CLEVELAND CENtrAL ChoiCE - Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing

Transcription

CLEVELAND
Central Choice
Transformation Plan
January 2014
Updated October 2014
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority
City Architecture
NEIGHBORHOOD
PEOPLE
HOUSING
CHOICE
1
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
The Central Choice Transformation Plan intensely studies 670
acres of urban land, uncovers challenges and opportunities,
forges relationships and partnerships, and creates action plans
to affect positive change in one of the regions most impoverished
neighborhoods.
A Message from
Jeffery K. Patterson, CMHA CEO
On behalf of Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) and the resident
leadership, CMHA is pleased to collaborate on an initiative that will have an immense,
positive impact on the Central Choice community. This is a wonderful opportunity for
CMHA and Central residents to work with essential community stakeholders and foster a
sound plan that will be constant with the neighborhood’s economic development and
educational approach to enrich the lives of the families we serve.
CMHA strives to continue to be an industry leader, recognized nationally as a model
authority, known for our innovation, sustainability, and progressive leadership. For
this project, we have focused on understanding, rediscovering, and envisioning the
transformation process that is happening in the area related to neighborhoods, housing,
and people, which ultimately leads to positive outcomes for families.
The plan will transform neighborhoods by revitalizing vastly distressed public housing and
leverage investments for vital services, schools and educational programs, and improve
access to jobs. We look forward to enhancing the neighborhood and helping residents be
a part of creating a place that they are proud to call home.
We have held numerous resident meetings to discuss the plans for the neighborhood as
well as the relocation process and obtain important resident input on how to make the
process most efficient and seamless. Many families are excited to see the redevelopment
of the Cedars, meet neighbors, and feel a part of a revitalized community. We will
continue to work with residents to meet their needs in terms of where they want to live
and what is best for their particular situation by relocating throughout Cuyahoga County.
We are working hard to strengthen the community and add to the vitality of our
neighborhood by focusing on the health, safety, employment, and education of our
residents. For more than 80 years, CMHA has been committed to providing affordable
housing, programs, and services to augment the lives of the families we serve.
Sincerely,
Jeffery K. Patterson
Chief Executive Officer
Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority
2 | Central Choice Neighborhood Plan
Enriching Lives
in the Community
Visit the Choice Website at:
www.cmha.net/realestate/choice.aspx
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY |
3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Planning Process
CMHA and the Planning Team have lead an inclusive four part planning process
that identified needs, uncovered opportunities and promoted a shared-vision for
a sustainable & healthy Central Neighborhood.
Through the dedication and efforts of the Cuyahoga
Metropolitan Housing Authority, the Central Choice
Transformation Plan has been developed and defined
by a process that utilized community engagement on
multiple levels. These efforts, and this report, follow a
four phase approach to neighborhood engagement
and planning facilitated by City Architecture to identify
a realistic strategy for re-imagining and investing in
Central. The plan’s recommendations were established
by an ongoing process, focused on communication and
collaboration between the planning team, stakeholders,
residents, and partners.
The process began with the development of an
“Understanding” of the existing neighborhood
conditions, the “Rediscovery” of the neighborhood’s
assets and needs as means of evaluating alternatives,
“Envisioning” a plan that will move Central forward as a
true neighborhood of choice and concluding with an
“Implementation” strategy that provides a road map for
moving ahead.
Understand
Throughout this initial phase of the
development of the Transformation Plan, both
the physical and social existing neighborhood
conditions have been studied. Through an
analysis of the neighborhood composition,
community demographics, resident outreach,
and stakeholder engagement a multi-faceted
and comprehensive understanding of the
Central Choice Neighborhood is established.
Rediscover
It is within this phase of the process that the
planning team evolved the information
gathered through Understanding into the
knowledge-base that defined the assets,
needs and challenges that must be addressed
within the Transformation Plan. As a means of
organizing the wide array of information, the
Rediscovering phase resulted in a series of nine
Transformation Directives that address the main
characteristics of the community.
Envision
The Envisioning portion of the process outlines
the Transformation Plan initiatives. The individual
components that characterize the Choice
process are discussed. However, as will be
demonstrated, all three work in conjunction
with one another to result in an inclusive vision
for the Central Choice community.
Implement
An essential component to the completion of
the Choice Planning is to develop a framework
for achieving the visions. Within this final
stage of the plan the various planning team
members, stakeholders and resident groups
have collaborated to determine strategies
for the future. This will ensure that both CMHA
and the greater community move forward with
realistic, fundable and community supported
goals that catalyze change.
COMMUNITY
Community Involvement
Throughout all of the four stages of the planning
process, varied community involvement strategies have
taken place. This has included resident engagement,
stakeholder outreach and the creation of a Steering
Committee. Community input occurred directly with
the many members of the planning team, providing
insight and perspectives from a broad spectrum.
Community meetings, Cedar resident meetings and
resident assistantships provided the opportunity for direct
engagement, while newsletters and surveys reached a
greater spectrum. Many of these interviews, discussions
and outreach opportunities will be highlighted throughout
the Transformation Plan and are discussed on the
following pages:
Central Choice Steering Committee
A Steering Committee composed of the planning team
members and representatives from throughout the
Central Choice Neighborhood played an active role
in the process of developing this Transformation Plan.
The Steering Committee consists of representatives
from educational, employment, civic, recreational and
institutional foundations that are currently helping to
transform lives within Central or have the ability to play a
role in the implementation of strategies that came from
this process.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY |
5
outreach
Community Meetings
Twenty-six resident/community meetings were held to
both advertise the planning process, as well as provide
the opportunity for the broader Transformation Plan
and the Cedar Redevelopment plan to benefit from
resident input. These meetings included public meetings,
workshops with resident government organizations and
relocation meetings. At each meeting, CMHA and the
planning team presented updates on the Transformation
Plan and details on the Cedar Redevelopment.
Stakeholder input from these meetings was incorporated
into subsequent planning, examples of which include:
• Residents indicated a preference for housing that
would have individual access and front doors
lining new streets with a mixture of income levels
to minimize the distinction between public housing
and surrounding development.
• Community members described the existing public
recreation centers as heavily utilized assets by
local youth, but as also being isolated and lacking
necessary amenities.
• Residents expressed a strong desire for new
amenities in the neighborhood and wanted to see
better linkages provided to the community. As a
result, it became a priority for the plan to include
the retail components and institutions within
publicly accessible locations.
Central Choice Newsletter
The Central Choice Newsletters have been distributed
throughout the community and posted to the CMHA
website. Newsletters were distributed electronically
to Steering Committee members and in print to
neighborhood residents and organizations through
area recreation centers, public libraries, apartment
management offices, and the local community
development corporations’ offices. These newsletters
provided updates on the Choice planning process,
the Cedars Redevelopment plan, and highlighted the
achievements of other Central stakeholders.
Voice Your Choice Resident Survey
A survey was developed by the planning team in
conjunction with the Central Promise Initiative - led by
the Sisters of Charity Foundation, that encourages and
promotes quality education for every child in Central
from Cradle to College - through which direct feedback
was received from a broad base of residents. Surveys
were distributed throughout the many developments /
communities within Central, including the Cedars focus
of this plan. Over three hundred surveys were collected.
They were analyzed to assess the overall needs of
the neighborhood, as well as differing views between
residents of the various neighborhood districts and served
as a foundation for the planning initiatives.
Choice / Promise Ambassadors
As a partnership between the Central Promise Initiative
and CMHA, a group of residents have become
ambassadors to the greater community. With a focus on
education and tutoring, these individuals have taken part
in training courses with the intent that they will serve as
role models for youth.
Resident Assistantships
In partnership with the Burten, Bell, Carr Development
Corporation, a resident assistantship program was
established. Ten resident interns from across the Central
Neighborhood participated as a part of the Choice
planning team. These individuals played active roles
in community and economic development activities
and learned the value of sustainable practices. Interns
participated in career exploration through their work
experience in the architecture, planning and real estate/
development industries.
Architectural Fellows gathered in Cleveland to discuss
the preliminary planning for the housing site relative to
national trends. This charette resulted in a collaboration
of the planning team, residents, stakeholders and local
design and housing professionals.
Stakeholder / Business Outreach
A significant aspect of the community outreach involved
in the Central Choice Transformation Plan has been with
businesses and institutional stakeholders that serve the
population. The planning team undertook an organized
outreach program. This has ensured that the viewpoints
and needs of educational, social service, recreation,
civic and safety groups have all had an impact on the
initiatives and decision-making processes, preparing for
implementation partnerships.
Enterprise Community Partners sponsored a second
design charette on behalf of the Choice planning
team. Through the national non-profit New Ecology, an
organization that facilitates green building integration
within affordable housing, this Green Integrative
Design Charette focused on sustainable features for
The Cedars. The design team, CMHA development,
construction and property maintenance staff as well as
the Asset Management leadership gathered to speak
to the implications of design criteria on the day-to-day
management and operations of the site.
Rose Architectural Fellows / New Ecology
Design Charettes
Two design charettes have been held to discuss the
layout and design of the Cedars Redevelopment. In
conjunction with Neighborhood Progress Inc., a local
development corporation, the national group of Rose
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY |
7
Partners
A diverse team of civic leaders, consultants, and organizations have guided the
Transformation Plan’s objectives and strategies.
The Central Choice Transformation Plan is the result
of a dedicated and diverse group of institutions,
partners, funders, planners, architects and advocates
for this neighborhood and its residents. The team of
organizations and companies that have assisted CMHA
in the plan’s development and support each bring
a different background and discipline to the project.
Through contributions as Steering Committee members,
strategists, voices for change and implementation
partners, the many partners listed below have dedicated
their resources and staff to create the recommendations
outlined in the Transformation Plan. The countless hours,
conversations, and planning for the future of Central
as it relates to People, Neighborhood and Housing has
ensured that a holistic vision has been created that
will bring unity, value and a sense of community to the
neighborhood.
The following have all served critical roles affecting the
outcomes of the Central Choice Transformation Plan:
Public Sector Partners
• Honorable Mayor Frank G. Jackson
• Cleveland City Councilwoman Phyllis
Cleveland
• The City of Cleveland Community
Development Department
• The City of Cleveland Planning Commission
• The City of Cleveland Department of
Economic Development
Community Stakeholders
• Burten, Bell, Carr Development Corporation (BBC)
• The Campus District Development Corporation
• MidTown Cleveland Development Corporation
• St. Vincent Charity Medical Center
• Sisters of Charity Health System
• Care Alliance Health Centers
• Cleveland Public Library
• Friendly Inn Settlement House
• Centers for Families and Children
• The City Mission
• Boy Scouts of America
• Enterprise Community Partners
• Central Choice Neighborhood Residents
Education Representatives
• Central Promise Initiative
• Cleveland Metropolitan School District
(CMSD)
• Cleveland State University (CSU)
• City of Cleveland Department of Recreation
• Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C)
• Cuyahoga County Planning Commission
• GuideStone / StepStone Academy
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development
• Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
Safety Partners
• City of Cleveland Police Department
Philanthropic Partners
• The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland
• The Cleveland Foundation
• The George Gund Foundation
• PNC Bank
• U.S. Bank
• The American Cities Coalition (TACC)
• CMHA Police Department
• Cleveland Municipal Court Adult Probation
• Cleveland State University Police
• Cuyahoga Community College Police
• City of Cleveland Fire Department
• Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
(GCRTA) Police
• Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department
The Choice Team
The following organizations have collaborated as members of the planning team. Their ongoing and fully integrated
involvement ensures the feasibility of the implementation strategies.
CMHA:
As the grant recipient and local housing authority, CMHA
has lead and administered the planning team, guiding
this effort relative to People, Neighborhood and Housing.
Burten, Bell, Carr Development Corporation: This nonprofit
entity serves as the primary connection between the
planning team and Central residents, and led the resident
assistantship program.
City Architecture:
City Architecture has served as the Planning Coordinator
for the Choice grant, leading the planning and
architectural design processes, as well as the organization
of this Transformation Plan, the vision for Central’s future
and facilitating partnerships.
Resident Assistantships:
Acting as part of the planning team, three groups
of resident assistants have assisted in outreach and
developing their own neighborhood visions and priorities.
City of Cleveland:
Through a variety of efforts, the City of Cleveland has
been an integral supporter and engaged stakeholder in
the Transformation Planning.
Case Western Reserve University:
Through the Center on Urban Poverty and Community
Development at the Mandel School of Applied Social
Sciences and the National Initiative on Mixed Income
Communities, the University has assisted the planning
team with the collection and analysis of community
statistics, the resident survey and mixed-income study.
LAND Studio:
Serving as a parks and recreation consultant, LAND Studio
has studied the social and physical dynamics of the
community’s gathering spaces throughout Central.
Green T International:
Green T International served as a link between the
planning team and the many institutional neighborhood
stakeholders that serve the Central community.
Lenz Planning and Development Services:
As an active part of the creation of the Choice Planning
Grant application, Lenz Planning has continued to work
with the team to ensure that the work addresses HUD’s
goals and criteria.
The American Cities Coalition:
TACC supported the ongoing development of a
communications strategy that encourages neighborhood
transformation.
Campus District Development Corporation:
The Campus District is a neighborhood CDC with the
mission of linking the many institutional and educational
stakeholders.
MidTown Cleveland Development Corporation:
MidTown’s mission is to expand the business and
employment base within Central, and is located in the
heart of the study area.
Cuyahoga County Planning Commission:
They have assisted the team with the mapping of the
existing demographic and crime statistics.
Ralph A. Falbo Inc. & Pennrose GP:
National and local development partners of affordable
housing and mixed income neighborhoods, lead entity in
the redevelopment of The Cedars.
Enterprise Community Partners:
As a national nonprofit, Enterprise has participated in the
Choice process through the sponsorship of design and
environmental charettes for The Cedars.
Square One Architects:
Square One Architects has participated as a member of
the architectural team working on the redevelopment of
The Cedars.
The Riverstone Company:
Riverstone has provided civil engineering and surveying
services for The Cedars.
McGuiness International:
McGuiness has provided budget and pricing information
for The Cedars Redevelopment.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY |
9
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Framework
Three equally important components of the Central community: Neighborhood,
Housing and People are considered together, creating a plan that addresses both
physical and social service needs.
The Transformation Plan is organized to meet The
Department of Housing and Urban Development’s
(HUD) process. Three separate, but equally important
components are examined to identify overlaps,
synergies and opportunities to combine and
coordinate investments.
Implementation Entities
Neighborhood, Housing and People each represent a
critical element of the Transformation Plan, and they
are studied simultaneously to uncover relationships
between their related programs and physical
improvements.
Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc. (BBC)
The implementation strategies outlined throughout
the Transformation Plan are framed around the needs
of the community, available and potential funding
sources and the proven abilities of the Implementation
Entities (as identified in a recently completed 2013
NOFA Choice Neighborhood Initiative).
To meet the myriad of the Transformation Plan’s needs,
the following team of Implementation Entities have been
assembled:
Neighborhood Entity:
• Non-profit founded in 1990 with a focus on neighborhood
planning and community revitalization activities
Mission: Initiate and cultivate housing, recreation, retail an
employment opportunities through effective partnerships with
residents, community groups, government, corporations and
institutions.
Housing Entity:
Pennrose GP & Ralph A. Falbo, Inc. (PF Cedar, LLC)
• Partnership have collaborated for over 20 years on a
multitude of HOPE VI and other neighborhood initiatives
and have jointly developed over 1,800 units
d
People Entity:
Ho
si
ng
o ple
e
P
N
h
oo
u
eig h b or
Possess a wealth of relevant experience planning and
redeveloping successful mixed-income neighborhoods,
including both affordable and market-rate, rental and home
ownership and mixed-use projects
Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA)
• Home to more than 16,000 people that organizes and
administers a wide-range of programs:
Reaching Individual Success in Education / Employment (RISE):
Education and employment needs of youth on a continuum to
enable them to improve literacy, develop soft skills, obtain high
school diplomas and access post-secondary and employment
opportunities
Community and Supportive Services Program (CSS):
Deliver and maintain integrated supportive services (utilizing
internal / external partners) to increase options for residents to
achieve self-sufficiency goals (literacy / education, health and
wellness, job training and employment) that assist CMHA in the
development of healthy and vibrant communities
Principal Education Partner : Sisters of Charity Foundation
of Cleveland (SOCF)
• Lead agency representing the Cleveland Central Promise
Neighborhood with over $3.2M in contributions to-date
to address the unique health and educational needs as
defined by residents
NEIGHBORHOOD
Shape a comprehensive plan that bridges gaps, links places and re-imagines
the greater Central Neighborhood as a well-connected community.
The Central Choice Neighborhood is a 670 acre tract
of land immediately to the southeast of Downtown
Cleveland, Ohio. With a dense population of over 10,000
residents, educational institutions and an array of social
service organizations, Central encompasses a myriad
of components. However, as described throughout
The Transformation Plan, these individual aspects of the
community are not physically or socially connected.
81% of the children in the
Central Neighborhood live
below the poverty level
Central does not realize its true potential and struggles
with crime rates that exceed Cleveland’s averages, subpar housing conditions, escalating poverty rates and a
severe lack of amenities.
The Choice goals of Neighborhood, Housing and
People have the potential to build from the assets of this
community, address the challenges that residents and
stakeholders face today and envision a future filled with
optimism and opportunity.
An inclusive and comprehensive planning process has
been undertaken by the CMHA. The resulting plan and
forged partnerships demonstrate a commitment to both
the Central Neighborhood and the goal of improving the
quality of life for its residents.
The boundaries of this study were selected with the
holistic vision that characterizes a Choice Neighborhood.
The bounds of the Choice plan mirror the Central
Promise Initiative, creating a collaborative approach to
addressing issues and opportunities present within the
region’s highest concentration of public and affordable
housing units.
Long Term Plan
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY | 11
HOUSING
Overcome the stigma of public housing throughout the study area by
fully integrating new mixed-income, multi-generational options.
The majority of Central’s housing stock represents
an outdated approach to living, is in serious disrepair
and must be reconsidered to restore confidence in
the neighborhood and attract new residents. Current
housing estates are inwardly focused and are isolated
from each other and their context. The perception of
“turfs and territories” results in high violent crime rates,
an overall feeling of vulnerability and an absolute lack of
community.
The Cedars are functionally
obsolete, unlivable and don’t
represent Cleveland’s future
CMHA’s transformation strategy begins with the
demolition and reconstruction of The Cedars,
encompassing both Olde Cedar and The Cedar Extension
estates. This prototypical redevelopment will demonstrate
an unwavering commitment to improve conditions
and residents’ quality of life. The substantial investment
will be catalytic and is anticipated to leverage future
investments from private developers and set the direction
for public infrastructure improvements.
Olde Cedar’s construction in 1937 captures the Art Deco
era’s aesthetic and is historically significant as it was
home to many African American leaders. However, the
living units do not support modern needs. All of the units
are undersized, and they do not offer sufficient common
spaces. The Cedar Extension typifies mid-century
public housing estates. The 2-story buildings provide no
accommodations for accessibility, have no “front doors”
along streets and are situated around undefined and
indefensible spaces. Their heavy masonry detailing,
flat roofs and lack of amenities create a cold and
uncomfortable environment.
This bunker mentality must be reversed. New housing
will integrate multiple living arrangements, better
accommodate multi-generational families, include
market rate units to begin a demographic shift and will
be arranged around public spaces that are safe and
attractive.
The envisioned mixed-income community is founded
on a redefined notion of “home” and encourages
ownership by building a strong sense of pride through
dignified housing.
PEOPLE
Build a series of coordinated programs that take full advantage of the
mixture of neighborhood, educational and social institutions’ services.
The Central Neighborhood has suffered years of
disinvestment and neglect resulting in an impoverished
population that lacks connectivity and unity. The
reality within the neighborhood is a steady decline
in economic and business development, a lack of
coordination between redevelopment initiatives,
chronic abandonment of property, including much
of the housing stock, and minimal infrastructure or
recreational upgrades. Over time, the combination of
these factors have contributed to negative connotations
and perceptions both in the minds of residents and of
Clevelanders in general.
91% of Central’s families
are single-female headed
households
Social Services and Institutions exist throughout the
neighborhood, however, they tend to function
independently rather than as a network - creating
challenges for low income residents in need of assistance
with below average access to technology. Poor job
prospects and high unemployment have caused
stagnation making upward mobility difficult for many
families. This hinders the community’s ability to make
choices for themselves and children, reflected in the
number of families reliant on the emergency room
for medical care rather than a local clinic or doctor.
Educational opportunities are abundant, but require
promotion to highlight it as an important resource and
opportunity.
In order for residents to grow and become empowered
as a community, a thorough change is called for across
the neighborhood. With nearly half the population under
the age of 18, a monumental opportunity is ahead for
the next generation of Central residents. Improving
education, access, health care, supportive services,
safety, employment, and promoting multi-generational
interaction is critical to transforming Central into a vibrant,
connected community that residents take pride in.
Transformation
Directives
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
Nine inter-related directives are created and applied in various strategies and
polices to shape and ultimately, implement Central’s Transformation.
As a means of translating collected data and information
into a knowledge base that will inform the Transformation
Plan, nine topics, or Transformation Directives, were
derived. Each of the Transformation Directives addresses
a different characteristic of the neighborhood that
has been demonstrated and identified as an area of
importance for residents and stakeholders. Each relates
to the components of Neighborhood, Housing, and
People as the guiding forces behind the Transformation
Plan, often addressing two or three at a time.
The Transformation Directives are used as a basis for
assessing and activating the proposed initiatives and
are listed below. Their related “icons” are matched and
utilized throughout the Transformation Plan to indicate
how initiatives address the many aspects of the plan.
Transformation Directives:
Neighborhood
Demographics
Housing &
Neighborhood Density
Health Conditions
& Impacts
Education Access
& Prioritization
Safety & Crime
Economic & Business
Development
Access &
Connections
Recreation &
Green Space
Creating a MultiGenerational
Approach
NEIGHBORHOOD
Planning
Objectives
• Determine opportunities
for community building
amongst residents
• Ensure family & children’s
safety at home and in the
community by increasing
visibility to public
gathering spaces within
the neighborhood
• Unite the many individual
developments within
Central
• Provide quality green
space for children of all
ages that are not internal
to sites, but integral with
the surrounding context
to encourage resident
interaction
Implementation
Strategies
Early
Success
• Establish and enhance
public infrastructure that
connects community
assets and emphasizes the
characteristics that can
make Central special
• The Campus District was
awarded $5.8 million to
reconstruct E. 22nd Street
and create a new multimodal corridor along the
western edge of Central
• Create public and private
open spaces that are
flexible, inviting and
defensible
• Medians along E. 30th
Street were re-designed
to incorporate additional
landscaping
• Continue to develop
the Safety Forces
Coordination Program
• The redevelopment of
the Cedar Estate was
accepted as a LEED ND
neighborhood ensuring
its future as a wellconnected, vibrant and
sustainable place to live
• Create Bridgeport Cafe at
Community College
• Safety Ambassador
Program
• Enterprise has established
a “One Community”
digital network that is
working to provide highspeed fiber optic internet
service across Central
HOUSING
Planning
Objectives
• Develop mixed-income
housing that is better
integrated with the
publicly assisted housing
• Unite the many individual
developments within
Central
• Determine opportunities
for community building
amongst residents
• Provide quality green
Space for children of all
ages that is not internal
to sites, but integral with
the surrounding context
to encourage resident
interaction
• Create a variety of living
units that are planned to
offer inter-generational
housing options, keeping
families together
Implementation
Strategies
• Rebuild and reconfigure
The Cedars as a
connected, viable and
balanced neighborhood
center
• Establish mixed-income
parameters and
development to redefine
the neighborhood
• Build a variety of housing
typologies based on
context and relationships
• Offer an incentive
program to reward /
entice people to live
where they work
• Continue investing in the
Homeownership Zone
Early
Success
• To spur the redevelopment
of the Cedar Estates,
demolition of Cedar
Family Extension is near
completion
• The Cedar Estates
redevelopment is on track
to receive LEED NC Silver
Rating ensuring that the
new homes will be quality
green construction
• The Multi-Family Building at
the corner of Community
College & E. 30th is
a Rental Assistance
Demonstration (RAD) pilot
facilitating construction
of 49 subsidized units, 11
market rate, new CMHA
offices and retail space.
• A housing incentive
partnership with Tri-C, St.
Vincent’s Charity Hospital
and CSU coordinated
by the Campus District
has been established to
encourage employees to
live in Central
PEOPLE
Planning
Objectives
Implementation
Strategies
Early
Success
• Improve health literacy
and encourage families
to have primary care
doctors to ensure that
health is monitored
routinely not just when
someone is ill
• Encourage household
stability and economic selfsufficiency through job training,
education, access to business
development tools and
opportunities for low and very
low income residents
• Care Alliance has received
funding to construct a
