On a selfish level, I’m still a little bummed that my pristine view of TT has been obstructed. But overall I think this project is such a net win for the Heights!

A little more crane action

3 hours ago, CCC said:

On a selfish level, I’m still a little bummed that my pristine view of TT has been obstructed. But overall I think this project is such a net win for the Heights!

 

Your sacrifice for the greater good will not go unnoticed!

Here’s my two cents...

 

First pic is Euclid Hts. Blvd. looking south.  Second is Cedar Road looking north.

Edited February 12, 20214 yr by Down_with_Ctown

23 hours ago, CCC said:

View from my apartment window this morning from just east up Cedar Hill. New crane up on the Top of the Hill site. Geeks, is this a true tower crane? Very cool regardless!

First, awesome view 👍 Second, yes - that’s a SETC (self erecting tower crane), technically a tower crane (lite?). There’s no operator cab, the crane operator uses remote controls.

 

Larger projects typically involve a hammerhead crane (aka has the operator cab and large counterweights on the jib/counterjib)

 

https://www.manitowoc.com/potain/self-erecting-cranes

Did not have a chance to snap pics but looks like work has started on the development across Euclid Hts. Blvd. from Top of the Hill.

3 hours ago, OldEnough said:

Did not have a chance to snap pics but looks like work has started on the development across Euclid Hts. Blvd. from Top of the Hill.

Damn.  I was hoping that had died a horrible death.

Top of the Hill (3-17-21)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Integrity Realty Group Boarding House Complex just across Euclid Heights Blvd. from Top of the Hill

 

 

College Club Townhomes

 

 

 

Regarding Top of the Hill...what is going on at the point where the 10 story building is going?  Is that some sort of steel/wood frame hybrid?  It is hard for me to tell.  I was under the impression you really cannot construct a wood frame building more than 6 stories or so.

Edited March 18, 20214 yr by Htsguy

Looks like they're building it using the same metal framing (not girders) as was done with the similarly scaled The Edge on Euclid (1750 Euclid) and Church+State (2900 block of Detroit).

MetroHealth moves toward behavioral health expansion in Cleveland Heights with council approval

Lydia Coutre - Crain's Cleveland Business - Mar. 29, 2021

 

 

"MetroHealth has received approval from Cleveland Heights City Council to move forward on its behavioral health expansion at the health system's Cleveland Heights Medical Center to grow the number of inpatient behavioral health and addiction beds, according to a news release. MetroHealth announced last year that it would invest $42 million to expand the Cleveland Heights facility to add 110 new treatment beds to the medical center's dozen beds. Slated to open in fall 2022, the three-story addition adds 96,000 square feet of new space for care."

225 jobs, $360k in new city income tax revenue. I'd like to know the reasoning why one councilperson voted against it.

To build it they have to rip out the beautiful trees behind the current buildings for additional parking and whatnot.  With all the abandon areas that exists across the street and around Severence, some wanted more creative thinking and additional options presented regarding this aspect of the development.  

Edited March 29, 20214 yr by willyboy

16 hours ago, willyboy said:

To build it they have to rip out the beautiful trees behind the current buildings for additional parking and whatnot.  With all the abandon areas that exists across the street and around Severence, some wanted more creative thinking and additional options presented regarding this aspect of the development.  

so the approval allows for the removal of the trees for additional parking.  

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cleveland-construction_residential-mixeduse-prefabricated-activity-6783834742950256640-MS5s

 

Top of the Hill pics from Cleveland Construction:
 

 

The city chose the Flaherty & Collins proposal for the Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrooks development.

 

https://www.cleveland.com/community/2021/04/cleveland-heights-opts-for-further-talks-with-top-of-the-hill-developers-on-cedar-lee-meadowbrook-site.html

I like their proposal.  Hopefully they can acquire that holdout building along Cedar as well.  And hopefully they don't get too swarmed by NIMBY's.

