaman Road offices are platinum-certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system.
Meanwhile, the institution has invested upwards of $1.2 billion in its renewable energy portfolio. This funding has gone largely to utility-scale wind and solar farms that carry the capability of producing massive megawatts.
An environmental focus aligns nicely with KeyCorp's overriding mission of helping the community thrive, says Watterson.
"Sustainability is in perfect alignment with that purpose," he says. "It's an important component of being a responsible corporate citizen."
In earning its eighth consecutive "Outstanding" rating on the Community Reinvestment Act exam, the financial institution has emphasized its conscientious approach to banking, citizenship and operations. That responsibly includes establishing operational policies that protect the environment, notes KeyCorp head of sustainability Andrew Watterson.
Last year, the corporation invested more than $6 million in energy efficiency improvement projects in KeyCorp buildings nationally. This includes lighting retrofits and HVAC improvements, diversion of waste from landfills, and nearly 5,000 tons of recycled office paper.
In addition, over 900 KeyCorp facilities are engaged in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program, an effort promoting power saving products and buildings in order to reduce pollution and energy consumption. On the local front, the bank's Tiedaman Road offices are platinum-certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system.
Meanwhile, the institution has invested upwards of $1.2 billion in its renewable energy portfolio. This funding has gone largely to utility-scale wind and solar farms that carry the capability of producing massive megawatts.
An environmental focus aligns nicely with KeyCorp's overriding mission of helping the community thrive, says Watterson.
"Sustainability is in perfect alignment with that purpose," he says. "It's an important component of being a responsible corporate citizen."
A sudsy week of beer-fueled excitement is set to cure what "ales" fun-seeking Clevelanders.
The sixth annual Cleveland Beer Week has hundreds of events scheduled at an equal number of venues from Oct. 10, through Oct. 19. The usual concerts, parties, special tappings and educational programs will be held, capped off by the massive Brewzilla celebration featuring 80 beer makers pouring your favorite barley sodas.
Brewers directly involved with the beery proceedings are arriving with their own efforts. Platform Beer Company has collaborated with the New Albion Brewing Company on a re-release of New Albion Ale. The flagship pale ale will be on tap Oct. 17 at the Platform Brewhouse on Lorain Avenue. Partnering with the first U.S. post-Prohibition microbrewery was an opportunity to get the original recipe back in the hands of its fans, notes Platform co-owner Justin Carson.
"It was very innovative in its day," Carson says.
On Oct. 14, Platform is hosting "Same Brew, Different Takes," where a batch of beer will be infused with unusual ingredients to create new tastes. The following evening is the brewery's "Choose Your Own Adventure" release, featuring a customer-voted beer created by in-house brewmaster Shaun Yasaki.
"We're planning on having a different beer each year," says Platform's Paul Benner.
Collaborations are a big part of CBW, and this year is no different. Joint efforts will match Great Lakes Brewing Co., Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. and other establishments with out-of-state brewers. Resulting mixtures will be made available at various watering holes throughout the city.
Meanwhile, a dozen local breweries have concocted six new beers for the Oct. 8 Gambrinus Brewery Crawl, set to raise money for restoration of the King Gambrinus statue that previously stood at Leisy Brewing. Pouring locations for the event are Platform, Butcher & The Brewer, Market Garden Brewery, and Nano Brew Cleveland.
The sixth annual Cleveland Beer Week has hundreds of events scheduled at an equal number of venues from Oct. 10, through Oct. 19. The usual concerts, parties, special tappings and educational programs will be held, capped off by the massive Brewzilla celebration featuring 80 beer makers pouring your favorite barley sodas.
Brewers directly involved with the beery proceedings are arriving with their own efforts. Platform Beer Company has collaborated with the New Albion Brewing Company on a re-release of New Albion Ale. The flagship pale ale will be on tap Oct. 17 at the Platform Brewhouse on Lorain Avenue. Partnering with the first U.S. post-Prohibition microbrewery was an opportunity to get the original recipe back in the hands of its fans, notes Platform co-owner Justin Carson.
"It was very innovative in its day," Carson says.
On Oct. 14, Platform is hosting "Same Brew, Different Takes," where a batch of beer will be infused with unusual ingredients to create new tastes. The following evening is the brewery's "Choose Your Own Adventure" release, featuring a customer-voted beer created by in-house brewmaster Shaun Yasaki.
