This is cleveland now. After a historic 2016 that saw our city host the Republic National Convention, the Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA championship and the Cleveland Indians battle it out during the World Series, we’re reaping the benefits of a renewed local spirit that can be found in a new Public Square, a revitalized waterfront and other civic victories. Local leaders sound off on how we keep all that progress going forward this year and beyond.
Tony Weber
What change or idea has created the biggest impact to downtown Cleveland’s revitalization?
“Getting the RNC sped up projects that had to get done like Public Square, the new Hilton Cleveland Downtown hotel, the convention center, The 9 and Heinen’s. If you put on a convention like the RNC, you can really do anything, and we did it successfully. We’re really putting ourselves on the map as a major convention city,” says Tony Weber, CEO of Goldfarb Weber Creative Media. “Downtown is thriving at the moment. You even see it with the Flats East Bank, which is a great new development. People don’t just leave right after work. They’re staying and going to shows and going to restaurants. And more people are living downtown — we’ve got to keep encouraging that. We’re up to [about] 15,000 people now downtown, so that’s all very positive.”
Dr. Jorge Garcia-Zuazaga
Where do you see downtown Cleveland in 10 years?
“It’s kind of a cool time to be in the health care sector in Cleveland, because there are a lot of innovations and innovative programs that are going to be great for the younger population. The Northeast Ohio Medical University and Cleveland State University formed this urban health building, which is almost like an urban medical school,” says Dr. Jorge Garcia-Zuazaga, founder of the Apex Dermatology & Skin Surgery Center. “Not only is it identifying underrepresented minorities to go into the fields of medicine, but it’s also training the future leaders in medicine. At the end, it’s going to improve access of health care to the city and other areas that don’t have enough access. That’s a big change here that kind of goes under the radar, but the long-term effect of that will be great for the future of Cleveland in the health care arena.”
Deb Yandala
What are the next steps to take to keep the momentum going?
“Sometimes we’re our own worst enemies, those of us who live in Cleveland, and we don’t realize how wonderful it is to live in our city and to work in our city. We have the most amazing parks in this city, a wonderful national park right at our doorstep, and that’s something few cities can claim,” says Deb Yandala, CEO of the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. “Getting people outside and getting them active is so important. We also need to look at other poverty measures and work to try to give all people access to quality health care, access to food — the basic needs of life. Part of improving the access to equality in terms of success in Cleveland is supporting the great work of our social service sector and the wonderful nonprofits in northeastern Ohio.”
Corey Head
What’s the next big thing in Cleveland?
“Focusing on the lakefront. We need to capitalize on what’s really rare to these big cities. A lot of people can go out and build these multimillion dollar venues and be able to host Super Bowls and stuff like that, but what you can’t build is access to a Great Lake,” says
Corey Head, president of Sky Quest. “We really need to take care of Lake Erie and develop the lakefront so that it’s a big draw for people who want to live here and visit. We need to have Cleveland become a vacation destination. I’m a boater and you don’t need much — you can sit there and look out onto the water. A lot of people are drawn to that.”
Brian Zimmerman
How can civic and community leaders keep residents and visitors involved after a momentous 2016?
“It’s really interesting to hear the stories of individuals that, ordinarily, would’ve left for Chicago and New York that are choosing to stay in Cleveland. It’s truly a remarkable time in Cleveland’s history,” says Brian Zimmerman, CEO of Cleveland Metroparks. “We need to keep pushing the envelope forward and creating green space. There are so many things that are going on that connect people to a place: the new towpath through the Tremont neighborhood, Edgewater Live and events going on at Whiskey Island. We need to make sure that we’re using the capital infrastructure that’s in place. Then, we can continue to get a healthy core city, a healthy core school system. All tides will continue to rise based off of those components.”
John McDonnell
Where do you see downtown Cleveland in 10 years?
“I’m the ultimate optimist. More people will be drawn to Cleveland. I’d love to see Euclid, St. Clair and Superior avenues with people walking all over the place, heading down toward the lake,” says John McDonnell, president of Cleveland Independents. “When you get residents downtown, they’re not worried about the business infrastructures. They’re looking for culture — they want the parks to be nice, they want the lakefront to be nice. We have a unique dining experience here with all these independent restaurants as opposed to big chains, so people are discovering Cleveland. All of a sudden we’re on the map, and all of a sudden, people realize it’s a really great place to live.”
