Mendo

Where? I looked through agendas on CPC's website going back through October. Can't find it through Google either. edit: Brief video shot of the presentation here (1:09 in). From what you can tell, it looks typical (bad). http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/273463/3/Neighbors-say-McDonalds-would-create-more-traffic

At least there's no surface parking or greenspace, and it's built up to the property lines. It's got that going for it I guess.

Did McDonalds ever offer up a site plan?

From the article: Little disappointed. I was hoping we would hear about plans for that site too.

The county has trimmed a lot of fat since then.

Meh, I expect strange and out of place when architecture students get involved. Mostly because they are trying to get a name for themselves. I agree it looks off the shelf, but it's a simple enough design that it shouldn't age poorly. It fits the surrounding area while still having a touch of class.

^ Good on them for their success! That shoe he's holding in the pic is pretty sweet.

It does say "one of". A couple of the buildings in the Warehouse district are pretty big. Crittendon or Bridgeview?

I think we're all assuming it was the Cuyahoga County government. It makes sense given the timing of Forest City "ending negotiations" a week before the county announces the winning bid. The county apparently asked for renovations and FCE balked. Those miserable SOB's are unwilling to spend even one cent in the city they supposedly call home. Their loss is Optima's gain (probably). edit: should have refreshed the thread before posting -- beaten by two other people.

The parking garage and green space takes up two-thirds of the project's surface area. Plus possibly another parking garage across the street on UH property. I wonder if this is the final site design. I'd love to see more apartments and office space and less parking, but that's not gonna happen. http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/03/university_circle_could_see_pa.html http://media.cleveland.com/business_impact/photo/lot-45-intesa-site-planjpg-41ccf3c7feda07d9.jpg

You folks throwing out your backs need to start lifting weights. KJP, your doc had the right idea. People don't realize how much their bodies deteriorate from a sedentary lifestyle. Strength training improves balance and joint stability. Good for the mind and soul too. It's no cure-all though. I've strained muscles in my back sneezing too! :-o

It indeed smells fishy. I am surprised stand-ins are allowed. Seems ripe for abuse. Was there any recourse at the time for the people in the community or was council's vote irreversible?

Are we only allowed to complain about anti-urban projects? These projects affect the rental market for everybody in the surrounding community. I don't begrudge anybody for making a buck. If the project works, more power to them. It will only encourage more development in the area. My worry is that prices are creeping up faster than average income. I wonder how sustainable that is. We've seen the affects of that in the housing market. It clearly wasn't sustainable.

This is about a 200 sq ft walk-in closet, not a suburban housing development. There is a middle ground. Places that small aren't about urban development. It's about making the numbers work on an expensive piece of land. Hell, I don't know what they paid for it. It could be just a money grab.

I guess they were serious about the 1 sq ft afterall. :drunk: I hope it's a failure but I suspect it won't be. College kids and their money are easily parted. Prices are trending up sharply per square foot in this area. That will encourage new construction but I question its sustainability. We all saw what happened when housing prices rose faster than income--they moved to apartments. This is all pretty early though. The city could use a few years of unbridled construction.

Can't I ask to get clarification? I really didn't understand. Moving on..... Sorry if I was being unclear. You corrected me when I referred to the city selling the property. We both know I was talking about the county, not the city. The entire thread is about the county. Correcting me is being pedantic. You might as well correct my grammar next.

I guess expanding their current facility is out of the question? I think this is the industrial park they are moving to. Undeveloped, former farmland about 15 minutes southwest from downtown. http://www.starkcoohio.com/html/mills.html http://www.starkcoohio.com/jpegs_lrg/mills_aerial_new.jpg

Quit being pedantic. I made several references to "county" in my previous posts. It was a slip of the finger. I understand what you are saying. The county's best interest is to get as much money as possible. The city's best interest is for the property to be sold to the best developer. Hopefully there is some collaboration between the two. That's nonsense. Both the county and city will be involved in the sale. You said yourself the local municipality has authority over what is built through zoning, and, especially in the case of the Ameritrust complex, landmark designations. Nobody is going to submit a proposal to buy county-owned property without discussing land use plans. Who would put themselves in a position to fight with the city after spending millions? Or maybe I'm just naive in the amount of diligence both sides go through for a deal like this.

The city is within their rights to sell the property based on what it considers the best site proposal. So, in this case, they can deny a project because it's ugly. And ultimately, I don't trust the city to make the best possible decision. They should have consulted us. :-D

How many other public sector agencies have the checkered history of Cuyahoga county? My concern is not over the money. I understand the need to negotiate in private. The city made it clear it would pick the best proposal, balancing the money and overall site design. The problem is we may never see the other proposals. This is UrbanOhio after all. Our first concern is typically site design first, everything else second. If the city picks the proposal that demos everything other than the Breuer tower for surface parking?

... The real fun begins in September after the proposal deadline. Then we'll see how transparent the county really is... This was my post from September. The bids were submitted almost 4 months ago and we hear nothing until they announce the winning proposal? There is nothing transparent about that. http://www.cleveland.com/parma/index.ssf/2012/12/ed_fitzgerald_during_town_hall.html#incart_river_default

Where does that $60 million come from? From general tax revenue or the gas tax?

Michelle Jarboe ran a story in September for the PD after the proposal deadline listing all of the developers that submitted bids to the county. The list she got from the county didn't connect the bids to any particular site. If I remember correctly, neither K&D or MRN were on the list. That's not say they can't be involved as a side partner but neither is involved publicly yet. edit: Here is the story. http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/cuyahoga_county_real_estate_de.html

I agree with Hootenany. I have no problem with McDonald's. In fact I love the occasional double cheeseburger. Nothing wrong with cheap, late night food available for the surrounding area. My problem is with the probable site design and increased traffic. The site needs something built up to the street, with actual entrances on the street -- not just a blank wall along the sidewalk. A typical McDonalds is 60% parking with a "through-way" in front of the store allowing people to circle around the building. The new one in Lakewood is only barely better than average.

^You should care. The Marons and MRN have done the best urban development in Cleveland. Those guys are the only ones I'd trust to do something quality with that site. But I'd be surprised to see them take on a project that ambitious. I am a convert. I originally wanted the Breuer tower demo'ed for something grand in it's place. It's ugly, but it has character. A good refurbishing of the exterior would go a long way. Though, feel free to demo the small office building just south of it for something new (please, not another parking structure).