PLANNING INITIATIVES
Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation

OLD BROOKLYN AREA PLANNING INITIATIVES

Wards 15 & 16 have received significant grant funding with which to undertake focused and interrelated planning and development studies during the coming year. The following summarizes the projects, sources and amounts of funding and parties responsible for managing each of these important and complimentary studies:

1. Ward 15/16 Master Plan – A comprehensive study of the two wards social, economic and physical development potential. The study will examine issues surrounding land use, economic development, housing, traffic & transportation and public facilities. End product will be a physical development plan that assesses market conditions and identifies development and redevelopment opportunities, transportation and streetscape enhancements, and required public and private investment. It will also include an action plan to prioritize measures required to implement the plan along with sources and uses of funds.
   
   Project budget is approximately $125,000, provided by the two City Council representatives. The Cuyahoga County Planning Commission (CPC) is the consultant. CPC, in addition to its plan preparation role, also assumes the role of coordinating the integration of the other three planning studies along with designing and implementing a public participation strategy. Project Manager will be Kristin Hopkins. ($125,000 total)
   
   Download the Master Plan Public Meetings Notice flyer [pdf] for the session held in March 2008. Concerns about Wards 15 and 16 were shared via a Master Plan Issues Ranking questionnaire [pdf].
   


2. U.S. EPA $200,000 Area wide Brownfield Assessment Grant for the Lower Big Creek Area – This study will concentrate on performing Phase I and Phase II environmental assessments of key properties in the Lower Big Creek Valley. The emphasis will be on assessing proposed routes for a connector trail to link the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo with the Towpath Trail’s Harvard Road Trailhead. Funding was received from U.S. EPA’s highly competitive Region 5 Brownfield Assessment Program. Hull & Associates is under contract with the City of Cleveland to perform these services. George Cantor of the Cleveland City City Planning Commission is the Project Manager. ($200,000 total)
   
3. Lower Big Creek Valley Greenway Redevelopment & Restoration Plan – This study will consist of a master plan and an economic revitalization strategy for the Lower Big Creek Area between Brookside Park and Jennings Road. It will combine information contained in past planning studies by NOACA and others and serve as the “vision” document for future valley planning and development activity. The project budget is $65,000, with sources of funding from the Ohio & Erie Canal Association, Cleveland Metroparks, Ward 15 Councilman Brian Cummins and Ward 16 Councilman Kevin Kelley, and the City of Cleveland. Floyd Browne Associates is the consultant and will be under contract to the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation OBCDC). Tom Collins, OBCDC Commercial Manager is the Project Manager ($65,000 total).
   
4. Pearl Road-West 25th Street NOACA TLCI Grant – The Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation has received a $75,000 TLCI grant which has been supplemented by $15,000 in local match funds by Ward 16 Councilman Kevin Kelley. The funds will be used to conduct a comprehensive transportation study of this major north-south corridor, from Brookpark Road north to Lorain Avenue.
   
   The study will focus on potential transit service improvements, transit waiting enhancements, transit area development opportunities, traffic calming and pedestrian and streetscape enhancements. Although the funds were received to examine the entire corridor, specific nodes have been identified for in-depth planning study. These include Pearl Road/West 25th Street intersections with: Brookpark Road, Broadview and State Roads, Denison Avenue, the vicinity of the MetroHealth Medical Center main campus, Clark Avenue and Lorain Avenue. Project Manager from OBCDC to be determined. ($90,000 total).

TOTAL COMMITTED FUNDS BY PROJECT

PLANNING DOCUMENTS

Comprehensive Market Strategy: Old Brooklyn and Brooklyn Center [sic] Neighborhoods. Prepared by Anderson Economic Group. June 2, 2008. Download report [pdf].
"This report details the development potential for retail, housing, office space, and sports and recreational venues" in the study area. It "includes recommendations for each of the three potential projects, supporting the collective work efforts of other consulting teams, and particularly the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission with the Ward 15 and Ward 16 Master Plan."

Comprehensive Market Strategy: Slide Presentation, June 19, 2008. Download presentation slides [pdf].

Lower Big Creek Valley Greenway Redevelopment & Restoration Plan, prepared by Floyd Browne Group in association with schmidtcopelandparkerstevens, June 2008. Download report [pdf]. Please note large file size - 79MB. For faster viewing, download specific sections:

Section One: 1. Introduction; 2. Valley Resources; 3. Public Involvement; 4. Trail Route Alternatives; 5. Trail & Greenway Concept (Upland & Valley Trail Descriptions (19MB)
Section Two: 7. Environmental Regeneration Efforts; 8. Suggested Land Use Changes (Camping Site, Adventure Sports Site, Harshaw Chemical Site, Ecological Restoration - Henninger Landfill, Martin Enterprises Aggregates, Brookside Auto Recycling Yard); 8. Priorities & Next Steps; 9. Funding Strategies (34MB)
Appendix A - Development Guidelines (384K)
Appendix B - Master Plan Maps (27MB)
Appendix C - Cost Estimate (230K)
Appendix D - Public Meetings (160K)

The plan presents "a new vision for the Valley Greenway. The creation of this vision incorporates detailed future land use, public access, infrastructure, ecological restoration and environmental regeneration, open space and trail linkages and economic development concepts."

Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation
3344 Broadview Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44109
Phone: 216-459-1000   Fax: 216-459-1741
E-mail: info@oldbrooklyn.com