dwirthwein

If patio was pretty full at Hodge's AND the inside was pretty full - I'd say that would be good. But there a few weeks ago on a weeknight, on a beautiful night, and patio was 2/3 occupied and inside almost empty, as was outside bar. And food was super... Unfortunately, any way you slice it, the 75 foot setback from sidewalk/half block down from E 4th location makes this spot anything unconventional for a restaurant and anything but a slam dunk, even for Hodgson/Kuhn. Euclid may be a busier street, overall, but during dinner hours, fewer people are going to walk by - and even with menu out near street - you can't see the restaurant, can't see the crowd, can't get a feel for the place. On the flip side, places on E 4th are visible (the glowing bar at Lola, the open windows/doors at Zocalo, etc... - and that draws diners looking for a place to eat...

"A decade and a half ago, neither Oakwood CC, TRW, nor Acacia CC were zoned for retail. People bought homes near these places with absolutely no idea of what might happen to those clubs/businesses and what kinds of retail development might replace them" Residents voted and/or elected officials made these decisions, right?

Anyone not wanting something built on the Acacia land should look no further than your congresswoman, Marcia Fudge, as one of the reasons - as well as adjaceny to other shoppping - this land is "prime" She's the one, as Mayor of Warrensville Heights, who helped kill Harvard/271 as a potential location to house some of the major retailers wanting into the Cleveland market. Those retailers want to be on the east side. They, preferably, want to be visible to 271. And, they need stores of a certain size, near other key retailers. But when she pushed legislation to keep even modestly-large stores out of Harvard Park ("big box" is a four letter word - and doesn't define these kinds stores...) those retailers have to look elsewhere... Some (IKEA), were once interested in Harvard/271... This land likely won't interest them, but I know others already interested... and these would be major regional draws and aren't allowed to go to Harvard/271 due to zoning. NOT developing this land - and reaping the tax benefits that come with it and offering additional amenities to CLE residents and businesses would the real "major fail" jam40jeff notes above.

Clevelander 17: North Bass Island reference was to "dergon darkhelm" post just above mine.. Perhaps a "smart" conservation group - wanting to make its case - should show some plans and give some commitments, too... What if this remains a golf course - and isn't turned into a park, etc... Are folks just taking them on their word? As for NIMBY comments... if you mean me, 1) I DO live in Cuy County, my profile is old 2) I'm very much "IN my backyard, please!" - I love development - and am looking at this purely/selfishly from MY standpoint, my benefit if it gets built... there's no hiding that... see all my comments in the Retail News section.... (That my town would never, in a million year allow something like this, is a totally different story...) We all choose where we live. I built a house on the Ohio Turnpike a decade ago - and lived with that choice daily - highway noise - and to this day - haven't been able to re-sell it, etc... For those who live in the Richmond/Cedar area --- that was your choice... There's been a busy mall on that corner since the 1970s, Legacy there for a decade - and move west on Cedar and things are even older and more congested. A busy Richmond/Cedar and the traffic and congestion that comes with it should be no surprise. And neither should more development (you don't think Beachwood Place won't expand at some near-future point - with or without Acacia developed? What happens then?

Did the conservation group pay $15MM for north Bass Island? It's the $ that makes this curious. Either way, a smart city and developer would get some beautifal renderings of fancy shops, hotels, offices, restaurants and lots of GREEN SPACE on that land out ASAP to show they can coexist on space.

that alley looks better than I ever dreamed... and the towers, with revamped ground levels, look more decent than I would have expected...

Random late-night searching... and ran across this - Texas de Brazil - the tasty Brazilian Steakhouse, opening in 2013 in CLE... but not downtown, like their recent Detroit opening, or east side - as one might have naturally guessed, (I had assumed they were looking at former McCormick & Schmick's in Beachwood or even part of Border's spot at La Place - Cedar Rd doesn't have a steakhouse..), but at Crocker Park... Very interesting... Based on the (likely) $45ish a person meat/salad/food buffet - before adding on a drink or dessert = not an everyday kind of place. Probably good it's on the other side of town from me! Maybe the even better Fogo de Chao might be looking east... http://www.texasdebrazil.com/cleveland-opening-2013

So the 2 level Panera opened this week I hear?

I've not heard anything substantive about a local individual or local developer being involved with the Conservancy..

