Some of Cleveland's most historically disinvested neighborhoods are getting a boost.

Driving the news: Cleveland City Council last week approved Mayor Justin Bibb's Housing Innovation District, a plan to combine zoning reform, tax incentives and new construction in East Side communities shaped by redlining and scarred by the housing crisis.

Zoom in: The district would waive permit fees for new single-family homes and institute "form-based code" to encourage walkable neighborhoods and mixed-use development.

• It would also create a tax increment financing district to fund infrastructure improvements.
• While council approved much of the plan, the TIF legislation is still being ironed out.

What they're saying: "The Housing Innovation District is not just a housing policy," Bibb wrote in a Substack article last week.

• "It is a neighborhood-focused strategy designed to modernize how city government supports growth, reduces barriers to development, and ensures residents benefit from the investment happening around them."

By the numbers: The city plans to invest $750,000 toward the construction of 20 new homes on city-owned vacant lots on East 65th and East 67th streets, while also funding repairs for existing homeowners and storefront improvements nearby.

Friction point: Some residents have voiced concerns that new investment could eventually lead to displacement.

• City officials have noted that with more than 2,800 vacant lots in the district, there is ample room for growth without forcing anyone out.

The big picture: The Housing Innovation District is the latest in Bibb's housing agenda, which garnered headlines through his first term.

• The district sits near the proposed Midline corridor, where Bibb hopes housing growth and job creation will reinforce one another.

What's next: The city hopes to begin construction on some of the new homes as early as this summer.

Ohio ranks in the bottom half among states for children's wellbeing, according to a new report.

Why it matters: Children's wellbeing affects future workforce participation and economic growth, and researchers warn rising costs and safety-net reductions could further strain families.

How it works: The 2026 Kids Count Data Book report, put together by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, measures children's vitality across four categories: economic wellbeing, education, health and family and community.

What they found: Scores declined nationally from 2019 to 2024, with kids in 29 states faring worse than before the COVID pandemic, according to the report.

• Children's wellbeing improved in 15 others, with Ohio being among them.

Zoom in: Ohio ranked 27th among states for overall child wellbeing, 27th for economic wellbeing, 26th for health and 33rd for family and community.

• The state's best placement was 12th for education.

Zoom out: Five of the top seven states were in the Northeast, with New Hampshire taking the top spot.

• Eleven of the 15 lowest-ranked states were in the South, with Mississippi placing last.

What they're saying: "Research shows that kids who are healthy, safe, fed, educated and surrounded by strong family relationships have a much better chance to thrive and contribute as independent adults," says Leslie Boissiere, Annie E. Casey Foundation vice president of external affairs.

• "We know that today's children are tomorrow's workforce so the strength of the economy in the future is tied to the wellbeing of kids today," adds Boissiere.

The bottom line: There's a "direct correlation" between "how states invest in children and how kids are doing," Boissiere says.

Go deeper

🚂 Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 — the world's largest operating steam locomotive — made two local stops yesterday on its coast-to-coast tour in honor of America's 250th birthday. (News5)

🕊️ Basheer Jones, the former Cleveland City Councilman and mayoral candidate, was released from federal prison in April, 11 months into a 28-month sentence. (Signal Cleveland)

⛵️ Cleveland Metroparks has opened a new restaurant, The Galley, inside the Patrick S. Parker Community Sailing Center at the East 55th Street Marina. (Cleveland Scene)

⚖️ Springfield Republican Andy Wilson was sworn in as Ohio's 52nd attorney general yesterday, taking over for Dave Yost, who announced his resignation last month. (Cleveland.com)

Cleveland is challenging a state law prohibiting local regulations against flavored tobacco products, with Ohio Supreme Court oral arguments heard today. (Axios Columbus)

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding is reportedly set for July 3 at Madison Square Garden — only, we're not buying it.

Driving the news: TMZ and Page Six reported over the weekend that Swift and Kelce, who is from Cleveland Heights, will say their nuptials at New York City's famous arena.

By the numbers: Reports suggest between 1,000 and 1,200 guests will attend, all of whom have been sworn to secrecy. (Yet, somehow this got out.)

💭 Our thought bubble: Taylor and Travis have seemingly worked hard to keep the details of their wedding quiet, and now they're exchanging vows in the paparazzi capital of the world?

• Swifties may start lining up as soon as the New York Knicks wrap up the NBA Finals.

Reality check: We at lowly Axios Cleveland have no inside info on Swift and Kelce's wedding.

• New York City seems like the logical location at this point, but we anticipate a last-minute swerve.

👋 Sam here! I'll be at Mac's Backs in Cleveland Heights this evening chatting with Jordan Ritter Conn about his new book, "American Men."

State of play: The book is a portrait of four men and how they construct their relationship to masculinity over time.

• A preacher's son who suffered childhood abuse; a 6-foot-6 heartthrob and West Point baseball star; a gay Native American man who navigates his sexuality on and off the reservation; and a trans man from Youngstown.

Flashback: I met Jordan when he visited Cleveland for the RNC as a staff writer for The Ringer, and I've always admired his narrative journalism.

• I plan to ask about his extensive reporting for the book and his thoughts on contemporary topics in masculinity — the manosphere, perhaps? — but welcome your ideas as well.

📬 Reply to this email to help me brainstorm.

Stop by: 1820 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights.

• We'll get underway at 7pm.