Cleveland’s Leaders are Dreaming of Its Future
As we mentioned in January’s Most Interesting People issue, it seems the election of Mayor Justin Bibb kickstarted Cleveland’s future. But it’s not just Bibb. City Council has new members and a new president. There are dozens of new suburban mayors — many of them young and female. The Greater Cleveland Partnership has a new leader in Baiju Shah. With this new influx of leadership has come events such as FutureLand and the GCP’s All In Summit, which have explored the future of business, tech and policy in Northeast Ohio.
So Are The City’s Developers
The sight of swinging cranes continued to be a common one as Cleveland rolled into 2022. Continuing the trend of new luxury apartments, Intro apartment complex opened its 515,000-square-foot building with three restaurants and 297 apartments. Sherwin Williams’s Downtown HQ, which is set to be completed by 2024, broke ground on a project that will reshape Cleveland’s skyline. Meanwhile, the Irishtown Bend project trudged along, Bedrock announced it is eyeing an ambitious revitalization of the Cuyahoga Riverfront and talks of actually developing the North Shore began to once again heat up.
The Towpath Trail Opened
Finally completed after 20 years and $54 million, the trail connects us geographically, sure, but there’s more. It takes us from an industrial past to, hopefully, a greener future for everyone. It is a path forward. It’s now possible to access the Canal Basin Park Trailhead in the Flats on the east bank of the Cuyahoga River and go all the way to Zoar, following the general path of the 1832 Ohio & Erie Canal. “Within 15 minutes of the Towpath Trail you can find yourself in a forest or an industrial area rich with history. I love that,” says Chris Ronayne, chairman of the board of Canalway Partners, a nonprofit organization leading the restoration of the route where mules once pulled canal boats with goods to be sold. “The Towpath Trail interprets our past as well as our future as a cool city. It’s educational, fun and unique.”
CSU Took Another Step Forward
Under Harlan Sands, Cleveland State University launched its CSU 2.0 plan, which set a goal of 4,500 additional students and 200 new faculty members by 2025. When Sands unexpectedly left in the spring, incoming president Laura Bloomberg picked up the torch. Since she took over, the school has announced a proposal to revitalize the downtown campus by building more dorms and a new arena.
West Side Market Turned Over a New Leaf
After years of mismanagement, the city announced it would finally turn the historic West Side Market over to a new nonprofit after renovations and a year-long fact finding project led by a third-party consultant. “A nonprofit operator, just sort of by virtue of being a nonprofit, will be mission driven,” says senior strategist Jessica Trivvisonno. “It'll have a vision and measurable objectives; a staff that is focused on the market; and a board to hold that staff accountable and that is everyday thinking about what's best for the market.” So far, longtime vendors are cautiously optimistic.
The NBA All-Star Game Took Over Downtown Cleveland
Despite blizzard conditions, basketball’s brightest stars descended on Downtown Cleveland for the 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend. Events took place on the court and off the court, Jack Harlow performed, and Mayor Justin Bibb joined other locals like Machine Gun Kelly in the Celebrity Game. Meanwhile, Jarret Allen and Darius Garland represented the Cavaliers in the big game.
The Cavs Surprised Us All
Speaking of the Cavs, the 2021-22 team, led by Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Kevin Loveh, won 44 of 38 games and surprised many by making the playoffs. Then, during the off season, general manager Koby Altman built on that momentum by adding Utah Jazz superstar Donovan Mitchell to the Cavs. So far, Mitchell has been everything that was advertised, averaging 24.3 points a game and already staking his claim as a leader on the team.
Read More: Cleveland Cavaliers Stars Donovan Mitchell and Kevin Love in Conversation
The Browns Ditched Baker Mayfield For Deshaun Watson
The 2018 No. 1 pick seemed to be the answer for the Cleveland Browns when in 2020 the Mayfield-led team made the playoffs for the first time in 18 years and then beat the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first playoff win since 1994. We even declared the same-old Cleveland Browns to be dead — oh how foolish we were. Two years later, Mayfield is in Los Angeles as a backup for the Rams, and the Browns courted alleged sexual predator Deshaun Watson with the biggest contract in the history of the NFL. The trade split the fanbase, with many longtime fans swearing off the brown and orange. And in the final month of the year, the Browns made another play at being the least likable team in the NFL by “signing” controversial social media star and native Westlaker Jake Paul to its social media team.
Cleveland Welcomed the Guardians
The Dolan family, who had purchased the team formerly called the Cleveland Indians in 2000, announced that, after decades of protest by Native American groups, the team would use a new name: the Guardians. The name is a nod to the uniting power of the Guardians of Traffic statues that usher cars across the Hope Memorial Bridge from the East Side to the West. The team wore the new name well with a 92-70 record and a first-round playoff win.
