August 4, 20222 yr 23 hours ago, MrR said: I'd love to see the mayor's experts provide detailed information on why they advised him that a gaurdrail should not be installed The Cleveland.com article says that ODOT requires guardrails to have a particular length, which length is impossible here because of a neighbor's driveway. Guardrails spread an impact with the metal barrier across multiple posts in the ground to absorb the force. Maybe with too few posts in the ground a car would blow through the guardrail. The most recent crash seemed to go up the guy's driveway and destroyed his garage. A guardrail wouldn't have prevented that if that is in fact what happened. Is it the city's obligation to protect every homeowner from drivers breaking the law? The city was partially at fault in a high-speed chase, but is that what was happening in each of these (three? four?) crashes into his house/garage? Regardless of how we answer that question, I'd like to see the city share the cost with the guy since at least one of those accidents occurred during a police chase. A guardrail would be pretty ugly. I'd consider putting some large boulders on that tree lawn. Not as crash-friendly for bad drivers, but more attractive for the neighborhood.. Neither a guardrail nor a bunch of boulders is likely to be the best solution by themselves. IN ADDITION, the city should look at reducing the long, straight sight lines on Taylor heading south to Fairmount. It's this runway that speeding drivers are using to launch their cars into this guy's house. This might be more important for better quality of life on that section of Taylor anyway. It might be difficult, however, as the lanes in this stretch of Taylor are already narrow (the street is about 20 feet wide, with one lane in each direction). Any street parking on Taylor should be on the southbound side, but I don't remember whether there is any on-street parking permitted. Sadly, it might be cheaper to buy the guy's house, knock it down for a green space that is easily remediated and with less risk of loss-of-life (either a driver or an occupant of a house).
August 4, 20222 yr I saw facebook post from a Cleveland Heights councilman about this accident. Apparently the city offered multiple times to buy the home but the owner refuses to sell.
August 4, 20222 yr 44 minutes ago, Foraker said: The Cleveland.com article says that ODOT requires guardrails to have a particular length, which length is impossible here because of a neighbor's driveway. Guardrails spread an impact with the metal barrier across multiple posts in the ground to absorb the force. Maybe with too few posts in the ground a car would blow through the guardrail. Even so - I'm assuming that the city proposed a spacing and location for the bollards. Mounting a relatively cheap guardrail across those bollards would inconsequential at worst. In looking at googlemaps, I'm wondering if the real reason is where the city proposed the bollards/stones in comparison to the sidewalk. I could see where the city would recommend those items be placed on the lawn, and the home owner saying the should be placed on the treelawn at the curb. It would make more sense for the city to call that treelawn guardrail location as being ineffective
August 4, 20222 yr 6 hours ago, MrR said: Even so - I'm assuming that the city proposed a spacing and location for the bollards. Mounting a relatively cheap guardrail across those bollards would inconsequential at worst. In looking at googlemaps, I'm wondering if the real reason is where the city proposed the bollards/stones in comparison to the sidewalk. I could see where the city would recommend those items be placed on the lawn, and the home owner saying the should be placed on the treelawn at the curb. It would make more sense for the city to call that treelawn guardrail location as being ineffective Thanks for the image. The homeowner has a large sign on those reflectors now. I don't recall the exact wording, but basically asking the city "where's my guardrail?!" As you can see, the tree lawn isn't that deep here either. Even if you moved the crosswalk over I don't know what ODOT's minimum-effective-length of guardrail would be. Here's a Google 3D view of the intersection. That crosswalk SHOULD be moved to cross the median and provide a pedestrian refuge. The most recent crash into this guys' house completely destroyed the garage to the left of the house. When I drove by this morning it was a pile of debris awaiting a dumpster. No word on whether that vehicle was in the driveway and also damaged in the crash. *Update* the errant car apparently crushed both the truck in the driveway and the garage. The car was stopped as part of a routine traffic stop, and the car took off as soon as the officer got out of his car. The police did not chase. No word on whether the driver was caught at the scene. At Monday's city council meeting, the Mayor said that he has been meeting with the homeowner to find a solution. Apparently another problem is that the tree lawn isn't DEEP ENOUGH at only 2 feet to fit a guard rail. The homeowner doesn't like the idea of a guardrail in his yard. Discussions are ongoing, but the Mayor is hoping to find a solution (and it sounds like the city is going to at least help pay for it). Stay tuned.... Edited August 4, 20222 yr by Foraker Updated with new info
August 4, 20222 yr OK, what's at the other end of that street? A dive bar? A car-gun? "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 4, 20222 yr 3 hours ago, KJP said: OK, what's at the other end of that street? A dive bar? A car-gun? That's the south end of Taylor Road dead-ending into Fairmount (looking south). Other end of Taylor? East Cleveland and Euclid Avenue? Goes past Severance and the old Warner & Swasey observatory.