"We're planning on having a different beer each year," says Platform's Paul Benner.
Collaborations are a big part of CBW, and this year is no different. Joint efforts will match Great Lakes Brewing Co., Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. and other establishments with out-of-state brewers. Resulting mixtures will be made available at various watering holes throughout the city.
Meanwhile, a dozen local breweries have concocted six new beers for the Oct. 8 Gambrinus Brewery Crawl, set to raise money for restoration of the King Gambrinus statue that previously stood at Leisy Brewing. Pouring locations for the event are Platform, Butcher & The Brewer, Market Garden Brewery, and Nano Brew Cleveland.
Talent attraction/retention nonprofit Engage! Cleveland has officially kicked off a series of Cleveland-friendly social activities and professional development opportunities through its first annual Cleveland Young Professionals Week.
The weeklong succession of cost-free events aimed at the youthful and talented began Monday and will continue through Oct. 11, says Engage! Cleveland executive director Ashley Basile Oeken. Each day will feature a variety of around-the-clock happenings on both the East and West Side, including fitness classes at local studios, speaker-centric "lunch-and-learn" programs, and nightly networking get-togethers. That's 25 events over six days, if you're counting.
"You hear about other cities and how they've engaged young professionals," says Basile Oeken. "We wanted a signature event to put our name on."
Programming is generally aimed at people age 21 to 40, although the nonprofit is inclusive of anyone who considers themselves a YP. Events are filling up, notes Basile Oeken, so if you're interested in a spinning class at Harness Cycle or listening to a talk by PlayhouseSquare president Art Falco, it's best to act fast.
Basile Oeken views Engage! Cleveland's first-ever CLE YP Week as a chance to show off everything the city has to offer, whether to a lifelong resident or someone who moved here a month ago. Attracting and retaining young talent means linking it to influential leaders and local organizations, she believes.
"It's acclimating people to how much is going on in Cleveland," says Basile Oeken. "There's an opportunity to get everyone living in this community to support it collectively."
While programming will end with a closing party at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, the nonprofit director expects the energy generated by a week's worth of events to resonate throughout the year.
"If you're involved, Cleveland can sell itself," Basile Oeken says. "People are more likely to stay when they're engaged."
The weeklong succession of cost-free events aimed at the youthful and talented began Monday and will continue through Oct. 11, says Engage! Cleveland executive director Ashley Basile Oeken. Each day will feature a variety of around-the-clock happenings on both the East and West Side, including fitness classes at local studios, speaker-centric "lunch-and-learn" programs, and nightly networking get-togethers. That's 25 events over six days, if you're counting.
"You hear about other cities and how they've engaged young professionals," says Basile Oeken. "We wanted a signature event to put our name on."
Programming is generally aimed at people age 21 to 40, although the nonprofit is inclusive of anyone who considers themselves a YP. Events are filling up, notes Basile Oeken, so if you're interested in a spinning class at Harness Cycle or listening to a talk by PlayhouseSquare president Art Falco, it's best to act fast.
Basile Oeken views Engage! Cleveland's first-ever CLE YP Week as a chance to show off everything the city has to offer, whether to a lifelong resident or someone who moved here a month ago. Attracting and retaining young talent means linking it to influential leaders and local organizations, she believes.
"It's acclimating people to how much is going on in Cleveland," says Basile Oeken. "There's an opportunity to get everyone living in this community to support it collectively."
While programming will end with a closing party at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, the nonprofit director expects the energy generated by a week's worth of events to resonate throughout the year.
"If you're involved, Cleveland can sell itself," Basile Oeken says. "People are more likely to stay when they're engaged."
The Incubator at MAGNET has announced six finalists for its first product-focused pitch contest.
The ProtoTech competition, co-sponsored by NASA Glenn Research Center, concentrates on technology-driven wares and the companies aiming to bring those products to market. A MAGNET press release listed the finalists:
* Advanced BioSensors-Ohio, creator of a "Continuous Glucose Monitor" for diabetic patients.
* Axenic, maker of non-toxic liquid-based solutions that clean organic waste.
* EveryKey, a Case Western Reserve University-based company that makes a high-tech wristband that syncs with keys and passwords.
* FGC Plasma Solutions, creator of a fuel nozzle designed to save money and reduce emissions.
