clvlndr

From the article I get the sense that both the Liberty and the new building would, together, house the 80 units.

Good news, the handsome old apt. building at 2691 E. 116 just won in the latest Ohio historic tax credits and will finally be reborn with 20 viable apt units (see article link and Google Street views below). Unfortunately this building's neighbor was demolished nearly 2 decades ago and replaced with those ugly/faceless Fairview low rise unites on the shared lot to the south. ^^Also, speaking of Methyl Ave, there were similar old apt buildings along this street near E. 116 but apparently they were demolished in favor of the former GetGo gas station on the Shaker Blvd. corner. Hopefully the revival of 2691 will signal some semblance of rebirth to this area which obviously has great transit accessibility with the nearby Rapid station... Unfortunately the area around the E. 116 Rapid station has been the biggest TOD disaster in the RTA system with the station surrounded by to gas stations, a small, 1-story Social Security office and, most recently, a neighborhood public library and the relocated Rice elementary school. I say it's the worst simply because this area has so much TOD potential -- a generally stable neighborhood (more to the north) with solid housing (even with some decay), and a narrow E. 116 with the below street level Rapid stop that's as unobtrusive as a subway at this location... ... sure hope the TOD designs KJP mentioned up-thread come to fruition. http://realestate.cleveland.com/realestate-news/2017/06/akrons_bowery_project_former_n.html#incart_river_home https://www.google.com/maps/place/2629+E+116th+St,+Cleveland,+OH+44120/@41.4857195,-81.6029302,3a,75y,142h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1spf1ahBfME1Rzppc6f-sATg!3e11!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fmaps%2Fphotothumb%2Ffd%2Fv1%3Fbpb%3DChAKDnNlYXJjaC5UQUNUSUxFEkAKEgl7AomagvwwiBFNmAEuR57w2xIKDeQ2uhgVMWNczxoSCcPD83ao_DCIEcxcMXI2RZVKKgoN6ja6GBXtY1zPGgQIVhBW%26gl%3DUS!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x8830fc829a89027b:0xdbf09e472e01984d!8m2!3d41.4856938!4d-81.6028691

So there's no concept drawing for the new infill building as yet?

Or if they panned left a little, it could include the construction scene for Centric. I guess the point is, UC is growing enough that it would take several different vantage points to photograph everything. And hopefully UC3 will get underway soon which will make for multiple-focal-point CBD generally along Euclid. Plus the former Mi Pueblo restaurant is still in the photo not yet replaced by the narrow apt building that is currently nearly completed.

Hard to believe that a decade ago, Uptown's location was a bunch of surface parking lots adjacent to a few historic residences and a couple bland, set-back-from-the-street mid-rise apts... Now it's blossomed into one of my fave neighborhoods in all of the CLE.

I know some knock Margaritaville as a chain, but the architectural build-out from the original Toby Keith's frame looks interesting, if nothing else, esp. the outdoor elevated balcony overlooking the river.

I see the W. 25-Ohio City Red Line elevator is listed as being back in service after about a week of being out. This is inexcusable as W. 25, aside from Tower City, has the steepest climb to street level (and along a narrow stairway at a busy station, on top of that). The difference being, of course, is that while TC (the busiest station in the system) is served by 2 sets of escalators and an ADA-compliant elevator, W. 25th only has 1 elevator. On Tuesday while going to/from this station, I witnessed an elderly gentleman with a walker waiting mid-level on the stairs, either waiting till a group of folks heading down to pass so he could continue struggling upwards (or he was just plain pooped). Later I saw a young couple struggling to carry their baby's stroller (with the baby in it!) down the steep stairs to the platform. It's inexcusable for RTA to keep such a critical elevator out for so long... but hey, West Boulevard's station is listed with its elevator being down since June 13, ... their escalator down since December 26, 2016!!!!

Saturday was my first venture into FEB this year where we stayed well into the night. It was packed as I've never seen it -- it certainly matched, and may have exceeded, those 90s Flats crowds, certainly on the East Bank. And what's even more noteworthy is there was no special event or Indians game on Saturday. So if anything, average summer crowds could end up being EVEN BIGGER than this one. It's such a tight/restricted area, which is why the Rapid was built down there in the first place... If it's like this now, think about what it will be like once Phase III is finally built.