new 30,000 sqft Federally
Qualified Health Clinic
at the corner of Central
& E. 30th, with opening
expected in Fall 2014
• Every child has access to
quality early learning to
ensure they are ready for
kindergarten
• Introduce programs in Central
to prevent criminal activity
(particularly youth) and
encourage older residents to
act as role models and mentors
for neighborhood children
• Police and safety forces
across Central have
organized coordination
strategies and aligned
efforts to serve and protect
Central as efficiently and
effectively as possible
• Determine methodologies
for promoting job
creation and business
development
• Establish linkages
between resident skills
and local / neighborhood
opportunities
• Create “Ladders
of Opportunity” to
encourage the expansion
of Central’s middle class
• Provide access to quality
healthcare to ensure that
children and adults are
physcially and mentally healthy
• Sustain an education pipeline
from Early Childhood through
College / Career Training
• Create a network of community
centers with each focused on
a particular service or set of
services
• A network of community
centers have been
established to coordinate
primary programming
and services across the
neighborhood, improving
quality and encouraging
residents to access more of
the community
2
UNDERSTAND
CENTRAL CHOICE
THE PHYSICAL COMPOSITION of Central
Throughout the history of the Central Neighborhood, a variety of physical development
patterns have occurred, shaping the social and economic characteristics that
define the area, challenge residents and lead to an overall sense of disconnect.
As the City of Cleveland and surrounding region have
grown and evolved with time, the Central Neighborhood
has been heavily affected by the varying trends defining
city planning and neighborhood development. With its
proximity to Downtown and the core of the Northeast
Ohio region, Central has seen both growth and decline.
In its earliest stages of growth, the Central Neighborhood
was a diverse, mixed-use community of immigrants that
grew because of its proximity to jobs and manufacturing.
Expanding industrial uses in the river valley to the west
and along the lakefront to the north, mixed with the
office and cultural center of Downtown, influenced the
fast growth of the neighborhood in the late nineteenth
and early twentieth centuries. As a result, a very dense
neighborhood with mixed-use buildings and homes lining
streets busy with trolley cars was created within gridded
city blocks.
As the City continued to grow, the neighborhoods in and
around Central began to change. Wealthier residents
moved farther from the centers of industry, pollution
and overcrowding that characterized the city core.
Throughout this, Central remained a strong working
class neighborhood, the density of which continued to
increase. However, over time, the increase in density
lead to an eventual decrease in conditions and in turn
became a less desirable place for many.
In the 1930s and 1940s, a changing attitude towards city
neighborhoods took hold that has had a profound effect
on how Central functions both physically and socially. In
an effort to relieve residential overcrowding and improve
conditions, the urban renewal program provided the
means to assemble large tracts of land for the purposes
of creating lower density housing and much needed
green space. As a result, the first public housing estate
in the country was constructed at what is now known as
the Olde Cedar Estate at East 30th Street and Central
Avenue.
Public housing estates were a great success in the
neighborhood, and soon five separate communities
emerged, creating distinct districts within the context of
the traditional urban development patterns. This physical
development trend began to identify the social dynamic
within Central. As a matter of design and function,
Central began to behave as a number of smaller
communities within the larger geographic area.
Within the past 10 years, renewed interest in planning
for a more traditional, and less dense, neighborhood
form has taken hold both nationally and within Central.
Walkable, urban single-family neighborhoods are being
reconstructed on privately owned properties along
neighborhood blocks. Additionally, portions of the public
housing originally conceived to replace this traditional
thinking have been redeveloped with a new network of
streets and blocks lined with townhome apartments and
public spaces.
Central Furnaces Workers, 1910
Former Westinghouse Electric Plant, Cedar Avenue
UNDERSTAND | REDISCOVER | ENVISION | IMPLEMENT | 19
UNDERSTAND
The Evolution of Central
This time line of the development patterns within Central has resulted in a Choice
study area made up of a wide array of building and housing typologies. Historic
anchor institutions, businesses and homes are located on blocks bordering those
with urban renewal era public housing, newly constructed market-rate single-family
homes and new urbanism inspired affordable homes.
1920s, 1930s & 1940s
Olde Cedar
Built in 1936, Olde
Cedar Estates
was one of the
first public housing
developments in the
country, and aimed
to provide quality
homes for working
class families.
Outhwaite Homes
Developed in the 1930s as Garden Style Apartments,
Outhwaite Homes is one of the first federally public
housing developments in the country.
1950s, 1960s, & 1970s
Cedar Family
Extension
Developed in the 1954
as an extension of Olde
Cedar, the estate was
highly connected to
Downtown Cleveland
and the working class
community supported by
the city’s industrial past.
Longwood
Originally built in the
1950s, Longwood
was a disconnected
series of public
housing clusters that
was demolished and
rebuilt in the 2000s.
Homeownership
Zone & Villages
of Central
Single Family infill
development in stages
over the past 15 years
that has rebuilt the market
rate housing stock in the
neighborhood.
Carver Park
Originally built in the 1940s alongside Outhwaite
Homes, Carver Park were walk-up family townhomes
designed around a central allée of trees. Much of
Carver Park was redeveloped in 2005 with intact historic building being renovated and restored.
1990s, 2000s & 2010s
Legacy Park
Completed in 2013, the new Senior Building integrates older residents into the Outhwaite Homes
family estate encouraging multi-generational
interaction at the nearby community garden
and recreation center.
Arbor Park
As a replacement
to Longwood, Arbor
Park is one of the
recently redeveloped portions of the
neighborhood, with
an entirely new master plan constructed
in the 2000s
UNDERSTAND
Neighborhood Land Use Patterns
Identifying the mixture of uses, existing physical relationships and the underlying
networks and services that tie Central together.
As a result of Central’s proximity to Downtown Cleveland,
access to surrounding neighborhoods, and the high
density of public housing, there is a wide assortment of
land uses and supporting services that have been built
within the Central Choice study area. The adjacent
neighborhood land use map demonstrates the variety
of development types found. While the majority of the
neighborhood consists of residential uses, public housing
estates dominate the map in both form and scale. To
best understand the physical make-up of the study
area, a series of typology overlays were considered and
analyzed:
Segmented Neighborhoods
The different estates consist of larger-scale super
blocks that are inwardly focused and lack a presence
of connection to their streets. As a result, people do
not associate themselves as members of the overall
Central community, but as residents of the individual,
smaller estates. There is a lack of “connectedness”
which has created a prevalent level of distrust, gang
activity and sense of isolation.
Vacant Land
Over 60 acres of land in Central is vacant, and given
the large-scale of redevelopment projects that have
been undertaken, a very small percentage of the
vacant land is scattered sites. However, 96% of the
293 identified properties have been vacant for over a
year. These large areas of vacant land tend to further
amplify the separations between neighborhoods.
Education Providers
The Central Neighborhood is home to many different
educational amenities that serve a range of needs
from early childhood education to higher learning
and job training. In conjunction with the Central
Promise Initiative “Cradle-to-College-to-Career”, there
is a strong focus on how to improve the connections
between educational access and attainment for all
residents. Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) and
Cleveland State University (CSU) offer higher education
opportunities and are a regional attraction. Additional
education providers offer a myriad of job training
services throughout the neighborhood.
Social Services & Medical Facilities
Social service providers are prevalent within and
around the Central Neighborhood and can offer
services to all residents, from children to adults, low
income residents, the homeless and those requiring social
and psychological counseling. The majority of the social
service providers are found around the periphery of the
neighborhood, meaning that the physical connections
and access to them for residents within the core
residential districts are essential. Central has been home
to St. Vincent Charity Medical Center for over 100 years.
Institutional, Faith Based, & Recreation
The institutional, faith based and recreation facilities within
the Central Neighborhood represent many of the places
that residents gather and come together as a community
and are well distributed throughout the neighborhood.
There are a limited number of green spaces and parks
despite that the neighborhood consists of nearly 50%
children.
Retail / Commercial / Industrial Facilities
An analysis of the retail facilities throughout the Choice
study area illustrates the limited selection of shopping and
dining opportunities offered to residents. Additionally,
most of the restaurants are fast-food based, and there is
a shortage of healthy food and living options. As a result,
the Central Choice Neighborhood is considered a food
desert within the City of Cleveland.
Infrastructure Linkages
Large portions of the neighborhood were planned as
massive redevelopments, the street network - inclusive
of automobile, pedestrian, bicycle, and public transit
routes - does not provide continuous connections and
travel paths through the community and between
existing amenities. Each development feels isolated
and disconnected from its context, creating pockets of
activities which are unrelated, despite their proximity.
Major arterials define the edges of the neighborhood,
and minor arterials form primary travel routes. Their large
scale favors vehicular traffic and compromises pedestrian
and bicycle safety.
Public Transportation Network
Access to public transportation is essential within the
Central Choice Neighborhood. Within Central the
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA)
provides six bus routes and a bus rapid transit line that
are directly accessible to residents. The Stephanie Tubbs
Jones Transit Center serves as a transfer point through
which many more bus routes converge, extending the
reach of public transit.
MidTown
Business
District
venue
Euclid A
t Avenue
St. Vincent’s
Charity
Medical
Center
ue
E. 40th
Cedar Aven
Central Avenue
Cedar
Extension
Homeownership
Zone
Comm
unity
Tri-C
LAND USE KEY
eDUCATIONAL
RELIGIOUS
MEDICAL
INSTITUTIONAL
RECREATIONAL
INDUSTRIAL
COMMERCIAL
RETAIL
CMHA PROPERTIES
CMHA Housing
MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL
SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL
CHOICE Study Area
Street
tre
E. 30th S
Olde
Cedar
Avenue
Carnegie
et
treet
E. 22nd S
Prospec
Wood
la
Colle
ge Av
enue
E. 55th Street
Cleveland State
University
Carver Park
venue
Quincy A
Arbor Park
nd Av
enue
Outhwaite
COMMUNITY DESTINATIONS IN CENTRAL
• 7 CMSD Schools
• 3 Early Childhood Centers
• 4 Private or Charter Schools
• 4 Higher Education / Career Training Centers
• 14 Social Service Organizations
• 2 Medical Facilities - Including a Hospital Campus
• 11 Institutions - Including a Library and a Post Office
• 7 Recreational Facilities - Both Indoor & Outdoor
• 16 Religious & Faith Based Institutions
• +35 Retail Facilities - Including a Grocery Store
Segmented Neighborhoods
Individual neighborhoods and estates are unrelated and lead to a sense of isolation.
G
F
E
I
H
D
C
COMMUNITY COLLEGE AVE.
A
B
WOODLAND AVE.
A. Outhwaite Homes
D. Cedar Family Extension
G. Central Park Place
C. Skyline (Lupica) Tower
B. Arbor Park
E. Cedar Highrise
H. Homeownership Zone
F. Olde Cedar
I. Carver Park
vacant land
Over 60 acres of land is vacant, often in large swaths that further divide Central
into a series of unconnected estates.
• 60.31 acres of vacant land
or 9% of the total land area
of Central (670 acres)
• Approximately Olde Cedar,
Cedar Ext. and Carver Park
Combined
3
5
2
4
6
1
1. Corner of Woodland Avenue & E. 55th Street
2. Central Avenue
4. Community College Avenue
5. Carnegie Avenue
3. Cedar Avenue
6. Community College Avenue
Education Providers
Improving the emphasis on the values of quality education is as important as
increased access.
M
D
O
C
L
Q
K
P
H
G
A
E
F
I
J
B
N
WOODLAND AVE.
CMSD:
A. Marion Sterling Elem. School
B. Jane Addams Business Careers Center
Charter:
Higher Education / Career Training
H. Guidestone / StepStone
Early Childhood:
C. CMSD International School
D. George Washington Carver Elem.
E. Benesch Elementary
(Stokes Academy)
I.
Bingham Early
Learning Center
K. Bryant & Straton
L. Cleveland Institute of Dental and Medical Assistants
M. Cleveland State University
J. Learning to Grow
N. Cuyahoga County Community College
Private:
O. Positive Education Place (PEP)
F. East / NewTech High
P. Zion Evangelical School
G. Central High (Vacant)
Q. NewBridge
CMSD 2010-2011 Enrollment:
Carl & Louis Stokes Central Academy
East Technical High School
George Washington Carver
Jane Addams Business Careers High School
Marion-Sterling Elementary School
544
822
323
380
503
Cuyahoga County Community College:
Student Profile (approx. 52,000 students annually)
• 62% are women
• 46% are from minority groups
• 60% study part-time • 29% are taking courses to prepare for transfer
• 30% are focusing in areas related to health careers
• 18% attend only evening or weekend classes • 67% are enrolled in technical job training courses
• 17% are enrolled in business programs
*data from http://www.tri-c.edu/about
Cleveland State University:
• 17,386 enrollment, 10,672 undergrads
• 54% female, 46% male
• 41% part-time
*data from http://www.cappex.com/colleges/Cleveland-State-University#quickFacts
D. Carver Elementary
B. Jane Addams
Social Services & medical facilities
Services are lacking in the core of the district and many residents rely on emergency
room visits for standard care because of a lack direct access to family physicians.
E
D
J
I
B
F
K
G
H
A
N
M
L
O
C
P
B
WOODLAND AVE.
Social Services
A. City Mission
B. Salvation Army
C. Metzenbaum Center
D. Catholic Charities
E. Red Cross
F. Jane Edna Hunter Social Services Center
G. The Centers For Families & Children
H. YMCA
I.
Urban League
A. City Mission
J. GuideStone
K. YWCA
L. Mutris Taylor Human Services System
M. Freshstart Halfway House
N. Friendly Inn Settlement
Medical
O. St Vincent Charity Medical Center
P. Visiting Nurse Association
B. Salvation Army
P. Visiting Nurses Association
G. Center for Families & Children
N. Friendly Inn Settlement
Institutional, Faith based & Recreation
Community-wide recreation and gathering spaces are extremely limited resulting
in an under-served population; institutions occur around the periphery and feel
disconnected from the greater community; while faith based centers are highly
ingrained in the neighborhood.
E
D
K
A
A
J
I
C
A
E
B
F
B
C
B
D
G
E
N
P
C
O
H
J
K
G
F
D
M
G
H
H
I
WOODLAND AVE.
L
F
Institutional
A. National Children’s Study (CWRU)
B. Vocational Guidance Services
C. Cleveland Public Library Sterling Branch
D. Cuyahoga County Board of Elections
E. Masonic Temple
F. U.S. Post Office
G. Applewood Centers
H. Boy Scouts of America
I.
Cleveland Fire Department
J. Goodwill
K. Louis Stokes Museum and Library
Recreational
Faith Based
A. Christian Methodist
Episcopal
B. St Andrew’s Episcopal
C. St Phillips
D. Church of God
E. Grace Temple Church
F. St John AME Church
G. Friendship Baptist
H. Tredstone Baptist
I.
Trinity Cathedral
J. Euclid Avenue
Congregation
K. St Paul’s Shrine
A. Central Recreation Center
L. Zion Evangelical
B. Grant Park
M. Mt Hermon Baptist
C. Murtis Taylor Community Center
N. St Paul Zion
D. Lonnie Burten Recreation Center
E. CSU Wolstein Center
F. Tri-C Recreation Center
K. Louis Stokes Museum & Library
D. Lonnie Burten Recreation Center
O. Shiloh Baptist
P. New Damascus
Missionary Baptist
G. Outhwaite Splash Park & Community Garden
F. St John AME Church
retail facilities
The neighborhood’s core is significantly under served by retail establishments,
commercial options and access to healthy, affordable food.
F
D
B
A
A
F
F
E
C
G
K
A
C
B
E
J
I
A
M
L
H
D
C
B
D
B
O
E
P
WOODLAND AVE.
Automotive
H
A. State Liquor / Corner Store
B. Carnegie Car Wash
B. Corner Store
C. Audiocraft
C. Paul’s Food Market
D. Square Deal Auto Wash
D. M&I Deli
E. Target Auto
E. Mike’s Food
F. Central Cadillac
F. Corner Store
I.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
B. KFC
Firestone
J. Artisan Body Works
C. McDonald’s
K. Shell Gas
D. Café Ah Roma
L. Biggie’s Gas
E. Pasha Café
M. Midtown Quality Gas
F. Subway
N. Shell Gas
G. Manhattan Fish & Chicken
O. Quincy Gas
H. Nomi’s Kitchen
P. Marathon Gas & Car Wash
I.
B. The Agora Theater
Arbor Park Plaza
Rally’s
•
•
•
•
•
Fashion 216
Dave’s Supermarket
Key Bank
Boost Mobile
Dollar Mart
*King’s Plaza
A. Burger King
H. Auto Repair / Towing
*Arbor Park Plaza
• U Ask 4 it Carryout
Restaurants
G. Pearl’s Garage
I
N
Convenience Stores
A. Excalibur Auto Body
G
Athlete’s Foot
Discounts R Us
Check Cashing
Beauty Supply
Jazzy Looks
SuppaStarz Hair & Nails
Georgio’s
• Subway
Entertainment
A. The Agora Theater
B. Midtown Farmer’s Market
King’s Plaza
Infrastructure Linkages
E 55th St.
The distinct lack of neighborhood streets at the Cedars limits access and creates
a sense of detachment.
ROADWAY
NETWORK KEY
Major Arterials
Minor arterials
Neighborhood Streets
Bike Lanes
Interstate
Interstate On / Off Ramps
Major Arterials - E. 55th Street
Minor Arterials - E. 30th Street
Neighborhood Streets - E. 36th Street
Public Transportation Network
Transit options are widely distributed throughout Central and offer both local and
regional access, but lack amenities for riders at stops.
*
*
Stephanie Tubbs jones Transit Center
CSU Viking Loop
14
WOODLAND AVE.
RTA Bus stops
RTA Route
RTA HealthLine
Bus Stop at E. 55th Street & Woodland Avenue
Bus Stop at E. 55th Street & East Tech High
Stephanie Tubbs Jones Transit Center
Health Tech Corridor - Euclid Avenue
UNDERSTAND
Demographics and Social Needs
Understand the challenges and opportunities within Central through a thorough
analysis of the residents and their lifestyles.
Demographics
• The Central Choice Neighborhood has 10,305
residents, a 6% increase from 2000
• 56% of the neighborhood’s population lives in CMHA
housing
• 44% of the population is under the age of 18
• 63% of the households are families
• 91% of the families are single female headed
• The rate of poverty in Central has increased 5%
since 2000 to 69% of residents
of the Central Neighborhood. Such information informs
the physical Transformation Plan involving such things as
housing and roads and also enables human service plan
development so that the Choice Neighborhood initiative
supports the advancement of both people and place.
of respondents are aware
of the Central Choice
Neighborhood plan
84%
Two efforts were led by the planning team to uncover the
needs of people living in Central: demographic research
and a community survey constructed by Case Western
Reserve University.
The survey was broken into specific categories of questions
relating to the various aspects of life in the Central
Neighborhood that include:
• Neighborhood Engagement & Satisfaction
• 80% of the neighborhood’s children live below the
poverty rate.
• Safety & Security
• 46% of residents earn less $1250 / month
• Health
• 33% are unemployed
• Child Supplement Pre-K
• Median household income is 3 times higher in the
City and 4.5 times higher in the County.
• Child Supplement K-12
• 98% of employed residents travel outside of the
neighborhood for work
• 1.7% of the 7000+ jobs in Central are held by
residents
• 89% of Housing Units are occupied
• 7% of units are owner-occupied
Voice Your Choice Resident Survey
The construction of the Voice Your Choice Resident Survey
consisted of several steps, including: (1) a compilation
of assessment items from the CWRU Center on Urban
Poverty and Community Development Staff (CUPDCD)
along a number of relevant subtopics, (2) refining of
assessment items through meeting with CMHA and the
planning team; and (3) a finalization of the survey with a
pilot testing of a sub-sample of CMHA residents. Surveys
were administered in both group and individual settings
using staff from CMHA and Burton, Bell, Carr Development
Corporation.
Along with the demographics research, the Survey
enlightens decision making in planning the transformation
• Education & Training
Neighborhood Engagment &
Satisfaction
• Central Homeownership Zone survey respondents’
answers varied significantly compared to other
Choice Neighborhood respondents.
• Younger respondents (below age 40) were
significantly more dissatisfied with the neighborhood
and generally more pessimistic about the future.
• Respondents with less education reported higher
levels of neighborhood dissatisfaction and were
far more likely to be disengaged from civic
participation.
• 80% of residents don’t believe that neighbors share
their values
53%
believe in a
better future
• Libraries & Public Transportation were rated the best
amenities of the neighborhood
• Parks & Green Spaces were rated the least satisfying
amenities of the neighborhood
• 63% of residents do not have internet in their homes,
and 72% access the internet at the library
• The increased optimism of newer Homezone
residents represents a changing attitude about the
neighborhood that must be capitalized upon
• 28% of residents have a smart phone
Safety & Security
• Residents of Cedar Extension and Olde Cedar
report higher problems with blight and are rated the
least satisfactory in terms of quality of place
• Olde Cedar residents report the lowest level of
safety - across the neighborhood safety is generally
considered poor
• Half do not think it is safe at night and 28% would
stop and give directions at night
• 16% believe the neighborhood is safe for children
• 50% believe that the police are helpful and honest
• Litter, Drug Trafficking and Gang Activity were the
highest rated crime problems
Education & Training
80%
• 21% of residents believe there are job opportunities
within the neighborhood
would use
education
and training
opportunities
if they were
available
• Residents of the Central Homeownership Zone
report driving alone to work significantly more than
CMHA residents who typically walk or take public
transit to work
• Overall 31% commute by car, 33% walk, 36% by
public transit
• 21% of residents on average report being able to
put away money into savings
report a wider range of access to information
through various technological devices located in
the home as well as at work
• Survey respondents under 40 were significantly
more dissatisfied about (1) the number of pre-K or
Head Start facilities, (2) the number of early child
care facilities, and (3) the quality of early childhood
education.
• 43% of parents provide their own child care
• 30% of youth K-12 attend after school programs
• 59% of parents say their K-12 children are receiving
quality care
Health
report high rates of private health insurance
whereas residents of Cedar Extension, Olde Cedar,
and Carver Park/Outhwaite report the highest rates
of Medicaid enrollment.
• 20% do not have any form of health insurance
• 57% are enrolled in Medicaid
• Younger Choice Neighborhood residents report
much larger enrollment in Medicaid
• Half of residents get their medical care outside of
Central
47%
go to the hospital
emergency room if they
are sick and need care
• 37% of unemployed residents claim disability as the
reason
• 1 in 5 adults say their health is excellent
• 50% say their children’s health is excellent
• Residents of Cedar consistently report higher
problems related to environmental health risks,
including poorer air quality, exposure to mold, and
a prevalence of insects & pests in houses
• 75% of respondents living in Cedar Extension, Olde
Cedar, and Carver Park/Outhwaite feel there
are—or possibly could be—a variety of healthy food
options
3
REDISCOVER
CENTRAL CHOICE
GUIDING DIRECTIVES
A series of nine Transformation Directives is shaped by thorough analysis, the
community’s specific needs and serve as the plan’s foundation to reverse Central’s
disinvestment and decline.
The vast amount of input and information gathered
through the Understanding portion of this Central Choice
Transformation Plan provided insight into how the
neighborhoods and their people are inter-related. As a
means of translating that information into a knowledge
base that informs the Transformation Plan, nine topics, or
Transformation Directives, were derived.
These directives establish a consistent framework where
ideas, notions and approaches can be tested across
the three components of Neighborhood, Housing, and
People. Each addresses a different characteristic of the
neighborhood that has been demonstrated as an area
of importance for residents and stakeholders, and each
identifies concepts, questions and potentials that guide
the planning process.
Within the following series, each of the nine Directives will
be further discussed, and their role in the planning process
explained. Furthermore, they will be used as a basis for
assessing the ability of the initiatives later proposed by the
Transformation Plan to ensure that the plan produces a
balanced approach to investment in the neighborhood,
and those that live, work and visit it.
Neighborhood
Demographics
Housing &
Neighborhood Density
Health Conditions
& Impacts
Education Access
& Prioritization
Safety & Crime
Economic & Business
Development
Access &
Connections
Recreation &
Green Space
Creating a MultiGenerational
Approach
REDISCOVER
TRANSFORMATION DIRECTIVE #1
NEIGHBORHOOD DEMOGRAPHICS
Improve neighborhood conditions, promote diversity, and blur the distinction between
families living above and below the poverty line.
Issues & Opportunities
Promote & Encourage Diversity
Currently, the Central Neighborhood suffers from a lack
of economic diversity. Much of the population lives
in extreme poverty, with 80% of the neighborhood’s
children living below the poverty rate. The concept of
“Ladders of Opportunity”, where residents can improve
their quality of life through education and employment, is
virtually impossible to achieve with such an impoverished
community. Shifts in housing options, neighborhood
redevelopment and establishing a priority on education
must occur to reverse and overcome these challenges
To promote access to opportunity, it will be critical to
infuse the neighborhood with mixed-income families. A
recent study at Harvard University provides correlational
evidence of the relationship between residential location
and upward mobility (Chetty, Hendren, Kline, Saez, 2013).
Over half of Central’s
residents live in subsidized
housing
One of the key factors that was found to constrain a
household’s ability to move out of poverty is economic
segregation. The mixed-income transformation of The
Cedars can be an opportunity to spur a catalyst of
economic diversity throughout the neighborhood. An
example of similar success is the Homeownership Zone.
Despite initial skepticism, the project has been largely
successful at integrating market rate single family homes
into an existing community. Although this has diversified
the neighborhood in terms of economic and social
statistics, the Central Choice Study area is large, and the
Homeownership Zone accounts for only a small portion of
the population. The overall study area lacks the diversity
found in a mixed-income, urban neighborhood.
Families and Children
There is an extreme concentration of children in the
neighborhood: 44% of the neighborhood’s over 10,000
residents are children under the age of 18. These
children not only require services such as access to
medical care, education and activities, but safe and
secure physical locations through which they can access
these services. Due to the high rate of single-parent
households, something that must be taken into account
is that easily-accessible services for children are essential
in helping to provide stable environments and mentoring
opportunities. In order to break the generational cycle
of poverty prevalent throughout the area, children must
be motivated and supported from inside and outside the
home.
There is also great need for supportive services provided
to parents. With 91% of the neighborhood’s families
headed by a single mother, the ability for her to raise
children, complete an education and obtain a job that
will support their needs is extremely difficult. Young women
Goals & Objectives
• Determine opportunities for community
building amongst residents
• Provide support programs for young
women, mothers and children
• Increase diversity of the residential
population
• Improve opportunities for social integration
of young men throughout Central
• Improve access to and awareness of
quality healthcare options
• Invest in children’s activities and
programming
UNCOVERING
RELATIONSHIPS
need support, access to childcare and provided with the
opportunity to pursue a complete education. Additional
programs aimed towards the neighborhood’s men must
promote responsibility and a better understanding of the
impact of behavior and actions. This balanced approach
will help bring stability to Central’s households.
Poverty Indicators
Data collected and analyzed confirmed that residents
of Central are living below the City of Cleveland and
Cuyahoga County poverty levels. Residents commented
that they cannot afford the basic necessities. This
condition is exacerbated with an overarching lack
of amenities, grocery stores, retail options and other
basic service providers within the neighborhood’s core.
Residents have to spend a premium due to an imbalance
of demand and supply.
Additionally, the health of residents is negatively
impacted. The cheapest and most accessible food
options are unhealthy, fast food restaurants. There is a
limited access to healthy eating options, and the result
is a population that suffers from illness and obesity. Costs
associated with treating these health concerns, combined
with the already impoverished community, perpetuates
the cycle of poverty. Options and opportunities are
identified throughout the Transformation Directives to
address these multifaceted issues and reverse trends
that have deteriorated the quality of life throughout the
Central Neighborhood.
Neighborhood Densities
Map indicates range of Central
population densities
In Central, there is a distinct relationship
between neighborhood density and
poverty. Generally, poverty is concentrated
in the most densely occupied areas,
particularly the public housing estates.
These blocks are cut off from the
surrounding neighborhood both physically and socially creating
pockets of poverty. In areas where densities have been reduced
and a completed street grid is re-established, Arbor Park and
Carver Park, residents income varies and evidence of a mixedincome community is present.
A similar correlation can be made between neighborhood
density, level of poverty and crime.
This Transformation Directive identifies the patterns and
characteristics of the people that live here and recognizes
the importance of breaking the cycle of poverty by
changing the neighborhood’s physical attributes
to attract new residents. A mixed-income Central
Neighborhood can demonstrate hope, inspire residents