Read More: Meet Steven Kwan, the Cleveland Guardian’s Rising Rookie
The NIL Hit Collegiate Sports Hard
This year, for the first time, college athletes were able to earn money for their participation in sports through name, image and likeness deals. Ryan Day, head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, told donors the team needed at least $12 million to continue to compete on the highest level. “It’s a new market, and like any new market, it will be chaotic for a while,” U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez told Cleveland Magazine. Gonzalez, an all-Big Ten receiver at Ohio State who went on to play for the Indianapolis Colts, has always been an advocate for NIL rights. He said he introduced the legislation to try to make a uniform NIL law, leveling the playing field between states, but it’s stalled in Congress. “What has happened is what I’d feared would happen,” says Gonzalez. “There are 50 states with 50 different sets of rules and no real transparency.”
Roe vs. Wade Was Overturned
Already in danger in the state of Ohio, the right to abortion took its biggest hit nationally with the overturning of the 50-year-old Supreme Court case. Yet, the activists on both sides who we spoke to didn’t see this as the end of the battle.
Life Got More Expensive
Inflation and supply chain issues made everything more expensive in 2022. Business owners in all industries faced the crunch. The food industry might have gotten hit hardest with soaring food costs.
The War in Ukraine Hits Home
After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Cleveland responded by looking for ways to help. Local restaurants found ways to support Ukraine’s efforts through fundraisers. Nykola Sas, owner of Nica’s Freight, used his trucking business to help ship supplies from local churches to Ukraine. Finally, a local Ukrainian immigrant, who is now attending John Carroll University, shared the fears of having family is facing war back home.
The Intel Plant Broke Ground in Ohio
When Intel announced in January they were building a $20 billion complex to manufacture computer chips near Columbus, Gov. Mike DeWine heralded it as “monumental news for the state of Ohio” and “transformative for our state.” It’s estimated the facility will sit on 1,000 acres, potentially employing 7,000 people during construction and 3,000 Intel employees when completed. And, although it’s in Licking County, the effects will ripple statewide, including in Northeast Ohio.
Read More: We talked to three area experts about what this might mean.
Bedrock Reinvisioned Tower City
When Tower City opened in 1990, it was not only the most luxurious shopping experience between New York City and Chicago. It was also a statement made in green and black marble: After decades of struggle, Cleveland had once again arrived. But with that iconic mall struggling again in recent years, owners Bedrock have worked to improve it. This year it launched its indoor Skylight Park, which was met with luke-warm reviews, and some new shopping and dining options. But with the tower playing a role as a major artery in the company’s riverfront development proposal later in the year, it’s likely that the development company sees Skylight Park as nothing more than a holdover.
Sherwin-Williams Broke Ground
Sherwin-Williams officially broke ground on its $300 million, 36-story new global headquarters, giving our skyline a new coat of paint with what will be the city’s fourth-tallest building and cementing it as one of downtown Cleveland’s most important corporate citizens.
Events Came Back
From the St. Patrick’s Day Parade to Brite Winter, events were back in a big way this year. Even the I-X Center, which closed in March 2020, is back with new ownership and new events.
New Media Initiatives Landed In Cleveland
Axios, Signal Cleveland and the Marshall Project launched this year with goals of shaking up Cleveland’s Media ecosystem. Axios plans quick-hit newsletters focused on entertainment and politics, while Signal Cleveland and the Marshall Project plan to take a community-focused watchdog journalism approach. “I can’t over-emphasize enough how much we want to be hearing from people,” says Lila Mills, editor-in-chief of Signal Cleveland. “Our primary goal, right out of the box, is just to build trust with people.”
Recycling Returned
Cleveland never canned its sustainability aspirations; the city just had to, well, recycle its approach. But this summer, residents of the City of Cleveland had the option to enroll in the new recycling program, which began on June 13.
Voters Elected Chris Ronayne for County Executive
The highest office in Northeast Ohio is now filled by one of its biggest cheerleaders. Running on a promise of a “New Cuyahoga,” Ronayne, formerly president of University Circle Inc., was elected to take over for Armond Budish in January. Ronayne promises to center the region’s future on building a waterborne economy that takes advantage of our natural resources.
A New Wave of Restaurants Opened
Cleveland’s dining scene saw a massive shakeup this year with long term projects finally coming to fruition after pandemic delays, longtime favorites putting new spins on their brands and pandemic pop-ups going legit. A few names you probably heard a lot of in these pages: Amba, Cordelia, Jaja, Juneberry Table and Briteside.
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