For those that missed - the comments section details one rumor... I think other rumors are on this board already, aren't they? http://www.cleveland.com/lyndhurst-south-euclid/index.ssf/2012/08/city_of_lyndhurst_makes_purcha.html

Comments I'd read, of course, said a local individual was behind the $ - to protect a land investment... Keep the rumors and thoughts coming.

Clevelander17 - I saw the comments on the article, too. I'm talking about another rumored scenario entirely. Disingenuous or ulterior motives both potentially in play on that. Less so with other rumors.

I just keep hoping the next purchase I read about is of the awful strip center across from WSM... Gotta happen one day.. Then tear it down for mixed use gateway to Ohio City.

Does everyone really believe that an out of state Conservation group just happened to find this property - and a spare $15MM - sitting around - and thought "let's buy it"? Or could there potentially be much more to the story, including some details about where they got the $ - and why they might not really want the land developed - that might make supporters of this plan much less enthusiastic?

Old Carolina.... Local chain. Have been 4-5x to new Mayfield Rd location. Mixed bag... One meal, it will be juicy, flavorful brisket, piping hot and crispy, out of this world hush puppies and memorably good baked beans and next meal, tepid, dry pulled pork with cold sides. Sometimes this happens on same plate. Inexcusable. Order at counter and they bring food.... Place is slightly off/odd feel and operation.

Crop is a stunning space... I've only been there on crowded nights - and it feels somewhat empty then, in its hugeness.. Can only imagine how it feels on slow nights...

I'd put money that Stark would find a way of adding on to Eton before retailers start looking at Hudson/Twinsburg... East siders won't go down there (and this is spoken by a longtime Hudson resident, now living in Chagrin Falls...). At the same time, Hudsonites treated Beachwood Place like it was in Alaska... even though it's a close, or closer, than Summit Mall from them... 25 minutes... I never got that... For more space on east side... GGP built a streetscape at their Kenwood property in Cincy - just like Simon did at Summit, Westfield did at SouthPark and Glimcher did at Polaris... GGP could easily build out the front of BP and build a whole new wing/streetscape... add a parking deck - and there's your space... BP doesn't seem like the regional draw it should. Add that American Girl store and REI and some upscalers and you've got the draw. Fleming's and Anthro were both on original leasing map of LV, if I recall. Both ended up at Eton. And why did Container Store get announced and then pull out - and hasn't revisited building, or have they? Borders La Place is the right size and it is quite visible from Cedar. J-B space at LV is the right size, too... And as far as the Louis Vuitton store within a store. Have seen similar setups in other markets, though some are just counters/nooks. Ours in CLE just happens to be of the same look - and nearly same size - as the real Vuitton freestanding stores they were building a few years ago. However, in markets like Columbus and Detroit, they had - and still have - Vuitton stores within their Saks - and also built full-fledged freestanding stores. In Detroit, it's even in the same mall. Obviously, if store-within-a-stores were the ideal way of going to market - then there wouldn't be freestanding stores... They are not quite the same thing, not do they have the same cache'

Yes - Athleta - saw it on their leasing plan last week. Now up as opening in Fall on Athleta site/via press release from company. Appears to be taking half space of former Sony Style, maybe more.

Hofbrauhaus is perfect tenant and draw. Dave & Busters is another choice, though unsure their urban desires. And a Margaritaville is opening in Horseshoe Cincy, so wonder if that could be a possibility. This is a big space.

Smith: Beachwood Place currently has 4 vacancies in the Nordstrom wing (former Nine West, Marciano, luggage store, soon to close Jule, though temp massage place moving into luggage slot for now), 2 or 3 vacancies in the Saks wing (solstice and Sony Style, though at least half of Sony may be taken by Athleta, plus former Limited Too is being vacated by temp tenant... Unsure if It will remain empty or get filled). 2 vacancies in the Dillards wing (American Greetings, Bose) and the former M & S space out front. That's 9 of 10 empty store fronts, some vacant foe multiple year. There may be more. that's off the top of my head. Plus several key spaces are clearly temporary service businesses or local stores filling space until a national tenant can be found.... like eyebrow plucking place in Saks wing that was in center aisle of mall before. And many of the spaces are too small or wrong size for many of the retailers missing from market. More telling to me is that when Arhaus closed next to Nordstrom after Legacy opening, , its space was filled by the BP offices, a GNC and a tux rental store. In other malls, you will find Vuitton, Tiffany, in the stores next to Nordstrom. I don't get it. Acacia would allow key retailers the adjacency they seek and the size they need. Otherwise, unsure what happens.