I am SO glad this project was picked and is going forward. There will be NIMBY opposition, but I don't expect it to be a problem. The population surrounding the Meadowbrook-Lee site is pretty transient compared to the Cedar-Fairmount area. Additionally, while the TOH site is right next to significant apartments, there are very few residences that are actually immediately adjacent to the Meadowbrook-Lee site. Finally, the site is less visible. So these three things working together make me less concerned. There is no way this project will get as much pushback as TOH did, and if F&H could handle that, they should be able to handle this.

 

EDIT: Also, I think a quote at the end of the article is a good illustration of how NIMBYs often do not have the context to understand the significance of projects and their various aspects. A resident says at the end of the article she thinks the fate of the little grassy empty space on Lee Road should become a major part of the mayoral race. Someone thinking that a little half-acre empty lot becoming a pocket park is one of the most important issues confronting a city of 45,000 people shows a serious lack of perspective.

Edited April 22, 20214 yr by LlamaLawyer

I hope that the interested area residents who presented their park idea and the councilperson (who seems misguided to me or may be posturing for goodies) will both be convinced that a park isn't the way to go here.

Edited April 22, 20214 yr by ExPatClevGuy

1 hour ago, ExPatClevGuy said:

I hope that the interested area residents who presented their park idea and the councilperson (who seems misguided to me or may be posturing for goodies) will both be convinced that a park isn't the way to go here.

 

The craziest part of the criticism is that if you look carefully at F&C's proposal, they actually ARE proposing a little pocket park. It's just not as big as the greenspace is now. I've seen a lot of the residents' concerns on Nextdoor and it's really asinine. I lived right in that area for a couple years, and the little greenspace was almost always empty. Sometimes there would be someone eating fast food on the picnic table. There are areas of NEO that badly need new parks, but Cleveland Heights has enough park space right now. Cain Park (which is over 20 acres) is approximately a ten minute walk from the intersection of Meadowbrook and Lee.

I suspect that a lot of the hue and cry for "parks!" is not based on the expectation that people will use them, but precisely that they won't, as opposed to the apartments and commercial spaces that will bring more people to their neighborhoods.

The local business community really preferred the single-phase proposal.

 

I would really like to see the city and the developer find a way to buy out the vacant buildings on Cedar and make them part of this project.  CH has a CIC -- time to use it. 

 

Of course, this is the third or fourth attempt to redevelop the Lee-Meadowbrook lot, so this isn't a done deal -- looking forward to a quick MOU and subsequent development agreement.

 

Top of the Hill is looking good so far -- parking garage is open.

Cleveland Heights-University Heights Libraries to renovate Coventry building and rehab/reconfigure adjacent park.

 

https://patch.com/ohio/clevelandheights/coventry-library-get-1-2-million-upgrade

Park Synagogue property in Cleveland Heights hits the market

Michelle Jarboe - Crain's Cleveland Business - May 29, 2021

 

 

"An architectural and religious landmark is up for sale in Cleveland Heights, where the 28-acre Park Synagogue property quietly hit the market this month. ... The listing, with Allegro Real Estate Brokers & Advisors, doesn't include a price. Potential buyers have until Aug. 13 to submit offers, said Adam Gimbel, an Allegro principal. ... The land along Mayfield is zoned for multifamily development, while the zoning on the balance of the site allows single-family homes or townhouses. The city's master plan calls for apartments or offices near Mayfield, with lower-density housing on the bulk of the property. So far, prospective buyers are considering educational or residential projects, Gimbel said."

Looking on Google Earth, I am amazed what a huge chunk of land that is for a built out suburb like Cleveland Heights.  It's almost half the land area of Severence Town Center.

I noticed on Google Maps that CHUH school district busses are parked in the parking lot near Mayfield Rd. and what appears to be a maintenance garage sits behind the parking lot, but both the front and rear parcels are owned by the synagogue.  Does CHUH have an agreement to use this property for their own purposes, and if so, I wonder what they'll use instead?

39 minutes ago, jam40jeff said:

I noticed on Google Maps that CHUH school district busses are parked in the parking lot near Mayfield Rd. and what appears to be a maintenance garage sits behind the parking lot, but both the front and rear parcels are owned by the synagogue.  Does CHUH have an agreement to use this property for their own purposes, and if so, I wonder what they'll use instead?

