nickmgray

Your best bet is probably Facebook. Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights both have pretty active Facebook Groups with more than 5k active members and dozens of posts per day. They are great resources for questions about the city that will be answered by people who live there. The groups are listed as Private, so you will need to request to join before you're able to see the conversations in the groups.

The overall number of units with both buildings was dictated by the number of parking spaces allocated to the developer in the next door parking garage. Any more units would have required them to add parking which would have been a lot more expensive.

Coming from the Twin Cities area, they have a similar project halfway completed that's creating a whole new mixed-use neighborhood with a park at its center. https://highlandbridge.com/explore/ It's been six years since the master plan was first unveiled and there's still a long way to go. The overall site is a little bigger than severance, but they had the luxing of starting completely from scratch. It's been more than 24 months since the Park Synagogue redevelopment plan was first announced and we still have no concrete details on what that entails. With how important this project is to the city, I'm sure it'll be at least two years before an initial plan is presented and another two years before any dirt is moved.

While Home Depot technically owns their land, there's the possibility that they could join in on the project if the right incentives are there. I'm sure Home Depot doesn't care about the specific land their building is on, as long as they have a store and parking lot. Create a master place for the whole area with an integrated Home Depot. Make sure that building is built early on so that Home Depot can move into it without any interruptions to their business and then we have a better option for giving the city a complete redevelopment plan rather than one that has to be built around an immovable big box store.

Doing a little digging, it looks like MPACT does most of its projects under the name Renaissance Downtowns. https://renaissancedowntownsusa.com/ This website lists a lot more projects they have completed and shows a slightly better portfolio.

An update for the Noble Station by TWG Developers was presented during the Cleveland Heights city council meeting last night. They've essentially scrapped the original design and came up with something completely new. After being scolded by city council for not engaging the community the first time, they have had nearly a dozen public meetings and focus groups this time to get community input on the project. Overall, the development looks significantly better with the addition of 1000sf of retain space, a community room that can host up to 50 people, a computer/learning center and a much bigger lobby. Due to complaints regarding the high density of the original project, the overall occupancy of the building has been reduced from 206 to 178 while maintaining the same number of units (approximately 50). There are now more single bedroom units with all the units across the building getting larger living rooms. The building has also been completely redesigned with it not fronting Noble rather than being set back 30 or more feet from the street. The developers have also decided not to touch the three subdivided housing lots that front Wood View Road. This would allow for future development. In the original plan, the lots would have been used for a parking lot. The developers are also asking the city to add street parking on Noble to help support the retail space. This isn't unprecedented as the commercial building across Noble has metered parking in front of it. TWG Developers will present the project to the architectural board of review on Thursday of this week.

Park Synagogue update... This is a few weeks late, but in mid-February, the developers working on the Park Synagogue project gave our neighborhood group an update on the project, highlighting the current progress on the overall project. So far, it doesn't seem like there's a complete master plan or at least not one that they are ready to share yet. They are partnering with Reed Hilderbrand - an award-winning, Boston-based landscape architect to flesh out the overall flow of the property. The completed landscape architecture plan for the site in April should be completed sometime in April. They are envisioning a site that is open to the public which would still feature the current pedestrian loops around the buildings but are also planning to add additional walking trails and possibly a pedestrian bridge that crosses the creek, allowing pedestrians to enjoy more of the property. A site survey shows that there are more than 1600 trees that have at least a 6-inch trunk. Many trees on the property have beech leaf diseases. If dead or dying trees need to be removed, the plan would be to replace them. There is currently no plan for the parking lot along Mayfield Road for Phase 1 of the project. It could be redeveloped at some point in the future, but the current focus is on the main Synagogue building (expected restoration date in August 2026) and the area around it. For the classrooms connected to the synagogue, the developer is currently in talks with an unnamed higher-ed art school to use the space as classrooms and studio spaces for one of their programs. The separate Mendelson auditorium will be removed and replaced with a 150-unit independent living/senior housing building. The boiler building (next to the classrooms) will be removed and replaced with housing (number of units was not shared) An additional building is planned for the southeast corner of the property (over a portion of the parking lot). They didn't have many details regarding this building as they described it as flats or townhomes. None of the new construction would be more than 3 stories in height. There is no current plan to relocate the preschool located on the property. The attached image was made by me to show where the new buildings will likely be.

