April 29, 20241 yr Brick facing going up on the corners of the Marquee Lee building. In the renderings, the brick alternates with gray siding. At left is the saw for cutting half-bricks. Marquee Cedar, as seen from Cedar. Both photos taken Saturday.
April 29, 20241 yr 3 hours ago, LlamaLawyer said: https://ascentapt.com/floorplans/ Top of the Hill leasing page shows a grand total of two units currently available, with a few more coming online this summer. Very impressive, and from the timing, I'm guessing Match Day probably leased it out, because it was only about 75% leased when I last checked a couple months ago. Very good sign for the Meadowbrook-Lee development, I'd say. Hopefully they can get some retail soon though... 0% of the retail is leased. No idea what they are thinking or doing about that.
May 1, 20241 yr On 4/29/2024 at 2:58 PM, OldEnough said: I heard a UH urgent care is going in. Correct, there's a sign for it up on the corner of the building. Edited May 1, 20241 yr by jam40jeff
May 20, 20241 yr Nobility Court's NIMBYs seem to have some funding. After a few days out of town, I returned to find this slick 5½ by 8½ inch postcard in my mailbox. It is anonymous except for the mail permit number 647 -- anyone know who that is? It also has a printers' union label, like many political mailings.
May 20, 20241 yr I don't disagree with the premise about demanding better of what's already there "a transformed Noble road", but I don't see why this building would prevent such an effort.
May 20, 20241 yr 18 hours ago, Quilliam said: Nobility Court's NIMBYs seem to have some funding. After a few days out of town, I returned to find this slick 5½ by 8½ inch postcard in my mailbox. It is anonymous except for the mail permit number 647 -- anyone know who that is? It also has a printers' union label, like many political mailings. Translation: "we already have enough poor people in our neighborhood!"
May 21, 20241 yr On 5/19/2024 at 9:31 PM, Quilliam said: Nobility Court's NIMBYs seem to have some funding. After a few days out of town, I returned to find this slick 5½ by 8½ inch postcard in my mailbox. It is anonymous except for the mail permit number 647 -- anyone know who that is? It also has a printers' union label, like many political mailings. "A Community that thrives with...Vibrant shops, cozy cafes, and delicious eateries." You know what can provide that? A well designed 52 Unit affordable apartment with new residents that can frequent those shops.
May 21, 20241 yr Maybe a new apartment building will provide some options, and competition for the other apartment buildings in the area. It looks like most of the apartment buildings along Noble were all constructed around the same time -- time to make sure that the housing department is doing the required inspections and requiring repairs, and for building owners to step up with some renovations so that they can compete with the new construction. And hopefully Noble Station isn't the end of development on the corridor. Any news on Start Right's infill housing progress? https://www.clevelandheights.gov/1337/Neighborhood-Redevelopment
June 13, 20241 yr Top of the Hill's first retail tenant has a "coming soon" sign posted outside: UH Urgent Care.
