mjarboe

Hey there - Parking was part of the Le Meridien plan, as well, and was designated for the non-historic building at the eastern end of the project. If Alto Partners wants to hang onto the historic tax credits, the company will be constrained by what the state preservation folks will - and won't - allow. The 925 Building developer already purchased the Statler garage to ensure controlled parking. Michelle

You called it back when Coral was named. Coral/Peter Rubin wasn't a good choice. I hope that Steve Rubin (I assume his brother?) has better luck here. Just FYI - Steve Rubin and Peter Rubin aren't related. They just happen to have the same last name and to work in Cleveland development circles. /m

More detail on the CAC, in case it's of interest: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/12/cleveland_athletic_club_buildi_4.html#incart_2box_realestatenews /m

On the CAC, the money for the ownership reorganization is in escrow, according to multiple large stakeholders in the project. Just FYI. Michelle

Let me see if I can find out the specific name of the earliest submarine to dock there through Paul Farace over at the Cod. His records show that a submarine has used that dock since 1936, and there was a fleet sub at the dock starting in 1947. The Cod came to Cleveland in the late 1950s as part of the naval reserve training program. Michelle PS - Supposedly that piece of property was a sea-plane anchorage before it became a submarine dock. Just some random trivia for you.

There's a map of the potential Geis site with this story: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/08/geis_cos_float_plan_for_lakefr.html

A few things: * The city owns the land, but the Cod doesn't have a lease agreement with the city. There has been a submarine docked at that site since the 1930s, and the Cod has been there for more than 50 years. There has never been a lease, in my understanding. * Landmark status would not guarantee that the Cod stays put. It would just require the city and any developer floating plans for that piece of property adjacent to the Cod (now enclosed by a vintage U.S. Navy chain-link fence and scattered with various artifacts/memorials/other items) to seek approval from the Landmarks Commission to modify the property, de-landmark the property or move the boat. Landmark status would add an extra layer of protection. As we've seen in Cleveland many times over the last few years (historic churches on Euclid Avenue come to mind), landmark status doesn't guarantee that a property is preserved. * This property was included in the broader footprint for the property that the city and Geis have talked about. I need to check in with Geis on the status of any possible project on that land -- I did not have a chance to do that last week, and my sense has been that the developer's attentions are elsewhere. /m

Hey all - I received a copy of the Landmarks Commission agenda via email on Tuesday evening, and that item wasn't on it. The agenda online is incorrect. (Interesting, but incorrect.) Stay tuned. Michelle

KJP[/member] I'm just trying to keep up with you guys! :wink: Nice sleuthing on your end, as always. /m

Since you asked ... http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/09/buyer_emerges_for_avenue_mall.html

Re: the comments above ... The Plain Dealer is a tenant in Skylight Office Tower, not the mall at Tower City. They are separate parcels. I've been keeping an eye on this situation but won't/can't report anything until I have solid information. So far, it's mostly rumors - about a range of potential buyers. Michelle

Hi all - The massing showing a multi-story building on the future library site is not correct. The massing was created before the developers and the library agreed on the Euclid Avenue site next to the American Cancer Society and the details of the library-owned, freestanding, single-story building. That said, there are always air rights ... I would interpret all the images as conceptual, and only conceptual, at this point. Michelle

There won't be for-sale housing in the lakefront project. Dick Pace says that, logistically, he can't sell units down there because he won't own the land. The project calls for a 50-year land-lease deal with the city, with a nearly 50-year extension period. That makes selling homes - and working with buyers to find financing - down there extremely difficult, if not impossible. Michelle

Hey all - I updated my story about the catalytic credits around 5 o'clock last night, with some comments from Bob Rains, some additional info from the state and a bit more context. The Rains-Carney-Goldberg team isn't giving up yet. They still have some time on their option, so they're going to try to make some decisions in the next month or so. Rains did say that "absent a miracle," the project won't be done in time for the RNC. Missing out on the credit clearly is a huge blow for the project, but the developers are trying to determine whether they can change the scope or financing plan to keep the deal from dying. It's worth noting that May Co. won a $5 million credit in a previous round. That's still on the table for the project. But Rains says they need to fill a $20 million hole. Michelle PS - We would have posted a story earlier yesterday, but somehow ODSA left me off the distribution list for the catalytic announcement. Murphy's Law. I did publish a separate article about the other, smaller awards. (I think someone asked about that elsewhere in the thread.)

Very cool picture! I hadn't seen that one before. /m