andrew0816

The exterior is ok, but it really looks like they used LVP flooring as siding.

Think it is also worth mentioning that projects in the city's "CRA 1 - Market Rate" neighborhoods (map) can still receive a 100% tax abatement if 100% of units are restricted to 80% of AMI for a minimum of 15-years (Tax Abatement Table and city abatement program website). So, the tax abatement is not an issue for the Waterson-Lake development as that is a LIHTC deal with much deeper affordability. I would assume the hold up with that project stems from other issues largely stemming from changes at HUD and gap financing issues, which has been affecting a lot of LIHTC/affordable projects across the country.

@Zagapi There's an existing thread that hashes out the State of the Western Reserve scenario (see below) that has some of the similar feedback you've received in this thread. The linked thread has been locked since 2020, not sure if there are any fresh takes to add but it's an interesting read.

@Cleburger because the wards were gerrymandered in order to maintain a more even split. Beyond drawing wards in a way that captures population clusters that support the drawn boundaries, the east side wards are, largely, under the minimum population threshold utilizing the lowest negative tolerance while the west side neighborhoods are above the minimum population threshold (the population of each ward is allowed to be within +/- 5% of the threshold). Highly recommend the overviews/breakdowns of the proposed map Matthew Ahn has posted on both Twitter and Bluesky (I can't post the link at this time, but should be fairly easy to find).

That is a horrible map and is clearly meant to dilute the influence of downtown, certain west side neighborhoods, and make it harder for councilwoman Maurer to run for re-election. I hope there is pushback on this, or can be, not sure what the rules for new ward maps are. Clearly we need to pass our own charter amendment/legislation that creates an independent commission that would be in charge of drawing the ward maps. And @Dougal The CDCs are not tied to specific wards and receive funding from a variety of sources. There are some CDBG funds awarded directly to the CDCs themselves but also a mix of other funding sources that includes funds from the pot of money councilmembers have discretion over. When I worked for Metro West (before the name change) our service area overlapped with portions of Wards 3, 12, and 14; we received some funding from each councilperson but that's not always the case and relies heavily on maintaining partnerships with council.

I think there may be some misunderstanding as what "affordable housing" is, especially in this context. In KJP's article he references "Low Income Housing Tax Credits" and "workforce housing," which if going the LIHTC route would most likely see restrictions at 60% of AMI or below, but sometimes does include a portion of units at 80% of AMI and/or some market rate units. Workforce housing on the other hand generally means units restricted to 80% of AMI; I mostly see workforce deals with 50% of units at 80% AMI with the remaining units at market rate, although different cities/states/programs could define "workforce housing" at different restriction levels. The restrictions are based off HUD's annual income limits for the county where the project is located. For Cuyahoga, the 2024 income limits for a family of 4 are $77,750 to qualify at the 80% AMI level, $48,600 at the 50% AMI level, and $31,200 at the 30% AMI level (so for a single person that'd be between $34,050-$54,450). Cleveland's median household income is $37k (US Census, 2022 ACS), so there's a lot of people who would qualify for these units. To provide better context, below are what monthly rents would be in Cuyahoga by unit size and AMI level: Developing units with these types of rents with residents at or below the 80% AMI level will help Ohio City and the near west side remain a mixed-income community with housing options for everyone. There's enough room to develop both market rate and affordable housing and the city should not pass up a rare opportunity to develop affordable/workforce housing in the community on land they already own.

Also confused why they weren't busier, loved the options the E4th location had and because of that would often get pizza from them instead of the Ohio City location even though it was more cumbersome to do so. Encouraging that they said "the downtown shop will be rolled into the Ohio City location, where diners can look forward to menu changes in the future," so hopefully can still get my go to order!

I was the at Edgewater when it happened, but luckily not where the shooting occurred. There was a huge crowd on the 2nd level of the beach house when I initially walked past, assuming shooting occurred there while I was walking around upper Edgewater. Had no idea it had happened, there were several Metropark cops at upper Edgewater around a group of would be grillers (have no idea what that was about) and then suddenly a bunch of cops started making their way to lower Edgewater. By the time I made my way back down there the crowd had been dispersed, the 2nd floor of the beach house cautioned taped off, and there were massive lines of cars trying to get out of the park.

@Zagapi You can check out the digital gallery on the Cleveland Public Library website, but would also recommend going to the main library in person if you have the time and consulting with the librarian in the Photograph Collection (4th floor) to help you find what you need.

