Htsguy

I know the campus plan is just a conceptual massing but it kind of reminds me of the Inns of Court in London. That is pretty 'big city" in my mind and very charming.

I am wonder if another reason Bedrock is holding back on the more significant 1B phase, which will be closer to the heart of the development, is due to the city. They are not even close, as far as I can tell, to pulling the trigger on the unique funding scheme they are coming up with to implement the major and necessary infrastructure improvements on the site, let alone schedule shovels in the ground for those improvements. All that will take time and need to be completed first.

I imagine even once rates "hopefully" start to decline, lending institutions are not going to immediately start throwing money at projects. They will probably be doing a fair amount of soul searching after the current retrenchment before they gear up again.

So basically 2 1/2 stories to go. So it should be topped off in about a year😉and hopefully completed before I die.

This is one of my favorite projects. I know its a no brainer but we need 10 more of these up and down Detroit.

They voted five to nothing in favor of the conceptual plan so they could’ve been that displeased.

Those restaurants aren't going to be able to afford to be very good in terms of food, quality of the food prep (in other words talented well paid cooks), service and ambiance if they are only 25% filled most night due to a finite number of people who do or can afford to eat out at those billion restaurants.

If you ever owned a restaurant you would know exactly what that means

I was never a big fan of Mitchells food but still probably had dinner there 6-7 times in my life, usually at the urging of others with whom I was out to dinner. I remember for years and years it was impossible to get in, even on week nights. However, the last time I was there (pre pandemic, maybe 4 years ago) it was barely half full on a Friday night. I think after a while a restaurant, especially a chain, wears out its welcome as people gravitate to the new and different. And I agree...way too many restaurants out there.

I am assuming posters mean it is narrower than the original conceptual plan championed by the Haslams 2-3 years ago, which it is.

Initially, while it’s hard to tell at thispoint, I’m sure the first floor parking will be well concealed. Pedestal parking is certainly not a rare architectural device. Just go to Chicago and check it out. Secondly, there will be plenty of space on the built out Project for public amenities. This site is hardly the heart of the development. Although I do believe the kayak launch is somewhere near this building.

I am also curious about phasing. If this is the only thing built for a while the pedestrian experience/connection to the facility is not going to be great. I could see most people driving to it rather than walking early on.

Looking forward to seeing how they present this. Hopefully lots of glass along the river side.

I notice that the Cleveland Clinic facility is on the this Fridays Planning Commission agenda for conceptual review. Does anybody know if there are any pretty pictures floating around the internet at this point? Since it is conceptual I wonder if they are only going to present a site plan without renderings.

Sigh

I wasn't aware that it had stopped, although not surprised. Any idea how long it had remained stalled. It is not that big of a project. I thought it would be done by now.

The gang was finally before Council Planning and Development committee today in regards to the TIF they are seeking (again minus any Kassouff family member which I still find strange). This was the first step in the TIF process regarding the chain of title. It passed this committee and will go to Finance next Monday and then the full council Monday night for passage. They then have to come back to both committees and then the full council in the future for the actual TIF. Again it is a two step process but things are moving forward. The most interesting thing that came out of the hearing was bad news/ good news regarding the financing. Apparently the primary lender, Huntington, reduced the amount they were willing to loan (at least under the previous negotiated terms) by 30 million. However, the presenter indicated they were able to fix this negative with some sort of fancy maneuvering which would take me two days to research and understand, if then. He said the capital stack was still moving forward in a positive direction with the TIF being a vital component. They are still negotiation with the city the terms of the Community Benefit Agreement so that still has to be completed as well. They are doing design work but no word as to when this might break ground. I imagine it will not be until next year.

Erieview is 529" SHW 616"

I have seen design reviews and Landmarks and Planning Commission in action for many years and have moaned and groaned about them being "picky" about stupid design issues. In this instance people are not being "picky". This is just a horrible design overall from the outset.

You have been arguing for weeks now that financing and the current economy are the biggest thing holding back expansion of supply. Strange thing to say all of a sudden to make a point. I can recall numerous projects that have won city approval-some with neighborhood disapproval-over the past 4-5 years, or that were proposed and never even made it to the approval stage, that are dead or are crickets, and opinions about "what is art" clearly were not the issue.

If it makes people feel better, Geis also unleashes its schlock architect on other cities as well, including those in the sunbelt. A few days ago an apartment project they just completed popped up on my Instagram feed. Horrible would be putting it lightly. I am no architect but it looks like they just have this standard interior floor plan and they then paste on a different exterior no matter what the unique characteristics of a site might require. Like they keep emphasizing, this business model is economical. At least we are lucky that the Bridgework site prohibits the sea of surface parking that surrounds this Ft. Myers building.

At Landmarks today, project was reviewed conceptually. Strangely only three members offered input. All three were on the negative side for the most part with Bob Strickland saying he would never vote in favor of the current design. As expected, the seventh floor was panned along with the monolith nature of the building, which has been a consistent criticism. Interestingly, the most "positive" voice of the three was Michelle Anderson, which in my mind says a lot because she basically has no taste whatsoever. Obviously, the reason she was a somewhat positive voice is because she finally got her way and the building was chopped down. Recall she voted against the other two proposals because they were too tall and she clearly, at least in her mind, feels vindicated, so the developers should rest assured they will have at least one yes vote when the time comes for that reason alone, even if they paint the building hot pink and get rid of all the windows.

At Ohio City design review, the presenter- really as an afterthought when responding to a question instead of addressing it upfront in his presentation- indicated the very poor designed top was meant to mimic the Detroit-Superior (excuse me Veterans Memorial) Bridge with the arches. When he stated this it was the first time it occurred to me that is what they were trying to accomplish with the top floor windows. @dave2017 attempt is so much better, especially the spacing of the windows and the increased number.

I was wondering the same thing. Especially, concerning the $2 million loan from the county.

Graham was one of the presenters for the developers at the recent Ohio City design review meeting (last week).