June 18, 2024Jun 18 The mayor has proposed and city council is considering a deal with Russo to help with bringing a grocer back to Cedar-Fairmount. (Russo had asked for $1m from the city.) City would buy the parking lot behind the Firestone for $660k (approximately $10k per parking space), to preserve public parking and ensure city control of the site. City would provide $340k low-interest (3%) 15-year loan to assist in bringing in Grocery Outlet, that loan being partially offset by 50% of the tax revenue that Grocery Outlet brings in. I think this will be unsatisfactory for both those who think we shouldn't be supporting private property owners to bring in tenants, and those who think the city should be doing more to get a grocery there. Which probably means it's a pretty good deal. The parking lot is nice, and really is needed with the Tullamore garage being closed. And it's good for the city to be in control of that lot for the future. I think this was just presented on a first reading on Monday. https://clevelandheightsoh.portal.civicclerk.com/event/151/files/attachment/1348 https://www.cleveland.com/community/2024/06/cleveland-heights-puts-1-million-deal-on-the-table-for-grocery-outlet-in-old-cedar-fairmount-daves-market-space.html (behind a paywall)
June 18, 2024Jun 18 19 minutes ago, Foraker said: The mayor has proposed and city council is considering a deal with Russo to help with bringing a grocer back to Cedar-Fairmount. (Russo had asked for $1m from the city.) City would buy the parking lot behind the Firestone for $660k (approximately $10k per parking space), to preserve public parking and ensure city control of the site. City would provide $340k low-interest (3%) 15-year loan to assist in bringing in Grocery Outlet, that loan being partially offset by 50% of the tax revenue that Grocery Outlet brings in. I think this will be unsatisfactory for both those who think we shouldn't be supporting private property owners to bring in tenants, and those who think the city should be doing more to get a grocery there. Which probably means it's a pretty good deal. The parking lot is nice, and really is needed with the Tullamore garage being closed. And it's good for the city to be in control of that lot for the future. I think this was just presented on a first reading on Monday. https://clevelandheightsoh.portal.civicclerk.com/event/151/files/attachment/1348 https://www.cleveland.com/community/2024/06/cleveland-heights-puts-1-million-deal-on-the-table-for-grocery-outlet-in-old-cedar-fairmount-daves-market-space.html (behind a paywall) I haven't been following this very closely, but how do all these things tie together? What does the parking lot have to do with securing a grocery store? There looks to be plenty of parking behind the old Dave's location. Also what does the garage at Cedar Lee have to do with a parking lot at Cedar Fairmount?
June 18, 2024Jun 18 Just now, Ethan said: I haven't been following this very closely, but how do all these things tie together? What does the parking lot have to do with securing a grocery store? There looks to be plenty of parking behind the old Dave's location. Also what does the garage at Cedar Lee have to do with a parking lot at Cedar Fairmount? Sorry -- I got the name of the garage wrong after looking at Ethan's photos above -- I meant the garage behind Parnells/Zhug/Starbucks, which is closed for repairs (and is small). Russos built the parking lot behind Firestone, and the lot behind the Cedar-Fairmount Medical building is privately owned. And often at capacity. Buying this parking lot gives the city a parcel of land that it controls. This lot has nothing to do with the grocery store other than that is nearby and owned by the owner of the building who wants to rent space to the grocery. Residents want a grocery in the neighborhood, and the city is sensitive to that. Really, it seems like taking the parking lot is just a way to get "something of value" so that they can give Russo money for Grocery Outlet. (Russo was looking for city assistance to repair and upgrade Russo's very old building in ways to make it an attractive space for Grocery Outlet to occupy. It's of value to the city that large historic buildings be preserved, so the city might get some return over the long term over allowing the building to empty out as it ages. How much value and how much the private owner should bear is controversial.) Does the city need another parking lot? Not really. Is this lot really worth $660k? Probably not. Maybe $400k given its location and condition? -- I'm not a real estate expert, that's just speculation and a WAG on my part. I'm ok with this deal -- it's a lot better than a $1m gift.
June 26, 2024Jun 26 1 hour ago, simplythis said: United Church of Christ awarded State Tax Credits. https://www.crainscleveland.com/real-estate/state-awards-historic-tax-credits-11-northeast-ohio-projects Alcazar hotel, now apartments wins tax credits as well. If anyone wasn't aware of this, like me, here's an article from 2022. It looks like it already got some updates 8 years ago or so, and sounds like this new round of renovations will be focused on the common areas. https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/news/local_news/alcazar-hotel-cleveland-heights/article_b22e982c-129a-11ed-9f50-6ba82fa168d5.html Honestly sounds pretty cool, hopefully it's successful.
June 26, 2024Jun 26 Alcazar Hotel and more..... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 27, 2024Jun 27 https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/developer-steps-in-at-long-ailing-severance-town-center-in-cleveland-heights Huge (and long-overdue) news for one of the biggest underutilized sites in the east side suburbs. City officials and residents are all impressed by Van Aken District in Shaker, and so I would expect there will be a big push to do the same kind of thing here. I looked up the new developer and they don't seem to have extensive experience delivering on this kind of project. Hopefully something good happens here in the next few years.