August 5, 20222 yr 23 hours ago, KJP said: OK, what's at the other end of that street? A dive bar? A car-gun? It's Taylor Road, lol. I think the other end is pretty much Lake Erie.
August 15, 20222 yr From City News August 13, 2022 Quote Taylor Tudors Renovation Earns Design Approvals For Revitalization Along South Taylor Road The City of Cleveland Heights approved designs submitted by WXZ Development that will allow the renovation of the Taylor-Tudor buildings, or Taylor Tudors, which are located in Cleveland Heights’ Stadium Square National Historic District, on the west side of South Taylor Road between the Taylor Road Synagogue and the Vanderbrook Florist Building (1908-1946 South Taylor Road). The proposed Taylor Tudors rehabilitation is the first phase of a larger initiative to transform and revitalize South Taylor Road and create a proposed Cain Park Village. On Tuesday, August 2, 2022, the City of Cleveland Heights Architectural Board of Review granted final design approval for the renovation and on Wednesday, August 11, 2022, the City of Cleveland Heights Planning Commission granted a conditional use permit approval for the live-work units. The project will seek state and federal historic preservation tax credits and will include complete rehabilitation of the Taylor-Tudor buildings per the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation. The scope of work includes new windows, new storefront systems, new building mechanicals, new skylights, the addition of elevator spaces, and new roofs. The first phase of rehabilitation will bring the buildings back to life. It will involve converting of some of the ground-floor space in the two northernmost buildings into eight “live-work units,” a trend this is occurring across the United States. The remaining ground-floor space will be re-activated retail. The second and third floors will contain 44 residential units, two studio apartments, 40 1-bedroom apartments, and two 2-bedroom apartments. The broader vision for the revitalization of South Taylor Road and creation of Cain Park Village will be subject to a review process involving community engagement, staff review, and multiple approvals by Cleveland Heights Planning Commission, other city boards and commissions, and Cleveland Heights City Council. https://www.clevelandheights.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=596
August 18, 20222 yr On 8/15/2022 at 4:29 PM, OldEnough said: Hopefully this moves forward, that area is really deteriorating. I know its not the same area, but today I drove up Cedar from Cedar-Fairmount and was bummed to see how shabby the housing stock looked almost the entire length. Cleveland Heights should at least do some paint inspections. Kinda sad.
August 18, 20222 yr Trust me - it's something I complain to the city about regularly. I know that everyone doesn't have the means to keep their property in A1 condition - but what we're seeing here is rental property owners not investing in their housing - and a city that's idlily standing by. Seems nothing gets done unless citizens complain. Unkept lawns, peeling paint, cars parked in the front yards.
August 22, 20222 yr Top of the Hill (8-21-22) Exterior work/landscaping is looking pretty close to wrapping up on the western building, with a few units looking already moved into. There website lists the last available by date as November 15th for the top of the tower portion. College Club Townhomes was able to open for incoming students this semester Work is almost complete on the last of the College Club Townhomes. All 13 townhomes have sold.
August 22, 20222 yr Very happy to see that they are starting to pour the walkways and put down the roadway at Top of the Hill! Any word on groundbreaking for Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook?
August 23, 20222 yr Timely article says the city was finally able to purchase the vacant beauty school. I could be wrong, but I think that's the last property needed for the expanded area site plan. Making ‘The Cut’ -- Cleveland Heights acquires beauty school for Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook project - cleveland.com Also some updates about Tudor Taylor in there.
August 23, 20222 yr Here's where the beauty school is in relation to the site plan. I'm wondering how that section will be used in the final plan. Edited August 23, 20222 yr by SeaLibrarian switched double post to include site plan
August 23, 20222 yr Have you circled the location of the school - or the beauty supply store closer to the Cedar-Lee which I think stays. The old barber school (I think) is within the boundary of the Cedar side of the development in the drawing. Closer to the Wendy's.
August 23, 20222 yr Are you sure that's right? I think that might be beauty supply store (formerly loanmax) which is a separate building from the beauty supply and vet space.