No question about it.

Dan Gilbert is a control freak. As ESPN is reporting, in his 12 years as Cavs owner, Gilbert has yet to extend a GM... Griffin only made trades to send the team to 3 consecutive finals and 1 title... I'm fearful this could reignite the LeBron-Gilbert feud with LeBron's contract up after next season. This is just an absolute foolish move timing-wise given the current trade talks to try and make the team competitive with the Warriors who, at the moment, are clearly superior.

Got into town Friday night and Saturday evening, after attending an excellent, well-attended Shaker Square Festival + Larchmere Porchfest, we headed downtown... by car; wanted to go to the Flats which was both: great decision/big mistake). It was around 10:30 or so when we arrived downtown. But heading north from Public Square, we knew there was trouble ahead -- 2 solid lines of traffic on St. Clair and Lakeside heading westbound ... into the Flats. They were both literal parking lots; but what choice did we have. It was a gorgeous breezy night after a hot/humid 92 degree day... Who wouldn't want to be down near water where all the excitement was? But the drive in was a nightmare. It took about 30-35 minutes to get down to the Flats and ditch the car at the first available place we could find -- in this case, we saw a car leaving the $10 lot next to the Archer Apts. People wise, I haven't seen the Flats this packed since the glory days of the 90s. Every venue was overflowing; the outdoor deck Coastal Taco was converted into a disco with a DJ; the food-only Alley Cat closed at around 11:30, not long after we arrived. But the narrow FEB streets were total gridlock. Obvious solution: run the RTA Waterfront Line until 2p (last train, Blue Line, actually leaving at 2:15) from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. This was done in the late 90s early 2000s to much success. Rapid trains -- oftentimes running in 2-car sets, were highly patronized. Even packed on some runs, esp when the clubs/bars generally were closing between 1:30 and 2p. This policy was done until the Flats declined in the early 2000s. But they are clearly alive and well today -- and they still are being developed. We didn't see any free Trolleys, but if we did, they would have been gridlocked just like every other the vehicle (plus the Trolleys shut down after 11p anyway, as I understand). There are only a few vehicles known to mankind that could have circumnavigated that traffic: a helicopter, a personal jetpack ... or an RTA Waterfront Line train ... much as WFL trains did in the 90s as we rolled past standing cars heading to Tower City and the burbs. So why not now? All Aboard Ohio's advocacy in this would make sense and could move the dial. And after one brief comment by Adam Fishman griping about the (then) proposed WFL cutbacks, we haven't heard squat from Fairmount, who's FEB development would certainly benefit from WFL trains lightening the gridlock. It was such a mess, we decided to sit along the Boardwalk, then outside Coastal Taco and wait until the traffic eased ... by about 3:30a!!! But it was warm and fun and a lot of folks were doing the same. Great boat and people watching, including watching the furious traffic security guy yelling at disobedient drivers and nearly get into fights with some of them; poor guy eventually got into an argument with his fellow security guy, cuss him out and stomp off the job in a huff ... Run the damn Rapid to handle these crowds. but don't take if from me... Overheard was one angry gridlocked driver yelling to his brood has his car was literally sitting on the out-of-service Rapid tracks waiting for the traffic to move up the Main Ave hill: "They built the damn train, why don't they use it!?" ... this guy was a lot more succinct that I've been in this post...