June 27, 2024Jun 27 1 hour ago, LlamaLawyer said: https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/developer-steps-in-at-long-ailing-severance-town-center-in-cleveland-heights Huge (and long-overdue) news for one of the biggest underutilized sites in the east side suburbs. City officials and residents are all impressed by Van Aken District in Shaker, and so I would expect there will be a big push to do the same kind of thing here. I looked up the new developer and they don't seem to have extensive experience delivering on this kind of project. Hopefully something good happens here in the next few years. I want to be optimistic, but I'm very worried about this. Namdar ignored their tenants' complaints and did absolutely nothing to maintain their property -- for YEARS. Now they claim to be interested in redeveloping it with a developer with no experience developing this kind of property, at this scale. I would have liked to see Namdar exit the city (tar and feathering is too good for them) and for the city have more control over the redevelopment. We'll see.
June 27, 2024Jun 27 Severance Center remake in the works By Ken Prendergast / June 27, 2024 Severance Town Center is considered by Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren as his community’s greatest development opportunity and challenge. That challenge has been taken on by MPACT Collective of Long Island, NY by signing a master developer agreement with Namdar Realty Group which owns much of the underutilized property. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2024/06/27/severance-center-remake-in-the-works/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 28, 2024Jun 28 Doing a little digging, it looks like MPACT does most of its projects under the name Renaissance Downtowns. https://renaissancedowntownsusa.com/ This website lists a lot more projects they have completed and shows a slightly better portfolio.
June 28, 2024Jun 28 1 hour ago, nickmgray said: Doing a little digging, it looks like MPACT does most of its projects under the name Renaissance Downtowns. https://renaissancedowntownsusa.com/ This website lists a lot more projects they have completed and shows a slightly better portfolio. That's reassuring. I was also pleased to see Larry Nowak of Severance Action Group endorsing this development -- I'm becoming more optimistic. Now the hard part -- waiting for actual plans, and more waiting for construction!
June 28, 2024Jun 28 Maybe I shouldn't be, but I'm sort of happy the Home Depot is excluded from this remodel. There isn't another large home improvement store for a while, it's very useful and does good business as a result. On the other hand, I wish the movie theater space was included. That's a big chunk of space that's vacant and not having it reduces the renovation options and scope. There's clearly too much parking. Developing some of it seems like a no brainier. I'm not sure if it's a better idea to develop closer to the mall, or push development out to the ring road. I'm sure either could work with a quality plan. There's quite a few apartments on the outside of the ring road, I think development on the ring road could interact well with those apartments. Maybe a combination that develops along the ring road, but also creates pedestrian corridors through to the center? Idk, lots of possibilities, excited to see what they come up with.
June 28, 2024Jun 28 I say tear it all down and build a traditional town center. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 28, 2024Jun 28 4 hours ago, Ethan said: Maybe I shouldn't be, but I'm sort of happy the Home Depot is excluded from this remodel. There isn't another large home improvement store for a while, it's very useful and does good business as a result. On the other hand, I wish the movie theater space was included. That's a big chunk of space that's vacant and not having it reduces the renovation options and scope. My understanding from talking to CH folks is that the theater space is included (as is the former Baker's Square lot next to city hall, which is the only parcel outside the ring road). The only parcel excluded is the Home Depot. 3 hours ago, KJP said: I say tear it all down and build a traditional town center. Good idea. Wish you were on the developer's team -- then we'd have a rail station as well! 😄
June 28, 2024Jun 28 4 hours ago, KJP said: I say tear it all down and build a traditional town center. I agree, but even if the Home Depot part stays a Home Depot, you could do something really cool with the rest. It's about 45 acres excluding the Home Depot parcel. I think that's 2x the size of the entire Van Aken development (including the phases that aren't built yet). Which just shows how much potential the area has. A reasonable development could conceivably include over 1,000 new units of housing.