* Real Time Imaging Technologies, designer of a low-dose dental x-ray imaging system.
* RoboNail, maker of robotic tools that enable contractors to install roofing with more efficiency.
The final pitch teams will present their work before a panel of judges at an Oct. 21 event at the Ariel International Center in Cleveland. Would-be inventors are encouraged to create fundraising sites highlighting their efforts, with the money they raise going back into product creation.
The pitch contest was introduced in July with the intention of highlighting physical technology rather than IT or service-based ventures. Incubator executive director Dave Crain believes the competition did well to represent the diversity of product-centric innovation in Northeast Ohio.
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“Interest from the community and event partners has been very strong," Crain says. "Everyone is excited for the event and the opportunity to support a showcase of our rich product startup landscape."
The ProtoTech competition, co-sponsored by NASA Glenn Research Center, concentrates on technology-driven wares and the companies aiming to bring those products to market. A MAGNET press release listed the finalists:
* Advanced BioSensors-Ohio, creator of a "Continuous Glucose Monitor" for diabetic patients.
* Axenic, maker of non-toxic liquid-based solutions that clean organic waste.
* EveryKey, a Case Western Reserve University-based company that makes a high-tech wristband that syncs with keys and passwords.
* FGC Plasma Solutions, creator of a fuel nozzle designed to save money and reduce emissions.
* Real Time Imaging Technologies, designer of a low-dose dental x-ray imaging system.
* RoboNail, maker of robotic tools that enable contractors to install roofing with more efficiency.
The final pitch teams will present their work before a panel of judges at an Oct. 21 event at the Ariel International Center in Cleveland. Would-be inventors are encouraged to create fundraising sites highlighting their efforts, with the money they raise going back into product creation.
The pitch contest was introduced in July with the intention of highlighting physical technology rather than IT or service-based ventures. Incubator executive director Dave Crain believes the competition did well to represent the diversity of product-centric innovation in Northeast Ohio.
?
“Interest from the community and event partners has been very strong," Crain says. "Everyone is excited for the event and the opportunity to support a showcase of our rich product startup landscape."
"Think big" was the theme of an Amplify Speaker Series luncheon on making the most of Northeast Ohio's steadily developing information technology presence.
The region must continue to expand its fiber optic infrastructure alongside ongoing efforts to transform Cleveland into a bustling tech hub with worldwide reach, said a foursome of panelists during the October 1 event sponsored by Contempo Communications.
The physical network itself is burgeoning, notes Lev Gonnick of OneCommunity, a nonprofit foundation helping to grow high-speed internet in Northeast Ohio. Since its founding in 2003, the organization has laid 111 miles of fiber in Cuyahoga County alone.
An advanced fiber optic/digital base transporting data at high speeds can be a boon for the area's already robust healthcare sector, says Kevin Goodman, managing director/partner of downtown Cleveland cloud-computing provider BlueBridge Networks. Crystal clear doctor-to-patient conferencing is just one example of how robust telecommunications can aid the industry.
If a healthy digital platform can help build industry and bring jobs, it will give Northeast Ohio an advantage in the hunt for young professionals over similarly sized markets, says Ashley Basile Oeken, executive director of Engage! Cleveland, a talent attraction/retention nonprofit.
"We're falling behind cities like Pittsburgh and Indianapolis in bringing in talent," Basile Oeken says. "Cleveland has to find ways to stand out."
Dan Young, founder of technology and design agency DXY, is looking beyond county, state and even national borders when it comes to connecting with the next wave of innovators. Young helped establish a DXY satellite office in Germany, an experience that showcased the need for Cleveland to attract immigrant brainpower.
"The city has to be bigger and bolder about the conversation it's having," he says.
Creating a regional tech epicenter here would make drawing dynamic folks of disparate backgrounds all the easier easier, says Joy Roller, panel facilitator and executive director of Global Cleveland.
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"We need to be open to the flow of ideas and new people," she says.
positively cleveland president shares travel, tourism best practices to conventioneers
In a Quad-City Times feature titled “Cleveland tourism chief tells of visitor successes,” writer Jennifer DeWitt reports about a keynote speech that David Gilbert of Positively Cleveland gave at the annual Quad-Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau meeting.
“In his keynote speech at the annual Quad-Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau meeting, David Gilbert offered lessons on how his Ohio hometown and surrounding region have rewritten the travel and tourism strategy and found success attracting major tourism events and economic development activity,” DeWitt reports.
