Carter&Riverfront:&Reimagining&the&Scranton&Peninsula&

A"Capstone"Project"of"Cleveland"State"University’s"UST"611"Planning"Studio!!
May,"2015

Two Visions: Transforming the Scranton Planning Studio

Peninsula, Cleveland, Ohio Students
Ayden Ergun
Alethea Ganaway
Rachel Gruic
Timothy Holcomb
Brandon Isner
William Jones
Steven Kanner
Nathaniel Neider
Julie Quinn
Julia Schnell
Megan Shockey
Kessa Turnbull
Xin Xu

Instructors
Professor Jim Kastelic
Professor Wendy Kellogg
 Carter&Riverfront:&Reimagining&the&Scranton&Peninsula&
A!Capstone!Project!of!Cleveland!State!University’s!UST!611!Planning!
Studio!!
May, 2015

Prepared for
Forest City Enterprises The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts
and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the
In Fulfillment of official views or policies of the Cleveland State University or Forest City Enterprises (which
Cleveland State University’s, Levin College of paid a stipend to the CSU program in order to participate as a client).
Urban Affairs
2015 UST 611Urban Planning All material contained in this document are open source and available to anyone at no cost. It
Studio requirements may not be resold without the permission of the authors. When citing this work, proper credit
is required . Please cite as follows:
This Paper is Available on Our Website CSU, Levin College of Urban Affairs, 2015 UST 611Urban Planning Studio ( Ergun, A.,
https:// carter-riverfront.com Ganaway, A., Gruic, R., Holcomb, T., Isner, B., Jones, W., Kanner, S., Neider, N., Quinn, J.,
Schnell, J., Turnbull, K., Xu, X.)
Authors
Ayden Ergun
Alethea Ganaway
For further information about this paper, program or CSU, please contact the following:
Rachel Gruic Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University
Timothy Holcomb
Brandon Isner 1717 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115
William Jones 216-687-6908
Steven Kanner
Nathaniel Neider [email protected]


Julie Quinn
Julia Schnell
http://urban.csuohio.edu/
Megan Shockey
Kessa Turnbull
Xin Xu

© The Listed Authors, 2015

Cleveland, OH
 Abstract

Cleveland State University’s Master of Urban Planning, Design and Development’s capstone class is the
UST 611 Planning Studio. A class of thirteen students, led by two instructors, prepared a detailed paper
regarding potential redevelopment of the area in Cleveland, OH that is currently known as the Scranton
Peninsula. Forest City Enterprises is the private majority share owner for the vast majority of the 80 plus acre
property that is adjacent to downtown. They acted as the client of the class.
A thorough review of the history, current physical conditions, current zoning regulations & uses, current
ownership, demographics, culture, similar development plans from across the US, current local and regional
plans for the area, surveying local residents and stakeholders, and brownfields risks was completed to
understand the context of the area before any redevelopment of the land was proposed. The class named the
development project the Carter Riverfront: Reimagining the Scranton Peninsula in honor of the first
European American settler in the area.
Next, the 13 students broke up into two separate groups and prepared two different development plans for
the site. The plans had many elements in common such as the smart growth philosophy of dense development
and mixed use (containing residential, retail, commercial, and office), environmental concern, and appreciation
of the environs and the surrounding Cuyahoga River. Differences included an urban campground, a graffiti park
and an in-depth review of available funding sources in Group B’s plan, while Group A’s included a center
promoting cooperatives and cutting edge supply chain processes, an artist live-work co-op apartment and reuse
of one of the buildings to create a recreation-art center.
Projected costs for the developer were also presented in both papers. Group A projected a cost of close to
$96 million in order to complete the development, while Group B projected a cost of close to $450 million.
Both put brownfield remediation costs in the area of $10 million.

i
 Table of contents

Public Surveys & Stakeholder Interviews 38

Introduction 1
PHASE TWO - GROUP A
PHASE ONE
National Plans - Milwaukee Riverfront 2 Plan Overview - Team A
Site Plans and Elevations 47
National Plans - North End 3
Summary of the Design Elements 51
Local and Regional Plans 4
Themes Synopsis 52
Existing Regulatory Conditions and Ownership 7
LEED ND 53
Zoning, Existing Use and Cleveland 2020 Citywide
Plan 8 Area Highest and Best Use 55

Parcel Ownership 9 SWOT Analysis 57

Physical Conditions 13 Remediation & Construction Costs 58

Existing Conditions Summary - Transportation 18 Project Specific Remediation & Development

Construction Costs 59
Existing Conditions Summary: Brownfield Analysis 19
Total Cost/Rent Analysis 60
History of the Scranton Peninsula 22
Carter Riverfront Center for Innovation in
Demographics 30 Manufacturing and Cooperatives 63

Demographics - Homelessness and Housing Needs 34 Arts and Culture 67

Demographics - Crime 35 Green Space and Recreation 71

Demographics - Culture 37 Transportation 74

PHASE TWO - GROUP B
Plan Overview - Team B
Site Plans and Elevations 81

Executive Summary 88

Multi - Modal Connections and Place-Making 90

Graffiti Park 93

Carter Townhomes 95

Mixed-Use District 96

River’s Bend Apartments 100

Finances 101

Urban Campground 105

Public Funds Targeting Brownfield Cleanup 107

Funding From Local Foundations 115

Conclusion 119

Acknowledgements 120
Introduction
It is likely that John Malvin, of the early 19th century, canal boat captain, The above work will be presented in
Cleveland civic leader and one of the first African Americans to live in the section known as Phase 1.
Cleveland, floated on a boat down the Cuyahoga River. The odds are that he
went past the land that became known as Scranton Peninsula. It is easy to Concurrent to the work done in
imagine that he saw great possibilities for that land and for all of Cleveland. Phase 1, an extensive survey of
It was a time of the new canals, while Cleveland was growing and becoming random near west side pedestrians
a gateway to the west for people and gateway to the east for raw materials. and targeted stakeholders was
conducted. The results of this can be
Today, our group of thirteen students enrolled in UST 611 Planning Studio, found in the section labeled Public
Cleveland State University’s Master of Urban Planning, Design and Surveys and Stakeholder Interviews.
Development’s capstone class, also see great possibilities for that same
peninsula. In 2015, Scranton Peninsula has gone through extensive wear Next, the 13 students broke up into two separate groups and prepared two
and tear and is left with close to 80 acres of polluted and worn down land different development plans for the site. The plans had many elements in
Most of it an unoccupied brownfield, and only a few business are left to common, such as the smart growth philosophy of dense development and
occupy a few rundown buildings. mixed use (containing residential, retail, commercial, and office),
environmental concern, and appreciation of the environs and the
Our class, which met during the spring semester of 2015 and was led by two surrounding Cuyahoga River. Differences included an urban campground, a
senior Levin College instructors, prepared a detailed paper regarding graffiti park and an in-depth review of available funding sources in Group
potential redevelopment of the area in Cleveland, OH that is currently B’s plan, while Group A’s included a center promoting cooperatives and
known as the Scranton Peninsula. Forest City Enterprises is the private cutting edge supply chain processes, an artist live-work co-op apartment and
majority share owner for the vast majority of the 80 plus acre property that reuse of one of the buildings to create a recreation-art center.
is adjacent to downtown. They acted as the client of the class.
The above work will be presented in two parts in the Phase 2 section, each
Before we as a class could propose what will be, we had to research and self-contained and each section preceded by Site Plans and concept
examine the context of the site: what was and what is currently at this land drawings. Group A, consisting of Alethea Ganaway, Steven Kanner,
adjacent to the heart of downtown. We broke up into five small subgroups
Nathaniel Neider, Julie Quinn, Julia Schnell, and Xin Xu, present their
and did a thorough review of the history, current physical conditions, current
vision for the redevelopment of Scranton Peninsula into Carter Riverfront.
zoning regulations & uses, current ownership, demographics, culture,
current local and regional plans for the area, and brownfields risks
associated with the site and surrounding area. The class named the The members of Group B, Ayden Ergun, Rachel Gruic, Timothy Holcomb,
development project the Carter Riverfront: Reimagining the Scranton Brandon Isner, William Jones, Megan Shockey and Kessa Turnbull will then
Peninsula in honor of the first European American settler in the area. present their conceptualization.

1
Phase 1
Review of National plans - Milwaukee Riverfront
The key to Milwaukee’s current boom in housing and mixed
use development along its riverfront is a public investment that
began in 1997. The Milwaukee RiverWalk was a major upgrade
to the Milwaukee River which winds its way through
Milwaukee most dense urban core.1 The initial upgrades that
made the riverfront into the Milwaukee RiverWalk were fairly
standard public investment projects that included new walking
paths, better pedestrian access of bridges, and lighting. Since
this investment, the riverfront, which the RiverWalk partially
makes up, has seen 150% increase in Fair market value and an
added revenue of $540 Million. In order to understand the
investment that has occurred along the riverfront we looked at a
view key developments, all of which would not be possible
without the initial investment that was made over 15 years ago.2

The

1!http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/riverwalk7condo7developments7transformed7milwaukee7riverfront7b9948754z17262244291.html)

2!http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/riverwalk7condo7developments7transformed7milwaukee7riverfront7b9948754z17262244291.html)

2
National plans - NORTH END / DOMUS / REED STREET

R E E D S T R E E T YA R D
NORTH END Most of the riverfront development in Milwaukee is residential
and retail, however one of the most interesting recent projects,
The development, on the outskirts of Milwaukee core central Reed Street Yards, will be the offices of the water technology
business district, is a major project by the Mandel Group. The business initiative. The core of the project will include a strong
multifamily development occupies 2.4 acres and stands at six research, development, and industrial component centered on
stories tall. The 168 unit development connects to the water filtration technology. By project completion will include
RiverWalk, 400 feet of which the developer has extended. The 8 buildings and over 1 million sq. ft. of new office and research
$50 million project also includes 30,000 sq. ft of retail, facilities. Reed Street Yards includes a 1,040 ft. extension of the
intended for a grocer. 3 RiverWalk.
DOMUS When compared to other Great Lakes cities, Milwaukee is
Similar to the North End making huge strides along their riverfront. The projects
development The Domus highlighted here are only a fraction of previous projects, as well
development, in Milwaukee as future projects that are currently in their nascent stages. It is
Third Ward District. Built on top not a stretch to say that what has occurred along Milwaukee’s
of a former industrial site, and urban riverfront would not have been possible if not for the
currently a surface parking lot, original investment made by the city in 1997. This original
Domus has the distinct investment, as well as the city’s RiverWalk extension
advantage of riverfront real requirement for developers, demonstrates how cities can create
estate, while also serving as an encourage riverfront development.
extension to an already thriving
Warehouse District full of
restaurant and retail. The 130
unit development, which also
includes retail, includes a 450 ft.
extension of the Milwaukee
RiverWalk. 4

3(http://urbanmilwaukee.com/2015/02/20/freshwater-mecca-milwaukees-extraordinary-freshwater-future/?utm_source=Urban
+Milwaukee&utm_campaign=c2feb7498c-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fa7240869f-c2feb7498c-51384977

4(http://urbanmilwaukee.com/2015/02/20/freshwater-mecca-milwaukees-extraordinary-freshwater-future/?utm_source=Urban
+Milwaukee&utm_campaign=c2feb7498c-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fa7240869f-c2feb7498c-51384977

3
LOCAL & REGIONAL PLANS

We reviewed several plans relating to the Scranton Peninsula plans, ranging from connecting already existing neighborhoods
extending from 1992 to current day. Some of them are distinct such as the Flats and Steelyard Commons to planned
plans in their concise PDFs while others are websites that are developments like Canal Basin Park. They also sought to
updated periodically and thus do not have distinct starts and provide many different methods of transportation ranging from
ends to their plans. The first thing we did was determine a traditional methods like driving, walking, and biking to transit
number of common themes across the plans in order to methods like buses, trains, and trolleys, to unique modes like
determine how each plan approached them directly. sky rides and water taxis. The plans wanted to focus on the
transportation being sustainable and equitable and providing
The first theme was Parks, Open Space, Outdoor Recreation, methods for residents throughout Cleveland to be able to access
and Trails. This was anything to do with outdoor recreation, green space and the waterfront in an environmentally conscious
green space, open space, walking, biking, etc. Most plans manner.
focused around having green space along the perimeter of
Scranton Peninsula as well as increasing the amount of green The fourth theme was Neighborhood Development, Retail, and
space available through clustered development and pocket Industry. This was the traditional form of development centered
parks. Many plans also focused on sustainability features such around revenue-producing buildings, either separate from
as green infrastructure and complete streets. housing or combined with it. The plans all called for mixed-use
developments focusing on employment centers for local
The second theme was Lake and Riverfront Development and development districts and using the transportation infrastructure
Access. This was any goal to either make it easier to access to connect disadvantaged residents with new employment
Lake Erie or the Cuyahoga River or to focus development opportunities. While the plans varied in their innovativeness,
along them and utilize them as assets rather than putting the none of them were looking at just traditional style
back of development towards the water as Cleveland has developments but instead sought to provide a “wow factor”
traditionally done. All of the plans mentioned the need for the through the enhancement of the area’s cultural significance and
bulkheads to be repaired as well as made narrower and more customized developments that would attract people from
ecologically beneficial whenever possible. Several plans also throughout the region and beyond. They also called for a
suggested piers, bridges, boardwalks, or connector trails in balance between housing and business while using the
order to provide access to residents to actually be able to get peninsula as a catalyst for surrounding developments.
down to the waterfront and use the unique water system as a
method of place-making. The fifth and final theme was Funding and Support. This was
less of a theme in its own right but more occupied with trying
The third theme was Connections and Transportation. This to find how much things cost when possible and listing any
focused on connections between different developments and funding sources that were mentioned in order to provide
neighborhoods as well as connections between different guidelines for both costs and funding for our planned
transportation systems such as walking, biking, bus, and trains, development. The plans all were funded or planned on being
as well as more unique forms of transportation such as water funded through public-private partnerships. The City of
taxis or a sky ride. Connectivity was a huge theme across all the

4
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and federal grants were common REVIEW OF PLANS
public partners as well as the Metroparks. The Cleveland
Foundation and George Gund Foundations were also strongly • Towpath Trail Extension Plan
involved. Geis Companies and First Interstate were important • The Towpath in Cleveland
private partners. • Cleveland SkyLift Plan
• Cleveland Gateway Redevelopment Plan
To conclude, we found that the most important aspect of
• Birding in Ohio
development was to focus on connections between
• The Towpath Trail Study
neighborhoods and developments in order to get the maximum
• How Do We Move into the Future Plan
utilization of assets. The plans reviewed determined that going
• Canal Basin Park: Schematic Plan Development
forward with our own Carter Riverfront plan, it is essential to
• Canal Basic District Plan
maintain a healthy balance of land uses. Sustainability should
• North Cuyahoga Valley Corridor Study and Plan
be a primary component, while focusing particularly on
• The Waterfront District Plan
increasing residential density to economically support desired
• The Waterfront District Regional Plan
amenities. Finally, we must promote balanced transportation
• Irishtown Greenway: A Strategic Plan for the Flats West
infrastructure across all modes of travel in order to provide Bank
equitable access to green spaces and the riverfront for
• Flats Forward
marginalized populations so that our development provides
• Wendy Park Plan
help to those who need it most, rather than those who already
• Detroit Ave. East Development Plan
have the ability to live the life they choose.
• Byway Improvement Plan - Ohio City
• Valley Views Homes Hope VI Plan
• Flats East Bank
• Historic Warehouse District Master Plan
• Linking the Corridor
• Ohio & Erie Canalway: America’s Byway Management Plan

5
Example of Timeline

6
existing regulatory conditions & ownership

The Scranton Peninsula, located along the Cuyahoga River in the flats, is the home of some of the most spectacular views of downtown and
yet is one of the most underutilized pieces of land within the city of Cleveland.  Currently, the land houses many dilapidated buildings and
the telltale signs of a manufacturing past.  The regulatory conditions of the Scranton Peninsula reflect its manufacturing heritage.  The
landowners, deed transfer history, zoning, and existing use all reflect the industrial character of the land, however the future is undetermined
and Cleveland’s 2020 Citywide plan shows indications of the potential this land has.  This existing regulatory existing conditions and land
ownership report will serve to identify the current state of the land as it pertains to Zoning, Existing Use, and current ownership through
breaking down the land parcel by parcel.  The current conditions may signify a need for regulatory change at the city level, and may also
identifying in land acquisition issues as developers consider the peninsula.

7
ZONING, existing use & CLEVELAND 2020 CITYWIDE PLAN
The Z O N I N G that exists throughout the Scranton As Cleveland looks towards the future, and development
Peninsula is General Industry.  The City of Cleveland’s Code of opportunities arise for the Scranton Peninsula, it must be noted
Ordinances for General Industry is found in TITLE VII: Zoning that aspects of the peninsula's industrial past will remain.  The
Code, Chapter 345 - Industrial Districts, which outlines the railroad for example, is reflected in the 2020 Citywide Plan
specific uses allowed in a General Industry zoned area.  Similar zoning scheme for this area.  Cleveland’s sees the future of this
to Semi-Industry, General Industry districts allow the same uses area as Mixed Use: Residential with Recreational Space
with the addition of loading platforms for trucking and bordering the river.  The expansion of the Tow-Path Trail and
shipping, dusty material storage, open wrecking and storage, future Lake Link Trail both strive towards this future vision.
and other characteristics of an industrial district with room to The question remains how the regulatory Code will change as
move towards more heavy industrial uses..  Most important to development takes place.      
note in the code is that it specifically eliminates the possibility
of constructing any housing as the zoning currently stands:
“...no dwelling house, row house or multiple dwelling, and no
building or Institutional H Occupancy Classification, shall be
located within two hundred (200) feet of the boundary line of
an adjoining General or Unrestricted Industry District, and no
existing building within two hundred (200) feet of such
boundary line shall be converted or altered to any such use...”
While the Board of Zoning Appeals has the ability to grant
exceptions, and development prospect that would include
residence would require the rezoning of the entire peninsula.

The City of Cleveland’s intended use of the Scranton Peninsula

is General Industry, which the current Existing Use supports
through light industry and heavy industry uses.  However, there
is a large portion of Industrial Vacant Land that exists along the
western edge of the peninsula.  Of note is the institutional use
on the north-eastern edge which is a City of Cleveland fire
station.   Also along the eastern border of the peninsula the
towpath trail has expanded and previously vacant land is now
green space, although not reflected on the GIS map.   The
railroad that splits the peninsula down the is active and services
the other industrial areas along the Cuyahoga.

8
 PARCEL OWNERSHIP

The ownership of Scranton Peninsula is mostly held by Forest City Enterprises through subsidiaries it owns.  The Flats Industrial Rail Road owns
parcels that run through the peninsula that allow rail cars to access industrial sites in the flats.  The City of Cleveland owns parcels that connect the
Carter Road lift bridge and another lift bridge to the eastern bank of Cuyahoga River.  The North Cuyahoga Valley Corridor owns the land that the
recently completed section of the Towpath is located.  The land on the slope that transitions between Duck Island and the Scranton Peninsula was
owned by Westbank Development but was recently transferred to Parkworks, Inc.  Lastly, the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company owns a very
small parcel of land on the eastern bank of the site.

9
 OWNERSHIP BY AREA

The substantial majority of square footage on the peninsula is owned by Forest City
with the rest of the land holders owning significant but much smaller total square footage.

10
Land use

The lion’s share of the current land use on the peninsula is

industrial vacant land.  There is a notable portion of land area
that qualifies or a charitable exemption.  This is most likely the
park land that the towpath is located on.  The rest of the uses
are a confluence of various industrial ones.  It should be noted
that a large portion of the land did not have a land use code
recorded in the public records.  That said, there is little chance
for wide deviation in land use on the Scranton Peninsula given
its largely vacant, industrial state.

11
sum of parcel size gis

land use map

12
physical conditions

Examining physical conditions is important to consider when

redeveloping on existing infrastructures on a site. The purpose
of property condition assessment is to observe and report on the
physical conditions of the subject properties and to provide
professional recommendations regarding future issues including
financial risk or liability. Site conditions and improvements are
important to carefully examine in order to sufficiently get the
best use of the site.

Identifying physical conditions will help to identify physical

needs that may need to be taken into consideration when
redeveloping a site. Such physical needs to examine are any
repairs, replacements and any significant maintenance items
that should be done immediately and over a period of time.
After carefully understanding why it is important to evaluate
physical conditions of a site and what to examine, a list of
questions has been developed.

13
general site questions

What is the general existing infrastructure?

• Sewer Do most of the streets have sidewalks? If yes, what are the
• Most buildings are run down and are not ADA conditions?
compliant • Hard to tell during the winter time if there are sidewalks
• Paved streets throughout the site. From what I can tell, there are
• Bridges sidewalks and are in MAJOR need of repair.
• Retaining walls
• Street lights What is the overall conditions of the roads?
• Signs • Most of the streets were in fair condition. Chances are
• Fences they will need to repaved and or infilled because there
are many potholes and possible other issues “beneath”
What is the presence or absence of functions businesses & the surface. Also, the roads will need to be clearly
industrial facilities? marked.
• Light industrial
Overall condition of landscape?
Are there any public spaces, if so, what are the conditions? • The overall condition of the landscape, although hard to
• No public space (except Towpath) determine in the middle of winter, can be still
recognized as “unorganized” and “overgrown” (based
What is the noise level in various parts of Scranton off of Google Earth images - pictures were taken June
Peninsula? 2014). Agriculture is growing over the vacant buildings
• On Scranton Road - Not extremely loud, however, there and are seeping into the cracks and growing over other
is a bit of noise pollution due to the highway near by infrastructure. A lot of maintenance will need to be
• On Carter Road - low to non noise pollution done.

