good news!

 

Natural History Museum and HealthSpace merge

By Bill Lubinger

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Juno, the talking see-through woman, and Sue, the T-rex, will soon be roommates.

 

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is absorbing HealthSpace Cleveland in a merger approved by both boards Tuesday.

 

The merger takes effect Jan. 1. HealthSpace, the 70-year-old health museum at 8911 Euclid Avenue, will stay open through Dec. 31. HealthSpace memberships transfer to the dinosaur museum...

 

 

more at:  http://www.cleveland.com

In response to all of the new residential and retail projects going on in the circle, where does that $150,000,000 from Charter one or whatever bank it was stand? Is it being used yet?

That's an interesting question that I do not know the answer to...

 

I think they're a player in the Upper Chester project, but I could be wrong.

^its being used all over the place. I just finished writing up a grant to get some of that money for a public art piece that we are working on for the Buckeye neighborhood.

Yeah, my understanding is that the money is available to people who ask for it... so homeownership loans, etc. They have a brochure with more info -- I've seen it at various meetings. They're calling it the "UPtown Initiative" (complete with awkward caps). It's not being used for any "megaprojects" that I know of.

The unfolding project will be closely watched by community leaders and activists, particularly along Hessler Road.  The neighborhood lies just north of the development area. Residents fear multistory development could detract from their historic street.

 

You can count on the Hessler folks fighting this project.  They've fought every development for this land since the early 90s.  First it was traffic.  Then, a few years back, it was shadows from the projected high rise apartments.  They'll find something wrong with this project, too. Methinks they want to leave things just as is.  Sadly, in each case, they've been victors of the status quo... I'm hoping this time's the charm, but wouldn't be surprised if this project, once again, ends up in court.  :whip:

 

At last week's showing of the "Managing Decline..." video, Vickie Johnson from Fairfax Renaissance hinted that there'd be a big, transformational development announced on Friday (Dec. 15).  She couldn't talk about it until then, but perhaps this was it? 

 

Another source tells me that there are a few other big deals going down in Fairfax...maybe someday he'll join the forum and share with us!

Is it the same as this project?  The Clinic signed on, then?

 

 

 

I am pretty sure this area is going to be the home of Star Research Building. It was approved by the Planning Commission almost a year ago.

It was also the first meeting I reported on here (http://clevelandplanner.blogspot.com/2005/12/opportunity-cost-or-opportunity-lost.html).

Not my first meeting, I have been going to them semi-regularly for about three years now

 

 

Star Research Building (conceptual approval)

This new 5-story building will be located on near East 100th Street and Cedar Avenue. This will be the first new construction on the south side of Cedar in many years. The proposed research center will not be a project of the Cleveland Clinic but may be used by some of the Clinics researchers. The building is being designed by Westlake, Reed & Leskowsky. APPROVED

 

I also reported about it in February of this year (http://clevelandplanner.blogspot.com/2006_02_01_clevelandplanner_archive.html) - toward the bottom

 

Mandatory Referral

Ordinance #119-06: The sale of Land Reutilization Program property located on Cedar Avenue, between East 100th and 101st Streets to Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation. This land is for the Star Research Building that was conceptually approved by the commission last December. It was noted the Cleveland Clinic is still not on board with the developer; however, they said they do not need the Clinic in order to move forward. Good news.

Look to the Southwest (lower left) corner of this map. That should give you an idea as to the scale....

 

I was interviewing a locally prominent developer last week, and two of his staffpersons mentioned that an average of 100 people start jobs at the Cleveland Clinic every Monday. Some are likely replacing departed employees, but most are surely new.

i don't think that this has been posted before..

 

Cleveland's University Circle: Building a future

Leveraging institutional investments to create a 21st Century community

 

BY LILLIAN KURI & RUSSELL BERUSCH

 

The health of Greater University Circle, Cleveland's premier district of world-class cultural, educational and medical institutions, is integrally tied to the vitality of its adjacent neighborhoods. Years of isolated development has led to a place that encourages the arrival at single destinations versus the influx of people to the district as a whole. This effort aims to reverse that trend.