June 29, 2024Jun 29 4 hours ago, Foraker said: Good idea. Wish you were on the developer's team -- then we'd have a rail station as well! 😄 Need a train to have a station... We would have had one if not for the $16 million expansion project from the 1960s getting squashed. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 3, 2024Jul 3 On 6/28/2024 at 4:53 PM, LlamaLawyer said: I agree, but even if the Home Depot part stays a Home Depot, you could do something really cool with the rest. It's about 45 acres excluding the Home Depot parcel. I think that's 2x the size of the entire Van Aken development (including the phases that aren't built yet). Which just shows how much potential the area has. A reasonable development could conceivably include over 1,000 new units of housing. While Home Depot technically owns their land, there's the possibility that they could join in on the project if the right incentives are there. I'm sure Home Depot doesn't care about the specific land their building is on, as long as they have a store and parking lot. Create a master place for the whole area with an integrated Home Depot. Make sure that building is built early on so that Home Depot can move into it without any interruptions to their business and then we have a better option for giving the city a complete redevelopment plan rather than one that has to be built around an immovable big box store.
July 3, 2024Jul 3 3 hours ago, nickmgray said: While Home Depot technically owns their land, there's the possibility that they could join in on the project if the right incentives are there. I'm sure Home Depot doesn't care about the specific land their building is on, as long as they have a store and parking lot. Create a master place for the whole area with an integrated Home Depot. Make sure that building is built early on so that Home Depot can move into it without any interruptions to their business and then we have a better option for giving the city a complete redevelopment plan rather than one that has to be built around an immovable big box store. While I agree that that could provide some advantages, I don't know what it costs to build a HD, but I don't see Namdar gifting them a new building and site. My guess is that we get a master plan in 12 months, but then construction will be phased over another decade or so, starting with the tear-down of the Walmart end of the property and construction moving East-to-West.
July 3, 2024Jul 3 On 6/28/2024 at 12:25 PM, KJP said: I say tear it all down and build a traditional town center. Seems like this mall redevelopment plan in metro Detroit is basically doing just that. Lakeside Mall officially closes its doors with plans for redevelopment
July 4, 2024Jul 4 Coming from the Twin Cities area, they have a similar project halfway completed that's creating a whole new mixed-use neighborhood with a park at its center. https://highlandbridge.com/explore/ It's been six years since the master plan was first unveiled and there's still a long way to go. The overall site is a little bigger than severance, but they had the luxing of starting completely from scratch. It's been more than 24 months since the Park Synagogue redevelopment plan was first announced and we still have no concrete details on what that entails. With how important this project is to the city, I'm sure it'll be at least two years before an initial plan is presented and another two years before any dirt is moved.
July 25, 2024Jul 25 Based on the questions in a recent survey, it sounds like the library wants to tear down the Coventry Peace building unless the tenants can come up with $800,000 to "make the library whole." The library also claims that the building needs $2.8million in repairs (which seems high). But the library is willing to listen to the public, which seems to overwhelmingly disapprove of tearing down the building. https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/we-follow-through/do-not-tear-that-building-down-6-month-timer-to-decide-the-fate-of-coventry-peace-building-starts
July 25, 2024Jul 25 2 hours ago, Foraker said: Based on the questions in a recent survey, it sounds like the library wants to tear down the Coventry Peace building unless the tenants can come up with $800,000 to "make the library whole." The library also claims that the building needs $2.8million in repairs (which seems high). But the library is willing to listen to the public, which seems to overwhelmingly disapprove of tearing down the building. https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/we-follow-through/do-not-tear-that-building-down-6-month-timer-to-decide-the-fate-of-coventry-peace-building-starts I live a 1/4-mile away. Tear it down and build a high-rise apartment building there. It would be easy sell due to proximity to the park, University Circle, and the Coventry neighborhood (which could use a boost). A no-brainer is except for those overly concerned with gentrification. Like the metropolitan area overall, CH is a llloooonnnnggg way from pricing people out.
