CleveFan

I understand the mixed feelings right now But you can’t deny that Haslam is all-in on trying to get the Browns to the Super Bowl and that their chances of getting there just increased significantly.

Very cool! Can hardly wait till this tower is part of the skyline - its gonna make all its neighbors look even better - even the Justice Center (which actually looks pretty good in its baby blue cladding) I do think the southern facing top of the HQ might look better if it wasn’t open on top but I guess it’s a luxury to be able to nitpick design elements of a new 616 ft. tower!

Great news that the developers have come up with this new plan to move the project forward! I’m pleasantly surprised by their quick work to develop the new Bridgeworks and a possible spring start rocks! The obvious positives are the close relative height and scope of the project to the original. Not much of a downsizing. It should be a great skyline enhancement for the west side of the bridge and the extension of some downtown verticality. I’m really curious as to how forum members will react to the greenish and various hues. Definitely sunnier and edgier than the much more traditional palette of the first. But, I think @LlamaLawyerhad the adjective to describe my first impression of the colors- a little bit cartoonish. Not saying I don’t like them -but they might have to grow on me. Of course, this is an initial rendering and we all know that the actual look may exceed first impressions based on final material selections and exact colors. But, no doubt-a great project and a fantastic piece of development news in The Land. Thanks to KJP again.

And just imagine that spectacular view of downtown with the SW HQ Tower added in!

As we’ve come to know the Ukrainian people better through this tragic invasion, there’s a sense of incredible respect and admiration for their strength and character. I’m generally a proponent of Cleveland opening its doors to international refugees but especially so with Ukraine, particularly given the lineage of Cleveland over the last century and it’s rich tradition of Eastern European communities. The ethnic diversity of Cleveland is one of its great strengths. And a population increase for the city? Yes, please!

I just kind of feel that if what we have to be concerned about is how the top of this new baby might not fit in with the neighbors - well, I’ll take that as a measure of progress about how far Cleveland has come in recent years… Design is a personal preference, but I, for one, can’t wait for City Club to disrupt the neighborhood a bit!

Apartments being in the $900-1300 range, (adjusting for 2 years of inflation since the original 2020 Crain’s article) in a legacy building in a desirable major American downtown neighborhood (one that will have a stunning facade, lobby and I’m certain top shelf amenities) is what I would argue is “cheap” (indelicate word to use) by the standards of the year 2022. Ok, this is the take of someone who has lived in the NY area for some time - but I’m in Cleveland often, have family there still and remain very familiar with local norms and the socio-economic differences between the markets. This is not just going to be some typical “workforce” apartment building. It’s a wonderful opportunity for working class folks to live near the best luxury offerings of downtown in a truly beautiful building. And at the price range we’re talking about- I think you’d be hard pressed to find many similar opportunities in any major American major city. Proud to have this project in Cleveland.

I think all of us are rooting for Bridgeworks to make it - one way or another. I'd really love to see it on the scale presented in the renderings - it would be a great extension of the downtown vibe and energy to the already percolating west side.

This was the big one! Congrats Cleveland on what will be a really transformational project! Downtown continues its Renaissance and will feel increasingly dynamic in the next couple years.

Tomorrow May be a very interesting day on Urban Ohio! Go CLE!

Funny, I was rooting really hard for Nucleus for a long time. Then, when it appeared to "die" - I was super excited when @KJP's Bedrock reports surfaced, thinking - "this will be even better!" Now, I'm kind of hoping that Nucleus is truly dead and that this is just posturing - if in fact, Bedrock is really serious about developing that site. I can't see Stark putting something together near the scope of what was rumored with Bedrock. The thought of a Hudson Tower scale project on that site with billionaire developers is extremely enticing. I'll look forward to upcoming reporting on this situation.

That’s very sharp! It’s going to be a fantastic addition and one that will add a significant number of new residents to the neighborhood. Gotta love the number of beautiful high quality new residential projects being built on the near west side from Intro to The Pearl to Battery Park and the list goes on and on.