and create “Ladders of Opportunity.”
Non-aggravated assaults are the highest where there is the lowest concentration of residents.
Non-Aggravated Assaults
Assaults have dropped since 2000, but rates in Central (3,466 / 100K) remains higher than the City (2,308).
Assaults where no weapon is present and no serious injury occurs
to the victim, typically robbery, theft and other property crimes
REDISCOVER
HEALTH CONDITIONS & IMPACTS
Change degenerative patterns of disease, improve community healthcare access
and provide care to promote healthy lifestyles.
Access to Healthcare
The Cedar Central Neighborhood is not seen as “healthy”
by its residents, nor is it perceived to encourage
healthy lifestyles. Access to medical care is limited
with most families not having a primary care physician
and visiting the emergency room when they are sick.
This “emergency versus preventative” approach to
healthcare does not address some of the changes that
a primary care doctor would suggest, monitor and adjust
per the patient’s needs. This limits the potential longterm health improvements and does nothing to reverse
generational disease and illness. Lifestyle changes, healthy
eating habits, and other aspects can be identified and
addressed through personal relationships with medical
professionals.
Living Conditions & Environment
Residents of Cedar consistently report higher problems
related to environmental health risks, including poorer
air quality, exposure to mold, and a prevalence of
insects and vermin. Such conditions prolong and create
illness, disease and chronic health issues. The results
of the resident survey reemphasize the urgency to
begin revitalization efforts of The Cedars to eliminate
substandard living conditions.
Limited Recreational Opportunities
Central’s physical conditions and neighborhood
composition detracts the opportunity for safe recreational
activities. Areas are not perceived as safe and therefore,
are avoided, including playgrounds and various sport
courts. Programming at the three City of Cleveland
recreation centers strive to meet resident needs and
satisfaction, but due to budgetary constraints, it is often
difficult to be consistent or expand opportunities. Their
inconsistent schedules leave residents unsure of program
availability and reluctant to become invested in exercise
programs. These concerns and opportunities are further
discussed in the Recreation and Green Space directive,
but their implications impact health, are cause for
inclusion and consideration to the community’s overall
health.
Healthy Eating
Residents of non-CMHA properties are more dissatisfied
with the neighborhood’s healthy food options than
residents of CMHA properties. Conversely, approximately
75% of respondents living in Cedar Family Extension,
Olde Cedar, and Carver Park/Outhwaite feel there
are—or possibly could be—a variety of healthy food
options. This exhibits an underlying issue: there is a distinct
lack of understanding of what constitutes “healthy
eating.” Programs and other outreach efforts must be
considered to educate residents on healthy eating habits.
Additionally, new opportunities which increase access
and identify the importance of nutritional food must be
created. Currently, there are initiatives with this focus that
are occurring within, and around Central, including a fresh
food and farmers market at CSU.
Goals & Objectives
• Engage medical service providers to
develop outreach that promotes wellness
and active lifestyles
• Encourage the development of accessible
and affordable healthcare options within
the neighborhood
• Improve Health Literacy and encourage
families to have primary care doctors to
ensure that health is monitored routinely
not just when someone is ill
• Improve indoor environment health and
the perception of cleanliness at housing
estates
• Reduce reliance on emergency room
• Determine opportunities for healthy food
access and education
MOMENTUM
STORIES OF SUCCESS
CARE ALLIANCE HEALTH CENTER
“Our Mission: To provide high-quality, comprehensive medical and dental care,
patient advocacy and related services to people who need them most, regardless of
ability to pay.” Source: www.carealliance.org
Image courtesy of URS corp
In partnership with CMHA, the new Central
Neighborhood Care Alliance Clinic will be
integrated into the Cedar Extension Estates
redevelopment. Its location in the Central
Neighborhood will provide residents with access
to quality healthcare in their community, a need
identified through the data collection process,
while simultaneously utilizing a redevelopment site
that will provide activity and vibrancy to connect
surrounding civic institutions.
STORIES OF SUCCESS
Health & Wellness Programming
Keeping Kids Healthy at
School and at Home
Source: Campus District Observer
Bridgeport Cafe &
CornUcopia Place
Burten, Bell, Carr has successfully launched
a model Community Kitchen and Cafe that
offers cooking classes to residents, promoting
healthy families and easy fresh-food cooking for
residents.
Promoting Wellness
Medical services throughout the neighborhood
can collaborate and reach out to residents
with wellness programming and health
awareness. (Source: Campus District Observer)
REDISCOVER
Safety & crime
Identify locations of concentrated illegal activity, increase patrolling and form
partnerships and youth educational programs to deter crime.
Neighborhood Safety Perception
Residents of Cedar Family Extension and Olde Cedar
report higher problems with blight than any other Choice
estate. This is perhaps not unexpected, as the conditions
of the two areas are uniformly regarded as the least
satisfactory in terms of quality of place. This resident
opinion confirms CMHA’s priority to begin with The Cedars
as the Choice Housing component of the revitalization
efforts. Residents of Olde Cedar report the lowest levels
Violent crimes in Central
occur at a rate of 2.5x the
City of Cleveland.
of safety. Fear of safety and security is largely about
perception. Taken together, until the neighborhood
perceives that the area is safe for children and at night,
revitalization will be hampered by low levels of community
capital via a lack of security and trust. Throughout the
Understanding process, there have been numerous
statistics, conversations and observations through which
the safety of the neighborhood has come into question.
In many of these instances, the divisions between uses and
neighborhood districts have become both the location
and source of crime.
Goals & Objectives
• Concentrations of crime occur at major
intersections that combine use groups
and generate activity – these can be
enhanced to promote safe and secure
environments
• Ensure family and children’s safety at
home and in the community by increasing
visibility to public gathering spaces within
the neighborhood
Residents have commented that there is a general
feeling across the neighborhood that Arbor Park Village
is considered safer than Cedar Family Extension. Within
Arbor Park, a traditional street and block network has
been constructed along which homes have front doors,
stoops, and associated on-street parking.
Youth Trust in Law Enforcement
Younger Choice residents express far less satisfaction with
policing practices than their older counterparts and are
less trusting of law enforcement officers. Reaching out to
youth, engaging them in programs aimed to clarify law
enforcement policies and practices can reduce the sense
of distrust.
Criminal Activity
Crime categories that demonstrated an increase in
the target area from 2000 to 2010 included the number
of domestic violence assaults and burglaries. While an
increase in burglaries citywide, the rate of domestic
assaults was specific to the Central Neighborhood.
Locational “hot spots” for crimes committed in 2010 can
lend insight into where further intervention is needed. A
series of map overlays identify concentrated areas where
illegal activities are reported or policed. These visual
references enable the Choice team to prioritize target
areas.
• Increase visibility to public gathering
spaces within the neighborhood
• Identify means of reducing criminal
activity near schools and public uses
• Envision enhancements to known crime
locations that will increase safety
• Reduce the separation between
developments and the public realm
• Enhance safer access to transit
connections
Identifying “hot spots”
High Crime Rate
Intersections
High Crime Rate
Corridors
COMMUNITY COLLEGE AVE
Schools
WOODLAND AVE
Opportunity for Crime
The separation between residents across Central create
gaps in the urban fabric, separating uses and people. It
is within these areas that residents have said they feel the
least safe, and where crime statistics have been shown
to be the highest. This can be attributed to a number of
factors, with physical design a major issue. The design of
the neighborhood blocks created inward facing estate
sites with large areas of vacant land in between. These
areas are often empty of people and un-monitored,
creating space that feels detached from anything around
them and are darker at night due to the lack of buildings
and activity. As a result, there are no opportunities for
residents, business owners or visitors to naturally patrol the
streets.
Gang Activity
The divisions within the Neighborhood also create a social
dynamic, in which a rivalry has developed between
residents over decades. Not only do residents view
themselves as a member of their individual development
as opposed to the Central Neighborhood, there are also
further divisions within the residential districts. For example,
within Olde Cedar and Cedar Extension there is the Cedar
Side, Central Side, Community Side (CCO) or Cedar
Parks & Recreation
Heights. These divisions have resulted in a series of gangs
throughout the neighborhood and the different residential
districts. Gang and criminal activity between groups is
having a significant effect on the lives of children and
families.
High school students that took part in the plan through
the resident assistantship program provided insight into
this situation. They confirmed that older children and
teenagers no longer interact with others outside of their
neighborhood, and that young women are more apt to
visit friends and socialize across different estates. However,
it is rare for young men to do so due to the existence of
gangs. This isolates a particularly vulnerable segment of
the population, separating teenage and young men from
the supportive services and educational opportunities
designed to help them succeed.
Although this cultural change will not happen overnight,
this Transformation Plan must help to eliminate the gaps
between developments and create opportunities for
residents from across the Neighborhood to socialize.
REDISCOVER
Access & Connections
Connections throughout Central, whether vehicular, pedestrian or bicycle, must
be strengthened and enhanced to improve safety.
Lack of Access
The inconsistent street network and interrupted block
configurations further amplify the challenges of
neighborhood and societal connections. Given the
community’s demographics, the pedestrian and bicycle
connections are the most vulnerable. Students, children
and those without access to a car rely on alternative multimodal transportation choices. However, the streets within
the Central Neighborhood are designed with a heavy
focus on vehicular traffic. Pedestrian connections through
developments and along the streets are fragmented and
inconsistent, and in many cases do not provide direct
routes between neighborhood amenities and institutions.
Additionally, there are no bicycle provisions on the streets
and very few racks throughout the community.
This is particularly problematic when it comes to the
connections to the Neighborhood’s recreation centers,
schools, parks and commercial areas. These are the
places that bring people together, but in many instances
are the most difficult to access. New and enhanced
connectivity throughout Central is a necessity. As new
connections between and through neighborhood districts
are established, they must be visible and open to all
members of the community and transportation options to
improve their safety, security and ability to unite Central’s
people and places.
Public Transportation
The bus network within Central is one of its greatest
assets, and a key to linking residents with jobs, retail and
educational venues. However, the bus stops throughout
the neighborhood are under-whelming, often cluttered
with litter and do not enhance the riders’ experience.
Stops that are adjacent to retail, schools or transfer points
between lines are heavily used, and should be designed
to safely accommodate users. Better lighting, benches,
trash receptacles, shelters for inclement weather and
neighborhood signage would bring a greater awareness
of the system, and highlight these as areas in which
spontaneous interactions can take place.
Goals & Objectives
• The Major Arterials: Woodland, Carnegie
and E. 55th define the edges of the
neighborhood, but the size and traffic
volume of these roads cut off Central from
its surroundings
• Neighborhood streets divide and
reduce the scale of larger residential
developments like Arbor Park and the
Home Zone, but are non-existent in Cedar
Family Extension and Olde Cedar, isolating
the residential from surroundings
• Unite the many individual developments
within Central
• Enhance the public realm to
increase residents’ pride in their
Neighborhood
• Create new multi-modal linkages to better
provide residents with choices
• Enhance pedestrian connections that link
amenities with homes
• Identify a safe and connected bicycle
network
• Utilize vacant land to reconnect
neighborhood assets and residential
districts
• Identify redevelopment opportunities that
will eliminate neighborhood blight
• Enhance ridership experience on public
transit
MOMENTUM
STORIES OF SUCCESS
East 22nd Street Corridor
The East 22nd Street Corridor is a re-envisioned link between Cleveland State University,
Tri-C, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center and the Central Choice Neighborhood.
Planned for reconstruction in 2015 as a part of the
Innerbelt Expressway investment, the street will
be designed to connect the various assets in the
neighborhood while providing opportunities for new
development and public space.
After
BEFORE
STORIES OF SUCCESS
East 55th & Euclid Crossroads study
The East 55th and Euclid Avenue Crossroads Study encourages activity, promotes security, creates
identity and adds value to MidTown.
The MidTown District is a growing commercial and
institutional center north of Central’s residential
core. Combining access to the Euclid Healthline
system with the opportunity to develop large
parcels of land, the District has been actively
developing as a hub for technological and cultural
growth. The Plan encourages enhancements that
promote activity and define MidTown as a vital link
between Downtown’s Commercial Core and the
Institutional Centers of University Circle.
BEFORE
After
REDISCOVER
Recreation & Green Space
A comprehensive strategy for improving the parks and public spaces throughout
the Central Choice Neighborhood is intended to create venues that will unite
residents of different backgrounds, ages and interests.
Deficiency of Quality Public Spaces
Parks and public spaces play an important role in
improving the lives of a city’s residents. There are many
factors that influence the success of a specific park
in a city neighborhood. One factor is the amount of
park space that a city provides in relation to its total
population. An accepted ratio is 3.1 acres per every
1,000 residents. With over 10,000 residents, Central’s 20
total acres of parks and public spaces falls short of the
suggested 31 acres.
More important than the total number of acres dedicated
to parks and public spaces is the park’s design, its level
of maintenance and the quality of its programming.
Parks are successful if they are designed in ways that fit
the needs to the area’s residents. If parks are not well
maintained or valued, they often fall into disrepair and
serve to attract negative rather than positive behavior.
Additionally, park programming is important because it
brings people together for events and activities.
Establish and Maintain Park Standards
There are certain items that parks and public spaces
throughout Central should offer. The following design
elements should be considered in Central’s park spaces:
• More trash cans and regular removal of trash
• Recycling Bins
• Regular grass cutting and removal of debris from
play areas
• Shade structures where people tend to sit
• Pathways through parks that follow routes people
generally take
• Improved site lines into and through the park to
improve sense of security
• Grills and picnic benches
• Trees, placed in a way to create shade, but not to
obstruct site lines
• Separate uses by age group (teens and tots
separated)
• Regular park programming events that engage
youth and adults
• Encourage residents to take ownership of the park
by the creation of a volunteer group that helps
maintain parks and creates programming
Goals & Objectives
• Provide quality green space for children
of all ages that are not internal to sites, but
integral with the surrounding context to
encourage resident interaction
• Increase programming and access to
recreational amenities for teenagers
• Create green space opportunities that
unite residents across Central
• Increase access to healthy and fresh food
sources
• Provide opportunities for family-oriented
entertainment
• Integrate green site design features
to mitigate negative impacts of
development
• Promote activities that increase the health
and wellness of residents
MOMENTUM
STORIES OF SUCCESS
tRI-C METRO’S public SPACE PLAN
The Tri-C Metro’s Public Space Redevelopment Plan aspires to create a “Campus on a Green Roof.”
The public space plan enhances the connection to the
campus’s immediate neighborhood through quality green
space and an open inviting campus environment. It
provides the Metro campus with the opportunity to attract
students to the Central Neighborhood and expand its
influence through its quality academic programming and
secure learning environment. By softening its edges and
diminishing barriers, Tri-C has the potential to become an
even more integral place in Central.
After
BEFORE
STORIES OF SUCCESS
cmha’s parks & green space
CMHA has partnered with a variety of green space advocates in an effort to improve the quality of green
space for their residents throughout Central.
In Outhwaite homes, a budding
Community Garden was launched in
conjunction with the Cleveland Botanical
Gardens as well as a new splash park
adjacent to Lonnie Burten and the new
senior building. On the Olde Cedar
campus, CMHA teamed with KaBOOM!,
a non profit whose mission is to construct
playgrounds within walking distance for
every child in the country.
REDISCOVER
Housing & neighborhood density
Strengthen the residents’ desire to improve their community, inspire home ownership
and commit to the long term health of the neighborhood.
Housing Options
Key to the future success of the Central Neighborhood
will be the diversification of its housing. This entails the
inclusion of new housing typologies, the maintenance
of the existing housing stock and providing marketrate housing opportunities. Public housing within the
neighborhood has been a benefit to the community and
its residents by maintaining a stable population throughout
the study area. It is a priority of this Plan and CMHA to
maintain the affordable housing alternatives that residents
and families rely on.
Only 7% of Central’s 4,300
housing units are owneroccupied.
The distinctions between the public housing and new
market-rate homes must be minimized to promote greater
unity and build a stronger sense of community.
Housing Estate Connectivity
The housing estates in Central are often perceived as
internalized and separated by physical boundaries like
streets. Both Outhwaite Homes and Cedar Extension have
an interior network of paths that are utilized by residents,
but discourage through access by vehicles and do not
serve the surrounding neighborhood. Estates like Carver
Park and Arbor Park have been renovated and actively
engage the surrounding community.
Redistribute Homes throughout the
Neighborhood
The inward, overly dense housing estates of Central
represent an outdated approach to public housing and
neighborhood design. The vacant and underutilized land
that surrounds the large estates must be repurposed to
best serve residents, potential investors and visitors to the
district. These “spaces between” create opportunities to
blend re-imagined housing developments to create a
balanced and relatable neighborhood. Spreading out the
housing units provides defensible and personal spaces,
locates homes with front doors and porches that face
their streets and repopulates fallow land. Additionally, this
approach can introduce new housing units that provide a
variety of living arrangements to attract new residents.
Goals & Objectives
• Identify programs to promote home
ownership
• Envision community gathering spaces /
functions united with housing
• Create a more balanced development
density across the Central Neighborhood
• Break down the scale and
increase accessibility of residential
superblocks
• Develop mixed-income housing that is
better integrated with the publicly assisted
housing
• Increase the visual and physical diversity
of the residential districts
• Promote neighborhood-wide unity
between the residential districts
• Revitalize vacant / underutilized
properties • Determine methodologies for breaking
down implied social barriers between
districts
MOMENTUM
STORIES OF SUCCESS
The Homeownership Zone
The Homeownerhip Zone is rebuilding the single family housing stock in the core of Central, increasing
housing options and rebuilding the middle class.
Significant demolition of Central’s aging housing stock is
shown in the census. In 2000, 27% was built pre-1939, by
2010 that number had dropped to 19% illustrating a desire
to improve quality of housing stock and create options
that will be attractive to home owners looking to invest in
a neighborhood.
The Homeownership Zone is a revitalization effort in the
Central Neighborhood that is re-establishing the single
family, market-rate housing stock at the core of the
community. The project has been successful at re-building
the single family home population in the neighborhood
through a series of projects, called the Villages of Central.
Each Village is represented by a series of blocks on which
new homes are constructed, older homes are renovated,
infrastructure upgraded, and parks established to replace
vacant land and abandoned buildings. The result has
been over 300 new, quality, affordable homes over
the past decade. The initiative has strengthened the
homeowner base, in this predominantly rental community,
and provided options for families desiring a permanent
home in the Central Neighborhood.
When first conceived, there was a great deal of skepticism
regarding the Homeownership Zone’s potential for success
and ability to bring middle-class families back to Central.
However, the project has been a great success with
construction ongoing in the blocks to the west of E. 40th
Street.
A sketch of four homes planned along E. 39th St. that will be among 420 scattered-site homes in Cleveland’s “Villages of Central,” a $63 million makeover of the Central Neighborhood.
By Alison Grant
PLAIN DEALER REPORTER
A team of three construction companies is ready to launch a $63 million
makeover of Cleveland’s Central neighborhood, using a collection of grassy,
vacant lots as sites for 420 new houses
and townhouses.
The “Villages of Central” project, if
it gets clearance this week from the city’s
Design Review Committee and Planning
Commission, will break ground this fall.
The first homes, priced at $100,000 to
$200,000, would be on the market by
spring.
The neighborhood’s “home ownership
zone,” once complete, will represent the
largest residential construction project in
Cleveland since World War II - and perhaps the largest in the city’s history,
Friedman said.
“Our intent is to create a new identity
in the neighborhood,” said Stuart Friedman, development coordinator for Rysar
Properties, the project’s builder. “We
believe that retail and commercial will
follow, and Central in five to seven
years will be significantly different
than today.”
The venture is the result of the federal
government’s 1997 choice of Cleveland
as one of six cities to receive millions of
dollars in grants and loan guarantees to
make home ownership more affordable.
Cleveland received a $12 million loan
and $4.6 million grant. Other finances
include more than $37 million in loans
from KeyBank.
In Central today, only 10 percent of
residents own their homes. Many residents live in public housing.
Washington has required that 237 of
the new houses and townhouses be sold
to households with income of $42,000
or less for a family of four. Cleveland
went a step further by requiring that 104
of those properties be sold to families
with household incomes of $31,000 or
less and that 45 be reserved for families
with household incomes under $26,000.
Buyers will be offered subsidies of
$10,000 to $25,000 in the form of second mortgages, which will be forgiven
if the owner stays in the house for a specified number of years. How long is still
up for discussion, but a minimum stay
of 10 to 15 years probably will be required, Friedman said.
The city also will grant homebuyers a
15-year property tax abatement. And
Councilman Frank G. Jackson said he
will use his federal block grant funds to
offer additional help for down payments
or other costs to assist any Central resident in a home purchase.
“We want to make sure that these
people will be able to get in,” Jackson
said yesterday.
The houses - built on vacant, tax-delinquent property the city accumulated
in its land bank - will include ranches,
bungalows and Colonials ranging in size
from 1,100 to 2,800 square feet. The
project’s architect, City Architecture, has
come up with more than 30 floor plans
and a number of facades. The designs
feature bay windows, clapboard siding
and front porches.
“The secret here is to build a new community that feels like it’s always been
here,” architect Paul Volpe said.
Rysar’s partners in the project, all with
equal shares, are Bradley Construction
Co. and Forest City Enterprises. The
companies were among a handful of
teams responding to the city’s “request
for qualifications” in late 1997 for developers of the home ownership
zone. The city chose the Rysar team last
year.
Forest City is taking the lead on land
PLAIN DEALER
development, Rysar on construction and
sales and Bradley on infrastructure issues and minority hiring compliance,
Rysar President Ken Lurie said.
Rysar approached Forest City because
of its experience in large-scale land development and Bradley because of its
familiarity with city projects involving
large subsidies, Friedman said.
Plans for the project, which includes
45 renovated houses along with the construction, will be presented tomorrow to
the Design Review Committee and Friday to the Planning Commission.
REDISCOVER
Education ACCESS & PRIORITIZATION
Change the way that residents and students view the importance of education
from an early age, creating a solid foundation for higher learning and employment.
Emphasize Education
Alter generational trends that have resulted in low
educational attainment levels and high drop out rates by
building from the Central Promise Initiative’s momentum.
The elements and infrastructure are in place within Central
to accomplish this, but it will require a joint commitment
by all the necessary stakeholders to promote and realize a
shift to prioritize education.
The Central Promise Initiative, sponsored by the Sisters of
Charity Foundation, has taken on the role of organizing
and pioneering this change to create a “Cradle to
College to Career” program. The Promise Initiative
outlined a strategy for bringing the Cleveland Municipal
School District, CMHA, Cuyahoga Community College,
Cleveland State University, child care facilities, the City
of Cleveland and local residents together in a spirit of
collaboration, shared curriculums and a strong focus on
the value of education to Central’s residents.
Access for All
Connections, both physical and social, must be
strengthened between the Central community and
the educational amenities provided throughout the
neighborhood. The needs expand beyond the initiative
being undertaken by the Central Promise Initiative.
Education and training must be inclusive of both the
youth-based programs, as well as adult education that
ranges from job training to healthy living and family-based
programs.
Training the Future Workforce
There is an undeniable correlation between education,
job training and employment. Surveys and conversations
with residents, primarily younger people, identified a strong
dissatisfaction with current job training and apprentice
programs. This frustration is compounded by the realization
that many of the neighborhood’s professional employers
are hiring people that do not live in Central. Employers
are importing people to fill jobs because there is a lack
of expertise, especially in the emerging medical and
healthcare sector.
Training programs must be expanded, made affordable
and offered to Central residents to help them compete
for the limited amount of available jobs. The three anchor
institutions (Cleveland State University, Tri-C and St. Vincent
Charity Medical Center) are committed to continue
shaping their curriculum in efforts to reach Central
residents and many opportunities currently exist to make
education affordable for residents. However a major
reason residents do not take advantage of these financial
aid opportunities is a deficiency in basic skills or programs
that require a high school diploma or equivalent.
There are also opportunities to train a workforce for the
construction anticipated to occur. The St. Vincent Charity
Medical Center and CMHA’s capital improvement plans
project investing hundreds of millions of dollars in new
buildings and infrastructure. Hiring residents to rebuild
portions of their neighborhood can infuse new income
and also promote a new sense of pride in Central.
Goals & Objectives
• Every child participates in quality early
learning to ensure they are ready for
kindergarten
• Ours is a safe community where children
feel supported to achieve academic
success
• Every child attends a K-8 School
• Residents will lead the change in the
Central Neighborhood
• Every 8th grader is connected to a
caring adult mentor through high school
graduation
MOMENTUM
STORIES OF SUCCESS
Central Promise Initiative
“The Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood initiative is committed to corroboratively
developing effective programs and services to ensure that children are healthy, ready for
kindergarten, go to good schools, graduate from high school to go on to college or other
educational opportunities and on to a career. The initiative also is committed to the goal of
transforming the neighborhood into a community where every child goes to college.”
The Cleveland Central Promise
Neighborhood Initiative is committed
to moving the goals and aspirations of
the education programming forward.
Although the Implementation Grant was
not awarded, the Sisters of Charity and
Promise partners are embarking upon a
strategy to improve the educational and
job attainment potential for Central’s
youth.
Source: The Plain Dealer
STORIES OF SUCCESS
gUIDESTONE & Stepstone Academy
“We’re Guidestone Ohio™ – built on a solid foundation of experience and expertise, rooted in faith and a legacy of serving
children and families. Our range of flexible, customized programs build upon one another so they address every aspect
of a person’s needs. We’re a solutions-focused organization with passionate people committed to providing direction and
inspiration to children, families and communities to help them become stronger.”
Our Mission
“The mission of our school is to provide the highest quality
