MAKING CLEVELAND A CITY OF CHOICE A Strategy for Development and Revitalization in Cleveland Frank G. Jackson, Mayor January 2007 Cleveland: A Community of Choice vital > vibrant > connected! Cleveland is becoming a “community of choice” for residents, businesses and visitors by becoming a city that is vital, vibrant, and connected. Vital! Cleveland is becoming a vital community with a prosperous economy fueled by new jobs in healthcare, medical research, information technology, product design, professional services and advanced manufacturing. Vibrant! Cleveland is becoming a 24-hour community with a vibrant downtown and vibrant neighborhood “town centers” where people live, work, shop, dine and visit in places that are mixed-use, mixed-income, walkable, transit-accessible and truly urban. Connected! Cleveland is becoming a place of “connections” where residents are connected to all the amenities of urban living – from education to jobs, from shopping to culture, and from entertainment to unique urban waterfronts – and, most important, where neighbors are connected to one another in neighborhoods that demonstrate the true meaning of “community.” CLEVELAND: A COMMUNITY OF CHOICE Making Cleveland and its neighborhoods “communities of choice” is a principal goal of the administration of Mayor Frank Jackson. A community of choice is a place that residents and businesses and visitors choose because of the exceptional quality of life and amenities that it offers. The roadmap to creating communities of choice in Cleveland is presented in the Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan, Cleveland’s new long-term comprehensive plan. The directions to reaching each of the destinations along the way to that goal are presented in the plan itself as well as in the initiatives and programs of each City department that has a role in making Cleveland a community of choice. The departments of Economic Development and Community Development are taking the lead role in implementing the plan’s recommendations for development and revitalization. The following document presents the development initiatives of those departments as part of the Citywide Plan’s broader vision for the future of Cleveland and its neighborhoods. HOW TO MAKE CLEVELAND A COMMUNITY OF CHOICE How can Cleveland be made a “community of choice for residents and businesses alike? The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan proposes: …making Cleveland a community of choice for residents by: • offering uniquely urban neighborhoods that are mixed-use, diverse, walkable and accessible to transit; • providing superior city services and affordable housing in neighborhoods that are safe, healthful and sustainable; • connecting all residents – from the most privileged among us to the least among us – to Cleveland’s wide array of amenities and opportunities, including a quality education and opportunities for employment and wealth creation; • re-connecting Cleveland, its neighborhoods and its downtown to our greatest natural assets – Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River – as well as to stream valleys, trails, parks and public spaces; …making Cleveland a community of choice for business by: • building on our emerging assets in medical care, medical research and higher education; • building on our legacy assets in manufacturing, and linking those assets to our strengths in technological innovation; • capitalizing on Cleveland’s unparalleled resources in transportation, energy, water and communications as incentives for economic development; • re-positioning Cleveland as a “sustainable city,” fueled by industries that serve the emerging markets for environmental remediation, alternative energy and high-performance building. PLANS FOR 36 NEIGHBORHOODS We have developed neighborhood plans for each of the City’s 36 statistical planning areas. They are grouped in 6 districts in the last tab of the document. For example, consider these highlights from three sample areas: Downtown includes: • Continue conversion of under-utilized upper stories on Euclid Avenue to residential use • Attract technology-oriented businesses to the Euclid Corridor area • Rebuild or build a first-class convention center • Rebuild Perk Park Glenville includes: • Implement the Heritage Lane housing development along East 105 th Street, just north of University Circle • Focus retail at nodes at East 105 th /St. Clair, East 105 th /Superior and Garrett Square • Restore the 88-acre Dike 14 into an accessible natural resource area on the lakefront • Capitalize on the heritage of Glenville residents through arts and cultural initiatives celebrating the accomplishments of its many former residents Detroit-Shoreway includes: • Transform the West Shoreway from an expressway to a boulevard and create additional and strengthened connections from the