March 25, 20223 yr Top of the Hill from the 11th floor of the Clinic today: I know the picture is a little bad trying to zoom through thick tinted glass, but I love the density from this angle. It also shows off one of the city's only green roof parking structures complete with a walking track and more trees than you can shake a stick at 😄
March 31, 20223 yr Two photos (west to east) of the project facing Cedar Road. It looks like there will be a good amount of ground floor retail in this part of the project. With Nighttown directly to the east and the rest of Cedar Fairmount spreading east from there, it will be fascinating to see what kind of tenant mix winds up in this project!
April 7, 20223 yr Did anyone attend the forum on Issue 9 (opposition to the Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook development) last night?
April 7, 20223 yr 2 hours ago, LlamaLawyer said: Anybody know where you can get those "No on Issue 9" yard signs? It should be "Nein on Nine" "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 7, 20223 yr Cleveland Hts. monastery site remake revealed By Ken Prendergast / April 7, 2022 The redevelopment of a former monastery at Lee Road and North Park Boulevard in Cleveland Heights with upscale housing is finally moving forward after sitting on the shelf during the pandemic. Conceptual plans for the project, to be called the Wellington Mews, are scheduled to be presented to Planning Commission at 7 p.m. April 13. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2022/04/07/cleveland-hts-monastery-remake-revealed/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 7, 20223 yr 34 minutes ago, KJP said: It should be "Nein on Nine" Gave me a chuckle, but HARD pass on that motto, lol.
April 7, 20223 yr 2 hours ago, LlamaLawyer said: Anybody know where you can get those "No on Issue 9" yard signs? https://www.facebook.com/groups/467973778290650
April 8, 20223 yr On 4/7/2022 at 10:56 AM, Foraker said: Did anyone attend the forum on Issue 9 (opposition to the Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook development) last night?
April 8, 20223 yr I don't know how any impartial, thinking person could watch the above video and still vote yes on Issue 9. What concerns me is that not many voters will probably have much information on the initiative. They'll just see: Issue 9 - Wanna build a park? Who would vote no on that?
April 8, 20223 yr 35 minutes ago, LlamaLawyer said: I don't know how any impartial, thinking person could watch the above video and still vote yes on Issue 9. What concerns me is that not many voters will probably have much information on the initiative. They'll just see: Issue 9 - Wanna build a park? Who would vote no on that? That seems to be what Fran Mentch is counting on; and it's why you should make sure everyone you know in Cleveland Heights votes No. If it passes, why would any developer ever want to do business in Cleveland Heights? They can't let it pass.
April 8, 20223 yr 4 minutes ago, Foraker said: That seems to be what Fran Mentch is counting on; and it's why you should make sure everyone you know in Cleveland Heights votes No. If it passes, why would any developer ever want to do business in Cleveland Heights? They can't let it pass. Thats right. If anybody knows anyone in clevelands hts., please make sure they are aware of, and understand the importance of this issue, and the larger implications of this passing. Edited April 8, 20223 yr by willyboy
April 8, 20223 yr 39 minutes ago, LlamaLawyer said: I don't know how any impartial, thinking person could watch the above video and still vote yes on Issue 9. What concerns me is that not many voters will probably have much information on the initiative. They'll just see: Issue 9 - Wanna build a park? Who would vote no on that? My gut feeling is that people who take the initiative to vote in a primary election are generally more informed on the issues. I am more concerned about turnout. I couldn't be bothered to watch the above video. I get enough of the self important Fran during comment periods at council meetings. Did the issue of an eventual lawsuit come up?
April 8, 20223 yr 13 minutes ago, Htsguy said: My gut feeling is that people who take the initiative to vote in a primary election are generally more informed on the issues. I am more concerned about turnout. I couldn't be bothered to watch the above video. I get enough of the self important Fran during comment periods at council meetings. Did the issue of an eventual lawsuit come up? Yes. A lawyer who was pro-development explained that the initiative would be clearly unconstitutional. A representative for the park responded that he wasn’t a lawyer, but isn’t this what democracy is all about?
