Map Boy

yikes! mayday, WHAT is UP with those porch additions on the Schilling Square building??? Maybe it's just an unflattering picture, but they look totally out of place! and I didn't realize the Chicle project was so close to here...I guess I'll have to check my maps again. But way to go Cudell, building new capacity!

As much as I agree with the ideals in this article, this isn't a new issue to be brought to the State. Maybe it's more of a fresh concept in SW Ohio, but I'm afraid that these pleas are generally of the "preaching to the masses" formula, while the people in high places just aren't listening. I don't know how they can't see that things are going in the wrong direction in our exurbs, but something is preventing them from taking bold steps in the right direction. I can't say that this is all from experience, but I have talked to people who have made trips to Ohio to present innovative ideas for growth management and farmland preservation and gotten this feeling...that their words were falling on deaf ears.

at first sight, i'd have to say i like them a lot! they address the street and surroundings very well (from what I can tell) and look like the appropriate density for their surroundings. and they'll look even better once those planters (I'm assuming that's what those are) around the stoops are filled in! great post Cinn!

they've got surveys on there! go voice your concerns!

Anyone have pics of any of these phases? These are the critical types of infill, along bus routes and close to other transit, that will continue to make Ohio City and Detroit Shoreway one of the most seemless, cohesive, safe, and vibrant parts of our city! Livable, attractive and with housing and entertainment options galore! I'm happy to be coming back home to be a part of it!

My cousin said he went by the Jay Hotel the other day and it was boarded up... Wimwar, are you talking about the warehouses on the block adjacent to the Dave's parking lot? I heard that developers have been trying to buy that, but haven't had any luck. There's so much infill around there and and housing on those lots would be bought up in a hot second! and yeah, you'd better watch your mouth...

yes, but why the McMansion style??? i know, suburban dreams with urban convenience, but how unfortunate!

yeah, this is a huge bummer, but I'm in with the "progress creates unfortunate necessities" in this case. I'd like to think there are scenarios for saving the facades (at least), but it appears that with the realignment of the streets and what not, this will be an impossibility. I'd say that on the river side of ORR, the benefits far outweight the losses...creating public access to the waterfront vs. losing historic structures...but if there were possibilities for saving structures on the north side, it would be a shame to have a vision that couldn't incorporate them into the design.

good one, pope! we're so in touch with the renderings for this development...now let's start building!

I've seen the Mentor one while scanning NE Ohio on Google Maps aerial photo mode... are either of these worth a visit or are they much more alluring in theory, but not in reality? either way, we're talking a much different scale and context here on the Cuyahoga, but I appreciate the info nonetheless!

this is probably pretty close to "chinatown" and the new developments that have been talked about over there...I'll get us some pics and updates when I get to town in a month!

As exciting as this is, I'm a little concerned about the date. It's been almost a year since this feature and this is the only thing I could find on it!

