2019-20 Annual Report Tremont West Development Corporation’s mission is “We serve Tremont by organizing an inclusive community, building a unified neighborhood, and promoting a unique destination.” In 2019, Tremont West fulfilled its vision of being the “ideal urban village” by completing a number of projects throughout the year from PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, & QUALITY OF LIFE. We are proud to present our 2019-20 Annual Report. PLANNING area. Nationwide, there are over 150 by Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing A number of initiatives were undertaken similar community land trusts operating with a special emphasis on how the to look at the future needs and today. The community land trust model Towpath could be integrated with the opportunities in the neighborhood and involves the nonprofit owning land and Tremont Pointe community. Outreach and be prepared to act to ensure the long- then leasing it at a minimal cost to those meetings took place to engage Tremont term vibrancy of Tremont. Additionally, who live in housing built on that land. Pointe residents. Additionally, the plan Tremont West, in collaboration with Because the land trust continues to own tasks Tremont West to communicate the OhioNear City Inc.,West successfullypartners received the land, residents do not have pay for the value and opportunity presented by the Cleveland Neighborhood Progress cost of land – which is a major portion Towpath Trail; to remove barriers that funding through July 2023. of all housing expense and impediment prevent people from taking advantage to ownership in markets experiencing an of the trail, perceived or otherwise; to increase in price. If homeowners in the inspire reluctant participants to engage; land trust choose to resell their homes, and to truly integrate the trail into the Near West they will have to sell to moderate or low- community, making a resource for all. p a r t n e r s income individuals, or they can sell their As the Towpath Trail is not yet complete, home back to the land trust. This ensures Tremont West’s next steps towards NeaR WEST PARtneRS that the housing stays affordable over completion of the plan is to develop and Near West Partners, Inc. will allow time. fundraise for Community Programming, Tremont West and Ohio City Inc. to ReacHing Lincoln HeigHTS a Brand Champion Program, storytelling, partnersNW nwp continue evaluating future collaboration Tremont West Development Corporation and creating a Content Distribution Plan. on shared goals and challenges. Future hired Seventh Hill to produce a land use The Towpath Trail partners of Canalway work of the partnership is yet to be plan for the Lincoln Heights area of the Partners, Cuyahoga County, City of determined, but would focus on leveraging neighborhood. The project goals were to: Cleveland and the Cleveland Metroparks the capacity and resources of each CDC • Invite all voices from the community plan to have the trail complete in Tremont while ensuring that their independent to share their expertise, choose from by summer of 2021, our goal is to have status and neighborhood based leadership alternative scenarios, and understand this plan executed by that date. continues. Recent collaborations include the impacts of their decisions. Near West Recreation, a shared Safety Advocacy foR AffoRdaBle Organizer, and Community Engagement • Establish a community vision for HouSing Specialist that has allowed OCI and the character, scale and uses of new In January of 2017 we finalized the Tremont West to share safety information development. Housing Affordability Plan. We continue and programming. • Create a strategy to address the area’s to work to implement strategies within parking demand now and in the the plan to make housing policy in the NeaR WEST Land TRUST future. City of Cleveland more equitable. This In August of 2019, the boards of OCI • Prioritize community needs for reuse includes serving on the Equitable Housing and Tremont West passed resolutions of large-scale and scattered site vacant Working Group that is a city-wide group to work together to create NWLT as a land. of civic, not-for-profit and affordable way to create permanent affordability housing leaders. Recommendations for Through a robust community engagement on over 70 city land bank lots across our possible changes to the Tax Abatement process the Reaching Lincoln Heights plan neighborhoods. The goal of NWLT is Policy in the City of Cleveland will be was approved by the block club and the to preserve affordable homeownership released in 2020. We additionally have Board of Directors of Tremont West and is opportunities through the long term been advocating for a Long-Time Owner pending Planning Commission approval. leasing of land under owner occupied Occupants Program (LOOP). LOOP and rental homes. This program has the TOWPATH TRAIL would lower the tax burden for long-time opportunity to extend to commercial INTEGRATION PLAN owners to ensure that as a neighborhood properties as well. Housing will be In 2017, Tremont West completed and improves and sees increased housing provided