July 26, 2024Jul 26 I grew up around the corner from here and went to elementary school at Coventry back in the day. Tear it down. Put in new housing, maybe at tower or single family homes. Something to raise the value of the neighborhood and diversify the housing options. The building is way oversized for how it is being used and not that great of a design to begin (open floor plan, built right next to a ravine). There are plenty of other empty buildings in the city where these organizations can move to.
July 26, 2024Jul 26 I don't claim to know all the budgetary nuance here, but as a taxpayer supporting CHUH Libraries I don't like the idea of money earmarked for the Library being used to subsidize other organizations using this building. The building is not open to the public, as I would expect a library funded endeavor to be. Some of the businesses within the PEACE building collect payment for their services, which is antithetical to Library ethos. It seems like a mismatch of visions to be honest, not good bedfellows. It's too bad the building is under such a restrictive covenant that it can't be used more creatively. Edited July 26, 2024Jul 26 by Balkmusic
July 26, 2024Jul 26 14 hours ago, scg80 said: I grew up around the corner from here and went to elementary school at Coventry back in the day. Tear it down. Put in new housing, maybe at tower or single family homes. Something to raise the value of the neighborhood and diversify the housing options. The building is way oversized for how it is being used and not that great of a design to begin (open floor plan, built right next to a ravine). There are plenty of other empty buildings in the city where these organizations can move to. Does anyone have any floor plans of this building, or Boulevard, Taylor Academy, or Fairfax? I went to Noble Elementary and when friends told me about the lack of walls in this building, I couldn't believe it! I know it does have open floor plans, but just want to see how that actually works architecturally, in a school. At first I thought they were talking about demolishing the actual library building, which I would be against. However, since they are talking about that school, I am all for knocking it down and building something denser and better looking, hopefully with street side retail space along Euclid Heights to help expand and maybe begin a renaissance to the Coventry District. Edited July 26, 2024Jul 26 by Mov2Ohio
July 26, 2024Jul 26 2 hours ago, Balkmusic said: I don't claim to know all the budgetary nuance here, but as a taxpayer supporting CHUH Libraries I don't like the idea of money earmarked for the Library being used to subsidize other organizations using this building. The building is not open to the public, as I would expect a library funded endeavor to be. Some of the businesses within the PEACE building collect payment for their services, which is antithetical to Library ethos. It seems like a mismatch of visions to be honest, not good bedfellows. It's too bad the building is under such a restrictive covenant that it can't be used more creatively. I've been curious what the root of this problem is, as best as I can tell you've hit the nail on the head with "subsidized." The article above claims the library, "collected $149,267 from the nine core tenants in rent last year." That's an average of 16.5k from each tenant, that's less than what many people pay for an apartment, I don't know much about commercial leases, but that seems ridiculous to me. Had they been charging fair market rate rents they'd probably have money for repairs, but they haven't been, now they don't. Ill advised charity with taxpayer dollars seems to be the root problem here. Also, I read in a different article that the artists turned down a longer extension that would have raised their rents by 20%, which is still too low. The library doesn't seem to be the bad guy right now, but there poor management has caused this problem. I won't bother hoing for accountability, but hopefully there are at least lessons learned.
