City Life 2024

+C ircle

Neighborhoods are seeing an influx

NEIGHBORHOOD SPOTLIGHTS

This

New home construction opportunities offer sought-after, updated features for potential interested residents.

The Famicos Foundation is serving as a catalyst to help drive neighborhood growth through several projects. 9 UNION MILES

Progressive neighborhood involvement, local government commitment and planned strategies are promoting neighborhood growth.

FEATURES

Find out how K&D Group has been at the forefront of driving residential growth and lifestyle Downtown.

Learn how funding and a formal initiative will bring more housing and commercial development to maintain the legacy of the City of Cleveland’s middle neighborhoods. 19 ACTIVATING INVESTMENT BEYOND THE CIRCLE

An influx of investments and development in the neighborhoods surrounding University Circle is bringing even more opportunities to the community.

RESOURCES

24 CLEVELAND NEIGHBORHOOD MAP

Grab a great book and head to Cleveland’s neighborhoods. You’ll find 10 don’t-miss spots to take in a good story in a great environment.

You can find something fun to do in every corner of Cleveland’s neighborhoods. Mark your calendar for attention-worthy events happening every season.

28 TAKE THE TRAILS

Whether you want to walk, run, bike or more you can find a great trail to meet your needs. Take a look at options that will get you started on the right path.

ON THE COVER

One University Circle offers a view that features University Circle and the growth around it.

Photo by Jeani Brechbill

CONNECTING YOU

Opportunities Await At Your Neighborhood Branch

Cleveland Public Library has 28 locations across the city serving over 260,000 library cardholders annually. We are home to the Ohio Center for the Book, Ohio Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, and CLEVNET library cooperation spanning 12 counties across Northeast Ohio.

Sign up for a Cleveland Public Library card today to enjoy FREE access to books, movies, and more! Apply in-person or at cpl.org

Locations are temporarily closed for reimagination Follow our progress at CPL.org/reimagine. Closures accurate as of May 1, 2024

Whole Circle

Designed to promote an engaged lifestyle, this modern high rise attracts residents with shared interests and a health-and-wellness mindset.

FROM DR. SAMUDRAGUPTA BORA’S APARTMENT HOME IN ONE UNIVERSITY CIRCLE, he can step out on one of two balconies and take in an uninterrupted view across Wade Oval to the Cleveland Museum of Art, and from another vantage point, Lake Erie sunsets.

Dr. Bora is now founding director of Health Services Research Center at University Hospitals. He has lived across the States and all over the world. Dr. Bora maintains a gallery wall of all the places he has lived. Dr. Bora could move to any Cleveland community. At One University Circle, Dr. Bora found diversity, proximity to dining and the arts, a welcoming community and shared interests.

Developer Mitchell Schneider, founder and executive chairman of First Interstate Properties, says the property is about “embracing the eds, meds, culture and transportation” available in the Circle. One University Circle marked a milestone

in 2018 as the first high rise in the district in 40 years.

Aside from serving those who work in the Circle or close by, the property accommodates a growing market sector of suburban dwellers who might consider selling their home for an urban, culturecentered lifestyle.

Suites are about 20% larger than comparable apartment homes, ranging from 600-square-foot studios to homes topping 2,000. Property Manager Shana Centra says apartments, overall, are about 200 square feet more than similar properties.

Schneider says, “Because of the institutional life around it, we wanted the building to match the Circle’s offerings while offering a healthy place to live that supports a holistic lifestyle.”

— Kristen Hampshire

A CONNECTED COMMUNITY

Mackenzie Persits wasn’t so sure about transferring from New York City to Cleveland for her husband’s internal medicine residency at Cleveland Clinic. But in 2021, Persits says pandemic life in a tiny studio was closing in on them. She is a visual content director for the New York Post, now working remotely.

The Persits moved to One University Circle sight unseen after a Zoom tour. Two days after unloading boxes, they adopted a Chocolate Lab. Now they also have a 16-month-old who loves strolls around the neighborhood. The couple often stops into nearby L’Albatros for French cuisine and brings the whole family (four-footed friend included) to the Brew Dog patio. Cent’s Pizza is also a favorite.

At home, they grill out at One University Circle weekly, relax poolside by the cabanas — and sometimes Persits works from the rooftop. “We love that they host regular activities,” she says, relating that the social environment has naturally led to new friends. KH

WHOLE LIFE LIVING

One University Circle was designed to enhance overall wellbeing. Windows are operable, allowing fresh air to flow indoors. Most units have at least one balcony. One University Circle is LEED Silver certified.

“The amount of glass in the building allows for natural light and exposure to the outdoors,” Developer Mitchell Schneider adds.

The fitness center and wellness studio will be complemented by a spa, which will feature a sauna and cold showers. Planned professional instructed classes are in the works in the 2800-square-foot fitness center, which is open 24/7. With health-andwellness amenities, plus an amenity deck and pool, residents can carve out important self-care time without the hassle of leaving home. KH

ONE UNIVERSITY CIRCLE

A New Kind of Home

New-home construction opportunities with updated features are coming to Detroit-Shoreway.

DETROIT SHOREWAY

THE VANTAGE

UNTIL NOW IT WAS VERY RARE TO FIND A THREE-CAR GARAGE OFFERED WITH ANY NEW RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood. Even if you didn’t own three big vehicles, the extra storage was coveted for bikes, motorcycles and stuff your adult kids left behind. But now there is The Vantage.

“All five units of The Vantage have attached three-car garages,” says Ted Theophylactos, president of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services’ Ted & Co. team, and a self-proclaimed “car guy” who is loving that idea. “All homes have three bedrooms, and four of these units are 2,200 square feet and one is 2,400 feet. The buyers of these homes

THE EQUINOX

need a little more square footage. Some will be empty-nesters coming from the suburbs, and they will have room here to put a college kid on the ground floor. Others will be those who lived in townhouses, but who want something a little different and bigger.”

All residences also feature outdoor space on the ground level. Theophylactos says he believes some residents prefer easy access from a living or dining area instead of a topfloor terrace.

“The Vantage is the right product for the times,” says Theophylactos, adding that unit prices are in the $700,000s and that this property still qualifies for the City of Cleveland’s former, full 15-year tax abatement.

Groundbreaking for The Vantage, located on Herman Avenue, is scheduled for summer 2024. Theophylactos describes the location as “a little more tucked away,” with “a mix of interesting retail and lakefront.”

