Plans announced to develop Cleveland's MidTown, renovate and rename East 55th & Euclid Avenue

CLEVELAND - There's a building boom going on in downtown Cleveland, with hotels being built or renovated in several areas. That's because more people are coming downtown and the construction is adding more jobs to the city.

Tuesday ushered in a major step in connecting the areas between downtown and University Circle. Cleveland's MidTown area starts just east of Cleveland State at East 30th Street and runs out to around East 70th Street.

On Tuesday, business leaders announced a plan to transform the area, starting with East 55th and Euclid Avenue.

Rebuilding the city from the center, and watch optimism and a transformation take place is the plan business leaders said during a luncheon on Cleveland’s future.

The new Convention Center and Med Mart is more than half done. It doesn't open until the end of next year and 40 conventions are already booked.  It’s projected to draw 300,000 people a year to downtown Cleveland.

The Convention Center will create 1,500 jobs in and related to running it.

Trying to keep the momentum east of downtown is the goal of Midtown Cleveland Inc. leaders who announced East 55th and Euclid Avenue will get a facelift. 

The Agora will be renovated, besides still hosting concerts; it will also be home to new office space. A huge park is planned at East 66th and Euclid and a brand new Third District police headquarters will be built nearby.

Once all of the new green space, bike lanes and office complexes are in place, East 55th and Euclid Avenue will be renamed Penn Square where the Pennsylvania railroad once roared. The old train bridge will get a facelift.

Leaders said the MidTown area will be transformed into a thriving business district within five years.

Business leaders and developers are also working on a way to connect all of the development in Public Square, Downtown, the East Bank of the Flats, and MidTown with the lake front.