July 26, 2024Jul 26 3 hours ago, Balkmusic said: I don't claim to know all the budgetary nuance here, but as a taxpayer supporting CHUH Libraries I don't like the idea of money earmarked for the Library being used to subsidize other organizations using this building. The building is not open to the public, as I would expect a library funded endeavor to be. Some of the businesses within the PEACE building collect payment for their services, which is antithetical to Library ethos. It seems like a mismatch of visions to be honest, not good bedfellows. It's too bad the building is under such a restrictive covenant that it can't be used more creatively. There is a LOT of misinformation flying around so everyone should take a deep breath and work extra hard to figure out what the facts are. First, there is a restrictive covenant on part of the property -- and I'm not sure what the boundaries are and haven't been able to find a reliable source yet. But reportedly that portion of the property can only be used for educational or nonprofit uses. That probably complicates (but probably does not outright bar) for-profit redevelopment. As to why the library bought the building in the first place -- I think it was primarily for the school parking lot, which can be used for the Coventry branch of the library. The library, understandably, did not really want to be a landlord and now seems to be looking for an out. All of the tenants of the building are nonprofits. Lake Erie Ink, CHUH Teachers Union, FutureHeights, Artful, etc. Ensemble theater once occupied the gym area. The rent is far lower than commercially-available space nearby, which is attractive to nonprofits. The building has never been able to be fully occupied because of restrictions on tenants having to be nonprofits and the type of space that is available. The building kind of has classroom/office/workroom space around the perimeter (two floors in some areas) with a big open space in the middle and a gym on one side that Ensemble used for productions. It kind of works as an artist community. The big open space is convenient for gatherings and meetings. The tenants (according to Artful) dispute the library's estimate of the cost to maintain and repair the building. Some repairs to the HVAC and updates to the restrooms would seem to be necessary. There was a movement in 2019-2020 for the tenants to take over the operation of the building (the library was to retain ownership of the land), but the library hired Cresco to manage the building and offered leases to the tenants. Those leases ended in June. The library sent a single reminder in January that the tenants had to announce whether they would renew by April and no one did so. I suspect that it was because they are artists and other nonprofits and weren't that organized (FutureHeights lost their ED in April, maybe that complicated their efforts). But a landlord that wants tenants to renew would have followed up in March, "hey, we haven't heard from you, what do you want to do?" The library sent out a survey about what to do with the building that was slanted toward demolition of the building. So that seems to be the library's preference. I'm not sure how they will pay for that. The unusual construction might mean some unusual demolition costs as well. Most (but not all?) of the tenants are on 6-month leases now that end at the end of December. I bet that means the tenants are looking to move. So the building will be making even less on rent in short order, making demolition look even more attractive. The artists of Artful (and local supporters-of-the-arts) will be most impacted and seem to be raising the greatest fuss. Whether they can find a way forward with the library remains to be seen.
July 26, 2024Jul 26 43 minutes ago, Ethan said: I've been curious what the root of this problem is, as best as I can tell you've hit the nail on the head with "subsidized." I once bought a commercial building and inherited non-profit tenants. Being a "nice-guy", I let them stay at their current rate. Giving them a year to find a new location. The prior owner was quite wealthy and donated the space in place of actual donation dollars. The prior owner could even have easily afforded to donate the building and endow them in perpetuity if they wanted to. Never has any tenant been so needy and demanding of my time and to have repairs made. They paid very little....like maybe 10% of actual value for the space. Complained about the HVAC system and would trash the elevator by bashing their transport carts into the walls and railings. The elevator wasn't needed for an ADA purpose so I stopped fixing it. The HVAC needed to be replaced at a cost of nearly 20K, and wouldn't be useful in a future renovation of the space. They knew from day one the space would be gutted and rebuilt for a new use, so there was no way I was going to invest money into their spaces, to then turn around in less than a year and trash it out. They just always had a way of saying things in a way that their problems were somehow my problems to solve. It's like there is a disconnect that they don't understand things have to be paid for in order to make it happen. I can't make repairs to a building that generates no income. I was already subsidizing their time occupying the space by paying taxes and insurance and keeping the lights on! Yes, they ultimately thought I was a jerk, even after giving them all that time to relocate and
July 26, 2024Jul 26 There are certainly residents who think of Cleveland Heights as a "home for the arts" -- which I agree could be a good thing. But someone still has to pay for the "arts" place. I'm all for having a public arts center with subsidized rent for artists and public exhibition and performance spaces -- but I'm not convinced that the former Coventry school building is that place or that Coventry Peace Campus has the organizational skills to take over management and improvement of that building. And I'm not sure that the community is on board with a publicly-funded arts center. But it's Cleveland Heights, so everyone has an opinion and is freely sharing it.