Please don't tell me this one belongs in the "abandoned projects" section! This news piece from www.cpn.org contains some great news and some of the same "Cleveland just doesn't seem to know how to support business growth" talk that we hear so much of. The ending is optimistic at least! there's also an audio link to the report at http://www.wcpn.org/mc/vault/radio_features/0929real_estate.shtml Emerging Real Estate Markets September 29, 2004 @ 6:33 am and 8:20 am on 90.3 When neighborhoods gentrify, there’s frequently a fear that existing residents and businesses will be lost, priced out by rising real estate values. If you buy into conventional wisdom, the city can’t afford to ignore its real estate potential: between its recent placement in the number one spot as the nation’s most impoverished city to the loss of population over the past decade, neighborhood revitalization is the key to creating a stronger city and a stronger region. One neighborhood’s strategy for redeveloping without losing its character is to capitalize on what makes the neighborhood unique - but as ideastream’s Shula Neuman reports, that technique has its own challenges. Things are a little incongruous in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood, an area that runs roughly from East 30th to East 70th north of Chester Avenue. Commercial and residential buildings rub shoulders here, like a microcosm of the larger city. People usually have one of two reactions to this juxtaposition: who would want to live here? Or, how can I get a piece? The developers at Graystone Properties are part of that second group. They’ve acquired the 12+ acres that make up Tyler Industrial Park - that’s two city blocks of industrial buildings between East 34th and 39th. The plan is to turn it into Tyler Village, a mixed use development for residential, retail and industrial use. Paul Volpe: This is truly unique for Cleveland. It’s unique as things go in the United States with urban land. At a recent meeting with the project’s stakeholders, Paul Volpe, principal at City Architects, presented the overall vision of Tyler Village. Volpe says the project represents a significant opportunity, and not just for the developers. Paul Volpe: There’s a much greater economic potential because you can leverage the real estate in different ways. You’re not competing against yourself. And lastly, you have the ability to do things much bigger and generally better so the neighborhood reaps a bigger benefit. The hope is that the success of such a truly mixed-use, large-scale development will attract smaller ventures that also maintain the core character of the neighborhood. St. Clair Superior Neighborhood Development Association Executive Director Diane Swander says developers are already investing: there’s been more than $50 million of mostly private investment over the past four years and there’s a potential $128 million more on the way. Diane Swander: So the trick in a neighborhood where there’s limited land is how do you smooth the edges between the industrial space. How do you create the connections, create new developments that honor the existing tradition, whether it’s industrial or the residential community, and just integrate the housing products and the new residents into the neighborhood into those. Although Tyler Village may be able to straddle those two worlds, it could still trip on some of the difficulties other ventures have faced. Mike Baird knows the quandary well. His company, Unicare, bought and renovated a building on East 40th a bit south of the future Tyler Village. It seemed ideal, Baird says. Mike Baird: We identified that this was a 46,000 square foot warehouse. It would provide a lot of room for expansion. We liked the idea of the tall ceilings and windows all around. We thought it would be a nice work environment for our associates. Unicare has done well at its current location - perhaps too well. Baird says the company will probably outgrow its current home by 2008. He says working with the city on expanding Unicare’s current facility has been frustrating, at best. Mike Baird: You would think that considering the circumstances, considering the current state of poverty in Cleveland and the need for jobs in Cleveland that there would be more attention paid to businesses, especially growing business. I think that’s part of the reason you have a high vacancy rate. It just doesn’t seem to be a priority. Greg Huth, director of Economic Development for the city of Cleveland, says the city is aware of these issues, and that it’s taken a while for the mayor’s outreach initiatives to catch on. But he says those efforts are getting underway: most recently, the city’s sent letters to businesses in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood to learn about their concerns. Greg Huth: Whether he’s a growing business or whether he’s struggling or whether he has day-to-day issues with the city, he’s got potholes out front or a dog in the lot next door. We want to get to what his issues are so we can get to him and make living and doing business in the city of Cleveland more profitable. And frankly, it helps us. Residential developers aren’t immune to the city’s glacial pace, but they seem more willing to tolerate it. Developer Tony Asher with Graystone Properties says he first envisioned building residential units on the Tyler Village site 30 years ago. He says he’s eager to get going now although there’s a lot that has to happen first. Tony Asher: The financing, historic tax credits, conservation easements, zoning… I dunno. I could go on - there’s so many different things we have to get done. But we necessarily know that we need to work with everybody whether it’s the city of Cleveland or state people the county people. Candidly, any other governmental agency you can throw at us, but we need to work with everybody and we think we can get that done. Asher says once Graystone weathers the bureaucracy and Tyler Village becomes a reality, then more developers will line up who are willing to do the same. And perhaps, within a decade, St. Clair Superior will catch on as the place to invest in real estate. In Cleveland, Shula Neuman, 90.3.