August 23, 20222 yr You're right my mistake, circled the first thing that popped up on Google before double checking. Fixed below.
August 23, 20222 yr Hope to see some movement on this soon. As someone else mentioned it's great to see this significant developments in Cleveland and Shaker Heights. That gap at Cedar and Meadowbrook is almost as bad as some of the surface lot islands downtown. Just really a downer in an area that's been doing well and looks great after some of the other infrastructure improvements.
September 22, 20222 yr A buddy is looking to rent a new apartment and toured Top of the Hill today. There is still a month or so before new tenants can move into portions of the complex and the leasing agent told him they have already leased 60 of 250 units.
September 22, 20222 yr On 8/23/2022 at 4:19 PM, SeaLibrarian said: Timely article says the city was finally able to purchase the vacant beauty school. I could be wrong, but I think that's the last property needed for the expanded area site plan. Making ‘The Cut’ -- Cleveland Heights acquires beauty school for Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook project - cleveland.com FWIW, I heard that there was a dry cleaner in one of those buildings, the vet school or the beauty school, and so there is some environmental testing and possibly cleanup that will need to happen before/after demolition that might slow up what would ordinarily be a quick demo. On 8/23/2022 at 4:19 PM, SeaLibrarian said: This building is for sale (I think they were asking $750k), but as you noted above it has not been purchased and is not part of the development. I'm sure the city would be happy to have it included, but only if the price was low. Which clearly it's not.
September 23, 20222 yr New article up in Crain's by Michele Jarboe on WXZ's Taylor Tudors project (not a lot of new info if you've been watching this project, but it gathers a lot of info into one place) Quote A team led by WXZ Development not only aspires to restore the historic Taylor Tudors but also aims to erect new buildings across the street, while reimagining the eastern gateway into Cain Park. Plans drawn up by RDL Architects show new apartments, for-sale homes, dining and parking in the tired business district, a short stroll north of Superior Road near the University Heights border. WXZ, based in Fairview Park, plans to apply for competitive state historic preservation tax credits this month to help revive the near-vacant Taylor Tudors as 44 apartments over first-floor storefronts and live-work spaces. If the company wins an award, construction could begin in early spring. The broader development might take five years to realize, said Matthew Wymer, the company's vice president. "Obviously, the massive asset that you can't ignore is Cain Park," said Wymer, who lives in Cleveland Heights and oversees WXZ's projects in Cleveland and its close-lying suburbs. "It's right there. And it's huge. … We thought maybe there was a way to reorient it in the eyes of the greater community." https://www.crainscleveland.com/real-estate/historic-buildings-cleveland-heights-are-catalyst-potential-100-million-project
October 7, 20222 yr Zagara's grocer sells out to Dave's; Dave's to abandon Cedar-Fairmount location. https://www.cleveland.com/community/2022/10/zagaras-marketplace-bowing-out-daves-moving-in-but-closing-cedar-fairmount-store-in-cleveland-heights.html Hey, Aldi! I've got a great new location idea for you....
October 10, 20222 yr On 10/8/2022 at 12:21 PM, bikemail said: An Aldi or Trader Joe's would be amazing in that space Aldi would be a better fit than Trader Joe's for everyday groceries -- what about a Lucky's Market?
October 10, 20222 yr 3 minutes ago, Foraker said: Aldi would be a better fit than Trader Joe's for everyday groceries -- what about a Lucky's Market? Lucky's went into bankruptcy, and Dave's bought their Ohio stores. It seems unlikely Dave's would leave, just to replace it with another one of their stores.
October 10, 20222 yr 2 hours ago, Foraker said: Aldi would be a better fit than Trader Joe's for everyday groceries -- what about a Lucky's Market? Thats what i thought would be perfect. The right demographics for a Luckys. They are opening a second one in Columbus so….
October 10, 20222 yr I don't know how likely Aldi is to go into a space like that. I'm sure it will fill up eventually; hopefully it does soon. It was a really nice Dave's that had much more of a neighborhood feel than any other Dave's I've been to. It will be missed.
October 10, 20222 yr A few years back there was rumor of an upscale out-of-state grocer taking the space over. Never got a firm name but was hoping for a Wegman’s .
October 11, 20222 yr 14 minutes ago, OldEnough said: A few years back there was rumor of an upscale out-of-state grocer taking the space over. Never got a firm name but was hoping for a Wegman’s . Would Wegman's go into such a small space? I have only been in a couple of their stores but they were pretty large.
