Community

Inside the Bricks: My Changing Neighborhood

In season two of Ideastream Public Media's "Inside the Bricks" podcast, host Justin Glanville talks to his neighbors about whether their Cleveland neighborhood can stay diverse or if it’s on a one-way journey toward becoming completely gentrified.

My Changing Neighborhood - Episode 2: The tunnel that once was dirty and scary

Ideastream Public Media - WCPN News | By Justin Glanville

Published September 21, 2022 at 12:01 AM EDT

A photograph shows Leticia Maldonado and Drew Maziasz in front of a tunnel to Edgewater Park. — Leticia Maldonado (left) and Drew Maziasz take a wintry walk through a tunnel to Edgewater Park.

There's this tunnel at the end of my street that leads to Edgewater Park, which features one of the largest and most popular beaches in Ohio.

Now, a tunnel is always going to be a tunnel — meaning, not the most uplifting way to get from Point A to Point B. But this one's pretty nice, with good lighting and public art. And the reward at the end is certifiably spectacular: A sweeping view of the beach and Lake Erie from a recently built, $4.5 million beach house.

The tunnel was rebuilt around the same time that Cleveland Metroparks took over Edgewater Park, in 2013. A lot of people would point to Edgewater's transformation — and its increased accessibility — as perhaps the biggest single factor in spurring my neighborhood to gentrify.

That demonstrates an interesting conundrum: Big public investments — even ones that in theory benefit everyone, like rebuilt parks — can set the stage for property values to spiral. How do we make those investments responsibly? And how do we make sure long-term residents get to benefit?

Here's how Leticia Maldonado, who grew up in the neighborhood, put it: "I've seen so many people, 'I can't keep up with taxes. I'm forced to move out,'" she said. "And all for what? So you could have this nice pathway to the beach? So of course, there's an expense to it. You know, you take long, lifelong residents who would love to see something like this happen, and they're no longer here to see it."

A photo shows the West 76th Street tunnel prior to renovation. — Prior to renovation, the West 76th Street tunnel had a reputation for being dark and potentially dangerous.

In this episode, I discuss those thorny issues with Sean McDermott, Cleveland Metroparks' planning director. I also take an elevator to a spot with some spectacular views, courtesy of nonprofit-developer-turned-liqueur-maker Charlie Manno, who helmed a lot of the housing development that happened here in the 1990s.

Along the way, I explore the history of the term "gentrification," coined by urbanist Ruth Glass, who had a somewhat less-than-rosy view of whether mixed-race, mixed-income neighborhoods can last.

Welcome to "Inside the Bricks: My Changing Neighborhood. Episode 2: The tunnel that once was dirty and scary."