— Jill Sell

Theophylactos also is excited about The Equinox, a nine-unit complex that may be move-in ready at the end of 2024 or early 2025. It’s the perfect year for this property’s sophisticated “shadow, light and eclipse” design concepts. The Equinox reflects this year’s obsession with the total solar eclipse in Cleveland. Its location provides a balance of vibrant city living and the serenity of the lakefront, according to Theophylactos. He also points to the property’s more affordable cost for such a desirable area. Units begin in the $470,000s, allowing a wider range of people to become part of the neighborhood’s fabric. JS

EDGEWATER SOUTH

When completed, Edgewater South, another property listed by Theophylactos, will have only three townhome units. But good things come in small packages. Located at the top of Edgewater Hill and W. 74 Street, this complex’s exterior uses brick, corrugated steel and geometric designs to complement the neighborhood, but has its own striking personality. Ground is expected to be broken in 2025.

Unit 1 will be 1,816 square feet and is listed at $569,000. Unit 2 is 2,140 square feet and is priced at $674,900. Unit 3 is 1,816 square feet and lists at $569,900.

Located two miles west of Downtown Cleveland, Detroit-Shoreway is home to more than 90 small businesses and 50-plus galleries and artisans.

Gordon Square Arts District is a walkable adventure in the neighborhood’s center that includes unique cultural and dining opportunities. Highlights include: Capitol Theatre, an historic movie theater; Cleveland Public Theatre, a nationally recognized center for contemporary drama; Near West Theatre, a well-respected, community-based theater; and 78th Street Studios, a fascinating art and design complex with free gallery days.

And, as Theophylactos will tell you, residents of Detroit-Shoreway like to celebrate life. New residents won’t have to wait long for a unique festival or special neighborhood event to participate in and enjoy.

“I currently have 17 new homes being built in this neighborhood,” says Theophylactos. “And all the owners are going to be happy.” — JS

THE VANTAGE

THE EQUINOX

EDGEWATER SOUTH

Behind the Change

Famicos Foundation is an advocate for this neighborhood seeing growth.

GLENVILLE / HOUGH

HISTORY REVITALIZED

GLENVILLE’S EAST BOULEVARD DISTRICT HAS BEEN ENTRENCHED IN HISTORY since the 1950’s and the early 1960’s. Reverand Isaiah Poke Jr. was pastor at St. Mark’s Church, Cleveland’s only all-African American Presbyterian Congregation. The head of the Cleveland NAACP, he was instrumental in the creation of the United Freedom Movement, a coalition of approximately 60 African American civic, religious, cultural and other groups opposing racism. His involvements brought him to the attention of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; Roy Wilkins, executive secretary of the NAACP; and James L. Farmer Jr., national chairperson of the Congress of Racial Equality.

THE CHEF RETURNS HOME

Today, thanks in part to state and federal historic credits and the work of the Famicos Foundation, his historic church is being repurposed as St. Mark’s Community Center.

Famicos Foundation’s vision is a re-energized church building committed to the arts, education and the workforce where receptions spill over from the nearby Cleveland Cultural Gardens and alliances are created with neighboring University Circle institutions.

“We would love to have institutions help move this project forward, and we want this facility to represent the African American experience of that arts and culture district,” says Khalid Hawthorne, real estate development director of Famicos Foundation.

— Myra Orenstein

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

On a four-acre parcel at the intersection of MLK Boulevard and St. Clair Avenue lies the African American Cultural Gardens with a monument representative of the African American Experience’s past, present and future.

With land acquired on October 23, 1977, Phase One of the monument, designed by Cleveland architect W. Daniel Bickerstaff, was completed in 2016 and depicts the Door of No Return and the Corridor of No Return, each commemorating the transatlantic slave trade. Today, a $4 million fundraising effort is underway for the creation of a 60-inch platform depicting the emergence of this community.

“This monument represents the people of this country — their pride and resilience. It features descending waters indicating the journey and emerging waters representing our future,” explains Lavita Ewing, Association of African American Cultural Gardens board member and development chairperson.

“The North Star represents our ancestors coming to this new land. They followed that star, in search of opportunity. Water plays an important role in our culture. Here, students and the general public will learn how each phase of life contributes to our future.” MO

Cleveland Heights native Jeremy McBryde (aka the “Flava Finess’a”) left town over 15 years ago for Los Angeles, ultimately opening Comfort LA and Flava Neighborhood. These successful restaurants were recognized by Forbes, the LA Times, LA Weekly, Thrillist, Yelp Beyonce’s list, Kevin Hart, LeBron James and more. McBryde made his mark on Food Network’s “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” and judged some of its competitions.

“I was a west coast transplant in need of creation of a space that felt like family,” McBryde says. He was stocked with family recipes that felt like home. Maw Maw’s candied yams, Granny’s banana pudding and Cousin Kina’s mac-and-cheese all were reminiscent of his Cleveland roots. Famicos provided the enticement for his return.

Today, McBryde’s Comfort CLE is “a family reunion every time you come here,” he says. Communal seating places guests with people they know and soon-to-be-friends.

Comfort CLE, based on its LA counterpart and Flava Neighbor (a restaurant development house open on days when Comfort CLE is nonoperational) were started with Partner and Chef Renard Shanklin. MO

ST. MARK’S FAMILY CENTER

Building For ward

Union Miles is growing through a combination of progressive neighborhood involvement, local government commitment and planned strategies.

HOME FOR VETERANS

WHILE DEVELOPING A SITE FOR PROMOTING THE EFFECTS OF URBAN AGRICULTURE IS A KEY COMPONENT of the Walter Collins Veterans Homes at Harvard Avenue east of East East 93rd Street, this $3 million development required a brain-trust made up of participants from the Union Miles Development Corporation (UMDC), Ward Two City Councilperson Kevin L. Bishop, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Cuyahoga County, the State of Ohio, the City of Cleveland, CHN Housing Partners, City Architecture and Rid-All Green Partnership.

The result is a community of 11, twobedroom, one-bath, 1,000-square-foot singlefamily homes built to provide affordable housing for male and female veterans in southeast Cleveland, many of whom have unmet housing needs. To qualify, prospective

tenants will undergo an intake process through the local Veterans Administration.

Rid-All Green Partnership will engage the veterans through interactive programming onsite, teaching best practices for successful urban agriculture and promote healthy living and providing actionable stability for these veterans.

— Myra Orenstein

TRANSFORMING NEIGHBORHOODS

Keep your eyes open as Mount Pleasant, Union Miles and Lee Harvard neighborhoods undergo major transformations thanks in great part to $15 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.

By allocating $5 million to the neighborhoods (at press time, exact amounts distributed to each of the three neighborhoods were still to be determined), Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb is earmarking funding for residential home repair and rehabilitation, commercial corridor improvements and public and green space.

Bibb has also engaged Cleveland native and Harvard Divinity School Graduate Marvin Owens as senior strategist tasked with bringing City resources and external funding

to these three targeted neighborhoods. Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, Cuyahoga Land Bank and Community Housing Solutions will be working with Owens and Union Miles Development Corporation on program implementation.

