theguv

Has anyone else heard that the current location of the CSU bookstore will be redeveloped as student housing? I heard this from a senior level staff person at CSU. However, this person is not a planner, so not sure if this is the current plan or part of an older plan. Anyone know?

There were a good 20-25 people at a meeting that lasted about 90 minutes. Lots of good questions and lots of people intending to visit Mr. Malik's other shops in the suburbs (brecksville & north randall). That being said, the overall reception was very favorable and if all goes as planned I would expect this place to open by early summer. As for the layout, it will be similar to his other shops, which generally consist of large wine and craft beer selections. A smallish state liquor store behind the counter. Apparently the State determines which 'quality' of liquor a store can carry based on area demographics. Mr. Malik will also have an onsite deli, humidor for cigars, temperature controlled wine room for high end wines, small selection of wine complementing cheeses, possibly a few stools/couches/etc, and a selection of snacks and sundries. It is yet undetermined if he will be taking over the laundromat site as well. He appears to be the kind of owners neighbors will really like as he promises to create a store for the neighborhood. I asked if he would consider carrying beer brewing supplies. All in all, things look good.

mapboy, thanks for the tidbit about adobe in fremont. i found an interesting article which discusses the adobe campus in fremont as well as the shift from corporations constructing skyscrapers to corp's building campuses/neighborhoods. http://www.djc.com/news/ae/11127719.html

I had the pleasure of attending a public meeting last night (Feb 6) at DSCDO regarding a proposal to transform the Convenient on the NE corner of W. 61 & Detroit Ave. into an upscale wine, beer, deli, & state liquor store. The operator owns three other stores in the burbs and has an outside investor who is willing to buy the property and transform it with a several hundred thousand dollar investment into both the interior and exterior of the property. The parking lot up front will stay, though will likely be fenced and landscaped with a proper entrance for pedestrians. Interestingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, the availability of the parking lot was one of the amenities that sold the operator on the property.

a unique and rather inspiring perspective on SteelYard architecture. it's too bad they didn't incorporate more of the architectural relics from the old steel site. gives me hope for the future significance of this retail center. via the excellent photo essay contest sponsored by levin college > http://urban.csuohio.edu/forum/photo_contest_submissions.shtml the photo below appears on page 17 and was submitted by Joshua Burks

Peabody says it's a little gripe, but for me it's a big gripe. I think us Clevelanders could do a much better job embracing the cold as it's one of the things that makes us who we are. On that note, there was a picture posted in this thread > http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,15178.0/topicseen.html regarding the vitality of a neighborhood in Buffalo known as Elmwood Village. In addition to a beautiful neighborhood, they have real live people sitting outside with snow on the ground!

GCRTA in the news! clean air > http://www.wkyc.com/video/player.aspx?aid=53610&bw= comfortable busses > http://www.wkyc.com/video/player.aspx?aid=53681&sid=82456&bw=

i'll be curious how well this new place does. if you can attract indie rock kids to parma hts, < http://www.myspace.com/davenportbar > then maybe it's a good business model. i'm guessing the version in akron benefits a good bit from UA being so close. what are folks thoughts on 'now that's class' in cudell? i like their vegan offerings.

Good question MapBoy. Upon closer inspection and another look at the website, it appears that each slot offers 2 lock connections. One on the bottom to the rear wheel and a second on an arm near the top, which reaches past the front wheel to meet the frame. In the attached picture, the upper lock goes through both the frame and the front wheel. A compact u-lock would likely fit only through the frame, though I wonder if the tension is enough to prevent the front wheel from being stolen.

Seems that Forest City is booting out long time tenants in other properties around the city: VIA: http://joanofohio.blogspot.com/ Does anyone really know why in Parma Town so many shops are closing? I saw the demise of Pier One which had been in the same location for over 17 years. Jennifer Convertible closed its doors last month and now Maxell’s which had been at the Plaza for 46 years. A lot of local people worked at these establishments and retail is overwhelming staffed by women. Many of these women worked in that location because it was close to home and allowed them the flexibility to still take care of their children, aging parents or pursue their studies at nearby Tri-C. None of these women made a lot of money. The clientele of Maxell’s overwhelmingly consisted of senior ladies often accompanied by a daughter or grand-daughter. These old ladies looked forward to their Saturday morning beauty session. I went there because they offered many services at reasonable prices. It was a local institution, a lot of women in Parma and Parma Heights went to Maxell’s. The Parma area is heavily populated but has few conveniences. Why is Forest City pushing tenants out the door? An employee of Pier One confided in me, prior to closing their doors, that their sales volume was very good but that the landlord kept increasing the rent till they had no choice but to close. Maxell’s was a successful salon; it was heavily patronized with a loyal clientele. It appeared to be a successful and profitable local business. Why is it then, that the city counsel is allowing this institutionalized eviction? Is there a master plan to reclaim this valuable land to build yet more lucrative office facilities for the nearby Parma Hospital? Forest City has not offered any public explanation but someone at City Hall must know what is happening in this community and must have good reasons to keep mute.