What is the general amount of movement of traffic? Are most of the buildings occupied or vacant?
• Scranton Road - Moderately busy • Most buildings are vacant and will need a lot of internal
• Carter Road - low vehicular traffic and external updating if renovation is necessary. Some
buildings that are not vacant do appear externally as
What is the overall conditions of the buildings? vacant.
• Run-down
• Needs repair and or torn down Do the buildings seem accessible to people with disabilities -
• Needs renovations ramped, street level
• Many of the buildings have a lot of graffiti entries, etc? Are they boarded-up or vacant storefronts?
• Doing a windshield analysis, entails just driving slowly

14
 and making notes and comments about the current • While there was no chances of me asking those who are
condition of what is being observed. Based off of this driving through Scranton Peninsula to find out why they
type of survey, it would appear that most of the are driving through this area. However, it would appear
buildings are not ADA compliant as far as accessibility most people main purpose of driving through this area is
to the “main entrance” of a building. to reach a certain building.

Most if not all the buildings are boarded-up storefronts. Are building facades and storefronts attractive and
*Note* Most of the buildings do not have a well defined welcoming?
front or side entrance. • There is potential for industrial reuse, which may be the
• It was hard to determine as a visitor where to enter and easiest and cheapest way to redevelop this site.
where to park. However, any other uses (residential, commercial, mix-
use) would most likely not fit in with a “new approach”
P U B L I C S PA C E S
to this site. Also, most of the facades are not very
Are there any public spaces where people can gather? Are welcoming for many reasons: it is hard to determine
they well kept? where the entrance was, signs are not clearly located,
• No - given the history of the site, the response is to be the facades are not very aesthetically pleasing and most
expected. were not very accessible.

Are there seating areas? Are the streets and sidewalks relatively clean?
• No - given the history of the site, the response is to be • Hard to determine during the winter time. Looking at
expected. Google Earth images, most of the sidewalks and streets
were relatively free of trash/litter.

STREETSCAPE Are there trash cans throughout the site?

• No - given the history of the site, the response is to be
Are there trees and plants, attractive design, cafes or food expected.
vendors or other features meant to encourage people to use
the space? Is there outdoor seating?
• There isn’t very many things that will attract people to • No - given the history of the site, the response is to be
utilize this site in past due to its previous land use, expected.
however, the river and possible riverfront access will
definitely bring a lot of people to use the space.

Who uses these spaces?

15
 STREET USE LAND USE

Are there people on the streets at most times of the day? In How much open space is there?
the evening? How late? • There is a lot of open space
• No.
Do major roads or railroad tracks divide neighborhoods, or
Do they interact with one another? are they on the edges ofthe community?
• No. • The railroad cuts into Carter road. It doesn’t give a
sense of division on the peninsula. However, the river
Are streets and sidewalks well lit at night? does make it feel exclusive.
• Did not go at night, however, from the amount of street
lights, it seems to be lit well enough for the current land
use. TRAFFIC

How heavy is traffic in Scranton Peninsula?

SIGNS • Scranton Road: Moderately busy
What languages are business signs? • Carter Road: Not as heavily trafficked as Scranton Road
• English
Is it mostly commercial and industrial - vans trucks, etc. -
Are there traffic signs? If so, are they informative? or mostly private cars?
• Yes: Bike lane, stop signs, speed limit, advertisement, • Mostly commercial and industrial with about 25% of
building signs. They were informative for the given the traffic being private cars
situation.
Is there much bicycle lanes?
Are there signs directing people to various parts of the site • Yes
(downtown, museums,
highways, etc.)? Are there bike racks in many places?
• No • No

INDUSTRY
What kinds of industry exist in the community? Does it
seem to be causing pollution?
• Check Brownfields. the Motor building omits some sort
of scent

16
 OTHER GENERAL QUESTIONS TO
E N V I R O N M E N TA L Q U A L I T Y CONSIDER
How much usable green space is there and is it scattered What are the community’s outstanding assets?
throughout the community? • Cuyahoga River, amount of space, view of downtown,
• See brownfield section surrounding infrastructure (Bridges), exclusivity

Is there smog or haze? What seem to be the community’s biggest challenges?

• Nothing visible • Run down buildings, infrastructure and landscape.
Exclusivity, location from highway, view of the
Does the air smell of smoke, garbage, car exhaust, highway
chemicals, industrial waste, etc?
• Car exhaust What is the most striking element about the community?
• The view: infrastructure, downtown Cleveland and
Does the water in streams, ponds, lakes, etc. seem riverfront
reasonable clear?
• Hard to determine during the winter Are you struck by the aesthetic quality of the community,
either positively or negatively - i.e., is it particularly
beautiful or particularly ugly?
COMMUNITY SAFETY • I was personally struck by the aesthetic quality of the
community in a negative way. After making my
Where are police and fire stations located? observations of the entire peninsula, I can see the
• There is a fire station located at the corner of Carter and potential of the area. There are many things this
Scranton Roads, however, it is not active or staffed for peninsula has to offer that we should take advantage. It
land-based response; only for water rescue. will cost a lot of money and will take a lot of effort,
however, if designed and developed right, the peninsula
Are they in good repair? will have a great affect on Cleveland and surrounding
• Seems to be communities.

Is the community well-lit at night?

• It seems to have enough street lights for the given area.
However, should this site be put to a different land use,
it will be necessary to add more lighting.

17
EXISTING CONDITIONS SUMMARY: TRANSPORTATION

road size. The bridge’s traffic count was 4,679 average cars per
STREET WIDTH, NON-CAR day - a low level of traffic for an urban area (NOACA.org).5
INFRASTRUCTURE
The condition of the street widths is divided approximately at
the point of intersection with the railroad tracks. According to a TRANSIT LINES
rough measurement of an aerial view (using Google Maps),
Carter Rd. and Scranton Rd. - are between 55 and 70 feet wide There are not transit lines of any mode (bus, train BRT) on this
at any given point on the north-east side . Each road has only site. NOACA’s GIS record of transit lines in the area shows
one travel lane in each direction, and a sidewalk on only one routes traveling above the peninsula on the Lorain-Carnegie
side of the street. The sidewalk on Scranton ends at Girard St., Bridge and through Ohio City via Abbey Ave. (NOACA.org).
and Carter Rd’s sidewalk ends at the train tracks. On the south- According to RTA’s strategic plan, this area is considered a
west side of the train tracks, Carter Road is only 30 ft., and low-propensity area for transit (RideRTA.org).67
similarly has only one travel lane in each direction. However,
there is no pedestrian infrastructure on this section of Carter
carter road bridge
Road.
As of its most recent inspection (which took place in 2013), this
For bikers, there is one shallow in the southbound lane of structure was rated ‘satisfactory’ and received a 93/100 from the
Scranton Rd. The Towpath trail runs along Scranton Rd. as an Ohio Department of Transportation (BridgeHunter.com).6
off-road path until the point where Scranton and Carter Roads Capital project funding for this structure was recommended to
meet. There is no cycling infrastructure on Carter Rd. the Ohio Public Works Commission by the Cuyahoga County
Planning Commission in January 2015. Further details on the
TRAFFIC volumes extent of this maintenance were unavailable, but the
recommended grant was for nearly $4.5 million of a $6.3 million
According to NOACA’s GIS portal, Scranton Rd. sees about dollar project cost (DOPWIC 2015).7
3766 cars per day. The Carter Rd. bridge has a level of service
B, which is an amount not approaching full capacity for the

5 “NOACA GIS Portal” Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency. http://gis.noaca.org/flexviewers/gisportal/

6“Re: Imagine RTA - RTA Strategic Plan 2010-2020”. Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Agency. http://www.riderta.com/strategicplan

7District One Public Works Integrating Committee (DOPWIC). “Program Year 2015 Recommended Projects” Cuyahoga County Planning Commission. January
2015. http://planning.co.cuyahoga.oh.us/dopwic/15awards.html

18
Existing conditions summary: brownfield analysis

Phase I Assessment

25 historic Sanborn maps were analyzed during the Phase 1

environmental assessment. Several contaminating land uses
were identified contributing to potential Brownfield
contamination of between 20-40 acres. Contaminating land
uses include the following: foundries, freight depots, lumber
yards, machine shops, coal yards, paint companies, mills, metal
fabrication shops, auto/truck repair depots, ore yards, forge
shops, stamping shops, and auto lacquer spray shops.

Clean up cost is estimated at between $1.7-27.9m for the entire

peninsula depending on how extensive the contamination is and
what type of land use is going to be developed on top of the
remediated land. (June 27, 2012 Project No. 0559.02.01
Prepared by Maul Foster & Alongi, Inc. E. D. Hovee &
Company, LLC ECO Northwest Redevelopment Economics).
Development financing atop brownfield sites usually require an
additional 15-40% above and beyond total development costs,
however most developers aim for between 10-15% beyond total
development costs (Simons, 2015). Typically properties that are
contaminated but have been ‘cleaned’ still sell for 15-20% less
than market value (Simons, 2015). Clean up standards are
designated by the Environmental Protection Agency and
developers wishing to proceed with development on a
brownfield site need to obtain the following legal documents:
NFA (no further action, CNTS (certificate not to sue), and a
SMOA (state memorandum of understanding –local, state, and
federal).
Scranton!Peninsula!Phase!1!assessment!(Neider,!2015).

19
Historic firms with potentially environmentally contaminating
activities on the peninsula include: Variety Iron Works, Dresser
Lumber Shed and Storage, Rhodes and Co. Coal Yard, Norway
Bolt Works, Riverside Foundry Works, R.J. Hayes and Co.
Foundry Facing and Plumbago Works, Lindsley and Co. Coal
Yard, Hotchkiss and Co. Bolt Works, The Republic Steel Corp.
Upson Works, River Furnace Dept. Ore Yard, Cleveland Facing
Mill Co., Young and Harrington Coal Co., N.Y.P. & O. R. R.
Oil Depot, Bohm and Stuhr Lumber Yard (fire damaged), A. G.
Miller and Co. Coal Yard, Woodhill and Sons Iron Works,
Standard Paint Co., Cleveland Storage Co., Cleveland Wheel
Foundry, River Furnace and Dock Co., Schwartzenberg and
Brothers and Co. Scrap Iron Yard, J. Hayes and Co. Scrap Iron,
Deleware and Hudson Canal Co., The Upson Nut Co., The
Cuyahoga Coal Co. Coal Yard, The Smeed Box Co., The J.D.
Smith Foundry Supply Co., Smith Facing and Supply Co., and
The Cleveland Wheel and Foundry Co.. Sample Sanborn map, Scranton Peninsula, Phase I environmental
assessment.
Several information requests regarding access to information
regarding underground utilities such as water, sewer, gas, BROWNFIELD Phase II
electrical, phone and fiber optics were made to municipal
various municipal departments at City of Cleveland, Cleveland The Phase II environmental assessment commissioned by the
City Councilman Joe Cimperman, as well as private developer client, Forest City, confirmed worst fears uncovered during the
Forest City Inc. Information was not forthcoming as security Phase I environmental assessment. Nearly all of the peninsula
concerns from the Department of Homeland Security were is contaminated (close to 60 acres of contamination). The site
cited, however Forest City Inc. representative James was divided into several zones of varying sizes, ranging from
Martynowski noted that according to his knowledge, buried zones A to L. Areas of the peninsula left unexamined during the
utilities ran underground, directly under Scranton Rd. Phase II environmental assessment include, the south portion of
Anecdotally, the owner of Riverfront Yacht Sales at the east end the peninsula already remediated by the Cleveland Metroparks
of the peninsula, complained of brown water, recurring for the Towpath trail, as well as easements along the Flats
electrical brown-outs and phone systems in constant need of Industrial Rail line and land owned by the City of Cleveland
repair. that the Carter Rd. Bridge fronts onto. Clean up costs for all 60
acres including clearing and disposal of soil to a two food depth
totaling 193,600 cubic yards, total an excavation cost of
roughly $2.9m on the low end and $5.8m on the high end.

20
Placement of premium fill on all 60 acres of contaminated land
would total $9.6m on the low end and $14.5m on the high end.
Total costs for a complete excavation to a two foot depth and
premium fill placement over the entire site equals between
$12.5m to $20.3m not including ongoing monitoring and
maintenance costs (U.S. EPA). It should be noted that these
costs will be significantly lowered by simply capping
contaminated land in place where possible (Clearing: $5,000 to
$7,500 per acre , 1” Sub-base: $2.50 to $7.00 per square yard,
1.5” Surface: $12.00 to $20.00 per square yard, Swale: $15.00
to $25.00 per linear foot), however due to the high cost of
remediation as well as ongoing maintenance expenses,
development must take into consideration alternative site
layouts that allow less expensive options which can
significantly reduce remediation costs such as capping in place
(Asphalt or Concrete). Both remediation solutions include: Site
clearing, equipment mobilization, initial surface compaction,
design and engineering, surface preparation, cap layer
placement, edge drainage swale, preparation, irrigation system,
and on-going monitoring and maintenance.

21
History of the scranton peninsula

8,000’ thick at Cleveland. It retreated about 12,500 years ago

Geological history changing Ohio’s topography to what we know today.
The glacier’s footprint left debris (or till, “500 feet in the
Much of the following information is gleamed from a brief Cuyahoga Valley,”11), the most fertile stretching from southeast
section of geological history included in G. Knepper’s “Ohio Ohio to just south of Cuyahoga County.
and Its People” (1997).8 Ohio’s geological history is intimately
connected to today’s physical, cultural and social life that we Cleveland’s winding river, the Cuyahoga, was formed about
know today in Greater Cleveland. 11,000 to 13,000 years ago by retreat of the glaciers.12
Sitting under an enormous body of water hundreds of millions The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History website, notes the
of years ago (“Lake Maumee, an ancient lake much larger than importance of iron, petroleum by-products and salt to the local
the present Lake Erie.”9) has left a landscape of pulsating e c o n o m y .
landscape and minerals in Ohio. The Silurian period (about Postglacial “kettle”
440 million years ago) left rock salt deposits that are currently lakes had deposits
underneath Cleveland and Painesville. Until these deposits of bog iron. Open
were discovered, early settlers imported salt from New Orleans. mining was used to
exploit these
The Devonian Period (419 to 358 million years ago) brought us resources while the
limestone which eventually was “quarried from Columbus to Cuyahoga flats
Kelley’s Island”10 became the center
In more recent geological time the great glaciers descended and of production from
retreated into Ohio for the previous few hundred thousand 1837-1859. The
years. (See Glacial Map of Ohio) The last great glacial demand of iron by
movement was the Wisconsin Glacier. Entering about 25,000 the Union forces
years ago it was estimated to cover 2/3 of the state (everywhere during the Civil
except Southwest Ohio) and the ice was thought to have been War virtually

8 Knepper, G. (1997). Ohio and Its People, Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press

9 Ibid., 4

10 Ibid., 2 Picture(Source:((Accessed,(3/2/15,(h6p://www.buckeyegold.com/gold.htm

11 Ibid., 3

12 Friends of the Crooked River, History of the Cuyahoga River website. Accessed 3/27/15, http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/fenlewis/History.html

22
exhausted the ore deposits. While “Lake and Ashtabula county The Archaic People, who supplanted the above Paleo-
furnaces became archeological sites, those in Cleveland became Indian People, were hunters, consumed freshwater
a focus of the Great Lakes iron industry.”13 clams and gatherers (berries, roots, etc.), lasted until
1,000 BCE. They were followed by the Adena, and
By the mid-19th century there was a Pennsylvania petroleum then Hopewell (mostly in Southeastern Ohio).
boom that led to a short flurry of petroleum drilling in the
Greater Cleveland area. This in turn led to natural gas field The Fort Ancient came after 1,000 ACE to Southern
drilling in Rockport Twp (1883), Kamms and Berea (1905-07), Ohio, while the sedentary and agriculturally minded
Lakewood (1913) and West Park (1914). By the 1930s, the last Whittlesey Focus (often confused with Erie to the east)
one was tapped in the Denison-Harvard district. settled in Northern Ohio. (See Late Woodland
The natural gas exploration led to a discovery of salt brine. Cultures) They “may have fallen victim European
diseases or European guns in the hands of invading
“By 1944 Union (Morton) Salt Co. opened a deep-shaft mine
Iroquois from the east.”15
near Lake Shore Blvd. and E. 65th St., which went down into
several levels of this Salina formation. Since 1957 large salt
mines at Whiskey Island have been operated by Akzo Nobel
Salt, Inc.”14

first peoples history

G. Knepper’s history of Ohio continues with the story of

its first settlers - Native American Indians - whose
ancestors were thought to be the Paleo-Indian People,
present as early as 13,000 years Before the Common
Era (BCE). It is theorized that they migrated perhaps
20,000 years ago during last Ice Age over the Bering
Strait.
Late Woodland Cultures, Central Ohio
(600-1200 ACE)
Picture Source: Ohio History Central website, accessed 3/26/15, http://
www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Late_Woodland_Cultures?rec=1281

13 Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, The, website. Geology & Natural Resources website, accessed 3/26/15, http://ech.case.edu/cgi/article.pl?id=GNR
14!Ibid.

15!Knepper,!G.!(1997).!Ohio%and%Its%People,!Kent,!Ohio:!Kent!State!University!Press,!13

23
The great Iroquois Confederacy, often lauded as the Trader purchased 23 horseload of peltry from the few
predecessors of modern American democracy, destroyed Indians then hunting on [the Cuyahoga] River.”18
tribes “from the northern Great Lakes to the Ohio River
although they established no settlements in Ohio until It is unlikely that “historic Indian population of Ohio
the 1740s.”16 Subsequently Mingoes (which included ever exceeded 20,000 persons...”19
Senecas, Cayugas, Mohawks and more) located along
the Cuyahoga River in the 1740s for a bit.

About this time, the 1740s, Wyndot (as known by the European american history
English or Huron as known by the French), came east
from Detroit to trade with English at Cuyahoga River. 1796
Not wanting to be outmaneuvered by the English, the
French sent a trader to open a post at the same river to Moses Cleaveland is hired by the Connecticut Land Company
try and draw their trade back. Consequently 2,500 to explore land that they had just bought.20 Cleaveland is
Wyandots, Mingoes and Ottowas were drawn there.17 surveyed and established by Moses Cleaveland and party.21
October 18 all but 4 of the settlers moved, by Thanksgiving
By 1750 few Indians remained there. In 1785, another party member left.
“Moravian missionary John Heckewelder reported: “a

16!Ibid.,!14

17!Ibid.,!14

18!Ibid.,!18

19!Ibid.,!18

20!Ibid.,'4.

21!Ma+hew'Lee'Grabski,'Cleveland’s(Flats'(Charleston,'SC:'Arcadia,'2005).

24
1797 1819
By May the remaining settlers from Cleaveland’s original party The 90-mile section of the Erie Canal was opened.
left the area. 22 Lorenzo Carter was the first permanent white Clevelanders and Ohio Legislature lobbied to get the Ohio –
settler.23 The Land Company in Connecticut awarded parcels Erie Canal. Many Irish and German immigrants came from
of land to people who could move there.24 Initially the first New York to dig the Canal. Irish settled into shanties on the
settlers had an agreement with the Indians at Buffalo and west side of the river, known as Irishbend, Germans lived in the
Conneaut that confined them to the Cuyahoga River.25 Superior, Garden, and Lorain Street neighborhoods.28
1803 1820s
February 18, Ohio became a state. This changed the settler’s People were moving further away from away from the swamps
ability to trade freely with Canada. They must abide by federal of the Cuyahoga.29
regulations.26
1827
1805
Joel Scranton opened a dry goods, grocery, leather, and
Through a treaty, the Indians reluctantly relinquish the region of machine cards store, J. Scranton & Co.30
Cleveland.27

22!Lawrence'and'SchaBnger,'Cleveland’s(Flats,'6.

23!Grabski,'Cleveland’s(Flats,'7.

24!Lawrence'and'SchaBnger,'Cleveland’s(Flats,'6.

25!Harry'S'Blackburn,'The(Viaduct:(The(East(and(West(Sides(Are(Bound(Together(by(Spans(of(Iron(and(of(Stone'(Cleveland,'Ohio,'1916),'3.

26!Lawrence'and'SchaBnger,'Cleveland’s(Flats,'9.

27!Blackburn,'The(Viaduct:(The(East(and(West(Sides(Are(Bound(Together(by(Spans(of(Iron(and(of(Stone,'3.

28!Lawrence'and'SchaBnger,'Cleveland’s(Flats,'18.

29!Grabski,'Cleveland’s(Flats,'7.

30!Ibid.

25
1828 1854
Joel Scranton married Irene Hickox Scranton on June 27. City of Ohio and City of Cleveland consolidated to the City of
Cleveland
1833
1858
Joel Scranton sold his store and purchased the “Scranton Flats”,
a parcel of land west of the Cuyahoga River and operated a Joel Scranton died unexpectedly from apoplexy.
farm on the land, along what became Scranton Avenue. Other
1860s
business were located along Scranton’s farm and made his
property more valuable. The area known as the Angle was home to many Irish
immigrants, located on a hill between the old channel of the
1830s
Cuyahoga River to the north and Detroit Avenue. By the 1900s
Completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal. many Irish began to move out. By the late 1930s the city
needed low—cost housing and replaced the ramshackle homes
1847
of the Angle Irish. Modern apartment buildings were built with
Joel Scranton’s land parcel termed the Scranton Flats. The the help from the Public Works Administration.
building of the Cleveland-Pittsburgh railroad began (later
1863
Pennsylvania).
The firm of Andrews and Clark Company built its first oil
1840-1850s
refinery.31
Area became business and sporting center; includes shooting
1870
contest and circus.
The central business district was concentrated in the West Sixth
1853
Street Flats area outward. By the 1900 the business district had
Detroit Street Bridge (Barrel Bridge) completed, built by the expanded east to Public Square along Superior and Euclid and
Cleveland and Mahoning Railroad to transport iron ore from beyond Millionaires’ Row. Manufacturing, transportation, and
Whiskey Island docks. No longer in use. wholesale operations remained in the old district. Other
business that needed face-to-face interaction, such as retail,

31!Ibid.,'9.