July 26, 2024Jul 26 7 minutes ago, Foraker said: But it's Cleveland Heights, so everyone has an opinion and is freely sharing it. And unfortunately one of the reasons it takes forever to get anything done in the city.
July 27, 2024Jul 27 14 hours ago, Foraker said: There are certainly residents who think of Cleveland Heights as a "home for the arts" -- which I agree could be a good thing. But someone still has to pay for the "arts" place. I'm all for having a public arts center with subsidized rent for artists and public exhibition and performance spaces -- but I'm not convinced that the former Coventry school building is that place or that Coventry Peace Campus has the organizational skills to take over management and improvement of that building. And I'm not sure that the community is on board with a publicly-funded arts center. But it's Cleveland Heights, so everyone has an opinion and is freely sharing it. There are so many arts focused organizations in Cleveland Heights both non-profits and businesses, that it seems like a reasonable idea to have a publicly funded center for the arts. However, I would think such an initiative would need to come out of the city administration, to get on solid footing and gave staying power. The Library's half-hearted attempt to be a landlord/arts incubator isn't a good fit. Especially as the arts and education non-profit organizations in the building have expanded to include a church congregation, which certainly shouldn't be given subsidized public funding in any form including the low rent agreements currently in place.
July 27, 2024Jul 27 16 hours ago, Foraker said: There are certainly residents who think of Cleveland Heights as a "home for the arts" -- which I agree could be a good thing. But someone still has to pay for the "arts" place. I'm all for having a public arts center with subsidized rent for artists and public exhibition and performance spaces -- but I'm not convinced that the former Coventry school building is that place or that Coventry Peace Campus has the organizational skills to take over management and improvement of that building. And I'm not sure that the community is on board with a publicly-funded arts center. But it's Cleveland Heights, so everyone has an opinion and is freely sharing it. Posted twice accidentally Edited July 27, 2024Jul 27 by SeaLibrarian Posted twice accidentally
July 27, 2024Jul 27 17 hours ago, TheCOV said: I once bought a commercial building and inherited non-profit tenants. Being a "nice-guy", I let them stay at their current rate. Giving them a year to find a new location. The prior owner was quite wealthy and donated the space in place of actual donation dollars. The prior owner could even have easily afforded to donate the building and endow them in perpetuity if they wanted to. Never has any tenant been so needy and demanding of my time and to have repairs made. They paid very little....like maybe 10% of actual value for the space. Complained about the HVAC system and would trash the elevator by bashing their transport carts into the walls and railings. The elevator wasn't needed for an ADA purpose so I stopped fixing it. The HVAC needed to be replaced at a cost of nearly 20K, and wouldn't be useful in a future renovation of the space. They knew from day one the space would be gutted and rebuilt for a new use, so there was no way I was going to invest money into their spaces, to then turn around in less than a year and trash it out. They just always had a way of saying things in a way that their problems were somehow my problems to solve. It's like there is a disconnect that they don't understand things have to be paid for in order to make it happen. I can't make repairs to a building that generates no income. I was already subsidizing their time occupying the space by paying taxes and insurance and keeping the lights on! Yes, they ultimately thought I was a jerk, even after giving them all that time to relocate and Most ethical landlord here
August 4, 2024Aug 4 On 6/27/2024 at 3:48 PM, LlamaLawyer said: https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/developer-steps-in-at-long-ailing-severance-town-center-in-cleveland-heights Huge (and long-overdue) news for one of the biggest underutilized sites in the east side suburbs. City officials and residents are all impressed by Van Aken District in Shaker, and so I would expect there will be a big push to do the same kind of thing here. I looked up the new developer and they don't seem to have extensive experience delivering on this kind of project. Hopefully something good happens here in the next few years. On 6/28/2024 at 10:47 AM, Foraker said: That's reassuring. I was also pleased to see Larry Nowak of Severance Action Group endorsing this development -- I'm becoming more optimistic. Now the hard part -- waiting for actual plans, and more waiting for construction! On the note of the Severance Action endorsement, Here's their previous proposal. https://www.severanceactiongroup.com/about This looks good to me, and I'd certainly be happy with this. I'm sure everyone here is able to find something about it they'd like changed, but I'd be very happy if we end up getting something like this. Using this plan as a starting point, what would people like to see changed? And are they minor changes quiblbles or structureal issues?