Yes, CHUH has a lease that runs until Q3 2022, and they are planning to move the buses back to Wiley before then.  The buses were originally moved from Wiley to add temporary classroom buildings during the high school renovation (and then middle school renovations).

 

But I recently heard that the Mayor of UH objects to buses returning to Wiley.  I don't know how much say the Mayor has in that matter, but CHUH doesn't have a lot of alternatives (locations, or money, or time) for a new bus depot.

 

 

On 6/1/2021 at 1:54 PM, Foraker said:

Yes, CHUH has a lease that runs until Q3 2022, and they are planning to move the buses back to Wiley before then.  The buses were originally moved from Wiley to add temporary classroom buildings during the high school renovation (and then middle school renovations).

 

But I recently heard that the Mayor of UH objects to buses returning to Wiley.  I don't know how much say the Mayor has in that matter, but CHUH doesn't have a lot of alternatives (locations, or money, or time) for a new bus depot.

 

 

the school district didn't care about the mayor's input. 

Edited June 8, 20214 yr by MrR

2 hours ago, MrR said:

The previous mayor also objected to having the high school temporarily located in UH which ripped out the track that was open to the community and made taking kids to the playground by the pool less attractive. (and the area became a traffic nightmare)

 

In the end - the school district didn't care about the mayor's input. 

 

Without more information I don't think it's fair to say that the "school district didn't care." I agree that the bus depot is an eyesore and it creates morning and afternoon surges of traffic.  The State of Ohio requires the district to provide busing, so the district cannot eliminate its buses.  We're stuck with them.  The question is where do we put them?  The district does not own another piece of land that can house the buses, that's why they rented space from the synagogue.

 

If the mayor does not want the school buses returned to Wiley, he should present an alternative, along with reasons why it makes financial and operational sense for the school district.  Then I think the entire community would back him up.  Otherwise it's just whining (unless he has some authority to prevent the return of a prior use).

 

I do think that the school district and CH and UH and the library system all need to work together better than they currently do.  It rarely feels like all boats are pulling in the same direction, that they are taking each other's needs and concerns into account and helping each other out.

On 6/2/2021 at 11:37 AM, Foraker said:

 

Without more information I don't think it's fair to say that the "school district didn't care." I agree that the bus depot is an eyesore and it creates morning and afternoon surges of traffic.  The State of Ohio requires the district to provide busing, so the district cannot eliminate its buses.  We're stuck with them.  The question is where do we put them?  The district does not own another piece of land that can house the buses, that's why they rented space from the synagogue.

 

If the mayor does not want the school buses returned to Wiley, he should present an alternative, along with reasons why it makes financial and operational sense for the school district.  Then I think the entire community would back him up.  Otherwise it's just whining (unless he has some authority to prevent the return of a prior use).

 

I do think that the school district and CH and UH and the library system all need to work together better than they currently do.  It rarely feels like all boats are pulling in the same direction, that they are taking each other's needs and concerns into account and helping each other out.

 

I agree

 

 

 

 

Edited June 8, 20214 yr by MrR

6 hours ago, Foraker said:

 

Without more information I don't think it's fair to say that the "school district didn't care." I agree that the bus depot is an eyesore and it creates morning and afternoon surges of traffic.  The State of Ohio requires the district to provide busing, so the district cannot eliminate its buses.  We're stuck with them.  The question is where do we put them?  The district does not own another piece of land that can house the buses, that's why they rented space from the synagogue.

 

If the mayor does not want the school buses returned to Wiley, he should present an alternative, along with reasons why it makes financial and operational sense for the school district.  Then I think the entire community would back him up.  Otherwise it's just whining (unless he has some authority to prevent the return of a prior use).

 

I do think that the school district and CH and UH and the library system all need to work together better than they currently do.  It rarely feels like all boats are pulling in the same direction, that they are taking each other's needs and concerns into account and helping each other out.

 

Is it mandatory by the state that the district provide bussing? I thought CMSD got rid of bussing years ago, and gave RTA passes instead - or does that count as providing bussing?