Bibb has promised to dedicate funding to Black, underserved neighborhoods earmarked for storefront improvements. Its White Box Program revitalizes occupied as well as vacant buildings to their original/ clean state. Its acquisition and stabilization program will encourage potential investors to acquire and repurpose existing properties. And its green space/public ground funds will further establish pocket parks, parking facilities and art projects. MO

UMDC EXPANSION

A master plan is in development stages. In the Union Miles retail corridor, an initiative set forth by Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, UMDC and Cleveland Neighborhood Progress focuses on areas including East 93rd Street, Kinsman, Union Miles and Mt. Pleasant neighborhoods.

While external changes may be the most noticeable in the Union Miles neighborhood, internally a major expansion is taking place. The Union Miles Development Corp. service area footprint has expanded to include the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood.

The CDC will serve as a catalyst that will align the neighborhoods, creating a larger engaged community that can mean more voices and progress.

With this new change comes a new brand for Union Miles Development Corp. Three neighborhood community sessions were held in the neighborhood with over 200 neighborhood residents’ input to assist in creating a new name for UMDC. MO

UNION MILES

Creating AHome

K&D takes its role as a steward of seriously.

By Jill Sell

Adecade ago, the K&D Group was transforming the 21-story East Ohio Gas Building (the first all-glass structure in Downtown Cleveland) into the upscale Residences at 1717. Karen Fanger, president and COO of K&D Group in Willoughby, has always been a hands-on real estate owner, especially with regards to design and decorating. “Our properties must be warm and welcoming from the lobby to the suite. Each building has its own feel,” says Fanger.

For 1717, she envisioned carpeting that featured small flames, a nod to the building’s proud history. “Unfortunately, the designer first sent sketches that looked like Harley-Davidson flames. I was thinking more like a small pilot light,” says Fanger, referring to the company’s long tradition of supplying gas for furnaces and appliances to homes and businesses. “We did get that corrected. But in every renovation we do, we try to honor the historical contents of that property.”

Those decisions — large and small — have taken a lot of thought since K&D was

city living

founded in 1984 by Fanger and CEO Douglas Price. Today the company owns 40 properties and manages about 10,000 residential units.

“We own probably 35% of the Downtown market,” says Price. “We are sort of at the point where we don’t want to get much bigger. But looking at future expansion means we may go back to buying buildings again, probably on the West Side.”

With 2 ½ million square feet of commercial space in Downtown Cleveland, K&D is “the largest commercial landlord in Downtown,” according to Price. Commercial real estate makes up a third of the business’ portfolio, which also includes 15 buildings designated for senior living.

“We are very proud of what we do in the area. We provide the very best product. And we are moderately priced. We aren’t the most expensive in any of our markets. But we have touched a huge part of Northeast Ohio’s population and will continue to do so,” says Price, who has been vocal in advocating for development incentives in the area.

K&D’s ownership list is long and impressive, including Reserve Square, The Residences at 668, Residences at Halle, The Residences at Hanna, Residences at Leader and other projects. Both Fanger and Price agree, however, that their hand in creating The Terminal Tower Residences was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to breathe life back into what is Cleveland’s most iconic building. And it was challenging. K&D owns The Terminal Tower, but not Tower City Center, so as Price says, “there were lots of things to get around creating residences from the 15th floor and down.” By the end of June 2024, K&D will know whether the third try to get state historic tax credits for the proposed renovation of the former United Church of Christ headquarters (recently known as the 700 Prospect Avenue building) will be successful. It’s been frustrating for Price, who is ready to go on the project, and says the state needs to dedicate more funding to the tax credits and revise its award process.

We are very proud of what we do in the area. We provide the very best product. And we are moderately priced. We aren’t the most expensive in any of our markets.”

— K&D CEO, DOUGLAS PRICE

K&D Residences at 55 community room, lounge & fitness center

Over 40 years of making you feel at

Reserve Square  Residences at 55  The Residences at 668  Residences at 1717 Residences at Halle  The Residences at Hanna  Residences at Leader Stonebridge Waterfront  The Terminal Tower Residences

K&D has it all. Be close to the action, close to home in our Downtown Cleveland communities. Located near the popular Warehouse, Gateway, and Playhouse Square Districts and public transportation, entertainment and dining options abound right outside your door. Rooftop patios, fitness centers, restaurants, community rooms, attached parking, in-suite washers and dryers... our on-site amenities make everyday living a breeze.

LUXURY

K&D is locally owned and operated with nearly 40 apartment communities in the Greater Cleveland area. Visit our website to discover your new home... www.KandD.com

“Ohio, and especially Cleveland, has been a leader in historic restorations and we have done most of them. We are a national leader in converting office buildings and now it’s getting tougher. We don’t want to lose our leadership on this,” says Price, adding that the project will also offer a significant percent of affordable housing.

Fanger said K&D usually has another project in the wings, but likes to complete a major project before moving on to the next. However, delays in obtaining the necessary tax credits for 700 have caused us to delay moving forward.

“As far as what’s next, our eyes are always open, and we are always looking,” says Fanger. “I look at this as an opportunity to do things within the company. There are always internal improvements such as processes or software enhancements you can improve or change. So, when you have time like this, you take advantage of it.”

Life As a K&D Resident

There is never a problem finding K&D building residents who like to talk about where they live.

“I can sit in my living room, look out my window and see huge bridges and ships coming through all day,” says Cleveland resident John Stursa, who lives in the Stonebridge Waterfront complex, alongside the historic Superior Viaduct in The Flats. “I call the view my life-size screen saver. It’s the same cool view they show all the time on television.”

Stursa has been living at Stonebridge for almost three years. Initially he and his roommate were interested in the building because it was a dog-friendly property.

“We also wanted to make sure we could take the dog for a walk and Heritage Park is close, they just re-did it, and it’s a nice little area,” says Stursa. “The dog was a major reason we chose Stonebridge, but I also

I can sit in my living room, look out my window and see huge bridges and ships coming through all day. I call the view my life-size screen saver.”

STONEBRIDGE WATERFRONT RESIDENT, JOHN STURSA

looked around at other places and Stonebridge was just cool.”

Stursa says he is grateful that the nearby and historic Center Street Swing Bridge over the Cuyahoga River opened last fall after several years of rehab work. That gives him easy access to restaurants and entertainment venues.

“I even like walking to Cavs and Guardians games. It’s so easy. We make our way into Tower City and then you are inside for the rest of your walk,” says Stursa. “And you can get last-minute, inexpensive tickets because we don’t really have to plan far ahead. We can be there in 10 minutes.”

Besides its convenient location, Stursa appreciates Stonebridge’s ability to respond to

any request for maintenance work “either the same day or the next.”

