Oh you own that building?  I really hope you do end up bringing in some decent, long-term tenants to those spaces.  I thought that with Melt moving in to that corner and the Martini Skate and Snow store following them shortly after that it was going to be the start of a renaissance for that intersection, but it hasn't happened yet.

Well by far the biggest challenge for me has been lack of parking in the neighborhood.  I think the spaces would have been leased out long ago if there was better parking.  Looks like one of my spaces is leased - it won't be long term and will be an office use.  I should be able to disclose in about a week.

 

Smith, I was going to comment on the building as I saw it last week.  It looks amazing.  Love the (your) nameplate.  Did you replace the brick? 

Ha, thanks.  I wasn't too keen on putting my name on a building.  Kind of egotistical but the person I was working with at the city suggested the original building owners name and mine.  I couldn't think of something better so I went with it.  And yes, all new brickwork.

Oh you own that building?  I really hope you do end up bringing in some decent, long-term tenants to those spaces.  I thought that with Melt moving in to that corner and the Martini Skate and Snow store following them shortly after that it was going to be the start of a renaissance for that intersection, but it hasn't happened yet.

Well by far the biggest challenge for me has been lack of parking in the neighborhood.  I think the spaces would have been leased out long ago if there was better parking.

 

I always park in the shopping center lot to go to Melt.  Maybe you need more residents in the area rather than more parking.  Can you build up?

 

I expect that the dead space across Taylor isn't helping the neighborhood. 

 

The sidewalks aren't particularly wide in that area, so there isn't much opportunity for sidewalk cafes.  Plus the traffic is pretty heavy and fast (around 40mph) -- none of this is conducive to an enjoyable place for pedestrians.  Should narrow the street to one lane each way plus a turn lane, with curb bump-outs for pedestrians to make the street crossing shorter.  And narrow the lanes to 10' to slow traffic. 

 

Then someone needs to build up the east side of Taylor...  if only I had the means!  I'm sure you have your own wish list.

 

Best of luck and thanks for improving the storefronts!

As it stands currently, that intersection is a disaster during rush hour and many other times of the day.  A big part of the problem is the street parking and a lack of a left turning lane.  I have no idea how they could possibly widen the sidewalk, add a turning lane, AND keep street parking.  Forget causing an even worse choke point; I don't think it would even be physically possible to do so.

 

As for parking, if no one is going to do anything about that old KFC building across the street (in University Heights), it should be torn down and made into a parking lot.  It already serves as a de facto overflow lot for Melt patrons.

As it stands currently, that intersection is a disaster during rush hour and many other times of the day.  A big part of the problem is the street parking and a lack of a left turning lane.  I have no idea how they could possibly widen the sidewalk, add a turning lane, AND keep street parking.  Forget causing an even worse choke point; I don't think it would even be physically possible to do so.

 

 

Cedar's lanes appear to be about 10.5 to 11 feet wide. And it's not a state or federal route, right? So the through-traffic lanes can be narrowed to 10 feet with the parking lanes narrowed to nine feet. The sidewalks are separated from the street by a narrow strip of lawn. The lawn can be replaced with more sidewalk and some streetscape features.

Cars should absolutely not be allowed to park on Cedar, northwest side of Taylor. Every time I drive by that mess I'm holding my breath.

As it stands currently, that intersection is a disaster during rush hour and many other times of the day.  A big part of the problem is the street parking and a lack of a left turning lane.  I have no idea how they could possibly widen the sidewalk, add a turning lane, AND keep street parking.  Forget causing an even worse choke point; I don't think it would even be physically possible to do so.

 

As for parking, if no one is going to do anything about that old KFC building across the street (in University Heights), it should be torn down and made into a parking lot.  It already serves as a de facto overflow lot for Melt patrons.

 

I agree with KJP.  And I disagree that creating MORE parking at that intersection is going to help streetlife or bring in more businesses. 

 

As for parking, the parking lot on the southeast corner, at the strip mall, is never full.  Maybe it's not used to get to Melt because people don't feel safe walking from there to Melt.  What can we do about that?  Slow down the traffic and shorten the crossing distances would be a start.

 

Traffic problems are a legitimate concerns.  But I expect that what makes the traffic so bad is not the street parking (there is street parking on Lee Road, but the Cedar-Lee area is not hard to navigate).  I usually have trouble getting through that intersection because I never know whether there are cars parked in the outside lanes or not.  If there are, then there are probably other cars like mine trying to merge there that didn't expect to have to merge.  So they drive all the way up, come to a complete stop behind the last parked car, and then have to stop the rest of the traffic as they merge into a gap in the traffic.

