Down_with_Ctown

I'll take a brand-new, 34-story residential tower anywhere in Cleveland city limits, obviously, but the fact that this building will be in the middle of our theater district is outstanding, imho. Playhouse Square is the country's largest theater district outside NYC and was always a neat corner of the city. You had the theaters themselves and some interesting business, like WVIZ/WCLV. In terms of a full-fledged neighborhood, residential was the only missing piece. Now, the neighborhood will have that in spades. It's a lot like University Circle five years ago, with big employers like UH and the Clinic plus world-class cultural amenities. The only thing missing was residential space. Uptown was a game changer for that part of the city, and 1UC and (hopefully) UC3 are on the way helping to confirm that shift.

Two pics from the west and east ends of the Centric project earlier this weekend. The ground floor appears to be completely built out. One interesting note, at least for me--the pylons and foundation work extend all the way to the train tracks and west end of RTA's Little Italy Transit Station. Will the project eliminate the portion of West 117th Street just north of Mayfield Road?

http://www.cleveland.com/hillcrest/index.ssf/2017/03/richmond_heights_28.html#incart_river_index Interesting article about Richmond Heights' developing Master Plan, currently being put together with the help of the county Planning Commission. Most interesting is the plan floated for the "Five Points" intersection of Chardon and Richmond where the city owns some property. The county PC's Manager is talking up a plan for mixed use office/retail with residential units on top (!), which is a pretty bold goal for a suburb. Right now, the area is not a retail destination but it would be interesting to see if new residential units would transform the intersection.

It sure felt like Spring Friday evening, so I figured I would stroll down to Centric and see what's sprouting out of the ground. :-)

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2017/03/jcpenney_closing_richmond_town.html#incart_river_home Dying suburban mall Richmond Town Square loses its third (and last) department store anchor in a little over two years. Macy's shuttered in early 2015, Sears will be gone by the end of this month, and JCPenney will now begin liquidation in April. The only remaining "anchors" are a Planet Fitness next to the JCPenney store and a 20-screen Regal Cinemas that is not connected to the interior of the mall. The theater is less than 20 years old and apparently still does good business. Otherwise, the interior of the mall will likely become a ghost town by the end of this year. The city of Richmond Heights has been proactive, considering alternative zoning classifications for the mall. Possible uses include offices and schools or universities. There's always the prospect of replacing the mall with an outdoor shopping center a la Parmatown or Westgate but there's already a mostly vacant strip mall (Hilltop Plaza) across the street that has had trouble finding tenants for years. Bottom line is that retail is probably a lost cause at this location, which is less than 5 miles north of Beachwood Place, Legacy Village, and La Place.

http://www.heightsobserver.org/read/2017/01/10/center-mayfield-demolition-is-imminent This was the most recent article I could find re: demolition of the old Center Mayfield theater at the NW corner of Mayfield and Noble Roads. SPOILER alert: it was demolished about three weeks ago. Site cleanup is well advanced, as most debris is gone and a few old basements on the east side of the property remain to be filled in. As best I know, the owners are going to leave the now vacant parcel on the market. It's zoned for retail. In 2016, the city rejected a proposed Circle K gas station (which I believe was discussed upthread). Unlike the nearby Severance Town Center, it has great street frontage on Mayfield Road.

Gaining a grocery store, especially a locally owned non-chain, is a great step for this neighborhood. Frankly, I'm surprised the area turned into a food desert in the first place. It's less than a mile south of the old Euclid Square Mall, which featured a full service Rini-Rego grocery store in its day. In fact, the shopping center where the current Simon's operates used to support a decent sized Bi-rite as well. The neighborhood has extensive built-in freeway access, is very close to the Lake county line, and (as the article states) is a in the middle of a dense residential area with several high-rise apartment complexes to the south and west. I really hope it succeeds. This region could use another Marc's- or Dave's-type local grocery company.

Based on location alone, 11717 Euclid Ave. should be one of the most valuable parcels of land in all of Cleveland. Hopefully UCI moves quickly to develop it. Anyone care to offer early odds on whether it goes residential or retail? Mixed use? Also, how many stories? This is really the last parcel to be developed east of the railroad tracks in UC (unless that farmer's market across the street somehow gets on the market). Maybe it's time the neighborhood spills beyond the tracks and into East Cleveland?