Stursa is director of marketing and operations for Underdogs, a marketing agency. He is also co-owner of “I’m From Cleveland,” a media outlet that focuses on positively promoting Cleveland’s culture, including music, fashion and sports. When Stursa proudly wears his “I’m From Cleveland” trademarked apparel, that includes Stonebridge. ***

Dean Frederick is an accountant who works Downtown and lives in the new Residences at 55, near Public Square and the Warehouse District. After graduating from John Carroll University with a master’s degree in 2022, Frederick was ready to live on his own for the first time.

“The 55 building couldn’t have worked out any better for me,” says Frederick. “I looked at other places around Cleveland, like Tremont, but they have the same pricing as living Downtown. When this came up, I couldn’t jump on it faster. It’s just the perfect spot for me. I like to walk and it’s in the middle of everything.”

Frederick appreciates “the fantastic security guards” at 55 and being able to always feel comfortable. He also gives a thumbs up to the outside patio where he can “go watch a sunset,” as well as 55’s community room where he enjoys studying.

“I’ve never had an issue with anything at all here,” says Frederick. “If I do put in a ticket (for maintenance), I’ll go to work, come home, and see a note on my counter that says everything is good to go.”

Frederick also likes his unit’s open floor plan because he likes to cook and entertain. An island allows him to “see into the living room” from his “perfect kitchen.”

“I told everyone that I am going to paint everything in my future homes the same colors. I like it that much,” he says.

Fahrenheit Cleveland, interior layout and lobby entrance inside the Residences at 55

Middle neighborhoods on the fringe of inner-ring suburbs are essential to life in America.”

DANNETTE DAVIS

Meet

IN T H E

Middle

Accessible housing, walkable communities, local businesses and a legacy of families who desire to stay in the city are hallmarks of Cleveland middle neighborhoods. Now funding and a formal initiative will help restore housing and commercial development to sustain the legacy.

They’re stable, sustainable and can offer a city lifestyle. They aren’t the most or least invested neighborhoods — they’re in the middle and accessible urban, walkable communities. Middle Neighborhoods on the fringe of the inner ring are in an opportune position to attract homeowners and business.

BY KRIST E N H A MPSHIRE

“These are walkable places in the city where residents can afford to live, and they have other choices,” says Tania Menesse, president and CEO, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP).

These are longtime, family-centric areas in Cleveland with single-family homes, mom-and-pop businesses and generations who have stayed. They’re often legacy neighborhoods. While there hasn’t been a lot of change, this also means evolution and preservation is essential.

“The middle neighborhood is essential for keeping the balance because if there is only low-income or high-income, where is there to grow?” says Dannette Davis, the City of Cleveland’s Middle Neighborhood project director.

Davis relates. She grew up on Cleveland’s southeast side and remembers thinking as a girl, “I’m going to get a job and buy a nice house with a big back yard in Collinwood or Glenville,” she says, remarking that middle neighborhoods on the fringe of inner-ring suburbs are “essential to life in America.”

In August 2023, Cleveland City Council approved a middle neighborhoods effort, earmarking $7.3 million of federal revenue recovery funding it received combined with an additional $3-million pledge from the state. CNP has also secured investments from philanthropic partners including Rocket Community Fund.

The initiative targets four neighborhoods: Old Brooklyn, Jefferson-Puritas West Park, Collinwood-Nottingham and North Shore Collinwood, and Lee-Harvard. Funds will rehabilitate 200 homes overall and roughly six commercial investments per neighborhood, says Briana Perry, CNP’s senior vice president of equitable neighborhood revitalization.

Menesse adds, “These are longtime Cleveland neighborhoods with mature trees, parks and sidewalks — amenities people often associate with suburbs.”

Where to Grow

The Middle Neighborhoods initiative is a growing national movement to address the long-term viability of cities where there is a trend of eroding homeownership, predatory investors and aging buildings. But these communities are in prime locations, offer housing within reach, are typically diverse and offer conveniences.

There’s an attractive lifestyle ready to go with some rehab investment that the Middle Initiative aims to achieve.

“Middle neighborhoods share three things in common,” says Bryan Gillooly, executive director, Jefferson-Puritas West Park CDC. “One is relative stability with the threat for instability, and we maintain our population. We are not experiencing complete disinvestment or flight. We also have a lot of diversity.”

This is true across middle neighborhoods, but each community has different nuances.

There is untapped opportunity in middle neighborhoods to trigger a chain reaction of rehabilitation, investment and home ownership. It’s city life and family-centric, close to the city core and features numerous assets and urban living amenities.

“We believe with some really targeted intervention in specific areas of these neighborhoods, we can move the market,” Menesse says, adding that middle neighborhoods “are almost market ready.” If a half-dozen rehabilitated homes can lift appraisals and generate real estate comparables, existing homeowners will realize equity, families will stay in the city and new residents will move in.

Perry says, “Buyers have opportunities to choose suburbs where they can get a home office, a fourth bedroom, another bathroom or a

finished attic. We’re focusing on how our investments can make middle neighborhood houses more competitive.”

There’s the housing piece, which includes working with existing property owners and enlisting in local contractors to update and breathe new life into about 10 homes per target neighborhood per year for the next three and a half years. Partnering CDCs have additional development initiatives, Perry adds.

The commercial investment piece involves white box efforts to create a blank canvas in business real estate with electrical, HVAC, utilities and dry wall to bring spaces up to code.

“We will also work with commercial property owners

on signage improvements and storefront renovations,” Perry says of additional grants, noting a goal to draw new tenants and more traffic.

Sustaining walkable commercial corridors and providing opportunities for in-demand services and retail is essential for maintaining middle neighborhood stability. “If you have no economic center and people have to travel to get their resources, what reason would they have to stay?” Davis asks.

Already, Cleveland’s middle neighborhoods have a solid foundation of commercial business. For instance, Lee Harvard Shopping Center is 90% occupied, says Elaine Gohlstin, president and CEO of the Harvard Community Services Center.

“That is a lot we can hang our hat on, but we need a new look and to give our businesses dollars to repurpose their businesses so they continue to stay in the community,” Gohlstin adds.

An infusion of middle neighborhood investment is designed to secure a vital future and provide access to homeownership and a desirable city lifestyle.

Here is what’s underway and on the development docket in Cleveland’s four target middle neighborhoods. The hope is to prove success and repeat the model in other middles.

We believe with some really targeted intervention in specific areas of these neighborhoods, we can move the market.”

TANIA MENESSE

Jefferson-Puritas West Park

The area known as Jefferson Park stretches from Lorain Avenue and will be a focal point for middle neighborhoods investment, Gillooly says. There are two home rehabilitation projects underway with a goal of 10 this year, and projects might include adding another bedroom or bathroom and general rehabilitation.

