University Circle arts transit village district update 5-24-07

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Figuring out where to put RTA’s Red Line train station platform and entrances – either by the bridge between Little Italy and University Circle or even accessible from the lobby of a new condo/retail development proposed for a vacant lot on the corner of Mayfield and the red brick-lined E. 117th – is the first domino shell in planning the eight-acre site between Mayfield, Euclid and the train tracks.

The other option is to maintain the platform at its current location on the border of East Cleveland at E. 120th, but the planners and mostly University Circle stakeholders at the latest round of planning meetings generally oppose such a move (some, however, did voice concerns about ‘disenfranchising’ a small residential area including Wade Park Estates). Moving the station to Mayfield Road brings it closer to the center of activity in University Circle, said University Circle, Inc. (UCI) planning director Bob Reeves, and that allows more students, faculty, and visitors coming from downtown or the airport to take transit and walk to many more destinations.

Only a small pocket of residents live around the current E. 120th station which is adjacent to Lakeview Cemetery and a stretch of commercial, vacant buildings and empty lots in East Cleveland. Wade Park Estates residents were asked about the station and said they would still use it if it moved the approximate half-mile west to Mayfield, according to Tim Roos at Techne Studio.

After a serious remodeling, the original site of the RTA/University Circle Red Line station (doorway in the middle of wall) can be restored as the entryway to a new station.

Higher density housing, usually around 12 units per acre within a five minute walk, is a key ingredient to making transit a successful investment. Some states, like New Jersey, are investing directly in transit village initiatives to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality—two things that University Circle and Northeast Ohio could use.

Short-term plans might include making the current station ADA accessible and commissioning a temporary use for the future station site. The goal is to revitalize the stretch of Mayfield leading to Euclid and invite more walking, biking and transit riders using University Circle. A multi-modal transit station and a bike parking facility similar to what ClevelandBikes is working toward downtown/Gateway are also being discussed. RTA has set a deadline of 2010 to finish the Rapid station.

“If we create some edges with definable land-uses on Mayfield—from MOCA to a new residential district (at E. 117th and Mayfield)—we’ll encourage circulation,” said Cynthia Nikitin, VP at Project for Public Spaces (PPS), a New York City firm that UCI hired (with Techne) to lead a planning effort to create a transit-oriented development (TOD) connected to the university’s proposed arts and retail district.

UCI owns Lot 45 and leases it to University Hospital for parking, but Reeves mentioned they’re shopping the site to developers. In a sign that TOD is coming of age in Cleveland, Reeves and others acknowledge that moving the train station to Mayfield Road would significantly raise the value and thus marketability of a Lot 45 development.

Lillian Kuri, special projects coordinator for Cleveland Foundation, argued against taking a short- term approach to the station.

“If we take a phased approach no one will believe us. If the goal is to move the transit station, then move it.”

Kuri divulged that the foundation will fund a UCI feasibility study for a mixed-use development at Lot 45. The market study will look at a full-service grocery store on the ground floor with residential above and possibly a direct, public connection to the train platform with a sky bridge from its 3rd floor.

RTA officials confirmed it would invest in one platform, but multiple entrances could be possible. The most cost effective would be an eight-foot center platform because it would require one elevator.

Public space and enhancing pedestrian and bike access including a new road through Lot 45 to Euclid were discussed. A small green space with casual dining and a shuttle drop off area in front of the TOD and a public green space/garden in front of the Cozad house were sketched in. Next month’s groundbreaking for the redesigned Tony Brush Park – tearing out the baseball field for more passive recreation with programs like farmer’s markets and bocce – was also mentioned.

Updates
A June 7, 2007 memo from the organizers of the E. 120th Street Technical Workshop states:

The station will be relocated south towards Mayfield; about 300 feet north of the intersection; roughly in the area of 117th Street, unless the ability to utilize the vault to incorporate staircases is compromised by this location. We do not want to have to incur additional expenses for tunneling north from Mayfield.

Due to the requirements for utilizing the vault under the Mayfield Bridge as a key access point, we will need to consider going to two side loading platforms with two staircases and two elevators. We do not have enough room to do what we want to do here using a central platform. The Team will work with GCRTA to gain access to the vault to determine its suitability for use.

Click here to read the memo from the technical workshop