 

The Greater University Circle (GUC) area, which includes the traditional University Circle, the Cleveland Clinic campus, the Veterans Administration Medical Center and the four adjacent neighborhoods, is poised to become the region's premier district of world-class institutions, as well as a leading shopping and residential environment.

 

Collaboration is the key. Since July 2005, a coalition led by The Cleveland Foundation has been developing an ambitious strategy to stimulate reinvestment in Greater University Circle. Now included in this group are Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals (UH), The Cleveland Clinic, The Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VA), University Circle, Inc. (UCI), Neighborhood Progress, Inc. (NPI), the George Gund Foundation, The Kent H. Smith Charitable Trust, Charter One Bank, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) and the City of Cleveland. The Greater University Circle area expects to have $1.5 billion of institutional developments in the next three-to-five years. Leveraging this investment holds great promise for making this area even stronger.

 

This coalition is action-oriented and focused on cross-cutting issues that are important to the area as a whole, but currently are not the responsibility of any individual institution. These include transportation, housing, retail, open space and programs for economic inclusion. The strategy is two-pronged:

 

Develop priority public improvement projects and other physical development projects, such as housing and retail, which compliment institutional developments, that can be completed in the next three-to-five years and will improve the attractiveness and quality of life of the area as a whole.

Develop programs and policies that truly revitalize adjacent neighborhoods.

The initiative has already mobilized institutional, philanthropic and public dollars to begin to transform and reshape the Greater University Circle Area.

 

Priority projects

 

Housing and retail. A critical piece of the strategy for a world-class district lies in the success of Case Western Reserve University's Arts and Retail District (UARD) development project. In fact, the viability of the GUC district as a neighborhood of choice is tied to the quality and make-up of the retail and housing to be built at the corner of Ford Rd. and Euclid Ave. Working with a developer yet to be formally named and institutional partners, Case Western Reserve University hopes to launch a mixed-use project of more than $100 million that includes retail stores, condos and apartments as well as cultural arts through incorporating the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland into the project. .

 

The University believes such a project of scale will help stimulate investment and development in surrounding locations, and also satisfy the needs of its students, faculty and staff, along with those of the many employers and residents in and near Greater University Circle.

 

While the UARD project is critical, equally important is the strategy to create a diverse range of housing product, at various price points, in the adjacent neighborhoods. The housing strategy includes identifying target areas in Hough, Fairfax, Little Italy, Wade Park and Buckeye/Shaker for new construction and rehabilitation, including a combination of rental and for-sale products. NPI and UCI are leading these housing efforts.

 

Transportation. Greater University Circle has a complex system of infrastructure that, in some ways, has limited its growth and connectivity to the surrounding neighborhoods. Harnessing transportation systems in a way that completely rethinks mobility (roads, transit, pedestrian access, parking and the public realm) will make the big changes necessary to significantly impact land uses and create an attractive public environment. .

 

The GUC transportation coalition includes Case, UH, the Clinic, Holden Parks Trust, UCI, The Cleveland Foundation, RTA. County Engineer Robert Klaiber's office, and the city. This group has raised $1.1 million for the design of three key transportation projects: the E. 105th and Martin Luther King intersection reconfiguration, the Cedar Hill bus and rail transportation improvements, and the renovation and relocation of the E. 120th Street Red Line station. All are moving forward with open collaborative processes that will achieve the highest design quality possible.

 

Parks and open space. Activating the underutilized Rockefeller Park and creating strategic, high-quality open spaces that enhance housing development are integral to the GUC initiative. A coalition of foundations, including The George Gund Foundation, The Kent H. Smith Charitable Trust and The Cleveland Foundation, has provided grant funding to ParkWorks to look comprehensively at Rockefeller Park and to identify and develop priority areas that directly link to transportation, housing and retail developments. Also, ParkWorks, in collaboration with the Cleveland Municipal School District, will implement an innovative greenspace for the John Hay Campus that ties together four premier Cleveland Public Schools: Cleveland School of Arts, The Cleveland School of Science and Medicine, Cleveland School of Architecture and Design and the Cleveland School of Early College. The $1.2 million campus plan will be completed by August 2007 and is funded primarily by local foundations, with in-kind support and additional funding from the Cleveland Municipal School District and the City of Cleveland.