“By using grant money to complete these projects, neighbors’ home values will increase and then they will have the equity to redo their own kitchens and bathrooms,” he says. “It raises market value, overall.”

Proximity to the playground and green space at Jefferson Park, easy access to

Lorain Avenue and connectivity to nearby Kamm’s Corners makes the targeted corridor ideal for stimulating investment throughout JeffersonPuritas West Park.

Additionally, the neighborhood CDC partners with the Home Repair Resource Center (HRRC) to offer home repair workshops to residents at no cost.

“We’re trying to push beyond home maintenance and are looking forward to initiatives through CNP, the city and all the middle neighborhoods,” Gillooly says, adding that white box improvements to commercial properties will provide opportunities for local businesses.

The CDC in conjunction with West Park Kamm’s Neighborhood Development will conduct

a market study for the Lorain Avenue commercial corridor to find out what types of businesses residents feel the community was lacking and will support. “We want to attract the right things,” Gillooly says. “Are there offerings that should be available to our residents that they can afford and are probably driving out of the neighborhood to access?”

“The study will help guide us as to what types of businesses or neighborhood residents, combined with visiting traffic and traffic passing through,

Lee Har vard

Middle neighborhood means we want to go up, not down,” says Elaine Gohlstin, who lives in the community and raised her children in what is called “the suburb in the city” and has one of the highest home ownership rates in Cleveland.

could economically support,” Gillooly says. “Of all the commercial offerings our neighborhoods want and need, which ones can we feasibly sustain?”

This type of deep-dive community engagement is how long-term revitalization continues an ongoing tradition of staying in and supporting the neighborhood.

This community has a great legacy as a middle-class neighborhood, and we want that legacy to stand.” ELAINE GOHLSTIN

“This community has a great legacy as a middle-class neighborhood, and we want that legacy to stand,” Gohlstin says, relating that generations continue to call Lee-Harvard home. Houses are passed on to children, grandchildren and so on.

“We are working on vacant and abandoned houses, and we work with local contractors who live in the community and are interested in rehabbing them to sell at a modest rate,”

she says, envisioning the middle neighborhoods initiative as a pathway for first-time homebuyers and young families to stay in the city.

The city identified the 14acre previous site of the John F. Kennedy High School and 3.1-acre Gracemount site, a former school, as development opportunities for mixed-use space such as affordable housing and businesses that support the Lee-Harvard Community Plan.

Gohlstin says she is encouraged by widespread participation during five townhall meetings to gather feedback on what neighbors want to see from these sites. Each drew about 200 community members. They agreed, “We want to see some open, outdoor space where people can gather.”

JOHN

Collinwood -Nottingham & North Shore

Because of North Shore Collinwood’s lakefront location, proximity to University Circle, Downtown and Lake County, “We have seen a migration of folks from the inner ring, and I’m very happy about that,” says Councilman Michael Polensek, representing Ward 8.

The neighborhood is home to four longstanding Catholic churches — the only neighborhood where one did not close — along with a base of schools; two miles of lakefront beaches; three Metroparks, including Euclid Beach, Villa Angela and Wildwood; and a connector bike path coming online that will connect the three Metroparks.

“We have all this potential,” Polensek says, adding that code enforcement is essential to stabilization.

Polensek, as the “dean” of city council and longest-serving member since 1978, has been engaged in four decades of various redevelopment initiatives, and now middle neighborhoods. He says he hopes the program will help “build a foundation of homeownership,” where residents become stakeholders and work to help stabilize communities.

Necessary steps: shoring up unpaid property taxes, preventing teardowns and promoting quality of life necessities including public safety, along with leveraging middle neighborhood investments.

Developers are taking interest in the neighborhood, such as Rebuild Cleveland’s Seth Task, who also leads a team at Berkshire Hathaway. Habitat for Humanity is applying for permits to construct 10 modular ranch homes here.

Polensek is passionate about his ward, which encompasses Collinwood Nottingham to the south, North Shore Collinwood, Collinwood Village and the eastern section of Glenville. Mortgage assistance and gap financing has been on his radar to create a market. “Our parents owned homes here. Our grandparents owned homes here.” He wants this to continue. “I’ve never lived anywhere else," he says. I am supportive in any way possible.”

Old Brooklyn

Historic stability is a hallmark of Old Brooklyn, says Lucas Reeve, executive director of the neighborhood CDC. “We have done a lot of work to intervene with aging housing stock and condition of homes,” he says, relaying a concerted effort to prevent “bulk buying groups” and predatory investors from buying up homes to rent out.

“We try to overinvest in those homes, and once fully rehabbed, they are naturally occurring affordable housing for families who benefit from home ownership,” Reeve says, noting the CDC has taken on a “fair amount” of those projects during the last few years.

Old Brooklyn CDC also offers home buyer workshops and through partners, access lending programs that provide down payment assistance and educational resources.

With the middle neighborhoods effort and CNP partnership, Reeve says those investments will push improvement at “the higher end” of the neighborhood to drive up housing values while modernizing housing stock for modern buyers.

This translates to a second bathroom, office space and offering at least three bedrooms in single-family homes. Outdoor space is a priority, too. “By us investing in the bottom end of the market to combat predatory investors

and at the top end to drive comps and bring folks into the neighborhood, we can continue stabilizing this area and compete against surrounding suburbs,” Reeve says.

As part of the middle neighborhoods’ commercial corridor investments, Old Brooklyn CDC will help facilitate grant funding through a match program. “For every dollar a commercial property owner puts toward improvements, we will match those funds to help make upgrades possible so a new business can come in and sign a lease,” Reeve says. “This helps support property owners so those investments aren’t all out-of-pocket.”

Reeve emphasizes that the over-arching goal is sustainable stability in the neighborhood. He says, “We want to be inclusive and bring new people into the neighborhood, new businesses and create pathways to home ownership.”

THE CITY IS OUR CAMPUS

Bey nd ACTIVATING INVESTMENT the Circle

A flurry of investment & development in neighborhoods surrounding University Circle are creating more work-life-stay opportunities with access to meds, eds and culture.

BY KRISTEN HAMPSHIRE

The energy surrounding University Circle in the form of new housing, retail options and mixed-use space is fueling livework-stay opportunities in surrounding neighborhoods.

Within the corridors adjacent to Cleveland’s center for eds, meds and culture, there are a range of projects led by area community development corporations (CDCs).

“We are thrilled to see a number of investments,” says Elise Yablonsky, chief place management officer at University Circle Inc.

In the Circle proper, Yablonsky points to the Circle Square project that includes The Artisan on Chester Avenue with 298 units and Library Lofts on Euclid Avenue with 207 units.

Meanwhile, a new Martin Luther King Jr. Library branch is also due to open this summer, while the future Circle Square with 66,000 square feet of retail and about 300 residential units by Midwest Development Partners is underway.

