SixthCity

Ehhhh, I think it will be townhome(s) - check the link, he's applying for 6 variances.

The property will be subdivided as "Parcel A-1", "Parcel A-2" and so on up to "Parcel A-6". See the link above to the BZA agenda. The hospital is operational as it had to be moved out of the way of the Inner Belt bridge project at the other end of the Abbey bridge. That makes sense - thanks.

Whoa buddy! Can we speculate who the developer will be? I checked out the incorporation info for Forsgren Properties, Inc. and came up with this: http://www2.sos.state.oh.us/pls/bsqry/f?p=100:7:821483209767403::NO:7:P7_CHARTER_NUM:1067209 The Articles of Incorporation clearly show Brian Forsgren is the incorporator. I then googled the name "Brian Forsgren" and found that he was/(is?) the founder and owner of the Gateway Animal Clinic: http://www.hsvma.org/brian_forsgren#.UkXDOdKsh8E So my question is...what is a veterinarian doing developing town homes? Might he be applying for a zoning variance before he sells the property to the developer so the developer can stay secret for now? Or may he be allowing a developer to develop the land, he will continue to own the land and they will charge a fee? Also, 1819 Abbey Ave is the address of the animal hospital - will the town homes be going on the property that the animal hospital now sits on or will the large parcel be subdivided? I am in this area a lot but I've never really looked twice at the hospital - is it operational?

The Cleveland Browns Are America's Team http://www.businessinsider.com/cleveland-browns-are-americas-team-2013-9

SMG? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMG_(property_management)

Nice, can anyone tell what stage they are on in the construction process? Besides the facade removal, I haven't noticed any exterior alterations. The lights are on on most floors at night but I can't see proof of any interior work being done yet either. KJP - maybe you have a better view?

The Herold Building on Prospect?

YAAAAAAAAA!!! :shoot: :shoot: :shoot:

:-D :-)

Biker16, doesn't this plan ignore the inherent fallibility of suburban retail? The east side is littered with dead/dying malls and we continue to expand while the population remains the same. Rail is permanent and costly...suburban retail is cheap and mobile. What are these stops going to look like in 50 years?

Oye, it's simple to me. If you choose to live 20 miles away from the CBD then you have to eat the hassle and costs associated with it. If you choose to live near the amenities of the city you benefit from your proximity. I am aware of the reasons one would live 20+ miles away from the core (schools, safety) but there is no reason that those things couldn't be had in a dense urban neighborhood near the CBD...it just takes some elbow grease sprinkled with gentrification. If you choose to live in Parma - that's cool, to each his own...but don't expect me to subsidize your decision more than I already have. The suburbs have to lie in the bed they've made.

Thanks Michelle. Here's to hoping they'll cave.

Thanks Michelle, In your opinion, what can we infer from the demolition request removal from the CPC and design review agendas? Might it hint at a larger deal between the owner and Weston or do you view it as a routine move for a property tied up in litigation?

The Tower City Bridge Complex: Read here: http://www.noaca.org/CUYTowerCityBridges.html

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS 1. Proposed Expansion of Playhouse Square Community Entertainment District Presenter: Tom Einhouse, Playhouse Square Can anyone explain the advantage of having an area designated as a Community Entertainment District? Nevermind - answered my own question: "Retail food and food service establishments located in community entertainment districts may obtain low cost liquor permits. See Ohio Revised Code 4301.80, 4303.181."

Agreed, I absolutely resent the apocalyptic tone of the title.

You make a lot of sense... This is all just fun speculation. Really though, you're right, the current Green Line terminus is close enough, and accessible enough (from the BM area and Eastern burbs) that extending it directly to BM may not really increase inbound ridership into downtown... You would get some increase in BM-area workers from the city. But you probably wouldn't gain much, at all, casual mall-goers. The problem? The Shaker Lines, as they were built, were designed to collect Shaker residents and speed them over the low-density/high speed railroad ROW west of Shaker Square. Asking riders to use the Green Line going the opposite direction to the mall is counterintuitive to many upper middle class types who could get there much quicker and easier in their cars. BART or the DC Metro are different because they are totally grade separated, high speed lines that zip above and under heavy suburban traffic... Now, if the Green Line had a grade separated route with 2 or 3 stops in between Shaker Square and BM, it would be a different story... but with the current line riding at street level, stopping for traffic lights and at 20 or so stops... no. Good points - I agree. If I ever come across harsh - I don't mean to attack. I am enjoying the speculation as well.