 

Policies and programs for neighborhood development. Equally important as the physical development projects is the collaboration taking place to create policies and programs that enhance and strengthen the adjacent neighborhoods. Supporting existing neighborhood residents is as imperative as attracting new residents. In order to achieve economic inclusion and preserve and enhance the rich neighborhood fabric, the coalition is developing strategies for leveraging institutional relationships in order to accomplish four goals:

 

Increase purchasing and contracting opportunities for GUC businesses

Create better access to Greater University Circle jobs for GUC residents

Enhance local schools options by improving existing public schools in the GUC district

Create strong incentive programs for mortgage assistance and home repair

The coalition will also investigate a standardized incentive program that provides housing incentives to any employee in the Greater University Circle Area who wishes to move into the district.

 

The potential is enormous for Greater University Circle to become a nationally recognized urban neighborhood and an internationally recognized center for research, education, medical care and culture, as well as a much desired place to live. The Greater University Circle Initiative holds great promise for making Cleveland an even stronger community and a centerpiece of the region. The collaboration of these institutions, as part of the Greater University Circle Initiative, has been paramount in creating the incredible momentum for realizing an unparalleled 21st century community right here in Cleveland. BXM

 

By Lillian Kuri, consultant to the Cleveland Foundation on the Greater University Circle Initiative and Russell Berusch, vice president for Commercial Development at CWRU.

I was interviewing a locally prominent developer last week, and two of his staffpersons mentioned that an average of 100 people start jobs at the Cleveland Clinic every Monday. Some are likely replacing departed employees, but most are surely new.

 

And how many of them are encouraged to explore the nearby neighborhoods for housing options?  I know that the majority of these folks probably aren't moving for their job, but still.  Good news is that part of the Greater University Circle Initiative involves creating incentives for locating within walking distance of work.  (see the second to last paragraph in the above post)

Unfortunately, except for a few pockets, the surrounding neighborhoods aren't in much of a condition to accommodate wealthier residents. That's what I'd hope the Cleveland Clinic would have tackled after all these years... Use housing and land use changes to improve transportation and access. But the clinic is turned inward with its armored back to the neighborhoods. And it isn't the only major hospital to do that -- see MetroHealth Medical Center. What's with these hospitals?

 

I was in the clinic area during afternoon rush yesterday and was dismayed to see all the shuttle buses to this parking lot and that parking lot. So many more shuttle buses than I remember.

 

While the clinic looks at North Chester for a housing site, I would love to see the area between the clinic and the University Circle rapid station targeted. I realize there's plans for something, but the maps don't clarify what the buildings uses would be.

^those plans were done a few years ago by UDA for Fairfax. I think that they are a bit pie-in-the-sky.

 

KJP,

 

Upper Chester is slated for 400 new/renovated housing units with CF-backed incentives.

Whoops, I said North Chester. Upper Chester. Thanks for the correction. Glad to see those coming up soon.

 

I reiterate my desire for high-density, even high-rise housing between the clinic and the UC-Cedar station. I think it would fill up pretty quickly.

 

^Fairfax would like that area to be biotech office and lab space. At least, that's what their masterplan says.  I agree with you though.

I think that the East 105th corridor from CC to the 105th/Quincy RTA station was supposed to be high density housing in that plan.

^That would be nice.

 

The MLK Corridor Study has recommended high density housing and retail at the intersection of Stokes, MLK & Euclid, which is another key development opportunity between the Clinic, University Circle, and the Cedar/University rapid station.  Work is being done to make this a reality, but it's not magic wand stuff...