Stokes West will offer 255 apartments and eight townhomes developed by ACRE via a ground lease with University Circle Inc., Yablonsky adds.

Groundwork is in play to complete a master plan to chart

a course for streetscapes and public spaces, Yablonsky adds, relating a goal to connect the Circle’s institutional assets to commercial developments.

She emphasizes the Greater University Circle Initiative, a legacy of The Cleveland Foundation, to encourage and fund initiatives linking the Circle and surrounding neighborhoods. “It’s part of an ongoing effort to facilitate and support institutions in buying, hiring and living local,” she says.

University Circle Inc. President Kate Borders underscores the symbiotic relationship between strong, growing surrounding neighborhoods and vitality in the Circle to generate a positive ripple effect.

“We think this is a world-class neighborhood and that is because of everything within the Circle and the neighborhoods surrounding us,” she says.

Now is a tipping point. “We have been master planning for years and what people are seeing now is the culmination of that,” says Denise VanLeer, executive director, Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation.

Innovation Square is a shining example that catalyzed real estate development in Fairfax with a completed greenspace called Playwright Park, a new Meijer Fairfax Market and housing at The Aura.

Meanwhile, Cuyahoga Land Bank’s extensive Circle East and Circle North initiatives build off of nearby amenities, says Dennis Roberts, its director of real estate development.

Learn about what’s happening in these neighborhoods.

Meijer Fairfax Market in Cleveland’s Innovation District

Hough & Glenville

Focused on transformation, Frontline Development Group does more than construct buildings. “We want to build community,” says Sheila Wright, president and managing partner of Frontline Development Group, which she launched in 2017, and then with the City of Cleveland entered into an agreement to acquire about 5 acres of land in the Hough neighborhood.

Today, its Allen Estates project at historic League Park is designed as a mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood of 300 housing units — modern residences, brownstones and midrise apartments with commercial tenants at ground level. The project spans along East 65th Street from Linwood to Wade Park and the East 66th Street corridor connecting to the Cleveland Foundation’s headquarters and the new Cleveland Public Library branch.

“Most of my life in Cleveland, I’ve heard people talk about the

need for investment on the east and south sides, and it’s happening,” Wright says. “With support, investment and attention, there is an explosion of activity.”

Wright says the level of economic activity in progress is “not the normal course” and instead represents “an injection of investment we are seeing play out.”

Gordon Crossing at the southwest corner of East 101st Street and Woodward Avenue will include a three-story building with 54 (46 of those secured by the low-income housing tax credit) apartments in the Newton Avenue Historic District in partnership with Frontline Development Group and Woda Cooper Companies. There is also a project by Famicos Foundation called Henrietta Homes, coming online this summer.

Khalid Hawthorne, the organization’s real estate development director, says vacant lots in Hough offer an avenue to “kickstart development and provide

accessible price points.” Famicos Foundation has been rooted in the Hough community for more than 50 years, providing services from neighborhood revitalization to social services and affordable housing solutions.

He points to other important Hough projects: Innova Apartments in the southeast corridor, Axis at Ansel and The Lumos. The Inspiron Group of Cleveland is building the 131-unit Addis View apartments with up to four phases amounting to 400-plus apartments planned. Marous Development Group is planning for a 127-unit building at East 82nd Street and Chester Avenue.

In nearby Glenville on the corner of East 105th Street and

We want to build community.”

Superior — once referred to as The Gold Coast — Famicos Foundation has been rehabilitating its large homes. “The last one we sold on East Boulevard went to someone who moved from Cleveland to Washington, D.C. and back to Cleveland,” Hawthorne relates. “The house next door had been abandoned and because they saw what we were doing, it sold and is now being rehabbed.”

Famicos is also preserving Glenville’s St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church with plants to create a multi-purpose community center. Residents can feel the momentum, he adds. “They are seeing that development is happening and it’s optimistic for the future of their neighborhood.”

Innovation Square in Fairfax offers a spectrum of housing options including mixed-income multifamily units, single-family homes for sale and rental townhomes. The Fairfax Meijer Market “is huge,” says VanLeer, noting that residents have wanted a grocer in the neighborhood for years. The urban concept store includes products from more than 150 local businesses and employs workers from close by.

VanLeer emphasizes a proud history in Fairfax. “There are

Khalid Hawthore, Famicos Foundation’s Real Estate Development Director

The Aura ribbon cutting happened at Innovation Square in Fairfax.

INNOVATION IN Fairfax

− Sheila Wright

families who have lived here for four or five generations,” she says. “Even when people move away, they come back.”

Every year, a Fairfax reunion draws people from all over the country, she adds. “We are in a great location between University Circle and downtown Cleveland,” she says, adding that Opportunity Corridor has played a catalytic role. “It all works together.”

Also in Innovation Square, Knez Homes is constructing 62 single-family homes. “We are also working on a 100% affordable building that is projected to break ground at the first quarter of next year as a low-income, tax credit project,” VanLeer says.

Meanwhile, on East 89th Street, where some large Victorian homes that could not be maintained were torn down, large Victorian-looking structures are

replacing the homes; they will be apartments. The apartments will resemble the historic architecture the area is known for, VanLeer says. The $10.5 million East 89th Rising Hous-

ing Development is planned by Timothy Tramble, president of We Rise Development and president and CEO of the Saint Luke’s Foundation. He is also a Fairfax resident.

There are families who have lived here for four or five generations. Even when people move away, they come back.”

Aura at Innovation Square is located within walking distance of the Fairfax Market.

− Denise VanLeer

East & Nor th

In an area including Cleveland’s eastern gateway to University Circle and East Cleveland, the Cuyahoga Land Bank is leading a $122 million redevelopment plan that will consist of more than 200 homes to jumpstart transformational development with an estimated economic impact of $60 million in new property value — and aside from additional income and tax benefits, an expected 610 construction jobs will be created.

A commercial building will anchor the district, and Circle East includes a “heavy emphasis on sustainability,” Dennis Roberts, director of real estate development at Cuyahoga Land Bank, says, pointing to rooftop solar power to reduce energy bills, greenspaces and EV chargers.

Roberts says Circle East will become “an entirely new neighborhood” within a 30acre footprint including 18 parcels on Euclid Avenue. “We think that is ideal for commercial redevelopment, retail and amenities,” he says, adding the five-year plan comes after two studies conducted in 2015 by Case Western Reserve University and in 2020 by Cleveland State University. “This is an ideal place to strategically develop to spur further investment.”

Circle North, an area just north of Circle East District, is another location where the Land Bank is heavily engaged in development. Some Land Bank initiatives include building new homes — completed residences

on East 116th Street and Ashbury Road, and three in-progress on Beulah Avenue. “Our strategy at the Land Bank is to find neighborhoods that need government intervention, and we believe with the investment of our time, talent and treasure we can tip that community and get it into a good place to create a market,” Roberts says.

