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More people are living and working in Downtown Cleveland

Downtown Cleveland (Courtesy: Downtown Cleveland Alliance)

Downtown Cleveland is seeing an uptick in development and people moving into the area.

In a new report, written by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, a non-profit organization that promotes the city center, there are more than 14,000 people from all walks of life and economic levels currently living downtown. That's a 79% increase in the last decade and a half.

13 projects wrapped up in 2015 that include a new Heinen's grocery store inside the historic Cleveland Trust Rotunda Building, phase two of revitalizing the East Bank of the Flats and more than 500 new residential units. 
 

The Alliance's Executive Vice President Michael Deemer says more families are moving into the area instead of out, but more residents are still needed downtown before it's able to lure national retailers to the neighborhood.
 

"We still have nearly three million square feet of vacant office we need to fill with businesses and jobs. We need to grow our residential population from 14,000, where it is, to over 25,000 in order have sustainable development in our downtown."

Projects expected to be completed this year are the rehabilitation of Playhouse Square's Ohio Theatre lobby, construction on several hotels, and Progressive Field renovations.