October 11, 20222 yr Does seem small for them. But then again that was just my guess. Not sure what brand makes the most sense. Marc’s already has a spot on Coventry. I could see something with a lot of prepared foods and a big wine selection - but could be more space than that kind of place needs. It’s really a tweener.
October 11, 20222 yr On 10/7/2022 at 11:20 AM, Foraker said: Zagara's grocer sells out to Dave's; Dave's to abandon Cedar-Fairmount location. https://www.cleveland.com/community/2022/10/zagaras-marketplace-bowing-out-daves-moving-in-but-closing-cedar-fairmount-store-in-cleveland-heights.html Hey, Aldi! I've got a great new location idea for you.... I heard a rumor (although not sure how reliable it is) that Heinen's is interested in the space for one of their smaller format stores.
October 11, 20222 yr 2 hours ago, Htsguy said: Would Wegman's go into such a small space? I have only been in a couple of their stores but they were pretty large. Wegmans has no interest in this market. not a growth market and not the demographics they are seeking for a new store. Heinens had been mentioned before. Edited October 11, 20222 yr by willyboy
October 11, 20222 yr 6 hours ago, willyboy said: Wegmans has no interest in this market. not a growth market and not the demographics they are seeking for a new store. Heinens had been mentioned before. While I don’t doubt, that’s awfully rich for a chain based in Rochester.
October 11, 20222 yr 9 hours ago, willyboy said: Wegmans has no interest in this market. not a growth market and not the demographics they are seeking for a new store. Heinens had been mentioned before. Not sure where you're getting your info from, but Wegmans has been interested in the Cleveland market for some time now and is looking at opening a store here. Can't say where, but they are actively looking
October 11, 20222 yr 3 hours ago, zbaris87 said: Not sure where you're getting your info from, but Wegmans has been interested in the Cleveland market for some time now and is looking at opening a store here. Can't say where, but they are actively looking As of 2 years ago absolutely not, but its possible they could have changed their tune. If here, likely Westlake/Avon Lake. I could certainly see them establishing in Columbus, and certainly there before Cleveland. LOL, on Rochester. It is merely where they started out. They cant seem to grow fast enough in the DC suburban market, and now the NYC market. Edited October 11, 20222 yr by willyboy
October 11, 20222 yr 1 hour ago, willyboy said: As of 2 years ago absolutely not, but its possible they could have changed their tune. If here, likely Westlake/Avon Lake. I could certainly see them establishing in Columbus, and certainly there before Cleveland. LOL, on Rochester. It is merely where they started out. They cant seem to grow fast enough in the DC suburban market, and now the NYC market. Very close. I heard they were looking at Avon.
October 12, 20222 yr I'm surprised Dave's would leave Cedar-Fairmount right when they should have had a large influx of customers with the completion of the Top of the Hill development.
October 12, 20222 yr 45 minutes ago, Balkmusic said: I'm surprised Dave's would leave Cedar-Fairmount right when they should have had a large influx of customers with the completion of the Top of the Hill development. Maybe they did think about that and know that Zagara’s is a larger store and they can put a Lucky’s in the now vacant building.
October 12, 20222 yr 8 minutes ago, Growth Mindset said: Maybe they did think about that and know that Zagara’s is a larger store and they can put a Lucky’s in the now vacant building. I forgot that they own Lucky's now. They might be worried about the competition from Meijer right down the hill.
October 12, 20222 yr 21 minutes ago, freefourur said: I forgot that they own Lucky's now. They might be worried about the competition from Meijer right down the hill. I've heard that the Dave's at Cedar-Fairmount has its storage space in the basement and they use a conveyor of some sort to bring replacement goods up to stock the shelves. It sounds like a clunky way to do business. And it's carved out of space in an old building. The new building at Zagara's has to be attractive because it does not have those issues. That might mean that a smaller grocer, like an Aldi, would fit better in the Cedar-Fairmount space -- maybe they can reconfigure the store so that they don't need to consistently access that basement storage.
October 12, 20222 yr It's pretty hard for me to believe that Wegmans, which has no Ohio locations, would choose this pretty small urban footprint for their first store in the state. That being said, a Wegmans here would be great.
October 12, 20222 yr A flyer shared by Case's undergraduate student government to request a new Trader Joe's location to replace Dave's: Here's the link, for those that wish to submit a request: https://www.traderjoes.com/home/contact-us/request-a-store Edited October 12, 20222 yr by sonisharri
October 12, 20222 yr It's been a while since I have been to a Trader Joe's, but it did not seem like a low-cost, full-service grocer. Aldi would be a better fit. But maybe fewer people have experience with Aldi or think that it is too low-class? I am a regular at the Aldi on Mayfield, and it's great for the basics.