StrivingKeep

We endeavor to build the city of the future, and if you are going to build new homes, they should be inspirational and something other cities will aspire to.”

− Dennis Roberts

Ready to turn your dream into a reality?

Take the next step at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®).

Gain in-demand job skills or earn an affordable, transfer-friendly degree.

Tri-C can even help you launch your own business.

Knowledgeable instructors and advisors will help you create a customized plan that puts you on the fast track to your dream job, a four-year degree or whatever your next step in life is.

So keep moving forward. Keep striving. Keep your eye on the prize. Keep after that dream.

Tri-C® Where futures beginSM

now.

Circle East, Euclid Avenue renovation rendering

Teaming up for Transformation

Transformation requires time, commitment and investment.

Since 2009, the Cuyahoga Land Bank has set out to reactivate and repurpose vacant, blighted, neglected and tax-delinquent properties in the county. It acquires the land, stabilizes properties through renovations or newhome construction, sells them to private owners and strategizes for short- and long-term economic development.

None of this happens alone. The Land Bank collaborates with agencies, public officials, community development corporations, private developers and other social service organizations.

Regarding the Circle East initiative, “Nothing of this scale has been developed in a

lifetime in this neighborhood,” says Dennis Roberts, director of real estate development. Groundbreaking is slated for fall 2024 for the five-year, $122 million plan.

The Land Bank is catalyzing other new marketed growth, too. For example, they will use their recent $10 million ARPA grant from the City of Cleveland

Nothing of this scale has been developed in a lifetime in this

across various wards to build quality affordable housing.

Homebuyer education is another Land Bank priority. They do this through their nonprofit brokerage, Realty Reimagined, which provides a variety of resources and courses, included pre-approval clinics and post-purchase classes where buyers learn about maintenance,

insurance and how to become an engaged community member among other topics.

Roberts adds, “We help people with credit challenges or who are new to the homebuying process, and we are actively building a pipeline of buyers to take advantage of the development opportunities coming online.”

Sleepy Hollow Golf Course

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

North Chagrin Reservation

Beulah Street view renderiing

− Dennis Roberts

A GREATRead

Discover the Top 10 places to immerse yourself in a book in the city.

7. 1.

1. 10.

2.

Whiskey Island DOWNTOWN

If you know, you know. This gem of a location offers 32 acres of urban greenspace with lakefront views. There’s always a good vibe in this beachy environment. Grab your favorite book and enjoy the sunshine (or the shade). Every once in a while, be sure to look back at Downtown to enjoy the unique vantage point from Whiskey Island.

Eastman Reading Garden DOWNTOWN

It’s an obvious choice — go the library, right? Well, Cleveland Public Library’s main branch Downtown provides the Eastman Reading Garden, a quaint outdoor space nestled in between its two buildings. Bring your own book or borrow one from the library.

3.

West Side Market OHIO CITY

City life comes with a basic level of hustle and bustle. This holds true for the West Side Market, an iconic institution that exemplifies Cleveland. You’ll see all walks of life and catch the many scents and smells synonymous with a culture-filled public market. Elevate to the mezzanine level and have a seat with a good read. The shoppers provide a nice white noise as you sink into your chosen script.

Creek Falls SLAVIC VILLAGE/ UNION MILES

A waterfall lends its own kind of crescendo. Mill Creek Falls sits near the border of Union Miles and Slavic Village. The ever-flowing gush of water dropping 48 feet can sooth the mind and allow for this tuckedaway park in the city to be a fantastic reading location.

As far as parks go, this one is top notch. Cleveland’s Cultural Gardens honors our region’s ethnic diversity. It also provides a beautiful backdrop for a reader seeking some serenity. Pick any one of the official 35 gardens and start flipping some pages.

Camp Cleveland TREMONT 9. 8. 7. 6.

This stretch of Towpath Trail in Tremont offers a great reading spot. Located at the northern end of West 10th Street in the neighborhood, Camp Cleveland is a cute little park with swinging benches overlooking the Cuyahoga River and providing sweeping skyline views. The location honors the largest of Cleveland’s six Civil War training camps for the Union. Get comfortable and start reading — and be prepared to say hello to a few friendly walkers and cyclists also enjoying the trail.

Edgewater Park EDGEWATER

Cleveland favorite lakefront park (it’s actually a tie with Euclid Beach in Collinwood) just begs for you to visit with a good book. Manicured greenspace, beautiful scenery, sparkling waves and a refreshing breeze off the Lake all add up to one incredible book-reading experience. With park benches, huge trees, pavilion space, a beach house and, of course, the beach spread across 147 acres, there is no shortage of places for you to settle in.

Nord Family Greenway UNIVERSITY CIRCLE/HOUGH

Beginning on the grounds of the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Nord Family Greenway connects University Circle to the Cleveland Clinic campus. The gorgeous parkway provides a multi-level experience worthy of the city’s finest institutions that surround it. Grab a bench seat or bring a blanket and get comfortable.

Waterloo Plaza

Who doesn’t love an arts district? At the corner of Waterloo Road and East 156th Street sits a modest little plaza that provides 360 degree views of the Waterloo Arts & Entertainment District. Complete with outdoor furniture, nearby galleries and coffee shop and the world-famous Beachland Ballroom just down the street, you are bound to get all the urban neighborhood feels while taking in a few chapters of your favorite novel.

Tucked behind a CMSD preK-8 school, the Ben Franklin Community Garden is a unique retreat within the densely populated Old Brooklyn neighborhood. This garden holds over 200 plots for resident gardeners, a small stage for performers, a garden house and some seating options. With book in hand, you’ll smell the flowers, appreciate the volume of fruits and vegetables being harvested in the county’s largest community garden, and get welcomed by the smiling faces of neighbors tending their plots.

Ben Franklin Garden OLD BROOKLYN

COLLINWOOD

FUN in the

Ci ty

Learn how you can experience the city’s energy during every season.

By Jill Sell

CLEVELANDERS LOVE TRADITION and loyally support annual events all year-round. Every month has a parade, festival or celebration that gets bigger and better each year. (Dates listed are for 2024 unless noted.)

SUMMER

Summer is peak outdoor festival time. Parade the Circle (June 8) celebrates cultures, art and fantasy in its own unique way. A non-commercial parade with bigger-thanlife puppets, outrageously gorgeous costumes and always a few quirky surprises, begins at 12:00 pm (noon) at the north entrance of the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) and turns University Circle into a wild dream. Sponsored by LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, Pride in the CLE

(June 1) begins at Public Square. Marchers gather at Mall B and C for the Pride Festival with its health and wellness, village, live entertainment, food trucks and vendors, community resources, job boards, activist opportunities and more. Lots of banners and lots of encouragement to “come as your real self.”