April 8, 20223 yr 6 minutes ago, LlamaLawyer said: A representative for the park responded that he wasn’t a lawyer, but isn’t this what democracy is all about? That's their other push (in addition to "who wouldn't want a park?") -- "who wouldn't want to have a say on this development?" -- ignoring the ton of opportunities for "say" already. 🤦♂️
April 9, 20223 yr Absolutely love this photo. Great angle! Thanks! I loved the perspective so I had to hurry up and make sure I captured it, looked very urban to me.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
April 10, 20223 yr Article updated with lots of new quotes from Dalad President Andrew "Guy" Iarussi... On 4/7/2022 at 3:54 PM, KJP said: Cleveland Hts. monastery site remake revealed By Ken Prendergast / April 7, 2022 The redevelopment of a former monastery at Lee Road and North Park Boulevard in Cleveland Heights with upscale housing is finally moving forward after sitting on the shelf during the pandemic. Conceptual plans for the project, to be called the Wellington Mews, are scheduled to be presented to Planning Commission at 7 p.m. April 13. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2022/04/07/cleveland-hts-monastery-remake-revealed/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 26, 20223 yr Was watching the Cleveland Hts. City Council Planning and Development Committee meeting online and was excited to see that the city is moving forward with the Taylor Tudor redevelopment. Of course this is Cleveland Heights so a couple of glaciers still have to melt before the vision comes to fruition, but it clear there has been some good progress to date even if they are really only at the starting line. What especially excites me is that there were four firms which responded to the city's RFQ/RFP and WXZ Development was the winning firm. I am a big fan of WXZ because, in my mind, they do unique, almost bespoke work, in challenging environments, and almost every thing they do is of high quality. They seem to have a special talent when it comes to making the numbers work and the firm's principals and their partners clearly have a passion and strive to do things right. Even more exciting is they have a vision that is more than simple renovating the Taylor Tudor buildings (although that will be Phase 1). They plan to completely re-imagine the neighborhood and make it a destination, while still honoring the people who live there now. This includes redeveloping the strip mall on the other side of the street, bringing it to the side walk with retail on the first level and apartments above, bigger sidewalks with lots of meeting spaces, revamping the empty synagogue by Cain Park and turning it into an indoor performance space, developing a better connection for the district with the eastern section of Cain Park and building some single family housing on the east side of the street. Again a long term vision. Can't wait to see what Fran finds objectionable. Edited April 26, 20223 yr by Htsguy
April 26, 20223 yr So glad to hear that. These buildings are so beautiful. I lived there for 2 years when I first moved back up to Cleveland before I went to Downtown. The buildings definitely needed some work even back then (8 or so years ago), but our unit wasn't too bad - especially considering the size and for how cheap the rent was. The location next to Cain Park was great too. Parking was awful though, since the lots directly behind were (are?) given to the other apartments behind. All the tenants had to jockey for spots on Superior Park, which is the only street that the city allows overnight parking on. So many times in the summer when there are concerts, etc, going on, I would risk getting a parking ticket by parking on Blanche overnight. I hope that as park of a redevelopment here the city opens up to allowing overnight parking on other streets in the area. Before anyone says anything about it - transit was and is functionally non-existent here.
April 26, 20223 yr 19 minutes ago, PoshSteve said: Before anyone says anything about it - transit was and is functionally non-existent here. That point was noted by the architect. His goal was to make the entire stretch of Taylor more walkable and pedestrian oriented (with larger sidewalks, a narrower street with well defined crossings, greenery and an interesting built environment on both sides of the street so it was a more pleasant walk to catch the buses on Cedar and Mayfield, although clearly a hike, especially to Mayfield. Edited April 26, 20223 yr by Htsguy
April 26, 20223 yr 17 hours ago, Htsguy said: Even more exciting is they have a vision that is more than simple renovating the Taylor Tudor buildings (although that will be Phase 1). They plan to completely re-imagine the neighborhood and make it a destination, while still honoring the people who live there now. This includes redeveloping the strip mall on the other side of the street, bringing it to the side walk with retail on the first level and apartments above, bigger sidewalks with lots of meeting spaces, revamping the empty synagogue by Cain Park and turning it into an indoor performance space, developing a better connection for the district with the eastern section of Cain Park and building some single family housing on the east side of the street. Wow. Wow. And Wow. I hope the city posts the slide deck online, but this would be so amazing if it actually happens.
April 26, 20223 yr 33 minutes ago, Foraker said: Wow. Wow. And Wow. I hope the city posts the slide deck online, but this would be so amazing if it actually happens. Holy cow a perfectly designed protected bike lane! ❤️❤️❤️ When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
April 26, 20223 yr That's beautiful. Traffic calming and wider sidewalks too. This area has heavy pedestrian traffic as it is with the strong Jewish community in the neighborhood, and the public right of way should be serving more than just cars.
