Description. After its annexation to Cleveland in 1872, the neighborhood underwent a period of rapid residential development which continued until about 1920. The neighborhood is predominantly residential south of Cedar Road and is a mix of one- and two-family houses and small apartment buildings. Industries are located along the rail lines that make up the southeast and southwest boundaries of the neighborhood. North of Cedar Road much of the neighborhood is occupied by the Cleveland Clinic and other institutional and commercial uses.
Assets. Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are:
- the Karamu House which, founded in 1917 is the oldest African-American theater in the country and which also operates an early childhood development center
- the Cleveland Clinic which, with a 30,000 person payroll, is the State’s fourth largest employer
- the Cleveland Play House founded in 1916, claims the honor of being the oldest continuously operating regional theater in the U.S.
- access via the Regional Transit Authority’s Red Line
- improvements associated with the Euclid Corridor project
- being within the boundaries of the City’s Empowerment Zone
- County investments in the Quincy Place and Youth Intervention Center projects
Challenges. Among the challenges faced by the Fairfax neighborhood today are:
- deteriorated housing conditions
- vacant lots scattered throughout the neighborhood
- creating a fluid transition between the Cleveland Clinic Campus and the neighborhood and capitalizing on its proximity to the Clinic
- attracting retail that will serve the needs of residents
- providing better access to industrial areas and redeveloping brownfield sites
- improving the aesthetics along major routes such as Carnegie, Cedar & East 105 th
Vision. Create an attractive, desirable, and vibrant mixed-income neighborhood by revitalizing its residential heart, creating new centers around community anchors and reconnecting Fairfax with adjacent communities. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following:
- capitalize on the proximity of Fairfax to University Circle and Euclid Corridor, leveraging those investments
- leverage key institutions, such the Juvenile Intervention Center, Karamu House, and the Olivet University Hospital Medical Center, to provide economic opportunity for new and existing residents
- create job centers in Fairfax through strategic initiatives such as Fairfax Triangle new economy neighborhood, and the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center
- reinvest in key arterial roads in Fairfax including Quincy, Carnegie, and Woodland through strategic small scale investments
- connect the Fairfax neighborhood to University Circle and surrounding areas of the city via opportunity corridor
- capitalize on the presence of religious and cultural institutions in Fairfax by integrating them with the surrounding areas via programmatic and social service means
- develop alternative housing providing affordable mixed-use single- and two-family structures in appropriate locations
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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