Greater University Circle Initiatives

University Arts and Retail District

Aimed at improving retail and housing options in the central core of Greater University Circle and on the campus of Case Western Reserve University, this $150 million project includes construction of housing, shops, and restaurants on the site of an underused retail area at the intersection of Ford Road, Mayfield Road, and Euclid Avenue. The new Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA) building will anchor the district.

The Cleveland Foundation’s board of directors has approved $1 million toward the $13 million cost of MOCA’s new home. We also anticipate additional funding requests from the university, which is working with private developers to realize this exciting project.

Upper Chester

Part of the Hough neighborhood, Upper Chester is adjacent to the Cleveland Clinic’s front door. A coalition of funders including the Cleveland Foundation and the Clinic has completed the first phase of a master development plan calling for the purchase of vacant land, new retail business along Chester Avenue, and up to 400 new housing units.

West Quad

Using a $100,000 grant from the Cleveland Foundation, Case Western Reserve University is studying the possible development of a major medical and technological research center in an area known as West Quad, site of the former Mt. Sinai Hospital.

John Hay High School Campus

In collaboration with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and the nonprofit ParkWorks, the Cleveland Foundation crafted a plan to create a “campus” linking John Hay High School and the nearby Cleveland School of the Arts. Green space and park-like settings would be accessible to students, nearby residents, and area workers. Support for the project, which is budgeted at $1.1 million, has been committed by local area foundations, the school district, and the city of Cleveland.  

Transportation Improvements

The Cleveland Foundation’s modest initial support for transportation planning mobilized more than $1 million in support for engineering studies for three Greater University Circle transportation projects, including the relocation of an RTA Rapid Transit station and the redesign of a hard-to-navigate traffic circle that serves as a gateway to the area’s museums. Combined, transportation projects will represent $30 million in infrastructure improvements in the area by 2009.