education for students that fosters lifelong learning and
prepares students to graduate from college and become
productive, involved citizens.”
Stepstone Momentum Learning™ Model: Our unique
model blends traditional classroom learning with the
latest in online technology to individualize learning and
maximize student success at a sustainable cost.
Stepstone 360™ Support: One of the first charter schools
in the U.S. to integrate an aspirational, no-excuses culture
with a wide array of learning supports to children and
families such as behavioral health, parenting and family
skill building and workforce preparation.
Guidestone is a family services provider, formerly known
as the Berea Children’s Home, that has combined its
social service outreach with a new CMSD charter school
initiative in the Central Neighborhood. The Academy’s
campus spans several blocks between Carnegie and
Cedar Avenues on the northwestern edge of the Central
Neighborhood. The Stepstone Academy uses innovative
education strategies to teach students and support
families. The majority of students and families that benefit
from Guidestone and Stepstone live in the Central Choice
Neighborhood, making its impact very tangible for the
community. As of the 2012-2013 school year, nearly the
same percentage of students from the Cedar Estates
attended Stepstone Academy as the neighboring Marion
Sterling Elementary.
REDISCOVER
economic & business DEVELOPMENT
Maximize job opportunities and business development programs to promote selfsufficiency, encourage personal growth and build sustainable community.
Job Loss & Employment Sectors
According to statistics compiled from the Longitudinal
Employment Household Dynamics (LEHD), the area’s
employment rates have declined 11% over the past
decade.
Inflow / Outflow Job Counts
1,956 residents work
outside the area
6,924 employees
live outside the area
124 residents live
and work in the area
To offset job loss trends and increase Cleveland’s
competitiveness, a shift in employment sectors has
evolved over the past decade. Healthcare has grown
to Cleveland’s largest industry, replacing manufacturing.
One of Central’s anchor institutions, St. Vincent Charity
Medical Center is expanding. Programming must
capitalize on this a real opportunity and connect residents
with proper training, long term professional jobs and
construction work.
Barriers to Employment
New employment opportunities are founded on increasing
and improving job training and education. Emerging
sectors, such as healthcare, require specialized relevant
training to provide a competitive employment candidate.
Additionally, education providers are changing their
process to deliver and offer degrees, accreditation
programs and other services. On-line learning courses
are becoming a staple of professional degree programs,
offering flexibility and students to learn at their own pace.
Central residents report having limited access to internet
resources, relying on libraries or other public computer labs.
Increasing personal access has the ability to connect job
seekers with employment services and classifieds. Emphasis
must be on getting those “connected” to the information
age.
Finally, supportive services are needed to provide residents
the opportunity to have time to study, prepare a resume or
attend a job interview. Survey responses identified a lack
of child care facilities and options. Not having access to
centers, for the many young mothers of Central, greatly
reduces their chances to pursue higher education, training
and eventually, employment.
Jobs in Central Choice
There is a strong need to better link residents with the
job opportunities available within the neighborhood,
Goals & Objectives
• Determine methodologies for promoting
job creation and business development
• Foster connections to job training
programs
• Unite residents’ skills with job opportunities
at neighborhood businesses
• Establish linkages between resident
skills and local / neighborhood job
opportunities
• Provide opportunities to incentivize
local hiring through neighborhood
businesses
• Develop strategies to link youth with
career training and advancement
skills
• Attract new and expanded businesses
and retailers to the Central Choice
Neighborhood
• Foster the potential for resident owned and
operated enterprises
STORIES OF SUCCESS
Green City Growers
Green City Growers is a new type of economic
development recently emerging in Central, focusing
on sustainable employment of residents through
an employee owned model.
and to attract local employees to live within the Central
Choice community to promote a desired mixed income
neighborhood. Most of Central’s employees live outside
of the neighborhood and possess a higher level of
education than Central’s residents. There is an underlying
mismatch between existing jobs within the Central Choice
footprint and the skill-level of Central Choice residents. The
correlation between attained education and employment
must be fully understood and new programs built around
filling the gaps that are clearly putting Central residents in
this disadvantaged situation.
Location for Employed Residents
Over 75% of employed Central residents work within 10
miles of their home. This is important considering nearly 55%
of Central Choice residents do not have a car available
according to the American Community Survey (2006-2010),
and nearly 20% walk to work. The strong existing public
transit connections are a benefit to the Central residents’
employment opportunities, and its continued maintenance
and improvements should remain a priority.
Only a fraction of employed residents work and live in the
neighborhood (124 out of 1,956, or 6%). The vast majority of
these jobs, that are filled by residents, are low pay (less than
$1,250 a month). Contrast this with jobs within the Central
footprint filled by non-Central resident employees in which
most earn more than $1,250 a month.
“Green City Growers Cooperative, Inc. is a 3.25 acre
leafy greens, hydroponic greenhouse in the Central
neighborhood of Cleveland, OH. The greenhouse, which
officially opened on February 25, 2013, has 15,000 square
feet of packinghouse and office space, and is currently
producing Bibb lettuce, green leaf lettuce, gourmet
lettuces and basil.”
As for location, the majority of Employed Resident jobs
are in the City of Cleveland (55%), The second most likely
direction for job location is within 10 miles East of the
footprint, or in the direction of University Circle (18% of all
jobs).
These issues distinctly identify a need to provide new
employment opportunities to residents that live here,
train people to better compete for “skilled” positions and
improve physical access to jobs within the neighborhood
and immediate surroundings. This will require a complex
and multi-leveled approach, blending all components of
the Choice Plan: Neighborhood, Housing and People.
REDISCOVER
a multi-generational approach
Assemble and coordinate critical amenities to build a multi-generational neighborhood
that builds upon its assets, capitalizes on the myriad of opportunities and promotes
a balanced future.
The stability and security offered by a multi-generational
neighborhood align with the goals and objectives of
the nine Transformational Directives. There are many
obstacles that separate and divide the community.
Physical barriers, underlying social issues and a lack of
long term residents detract from a sense of community
and cohesion. The few common “threads” that tie
Central together have negative connotations: high crime
rates, lacking educational access and performance,
high unemployment rates and others. These factors and
perceptions must be reversed to truly transform Central.
This Transformation Directive is a result of the other
directives’ application. The establishment of a multigenerational community not only promotes stability and
provides opportunities for young residents to learn from
their neighbors, it demonstrates real changes in many
attributes of the neighborhood. The Central Neighborhood
needs to be diversified, and a shift that creates a safe
environment for families, ranging from grandchildren to
grandparents is indicative of such change.
Common Places of Gathering
New public spaces, parks, recreation centers, community
rooms and other common areas must be planned and
incorporated to accommodate, promote and inspire
spontaneous interactions between residents. Flexible
spaces can adapt for picnics, festivals or any other public
gathering. A variety of programs, housed in related
spaces can bring multi-generations of people together.
Instead of programming separated activities, events and
classes, new programs can identify common interests
and build spaces to accommodate them throughout the
Central Neighborhood.
Shared Programming & Interests
The Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Aspen Institute
are testing and promoting “two-generation approaches”
to family support, where programs are designed to
simultaneously engage children and adults in the
household. The leading current example of this practice is
the HOST model being implemented in Chicago, Portland,
New York, Washington D.C. and St. Louis. In the Central
context, it is more strategically appropriate to aim for a
three generation model, given how many households
include a relatively young grandparent as well as a parent
and children. The Central Choice Transformation strategies
for Neighborhood, Housing and People should incorporate
mentoring and tutoring programs, apprenticeships
for younger residents to learn from an experienced
workforce and build programs to bring all people together
around common interests. Many families in Central
Goals & Objectives
• Promote families to live together or in the
same neighborhood
• Build public spaces that are appealing to
a variety of ages and people
• Connect the youth with seniors to learn
from each other and build lasting
relationships
• Create programs that allow older
generations to teach, mentor or train the
neighborhood’s youth
• Redevelop Central to offer housing options
including: apartment flats, accessible
units, family townhomes and single family
homes
• Update infrastructure to promote safe,
walkable streets, parks and public spaces
• Plan parks with flexible spaces to be used
by multiple groups of people
• Bring people together around a common
interest in their neighborhood
STORIES OF SUCCESS
GrIOT!
CMHA senior residents are teaching life lessons
through the ancient African tradition of storytelling
and dance to youngsters in a program called Griot!
are multi-generational with grandparents, parents and
children all living under the same roof or within the same
neighborhood. A majority of the senior residents living
in Central are retirees living on fixed incomes. Many of
these senior residents express interest in wanting to help
out younger generations by taking an active role in the
community through mentoring and other activities that
pass their knowledge and skills to young adults, parents
and their children. Cultural knowledge exchange within
the Neighborhood can teach younger Central residents
the history of their Neighborhood, instilling pride and a
sense of community building.
Housing & Living Options
The redevelopment of The Cedars certainly focuses on
the importance of offering new living options for residents.
New apartments will be complemented with townhome
units. Accessible units and single family homes will be
dispersed throughout the redevelopment. Seniors will
have the opportunity to live down the street from their
children and grandchildren, and the sidewalks, parks and
public spaces will be designed to be safe and walkable
to encourage visits. Larger family units can be designed
to provide space for multiple generations to live under the
same roof.
A Culture and Wisdom Exchange Program, Griot! is an
award-winning program recognized by the National
Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.
Through a partnership with the Cleveland Browns
Foundation, it is reaching hundreds of youth in the area.
Seniors enjoy the intergenerational programming,
interacting with the children and sharing their life
experiences. It keeps them active and engaged, while
letting them express their creativity. In return, the children
learn from the seniors’ stories, which incorporate morals,
teach values and intertwine fun, energetic activities for
the students using dance and music.
An underlying goal of the Transformation Plan is to keep
families together, strengthening and stabilizing the entire
neighborhood.
4
ENVISION
NEIGHBORHOOD
COMMUNITY IMPACT ZONES
Apply the Nine Transformation Directives in strategic locations, changing perceptions,
improving connections and fostering new investment in Central’s future.
In an approach to envisioning investment strategies
for the Central Choice Neighborhood that address the
nine Transformation Directives discussed, an organized
approach to outlining the most catalytic locations for
concentrating initiatives was undertaken. Given the
size and complexity of the study area, there is a need to
strategically plan and prioritize investments for the future.
When determining the locations and blocks for the
Community Impact Zones, it was important to consider
the many ways that people use the Neighborhood, the
locations of services, the diversity of residential districts and
the varying degrees of connectivity between each.
This approach focuses physical improvement investments
with areas that are identified to have the most need.
These specific areas were selected by the community by
several criteria or factors:
• Areas that feel disconnected and unsafe
• Relationships and momentum can be strengthened
• Major thoroughfares must be balanced
• New retail and commercial options are needed
throughout the entire area
• Neighborhood gateways must be emphasized to
promote a sense of community
• Connect physical improvements (construction) with
social services (programs)
that will have both a positive physical and social impact
on the lives of residents and the perception of the greater
Neighborhood. Ongoing safety coordination within
Central Choice between the Campus District, Burten,
Bell, Carr and local police forces will be expanded to
create new neighborhood-wide security initiatives, such
as the Safety Ambassador Program, to further support the
Community Impact Zones.
Throughout the previous sections of this report, numerous
recent and ongoing investments have been discussed
that have a positive impact on the Central Choice
Neighborhood. Each of these projects and plans interrelate with the Transformation Directives, and when
viewed in conjunction with one another will have positive
effects on the Neighborhood. When assembled, as seen
on the adjacent map, these residential, educational,
green space, transportation and business development
initiatives have a broad influence on the Central
Neighborhood.
However, as demonstrated, they have each been
conceived individually of one another. In order to both
support and sustain these important investments, this
Choice plan comprehensively examines the greater
community. The “Neighborhood” component of this
Transformation Plan builds past investments and unite
residents to create a holistic neighborhood vision.
Priority areas and investments aim to improve the
neighborhood, and not all the blocks and vacant
parcels can be improved simultaneously. However,
through the proper concentration of the public and
private investment, a series of catalytic projects can be
undertaken that will spur continued renewal.
The series outlined on the following pages illustrates how
the Community Impact Zones can best unite the Central
communities, create opportunities to address needs, spur
business investment and increase the safety of public
places. It is essential that next phases of investment build
from the momentum that has begun, and support the
investments that are underway. The Community Impact
Zones identified will forge partnerships, build a united
sense of community and focus initiatives along corridors
BUILDING FROM MOMENTUM
Continue neighborhood successes and strengthen relationships, activate
underperforming land, coordinate initiatives and plan for a complete Central.
7
6
2
7
4
7
8
11
9
12
5
10
3
1
Recent and Ongoing Initiatives
1. Campus District / East 22nd Street Plan
2. East 55th and Euclid Avenue Crossroads Plan
3. Tri-C Metro Campus Plan and Expansion
4. Cleveland State University
Campus Expansion
5. St. Vincent Charity Hospital Expansion
6. New Third District Police Station
7. Cleveland Health-Tech Corridor Business District
8. George Washington Carver Elementary School
9. Home Ownership Zone
10. Outhwaite Senior Building and Splash Park
11. Grant Park
12. Care Alliance Clinic
COMMUNITY IMPACT ZONES
Blur the boundaries of neighborhood districts, unite residents with activity nodes,
strengthen existing connections and eliminate barriers.
Cedar Avenue
• Residential and mixed-use corridor
• Infill development and property enhancement to mitigate
the existing barrier and connect Central with MidTown
East 30th Street
• Enliven the Institutional Boulevard
• Unite Central and MidTown / Prospect Historic District
through mixed density residential development
• Bridge established residential districts and schools with
a mixed-use East 55th Street corridor
Lonnie Burten / Outhwaite
• Reconnect the housing and recreation center to
Central
55
• Connect Central and MidTown through
community ties
East 40th Street / Central Avenue
Community College Avenue Corridor
Euclid
• Develop Neighborhood retail and mixed-use
corridor
22
• Link neighborhood districts and housing
estates
Woo
dlan
d
KEY MAP:
IMPACT ZONES
COMMUNITY COLLEGE AVENUE
55
22
ENVISION
COMMUNITY IMPACT ZONE #1
Euclid
Woo
dland
The Community College Avenue Corridor has the potential to transform vacant
and underutilized land in a way that can build on assets and unite the residential
districts that surround it.
Community College Avenue between East 30th and
East 40th Streets has the ability to become an anchor for
the Central community. However, it does not function
to its full potential due to the physical deficiencies and
inconsistencies that exist. Assets and new developments
such as the Arbor Park townhomes, new single-family
homes, Tri-C, Jane Addams High School, churches and
Arbor Park Plaza can all be found along the length of
the street, but they fail to link with one another and are
separated by vacant land and underutilized properties.
At the western end of the corridor, near the East 30th
Street intersection, the separation between uses is even
further amplified by a block structure made up of dead
end streets that isolate properties.
The roadway itself is also the most inconsistent of the
right-of-ways throughout the Central community. At the
eastern and western ends of the street, it is much wider,
with multiple driving lanes and various configurations
of on-street parking. However, throughout the core of
the neighborhood it narrows to only a single driving and
parking lane. Despite its designation as a priority bike
route by the City of Cleveland, Community College
Avenue does not offer accommodations for multi-modal
transportation options.
These shortcomings not-withstanding, there remains
immense opportunity to be found within this Community
Impact Zone. Each of the residential districts discussed
as a part of the Central Neighborhood either connect
with, or have the potential to connect with, Community
College Avenue. Arbor Park creates the southern edge of
the corridor, Carver Park and Outhwaite surround the East
40th Street intersection, the Cedar Estates anchor the East
30th node and the Homezone single-family neighborhoods
filter into the Community Impact Zone from the north. With
a strong retail anchor at the East 40th Street intersection
and educational anchors at East 30th Street, there is
great potential to utilize the vacant land and create a
community hub that is not directly related to an individual
residential district, but is a community asset for all of the
area’s 10,000 residents.
Challenges to Overcome
• A conflicting mixture of uses surround the
main intersections
• Community College Avenue has a
changing right-of-way designed primarily
for automobile traffic
• The surrounding neighborhood districts
do not connect with Community College
Avenue
• Many uses and properties are inaccessible
to residents
• Vacant lots disrupt the urban experience
• There are no bicycle amenities
• Superblocks surrounding 30th and
Community College separate
neighborhood districts
• Despite having community amenities,
there are not any public spaces
• Visibility between uses and spaces is
lacking
OPPORTUNITIES
Central Avenue
7th
E. 3
0th
Stre
et
3
E. 4
Metzenbaum
Center
4
Carver Park
Commun
4
ity Colle
ge Aven
u
2
0th
E. 3
Jane Addams
High School
Tri- C
Recreation
Center
Stre
et
1
Stre
et
Cedar
Extension
e
5
7
6
Arbor Park
Plaza
Arbor Park
7
Lonnie
Burten
Recreation
Center
1.
Streets can be extended to
connect through blocks
2.
Vacant land creates potential to
build from recreation amenities
3.
The Metzenbaum Center has
considerable unused land
4.
Infill redevelopment sites
can transition density and
connect neighborhoods
5.
Singular land uses and
underutilized properties should be
integrated with redevelopment
6.
Redevelopment at 40th and
Community College can help to
unite uses across the intersection
7.
Opening public spaces &
access points at the corner
will link neighborhoods to
amenities and one another
55
Euclid
22
TRANSFORMATION INITIATIVES
Woo
dland
Realize Community College’s potential as a mixed-use corridor, expand and offer
retail options, and refocus the street with a new community / recreation center.
0th
E. 37th Street
A
Jane Addams
High School
Metzenbaum
Center
E. 3
G
C
0th
Cedar
Extension
Str
eet
Project Avenue
Carver Park
eet
Str
A
E. 4
nue
Central Ave
F
E
Community College Avenue
B
F
D
Arbor Park
Strategies & Investments
Arbor Park
Plaza
Infrastructure Improvements
Redevelopment Considerations
A. Connect dead end streets and add new
streets to create smaller, walkable blocks
and a more complete street grid
D. New Community Recreation or Learning Center
that is accessible to the whole neighborhood
and can partner with other institutions like Tri-C
and Cleveland Public Library for programming
B. Landscaped medians reduce and
soften the scale of Community College
and unite it with East 30th Street
C. New neighborhood park space brings the
Metzenbaum Center’s entry to the street and
helps define the intersection and corner
E. Infill higher density housing and mixed use
buildings to define north side of Community
College and transition into single-family districts
F. Additional retail at corner of E 40th and Community
College will further define it as a neighborhood
commercial center and community anchor
G. Infill single-family home sites to extend development
to the Community College Avenue Corridor and
eliminate vacancy within the residential core
55
NEIGHBORHOOD SPOTLIGHT
EAST 40TH & COMMUNITY cOLLEGE
22
Euclid
Woo
dland
Improved pathways, park spaces and transit stops that open the neighborhoods
to one another in an effort to once again build community throughout Central.
Identified Issues
• Carver Park green pathways do not connect directly
to the neighborhood
• Fencing is broken and missing at Outhwaite Homes
• Existing tree lawns are not planted
• There are no bike provisions on this dedicated City
route
• Convenience store is in poor condition
• Safety is a concern at the public / retail spaces
• Large curb cuts and interrupt the sidewalks
• No connection between intersection and recreation
center
• The roadway alignment changes east to west
Targeted Investments
• Expand Arbor Park Plaza to create a neighborhood
retail center
• Open connections into Carver Park at the NE corner
of the intersection
• Remove the existing gas station / convenience store
• Reconstruct fencing along Carver Park to define
public and private spaces
• Construct a new retail building at the NW corner
• Plant continuous landscaping along sidewalk
pathways
• Add signage directing residents to the Lonnie Burten
Recreation Center
• Restripe crosswalks to increase safety and
connectedness
• Add pedestrian street lights to improve safety at this
key public space
55
ENVISION
Euclid
22
QUINCY AVENUE / OUTHWAITE HOMES
Woo
dland
Enhance the Community College / Quincy Avenue corridor as a hub of physical
and social activity by connecting and enhancing Outhwaite Homes Estate.
The eastern end of the Community College Avenue
corridor changes in both character and name (Quincy
Avenue). Transitioning from a mixed-use from its west
corridor, housing estates line the roadway between East
40th and East 55th Streets. The cartway widens and
provides to a tree-lined pedestrian-friendly environment.
To the north, the Carver Park Estate has been renovated
and redeveloped to include new streets that bridge
the gap between the Friendly Inn and Quincy Avenue.
However, to the south Outhwaite Homes and the Lonnie
Burten Recreation Center have a more insular and
isolated character.
This is due to the limited number of access points into and
out of the Outhwaite community, and the one-way nature
of the streets. For those outside of the Outhwaite blocks,
the neighborhood can prove difficult to navigate as the
roadways do not connect with one another. Due to their
configuration, they travel from one end of the superblock
to the other before providing an alternative direction. As
a result, there is the potential for increased crime due to
the inability to easily patrol the spaces. The Lonnie Burten
Recreation Center, its public pool, playgrounds, picnic
spaces and playfields are located along these isolated
routes, and are not utilized to their full potential by many
residents from outside of Outhwaite.
Opportunities exist for changing the atmosphere and
character of the connectivity within Outhwaite, building
stronger networks, decreasing the separations between
internal resident districts and decreasing the potential
for criminal activity. By extending the existing streets, a
continuous block network can be realized and function
as a true urban neighborhood. Although not all of these
alternations are necessary, this plan demonstrates the
potential that exists to better unite this residential district
with those that surround it.
A critical outcome of increasing connectivity within and
through the Outhwaite neighborhood positively effects
the Lonnie Burten Recreation Center and its role in the
neighborhood. The potential to expand green space
or demolish an underutilized maintenance and storage
building would provide enhanced physical and visual
connections to the Quincy Avenue corridor, bridging the
gap between Lonnie Burten and the greater community.
• Limited entrance and egress points
between Outhwaite and the greater
Central neighborhood
• Homes in the southeast require access
from the northwest or via abandoned
streets / the gas station parking lot
• Streets are one-way and confusing
• The Lonnie Burten Recreation Center does
not have direct visual and physical access
from any of the surrounding streets
• Despite being a “superblock,” the homes
feel isolated from one another in smaller
groups
• The public spaces and green lawns
are isolated, lack visibility and are no
defensible spaces
• There is no direct connection along Unwin
between the Carver Park green space and
the Lonnie Burten fields
• Parking is not adjacent to front doors and
is inconvenient
OPPORTUNITIES
E. 55th Street
Stre
et
0th
.
Rd
enue
Quincy Av
ce
la
E. 4
in
w
Un
.
Rd
P
ut
tn
es
Ch
d
ar
nn
Ke
Carver Park
1
Arbor Park
Plaza
6th
E. 4
3
E. 4
Lonnie Burten
Recreation Center
4
Outhw
aite A
venue
2
Case C
4
St.
1st
5
E. 5
ue
0th
2
d Aven
E. 5
Woodl
an
St.
E. 4
9th
St.
ourt
East
Tech
High
Scovill Av
e.
St.
3rd
St.
2
6
1.
Link Lonnie Burten and Quincy
Avenue with green spaces
3.
Study building demolition to
create access to Lonnie Burten
5.
Redevelop vacant land
as expanded retail
2.
Extend Scovill, Outhwaite, East 46th
and East 49th to create a city grid
4.
Reuse residual land to support
new uses / recreation center
6.
Connect Central with the 55th
and Woodland activity node
EAST 40TH - CENTRAL - CEDAR
55
22
ENVISION
Euclid
Woo
dland
The northeastern quadrant of the Neighborhood is characterized by a mix of new
development contrasted with the largest concentrations of vacant land, creating
a district with little internal continuity or linkages with its surroundings.
A unique combination of residential and institutional
redevelopment has created a rebirth within the blocks
bounded by East 40th, Central Avenue, East 55th
and Cedar Avenue. The newly constructed George
Washington Carver Elementary School on East 55th
Street is a valuable addition to the Community Impact
Zone, and create opportunities for the former Louis
Stokes Academy at Central High on East 40th Street.
At the end of the school day, older students from East
Tech High & Benesch walk across the blocks towards
George Washington Carver in order to pick up their
younger siblings. Often times they will walk or take the
bus from East 55th Street to home or to a recreation
center. Residential redevelopment as a part of the
Homeownership Zone directly east of old Central High on
East 43rd and East 46th Street has further enhanced this
Community Impact Zone, and brought life to these blocks.
activity. This is of particular concern along East 49th Street,
which has only three homes (one of which is vacant), a
church and provides access to the rear entrance of the
new Elementary School.
Cedar Avenue creates a physical edge to the district.
With the MidTown HealthTech Corridor business district
and employment hub to the north, the perception that
Cedar Avenue is a boundary for the over 10,000 Central
residents to the south must be eliminated. In many ways,
this artificial edge is due to the shallow block that occurs
between Cedar and Carnegie Avenues. As a major
arterial for the City’s east side, the mixture of business and
light industrial properties that line the block face Carnegie
Avenue, turning their backs to Cedar Avenue and
creating a feeling of abandonment.
However, distinct changes from one block to the next
have resulted in this investment being isolated from and
foreign to its surroundings. Vacant land along Central,
East 55th and Cedar feels unsafe and abandoned, with
the lack of activity creating a higher potential for criminal
• Lack of connectivity between MidTown
and Central north of Cedar Avenue
• The Neighborhood is isolated and cut off
from East 55th Street
• Most uses do not face or address Cedar
Avenue, creating a “dead zone” and an
artificial edge to the neighborhood
• New single-family housing has reinforced
many blocks, but there are no good
transitions between density / type
• Kids walk between the two schools, but
there is not a direct and safe path
• Central High / Former Stokes Academy
sits vacant and currently has no plans for
redevelopment, renovation or reopening
by CMSD.
OPPORTUNITIES
nue
Carnegie Ave
2
3
2
New Homes
Under
Construction
6
E. 49th
Street
E. 46th
Street
E. 43rd
E. 39th
Street
Street
6
Street
Cedar Avenue
E. 40th
3
3
2
E. 55th Street
1
Carver
Elementary
4
Central High
5
9
8
6
5
Central Avenue
7
7
1.
The Prospect Avenue Historic District
is a stable neighborhood
4.
Provide a new street / link between
schools
7.
Infill development will better link
Central and East 55th
2.
Opportunities exist for landscaping /
screening to soften Cedar Avenue
5.
Reclaim underutilized land as thrublock connections
8.
Property consolidation will create a
significant redevelopment parcel
3.
Vacant / underutilized land to
create frontage at key properties
6.
Residential development along East
40th will link MidTown & Central
9.
Redevelop Central High which is
currently vacant
55
Euclid
22
Woo
dland
Focus on key redevelopment and investment opportunities, build from recent
successes and break down barriers between complementary land uses.
E. 40t
nue
Prospect Ave
J
D
L
F
et
F
tre
Central
High
hS
E. 39th Street
F
5t
Stre
et
A
Carver
Elementary
E.5
6th
t.
E. 3
S
th
I
I
St.
C
K
th
K
E
St.
I
6
E.4
I
3rd
e
Cedar Avenu
E.4
K
K
K
9
E.4
h St.
H
nue
Carnegie Ave
G
C
H
B
Central Avenue
