Htsguy

Thanks for the updates. Hard to keep on top of this stuff.

I was wondering about the condition of the tear downs also but you have to admit this is one of the better locations in Hough for new development (and making money which I am assuming is the goal) given how close it is to the Clinic. Disagree with you about the look and really like the conceptual streetscape. Looks like something you would find in Westwood in LA

That East 90th street project looks interesting.

Only been in a Wegman's once in my life about 20 years ago in Buffalo. It was actually pretty amazing and I can remember coming back to Cleveland and telling everybody about this grocery store like no other. I imagine since then many other chains have adopted some of its best features but I would like to check one out again.

My biggest fear with a courthouse complex on the Jacobs lot is that parking will go in an awful stand alone parking garage in the center of the Weston lot surrounded by some unkept landscaping with a miserable bridge over West 3rd.

I think this has been discussed before but is the parking entrance and exit on Euclid going to be strictly a right turn in and a right turn out?

If I recall correctly there is only going to be 1500 square feet of retail total on the first floor of the garage so it is not going to be very deep.

I am wondering more about the huge floor plates, at least for a residential conversion. Seems like there might be a lot of unappealing and perhaps wasted space in the center of each floor.

@KJP If and when an announcement is finally made (especially if it is in the short term) do you think it will include conceptual renderings? Although I am no development expert I would find it strange to have any retained architect developing site plans etc (especially given the cost) if you are still in negotiations for two different sites. I would also think that such renderings do not just pop up in a day or two and require some significant thought.

Okay I have been thinking about this and I have a hunch. SW got the great idea to secretly recruit KJP (of course paying him tons of money) to plant this news in his blog so they have leverage with Jacobs/Weston as negotiations for the PS lot come down to the wire. Brilliant. ?

I guess I am happy to hear this but I have been rooting for the Jacobs lot. I have very little confidence in the county moving at all quickly on Justice Center replacement ($$ being the nut). This was the greatest opportunity to get rid of those parking craters in years and I am not optimistic that they will go away anytime soon if they are passed over now. And let me say for the 134th time I HATE THAT JACOBS PARKING LOT

For what it is worth (knowing this is hardly the final product) the retail conceptual looks better than the previous version

Why don't we all ignore him so this thread doesn't take another inevitable off topic downward spiral courtesy of our friends in Columbus and Cincinnati so the thread is not locked again.

Don't let the partners read that. In their minds there are NEVER enough billable hours generated by you grunt associates?

The article mentions Paul Volpe's objectiions to AE7's possible retention in response to the RFP but I don't think it provides the full flavor of the melt down he had over this possibility. He was very passionate and feels they are quite unqualified given their past development experience and panned their preliminary vision. Councilman Ungar (head of the council planning committee and apparently a neighbor of Volpe's) indicated that this was not a done deal. However I get the impression the planning staff is promoting them. I heard a report this morning on WCPN which, while not very in depth, seemed to reflect this was a done deal which I imagine they got from the above article and perhaps a quick call to the planning staff (or not).

The premise of your post is that it was just environmentalists who were against the original legislation which is hardly the case. I was against it as I see it as a public corporate bailout for a failing company

Doesn't look like there was that much parking in the first place. Probably was to be reserved for VIPs and big spenders. That said, I think it is crazy to park anywhere around the stadium on game day unless you intend to arrive 2 hours before the game and stay an hour or more afterwards. The crowds leaving have no mercy for moving vehicles. The closest I ever park to the Stadium is somewhere between east 12th and east 18th

Well since you are so good as "guessing" where are they moving too?

Not quite sure I understand what the traffic calming measures you are referencing are exactly. Are they like the bump outs you find on some high volume side streets in Lakewood?

This same topic came up in this thread about a month ago and people seemed not to be able to grasp the point then and it continues now, KJP is saying that only two companies packed up and left Greater Cleveland. He is not including companies that moved to the suburbs or those that moved due to mergers or acquisitions (for example Office Max). In my mind I think it is only one (Diamond) although KJP includes BP because the move happen well after the merger (although I think the move what clearly going to happen eventually). And like KJP said this discussion is better suited for the Cleveland economic thread as I can see this thread zipping far off topic again It is starting to get like the Cincinnati Street Car thread back in the day.

I just re-read the article posted by @MuRrAy HiLL. Does anybody know if this is an appeal of Landmark's original decision to allow demolition and construction or an appeal of any zoning variances that might have been subsequently granted by the city? The article noted that Hemingway still had to get a few small zoning variances to start construction even after the approval by Landmarks.

Thanks for posting this. I thought the Cornell apartment building was a done deal when it got through Landmarks after the developer substantially modified the plan to address the objection of the community board. I would have thought it would have never been approved the second time around without the board's support. Does anybody know what their current position is as well as the councilperson who I also believe was against the original plan. Wish I knew more about process when it comes to the Board of Zoning appeals. I would imagine that community voices are indeed part of the appeal consideration under it's review process when considering whether to uphold a variance (or I could be wrong,,,just don't know).

Should have asked the proprietor whether that means preserving all the vinyl siding and chopped up single family houses.

I find these opinions very interesting because I have the exact opposite feelings. Maybe it is because I am older than most on the forum. In the near future I am planning on giving up home ownership and go into an apartment (biggest issue is finding something big enough that does not cost an arm and leg. After years and years I have a lot of stuff). I am also going to try and do something crazy for Cleveland and see if I can go car free (this will be a big challenge because many friends and most relatives are in the far 'burbs). Right now the two neighborhoods that fit my personal criteria are University Circle and Ohio City and UC is running first for a number of reasons (although Ohio City could go on top if many of the planned developments are realized with the most important being the Irishtown Bend park.) Since I won't have a car, I want to be able to walk or have an easy bus ride (which means a direct and quick route with no transfer) to a church, a library and a grocery. Everything else would be icing on the cake and in my mind UC has the best butter cream frosting for me. Church (Holy Rosary) and library (MLK) I could walk to and grocery would be a bus ride downtown to Heinens. I would probably go to Constantinos as well for something quick, like when I lived in the Warehouse District, but I have always considered it more of a convenience store than a grocer. Easy rapid ride to the West Side Market as well as everything that OC would offer. Since my three criteria are not an issue, UC appeals to me more than OC because of the green space and the cultural institutions which I use a lot (and much of it is free....I am always going to CIM for concerts) and the fact that it is a quick bus ride downtown. I find the restaurant choices (again walkable) in UC and Little Italy very good and the bar scene serves my purposes since I am not looking for a hot spot or late hours. I don't shop like I use to so an Uber to major east side centers will probably only be necessary once a month or so. I am really hoping that the Circle Square development happens because it will really seal the deal for me.

Wow, Ken seems to shake things up in house. Kind of funny. By the way, I don't think that Ken's original blog post which resulted in the first e mail from on high actually said SW was moving. If anything this whole moving nonsense was started due to a throw away sentence in that SW no news news release (which I think was in response to Ken's first article) which started something like they were exploring all options.