Description. The neighborhood gets its name from the Cleveland Union livestock yards that thrived here throughout the first half of the 20 th century. At its peak, the area was home to the country?s seventh largest meat slaughtering/packing operation. But by the late 1960s trucking largely replaced shipping by rail and the meat industry moving most of its operations west. In 1968, the stockyards shut down and a large part of the area was redeveloped as a shopping center. The loss of heavy industry impacted the area greatly during the period from 1970 to the mid-1990s. Today, the neighborhood is generally characterized by the industrial and commercial districts which are centered on the rail lines that run through its southern and western sections. The bulk of the housing is located in the northern and eastern section and is mainly a mix of one- and two- family houses with the earliest construction closest to the industrial districts.
Assets. Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are:
- K Mart Plaza shopping center on West 65 th Street
- convenient access to interstate 71
- close proximity to both the Walworth Run valley to its north and Big Creek valley along its southern border
- close proximity to both the Zone and Clark recreationcenters and the proposed West Side Reliever High School at West 65 th and Clark
Challenges. Among the challenges faced by the Stockyards neighborhood today are:
- deteriorating older housing stock
- vacant industrial sites
- lack of conveniently located parks and open space
- deteriorated physical infrastructure
- attracting additional retail uses to serve the shopping needs of residents
- visual appearance of commercial corridors along Denison, Clark and Storer Avenues.
Vision. Stockyards is a neighborhood that faces many challenges. In order to ensure that it remains a viable residential neighborhood with retail amenities, significant redevelopment efforts must be undertaken. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following:
- commercial redevelopment plan for West 65 th Street
- expansion of the K-Mart Plaza Shopping Center southward to Storer Avenue
- development of contemporary business/light industrial park at SE corner of Ridge Road and Denison Avenue
- completion of the Ashbury Towers residential development
- development of additional market rate housing “projects of scale” constructed on vacant former industrial sites east of West 65 th Street
- creation of park and playground facilities located adjacent to densely developed residential areas
- link the Towpath Trail to the West Side Reliever High School/Zone Recreation Center via a greenway and multi-purpose trail along Train Avenue/Walworth Run corridor
- create a strong north-south connection along West 65 th Street from Clark Avenue (at the proposed West Side Reliever High School and Zone Recreation Center) north to the lakefront with improved landscaping and bike lanes.
- reconstruct Train Avenue roadway as a truck and commuter route linking Stockyards to Downtown Cleveland
Printable version: can be downloaded here.
Maps (current as of May 2007): Assets, Development Opportunities, Land Use (existing and proposed), and Retail Strategies are available here. (PDF)
|