"You need to take a look at places like Cleveland and the Quad-Cities and think: 'How do you look and feel like a traveler destination?'" the president and CEO of Positively Cleveland told attendees.
“In the past five years, Cleveland has seen a significant transformation in its travel and tourism industry with $2 billion in new visitor-related infrastructure, including a new convention center, a new casino and nine new hotels, six of which are in its downtown area,” adds DeWitt.
“Thorough research with visitors and residents showed Cleveland needed to "connect the dots" to make the typical traveler's experience as good as its amenities, he said. The research found the region was perceived as difficult to navigate for visitors, had a poor reputation for cleanliness, safety and friendliness, and a low level of residents who would recommend it as a destination for visitors.”
"We had to look at ourselves through the visitor lens," Gilbert said, adding that some changes included signage, streetscaping and encouraging the hospitality industry to promote its strengths.
Read the rest here.
“In his keynote speech at the annual Quad-Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau meeting, David Gilbert offered lessons on how his Ohio hometown and surrounding region have rewritten the travel and tourism strategy and found success attracting major tourism events and economic development activity,” DeWitt reports.
"You need to take a look at places like Cleveland and the Quad-Cities and think: 'How do you look and feel like a traveler destination?'" the president and CEO of Positively Cleveland told attendees.
“In the past five years, Cleveland has seen a significant transformation in its travel and tourism industry with $2 billion in new visitor-related infrastructure, including a new convention center, a new casino and nine new hotels, six of which are in its downtown area,” adds DeWitt.
“Thorough research with visitors and residents showed Cleveland needed to "connect the dots" to make the typical traveler's experience as good as its amenities, he said. The research found the region was perceived as difficult to navigate for visitors, had a poor reputation for cleanliness, safety and friendliness, and a low level of residents who would recommend it as a destination for visitors.”
"We had to look at ourselves through the visitor lens," Gilbert said, adding that some changes included signage, streetscaping and encouraging the hospitality industry to promote its strengths.
Read the rest here.
Workers aged 40 and over might not fit the typical hip innovator profile, but they are often undervalued. Some may be former CEOs of large companies, arriving with particular skill sets that mesh with growth industries like biomedicine or advanced materials.
When Apryl Beverly signed up for the Bad Girl Ventures education program last spring, she had her eye set on winning the $25,000 loan awarded to one of the class finalists. What she ended up learning was how to make her business, BAAB Writing and Marketing, create its own success and income.
“The BGV program is geared around applying for a loan at the end of the class,” explains Beverly. “I was so, I need this money, I need this money. And when I didn’t get the loan I thought, what am I going to do now?”
What Beverly did was put the lessons she learned in the program to work and managed to drum up more than $26,000 in contracts from five clients between May and July. BAAB is a business writing service. Beverly and her staff assist their clients with writing business plans and proposals to coaching and marketing services.
“After moving past my pity party, I realized losing was the best thing for me,” says Beverly. “It's not about loans and competitions. It's about perseverance and the drive to make things happen.”
Before she started BAAB (the initials of her family members) in 2011, Beverly had worked in PR and marketing at a few different companies. She used her previous employers as a starting point to grow her own company. “I just started reaching out to previous employers, people I met in the BGV program; asking my existing clients to give me more work,” explains Beverly. “I had to be really focused and I said this is what I need to do. Now I’m not even looking for a loan. I realized I can do it without one.”
With BAAB’s growth, Beverly has been able to hire a part-time editor and a part-time writer to assist with the workload. Eventually, she plans to hire a full staff so she can focus on running BAAB.
“The BGV program is geared around applying for a loan at the end of the class,” explains Beverly. “I was so, I need this money, I need this money. And when I didn’t get the loan I thought, what am I going to do now?”
What Beverly did was put the lessons she learned in the program to work and managed to drum up more than $26,000 in contracts from five clients between May and July. BAAB is a business writing service. Beverly and her staff assist their clients with writing business plans and proposals to coaching and marketing services.
“After moving past my pity party, I realized losing was the best thing for me,” says Beverly. “It's not about loans and competitions. It's about perseverance and the drive to make things happen.”