April 26, 20223 yr I will personally start a gofundme for this protected bike line. This picture could be mistaken for Amsterdam, and that is the best compliment.
April 27, 20223 yr The winning RFP/RFQ Submission for the Taylor Tudors is online and quite juicy. Check it out. https://www.clevelandheights.gov/1443/Taylor-Tudor-Plaza-Redevelopment
April 27, 20223 yr Cleveland Heights has the best overall housing stock in the area. The amount of massive historical brick homes, apartment buildings and Tudor style buildings they still possess is amazing. It’s something I wish Cleveland would have worked harder to save but I fear it’s beginning to be too late. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
April 27, 20223 yr Great looking development. If Cleveland had a vibrant economy, Cleveland Heights - all of it - would be hot property. That said, the failure of Cleveland Heights (government and residents, which I'm one of) to capitalize on its proximity to University Circle is confounding. Visions like this - if executed - have a great chance to capture a good share of the population resulting from UC's seemingly endless job growth ... not to mention other young professionals currently flocking to the hot west side neighborhoods.
April 27, 20223 yr 26 minutes ago, OldEnough said: Great looking development. If Cleveland had a vibrant economy, Cleveland Heights - all of it - would be hot property. That said, the failure of Cleveland Heights (government and residents, which I'm one of) to capitalize on its proximity to University Circle is confounding. Visions like this - if executed - have a great chance to capture a good share of the population resulting from UC's seemingly endless job growth ... not to mention other young professionals currently flocking to the hot west side neighborhoods. I always said the same thing. And spot on regarding not its proximity and not capitalizing more on UC and job growth.
April 28, 20223 yr Wow, this looks beautiful. Hopefully it crosses the finish line. My only gripe is that it looks like there’s a proposal to replace the Cain Park sledding hill with oversized concrete steps. Not sure what the thinking is there. EDIT: OK, I looked again at the photos and understand better the concept with Cain Park, which doesn't really replace the sledding hill. Could be nice. Edited April 28, 20223 yr by LlamaLawyer
April 28, 20223 yr 12 hours ago, LlamaLawyer said: My only gripe is that it looks like there’s a proposal to replace the Cain Park sledding hill with oversized concrete steps. Not sure what the thinking is there. EDIT: OK, I looked again at the photos and understand better the concept with Cain Park, which doesn't really replace the sledding hill. Could be nice. Right, it doesn't replace the sledding hill at all. During the presentation to the planning committee of city council, I think the developer said that the current path down the right side of the sledding hill isn't at a proper ADA slope, so they wanted to fix that, and the steps to the side of the sledding hill would provide a place to sit and watch kids sledding, or the sunset in the summer.
April 28, 20223 yr I was left wondering about a couple of things after the presentation, or maybe I missed the discussion. Does the city also own the strip mall across Taylor which WXZ also wants to transform or is that going to require purchase from a private owner? Same with the synagogue. Also, much of the vision will require significant infrastructure improvements with the narrowing of Taylor and pedestrian improvements as well as the above discussed path and entry plaza in Cain Park. At this point does the city know where the money is going to come from for those items? All of this will be very costly. Edited April 28, 20223 yr by Htsguy
April 28, 20223 yr 10 minutes ago, Htsguy said: I was left wondering about a couple of things after the presentation, or maybe I missed the discussion. Does the city also own the strip mall across Taylor which WXZ also wants to transform or is that going to require purchase from a private owner? Same with the synagogue. Also, much of the vision will require significant infrastructure improvements with the narrowing of Taylor and pedestrian improvements as well as the above discussed path and entry plaza in Cain Park. At this point does the city know where the money is going to come from for those items? All of this will be very costly. You should really check out the RFP/RFQ Submission presentation. Lots more detail. But there are a lot of unanswered questions, including financial. No, the city does not own the strip mall across Taylor (or the old synagogue). But apparently WXZ talked to the owner and the owner is "excited" about this project. Maybe that's "phase II" and WXZ and the property owner will be partners or something? I think the synagogue is in foreclosure, not sure. And as to the streetscape -- the developer is going to have to help the city "find" the funds, because CH doesn't have anything extra for investing. And the state seems to be in "cut" mode, so CH can't expect to get help there. Funds in the new federal transportation budget? Details, details... Edited April 28, 20223 yr by Foraker typo
April 29, 20223 yr I don't have subscriber access to the article, but the title says enough for me to agree with Litt on this one. Voting ‘yes’ on a park referendum in Cleveland Heights could kill a $50 million development and set a bad precedent for Northeast Ohio - Commentary
April 29, 20223 yr 4 hours ago, scg80 said: I don't have subscriber access to the article, but the title says enough for me to agree with Litt on this one. Voting ‘yes’ on a park referendum in Cleveland Heights could kill a $50 million development and set a bad precedent for Northeast Ohio - Commentary https://www.reddit.com/r/Cleveland/comments/uenggw/voting_yes_on_a_park_referendum_in_cleveland/
April 30, 20223 yr On 4/8/2022 at 7:46 PM, PoshSteve said: Absolutely love this photo. Great angle! The penthouse should have a commanding view of both downtown and university circle when you include the height of the hill.