 

I wonder if they've ever considered University Square to host the bus parking? The garage is going to remain through the redevelopment, and its currently built for much more cars than currently use it or likely ever will once the apartments are built. Separate off the back half of the first floor of the garage for the busses. It would even be secure with the fencing up around it. The rest of the first floor and the second floor should be more than enough to handle parking for Macy's and Target, considering none of the other retail space will be filled, and the rest of the garage can be secured for the apartments. I'm sure the developers would consider another paying tenant. I do understand the schools wouldn't be paying to park back at Wiley, but just trying to show there are creative ideas available.

25 minutes ago, PoshSteve said:

 

Is it mandatory by the state that the district provide bussing? I thought CMSD got rid of bussing years ago, and gave RTA passes instead - or does that count as providing bussing?

 

I wonder if they've ever considered University Square to host the bus parking? The garage is going to remain through the redevelopment, and its currently built for much more cars than currently use it or likely ever will once the apartments are built. Separate off the back half of the first floor of the garage for the busses. It would even be secure with the fencing up around it. The rest of the first floor and the second floor should be more than enough to handle parking for Macy's and Target, considering none of the other retail space will be filled, and the rest of the garage can be secured for the apartments. I'm sure the developers would consider another paying tenant. I do understand the schools wouldn't be paying to park back at Wiley, but just trying to show there are creative ideas available.

This is getting off topic of CH development -- but yes, it is mandatory that districts provide busing, but I think only for elementary and special needs kids (and maybe for kids living in the district but going to charter/private schools -- I'm not certain how that works and it isn't relevant to this discussion beyond the fact that every school district is stuck with buses).  I think CMSD does give RTA passes to high school students.  https://www.clevelandmetroschools.org/domain/121

 

Very inefficient to have every school district have this pile of buses that are only used twice a day, take up lots of real estate and create surges in traffic.

 

University Square is certainly something to consider -- perhaps the Mayor can work a deal there.  (My understanding is that the garage is going to lose two floors in the coming renovations, and there will be housing built on Cedar, so there may be a lot less availability when that happens.)

 

Another development problem in CH (other than the Severance elephant) is the Mayfield Triangle (Noble/Mayfield/Warrensville) -- where CH keeps the salt dome and miscellaneous equipment in storage at the old dairy building.  Where do you put the salt dome if you wanted to redevelop and revitalize that corner of the city? 

Edited June 2, 20214 yr by Foraker

On 6/2/2021 at 7:09 PM, Foraker said:

Another development problem in CH (other than the Severance elephant) is the Mayfield Triangle (Noble/Mayfield/Warrensville) -- where CH keeps the salt dome and miscellaneous equipment in storage at the old dairy building.  Where do you put the salt dome if you wanted to redevelop and revitalize that corner of the city? 

 

Ouch - I didn't realize that was what that mess was there. That's a good question too. One place that comes to mind is the old school property behind Severance off of Severn. The neighbors probably wouldn't be happy about it, but it may be possible to have the road access off of Severance Circle instead of Severn. The first spot that came to my mind was using part of Severance itself, but that would do nothing but move the same problem with the current spot to the new spot - having it in the middle of a prime development site.

2 hours ago, PoshSteve said:

 

One place that comes to mind is the old school property behind Severance off of Severn. The neighbors probably wouldn't be happy about it, but it may be possible to have the road access off of Severance Circle instead of Severn. The first spot that came to my mind was using part of Severance itself, but that would do nothing but move the same problem with the current spot to the new spot - having it in the middle of a prime development site.

 

The school property off of Severn (Millikin) is owned by the school district and is used for the trades.  (The neighborhood has been maintaining and using the playground adjacent Severn.) 

 

And the MetroHealth expansion blocks access to that building anyway.  There is another lot to the north of that, parallel to Crest, that has the original Rockefeller estate stables behind the Severance Medical Arts building.  They aren't particularly special, but they are historic.  The community would likely fight tearing those down for a salt dome, just as they did when the economic development team in the city blindsided everyone (including the school district!) about issuing an RFP to redevelop the Millikin property.