The nationally recognized Tri-C JazzFest (June 20-22) features nearly 500 artists from Africa, New Orleans and your own Cleveland neighborhood performing in indoor and outdoor concerts. Check out the street performers, shopping and the refreshment tent at this year’s 45th festival.

FALL

The Cleveland Rowing Foundation’s 28th Annual Head of the Cuyahoga Regatta

(September 21) can trace its roots to 1989. Now one of the top 10 single-day regattas in the United States, this competition leaves many other cities in its wake.

Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 through October 15) is a constant blur of bright colors, happy sounds, fantastic murals and cultural activities involving several neighborhoods, institutions and businesses.

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo presents two late summer/fall events that are family favorites. The Asian Lantern Festival features large-scale lantern displays, culturally inspired cuisine and interactive and themed areas. One of Cleveland’s best after-dark activities, it celebrates its 7th year in 2024. Boo at the Zoo in October is the place for trick-or-treating, movies and a great opportunity to wear that tiger costume.

Brite Winter (February 22, 2025) is one of the region’s fastest growing annual celebrations. A wide variety of Northeast Ohio musicians, artists, street performers and others dare you to come outside and enjoy Cleveland’s creative side. And that’s despite any lake-effect snow, chill factor, hail or freezing rain.

The “monsters” look like a cross between a Shaggy Dog standing on two legs and a Yeti wearing a red and white tie. The costumed characters are a little hard to explain, but everyone loves them and appreciates that they scare away winter and welcome spring. The 13th Annual Cleveland Kurentovanje (March 1, 2025) is celebrated at the Slovenian National Home and with a parade through the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood.

Cleveland’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is technically in winter by the calendar, but we always pretend it is the start of spring. Held, of course, on March 17 every year, the parade is one of the best and biggest of its kind in the country. The first Cleveland parade we know of was held in 1842. Lots of honor guards, pipes and drums corps, Irish dance schools, voluntary infantry, unions, Irish social clubs, parishes and more. Everyone is Irish on St. Paddy’s Day.

In 2025, The International Cleveland Film Fest (March 26-April 5, 2025) celebrates its 49th year of showing a marathon of documentaries, foreign films, shorts and avant-garde entries. More than

100,000 people from across the country come to Playhouse Square to see the power of film firsthand.

The traditional dragon dance always gets the most respect from every generation who attends the Cleveland Asian Festival in May. But there is much more to this event, including the Asian-Pop Dance Competition (featuring Nepali Hip Hop and Bollywood/India dancers and others), martial arts demos, and food and drink you must try. Think grass jelly drink, Korean shaved ice, mango sticky rice and Vietnamese iced coffee.

The Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival marks 45 years in Cleveland in 2025, now the largest Indian Classical music festival outside of India. Dance, musical competitions and traditional goods are offered.

Dyngus Day Cleveland (always the Monday after Easter) celebrates its 15th year of Polish-American culture in Northeast Ohio in 2025. This giant polka party, with more than 45,000 people), is held in the Gordon Arts District with paczki, pussy willows and kishka sausage. With a goal to eventually celebrate all of Cleveland’s Eastern European cultures, this festival is on the right track.

SPRING

WINTER

TAKE the

Trails

Cleveland offers a web of connected paths to let you explore the city by bike, foot and more.

By Jill Sell

THINK OF IT AS A GIANT GAME OF CONNECT THE DOTS. The ultimate goal is complete, easy, safe and connected access for cyclists, hikers, dog walkers, rollerbladers and others. Use of the trails can lead to transportation, economic, recreational and wellness benefits.

“The reason people love trails is because the stress level is low when you are divided away from cars,” says Jason Kuhn, communications and events manager for Bike Cleveland, a nonprofit advocacy organization that promotes safety and transportation options.

Greater Cleveland has hundreds of miles of trails that are the envy of many cities. Existing trails weave in and around the region and several major ones connect to Cleveland’s urban and downtown areas. Connectivity of trails has been possible because of the cooperation of The City of Cleveland, Cleveland Metroparks, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and others.

Be sure to visit these top established trails

The 101-mile Towpath Trail follows the route of the historic Ohio and Erie Canalway through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, past woods, fields, suburban and urban sites and snakes its way close to Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood to connect with other city trails.

Red Line Greenway (alongside RTA’s right-of-way) takes users through three Cleveland neighborhoods. You’ll see a fun mix of serious cyclists, scooters, baby carriages, recumbent cyclists and even unicycles here.

Morgana Run Trail follows a former Lake Erie Railroad corridor through Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood. The paved trail provides access to several scenic mini side trips, including Morgana Bluffs Nature Preserve, a natural area with a short trail loop.

Calley Mersmann, senior strategist, transit and mobility, City of Cleveland, suggests visitors and residents alike also check out

Lakefront Reservation’s multi-use trails, accessible through several connectors. Users of the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway (from Euclid to Lakewood), Lake Erie Water Trail, Whiskey Island Trail (from Edgewater Park to Wendy Park) and other routes can experience great views. Those include Lake Erie with its divine sunsets and sunrises, the Historic Coast Guard Station, Edgewater Beach House and the 55th Street Marina, as well as butterflies, water fowl and native grasses and fascinating, historic manufacturing relics. Things should get even better for those who appreciate “people power.”

The Memorial Bridges Loop Trail is a proposed 3-mile loop around the Cuyahoga River Valley, connecting east and west using the Detroit-Superior Bridge and LorainCarnegie (Hope Memorial) Bridge. It has been called a vital piece needed to connect downtown with the neighborhoods.

“It’s always very popular for runners and walkers and when completed it will be a game changer for these folks,” says Phil Kidd, the City of Cleveland’s Complete and Green Street program manager. “It will also greatly benefit cyclists.”

Also on the drawing board is RAISE: Cleveland East Side Trails, a $19,500,000 proposed project by Cleveland Metroparks. If funding is approved in June 2024, the Slavic Village Downtown Connector North and Morgana Run/Booth Avenue Extension will be another major puzzle piece that finds its fit.

Cooperation between park and city police, plus 400 volunteer Trail Ambassadors, keeps the trails safe and clear, according to Sara Byrnes Maier, Cleveland Metroparks principal planner.

“If a branch falls on a trail, our volunteers will alert Cleveland Metroparks staff if they can’t take care of it themselves,” says Byrnes Maier.

Beaches are for wading and wandering, not waiting and wondering.

Weather can affect beach water quality. Get early water-quality predictions for Edgewater Beach and Villa Angela Beach every morning all summer long, beginning Memorial Day weekend.

@NEORSDbeaches | neorsd.org/beaches