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2016/06/cleveland_heights_land_attract.html Looks like the city and developers (all five of them competing for one spot) are getting serious. The good news is that this appears to be a very urban project planned for an inner ring suburb. Sure, there's a parking garage but it will be replacing a surface lot. Overall, some of the best news out of Cleveland Hts. in some time. The only possible downside is that this steals traffic away from a struggling Coventry district. Even if that happens, though, it strengthens Cedar Fairmount. Best of all, it appears to be a product of spillover from a crowded University Circle. If residents start buying and/or leasing these new units in droves, we could see developers start to consider the western edge of Cleveland Hts. and even East Cleveland for new projects.

I can't wait for University Circle to become a residential neighborhood. Uptown and the student population are a nice start but this project will put the area over the top. Maybe I'm biased, but UC is already one of the country's top 25 cultural destinations. The Clinic, UH, and CWRU make it a significant employment center. The missing piece is the 24/7 activity actual residents bring, particularly if they are in their 20's and 30's (with a nice mix of empty nesters thrown in for variety's sake). If One University Circle takes off in terms of rent and occupancy, I can see the financing for the 3-C project and more (the old CIA building on Bellflower??) following suit. It will also be great for Cleveland to have a hot eastside neighborhood to balance out the success of Ohio City and Tremont on the west side. Onwards and upwards!

There's a rumor going around in some circles that Gilbert is clearing space in Tower City for a Dave & Buster's. Far from a sure thing and still hearsay at this point but I thought I'd share.

I can see millenials jumping on these apartments in a hurry, especially those priced out of the swankier downtown dwellings. The article states that rents "start" at $1,000/month. Who knows where they "end," but at least some of those units are going to be reasonably priced in the heart of downtown Lakewood (which allegedly has the highest population density of any city between NYC and Chicago). Not to mention its proximity to downtown Cleveland, Ohio City, and Tremont. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but this kind of dense urban-style living at suburban prices may just be the future "business" model for inner-ring burbs like Lakewood, Cleveland Heights, and (one can hope) Euclid. Granted, there's not a lot of existing buildings like Lakewood Center North that can be converted to residential units but hey, there's always the dream of new construction!

This is one of the most imaginative suburban concepts I've seen in a long time. Millennials have flocked downtown for urban, apartment living while inner ring suburbs with only single family housing units to offer have languished. If this project comes to fruition, I can see a lot of folks in their late 20's/early 30's who don't want to pay downtown rents snapping these units up in a hurry. Legacy Village and Beachwood Place are down the road. University Circle is 10 minutes away, and downtown is not much further. And John Carroll and Notre Dame College are right in the neighborhood; all the elements are in place for a vibrant, youthful neighborhood in an east-side, inner ring suburb. As KJP noted upthread, this could really be a blueprint for Severance and Richmond Town Square as well. I know this forum is called UrbanOhio, but why not encourage the burbs to make some of the best aspects of urban living their own?

Very interesting (and in-depth) article focusing on a property owner's attempt to demolish the old Center Mayfield theater and attached retail space in Cleveland Heights on Mayfield Road between Vandemar (from the west) and Noble Road (to the east). The proposed replacement? A Circle K gas station and convenience store: http://www.cleveland.com/cleveland-heights/index.ssf/2016/03/circle_k.html The owner purchased two houses on the east side of Vandemar to tear down as well. He is promising a "convenience store that happens to sell gasoline" (rather than, um, a gas station, I guess) along with green space on the edges of the property. Residents do not seem very happy with the change, which will require a conditional use permit (for selling gas) and a zoning change for the two residential parcels on Vandemar. Fun fact: former Cleveland Planning Director Bob Brown attended the meeting to speak in opposition!