Dr. Carlo Marino
What has created the most significant change in Cleveland in the last year?
“I would say the number of people living downtown. The state and Cleveland have spent a lot of time improving the infrastructure in downtown Cleveland. You have this enormous influx of not only young people, but all ages that are moving there, and you’re seeing this resurgence,” says Dr. Carlo Marino, a dentist at Weston Dental. “Everyone who comes is surprised by what the city has to offer. Whenever you have a growing population, you’re going to have businesses that are going to come to meet the needs of the population of folks that are there. I’ve even thought about opening up an office there because there’s really so few dentists that are downtown. With the way the population is there, the more you build the more it will grow.”
Chip Marous
What change or idea has created the biggest impact to downtown Cleveland’s revitalization?
“It’s hard to believe that a professional basketball team or baseball team can put a lot of energy within a city, but I think that’s helped. A lot of people are getting behind all the different construction and projects that are going on downtown and believe that Cleveland can be this great city that it always has been,” says Chip Marous, managing member of Vintage Development Group. “Those projects will keep this momentum going. Any successful city has to have people on the streets using restaurants and stores. That’s really important — the more people you get downtown and living downtown. Hopefully [it’ll] make this city a 24-hour city. That live, work, play urban lifestyle is very important.”
Deb Janik
Where do you see downtown Cleveland in 10 years?
“In 10 years we will celebrate 25,000 people living in downtown Cleveland. I am confident we will continue to build. So downtown, in 10 years, will have 25,000 residents, will have growing retail activities and investments, will have new schools and new education opportunities,” says Deb Janik, senior vice president for real estate and business development at Greater Cleveland Partnership. “The definition of downtown will grow as we leverage the excitement and strength in our urban center. Leveraging the waterfront and leveraging Cleveland State University, downtown is going to merge into the surrounding neighborhoods. We’ll see more and more businesses wanting to relocate. We’ll see upswing in brain gain and talent, and residents of all kind — families, young professionals and everything in between. I think the town is going to continue to grow.”
Jonas Pattie
Where do you see downtown Cleveland in 10 years?
“Green space has got to be a focus of what we do going forward. If people are going to live in the city, they need parks. They need green space to go and throw the ball and walk the dog and just be out in nature. We need that as human beings to connect with nature, to reduce stress, to reduce pollution, to reduce water runoff and to reduce heat,” says Jonas Pattie, president of the Pattie Group. “Green space is so important and it’s often an afterthought to parking lots, streets, roads, sewers and everything else. All those things are important, but if you don’t have a good frame and a good softening effect to all of that — and understand the benefits of those things — then you’re missing out on something greater.”
Mark Birtha
What has created the most significant change in Cleveland in the last year?
“2016 was a sort of watershed tipping point year for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. We’re in the entertainment business, and we feel this vibe and energy — which is absolutely electric right now,” says Mark Birtha, president of Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park. “There’s like 40 new restaurants, 11 new hotels and the entertainment offerings are remarkable. The region has been delivering these unique experiences and opportunities that people are resonating with. It’s really creating, not only this energy in the marketplace, but an enthusiasm and a level of interest that is resonating on a national level.”
Eric Gordon
What’s the next big thing in Cleveland?
“The game changer that I see is that the city, with the support of the mayor, county executive and business and philanthropic partners is competing for a strategy called Say Yes to Education. It’s a city- and countywide partnerships in resources to disrupt the poverty gap that so many of my kids and families live in, to ensure that they have the support they need to be successful in school and to go to college,” says Eric Gordon, CEO of Cleveland Metropolitan School District. “It’s all with the goal of them returning to Cleveland. I can imagine a Cleveland in 10 years that is so much more robust because, not only are downtown and a few neighborhoods thriving, but that many, many neighborhoods for lots of kids and families are thriving.”
Lori Varlotta
How can civic and community leaders keep residents and visitors involved after a momentous 2016?