This was a neighborhood meeting, not something that was put on my the city or developer. We have regular meetings, which have mostly been online the past few years. We also have a summer neighborhood picnic where 50 to 60 people attend. We also have had the developers of Park Synagogue call into a few of our online meetings the past 18 months to simply get feedback from us as they work towards their initial proposal (which should be right around the corner). For those in Cleveland Heights or who might live close by, there will be an open house hosted by WXZ to get feedback on the Cain Park Village development alone Taylor. It'll be held at the Cain Park Colonnade on October 10 from 6pm till 7:30pm. https://www.cleveland.com/community/2023/10/university-cleveland-heights-make-plans-for-federal-grant-application-on-taylor-road-reconfiguration.html

Just came from a neighborhood meeting where we got an update from the Tudor Commons developers and combers from city planning department. They shared details with us regarding the renovations of the Tudor apartments, stating that work is slated to begin in early 2024. They'll be using the federal and state tax credits to fun the renovations and hope to have everything completed within 18 months. For the new construction across the street, they are waiting for the city to officially approve rezoning of the lots that they will be purchasing for the project. The city said that with this project, they are working to rezon the ensure stretch of South Taylor Road, to mixed-use, from the corner of Euclid Heights BLVD to... I didn't catch where the rezoning would end (forgot to ask at the end), but I'm assuming all the way to Cedar. The reason for such a large rezoning district is because most everything on the street as need grandfathered in with seven different distinct zoning types that are not being used for their appropriate designation. With the zoning change proposal, the city will also be trying to write in a specific rule that will require buildings of a certain height to have a step back on the back side of the property as they approach single family housing on the side streets so that there won't be issues with developments in the future that have a 5 story building that butts up against a 2 story house. The zoning change proposal should be approved by the end of this year. Once the zoning change is completed, the developers will deliver their actual proposal for the entire project. What was initially proposed was a concept. I asked the architect who worked on the initial design how much would change and was told that a lot of thought was put into the concept, so the next draft should look very similar. They were very adamant about the flow of the project, public spaces and retail being intertwined to create a sense of place rather than just another building with some shops. The synagogue portion of the project will be treated as it's own separate phase as they will be seeking tax credits in order to renovate and preserve the space. One great idea that was brought up at the meeting was to treat the building as a place where people could learn more about the large Jewish community in Cleveland Heights. When I asked about the timeline for the new development, they said that construction would take 18 to 22 months. If they are able to get the proposal out by early 2024 and don't run into any snags, construction could begin in early 2025. Most the 25-30 people who attended has no clue what the project was, so it was hard to gauge the feedback. Most people were excited to hear that something new was coming, but they were all told to visit the project web page to get more details. I was surprised that no one brought a tablet to show off the designs.

Indeed. The city needs to do away with it's minimum parking requirements. A larger building doesn't mean that it always needs a larger parking lot. There's no way that they would ever need that many parking spots all at once.

That's the first I'm hearing of that. I haven't seen any moention of it in anty of the city coucel meetings recently. That doesn't mean it's not in the works, but I'd hope that the city is weighing in on any development from Aldi. As for the location, the spot you mentioned would be a better fit than the old CVS location since it's roughly the same footprint as what Aldi has at other stores. That being saif, the Mayfield and Warrensville lot could be used for something a lot better and is a prime location for a mixed use development.

A few shots I got from the top of the parking ramp behind the Lee/Meadowbrook development. Nothing major yet, but it looks like they should start the real digging within a week or two.

There was some activity on the Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook Site on Friday with clearing of some of the overgrown bushes and trees along Tullamore Rd. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cqd3h7KJWpO/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Yes, it's still a very active community, but the redevelopment of the Stadium Village apartments or any new apartments across the street wouldn't really fit the bill since thye would be mainly studio or 1-2 bedroom units. I am excited to finally see some movemeent on this. Since we live about 6 blocks away, we were excited to see the commercial district so close to our hiuse when we first purcahsed our place in 2019. It was only after we moved in that we noticed that everyhting in Stadium Village was shuttered. This will definitely help revitalize the area with new retail, maybe a small restaurant while also adding more residents to the neighborhood.

This townhouses look pretty amazing. We just need to find a way to slow the traffic a bit more so that residents won't feel like they live by a highway. I know this is a major artery for commuting, but it feels like a raceway driving by this area.

A much better article on the groundbreaking. https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/news/local_news/university-heights-breaks-ground-on-first-housing-development-since-1970s/article_b6feb9a6-4bf5-11ed-a2e7-332df2772cb5.html "Bo Knez, president and CEO of Knez Homes in Concord Township, said he expects to begin excavation work in 15 to 30 days and completion will take about 18 to 24 months. He said the townhomes will start in the mid-400,000s."