Good to see another decent-sized hotel popping up in and around University Circle. Clearly, the addition of the Double Tree, Courtyard at Mayfield & Euclid, and the Holiday Inn on the CCF campus has not yet saturated a market that didn't even really exist until the beginning of this decade. Does anyone know if these hotels get most of their business from family members of UH/Clinic patients--i.e., "medical tourists"? Or are they also serving more traditional tourists looking to see the Art Museum, MOCA, Severance Hall, Natural History Museum, etc.? It's a little disappointing, though, to hear that demand for the $2,000/month apartments is less than expected. MJM did say that there is a waiting list for the $1,500 units so the good news is that there's still plenty of interest in the neighborhood. The bad news is that there's a little sticker shock going on. Hopefully, this won't prevent developers from getting financing for new construction in this area, especially the 3-C project nearby.

http://www.cityofsoutheuclid.com/economic-development/images/OSE_May-Green_Talking_Points_(Sept._2015).pdf This is the fact sheet for the redevelopment of the Maymore shopping center at (roughly) the northeast corner of Mayfield and Green Roads in South Euclid. It looks like the "success" of South Euclid's Cedar Center North spawned this project. Presently, there is a strip mall pretty close to Mayfield Road anchored by a Marc's. The plan is to knock down the existing building and build new retail far back in the parking lot. Oh, and there are two "proposed" outparcels fronting Mayfield Road. Apparently, the Key Bank building at the NE corner of the intersection proper will remain. I don't believe anyone will miss the existing strip but the new project will have even less street frontage than it does now. The anchor of the project will be Marc's and the developer is hinting at some national restaurants and retailers. There's a 20-year old strip mall across the street from this project that has been completely empty for years but the developer is talking a big game about this intersection.

Can't say enough about this project. Great architecture, fantastic location, and the beginning of what should (finally!) be a brand-new neighborhood on the lakefront. Hopefully, the pedestrian bridge over the Shoreway/railroad tracks doesn't get lost in the post-RNC shuffle because the bridge would be a badly needed connection between this project and the Mall/CBD.

I can't help but feel a little disappointed. The difference between 7- and 11-stories in UC is huge; the latter would have added significantly to the developing "skyline" in this neighborhood. A 7-story building won't stand out so close to the Triangle, Albington Arms, and the Commodore. More disappointing, though, is the lack of office space. The cle.com article seems to hint that the developers were looking for a splashy anchor tenant and struck out. Given the "tech" talk, that was probably Google opening its first significant Ohio office or at least a related company. Even without that big anchor, it's disappointing that the developers (or lenders) weren't confident enough to build office space on spec in Cleveland's second-largest employment center. That said, this project will fill in the last major hole of development in the Triangle neighborhood and adds some very badly needed residential to the neighborhood. Call it a hunch but I think these units will fill up faster than people think and add some momentum to the market in advance of One University Circle and (hopefully) the 3C development down the street.

Great news! Posters on this board are obviously well aware of the many breakfast options in and around downtown. But for many suburbanites, this will serve as yet another sign that things are happening downtown. Much like Heinen's, Yours Truly is a staple in the burbs and may draw curious diners downtown (who will hopefully like what they see). It's also great to see another local chain making a high-profile bet downtown. DT Cleveland does not lack for restaurants but YT fills a niche--family dining--that won't cannibalize business from high-end, celebrity chef driven outlets. Again, I can't help but think of the Heinen's analogy. If these local chains who obviously know the market well are willing to take a chance on downtown and succeed, then I can't help but think some national chains will begin looking around as well. If and when they start setting up shop in the Euclid/Prospect/Huron corridor, we'll know that downtown has taken yet another step towards being a full-time neighborhood. Looking forward to it!

Great news for University Circle and, of course, Cleveland. No matter what one may think about First Interstate (cough, the Wal Mart-anchored Oakwood Commons in South Euclid, cough), Mitchell Schneider is a pretty reliable developer. He usually follows through on his words. If he thinks he can get $2.20 per SF in this building, I believe it. Hopefully, FI hits the October 2017 opening date, too. That implies a pretty aggressive construction schedule and it will be great to see another crane going up in UC before the end of the year. Reading between the lines of MJF's article, it sounds like the lenders are true believers in this project as well. Aside from the 15-year tax abatement (which applies to all new construction in CLE city limits), this project is getting done without public money. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that these apartments fill up fast and there's a long waiting list. If so, it could be the start of a true residential boom in what is already a culturally world class neighborhood.