 

Maybe Severance is still the best place for it, if it can be appropriately screened and better maintained.  Perhaps we could share a salt storage site with S. Euclid (I think their salt storage is near Monticello and Green, not far from Denison Park) or University Heights.  Although it seems likely that neither will want it. 

 

The city works department has some other storage on the Mayfield Triangle that would have to be moved/consolidated/screened better, but I don't think the city is using all of the old dairy building, and I wonder what kind of condition that building is in.  It's a big eyesore and is likely hampering development on all those vacant lots on the Noble (west) side.

 

https://patch.com/ohio/clevelandheights/90-years-in-90-days-hillside-dairy

 

20 hours ago, Foraker said:

 

Maybe Severance is still the best place for it, if it can be appropriately screened and better maintained.  Perhaps we could share a salt storage site with S. Euclid (I think their salt storage is near Monticello and Green, not far from Denison Park) or University Heights.  Although it seems likely that neither will want it. 

 

 

 

Yes, South Euclid's is off of Monticello and near Green. The space for another one is definitely there, and the political will may be too. Mayor Welo is a big proponent of regionalism, and we had been exploring ways of working with University Hts (though those overtures came more from their side), as well as merging our court with either CH, Lyndhurst, or UH/Shaker (essentially dead for the time being though). I don't think we would approach CH on this, but I doubt it would be rejected if a good offer was made at sharing space. Having the Warrensville/Mayfield area in CH properly redeveloped by getting that out of there would definitely benefit SE. There has been alot of redevelopment and infill going into the neighborhood just east of that area, though the streets closest to CH are still some of the most troubled.

On 6/4/2021 at 7:43 PM, PoshSteve said:

 

Yes, South Euclid's is off of Monticello and near Green. The space for another one is definitely there, and the political will may be too. Mayor Welo is a big proponent of regionalism, and we had been exploring ways of working with University Hts (though those overtures came more from their side), as well as merging our court with either CH, Lyndhurst, or UH/Shaker (essentially dead for the time being though). I don't think we would approach CH on this, but I doubt it would be rejected if a good offer was made at sharing space. Having the Warrensville/Mayfield area in CH properly redeveloped by getting that out of there would definitely benefit SE. There has been alot of redevelopment and infill going into the neighborhood just east of that area, though the streets closest to CH are still some of the most troubled.

 

Nice to hear.  I doubt that there would be any discussions about regional cooperation within CH city hall until after the city elects its first mayor later this year, but CH/UH/SE/SH should collaborate more than they do, particularly along the shared Warrensville corridor.

Also risked my life getting this photo of Ascent - Top of the Hill this morning. I stood in the middle of Cedar and waited for the sun to go behind a cloud to get this photo....

 

 

Across Euclid Heights Boulevard is the Integrity dorms. I can't remember the name but Integrity bought the site using the LLC Overlook Park....

 

Anyone know what happened to the Medusa Cement project?  Thought there was a plan for apartments. 

1 hour ago, OldEnough said:

Anyone know what happened to the Medusa Cement project?  Thought there was a plan for apartments. 

Pretty sure that one died rather quickly.  They were looking for various public subsidies I believe but I think it was more of a financing thing even before it really got started.  Others might have more details.

5 hours ago, OldEnough said:

Anyone know what happened to the Medusa Cement project?  Thought there was a plan for apartments. 

 

A whole host of reasons, and I'm probably not aware of all of them.  As I understand it, the city originally sold the property (obtained via land bank?) and loaned the money for the purchase to the Giles brothers, who used to own the nearby Honda and Toyota dealerships that they sold in recent years.  I think it was connected to a promise for job creation, but maybe someone knows more about that initial transaction.

 

The Giles have sold off their dealerships in recent years, but as I understand it they still owe the city a boat of money for loan on the Medusa property.

 

A developer (I don't remember who it was) came forward with a plan to redevelop the property (townhomes and condos) and rehab the Medusa building, and the city council seemed to like the idea. The developer had an agreement with the Giles, but they wanted the city to forgive the remainder of the loan.  As I understand it (third-hand?), the city wouldn't forgive the loan and the Giles's didn't want to proceed with the developer without being made whole on that loan (and likely some additional amount as profit/gain before transferring the property to the developer).

