Htsguy

^Please don't start something like this. The end result will just be a bunch of deleted posts once the moderators get involved.

@NorthShore647 I appreciate your taking the time to tool around town every month or so to provide us with all these many progress photos. I imagine out of towners appreciates it even more.

It could easily be that without that ridiculous, ugly and un-needed bridge.

I imagine the economics of the project won't allow for the elimination of the surface parking but I sure hope design review flags them for the suburban Wal-Mart look (especially as it is fronting Euclid) and makes them gussy it up.

2 variances were granted this morning at the Board of Zoning Appeals for the Hessler Street project and I believe this is the final city approval needed in order to move project forward. NIMBYS were out in full force. Let's see what they do next. Possible appeal to Common Pleas Court. Who knows.

As we moan about our car culture and the resulting US urban design which supports this mindset, and while people like us try to promote design to overcome it and encourage walkability, the above posting is a perfect example why the task is so difficult. It has been entrenched in our culture going on 100 years. While the Sears was built to the sidewalk on Carnegie, apparently a surface parking lot was built to support the building on of all streets Euclid.

I wonder if today, even with Kenzler's influence, the Hipp would be demolished. At least, I believe, there would be more of a fight. Look what Gilbert had to go through to build his casino garage even though he eventually won. Landmark spent Thursday debating a roof and solar panels on an Ohio City house for over an hour. I think today we, as a community, would put up a bigger fight, especially given the plan was for a parking garage and surface parking on Euclid. Also recall just yards away we lost the Williamson and Cuyahoga Buildings right around the same time. Even greater loses.

Sad to see David Ebersole go as Director of Economic Development. Thought he brought much enthusiasm to the position.

Unfortunately I don't believe that what ends up permanently on the Jacobs' lot is going to be much taller than those tents.

Gaining control of those Cedar Road parcels is a great surprise and very welcome Without seeing some renderings, other than Cedar Rd., at this point it doesn't seem like they took many of the past suggestions/criticisms to heart (especially Paul Volpe's who it appeared wanted to re-design the whole project by himself). The green space on Meadowbrook just seems to be an afterthought with no incorporation into the development and the "thru street" running pass the parking garage does not seem activated and is not "a place you want to be and hang out". To be fair, I don't really know how you accomplish this given the limited space/width, the back sides of Lee Road commercial spaces and the hulking cheerless parking garage.

I think they may be trying to "bribe" the possible neighborhood NIMBYS with a fair amount of retail, something Duck Island residents seem to crave. Also will have to see if the step down of the building as it approaches the houses works to calm fears.

Are the new plans anywhere on-line

No...the Horton and Harper project struck down by Landmarks was north of Lorain at Fulton and Woodbine.

@KJP...any thoughts or opinions as to whether Realife has the ability and resources to pull something like this off? Have they ever developed something from scratch this major? Seems like they are more into acquisition.

It has been so long I cannot recall the process for Harbor 44, but I think you might be confusing city push back (that being staff in Planning and the Planning Commission) with NIMBYS, neighborhood block clubs which seem to wield a lot of power and often weak knee ward councilperson who don't want to rock the boat even thought they know better. For example, city push killed that awful project on Scranton Peninsula by NRP. I do which there was more "city push back" on the SHW project but we all know why that did not happen.

Wrong thread @KJP

Somebody should let Kevin Smith, apparently a star reporter, know that Abbey Avenue Apartments did not get approval from the PC last Friday. In fact the approval they got was going backwards rather than forward. They were seeking schematic approval and PC, feeling that the project needed a lot of work, that they was still much community engagement to complete and the project would admittedly change a great deal in the future as a result only gave conceptual approval.

Good...I would sure like to know who the developer is as of course cannot access the article.

People may recall that this project has already passed Landmarks (after multiple changes). It has the support of the ward councilperson and I believe staff at the Planning Department. The renovations are sorely needed and the apartment building, the design of which is simply OK in my opinion, would be great for the neighborhood. Better than a gravel lot which opponents would like to compare to Central Park. Board of Zoning Appeal is anticipating a virtual video slug fest as they have arranged the agenda so it is the only thing before it that day. I know they are going to want to dot all the i's and cross all the t's in anticipation of a lawsuit if they grant the variances similar to the Watson appeal to Common Pleas Court on the Woodhill Supply project in Little Italy.

My memory may be sketchy on this but if I recall testimony...the bank is holding the property hostage and will not negotiate. If it does go to a foreclosure auction the consensus seemed to be that nobody would bid other than the bank. All agreed that the bank then holding title would be a disaster since they would invest little to nothing in the Square in the short term or long term, and certainly not the immediate 4 million in basic repairs it needs right now to prevent many of the current tenants from fleeing. When the bank finally does decide to sell, it is going to strictly focus on its own best interest not the squares and the buyer could be another horrible owner.

I saw a Cleveland.com headline that stated the ward councilperson was balking but I could not read the article. Does anybody know what the reason is? At hearings most of the surrounding councilperson's were very much in favor of the plan.

Do small urban targets have much of a grocery section? I don't know. I never been in one.

Thanks for the pics. Really great. Totally agree with your comments and hate to beat a dead horse but somebody please light a fire under Peter Rubin. Library Lofts groundbreaking was suppose to be in July and last report they still don't have financing wrapped up. Unfortunately delay here delays other portions of the project because the current MKL library branch cannot be demolished until the new library is built.

I won't mind May Co as I think wherever it is it needs a street presence, but I think an East 9th location would actually be more of a geographic center and it would also result in a great synergy with Heinens.

After viewing the tweets I was going to post-but didn't- asking forum members their thoughts on the preferred location for an Urban Target and 925 Euclid would have been mine as well.