Redevelopment Concepts
A. Reroute E 49th Street to connect with E 46th Street
G. Infill residential with varying densities to
connect Prospect Ave mixed use Historic
District and the Villages of Central
B. New community park along Central Avenue
to transition to Central High Campus
C. Walking trails around Central High
connect blocks and create direct routes
through the Neighborhood for kids
D. Re-routing streets creates a much needed
large and consolidated development site for
new retail center on E 55th, and can provide
opportunities for jobs and amenities
E. Create new street to connect E 40th & E 39th
Streets to reduce the scale of this residential block
F. Pedestrian intra-block neighborhood
trail to connect schools and parks
H. Maintain higher density housing along major
roadways to define important intersections
and buffer single-family home districts
I.
Infill development to complete Homeownership
Zone blocks and provide vitality on Cedar Avenue
J. Separate residential from commercial uses
with green buffer that can mitigate storm
water run-off from new development
K. Bioretention landscaped areas to improve
rear of properties facing Cedar Avenue
L. Central High can be renovated and reused as a new multi-family or senior housing
option in this primarily residential district
55
EAST 40TH & CENTRAL AVENUE
22
Euclid
Woo
dland
Link Central High and George Washington Carver’s campuses with a series of
pathways defined by green connections, repurposing underutilized land.
Identified Issues
• Lack of development surrounding the intersection
• T he school is not connected with surrounding uses
• No parking lot screening at St. John Church
• V
acant and unused land decreases safety for kids
• Park space at NW corner is first step of greater vision
• Kids cross the street mid-block
acant land across from the school on East 40th
• V
Street
• Replant missing street trees to create a cohesive
streetscape environment
• Celebrate the tree lawns with continuous landscaping
• Complete the park at East 40th and Central
• D
evelop green pathways along the sides of the
Central High
onnect community parks east through to Carver
• C
Elementary
reate a new street to link west of Central High to
• C
Grant Park
• Landscape the parking lot at St John Church
• C
reate crosswalks at places where kids cross
the street today, linking the schools and parks /
playgrounds
• Install new and improved lighting along the
pedestrian pathways created
• P
lant unique landscaping to mark the green
pathways through the blocks
• Implement park improvements that offer multigenerational amenities
ENVISION
transformation: commercial districts
There is a demonstrated need for increased access to quality retail amenities that will both benefit the
day-to-day lives of residents, and create entrepreneurial opportunities for locally owned businesses.
The potential to reutilize vacant land at the corner of Quincy Avenue and East 55th Street as a
mixed retail development will eliminate one of the most blighted pockets of the neighborhood, and
create retail that will be accessible along the busy East 55th Street corridor as well as the surrounding
residential blocks.
BEFORE
EAST 30TH - CENTRAL - CEDAR
55
22
ENVISION
Euclid
Woo
dland
Celebrate and promote this primary core of institutional and educational amenities
to establish a linkage between Neighborhood youth and the desire for success.
As the partner north-south connection through the
Central Choice Neighborhood with East 40th, the East
30th corridor serves an important role within the greater
context. The street today is composed of a unique mixture
of schools, a library and is a primary access point for the
Tri-C Metro Campus. However, it is the hundreds of homes
within the Olde Cedar and Cedar Extension Estates that
define East 30th Street. This unique combination of highdensity housing and the educational services that support
them provide an opportunity to create an environment
that will nurture learning and success within a populated
residential context.
Although there are almost no vacant properties or
physical divisions between the institutional anchors and
housing, there is a separation brought about by the social
dynamics of the area. Within this western portion of the
Central Choice Neighborhood there is not the same
mixture of uses found closer to East 30th Street.
Access to fresh and nutritious food sources is limited in
part by the mind-set that the local Dave’s Grocery Store
is related to other residential developments, and the
limited multi-modal connections and routes that exist.
Having the fast food restaurants along Carnegie Avenue
at the north of this Community Impact Zones as the most
convenient and accessible source of meals enhances
the classification of this area as a food desert. Likewise,
the Central Recreation Center and Marion Sterling Library
provide alternative activities for youth, but are limited by
the size and the locations of the facilities.
Creating a healthy environment that demonstrates
the value of living within a neighborhood that unites
residents with educational, recreational and nutritious
eating opportunities is a priority for this Community
Impact Zone. Simply providing the opportunities will not
solve the problems that exist or change the behavior
or residents. Access to and the use of these amenities
is heavily influenced by the safety and security of the
neighborhood. Enhanced and new public uses will
assist, as they will create activity and with it people to
witness what is happening along the streets. Additionally,
eliminating the spaces through redevelopment that are
not visible, poorly lit and inaccessible from surrounding
areas is a priority.
• Less housing investment has occurred here
than in neighboring sections of of Central
• Single-family residential blocks do not
relate with one another and add to a
disjointed neighborhood
• East 30th divides rather than connects the
neighborhood districts because of the very
different block sizes
• Properties between Carnegie and Cedar
are shallow, and as a result development
turns its back to Cedar
• Only East 30th and 36th extend north
of Cedar Avenue diminishing the
neighborhood’s connectivity and cohesion
OPPORTUNITIES
nue
Prospect Ave
toric District
Prospect His
6
nue
Carnegie Ave
Guidestone /
StepStone Academy
3
1
3
E. 36th
4
Street
4
Street
Street
Cedar
Extension
E. 33rd
E. 30th
5
Marion Sterling
Elementary
e
Cedar Avenu
2
2
Olde Cedar
3
Central Avenue
6
1.
Guidestone / Stepstone is
expanding their educational
campus to encompass
the full block
3.
Encourage property owners
to landscape and clean up
the rear side of their lots
5.
Expand the Marion Sterling Library
building and programming
2.
Landowners are assembling
property along Cedar Avenue
4.
Promote stabilization of
neighborhood homes and
infill development
6.
Continue to strengthen East
30th Street as an educational
and institutional corridor
55
Euclid
22
Woo
dland
Establish a unified environment along East 30th Street that links residents with
education, medical, employment and recreation opportunities.
Guidestone /
StepStone Academy
H
B
G
D
F
B
F
eet
E. 36th Str
Street
E
E. 30th
C
Long Term
Plan
ue
ven
Cedar A
A
Marion Sterling
Elementary
C
D
Central Avenue
A
Redevelopment Concepts
A. Design The Cedars’ streets and public
spaces as a new neighborhood connected
and complementary to its surroundings
E. Renovate the existing urban farm to provide
nutritious, locally sourced food options and
integrate a public market to sell fresh food
B. Bioretention landscaped areas to improve
rear of properties facing Cedar Avenue
F. Expand urban agriculture in conjunction with
existing community garden to repurpose
vacant land and continue momentum
C. Update streets with crosswalks and other amenities
to refocus them as pedestrian zones and
emphasize the residential character of the district
D. Strengthen community identity by
creating recognizable gateways at the
East 30th intersections with Community
College, Central and Cedar Avenues
G. Create a new pedestrian entrance along Cedar
Avenue for the StepStone Academy students
linking this important institution with its students’
neighborhood and improving frontage along Cedar
H. Infill retail uses on vacant land as a
gateway into the community
55
COMMUNITY COLLEGE & EAST 30TH
22
Euclid
Woo
dland
Blend diverse residents and visitors through coordinated redevelopment that unifies
public housing, market-rate homes, retail establishments and education campuses.
Tri C
Cedar Extension
CMSD Jane Addams
Business Center
Identified Issues
• Cedar Extension and Tri-C are disconnected from the
surrounding neighborhood
• Intersections and public spaces are under lit
• There are no bicycle amenities
• Community College Avenue is wide and difficult to
cross
• Tri-C transit stop is undersized compared to its
ridership
• On-street parking is not consistent
• Development ignores the intersection
• Visibility between uses and spaces is lacking
• There is a lack of accessibility into The Cedars
Tri C
Cedar Extension
CMSD Jane Addams
Business Center
• Remove the Cedar Extension low-rise housing
• New lighting along streets and public spaces
• Construct new townhomes with front doors on
Community College
• Integrate bike connections
• Integrate new streets and infrastructure into the
Cedar Extension site
• Enhance pedestrian crosswalks at heavily used
intersections
• Construct a new mixed-use, multi-family building at
the intersection
• Increase pedestrian connections
• Link seniors to park and outdoor spaces
• Provide parking for residents adjacent to their homes
• Coordinate on-street parking
• Implement Tri-C public space master plan
improvements
• Develop transit waiting environment improvements
• Construct the Care Alliance health center along East
30th Street
ENVISION
transformation: NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS
Creating parks that are visible, accessible and better integrated within the fabric of the Central
Neighborhood provide a means of uniting multiple generations of residents and building opportunities
for spontaneous community engagement.
With the reconstruction of Cedar Extension, the community’s park will be relocated from its secluded,
mid-block location to a site along Central Avenue where it will be accessible to the new homes, Olde
Cedar residents and the neighboring City of Cleveland Central Recreation Center.
BEFORE
5
ENVISION
HOUSING
THE CEDARS
The Cedars Redevelopment is one of the most important factors to realize the
Transformation Plan’s goals and objectives: set a course for new Neighborhood
social dynamics, redefine “home” for thousands of residents and re-invigorate the
Central Neighborhood’s rebuilding process with a catalytic initiative.
Currently consisting of 1,072 units on 35.2 acres of land,
The Cedars has one of the highest densities of housing
within the Central Neighborhood. Comprised of both
Olde Cedar and the Cedar Extension Estate, this
redevelopment re-imagines a significant and important
area of the Central Neighborhood. Both estates are
outdated, offer obsolete living arrangements and do not
serve the residents’ needs. They also suffer from extremely
poor conditions, mostly related to their sites’ layouts and
architectural styles. Detailed analysis, conducted in a
parallel effort to fulfill a 2013 HUD NOFA Implementation
Grant, concluded that renovation costs of both properties
greatly exceeded estimates to demolish and rebuild.
The value of replacing The
Cedars with a new functional
neighborhood, populated
with dignified housing, public
spaces and community
amenities, is incalculable.
The community-supported selection of The Cedars as the
targeted Housing component of this plan will reshape
the Central Neighborhood. The following series outlines
the challenges, opportunities and the ultimate vision to
establish a new neighborhood that focuses on its people
and their relationships with each other and the greater
neighborhood surroundings.
Olde Cedar Estates
Built in 1936, the OIde Cedar Estates site and its buildings
have served thousands of families. The singular 18.9
acre “superblock” site offers limited connections to its
neighborhood. Buildings are clustered and arranged
around “pockets” of lawn spaces that are uncomfortable,
indefensible and unsafe.
The new vision for Olde Cedar reduces its density,
balancing the housing with meaningful public spaces
including new neighborhood streets to link to Central. The
proposal celebrates the historical significance of Olde
Cedar by renovating one of the Art-Deco style buildings
as apartments. New living units will update the estate to
meet modern family needs and will promote a sense of
ownership with individual units’ front doors that will face
streets and connect to sidewalks.
Cedar Extension Estates
Originally built as a series of concrete block, barracks style
buildings, the initial concept to create garden apartments
surrounded by green lawns and trees was consistent with
housing estates of mid-century. These urban renewal
efforts aimed to relieve residents from the over crowding
and blight of the surrounding neighborhood. The resulting
product has not stood the test of time and is now in need
of complete replacement.
Plagued by a lack of security and non-defensible spaces,
residents have stated throughout this process that one of
the only places they feel safe within Cedar Extension is in
their own home, particularly after dark. Residents are not
able to access the site from a usable roadway network,
“front doors” are nonexistent, and park and play areas
are undefined. The resulting blend of spaces cannot
be secured and therefore, are not functional. Garbage
collection, maintenance and the process of loading /
unloading one’s car all prove to be an inconvenience as
a result of the outdated site arrangement.
Units are not designed to meet the contemporary needs
of families. Kitchens and bathrooms are undersized,
and renovations to meet accessibility and fair housing
standards are cost prohibitive and would require the
combining of units in order to obtain the necessary square
footage. Redeveloping the Cedar Extension Estate will
remove and remediate a blighted property that has
undeserved and detracted from its neighborhood for
decades.
A new safe, multi-generational and connected residential
core has the ability to reverse negative perceptions.
Residents can be provided real opportunities to live
comfortably in a mixed-use neighborhood rich with
new amenities, improved access to education and
programming and direct links to its anchor institutions.
55
22
ENVISION
THE CEDARS
Euclid
Woo
dland
Prioritize community connections, blend a mixture of uses, secure environments for
families and build a variety of housing units that will attract residents and families
from an array of socioeconomic backgrounds.
The Cedars Redevelopment re-establishes how this site
interacts with and contributes to the overall health, safety
and well-being of the Central Neighborhood. Through
the construction of a new street network, the sites can
become more complementary and relatable to the
greater neighborhood. In addition, the proposed housing
units that line them all have identifiable doors, porches
and stoops, giving residents their own addresses and
individuality. More importantly, this allows residents direct
access in and out of their homes as well as the opportunity
to watch and self patrol their neighborhood for the
enhanced safety of the families and children.
A series of institutional and public uses will blur the
boundaries of the individual neighborhood districts
anchoring the sites’ edges as they connect with the
community. Along the important East 30th Street frontage,
the senior High Rise and its 155 units is the only piece of
the existing Cedar Extension site to remain. To its north,
CMHA has reached an agreement with Care Alliance,
a medical group that has received a grant to construct
a community-based health center as an integrated
component of the plan.
At the southern edges of the East 30th Street corridor, a
multi-family building will be constructed. In addition to
anchoring the important Community College corridor with
a higher density building in scale with its surroundings, the
ground floor will be populated by public spaces and uses.
Integral within the layout of both this corner as well as the
greater site is the idea of public accessibility. Planned
pathways, green spaces, parks and connections draw
residents through the development, between uses and
link homes with the Central Recreation Center, Tri-C or the
public transit lines.
The northern side of the Central Avenue corridor is lined
with new townhomes units and is anchored by the
renovated Olde Cedar building. Additionally, the Marion
Sterling Library punctuates the East 30th and Central
intersection. A proposed multi-family building at the site’s
northwest corner introduces a larger building, creating a
gateway to the entire Central Neighborhood.
Cedar Redevelopment Initiatives
1. Marion Sterling Library Expansion
2. Care Alliance Center
3. Central Park Space
4. Central Recreation Center
5. Linear Parks / Links
6. New Townhome Units
7. New Streets
8. Multi-Family Building
9. Senior High Rise
venue
Cedar A
Long Term Plan
Central Avenue
Colleg
e Ave
nue
th Str
eet
unity
E. 30
Comm
ENVISION
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Prioritize community connections, blend a mixture of uses, secure environments for
families and build a variety of housing units that will attract residents and families
from an array of socioeconomic backgrounds.
The Cedar Redevelopment is organized around the
new street and block network that punctuates the site.
Creating access and connections within and through
the new neighborhood is a critical part of developing a
community that is not only a part of its greater context,
but improves the quality of life for residents. New public
streets will provide access for safety patrols where none
exist today, and street lighting throughout the site that will
help to deter criminal activity. In addition, the buildings
and green spaces have been envisioned to create
clear public and private spaces throughout the site with
organized pedestrian pathways that provide safe and
visible connections between uses.
remains a distinct physical psychological separation.
The new street network provides physical and visual
connections to the College, aiming to increase the
awareness of higher educational opportunities and job
training. This emphasizes the idea that within a wellrounded neighborhood, community connections are
greater than just the physical network of pathways, but
must include the psychological connections between
residents and the amenities that will help them to succeed
in the long-term.
A hallmark of the Cedar Redevelopment plan is rethinking
how the housing relates to the Community College
Avenue corridor and Tri-C. Residents have said that
despite the proximity of the housing and campus, there
Reducing Density and Distributing Housing
Olde Cedar & Cedar Extension Estate
Existing Unit Count & Density
The Cedars Redevelopment
Proposed Unit Count & Density
Townhome Units:
797 Family Units
Townhome Units:
326 Family Units
Senior High Rise:
155 Apartments
Multi-Family / Historic Rehab.:
249 Apartments
Total Living Units:
952 Units
Senior High Rise:
155 Apartments
Combined Site Area:
36.2 Acres
Total Living Units:
730 Units
Site Density:
26.3 Units / Acre
Combined Site Area:
34.2 Acres
(excludes Care Alliance Site)
Site Density:
21.3 Units / Acre
(-5.0 units per acre)
Long Term Plan
PARKS AND GREEN PATHWAYS
Parks and green spaces permeate the site, providing access for residents of all
ages to open space and enhanced social connectivity.
Active and passive park spaces are integral to the
connectivity planning of The Cedars Redevelopment.
While green connections lined with bioretention basins
create a backbone, a series of park spaces begin at the
Cedar High Rise and link through the new neighborhood
Residents spoke of the parks
as one of the few places in
which people of different ages
come together, resulting in
spontaneous interaction and
informal mentoring between
seniors and youth.
to connect with the Central Recreation Center. Green
spaces continue north through the center of the
Olde Cedar site. This green pathway, including new
streetscapes will soften the environment, create spaces for
activity and establish promenades through the site linking
amenity and community spaces.
Quality exterior spaces for seniors, walking trails with
gardens and playgrounds for small children bring residents
together within shared public spaces. A new community
green, “Central Park”, is located along Central Avenue,
creating unity between the entire Cedar Redevelopment.
This large, flexible green space provides much-needed
recreation and gathering spaces for picnics, festivals,
and other community building events. It will be well-lit,
patrolled and further secured by the housing units that
directly face the park, building from the “eyes on the
street” neighborhood safety concept.
The Cedars Redevelopment is a balanced plan, infusing
the site with usable green spaces that are accessible,
programmed and truly “public.”
Long Term Plan
30TH STREET INSTITUTIONAL CORRIDOR
Blend the new housing with neighborhood amenities, social programs and services
along the East 30th Street corridor.
With the addition of the Care Alliance Health Center as a
part of the Cedar Redevelopment, residents are brought
into the direct proximity of healthy living alternatives. With
the extreme number of families and children, the services
that will be offered will directly serve the needs of Cedar
residents. The Care Alliance complex will be constructed
on its own site, but remains a part of the overarching
redevelopment concept. Planned for construction prior
to the initial stages of the housing, the Care Alliance
facility will be operational as residents begin moving back
to the site.
The community prioritized the
need for healthcare options
directly linked with people to
benefit young families and the
senior population.
Additionally, two new mixed-use buildings are planned
along the corridor. The ground floors of both buildings will
link directly to the sidewalks and will be permeable with
physical and visual connections into the buildings and the
site. Active ground floors will include: community meeting
rooms, the Bridgeport Cafe, BBC radio station facilities,
a centralized administration office and other services to
welcome residents and visitors to the neighborhood.
The Marion Sterling Library’s location along the corridor
offers access to computer labs, after school and tutoring
programs and other library amenities.
Long
Term
Plan
ENVISION
DIVERSE HOUSING TYPES
The new housing units proposed for the Cedar Redevelopment are designed to
provide for unique family structures’ needs, become an attraction for market-rate
investment and better integrate public housing within the greater Central community.
Housing units of varying typologies and sizes are spread
throughout the eight phases planned for the Cedar
Redevelopment. A total of 398 units are proposed
throughout the townhome buildings, with an additional
177 within multi-family buildings and the Olde Cedar
Historic Renovation. In conjunction with the 155 units
that will remain at the senior High Rise, the overall density
of the site will remain similar to the existing at 20.1 units
/ acre, excluding the Care Alliance site. However, due
to the type of units and their new layout, the Cedar
Redevelopment will become a safer, more efficient place
for residents to live.
The housing units within the new Cedar Redevelopment
will range from one to four bedrooms, offering a variety
of options for an array of future residents. Families with
children will have the space required to meet their
needs. Accessible townhomes will ensure opportunities
for all. Individual units will accommodate single residents
within the multi-family building, while stacked units will
offer a market-rate product and seniors will remain
integral to the community within the High Rise.
Mixed-Use Neighborhood Components
Construction Phasing
Resident Parking Statistics
Olde Cedar Estate
Townhouse Parking Lots:
375 Spaces
225 Spaces
Phase 1:
92 Townhome Units
On-Site On-Street Parking:
Phase 2:
72 Multi-Family Units
Multi-Family / High Rise Lot: 208 Spaces
Phase 3:
72 Townhome Units
Total Resident Parking:
808 Spaces
Phase 4:
60 Multi-Family Building
Parking Ratio:
1.10 Spaces / Unit
Phase 5:
57 Historic Rehab.
Additional On-Street Spots: 68 Spaces
Total:
353 Residential Units
Cedar Extension Estate
Phase 1:
60 Multi-Family Building
Phase 2:
92 Townhome Units
Phase 3:
70 Townhome Units
Total:
Total
New Housing:
Senior High Rise:155 Apartment Units
Total Housing:
730 Units
Community Facilities
Care Alliance: 30,000 sf +/-
Community Spaces: 3,500 sf +/-
CMHA Admin. Offices: 3,200 sf +/Maintenance Facility:
2,000 sf +/-
Retail Spaces:
7,500 sf +/-
Central Park:
1.2 Acres
Linear Park:
1.5 Acres
E4
HAS
E1 P
PHAS
NUE
MULTI-FAMILY
BUILDING
R AVE
CEDA
E
PHAS
12
E1
2
AS
3 PH
4325TOWNHOMES
TOWNHOMES
9 TOWNHOMES
11
14
6
Long
Term
Plan
TOWNHOMES
49 58
TOWNHOMES
3
7
13
1
26 TOWNHOMES
26 TOWNHOMES
1
11
3
5
2
2
4
4
2
11
2
4
9
4
2
8
1
10
12
6
E
PHAS
14
25 TOWNHOMES
25 TOWNHOMES
11
11
12
E4
17
6
PHAS
9
8
3
MULTI-FAMILY
BUILDING
60 UNITS
6
18
5
MARION
STERLING
LIBRARY
8
5
7
7
1
12 TOWNHOMES
12
2
2
RENOVATED OLDE
CEDAR QUAD
14
14
51 TOWNHOMES
57 TOWNHOMES
27 TOWNHOMES
2
POTENTIAL
LIBRARY
EXPANSION
AREA
16
14
15 TOWNHOMES
PHASE 3 PHASE 2
CENTRAL AVENUE
PHASE 5
8
PHASE 2 PHASE 5
PHASE 2
3
6
PHASE 5
5
25 25
TOW
TOW
18 S
CARE
ALLIANCE
8
CENTRAL
RECREATION
CENTER
8
11
8
5
1.2 ACRES
6
34 TOWNHOMES
31 SPACES
7
4
CENTRAL
REC.
6 TOWNHOMES
CENTER
PLAYGROUND
2
1
EXISTING
HIGH-RISE
2
NEW LINEAR
PARK STREETSCAPE
10
5
LINEAR
PARK
0.5 ACRES
STRE
1
14
30 TOWNHOMES
32 SPACES
21
5
9
47 TOWNHOMES
42 SPACES
23 TOWNHOMES
39 SPACES
155 HIGHRISE UNITS
54 SPACES5
11
CEDAR EXTENSION OLDE CEDAR
TOT
LOT
DEVELOPMENT STATISTICS
PHASE
12
10
IT
162 TOWNHOME UNITS
60 MULTI-FAMILY UNITS
222 TOTAL NEW CONSTRUCTION
155 HIGH-RISE APARTMENTS
377 TOTAL UNITS
15.2 ACRES (EXCLUDING CARE ALLIANCE LAND)
Cedar Extension
MULTI-FAMILY
BUILDING
3
Y COLLE
GE A
RESIDENTIAL
UNIT
VENUE STATISTICS:
P
1
COLOR
F-1
TH-2S
2
3
4
TH-2
#
DESCRIPTION
16
1 BEDROOM FLAT
16
2 BEDROOM TH
(STACKED UNIT)
72
2 BEDROOM TH
TOTAL
%
16
10%
93
57%
#
DESCRIPTION
24
1 BEDROOM FLAT
TH-2S
24
2 BEDROOM TH
(STACKED UNIT)
TH-2
103
2 BEDROOM TH
BR TYPE
1
2
COLOR
F-1
F-2
5
2 BEDROOM ACC. FLAT
F-2
6
2 BEDROOM ACC. FLAT
40
3 BEDROOM TH TYPE A
TH-3A
60
3 BEDROOM TH TYPE A
TH-3B
5
3 BEDROOM TH TYPE B
TH-3B
8
3 BEDROOM TH TYPE B
F-3
2
3 BEDROOM ACC. FLAT
F-3
2
3 BEDROOM ACC. FLAT
TH-4
6
4 BEDROOM TH
TH-4
9
4 BEDROOM TH
29%
6
4%
162
100%
3
4
UNIT COUNT BY PHASE:
UNIT COUNT BY PHASE:
PHASE 1:
2
PHASE 3 PHASE 2
HA
TH-3A
47
2
27 T
12
15
TO
12
12
SE 3
PHASE
236 TOWNHOME UNITS
2
PHASE
2 PHA
SE 1
296 TOTAL NEW CONSTRUCTION
57 HISTORIC RENOVATION APARTMENTS
353 TOTAL UNITS
18.9 ACRES
OldeCEDAR
CedarTOWNHOME
Townhome
Matrix
OLDE
UNIT
MATRIX:
Townhome
Matrix
CEDAR
EXTENSION
TOWNHOME UNIT MATRIX:
BR TYPE
15
10
(18.7 UNITS/ACRE)
(24.8 UNITS/ACRE)
15
3
COMMUN
RESIDENTIAL UNIT STATISTICS:
15
12 TOWNH
5
5
DEVELOPMENT STATISTICS
3
15
90 SPACES
11
15
3
5
2
15
7
9
3
15
TOT
LOT
5
30TH
9
6
E1
19
PHAS
20
9
ET
9
13
26 TOWNHOMES
36 SPACES
CARE
26 TOWNHOMES
ALLIANCE
22 TOWNHOMES
80 SPACES
18 SPACES
EAST
CENTRAL
PARK
PHASE 1:
PHASE 2:
92 TOWNHOME UNITS
72 TOWNHOME UNITS
TOTAL
%
24
10%
133
56%
70
30%
9
4%
236
100%
23
RESIDENT PARKING STATISTI
T.H. PARKING LOTS:
ON-SITE ON-STREET
PARKING:
MULTI-FAMILY
BUILDING LOT:
TOTAL RESIDENT PARKING:
PARKING RATIO:
213
147
64 S
424
1.20 SPACE
COMMUNITY FACILITIES:
MARION STERLING LIBRARY:
COMMUNITY SPACES:
MAINTENANCE FAC.:
RETAIL SPACES:
OLDE CEDAR QUAD:
LINEAR PARK:
NEW STREETS:
*INCLUDES POTENTIAL LIBRAR
ENVISION
TOWNHOME BUILDINGS
The new units are intended to create a feeling of home for residents, redefine
public housing and complement the surrounding residential developments.
The existing townhome buildings were designed utilizing
a mixture of concrete block, brick and vinyl siding with
small window openings to minimize breaks in the building’s
exterior façade and simplify construction. This flat-roofed
building style with no differentiation between the units was
repeated throughout the Cedar Extension site. As has
been discussed previously in this Transformation Plan, the
site has a uniformity that lends itself to confusion between
buildings and the negative connotations at times placed
upon public housing.
The new townhome buildings proposed for the Cedar
Redevelopment rethink this dated image of public
housing to create a community through which residents
can be proud of and care for where they live. Materials,
architectural elements and the proportions of building
details bring a residential scale back to this neighborhood.
In addition to each unit being designed with an
individuality that sets it apart from others within the
same building, the townhome buildings throughout
the redevelopment vary depending on their location
and what street they face. Along Community College
Avenue, the buildings are predominantly three-story brick
structures, with a variety of gabled and flat roofs. Pushed
to the street edge, as opposed to set behind one of only
three parking lots within the existing configuration, these
new buildings are intended to better assimilate with the
larger scale of the surrounding institutions, and create a
collegiate atmosphere as part of the Tri-C experience.
Internal to the Cedar Redevelopment, the townhomes
lining the new streets are designed to create a true
community that promotes interaction and the social
structures desired in neighborhoods of choice. The scale
of the new townhomes internal to the redevelopment
will be predominately two-story buildings, with onestory units created in select areas to meet accessibility
standards. With gabled roofs, variations in siding colors,
front porches and contemporary bay windows, these
units replicate the feeling of a traditional neighborhood
street, while maintaining a high standard of design and
detailing not found in the public housing on site today.
Each unit and block is established to have a distinct front
and rear, something that does not exist with the homes
today. Mid-block courtyards provide parking for residents,
along with centralized garbage and mail areas to relieve
clutter. Each townhome unit has its own patio within these
courtyards, creating secure areas for children to play
within sight of their parents or older siblings.
Community College Avenue Redeveloped Streetscape
Townhome buildings transition in scale to create intimate, internal residential blocks
Townhome units address their streets with individual front doors and porches
ENVISION
Multi-family building
Strengthen the sense of “community” with an inviting, active and multi-purpose
residential building comprised of public spaces and residential units.
In addition to the residential lobby, the ground floor of
the building will include multiple spaces that will function
to the benefit of CMHA, Cedar Redevelopment residents
as well as the greater Central community. The ground
level of the building will have an open plaza that will
pass through the corner, creating continuous pedestrian
access between the Community College and East 30th
corridors with the park system that permeates the Cedar
Redevelopment site. As a result, the ground floor plan
is divided into two wings, the uses within each reflect
the Community Impact Zones identified within the
Neighborhood Transformation Plan.
The southern wing of the multi-family building’s ground
floor will continue the character of Community College
Avenue by providing for the daily needs of residents, as
well as Tri-C students. Retail spaces fronting the public
right-of-way will be able to offer necessary services,
and may serve as a venue for the local entrepreneurs
and start-up businesses. The building’s frontage along
East 30th Street has a strong focus to providing for the
needs of Cedar residents. Community spaces, Cedar
administrative offices and maintenance facilities are
