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3/19/2010
4:27 PM
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$1.50/MARCH 22-28, 2010
Vol. 31, No. 12
Avon’s income tax base up as neighbors toil with losses
“We’re seeing more private sector applicants because they realize academia is one of the few growth areas in the city.” – Stephanie Weaver (below), district director of talent acquisition, Cuyahoga Community College
Firms say government friendly to businesses By DAN SHINGLER dshingler@crain.com
See AVON Page 19
INSIDE Now that’s the ticket The Cleveland Browns are telling former season ticket holders that they can receive full credit for previous PSLs if they renew by April 15. Read Joel Hammond’s story on Page 12.
Survey shows glut of empty space in NE Ohio; observers predict turnaround By STAN BULLARD sbullard@crain.com
JASON MILLER
Take a little hands-off attitude, add a municipal government that is fast and responsive and mix it all with an unknown amount of plain luck, and what do you get? The city of Avon and an income tax base that grows even during one of the worst recessionary years the nation and region have ever seen. In 2009, the city kept its wits — and tax base — as others around it lost ground. In that year, Avon actually saw its income tax revenues rise by 5.5%, to $9.4 million, according to city finance director Bill Logan. So far this year, revenues almost are exactly where they were a year ago, down by only about $15,000, Mr. Logan said. “I am happy for the mayor of Avon. But, his situation is extremely unusual. Virtually nowhere else in Ohio is having the same positive tax revenue experience right now,” said Cleveland economist George Zeller, who tracks tax and employment data for Cuyahoga County and other local governments. Mr. Zeller said Avon’s performance is even more impressive considering it is located in Lorain County, which he said has been one of the hardest hit counties in Ohio, losing more than half of its manufacturing jobs since 2001, including a 7.8% loss in 2009 alone. “By inference, it is very bad news for Lorain and Elyria. If Lorain County is
New retail vacancy numbers distressing
FACULTY GOING TO COLLEGES Northeast Ohio institutions tap accomplished talent pool to bolster staff as enrollment levels swell By SHANNON MORTLAND smortland@crain.com
T
hough their tuition bills have risen, many local college students might be getting more for their money thanks to a weak economy. As some colleges have set out to hire more faculty and adjunct professors to handle increased enrollment, they’ve found that the recession has enabled them to garner a stronger, larger pool of applicants than they otherwise might have seen in healthier economic climates. “It’s a really great time to be hiring,” said Sean Decatur, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Oberlin College. “All of our searches are getting a very
Drive along Pearl Road from Cleveland through Strongsville. Prepare to get overwhelmed by the number of empty stores you see as the long-established shopping corridor becomes better known as U.S. Route 42 down Brunswick way. That profusion of empty stores epitomizes the sour outlook for empty retail space in the region for Keith Hamulak, a specialist in retail real estate at the Cleveland office of CB Richard Ellis. Mr. Hamulak said the drive reflects the increase in INSIDE: Retail vacancies empty store space seen in throughout Northeast CB’s annual retail survey, Ohio counties have been which he and four colleagues building. Page 8 produce; the situation worsens as one heads from Cleveland and Akron inner suburbs to outlying areas. The just-completed survey shows retail vacancy in Northeast Ohio climbed to 12.49% effective March 1 from 10.34% in last year’s statistics. Mr. Hamulak and his colleagues do not expect the retail vacancy to worsen beyond this. However, the survey reveals what a punch the recession dealt the region’s shopping centers. The volume of empty retail space climbed a whopping 22% over the last year, to 9.6 million square feet from 7.9 million square feet a year ago. Retailers shed 1.7 million See RETAIL Page 8
See COLLEGES Page 14
KATHY AMES CARR
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The new Plaza at SouthPark in Strongsville has many vacant stores.
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