26
finance, and services were in the new business district.32 The 1906
Sherwin and Williams Company built their manufacturing
Thomas Ferry and W.C. North founded The Ferry Cap & Set
company in the flats.33
Screw Company at 2151 Scranton Road, located in the Flats.
1878 By 1908 it was the only bolt manufacturer left in the Flats with
450 employees. 37
Superior Viaduct opened in December: Cleveland’s first high-
level bridge.34 1910
1893 Cleveland’s population was 560,663, the 6th largest in the
nation. Cleveland had a large influx of immigrants, many who
By the end of 1893 Cleveland had 20 moveable bridges that
came alone with the hope of bringing their families later.
crossed the Cuyahoga: 10 carried pedestrians and vehicles, the
other 10 carried railroads. 35 1913
1901 Mid-March of that year was Ohio’s worst flood. Between heavy
rain and snow-fall Lake Erie rose four feet.38
Center Street Bridge was built by the King Bridge Company,
only remaining swing bridge.36

32!Thomas'F'Campbell,'Edward'M'Miggins,'and'Western'Reserve'Historical'Society,'The(Birth(of(Modern(Cleveland,(1865P1930'(Cleveland;'London;'Cranbury,'NJ:'

Western'Reserve'Historical'Society ;'Associated'University'Presses,'1988),'45.
33!Alan'DePetro,'Historical(Highlights:(History(of(the(Flats'(River’s'Bend'Parks'Corp,'1988),'11.

34!Michael'Rotman,'“Superior'Viaduct,”'Cleveland(Historical,'accessed'February'21,'2015,'h+p://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/65#.VOfwAS5x0lJ.

35!Lawrence'and'SchaBnger,'Cleveland’s(Flats,'82.

36!SchaBnger,'Cleveland’s(Flats(on(Tour,'45.

37!Lawrence'and'SchaBnger,'Cleveland’s(Flats,'87.

38!Alan'DePetro,'Historical(Highlights:(History(of(the(Flats'(River’s'Bend'Parks'Corp,'1988).

27
1920 Republic Steel buys the Corrigan McKinney steelworks.
Viaduct closed.39 Mid-1920s Cleveland took action to control 1935
air pollution.40
Lakeview Terrance, public housing built under the Public
1930s Works Administration, began construction on 22 acres of land
west of the river at the mouth of the Cuyahoga overlooking
During the Great Depression, shanty towns, or Hoovervilles
Whiskey Island.44
were located throughout Cleveland, including in the Flats.41
1939
1932
Valleyview Homes built on 75 acres of land on the bluff below
Lorain-Carnegie bridge completed.42
Walworth Run.45
1933
1940s
The Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority was
Eighty percent of the the ships sailing on the Great Lakes are
established.43
controlled by Clevelanders.46 More than half of the nation’s
1935 population and Canada lived within 500 miles of Cleveland.47

39!Grabski,'Cleveland’s(Flats,'14.

40!Lawrence'and'SchaBnger,'Cleveland’s(Flats,'98.

41!Grabski,'Cleveland’s(Flats,'19.

42!Lawrence'and'SchaBnger,'Cleveland’s(Flats,'101.

43!Ibid.,'100.

44!Ibid.,'101.

45!Ibid.

46!Ibid.,'103.

47!Ibid.

28
1947 1970s
Sherwin-Williams solvent extraction plant was built.48 Many businesses on Old River Road closed and eventually
reopened in the 1980s as trendy bars.
1951
1976
Cuyahoga River catches on fire.49
Cleveland Heritage Park was presented to the city as a public
1952
park and museum as part of the Bicentennial. There is a replica
Cuyahoga River catches on fire again near Jefferson and West of an early log cabin.
Third Street.
1981
1959
With matching funds from the Ohio Department of Natural
The opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, September 7, Resources, Heritage Park II was created.
provided economic growth to the Flats which provided access
1984
to raw materials and facilitated the movement of finished goods
to foreign markets.50 Westbank Development publicized plans to build public parks,
bicycle paths, footpaths, private housing, and retail. Grove
1960s
Court Condominiums was the first project completed.
Increased in the number of ocean-going foreign vessels via the
1996
St. Lawrence.
Rapid line from Tower City to the Flats was completed.
1969
2005
June 22, the last time that the Cuyahoga River burned due to
the dumping of fuel. Occasionally hot coals would fall into the Plans started to revitalize Cleveland Flats East Bank.
river igniting a fire.
2011
Flats Forward CDC formed.

48!Grabski,'Cleveland’s(Flats,'41.

49!Ibid.,'52.

50!Lawrence'and'SchaBnger,'Cleveland’s(Flats,'108.

29
Demographics

Having knowledge of the demographics of the surrounding area for a commercial development, or the competing housing stock
of a potential development site is important. Before in the area if the development has a residential component.
determining what type of information to collect, it is first vital
The population history is important to highlight in both the
to note what population is important to get the data on. For this
census tract and neighborhood populations to have some
project, most of the data is collected on the census tract level,
background on the area. By looking at the table below, one can
which is Census Tract 1042.00, which mainly identifies with
tell that, like most of the City of Cleveland, population has
the Tremont Neighborhood. There are also highlights of
dropped significantly in the census tract since 1950. The area
information in the neighborhood scale for the Cleveland
has become more diverse since 1950, when the tract was
neighborhood in which the Carter Riverfront is in, known as the
primarily consisting of white families. While the majority of the
Cuyahoga Valley (see map below). There is also some analysis
population still classifies as white, roughly 34 percent of the
of homelessness, housing burdens and crime done at the City of
population is classified as African American. Another important
Cleveland level.
factor seen in the table below is that a majority of the
population in the census tract are young adults, followed by
middle – aged residents. The population demographics is
important information for nearby consumers of potential
commercial and retail aspects of a development.

The significant data series included in this project are:

population through the decades, data on the education and labor
force of census and neighborhood populations, poverty and
income history by census tract, and current housing statistics The population history is important to highlight in both the
for the neighborhood and census tracts. All of this information census tract and neighborhood populations to have some
will be useful to help decide which types of developments can background on the area. By looking at the table above, one can
do well on a site, such as the education of possible employees tell that, like most of the City of Cleveland, population has

30
dropped significantly in the census tract since 1950. The area Neighborhood population shows similar results, in that a
has become more diverse since 1950, when the tract was majority of the population had less than an Associate’s Degree;
primarily consisting of white families. While the majority of the however, this population group does not have the same spike in
population still classifies as white, there is roughly 34 percent Bachelor’s Degrees that the census tract shows.
African Americans residing in the census tract. Another
There is other significant information regarding the education
important factor seen in the table above is that a majority of the
of residents, which is the type of school attended by primary
population in the census tract are young adults, followed by
school aged children. The Cuyahoga Valley neighborhood has
middle – aged residents. The population demographics is
75 percent of its primary student residents enrolled in public
important information for nearby consumers of potential
schools, while census tract 1042, that contains Carter
commercial and retail aspects of a development.
Riverfront, has 100 percent of its K – 12 students enrolled in
public schools. This information could come in handy when
determining potential residential developments that market to
families.
The final pieces of information that should be considered in
regards to education and labor force are the unemployment rate
and the modes of transportation that residents use to get to and
from work. In the census tract, there is a 12 percent
unemployment rate among the residents, while the Cuyahoga
Valley neighborhood has a 33 percent unemployment rate. The
table below shows more detailed information on how residents
get to work, showing the primary mode of transportation for
both the neighborhood and census tract is driving, with over 70
While the population demographics will give vital information percent for both populations. While more than 70 percent of
on the potential customers for retail developments, it is also residents drive to work, it is important to note that in the census
important to know the educational attainment levels and labor tract, 25 percent of households had no car. The second most
force statistics for the census tract and neighborhood in order to popular way for residents to get to and from work in the census
determine if there are potential knowledgeable and educated tract was public transportation, with 15 percent. This is of great
employees surrounding the area. The census tract information importance for this development considering there are currently
showed that a majority of the residents had less an Associate’s no public transportation routes that go through the Scranton
Degree; however, there was a spike in residents over 25 holding peninsula.
a Bachelor’s Degree, as seen in the graphs above. The

31
 significant increase in median household and median family
incomes between 2000 and 2010. However, the 2010 median
incomes are still drastically less than the 1970 incomes for the
same census tract. Even with the nearly 65 percent increase in
median income from 2000 to 2010, 2010 still showed a high
poverty rate of just over 32 percent.
Poverty!&!Income!Information!(Census!Tract!1042.00)

Year Median) Median)

Similar to having background information and history on the Percent)Living)
Household) Family)
population of the general area, it is important to have some Below)
Income)(2010) Income)(2010)
history and knowledge of the poverty levels surrounding a Poverty
USD) USD)
potential new development. Current income is important to
know if the development is potentially retail, restaurant or 2010 31,544.00 20,139.00 37
another service that relies on consumers. General income 2000 19,012.00 12,571.00 43
information from the Census Tract area is provided in the table 1970 48,240.00 34,465.92 20
below. General highlights of this information include the 1950 N/a 14,294.09 N/a
significant increase in median household and median family Sources:!1950!U.S.!Census,!1970!U.S.!Census,!NEOCANDO
incomes between 2000 and 2010. However, the 2010 median
incomes are still drastically less than the 1970 incomes for the
same census tract. Even with the nearly 65 percent increase in The final category that is important to note regarding future
median income from 2000 to 2010, 2010 still showed a high development of vacant land is current housing statistics. This
poverty rate of just over 32 percent. information is especially important for potential new housing
Similar to having background information and history on the developments. Such efforts should seek out what type of
population of the general area, it is important to have some housing is currently in the area in order to know the
history and knowledge of the poverty levels surrounding a composition (single - family, high - rise apartments, etc.) of
potential new development. Current income is important to housing stock for those looking to move to the neighborhood
know if the development is potentially retail, restaurant or and/or if most nearby residents are renters or homeowners. It is
another service that relies on consumers. General income also important to note the number or percentage of new housing
information from the Census Tract area is provided in the table in the area, because this will be the most valuable housing and
below. General highlights of this information include the can help give an estimate of what a new build will sell for in

32
the area. The table below shows the home ownership in 2010
for both the Cuyahoga Valley neighborhood and the 1042.00
census tract.
Important housing takeaways include the fact that over 50
percent of residents – for both the neighborhood and census
tract levels – are renters. Additional important housing statistics
for both levels of residents includes the fact that the majority of
housing stock was built before 1939, and 70 percent of
Cuyahoga Valley Neighborhood housing and 66 percent of the
1042.00 census tract housing was built before that year. This
means that much of the housing stock is older. In fact, only 3
percent (as of the 2010 census) of the Neighborhood housing
has been built since the year 2000. The census tract studied
showed no new housing since 1979, again, as of the 2010
census. There is a moderate amount of single family housing in
both the census tract (with 24 percent of the housing stock) and
neighborhood of Cuyahoga Valley (with 32 percent). The high
– rise apartments were a close second with 30 percent of the
neighborhood housing stock classifying in that category. A
different pattern is shown in the census tract study in that 42
percent of the housing stock classified as “small apartment
complexes” meaning 3 – 9 unit buildings. Housing statistics are
important to note in the case that a residential development is
being considered to know what the current housing stock offers
its residents.

33
Demographics - homelessness & housing needs

The following statistics are from the City of Cleveland, the household income being the typically accepted tipping
Department of Community Development Consolidated Plan point of excessive housing costs.)
2013-14. In 2013 there were 2,122 homeless people in
For those households making between 30 and 50% of median
Cleveland. Of that, 272 were chronically homeless and 405
income, there are 16,574 with housing burdens greater than
severely mentally ill, while 615 were classified as chronic
30%. (See Table Above)
substance abuser. They found 313 veterans among the
homeless.51 According to the same Cleveland Consolidated Plan 2013-14
the available fair market rents of 0, 1, 2 and even 3+ bedroom
While Cleveland faces a
units come close to matching what would be the affordable rate
gap of only 295 units of
(30% of income) for those families with incomes at 50% of the
“permanent supportive
MFI.
housing for [the]
homeless,” the housing If one looks closer though, there appears to be a major flaw in
burden on families with the figures that are used for the above analysis. The
housing is quite consolidated plan is obviously using the higher Cuyahoga
significant. County figure of $41,347 for the median income (2010). This
county figure give us rates closes to the “Rents Affordable at
For households with
30%...” figures in the Table above. But if one were to use the
income up to 50% of the
MFI for just the City of Cleveland, where the MFI is just
median family income
$25,977 a
(MFI; of Cuyahoga
different picture
County, $41,347) is quite
is painted. An
significant.
affordable rate
Of the 110,660 homes in Cleveland that are occupied (owned or for those making
rented) or vacant (for sale) there are 34,826 household making 5 0 % o f
less than or equal to 30% of the median family income who Cleveland’s MHI
have a housing cost burden of greater 30% (Thirty percent of is just $325. 52


51!City!of!Cleveland,!Department!of!Community!Development!Consolidated!Plan!2013714

52!2010!Median!Household!income!from!the!2010!American!Community!Survey,!Census!Bureau![as!reported!in!Exner,!R.!(2011)!Cleveland.com,!“Median!

income!and!poverty!rates!for!each!U.S.!state,!metro!area,!county!and!city”![9/22/11],!accessed!3/31/15!from!web,!http://www.cleveland.com/
datacentral/index.ssf/2011/09/median_income_and_poverty_rate.html?appSession=487501139924535])!!

34
 Demographics - crime (Cleveland & census tract)

Police planning for new developments (such as those being Declining Criminal Offenses
contemplated for the Scranton Peninsula) in Cleveland is
largely reactionary, and furthermore supervisors do not make
significant use of the statistical analysis department that is
available to them. At least according to one Cleveland Police
Detective familiar with the statistical analysis department. This
same source notes that the Police Force is shrinking (from
about 2,500 sworn officers when the officer first joined the
force to about half that now. Because of shrinking Cleveland
population and funding, community policing also has shrunk,
down to zero.53
And the biggest concern in the city now: theft from and of
autos. In regards to the Flats area and W. 25th St., the source
noted that there used to be an overtime patrol in the Flats West
Bank until 2002. And although W. 25th has grown, they don’t Census Tract (1042), which encompasses the Scranton
have more violent crimes. The source cautioned to look out for Peninsula, has a population of 1,443 (2010). The Peninsula
more opportunity crimes (i.e. purse snatchings, etc.) as itself has virtually no one living there. The City of Cleveland’s
population increases in the area.54 2010 population was close to 397,000. With such a small
sample size for the census tract it is difficult to parse any
From 2006 to 2009 criminal offenses recorded by the Cleveland meaningful information regarding the crime statistics found in
Police in the city of Cleveland dropped 13.8%. It is likely that the table below.
the primary reason for this is the continuing dramatic declining
population of the last few decades for Cleveland. The only One statistical analysis that could deserve further examination
crime category that increased, and that was insignificant, was is the comparison of Part I Crimes (“includes all violent and
homicide: from 119 to 120 (.8%). 55 (See Table Below) property crimes,” Cleveland Police Department.) between
Census Tract1042 and Cleveland. The census rate per 100,000
people (13,103) is almost twice that of all of Cleveland (7,438).

53Kanner Informational Interview with Police Detective, 2/28/15

54!Ibid.

55!NEO!CANDO!website.!accessed,!2'6'15,!http://neocando71.case.edu/cdoutput/p239806551.pdf!

35
Keep in mind, in real numbers for Census Tract 1042 that that Larceny-thefts, auto thefts and arson rates for Census Tract
translates to 189 recorded crimes, while for Cleveland it is 1042 also outnumber the City of Cleveland’s. Perhaps this can
29,516. It is likely that the above disparity is made up in large be ascribed to the rise of so-called “opportunity crimes” as
part by property crimes. mentioned by the interview source above.
Part II crimes (which “include[s] simple assaults, forgery,
fraud, receiving stolen property, vandalism, weapons violations,
prostitution, sex offenses, drug violations, family offenses,
DUI, liquor violations, disorderly conduct, kidnapping, and all
other offenses”) have rates per 100,000 that are comparatively
closer for Census Tract 1042 and Cleveland.56 (See Tables
Below)

56!Ibid.

36
Demographics - Culture

There are numerous amenities in the surrounding Ohio City and

Tremont neighborhoods. There are at least 14 primary schools,
a full service grocery store (Dave’s), numerous restaurants, art
galleries, cemeteries, convenience stores and the nationally
known Westside Market. In addition, numerous non-motorized
trails have already been installed or our proposed. Lake Erie is
within a few miles but is hard to access by non-motorized or
motorized vehicle transportation. The river, which surrounds
the Scranton Peninsula is home to multiple species of birds and
fish, is the recreational home of rowers and boaters and serves
as the transportation conduit for large freighters bringing
supplies to industries along the river. Finally, there are a score
or more scattered Land Bank sites within a couple of miles to
the West.

37
PUBLIC SURVEYS & STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS

General Public Surveys


Surveys were conducted in order to determine current
perceptions and needs around Scranton Peninsula. The surveys
were given outside of the West Side Market, Rivergate Park,
and Merwin’s Wharf. They were submitted to and given
approval by the Institutional Review Board (IRB), then were
conducted from March through April, 2015. Each student
signed up for different times from 9am to 7pm. All respondents
were offered a takeaway document at the time of the survey if
they wanted more information on the project. Students Peninsula, particularly public transportation that doesn’t require
attempted to distribute their surveys evenly across both times owning a car.
and locations in order to ensure the greatest diversity of
When asked “If the Scranton Peninsula was developed, how
respondents.
important would the following benefits be to you?”
There were 108 total respondents that completed the survey. Of respondents felt that spurring waterfront restoration and
these 108 respondents, each person had the option to decline to cleanup was the most important of the eight options (93).
answer any question they felt uncomfortable answering. The Linking to neighborhood parks, Metroparks, and Cuyahoga
questions focused on what people would like to see done with Valley National Park (79), promoting health and wellness
the peninsula and what they don’t like about it currently. Most through exercise (77) and providing a safe and green alternative
questions either allowed respondents to choose as many options route to commute to work (75) were the next most important
as they wanted or were asked with a 3-point Likert scale option
to answer, such as “oppose”, “neutral”, or “support”. 37
respondents arrived by driving alone and 29 arrived by bus.
(These numbers add up to more than 108 because some people
came by a variety of transportation methods and so were
counted in more than one category). However, when asked how
they would like to get to Scranton Peninsula in the future 43
wanted to continue to drive alone, 31 wanted to be able to
arrive by bus, and 26 by bicycle. This suggests a high demand
for alternative forms of transportation for the Scranton

38
benefits. People also felt that it was very important to have a transportation build on the peninsula as well as the
homeless shelter or some other type of housing available for the development providing jobs and parking.
homeless. One respondent also wanted to suggest that the
In order to determine what citizens may want to see in terms of
peninsula be modeled after Chicago’s bicycle amenities and
development on the peninsula the survey asked respondents to
parks as well as the Lakefront Trail.
say if they would support, oppose, or were neutral towards
The amenities that would most influence people to visit various development options. People most want to see
Scranton Peninsula more often are Parks and Recreation (84) Scranton Peninsula redeveloped with Parks and Recreation
by a large lead followed by Shopping and Dining (65) and Areas (96 supported), Small Specialty Store (83 supported),
Easier Access (53). This is an important piece of information and Tourist Attractions (75 supported). Respondents least
for the developer and for us as planners because private entities wanted to see Large Department Stores (56 against), Outdoor/
often prefer not to include green space since it doesn’t produce Industrial Storage Facilities (46 against) and Light Industry (37
income, but this shows that there is a huge demand for it, and against) developed on the peninsula.
so in order to get people to come to the peninsula for the
When asking people what safety precautions are most
important when deciding whether or not to visit somewhere
like the Flats, the majority of respondents felt that lighting was
the most important feature (83).There was a prioritization on
making the peninsula safe for kids as well as trying to improve
it with the most effective methods for the least cause. Some

income generating activities, we need to have recreational

space available. People again suggested that they would like to
see the peninsula have affordable housing. There was also the
suggestion of live concerts and local or international music.
People wanted to see more signage, restrooms, and public

39
 Neighborhood Retail and Improved Road Quality (51) were all
clustered together behind that. The only ones that didn’t have a
wide range of support were a School (29), Large Grocery Store
(38), and High End Housing (33). While one person felt that it
was too soon to even begin considering the residential potential
until other development had occurred first, the others were

suggestions that we hadn’t included in the survey were

restricting it to only mom and pop style businesses as well as
placing an explicit focus on safety in numbers. This would
suggest that not only should the peninsula focus on
programmed events in order to draw people to it in the first
place, but in order to overcome the perception of danger there
will need to be a conscious attempt to making it so that there
are events
Housing(Status Number Percent programmed at all
Own 37 34% hours in order to
Rent 63 58% encourage a healthy
Live(Rent8Free 7 6% night life so that
Homeless 1 1% there are always focused on wanting to see safety measures implemented before
Total 108 people around. they even considered it and having the peninsula be a self-
contained neighborhood with employment and groceries within
We also asked “What it as well as the residential.
features would most make you consider living on the
Scranton Peninsula if it were redeveloped into a The survey concluded with demographics questions of
neighborhood” in order to determine what it would take for residence, age, education, housing type, and employment
people to consider living in an area that has traditionally been information. This is useful to determine who the survey was
industrial and commercial rather than residential. 73 people given to, and how comprehensive it was to distribute the survey
answered that they would want to see Affordable Housing but at the selected sites. 51 respondents specified they were from a
Outdoor Trails (59), Green Space (58), Transit Access (52), and

40
Cleveland zip code with the rest being from the outlying
suburbs.
Respondents had a relatively equal age distribution with the
exception of people 65 and older who made up 8%. Younger
than that however, the highest group was 45-54 year olds with
23% and the lowest group was 55-64 year olds with 14% of the
respondents. Slightly less than half the respondents (46%) had
at least a Bachelor’s degree with only 5% of respondents not
having graduated high school. 20% of respondents had at least
some college experience and a majority (62%) had at least a
two year degree. The majority (58%) of respondents were
renters with 34% of them owning their own home. The most
common monthly rent or mortgage payment was $400-$799 a
month, with the next largest being $0-$399 a month, showing
employed, or some other combination of fitting in multiple
that the majority of our respondents were on the lower end of
categories.) Out of those who were employed and chose to
the income range. Despite this, the majority of our respondents
respond, 54 of them worked in the business sector, 15 of them
were employed full time (54) and only 27 were not doing work
in the nonprofit sector, and 9 of them in the government sector.
of any sort, voluntarily or not. (There are more than 108
responses because some people were both students and The survey concluded with an open-ended question for people
to add whatever comments they felt they hadn’t been able
to emphasize earlier in the survey or just wanted to add. Out
Education*Level Number Percent of the nine people who chose to comment, four of them
<*High*School 5 5% emphasized the importance of recreation, either by adding bike
High*School*Graduate*or*Equivalency 14 13%
Some*College,*no*Degree 22 20%
Associates*or*2*Year*Degree 17 16%
Bachelor's*or*4*Year*Degree 29 27%
Graduate*or*Professional*Degree 21 19%
Total 108

41
paths or space for dirt bikes, or the importance of balancing in our project. This phase of the plan was also conducted under
different types of recreation so that no one ruins the experience the stringent guidelines of Cleveland State University’s Internal
of the others. Two other people wanted to once again Review Board which directed us to provide for the
emphasize the need for affordable, diverse, and inclusive dissemination, collection, and information received in a manner
housing on the peninsula and one person wanted to express consistent with IRB protocols. To this end, signed released
their support for small local retail rather than another Crocker forms were given and collected from each interviewee detailing
our various retention and dissemination methods as well as the
Park or Legacy Village.
scope and detail of the project.