for individuals and families adopted the Tremont Towpath Integration demand that this does not result in in the 80-120% Annual Median Income Plan. The purpose of the plan is to connect property valuations that stress existing range. Community land trusts are the Tremont community to the outdoors, to residents. nonprofit entities formed to help maintain resources in and around the neighborhood, the stock of affordable housing in a given and to one another. The plan was funded COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT is a joint effort launched by Tremont options for providing light. The final The core of Tremont West continues West Development Corporation Arts project that will be funded is a series to be its 680+ members, network of 10 Committee, the Tremont History Project of community building events with the block clubs and dozens of Friends and and the Tremont Central Block Club. All sole purpose of introducing neighbors Interest Groups. pieces are high-resolution, waterproof, to each other, introducing residents to Number of community meetings = 122 digital prints designed for 24/7, 12-month police officers, and helping to increase the exposure. The display is fully lit and feelings of connection and membership Number of block clubs = 10 protected by closed circuit security between community members across Number of members- block clubs and cameras. Tremont. organization = 683 Projects completed by community = 15 TREMONT TREE INITIATIVE OUR NeigHBORHood VoteS/ Tremont residents have been working NueSTRO VecindaRio Vota SAVE TREMONT MONTESSORI together on two new initiatives to assist Nonpartisan residents committee held SCHOOL in growing the Tremont tree canopy. two planning meetings, hand-delivered The Friends of Tremont Montessori and Working with partners at the City of ballot application forms (in English and the community once again had to fight Cleveland, Western Reserve Land Spanish) to area residents’ porches upon a potential closing over the summer Conservancy and the Cleveland Tree request for the 2020 Ohio Primary and and fall of 2019. In the first set of Steward Program, the community will gave out bilingual forms through a kiosk recommendations issued by the Cleveland welcome 31 new trees planted in Lincoln outside Terrapin Coffee & Donuts. In Metropolitan School District, Tremont Park in the spring of 2020. addition: the Committee, in partnership with Tremont West Development and Montessori was slated to close until PLAY AREA AT TREMONT SIDE the community rallied. Feedback from ClevelandVOTES, reached out to Tremont Montessori alone accounted YARD voters in 5 neighborhood precincts with for 70% of all public feedback during With generous support from the Tremont robo-calls and robo-texts to inform CMSD’s community presentations and Trek, Cleveland Metroparks installed voters on the need for the application their Board of Education meetings. In a new nature play area in the Tremont process; participated in partnership with the end the recommendation was to neighborhood. The new play area is Metro West Community Development keep Tremont Montessori but additional located in the greenspace named as the Organization, ClevelandVOTES, The funding to build a new school has not been “sideyard” across Abbey Avenue from Young Latino Network, and Cleveland identified. Sokolowski’s. This greenspace was Council Members, Jasmin Santana, constructed as a neighborhood amenity Cleveland City Councilwoman Ward We continue to fight to get funding for a as part of the innerbelt bridge project and 14 and Cleveland City Councilman new school building, but the community is easily accessible not only for Tremont Kerry McCormack, in La Caravana de and Tremont West has also invested. Over residents, but for vistors to the Ohio & la Democracia through Clark Fulton and $200,000 of investment has taken place Erie Canal Towpath Trail as well. The southern and western portions of Tremont; in the past few years including securing a new play area includes a large log, tree 60 “Our Neighborhood Votes” yard signs Cleveland Foundation grant in partnership stumps, a cargo net, and grassy mounds distributed around Wards 3 & 14 Tremont, with Stonebrook Montessori for social- for climbing and free play. The plan Duck Island, and Irishtown Bend; emotional health outcomes at the two for the new play area was designed Nonpartisan encouragement of residents schools. We continue to be invested by Cleveland Metroparks Landscape to vote in the 2020 Ohio Primary Election in delivering a high quality CMSD Architect and the playground was installed through campaign through block clubs, Montessori in Tremont serving a diverse and will be maintained in the future by e-mails, FB postings, and yard signs. student population. staff from Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation under the direction of the Park Manager. NEAR WEST JOB BOARD FOOD DRIVE Near West Job Board on Facebook posts The 2019 Holiday Food Drive brought TREMONT SPEAKS jobs available on the near westside of together 9 block clubs (the most we’ve Tremont Speaks identified the underlying Cleveland.