flee2thecleve14

Yes, my friends and I walk from the Warehouse District to W25th breweries and Mitchell's and frequently note how unsightly the stretch of W25th between Detroit Avenue and Riverview Towers is. Way too many surface parking lots and abandoned buildings for an otherwise lively neighborhood. Hopefully W25th Lofts and construction on the NW corner of Detroit and W25th improve this. Is there any sort of timeline for demolishing abandoned structures for a park on the unstable hillside along W25th overlooking downtown? Or is that project still years and millions of dollars in funding away?

The bore drilling truck was most recently at the NE corner of W6th and Superior last night. Also, does anyone know what is going in the gutted space on the first floor of the Bradley Building (next to RTA offices) on W6th?

Jimmy John's opening in the former D'Vine Wine Bar space in a couple months - I ran into the new owners outside. I guess it's better than another night club?

I requested Uber at 2:50am on a Wednesday night/Thursday morning to go to the Cleveland Amtrak station at normal fare. I believe peak times on Friday nights are around 2am when bars close though.

Is armed robbery par for the course in Tremont and Ohio City during this time of year? It seems there are more reports of it this year, but perhaps residents of those neighborhoods can provide some perspective?

Yes, the crane is now visible from the Innerbelt bridge on the skyline! It would have been too dangerous to snap a pic while driving, but I'll try soon as a passenger.

I recently tried looking for available units at the Ivory on Euclid. However, the building has been completely pre-leased and will open for move-in on May 1.

Isn't the issue with closing Superior more the added cost in time and money to RTA reroutes around the square? And I recall that the new bus stretch on Superior may be closed down on weekends for special events?

A couple residents at National Terminal Warehouse told me that the new owner is taking units residents are leaving offline, renovating, and then raising rent by $500 per unit. He's looking to eliminate the Section 8 component of the building too (was this a stipulation of the renovation in the mid-90s?). You can also see work on the new leasing office on the West 9th side of the building. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the new owner of this building also owns the Bingham?

From what I recall from a presentation on restoration work of parapets on the Terminal Tower, it is fairly common for water to sepe into cracks and cause problems due to freeze-thaw cycle. Forest City had deffered maintenance on the tower for years and only took measures to replace it in mid-2000s when falling debris actually posed a danger to buildings and pedestrians below. There is a building in Playhouse Square with a URS sign on it that has netting installed at the location of the parapets. So perhaps, that would be the short-term solution untill the restoration work could occur? And WTAM sensationalized it too this morning saying that the building collapsed when, as stated above, the parapet is merely a decorative element.

^That's what I suspected re: WTAM/Clear Channel. Triv is stuck in a time warp, and that move may not be possible until he retires. Also office-related from a recent conversation with a friend: Engineering consulting firm AECOM bought out URS in mid-2014. The newly merged AECOM now has three office spaces in downtown Cleveland and would like to consolidate into one. However, timing their move with leases expiring at different times on the three offices is proving to be a challenge now. But they would be in the market for at least 60k SF.

Great to see Fox Sports Ohio relocate from the 'burbs to the center of sports action downtown! Are Clear Channel radio stations (WTAM 1100, WMMS, etc.) the only major Cleveland media outlets left in the 'burbs? CBS Radio (92.3 the Fan, Q104, and others) and ESPN Radio Cleveland both are downtown, and all 4 major news stations are either downtown or nearby.

I have used the Red Line when transit cops checked passes upon exit from the Putitas station and at Tower City once when the gates were out of service. In all cases, they just asked to see the pass out for you to walk by them without needing to stop. I've never seen it occur where the cops actually inspect the pass.

Many interesting tidbits in the article, and I'm always impressed by how Michelle gets the scoop on these stories before others. Hopefully, the new construction or backfill of 200 PS space can secure new tenants from outside the CBD. While Benesch is downsizing space by 50 percent, 120k sf seems like a lot of space for a law firm with just 220 people. Perhaps they used to be larger? Also interesting how this project beat Flats East Bank's second proposed office tower to gaining tenants. NuCLEus seems like a far more desirable and central location, and Benesch agreed according to the article. Does anyone think or speculate that this project could seek to have some of the retail/parking garage portion open by the 2016 RNC with the rest of the site under construction for a 2018 completion date?

I befriended a family member of a U of Kentucky vice president riding the rapid to the games last night. He made some comments about trash dumped along the Red Line route before the W65th street station. I tried to explain how the rapid isn't the most scenic route bc it was built along an existing railroad. But with visitors, perception is everything.

My source (leader of a prominent Cleveland construction firm) told me in December that this project will definitely happen, but it may not occur as quickly as the developer has publicly stated. He implied that it probably will be built in phases (first being parking garage + retail), which is consistent with what has been reported. We will be at the same event in March, so I will see what he's willing to divulge!

^Is that the building for the new Forest City Brewery?

^ I asked around at the Greek Village Grille in Lakewood, and they expect Santorini to open in the next month or two. Will be a great addition to the Warehouse District!

Didn't the vendors fight the city's attempts to impose a 2 hour limit on free parking? And then they turn around and complain that people are parking in the lot for the restaurants and bars all day? There should be more urgency to short-term reconfigure the lot for more spaces and long-term start construction on a garage. On market Saturdays, I usually park at St. Ignatius without issue (except when they have a special event) and walk five minutes to the market. But I also realize that many people in Cleveland consider any walk further than a few hundred feet "far."

^London Heathrow!!! It's more common to use the three letter airport code versus spelling out the entire airport. Heathrow is London's largest airport and connected to the London Underground.

Is the land on the east side of W25th between Franklin and Detroit being vacated due to issues with the ground being unstable and sliding into the river? I've heard this claim from a few Ohio City residents and stakeholders over the past two years as well as on a Cleveland bus tour. With your discussion of the PRO on W25th near Detroit, it seemed like an appropriate time to ask this!

From searching for apartments earlier this year and recently checking The 9 website, they're asking $2/sf for all units in the tower. The smaller boutique suites in the 1010 building are $1.75/sf.

Forgot to take pictures last night but I noticed Al's Deli is officially open in this building and has a really nice street presence. Does anyone know what is going in the street level space on the other side of the building?

Yes, I remember Tommy talking about his Ohio City restaurant around 2011 as I frequent the Greek Village in Lakewood. It was either slated for the building with the Black Pig/Nano Brew or the strip with Ohio City Burrito. I guess the landlord backed out of the lease at the last minute, and Tommy opted for a second location in Broadview Heights. I think he was using that location to test a larger restaurant concept before trying the downtown area. He's big on authentic Greek food (e.g. pork gyro being common style instead of lamb) and has traveled to Greece numerous times for menu updates and ideas. Definitely more authentic than Mad Greek or anything else in Cleveland area!

Was in the Terminal Tower observation deck in the past week and noticed Public Square was littered with orange utility line markings. Also, with the Winterfest being held in Playhouse Square this year, is construction scheduled to commence prior to January 2015?