Before she started BAAB (the initials of her family members) in 2011, Beverly had worked in PR and marketing at a few different companies. She used her previous employers as a starting point to grow her own company. “I just started reaching out to previous employers, people I met in the BGV program; asking my existing clients to give me more work,” explains Beverly. “I had to be really focused and I said this is what I need to do. Now I’m not even looking for a loan. I realized I can do it without one.”
With BAAB’s growth, Beverly has been able to hire a part-time editor and a part-time writer to assist with the workload. Eventually, she plans to hire a full staff so she can focus on running BAAB.
new york times touts detroit shoreway revitalization
A feature titled “In Cleveland, Adding Life Where Grit Once Prevailed” in the New York Times Travel section outlined recent developments in the near-west neighborhood of Detroit Shoreway. Writer Erik Piepenburg, who frequently covers Cleveland developments, penned the feature.
“About two miles west of downtown Cleveland, the gritty Detroit-Shoreway was once a vibrant neighborhood before it was hit hard by the exodus of big manufacturing companies in the early decades of the 20th century,” he writes. “Lately, new businesses, arts groups and residents have settled in the Gordon Square Arts District, a revitalized mile-long stretch of Detroit Avenue. A recent $30 million capital campaign included new streetscapes and signage. Visitors can catch a show at the Cleveland Public Theater, walk through galleries at 78th Street Studios or grab a late-night bite at XYZ Tavern. And this spring, the Near West Theater will have a $7.3 million new home.”
Mentioned in the piece are Yellowcake, Toast, Sweet Moses, Happy Dog, and Capitol Theatre.
Read the rest of the feature here.
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“About two miles west of downtown Cleveland, the gritty Detroit-Shoreway was once a vibrant neighborhood before it was hit hard by the exodus of big manufacturing companies in the early decades of the 20th century,” he writes. “Lately, new businesses, arts groups and residents have settled in the Gordon Square Arts District, a revitalized mile-long stretch of Detroit Avenue. A recent $30 million capital campaign included new streetscapes and signage. Visitors can catch a show at the Cleveland Public Theater, walk through galleries at 78th Street Studios or grab a late-night bite at XYZ Tavern. And this spring, the Near West Theater will have a $7.3 million new home.”
Mentioned in the piece are Yellowcake, Toast, Sweet Moses, Happy Dog, and Capitol Theatre.
Read the rest of the feature here.
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NorTech hosted its first Innovation UnConference at the Cleveland Convention Center Wednesday, September 24. It was billed as an exchange of innovative ideas with no set topic or agenda, but rather a chance for the more than 250 participants to set their own discussion topics.
“This is no longer NorTech’s conference -- it’s your conference,” NorTech president and CEO Rebecca Bagley told the group in her registration welcome. With that, more than 50 people lined up to present their discussion topics. Thirty-two sessions were chosen and the group broke into smaller discussion groups. Attendees were reminded of the two-leg law: If you don’t like a discussion or are bored, get up and move to another group.
Discussion topics ranged from “Collaborations Between Small and Big Companies” to “Growing Entrepreneurs from Education into the Economy.” Bagley said most of the topics centered around talent attraction, energy and technology topics.
The event idea originated from the MassTLC Unconference in Boston, which has been holding its event for the past 10 years. Cleveland organizers were pleased that the Cleveland Unconference surpassed Boston’s first-year attendance numbers. The Boston event has grown to about 1,200 people each year.
Additionally, Bagley said the idea came to her when she was on a panel at a conference and was bored. “Looking into the audience, I thought, I know he has something to say, I know she has something to say,” she recalls. “This is about how we accelerate the pace of innovation.”
Participants also had the opportunity to have one-on-one half-hour sessions with 32 mentors to pick their brains and ask advice.
“This is no longer NorTech’s conference -- it’s your conference,” NorTech president and CEO Rebecca Bagley told the group in her registration welcome. With that, more than 50 people lined up to present their discussion topics. Thirty-two sessions were chosen and the group broke into smaller discussion groups. Attendees were reminded of the two-leg law: If you don’t like a discussion or are bored, get up and move to another group.
Discussion topics ranged from “Collaborations Between Small and Big Companies” to “Growing Entrepreneurs from Education into the Economy.” Bagley said most of the topics centered around talent attraction, energy and technology topics.
The event idea originated from the MassTLC Unconference in Boston, which has been holding its event for the past 10 years. Cleveland organizers were pleased that the Cleveland Unconference surpassed Boston’s first-year attendance numbers. The Boston event has grown to about 1,200 people each year.
