Blueprints

 

By James T. Dixon, co-chair, Real Estate & Construction practice group

Since my move to Brouse McDowell in November, several of you have all paid me the great compliment of complaining that I have not kept up with my e-newsletter. I apologize for the delay, and I thank you for noticing. I also hope you enjoy the new format, and the articles that follow. downtown and see it every day, you should come take a look.

 

The Remarkable Renovation of Downtown Cleveland

On March 25th, I attended an event at The City Club focused on downtown development in the context of the 2016 Republican National Convention. With work now underway on the dramatic transformation of Public Square, I have been looking for a way to measure the powerful impact that numerous renovation projects have had on the downtown built environment. Simply stated, a significant percentage of the horizontal and vertical surfaces of downtown are new. And, other projects are still in the pipeline, including a pedestrian bridge linking the Malls to the lakeshore (flyover video). A few of the major projects that are complete include the Flats East Bank (in part, with more underway), including the new Ernst & Young Tower, Malls C and B, including the Convention Center underneath and the Medical Mart on the southwestern corner, the renovated Ameritrust Tower and Rotunda at Euclid and East 9th (rebranded as The 9), the nearby County Administration Building, new buildings too numerous to mention in and around Cleveland State, and, below your wheels, the Euclid Corridor, the new Inner-Belt (Voinovich) Bridge, and the improvements to the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge. Cross that bridge to enjoy a vibrant and much-renovated West 25th Street. Our clients in construction and real estate have played a part in many of these improvements. All of this has occurred since a subtle but remarkable moment I experienced several years ago, when I walked across Public Square one evening and saw, for the first time, a young professional woman walking a small dog. She now has many new neighbors because downtown is a residential district for the first time in generations. And, as a business district, it is doing well. Just ask the pedi-cab drivers. If you don’t work downtown and see it every day, you should come take a look.

 

 

Our Insurance Recovery practice, unique in its singular focus on policyholder rights and in its reputation throughout the region, publishes Coverage Counselor, a blog covering all aspects of the practice. The blog includes issues relating to the assistance we can provide to developers and contractors on coverage. Recently, my partner Amanda Leffler covered the Ohio Supreme Court's decision in Westfield Ins. Co. v. Custom Agri Sys., Inc., 2012-Ohio-4712, which is still impacting the industry, as seen in a more recent appellate court decision decided under its holding, Cincinnati Ins. Cos. v. Motorists Mut. Ins. Co., 2014-Ohio-3864 (9th Dist.). Carriers are responding as well, issuing endorsements intended to provide value to the policyholder by resolving related problems.