May 4, 20223 yr https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/05/cleveland-heights-voters-rejecting-park-issue-9-after-early-votes-counted.html
May 4, 20223 yr 49 minutes ago, OldEnough said: https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/05/cleveland-heights-voters-rejecting-park-issue-9-after-early-votes-counted.html Issue 9 soundly defeated with all but a few votes in. Best news of the night.
May 4, 20223 yr 2 minutes ago, LlamaLawyer said: Issue 9 soundly defeated with all but a few votes in. Best news of the night. Was looking through results and about to post this. Good for Cle Hts - was somewhat worried with all the 'Yes' signs I saw while on a bike ride around the heights last week.
May 4, 20223 yr 9 hours ago, GISguy said: Was looking through results and about to post this. Good for Cle Hts - was somewhat worried with all the 'Yes' signs I saw while on a bike ride around the heights last week. On all but a couple streets, the No signs outnumbered the Yes signs 5 to 1. I was originally concerned that this election was being held in a low turnout cycle, but I think that may have helped No since there were more high-information viewers. My number one concern was that people who didn't understand the issue at all would say "Build a park? Sure!" Big vindication for progressive housing policy in Cleveland Heights. The NIMBYs are loud, but unlike in San Francisco they are not in control.
May 4, 20223 yr Hopefully a sign of a more pro-development stance for CH. As I mentioned in a previous post the failure to leverage our proximity to University Circle has been very disappointing. Hopefully we see some action on the Taylor Road Tudor Plaza redevelopment. A huge opportunity I see would be a creative redevelopment plan for Mayfield Road - across from the cemetery - from the top of the hill all the way to Coventry. This is all prime real estate - proximity to UC, access to public transportation, walking distance to Coventry and Little Italy. Currently not even close to it's highest and best use.
May 4, 20223 yr 48 minutes ago, OldEnough said: Hopefully a sign of a more pro-development stance for CH. As I mentioned in a previous post the failure to leverage our proximity to University Circle has been very disappointing. Hopefully we see some action on the Taylor Road Tudor Plaza redevelopment. A huge opportunity I see would be a creative redevelopment plan for Mayfield Road - across from the cemetery - from the top of the hill all the way to Coventry. This is all prime real estate - proximity to UC, access to public transportation, walking distance to Coventry and Little Italy. Currently not even close to it's highest and best use. I have always thought the same thing regarding that area on Mayfield. Cannot believe it is not lined with modern condo buildings the whole length (some thing in the 4-6 story range). Don't think it will happen given what I am sure are multiple property owners who probably believe their properties are worth more than they actually are. I think you see a lot of that on Detroit. Long time owners with unrealistic demands as they view all the development going up around them.
May 4, 20223 yr 1 hour ago, OldEnough said: Hopefully a sign of a more pro-development stance for CH. As I mentioned in a previous post the failure to leverage our proximity to University Circle has been very disappointing. Hopefully we see some action on the Taylor Road Tudor Plaza redevelopment. A huge opportunity I see would be a creative redevelopment plan for Mayfield Road - across from the cemetery - from the top of the hill all the way to Coventry. This is all prime real estate - proximity to UC, access to public transportation, walking distance to Coventry and Little Italy. Currently not even close to it's highest and best use. And hopefully we can financing complete and shovels in the ground for both projects before the global economy implodes!
