Downtown Now: Reimagining Downtown One-Year Review

Michael Deemer, President & CEO, Downtown Cleveland, Inc.

Karen Fanger, Chair, Downtown Cleveland, Inc.

Rob Falls, Chair, Downtown Cleveland Alliance

Thomas Coyne, Chair, Downtown Cleveland Improvement Corporation

A little over a year ago, Downtown Cleveland, Inc. and key partners stood with Mayor Justin Bibb to launch Reimagining Downtown, his vision to guide our city’s core through post-pandemic challenges and transform downtown from a traditional 9-to-5 central business district into a vibrant 18-hour, 15-minute neighborhood.  

Reimagining Downtown is grounded in the knowledge that safety, placemaking, and development are intertwined. As a result, Mayor Bibb charged Downtown Cleveland with being his lead partner to implement this vision. Since then, we have worked hand-in-hand with the Mayor and his public safety and economic development teams to bring this vision to life. We work daily with Cleveland’s public safety leaders, and we frequently work directly with Mayor Bibb.  

Public Safety

Under Mayor Bibb’s leadership, we have seen significant efforts to address safety concerns, including:   

• The RISE Initiative, which harnesses strategic partnerships, enforcement efforts and technology to combat crime 

• Working with the County Executive and County Sheriff to increase law enforcement presence in Downtown Cleveland 

• Increasing officer pay to help attract and retain police officers (up to a 25% raise for police officers, and for cadets a 50% raise and up to a $5,000 sign-on bonus) 

• Enhancing police officer recruitment efforts and increasing age limits, leading to a surge in applications and a current class of 52 recruits, surpassing the total size of the past four classes combined. The next two class are even larger, indicating that increased wages and hiring incentives are having an impact 

• Concentrated efforts and increased foot patrols to address quality of life concerns and traffic regulation, adopting a “zero tolerance” approach to violations downtown  

• Connecting private security cameras to the City’s camera sharing system, SAFE SMART CLE (Over 1200 Registered Cameras and over 2500 Integrated Cameras) 

Placemaking

While these law enforcement investments are designed to directly impact crime, placemaking investments that add color, light, sound, and mobility options to downtown’s public spaces enhance overall safety in our downtown neighborhood. Placemaking improvements underway include:  

• Creation of a Tax Increment Financing District to support future public improvements 

• Support for riverfront development, connectivity to the core, and public access 

• Launch of a digital reporting system for Downtown Cleveland Ambassadors to report infrastructure damage, such as broken sidewalk ramps, nonfunctional streetlights, empty tree grates, etc.  

• Removal of jersey barriers from Public Square as part of the Superior Crossing Project  

• $4.99 Million in upgrades to North Coast Harbor, including improved accessibility for pedestrians, new landscaping, benches and trash cans, and the installation of bollards, a new security system and improved lighting around the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Voinovich Park and the Great Lakes Science Center 

• Visioning, planning, and fundraising for the North Coast Connector and North Coast Masterplan to seamlessly connect the urban core to a vibrant, attractive lakefront 

• Support for transformational development with the Cuyahoga Riverfront Master Plan 

• Investment of $1 million in downtown lighting  

• Plans for bicycle infrastructure including the Superior Midway and Memorial Bridges Loop 

• Acceleration of Canal Basin Park improvements  

• Creation of a Citywide Mobility Plan 

• Development of retail corridors 

• Installation of digital on-street parking meters 

Economic Development

These public realm improvements and investment in law enforcement are key to building the population, job, and visitor density that is essential to the city’s future. Over the last year, we have worked with Mayor Bibb’s administration to ensure the tools we need to drive economic development in Downtown Cleveland are available. This work includes:  

• A new Job Creation Tax Credit  

• Rebuilding the City’s Economic Development Department 

• Dedicated staff for downtown business attraction and retention 

• Modernizing and streamlining the permitting process for development 

• Advocating for state policy changes to continue Cleveland’s market leadership in office conversions

Cleveland, a Model Downtown

Over the past year, these coordinated efforts by Mayor Bibb, his Administration and Downtown Cleveland, Inc. have positioned our city’s core for success, and we’re seeing results.  

Downtown Cleveland ranks: 

• #1 in Ohio for Downtown Recovery 

• #1 in the United States for Repurposing Office Buildings 

• #2 in the Great Lakes Region for Downtown Recovery 

As of June 2024, our downtown has reached (compared to pre-pandemic levels): 

• 84 percent overall foot traffic recovery  

• 85.3 percent visitor foot traffic recovery 

• 72.5 percent workforce recovery

We have achieved these impressive results through an historically close and collaborative working relationship with Mayor Bibb and his team, and his vision for Reimagining Downtown.  This plan is now being looked at by cities on both coasts and places in between as a guide for downtown revitalization. 

While we’ve made significant progress in realizing our vision for Downtown Cleveland, much work remains.  We look forward to continuing to work with Mayor Bibb, the City’s public safety and economic development leaders, and all our partners to realize our vision for a clean, safe and welcoming environment for residents, our workforce, visitors and businesses alike.