NorthShore64

Davey's old headquarters were downtown (somwhere on south Water north of 59), until they moved to their new corporate campus some time in the mid-1980s. They were growing beyond what downtown Kent Office space could accommodate at the time. The new building was for the corporate offices, but also an R&D center (the Davey Institute). Its located just north of the High School on the cities northern border. You can't really see much from the street as it kind of in a forest set back from rt-43. https://www.google.com/maps/@41.1711939,-81.3529398,3a,75y,248.53h,86.96t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sTGE1vyv0b8_-_fIbkBCoUA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en In 2012, they moved the Davey Resource Group into Fairmount Porpertie's "College Town Kent "Phase 1 Development. The Davey Resource Group is only one division of Davey Tree which works on GIS an software development. They moved from office space in neighboring Stow to the third floor of the Water Building at 295 South Water Street. Some corporate employees relocated from the HQ building but that was because of a lack of available space. Just under 100 people work at this location. The renaming office space in the Fairmount development in downtown Kent are taken by local manufacturers Smithers-Oasis and Ametek. https://www.google.com/maps/place/295+S+Water+St,+Kent,+OH+44240/@41.1519214,-81.3581523,3a,75y,92.96h,99.01t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1srYxVosXQrPiBRKgw1V9LeQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m5!3m4!1s0x883125216012b145:0x41c6463ba8cbb0a1!8m2!3d41.1519374!4d-81.3578875?hl=en Davey is a big, with some 11,000 plus employees, making it one of the 10 largest employee owned companies in the US. It never had that large of a corporate office though, only employing a couple hundred people. I would prefer if this office space was in downtown Kent, but there isn't much space available for development and they already have made a commitment to area. There is however great demand for office space downtown and if some developer can make it work, the space would fill quickly. Existing Corporate Building New Wing

Cuyahoga Valley National Park’s Stanford Campsites close permanently, effective Nov. 1 Link: https://www.cleveland.com/akron/2019/11/cuyahoga-valley-national-parks-stanford-campsites-close-permanently-effective-nov-1.html "Opened in 2008, the campsites were intended to be temporary until a permanent site could be established. Camping had been permitted through a commercial use authorization, however the park found that the authorization was not in keeping with the National Parks Service policy, and resources had been damaged as a result." These were 5 "primitive" campsites just east of Stanford House along the Stanford trail. There wasn't much more than areas of cut grass in the field, each with a picnic table. These five spots were however the only place you could camp overnight in the national park. When or if the NPS creates new campsites in the park i think something close to Sanford or Boston would be an ideal location (this spot was one of the more remote spots you could get in CVNP). I believe the now closet public primitive campsite to Cleveland is at Punderson.

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2019/11012019/index.php Walgreen's Drug Store New Construction: Seeking Schematic Design Approval 6401 Broadway Avenue (https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4627089,-81.6456976,3a,75y,76.96h,88.27t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8nqe9h2oP20qTQcNCEy6Iw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192)

Cleveland Gladiators remain on hiatus, are monitoring Arena Football League's uncertain future Link: https://www.crainscleveland.com/kevin-kleps-blog/cleveland-gladiators-remain-hiatus-are-monitoring-arena-football-leagues-uncertain "Asked if the Gladiators were considering a return, assuming the AFL attempts to play another season, a Cavs source said the club is monitoring what steps the AFL decides to take. Our guess would be the league decides to shut down for at least a year as it tries to raise capital, but the pending lawsuit might not even make that type of step possible." The AFL really has fallen apart in a few season. Only 5 years ago (when the one loss Gladiators lost in Arena Bowl 27) the league was at 14 teams and looked somewhat viable, with teams in medium to large markets with decent attendance, but nothing like pre-2008 league collapse numbers. The Gladiators have done well in attendance before the Q renovations, averaging +10,000 per game the prior 4 seasons. If Gilbert is interested, they could find a new home in the next most successful arena football league, the Indoor Football League which has taken on some former AFL teams. Unfortunately though the IFL already has a Gladiators team currently located in Albuquerque. The National Arena League may also be a suitable home for Cleveland arena football, however they league only has seven teams which predominantly play in much smaller makrets (ie. Wheeling). The three other leagues in operation today aren't in much better financial position. In a few years when a couple more league die and new ones are created, the Gladiators may be reincarnated. TL;DR - The return of Gladiator football seems unlikely (despite there success in CLE) with the 2nd collapse of the AFL. Joining another fledgling arena league also seems unlikely to me.