Thanks for the pics @Mov2Ohio speaking for the Cleveland fans living outside Ohio it’s great to get a feel for the buzz in town. Enjoying the festivities on the TNT-TBS broadcast and watching Cleveland be very much in the national spotlight. A few great aerial shots of downtown too. And I just have to add, I was thinking how great a new tower from Bedrock would look right across the way from RMFH. @KJPI wish they had taken your suggestion about making the announcement this weekend. Then again, anytime in the near future works just as well!

Brutal loss for the Ohio team but man they deserve props on a gutty fight and an improbable and memorable season - congrats Bengals - you deserve major respect.

I’ve never been a fan of the look of the Justice Center (probably like many) but whatever happens with the replacement, I’d hate to see it demolished. It is certainly a great example of brutalism and of a particular era that won’t return. Every larger city has infill buildings that, although, not singularly beautiful , contribute greatly to the city’s density and the skyline. The JC certainly would leave a gaping hole if it was just demolished, as one of the 10 tallest in Cleveland. I’d also like to think that we don’t have to just tear down buildings of that size 50 years after construction because they’re impossible to repurpose. I suspect the JC will, in fact, be difficult and pricey to repurpose - but not impossible. There may be an innovative investor/developer out there that could create a stunning transformation of the building and for less than a new build. At least I hope so. As for the the replacement, for the kind of money they’re talking about, I hope we wind up with a new tower and not a mid rise. I get that it’s all about the budget, but the kinds of corner-cuts and sacrifices we’ve been hearing about make me concerned that we’ll just have a new subpar facility in the short term future. Just do it right - build a facility the city can be proud of where the difficult process of justice can be administered in a healthy and best-practice environment. Cleveland is moving ahead on so many fronts - like it has to in a new century - I hope our leadership doesn’t allow this to become a step back.

Wonder if bringing back the Top of the Town in some new incarnation might be on the table.

Some world class signage would be nice.

https://www.noaca.org/regional-planning/major-planning-documents/transportation-improvement-program-tip/comment-on-pending-projects/3rd-quarter-sfy-2022-project-planning-review-7783

NOACA consists of county engineers and government leaders from places all over Northeast Ohio, including Lorain County, Median County, Geauga County and Lake County - and, of course, Cuyahoga County. They seem to have altruistic and worthy goals, including well functioning highways, clean air and fighting congestion - generally things most people agree on. But there's a divergence between the city of Cleveland's interests and NOACA when it comes to the subject of the downtown lakefront. Building a city is not their focus. So this is going to be a political calculus. There's little doubt that by making the downtown lakefront accessible to Clevelanders, the quality of life for its citizens improves immeasurably. There is general agreement that Lake Erie is perhaps Ohio's greatest asset. The question is - who gets to enjoy it? What is the most equitable society for those with and without cars to access the lake and the man made attractions that are built on its shoreline? Is this a society that values those that don't depend on automobiles on a daily basis as well as those that do depend on automobiles? And if you don't go for that warm and fuzzy kind of stuff - than think of it as a pure development question - How can we best build the city's future at its core in its downtown region? With the shifts in our society in recent years (we can look at the growing population in downtown Cleveland as one data point) some philosophical concerns that drove the highway proponents of the earlier-mid 20th century have to be reconsidered in a contemporary context. Any significant infrastructural changes will present some degree of inconvenience - whether in the short term or long term. There will be detractors. However, the positives that can result for the city of Cleveland by removing the shoreway and replacing it with a downtown boulevard that promotes pedestrian access and further development is well worth a degree of inconvenience - be it in the construction phase - or in terms of a few minutes of added commuting time for a percentage of drivers. I'm sure some will debate the degree of inconvenience. But thinking of this picture in context - Is Cleveland a city facing ongoing gridlock traffic conditions like many other major growing urban areas? No way. It's a city that wants to claim its connection to its great natural asset - its lakefront - and one that can be achieved without loss of efficient east-west access in the region. But downtown Cleveland's fundamental ability to improve, to grow, and to become more attractive to its citizenry, to tourism and to its builders simply cannot be blocked by well-meaning, but divergent and possibly directly conflicting interests of those that determine traffic management for a metropolitan area. Even when some of those are political leaders from our own backyard, so to speak. Political will and effectiveness ultimately will determine the course of this issue. There's new leadership in key places - both politically and in terms of the business community - but "our voices" as members of the community is vital. NOACA is providing a forum, according to Steven Litt's article, to voice opinions on its website, which I visited. If you haven't done so already, take time to voice yours. I hope that the calculus between building Cleveland's future and the cost of doing so can be arrived at expeditiously. Years are going by quickly. Studies have been had and more studies are in process and yes, having data is vital - and big ideas require big funding that only results from a data-driven process. However, sometimes I wonder if certain studies are not for some, a means to delay progress for another period of years. That's why our voices are important. With the change to younger, hopefully more visionary leadership and the recent passage of the federal Infrastructure bill, there's a sense that Cleveland has a generational opportunity to further transform itself via a new design for downtown lakefront access. The recent NEOTRANS article depicting the progress of the Cleveland and Toronto lakefronts since the middle of the 20th century was very illuminating. The consequences of our actions or inactions will be profound. And let's remember that all those communities in the counties around Cuyahoga that have sprung up in the last 50 - 100 years have a direct connection to the city of Cleveland, relying upon its vitality and relevance to continue supporting the quality of life that comes from being adjacent to a major league city. The more vital the city's core - the more it benefits all of those communities.