Got into town Friday night and Saturday evening, after attending an excellent, well-attended Shaker Square Festival + Larchmere Porchfest, we headed downtown... by car; wanted to go to the Flats which was both: great decision/big mistake). It was around 10:30 or so when we arrived downtown. But heading north from Public Square, we knew there was trouble ahead -- 2 solid lines of traffic on St. Clair and Lakeside heading westbound ... into the Flats. They were both literal parking lots; but what choice did we have. It was a gorgeous breezy night after a hot/humid 92 degree day... Who wouldn't want to be down near water where all the excitement was? But the drive in was a nightmare. It took about 30-35 minutes to get down to the Flats and ditch the car at the first available place we could find -- in this case, we saw a car leaving the $10 lot next to the Archer Apts. People wise, I haven't seen the Flats this packed since the glory days of the 90s. Every venue was overflowing; the outdoor deck Coastal Taco was converted into a disco with a DJ; the food-only Alley Cat closed at around 11:30, not long after we arrived. But the narrow FEB streets were total gridlock. Obvious solution: run the RTA Waterfront Line until 2p (last train, Blue Line, actually leaving at 2:15) from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. This was done in the late 90s early 2000s to much success. Rapid trains -- oftentimes running in 2-car sets, were highly patronized. Even packed on some runs, esp when the clubs/bars generally were closing between 1:30 and 2p. This policy was done until the Flats declined in the early 2000s. But they are clearly alive and well today -- and they still are being developed. We didn't see any free Trolleys, but if we did, they would have been gridlocked just like every other the vehicle (plus the Trolleys shut down after 11p anyway, as I understand). There are only a few vehicles known to mankind that could have circumnavigated that traffic: a helicopter, a personal jetpack ... or an RTA Waterfront Line train ... much as WFL trains did in the 90s as we rolled past standing cars heading to Tower City and the burbs. So why not now? All Aboard Ohio's advocacy in this would make sense and could move the dial. And after one brief comment by Adam Fishman griping about the (then) proposed WFL cutbacks, we haven't heard squat from Fairmount, who's FEB development would certainly benefit from WFL trains lightening the gridlock. It was such a mess, we decided to sit along the Boardwalk, then outside Coastal Taco and wait until the traffic eased ... by about 3:30a!!! But it was warm and fun and a lot of folks were doing the same. Great boat and people watching, including watching the furious traffic security guy yelling at disobedient drivers and nearly get into fights with some of them; poor guy eventually got into an argument with his fellow security guy, cuss him out and stomp off the job in a huff ... Run the damn Rapid to handle these crowds. but don't take if from me... Overheard was one angry gridlocked driver yelling to his brood has his car was literally sitting on the Rapid waiting for the traffic to move up the Main Ave hill: "They built the damn train, why don't they use it!?" ... this guy was a lot more succinct that I've been in this post...

Sounds like a great idea. I'm guessing this rail line isn't unlike our Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway here in Cleveland. It's interested that some suburban Indy folks want to tear up the track for a hiking trail... IIRC Indy has a couple other greenways where LRT could be/could have been built. Hiking trails are all well and good, but give me a working commuter rail line any day of the week.

^^^^I'm not doing cartwheels. It's neither great nor horrible. I do like the density this building brings.

... the good news for the so-called Forgotten Triangle is the Orlando Bakery and Miceli Dairy Co. are thriving (even expanding) down there. I'm not optimistic about serious residential development there -- if it happens, great, but I'm not holding my breath. Light, tax-generating industry would seem the most likely use, but concentrate it near the 2 E. 79th Street Rapid stations on the Red and Blue-Green lines.

You raise excellent points, Ken. Quite obviously I don't like this project, but it's reality now and the time for complaining is over. It's too bad it took a highway-like roadway to stimulate a little development, but it is what it is. Most importantly now is to focus on the movers & shakers of the OC; hold their feet to the fire and truly generate some kind of development, especially TOD.

Onaway Station looks nice and is great for this location. But my fear, as I stated above, is that the few units built (4? 5?) on a small portion of the lot may be all that's going up in the first phase until market and financial conditions are solidified. Willyboy I know some time ago you mentioned you'd be attending a Shaker City council meeting where Onaway Station was to be discussed. Did you go? Did you hear anything?

^It's bad enough the E.116 Rapid station had 2 huge gas station/mini-marts across, now one of them, GetGo, sits empty; and of course, redeveloping gas station properties is always a pain in the butt for developers because of the costs, and environmental issues, in removing the underground gas tanks. Here's hoping, obviously, those proposed TOD projects are built. Otherwise abandoned gas stations tend to stay that way for long periods of time.

^You mean A Touch of Italy? I haven't gone in there, but from the times I pass by, it seems a bit of a hangout, although recently they've upgraded it, so I'm not quite sure what's up now... Also even during the midst of the Van Aken end-of-the-line construction and rebuild, there are some places open for business a block south along Chargin in that retail block just east of Farnsleigh. Juma Gallery, which now has outdoor seating along Chagrin, is more of an art house coffee and light snacks place, whereas Swerve Grille a few doors down looks like more of bar/hangout joint. It's true, Shaker has always been more conservative in terms of retail establishments. Bars seem frowned upon as opposed to more family-oriented establishments, including the few restaurants Shaker even has... So as noted above, if you want a more bar/hangout scene, gotta head north, either via Uber, Lyft or RTA's #40 bus into Cleveland Heights, which has always had a hipper more laid back scene than Shaker.