As far as chains go: LV unique retailers = Nordstrom Rack, Lilly Pulitzer, Bose (not counting Aurora outlet), Ecco, Restoration Hardware, CPK, Stir Crazy, Janie & Jack, maybe more, plus has been first local location for Cheesecake, Francesca's, Bar Louie, Brio, Charming Charlie, Tropical Smoothie, Apple, Coldwater Creek, etc.... But Legacy also has suffered from whole chains closing or drastically reducing stores - leaving them with key vacancies to fill... (Talbots Mens, Talbots kids, EXPO, Old Thyme Herbs, Galyans, Z Gallerie, Acorn, Sigrid Olsen, Bombay, Bombay Kids, Oshkosh, Ritz, J-B, and the list goes on...) Beachwood Place unique = Nordstrom, Saks, Lacoste, Tumi, Lego, MaxStudio, Lush, Art of Shaving, Vera Bradley, Crabtree & Evelyn, Hanna Andersson, Arden B., Pottery Barn, True Religion, Madewell, Jessica McClintock, Athleta(coming), Maggiano's, Fossil, etc... and was first in area for many more prior to opening on west side, like Sephora, Lucky, LaPlace unique = Pottery Barn Kids and BIG Williams-Sonoma. Eton unique = Sur la Table, Paladar, Mitchell's, Orvis, Free People, Allen Edmonds, Blue Mercury (coming), North Face, etc... Plus first B Spot, Trader Joe's, Anthropologie, Fleming's, Bravo, Taza, Penzey's, Menchie's in area...

the "Cleveland Retail Gaps" PDF - showing key retailers not yet in CLE - is attached to my post over in the Retail News section.

Attached is the most updated version of my "Cleveland Retail Gaps" - detailing key retailers (mid, high, trendy, etc...) not in CLE, but in enough key markets, larger and smaller, to question why they're not yet in CLE. Market size isn't everything, but it's sure a key part of how retailers decide... Chief offenders are IKEA (in 24 of top 26 markets), Tiffany (not yet officially announced for CLE, but in 31 of top 32 markets), REI (in 23 of top 27 markets), free-standing Vuitton (in 24 of top 25) and so on... Stores are announced, open, close all the time - so let's consider this 98% accurate, based on my review of the retailers' websites, news articles, etc.. This time around, I've made notes on several retailers that have either previously announced their intention to open in CLE, but never did, are known to be looking, etc... Not included are other brands/restaurants that have substantially fewer stores, but growing (Athleta, opening at Beachwood Place soon.. Cooper's Hawk restaurant, looking in CLE, but still small...) - or are only in the top markets (Cartier) Enjoy...

By "spot" I guess I mean the right location within a shopping complex, not the location of the shopping complex itself. BP, La Place and Legacy are all In the right Cedar location. But if there are 20 key retailers missing from the market, but the 5 vacancies at BP are in the less upscale Dillards wing, or the less trafficked Saks wing, not near similar retailers, or perhaps the wrong size, or with tough parking (La Place), then those spotss are not spots retailers are flocking to. BP does need a new wing, with anchor at one end (even a smaller footprint like REI, Lands End, or somewhat larger Von Maur, etc...) and the right sized 20 store slots In between. Or BP really needs to move lesser tenants to create space. Simon knows how to do this. Steiner, the Easton owner, knows how to do this. GGP is a big landlord, but they seem to be struggling at BP, though Athleta and perhaps others are still to be opening this year. Legacy has some things up its sleeve, too... not yet announced but could be fairly big.

As outlined in my CLE retail list - which I probably need to upload again to site, with updates - there are easily 2 dozen major upscale retailers or restaurants that are in the majority of the top 40 metro areas - but not in CLE. Not super-luxury dreams - just ones that even cities like Richmond or Raleigh have, let alone NYC... I think suitable space has something to do with it. Yes, there are vacancies at BP, LaPlace and LV. However, are they the right spots? Acacia would provide the right spot and visibility, plus the upscale hotel and offices that Cedar/Richmond is missing. Can think of few major suburban upscale shopping areas without a Marriot/Hilton or higher level hotel adjacent to, even part of, shopping complex plus office towers... Nice hotel would be a slam-dunk in Cedar/Richmond area.