The Avenue District Blog

Winter has officially arrived in Cleveland, and with it plenty of opportunities to experience the best the city has to offer.

Check out the links below for event calendars and happenings around Cleveland this winter, and check out The Avenue District Lifestyle page for information on Cleveland downtown living.

Cleveland.com - Winter Event Guides

Cleveland.com - Family Friendly Fun

Cleveland Magazine – Tastes of the Town

Cleveland Magazine - December Event Calendar

Northern Ohio Live Magazine – Live Times Event Calendar

Young renters want small spaces, big appeal

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2008-12-04-tiny-pads_N.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/06/business/yourmoney/06money.html?_r=1&em

Good advise from the New York Times.

In case you missed The Avenue District video interviews in Cool Cleveland this past fall, visit the Cool Cleveland Avenue District page to access them all from one place, or click on the photos below to view each individual video.  These videos were among the top clicked links in the weekly e-zine.

Fred Brace & Lauren Buerkle chose a Townhome over a high rise— they have their own front porch and their own 2-car garage. Listen as Fred describes the layout of their new Townhome and the superior finishes that they selected.

Mike Caito of City Architecture has been instrumental in the design of The Avenue District. As a part of the design team, he’s excited about being part of the redevelopment of downtown Cleveland and the creation of a fresh, new neighborhood that’s unlike anything else in the city.

Lawrence Carter & Kevin Schmotzer decided to move from their home on West 110th Street in Cleveland to The Avenue District because they want to be part of an urban environment where they can walk to everything.

Joe Del Re - The Avenue District

As New Projects Coordinator for Zaremba, Joe Del Re has the inside track on The Avenue District. He’ll tell you that the inspiration for it came from Nathan Zaremba and his vision for mainstreet urban living on the East Side of Cleveland. He points out that The Avenue District brings “for sale” housing into parts of the city where there is none today.

Zaremba, Inc., developer of The Avenue District, a $300 million walkable neighborhood in downtown Cleveland, earned a Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA) Downtown Development Award for The Avenue District Townhomes, located at East 15th Street and Rockwell Avenue.  The award was presented at the DCA’s tenth annual Ruth Ratner Miller Award Luncheon, Oct. 23, 2008.

Phase one of The Avenue District includes the construction of 30 townhomes. The first townhome building includes ten units and the first residents took occupancy in October 2007.  Residents of the second building began occupancy in November 2008, and a third townhome building, the E-Units, is currently pre-selling and set for completion in 2009.   Upon full build-out, The Avenue District Townhomes will include more than 70 new homes in downtown Cleveland, part of the more than 300 new homes planned in the area.

The Avenue District Townhomes were among seven Cleveland development projects honored at the 2008 Downtown Development Awards, including:

• The Townhomes at The Avenue District
• Dollar Bank Headquarters at the Galleria
• Hanna Theater Renovation
• The Plaza at Stonebridge
• CSU Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Renovation
• Euclid/HealthLine Streetscape Improvements and Transit Station
• The E. 4th Street Beautification Project

The Ruth Ratner Miller award for most influential person went to Cleveland City Council Ward 13 representative Joe Cimperman.

For each award given at the 2008 Downtown Development Awards, the DCA presented pieces of the historic Euclid Avenue Trolley rail uncovered during the Euclid Corridor Construction Project.  Each rail section is mounted on a commemorative plaque honoring the award recipients. For more information on the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, visit www.downtownclevelandalliance.com.

About the Avenue District
Cleveland-based developer Zaremba, Inc. broke ground on The Avenue District in September 2006, and the first phase, which is scheduled for completion in spring 2009, includes the construction of 30 townhomes, 54 lofts, eight penthouses and up to 7,000 square feet of retail space at the corner of East 12th Street and St. Clair Avenue. Details and floorplans are available at The Avenue District Website.

The Avenue District Links
•    Main Website: www.TheAvenueDistrict.com
•    Live Webcam: www.theavenuedistrict.com/welcome/webcam/
•    Blog: www.TheAvenueDistrict.com/blog

Check out the latest Avenue District gallery with photos taken during  a 10.17.08 Hard Hat Tour of the 10-story condo building at 1211 St. Clair Ave.

Click here to visit complete photo gallery.

Welcome! You’ve reached the new Avenue District blog.  Please subscribe by email or RSS feed for blog updates on The Avenue District and downtown living.

The Avenue District is a $300 million walkable neighborhood in downtown Cleveland, featuring a 10-story condo building at East 12th Street and St. Clair Avenue, and townhomes at East 15th Street and Rockwell Avenue.

Cleveland-based developer Zaremba, Inc. broke ground on The Avenue District in September 2006, and the first phase, which is scheduled for completion in spring 2009, includes the construction of 30 townhomes, 54 lofts, eight penthouses and up to 7,000 square feet of retail space at the corner of East 12th Street and St. Clair Avenue. Details and floorplans are available at The Avenue District Website.

Stay tuned for news and updates, and subscribe to the blog to access information as the entries are posted.  Thanks for visiting the new Avenue District Blog.

The Regional Transit Authority (RTA) HealthLine grand opening celebration is happening this Saturday, Oct. 25, in downtown Cleveland. Zaremba Homes, a sponsor of the grand opening event, has three communities in proximity to the HealthLine: WoodHaven, The Avenue District and, in partnership with MRN Ltd., Uptown in University Circle.

Event highlights include a free concert by American Idol winner Jordin Sparks Saturday evening, a scavenger hunt in conjunction with the many tours and activities at stops along the Healthline, and free rides on the HealthLine and all Greater Cleveland RTA public transportation throughout the weekend.

The RTA HealthLine, formerly known as the Euclid Corridor project, spans 7.1 miles of Euclid Avenue from Public Square in downtown Cleveland to the Stokes Rapid Transit Station at Windermere in East Cleveland.

According to the HealthLine Website, the system connects the central business district at Public Square (the region’s largest employment center) with the University Circle area (the second largest employment center) and major cultural, medical and educational districts. The main objectives of the project are improving transit service and supporting increased development along Euclid Avenue.

The $200 million project, that began in March 2006, incorporates environmentally friendly components including the use of hybrid technology in a unique 62-foot transportation vehicle, and the addition of 1,500 new trees along the line.

The HealthLine will officially open at 2:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 24, at East Fourth Street and Euclid Avenue. For more event details, check out the Cleveland.com post, or visit www.RTAHealthLine.com for more information.

Work continues this fall on the East 12th Streetscape project in The Avenue District neighborhood. Designed by Paul Volpe of City Architecture, in collaboration with The City of Cleveland and Zaremba, Inc., East 12th Street is being redeveloped from Lakeside Avenue to Superior Avenue. It is expected to take approximately three years to complete.

This close up view of Streetscape construction, looking south down East 12th Street, includes The Avenue District garage entrance and side view of the 10-story Cleveland condo building.

This view is looking south down East 12th Street toward St. Clair Avenue, with The Avenue District building in the left of the photo.

This photo shows the view looking north down East 12th Street at St. Clair Avenue. The Avenue District building is on the right.

The East 12th Streetscape Project At a Glance

• The cost for infrastructure improvements is approximately $7 million, and the City of Cleveland is paying for the public components of the construction.
• Plans integrate public transportation, bicycle lanes and new on-street parking spaces.
• East 12th Street is being narrowed, creating essentially a pair of one-way streets, separated by a low, landscaped median.
• The new median will be designed to make street crossing easier for pedestrians.
• Amenities will include: benches, smaller-scaled light fixtures, public art, abundant landscaping, wider sidewalks and, “Outdoor living rooms” or special paving areas constructed out of alternating colors and textures, referred to as “area rugs.”