programmed to be a part of the building. This creates a
centralized location for the three, and a more efficient
atmosphere than exists today with services being spread
between the Olde Cedar and Cedar Extension Estates.
On the upper three floors of the building, 60 one-bedroom
apartments create an opportunity for single residents or
a couple not needing the space of a larger townhome
unit to be a part of the Cedar Redevelopment. These
residents are provided with a secure environment within
the building, often not found in older public housing walkup apartments, via a secured ground floor lobby, stairwells
and elevators.
The design of the building reflects the individual nature of
its residential, retail and supportive services uses. However,
it does so in a way that the representation of each is
in harmony with one another through complementary
materials, proportions and prominent design features.
Where the current development has only a passing
relationship with the intersection, a prominent design
element of the new multi-family building anchors it as
an important part of the Community College Avenue
corridor. Repeating bays break up the mass of the
building while lending the upper floors a residential feeling
and crisp, modern storefronts tie the public spaces back
to its street frontage.
Community College Avenue’s Mixed-Use Redevelopment
Ground Floor Plan
As both an anchor to the Cedar Redevelopment
and an anchor to the Central Choice Community,
the mixture of uses within the multi-family building will
provide for resident needs while creating a quality
working environment for CMHA staff.
Community Spaces: 3,500 sf +/CMHA Admin. Offices:3,200 sf +/Maintenance Facility: 2,000 sf +/Retail Spaces:
7,500 sf +/-
Multi-Family Building Elevation
ENVISION
transformation: REDEFINED SENSE OF “HOME”
The construction of mixed-income housing has the ability to eradicate the physical and social divisions
between the neighborhood districts, bringing people and places together.
The image below represents the first phases of the Cedar Redevelopment along Community College
Avenue with mixed-income housing, commercial amenities and infrastructure investments that create
a sense of place along the corridor where residents and students from Tri-C can come together.
BEFORE
6
ENVISION
PEOPLE
A Community’s Vision For People
The goal of the Central Choice Plan is to transform the neighborhood into a
sustainable, mixed-income community with well-functioning services, quality
schools, real economic opportunities and safe places for families to live and play.
The Plan builds on existing community assets, and proposes a mixture of traditional
and innovative programming to address chronic neighborhood challenges.
Like many urban neighborhoods across the country,
the Central Neighborhood has suffered from years of
disinvestment and neglect that has resulted in a number
of social and economic struggles. While the challenges
are serious, the neighborhood and its residents have
significant assets that are poised to address these
challenges through institutional and neighborhood
level change. The Central Choice Transformation Plan’s
strategies were designed to simultaneously benefit the
community on multiple levels: People, Neighborhood
and Housing. While the components of housing and
neighborhood will dramatically change the quality of
affordable housing and reestablish Central’s role in the
economy and culture of Cleveland, the People Plan will
offer residents of the community opportunities of change
on a multi generational level, while building access to
ladders of opportunity to the middle class. The People Plan
also offers transformation by tying strategies to creating
a new, more diverse population, Cleveland’s stable
economic sectors and other emerging industries.
The Transformation Plan was established through a robust
planning process that included formal and informal
input from residents, partner organizations, businesses,
and community stakeholders. Through the planning
process, nine Transformation Directives emerged. These
directives build on relevant, existing community assets
and demonstrate the wants and needs of residents. The
People Plan strategies rely on the Transformation Directives
and forged partnerships to enhance common goals to
reinvent the Central Neighborhood into a vibrant, proud
neighborhood to live, work, and play. The residents,
particularly families with children, are the target of the
efforts to unify and build a true sense of community. The
Transformation Directives establish the framework of the
Housing and Neighborhood Plans are carried through the
People Plan.
Residents
All Photos from CMHA
resident events and
activities
The People Plan represents a strategic partnership
between residents, the Central Neighborhood, local
community organizations and over forty service
providers, businesses, community stakeholders, the
Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Central Promise
Neighborhood Initiative, Burten, Bell, Carr, Falbo-Pennrose,
CMHA, Campus District, Inc. and its anchor institutions.
Promise Neighborhood Initiative is the Principal Education
Partner, and CMHA is the Lead Entity for People. The
two will work in concert with the Neighborhood and
Housing Leads to implement the People Plan’s innovative
strategies.
The People Plan strategies
address residents’ needs,
and assists them by creating
comprehensive, resultsoriented, individual plans with
achievable goals.
The People Plan’s case management system is designed
to help families prepare for relocation, provide support
during relocation, and provide continued support, if
needed, upon their return. CMHA has a successful track
record with CSS programming having served over 770
families in three previous HOPE VI developments. CMHA
will build on this success and coordinate implementation
of the People Plan. Implementation of the People Plan will
be a five-year program, at a minimum.
Resident Needs
The People Plan strategies mirror the priorities identified
by the community and CMHA residents during the needs
assessment process. Twenty six meetings were held with
residents through August of 2013. During community
meetings, a conversation evolved between CMHA,
its planning team, which included the Neighborhood
and Housing Lead Entity representatives, and residents
regarding neighborhood strategies and supportive service
delivery. The goal of these meetings was to develop
concepts to form the People Plan with resident input to
ensure it was designed with residents wants and needs
in mind. This allowed improvement in priority outcomes
of the strategies for health, education, and economic
self-sufficiency. To supplement the outcomes of resident
meetings, detailed demographic data and data analysis
was provided by Case Western Reserve University (CWRU)
Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development.
Data sources included the 2000 and 2010 census and the
American Communities Surveys. Comparative data was
provided for the City of Cleveland, the entire Central city
area and the Central Neighborhood.
People Plan Objectives
• Establish and strengthen community
relationships
• Create a safe environment for multigenerational residents
• E
xpand access and opportunities for
education
• M
aximize investment in the Central
Promise Neighborhood
• Improve access to services through
enhanced collaboration
• Inspire the creation of jobs for
neighborhood residents
• Children, Youth and Adults are
Physically and Mentally Healthy
Comprehensive
Community Supports
Supportive Services and Programs
Through the needs assessment and resident engagement
process, four Intentional Foci were identified as the necessary
foundation of the People Plan’s strategies. These foci are
integrated into the activities and services outlined in the
Supportive Service Strategy. The four foci are:
Intentional Focus #1: Build the Central
Neighborhood “Middle Class from the Inside Out.”
The likely success of Central Neighborhood’s children will
depend in large part upon having middle class models in the
Neighborhood and the instilling of middle-class educational
attainment values from birth on. Engage the market-rate
renters at the Cedar sites and better the Neighborhood’s
middle-class homeowners through programs and activities.
Intentional Focus #2: Prepare children and
adults through industry sector strategies to
obtain successful careers in industries important
to Cleveland’s Health Care, Manufacturing,
Construction, and Culinary / Tourism Industries.
Facilitate entry into middle-class jobs by making post-high
school training accessible, affordable and appealing to
residents and by forging win-win partnerships with employers
by utilizing industry sector strategies best matched with
Cleveland’s economic base.
Intentional Focus #3: Intersection of the
Neighborhood and People Plans.
Neighborhood and People Plans outline strategies that
intersect through strategies that will be implemented to
revitalize Central. People Plan strategies are coordinated
with Neighborhood Plan strategies to maximize synergies in
the revitalization of the community and residents.
Intentional Focus #4: Make Central a Model for
Innovations in Urban Agriculture, Healthy Eating
and Green Training.
Build upon success of Burten, Bell, Carr CDC’s Bridgeport
Place Urban Agricultural Innovation Zone and the Bridgeport
Cafe to engage residents in green training and in community
based solutions to the challenges of urban fresh food deserts.
Service Coordination & Case Management
CMHA will serve as the lead agency for implementation
of all efforts under “People.” CMHA will also serve as the
lead agency for the provision of case management and
service coordination. As the People Lead in collaboration
with community partners and the other Lead Entities,
CMHA will provide a comprehensive network of supportive
services including case management, high quality
early learning programs, high quality K-12 programs,
positive youth development programs, basic literacy
education, GED preparation, occupational skills and job
readiness training including green job training, financial
empowerment, supportive services, mental health, health
and wellness, business development, and homeownership
counseling and special services to various target groups
such as youth, seniors, and residents with disabilities.
In previous HOPE VI developments, the CMHA staff
CMHA’s case management
system will serve as the central
access point for overall service
coordination.
engaged families with more than 80% completing needs
assessments and 70% having Individual Development
Plans. By far the largest quantity of resources has been
committed by key education, workforce, health, youth
services and early childhood partners in the form of
additional program services and resources that will be
focused on residents. It will be critical for each household
living in the targeted public housing developments to
have a case management system that provides a large
network of needed support services and advocates
to champion each individual household’s vision for
success. Residents who relocate to other CMHA housing
developments will have access to additional case
management support that is provided to residents of those
developments. Residents with specific needs in reaching
their goals will also receive case management support
from partner agencies. For example, Midtown Cleveland,
Inc., a business district CDC whose footprint runs along
the northern part of Central is partnering with Burten, Bell,
Carr and CMHA to assist in connecting residents with the
neighborhood businesses and fulfill their human resource
needs. The campaign will promote area businesses with
job openings to hire at least one Central resident.
A triage system will be used to categorize the 803 public
housing families according to their risk factors, the progress
of adults toward economic stability and the extent to
which their children are meeting developmental and
educational milestones. CMHA will develop additional
performance, risk and family progress metrics. Case
managers will focus most of their efforts on families that
have not achieved stability and/or are not making
progress toward achieving goals. The service coordinators
will have an active relationship with a large network of
providers of support services who make up the Service
Provider Network. Service coordinators will work with
service partners to track enrollment, participation,
completion and results of service referrals.
CMHA’s case management protocol will include:
A. An assessment to identify the employment, education,
childcare, health, technology training and other
supportive service needs of the household
B. Individual Development Plans (IDP) for every
resident between the ages of 18 and 64 including
concrete goals and milestone completions
C. Service referrals
D. The assignment of a triage category
Case management metrics that will be tracked and
reported quarterly will be: number and percent of
residents with completed needs assessments; number
and percent of residents with IDPs; number and percent
of residents by triage category (i.e. identified risk factors);
number and percent of residents contacted monthly;
number and percent of residents referred to supportive
services and of those, number engaged and completing;
number and percent of residents relocated. The case
management team will use the Tracking at a Glance
(TAAG) system developed by Designing Success to record
and track case management and service coordination.
In addition to the individual and household goals that
will structure the case management plan for each public
housing household in Central, an over arching goal for
this program will be increased and improved housing
choice for the affected residents. Consistent follow-up
with clients will enable case managers to immediately
address any barriers to a successful return to housing in
the revitalized Neighborhood, for those who desire it. The
supportive service activities will be coordinated with the
development team to support the revitalization schedule.
This is critical given the aggressive development schedule
which impacts service activities related to school agedchildren, employment opportunities, relocation and
re-occupancy. While non-CMHA residents that reside
in Central will not receive intensive case management
services from CHMA, the Service Coordinators will provide
referrals to social service network agencies.
In response to Transformation Directive #4: Access
and Connections, a communications strategy will be
developed to better unite segments of the neighborhood
and to increase knowledge of and access to supportive
services available in the community. This strategy will be
integrated with TAAG. Service partners will collect data
and report on services provided to residents through use
of a number of data systems including Social Solutions’
Efforts to Outcomes (which is used by agencies to track
intervention results and effectiveness for individual clients
and for groups of clients), the Cleveland Metropolitan
School District data system and Invest in Children’s
(IIC) Child Well-being Data. Data from these systems
will be processed and integrated by the NEO CANDO
data integration system at CWRU. In addition, this
communications strategy will be utilized to market the
Neighborhood to attract a diverse, mixed-income set of
residents. This communication strategy reflects Intentional
Foci #3 Intersection of the Neighborhood and People
Plans through neighborhood strategies such as WBBC
where residents can obtain information about activities
and participate in facilitated discussions about unifying
the Neighborhood and creating better access.
All Neighborhood households, no matter what their triage
category, will be contacted monthly and encouraged
to participate in workforce, educational, parenting,
health and other programs that will be offered through
the People Plan. These resources and opportunities will
be promoted and provided pro actively to all residents of
Central.
Health Services The People Plan outlines strategies to increase healthy
lifestyles and food, and access to quality medical care
(Directive #2: Health). These strategies are in line with
Intentional Focus #3: Intersection of the Neighborhood
and People Plans which includes Critical Community
Improvements and activities related to the BBC urban
agriculture initiatives and Intentional Focus #4 that makes
Central a model for innovations in agriculture and healthy
eating.
Care Alliance, a significant health partner, received
approval and funding to develop a Federally Qualified
Health Center (FQHC) in the Central Neighborhood. Care
Alliance broke ground on the FQHC in the fall of 2013
with an expected completion in the fall of 2014, providing
dental, mental health and substance abuse services,
transportation support, and hospital and specialty
care. The FQHC model has been supported by the U.S.
Department of Health Services to address health needs
in under-served communities based on the nationally
recognized best practice that a community based health
center can provide high quality services because it truly
understands the need of its neighborhood. Nearly 30% of
Care Alliance’s patient base is in public housing. The new
FQHC is a part of Care Alliance’s commitment to families
living in subsidized housing and increasing accessibility to
quality care for Central residents.
St. Vincent Charity Medical Center is a Sisters of Charity
Health System hospital that serves residents of Central.
One of its leading initiatives is the Health Literacy
Institute. Nearly half of all Americans, and a much higher
percentage of low income Americans, have only basic or
below basic health literacy skills. Studies show that people
with limited health literacy skills have higher utilization of
treatment services, including emergency department
and hospitalization. The Health Literacy Initiative focuses
upon regular training and assessment of all caregivers in
the areas of speaking in plain language and encouraging
patients to ask questions.
Access to healthy meals and fresh food is a key focus
of the People Plan, and many of Central social service
providers are taking on the task of improving the diets
of residents of all ages. Golden Age Centers (GAC)
provide programs and supportive services to older adults,
empowering them to lead active, well-rounded and
independent lifestyles. Most notably, the GAC serves
more than 800 hot and nutritious meals to older adults
each day through congregate and home delivered meal
programs. The Children’s Hunger Alliance provides meals
to Central children in after school settings. Burten, Bell,
Carr Development, Inc. (BBC) the Neighborhood Lead
will conduct health and wellness awareness activities
Mental health care is much
needed and is a priority
service for Central residents.
such as nutrition education, cooking demonstrations and
access to healthier foods by means of CornUcopia Place,
the community kitchen in partnership with Tri-C’s culinary
school - an initiative that is central to Intentional Focus #4,
Several mental health providers and services are brought
together within the People Plan strategy to provide access
to mental care for all of Central. Murtis Taylor Human
Services System’s (MTHSS) mission is to support, empower
and strengthen individuals, families and communities
to become healthy and productive through effective,
integrated health and human services.
MTHSS offers community mental health services to people
in Central. Beech Brook provides parenting support and
counseling, anger management classes, and family
outings. Ohio Guidestone will provide in-home counseling
and psychiatric services for residents who require
additional support beyond counseling to deal with life’s
challenges. Frontline Services offers a variety of mental
health services with a special emphasis on homeless
people. In addition, Frontline administers Cuyahoga
County’s mobile crisis unit. Frontline works in partnership
with Cuyahoga County and the Partnership for a Safer
Cleveland to provide the Police Assisted Referral (PAR)
program in conjunction with Case Western Reserve
University. Under PAR, CMHA police officers are trained to
intervene on crisis and social service issues at the time of
the incident.
Cradle to College/Career Pipeline
The Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood Initiative’s
vision is to get every child in the Central Neighborhood to
college by creating a comprehensive cradle to college/
career pipeline and is led by the determined commitment
of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland. The
Foundation has been working corroboratively with the
Choice Neighborhood effort to ensure that every child
in the community is ready for kindergarten, attends
excellent schools, and is connected to a caring adult and
community support. The Foundation will build upon the
progress that has been made that includes: establishing
a neighborhood leadership program; enhancing access
to quality early learning opportunities; ensuring school
success through a number of new learning opportunities;
creating a new Promise Learning Lab; collaborations
with strong community based partners; and, growing the
Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood staff.
The Foundation plans to build on these successes and
implement programs focused on the following objectives:
1. Every child participates in quality early learning
to ensure they are ready for kindergarten;
2. Every child attends an excellent K-8 school;
3. Every 8th grader is connected to a caring adult
mentor through high school graduation;
4. Ours is a safe community where children feel
supported to achieve academic success; and,
5. Residents will lead the change.
The Sisters of Charity Foundation is committed to its original
core vision, and the children and families of the Central
Neighborhood.
Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) is one of the
educational anchors of the neighborhood. Tri-C offers a
vast array of credit and non-credit classes that prepare
students for jobs, or for further education and training.
Classes are offered during day and evening hours and on
weekends in order to make it possible for students with job
and family responsibilities to attend. Tri-C has relationships
with large employers that facilitate the transition of
students from training to employment. For example, St.
Vincent Charity Medical Center and the Sisters of Charity
Health system recruits students with specialized training
for health careers. The training programs in advanced
technology manufacturing and the construction program,
which trains students as electricians or to do dry walling
and HVAC, have been designed with input from major
employers and these employers recruit students who
have received certification from these programs. Tri-C
has on-site GED and adult basic education programs
available for residents who need further education and
credentials before beginning a post-high school program.
Tri-C Benefits Access for College Completion (BACC) was
established to help low- income students access benefits
to which they are entitled and is therefore an important
support service for Central Choice residents. Tri-C’s will also
train the Neighborhood Plan’s Safety Ambassadors.
The People Plan builds upon
the work of lead partners to
improve school performance
by helping families and
children make the best use of
non-school hours.
Cleveland State University (CSU) is also an educational
anchor institution and offers undergraduate and graduate
degrees in many academic disciplines. CSU also has a
program, Project 60, which encourages older adults who
may have had to interrupt their education to attend to
family responsibilities, or who need further education to
update skills to attend classes. Older adults are able to
attend on a tuition-free basis.
childcare slots, including Head Start and to increase
utilization of services. Children exiting early childhood
programs will be supplied with Cuyahoga County
College Savings Accounts. The County will establish a
$100 savings account as Neighborhood children enter
kindergarten. Bingham Early Learning Center which is a
full time highly rated (3 star under Ohio’s quality rating
system) early childhood and day-care center located
adjacent to St. Vincent Charity Medical Center. The
Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland
(CEOGC) is the community action agency for Cuyahoga
County and is dedicated to serving the low-income
families of Greater Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.
CEOGC oversees the majority of Head Start and early
Head Start centers in Cuyahoga County. Incorporating
the belief that education starts when life begins, CEOGC
is a strong advocate for the youngest of children and
those who have not even been born yet. CEOGC serves
infants, toddlers and pregnant woman, through the Early
Head Start program. The program provides prenatal
examinations, parenting classes, and quality infant care
to eligible families. The Head Start program serves over
3,000 children annually throughout the Greater Cleveland
community.
My Commitment My Community (“MyCom”) is a K-12 Outof-School Time initiative spearheaded by the Cleveland
Foundation and Cuyahoga County’s Children and Family
First Council. The goals are to enrich outof- school
time with learning opportunities and, for older youth,
employment opportunities. 21st Century Community
Learning Center Program (21st CCLC) at Outhwaite, is a
program that serves students in grades 6 through 8 and is
focused upon improving reading and math. The program
staff collaborates closely with CMSD on curriculum
development. The 21st CCLC introduces youth, at an early
age, to the careers and industry sectors that are important
Cuyahoga County Department of Health and Human
Services Department leads several programs. Invest in
Children (IIC) is a nationally recognized best practice
early childhood system which supports all domains of early
childhood development. IIC has built an inter-connected
system of multiple partners and is building a data system
to track child well-being indicators. Current strategies are
being developed to increase the number of high-quality
to Cleveland. Youth development activities are also
offered in partnership with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
The Sisters of Charity Foundation is partnering with and
supporting the Cleveland Metropolitan School District
(CMSD) Transformation Plan by promoting parent and
neighborhood engagement, supporting policy and
advocacy efforts and promoting quality data driven
decision making. The CMSD’s ambitious Academic
Transformation Plan will test a variety of innovative
instructional models and academic themes in the
schools of Central: Marion-Sterling has received a School
Improvement Grant (SIG) beginning with the 20112012 school year which funded a longer school day. It
has been designated by CMSD as a Community Wrap
Around School. Benesch (the new home of Carl and Louis
Stokes Academy) has received a SIG grant for the past
3 years which funds a longer school day. The Sisters of
Charity Foundation has funded a Carson Reading Room
for leisure reading. Benesch has been designated by
CMSD as a Community Wrap Around School. Beginning
in 2013-14, Benesch will be one of 13 CMSD Investment
Schools. Under the Investment program, Benesch has a
new principal, new and retrained teachers and special
attention to address weak academic areas and special
needs of students. George Washington Carver located in
a new facility that opened in 2010 has been designated
as a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
School. New Tech High (co-located with East Technical
High School and Design Lab Early College High School
(co-located with Jane Addams High School) are new
programs that may offer students extra support to
graduate from high school and prepare to enter college.
adults gain access to GED services and are provided with
occupational skills training in construction, a demand
industry in Cleveland.
Employment Connection (EC) is the one-stop career
center for Cuyahoga County. Youth will be exposed
to academic training and will be provided with access
to post-secondary education and employment. Youth
Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) works hand in hand with
the EC to provide summer work experience for youth in
demand industries of Cleveland. Cleveland Public Library
Sterling Branch Learning Center, the new learning center,
offers college and career preparation for high school
students, adult basic literacy and GED classes. As a result
of improving student access to quality education and
supportive services, the Promise Plan & Choice People
Plan have set target goals for Central’s schools. In
addition to improving Achievement Test scores in Reading
and Math, the Plan has set the goal to improve the
graduation rates of Central’s CMSD students. Currently,
East Tech High accounts for 19% of Central students and
has a graduation rate of 42.4%. The plan hopes to improve
this to 45%. Jane Addams accounts for 8% of Central
students and has a graduation rate of 83.3% which is one
of the highest in CMSD.
Step Stone Academy, a high performing charter school
is a project of Ohio Guidestone. It now has pre-K through
2nd grade classes and 75% of enrolled students live in
the Central Neighborhood. Ohio Guidestone will also
provide access to the Youthbuild program where young
The Principal Education Partner, the Promise Initiative will
track education metrics with the intent to identify progress
and areas that are still requiring services and assistance.
Passing Rates for Achievement Tests in Reading and Math in Central’s Schools
School (Grades)
Current %
Student
Count: Reading
Math
Expected %
Reading
Math
Alfred Benesch (3-8)
399
38.5
24.5
43
30
George Washington Carver (3-8)
449
38.9
24
43
30
Marion Sterling (3-8)
356
39.5
23.5
43
30
Jane Addams (10)
294
72.3
46.8
78
55
-
90.5
71.6
94
78
Jane Addams (11)
East Tech (10)
564
45.6
41.2
50
50
East Tech (11)
-
56.1
47.2
62
56
Positive Youth Development
The Reaching Individual Success in Education (RISE)
program is unique in that it focuses on three components
to address the educational needs of pre-kindergarten
through high school youth living in the Choice
Neighborhood. RISE assists youth along the path to
greater educational and personal success and supplies
them with the skill sets necessary to become the best
version of themselves as students and citizens. The three
areas RISE and its partners target are family literacy, afterschool services, and leadership skills training. The RISE
components focus on these specific areas because they
positively influence the academic success of children
residing in Choice and provide supports to encourage
school retention.
The structure of the RISE partnership enables CMHA to
provide the children of Choice a spectrum of services
from early childhood through the teenage years. The
pre-kindergarten through eighth grade components of
HIPPY and 21st Century Community Learning Centers offer
children home based family literacy and access to high
quality academic support and enrichment activities in
their own neighborhoods. The Generation Success –Teens
Achieving Greatness (GS-TAG) program is a leadership
and job readiness program that has been a part of CMHA
for more than 16 years. The goal of the GS-TAG program
is to develop leadership skills, improve the educational
outcomes of teenaged residents, and expose youth to
work experience while keeping them in school.
Partnership for a Safer Cleveland will provide Stand
Together Against Neighborhood Crime Everyday
(STANCE). STANCE is a comprehensive prevention/
intervention enforcement and reentry effort to help
mitigate and ultimately eliminate gang problems. STANCE
encourages children to pursue positive alternatives to
gang involvement, and inspires parents and mentors
to become role models for youth. Community Reentry
will provide the Young African American Reclamation
Project Jr.. (YAARP Jr.) Through YAARP Jr. youth will provide
substance abuse prevention programs. This service is new
to Central and is currently in place in nearby Heritage View
