KJP

Yes, but did you see who wrote the article? (hint: it wasn't me!)

Check this out! We got a new freelancer at NEOtrans with his first bylined article. Congrats, @Geowizical!! Bridgeworks gets green light from Landmarks By Ian McDaniel / December 12, 2024 Typically, the third time’s a charm, but Bridgeworks needed more times than that to earn the approval of the Cleveland Landmarks Commission. Ultimately, the proposal passed unanimously today. The go-ahead allows developers to move forward with constructing all of the $84 million project, located at 2429 W. Superior St. in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2024/12/12/bridgeworks-gets-green-light-from-landmarks/

Maybe it's my own failure to assume this, but I was under the assumption that the Haslams would own the Brook Park stadium. I assumed this because the Haslams' development arm Primacy Development LLC is the one buying the land for the stadium... https://neo-trans.blog/2024/11/21/haslams-brook-park-berea-developments-progress/

I was following this new line on Google Earth. Fascinating what Mexico is doing... Mexican president to open final segment of Maya Train https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/mexican-president-to-open-final-segment-of-maya-train/

Go Canada! O-Train Lines 2 and 4 will open in three phases starting January 6. The first phase will offer five-day service, from Monday to Friday for a minimum of two weeks. The second phase will offer six-day service, from Monday to Saturday, for a minimum of two weeks and the third phase will offer 7-day service. https://www.octranspo.com/en/news/article/dec-6-o-train-lines-2-and-4-phased-opening-begins-january-6

Haslam email preempts City, County at stadium debate By Ken Prendergast / December 12, 2024 Yesterday morning, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne, Cuyahoga County Council President Pernel Jones Jr., Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin arrived at the monthly board meeting of the Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP). There, they asked the 70-member board of the region’s corporate CEOs and presidents to side with them on where the Cleveland Browns should play their home games after 2028. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2024/12/12/haslam-email-preempts-city-county-at-stadium-debate/

Coming at 12:01 am or thereabouts.....

That's an excellent question, unless its CSU plans to transfer the deed on the property to its development arm, Euclid Avenue Development Corp.

This historic tax credit award for the Columbia Savings and Loan building will help boost the Village 55 development

Speaking of the Cedar Branch/African Town Plaza, it just got historic tax credits today....

Rose Building and the neighboring Sloan Building won max historic tax credits today

Samsel Supply buildings get historic tax credits

Two buildings across the street from Memphis & Pearl are getting redeveloped -- just not the CVS. They won historic tax credits (see the end). Oh -- and so did the Kerns Building, which is part of the Flats On Pearl development in Brooklyn Centre.......

Rhodes Tower got historic tax credits

Vitrolite Building got a tax credit award

D4G may have some more info for me on 4705 Bridge. Looks like more than just one (model) townhome.

NE Ohio projects get historic wins from tax credits By Ken Prendergast / December 11, 2024 There were 14 Cuyahoga County historic renovation projects that won a total of $16,267,141 in Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits today. Most of those projects would repurpose their 50-plus-year-old buildings for new uses so they can contribute to their communities for at least another 50 years. Some of the buildings are pretty well known. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2024/12/11/ne-ohio-projects-get-historic-wins-from-tax-credits/

Good news! The first and second floors of Library Lofts -- the Martin Luther King Jr Branch of the Cleveland Public Library -- received their certificate of occupancy from the city on Dec. 6. MLK Library will start moving items from the old library to the new over the next month or more. NEW Martin Luther King, Jr. Campus Grand Opening ; Date: Saturday, January 25, 2025 ; Time: 12:00pm – 4:00pm Register for the event: https://cpl.libcal.com/event/13172106?_gl=1*atsq2e*_ga*MjAxNTczMDI3OC4xNzMzODY1Nzg0*_ga_RPV7X6TBXF*MTczMzg2NTc4My4xLjAuMTczMzg2NTc4My4wLjAuMA..

Interesting that this rendering has some retail/restaurant names above the stores, at least one of which is readable and legit -- Harvest & Hearth, a real restaurant chain based out of Saratoga Springs, NY The Rose doesn't appear to be anything -- yet. Summit Tap & Grill at right doesn't appear to be anything legit either

Haslams announce Brook Park stadium-area development partner, updated plans By Ken Prendergast / December 10, 2024 New details emerged today on the proposed $1.2 billion mixed-use district surrounding the Haslam Sports Group’s (HSG) proposed all-purpose, roofed stadium in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park. HSG announced that Lincoln Property Company, a global real estate firm, will be the development partner for the Cleveland Browns’ 176-acre mixed-use entertainment district. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2024/12/10/haslams-announce-brook-park-stadium-area-development-partner-updated-plans/

Interesting stuff....

This is the type of train equipment Dreamstar is considering.... DEC 10 2024 PRESS RELEASE 14 Brand-New Trains Will Enable Long-Distance Open Access Growth ▶ The independent rail operator FirstGroup has signed a lease agreement with the rolling stock leasing company Angel Trains and the manufacturer Hitachi, for the lease of 14 brand-new long-distance Open Access trains, with an option for 13 more. ▶ At a cost of £500 million (approx. $638 million), the trains will be manufactured by Hitachi in North-East England, securing jobs in that region. ▶ FirstGroup will deploy them on its future services between Wales and London, as well as on its existing Open Access services that have contributed significantly to achieve modal shift to rail. Last Friday, the British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer celebrated this new deal by visiting the Hitachi factory that is tasked with manufacturing these new Open Access trains, thereby securing jobs and the factory’s future. The deal was completed in under three months. This showcases both the agility that the private sector brings to European rail and the pivotal role of private capital in financing new trains. After all, Open Access rail operators rely solely upon private investment and assume full commercial risk. We have already witnessed how FirstGroup's existing Open Access services (under the “Lumo” brand) have helped drive modal shift to rail between Scotland and London. In the future, other parts of the UK will also benefit from Open Access: securing and creating jobs, increasing seat supply on core routes, and driving modal shift away from carbon-intensive travel. ALLRAIL’s Secretary General Nick Brooks says: “This example is a role model. Political stakeholders must now create the market conditions to make Open Access the default for long-distance passenger rail in Europe!" https://b5cch.r.sp1-brevo.net/mk/mr/sh/1t6AVsd2XFnIGGrMhrOpXxYqPo55Hi/LOcEcNdbF64y

The route out to Solon (and Aurora) when combined with the route out to Lorain was identified in the NEOrail study of 25 years ago (hard to believe it's been that long already) as the most promising commuter rail route in Greater Cleveland. With the continued decline of downtown as an employment hub (worsened by COVID), I doubt that's still the case. BTW Omnitrax operations at the port are merely as a hyperlocal switching operation. It is not operationally connected to its other operations in Greater Cleveland which are to collect and distribute carload freight between shippers and Class I railroads CSX and NS. Omnitrax also has an operation linking steel mills, recycling facilities and an aggregates transload to the Class Is. Three of their four operations have no connections to each other.

Ironically, at least one of them is bringing in lots of foreign workers with expertise to manage the facility and they need work visas to come here. They will hire locally too, but I thought it was ironic considering Trump's stance on immigrants. I would like to see both to help boost and sustain the local population.

I'm probably going to have to skip covering this one. Absolutely buried with stuff to cover. Anyone experienced and interested in writing freelance articles?