May 4, 20223 yr 8 minutes ago, Htsguy said: I have always thought the same thing regarding that area on Mayfield. Cannot believe it is not lined with modern condo buildings the whole length (some thing in the 4-6 story range). Don't think it will happen given what I am sure are multiple property owners who probably believe their properties are worth more than they actually are. I think you see a lot of that on Detroit. Long time owners with unrealistic demands as they view all the development going up around them. Also, that's a fairly dangerous area, which unfortunately makes development harder. There have been a pretty substantial number of shootings in the neighborhood just north of Coventry.
May 4, 20223 yr Cleveland Heights, Lakewood projects win OKs Two major development projects in Cleveland’s inner ring suburbs won thumbs up last night but in two different ways. In Lakewood, City Council gave its unanimous approval to the framework for an agreement with a Columbus-based real estate firm for a proposed $90 million development at the former downtown hospital site. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2022/05/04/cleveland-heights-lakewood-projects-win-oks/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 4, 20223 yr Circling back tot he Taylor Tudor buildings proposal by WXZ, if given final approval, it will be a much bigger deal for the city than the Cedar Lee development. It total, it would include 59,000 sqaure feet of retail/office space, 300 housing units and two public plazas. Taylor Tudor Plaza (construction to begin January 2023) Rental Units 1 Bed 40 2 Bed 4 Total 44 Commercial 1932-46 8,890 SF 1912-26 7,278 SF 1908 5,867 SF Total 22,035 SF Taylor Commons (construction to begin 2023) New buildings added to the corridor will be appropriate, and match that of the Taylor Tudor buildings in their placement and scale. They will be placed on the sidewalk to encourage a pedestrian, human scaled environment. The ground floor will be active and be designed to encourage connectivity to the street with plenty of glass for transparency. The glass will reflect the Taylor Tudor architecture on the West side of the street to provide a constant visual connection to the historic structures and a reminder of the neighborhood’s rich history. New buildings will be of scale and slightly taller to allow sweeping views of Cain Park and the downtown skyline from upper floors on the East side of the street. No building’s architectural language will extend for more than 70 feet before there is a variation or new language introduced so as to prevent monotony and to reinforce the human scale of the neighborhood. This condition reflects that which exists in the Taylor Tudor buildings in that the bays of the buildings change in their architectural treatment every 40-70 feet. Towers and other vertical elements denote entry and also provide points of transition and this will be mimicked in the new. The timeline for both the Taylor Commons site and the for sale housing site behind the Berkowitz-Kumin-Bookatz Memorial Chapel will overlap with the Taylor Tudor Plaza redevelopment and the Taylor Road Synagogue redevelopment. Rental Units 1 Bed 192 2 Bed 16 Total 208 Commercial Anchor 13,200 SF Ground Floor Retail/Office 24,150 SF Total 37,350 SF Parking Spaces Street 26 Parking Deck 312 Total 338 Taylor Road Synagogue (construction to begin July 2023) 24 rental units 7 new townhomes 6740 SF performance space/sanctuary 32 parking spots The proposed development plan also includes redevelopment of the Taylor Road Synagogue to be transformed into residential spaces and community arts space, all while preserving the original worship space. The former classrooms attached to the synagogue will be transformed into 24 rental units and seven newly built townhomes will be constructed on the rear of the lot behind the synagogue. The sanctuary space will remain open for religious use on High Holidays and additional items. The synagogue’s other existing multi-purpose room that is adjacent to the sanctuary will be a reservable community space that can further integrate the neighborhood with Cain Park as a winter performance space, summertime auxiliary gallery space, and workshop for stage and prop building. For Sale Housing (funeral home parking lot & school district Parking lot) 17 units
May 4, 20223 yr 48 minutes ago, KJP said: Cleveland Heights, Lakewood projects win OKs Two major development projects in Cleveland’s inner ring suburbs won thumbs up last night but in two different ways. In Lakewood, City Council gave its unanimous approval to the framework for an agreement with a Columbus-based real estate firm for a proposed $90 million development at the former downtown hospital site. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2022/05/04/cleveland-heights-lakewood-projects-win-oks/ Great article, @KJP. One correction--the Meadowbrook Lee development actually includes more park space (I think it's 2.3 acres, but don't quote me). The .3 acres only includes the area fronting on Lee Road. There's additional green-space being added behind the development, some of which is public and some of which is not.
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