The presentation stated they they are already in talks with the owner of the strip mall across the street and have worked with them in the past on other projects. From the wording, it sounds like it would be a joint venture between WXZ and the current owner. "WXZ has a long relationship with the current property owner of the Taylor Commons site on the East site of South Taylor Road. This party has been fully briefed on the Proposal and is enthusiastically eager to joint-venture with WXZ on redevelopment in order to contribute to the revitalization of this important and historic Cleveland Heights commercial district." As far as funding for the streetscape goes, it's hard to say where the money would come from. Watching the presentation, it sounds like WXZ would be on the hook for the plaza area at Cain Park as park of the whole project, but no mention was made regarding the road and bike lanes. Since the whole project would be to make the area more bike and padestrian friendly, there's the possability or tapping into federal funds to help finance part of it. The city will also be getting something from the sale of the Tudor buildings, so they could us that money to help cover costs as well.

Circling back tot he Taylor Tudor buildings proposal by WXZ, if given final approval, it will be a much bigger deal for the city than the Cedar Lee development. It total, it would include 59,000 sqaure feet of retail/office space, 300 housing units and two public plazas. Taylor Tudor Plaza (construction to begin January 2023) Rental Units 1 Bed 40 2 Bed 4 Total 44 Commercial 1932-46 8,890 SF 1912-26 7,278 SF 1908 5,867 SF Total 22,035 SF Taylor Commons (construction to begin 2023) New buildings added to the corridor will be appropriate, and match that of the Taylor Tudor buildings in their placement and scale. They will be placed on the sidewalk to encourage a pedestrian, human scaled environment. The ground floor will be active and be designed to encourage connectivity to the street with plenty of glass for transparency. The glass will reflect the Taylor Tudor architecture on the West side of the street to provide a constant visual connection to the historic structures and a reminder of the neighborhood’s rich history. New buildings will be of scale and slightly taller to allow sweeping views of Cain Park and the downtown skyline from upper floors on the East side of the street. No building’s architectural language will extend for more than 70 feet before there is a variation or new language introduced so as to prevent monotony and to reinforce the human scale of the neighborhood. This condition reflects that which exists in the Taylor Tudor buildings in that the bays of the buildings change in their architectural treatment every 40-70 feet. Towers and other vertical elements denote entry and also provide points of transition and this will be mimicked in the new. The timeline for both the Taylor Commons site and the for sale housing site behind the Berkowitz-Kumin-Bookatz Memorial Chapel will overlap with the Taylor Tudor Plaza redevelopment and the Taylor Road Synagogue redevelopment. Rental Units 1 Bed 192 2 Bed 16 Total 208 Commercial Anchor 13,200 SF Ground Floor Retail/Office 24,150 SF Total 37,350 SF Parking Spaces Street 26 Parking Deck 312 Total 338 Taylor Road Synagogue (construction to begin July 2023) 24 rental units 7 new townhomes 6740 SF performance space/sanctuary 32 parking spots The proposed development plan also includes redevelopment of the Taylor Road Synagogue to be transformed into residential spaces and community arts space, all while preserving the original worship space. The former classrooms attached to the synagogue will be transformed into 24 rental units and seven newly built townhomes will be constructed on the rear of the lot behind the synagogue. The sanctuary space will remain open for religious use on High Holidays and additional items. The synagogue’s other existing multi-purpose room that is adjacent to the sanctuary will be a reservable community space that can further integrate the neighborhood with Cain Park as a winter performance space, summertime auxiliary gallery space, and workshop for stage and prop building. For Sale Housing (funeral home parking lot & school district Parking lot) 17 units

I'm still new to the area, but I live just a few blocks away from Severance Circle. From what I've heard from my neighbors, the current owners may finally be willing to do something with the city to redevelop the area. Apparently, Walmart was still leasing it's old property in an effort to block other retailers from moving in, but they have recently or will soon terminate the lease, leaving the owners without any revenue for the property. As for the overall development, creating a master plan and vision for what should be there needs to happen before any development happens. If not, the developments, even small ones, will dictate what the entire area will morph into which could lead to something that's not well planned out. I do think this is a big opportunity for the city to create an area that can act like a mini downtown with shops, restaurants, public spaces with quite a bit of residential units. This needs to be a place where people live, work and play, not just another shopping center that people will need to drive to.

Why tier did you sign up for? Do you actually get the speeds that they advertise? I do a lot of video work, so I'm leaning towards the 1Gbps up/down tier for the speed and no data cap.

