urbanlife

any updates on this service?

here is another take on the square: http://blogonthecity.blogspot.com/2006/06/public-square-is-dead-long-live-public.html

here is a Litt take from today's PD. i don't like how the end of this piece ends up. wtf? http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/plaindealer/steven_litt/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/1150187556278170.xml&coll=2 Short on creativity Constrained by rules, county foggy about center's design Tuesday, June 13, 2006 Steven Litt The search for an architect to design a new administrative center for Cuyahoga County in downtown Cleveland should have been a chance to reach for greatness. Instead, the county's hunt for an architect has been disappointing. Hobbled by rules imposed by state law, the county has interviewed a half-dozen architecture teams in a process that has failed to ignite maximum creativity.

^this is good news. a flannery's update: the new owners (same investor group doing the bowling alley) have done quite a bit of updating/renovations. Coming by the end of June: folding/sliding window-doors from the bar area to a new patio area. They also have wi-fi now. there is also going to be a vertical sign mounted on the corner of e4 and prospect.

unfortunately this seems to be cleveland's response to a lot of problems - reactive and not strategic or ahead of the curve by any means. who would expect a city to inspect businesses that require a permit? to fine/identify unlicensed businesses? to enforce quality of life issues for residents? only once residents started complaining loudly did anything start to happen. this is the bread and butter of the suburbs and i believe a major reason the city continues to struggle to attract new residents.

^ but there are two big lola signs in the windows. big progress...

i think it also gets back to the basics: replacing missing trees, properly trimming existing plantings, replacing failing pavement/brick areas, making sure existing lighting is functioning properly. as long as the quandrants smell like urine, have broken sidewalks and brick areas and are missing plantings, i think this area is just viewed as a dumping ground and not a front door. the nicest quadrant is the SS monument, and it doesn't have very good "public" areas to recreate, imo. the other 3 are in disarray. of course some big $$ improvements would be nice and should be considered in the "master plan", but these fixes are just about attention to detail and place and not a huge dollar outlay.

just heard from someone this morning that the silver line and all rail cars will have LCD tvs (between 17" - 19") installed showing live television - news, sports, weather, and an RTA channel. all closed captioned, but each channel will have FM transmitter so you can listen to the stations individually. pretty cool stuff. should be operational by January 2007 (read: maybe by mid year 2007?) http://www.railnetwork.tv/homepage.html and apparently rail ridership was up another 8% last month. bike ridership up 72% overall from May 2005, although was down slightly on rail. now if we could only find out how much electricty the rapid uses... [edit] added web address

and shaker square is prioritized for pedestrians. with red light cameras, etc. you can't even activiate a crosswalk downtown (either through sensor or button). has anyone noticed the sensors on the back of the new crosswalk signs in shaker square? they sense when somebody is there and activate the cross walk change.

i think there is room for everyone to play. the developers taking the risks (or asking for the public's money) obviously have a business model that factors certain rates of return for their development. Somebody has to pay for wolstein's $15m house out in the boonies, and since he is taking a personal risk, more power to the tax payers in cleveland and the first wave of residents on the east bank for helping him along. it's how a free market works. the point is, there are numerous parking lots, vacant land, underutilzed buildings, brownfields, etc. that are waiting to be developed. maybe we can't all afford or have any interest in developing $400 million of $1B master plan projects, but I think we need to attract additional developers or groups of people in NE Ohio that want to play in the smaller space, a $10m building here and there.

^^^ there is some discussion from a few months ago on this very topic, a few pages back (as well as alternatives): http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=2525.msg77052#msg77052

here is a google map that i put together based on this list. http://www.geocities.com/urbanlife_777/map.htm if anyone has a list of other crimes, let me know and i'll start adding some layers.

another murder on E86 or E89. 6 murders in 5 days. wtf? when is the police department going to start publishing real time maps so residents can monitor what is going in on their neighborhoods- not just murders, but other safety or quality of life issues? onecommunity? digital city? oh wait, that was marketing and press releases. we shouldn't expect real applications based on this platform, or should we? if baltimore can do it, why can't we? http://141.157.54.34/bpdmaps/police.htm

the link to the op-ed talks about turning the existing parking lot into a park (potentially). maybe for part of the lot, for example adding some greenspace next to the existing walkway. but, this area already gets a lot of unwanted loiterers and i'd much rather see some street level development to complement to development in gateway and e4.

maybe the city should tie residential (and commericial for that matter) tax abatements to meeting either leed residential requirements or other city defined green standards? 15 year abatement - highest level of LEED 10 year abatement - middle level