In the meantime, we’re getting some great (and not as frequently seen) CLE skyline pics!

I’ve never liked the new SW tower visuals more than in this rendering - what a difference it’ll make for the city’s image. In This perspective, it seems to fit in perfectly. And the steel blue color really looks great.

Thanks so much @Geowizical- always love your visualizations! Your first rendering above really underscores how much Bedrock would add to tha skyline if it’s anywhere around 500 feet or more. Something similar to Detroit’s 685’ HUDson Tower would be epic. Big city vibe and undisputed best skyline in Ohio. Make it so Bedrock!

Exciting stuff l! I’m really curious about the NEOtrans quote about sources having different opinions regarding the square footage vs. height presentation of this mega project. @KJPknowing Bedrock’s “personality” and aesthetics do you have a sense of which direction they might be going - could it be less height spread out over multiple buildings or might they want to definitely make a skyline changing vertical statement? I remember that your reporting on SW’s development took into account the personality of their CEO and company and we did see that influence in the design. I wonder if you have a sense of that dynamic with this project.

I know that was a fantasy rendering above from Frangos - but wouldn't it be incredible to see a new neighborhood of high-rise residential buildings (Vancouver-style) eventually adjacent to Playhouse Square -possibly along the southeast side of Prospect..? With the Lumen beautifully completed and Act II becoming a likely possibility - we've got a start on just such a neighborhood. The Lumen has certainly changed the dynamic on the look/feel perception at Playhouse Square - and there's certainly reason to think Act II can make a comparable impact - whether its positioned on Chester or that southwest corner of 14th and Prospect, as mentioned. Given what we know about PHS's goal of more people in the area - I wouldn't be shocked to see a project of comparable size/height to the Lumen. Playhouse Square is such a cultural/entertainment jewel for Cleveland - one to be so proud of - and, of course, a great tourist attraction. It's really cool to see the success for its seminal Lumen project. The nation's second largest theatre district deserves to have an also-dynamic neighborhood thriving around it. I'm hoping that new developers are spurred on by the success that has occurred thus far and hopefully will again, soon, with Act II. (Good luck Mr. Frangos and @KJP if you should wind up with any advertising perks!)

I see Cleveland ranks 35th now in terms of most populous metro areas. Why isn’t Akron counted in the Cleveland metro area? Seattle-Tacoma is an MSA (metropolitan statistical area) even though the two cities are 33 miles apart. Cleveland- Akron are 39 miles apart - does that extra 6 miles disqualify CLE-Akron? Where exactly is the cutoff in terms of mileage or is it another reason? They count Elyria in Cleveland metro - seems like Akron should be part of it. Then, we’d rank in the top 15 or 20.