“I would like to see civic and community leaders join forces with educational leaders. Northeast Ohio is home to dozens of colleges and universities, and the collective brain power that we could generate on issues such as college access, small business development, environmental concerns and social services would be advanced through the partnership of civic leaders with educational faculty and administrators,” says Lori Varlotta, president of Hiram College. “The more research-oriented universities can work with the hospitals on primary research. The small colleges could do monumental work with the hospital systems on wellness programs or our routines as far as taking care of ourselves.”
Jim Carulas
What are the next steps to take to keep the momentum going?
“Downtown has to broaden the base of service businesses to support the growing residential population. Downtown used to be a place where you worked. Now, people are working here and they’re living here. Businesses need to start staying open later to cater to people that live here. It’s important to keep the momentum of residential growth,” says Jim Carulas, CEO of Meaden & Moore. “A lot of people that move downtown are younger. Downtown has to cater to them as they grow, but you can’t just cater to someone in their 20s because the 20s become the 30s. They assemble families and look for setting up deeper roots. That is something the city has to begin to think about — from a housing standpoint, from an education standpoint and from a child care perspective.”
Ronn Richard
How can civic and community leaders keep residents and visitors involved after a momentous 2016?
“There have been very significant changes downtown as well as amazing things that are happening in Detroit Shoreway, Ohio City, Tremont and other places. These things didn’t happen overnight. The Cleveland Foundation spent 30 years helping these improvements, but they really hit a point of critical mass. We’re now starting to see housing prices appreciate tremendously in some of these areas,” says Ronn Richard, president and CEO of the Cleveland Foundation. “This is the time to keep the momentum going. We need to bring back low-income neighborhoods and help them be socioeconomically diverse, ethnically, religiously and racially diverse. We have to focus both on the East Side and the West Side. Jobs, education and housing are the things that we really need to focus on — and as part of that — reducing youth violence in this city and making people feel safe in their neighborhoods.”
Jon Ruple
What’s the next big thing in Cleveland?
“Keeping people engaged with public events and taking advantage of the development that’s already occurred for the past few years has helped to keep people, leaders and residents involved, and keep local businesses coming into the city,” says Jon Ruple, shareholder at Maloney & Novotny. “There has been a lot of publication regarding the Quicken Loans Arena renovations, so that’s going to have a big impact on the city and that whole district. Specifically, it will draw in more foot traffic, more ability for people to get engaged in the arena and just an all-around improved experience in participating in events happening there. If there’s obviously some plans in the building to use it for meeting space then it could certainly bring in additional visitors.”
Dustin Goldberg
What change or idea has created the biggest impact on downtown Cleveland’s revitalization?
“With the increased investment in the new living areas and nightlife areas, Cleveland’s become a cool place to live again. The redevelopment of Ohio City and Tremont and Hingetown have all led people, including myself, to spend most of our social time in the city. Prior to that, I would have been in the suburbs and not in Cleveland proper,” says Dustin Goldberg, president of D.O. Summers Dry Cleaners. “If Clevelanders can really embrace this concept of revitalizing our city, then we’ll hopefully continue to grow and try to catch up to some of the other Rust Belt towns. It’s important for the millennials, particularly, to embrace this new core that we’ve created.”
Jon Pinney
What are the next steps to take to keep the momentum going?
“The real challenge that business leaders, civic leaders and governmental leaders face is creating an environment that allows all this progress to be sustained long term. A series of groups need to come together to deal with some of the long-term challenges that we still face as a region — and that’s coming from both a branding perspective but also from a business development perspective,” says Jon Pinney, managing partner at Kohrman, Jackson & Krantz. “We need to do a much better job of coordinating our effort to grow and retain jobs. There’s a lot of momentum, but I do believe that it’s going to take coordination at every level of government and the nonprofit arena in order to make all of the changes sustainable and that a coordinated, well-developed master plan for the region is long overdue.”
Joe Mazur
Where do you see downtown Cleveland in 10 years?
“The national park is working in conjunction with Akron to improve the quality of the Cuyahoga River. Once that is complete in the next five years, we’ll see people kayaking through the national park into downtown Cleveland. So that water, which is a huge asset to Cleveland, will finally be utilized in a way that everyone dreamed about,” says Joe Mazur, president and CEO of Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. “Connecting the railroad to downtown Cleveland could be a really big game changer for us. As our ridership continues to increase, being able to connect to the incredible assets that are in downtown Cleveland would be really great.”