W28th's picture has inspired me to post these pictures of the Euclid - East 105th area. I know I've posted some of these before, but I apparently deleted them from my web hosting service. I've replaced them at the host and added more....

 

 

Here's a couple then-and-now pair of pictures, taken from almost exactly the same location.

 

First, 1946, looking west along Euclid with East 105th directly below...

 

 

 

Then, in 2000, a photo I took looking westward from the roof of Fenway Manor (part of the Hospice of the Western Reserve) with the intention of comparing it with the 1946 photo....

 

 

 

Euclid at 105th, in the 1910s, when the urban neighborhood was still getting more dense, growing upward...

 

 

 

The next few photos are of Euclid at 105th during its heyday in the 1920s...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking west on Euclid at 105th, amid an air-raid alarm test (clear the streets quickly!) during WWII, in 1942...

 

 

 

Euclid at East 102nd, in 1951 (perhaps the neighborhood's last decent decade)...

 

 

 

The turbulent 1960s, the start of urban sprawl, white flight and influx of poor southern blacks seeking jobs when Cleveland's manufacturing economy was already cresting and starting its descent. The Euclid-East 105th neighborhood was too close to overcrowded, impoverished black neighborhoods like Hough (76,000 people per square mile) to not be affected.

 

So here's the neighborhood in 1976, after the painful 1960s led to the Cleveland Clinic demolishing the now-seedy neighborhood, much to the dismay of area residents and city councilpersons. This the Alhambra Theater coming down...

 

 

Despite it's seedy appearance in the mid-1970s, it was still more pedestrian-friendly than it is today!!

 

 

Hopefully, some Cleveland Clinic execs will see these photos and get some ideas on how to develop a truly urban setting for the clinic. One thing is for sure, they have forgotten (or never knew) how to create a pleasant and productive street experience for pedestrians around the clinic.

hey, what's those big things, that are bigger than cars, running down the middle of the road?

hey, what's those big things, that are bigger than cars, running down the middle of the road?

 

Your popeship, I was thinking the same thing.  It gives some insite as to how cool transit really is and what (potentially) the silverline could/will look like.

 

As KJP mentioned, the clinic needs to look at this, but is posting the pictures here enough?  Can we get this into the CCs operations/real estate folks?  UCI?  The council people for the area?  Stephanie Tubbs Jones? RTA?  I know it might seem fruitless to contact the above as nothing might come of it - but whats wrong with trying? Litt of the PD? and of course an article from our beloved KJP! 

 

I assume that the folks at the CC do what they do, because nobody says anything or the people who have stepped to the plats voices are to low in number to be heard, but as clevelands place on the global front changes and University Circle, Fairfax and Hough become more desirable places to live (its only a matter of time before people "rediscover" this area :roll:) the clinic must do its part to incorporate a inviting, organic neighborhood - not a invisible barrier.

 

What can we really do to spark change?

Here's something I threw together as a way of creating a more pedestrian-friendly street experience along Euclid in the area of East 105th Street. The goal is to reduce the need for parking for Clinic employees by providing housing within walking distance of many Clinic buildings, as well as providing indoor and outdoor plazas, sidewalk cafes, restaurants, shops and a grocery store to make the area an attractive place to live and work regardless of the weather...

 

Before....

 

 

After....

 

Pelli did the Cole Eye Institute?

 

I was in the Crile Building. I like that one both inside and out. Beautiful atrium. It has some awesome views of downtown.

Per their website (http://www.pcparch.com/flash.cfm), Pelli did the Cole, Crile bldg btwn Euclid and Carnegie @ E100 , the Lerner research bldg on Carnegie, and the Taussig Cancer Center (89th and Euclid)

Dear Cleveland Clinic,

 

Please don't ever plant grass again. You are making me sick with your suburban landscapes. Stop it, and please listen to our cries for a more urban campus. Maybe????