 

The developer was trying to round up additional sources of funding, and then had a tragic death in the family and this project fell off his list of priorities, understandably. 

 

I think the Medusa building had qualified for historic renovation credits but that those have expired.   

 

Back to square one.  Maybe this project can be revived when CH has a popularly-elected mayor.

Thanks for the updates UO. 

Nighttown reopening pushed back from July 1

JANE KAUFMAN | STAFF REPORTER 
[email protected]

Posted Jun 28, 2021 

 

Two real estate investors are moving forward to reopen Nighttown, the iconic jazz club at 12383 Cedar Road in Cleveland Heights, although not on July 1.

 

Rico Pietro said there is no certain opening date, as he and Israeli native investor Yaron Kandelker are now seeking an operator to run the restaurant and bar.

 

“We are actively still looking for a thoughtful operator to plan a reopening of Nighttown,” Pietro told the Cleveland Jewish News June 28.

 

https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/news/local_news/nighttown-reopening-pushed-back-from-july-1/article_f4794922-d833-11eb-a5d3-a36e1b604c51.html?fbclid=IwAR2QLE-rqY2eHHR7FzAg4ld741FfxUcL-R7ZTo-Nxmb2HR0Se4bZfR7gr-U

These Nextdoor posts make me irrationally angry.

 

As a resident of Cleveland Heights I can assure you - as with most of Cleveland - we have a loooooonnnnggg way to go before anyone is priced out of living in the city.  

 

1 hour ago, LlamaLawyer said:

These Nextdoor posts make me irrationally angry.

 

 

 

Agreed.  I saw that someone on Nextdoor had asked when the Denison pool was going to open, and was outraged to learn that it no longer exists.  I swear people are hibernating, waking up and going straight to Nextdoor to complain about they don't like how things have changed in the past decade.   It's a swamp of the uninformed.

30 minutes ago, Foraker said:

 

Agreed.  I saw that someone on Nextdoor had asked when the Denison pool was going to open, and was outraged to learn that it no longer exists.  I swear people are hibernating, waking up and going straight to Nextdoor to complain about they don't like how things have changed in the past decade.   It's a swamp of the uninformed.

 

Also agree.  I have been countering like crazy, but the idiots do t give up, even though they are clueless.  
I have noticed a number of other UO worthy responses.  Nice job. 

Edited June 29, 20213 yr by willyboy

I'm also having to pushback on the reactionaries on Facebook groups, including the Downtown Cleveland Past & Present group and the Cleveland Architectural Group. Although some I just leave alone, like the lady who complained about more skyscrapers being built downtown because they will kill birds that hit their windows. Not much you can do about those posts....

21 hours ago, MuRrAy HiLL said:

Nighttown reopening pushed back from July 1

JANE KAUFMAN | STAFF REPORTER 
[email protected]

Posted Jun 28, 2021 

 

Two real estate investors are moving forward to reopen Nighttown, the iconic jazz club at 12383 Cedar Road in Cleveland Heights, although not on July 1.

 

Rico Pietro said there is no certain opening date, as he and Israeli native investor Yaron Kandelker are now seeking an operator to run the restaurant and bar.

 

“We are actively still looking for a thoughtful operator to plan a reopening of Nighttown,” Pietro told the Cleveland Jewish News June 28.

 

https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/news/local_news/nighttown-reopening-pushed-back-from-july-1/article_f4794922-d833-11eb-a5d3-a36e1b604c51.html?fbclid=IwAR2QLE-rqY2eHHR7FzAg4ld741FfxUcL-R7ZTo-Nxmb2HR0Se4bZfR7gr-U

 

Interesting. I didn't realize Kandelker was involved with this. I guess we will see how this turns out... "Kandelker is president and CEO of Realife Real Estate Group in Cleveland."

https://www.freshwatercleveland.com/breaking-ground/CedarLee072921.aspx

An update on the Cedar Lee project