In order to organize and understand the various opinions and

viewpoints that relate to our project that class developed a set
of eight comprehensive questions that would hopefully illicit a
Stakeholder Interviews meaningful and telling response from our interviews. These
questions encompassed the various advantages and
In any planning endeavor there are bound to be differing disadvantages of developing the Scranton Peninsula ranging
opinions on how to best approach a given project. While a from its past successes and failures to the potential success and
consensus must eventually be reached, the road to this end pitfalls of future development options.
point is filled with a diverse amount of opinions and
suggestions on how to accomplish the end product. This has To begin with, we wanted to see how many people were aware
also been the case in regards to our approach to the Scranton of the two most detailed plans for the Scranton Peninsula and
Peninsula project. For this phase of the project our class so asked: “What are your thoughts on the Canal Basin
identified a myriad of local stakeholders, including public District and/or the Flats Forward Plans?” While there were
officials, businesses owners, non-profit and advocacy groups as only two respondents who had not heard of either of these
well as planning professionals. plans, in general all of our stakeholders felt extremely positive
about these plans. The most beneficial criteria that they saw
While it may be impossible to fit in the viewpoints of every was that all the plans worked together rather than each of them
available stakeholder, we have done our best to reach out to and reinventing the wheel each time a new group expressed interest
conduct primary interviews with a number of actors whose in the Scranton Peninsula. While a few of our stakeholders
influence not only reaches beyond this individual project and/or were worried that these plans were not involving business and
those who have been involved with the varieties of planning industry stakeholders in the planning process enough, the
processes that have been being undertaken on the Scranton majority felt quite positive that the plans were doing an
Peninsula for decades. To that end over 30 stakeholders were excellent job of balancing transportation modes, infrastructure
contacted with a total of 18 interviewees agreeing to take part

42
 Accessibility was actually the most controversial topic because
while some people felt that it had improved greatly, others felt
that it was still the reason the other successes hadn’t made as
big an impact.

In order to utilize the experience of our stakeholders in not only

implementing successful projects but having been in the field
long enough to determine common threads of failure across
redevelopment projects, we wanted to ask them for advice
regarding avoiding any mistakes we could. In order to specify
this for the fact that the Flats had a successful past but failed
since then, we asked: “Given the past issues with Cleveland’s
development in the Flats and along the river, what do you
think we can do differently this time to ensure long term
success?” Almost every one of our stakeholders emphasized
that a balanced mix of uses would be essential in order to
Picture: Julia Schnell
promote a successful development because single use districts
investments, stormwater management, and were no longer economically feasible, particularly since the
the overall productiveness of the peninsula. entertainment dominated use was responsible for the
peninsula’s previous decline. Parking was a controversial issue
Following our question about awareness of these plans, because while some people felt that it needed to be restricted in
respondents were directly asked about their opinions regarding order to provide more space for other uses, others felt that it
how the redevelopment of the Flats has been successful so far: was essential to provide adequate parking throughout the
“What elements have been most important in the peninsula in order to avoid the frustrations of Ohio City. One
regeneration of the Flats thus far?” The biggest successes business owner who had been there through the rise and fall of
were considered to be the public-private partnerships that had the Flats pointed out that one crucial difference needed to be
so successfully developed other areas of the Flats, particularly reinvesting profits into the physical improvements of the
the Flats East Bank project, the successful planning processes district before the area began to decline and people stopped
between many different groups, and the cleaning of the coming to see any improvements that were even made. This
Cuyahoga River. Several stakeholders also pointed out that the tied into a common perception that any development would
peninsula is surrounded by some of the most successful have to work consciously to defeat decades of perceptions that
neighborhoods in Cleveland like Ohio City and Tremont and the area was unsafe, and therefore would need to make it feel
that Flats East Bank promises to become another one. not only adequately safe but actively safe.

43
While we had conducted both primary research through our
surveying of the general public and secondary research through
our phase one research on the market area characteristics, we
wanted to directly ask our stakeholders for their advice on the
development since we knew many of them had been thinking
about it for decades. Therefore, we asked them directly: “What
types of developments do you think would have the
strongest market demand on Scranton Peninsula?” Literally
every single stakeholder suggested that it needed to be a mixed
use area. While not everyone was suggesting that it needed to
be mixed use within individual areas, although the great
majority were, no one wanted to see the entire district be any
one use. Most people wanted to see at least some residential
built on the peninsula, although on the other hand a couple
people felt strongly that housing either shouldn’t be built at all
or should be built later in the phasing process in order to give
the district time to become attractive to potential residents. On Picture: Julia Schnell
being able to go through but instead stalling
the other hand, some people felt strongly that housing needed to
either due to a lack of commitment on Forest
be built immediately because otherwise there would be no one
City’s part, too much red tape, or just a general dying of
to support the building of retail. While there were a couple of
enthusiasm across the planning agencies.
people who felt that retail wouldn’t be successful, the majority
of people felt that retail was essential to build at some point
Several stakeholders were worried about various aspects of the
because it was the only land use that could both attract people
triple bottom line goal (economics, environment and equity),
to both visit and live on the peninsula.
either the development not being environmentally sustainable,
anyone other than the rich being able to afford to live there, or
We followed up on this in order to get advice on things that our
it not being profitable.
advisors could specifically suggest avoiding: “What are your
top concerns in regard to future development of the
For any plan to be successful there must be recognition of the
Scranton Peninsula?” The main worry was making access to
elements that go into creating the underlying fabric of a
the peninsula adequate to support any type of land use,
community. With this in mind we asked our stakeholders: “Are
although the total cost of the project wasn’t far behind. Several
there any specific infrastructure improvements that need to
stakeholders were worried about the development actually

44
be made to support development?” There was unified public investment should play in the Scranton Peninsula
agreement that all the infrastructure needs to be upgraded. The development?” Literally every stakeholder felt that as a
roads need to be totally redone, the bulkheads strengthened, minimum tax increment financing was necessary in order to
utilities replaced, bridges repaired, etc. No one thought that any make the infrastructure upgrades and brownfield remediation
infrastructure that have to occur before any development can even begin even
Picture: Julia Schnell on the remotely feasible. In general, people felt that it was not only
peninsula was necessary but right for a large portion of the project to be
working and funded through public money since this is such a crucial
business development for both the city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga
owners gave County. All stakeholders who mentioned public-private
harrowing partnerships felt that they were essential for the process to work
stories of since there was no way that either side could come up with
brown water enough money for this development process to move forward
and electrical on their own.
brownouts
occurring on a As a class it was very important to us to promote the triple
regular basis. bottom line throughout the development, and so to wrap up our
People also interviews we asked our stakeholders their explicit advice on
felt that the how to achieve this: “How can we ensure social equity and
transportation infrastructure in particular needed to not only be environmental sustainability in the Scranton Peninsula
repaired but expanded in order to provide access via more development?” This was the hardest question for people to
modes of transportation and more ways on and off the answer with the largest number of interviewees declining to
peninsula. One stakeholder also suggested incorporating public give an answer or feeling that it was either too early or not the
art into the infrastructure in order to not only make it more place of the developer and that they therefore had no say in the
attractive but also open more sources of funding and attract matter. Those who did comment largely focused either on
more interest towards the peninsula. making proportions of the housing affordable for all classes of
people, not just the federal definition of affordable, or ensuring
While as a class we felt that public investment in private that access to the riverfront was regained for all Clevelanders,
ventures was a necessary component, since the real estate not just those who paid for the peninsula either through living
market in Cleveland is barely strong enough to manage purely there or paying for parking or businesses. The next most
private developments in the top areas and certainly not on the common method was ensuring a balanced transportation system
Scranton Peninsula, we wanted to ensure that there was nothing in order to ensure that there were plenty of ways to get to the
we might have failed to consider: “What role do you think peninsula even for those families that don’t own a car.

45
All photos: Julie Schnell
46
PLAN OVERVIEW - group a

Site Plans and Elevations

47
48
49
50
Group A - PLAN OVERVIEW
SUMMARY OF THE DESIGN ELEMENTS & LAYOUT

Carter Riverfront is a destination community for local retail on the first floor, artist workspaces on the second floor,
Cleveland residents and tourists alike offering diverse and and residential units on the third floor to act as lofted live-work
inclusive housing options, a manufacturing innovation and co- units for local artists. The buildings will operate as a limited
operative office park, waterway boardwalk and ample green equity cooperative so the artists will have a lasting stake in the
spaces, a community arts and recreation center, and a small area.   Four of the buildings will open out onto a boardwalk
retail district along the Towpath Trail.  Located along the banks along the Cuyahoga River and the opposite four will face
of the Cuyahoga River at the Scranton Peninsula in the Flats, Scranton Road. Eight separate buildings were constructed to
Carter Riverfront encompasses both urban and natural elements give an alleyway feel. The artists that live above the retail
and will be designed according to LEED’s principles for spaces will decorate the buildings’ walls.
neighborhood development.
Modern two-bedroom and three-bedroom luxury homes will
Three sides of the peninsula will soon feature bike and line the northern side of the Cuyahoga River the river facing the
pedestrian paths, connecting people to both the river and the Columbus Peninsula, perfectly positioned to enjoy the vibrant
lake.   A central art park will bring together residents of the and expanding rowing community at Rivergate Park and the
community and anchor the new neighborhood while exposing proposed youth rowing center, The Foundry.  Luxury homes
visitors to sculptures and art installations from local artists. will also be clustered along Scranton Road with easy access to
Paying homage to the industrial legacy of the area, a light the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail. The Bessemer, a
manufacturing innovation and cooperative center (the Carter 59-unit luxury apartment complex, will face the planned Canal
Riverfront Center for Innovation in Manufacturing and Basin Park with views of Tower City and the Foundry rowing
Cooperatives) will bring needed employment to the club.
neighborhood, inspired in part by President Obama’s recent
visit to Cleveland’s Global Center for Health Innovation in All of the developments will be constructed in three phases.
March.  The first phase will consist of The Steelworks mixed-income
apartments, luxury houses on Carter, and The Republic mixed-
A mixed-income apartment community, The Steelworks, will use art lofts. In the second phase, the West Flats Arts &
offer 123 1, 2, and 3-bedroom units and overlook the new art Recreation Center will replace the old Smeed family box
park and retail district. The Steelworks will feature both company building and construction will begin on the
market-rate and affordable rents and take advantage of Low manufacturing innovation park. Finally, in the third phase,
Income Housing Tax Credits. construction will begin on the cluster homes along Scranton
Road and luxury apartments at The Bessemer. Depending on
Closest to the river on the eastern bank of the peninsula, 8 the speed of construction and leasing, phases may overlap to
three-story mixed-use buildings called The Republic will offer meet demand.

51
THEMES SYNOPSIS

“Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you’re riding • A reasonable rate of return for the developers, investors
through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, and managers of the properties in the community;
mischief and jealousy. Don't bury your thoughts, put your • An attractive community for both single and family
vision to reality. Wake Up and Live!” Bob Marley 1 households wishing to live here;

The Scranton Peninsula, the slate for the proposed Carter • An innovative work environment that allows
Riverfront Development, has its share of ruts and rough roads. employment opportunities for both high-tech and low-
 The Peninsula has a history of industry, business and grime.  It tech workers at both high-end and livable income
has left its mark both environmentally (with numerous ranges;
brownfields and a polluted river) and politically (inertia • A community that fosters cooperativeness through
problems typical of a “Legacy” city beset with a long history of encouraged and deliberate neighborhood interaction and
decline, along with recent sparks and pockets of rebirth seen cooperative housing and business models;
throughout the city). • A place where innovative high- and low-tech practices
are sought in regards to energy use and promoting a
Just as poet and musician Bob Marley prescribes a vision clean environment;
grounded in principles (“flee from hate, mischief and jealousy”) • An area that interacts, appreciates and makes use of the
so too does the Carter Riverfront Development.  As part of our Cuyahoga River in an enjoyable and environmentally
efforts at redevelopment of the Scranton Peninsula into the sustainable fashion
Carter Riverfront we will ground our vision in principals that • An area that has an ample percentage of open and non-
will take into account the financial, environmental and equity built upon space--One that encourages considerable tree
principles of urban development.   coverage;
• An inclusive community that welcomes low, medium
We seek to create an area that will include the following and high-income people, of all backgrounds, to live,
attributes for visitors, workers and residents: work and play.

• An area that is aesthetically and artistically innovative,

exciting, and inviting;
• A neighborhood where everyone feel safe and secure;
• A neighborhood that strives to meet LEED-ND
standards;

1!BrainyQuote,. 'Bob Marley Quotes At Brainyquote'. N.p., 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.

52
LEED ND

The turn of the century called for innovations in building neighborhoods, a major component of LEED-ND, are defined
construction and energy efficiency, but both the public and as communities with a discernible center, and housing within 5
private sectors needed a framework to guide their often-costly minutes of this center.  They have mixed-use building types and
decisions to foster sustainability. Thus, the Leadership in purpose, and connected, narrow, and walkable streets and
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification was pathways.2
born in the early 2000s. Soon, thousands of developers
worldwide were competing to have designations up to LEED The Carter Riverfront development will make extensive use of
Platinum, the highest level of environmental achievement.   alternative energy sources such as photo-voltaic panels. Prices
for the installation of PV arrays have continued to drop at very
In 2010, under the administration of the U.S. Green Building fast rates over the last few decades. The environmental impacts
Council and other private non-profit co-sponsors--Natural (both positive and negative) of large-scale solar energy projects
Resources Defense Council and the Congress for the New correlate directly to the size of the project. Although unlike
Urbanism--a more sophisticated standard for environmental fossil fuels, solar power emits no carbon dioxide and are
concern and certification was rolled out. LEED-Neighborhood usually silent, they do depend on the sun for energy and
Development (LEED-ND) sought to take the best of Smart indirectly use fossil fuels during the manufacturing process.
Growth’s concern with density and place, New Urbanism’s However, the overall net environmental impact of Solar PV is
concern with form, and the environmental movement’s positive.
traditional need for less pollution and more efficient energy use
and roll it into one certification package. Group A’s goal is to develop to LEED-ND standards and seek
eventual certification.  Below are some of the key strategies
The LEED-ND process looks beyond individual buildings organized by LEED-ND into three basic sections to achieve
toward a more comprehensive critique of how these structures LEED-ND certification and status and how the Carter
are in relationship to their surrounding neighborhood. It looks Riverfront proposed development compares to meets the
at proper scale (human), access (by bike, walk, transit and car), challenges.
pollution and impact, among other criteria (NRDC). LEED-
ND broadens the scope of sustainable thinking.

According to leading practitioners of the New Urbanist

movement, A. Duany and E. Platerl-Zyberk, traditional

2Natural Resource Defenses Council (NRDC).  (n.d.).  A Citizen’s Guide to LEED for Neighborhood Development: How to Tell if Development is Smart and
Green, accessed 4/22/15, http://www.nrdc.org/cities/smartgrowth/leed.asp.

53
Examples)of)Solar)Roofs)
over)Parking)Lots)

picture source: http://inhabitat.com/solar-forest-

charging-system-for-parking-lots

picture source: http://www.basinandarrangewatch.

org/Solar-TheSolution.html

picture source: http://www.nature.org/photos-and-

video/mojave-solar-photo-gallery.xml

54
area highest and best use

development.   The Highest and Best Use Table acts as a guide

for what should be built on each portion of the peninsula.

Quadrant 1, located on the Carter Road side of the peninsula

west of the Flats Industrial Railroad reported light industry (21)
as the highest use, followed by office (11) and parking lot (8).
 Possible contamination from dirty soil dumped on the land is a
concern as well as visibility and access to the site.  However,
the Carter Road side of the peninsula offers greater river views,
which could yield high returns for residential development
down the road.  

Quadrant 2, the smallest of the four, is also along Carter Road,

but to the east of the Flats Industrial Railroad.  Due to its more
secluded location along the peninsula with unobstructed
riverfront view shed, green space (16), luxury housing (14), and
apartments (13) are the highest ranked uses.
A Highest and Best Use Table scores a number of possible land
uses for a site by various characteristics to determine the Quadrant 3 is bounded by Carter Road to the North and
highest value land use shall the land be developed or improved. between the river and Scranton Road with spectacular views of
 Scranton Peninsula was divided into four quadrants by existing Downtown Cleveland and accessibility to the riverfront and the
boundaries: Scranton and Carter Roads and the Flats Industrial Towpath Trail.   The area ranked highest for retail (16),
Railroad.   restaurants (14), and apartments (13).  

Each quadrant was tested for eleven possible uses: apartments, Quadrant 4 inhabits the rest of the land west of Carter Road and
townhouses, luxury housing, office, light industry, restaurant, north of Scranton Road.  It is the largest of the four quadrants
parking lot, supermarket, recreation center, retail, and green and the most visible from the new Cleveland Foundation
space.   All land uses were then ranked according to the Centennial Trail.  It will act as a major linkage to the eventual
collective score on 18 questions relating to access, competition, Canal Basin Park and contains the only salvageable building in
workforce, demographics, and aesthetics.  Each characteristic the development.  The area ranks the highest for a recreation
was scored from positive to negative influence on the land use center (14), townhouses (13), and apartments (13).  
from 2 to -2, with 0 being neutral.  All scores were tallied and
the highest three uses were ranked and considered for

55



56
swot analysis

The SWOT analysis is a common planner’s tool used to assess

an area. It stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities &
Threats and was used to evaluate the current Scranton
Peninsula. The table on the right explains how some of the
challenges will be met.

57
Remediation and construction costs

Brownfield remediation costs were conducted using

Construction and development costs were derived from three
specifications prescribed by Forest City Inc. based on the
sources. Fee simple single family residential costs were based
preliminary findings in the Phase II Environmental Analysis.
on industry standard costs per square foot at noted by
All cost data was provided by the U.S. EPA’s Brownfield
homebuildingsmart.com. Construction costs for the Carter
Engineering Controls report. Remediation costs for all
Riverfront Center for Innovation in Manufacturing and
Commercial Buildings as well as all parking lots were
Cooperation were given by a local real estate development firm
calculated using mean cleaning costs, mean 1” sub-base costs,
interviewed for this project. All other development costs were
mean 1.5” surface costs, and mean swale costs provided by the
derived using 2012 RS Means data and inflated at 3% annually
U.S. EPA. All residential and green space remediation costs
for 3 years.
were calculated using low end estimates for 3’ removal and 3’
of fill provided by the U.S. EPA.

58
Project Specific Remediation and Development/
Construction Costs

The Republic mixed-use retail and live-work artists lofts remediation cost of $535,808. Total Development costs for the
development consists of 8 total buildings totaling 156,000 cluster home project equal $13,977,600. Total remediation and
square feet. Also included in the development is a 78,300 development costs for the cluster home project equal
square foot parking lot and approximately 46.440 square feet of $14,513,408.
boardwalk fronting the Cuyahoga River. Remediation costs for
the site total $663,949. Development Costs for the project total The Steelworks, a mixed-income apartments community,
$12,046,222. Total remediation and development costs equal consists of 4 buildings at 8,641 square feet each, totaling
$12,680,171. 138,272 square feet of mixed income apartment housing.
Remediation costs for the project total $62,414. Development
The proposed luxury home development along Carter Road costs total 6,928,484. Total remediation and development costs
includes 32 homes totaling 76,800 square feet of living space equal $6,990,898.
resting on 188,871 square feet of fee simple lots and 180,480
square feet of green space. Remediation for the site (including The West Flats Recreation & Arts Education Center will reside
the expansion of the Towpath Trail) equaled $2,667,535. Total in the newly renovated Smeed Box Company building on
development costs equaled $15,360,000. Total development Scranton Road. The building, totaling 43,580 square feet, incurs
and remediation costs equaled $18,027.535. no remediation costs. Total development costs of the recreation
center equal $3,313,712. Public parking on the peninsula of
The Research Institution consisted of three buildings totaling 78,459 square feet costs $191,248 to remediate and construct.
134,948 square feet. 157,664 square feet of parking is included And, 458,821 square feet of green space is remediated at a cost
along with 446,535 square feet of green space. Remediation of $3,313,712 in order to be used as a park.
costs totaled $3,938,236. Development costs totaled
21,591,680, bringing total remediation and development costs
to $25,529,916.