From crains, http://www.crainscleveland.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060605/REG/60602044/1008/2020 Cleveland State president Michael Schwartz says the school has changed dramatically in the five years since he's been there. "There's just a lost of action going on here," he says. Photo credit: JESSE KRAMER Urban Upgrade President Michael Schwartz has Cleveland State developing a new identity By SHANNON MORTLAND 6:00 am, June 5, 2006 As Michael Schwartz strolls through the physical education building at Cleveland State University, he pauses to look out the window at a group of students relaxing on a couple of blankets on the lawn. “That’s what we want to see more of,” he said. As president of Cleveland State, Dr. Schwartz is spearheading a host of construction projects and launching new academic programs to improve the world’s view — and the students’ view — of the urban university. For years, some have considered Cleveland State a second-rate school, where students didn’t need high grade point averages and SAT and ACT test scores to be accepted, he said. It’s also been seen as a university that wasn’t very involved in the local and academic communities at large. But those views are changing. “The university I came to five years ago was the most risk-averse I’ve ever seen. It’s not that way anymore,” he said. “There’s just a lot of action going on here. There’s a lot of research money coming in. In terms of spending, we’re starting to look like Kent (State University).” Indeed, by the end of 2010, Cleveland State will have spent $225 million on new construction and renovations to existing buildings since 2004. The university will incur a lot of debt but the payback is expected to be a livelier feel to what has long been a commuter campus. 'A reason to be' on campus One of Cleveland State’s most noticeable projects is the construction of the $29 million, 130,000-square-foot recreation center scheduled to open in the fall. The new center boasts an overhead jogging track, basketball, racquetball and squash courts, two multi-purpose rooms and a daycare center. The $30 million renovation of Fenn Tower at Euclid Avenue and East 24th Street is being transformed into updated student housing, with half the rooms including a kitchenette and a living room. The building will add 438 beds for on-campus housing. Dr. Schwartz is hoping the new dorms and the recreation center will encourage students to stay on campus, instead of racing back to their suburban homes after class. “If you’re going to build a campus culture, you do it because the students are going to be here,” he said. “A lot of students didn’t have a reason to be here a lot.” The main classroom building will be renovated to turn the dark, outdoor area that connects it to Rhodes Tower into a brightly-lit, indoor student relaxation and study area. Cleveland State also is planning a new student union to replace the existing University Center building on Euclid Avenue. University Center, where many student services and a food court are located, has a five-story, glass atrium that is “useless” because poor acoustics prevent if from being used for meetings or events, Dr. Schwartz said. The end of 'Concrete U.' Dr. Schwartz thinks the decision to spruce up the 42-year-old university’s campus will help change how outsiders — and even himself — have viewed Cleveland State. His first impression of Cleveland State was that the campus felt very “Soviet,” with its concrete buildings and small windows. “It was harsh,” Dr. Schwartz said. “It looked terrible. There was no grass, no water. The students called it Concrete U. and they were right,” he said. “The idea is to make it softer, make it more welcoming, to give people a sense that they’ve found a very comfortable place to learn.” Dr. Schwartz started by renovating the main plaza, which sits atop the Rhodes Tower parking garage. The plaza’s tall trees hid the view of the downtown skyline, so he replaced them with a water fountain, benches, walkways and smaller trees. However, he admits he took some initial criticism — and even a hefty punch in the chest from one staffer who didn’t want the old trees removed. Changing attitudes But the transformation at Cleveland State is about more than bricks and mortar. Dr. Schwartz said administrators have encouraged faculty to go beyond their usual curriculum. “It’s OK to be thoughtful and creative,” he said he assured the faculty. “I got the feeling that people were waiting for permission for it.” Faculty morale has since skyrocketed and partnerships between the university and public and private entities have flourished, he said. In a 1989 university survey of full-time undergraduate faculty, only 54.4% of the 68 respondents reported overall job satisfaction. In a survey in 2004, 80% of the 182 faculty respondents were happy with their jobs. Dr. Schwartz attributes the faculty’s happiness to their being able to grow on a professional level and to try new things. One example he gives is the collaboration between Cleveland State and the NASA Glenn Research Center. Of the eight active research projects between CSU and NASA, one of the most exciting includes “power beaming,” in which students and NASA engineers are trying to figure out how to beam power from space to Earth and between satellites in space. The College of Education in 2003 launched the First Ring Leadership Academy to train people to become principals in the 13 suburban school districts surrounding Cleveland. Dr. Schwartz wants to expand that program to train leaders in areas such as nonprofits and government. “There is lots and lots of opportunity for us to do leadership types of academies in other venues,” he said. Embracing the community But Dr. Schwartz also wants Cleveland State to do its part at home. Cleveland State has established the Fenn Academy, which is a pre-engineering program offered in 19 area high schools. Five local companies provide operational support for the program and scholarships, internships, co-ops and job shadowing for participating students. In addition, Cleveland State in 2004 helped create the Beachwood Business Development Center to recruit companies to open an office in the eastern suburb, said Tom Sudow, executive director of the Beachwood Chamber of Commerce. The center so far has recruited and provided services for 25 companies, which last year raised a combined $25 million in investment capital and to date have hired 133 employees worldwide, Mr. Sudow said. “(Dr. Schwartz) has a vision that’s not the ivory tower vision,” he said. Dr. Schwartz said he’s just trying to create a better environment for the students, one he hopes will boost the university’s stagnant enrollment of about 16,000. “We’re doing everything we know how to do to make this the easiest, most accessible place in the world,” he said. “We’re trying to take really good care of the students.”

