jborger

No.

My concern is the hotel's ability to interact with the mall. From the birds-eye view layout up thread, it looks like a street or driveway will be separating the hotel from the mall. That could make it very unlikely that people would wander from the hotel to explore the mall. Perhaps there's a way to bring that gap?

Pretty cool. Should help property values at the existing Grove Court condos, too. I always thought that building seemed cool but not in a great spot (besides the view). This will help.

I have heard rumors someone wants to tear down the old Club Cleveland building and make townhouses.

That's ironic considering of those 5 grocers, Giant Eagle already has a store closest to this new spot: at West 117th and I-90. (Ok, Constantino's has a store on Detroit but it's more of a convenient store)

From the article: "But several people and organizations have voiced support for the plan, including the Port of Cleveland, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman and the Greater Cleveland Partnership, which through a subsidiary is serving as fiscal agent for the project." And: "People who listen to Mr. Stahl's pitch tend to get excited about it, said Fred Geis of Geis Cos. The Streetsboro-based real estate developer has an option to build an office park on city-owned land near Burke. “I don't think I've been in one meeting where someone saw the project and said, 'I think this is a horrible idea,'” he said with a laugh." Sounds like it has more legitimacy than I thought. At first I was comparing it to the Rock-O-Meter, but maybe it has a chance in some form.

So are the parking lots on board with this?

Oh, please, please, please let this happen. I hope the application for the tax credits was well written and they win this because the warehouse district really needs that property developed. The hidden courtyard is awesome, Johnson Court has an opportunity to be redeveloped in a similar manner to East 4th and more dense residential in this area would be a great thing. Fingers crossed.

Here's what I wrote to my councilman: I'm very excited that Hilton has been announced as the operator of the new convention center hotel downtown. I'm wondering if there is an opportunity to have some residential floors included as part of the project. As you know, downtown's residential vacancy rate is only 3-4%. But relatively low rents make new residential construction challenging. The convention hotel would give a residential developer an opportunity to create new apartments or condos downtown at a discounted rate because there will already be cranes in the air and construction going on. Hotel/residential combos are not uncommon, as you know from the tower currently under redevelopment next to the county's new headquarters. I'd encourage council to at least explore the possibility of adding residential units to the convention center hotel to add even more 24/7 vitality (and tax dollars) to an already exciting project.

Traditional Guinness is room temperature.

A garden will be easier to develop in the future than a parking lot.

Has condos/apartments being part of this project actually been discussed or is it just an UO pipe dream?

From http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sushi-86-the-chef-s-cut: "The time for expansion has come and rather than move our new facility off site we have decided to delve deeper into the facilities of the 5th Street Arcades and all it has to offer. We will be occupying a space across the hallway; our whole sale facilities will be in the back; and in the front we will have an all new expanded space for sushi classes, private dining room, and event space. This expansion will allow us to increase our capacity, helping us to sponsor more charitably and community building events around the area."

This is a guess but I think Sushi 86 is moving into the old Indigo restaurant space. I know they were one of the 5th Street Arcade grant winners and said they'd be using it to expand, offer classes, etc. They can't expand their current spot. Makes sense for them to move to another former restaurant space. Lots more room in there.

Good to hear. It's been said before, but many of the buildings downtown could be lit up in a better manner. Sometimes when I'm watching the local news before sunrise, they'll show a shot of the sky line and it just looks... not great. I love what Rock did with lighting the Higbee building. Do any renderings show this red light around the Breuer tower?

ESPN Zone?

At least Weston WANTS to build on those lots. It will happen, just a matter of time. I do wish there was some sort of subsidy to give them the push.

Wait, what? With what funding?

Not a Menchies, but a Lemonberry. http://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2013/09/the_langston_at_cleveland_stat.html "Cleveland State University students and staff, and other workers in the area of Chester Avenue at East 22nd Street will find a couple more places to grab a meal or snack by year's end. Wrapz Pita Bar and Lemonberry Frozen Yogurt will open in The Langston, a mixed-use residential complex near the university campus."

From's Michelle's article: "The first apartments at Upper Chester will range from a handful of 512-square-foot efficiencies to two-bedroom units spanning 1,120 square feet. Projected rents are $1,000 to $2,200 a month." Am I reading that as the 512-square-foot efficiencies will go for $1,000/month? $1.95 per square foot?! And the math holds true with 1,120 square foot two bedrooms for $2,200/month. (a penny more) More than Uptown, I believe. Is there now a competition between developers for who can have the most expensive residential square footage in the city?

I mentioned this in another thread, but it makes sense here, too. Piccadilly Artisan Yogurt is considering a downtown location and they mention Heinen's in this article: http://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2013/09/ohio_city_nabs_piccadilly_arti.html "We're also looking at what Heinen’s has planned for its Cleveland store. We’re looking at downtown. We’ve had two developers approach us to go downtown, and we’re really contemplating and want to go downtown." Just shows the power of the Heinen's move to lure other businesses downtown.

jam40jeff is correct. I was hoping for a Menchies in OC or downtown, but this is better. And this is a great quote: "We're also looking at what Heinen’s has planned for its Cleveland store. We’re looking at downtown. We’ve had two developers approach us to go downtown, and we’re really contemplating and want to go downtown." Just shows the power of the Heinen's move to lure other businesses downtown.

The windows will look different when there's finally lights on inside!

So 73rd will drop under the train tracks and then it will connect directly to the Shoreway? Or will it connect to the Shoreway offramp that leads to Edgewater?

I don't even understand what this means. Why do you think The Clevelander is an ugly dead zone? Who are the Knights of Columbus? Why do they like ugly dead zones?