The LORAIN AVENUE PLAN UPDATE was adopted by City of Cleveland Landmarks Commission on 9/14/21; The study was commissioned by Westown Community Development Corporation, (WCDC). The plan provides a detailed analysis of the progress and the significant private/public investments made for the Lorain Avenue commercial corridor between West 130th and West 90th streets over the past ten years and includes recommendations for the future.
The study area includes two important historic districts, the Variety Village Historic District located on Lorain Avenue between West 110th to West 123rd Streets. and the Lorain Station Historic District located on Lorain Avenue between West Boulevard and West 90th Streets. Additionally, housing recommendations have been integrated into the plan to support development of affordable single family housing in available buildable lots located adjacent to the Lorain Station Historic District.
In 2008, WCDC completed a master plan for the Lorain Avenue commercial corridor extending from W 123rd Street to W 110th Street. Thirteen years have elapsed since the completion of this planning process and many of the goals set forth in the master plan have been realized. Additionally in 2011, the Variety Village Streetscape Plan, which was influenced by the 2008 master plan, provided a framework for enhancing the streetscape along this same stretch of prominent roadway on the City of Cleveland’s near west side. A review of both the 2008 and 2011 plans that were completed by WCDC and the City of Cleveland revealed that a significant amount of the recommendations within both planning processes have been achieved.
From 2016-2021, private investments exceeded $10 million along the Lorain Avenue Corridor. In 2015, as part of the Code Partnership Agreement between WCDC and the City of Cleveland, WCDC launched a comprehensive survey of existing building conditions of commercial properties between West 130th and West 110th Street, contacted property owners to share findings, and negotiated compliance agreements for completing repairs. Resources utilized for this effort included the City of Cleveland’s Storefront Renovation Program, and this work resulted in achieving an 80% voluntary compliance. These efforts were supported and the district was enhanced with the significant public investments of 9 MM in roadway, sidewalk, signalization and streetscape improvements along this corridor and the development of the municipal public parking facility in the Variety Village Historic District Lorain Avenue completed through ODOT and City of Cleveland in 2019.
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