The Bessemer luxury apartments consist of 6 buildings totaling

75,468 square feet. 29,357 square feet of parking is included
along with 217,663 square feet of green space. Remediation
costs totaled $1,780,140. Development costs totaled
$4,532,768. Total remediation and development costs equaled
$6,312,908.
Thirty-two cluster homes will be constructed along Scranton
Road totaling 69,888 square feet of living space with a site

59
TOTAL COST

Remediation costs for the entire site equaled $11,507,038.

Development costs for the entire site equaled $80,942,464.
Total remediation and development costs equal
$95,954,462. Brownfield remediation costs equal roughly
12% of the total development costs.

R E S I D E N T I A L

Current Building Supply

There are 17 structures on the Scranton Peninsula.  Most

notably, there is an 8,000 square foot Fire Station located on
the Southeast corner of the peninsula, currently used only
for boat operations and in good condition.  According to a
Fire
Station #21 source, there are no plans to fully staff the
station and add a pumper in the foreseeable future. At some
point the City of Cleveland should determine if it would be
more advantageous to the neighborhood and the city to
repurpose the building (to a bar/restaurant/dancehall for
example) or have it remain mostly empty. Most of the other
buildings have been used for industrial purposes and are not
suited for office or residential renovation.  Only the two-
story industrial building located at 1854 Scranton Road will
be reused.  The building is approximately 26,000 square feet
with 4,000 square feet currently occupied by American
Ironworks, according to CoStar.   The building will be
renovated into a recreation and arts education center.  The
other 16 buildings needing to be demolished total over
157,000 square feet not including parking lots.

60
residential market and rent analysis

The residential market analysis was performed on 160

properties within a one-mile radius of the Scranton Peninsula project must compete with other projects for funds, whereas
using CoStar real estate analysis software that tracks lease, grantees of the 4% tax credit do not have to compete but must
vacancy, and rent information.  The analysis was performed for fund at least 50% of development costs with tax-exempt bonds.
each housing type—mixed-income apartments, luxury   The units must be rented according to predetermined
apartments, artist live/work spaces, and townhouses.  All of the maximums and tenants must earn under 50-60% of the area
apartments will be rented, whereas the houses will be built and median income.
sold.  A survey of all 7,100 units within the one-mile radius
shows an overall vacancy rate of 4.1%, with 543 new units For the luxury apartment residential analysis, only buildings
coming online within the year.  Studio asking rent averaged within one-mile with a four-star rating were considered,
$679, and one through three bedroom apartments averaged including properties such as Flats East Bank and The Ivory on
monthly rents of $941, $1,513, and $1,817 respectively. Euclid.   Thirteen multi-family apartment buildings were
considered, showing an average rent per square foot of $1.51
The mixed-income apartments, The Steelworks, will be located and a 6% vacancy.  The 2014 fourth quarter report from the
in Quadrant 4 along Carter Road in the new Steelworks Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA) reported the market-rate
apartment building. An analysis of 46 multi-family rental residential occupancy at a staggering high rate of 97.8 percent,
apartments within one mile of the peninsula shows the average with The Nine fully leased.  DCA cited rents at $1.20 average
rent per square foot to be $1.10 with a 4% vacancy rate of the and predicts a growing urban population expanding from a
approximate 5,800 units.  Apartments were included from the current downtown resident population of 13,278 to more than
Downtown Cleveland, Ohio City, and Tremont submarkets. 23,000 in 2018.  There are currently 14 known projects planned
 The mixed-income apartments will provide needed residential or under construction.  There is still room in the market for
density lacking from the urban neighborhoods up the hill, as more multi-family housing, but the quicker to market, the safer
well as being inclusive to all socioeconomic backgrounds in a the investment during such a booming time in Downtown
prime location along the river. Cleveland and the surrounding neighborhoods.3   We predict
charging between $1.50 and $2.00 a square foot for rent at The
To qualify for either a 9% or 4% Low Income Housing Tax Bessemer luxury apartments.
Credit (LIHTC) on the eligible construction cost of the building
either 40% of the property must be set aside for families at or The artist live-work loft units at the Republic will provide
below 60% of the area’s median income, or at least 20% of the unique creative spaces on the second floor of a newly
property must be set aside for families at or below 50% of the constructed mixed-used building, with residential units on the
area’s median income.  To receive a 9% credit, the floor above.  Retail will fill the lower, ground level units just off

3!Downtown!Cleveland!Alliance.!2014%4Q%Market%Update.!2014.!Web.!13!APR.!2015

61
of the Towpath Trail and proposed boardwalk.  These units will For-sale luxury homes will be added along both Carter Road
bring much needed inspired space for local artists to create in and cluster homes will be constructed along Scranton Road. A
and thrive among peers, while giving them unrivaled views of sales analysis of five recently sold townhouse properties in
both the Cuyahoga River and Cleveland skyline. Leases will be Ohio City, Tremont, and Downtown revealed an average sales
tied between the live and workspaces so that the artists that live price per square foot of $123.74, with prices ranging from
in the building are also guaranteed a creative space.  There are $428,700 for a newly constructed townhouse in Ohio City to
21 live/work creative spaces within a one-mile radius, $207,500 for a slightly older recently renovated townhouse also
averaging $8.59 per square foot.  The 3 Downtown Cleveland in Ohio City.  The final sales price will depend on the quality of
Alliance,.   2014 4Q Market Update. 2014. Web. 13 Apr. construction and demand, but we feel comfortable asking at
buildings will be owned and operated as a limited equity least $180.00 per square foot for each home, putting the
cooperative with each artist having one equal share in the townhouses in the $400,000 and up range.  Townhouses on the
cooperative corporation. The Republic will be a co-op in order Carter Road side of the peninsula facing the Columbus
to give the artists an equity stake in the community they are Peninsula will pay a premium as the view of the river is better.
supporting and helping to build.  We do not want artists to be  Cluster homes on the Scranton Road side of the peninsula will
priced-out and forced to move. pay a premium based on the position of the house and its size.

The retail portion on the first floors of the Republic buildings

will be separate from the artist lofts.  We hope to sign a grocery
store, some art galleries, and other needed amenities in leases.
 A rental analysis of ten retail properties within one mile of the
peninsula reveals an average rent per square foot of $10.88.
 Rents ranged from $9.50 a square foot to $12.00 a square foot.

62
 carter riverfront center for innovation in

manufacturing and cooperatives

The Carter Riverfront Center for Innovation in Manufacturing state matching grants while seeking institutional support from
and Cooperatives (CRCIMC) aims to be the premier destination partners such as Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland
for research, education, and the development of cutting edge, State University, and Case Western Reserve University.
industry standard setting systems related to supply chain  Specifically, the Center plans to engage Cuyahoga Community
management, and cooperative concepts, including worker College’s Additive Manufacturing Program, Cleveland State
training, within the City, State, and Region. We plan to bring University’s Department of Operations and Supply Chain
together academicians from the three leading area colleges and Management Certificate Program, and Case Western Reserve
universities, to facilitate the operation at the CRCIMC. They University’s Think Box Institute for Collaboration and
will manage supply research and practice cooperative ventures Innovation.
including: small business R&D and incubation (both
cooperatives and non-cooperatives); innovative supply chain
management R&D (both cooperatives and non-cooperatives);
and worker/member own and controlled businesses, industries,
and residential projects.

There will be three buildings that make up the CRCIMC,

located in Quadrant 1. One of the Center buildings, on the east
side of the map, will host the above mentioned Research &
Development projects, the Center for Cooperatives (CFC), lab
space and other office space. The other two building will be
built on spec and be held for lower tech cooperative business
ventures. For real-life examples of possible cooperative
ventures and businesses see the figure below. Cooperative
Ventures Examples (Also, see the US Federation of Worker
Cooperatives website for an extensive list of worker
cooperatives, https://www.usworker.coop/find-a-worker-coop).
It is anticipated that the three buildings that make up the The CRCIMC will also house a Center for Cooperatives (CFC).
CRCIMC will house both high-wage/high-tech and medium- The aforementioned educational institutions will cooperatively
wage/low-tech workers. staff, fund and manage the CFC. The CFC will produce
scholarly research alongside active community engagement in
The CRCIMC intends to pursue over $500 million in public/ the Carter Riverfront Development and the Greater Cleveland
private partnership funding through competitive federal and Region vis-a-vis promotion of cooperative ventures in housing,
food and business. In particular, they will be able to act as

63
 next generation
manufacturing:
resources for the artist work/live co-op buildings and business
cooperatives proposed for Carter Riverfront. (See the The Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)
University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Cooperatives for a Program has been working with specialized non-profits since
good example of a university affiliated cooperative center, 2004 in order to provide low-cost business and technical
http://www.uwcc.wisc.edu/). solutions to small and medium sized manufacturers.
 Cleveland’s member affiliate, MAGNET, has been serving in
It is our belief that workforce development is one of the highest this capacity locally since 1984.  Due to Scranton Peninsula’s
and best uses of this property. Workforce development partners location and manufacturing history, partnering with MAGNET
such as Employment Connection, Evergreen Corp and to include next generation manufacturing in the Carter
Cuyahoga Community College have a strategic opportunity to Riverfront Development makes sense as Cleveland positions
grow in one of the most dynamic economic locations in the itself as a national leader in manufacturing innovation.
region as they continue to fulfill their mission while enhancing
one of the most severely neglected cities in the country. President Obama recently announced in Cleveland’s MAGNET
office the availability of nearly $500 million in public-private
Together the above partners, along with public and private investments in order to strengthen manufacturing in the United
entities such as MAGNET (Manufacturing Advocacy & States. Local firms and institutions are in a perfect position to
Growth Network of Cleveland)--specializing in manufacturing compete for federal dollars for any of the three initiatives that
supply chain management for small firms--and Advanced the President targeted. These include the advanced textile
Textile focused manufacturing institute competition led by the
Department of Defense (DOD), the 12-state MEP competition
Solutions--specializing in next generation textiles (i.e. military aimed at small manufacturers, or the Supply Chain Innovation
grade equipment)--form the core of the planned research, Initiative focused on building public-private partnerships to
development, and other activities occurring inside the Carter strengthen small American manufacturers.
Riverfront Center for Innovation in Manufacturing and
Cooperatives.

64
cooperatives: a new economic model for cleveland

The modern western cooperative movement can be traced to the The Republic artist live-work lofts will function as a limited
early 19th century Rochdale Cooperative. Core principals such equity cooperative. This means that when buying a
as voluntary and open membership, democratic member membership share in the co-op, members cannot sell them at
control, and cooperation among cooperatives were adopted by market rates when exiting at a later time. Limited equity shares
weavers who banded together to buy weaving materials and are usually sold to incoming members at a price adjusted for the
food at cost. These co-op principals were replicated around the rate of inflation. This method allows the housing costs to stay
world and many of the 1960s and 1970s member and worker accessible and affordable.
owned co-ops in the United States and trace their philosophical
roots back to the movement from England.4 CRCIMC will offer exciting opportunities for a variety of
creative business ventures that lend themselves to the worker
Cooperatives offer many advantages. For businesses they can cooperative model.
“provide competition, reduce costs and provide services that
profit-driven companies might reject as unprofitable.”5 Worker
cooperatives have had a strong presence in food production,
processing and sales, but have more recently started appearing
in the technology and home care sectors.

For housing cooperatives, such as the artist live-work space

planned at the northern end of the peninsula, there are
considerable advantages. These include typically lowered tax
assessments, democratic control of the facility, untaxed reserve
payments, and the right to control the type of membership
admitted into the co-op.6
Picture(Source:((Government(of(the(Republic(
of(Trinidad(and(Tobago(website,(h=p://
www.molsmed.gov.=/
CooperaAvesIYC2012Awards/tabid/456/
4 Default.aspx(
Cultivate.coop. accessed on the web, 4/26/15, http://cultivate.coop/wiki/Rochdale_Principles

5!Chron. Small Business. The Advantages of a Cooperative business, accessed on the web, 4/26/15, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-cooperative-
business-23592.html

6 SF Gate. The Advantages of Cooperative Housing, accessed on the web, 3/15/15, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/advantages-cooperative-housing-51443.html!

65
i n do o r u r ban gardens: e xam pl e # 1 o f a po te n ti al w or k er c o- op b u s i n es s
for crcimc

Incorporating indoor urban gardens into the CRCIMC present The ability to completely control the environment and produce
another viable business opportunity for the site.   Combining 365 days a year is luring business-minded entrepreneurs into
renewable energy with local produce grown by urban residents, the market, while government and university grants are paving
using models such as Plant Chicago, Eco Spirit run by the the way to pilot this innovative technique.     Business
Squamish Nation in Vancouver BC, or Big Box Farms in relationships already established by Green City Growers could
Brooklyn, NY, is often thought to be the wave of the future. also be supplemented and strengthened through the innovative
practice of indoor urban gardening.
Although urban agriculture has largely been limited to non-
profits, school groups and restaurants, the market is changing.
  For-profit agribusinesses can thrive on the rising demand
within city centers for safe, organic and locally grown food.
  With innovations in technology, energy consumption to run
these indoor farms could be reduced by as much as 40 to 60
percent.

h e a l th c ar e [ circle of life care give r coope rative ] : e xample #2

o f a p o t e n t i a l w o r ke r c o - o p busi n e ss f o r t h e c r c i m c
Circle of Life Caregiver Cooperative was conceived in 2007 in probationary period and have opted to become members of the
Bellingham, Washington by resident Jo Ann McNerthney as she cooperative. Circle of Life’s stated mission is “to provide
looked for caregivers to help care for her father.   After a quality in-home care services with compassion and respect for
process that included receiving two grants from the our clients by empowering our caregivers through teamwork
Cooperative Development Foundation, the group developed a and ownership of the business”.7 This is an example of the type
business plan, development of by-laws policies and procedures, of cooperative that could occupy space at the CRCIMC campus
as well as becoming bonded and insured. and train and develop workforce.

In 2009, the cooperative began operations after receiving

licensing from Washington State’s Department of Health.  
Today over 50 caregivers have progressed past their

7 Circle of Life, accessed on the web, 4/26/15, HTTP://www.circleoflife.coop/

66
 cuy ahoga county food policy coalition [ cccfpc ] : an e xample of

a pote ntial innovative partne r for the crcimc

Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition was formed in order Convening organizations include The Ohio State University
to promote a “just, equitable, healthy, and sustainable food Extension and Healthy Neighborhoods Prevention Research
system in the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and Center.   CCCFPC is primarily staffed and organized by
Northeast Ohio.”   Its stated goals are to “advance a food members of The Ohio State University Extension.  Its mission
security system development agenda at the City and County is primarily research and advocacy based, and it could fit in
level so residents have better access to fresh, healthy, and well as either a partner or model for the Carter Riverfront
affordable food”; promote advocacy efforts aimed at creating Center for Innovation in Manufacturing and Cooperatives.
relationships and “cross learning” from various members of the
food system; lower barriers to new market opportunities for
local entrepreneurs and businesses; and focus on research based
decision making which assesses local and regional food
systems in order to guide policies and programs.8

arts and culture

“For artists, the Rust Belt can provide access to affordable During the course of exploring possible land uses for this
space, a strong and supportive arts and cultural sector, project, the advice and mentorship from a local non-profit that
professional development and networking opportunities and studies and advises the arts and culture sector in Cleveland has
outlets for engagement in community affairs.  While the debate remained invaluable.  The non-profit researches and analyzes
will undoubtedly continue over what components are needed to how Rust Belt Cities can overcome great adversity and harness
bring the Rust Belt back from decline, it is evident that artists a creative core of artists and civic leaders to build communities
have a significant role to play in renewing industrial cities and and enhance a neighborhood’s texture.  The 2008 publication
positioning them for future success, moving the region from “From Rust Belt to Artist Belt: Challenged and Opportunities in
Rust Belt to Artist Belt.” Rust Belt Cities” explains that the Rust Belt is full of viable
The Community Partnership for Arts & Culture9 assets for artists—low cost of living, abundant space, spacious
industrial sites, natural surroundings, such as Lake Erie and the

8 Cleveland-Cuyahoga Count Food Policy Coalition, accessed on the web 4/26/15

9!Community Partnership for Arts & Culture,. From Rust Belt To Artist Belt: Challenges And Opportunities In Rust Belt Cities. Cleveland, OH: N.p., 2008. Web.
30 Apr. 2015.

67
Cuyahoga River, active redevelopment efforts, and a high
quality arts and culture sector. The Scranton Peninsula has
unrivaled access to all of these amenities, along with the added
advantage of being able to build a new neighborhood from the
ground up.  

Future redevelopment should take note of the value an arts and

culture-focused neighborhood can bring to the already rich
historical fabric of the Flats.  Cleveland has witnessed rebirth is
areas once thought dead through positive enhancements in arts,
placemaking, entertainment, culture, and dining.  Whether it’s
the third Friday of the month at an open house at the 78th Street
Studios in the Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood, exploring the
hip Waterloo Arts District in Collinwood, or attending the ever-
popular Art Walk in Tremont, invitations to engage with
Cleveland’s creative community are numerous.   Involved
community leaders have learned that neighborhoods are more
than just houses, schools, and district boundaries.
 Neighborhoods are given identity by their unique offerings in
arts, culture, and entertainment, but in a more abstract way, how
they invite people in to stay.

Learning from the lessons of Cleveland’s recent Urban

Renaissance, arts and culture can leave a sizeable and lasting
impact on the recognition and legacy of the area.   Carter
Riverfront will incorporate and encourage art from the
beginning of the project to have lasting and unified impact on
all 80 acres of the peninsula.  Carter Riverfront will engage and
celebrate artists in the Carter Riverfront Community Art Park,
inspire and support artistic explorations in the Arts & Education
Enrichment Center, and offer a special place of residence
within a community of peers in The Republic live-work
collaborative.

68
 carte r community art park

“Art can capture beauty; art can convey whimsy.  Art can be the busy epicenter of downtown to the non-profit Gateway
commercial or personal, trendy or traditional, introspective or Foundation to build a public and unenclosed park that
outward-looking.  Art can also inspire collective action—even if acknowledged its unique location just a half a mile from the
that action is as simple as making us more aware of the Mississippi River.  The designers worked to create a diversity
consequences of our daily actions.” of spaces and experiences with playful art sculptures and
The Community Partnership for Arts & Culture10 interactive water features.  Now, City Garden attracts visitors
from across the metro area and is a revered must-see for
Carter Riverfront will bridge socio-economic divides by tourists.
inviting neighbors to share in a one-of-a-kind vibrant and urban
art park right in their backyard.  Carter Art Park will feature The Scranton Peninsula mirrors this story in many ways, from
large sculptures and modern art installations, as well as unique the resurgence in urban living and the need for more public
water and lighting elements, and sustainable landscaping green spaces, to the storied history of the land. Carter Art Park
design, all from local artists.   We believe artists should be will seamlessly merge art into all aspects of the design.   In
involved from the beginning to learn about the unique texture CPAC’s report “When Artists Break Ground” about the
and history of the land, and to collaborate on how to best transformation of Collinwood through the Waterloo Art District
engage the public with meaningful and approachable art. a major takeaway was how crucial engaging artists in the
 Children and adults alike will have a unique place to meet and process from the beginning is to the success of project. A staff
relax. member is quoted, “Rather than thinking about artists as an
add-on, I’d encourage community development organizations
Carter Art Park is inspired by City Garden in Downtown St. to sit down with their strategic plans and full list of all of their
Louis, Missouri, an urban park in the center of the city that is community priorities and think creatively about the roles artists
home to an impressive 24 sculptures, 102-fountain spray plaza, might play.”11
and 55 meter long pool with a cascading waterfall. In 2006, St.
Louis was experiencing a similar boon in downtown living as We cannot say for certain what the art will look like because the
more and more warehouses and industrial buildings were entire process of building on Scranton Peninsula will be guided
turned into upscale lofts and apartments.  The City needed a along the way from talented landscaping artists like Dru
public park space to accommodate all of the new residents.  In McKeown and Mimi Kato, and other celebrated and soon-to-
2007, the Board of Aldermen agreed to lend 2.9 acres of land at be-discovered artists in the area, with further input from other

10Cleveland State Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs,. Forming Cleveland: A Visual Arts, Craft And Design Industry Study: Full Report.
Cleveland, OH: N.p., 2014. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.

11 Community Partnership for Arts and Culture., When Artists Break Ground, 2014., accessed from the web

69
artistic non-profits and small businesses across Cleveland.  The
artists who call Carter Riverfront home should shape how the
neighborhood interacts with all elements of the peninsula, from
enhancing walkways and buildings with murals and installing
an interactive feature in the Art Park, to teaching classes at the
Arts & Education Center and sharing art and cultural events in
the community gallery.

the w e st flats arts and e ducation ce nte r

“Collaborative efforts are essential to enhancing the regional It is important to note the balance a network of arts and culture-
consumer base through art neighborhoods and should include focused neighborhoods can bring to the greater Cleveland area.
participation in youth educational programs that develop  People come from far and wide to explore University Circle’s
young residents’ taste for art; provide business advice to vast wealth of arts and culture assets.  Carter Riverfront is not
artists; and coordinate regional artists on art events, shows, meant to compete with such an integral part of Cleveland’s
community days, and other affairs.” history.   Instead, just simply inviting artists into the new
The Community Partnership for Arts & Culture development will plant a seed from the beginning that art can
be everywhere and enjoyed by everyone.
The West Flats Arts & Education Center, sharing space with the
community recreation center in the renovated Smeed Box
Company building detailed below, is an inspired learning space
for local artists to share their talents and skills with the
community, come together and collaborate, and showcase their
work to the public.  The existing two-story warehouse along
Scranton Road will allow for a public space to workout, take
classes, and come together as a community.   The Arts &
Education Center will feature modern and open rooms that will
suit any art medium so they can easily transition from class to
class.  Now, artists do not have to have their own studio to open
up their passions to others.  Various arts non-profits from across
Northeast Ohio can also participate in the space, making it truly
cross-collaborative.