August 4, 2024Aug 4 I realize they need to work around what's given, but something better should be put between the 'Community Plaza' and the Home Depot & Dave's. Nothing says community space quite like the back side of a big box store.
August 4, 2024Aug 4 6 minutes ago, Rustbelter said: I realize they need to work around what's given, but something better should be put between the 'Community Plaza' and the Home Depot & Dave's. Nothing says community space quite like the back side of a big box store. Maybe they could put a mural up? Big flat wall like that is an excellent canvas! But yeah, that's a good thought, something that interacts with and faces the square would probably be better.
August 5, 2024Aug 5 17 hours ago, Ethan said: On the note of the Severance Action endorsement, Here's their previous proposal. https://www.severanceactiongroup.com/about This looks good to me, and I'd certainly be happy with this. I'm sure everyone here is able to find something about it they'd like changed, but I'd be very happy if we end up getting something like this. Using this plan as a starting point, what would people like to see changed? And are they minor changes quiblbles or structureal issues? Architect Paul Volpe proposed that plan in January 2023, and it was endorsed by SAG. But neither Paul nor SAG are in charge of the planning now. MPACT has 20 months to come up with a plan that NAMDAR approves of (not Paul Volpe or SAG, and the City of Cleveland Heights only has a say insofar as it must meet planning and zoning requirements. Plus I think there is a Severance oversight board of some sort that may have a say in development there.) No one has any idea what Namdar is willing to be convinced to do. For all I know this is just another way for Namdar to delay having to do anything, while obtaining a way to jack up the price for Namdar's exit. Hopefully MPACT and Namdar prove me wrong on that and actually come up with a plan that Namdar is willing to enact. Paul's plan for a community rather than another mall is a good one, and I think that general idea will win out in MPACT's final plan. But I don't think Paul consulted with the city or Dave's or Home Depot or Namdar -- so I wouldn't put too much faith into this particular arrangement winning out. If I was thinking about improving this plan, I would first plan for pedestrians. How are they going to interact with the space, what placemaking and pedestrian infrastructure are needed? I would want a wide shared-use path around the perimeter with a tree lawn and trees between the roadway and the pedestrian path. Then I would design the sidewalks and paths within the development to be pedestrian-friendly. With wide sidewalks by the retail and on-street parking and more trees to provide a buffer from the cars. Next, consider the cyclists. How will they enter and exit the space, and where will they park? Next, where are the bus stops? And consider the pedestrian experience from the bus stop into the development. Parking for personal cars would come last. I would eliminate the traffic lights for traffic circles and yield signs, and concentrate the parking in parking garages to the extent possible and wrap the garages with buildings. Overall, I would make sure that the ease and convenience of getting to and moving around Severance was in this order: pedestrians walking from nearby neighborhoods or buses, cyclists, and then personal vehicles. (I doubt that will happen though.) When considering the structures, I like the idea of multi-use park space, more residents, a wide mix of housing types, and also multiple types of working spaces. For working spaces, I've heard a huge range of ideas, from movie sound stages to medical laboratories to light manufacturing to educational campus to more warehouse/retail (IKEA, always IKEA -- seems highly unlikely) to modern office space. That is all TBD -- I think the key is that the structures be flexible so that they can be transformed to another use in the future as the world will surely change. And yes, there should be public art. Sadly, I also am not the planner for this project.
Create an account or sign in to comment