gottaplan

Anyone know when "XYZ Tavern" is opening on Detroit? I keep getting emails from DSCDO saying "soon" but anything more specific would be good.

westminster dog show, sporting breeds

Is anyone aware of any planned upgrades to the streets to improve the flow of traffic in & out of this area? I drove down here this weekend and I think once this development is fully occupied, there are going to be some real traffic snarls of people trying to get in & out of here. Seems ironic that the very location which makes it unique, tucked at the corner of the lake & river opening, might make it a challenge to get in/out of. Might be interesting to see how many people end up taking the Rapid to work here if it dropped you off at the front door...

Vintage doesn't own anything on the West side of 76th or beyond. While I'm sure the city would like to see this area continue to develop, it would have to be separate. East of 73rd is another matter. Some larger warehouse/manufacturing structures in the way that have some level of activity still. The 73rd/Shoreway connector project may change this though. All this is driven by demand though. No sense in talking about expanding if Battery Park is still only 50% built out 3 years from now.

I wonder if Sandy Klimkowski said the same thing when she first met Russo....? Just don't let him talk you into donating to his campaign fund...

Housing crash could go even further if Fannie/Freddie get trimmed back and more highly regulated. Think what could happen in addition if the tax deduction for mortgage interest were to go away... then again, these are both major changes that would be gradually phased in and not implemented over night.

The problem with creating a new loft building with higher density is that cost/sf goes up substantially over the wood framed townhome buildings when you start adding bigger concrete foundations, columns, slabs, etc. Also, a new loft building would require at least parking on the first floor and perhaps some type of undercut level allowing parking below grade. This quickly becomes a very expensive undertaking and the cost per square foot increases quickly and demand goes away. What was the last new construction loft building in Cleveland? Also, this type of building needs to be built "all at once" where the townhomes can sort of chip along at the pace of sales. Unless the economy rapidly picks up steam, I don't see a large loft building going up here anytime soon

This thread is reminding me how badly I need to improve my skills at Google Sketchup

^KJP I think you're asking this space to be all things and the end result is that it doesn't do any of them very well. Already discussed by others that if you want to make Public Square a nice gathering place, getting rid of the heavy bus traffic coming & going is the first step. And as much as I like your plan for public square and dropping down Superior to build park above, the cost of doing so would be astronomical. The amount of utilities laying in the way which would need rerouted would be enough to create a new transit center nearby. I don't think this needs to be done to remove any undesirables or transit riders. It needs to be done to get rid of the bus traffic and create a better hub from a blank slate like the STJ site or others around. Kill two birds with one stone. The undesirables and transit riders can still feel welcome in Public Square, lets just get rid of the buses and reduce traffic lanes by 1 on all sides.

Key phrase here is "easier for people". I think it's more accurate to say it's easier for the city. Transforming Public Square into a bustop was a no-brainer in terms of easily directing transit but we all know the negative side effects that came with it. Separating the space from being essentially a transit hub and nothing more, into something much more is what the overall goal seems to be here and I think the City and designers are shooting for the highest possible acheivement for the space. Relocating all those bus stops has to be part of the plans if that's the case. Detroit had a similar problem with a small inner city park which was made into a bus hub and became a magnet for deadbeats (much worse than our Public Square mind you). They created a new bus transit hub a block & half over. Turned out beautifully. http://criticaldetroit.org/rosa-parks-transit-center/ Something to consider. How much was the price tag for the STJ bus transit center over by CSU? $5-10 million?

I occassionally get sucked into the negative swirl of comments after an article like that. I wonder how many are legitimate posters that honestly feel that way and how many are just pinheads simply trying to start a flame war...

A few updates since this thread got resurrected... Website is updated. http://vintagedevelopment.123productpages.com/?src=AdWords&ad=44473&network=Search&kw=battery%20park%20cleveland&st=&ctracker_id=13057355 Sales in BP are plugging along. I think 11 units were sold in 2010. I believe only 1 unit is left in the "Skyline" building on 74th. The next building to start will be just north of this on the same lot, running East/West along Fr Frascati. Should start this spring. Some nice units still available in the H1/H3 building. Two of the free standing homes are still available on 76th. Vintage is in negotiations with two separate operators to open some type of brew pub in the eastern half of the Powerhouse space. Something casual that ties in with the winebar. Should have it wrapped up soon and start the buildout hopefully in time to capitalize on the volleyball season. Says alot for the neighborhood that they have two separate groups vying for this space. The ODOT project which included the 76th street tunnel & the one at Don's Lighthouse is on hold for the winter. Going much more slowly than planned. Some questions came up last fall on stabilizing the railroad slope for the retaining walls facing the Shoreway. Plans originally called for "soil nails" but conditions arose which made this unworkable. Most likely will end up driving sheet piles but the railroad has to approve of course which can take forever and a day. Other than that, the pavement of the section to tie into the Edgewater path, landscaping, lighting, new stairs between the upper & lower tunnel, and completed pavement up top on 76th should be done by Memorial weekend. This is really going to bring good traffic into the area. The vacant four story warehouse shown on the dimit architecture site is owned by another group but Vintage is hoping to collaborate with them and make this rentals with possibly rooftop condos built out above. Who knows. Speaking with Matt Zone, this is on hold until the 73rd tie-in is made to the Shoreway which is supposed to be a go for next year. I know there is a strong demand for rentals in BP and the sales team gets alot of inquiries about it. Several of the townhome units are being rented though, and they go quickly for a good amount so demand is there. I know Vintage has plans for a wide array of options and price ranges and an all-townhome development is not what they're after but things don't always work out as planned.

