inlovewithCLE

Cleveland State University takes another step toward converting Mather Mansion to hotel: Higher Education "A year after Cleveland State University sought proposals from developers willing to sublease its historic Mather Mansion and develop it into a boutique hotel, university officials have decided to proceed with a development agreement with the Chesler Group. The project will go forward only if Chesler, in Novelty, can put together a financial package to pay the estimated $12.6 million to redevelop the property, CSU officials said. CSU owns the 43-room Tudor mansion at 2605 Euclid Ave. Completed in 1910 for iron-mining millionaire Samuel Mather, it is on the National Register of Historic Places. The building housed various CSU departments but has been vacant since August, 2011." http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/12/cleveland_state_university_tak.html#incart_river_default

Generally speaking, how many rooms do we need in order to be competitive for major events?

"Puri has repeatedly asked the school board to renovate the school, as it did with similar landmarked schools like John Hay and Rhodes high schools. School officials say the state's rules for paying for school construction is driving their choice to build a new school. The state won't cover any of the $1.3 million it would cost to renovate the auditorium and, because the school is bigger than needed for its students, the district would have to pay millions on its own to renovate. Renovating the entire school would cost $45.5 million, officials estimate - less than $1 million more than the current plans to build a smaller school. Demolishing part of the school, renovating part and building a new addition would cost $46.8 million. But under the state formula, the cost to the district for the different options varies. Cleveland taxpayers would pay a $21 million share for a new school, $27 million for a partial renovation and $32 million for a full renovation." http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2012/02/clevelands_john_marshall_high.html

Building money that the state gave to CMSD can ONLY be spent on new construction. No new construction, no money. Doesn't seem to be much of a choice in this case

Tiny-apartment trend trickles down to Cleveland, as developers plan University Circle project CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Consider 300 square feet. It's a single-car garage or a few office cubicles. It could fit eight times into the average new American dwelling. And it's what more people in cities including Cleveland could call home, as developers explore building tiny, efficient apartments in bustling urban neighborhoods. Often called micro-apartments, these small living spaces are popping up in high-rent hotspots like Boston and New York. In San Francisco, the Board of Supervisors just approved building code changes that lowered the minimum allowable size of an apartment to 220 square feet. Now a Cleveland development team hopes to build 80 small apartments in University Circle, where schools and hospitals attract young people for several-year stints.... Coral and Panzica Construction Co. are considering a stack of 300-square-foot studios, 450-square-foot one-bedroom apartments and 600-square-foot two-bedroom units as part of their Intesa project on Mayfield Road. The $100 million planned development, announced in March, would replace a surface parking lot at the edge of Little Italy with offices, housing, parking, retail and a hub for tech companies." http://mobile.cleveland.com/advcleve/db_268982/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=o8G5LYoH

KJP is right. I don't know what everyone else is thinking here. By design, the County does not have the power to do the things that the city can in terms of setting design requirements, land use, zoning, etc. It would essentially cause a constitutional crisis if they did, as that would represent a gross usurpation of the (state) constitutional power of municipalities. Come on guys, no one remembers their Government classes? Sheesh.

I don't count the Beacon Journal (or the News Herald for that matter) because they don't target "Cleveland". They're in the market, but they target the outskirts of it, and papers that do that usually don't count as another "major" paper Yeah I'm sure there's a more specific definition that could be used for "major newspaper," but I generally consider the News Herald to be in the same class as the Sun Newspapers because they deal with suburban areas. Then again I would actually count the Beacon-Journal as sort of being in the same class as the Plain Dealer because it's the main newspaper for a large, urban area based around a big(-ish) city. I could see how you could consider the Beacon Journal as in the same class as the PD. I still consider them not counting in terms of the other "major" paper because the city they focus on is Akron. They don't really serve Cleveland. They're in the "number 2" by default, not by design

I don't count the Beacon Journal (or the News Herald for that matter) because they don't target "Cleveland". They're in the market, but they target the outskirts of it, and papers that do that usually don't count as another "major" paper

Small office building south of it?? As late as last year K&D still wanted to do some variation of the Ameritrust plan they originally had in 2008. So as I said before, we have a pretty good idea what K&D would do with the building if they had it. So I stand by my original point. If they got it, it's a win

MRN in this project would be nice. But I'm not gonna be crying if K&D gets it. That's called "not letting perfect be the enemy of good." It would be absurd to be upset about K&D getting it, especially when this is a key building in a key corridor and we already know what K&D would do with it, and it's not bad. If we complain about K&D getting this building and, I don't know, actually putting it to good use, that's like the Browns winning two games in a row and people complaining cause it was ugly. Who cares? A win is a win is a win. If MRN gets this building, it's a win. If K&D gets it, it's a win. Period. A win is a win.

Isn't that all the more reason to care? I see what you're saying though, that this site must be returned to productive use. Exactly. Not that I don't care about the quality of the project. But that this is so important that I don't care about who's name is on the door.

I agree with competition. But this site is so important that I really don't care who does it

East 73rd is downtown? I always wondered why we were never required to take a geography class as part of our journalism studies. Clearly some really need it. I believe that the PD makes money as is, printing seven days a week. I don't know the full story, so I won't give my opinion. However the guild seems to believe that this move is being made to break them. Maybe the guild needs to start a competing paper. Competing paper?? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. PLEASE get that suggestion to them. Not just because of the issue at the PD, but because a reasonably large media market like ours (28th largest, in the top 30) should have two newspapers. I think it really hurts our market by only having one.