Wasn't sure if I should start a new thread for this, but since it's related to our move to the area, I thought I'd throw it in here. We did find a great house in Cleveland Heights and will hopefully be closing this week. One of the first things we will need to set up at our new house is a fast internet connection for work. I've done quite a bit of research already on this topic, but I was hoping to get personal insights. I've read that AT&T Fiber is fast and should be available at my address, but I was hoping someone could share any persona experiences they have had with AT&T and their home internet services here in the area. If there is an alternative to AT&T's fast fiber speeds, please let me know. I'm looking for a balance between great speeds and a good price.

I really appreciate the discussion about the different cities and neighborhoods. As stated in my original post, we love cities and everything they have to offer. While Cleveland Heights is on our list, the areas that we are looking at are along Ceder and Coventry which appear to offer a variety of shops, restaurant and walkable neighborhoods. As far as schooling goes, we're not really that picky. We have been homeschooling for nearly two years now and could actually continue with that since our jobs allow us to travel at any time. We're also of the firm conviction that a school's score isn't representative of how individual students perform. We have experienced schools with failing grades first hand, but that had little effect on our daughters and their education. As mentioned, some of these cities have higher property taxes and some have better connections to public transit. Are there any other pros/cons that we should consider when looking at these various places?

It seems like a lot for that house, but the location is pretty great. You’re not going to be getting any deals in Ohio City at the moment. I would expect a property like that to backslide a bit in value when things settle down. Of course that’s just an opinion, based only on limited experience. Ohio City is definitely the best area in Cleveland at the moment imho. However, I think Detroit Shoreway has a chance to catch up eventually. And while you also won’t find any “deals” per se in Detroit Shoreway, I think a lot of the properties in that neighborhood are more likely to retain their increased value, since they have been undervalued for so long. I was thinking along the same line. It seems as though they wanted the house as an investment property and quickly changed their mind. That being said, they honestly didn't keep in on the rental market for very long, listing it a few weeks after purchasing the property and then switching over to selling it about a month later. This leads me to another question: how's the rental market in the area? As I mentioned, I'd be interested in something similar to this which would allow us to occupy one unit and rent out the other as a standard rental or AirBNB. We've looked at rental units in the area and it doesn't look like there are many that are available. I'm assuming that most units go pretty quickly.

Again, thanks for the input. Several of you have mentioned that properties in the Ohio City area go really fast. Even though we will not be moving to Cleveland for at least another 6-9 months, we've been keeping an eye on properties that seem interesting within our price range. One that's been available for a few months now is 2-unit house along Franklin that's been renovated. It looks like the owners tried renting it out before putting it up for sale. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3014-Franklin-Blvd-Cleveland-OH-44113/33329863_zpid/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=emo-propalert-hdp&rtoken=a89aa507-fefc-437d-9001-d1125001e704~X1-ZUzcedlosaxrt5_70ucp I'd be interested in some insight from you guys on this property, the price, neighborhood and any issues you might have with it. We are not planning to buy this property, but we'd be interested in something similar when so do decide to buy.

We're not opposed to going the private school route, but we'd honestly prefer neighborhood schools for our girls so that we can be better integrated into the community. Thank you for sharing all the links. The wife and I will dig into them to see how things look. As for the question about my job... no, I'm not being relocated for work with Valspar/Sherwin Williams. I'm a freelance tech writer and I also own a small online business. The reason we have Cleveland in our sites is that we're looking for a place to settle down after we finish up 18 months of full-time travel. After moving back from Europe to the US, we decided to take 18 months to travel in a renovated travel trailer. We considered going back to MN, but we've been away for nearly 3 years already and don't have family there. The reason we started exploring Cleveland was because of the very low home prices, good city life and the lake. We have discussed renting something short-term in Cleveland to get a feel for the city before committing to a neighborhood. My wife doesn't like the idea of moving multiple times, but renting first is the best option. We purchased our first house in the Twin Cities right out of college and regretted our choice of neighborhood after the first year. We definitely don't want to do that again. I also wanted to ask about crime. I've looked at the crime maps and the stats and it seems that the neighborhoods we are considering are pretty safe. Naturally, there's more crime centered around areas where there's heavier street traffic, but that's to be expected. The one stat that jumped out at me was the number of assaults reported. Cleveland's population is about 25% higher than Saint Paul MN, but the number of assaults is 400% higher in Cleveland. Is it really as big of an issue as the stats show it is or is there an element to the data that I'm missing? The neighborhood we used to live in wasn't the safest in Saint Paul, but I never felt like I needed to watch my back when walking down the street at night.