We see with FEB Phases I and II, development is slowly rising along the Waterfront Line and, in a decade or so when we have the NC Transportation Center + Greyhound, FEB Phase III, the Trammell Crow development in/around Browns' Stadium and the Rock Hall and maybe even the outlet mall at MUNY lot, many, many butts will be in WFL seats and the City will be patting itself on the back for the foresight and the genius of building the WFL some 25-30 years prior... What you guys (along with most City officials) continue to fail to understand (and what seasoned, nationally recognized urban planners like Hunter Morrison clearly get), is that TOD development is supposed to be coordinated with rail transit in a way to make both successful. You just don't build a rail line, not develop the adjacent RE, then people don't ride and you deem rail a failure and a waste (exactly what's happened with WFL). That's not how it's done in practically any successful transit city you can name, the most striking being DC... ... and even here Cleveland. The Van Sweringens built their rapid transit into farmland. Had they not coordinated Shaker Heights and Shaker Square development, the Shaker Rapid would be a vague footnote in local history -- which is what happened in places like Milwaukee which built rapid transit during the Vans era (and how's that Milwaukee Rapid doing today? LOL). The Opportunity Corridor is more favorable to Cleveland liking: isn't designed to spur development, just provide a faster commute to/from already existing development - namely Cleveland Clinic, in this case; along this highly expensive roadway (both to build and then maintain) through a rundown area of town. But just because the OC will probably be jammed with West Side-to-CC commuters, don't compare it to the WFL and say it's a success, because the 2 modes are entirely different as, I explained above, rail demands follow through with TOD development... something Cleveland is slowly beginning to understand, esp in Uptown and Little Italy.

I'm with you, brother. It's amazing how little criticism this huge taxpayer project gets, yet to hear the PD and many like-minded folks, RTA's Waterfront rail line (at just 1/5 the cost of the OC) is the biggest boondoggle to Mankind. Just shows how misguided our transportation mindset is.

^The place looks absolutely incredible in itself, and the open-air bar makes it look even sexier (and from the look of those long lines to get drinks, the bar was a major hit among patrons). The overhead walkways connecting to the tunnel are a big plus, too; very well integrated and visually attractive. This building's design is as flawless as one could imagine and just enhances the fact that Edgewater is one of the major urban beaches for a northern city. Chicago is the only place that would have a clear edge (no pun intended), but those Lake Michigan beaches, along with Chicago's sheer size, are just ridiculous. But our Edgewater Park takes a backseat to no city...

Wish I could have made it. Not getting into town til' tomorrow night. I'm sure it was interesting; will check out AAO's account.

^Burglars Hustle.

The Indians so far in 2017 are up a mere 1k over average attendance in 2016. As for % of capacity...Progressive Field is ranked #27 in the MLB by capacity of seats. At its heyday, the Jake would rank #9 today. The Jake held 45,569 in 2010 but has since slashed over 10,000 seats (which is freaking embarrassing). Guess they need to slash 10k more so games look full? Indians' attendance is up 42%, and weekday crowds have increased 45% Through 12 games, the Indians' attendance average of 20,376 is 6,003 ahead of the norm for the first 12 home dates of 2016. The Tribe could top 2 million at the gate for the first time in nine years. https://home.crainscleveland.com/clickshare/authenticateUserSubscription.do?CSProduct=crainscleveland-metered&CSAuthReq=1:173645974950930:AID:610322D7783710FD22C7DD1C9AF77178&AID=/20170501/BLOGS06/170509985&title=Indians%27%20attendance%20is%20up%2042%25%2C%20and%20weekday%20crowds%20have%20increased%2045%25&CSTargetURL=http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20170501/BLOGS06/170509985/indians-attendance-is-up-42-and-weekday-crowds-have-increased-45 The Cleveland Indians boast the highest local TV ratings in Major League Baseball http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2017/05/cleveland_indians_have_highest.html#incart_river_index Now if the team could only match the fans' response on the field... If they keep playing as inconsistently and well below their potential as they've been this season to date, look for those attendance numbers to drop off.