The following PD article is a report on the meeting that the City hosted to gain public input on what possible uses to promote at the old Coast Guard station...a conversation long overdue! It sounds very promising, from opportunities for funding to great ideas. http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1120037892306621.xml&coll=2 Planners peppered with ideas for decaying Coast Guard post Wednesday, June 29, 2005 Tom Breckenridge Plain Dealer Reporter Fans of the abandoned Coast Guard station on the western mouth of the Cuyahoga River looked past its decaying present Tuesday night to articulate a restored future, when it could reopen as a maritime museum, restaurant or "off the grid" showcase for renewable energy. About 40 people floated myriad possibilities at the Edgewater Yacht Club, where the Cleveland Planning Commission hosted a public meeting focused on the future of the city-owned landmark. The 65-year-old Coast Guard station is a headquarters, boathouse and service garage sitting at the end of a 1,000-foot pier linked to Whiskey Island. More at http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1120037892306621.xml&coll=2

KJP, thanks for the link. I know you'd posted the site plan and renderings earlier, but I hadn't seen photos of the site before completion. I looks like such a desolate lot, but with great vision and drive, it's becoming a great model for urban infill, density and TOD in Cleveland! I really like the clustering of homes in the renderings and the way that the rooflines match up. Also, it makes for a nice contrast with the old Chicle Building, though how it actually looks in real life remains to be seen! Any word on the future townhomes that would front Detroit??? [should this be in "completed" or "in progress"?]

KJP, I agree with your assumptions... If you look at the Slavic Village Development site, www.slavicvillage.org, you'll see some of the remnants of a neighborhood similar to the one pictured above... there were more pictures somewhere, but I can't find them right now. I'll post 'em later! PS: Thanks for the link, MayDay!

i'm running for mayor in about 10-12 years... don't forget the name: Mister Good Day!

Wow, I like that plan a lot! I know it's really just a framework plan, as they usually are at that stage in the game, but I think Calthorpe & Assoc. are right on with their scale, street network, and attention paid to the river and Downtown Cleveland. I hope FCE is holding on to this until they can do it and do it right!

anyone heard of the "Post Office on Jay Avenue" development? it's listed in the Spring 2005 Heartland Developers newsletter... http://www.sussexcourts.com/newsletters/spring_heartland.pdf apparently, it's supposed to be at 2515 Jay Avenue in Ohio City and looks to include some townhouses and perhaps a larger building, all with a modern flair

anyone have pictures of the site? I know KJP posted a site plan earlier, but it sounds as if that has been altered now to accommodate more townhouses. nice!

Here's one for the completed and future project sections: http://www.cleveland.com/sun/westsidesunnews/index.ssf?/base/news-0/112014959612030.xml&coll=3 The Chicle Building features 23 rental units and office space that will accommodate 10-15 jobs. Half the units are rented and a commercial tenant is moving in from Brookpark. "The project will continue with an estimated $5.5 million second phase, consisting of 40 townhouses to be built on adjacent land. Construction is expected to begin in the fall." "Anita Brindza, director of Cudell Improvement Inc., said the project, including the apartments and townhouses, fits in with plans to upgrade Detroit Avenue between West 117th Street and beyond the West Boulevard/Cudell Rapid Station. This fits in with transit-oriented development, she said, noting that project residents are within a one-block walk to the Rapid station, with easy access to downtown and to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport."

see what happens when you build public spaces like the Superior Viaduct Park??? Investment just booms! I'm really interested to see these townhomes on the Cuyahoga, too! As much as I'd love for the whole thing to be publicly accessible, the thought of having buildings hugging the river, a la Venice, is so charming! I think San Antonio's Riverwalk is one of the best American versions of this type of thing and it has lots of public space... Keep on keepin on Mr. Price!

I want to see more, but this is great for now!

wow, thanks for pulling those together, MayDay! I know they must be very preliminary, since they're not even posted on the website yet, but they look great and I like the variety between the avenue frontage and the side frontages...can't wait to see more!

nah, I like 'em like that! anyway, here's a link to Zaremba's Avenue District page...still under construction, but exciting to see it up! www.theavenuedistrict.net