CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland’s bustling East Fourth Street corridor may be getting a bit of a makeover.
On Monday, Ari Maron, the owner and developer of the area, announced that he is working on plans to move the valet area alter the rest of the street to make way for Cleveland’s first designated outdoor refreshment area, or DORA, that could include swings and a canopy to make the area more inviting.
The DORA, permitted under a state law change in 2015, would allow patrons of drinking age to purchase alcoholic beverages and enjoy them outside in a designated area.
“My goal is that we find ways to expand it throughout downtown if it’s successful. In other cities, every time one of these things is implemented, it a really positive impact on the public realm and on the environment,” Maron said.
Architect Jenny Sabin, who has been commissioned by Nike and Microsoft to create unique indoor atriums, is designing an abstract canopy for the outdoor area. According to tentative renderings, there would also be outdoor seating along with swings.
The design could change as the project is in its conceptual stages, Maron said, so he declined to release versions of the current plan that could be published.
As for the valet service area, Maron noted that they hope to relocate it to Prospect and Euclid avenues to make room for some of the proposed changes. He has been working over the last year and a half with Downtown Cleveland Alliance, a nonprofit organization, and the city of Cleveland to provide input on the project.
“Ultimately, I think it’s important that we think about how we treat the sidewalk spaces and the parking spaces adjacent to the sidewalks. It would be great to have shared valet zones and shared Uber and Lyft dropoffs, and, things that make it more convenient for people to use the street in a different way,” he explained.
On Tuesday, Maron is expecting to go before a City Council committee with a proposal to tap unused tax increment financing dollars to help finance the project. The project would need also City Council’s approval for the proposed DORA. He he hoped to bring the design before the Cleveland Landmarks Commission by mid-February.
If there are no roadblocks along the way, Maron hopes to have the project completed by summer 2023.
Megan Sims covers real estate for cleveland.com. See previous work at this link.
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