October 12, 20222 yr I really don't understand why there aren't more Trader Joe's stores in the Cleveland area (and Columbus also). A location so close to University Circle would attract a lot of people. I mean, there's one in Mentor now (of all places🤩). Along with the expansion of Wegman's, there's also a chain called Lidl (German-based) and some rate as cheaper and better than Trader Joe's that's growing in the US, but so far only on the East Coast for some reason. Maybe making a pitch to them might be worth a try-- https://www.lidl.com/ http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
October 12, 20222 yr 2 hours ago, eastvillagedon said: I really don't understand why there aren't more Trader Joe's stores in the Cleveland area (and Columbus also). A location so close to University Circle would attract a lot of people. I mean, there's one in Mentor now (of all places🤩). Along with the expansion of Wegman's, there's also a chain called Lidl (German-based) and some rate as cheaper and better than Trader Joe's that's growing in the US, but so far only on the East Coast for some reason. Maybe making a pitch to them might be worth a try-- https://www.lidl.com/ Yes, there was an unsuccessful attempt to get Lidl to come to the Van Aken District
October 25, 20222 yr https://www.cleveland.com/community/2022/10/cleveland-heights-ironing-out-school-compensation-deal-for-shovel-ready-cedar-lee-meadowbrook-project.html
November 4, 20222 yr Not exactly "development" news, but the Taylor Road home now has "boulder" protections. (Report by Cleveland Heights's own, Vic Gideon) https://www.cleveland19.com/2022/11/03/wheres-my-guardrail-house-gets-huge-boulders-solution-frequent-accidents/
November 4, 20222 yr Another opinion piece noting the decline of Severance. Quote At the same location, I could go to movies. Want breakfast? It was a short walk across the way. Opened in 1963, Severance was what malls were back then: hubs for activity. Its buzz fled a full two decades ago, silenced when the alley failed and the department stores posted going-out-of-business signs. The mall hemorrhaged stores, but when Walmart planted its flag there, I thought Severance would stand forever. Forever carries a short shelf-life, for what remains on the Mayfield-South Taylor site looks like a space that awaits a bulldozer. Severance has been dying a melancholy death, as have malls elsewhere. In Greater Cleveland, I saw Randall Park Mall keel over and die, and Richmond Mall fell not too many years afterward. Both shopping centers, however, have been repurposed, which is good news for the suburbs that relied on mall jobs and the taxes these places contributed to their coffers. Randall and Richmond had their own eulogies. Randall didn’t exist when I was a boy, and my family had no reason to trek to Richmond when Severance was almost in our backyard. Yet nothing of what was there from my youth exists. With the Walmart now on Warrensville Center Road, the location is a queue of vacant storefronts. The theater shut its lights before the pandemic, and efforts to resuscitate this brick-and-mortar patient have been futile. I write wistfully about Severance, for whenever I hear its name, I think of a simpler time in my life. I walked there alone on occasion, doing the kind of window shopping that an adolescent with more fantasies than dollar bills could do. But I had left Cleveland when the mall started to teeter. The demographics around it had changed, and once crime became a worry — or so that’s what I’ve heard people of a certain age say about the old Severance — traffic inside the mall decided to use its credit cards in other places. Even if crime had not frightened customers, Severance would have given way to the times at some point down the road. It could never compete with online shopping; nor could Severance compete with the sparkly shopping centers that sprouted in suburbs farther east of it. They stole big-spending customers, and Severance turned into a place for the one-off shops that catered to a less-affluent clientele. Go past it yourself, and you’ll spot a desolate landscape. This once prime real estate has become a wasteland. On the back end is a smallish Home Depot. A dreary OfficeMax and a nearby Marshall’s play to infrequent customers. A gloom hangs over Severance, and Cleveland Heights must figure out a better use for a place that once drew crowds of freehanded spenders. The cha-ching of cash registers has given way to the still that comes when people gawk at a funeral procession. No one has to remind them that something has died. https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2022/11/economic-vacuum-widens-as-shopping-malls-like-severance-center-die-a-slow-death-justice-b-hill.html
November 4, 20222 yr Well that was thoroughly depressing. True though. The Wal-Mart there was a nightmare. Maybe not Steelyard bad, but not good either.
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