Homes, where it was deemed very successful. Literacy
Cooperative’s Supporting Tutors Engaging Pupils (STEP)
program combines two evidence based models: Book
Buddies and Ready Readers. Volunteers from the private
sector will work with young children to instill corporate
values. Through NBA Math Hoops, teachers and students
participate in a ten-week session and are provided
access to a series of special events including: Chapter
Leader Clinics, Cleveland Cavalier’s games and NBA
Math Hoops Championships events. Cleveland Public
Theater performance arts experience and positive youth
development programs are offered to children ages five
to fourteen. Experiences includes creating writing, reading,
oral communication and the ability to make meaningful
connections. Teach for America provides teacher
recruitment and support services. New graduate teachers
receive teaching experience in urban schools. Friendly Inn
Settlement will provide rent and utility assistance, childcare,
after-school programs and a food pantry. Additionally,
Friendly Inn will provide wrap-around services to support
families with children at risk
Dual Generational Programming
Emerging research from thought leaders, such as the
Aspen Institute and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, have
focused on the importance of intentionally linking children
and parents when designing programs. Data from the
Aspen Institute has shown that the early-childhood and
adult ends of the education spectrum make the case for
investment in educational opportunities for both parents
and children. For at-risk children, quality early education
can produce an annual rate of return in the range of 7 to
10 percent. Simultaneously, parents’ level of educational
attainment is the best predictor of economic mobility
for their children. Early indications from emerging dual
generation approaches highlight the importance of
“mutual motivation” when both parents and children
have access to opportunities.
An important barrier to improving children’s literacy is
the very low levels of literacy among parents with limited
education. The U.S. Department of Education (DOE, 2007)
reported that 50% of the U.S. adult population who did
not graduate from high school has “below basic” prose
literacy skills, meaning they can perform no more than the
most simple and concrete literacy skills. Parents’ literacy
is highly related to the literacy environment that children
experience.
Given the rapid technological advances of the past
decade, CMHA is partnering with HIPPY to utilize costeffective technology-based interventions to improve
family literacy. CMHA will provide a computer-based
home learning center, including a suite of highly engaging
educational software. Students and their parents will
attend a workshop where a HIPPY instructor provides
instruction in setting up the learning center, and will guide
family learning activities such as learning English together
with parents; using the Internet; teaching younger siblings;
and, subject matter instruction. CMHA and HIPPY hope to
leverage recent advances in technology and innovation
which hold great promise for promoting dual-generational
educational skills.
Social Entrepreneurship &
Economic Self Sufficiency
The Central Neighborhood is particularly well endowed
with post-high school educational and job training
assets which are located in the Neighborhood or are
geographically easily accessible by Neighborhood
residents. CMHA and its lead partners are involved in the
Cleveland community and stay abreast of economic and
employment sector trends. The four fields with greatest
opportunities for employment for Central Choice residents
are: health care, manufacturing, construction and food
service. CMHA and its partners work hard to connect
Entrepreneurship is no longer
purely a business notion, but
one that service providers are
exploring to measure positive
return to society.
training and educational opportunities with real jobs and
careers and to refer well-qualified and trained people for
jobs in the community, and beyond.
Since jobs are key to improving the quality of life for
Central’s residents, the People Plan focuses its strategies
to provide job and business development opportunities
in Central (Directive #8 Economic and Business
Development). These strategies are in line with our
Intentional Focus #1: engaging the market-rate renters at
the Cedar sites and better the Neighborhood’s middleclass homeowners through programs and activities;
Intentional Focus #2: prepare adults through industry
sector strategies to obtain successful careers in industries
important to Cleveland’s Health Care, Manufacturing,
Construction, and Food Service Industries; Intentional
Focus #3: Intersection of the Neighborhood and People
Plans which includes Critical Community Improvements
and activities related to job training and the BBC Safety
Ambassador and Bridgeport Cafe on the Tri-C campus,
and Intentional Focus 4: make Central a model for
innovations in green training. Business enterprise has
historically been measured by its performance in profit
and return. Innovation is not a new idea and is often
praised in the business community as long as the return
on investment is on the plus side. Social entrepreneurs
pursue innovative solutions to social problems.
CMHA is applying the idea of social entrepreneurship
by expanding its Green Team. CMHA has begun one
of the largest renewable energy projects in Cuyahoga
County. CMHA built a solar panel field at the Campus
that will power the Administrative Headquarters. The
building is already LEED certified, which means it will meet
the criteria for Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design. The 1.1 megawatt solar field, with close to 4,200
solar panels, occupies about six acres of a twelve acre
parcel adjacent to the CMHA Campus off East 82nd
Street and Kinsman Avenue. It produces power on a postindustrial brown field site that would otherwise go unused.
The technology is self-sustaining because the sun shines
on the panels, producing electricity that is used to provide
lighting and cooling for the building. CMHA will save
several million dollars over the life of the solar panels.
CMHA’s Green Team Initiative recruits public housing
residents and instills through training, education, and
hands-on activities, the skills and structure required to
plant, cultivate, and harvest organic, sustainable fruits and
vegetables in urban farms in their own neighborhoods.
Through this innovative program, residents have learned
essential life skills like healthy eating habits, marketable
technical knowledge of green practices, and a
comprehensive understanding of sustainable living.
Residents have used the abilities cultivated through
training experiences and skill-building exercises to procure
gainful employment in the booming sustainability sector,
ensuring a solid foundation for success and charting a
course for a brighter tomorrow.
of a community food system supported by the training,
education and hiring of public housing residents. The
Project will provide real work experience and serve as a
stepping stone for residents seeking gainful employment.
The economics of the Project will be sustained by
expanding the urban farm and marketing the produce
to local area grocery stores and restaurants. Participants
will be trained in all aspects of operating the business from
hiring to marketing, providing transferable skills to real
world job opportunities.
Residents identified that they
want a one-stop career center
in Central. The Job Spot will
provide residents with a variety
of workforce services at the
Outhwaite Community Center.
CMHA has formed partnerships with many job training
and educational institutions to create ladders of
opportunity for residents to improve their skills and
attain employment. Corporation for Ohio Appalachian
Development (COAD) will provide technical training
relating to the construction industry. Residents will be
provided with training in commercial and residential lead
abatement and environmental remediation. Successful
participants will be able to gain real employment in
CMHA’s PAR program - the Project Area Resident (PAR)
program requires construction firms to hire CMHA residents
for 25% of the total project work hours for all CMHA
construction projects. In addition to work, the contractors
can opt to host training programs or sponsor residents
Similar to national models, such as Growing Power and
Clean Slate, Green Team will expand into a full job
training and placement by supporting its residents and the
environment in which they live through the development
into the trade unions to meet their PAR obligation. In
many instances, contractors will retain CMHA workers
for non-CMHA projects. Financial Empowerment and
Homeownership include the City of Cleveland’s Financial
Empowerment Network (FEN) Initiative in partnership with
Neighborhood Progress Inc. (NPI). NPI will offer financial
empowerment education and access to the new
Financial Empowerment Network (FEN) which is a regionwide initiative that seeks to improve the economic security
of residents. FEN includes a coaching session, credit
report analysis, family budgeting, a follow up session, and
a close out summary. Neighborhood Housing Services
(NHS) provides comprehensive housing counseling to
public housing residents. In addition, Intentional Focus
#3: Intersection of the People and Neighborhood
Plans, includes the connection of Central’s strategic
partners such as the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the
local chamber of commerce that connects projects
with job creation for residents. Cleveland Health
Tech Corridor, adjacent to Central, is an intensive
economic development initiative in which $1.5 billion
of job producing office, research, retail and housing
developments are being planned. During the time that
the Health Tech Corridor is being built, Central partners will
prepare residents to qualify for jobs in the tech corridor.
The Opportunity Corridor is a recently funded major road
project that will tie Central directly to the Cleveland Clinic
and University Circle with enormous number of jobs for
every type of health technician and health professional.
CMHA’s Resident Enterprise Development Initiative (REDI)
Pilot will support the ambitions of residents who want to
become entrepreneurs and build wealth. Depending
upon the resident’s degree of readiness, they will be
assigned to REDI for the Fast Track, for those who already
have a business or a well developed concept, or REDI
to Start will consist of residents who have an interest
and an idea for a business. Both groups will be able to
move through the training program at their own pace
and will be able to access Economic and Community
Development Institute (ECDI) services. Resident
entrepreneurs who successfully complete the training
will receive ongoing support with marketing methods. All
resident owned businesses (ROB) will receive an overview
of the HUD mandated Section 3 program. Participation will
allow ROBs to access business opportunities with CMHA,
the City of Cleveland, and Cuyahoga County.
To complement the REDI initiative another private sector
socio-enterprise program is the Sherwin Williams Paint
Program. Sherwin Williams is committed to hosting two
training sessions annually for CMHA residents. Participants
are prepared for careers as professional painters. The
technical portion of the training consists of a mix of
classroom and hands-on activities, led by experienced
trainers. Throughout the program, students receive
practical training in house painting and maintenance,
as well as mold and lead remediation using HUD Healthy
Homes guidelines. Graduates receive a certification in
Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) sponsored by the
U.S. EPA.
The Intentional Focus areas that are integrated into
this program are #1: Build the Central Neighborhood
Middle Class from the Inside Out and #2: Industry Sector
Strategies to obtain successful careers in industries
important to Cleveland. Employment Connection
(EC) and Toward Employment will provide Workforce
development services and career counseling to adults.
EC is the local WIA workforce Development System,
which exposes its one-stop members to demand
occupations. Ohio Guidestone’s Workforce 360 program
helps adults become confident in a professional setting
and empowers them in their personal lives. To improve
computer literacy skills, One Community will provide digital
literacy training, refurbished computers, and access to
low cost broadband solutions. The Council for Economic
Opportunities in Greater Cleveland (CEOGC) will provide
workforce development services on site. The goal of the
Job Spot will be to prepare residents with the job readiness
and educational skills that are needed to obtain a job or a
better job while meeting local employers’ needs. The Job
Spot will work in conjunction with the BBC and Midtown
job development campaign for Central business to hire
residents. The Job Spot’s resources will equip residents with
the tools necessary for job searching. These include the
Job Spot’s computers, Internet, printers, fax machines,
copiers, and employment reference materials. Additional
resident job search assistance will include a job posting
board, job searching on the Internet, staff assisted job
search services, and attending workshops customized for
residents including resume writing and interviewing skills.
Residents will be encouraged to access Job Spot services
through the outreach efforts of the Job Spot staff including
posters, flyers, and door-to-door canvassing.
Coordinated Services & Sustainability
The Central Neighborhood has a number of high quality
community centers that provide residents with recreation,
after-school, technology and enrichment activities. Each
of these centers operates independently and competes
for consumers and resources. In an effort to combine
resources and leverage the strengths of each center, a
Network of Community Centers will be formed through he
partnership of the City of Cleveland, Friendly Inn, Murtis
Taylor, Tri-C and CMHA.
Each center will focus on a particular service or set
of services in the five following areas:
• Outhwaite: Technology & Industry Sector
Careers
for its specific service areas and will strengthen its capacity
in those areas.
Funders can be engaged to support one specific area
rather than be inundated with multiple requests for
similar services. Residents will come to know the Central
Recreation Center as the place where seniors and youth
can go to socialize, interact, and learn, while Lonnie
Burton will be recognized as the center for dance and
music. Griot!-Seniors Teach Life Lessons to Kids is a culture
and wisdom exchange program that preserves the
heritage and traditions of the African diaspora through
the arts will be central to the services at the Central
Recreation Center. The Sisters of Charity Foundation’s
Healthy Eating & Active Living Initiative (Heal) will be the
center of the Murtis Taylor healthy foods programming.
While each center will have its own niche area, they will
still be recognized as a network that collectively supports
the needs of the entire family. CMHA and the City of
Cleveland will work with the programming staff of these
centers to encourage intergenerational programming
which will strengthen bonds between members of a
household and understanding between generations.
• Friendly Inn: Adult Education & Soft Skills
Training
• Central Recreation Center / Bath House: MultiGenerational - Youth Positive Development &
Senior Services
• Murtis Taylor: Health and Fitness
• Lonnie Burton: Arts and Culture
Each of the five centers will continue to operate their adult
and child recreation programs, because those programs
are needed in each pocket of the Neighborhood, but
by creating specialty areas, it will facilitate resident
movement across the neighborhood. Currently, residents
associate with each center depending on where they
live. By offering targeted services residents may be more
inclined to access a recreation/community center outside
of their norm. This facilitates the Access and Connection
Directive #4, and enhances interaction between
generations (Directive #9). Each center will be marketed
ENVISION
transformation: HEALTHY LIVING
Opportunities exist throughout the Central Choice Neighborhood in which underutilized land can be
repurposed to inspire healthy living and active lifestyles for residents.
At the intersection of Cedar Avenue and East 30th Street, the reconstruction of an abandoned urban
farm can be an asset that provides much needed fresh food, better connect Central to employment
opportunities within the MidTown business district and open space designed to create safe walking
and biking pathways.
BEFORE
ENVISION
transformation: CONNECTED INSTITUTIONS
The neighborhood’s institutions create additional public gathering spaces through which a strong sense
of community can be fostered, bridging the socioeconomic gaps and bringing residents together
around a common goal.
At the intersection of East 30th Street and Central Avenue, the new Care Alliance medical facility and
the expansion of the Marion Sterling Library to create a Central Neighborhood resource center will
complete an institutional campus along E. 30th that includes neighborhood schools and Cuyahoga
Community College.
& PROGRAMS
BEFORE
7
IMPLEMENT
CENTRAL CHOICE
metrics: strategies for measuring
successes throughout central
Creating realizable goals, building partnerships, leveraging resources and support
from the broad spectrum of the Central community will create the collaborative
approach necessary to achieve the Transformation Plan’s initiatives that will bring
unity, opportunity and optimism.
The transformational initiatives discussed in the previous
sections of this Choice Plan represent the compilation of
a broad array of public input, community outreach and
stakeholder engagement. Although the plan delineates
specific programming, redevelopment, community
building strategies and infrastructure initiatives as they
relate to People, Neighborhood and Housing, it is
imperative that the implementation of these initiatives
occur simultaneously so as to create meaningful change
for Central residents. This Transformation Plan, and the
implementation methodologies outlined, have been
developed with the intention that they will benefit
the Community on multiple levels, addressing People,
Neighborhood and Housing strategies simultaneously.
the priorities and strategies for their achievement
outlined on the following pages represent what CMHA
and the planning team feel to be essential first steps in
accomplishing change within Central. These strategies
rely on forging partnerships built around common goals.
The residents, particularly the families and children, must
be a target of the efforts to unify and build a true sense
of community for the broad Central Neighborhood. It will
only be through long-term dedication to this effort that
residents, CMHA, neighborhood leaders and the anchor
institutions can come together to effect change for
generations to come.
In alignment with the goals that have been established for
the Choice program, and the Transformation Directives
determined to represent the needs of the community,
Neighborhood Plan Metrics
To realize the metrics established for neighborhood
redevelopment, a partnership prioritizing collaboration
and growth is required between the Central Choice study
area’s Community Development Corporations, the City of
Cleveland and CMHA.
Partnerships are going to be key in effecting change within
the Central Choice community. As demonstrated through the
initiatives discussed within this Neighborhood Transformation
Plan, there are a wide variety of redevelopment and
infrastructure projects proposed. Although each may happen
independently or as a collaboration with other programs,
they all focus on improving the quality of life for residents while
addressing the nine Transformation Directives.
Successful communities develop over time, with layers of
investment creating a tapestry of improvements inter-woven
across streets, blocks and neighborhood districts. Through the
concentration of community-based investments within the
Impact Zones, a pattern can be created that brings residents
of the districts together around common needs. Over time
this will bring unity to the community through the gradual
shifting of philosophies and beliefs about what constitutes the
Central Choice Neighborhood.
The Neighborhood Transformation Metrics identified to
begin this process and catalyze change will require multiple
neighborhood leads to effectively meet the goals set.
The Community Development Corporations serving the
neighborhood each have a focused investment strategy
that meets their individual missions. The Burten, Bell, Carr
Development Corporation builds community through housing,
commercial and resident empowerment. The Campus
District unites the residential community’s needs with the
influence that the institutional stakeholders can exert. Business
development and job creation is the mission of MidTown
Cleveland. The City of Cleveland and CMHA will be crucial
to assisting the CDCs in attracting developers, sponsoring
infrastructure improvements, consolidating land, updating
zoning and marketing the neighborhood’s strengths and
opportunities to the proper retailers that will meet resident
needs.
L
Long Term
Plan
Top Priorities for Neighborhood Implementation
• Create meaningful public infrastructure
(East 22 reconstruction, E 30 medians)
• Create public and private open spaces
that are occupied and defensible
(Central Park, neighborhood infill parks)
• Re-establish housing development and
block patterns (traditional blocks, street
grid, etc.)
• Continue to develop the Safety Forces
Coordination Program (enforcement)
• Establish the Enterprise “One Community”
Digital network (increase access, job
training, etc.)
• Create Bridgeport Café at Community
College (neighborhood center, Tri-C
programs, healthy eating)
• Air the BBC Radio Station (gives the
neighborhood a voice / identity)
• Reconnect dead-end streets / add new
streets (increase physical access that is
intuitive and safe)
• New neighborhood recreation center
(bath house site; builds from People
section of a connected network of
services)
• Program for assistance for business
development (focus at Bridgeport, but
could expand throughout the study area;
grants, loans, etc., consider a focus on
agriculture-based businesses)
IMPLEMENT
Implementation Strategies - Neighborhood
Establish and enhance public infrastructure that connects
community assets and emphasizes the characteristics that
can make Central special
Project Lead: City of Cleveland
Support: CMHA, Campus District, Tri-C
All new streets and any reconstruction of existing streets
will be designed and planned to incorporate modern
criteria, including the City of Cleveland’s Complete and
Green Streets standards. Roadways will be developed to
provide safe and secure routes for pedestrians and cyclists
by diminishing the impact of vehicular traffic. The Cedars’
new infrastructure system is planned to reconnect and
extend the city network, linking redevelopment directly
with its surroundings which is intended to strengthen the
neighborhood’s walkable nature. Lighting, landscaping,
on-street parking and living units designed with front doors
facing their streets will increase safety and overcome the
insular development patterns previously employed by the
various estates. Immediate initiatives include the City of
Cleveland funded reconstruction of East 22nd Street as a
“Complete Street”, the upgrade of East 30th Street’s median
to include new landscaping and an initiative, “Street Trees
Throughout Central.”
Re-establish housing development and block patterns
Project Lead: CMHA
Support: City of Cleveland, BBC
As outlined throughout the analysis and planning tasks,
the housing options and their arrangements have greatly
shaped the Central neighborhood, often creating
separated “pockets” that feel disjointed and disconnected.
All new proposed housing, whether single-family homes,
townhomes or multi-unit buildings are envisioned to reshape
and redefine the notion of neighborhood. Buildings will
address their streets, providing front doors and porches
that directly relate to new sidewalks. New streets are
proposed to extend and restore the traditional city grid,
diminishing the insular stigma associated with public housing.
Finally, the architectural style will reflect and emphasize
a notion of “home.” Buildings are envisioned to include a
variety of materials, including brick, siding, metal panels
and other elements which embody traditional residential
characteristics. This approach not only redefines the housing
stock, but also blends multiple housing typologies together
in efforts to eliminate the noticeable difference between
subsidized housing and market rate units.
Create public and private open spaces that are flexible,
inviting and defensible
Support: Land Studios, CMHA, Campus District
One of the underlying principles that will lead to a successful
Choice Neighborhood Plan is the connection of residents
through places that bridge both private and public spaces.
Streets, parks, yards and recreation zones all must be
integrated to provide options for the people that live directly
adjacent to them and also be inviting to neighbors through
safe and attractive designs and amenities. The Cedars’ new
Central Park is envisioned to be a neighborhood-wide public
gathering space while “backyards” will provide residents
with private and personal areas. These extended senses of
community and ownership increase safety and offer green
space where children can play, families can barbeque and
neighbors can visit and relax. Creating new and enhancing
the varying public spaces throughout the Central study
area is vitally important and an absolute necessary step to
change the perception of individual neighborhoods as well
as the overall district.
Continue to develop the Safety Forces Coordination Program
Project Lead: CMHA Police, City of Cleveland Police,
GCRTA Police
Support: CSU Safety, Tri-C Safety, St. Vincent Medical Center
Security
The planning efforts and the community survey identified
crime and fear on the part of the residents as a overarching
concern. Recommendations were general, and focused
primarily on physical space and housing improvements. To
supplement the planning findings, several separate safety
and security agencies: CMHA Police, City of Cleveland
Police, GCRTA Police, CSU Safety, Tri-C Police, Cuyahoga
County Sheriff’s Office and the Cleveland Municipal Court
Adult Probation, have met to clarify and coordinate
between the jurisdictions. The team has outlined a strategy
including monthly meetings, shared police reports, serious
crimes to be jointly investigated, and install a network of
security cameras. As redevelopment occurs, agencies
will be engaged to conduct safety analysis for the sites
during the design process to ensure access and visibility is
maximized. Crime prevention programs will be established,
building from the Neighborhood Ambassadors (Promise
Ambassadors and establish Neighborhood Watch groups)
and organized by the Campus District to target specific
groups that are at-risk.
TRANSFORMATION DIRECTIVES:
Neighborhood Demographics
Education Access & Prioritization
Health Conditions & Impacts
Economic & Business Development
Safety & Crime
Housing & Neighborhood Density
Creating a Multi-Generational Approach
Establish the Enterprise “One Community” Digital network
Project Lead: One Community
Air the BBC Radio Station
Project Lead: BBC
Support: CMHA
Support: CMHA
The creation of a high-speed fiber optic network linking The
Cedars to Tri-C, CSU and CMHA will provide new access to
residents and students, open lines of communication and
provide Internet services that are currently lacking in the
Neighborhood. Learning institutions have expanded their
curriculum to include on-line learning, and free Internet
access will increase higher-education learning opportunities
and job training outreach programs. CMHA will revamp
its website to provide a “two-way” Choice website aimed
to keep residents informed as well as solicit feedback,
comments and directions from the people that live here.
BBC will work to establish and maintain a new community
radio station. The station’s offices will be located in the
Bridgeport Café and will aim to keep residents informed,
promote community activities and events and give the
people of the Central neighborhood a voice and identity.
This new media outlet is anticipated to reach all people in
the Neighborhood and beyond, with programming enticing
and attractive to the multi-generational residents.
Create Bridgeport Café at Community College
Project Lead: BBC
Support: BBC, Campus District
Support: CMHA, Tri-C
The ground floor in the proposed building located at the
intersection of Community College Avenue and East 30th
Street will house a community space, the “Bridgeport Café.”
This neighborhood hub will include a BBC managed café
and coffee shop, expanded kitchen for use by Tri-C Culinary
Studies, a “Central Concierge” Welcome Center and several
meeting spaces for residents, students and community
events. The Bridgeport Café’s role as a neighborhood and
Central “front door” is a strong component to redefine
the perception of the neighborhood by bringing residents,
businesses and community programs together to showcase
their individual and collective successes. Additionally, the
Socioeconomic Assistance for Business programming will be
housed here, offering incentives and opportunities to build
neighborhood small businesses.
Program for Assistance for Business Development
Project Lead: CMHA
Support: City of Cleveland Economic Development
Department
The Assistance for Business Development will target small,
neighborhood businesses throughout the study area and
offer a variety of programs and incentives to promote
business ownership and growth. Grants, low interest loans,
training and other initiatives will be explored to maximize
opportunities. Because of the nature of redevelopment
occurring in the district and adjacent areas, agriculturalbases enterprises may be targeted to build on momentum
and expand the skill set of employees.
Safety Ambassador Program
Project Lead: CMHA
A new program will be developed focused on training and
employing residents to be Safety Ambassadors. The training
program will be aimed towards engaged and outgoing
individuals that care for and love their neighborhood.
Modeled after the Downtown Cleveland Alliance
Ambassador services, the program will be shaped to provide
“eyes on the street.” Ambassadors will offer assistance, clean
and maintain public spaces and be able to give updates
on activities and programs throughout the Neighborhood.
An ongoing presence on the streets will promote an active
and safe neighborhood as well as heightened patrolling
throughout the district.
New neighborhood recreation center
Support: CMHA, BBC, Campus District
The renovation of the City of Cleveland Bath House as a
new recreation center will provide new programs in a key
location in The Cedar’s master plan and redevelopment. A
new center offers youth with afterschool programs, tutoring
and other services that aim to emphasize the importance
of education and community involvement. Also, the center
will serve as a new gathering place for neighborhood seniors
and adults, adding to the multi-generational approach to
the Central Choice Transformation Plan. Mentoring and
other programs are outlined in the People Implementation
portion of this report (connected network of services).
However, the importance of a safe, centralized and
accessible space is critical to bring people together in ways
that they can learn from each other and prepare for a
healthy future.
IMPLEMENT
Housing Metrics
The realization of the Cedar Redevelopment plan requires a phased approach to
construction and financing, spearheaded by the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing
Authority and their partners and strategies rebuilding the Central Choice Neighborhood.