from a link in Crains: http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=BBE6EF74488586F14666717E57F3999D If this is for real, we should expect to see some cranes soon. Cleveland Office Market Riding Record Crest Torrid Absorption Pacing Record Investment Sales Investors across the U.S. may not have figured it out, but the homegrown real estate community in Cleveland knows a good thing when they see it -- and the Cleveland office market is a good thing right now. 2005 was the biggest year ever achieved in terms of investment sales volume and 2006 so far is outpacing that record. Absorption is also occurring at a torrid pace. Net absorption has totaled more than 825,000 square feet this year compared to about 695,000 square feet for all of last year, according to CoStar Group data. The activity translates into a lucrative year so far for the brokerage community as well. "We do not track by square feet, but on a closed commission basis we are up over 75% for the same five months of 2005," says Jim Gerspacher, president of Gerspacher Real Estate. "The greater percentage by far has been leasing commissions which are up 236%, while sales commissions are up 56% for the same time period." The office market turnabout kicked off in late 2004 says, James P. Breen, principal of Breen & Fox. "The effects of the tax cuts that had stimulated the national economy started to finally take hold here," Breen says. "And as decisionmakers found that the growth was sustainable, they started to make some long-term commitments to space, particularly in the past 18 months. In addition, you are actually starting to see a real tightening, as reported by employment and executive search firms here locally in the labor markets. These are all good signs for the office market." Breen paints an interesting scenario for Cleveland's downtown given the brisk pace of absorption. "If you look at Class A and B buildings built after 1950 or 1960, the vacancy rates are in the 14% range today, and I think the actuals are a little lower, as some buildings are 'sand-bagging' on their reporting of occupancy levels," Breen says. "Now if you take the current rate of absorption in that class of buildings and project it out, it gets real interesting, real fast," he adds. "At the current rate of absorption, the vacancy rate for that class of buildings becomes 4% in only six quarters, or the end of 2007, and it goes to zero -- that's right zero -- in the third quarter of 2008." "Granted these are only projections," Breen notes, "but to run reasonable projections (that don't even factor in any growth in the absorption rate) that result in zero space in that category in only nine quarters or 820 days would have been thought of as unachievable a couple of years ago." Larger tenants are already in a bind. The law firm of Baker & Hostetler will require 200,000 square feet by January 2008, says Alex Jelepis, an office broker with Grubb-Ellis and whose name is a common sight on for lease signs in windows downtown. Right now Baker & Hostetler has only two existing options, Jelepis says, staying at National City Center or relocating to 200 Public Square. "Gradual economic expansion coupled with a lack of new CBD inventory has driven demand especially for downtown Class A, which is approaching healthy vacancy levels of approximately 11 to 11.5%," Jelepis says. "Law firms, professional services, insurance and financial services are contributing to demand as these sectors appear to be well-performing and growing in Cleveland." The city of Cleveland has aided the downtown resurgence, says Myrna I. Rodriguez-Previte, vice president of Midwest Real Estate Partners LLC. "The city's new Job Creation Grant is one of the attributing factors for the year's expected strong office absorption," Rodriguez-Previte says. "Questex Media being the first recipient, relocating to Fifth Third Center from a west side suburb, and to date five other companies have been approved or awarded the grant." Rodriguez-Previte and Kevin M. Piunno also of Midwest represented Ashley Capital, the owner of Fifth Third Center, in Questex Media Group's 19,264-square-foot lease. Jelepis represented Questex. Building sales have surged on this wave of leasing activity in this downtown that fronts the waters of Lake Erie. The two largest office property transfers in past year are illustrative of what has been happening to real estate values, too. 1. 200 Public Square (mentioned earlier). The 1.2 million-square-foot sold a year ago for $141 million or about $119/square foot. Jelepis was the listing broker on the deal. 2. 127 Public Square. This 1.4 million-square-foot changed control six months ago in an ownership reconstitution deal that totaled $315.7 million or about $230/square foot. "I think there are a few things driving this," says Alec Pacella, CCIM and investment broker with Grubb & Ellis. "First is the recovering office market. Fundamentals are clearly improving, with decreasing vacancy rates, increasing leasing velocity and absorption, decreasing concessions and stabilizing rents. Bolstered by these positive signs, investors are purchasing with confidence, as the prospects of reaping future rent appreciation seem good." "Second," Pacella says, "there remains an abundance of capital out there. Despite their recent run-up, interest rates remain at very low levels, which allows buyers to leverage up their already full war chests. And third, supply is catching up with demand." Cleveland's suburban communities, too, are not being left out of the resurgence. An example is what happened with the 462,00-square-foot Allen Bradley Building in Mayfield Heights. Owner Rockwell Automation sold the property last November for $55.3 million or about $120/square foot. The new owners then flipped the property this past February for $61.4 million or nearly $133/square foot. Investors have even expanded their acquisition horizon further out from downtown this year. Cleveland developer Mark R. Munsell purchased a major interest in 13 office buildings totaling 626,000 square feet in nearby Akron this spring. The seller Dellagnese Properties retained a small interest. And while a purchase price was never disclosed, Munsell mortgaged the properties for $73.25 million. Assuming a standard loan-to-value ratio of 70%, the price for the properties could well have exceeded $100 million. "There is no denying that the market is brisk, clearly bolstered by the Dellagnese/Munsell portfolio transaction that closed a few months ago," Pacella says. "The past few years have been characterized by a shortage of quality product. It seems as this year, the product pipeline is filling and, with the Duke office portfolio looming on the horizon, this trend is certain to continue. So considering the start that we are off to, it looks to me that this year could shape up to be even bigger than last year."

