For so many reasons, University Circle and its institutions and the surrounding neighborhood are core to what I value in NEO, and I look forward to seeing all that continually expand in significance to me, the region and world. But, University Circle is a small geographic domain, which must be optimized for 21 organizational stakeholders, and their 1,000,000s of stakeholders, including everyone associated with Case, University Hospitals, the VA, CIA, Cleveland Museum(s), Institute of Music, Orchestra, etc., and all others in the community.
In visioning for a better region and future here, consider a broader interpretation of University Circle from the small cultural, healthcare and university center of Cleveland to the center of the entire University Community of NEO.
To envision this UCI, you must have a perspective of abundance rather than scarcity, excellence rather than mediocrity, and opportunity rather than crisis. And, you must envision significant change over time beyond your lifespan.
Today's University Circle, as a geographic place, will always be a global center of healthcare, learning and cultural excellence, but will it always be home to the Cleveland Institute of Art? The Crawford Auto and Aviation Museum?
The UCI real estate development focus is shifting to lifestyle enhancements, optimizing strengths like the parks, hospital and museum, while leveraging its "Central Park" potentials for unique living excellence. That means constructing upscale residential, retail, restaurants and other amenities on every possible site - in addition to the development required for the growth of member institutions.
I agree with this vision, as I believe many enlightened people will want to move to this area from throughout the region and world.
This prospect poses interesting challenges.
- Over the last century, public housing has largely been eliminated from University Circle
- Dormitories have been expanded on the Case campus.
- Other than students who live on Case facilities, all other University Circle institutions' workers, students and other stakeholders currently must live away from their core community, destabilizing development of traditional neighborhood environs and dynamics.
- Large concentrations of UCI stakeholders in Cleveland Heights and Little Italy, where they are not well served
- UCI Institutions and community are ramping up programs to help institution stakeholders buy housing near UCI
- Geography, proximity, and the radical mix of property use in the area result in significant traffic flow and parking issues for all.
- Since commercial space is limited and property costs high, most small businesses have been eliminated.
- Not walkable neighborhoods
- Few restaurants, cafes - no pleasant hang-outs
- UCI institutions have tended to turn their back on the outside, literally, putting industrial buildings, parking, low value service centers and infrastructure around the edges of UCI and creating a moat
- Especially entrenched where there have been perceived barriers such as the elevation to the Heights to the south and the rail and municipal disconnection with East Cleveland and Little Italy.
- There have always been many bridges to University Circle, but it was not always well connected with the greater community - physically and philosophically.
- Must now infill moat
To help optimize benefits for everyone, University Circle Incorporated (UCI) works as a not for profit Community Development Corporation (CDC) helping develop and manage University Circle for its 21 member organizations, and the public. The UCI CDC has unique resources and expertise no other CDC can leverage, making UCI uniquely qualified to make important things happen in the region, and UCI stakeholders are collectively world-significant institutions, individually lead, staffed and populated by world-leaders, driving growth in our economy in immeasurable ways across the region.
The former Cleveland City Chief of Staff Chris Ronayne was recently selected as President of UCI, which brings to the institution a powerful planner with broad regional perspectives. Chris is uniquely able to play a larger planning role in the region beyond directing the UCI CDC (Community Development Corporation), while optimizing his role there.
Chris has a responsibility to support development of his "client" organizations, wherever that may take them. And, the regional and global success of UCI clients influences their value for University Circle, and literally the value of the region. Our world-class orchestra has a significant local economic impact from global success... University Hospitals development in University Circle is accelerated by growth for them in other suburbs, and business world-wide, all benefitting the region.
There are $ 1 billion+ in projects in constructon and planning in University Circle, and UCI stakeholders have $100 millions in additional development planned in the near future that will occur places other than University Circle, because there are community needs of UCI stakeholder services elsewhere in the region. Examples include recently announces University Hospitals plans for a $200+ million hospital in Cleveland eastern suburbs. Inside and outside University Circle, over the next decade or so all this development and investment will add 1,000,000s of square feet of classrooms, hospital rooms, retail space, labs, offices, public facilities, cultural space and all imaginable types of housing to the region.
Much of this will be centered in University Circle.
Imagine a condo with a view across the botanical gardens and down Rockefeller Park to Lake Erie... coffee at the museum... a show at MoCA... pizza in Little Italy... all in walking distance... 10 minutes by Red or Silver Line to downtown... starting at $500K (try $5,000,000 on Central Park East). Well, that's what you could get at a new development where the old CIA building is now, in a few short years.
Only have $250K - there's the Beach and Triangle, soon to enter development in the mid-tier, for professors, doctors, other professionals and speculators seeking location, location. location.
For those on a budget, or seeking value, there are 10,000s of units seeking love and coming back into optimal use within a mile or so of the World's Most Powerful Learning Environment, in every direction. With life comes lifestyles, and many amazing enhancements are planned throughout this dynamic environment. The true potentials of this abundance are just being explored.
Consider there is no reason to bound UCI by University Circle, any more than its member institutions are limited by their local geography. In serving member institutions, the community, and its mission, UCI should seek ways to leverage resources to partner across the community and world - whether using their planning expertice to assist the CIA's expansion in Europe or their bond underwriting relations to fund MoCA Tower on the old Gund CIA site.
UCI is already collaborating with other CDCs, the City of Cleveland and private investors and companies to expand the economic impact of University Circle institutions beyond the circle, so the framework is well in place. Now to better define the portfolio of opportunities in this expanded vision of University Circle.
A logical UCI collaboration is with the City of East Cleveland, just to the east of University Circle, where there is significant land and 1,000s of buildings are in need of restoration, redevelopment or replacement. East Cleveland seeks development of market-rate housing and mixed use facilities serving current residents and attracting a diverse base for the future. East Cleveland would also like to attract educational and cultural facilities, and would welcome being part of "the world's most powerful learning environment", offered through affiliation with Case and other UCI institutions. Collaboration between East Cleveland, UCI and some of their stakeholders seems to make good sense.
Benefits of the University Circle East Cleveland community would be significant and far reaching. For UCI institutions, it would offer space for expansion far beyond what is possible within the current UCI bounds, at far lower cost.
Institutional developments, like a campus for the CIA, can be combined with commercial development, like a residential village and retail on Euclid Avenue, offering financial benefits for each.
Through such collaboration, East Cleveland will accelerate development of their University Circle neighborhood, including a historic district, to the highest and best imaginable use, with certain economic benefits to the community.
This model offers East Cleveland leadership the ability to construct very creative relations with many institutions that would not otherwise operate in East Cleveland.
None of this is possible without a central plan representing all stakeholder interests, and planning processes to insure the best interests of all stakeholders are always included.
Right now, we have plans for UCI, and for each member institution, and for East Cleveland, but this is the first document connecting them together in proposing planning University Circle East Cleveland. This must be formalized, and the UCI institution plans need to begin flowing onto East Cleveland property. At the same time, East Cleveland property owners need to be protected from opportunists and overly enthusiastic planners.
Envision a complete redevelopment of East Cleveland that leverages the regional potential of UCI and East Cleveland. Now, the area of East Cleveland from University Circle to Superior becomes University Circle East Cleveland, and every property is either restored and integrated into a healthy, sustainable development plan, or moved, or demolished, and acres will be transformed.
Envision in the development a new RTA Red Line stop at a new campus of the Cleveland Institute of Art, which would be adjacent to great charter schools for from early-child to college, and all surrounded by arts and crafts and planned, enforced greenness, and affordable housing, and small businesses that grow in such a nurturing environment.
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