La Place is on the verge of foreclosure and is without an anchor tenant...while BM plans to expand. Does the future of La Place look good to you? Legacy just lost the Apple Store to Eaton and now has tenants like the store that is dedicated entirely to selling cheap cell phone cases. Both of these signal a more disturbing departure from the Legacy of yesteryear. Meanwhile, a massive retail expansion project is almost certainly going to happen in Orange...1 mile away. All this expansion of retail you would think the residential population must be booming, right? No, it's not...if the population remains the same - new retail kills old retail somewhere. The expansion of Eaton, Harvard Park and the new Orange project are ringing the death bells for your once default malls. I wouldn't take a long term gamble on the health of aging malls on the east side. Once again, why would we want to spend millions of dollars of rail infrastructure through a "new-ish area with few architectural landmarks" wrought with "traffic and surface parking sprawl"?

Good answer but it relies on some assumptions that I think are faulty. As far as the density of residential around the mall - there's not much, certainly not enough to warrant a rail expansion. Although there are some apartment complexes, a good portion of those are for jewish retirees - not exactly the group that has much use for the rapid. (ie: my girlfriend's grandmother who lives on Van Aken and makes a point to tell me she hasn't rode the RTA since the 1970s). To the west of Richmond you have typical suburban housing...you know, the kind that doesn't support rail expansion. The cluster housing to the east is upper income and totally auto-oriented, only the adjacent units would be within the magical 5 minute walking radius. If there is residential density, I guess I'm just missing where it's hiding. As for downtown access from Beachwood via rail: I would love to see it. I would love to see way more people riding public transit. But you are assuming that east side suburbanites would be more apt to ride with this extension. Something tells me that the people who consciously chose to live in Beachwood and the adjacent suburbs and decidedly picked an auto-oriented lifestyle are not going to suddenly see the light. In addition, the Green line terminus is not far enough away that it would deter people from using it to commute downtown right now. As for the density of entry level jobs please see my previous comment. The existence of entry level retail jobs at BM assume that auto oriented retail, like the kind provided at BM, will be in in the exact same spot long enough for rail expansion to be worth it. I think someone could have made the same argument for expanding service to Randall Mall 20 years ago...and well...we know how that turned out. My point is simple, retail and the jobs that come with it has a nasty habit of picking up and moving 1 mile down the road every decade to chase the newest subdivision in a shrinking metro area. As for the logical extension up 271: you are assuming this is something we want to see happen? What around Golden Gate is worth the massive public infrastructure improvement? I see big box stores, tract housing, and so-so mid rises populated by people who chose to leave the city. Is this stuff we want our tax dollars going to improve?

Hmmm I guess I have a bit of a problem with expanding infrastructure to Beachwood Mall ("BM"). 50-100 years from now will we still be shopping at BM? If not, what purpose will the expansion have served? BM has fantastic shopping but if anything has proven true it's that retail moves...quickly. Furthermore, it chases the market and only the market. The eastern suburbs have had a good run for the past 50 years (I grew up there) but how does the next 50 look? Do recent trends show that the future might not be as prosperous?

Labor Force: July 2012- 1,077,564 July 2013- 1,075,829 Employment: July 2012- 996,371 July 2013- 997,290 Unemployment: July 2012- 81,193 July 2013- 78,539 Unemployment Rate: July 2012- 7.5% July 2013- 7.3% Besides a 1,735 person contraction of our labor force (aging population?, outmigration?) more people are employed and less are unemployed than last year at this time.....So things look better. But hey now! Don't let me interrupt the regularly scheduled "Cleveland is burning! Exploit bad news because it sells waayy better (even if totally distorted)" show. http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost

Cleveland's inner city is growing faster than its suburbs as young adults flock downtown http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/04/clevelands_inner_city_is_gorn.html

Well since even in NYC only about 40% of the metro area population lives in the city itself, and the number is more like 15%-20% in other areas, how major of a change is it if it's invisible to the bulk of the population? Soooo......if Cleveland improves but you're in the Geauga County and don't see it....does the improvement really happen?

.........the gritty west side? .....Battery Park is "gritty"?

Also, China Sea Express is filling the empty storefront next to Bon Apetit on Euclid in the Campus District. The construction permits are posted in the window and I talked to the operator of Sung's House in Playhouse Square who confirmed this.