You NEED the fluff pieces though, as long as they're positive. Can't overlook that. That's part of changing the image of Cleveland. (Something we don't pay as much attention to as we should.) We need "sexy". Don't ignore the "sexy", people! 8-) So, although fluff pieces may not be your thing (and I, like you, don't know how big this particular site is), things like this do influence people who's only exposure to Cleveland is from the handful of times our sports teams are on national TV. Don't sleep on it. Its important. Image matters in 21st century America.

I agree with you. This is much ado about nothing and food snobbery

The problem with that is that it slows down the process of actually getting anything done. No one knows what the economic environment is going to be next year, especially if we go off the fiscal cliff. So I'm of the belief that you gotta get it done and done quickly. I don't want to take the chance of a delay that ends up pushing this thing back another 5 years

this is the silliest idea I've seen. First, I don't think its overexaggerating to say that I want to see the medication of anyone who thinks that Michigan (especially DETROIT of all places) is in a better position than Cleveland, Columbus, Cinci, or, hell, the whole state of Ohio. Lay down the pipe. I mean, seriously. First, Detroit is facing bankruptcy, like now, like RIGHT now, like they may not make it through January 2013 without going bankrupt. Follow them? What an absurd thing to say. Headline: Detroit seen as bankruptcy-bound http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2012/11/29/Detroit-seen-as-bankruptcy-bound/UPI-74011354220958/ Headline: Detroit on the Verge of Insolvency, Again http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324020804578149591181529974.html Headline: Detroit's bond status downgraded even more by Moody's http://www.freep.com/article/20121129/NEWS01/121129054/Detroit-junk-status-bond-rating-Moody-s-Investors-Service?odyssey=nav%7Chead And this was just this week! Detroit is facing bankruptcy for the THIRD YEAR IN A ROW. And it looks like they may actually go bankrupt for real this time. (If it happens, they will be the largest American city to go bankrupt EVER. In the history of the American Republic.) So following Michigan's lead, especially Detroit, is so ridiculous that I don't know if there's a response that gives it justice. And I (only half-jokingly) question my sanity and the sanity of my fellow commenters who decided to engage in this foolishness.

Upper Chester plan in Cleveland's Hough neighborhood set for City Council review Construction might start in late 2013 on a grocery store, apartments and senior housing in Cleveland's Hough neighborhood. Legislation paving the way for the $94 million project, much of it on city-owned land, was introduced at City Council on Monday and is scheduled for a hearing Friday morning before the Cleveland City Planning Commission. That legislation would allow the city to enter a development agreement with the Finch Group of Florida, which has been pursuing Upper Chester for years. Both the developer and the city say it's urgent to push the long-delayed project forward. Financing for the 295 market-rate apartments is available at strikingly low interest rates, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is open to modifying deed restrictions that make it hard to build on the property. To start construction next year, the Finch Group also must meet a February application deadline for tax credits to support the senior housing. http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/11/upper_chester_plan_in_clevelan.html#incart_river_default

Uh, people that may not have the time right now to go to some of the places that you're talking about. I know I don't always have the time to go to OCB or Noodlecat. Sometimes I have to just grab what I can get when I'm on the go. The idea that you can say with absolute certainty what large groups of people do just because they frequent a McDonald's is absurd and snobbish. Everybody who goes to fast food restaurants don't litter. In fact, I would venture to say that most don't. Teenagers, that's a different story. But they're not the only ones that go to fast food restaurants. So yes that is stereotypical, yes that is snobbish, and yes that is a gross overgeneralization of people.

WOW thats one hell of a stereotype.

Personally, I'm ok with GFS being here. This will be the only one in the city of Cleveland, correct? As a general rule, I believe that we should have everything the suburbs have. Now, as I said in the Ohio City thread about McDonalds, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't put pressure to make sure their designs conform to urban standards. But I'd rather have them in the city than in the suburbs. I strongly believe that we should have all that they have and then some.

Bingo. This is how it should be done. And it also shows that it CAN be done.

Not wanting a McDonald's in one's neighborhood is "food snobbery"? Oh my. When there's high unemployment and people need jobs (ANY jobs)? Yes, yes it is.

327 I absolutely agree. While a McDonalds is not ideal, food snobbery does not equal progress. And yes, a McJob is better than no job, especially in areas close to this one that has had relatively high unemployment (in good times and bad, in booms and busts, under Republicans and Democrats). Now this is NOT to say that we can't or shouldn't put pressure on McDonalds to build a restaurant that is aesthetically pleasing, or at least not aesthetically offensive. The new McDonalds on Warrensville Center Road, the inside of which looks like a cafe, is a good example of what we could and should have here. So we can make sure that it's not the same old, tired, standard, vanilla McDonalds. But we shouldn't be against them building here. We should be glad that they want to.

Wasn't sure where to put this... Upper Chester plans stirring near University Circle, years after Cleveland project stalled The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently signaled that it is willing to change those deed restrictions, making a project possible. And a developer says the time is right with strikingly low interest rates and other financing that might dry up in a year. City officials express a similar sense of urgency. They're vetting a proposal from the Finch Group, the Florida developer that has been chasing Upper Chester for half a decade. The company's plans, for the $94 million first phase of the project, call for 295 apartments, a grocery store and senior housing. "Now is a good time to move on this," said Chris Warren, chief of regional development for Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson. "We would not want to delay this two years, because who knows what the climate will be two years from now." The Finch Group, which owns the nearby Park Lane Villa apartments, is targeting 38 acres of Upper Chester, bounded by East 93rd and East 101st streets and stretching north from Chester toward Hough Avenue. The city of Cleveland owns much of the land, once occupied by houses and low-income apartments. http://mobile.cleveland.com/advcleve/pm_29207/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=TaeaWmi4