Description. The South Collinwood neighborhood is a mixture of residential enclaves interspersed with industrial districts that developed along the rail lines which followed the southern shore of Lake Erie. Industrial development accelerated rapidly following the construction of the Collinwood Yards rail switching center and freight yard. It became a neighborhood of Cleveland when the villages of Collinwood and Nottingham were annexed to the City in 1910 and 1913. Most of the housing dates from before 1930 with the oldest cluster, from the late 1800s, located around East 152 nd north of St. Clair.
Assets. Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are:
- a cluster of community facilities around the Five Points area including a post office, library, 6 th District police headquarters, fire company 31 and Collinwood High School
- a new sports facility for Collinwood High School
- a new Job Corp facility at East 140 th and St. Clair
- the Five Points retail district at East 152 nd and St. Clair
- Euclid Creek which flows from the Metroparks Euclid Creek reservation to the lakefront state parks
Challenges. Among the challenges faced by the South Collinwood neighborhood today are:
- deteriorated housing conditions west of East 152 nd Street
- difficult to build on vacant lots
- limited retail choices, unattractive sites and buildings and auto-oriented layout in the Five Points retail district
- vacant industrial properties and brownfield sites, many in close proximity to residential neighborhoods
- poor access to the interstate highway system for industrial properties along and south of St. Clair Avenue
Vision. A strong sense of place created around improvements to the institutional and commercial uses at the Five Points intersection can serve as a centerpiece for revitalization of surrounding residential streets. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed for South Collinwood are the following:
- provide diverse recreation for all ages and ability levels through recreation partnerships and strategic use of its land resources
- foster the development of its residents through the strategic development of education and Job training centers
- provide affordable housing options for residents by the regeneration of abandoned and underutilized structures
- create good connections to surrounding communities and the overall Region via bicycle and pedestrian trails (especially in the vicinity of Euclid Creek and East 152 nd) with strong bus and rail connections
- create and develop a positive image through reconstruction of major thoroughfares and streetscape enhancements along St Clair and East 152 nd
- target housing programs on streets south of St. Clair and east of Ivanhoe
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)
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