wow. from today's PD. what's up with Lorain / Fulton area? this area seems to have quite a few problems. is it just the easy access to the neighborhood? the residents? http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/114940999598790.xml&coll=2 Law and Order Sunday, June 04, 2006 Donna J. Miller and Steve Luttner In less than 48 hours, four men and a teenage boy were killed in unrelated homicides in Cleveland. A 48-year-old man died at Huron Hospital on Saturday after he was shot in a driveway in the 1900 block of East 89th Street. Police did not disclose the man's name because relatives had not yet been contacted. [email protected], 216-999-4852 [email protected], 1-800-628-6689

don't do it KJP! this is one developer that just keeps building without press and has been very successful. as soon as renderings start coming out of a bigger master plan... if that is the case, then my guess is that it isn't the KD people suggesting some of the new stuff. they seem very press adverse.

the downtown communitity bike patrols are a nice addition, but i agree that there seems to be no good reason not to have more bike/foot police patrols. it is nice having the horses back, but i think these are better for larger events where a towering presences is necessary. as for drugs downtown...what a mess...i'm not surprised at all about public square. but, the real hotbed on the east side is E.13 between euclid and chester in the back corner of a surface lot at 1900 E13. all kinds of crazy shit goes down here at all hours, but especially nights and weekends. these are the same people that then spill downtpwn and ask for money and create other problems. from this location, it is easy to disappear to central, st clair, downtown or wherever.

but it looks like a mix to me. the first 2 levels/garage and the interior framing for elevator and stair shafts appears normal steel. on level 3, it looks like they are framing out with the light guage steel, similar to the other stonebridge buildings.

the problem with going upscale in the galleria would be the food court. i can remember shopping years ago in the galleria when there were actually stores open, but i can't remember what the food court consisted of.

weren't there 2 more murders over the weekend? E.93/kinsman and W.25/franklin? any info on these?

my only fear is that there should be 10 efforts like this going on for different properties downtown. as inevitably happens, some projects don't work for various reasons, but 1 or 2 go forward. so if you have 10 in the pipeline, at least 10% get built. until there are cranes in the air, i'm very skeptical, but i hope that others can build on this excitement and actually make projects happen.

I'm not trying to be negative about lack of funding, etc. I think that what has happened to date with parkworks has been positive. But, if they do need money, what better place to describe the need, than on the website. I think that if you are going to have a website, you should plan on updating key material yearly, or quarterly, or as appropriate - not a site redesign, just uploading text, photos. Is there no one on the staff that can upload new text or at least remove dated references?