It always surprises me how resilient Golden Gate is, especially the southern half that you can't see from Mayfield Road. Many shopping centers in the Hillcrest area (e.g., the particularly glaring example/eyesore of Hilltop Plaza across from Richmond Town Square) are struggling with turnover and vacancies. While Golden Gate has lost some notable tenants in the last 2-3 years, they never seem to have a major storefront sitting empty for more than, say, 3 months at a time. I agree that Eastgate (and the eastern side of SOM Center Road directly across from it) have been growing impressively in the last 5 years, but it has not been at the expense of Golden Gate. GG has done very well trading water, especially considering 271 stands between it and the affluent areas of Gates Mills, Pepper Pike, and Chesterland. All that said, the Mayland shopping center definitely needs an upgrade, if not outright replacement. Even when Boneyard was there, the plaza was well over half-vacant. Tearing down all retail between the Mayfiar and the Staples/Marathon stores at Lander would obviously be no architectural loss. And actually adding housing (!!!) would be a genuine game changer for Mayfield Heights. Apartments would be in huge demand IMO because the schools are great. Three stories of brand-new residential over retail fronting Mayfield Road would be a HUGE leap for the city; what other comparable suburb is adding hip new housing? The only thing that worries me is that Coral has its tentacles in this project already. They mad some great residential/mixed use promises about Cedar Center in South Euclid and look how that turned out.

This is great news for Cleveland and even better for the Indians. In an era of flat screen, high-definition TV's, sports stadiums' capacities should be much smaller than they were twenty years ago. I've long said that the source of the Indians attendance issues was that Progressive Field, at 42,000+ seats, is just too damn big. That excess capacity gives fans no incentive to buy season tickets because you can always walk up to the gate (or the ubiquitous scalpers on E. 9th) and get great seats 10 minutes before first pitch. The walkups for weekend games (and even weekday day games) have been impressive all year; I've done it numerous times myself. The reason the Tribe is last or second-last in average AL attendance goes back to the team's lackluster season ticket sales; I've heard that they range from anywhere between 5-7K. So when you had a cold Wednesday night game in April with hardly any walkup, you're going to have several early sub-10,000 attendance nights, which will drag down the season's average attendance all year. If the team pares down the number of available seats intelligently, the demand for season tickets (or at least advanced sales tix) should rise correspondingly. In a couple years, fans will catch on and hopefully do more ticket buying in advance and sooner or later, you'll get season tix back up to a healthy, sustainable level. And season tickets are not just for the wealthy or big companies--I've been in ticket pools of 15-20 people who split the seats into 4- and 5-game bundles. I think more and more people will go back to this, a la the 90's glory days.

http://www.universitycircle.org/userfiles/file/Lot%2045%20RFQ-RFP%204-27-11.pdf I did a little research re: Lot 45 and this RFQ/RFP pdf came up--very interesting. Couple of observations: 1. UCI owns the vast, vast majority of Lot 45 (see p. 8 of the pdf). UC Housing, Inc. and CIA own nearby parcels. 2. UCI is looking at more than just parking for this site. In fact, they're calling for mixed-use development. They specifically want street-level retail on Mayfield Road and offices/housing on top of said retail. 3. The project would appear to be on track. RFQ's were due June 1. UCI will contact selected companies for RFP's, which will be due August 19. 4. As far as parking goes, the developer will have to provide a minimum of 200 spaces via a structured facility (to replace the current 200 surface spaces). But it sounds like UCI wants much more than that, as they call for extra parking for Uptown, MOCA, UH, etc. 5. There's talk of re-routing E. 117th so it connects directly to Euclid Ave. All in all, this sounds like an exciting project. Can't wait for development to start!

Three words: consider the source. Forbes, for some reason, just has it in for the city of Cleveland. Just last week we got named the Worst Winter Weather city. Sometimes I think they just make up lists like "Worst City to Have a Bad Hair Day in" in so they can generate a headline reading "Cleveland: America's WORST city for..." And then that headline gets picked up by yahoo, msn, aol, etc. etc. and we all look bad. Did the bully (and there had to have been several of them) who antagonized Steve Forbes as a child wear a Browns jersey to school? Actually, my guess is that it's probably just politics. Forbes is a conservative magazine with an editorial agenda more slanted than most. And Cleveland is a union-dominated, one-party (Democratic) town. I'm actually an "R" myself but I still love the city. Why can't these guys lighten up?