How about this option for short term bike parking? the cyclopod is very compact and the canopy provides better cover for the bikes. the website provides details on a solar powered security light for night time usage, though not sure that this wouldn't be drowned out by ambient lighting in an urban setting.

Great Lakes Guy: 3 Great Lakes Cities Travel the Same Road http://greatlakesguy.blogspot.com/2008/01/3-great-lakes-cities-travel-same-road.html Across the region, urban residents faced with major highway reconstruction projects are calling for engineering designs that embrace access for pedestrians and bikers, pay more attention to mass transit, and strive to enhance urban character. And, across the region, transportation officials show signs of resisting ideas that work toward improving access for pedestrians and bikers, integrating mass transit options, and enhancing urban character.

re: "Dean's Hotdogs & Fish", I've seen people inside remodeling, I've seen one or two people inside eating, but I've never seen the place advertising that they are open. maybe it's a money laundering operation?

are you suggesting that bike parking shouldn't be sheltered? or, are you suggesting that a flat roof with minimal coverage isn't going to do much good against rain, let alone blowing rain/snow? does NYC have any longterm storage bike lockers anywhere, perhaps near subway stations? http://www.bikelink.org/

Tale of two upscale centers Crocker Park is on top Thursday, January 24, 2008 By Bryan Story While Crocker Park in Westlake is thriving and looking to expand, about 10 miles east on Detroit Road Rocky River's Beachcliff Market Square, another upscale shopping center, is working hard to keep up. The latest Crocker Park expansion is under way and could be complete as early as this summer. More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

Speaking of the term campus, what's everyone's take on the urban quality of Nationwide's (insurance) campus in downtown Columbus?

on kan zaman's move, which the mgmt has said is actually a 2nd location; the original location being relegated to hookahs.... regarding the parking, i for one think they jumped on it for that very reason - parking up front. it's what people expect in the suburbs and a good amount of kan zaman's evening customers will likely come from the burbs. same with latitude 41 on detroit. i think on-site parking was the draw to that location. parking up front is a symptom of a much larger disease. what can be done to turn the tide? i, for one, do not believe that parking garages, no matter how pretty, are the answer. we've (cleveland) got a bunch of suburban minded developers rebuilding our city.... http://citycomfortsblog.typepad.com/cities/urb-anim-illo/urb-to-sub-3.gif

Kan Zaman Visited the new incarnation of Kan Zaman (W. 25th @ Franklin) yesterday for the lunch buffet. If you've been to the buffet at the old place, the price is the same ($5.95), but the selection has improved, though the quality is about the same. If you're only interested in the staples, i.e. hommos, baba, tabbouleh, pita, & fattoush; it's all quite competent. however, what has changed is the atmosphere - it's really quite stunning! the owners said they wanted to make you feel like you were inside a big tent and they i think they've succeeded by using lots of brightly colored festive fabrics on both the ceiling and the upholstery. roomy seating arrangements with large tables surrounded by cushioned benches and stools. they are also ramping up production for a bakery (desserts, spinach/meat pies, pita, etc) and sandwich carry out.

also, new 'green' lifestyle store opening up this friday. it's called Planet Green and will be located 19054 Old Detroit Rd in rocky river. http://www.gcbl.org/blog/gcbl-staff/1-21-08 i believe this to be the second store of this type in greater cleveland, with the first being, ecokiss, which is located inside the solon mustard seed. http://www.ecokissstyle.com/ though there is a more specific store called Revive which specializes in socially conscious/fair trade clothing located on Lee Rd. in Clv Hts http://www.revivestore.com still lots of room for a eco-lifestyle store or two downtown, maybe next to the market cafe as it likely attracts a similar demographic.....

