CLEVELAND — A city commission tasked with reviewing Sherwin-Williams’ plans to build a skyscraper for its new downtown Cleveland headquarters gave its first approvals Tuesday, though not without a few caveats.
The paint giant obtained a unanimous thumbs up for its “concept proposal” from a group of City Planning Commission and Landmarks Commission members for the 36-story tower and two-story pavilion the company wants to build west of Public Square.
But the combined commission withheld its approval for Sherwin-Williams’ plans to build a four-story, 920-space parking garage and use remaining space on the north and west sides of the proposed for garage for additional surface lots.
Use of land between West Third and West Sixth streets, and St. Clair and Frankfort avenues, and how it fits into the character of that portion of downtown, was a discussion point among members of the commission and a separate combined committee that gave feedback immediately beforehand.
“I’m really concerned about the experience of the pedestrian and the people that live in the district and work in the district,” said Rick Parker, a member of the Historic Downtown Cleveland Design Review Committee.
Despite those and other requests, the vote at the end of a meeting lasting more than three hours was a step forward for the Cleveland-based company’s plans to build its new $300 million, 1 million square-foot headquarters.
The company in early July unveiled site plans after announcing in February 2020 that it wanted to keep its corporate headquarters downtown, along with building a new research and development facility in suburban Brecksville.
In addition to the tower at Superior Avenue and West Third Street and a parking garage to the north, the company wants to build a “learning and development center” pavilion to the east. That two-story pavilion would be the campus’ closest building to Public Square. The three buildings would be connected by two elevated walkways.
The company wants to start construction later this year and move in employees by the end of 2024. A spokeswoman said in an email that company officials do not expect its timeline to change as a result of what happened at Tuesday’s meeting.
While the design team is still working on creating what the buildings will look like, they gave a taste Tuesday as to where it was headed and how it will fit into the skyline.
Renderings showed a portion of the skyscraper’s roof slanting south and a portion slanting north. The planned height at this point is 616 feet, putting it on track to be the fourth tallest building in Cleveland.
“Sherwin wants this project to be successful. Sherwin needs to be successful,” company Real Estate Director Tim Muckley told the combined committee and commission members in attendance at City Hall. “This is our future. This project means a lot to our organization.”
A rendering released July 20 of the proposed Sherwin-Williams tower slated for downtown Cleveland.
The meeting, which included a segment with the combined commission and one with the combined downtown and historic design review committees, was the first time any city body has publicly reviewed the project. The second meeting, to review the yet-to-be revealed designs for the buildings, is scheduled for Sept. 14. The last meeting, at which Sherwin-Williams hopes to receive final approval, is slated for Nov. 30.
But despite praise, some members had problems with portions of the plans. The commission asked that the company and city work together to conduct a traffic study on how people, cars and bikes would move on and around the properties, especially because Sherwin-Williams has requested that the city vacate a portion of Frankfort Avenue for employee parking lot access.
They also sent the design team back without approval for its plans for the northern parcel, which includes the proposed parking garage and surface parking lots on areas that the company plans to later develop. Along West Third Street, the company plans to build out space for shops.
Jack Bialosky Jr., an architect who sits on the Downtown-Flats Design Review Committee, said he didn’t agree with Muckley’s assertion that the company won’t need to add more parking capacity in the future, especially if it decides to add an additional office building, as it said it wants to do.
Ray Tarasuck, a member of the Landmarks Commission, asked if the design team considered putting retail along Frankfort Avenue instead. Muckley said it’s something the team can look at.
“That might be an opportunity, as well, as an entrance into the Warehouse District,” Tarasuck said. “It just seems that if there was something drawing people towards that Frankfort Avenue, that pedestrian traffic would rather go that way then up West Third for that retail.”
The elevated walkways were also a sticking point with several members. Bialosky said many emails the public sent in advance of the meeting expressed the same concerns. The company’s design team said they are essential to the project, to both ensure a connected campus and because utilities will run from the tower to the pavilion through one of them.
Vocon Principal Matthew Heisey said the design team explored using tunnels to connect the buildings. That option was not feasible because of underground utilities, he said.
Landmarks Commission Vice Chairman Giancarlo Calicchia said he liked the walkways, though stressed that it’s best to make them into “something really interesting.”
Only two members of the combined design committee – Alan O’Connell and Krysta Pesarchick – voted down the plans thus far. The committees advise the Planning and Landmarks commissions, but their votes are advisory.
Pesarchick expressed concerns that the pavilion, slated to be about 50 feet tall, was not tall enough to fit in with the rest of the buildings surrounding Public Square.
“(If) you look at historic photographs of buildings that have fronted Public Square, you’re always looking at a minimum five-story building,” she said.
The combined commission’s vote suggested Sherwin-Williams explore making the pavilion taller and having the roof be accessible to the public.
But despite the concerns, several members praised the plans thus far.
“I’m excited,” Planning Commission Vice Chairwoman Lillian Kuri said. “I think there are some exciting transformational opportunities … I think the catalyst now, I can see is not just in terms of jobs and economic development, but a design catalyst for the future of the city.”
Read more:
Sherwin-Williams reveals more about plans to build fourth tallest building in Cleveland
Sherwin-Williams confirms plans for new downtown Cleveland HQ, Brecksville R&D center
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