Do you think the fact that they are mainly catering to suburbanites that are afraid of the "city" has any thing to do with the way they build suburbanly?  Are they trying to make their wards more comfortable, at the expense of the neighborhood?  Also, is there a list of where the Administration and board members live, I believe that would be interesting to view.

^They are thinking about how will the structure function as a hospital building. There are so many restraints to take into consideration. The exterior is the last thing that they take into consideration.

 

It appears that they are turning some land on Chester at E93 into a temporary surface lot.  It looks like they are using the same temporary material that CMA is using at their lot.  I'm pretty sure that this is where the new drugstore will eventually be located.

Kudos to University Circle and everyone who played a part in seeing this through!

 

Thursday, January 04, 2007 

 

City Council creates design review district for University Circle

5:50 p.m.

 

By Steven Litt

Plain Dealer Architecture Critic

 

The public will soon have a say over architectural plans in University Circle. In one of the last pieces of legislation passed in 2006, City Council created a public design review district for University Circle, Cleveland’s fastest-growing area.

 

The legislation means that for the first time, institutions and developers in the city’s cultural and educational hub, will be required to share construction plans with the public and respond to critiques before obtaining a building permit. The district becomes effective Jan. 20...

 

 

more at:  http://www.cleveland.com

Why isn't the Cleveland Clinic area part of the district from the outset? Is it because most of it isn't in University Circle? If any institution needs some design-review for its buildings and land-use plans, it's the Cleveland Clinic!

^i second that motion.

 

And the residents of Fairfax probably do also.

Why isn't the Cleveland Clinic area part of the district from the outset? Is it because most of it isn't in University Circle? If any institution needs some design-review for its buildings and land-use plans, it's the Cleveland Clinic!

 

None of it is in University Circle. 

I'm sure glad somebody clarified that CC is NOT in University Circle; CC is in Fairfax.  It drives me bonkers that, somehow, this cold, sterile, suburban-like, city w/in-a-city development is included in UCircle when clearly it's not; that it's Intercontinental Hotel is listed as a University Circle hotel, when it's not... Don't get me wrong, I deeply appreciate the huge impact of CC on our economy, but it's NOT U. Circle.

 

To some degree, I think including the Clinic in U. Circle has skewed UCI planning.

 

***

On another note, I sure hope Ronayne/UCI reaches out the Hessler folks and keep them in the loop.  It'll make it harder for them to be pure obstructionists if they're brought inside -- it would certainly expose their motives if, after this, they still go BANANAs.

Funny, the article posted above (Litt, January 4th) was in the print edition of the PD yesterday. 

 

Also, public outreach and planning efforts will begin in February for both the UARD (now to be called "Uptown") and the E. 120th Street rapid station.  I'll keep you all posted!

Is the information for the E120th Street Station anywhere on the University Circle website, or is that coming soon?  I'd really like to get involved with that project in any way possible.

Just a little update on the Heritage Lane project:

 

Tesco was the contractor. Due to its financial difficulties, it will no longer be doing the project.  (Tesco is re-organizing, but is not going into bankruptcy).  Two new contractors are vying to complete the project.

I'd forgotten about Tesco's involvement in this project.  The lagging progress makes more sense now.

I'd forgotten about Tesco's involvement in this project.  The lagging progress makes more sense now.

 

lol!

 

I wonder who these contractors are?

does anyone have renderings of these traffic circles on euclid?  this is the first i've heard of them. 

 

would there be a pre-emption device to stop traffic from entering the circle when the buses are crossing and at other times it would be a regular yield-to-enter circle?

 

 

I've seen the circles on renderings, but don't have access to them. I don't know about the pre-emption. Aren't the busses supposed to have pre-emption at lights all along Euclid?

the other intersections are supposed to have lights, with pre-emption.  i was just trying to figure out how much of a true traffic circle this was going to be (in my mind, this means yield-to-enter signage, not traffic lights controlling traffic entering the circle,not stop signs, etc.). 