Agree about Market Cafe and Crepes de Luxe for breakfast spots in Ohio City's Market District. If eating a later breakfast and if you're willing to walk a little further, would also recommend Le Petit Triangle, which is about a 15 minute walk from the W 25th St station. If feeling a little more adventurous, Patron Saint serves breakfast all day (opens at 8am) and they're like a 20 minute walk from the W 25th St station or could take the #26 Bus from Public Sq. As for breakfast spots downtown, Addy's Diner in the 5th Street Arcades is pretty good, but there's also Al's Diner (E 9th and Superior), Milk + Honey (they have a Tower City as well as a Perk Park/Oswald Bldg. location, more casual with breakfast sandwiches/bagels/wraps and coffee), and Luna Bakery Cafe (W 9th and Superior). There's also Betts at the Kimpton Scofield hotel (E 9th & Euclid), have only had lunch there but would assume their breakfast would be decent.

@JB Do you have a link to the source of this information? Thaaank you! @E Rocc Not sure I follow, how can pictures and eyewitness reports determine where someone is from? Were they wearing shirts with their hometown's name on them or something? Were they telling the eyewitnesses where they were from? Thaaank you!

Yes, all of the units will be restricted with restrictions ranging between 30%-80% of AMI, which seems standard as this is a LIHTC project. And for what it's worth, Cleveland's (city) median income is $37k per the US Census, so there's definitely a market for affordable housing.

HUD's 2024 AMIs were released last month: Source.

Yeah, one of the residents with the aforementioned connections to neighborhood groups has spoken out against the Clinton West Apartments, the Vine Ct townhouses, and the condos on W28th and Clinton (I was an intern with city planning when these projects initially started so I saw him speak against them). He also had some interesting critiques on a development project I worked on years ago on Lorain & 44th that we did not end up pursuing, but someone else did (initial design iterations were "too modern" later designs were "faux historic").

Oh yeah, for sure, but thought it relevant to mention he also designed the main house and that the residents of said house are also obstructionists, so some karmic justice is needed all around.

Bestie, hate to be the one to tell you this, but Ellison designed that house. Additionally, one of the owners/residents of that house, with a connection to a certain block club and community development office, have tried their best to obstruct other developments in the city.

To make a general statement about similar projects from the perspective of someone who works in the commercial/affordable lending space, there are several things happening behind the scenes on deals like this that draws out the process. Like others have said, although things are quiet that does not mean the deal is dead. For instance, construction financing is pretty difficult/expensive right now and getting that and the permanent debt pieces financed can be a drawn out process. On top of that, the complexity of the capital stack with various sources of subordinate debt, coupled with the parameters around affordability restrictions, adds to the overall timeline and affects various aspects of the deal (financing, legal, underwriting, agency requirements, etc.). Deals like this are complex, would urge a little more patience.

Agreed, this article and the implications being made are a reach. Also the following comment is BS: I have worked on deals that had financing from the city's economic development department and you do submit ALL development related documentation/expenses, but that does not mean everything submitted is being submitted for reimbursement. You flag the expenses eligible for reimbursement and then the city employee assigned to your deal approves or denies, but they do ask to know the total development costs as well as the break down of hard and soft costs. So it makes sense that Brandt received a package from economic development with all of those documents/expenses.

From today:

Cleveland/CMSD has the International Newcomers Academy, which is a PreK-12 school with students from all over the world, with a sizeable amount of students who are refugees. Students are typically there for 2 years, depending on what grade you're in when you join the school; high school aged students have the choice to stay through graduation though. They have staff trained in teaching English as a second language, bilingual aids who speak in the students native language, individualized educational and social curriculum based on the students needs, and many other resources. From my personal experience, the students there are very collaborative and the school offers an opportunity to adjust to life in the states while also providing connections to their peer groups and the wider community. I am not aware of an equivalent offering in the Parma school district, although with the city's existing Ukrainian population and history, I am sure that is an added benefit of placing Ukrainian refugees in that community.

Haven't walked over the Detroit-Superior bridge in a while and, oh boy, was it a mess! Besides the usual trash strewn about (not pictured), the entire north sidewalk was crumbling and the bike lane on the south side wasn't looking great either. There were huge chunks of concrete everywhere, the poorly designed walkway is really showing its age. Definitely think it's time for a refresh, hopefully in the near future.

Guess I'll join in and add my pics from yesterday.

Walked by during my lunch break today:

Not that we need more photos, but taken during my lunch break today: