Htsguy

Page 5 of the planning study suggestions that funding still has to be secured.

Good article. Very informative. You can tell the reporter did her homework.

With everything that goes into a development (financing, planning, approvals, contracting) among other things to worry about when putting a project together I doubt that a single event (not even a yearly event) over the course of a couple of days is going to be much of a factor (but I think you guys really know that). The renovation of the Q (or what ever it is called) and the mere fact of Nucleus across the street are obviously what the Ohio Bell developers are focusing on.

KJP (of course) relayed that fun tidbit yesterday

I guess this whole RFP scenario has me a bit confused. Could it possibly be that a decision has pretty much been made and this is a "due diligence" exercise for the board in order to cover their asses?

Forget the comment section of a written article. If you are really into mindless babble simply attend a city council meeting or planning commission meeting of any city where a development project is being discussed.

Could you please clarify your Dan Gilbert statement. Am I missing something? Cleveland is wrapping up a two year $185 mil renovation of the Q (now Rocket Fieldhouse) of which the Cavs contributed more than 65%.

Are you guys seriously bitching about a 17% vacancy rate in a huge luxury building that has not even been open for a year yet?

I don't know how Geis gets LaCollina through Landmarks and this does not even come close. The only real difference is that La Collina is on a more commercial street. You could argue that this is an even a more beneficial project than LaCollina. It includes the total renovation of two buildings on Murrary Hill (both of which really need it) and the tear down of two nondescript houses on Cornell which have been bastardized over the years and includes hidden away parking for residents so it should not contribute to parking problems. I am really not a conspiracy type but could it be the owners of the LaCollina land were more connected and could more easily throw their weight around? I feel sorry for the guy who wanted to sell his house for the project. He was probably going to get a sweet heart deal from the developers.

Today's vote was 6-2 against proposed development. With councilman against project I don't see what they can do to move it forward (and make economic sense...they already compromised significantly).

Advert? Are your British??

Noticed that the Top of the Hill Architectural Board of Review meeting scheduled for this evening has been cancelled and will be re-scheduled because "the applicant needed more time to evaluate costs and make sure they could deliver an agreed upon design". Interesting wording. Given what has transpired to date I could write a book speculating on what is going on behind the scenes.

My impression is that Wolstein et al are plugging away. Not crazy about the fact that they continue to be so reliant on public subsidies but that seems to be a drug most developers in town are addicted to (and perhaps for good reason...the numbers probably don't pan out without them). My bigger concern/frustration is that Flats East Bank has not resulted in any significant spillover development down River Road and up on West Ninth. I thought that would happen easily after the development was up and running.

I remember driving down Ninth as a kid and passing by the Roxy (10th picture...now PNC Building) and seeing those huge pictures of barely dressing ladies and being hugely impressed.?

Ken...thanks for all your informative and optimistic articles. Love the inside and early days information you dig up. I hate to be that person (but of course I will be) but not crazy about certain aspects of the dialysis center conceptual. I think the eleven story building should be closer to Euclid. It may very well overwhelm one of the neat traditional looking CWRU dorms to the west in its current configuration. Also not sure about the plaza. I am getting a 1970's mid-size Midwest college town vibe from it (think Ann Arbor).

Some what confused by the reporting in Cleveland.com in connection with today's design review of the restaurant buildings (apparently they loved the new design). Wolstein apparently stated that he was looking for some financing from the city (just for the restaurant portion but not sure) and would be working on that in the "coming months". He also said he was monitoring the mixed use legislation pending in Columbus and said he "could not" move forward until there was clarification (and we all know how slow that has been moving). But then he said he hopes to break ground on both the restaurants along the river and the apartments on the parking lot this summer (if I recall KJP recently opined that the apartments would not happen until next year). In my mind the first two statements do not jive with a summer groundbreaking. I don't know if it is just poor reporting or Wolstein was just babbling on and not articulating the situation very well.

This is great news although I am not a fan of some of NPR's previous efforts in our region. Hopefully the city will hold them to a higher standard at this key location.

If that is the case then I say just bulldozer the whole development.

By the way...I wonder who thought it was a good idea at the city to allow that rock climbing facility on that tight lot at the northeast corner of Warrensville and Farnsleigh? I feel sorry for the tenants of the Golfview Apartments who have to stare at a huge blank wall 15 feet from their windows.

I know this is early days and very much conceptual at this point but not loving the siting for the proposed grocery store, especially surface parking fronting Warrensville. In fact I would like to see more apartments on this corner, probably over retail.

According to KJP the city put a 5 year limit for parking when he first purchased and this runs out next year. He also indicated that Geis paid so much for such a small parcel it does not make economic sense to maintain it as parking. I will add my two cents. Geis tends to be a developer who gets things done and actually relatively quickly when compared to other developers. He has a pretty good track record (and this coming from a guy who can be very cynical when it comes many developers in town).

Most recent rumors is that Geis is planning a condo building on the spaghetti house property. I believe it was discussed on the forum over the weekend in the Gateway thread.

I don't think those of us who mentioned the Justice Center and the jail being across the street as a negative were implying it is a safety issue. II use to live a couple blocks away and it certainly was never an issue with me. You really never see any activity at street level relating to the jail, especially on St. Clair. I think what is being said is that the Justice Center block, and especially the jail, creates a large dead zone which gives the immediate neighborhood a sense of isolation. That bunker of a building to the west of the Standard does not help the situation either.

^If you enter via St. Clair there was a bar to the right. The diner was to your left and the convenience store/ newsstand also sold some limited hot food at lunch time.

It is hard to explain. It is true, it has all that "stuff" around it but from a residential aspect it feels isolated, especially at night. If the buildings and lots to the west of it were developed all the way to west 6th, if would probably have a different vibe.