Gordon Square Arts District nonprofit votes to suspend operations, declaring mission accomplished Link: https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/10/gordon-square-arts-district-nonprofit-votes-to-suspend-operations-declaring-mission-accomplished.html "Declaring that its mission of creating a successful arts-oriented neighborhood has been accomplished, the organization will work with other arts groups to decide whether some of its services could be absorbed by other entities. ... 'The Gordon Square Arts District isn’t closing,' said Raymond Bobgan, executive artistic director of Cleveland Public Theatre. He said that Gordon Square as a nonprofit service organization 'is pressing pause and stopping operations because it’s not really needed. Its current model is not the best way to serve the district.' "

Cuyahoga County’s Sprague Road widening project includes Parma septic-to-sanitary conversions Link: https://www.cleveland.com/community/2019/10/cuyahoga-countys-sprague-road-widening-project-includes-parma-septic-to-sanitary-conversions.html Nothing too note worthy in this article, but it reminded me about the project. Sprague between Webster and York is being upgraded from 2 to 3 lanes. It is 5 lanes both west of Webster and east of York. More interestingly though it'll add sidewalks in the gaps along Sprague, mirroring the almost entirely 'sidewalked' Bagley/Pleasant Valley to its north. Small progress but good for the southern Cuyahoga suburbs nonetheless. From March https://www.cleveland.com/community/2019/03/cuyahoga-county-to-widen-sprague-road-in-strongsville-middleburg-heights-north-royalton-parma.html (Note: the upgraded section of Sprague borders Parma/North Royalton and Strongsville/Middleburg Heights so it could apply to all cities)

Ya its not too great. Optimistically ~1.5 heavy rail cars it seems. "...estimated by an RTA consultant to cost $240 million, or $3 million to $4 million per car."

Cleveland RTA gets $15.3 million from state transportation budget Link: https://www.cleveland.com/open/2019/10/cleveland-rta-gets-153-million-from-state-transportation-budget.html $6 million on preventive maintenance for buses and trains. This money will free up a federal grant that will be used to rehabilitate tracks. $5 million for rail car replacement $3.67 million to buy eight buses $660,000 to buy property along the Red Line’s East 79th Street station as part of a planned expansion project

A small blip on the filming for Russo Brother's movie Cherry at the end of this article, Link: https://www.cleveland.com/community/2019/10/cleveland-heights-introduces-preliminary-severance-redevelopment-proposal.html "Over this week and possibly next, crews were set to film at Forest Hill Park, Severance Town Center and in Coventry Village around Hampshire and Lancashire roads. Responding to a question from Ungar, O’Neil said that Cleveland Heights would be in the credits when the movie is released." Also just saw that the author of the autobiographical novel which the movie is based, Nico Walker, was transitioned to a halfway house just as filming began earlier this month. https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2019/10/imprisoned-cleveland-area-author-moved-to-halfway-house-to-start-work-on-movie-adaptation-directed-by-russo-brothers.html

Cleveland Heights introduces preliminary Severance redevelopment proposal Link: https://www.cleveland.com/community/2019/10/cleveland-heights-introduces-preliminary-severance-redevelopment-proposal.html "City Council introduced legislation Monday (Oct. 21) to consider a $223,000 preliminary redevelopment proposal for Severance Town Center. The city received 18 responses to its request for proposals (RFPs) over the summer, with the best and most responsive offer coming from AE7 Pittsburgh LLC."

Netflix Docuseries ‘The Devil Next Door’ Trailer Reveals the Evil Among Us Link: https://collider.com/new-netflix-docu-series-the-devil-next-door-trailer/ "THE DEVIL NEXT DOOR is the true story of John Demjanjuk, a retired Ukrainian-American autoworker living a peaceful life with his family in Cleveland, Ohio suburbs in the 1980s. When a group of Holocaust survivors identify Demjanjuk’s photograph as “Ivan the Terrible” – a notoriously cruel Nazi death camp guard who tortured and killed nearly one million Jewish prisoners during World War II – Demjanjuk’s American dream is shattered and he is extradited to Israel to stand trial for crimes against humanity."

Downtown Cleveland’s first playground to have steamship theme, open in November Link: https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/10/downtown-clevelands-first-playground-to-have-steamship-theme-open-next-month.html "Downtown Cleveland’s first playground is inspired by the steamship William G. Mather and could be complete by mid-November."

Yes the Circle is missing some amenities within it that would make it more livable, however I just want to point out how much progress has been made in a pretty small window. Compared with when I first moved there with my family when I was young, the transition has been amazing. I remember walking to Falafel Café and on one side was parking lots, and on the other The Triangle didn’t have much more than a Mr. Hero and some other vacant storefronts. The East 120th station was unwelcoming and decrepit by even RTA standards. There wasn’t much of anything north of Chester. UH felt closed off before they completed their renovation and Seidman. I know a lot of us know this story (and I’m sure it was much worse before my time) but in a city where change comes in inches, the progress in the Circle/Uptown has been phenomenal. Personally, I think Constantino’s is actually a pretty good grocery store (particularly for its size) and we used it frequently. Murray Hill Market actually has a decent selection of food and Circle Convenience is good for what it is. In under 10 minutes by car you could get to a Marc’s or Dave’s in Coventry and Cedar Hill. In about ~15 minutes you get to Shaker Square, Severance, University Square and Shaker Towne Center. ~20 minutes till Steelyard, W 117th and Legacy/Beachwood. Within the Circle, a larger grocery store may fit well into the UC3 development in the years to come. Before something like that though, what the Circle could use today that would make it more livable is a 24-hour drug store/convenient store option. When I lived in the area the closest option was the CVS at Cedar-Lee. TL;DR - Uptown and the Circle transformation since pre-2008 has been awesome, and is a pretty nice place to live. Improved transit connections to the Heights/East to get to these amenities would be great though. Probably better for one of these threads:

2006: Early 2019:

Here is a screen cap from the end of the DCA video I wouldn't read too much into it, but presumably DCA would know about the new headquarters design before most. They do have a few quick clips with (who i think is) DickPace and the Cumberland development on the lake, so its not like all of the sketches in the video are for theoretical developments.