existing street grid to the lakefront • Develop housing on vacated industrial sites along the bluff to take advantage of lake views • Strengthen the “arts district” along Detroit Avenue as the keystone of neighborhood-wide revitalization CITYWIDE PLAN i Cleveland City Planning Commission CITY OF CLEVELAND Frank G. Jackson, Mayor 601 Lakeside Avenue, Room 501 Cleveland, Ohio 44114 CLEVELAND CITY PLANNING COMMISSION (216) 664-2210 Robert Brown, Director http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/ Freddy Collier Jr., Citywide Plan Project Manager July 2006 CITYWIDE PLAN STAFF Michael Bosak Kelly Britt Martin Cader George Cantor James Danek Marka Fields Kristofer Lucksay Claire Posius CONTRIBUTING STAFF ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS Scott Frantz, Capital Improvements Plan Dennis Dooley, Editing Debbie Berry, Lakefront Planning KSU Urban Design Center, Graphic Design Linda Henrichsen, Downtown Planning CWRU Poverty Center, Demographic Analysis Maurice Ruelens, Web Design City Architecture, Plan Mapping Susan DeGennaro, Planning Chris Ronayne, Director, 2002-2004 CITY PLANNING COMMISSION Anthony Coyne, Chairperson David Bowen Joseph Cimperman, City Council Lillian Kuri Lawrence Lumpkin Gloria Jean Pinkney Reverend Edward Small FUNDING The Cleveland Foundation The George Gund Foundation Special thanks for the contributions of the Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition and all its member organizations, Cleveland City Council, Neighborhood Progress, Inc, and all the departments of Cleveland City government, Cuyahoga County government and regional agencies that contributed to the preparation of this plan. This plan is dedicated to the memory of Richard A. Shatten for his extraordinary vision and leadership in advancing planning and economic development in Cleveland and the region . ii CONTENTS OVERVIEW The Comprehensive Plan………………………………………………………………1 Evolution of a Civic Vision……………………………………………………………..2 Connecting Cleveland………………………………………………………………….3 CLEVELAND IN PERSPECTIVE Introduction……………………………………………………………………….……4 Strengths………………………………………………………………………………..4 Challenges………………………………………………………………………………6 PLAN AND IMPLEMENTATION The Vision……………………………………………………………………….8 Guiding Principles………………………………………………………………9 A Neighborhood-Based Plan………………………………….……………...10 Implementation……………………………………………………….………11 GOALS AND P0LICIES Housing………………………………………………………………………..13 Retail………………………………………………………………………......15 Economic Development………………………………………………………17 Recreation and Open Space………………………………………………….19 Community Services……………………………………………………….....21 Safety………………………………………………………………………….23 Transportation and Infrastructure…………………………………………...25 Arts and Culture………………………………………………………………27 Sustainability………………………………………………………………….29 Preservation…………………………………………………………………...31 iii OVERVIEW What is the measure of a great city? The height of its skyscrapers? The size of its convention center? The number of Fortune 500 companies within its borders? The records of its sports teams? Although each of these can contribute to greatness, the ultimate measure of a city’s greatness is the quality of life it offers to its citizens. A great city connects its citizens to great choices in housing, education, employment, services, shopping, entertainment and culture as well as to opportunities to live in neighborhoods that are safe, secure and vibrant. A great city truly can be a place that nurtures the body, the mind and the spirit of those who choose to make the city home. Just as importantly, a great city is a “city of choice and of choices” not just for its most privileged but also for those who have been denied access to many of the pathways that can lead to success and fulfillment in life. The Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan is a new tool in Cleveland’s climb to become a city of choice – a city that connects people and places and opportunities. This Summary introduces the plan and highlights its citywide recommendations. The full plan treats these citywide issues in greater detail, presents a block-by-block “future land use map,” and focuses attention on each of Cleveland’s 36 neighborhoods. [The complete plan is available online at http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us .] THE COMPREHENSIVE PLPLANANANAN Cleveland’s City Charter (in Section 76-2) directs the City Planning Commission to “make and adopt a general plan for the development and improvement of the city.” This “general plan,” more commonly known as a “comprehensive plan,” serves as a blueprint or a roadmap for development and revitalization activities in the City. The comprehensive plan establishes an overarching vision of the City’s future, typically looking out at least ten years, and provides guidance on development-related decisions that must be made on a day-to-day basis.