As the Cedar Redevelopment Housing plan moves
towards implementation, the success of the project will
be based on the ability of the new community to meet
the goals set forward by this Transformation Plan. This
will include both the needs to realize not only the new
public housing, but integrating market-rate townhomes
and community amenities into the built project. In many
ways, the metrics relative to this Housing component will
overlap those outlined for the Neighborhood and People
components, particularly as they relate to tracking The
Cedars residents and improving access to necessary
amenities.
In order to achieve the metrics proposed, the
Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority will lead
the redevelopment effort. However, successful
implementation will require strong partnerships with
neighborhood stakeholders and civic leaders.
Additionally, the top priorities for implementation are
identified on the facing page. Partnerships and programs
have already been established, bringing together the
multiple agencies required to address residents’ needs,
plan for the future and attract new residents and
investments in the Central neighborhood.
As programs and initiatives move forward, CMHA will lead
many of the processes. However, the true potential of
the many Housing Implementation strategies relies on the
collaborative efforts of many. These relationships have
been identified and created through the Choice planning
process and are anticipated to continue to grow and
adapt as new challenges and opportunities arise. The
long-term involvement of each agency or establishment
is strengthened by the fact that many partners have
been engaged from the beginning of the process,
helping to shape the plan and strategies themselves. The
implementation strategies summarized on the following
pages are the work and ideas of the partners.
Top Priorities for Housing Implementation
The Housing Metrics within the Central Choice
Transformation Plan include:
• Rebuild / reconfigure The Cedars as
a connected, viable and balanced
neighborhood
• Establish mixed-income parameters
and development to redefine the
neighborhood
• Shape a mixed-income community
through inclusive management
uild a variety of housing typologies
• B
based on context and relationships
• Design homes that offer accessible and
inter-generational options
• Determine a marketing strategy to
attract new residents
• Offer an incentive program to reward /
entice people to live where they work
reate 1-for-1 housing replacement
• C
options for Cedar residents
• Invest in the Homeownership Zone
• Construct green and maintainable
homes
• Strengthen homes through stabilization
program
IMPLEMENT
Implementation Strategies - Housing
Rebuild and reconfigure The Cedars as a connected, viable
and balanced neighborhood center
Establish mixed-income parameters and development to
redefine the neighborhood
Project Lead: CMHA
Project Lead: CMHA
Support: City of Cleveland
Support: BBC
The complete reconstruction of The Cedars’ site will greatly
enhance the quality of living units as well as promote an
overall sense of place. The proposed master plan includes
the construction of seven new streets. The roadway
network is planned to align with adjacent streets to create
intersections, reduce the interior blocks of the estate sites
in efforts to re-imagine them as traditional neighborhoods
and include amenities and on-street parking. All homes are
oriented with front doors facing streets, re-establishing strong
connection between residents and the neighborhood
As identified in the plan and reaffirmed by a separate study
conducted by the National Initiative on Mixed-Income
Communities, there is strong support and a market demand
for market-rate units throughout the Central neighborhood.
CMHA has committed to providing such units, dispersed
throughout the neighborhood’s redevelopment initiatives.
Of the total 575 units to be built new or rehabbed as part
of The Cedars, 217 units or 38% will be market-rate units.
The 491 units of Choice funded Target Housing will be 40%
market-rate units, the majority of which will have no income
restrictions.
Additionally, the proposed multi-family building located at
the intersection of Community College Avenue and East
30th Street includes apartment units, public units at the
sidewalk level and establishes a strong presence of activity
on this busy intersection. Complementary green spaces and
parks are integrated throughout The Cedars’ plan. In order
to achieve such a substantial impact, the reconstruction
efforts are organized into seven phases. At the time of this
report, Cedar Phase I is funded and ready to proceed, and
many of the Cedar Extension Estate buildings have been
demolished. The initial phases represent over $16 million of
investment which includes the construction of the multifamily building and related site improvements. Subsequent
phases are mapped out and are reflected on the following
pages with their respective unit mixes and anticipated
funding sources.
In addition to constructing and managing the properties,
CMHA will lead efforts to shift the perception and
stigmas associated with public housing and the Central
neighborhood. The physical redevelopment of the
neighborhood will ensure the full integration and both
subsidized and market-rate units, property management
strategies for the mixed environment and the incorporation
of proper green spaces that serve all residents and does not
promote the separated use patterns that currently divide
the neighborhoods.
Finally, other plans and incentives will be developed and
offered to attract new residents to the neighborhood.
Safety & Crime
Build a mixed-income community through inclusive
management
Build a variety of housing typologies based on context and
relationships
Project Lead: CMHA
Project Lead: CMHA and Pennrose Management
Support: Pennrose Management
The Cedars’ five-year multi-phase redevelopment will
include a myriad of housing and unit types. Organized
into eight phases of demolition and reconstruction, the
redevelopment strategy includes townhomes, apartments
and the rehabilitation of a block of historic Olde Cedar units.
In order to achieve the desired mixture of units, the following
combination is proposed:
Programming, as further detailed in other portions of this
report, will focus on managing social dynamics among
residents of various social and economic backgrounds.
This will be accomplished through resident engagement,
intergenerational living options, outreach for youth and an
inclusive strategy for safety and security.
CMHA and Pennrose Management have outlined
“Strategies for Success” to create an effective mixedincome community below:
• Develop a Resident Council – Establish a group that is
fully representative of the community, including mixedincome group representation.
• Develop a strong supportive services program - Team
with all partner agencies (see specifics described in
the People plan). Both subsidized and mixed-income
residents of The Cedars and multi-generational members
of families will be encouraged to volunteer their talents in
these programs.
• Understand that management is Goal Driven - A holistic
property management program will be established. This
program will address the community as a whole and
not have separate facility management programs for
subsidized or mixed-income. This approach will focus on
meeting the goals of the entire community, not any one
group.
• Understand that management is Solution Driven – A
deeper understanding of individual issues, complaints
or problems will be investigated to best comprehend
the cause for such instances. For example, if children
are running through hallways or causing a disturbance,
youth programs will be considered. This approach aims
to address the core of issues and not simply solve the
immediate problem.
• Continue to involve the National Initiative for Mixed
Income Communities at Case Western Reserve University
– Continue obtaining their ongoing critique, market
studies and findings.
• 398 new townhomes designed with beauty and
connectivity in mind
• 120 new multi-family units with urban living and amenities
at their core
• 57 rehabilitated units within three historic Olde Cedar
buildings that acknowledge the significance of the Olde
Cedar architecture and estate
Additional redevelopment considerations are studied
throughout the Central Neighborhood, offering more
housing options and are outlined in the Impact Zones portion
of the planning report. Factors such as scale, adjacent
properties, unit distributions and marketability have shaped
the scenario planning. This flexible approach ensures the
neighborhood’s streets, parks and other public spaces are
complemented through the built environment and allow for
specific units types to be constructed to meet demand.
Design homes that offer accessible and inter-generational
options
All new units will be designed to conform with current
industry standards related to accessibility and adaptability.
The proposed mixture of units provide family units as well as
well as single-floor living. Apartments in the new multi-family
buildings will be accessible via elevator and all pathways
and sidewalks on-site will be constructed per accessibility
requirements. The full integration of accessible units
throughout The Cedars will provide more options for seniors
that prefer to live or stay in the neighborhood. This approach
helps create a true inter-generational neighborhood where
families can live in close proximity with each other and be
supported by amenities that offer choices for all.
Determine a marketing strategy to attract new residents
Project Lead: CMHA
Support: Pennrose Management
To attract new residents, CMHA and Pennrose have met with
anchor institutions and stakeholders. This strategy identifies
a “target market” that is aimed to entice selected groups
of potential renters who already have a commitment to
Cleveland and the Central Neighborhood. Ongoing market
research will continue to shape a marketing campaign
/ strategy, and a list of preliminary potential residents is
outlined below:
• Teachers from the Cleveland School System –
Management will identify clusters of teachers who would
benefit from the location, reasonable rental rates and
who would identify with and be directly involved with the
ongoing programs of the Central Promise Initiative.
• Employees from the Anchor Institutions – Build from
incentive programs (outlined below) that each institution
will offer to employees that choose to live in the Central
neighborhood.
• Employees from various government programs – Identify
programs that are active in Cleveland, such as Teach for
America and AmeriCorps.
• Employees of area non-profit organizations – Target social
service organizations and other groups whose missions
align with the values and objectives of the Central
Choice Transformation Plan. BBC and the Campus District
are a prime example of organizations that may promote
the neighborhood to their staff.
• The Arts Community – Trends illustrate that an authentic
urban environment, low rents and access to multiple
institutions and public transportation are attractive to
artists. CMHA and Pennrose will undertake outreach
efforts to local arts groups and promote a “magnet arts
community.” Studios and other spaces will be offered by
the neighboring institutions as well as spaces designated
for installations throughout the public spaces that are
planned.
• Market Green Building – The Cedars’ sustainable features
and their respective values will be quantified and
marketed to attract new residents.
Offer an incentive program to reward / entice people to live
where they work
Project Lead: CMHA
Support: Tri-C, St. Vincent Medical Center, Cleveland State
University, Campus District
All three Anchor Institutions, Cleveland State University, Tri-C
and St. Vincent Medical Center, will support the mixedincome market at The Cedars by offering incentives to their
employees. The incentive program will offer a first month
rent payment of up to $1,000 to as many as 45 employees
per year for a total of five years to those who choose to rent
at The Cedars. This will be part of a larger housing subsidy
program involving Cleveland State University, Tr-C and St.
Vincent Medical Center to be administered by The Campus
District. It is anticipated these services and commitments
would be valued at $50,000 per year for a total of $250,000
over the five-year timeline.
Create 1-for-1 housing replacement options for Cedar
residents
The Cedars’ redevelopment is founded on a one-for-one
replacement requirement. All 803 units to be demolished
or disposed of at Cedar Extension and Olde Cedar will be
replaced. Replacement housing units will consist of 253
Choice funded units as well as 49 units that will receive
Project-Based Vouchers via the RAD financing program.
CMHA will also provide replacement vouchers that provide
residents with relocation support. Working with Pennrose,
CHMA residents will have the opportunity to qualify for
and to move into the recently completed St. Luke’s senior
housing. The St. Luke’s redevelopment is the recipient
of numerous awards and is in an ideal location within a
10-minute walk from Shaker Square, a vibrant mixed-use
district. The property is also adjacent to a light rail public
transportation (GCRTA) station and is consistent with the
principles of transit-oriented development. Other amenities
include a public library, medical center and the Social
Security Administrative building.
Invest in the Homeownership Zone
Strengthen homes through stabilization programs
Project Lead: CMHA
Project Lead: BBC
Support: BBC
Support: CMHA
The Homeownership Zone’s past successes must be built
upon and act as a catalyst for continued investment. To
date, over 300 for-sale housing units in six subdivisions have
been constructed and sold as part of the initiative “Villages
of Central.” As homeowners have moved into the area,
the perception concerning safety and property values
has been enhanced. In addition to housing, the area has
received substantial capital improvements. Roads have
been repaved, parks and green spaces have benefitted
from investment and new sidewalks and sewers have
been installed along streets where new in-fill housing has
been constructed. The Homeownership Zone represents
an underlying demand and potential to create a mixedincome neighborhood which has been identified as an
objective of the Transformation Plan. BBC and CMHA will
continue to work together, identifying new parcels for
housing that can be developed in conjunction with The
Cedars and other initiatives.
As new units are constructed, it is imperative to ensure the
existing housing stock can be stabilized. The age of the
neighborhood homes, their relationship to one another and
their place within Cleveland’s history are all factors that
suggest the existing homes are worth investing in, where
feasible. Programs and outreach efforts will include repair
education classes, property assessments and energy audits
to help property owners understand and prioritize necessary
repairs. Additionally, foreclosure prevention efforts will
continue via financial counseling and loan modifications.
There are many groups and organizations that currently
provide such services and CMHA directs residents to the
proper establishment which meets their needs.
Construct green and maintainable homes
Project Lead: CMHA and Pennrose
To best ensure the long-term health of the housing stock and
neighborhood, green building technologies and strategies
will be employed throughout every aspect of construction.
The Cedars’ redevelopment will be shaped by the United
States Green Building Council’s LEED-ND criteria. The
neighborhood plan has begun the extensive review process
and will continue to satisfy the requirements of the program.
Additionally, the 60 unit mixed-use facility in Phase 1 of The
Cedars redevelopment has a goal to achieve a minimum
of LEED Silver rating. The complete integration of sustainable
planning, green design and sensitive construction not only
reduces the physical impact of the development, but also
aims to minimize costs related to heating, cooling, electrical
loads and other maintenance items. By minimizing these
costs, the savings can be passed on to residents, reducing
their cost of living.
IMPLEMENT
Housing Funding Strategy
An assortment of funding strategies will be employed to achieve the redevelopment
of The Cedars to ensure the goal of creating a diverse mixed-income community will
be met while preserving affordable and accessible housing for Central’s residents.
The Cedars’ redevelopment and related funding requires
partnerships, multiple sources and a blend of units to
qualify for both Rental Assistance Development (RAD) and
Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). Each phase (as
outlined on the facing page) will include financing from
Choice and CMHA funds, City of Cleveland infrastructure
funds, City of Cleveland HOME funds, equity generated
from LIHTC allocations, bond proceeds, and FHA insured
amortizing debt. The phase containing the rehabilitation of
historic Olde Cedar units will also include federal and state
historic tax credit equity.
Additionally, each phase of replacement housing The
Cedars is applying to convert to RAD in order to qualify
for funding. Each phase will include developer and
operations guarantees that will be provided by Ralph
A. Falbo, Inc. and Pennrose Properties, LLC. The housing
entity, PF Cedar LLC, will control the limited partnerships
that will own each phase of the redevelopment as the
majority general partner of each limited partnership.
PF Cedar LLC will also be engaged by each limited
partnership as the developer of each phase and will
be responsible for carrying out all of the development
activities pursuant to a development agreement for each
phase.
Cedar Phase 1 is currently funded and ready to proceed
to closing. The total project cost exceeds $16M dollars
for the multi-family mixed-use building situated at the
intersection of Community College Avenue and East
30th Street. Funding sources include a CMHA loan for
$8M, a HUD insured loan from the Bellwhether Enterprise
for $3.495M, City of Cleveland Housing Trust Funds in the
amount of $600,000 and an equity commitment from
Enterprise Community Investments of $4.39M
On the facing page is a comprehensive table outlining
each phase, its unit make up / mix and anticipated
funding source.
The Cedars Phase Breakdown and Funding Sources
UNIT COUNT BREAKDOWN
60%
LIHTC
Units
FUNDING SOURCE DISTRIBUTION
120%
Market
Rate
Units
RAD
11
82%
Phase
Total
50% RAD
Units
Cedar Phase I
Multi-Family*
60
49
Cedar Phase II
92
45
10
37
49%
11%
40%
Cedar Phase III
70
34
8
28
49%
11%
40%
Olde Cedar Phase I
92
45
10
37
49%
11%
40%
Olde Cedar Phase II
72
36
8
28
50%
11%
39%
Olde Cedar Phase III
72
36
8
28
50%
11%
39%
Olde Cedar Phase IV
Multi-Family
60
29
6
25
48%
10%
42%
Historic Cedar Phase IV
57
28
6
23
49%
11%
40%
CHOICE Total
515
253
56
206
49%
11%
40%
Grand Total
575
302
56
217
53%
10%
38%
LIHTC
Market
Rate
18%
* Phase is not included in CHOICE funding application and is funded separately
IMPLEMENT
Implementation Governance Structure
As the Central Choice Transformation Planning process progresses towards
implementation, the People, Neighborhood and Housing lead entities will play a
critical roll in leveraging the support of the Neighborhood’s stakeholders and the
partnerships that have developed throughout this process.
The People Plan establishes a governance structure as
outlined in Section 1.3 comprised of the Lead Entities,
Case Western Reserve University (evaluators), resident
leadership (consisting of residents of all income levels),
local businesses, Central area leaders, community and
support service agencies, the Campus District, and the
anchor institutions. The governance structure will meet
on a quarterly basis to check the progress of the People
Plan services and activities provided and report on the
accomplishments that have been achieved, as well as
any barriers to service provision. This group will identify any
new gaps in services to ensure resident needs are met.
The governance structure acts as the advisory group to
ensure sustainability of People Plan services beyond the
Choice Implementation award. The governance structure
will engage funders such as the Key Bank and the Mount
Sinai Foundation to raise funds for sustainability. These
funds will serve as leverage for attracting additional
community and philanthropic resources to assure the
provision of community and supportive services beyond
the five-year term.
The governance structure will:
I) continually assess individual and collective
resident needs and maintain linkages between
Central Choice residents and the services they need,
2) remain alert to additional partnership
opportunities that will enhance services and
resources available to residents, and
3) collect and, with CMRU, analyze data on key
indicators to remain informed of the success of the
current strategies, and develop additional strategies
as necessary.
Among the key partners that are committed to new
improved and intensified services in the Choice
neighborhood and who are taking responsibility for
continuing to raise the needed resources from private
and public sources are: The PNI, Cleveland Public Schools
Academic Transformation Plan, Cuyahoga Community
College, Children’s Place, Care Alliance, St. Vincent
Charity Medical Center.
People Metrics
The metrics that guide the implementation of the People-based initiatives established
for the Central Choice Neighborhood address the education, safety, health and
workforce development goals of the Choice process, with a focus on leveraging
partnerships and dual-generational programming.
The People Plan represents a strategic partnership
between residents, the Central Neighborhood, local
community organizations and over forty service
providers, businesses, community stakeholders, the
Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Central Promise
Neighborhood Initiative, Burten, Bell, Carr, Falbo-Pennrose,
CMHA, Campus District Inc, and its anchor institutions.
Promise Neighborhood Initiative is the Principal Education
Partner, and CMHA is the Lead Entity for People. The
two will work in concert with the Neighborhood and
Housing Leads to implement the People Plan’s innovative
strategies. The People Plan strategies address the needs
of Central Choice residents, and assists them to improve
their quality of life by developing comprehensive, resultsoriented, individual development plans with achievable
goals.
The people Metrics within the Central Choice
Transformation Plan include:
• Create a network of Community Centers
with each focused on a particular service
or set of services (streamline available
funding and encourage residents
to experience other facilities in their
neighborhood)
• Provide access to quality health care to
ensure that children, youth and adults
are physically and mentally healthy
• Encourage household and economic
stability and self-sufficiency for residents
through job training, education, access
to business development tools and
opportunities for low and very low
income residents
• Make the neighborhood a model for
innovation in Urban Agriculture, Healthy
Eating and Green Training
• Ensure that supportive services are
sustainable with an established
governance structure of leadership from
within the Community
• Sustain an education pipeline from Early
Childhood through College / Career
Training
• Introduce programs in Central to prevent
criminal activity (particularly youth)
and that encourages older residents
to act as role models and mentors for
neighborhood children
IMPLEMENT
Implementation Strategies - People
Encourage household stability and economic selfsufficiency for residents through job training, education,
access to business development tools and opportunities for
low and very low income residents.
Project Lead: Tri-C, CMHA, Employment Connection, Council
for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland (CEOGC),
The Job Spot
Support: MidTown, Greater Cleveland Partnership, City of
Cleveland, Sherwin Wiliams, ECDI, COAD, Green Team, FEN,
NPI, BBC, CSU, Guidestone, One Community
Central is particularly well endowed with post-high
school educational and job training assets located in
the Neighborhood or easily accessible. Four fields stand
out as the greatest opportunity for residents: health care,
manufacturing, construction and food service. Programs like
GED and Benefits Access for College Completion programs
provide avenues for low-income students to attain their
educational goals. The Financial Empowerment Network
in partnership offers personal financial coaching, family
budgeting and economic security courses. To complement
the efforts of improving the economic and educational
opportunities of Central’s residents, economic development
agencies are working to place residents in jobs in or near
the neighborhood to connect the residential and business
communities.
Introduce programs in Central to prevent criminal activity
(particularly youth) and that encourages older residents to
act as role models and mentors for neighborhood children.
Project Lead: CMHA, CPD, CMHA Police, Campus Police
Departments, Beech Brook, Frontline Services,
Support: Residents, YAARP Jr., STANCE, Cleveland Public
Theater, Griot!-Seniors Teach Life Lessons to Kids Program
Forming partnership between educational assets, social
service providers, law enforcement and residents is crucial to
reducing crime throughout the neighborhood and deterring
youth from criminal activity. Providing programing for kids
that keep them occupied and engaged in their community
can help prevent crime, particularly gang related. Programs
that unite youth with older residents provide opportunities for
mentorship and role models to kids who may not get support
and guidance from other adults in their lives. Community reentry and substance abuse prevention are key to ensuring
that residents with a troubled past receive the support they
need to be successful members of the neighborhood.
Provide access to quality healthcare to ensure that children,
youth and adults are physically and mentally healthy.
Project Lead: St. Vincent’s Charity Medical Center, Care
Alliance, Murtis Taylor, Sisters of Charity Foundation
Support: CMHA
The Health Literacy Institute is an initiative that aims to
improve the level of care Central’s residents receive
and their ability to make decisions about their family’s
healthcare. Residents with low health literacy often
have higher utilization of treatment services – including
emergency departments and hospitalization – improving the
training of caregivers includes speaking in plain language
and encouraging patients to ask questions. The new Health
Center on the Cedar Estates will fill in service gaps, providing
specialized services to residents including dental care,
women’s health, pediatrics, family medicine, optometry,
behavioral health and an on-site pharmacy. Across the
neighborhood, counseling and mental health support
service providers are leveraging their support to improve
access and treatment of options for residents, providing
meal assistance to older residents and conducting health
& wellness activities to educate residents on nutrition and
healthy eating habits.
Make the neighborhood a model for innovation in Urban
Agriculture, Healthy Eating and Green Training.
Project Lead: BBC & CMHA
Support: Green Team, Tri-C, Children’s Hunger Alliance,
Golden Age Center
Social service agencies and neighborhood transformation
directives intersect to connect redevelopment possibilities
with Healthy Eating and Access to Fresh Foods. Developing
underutilized and vacant parcels with Urban Agriculture
provides a multi-faceted opportunity for Central to alleviate
blight, generate new jobs and skill-sets, educate residents
on healthy eating and provide them access to fresh food
options in their own neighborhood. CMHA’s Green Team
recruits public housing residents to take on urban agriculture
jobs through hands-on training and education – a program
that will work hand in hand with BBC’s new adult education
community kitchen, CornUcopia Place and restaurant. The
new restaurant will be located on the ground floor of Cedar
Multi-family building on Community College Avenue.
Safety & Crime
Ensure that supportive services are sustainable with an
established governance structure of leadership from within
the Community.
Project Lead: CMHA, Promise Neighborhood Initiative, Case
Western Reserve University, Campus District, Burton, Bell, Carr
Support: Residents, Local Businesses, Central’s Anchor
Institutions
To ensure the successful implementation and sustainability
of the Central Choice Transformation Plan a governance
structure has been formed as an advisory group to oversee
progress, detect gaps in services, and identify funding
and partnership opportunities. The governance structure
will meet on a quarterly basis to check the progress of the
Transformation Plan, report on accomplishments, activities
and expanded services, and work to identify and remove
any barriers to success.
Create a network of Community Centers with each focused
on a particular service or set of services.
Project Lead: Friendly Inn, Outhwaite, Central Bath House,
Lonnie Burton, Murtis Taylor
Support: CMHA & The City of Cleveland
Central’s numerous Community Centers will combine
resources and leverage strengths to form a partnership,
with each center focusing on a particular service or set
of services: Technology & Industry Sector Careers, Adult
Education & Soft Skills Training, Multi-Generational: Youth
Positive Development & Senior Services, Health & Fitness and
Arts & Culture. This will facilitate resident movement across
the Neighborhood while targeting services and strategic
funding sources as a collective rather than individual entities
all trying to provide a complete set of services within limited
budgets / funding pools.
Sustain an education pipeline from Early Childhood through
College / Career Training.
Project Lead: Promise Neighborhood Initiative, Tri-C,
Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services - Invest in
Children program, CMSD, CSU, Children’s Place
Support: Parents, Bingham Early Learning Center, SPARK,
Cleveland Public Library, Council for Economic Opportunities
in Greater Cleveland (CEOGC), 21st Century Community
Learning Center, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts, NBA
Math Hoops, Teach for America, STEP, Friendly Inn
Central’s many educational assets strongly positions the
neighborhood to build and sustain a pipeline for children
to achieve their educational goals and become successful
adults. Early Childhood education has been identified
as key to preparing children to learn when they enter
kindergarten, this includes quality infant care, parenting
classes, Head Start and preschool. By expanding and
improving existing early childhood programs and making
them more accessible to all the children and families in the
Neighborhood, the rate of children’s success in school will
improve. Identifying learning issues, providing school supplies
and books, tutoring and engaging parents in the process
are services that will be expanded as well. Programs that
keep kids in school, meeting goals, and providing quality
extra-curricular activities will be expanded to get kids
prepared for higher education and job training. The pipeline
continues through college preparation and enrollment
assistance for youth as well as expanding opportunities for
adults without degrees or high school diplomas to complete
their education and expand their skill sets.

CLEVELAND CENtrAL ChoiCE - Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing

Transcription

Similar documents

Rechavia - Colony Real Estate Professionals

Page 1 ExhibitAExecutiveSummary Cuyahoga Metropolitan

St. John of God - Planning Office for Urban Affairs

a snapshot of adaptive reuse in Rochester, n.y.

Let`s Get This Show on the Road!

WETA Television | WETA

century village - Southern Lifestyle Development

BNEC Report

Hollydale - Springfield Township

May 2015 Newsletter - South Haven Living Center