70
 green space and recreation

gre e n space

Neighborhoods are comprised of more than just houses and Washington DC highlights the best of the city while benefiting
residents. Many popular urban neighborhoods are also known the local residents and businesses. Accompanied by
for their immersive and creative green spaces just as much as programmed events like neighborhood food fairs and culture
their unique culture: Central Park in New York; Millennium festivals, the proposed cherry blossoms along the river will
Park in Chicago; Green Lake Park in Seattle, and many more. undoubtedly create a fantastic experience for visitors and
residents alike.
Green space is vital to a neighborhood and is an important
aspect in retaining and attracting residents to a community. It
helps to enhance the beauty and quality of place as well as
enrich the quality of life for its residents. There are numerous
health benefits associated with access to green space. Linkages
to green space, such as gardens and parks, have been associated
with positive health impacts by reducing pressure from the
stresses of urban life. In addition, green spaces provide
numerous environmental benefits through improved air and
water quality and preserved biodiversity. A network of green
space that includes protected natural lands and other vegetated
areas is essential to providing a healthy and sustainable living
environment for humans, wildlife, and plants.

Whether you live or work in the Carter Riverfront, residents,

employees and visitors can easily access green spaces within a
short walk. Carter Art Park, in the center of the neighborhood,
provides a place to relax and come together. Green space along
the river offers a relaxing spot for pedestrians and bicyclists to
play and unwind. We also propose to plant Cherry Blossom
trees along the perimeter of the peninsula, inspired by
Washington DC. The national Cherry Blossom Festival in

71
 Boardwalk

A new 3,500 square foot wooden boardwalk will be constructed

along the northern end of the peninsula that will allow members
of the public to access and enjoy the riverfront and shop in the
attached retail district. By orienting the mixed-use buildings
toward the waterfront, the boardwalk will act as a ‘front yard’
for the co-op and retail spaces and encourage slow pedestrian
traffic by storefronts off of the Towpath Trail. By incorporating
basic lighting into the design, we can transform both the
waterfront and commercial spaces at night. If water taxi
services are eventually extended to this section of the river, the
boardwalk will see far more foot traffic and business. Having
restaurants and a small grocery store to support the
neighborhood is key to the success of the mixed-use
development. The boardwalk is estimated to cost $55 per
square foot for a 10-foot wide boardwalk. This puts the total
boardwalk project at approximately $1.9 million.

the west flats recreation & arts education center

The Smeed Box Company building is a 43,000 square feet The other half of the building will host studios for artists as
industrial structure with an architecturally interesting and well as community art classes. There is strong potential for
historically relevant façade located along Scranton Rd. Because partnership with industrial arts organizations such as Soulcraft
of the building’s large size, industrial design and central Woodshop, Flux Metal Arts, and the metalwork job-training
location, it is well suited for a conversion into a community program of Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries. The restored
center. Half the building will be built into a recreation facility building will also serve as a visual connection to the industrial
that will be operated by the City of Cleveland. The next nearest past of the area. Though the interior will be modernized, the
city recreation center is Zone Rec Center on W. 65th St. For a exterior will maintain as much of its current character as
city with such a cold climate as Cleveland, creating indoor possible during the conservation process, including painted
recreation spaces is essential to promoting communities that are exterior signage from earlier businesses. The Smeed Box
healthy and active year-round. Company was established in the 1860s by Fayette Smeed, a
Civil War veteran 12. In 1901, when Smeed retired to Brooklyn,

12 Find A Grave. (2011). Fayette Smeed. Retrieved from http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=78158338

72
the company was bought by William Ellenberger, a lumber neighboring areas of northern Tremont, Ohio City and Duck
businessman13. The company itself has since closed, but space Island.
within the building is currently owned by Forest City
Enterprises and occupied by Sherwin Williams and Gelner
Engineering.

The estimated cost for renovation of the building is just over

$3.13 million. This is primarily related to the repair of the roof,
making the building ADA accessible, and rebuilding the interior
to suit the new uses. Other costs include masonry repointing,
fresh paint and window replacement. Windows would also be
replaced in the rear of the building where they are presently
bricked in, allowing for natural lighting to enter the space while
preserving the memorable façade. It is unlikely that this
building would be eligible for inclusion in the National Register
for Historic Buildings. This makes it ineligible for Historic
Preservation Tax Credits, a common financial mechanism for
historic building restoration. Because the project is intended to
be operated by the City of Cleveland, the city can apply for a
Section 108 loan through HUD that can assist with the
renovation costs14. There may also be the potential to partner
with the George Gund Foundation as part of their commitment
to encouraging LEED development and promoting
environmentally beneficial projects. This renovation is a perfect
opportunity for Forest City to work with the City of Cleveland
and community foundations to create an asset for the new
neighborhood growing at the Carter Riverfront as well as the

13Coates, William R. (1924). A History of Cuyahoga County and the City of Cleveland: Volume III. Chicago: The American Historical Society.
p 21. Retrieved from http://digitalcase.case.edu:9000/fedora/get/ksl:coahis02/coahis02.pdf
14 HUD Exchange (2014). Section 108 Program Eligibility Requirements. US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Retrieved
from https://www.hudexchange.info/section-108/section-108-program-eligibility-requirements/

73
Transportation

Transit acce ss

RTA is unlikely to serve this area with its own route due in part
to its proximity to existing transit investments and future water
transit projects. The Settlers Landing and Tower City rapid
stations are within a short walking distance of the development,
as are many bus routes, so providing transit access becomes an
issue of improving pedestrian access between Carter Riverfront

74
 Carter Riverfront Public Transit Locations

and the east bank of the flats. Once pedestrians reach the
downtown connectors, they will be able to access many points
of interest inside and outside the city, including attractions
along the lakefront such as Browns Stadium.

The proposed Carter Riverfront is striving to be a community

with accessible public transit for residents and pedestrians
looking to connect with nearby neighborhoods and Downtown
Cleveland.

Major transit stations adjacent to the north side of the Carter

Riverfront are Tower City-Public Square and Settlers Landing
Station.

The Settlers Landing Station is located at the corner of W 10th

St and W Superior Ave. Both the green line and the blue line
pass through this stop that provides access from downtown
Cleveland to Shaker Heights. Within a short walking distance
from the Settlers Landing Station, residents can easily access
Tower City Center. Tower City is the main hub of the RTA rail
service.

It is hoped that by the conclusion of the project Phase 3, there

will be sufficient neighborhood density and political will to
accommodate a number of bus stops throughout the Carter
Riverfront.

75
 Proposed sidewalk and access improvements

To craft Carter Riverfront into a pedestrian-friendly community,

some minor pedestrian improvements along the entrance of the
peninsula should be considered.   The intersection between
Carter and Canal Roads is an important entrance connecting
Carter Riverfront to the public transit hub downtown and at
Settlers Landing Station. Adding clear signage and improved
crosswalks can strengthen pedestrian safety and enhance the
walkability of this critical entrance.

Proposed Intersection of
Proposed Crosswalk Improvement Canal & Carter

76
Proposed Access Enhancements

77
 Driving and parking

The current issue of oversized lane widths in this area would be

addressed partly by moving some pedestrian traffic to a
boardwalk along the river, turning the front of the buildings
away from the road and rendering Scranton and the northern
section of Carter more like alleyways and truck routes than
main streets. Parking spaces at the commercial site would line
Carter Rd. and residential parking would be placed on the first
floor of each building with the living space above. However,
the excess road capacity for the low level of traffic in the area
means that sidewalks can also be extended to narrow the lanes.
By defining driving lanes and limiting them to 12 ft., the street
will undergo what is referred to as a ‘road diet’, a treatment that
makes drivers less likely to speed while also allowing
continued truck traffic. This will create a safer environment for
pedestrians and cyclists.

78
 bike and pedestrian access

In accordance with the City of Cleveland’s Complete and Green

Streets policy, the rebuilding of the roads will include a road Bike & Pedestrian Trail Map
diet to slow traffic and improve pedestrian access. Sidewalks
will be built and expanded and crosswalks repainted at
intersections.  Sidewalks along Scranton and Carter Rd. will
range between 6’ (on Carter Rd. along the northwest side of the
peninsula) and 23’ of multimodal space (on Scranton Rd).

Ensuring pedestrian access becomes difficult on the narrower

stretches of Carter Rd., as the current road width does not allow
for 12’ lanes with wide sidewalks. To ensure equity of access
for all users, driving lane widths must be narrowed to 10’ for
this section of the road. In wider stretches, the lack of need for
turn lanes makes much wider sidewalks possible. Food vendors
may make use of this space, and there will be ample
opportunity for seating as well as use by pedestrians along with
cyclists too young to ride on the street. Pedestrian-level lighting
and way-finding signage will also be installed along sidewalks.
A 0.8 mile project of this variety can be expected to cost $1.5
million.

79
The Towpath Trail is a major asset to this site. The section of
the trail that runs along the southeastern edge of the peninsula
is separated from nearby neighborhoods and the central
business district. In order to enhance the momentum of the trail,
we must connect it to downtown and encourage users to visit
commercial spaces along the riverfront boardwalk. At the
western end of the peninsula, the boardwalk will also connect
to the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail. The proposed
Towpath and boardwalk convergence opens up great riverfront
views of downtown to bicyclists and pedestrians and offers
unique dining and shopping experiences as a new destination
hot spot.

The overpass bridge on Carnegie Avenue undermines the

pedestrian and bicyclist experience and creates perceived
barriers between Carter Riverfront and nearby destinations. We
suggest adding stairs in both directions in the future as the
development progresses, although this is outside of the
peninsula and would need to be coordinated with a variety of
actors, namely the City of Cleveland. ADA accessibility issues
would also need to be part of the discourse on this issues. This
improvement offers the opportunity to enhance the connectivity
to the Carter Riverfront and creates a sense of bikeway
continuity. Bicycling can be encouraged through a designated
bikeway extension from the existing bikeway on Carnegie Ave
to further connect to Downtown Cleveland and Tremont
neighborhoods.

80
PLAN OVERVIEW - group b

Site Plans and Elevations

81
82
83
84
85
86
87
Group b - PLAN OVERVIEW
Executive summary

Before we had begun our planning process at all, Group B and only use surface lots to provide smaller distances for the
knew that we wanted to provide a development that would do disabled.
far more than simply provide a development to take up space.
We wanted it to design a development that could emphasize the The third goal, which is perhaps most important in Cleveland,
unique location of Scranton Peninsula, its long history, and our was to provide social equity. A major component of this was the
class’s passion for developments that truly provide good to the decision to make as much of the waterfront accessible to the
world. Because of this we knew that it was absolutely crucial to public as possible since Cleveland has a tradition of building
clearly define goals for our development. with its back to the water. To further this end the first decision
we made was to have a boardwalk going around all three sides
The first goal was of course for it to be economically of the peninsula in order to ensure that private develops would
prosperous. While Cleveland has been showing signs of new not be able to make it legally or practically (through lack of
life in recent years, it is not such an economic engine that any access) inaccessible by people who do not live there. We also
development can be built simply to provide good; it must also sought to make as much of the housing affordable as possible
provide tax revenue. While we are not so naïve as to believe while providing access to the peninsula via many different
that any development would be built if did not stand a good modes of transportation rather than only being able to
chance of being profitable, we were also emphatic that this one conveniently access the peninsula via car.
measure of success was not enough.
Our final goal was to provide connectivity to the surrounding
The second goal was to provide environmental sustainability neighborhoods. This was the hardest goal to accomplish
for the long term. We thought of this not only in terms of because the peninsula is notoriously difficult to access being
designing buildings to be more energy efficient or providing surrounded by water with two of the tree bridges out of service.
larger allocations of green space but also to be resilient against We did the best we could with providing additional roads as
climate change and most importantly to be a worthwhile many additional bike, pedestrian, and transit lines and
development for the long term. We not only repaired the recommending the repair of the bridges. However, we still feel
bulkheads but also made them green, sought to make our green that in the future when the city and the development are proven
space active through stormwater management techniques, and and more profitable, it would be prudent to seek out additional
oriented as many of our buildings as we could to take forms of access either through a ferry system or a sky ride.
advantage of passive solar. One of our major goals was to As a component of the class, we also had to seek to
eliminate as much surface parking as possible since we are of differentiate ourselves from the other group. We initially
the opinion that Cleveland has scarred its downtown fabric thought that this would be difficult as most of us had the same
through the existence of so much surface parking. We sought to goals for the development going in. However, we eventually
have the great majority of the parking within a central garage were able to differentiate our development by the creation of a
research and development center that would not only provide 


88
an economic center for the peninsula and a large source of high Similarly, the street network map (shown below) also shows
wage employment. how barren the peninsula is and sheds additional light on why
access and connectivity are such big issues for the new
The figure ground below shows the building footprints of the development. You can see that there are only currently two
buildings on the Scranton Peninsula compared to the areas roads on and off the peninsula with one bridge. If the other
around it. What it really emphasizes is just how vacant the bridges were repaired there would be at least some more access,
peninsula really is. It really highlights just how vacant the but as it is there is only one bridge. This means that if the
property is which explains why this is such an exciting development was built with standard development styles and
development proposal. The chance to be able to build a large the main mode of transportation continued to be cars there
scale development this close to the downtown of an established would be major issues of congestion. That means that dealing
city is absolutely unheard of. Yet this map shows that we are with the issues of access and connectivity are absolutely crucial
truly working with a blank slate here. Even the buildings that if there is going to be any chance of being a successful
do appear on the map will simply need to be demolished since development in this area. It has to be made to work though
they have been allowed to degrade significantly, have structural because Cleveland’s backyard is too valuable to waste.
issues, and aren’t in good enough shape to be worth
rehabilitating. It also shows just how unique the geography of
this location is since even without any outlines you can clearly
see just where the river is and how it wraps around the entire
peninsula.

The importance of public access to the Carter Riverfront should

be made a priority. Despite the fact that we are creating a new 


89
multi-modal connections and place - making

The importance of public access to the Carter Riverfront should take advantage of the successes surrounding it, but
be made a priority. Despite the fact that we are creating a new infrastructure upgrades are necessary in order for full
neighborhood of sorts, the project intends to make sure that the integration to happen.
Carter Riverfront is both connected to other Cleveland
neighborhoods and accessible to residents from around the Pote ntial for conne ction of bike
metro area. The location and existing infrastructure makes trails
connections to the Carter Riverfront common sense, but
infrastructure and place making investments need to be made in A key opportunity in connecting the Carter Riverfront (now Scranton
order to introduce the Carter Riverfront to the rest of the Peninsula) to the surrounding neighborhoods, and the region at large,
community. is utilizing the trail infrastructure that either currently exists, or is
currently being built. The two key trails are the Towpath extension
The key elements in achieving this are: (in blue), and the Lake Link trail (in red). With connections to the
flats, and the Cleveland Metro Area, these trails use the proposed
• Improvements and Enhancements to existing roads Carter Riverfront as a sort of crossroads to the urban core of the
• Cleveland metropolitan area.
A new Bike/Pedestrian trail connecting nearby
neighborhoods to existing trails.
• A public green space along the trail that attacks
residents through it’s proximity to the river and existing
non-natural placemaking element.
• A public boardwalk meant for new residents as well as
visitors.

connecting near west side /

do w nto w n to carte r rive rfro n t

Currently, the Scranton Peninsula seems disconnected from

both Downtown and the neighborhoods on the near West Side,
which surround it, despite existing roads. Connections to the
thriving areas of Downtown, Ohio City, Duck Island, and the
significant re-development surrounding MetroHealth main
campus. The Scranton Peninsula is geographically positioned to
Photo courtesy of The Trust For Public Land

90
By taking advantage of the planned trail routes the Carter connectivity around the Carter Riverfront, a short urban bike
Riverfront could be the nexus of millions of dollars of and pedestrian trail is necessary. At one end, the trail comes at
investment in trail infrastructure. As the map indicates, he the intersection of Columbus and Carter Road. After traveling
trails that the Carter Riverfront serves as the nexus for, provide along the banks of the Cuyahoga River, the trial take a short jog
connections to the most important assets that the urban core of over to Carter Road, eventually connecting to the Carter Road
Cleveland has to offer. Bridge. Not only does this provide connections to the Lake
Link and the Towpath extension, it also serves as a connection
between Downtown and thriving near West neighborhoods.

The Lake Link and the Towpath trail extension are valuable
assets that are greatly enhancing the city dweller’s access to
parks, the riverfront, and the lakefront. In order to further
connect the surrounding neighborhoods and create a sense of
connectivity around the Carter Riverfront, a short urban bike
and pedestrian trail is necessary. At one end, the trail comes at
the intersection of Columbus and Carter Road. After traveling
along the banks of the Cuyahoga River, the trial take a short jog
over to Carter Road, eventually connecting to the Carter Road
Bridge. Not only does this provide connections to the Lake
Link and the Towpath extension, it also serves as a connection
between Downtown and thriving near West neighborhoods.

Photo courtesy of The Trust For Public Land

The Lake Link and the Towpath trail extension are valuable
assets that are greatly enhancing the city dweller’s access to
parks, the riverfront, and the lakefront. In order to further
connect the surrounding neighborhoods and create a sense of
provided by CityArchRiver - St. Louis
91
Proposed bike path along the
W e st ban k

The proposed path would provide accommodations for both

bike and pedestrian users. With an emphasis on the urban
bicyclist and urban stroller, it would provide 10 feet of two-way
bike path and 8 feet of pedestrian space. With green space on
one side and the river on the other, the trail would serve as both
a connection and an attraction to the Carter Riverfront.

92
Graffiti park

In order to take advantage of the location and place-making

elements, we propose the creation of Graffiti Park. The park,
which will be accessible to the public through improved
existing roads and a bike and pedestrian trail, will rely on open
green space near the Cuyahoga River, perfect for picnicking or
soccer.

Brandon I.
An important asset of the existing Scranton Peninsula site is the
abundance of potentially undeveloped green space. While it
doesn’t make sense to turn the entire area into an 80 acre park,
the Carter Riverfront needs strategically placed green space in
order to capitalize on it’s proximity to the Cuyahoga River and
the Cleveland urban landscape. The westernmost section of the
Peninsula is bounded by a large retaining while on the East and Brandon I.
the Cuyahoga River on the West. The Carter Riverfront
proposal recognizes this as an opportunity for green space that Often times the unexpected could become a key asset in
is available to Carter Riverfront residents as well as visitors. creating an urban destination. Many cities have seen tourism
attracted to existing graffiti art; luckily some of Cleveland’s
most impressive street art exist on the proposed Carter
Riverfront. By turning this section of the peninsula into an open
green space we are creating a space that could lure residents to
a long forgotten stretch of land. Overtime this park could be a
region-wide destination. It should be noted that by creating this
park, we are playing on existing assets that the current Scranton
Peninsula already holds claim to.

93
improvements of existing roads

Brandon I.

The cross section above depicts improved Carter Road with the
proposed townhomes on the eastern portion and the graffiti wall
on the western portion.

The Scranton Road portion (pictured below) provides

accommodations of R&D traffic with basic road improvements
The stretch of Carter Road, From Columbus Road to the Carter
and the addition of sidewalks. The focus is different from that
Road Bridge, is not in line with the proposed urban
of the more urban Carter Road in that it is intended for office
development of the Carter Riverfront. In order to the serve
worker and industrial traffic.
future residents, as well as visitors to the Riverfront, a redesign
of this stretch of Carter Road is necessary.

This half mile stretch of road should be enhanced in order to

welcome all forms of traffic from surrounding neighborhoods
as well as truck traffic that currently exist. Taking advantage of
the ditch that currently existing on the Westside, infill could
widen Carter Road in order to accommodate sidewalks, a two-
way bike path, and 12 feet of two-lane traffic.

94
carter townhomes

In the spirit of creating true mixed-use districts, it was decided Cleveland region. That growth has not been witnessed for some
to design a district of single and two-family townhomes, and to time.
attract larger households that prefer more space than an
apartment can provide. The bluff is an area, set aside from the Housing Starts - Cleveland Metro
main shopping district that provides such residences. by Year
Despite being densely zoned, the lots provide spacious homes, 600

a rear courtyard, and garages for motor vehicle parking. The

450
front of the houses are situated directly off the sidewalk, with
stairs heading right to the front door. The majority of the homes
300
are single-family, though there are some that boast first floor
apartment, sometimes called a mother-in-law suite or an 150
English basement. This is meant to provide an extra source of
income for homebuyers, or to provide extra space for larger 0
families, without sacrificing privacy. This is especially valuable 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

for families that are taking care of an elder who still wishes to To further the case, a study was performed on the amount of
maintain a level of independence. housing in the Cleveland Metro Region that had been
constructed since the year 2000. This was accompanied by the
Located on one of the higher points of the Carter Riverfront, same studies on the State of Ohio and on the United States as a
the homes of The Bluff will have stunning views of the river, whole. The results below point toward new home construction
the industrial flats and the Cleveland skyline. The natural drama in Cleveland being well behind the larger peers. Given that the
of an urban industrial area and the river will be a desired real estate market within Cleveland is running at a high level as
feature, similar to the newer-built homes in Tremont and in of late, this is an issue that should be corrected.
Detroit-Shoreway. The location will provide unparalleled
convenience as residents will be within walking distance of
Cleveland’s central business district, shopping, restaurants, yet
near the expressway for those with reverse commutes.