Additionally, Bagley said the idea came to her when she was on a panel at a conference and was bored. “Looking into the audience, I thought, I know he has something to say, I know she has something to say,” she recalls. “This is about how we accelerate the pace of innovation.”
Participants also had the opportunity to have one-on-one half-hour sessions with 32 mentors to pick their brains and ask advice.
Brain gain, urbanization and increased development has created a demand in downtown living space. Historically, vacant buildings in need of change are targeted for this purpose. Lately, however, buildings with office tenants are being adapted or proposed for residential.
newly-unveiled flats plan prioritizes projects, sets stage for additional development
The 2014 Flats Forward Framework Plan, which will be unveiled today at a public meeting at the Music Box Supper Club on the West Bank, offers a roadmap for the area's future. Some of the key priorities identified in the plan include preserving the area's history as an industrial corridor, further developing recreation and riverfront access opportunities, investing in infrastructure and wayfinding signage, and designating land uses to clear the way for additional development.
"The Flats are a critical part of Cleveland's history and demonstrate immense opportunity for future growth," the report states, citing the $4.5 billion in new development that has occurred downtown since 2010, 95 percent apartment occupancy rates, and the growth of Ohio City, Tremont and Gordon Square as reasons for optimism.
The report divides the core of the Flats into six different areas -- the Old River Channel, East Bank, West Bank, Columbus Peninsula, Scranton Peninsula and Irishtown Bend. Some of the challenges identified in the report include confusing entryways into the Flats and the lack of wayfinding signage, the underused riverfront, crumbling infrastructure and poor public transit access.
So what's the future look like? The Flats Forward plan shows a network of green spaces (Whiskey Island, Canal Basin Park, Scranton Flats, Rivergate Park) connected by trails (Lake Link Trail, proposed River Walk Trail, Towpath Trail). It calls for a maintenance plan to improve the condition of streets and sidewalks and make the area more bike- and pedestrian-friendly. It calls for wayfinding signage, better waterfront access, and improved public transit links.
The plan also develops a roadway typology, suggesting that certain streets should be designated for primarily industrial uses.This could reduce the conflicts that currently exist between industrial concerns and other users in the Flats.
Other immediate next steps including identifying and applying for funding for planning efforts, hiring a marketing and branding firm, and determining market demand and potential land uses through a detailed economic study.
Although this plan represents a long-term vision, new economic activity is already being generated in the Flats. The shipping channel is very active, Rivergate Park is a recreation hub, the Columbus Peninsula is seeing redevelopment and both the East and West Banks are adding new businesses. This report suggests that this activity will increase -- and provides a roadmap to help guide it along.
"The Flats are a critical part of Cleveland's history and demonstrate immense opportunity for future growth," the report states, citing the $4.5 billion in new development that has occurred downtown since 2010, 95 percent apartment occupancy rates, and the growth of Ohio City, Tremont and Gordon Square as reasons for optimism.
The report divides the core of the Flats into six different areas -- the Old River Channel, East Bank, West Bank, Columbus Peninsula, Scranton Peninsula and Irishtown Bend. Some of the challenges identified in the report include confusing entryways into the Flats and the lack of wayfinding signage, the underused riverfront, crumbling infrastructure and poor public transit access.
So what's the future look like? The Flats Forward plan shows a network of green spaces (Whiskey Island, Canal Basin Park, Scranton Flats, Rivergate Park) connected by trails (Lake Link Trail, proposed River Walk Trail, Towpath Trail). It calls for a maintenance plan to improve the condition of streets and sidewalks and make the area more bike- and pedestrian-friendly. It calls for wayfinding signage, better waterfront access, and improved public transit links.
The plan also develops a roadway typology, suggesting that certain streets should be designated for primarily industrial uses.This could reduce the conflicts that currently exist between industrial concerns and other users in the Flats.
Other immediate next steps including identifying and applying for funding for planning efforts, hiring a marketing and branding firm, and determining market demand and potential land uses through a detailed economic study.
Although this plan represents a long-term vision, new economic activity is already being generated in the Flats. The shipping channel is very active, Rivergate Park is a recreation hub, the Columbus Peninsula is seeing redevelopment and both the East and West Banks are adding new businesses. This report suggests that this activity will increase -- and provides a roadmap to help guide it along.