Interesting project, but I really question how much "bang for the buck" the city is getting here. So many other projects the city could focus this money on...

Me too I thought it was awesome. I was going to mention it but forgot. Thanks for posting Ditto. Not sure it will help sell anymore Chryslers though. In terms of the game, Rogers was playing at such a high level, he was nearly unstoppable. When a QB can deliver the ball to a spot where only his receivers can catch it, hitting them in perfect stride, a split second before the pass rush gets to him, he is unbeatable. Hats off to Pittsburgh for rallying from a big defecit to keep it an exciting game.

Agreed. I used to live in Michigan and during that time Gov Jennifer Granholm hired Richard Florida's consulting firm to address the state's brain drain and they came up with the "cool cities" program. Check it out. http://www.coolcities.com/main.html Trust me, it did nothing to retain young people, they still leave in droves for hotter job markets like Boston, DC, Chicago, Atlanta, etc. Once the jobs are here, young people come for the opportunities, make a little money, you'll start to see more people reinvesting in pockets of the city which have been overlooked.

I read this article very closely yesterday. And what might be the first time ever, some of the comments at the bottom actually made some sense. The Flats are a very difficult area to develop though, with water way rights, lingering environmental issues, close proximity to heavy industrial use and most importantly, light demand. Of course everyone WANTS to see something done with the area, but how many are willing to go there & spend money on businesses or developments there?

Unfortunately, in a city like Cleveland, there needs to be more than just the penalty of higher gas prices to force people to live closer to the urban core. Especially families with children in school. Perhaps if Cleveland and/or inner ring suburbs could come up with some incentives to attract families to relocate closer inward, it could start a trend that might gain a little momentum.

One conversation I've been having with friends lately is that a sustained economic recovery with modestly higher fuel prices might drive residential development more in the city and inner ring suburbs than outer ring suburbs. Just a thought.

I'm very optimistic about the economic recovery taking hold and seeing some stable growth, but I'm concerned about the rising cost of fuel limiting the growth. It does seem that people may be better prepared to weather high fuel prices than they were back in 2007, but it will hit certain industries hard regardless.

That is insane. $121 million is a joke to retrofit that building. Entire Flats East Bank project is going to cost $300 million to build hotel office & parking structure... For $20 million they could replace all the windows & HVAC systems with brand new high efficiency. And then spend another $10 million to make the building more bomb resistant, however they think that is going to work. $700k a year in energy savings is also outrageous. Even if this results in a 50% energy savings, which it won't, does that mean they are spending $1.5 million a year to heat & cool that space? No freakin way. Seriously, what a waste of money. Think how many other excellent more deserving projects could have been done that provide a real benefit to residents, like public transit, more parks & maintenance. Sickening.

I can't believe they are still in design phase. Stimulus was passed end of 2008? Most govt projects were notified of their award amounts by early 2009. Over a year later they don't have bid packages ready? I thought all the stimulus funds had to be spent by 2012? If they haven't even started work yet, that'll never happen. Article even says work won't begin for over a year.

Like starting new is exactly right. The entire Kinsman stretch through here is aggressively being targeted by the Cuy Land Bank from 79th to 93rd. If they can acquire & assemble large parcels here, you're exactly right about having them available for redevelopment. Last time I saw a map of the properties they owned, it was impressive. The problem is that alot of this area has environmental issues, and then there's the overwhelming issue of crime & poverty in the area. Surrounded by CMHA properties that aren't going anywhere.

I know Gilbane is the lead Construction Manager, but I don't know any of the actual contractors. Have any of the bid packages for the buildings been put out for bid? Foundations? Structural steel? General trades?

Get some beef jerky and some flavored popcorn for later. While you're there have a crepe at the stand in the SW corner.

This is great news, adding a hotel so close to the Clinic & University Circle area, plus bringing new life back to a great old building. I'm curious how MRN is getting financed for projects like this right now. Other developers I've spoken with have said finance plans for these things are pretty much gone.