A market exists for single and two-family housing at the Carter

Riverfront. Below is a chart that displays the amount of single-
family housing starts, by year, in the Cleveland Metro area.
Watching the line, it is clear where the Great Recession began
to affect new home construction. However, it has yet to
rebound, despite an influx of new residents to the Downtown

95
mixed-use district

Mixed& Use& Zoning& |& Mixed& use& zoning& sets& standards& for& zoning variances. Additionally, developers find it
the& blending& of& residential,& commercial,& cultural,& difficult to develop within city cores due to the
institutional,& and& where& appropriate,& industrial& uses.& restrictive regulations. High-density development that is
Mixed& use& zoning& is& generally& closely& linked& to& increased& close to public transportation is what makes
density,& which& allows& for& more& compact& development.& communities vibrant and livable. It has become clear
Higher&densities&increase&landAuse&efBiciency&and&housing& that developing modern, mixed-use districts is good for
variety& while& reducing& energy& consumption& and& redeveloping cities. So, in recent times, cities such as
transportation&costs.&The&mixedAuse&buildings&that&result& Cleveland have developed zoning overlays to particular
can&help&strengthen&or&establish&neighborhood&character& districts where they hope to redevelop with new housing
and&encourage&walking&and&bicycling.1& and economy-boosting businesses.2

a time e xiste d w he n single -use the Cle ve land planning

zoning w as appropriate for commission has targe t the
urban are as scranto n pe ninsula fo r mixe d-
use d de ve lo pme nt
At the turn of the 20th Century, industrial manufacturing Accommodating housing, retail, office, and industrial
plants and waste-generating facilities were detrimental uses are all suggested for the area. Our master plan fills
for nearby residential and commercial areas, and were three of those needs, while adding a fourth, with
later found responsible for negative effects on heath for extensive expansion of the recreational area of the
people. The United States has transitioned from an peninsula. The site is specifically written into the
industrial to a more service-based economy, with Connecting Cleveland Citywide 2020 Plan as either an
industrial plants under strict pollution controls that are economic development-based or a housing-based mixed
primarily located outside the city cores. In recent times, use plan.
those same zoning principles that were meant to protect
human health and welfare have become somewhat
obsolete. Developing “complete streets” with multiple
land uses on a single parcel are hard to develop without

1 American Planning Association. (2006). PAS Quicknotes : Zoning for Mixed Uses. Chicago: American Planning Association.

2 American Planning Association. (2006). PAS Quicknotes : Zoning for Mixed Uses. Chicago: American Planning Association.

96
 se ve ral o f o ur stake ho lde r
i n t e r vi ew s un earthe d n ea rly
i denti ca l s enti men t
Already within the Flats, several separate land uses exist, line the riverfront walk. A parking garage would be located
and manage to co-exist and cooperate. It would be sensible between two of the mixed-use structures, capable of holding a
to continue this trend on the Scranton Peninsula, to create sufficient amount of cars for the entire shopping and restaurant
district, and for visitors of the recreational areas on the
a district with several different uses to create a true Live- peninsula.
Work-Play environment. As one stakeholder mentioned,
Downtown Cleveland has recently experienced an in-
migration of residents “not seen in my 25 years in
Cleveland.” It was suggested that any plan for the
Scranton Peninsula should be sure to build upon the
successes of the Flats East Bank project. This means not
just creating a shopping district or an office park, but to
create a true 24-7 environment where residents of the
peninsula become stakeholders in the project, just as the
business owners and recreational visitors do. Fortunately,
as one stakeholder said, “never has the Scranton
Peninsula been so ripe for opportunity.”

The carte r rive rfront photo&courtesy&of&KSK&Architects,&Philadelphia)

proje ct is a once -in-a-life time
o p p o r t un i t y Building “H” is the largest proposed building on the peninsula,
a four-story structure housing approximately 172,000 sq. ft. of
The Carter Riverfront project is a once-in-a-lifetime apartments and retail. The retail segment of the building fronts
opportunity to perform urban infill development within the City Scranton Boulevard, Scranton Road, and Carter Road. The
of Cleveland. While our plan features several different types of apartments are positioned around the periphery of the building,
development within the separate districts on Scranton with N/NW, W/SW or S/SE views. Residents would be able to
Peninsula, the Northeast area has been targeted for mixed-use take full advantage of views with balconies and terraces on the
development, as per the City of Cleveland’s suggestion, majority of the units.
comprising of street-level retail shops and restaurants with
rental apartments above. One strip of single-story retail would

97
 and three floors of apartments above, for a total of four stories.
Special care was taken to create enough space between the
buildings to allow for maximum light and views from the
buildings in the interior.

Photo&courtesy&of&Envision&Utah

Building “J” is the triangular-shaped structure that tips the

“triangle” block in the center of the peninsula. It contains about
65,000 square feet, with retail on the first floor and apartments
above. The retail segment of this structure fronts Scranton Road
and Carter Road, with the above apartments having either N/
NW or S/SE views. As is the case in Building H, many of the
apartment homes will feature balconies to take full advantage
Photo&courtesy&of&OMNIPLAN,&from&bizjournals.com)
of river and city views.
The above is a concept shot of Building B, the proposed retail
A multi-level parking deck is situated between buildings H and structure that would line the riverfront. It contains large
J, which also allows for delivery doors at the back of both windows, and large entry doors that can be opened up to
buildings. The deck contains 325 spaces, which is adequate for sidewalk patios. Retail tenants such as restaurants, brewpubs,
the amount of retail that is located on the peninsula. This wine bars, and juice bars would be pursued to fill the spaces.
structure is accessed by a service road that runs between the This structure would total almost 30,000 sq. ft. and would have
back ends of buildings H and J. street access on one side of the building, for a drop off/potential
On the northern edge of the peninsula, four buildings create a valet zone, and would open to the riverfront walk on the other.
space of waterfront living and recreating. Three of the buildings Large outdoor seating areas would bloom every spring on the
are modeled after the other mixed-use structures within the waterfront, a far too infrequent dining experience in Cleveland.
development, with restaurant and retail space on the first floors

98
 The structure s of the Northe ast
portion of the Carte r Rive rfront
w e r e car e ful l y th o ugh t o ut
utilizing all o f the to o ls available
to the proje ct te am.

Those include public interviews, stakeholder interviews,

current market data, recommendations from the Cleveland
Planning Commission, and recommendations from the
American Planning Association. We feel as if these buildings
(Vista&Q&A&Photo&courtesy&of&Garrett&Gourlay,&Architect)
containing homes, storefront retail, and apartments will be the
centerpiece in creating a true live-work-play environment.
Along with the other segments of the Carter Riverfront plan,
Building A is a residential/retail mixed-use structure that also the Scranton Peninsula will very quickly become a prime
contains a limited number of covered parking spaces. At just destination for the City of Cleveland.
over 81,000 sq. ft., the building would contain around 50-60
residential units and about 10,000 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant
space. Building C would be slightly larger at just over 87,000
sq. ft., with retail, a small covered garage and approximately
50-60 residential units and about 10,000 sq. ft. of retail/
restaurant space, and Building D, the final structure of the four-
building set, is approximately 53,700 sq. ft., and would contain
about 5-7,000 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant space. All three of the
buildings would exhibit the same architectural styles, as
exhibited above.

99
river’s bend apartments

Buildings E and F, named the River’s Bend Apartments, are Given their unparalleled location, the buildings are planned as
envisioned as purely residential apartment buildings. These upscale properties. Comparable properties include units
apartment buildings make use of the waterfront property along averaging 1,000 square feet for a one bedroom apartment and
the Cuyahoga River coupled with superb views of the 1,500 square feet for a two bedroom apartment. Each unit will
Downtown Cleveland. While the buildings will be built as include a private outdoor balcony and rooftop access.
apartment buildings, due to present market conditions, they
may be converted to condominiums if the market supports such
a venture.
physical attribute s of the site

(Source:&Dimit&Architects)

(Source:&Dimit&Architects)

Buildings E and F are built adjacent to the Flats Industrial

Railroad to the southwest and the Carter Road bridge to the
northeast. A substantial public right of way (“ROW”) is
planned for the space between the buildings. The ROW would
allow for automobile access and on street parking. The
buildings are set back from Carter Road to create a natural
buffer from the traffic on the peninsula.
(Source:&Dimit&Architects)

100
 Finances

This portion of the Carter Riverfront Plan will provide some estimates regarding costs, revenues, and financial feasibility for the
developments being proposed. Although there are many variables that will affect the feasibility of a project, this analysis aims to give a
general estimate of expected financial figures.

! !

101
 Me thodology

The RS Means Quickcost Estimator generated the constructions

costs per square foot for the commercial real estate.3 This tool
estimates total construction cost based on the type of building
being built, the total square footage, and the zip code the
project will be constructed in. After entering these values, the
total project cost was generated using data from Q3 of 2012.
This total project cost was then divided by square footage of
each building to get the estimated per square foot cost. The per
square foot cost was then adjusted for inflation using the United
States Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics “CPI
Inflation Calculator” to get a 2015 estimate.4 This value was
then multiplied by the total square footage of the project to get
the estimate seen above.

A developer with experience building similar projects provided

the construction costs per square foot for the research park. A
local CBRE researcher provided rent per square foot estimates.

An online tool called the “Cost to Build Calculator” generated

the construction costs per square foot for the townhouses.5 This
tool requires one to enter the square footage and type of finishes
and layouts to estimate a total construction cost. Here,
selections congruent with higher end market demands were
entered for the finishes and layouts for the town houses. This
total project cost was then divided by each townhouses’ square
footage to get a cost per square foot.

3&http://www.rsmeans.com/calculator/index.asp?specialUser=FSONL

4&http://www.bls.gov/data/inBlation_calculator.htm

5&http://costtobuild.net/calculator.html

102
re ve nue s

For the per square foot rental a property researcher at the CBRE
Cleveland office provided estimates. Per square foot rental a
developer who manages a similar project provided estimates for
the research park.

* Regarding Urban Campground: please see page 102

103
 Financial fe asibility

FEASIBILITY FEASIBILITY
Luxury Apartments Research Park
Gross Revenue $4,041,749.76 Gross Revenue $2,404,800.00
Loss Allowance & Vacancy (5%) -$202,087.49 Loss Allowance & Vacancy (5%) -$120,240.00
Effective Gross Revenue $3,839,662.27 Effective Gross Revenue $2,284,560.00
Operating Costs (35%) -$1,414,612.42 Operating Costs (35%) -$841,680.00
Net Operating Income $2,425,049.86 Net Operating Income $1,442,880.00
Value $37,063,027.36 Value $19,238,400.00
Cap Rate 6.54% Cap Rate 7.50%

FEASIBILITY FEASIBILITY
Mixed Use Parking Lots
Gross Revenue $14,805,862.40 Gross Revenue $1,262,415.36
Loss Allowance & Vacancy (5%) -$740,293.12 Loss Allowance & Vacancy (5%) -$63,120.77
Effective Gross Revenue $14,065,569.28 Effective Gross Revenue $1,199,294.59
Operating Costs (35%) -$5,182,051.84 Operating Costs (35%) -$441,845.38
Net Operating Income $8,883,517.44 Net Operating Income $757,449.22
Value $143,085,864.52 Value $10,325,809.40
Cap Rate 6.21% Cap Rate 7.34%

FEASIBILITY FEASIBILITY
Mixed Use II *Urban Campground
Gross Revenue $17,116,128.00 Gross Revenue $974,550.00
Loss Allowance & Vacancy (5%) -$855,806.40 Loss Allowance & Vacancy (5%) -$48,727.50
Effective Gross Revenue $16,260,321.60 Effective Gross Revenue $925,822.50
Operating Costs (35%) -$5,990,644.80 Operating Costs (35%) -$341,092.50
Net Operating Income $10,269,676.80 Net Operating Income $584,730.00
Value $154,862,922.56 Value $1,158,000.00
Cap Rate 6.63% Cap Rate 50.49%

*See page 102


104
urban campground

As& Stevenson& describes& to& the& Observer:& "You'll& wake& up& within the United States in 2013. Those persons combined for
the& next& morning.& Your& friends& have& just& Binished& their& 597,700,000 days of camping over that same time period.
normal& rounds& at& bars,& a& few& reruns& of& late& night& TV.& Certainly there is a market for a campground within Cleveland.
They'll& ask,& 'Hey,& what& did& you& do& last& night?”& (Alberts,& Most certainly there is a market for a campground at the
2013)6& endpoint of the Towpath Trail, which has only four other
campsites along it.7
The Towpath Trail is truly one of Northeast Ohio’s true
amenities. Stretching approximately 100 miles along The economic input of the outdoor industry is staggering. It has
the former Erie Canal, from New Philadelphia to been estimated that 6.1 million jobs in the U.S. are created by,
Cleveland’s waterfront, the path provides a quality of and approximately $646 billion annually is spent within, the
recreational activities rarely seen within an urbanized outdoor recreation industry. This benefits the local economy,
area. In the near future, Cleveland will have visitors pumping tax dollars into the local government. To put this in
from all over the country, riding into the city on their perspective, Americans spend about half that for
bicycles or on foot, eager to explore all the treasures pharmaceuticals ($331 billion annually) and slightly over half
that Cleveland has to offer. for motor vehicles and parts ($340 billion annually).
Specifically by segment, U.S. outdoor enthusiasts spend $143.4
billion on camping, $81.3 billion on bicycling, and $80.6
billion on trail-sports annually. It is clear that there is an
economic benefit to providing facilities for outdoor recreation,
especially when they are joined together, with potential cross-
over business.8

Another positive to the outdoor industry, specifically the

camping industry, is that it appears to be recession-proof.
Throughout the Great Recession, the camping industry
Picture&courtesy&of&Moonshine&&&Mayhem remained fairly stable, across all segments. Backyard camping
Where will these visitors stay? Many in hotels, for sure. refers to those that camp within ¼ mile of their home or
However, in 2013 over 40 million Americans went camping vehicle, while all camping is a combination of all three types,

6 Alberts, H. R. (2013, June 12). Artist Runs Rooftop Camp-Outs, This Weekend And Beyond. Retrieved April 22, 2015,.

7 American Planning Association. (2006). PAS Quicknotes : Zoning for Mixed Uses. Chicago: American Planning Association.

8 City of Cleveland Planning Commission. (2007). Connecting Cleveland Citywide 2020 Plan. Cleveland: City of Cleveland.

105
and displayed as a percentage of all persons within the U.S. course insulated and heated for year-round use. The RV sites
Given the large population within Cuyahoga County and the will be similar to standard RV sites seen throughout the country.
City of Cleveland, it appears that the Urban Campground
would not lack for prospective visitors.

U.S. Campers, Annually by

Count and %
40.00 16%
30.00 15%
20.00 14%
10.00 13%
Picture&courtesy&of&Moonshine&&&Mayhem
0.00 12%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Persons (M)
Would this concept work within Cleveland? We believe so.
Source:&The&Outdoor&Foundation,&2014 According to a 2014 report by Destination Cleveland, tourism
All Camping Backyard Camping is on the rise, moving from 15.6 million visitors in 2012 to 16.2
RV Camping Backpacking
The Urban Campground will be positioned within Graffiti Park, million visitors in 2013.These tourists generated an estimated
on the West Bank of the Scranton Peninsula. It will consist of $7.4 billion for the local economy, while supporting just over
40 tent sites, 20 cabins, and four RV sites. Each tent site will be 63,000 local jobs. It is only logical that provided the facilities;
reasonably secluded from each other, all outfitted with a power visitors would choose camping over hotels in some cases.
source with USB hookups for recharging devices. Those in the Given the location of the Urban Campground, it would not only
tent sites will have access to the lodge house, which will
be the outdoors that the visitors would be enjoying. Campers
contain restroom facilities, lockers, and a great room with
fireplace. The cabins will come courtesy of Tumbleweed Tiny would certainly be able to hike, bike, and cook out, but also
Houses, a nationally known builder of modern micro-housing. visit Cleveland’s world-class theaters, museums, the West Side
Each cabin contains its own kitchen and bathroom, and are of Market, the sport arenas, and all of the other wonderful
attractions within our city9.

9 Kramer, J. (2014, May). Destination Cleveland Reports Tourism Increase in 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2015, from Destination Cleveland.

106
 Public funds targeting brownfield cleanup

Brown&ield+Remediation+Funding+Help+(total+costs:+
Development costs add up quickly when taking into account $10,890,000)*
costs for land acquisition, cleanup of brownfields, planning,
Funder Name Maximum+ Requirement
consulting, materials, labor, and everything else that goes into Amount s
developing a large acreage site. As mentioned in the Phase I
write-up about other local plans, it is vital that private and Federal+EPA Revolving&Loan& $200,000 max.&3&total&
Fund&Grant sites&per&year&
public entities come together to help see a project get planned for&borrower
and fully implemented. Such a concept has already started to
Federal+EPA Revolving&Loan& $1&million& 20%&match&
take place, as The State of Ohio has funded parts of the Fund
environmental analysis for Phase I and/or Phase II of locating no&A&low& 5&year&loan
interest
where the brownfield contamination is and how extensive
cleanup has to be. However, partnerships like these have to JobsOhio Revitalization& $1&million Create&20+&
continue if Carter Riverfront is to be developed to the full- Grant jobs
extent that our plan lays out. Public entities can help to fund JobsOhio Revitalization& $500K&A&$5& Create&20+&
projects through grants, low-interest loans, tax credits, or even Loan million jobs&
by partnering with a private organization to apply for public or 10A15&year&
private funding. The East Flats Bank development, which will loan
include an “18-story office tower, retail, restaurants, Ohio+Water+ OWDA&loan $5&million& 10&year&loan
entertainment venues, a boutique Aloft hotel, a riverfront Development+
boardwalk and 14 acres of parks and green space” when Authority 2%&or&less&
interest
finished, incorporated over 30 sources of capital.10 Similar to
the development of the Carter Riverfront, the East Flats bank State+of+Ohio Ohio&BrownBield& $5&million& 10&year&loan
Fund
consisted of acres of brownfields that had to be cleaned before below&market&
construction could begin. These brownfield cleanup costs add interest
up to be a significant portion of a project and could defer a
*&Based&on&$5&sq&ft&with&a&2,718,000&sq.&ft&area&of&not&
project from being started - or finished. It is vital that public remediated&land&
and nonprofit organizations step in and help fill the gaps to help

10&Nancy,&L.,&&&Maureen,&H.&(2010,&December&21).&Flats&East&Bank&project&secures&Binancing;&Construction&to&begin&this&week.&Retrieved&April&12,&2015,&from&http://Blatseast.com/wpAcontent/
uploads/2013/06/FlatsAEastABankAprojectAsecuresABinancing.pdf

107
stop urban sprawl, and keep urban pockets from being fiscal year. The final requirement for these loans is that they are
underutilized. used to clean up brownfield sites with nearly all costs, apart
from administrative costs, eligible.12
While cleaning the toxins from this 80-acre site is a
In 2005, the EPA helped fund a project in Pennsylvania
development cost that will add up quickly, there are many
that is quite similar to the Carter Riverfront proposal we have
public grants and low-interest loans that are available to help created. This Pennsylvanian project, known as “Riverfront
with the cleanup costs. We were told that all 80-some acres are South Bensalem” is located in Bensalem, Pennsylvania and
contaminated and that remediation require digging between 2 - consists of a 45 acre site. Through a $200,000 grant and a
4 feet down, and replace the bad soil with clean topsoil, $975,000 EPA Revolving Loan Fund (RLF), the developers
depending on the area. It will cost roughly $10,890,000 to clean were able to afford cleanup costs and turn the former industrial
up the whole site, before any development can even begin. brownfield into a mixed-use development. This Riverfront
South plan contains “housing, office and retail space,
Federal environmental restaurants and green space,” all of which is included in our
protection agency Carter Riverfront Plan, in addition to a Research &
Development Center. Part of the success in being awarded the
grant was due to the ability of the full development to “create
The& Federal& EPA& is& one& source& of& funding& that& can& help& with&
cleanup&costs.&They&will&provide&up&to&$200,000&for&cleanup&on&a&
jobs, increase tax revenues, and serve as a catalyst to return
project.11& The& Revolving& Loan& Fund& grant& goes& in& hand& with& the& other brownfields in the area to productive use.” All of these
Revolving Loan Fund that is also provided through the EPA. statements are true for the Carter Riverfront development as
The Revolving Loan Fund can provide up to $1 million, with well. This is why we believe that applying for this grant - and
certain restrictions. A minimum of 60% of what is given from the EPA RLF - will be an important step in securing public
the EPA must be implemented as a five - year no-cost or low- funds.13
cost loan that is then put back into the RLF. The borrower
through a contribution of labor, materials, money, or services
must match another 20% of the money borrowed. A borrower is
not able to accept funding for more than three sites in a single

11&Cleanup&Grants.&(2014,&April&18).&Retrieved&April&18,&2015,&from&http://www.epa.gov/brownBields/cleanup_grants.htm

12&EPA&BrownBields&Revolving&Loan&Fund,&Grants:&Interested&in&Applying&for&Funding?&(2009,&August&1).&Retrieved&April&12,&2015,&from&http://www.epa.gov/brownBields/grant_info/rlf/
rlf_factsheet.pdf

13&BrownBields&at&a&Glance:&Riverfront&South.&(2010,&July&1).&Retrieved&April&12,&2015,&from&http://www.epa.gov/brownBields/success/bensalem_pa.pdf