 

but, with the bus lanes running through the circle, there would have to be some sort of control device to prevent the yield-to-enter traffic from running into the side of a bus trying to cross straight through on a dedicated bus lane.  i was hoping that it would be as simple as a red light that stops entering traffic where it intersects with the bus lanes (allowing e-w and w-e traffic to continue to go north or south if not crossing the bus lanes, as opposed to an overengineered, 20 traffic light solution.)

ODOT has been very reluctant to incorporate traditional traffic circles into urban street grids in recent history.  I'm surprised that this is being seriously considered.

 

 

 

From the people I have talked with at ODOT, they are very pleased with how the roundabout at West 14th has turned out. Especially that the number of accidents is well below what was projected. I bet we will be seeing this option used more and more since it is the least expensive to build an intersection and the most safe.

Of course the number of accidents is well below projections - only one store is open at Steelyard. Round-abouts are fine, but the one at the end of West 14th is too tight for the location.

^True that.

double true!

How is that too tight.?It was designed to handle semi-truck traffic to the flats. I use it almost everyday and it works fine.

 

I acknowledge the part of the Steelyard traffic, as did the ODOT people. I was told there were two traffic accident projections, one for the initial opening and another for a year out.

 

It is a proven fact that roundabouts reduce traffics compared to a typical signaled intersection; however, the accident count for a new roundabout always is higher then previous counts the first 6 months as drivers learn the new procedures. This a completely new system for Cleveland and the accidents have been so little.... but I agree - we'll see what happens once all of the stores open.

I'm no roundabouts expert, but my roundabout expert friends have criticized this particular roundabout for being too small.  Maybe this will be a working example of how small roundabouts are actually functional!

From the Cleveland Restoration Society:

 

Spotlight on the Cozad-Bates House

Local landmark in the news

 

WKYC-TV Channel 3 News will air a feature story on the Cozad-Bates House today, Friday, February 2 on its 6:00 p.m. newscast. Two Cleveland Restoration Society staff members, Deanna Bremer Fisher, director of marketing & development, and Dave Spremulli, preservation construction specialist, were interviewed at the house along with Joan Southgate of Restore Cleveland Hope and University Circle Inc. President Chris Ronayne.

 

Tune in to NewsChannel5 at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 24 to catch a glimpse of the Cozad-Bates House as the Society's director of marketing and development, Deanna Bremer Fisher, poses a question to the evening's Academic Challenge Participants. Each week, students representing schools from around Northern Ohio compete for points by answering questions covering such topics as math, science, history and current events. Be sure to tune in early, as our question will be in the Lightning Round which takes place at the beginning of the show. Students from Avon Lake, Berea, and Firestone will be competing.

 

Speaking of the Cozad-Bates House, you may have noticed some activity going on over in that neck of the woods. Our staff has been busy coordinating work at the property, including stabilization of the roof and chimneys, soffit repair, asbestos removal, and brush and foliage clean up.

I'm no roundabouts expert, but my roundabout expert friends have criticized this particular roundabout for being too small.  Maybe this will be a working example of how small roundabouts are actually functional!

 

Frankly I'm a bit surprised about the enthusiasm here for circles/roundabouts/rotaries/whatever. There are tons of them in Massachusetts and they're almost all nightmares traffic-wise.  They're pretty much going about ripping them out because of the hassles and accidents they cause.  From a UO point-of-view they take a ton more space than a normal intersection and are a lot less pedestrian friendly as they're nearly impossible to cross... Give me a normal intesection any day...

It all depends on the roundabout.  There is a lot of excitement about removing the traffic circle at 105 and MLK.

not sure if this goes in midtown or university circle, but the building "Madonna Place?" that was recently demolished near E. 81st & Chester is being replaced by townhouses and a midrise (3-4 story) condo building.  It looks as if the townhouses will line Chester with the midrise building in the rear.  Total units is 37 and the builder is Marous. 

^Cool news finally seeing more development on that Decayed looking stretch. Now, will the condos actually be on Chester or be on a blocked off street visible from chester? I'd be pissed if it wasn't actually on Chester Avenue.