I didn't know the Whiskey Island connector bridge was going to have a redesign. This is the 3rd Miguel Rosales designed pedestrian bridge in town to be scraped. "McDermott said the design couldn’t meet safety standards required by Norfolk Southern or potential stress from ice and winds without adding significantly to its cost. Metroparks ultimately turned to KS Associates in Elyria, a civil engineering firm, for a design that met the railroad’s requirements. The project includes a 10-foot-high mesh barrier with a 2-inch-wide grid on both sides of the 12-foot-wide bridge." Link: https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/10/metroparks-awards-6m-to-build-wendy-park-bridge-connecting-lakefront-to-towpath-lake-link-trails.html

Very small development, but unique Hilton Cleveland Downtown Now Offering a Pricey Cleveland Rockstar Package Link: https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2019/10/16/hilton-cleveland-downtown-now-offering-a-pricey-cleveland-rockstar-package "Commissioned by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Hilton Cleveland Downtown’s one-bedroom Rock and Roll Suite is filled with replicas and memorabilia. ... Available for two guests, the Cleveland Rockstar package will set you back a whopping $10,000 plus taxes and fees for two nights and is based on availability."

Lordstown workers vow to push for contract rejection; factory to remain closed Link: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/general-motors/2019/10/17/gm-strike-update-lordstown-uaw/4007368002/ "Projects planned for the Mahoning Valley include the opportunity to bring battery cell production to the area, which would create approximately 1,000 manufacturing jobs, as well as the sale of the GM Lordstown Complex to Lordstown Motors Corp., a new company that plans to build electric pickups for commercial fleet customers. Lordstown Motors Corp. plans to create 400 manufacturing jobs initially. These two initiatives are not covered under the proposed tentative agreement reached between the parties." Hamtramck gets saved with an electric pickup production, but Lordstown, Warren MI, and Baltimore are closing if the agreement goes through. Lordstown's electric pickup deal from Workhorse still requires a lot of initial capital. The GM battery plant is unclear and will require an aditional UAW contract with GM. From an Oct. 1st article: "One thing that is clear is that the battery cell manufacturing plant would not be located in the now-vacant 6.2 million-square-foot Lordstown factory or on the 905 acres it sits on. Also, the person said it would be modeled similarly to Tesla's Tesla Gigafactory 1, a lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle sub-assembly factory near Reno, Nevada. Entry-level jobs there pay about $17 an hour. It's expected the jobs related to either a Workhorse facility or a battery cell manufacturer would pay the same, the person said. 'GM is talking about building in the area or nearby. But not in Lordstown,' said the source." Link: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/general-motors/2019/10/01/gm-strike-update-2019-negotiations-lordstown-plant-closure/3824481002/

In an article on the question of "What is an inclusive economy?" from Cleveland Connects there was an interesting tidbit from Ronn Richard, president of the Cleveland Foundation. Its not necessarily new information, but its an interesting parallel to make for Midtown. "Richard also envisions a technology and research hub in Cleveland’s Midtown areas similar to the Cortex Innovation District in St. Louis that grew up between Washington University and St. Louis University. The foundation, which plans to move its headquarters to the Mid-town area, has acquired other land in the area that Richard said will be used to lure employers to the neighborhood. 'We need to bring back to our core city more employment and more housing,' he said." (Clevelanders try to define an ‘inclusive’ economy: Cleveland Connects - Link: https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/10/clevelanders-try-to-define-an-inclusive-economy-cleveland-connects.html)

Exterior work beginning on Mayfield Station apartment development. Its final look will be interesting from the station. 20 units will have balconies overlooking the tracks. (Link: https://www.mayfieldstation.com/)

The new windows and black frames really change the whole building. A similar vantage point from google street view (Aug. 2015)

Scranton Peninsula from the Red Line. The planed NRP development site to the right seems pretty clear/shovel ready. Note the Flats Industrial Railroad switcher locomotive in front of the lift bridge which operates along the rail line bisecting the peninsula. You can see progress on and equipment at the site of The Avian development. Its interaction with the river here will be interesting, providing a pretty unique amenity for office space downtown/in the flats.

From an eastbound Red Line train. Impressive height considering its roughly ~1.3 miles away. From Euclid and 9th. I like how it kind of sticks out from behind the Hanna building.

Progress at 3rd and High As the streetscape improvements continue north of Starr, pedestrian access is for the most part preserved. This section of High (west side) between 3rd and 4th does not currently have a pedestrian path though. It isn't a major inconvenience, but most projects and sections of the streetscape construction have provided protected walkways. It will be great once its all done though, you can really feel the impact (particularly the widened sidewalks) once you walk the completed section of High south of Starr.