108
 jobsohio
Another brownfield cleanup funding opportunity for a site like can cover between 20 and 75 percent of eligible costs. The
the Carter Riverfront is through the State of Ohio. JobsOhio repayment will begin either when revitalization is scheduled to
Revitalization Program offers low-interest loans, grants to help finish or when the building becomes occupied. The payment
with funding gaps, and to eligible sites that create or retain 20 length is between ten and fifteen years. These state loans and
grants are a great opportunity for projects where demolition and
cleanup costs of brownfield sites make the project impossible or
The&East&Flats&bank&development,&which&is& nearly impossible to complete without funding help.
similar&in&size&and&geography,&incorporated&over&
30&sources&of&capital&to&complete. Ohio brownfield fund
Similar to the JobsOhio fund that is available to developers for
brownfield cleanup costs, the State of Ohio offers the Ohio
or more jobs. Between the possible restaurants, retail shops, Brownfield Fund. This below-market-rate loan of up to $5
and Research & Development (R&D) site, it is likely for these million for environmental cleanup is similar to the JobsOhio
jobs to be created. While many of the restaurant and retail loan in that it has a ten year payback plan. The advantage of
shops will potentially not pay high enough wages to make this this loan, however, is that there is no correlation to the number
site a funding priority, the R&D component will either retain - of jobs retained or created for receiving this loan. Therefore,
or hopefully create - enough new jobs at a good pay high this loan would be beneficial for phases of the development that
enough wages qualify for funding cleanup. Eligible costs that do not focus on job creation. Phase I of our project includes
this loan can help cover include demolition of old standing development aspects that are more for the overall neighborhood
buildings, environmental remediation, removal and disposal of than on jobs, including road improvements, bike and walking
waste, and site preparation. The R&D facility is scheduled to be paths along Graffiti Park, Graffiti Park itself, the urban
a part of Phase II of this project, so this might be the best time campground, 200+ townhomes, and a watershed/water
to apply for the grant or loan. The JobsOhio Revitalization retention area. Since these developments will not create jobs
directly, it’ll be important to look into affordable loans for the
expensive cleanup costs of these projects. The only requirement
“Public&investment&is&important”&A&
for this state loan is that the borrower shows that they are able
Stakeholder&Interview to pay back the loan, which Forest City, or any other developer
owning this land, would be able to do.
Grant Fund offers grants up to $1 million to help fill the gaps
that are created due to the high cleanup costs associated with
brownfield developments. The loan amount, which can be
created without a gap, can range from $500,000 and $5 million,

109
 Public Funds Targeting
Ohio water development Environmental
authority Developments
Another state loan that is available to developers for cleanup “Parks of all sizes play an important role in preserving and
costs of brownfield sites is through the Ohio Water supporting healthy environments. A network of parks and open
Development Authority. Similar to the JobsOhio loan, this spaces that include protected natural lands, ecological
funding can be used both for demolition and environmental reserves, wetlands, and other green areas is critical to
cleanup costs of preparing the site for development. Loans of providing healthy habitats for humans, wildlife, and plants in
up to $5 million are available for projects with below - market these densely built places.”
rate loans of 2% or less interest through the state. The
repayment of this loan is over a ten year period, which is City Parks Alliance15
similar to the One of our goals with the neighborhood creation of the
JobsOhio loan. The pros of this loan include not having to Carter Riverfront development is to create public green space
match loaned funds, a quick turnaround (the full process of for current residents of the city. The City of Cleveland has a
applying for and receiving the loan is 2 - 3 months), and the long history of physical barriers keeping residents from
fact that the loan program is not limited to commercial and accessing the waterfronts, including both the Cuyahoga River
industrial properties. One potential con to this loan, which does and Lake Erie. Many of the parks, such as Edgewater, were
not make a difference for this project, is that the funds cannot poorly taken care of until the Cleveland Metroparks recently
be used for acquisition costs. Since Forest City Enterprises took them over. To accomplish our goal of increased public
already owns this property, there are no acquisition costs water access and increased public green space, we’ve created a
involved in this development. This loan would be a great public boardwalk and buffer along the edge of the river so no
funding opportunity for demolition and cleanup costs involved private developments blocked the river views or access. We
in phase I of this project, considering there are no requirements also added to the 11-acre park that was created along the
about jobs being created or retained to obtain this low-interest Towpath Trail recently by adding Graffiti Park, complete with a
state loan.14 bike path of its own along the west end of the development site.
However, parks and public space do not create direct revenue,
making public funding and partnerships a must in order to help
leverage the deep costs of creating (and maintaining) a park.
One such funder in Ohio is the Community Loan Fund, which
awards low interest loans with a ten year payback period. This
loan can be used for construction and equipment costs of the

14&OWDA&BrownBield&Loan&Program.&Lecture&conducted&from&Ohio&Development&Services&Agency.&Retrieved&April&12,&2015,&from&http://development.ohio.gov/cleanohio/

BrownBieldRevitalization/Documents/BLP_Presentation.pdf&.

15&Environmental&Value.&City&Parks&Alliance.&Retrieved&April&12,&2015,&from&http://www.cityparksalliance.org/whyAurbanAparksAmatter/environmentalAvalue

110
project. The goal of this fund is to help “stimulate and sustain assuring that funds will be available if our project is started in
community development and increase access to capital for low the next couple of years. The Cuyahoga River is listed as a
income areas.”16 “Continued Area of Concern” in the GLRI Action Plan II.18
While the Cuyahoga River is not listed as an area that is to be
Recreational trails “delisted” - essentially cleared as clean - in Phase II, it is a
program water source that is labeled “continued area of concern” and
should get some attention and help from the GLRI funding
The Recreational Trails Program grant through the Ohio during Phase II of clearing water streams that connect to the
Department of Natural Resources is another possible funding Great Lakes. One type of project that GLRI considers a priority
opportunity for the park development on Carter Riverfront. The is that of urban watersheds in order to help reduce the toxic
riverfront bike trail on the far west side of the development runoffs that many of these areas contain. Phase I of our
would be a great potential project to receive this funding. In FY development project includes creating a stormwater
2013, projects received between $20,000 and $200,000 of containment area, complete with local plants and a water
funding through this grant program. For-profit organizations are retainment area to help reduce the amount of toxic runoff that
unable to apply for this grant; however, part of our plan would go into the Cuyahoga River. Part of this project would
proposes that Graffiti Park - and the bike path along the edge of include replacing the current bulkheads along the development
the park and the river - being owned and maintained by the site to make them more stable and a better habitat for the fish.
Cleveland Metroparks. The Metroparks, being a nonprofit There are multiple alternatives to incorporating the wildlife
organization is eligible to apply for the Recreational Trails habitat features while also preventing landslides in the
Program grant.17 bulkhead section of Phase II.
great lakes restoration A similar project, which entailed restoring wildlife
initiative habitat, received funding in 2010. The Ohio EPA received a
$1.5M grant over a two year period for a project titled
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was created in 2010 to Ashtabula River Area of Concern Habitat Restoration. This
continue and expand on efforts to clean, protect, and restore the project received funding to rehabilitate the fish and wildlife
world’s largest fresh water source, the Great Lakes. Phase II of habitat of the Ashtabula River. Approximately 1,400 ft. of fish
this plan started this year and will continue through 2019, habitat shelves were installed in the river to help with wildlife

16&Community&Loan&Fund.&WSOS&Community&Action.&Retrieved&April&12,&2015&from&http://www.wsos.org/program_details.php?id=41

17&Grants&from&the&Ohio&Department&of&Natural&Resources.&Ohio&Department&of&Natural&Resources.&Retrieved&April&12,&2015&from&http://ohiodnr.gov/grants

18&Great&Lakes&Restoration&Initiative:&Action&Plan&II.&(2014,&September&1).&Retrieved&April&12,&2015,&from&http://greatlakesrestoration.us/actionplan/pdfs/glriAactionAplanA2.pdf

111
 city of Cleveland tax
abatements
problems, including: “degraded fish populations, degraded
benthos, and loss of fish habitat.”19
Public funding opportunities are not limited to the federal and
state level, as there are often many possible funding
roadwork development 629 possibilities through the county and city as well. For instance,
the City of Cleveland has a tax abatement program through its
community development department. The mission of the
Another large cost of developing this site that does not bring in
community development department is:
direct money to the developer is that of the road improvements
that are needed on the Carter Riverfront. The current road “We& are& committed& to& improving& the& quality& of& life& in& the& City& of&
conditions include two main roads (Scranton and Carter) which Cleveland& by& strengthening& our& neighborhoods& through& successful&
have no sidewalks, large potholes, and are in bad shape. These housing& rehabilitation& efforts,& commercial& rehabilitation& efforts,& new&
two roads that go along the perimeter of the peninsula will be housing&construction,&homeownership,&and&community&focused&human&
updated with sidewalks, bike lanes, and repaving for a smooth services.”21&
surface and safe drive for automobiles. These improvements
will cost around $9 million to complete. While these overall The Rivers’ Bend Apartments help to fulfill the city’s mission
repairs and road extension are important, they will not generate by expanding on the neighborhood that Carter Riverfront will
revenue directly. Grants for road improvements are available be, once fully developed. These apartments will fit the
through the State of Ohio with the Roadwork Development 629 description of a structure eligible for a tax abatement because
grant. This grant could be used to obtain $1,000 per job created the apartments will be leased out (apart from the townhomes
in the development site and $500 per job retained, not including that will be sold to the owners). Tax abatement structures have
retail jobs.20 With an estimated 296 jobs in the R & D building, to be built to Cleveland’s green building standards. One way to
there will be potential for $148,000 to $296,000 in funding for meet these standards is to meet the Enterprise Green criteria,
the road, depending on if these jobs are retained or new. which is a relatively cost-effective way for incorporating some
green standards into a building. More detailed information on
what an Enterprise Community “green” structure entails can be

19&Cassell,&P.&(Director)&Environmental&Protection&Agency&GLRI&Projects.&Lecture&conducted&from&U.S.&EPA,&.

20&Grants:&Roadwork&Development&(629)&Account.&(n.d.).&Retrieved&April&28,&2015,&from&http://www.clermontcountyohio.biz/StateofOhioRoadworkDevelopment629Account.pdf

21&City&of&Cleveland&::&Tax&Abatement.&(n.d.).&Retrieved&April&12,&2015,&from&http://portal.clevelandAoh.gov/CityofCleveland/Home/Government/CityAgencies/CommunityDevelopment/
TaxAbatement

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found in their “2015 Enterprise Green Communities Criteria” traditional and more flexible financing options than
handbook.22 Tax abatements allow the developer offer rents conventional financing, including below market interest rates
without passing on the cost of the taxes to the renters. Since the and underwriting terms. This financing option comes in handy
land where the Rivers’ Bend Apartments are going is currently when conventional financing does not cover the entire project.
nearly vacant with overgrown grass, this will save the 18 This is highly possible for this project due to the many costs
developer (and potentially the future residents if savings are associated with the brownfield site, including environmental
passed on) money. After placing the riverfront apartments on cleanup, demolition, and leveling of the uneven site.
this land, the taxes will certainly be a lot higher than what the
property is worth before the buildings go up. By saving 15
years of these increased taxes, the developer will have more MULTIFAMILY HOUSING BONDS
incentive to build the property. The city wins as well because
they have a new development to attract residents to the city, and Cuyahoga County offers a tax-exempt bond program to help
after 15 years, the developer will be required to pay the market lower the high costs of development for certain projects that
rate taxes on the property. help to serve a public purpose. There are three types of projects
that benefit from this funding option through Cuyahoga County.
The only relevant project on the Carter Riverfront would be the
NEW MARKET TAX CREDIT multi-family housing. The Rivers’ Bend Apartments are two
multi-family housing buildings that are to be built on the Carter
The New Market Tax Credit is a federal incentive that is Riverfront. This bond can be used for new construction of
available to developers creating new markets within low- multi-family housing, which is what the Rivers’ Bend
income areas. The Carter Riverfront development site falls Apartments will be. Funding costs that can be included in this
within census tract 1042.00, which had a poverty rate of 37% as bond are “construction financing, legal, audit, bond
of the 2010 census (found in demographics section of this underwriting and issuance costs, replacement reserves and
paper). To meet the requirement of a project being in a “low- settlement costs.” There is a non-refundable fee of $1,000 to
income area,” the urban census tract must have a poverty rate apply for this bond through the County; however, that cost
of 20% (there are different requirements for rural areas). The would be more than worth it if this project were chosen as a
mission of this tax incentive is to benefit communities with bond-funded development.
“newly created construction and permanent jobs, improved
access to goods and services and new recreation and
entertainment options.” The developer benefits through non-

22&(& 2EK G A 4 E 0FDD EAKA 0 AK A: (& KA = /G AC ( (& ? FD AK:KAFED: AE E K :G: AK : AK : . K? -P - KKG,

EK G A FDD EAK FD C K C K AC 1F ECF:=.?AC -&& )&&&&&=52 A2/4 FDDAK-8 : AK

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Tapping into private sources of grant funding is an important
way to help bring project costs and bring a better chance of
completion. The Cleveland Foundation and The George Gund
Foundation are two prominent sources of foundation funding
that should be considered if looking for outside funding
sources. Looking at past grantees and projects that received
money is a good way for an organization to determine if
possible funding is available.

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 FUNDING FROM LOCAL FOUNDATIONS

THE CLEVELAND FOUNDATION start-up companies, entrepreneurship and business growth

would be fulfilled. The Carter Riverfront is just outside of the
The Cleveland Foundation offers several categories that their Downtown-area of Cleveland. By turning this vacant land into
grant recipients fall under, including arts and culture, economic a successful neighborhood, Cleveland’s core will be stronger,
development, education, environment, health, human services, helping the city as a whole. A similar project, that was provided
neighborhoods and housing, and philanthropic sector. Priorities funding in a neighborhood a little further outside of Downtown
are given to six distinct areas, including education, than the Carter Riverfront, was Phase II of the Uptown project,
neighborhoods, human services, arts & culture, economic located in University Circle. This project received $2 million
development, and Greater University Circle. Through this through the Village Capital Corp. to help produce this project,
project, one priority and two grant categories stick out as which created jobs through the new bowling alley, apartment
possible ways that this plan can receive funding through The complex, and food and retail shops.24 An R & D development
Cleveland Foundation. On The Cleveland Foundation website, would provide high paying jobs to residents of the Greater
it states that priority is given to economic projects, defined as: Cleveland area, with the potential of nearly 300 jobs through
The&Cleveland&Foundation&believes&Cleveland’s&economy&can&thrive&and& this one 120,240 square foot building. There is potential to
be& sustainable& and& globally& connected.& Our& funding& strategy& promotes& receive funding from The Cleveland Foundation for the
Bive& priorities:& innovation& and& entrepreneurship,& business& growth,& development of this unique structure.
industry&clusters,&globalization,&and&a&healthy&core&city.16&
Another category of funding that The Cleveland
In 2013, The Cleveland Foundation gave nearly $4.2 million to Foundation includes in its grants each year is that of the
economic development projects (note: 2014 grants were only environment. In 2013, The Cleveland Foundation gave nearly
available through March 2014).23 Many parts of our project $1.6 million to environmental projects and programs in the
implement those economic development priorities of The Greater Cleveland area. While this is far less money than the
Cleveland Foundation. The research and development center economic development category, which is seen as a priority, the
would promote innovation and business growth in a new space environmental category still receives an adequate amount of
that is designated for R & D jobs that have been expanding in money each year, which this development should attempt to tap
Cleveland. Whether these jobs are expanding a current into. Similar projects that The Cleveland Foundation has
company, like Sherwin Williams, or building space for new funded in the past include $200,000 for capacity building for

23&Cleveland&Foundation&A&Connecting&Donors&and&Meaningful&Causes.&(n.d.).&Retrieved&April&12,&2015,&from&http://www.clevelandfoundation.org/grants/searchAgrants/?
organization_alpha=&organization=&organization_search=Choose+Alphabetically+Above%2C+or+Type+Organization
+Name&start_year=2013&end_year=2013&min_amount=0&max_amount=10000000&program_area=&view=list&sort=year&search=Search

24&Jarboe&McFee,&The&Plain&Dealer,&M.&(2013,&May&29).&Uptown&project&picks&up&Corner&Alley,&Potbelly&as&tenants,&Cleveland&International&Fund&as&lender.&Retrieved&April&12,&2015,&from&http://
www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/05/uptown_project_picks_up_corner.html

115
Cleveland Lakefront parks which was given to the Cleveland Park, the added bike path, and the addition of the boardwalk.
Metroparks in 2013. The Cleveland Metroparks is a possible By adding the boardwalk and Graffiti Park, the entire riverfront
partner for the riverfront park known as Graffiti Park. This plan of Carter Riverfront will be public space. This helps to assure
is very feasible in that the Cleveland Metroparks was already equity in that the space will not be reserved just for the people
involved in the successful towpath trail addition on the far east who live on the site and along the waterfront. It would be worth
side of the site. it to have the Metroparks apply for a grant between $50,000 -
$100,000 from Gund to help with costs of cleaning up and
creating the public greenspace on Carter Riverfront.

THE GEORGE GUND

FOUNDATION THE KELVIN AND ELEANOR
SMITH FOUNDATION
The George Gund Foundation is another large private provider The final non-profit grant giver that the developer and its
of grants in the Cleveland area. Similar to the Cleveland partners should consider applying for is that of The Kelvin and
Foundation, the Gund Foundation awards grants in a few Eleanor Smith Foundation. This family foundation gave over
specific categories of projects. These grant priority categories $7.8 million in FY 2013 according to the Foundation Center,
include: arts, economic development, education, environment, which puts them up there as one of the most generous
human services, and special commitments. In 2014, the Gund foundations in Cleveland. Under their “strategic priorities and
Foundation gave Beyond Pesticides $100,000 over two years to types of support,” this foundation lists the following categories
“create sustainable lawns, landscapes, and public projects.”25 as priorities: arts and culture, economic development,
Graffiti Park and the boardwalk alongside the Cuyahoga River education, environment, health, and human services.26 The
that surrounds the peninsula is both important to the website also mentions their emphasis on projects and
environment and the public. The plan for this part of the project organizations located in northeast Ohio, where the Carter
is to partner with the Cleveland Metroparks to help build and Riverfront development is located. While their website does not
maintain the waterfront park. Graffiti Park will be cleaned up, contain information about past organizations or specific
helping the environment through rainwater that goes through projects that they have granted money to, it is important to note
this land and into the Cuyahoga River and by creating acres of the environment and economic development categories in their
more green space throughout the near - downtown area. It is strategic priorities. As with the foundations mentioned above,
estimated to cost $22 million for the remediation of Graffiti

25&The&George&Gund&Foundation.&(n.d.).&Retrieved&April&12,&2015,&from&http://gundfoundation.org/grantsAawarded/searchAgrantsAarchives/?
Prgarea=environment&Grantee=&strDte=2010&endDte=2015&k=1

26&The&Kelvin&and&Eleanor&Smith&Foundation.&(n.d.).&Retrieved&April&12,&2015,&from&http://www.kesmithfoundation.org/strategicpriorities.html

116
the water retention area, Graffiti Park and other public space
along the riverfront, rehabbing the bulkheads, and the R&D
center, all fit within these two priority categories.

Non-profit foundations like The Cleveland Foundation,

the George Gund Foundation, and The Kelvin and Eleanor
Smith Foundation, are all excellent resources for small
nonprofits and large projects to tap into at a time of need. To
help receive grants from these organizations, it would be best to
partner with influential local nonprofits, such as the Cleveland
Metroparks. Funding from these organizations can be a great
way to help fill the financial gap that will likely occur in this
development and would be best implemented by targeting a
different foundation through each phase of the whole project.

117
118
Conclusion

Cleveland’s “backyard,” the Scranton Peninsula, is ripe acceptable limits for the type of grand developments
for conversion to a Carter Riverfront type development. envisioned for this property.
Numerous plans throughout the years have considered
the question of how to develop the property that sits For Group B, the clean-up costs are less than 2.5% of
kitty-corner, across the river and from the behind Public the prescribed $450,000,000 cost of investment for their
Square and Tower City. Major hindrances include development. For Group A, clean-up costs are a much
limited and confusing access to the site and an hundred more substantial portion of the approximately
years of $96,000,000 investment cost that they envision.
industrial Team A
pollution that Whichever route is taken, it is almost certain that a
will lead to public-private partnership would likely be required to
excessive make the project feasible. There are numerous public
mandated programs to assist with the brownfield remediation, park
b r o w n fi e l d and green space enhancement and development of
remediation mixed use/income housing, retail, commercial and
costs. office space that can be taken advantage of.

But as was shown in this paper, numerous conditions We are optimistic that, notwithstanding a phase 3
are aligning themselves to make the present time brownfield assessment making development of the type
perhaps the most serious push for development on the proposed entirely impossible, that development will
Peninsula in decades. Population is growing downtown move forward in short order.
for the first time in decades. Housing prices are soaring
in surrounding neighborhoods such as Ohio City and Team B
Tremont. Environmental safety and appreciation has
never been higher in our society at large. Carter
Riverfront is poised to happen.

Both Groups A & B estimated brownfield remediation

costs in the neighborhood of $10 million. While at first
blush that may seem cost prohibitive, it may be within

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 Acknowledgements
Thanks to each of our fellow members of the Planning Studio. program at CSU. This includes Dr. Ned Hill, Dean of the
We came together, struggling at times, collaborating mostly, College, Dr. Dennis Keating, Chair of the program and the
and pursued a vision of a redeveloped site that would be part of various secretaries, advisors and cleaning staff who made our
a vibrant, economic and equitable Greater Cleveland. stay here more enjoyable.

Thanks to our family and friends who tolerated our long hours Finally, thanks to the people, who for hundreds of years have
away from home while we worked on this class. lived around the Cuyahoga River, and have struggled, worked
and planned to make their urban communities better places for
Thanks to our professors, Mr. James Kastelic and Dr. Wendy everyone.
Kellogg who kept cool heads when things got turbulent and
were a wealth of knowledge and expertise about all things
urban. Their friendly smiles and demeanors were quite
welcoming.

Thanks, to James P. Martynowski, Director of Planning and

Construction at Forest City Land Group and his organization,
Forest City Enterprises, for offering support as a client for this
project.

Thanks also to the myriad of speakers and interview

stakeholders who volunteered their time to help us better
understand the complexity, history and politics of the area.

Thanks to Professor Norm Krumholz who introduced us and

inspired us to Urban and Equity Planning. He is as solid a
foundation for the MUPDD program as any glacier that helped
form the Scranton Peninsula 13,000 years ago.

Thanks to all of the staff and faculty in Levin College of Urban

Affairs for offering knowledge and support during our MUPDD

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