^not sure, but i believe they will be on lorain near w.58

The Cleveland Coffee Company is building a new roasting facility in the eco-village neighborhood. See link for a bit more info > https://clevelandcoffeecompany.com/

This was a fantastic game to be at last night and one of the most energized crowds I've seen at the Convo (Goodman Arena) in a long long time. Both teams put on an amazing display of defensive hustle that was a thrill to watch! I was surprised that we were able to hold onto our lead so long into the game and that when we lost it with 5 minutes left, we were able to stay in the game as Butler was definitely superior on the skill side of the game with the Vikings being the superior athletes coupled with a very aggressive style of play. This Vikings team could definitely 'run with the big boys' and pull off an upset or two in the NCAA tourney. Many congrats to coach Gary Waters. Coach Waters now has his own show on WTAM on Monday nights. With a few thousand fans storming the streets around the Convo last night, I could get used to this! It certainly would do a lot for CSU pride!

VIA : http://techczar.blog.com/2538397/ One of the more amazing transformations of a building that I was privy to during my time as “Tech Czar,” was the Baker Electric Building (also known as the Carpenter Press Building) located on Euclid Avenue and E. 71st. The building was designed by Frank B. Meade and built in 1910 for the Baker Electric Motor Car (quick note – Cleveland was a leader in electric car technology nearly a hundred years ago). Baker Electric was founded and operated by Walter C. Baker a tech pioneer and memorable entrepreneur. The building was used as car showroom. Over the years at has been the site of many companies most notably as the home of Carpenter Press. A real estate partnership including Cumberland Development, New Era Builders and Ariel Ventures bought the building in June of 2006. The new owners understood that there was a shortage of incubator and post-incubator space for technology based companies. (Quick side note – I was trying to get the City of Cleveland to buy Carpenter Press Building at the same the new owners were reviewing the sight. I wanted to create a biotech incubator and R&D facility.) The new owners immediately began the renovation of the 52,000 square foot facility. It was totally gutted, a new parking lot was put in, back-up power and the original car showroom has been brought back to as original state as it can be. The goal was to create an environment to develop over a 100 new tech jobs in the Midtown corridor. Current tenants now include: · Bunge BIPHOR – an innovator of pigments and coatings · Volcano Corporation – a company that develops intravascular ultrasound technology · Diagnostic Hybrids – an R&D company that specializes in molecular diagnostic kits · iNetworks – a Pittsburgh-based venture capital group · Cumberland Development – owner and real estate development company There is only 20,000 square feet available in the building and it is estimated that it will be fully-occupied by the end of summer. The project cost almost $7.1 million and was supported New Markets Tax Credits and $1.0 million from the County’s Brownfield Redevelopment Fund. Unfortunately, no City participation. The building is now listed on the National Register for Historic Places and was redeveloped utilizing green and sustainable design practices and will receive a LEED Silver Certification. This building’s proximity to University Circle (and especially the Cleveland Clinic) and Downtown will make this a very attractive building for new tech companies. Of course, having a venture capital group on site is always a provocative development. I have always been proud of this development, especially given its Midtown location. Of course, more development is necessary in the Midtown area but my sources in the real estate area are detailing to me that there is significant real estate speculation in the Midtown area. This could be a fantastic corridor (now with the RTA Silver Line nearing completion) for tech and biotech. Stay tuned for new developments and congrats to all those involved in the Baker Electric Building.

i'm gonna answer to the repeating of said questions, though it's purely speculation from this avid beer drinker. First off, it should be stated that Moulton was attempting to brew the Holy Grail of beers. As i understood it, the Moulton folks had financial backing from a maryland family, who revealed only that they chose cleveland b/c of the reputation of GLBC. there must have been some more reasons. maybe the massive population of binge budweiser drinkers? a few of which who might be persuaded to try a slightly more complex alternative, say one that doesn't leave you with a nasty hangover after a night of binging? I believe the cause of Moulton's failure to open thus far is execution of the recipe on a mass scale. Beer brewing on a mass scale is complex enough, but adding in the precision measurement systems to consistently produce a 'hang-over-less' beer seems darn near impossible!

^ I really really like the outdoor fireplace idea as it's about as primal as a connection as a human can have, BUT the problem with fires in the near and maybe long term future in NEO will be air quality as open-burns and indoor (traditional) fireplaces have a big impact on fine particle pollution (PM 2.5), a criteria pollutant for which NEO is in non-compliance with the Federal EPA. Not that solutions do not exist. The EPA publishes a list of compliant wood burning stoves. Just an additional hurdle I suppose. I'd be enthused to hear more about Krakow though! Personally, I just want to sit outside, on a snowy night, with fire blazing and Guinness/IPA in hand. In the near term, both ReddStone and StoneMadd will likely offer this..... A few pubs in Minneapolis offered that scenario. http://www.epa.gov/woodstoves/