jmc8651

When you have 30 minutes between games with a child, yes a 15 minute walk is a problem. It will always feel disjointed with a high school and parking lot in the middle of the development

I've visited last weekend for a youth LAX tournament and it was a reminder of how this is a terrible development. There were probably 2,000 people at the playing fields last Friday yet the restaurants were totally dead. The retail is tucked away from the street and has zero visibility. My guess is most of the visitors had no idea there were restaurants onsite. Probably half the retail space is vacant The development feels disjointed with a massive parking lot in the middle. It's a 10-15 minute walk from the playing fields which is a big deal when you have short breaks between games. It's also hard to reach for museum visitors The water park under construction appears very small and no visible progress on a hotel

The hotel aspect will add a lot to street life especially if there is ground floor restaurant. The Schofield on 9th/Euclid always feels lively. Also, with the Urban Meyer bar in the old Lizard space and the expanded hours of the Whistle and AJ Rocco's the neighborhood should be more active

I saw facebook post from a Cleveland Heights councilman about this accident. Apparently the city offered multiple times to buy the home but the owner refuses to sell.

The finances of the condo association can be a drag on home values which makes loans riskier. If a handful of owners stop paying their dues the association can get in trouble quickly. I was an owner in an association which deferred a ton of maintenance when a few owners could not pay their fees. Several owners couldn't refinance at one point due to the association finances.

As someone who shops in Shaker Square frequently, I think the surrounding dilapidated buildings are the bigger issue. The empty plaza on Van Aken is uninviting. Also, the connections between the Square and the parking lots could use better lighting. Especially the one behind Fire. I just don't see the need for a dramatic change similar to public square. The quality of the tenants matters too. Cleveland Cinemas just seemed to give up on the movie theater. Hopefully, the new operator is better.

My guess is the city since they patrol beyond the new development, I believe the clean/safe territory is all the commercial space north of Chagrin and west of Warrensville.

I'm not sure if this was mentioned earlier but Downtown Cleveland Alliance is providing clean and safe services for Van Aken. The area is pretty well maintained already but I think DCA is making a noticeable difference.

Residences at Terminal Tower site is up...www.terminaltower.com Fall 2019 occupancy

Coincidentally a friend of mine just listed a rental in the Lorain/Triskett neighborhood near George's Kitchen...he got 54 rental applications in a week. This is not a hot neighborhood by any means, these are working class families searching for a decent price and a fair landlord. How do restrictions on multifamily housing development factor into this problem? Outside of downtown and the near westside how many large apartment buildings were constructed in the last 15 years? It seems many suburbs have large buildings from the 60s and 70s but nothing more modern. I'm thinking of Myafield, Lakewood, Parma and North Olmsted. For the people in development and construction, am I off point here?

Here's his competition: 45 Erieview - totally empty AECOM - 55% occupied 55 Public Square - 50% empty 1215 Superior - 75% empty 55 PS is being partially converted to apartments. Buildings such as Fifth Third Center, 1111 Superior, Oswald Center, Terminal Tower, Keith building, Halle, Caxton and Hanna are all pretty healthy. There are some struggling buildings downtown particularly in the East 9th/ Lakeside area but overall it's a healthy market.

Interestingly the building landed a solid new tenant earlier this year. http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20180304/news/153696/tower-erieview-lands-money-manager The tightening office market downtown certainly plays in their favor.

^ I guess a lot of this depends upon the fate of Nucleus. If Benesch leaves 200 PS then there is a huge gap to filled, I think they have 3 full floors.

Pure speculation on my part but my guess is both the large law firms will be out that building soon. A lot of large firms recently upgraded their space and I would expect Weston Hurd/Walter Haverfield to continue that trend.

Fair point but a landlord who makes any effort to attract tenants would be a huge upgrade. My company asked for a proposal for leasing 4,000 sqf in the Tower last year and it wasn't remotely competitive. Clearly they weren't investing in the property. In terms of parking, UO members don't want to hear it but most downtown workers want to drive. Adding parking by converting zombie retail space isn't a bad thing. The garage entrance is off E. 12th

Also with more technology some businesses are splitting their offices between high rent Class A and more modest space. Baker Hostetler put their legal staff in Key Tower and back office in another cheaper building.

Why is this racist? Is it because the neighborhoods he listed are on the west side? I've worked with many young people who live in east side neighborhoods such as Hough. They have to deal with things everyday no child should have to encounter. Their families live there because of poverty not because it's a great place to live. Perhaps I misunderstood your response.

Campus International on the CSU campus is popular school choice too especially for families that work downtown. A friend of mine who lived in OC sent his son there before relocating to Columbus. Also prep schools in Shaker such as US, HB and Laurel draw from the near west side. Not huge numbers given the cost but I know several families who use that option

Work started on the next cluster of Van Aken/Onaway townhouses. I wonder if the existing homes have sold out?

My guess is that the want to keep the tax incentives offered a secret. I'm assuming they were very generous and other business in town will ask for a similar deal. I have not read the redacted report just speculation.

^ Someone was shot there recently in the middle of the day so it's fair to say there is a security problem. That was after a stampede of kids(who thought they heard gunshots)caused a lock down the day after Christmas. It was also after a fistfight between 2 girls in the food court made the rounds on social media. As someone who lives near Beachwood Place and still shops there I believe security combined with increased competition is the reason for the mall''s struggles. Why deal with the safety issues when you have multiple alternatives nearby? Also going there after the shooting was like shopping in a prison. They had multiple armed sheriff deputies with bulletproof vests standing at each entrance. Not very inviting!

I think the future mixed use is the vacant office building on Ontario next to the garage

Speaking of the Park Building, the developer of the building posted on twitter recently how crime is getting really bad around Public Square. It was retweeted by a writer at Scene. He said the May Co/ Tilted Kilt Garage in particular was very unsafe. Personally I've dealt with a lot of panhandling there but never felt unsafe even when visiting the (amazing)Taco Bell late at night. I am curious to hear what others on the forum think.

Fair point regarding the schools but I think that a mile walk to retail is pretty inconvenient especially in the winter. I agree about the marketing. It's odd how little the city has been promoting this development, we hear about Van Aken constantly. It's my understanding that there is tax abatement but you would never know by going past the site. That's a big selling point in Shaker.

They've sold two of the townhouses after cutting the price. A recent article said two more are close to selling I live in Shaker and I agree with the safety perceptions. However I also believe that the location was a poor choice as it's a long walk from retail. Presumably people who want a townhouse are looking for a dense, walkable neighborhood. The condos at Lee and Van Aken have been selling at a slow and steady pace since it's close Heinen's, a coffee shop and the library. Neighborhood schools are also a big deal in Shaker real estate. A lot of buyers want to be in the Fernway and Mercer elementary school zones. I don't have kids in the district but that seems to be the trend.