 

In case there was any confusion, I didn't mean that we necessarily needed to or had room to widen the sidewalks -- just that the sidewalks already aren't very wide for pedestrians to hang out there.  By narrowing the street I meant just at the crosswalk.  Lee Road in the Cedar-Lee business district does this with sidewalk bump-outs in what could otherwise be an outside lane, while still allowing for plenty of parking.  This allows pedestrians to get out past the parked cars and see oncoming traffic, and for traffic to better see the pedestrians trying to cross the street, while also shortening the crossing distance.

 

Going back to the Cedar-Taylor intersection.  On Cedar, sometimes there are two westbound lanes, and sometimes one westbound lane whenever a single car is parked on the street.  A bumpout at the intersection would make the crossing shorter and safer for pedestrians and provide more consistency -- everyone would know that the road narrows there all the time.  That would eliminate drivers crossing the intersection and stopping in the crosswalk while waiting to merge to get around the occasional parked car.  Narrower lanes would slow down the traffic, and more consistent designated street parking would provide a more consistent buffer between the moving cars and people on the sidewalk (whether there are any parked cars or not).  A center turn lane would be helpful, but I don't recall whether there is room there.  I would like to see traffic that moves through the intersection and neighborhood more slowly but I think that if the traffic pattern is predictable the traffic will move through that intersection more smoothly.  I think that is the real traffic problem -- that traffic does not move smoothly through the intersection.  There probably isn't room for a roundabout either...

 

 

So if the parking lot at the southeast corner of the intersection is never full, building another parking lot on the KFC (northeast) corner is not going to bring in more customers to the businesses in the area.  I would like to see a mixed use office building with ground floor retail or small shops, built up to the street with parking in the rear.  I think that would really help that intersection more than another parking lot.  If it had offices, it would provide some pedestrian traffic at lunchtime -- since they just walk across the street to Melt or any of the other restaurants in the area, no additional parking would be required for the lunch crowd.  If it was apartments/condos, there would be more pedestrians during non-working hours, and again, those additional potential customers would not require added parking, beyond whatever is provided for the new building anyway.  It seems that making parking at the southeast corner more convenient and safe-feeling would give the property-owners (and the city) more bang for their buck than another parking lot.

 

 

Cleveland Heights probably cannot count on more people driving to Cleveland Heights to spend their money as the way to revive Cleveland Heights  (there will always be a better Walmart being built somewhere, or a nicer Legacy Village, and even if Severance were redesigned to be a destination like Legacy Village is now, it would not last long before the next new thing is built somewhere else).  Cleveland Heights needs to make it easier for Cleveland Heights residents to meet most of their needs in their neighborhoods, within walking distance.  The most successful parts of Cleveland Heights -- Cedar-Lee, Coventry, and Cedar-Fairmount in particular -- all seem to follow that pattern.  The one thing those neighborhoods are most lacking in my view is more office space -- so that there are more people working there during the day and frequenting the shops at lunchtime.  Still, these areas of the city seem to have survived various downturns better than the more car-reliant areas of the city, and that kind of development should be repeated throughout the city.

First off, part of the problem with that intersection as mentioned before is that the east side of Taylor Road is all located within the boundaries of University Heights.  There does not seem to be much co-planning between CH and UH on what that intersection should look like.

 

In regards to all of the traffic calming ideas, another issue is that Cedar Road is a main thoroughfare from further east suburbs into University Circle and downtown.  I would love it if commuters traveling through that intersection were forced to slow down a bit and if the intersection as a whole became calmer, but I suspect that any efforts to do so would cause some major issues at certain times of the day.  Lee Road through Cleveland Heights has the luxury of being one-lane each direction (with a center turning lane and in some places street parking) because it is not as widely used by commuters.  It's no coincidence that many of the more pedestrian-friendly and calmer streets in the Heights are the ones running North-South, while many of the streets running East-West serve as opportunity (for faster commuting) corridors. ;)

Check Mayfield Road in Little Italy. Cedar isn't a freeway. It isn't even a state or federal route like Mayfield. Should a neighborhood sacrifice its quality of life to those who are merely passing through it?

Check Mayfield Road in Little Italy. Cedar isn't a freeway. It isn't even a state or federal route like Mayfield. Should a neighborhood sacrifice its quality of life to those who are merely passing through it?

 

Oh I agree with this line of thinking.  Do what's best for the neighborhood in the long-term, not for the commuters that bring nothing but pollution and headaches.  Many of them would probably shift over to Fairmount, anyways.  But I'm just thinking that such a change would create some serious issues--even for current area residents--in the short-term.

Former Myxx/Jillian's Space to Open as BW3 Come Spring

"Since then, residents wondered what would replace it considering that the space, previously a Jillian's Billiard Club for 20 years, was roughly 10,000 square feet. Well, we have our answer. Come spring, the space will welcome a Buffalo Wild Wings."

 

http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2013/11/22/former-myxxjillians-space-to-open-as-bw3-come-spring

 

Meh

I wonder if there are still narcotica transactions in the back parking lot. They certainly were common there during the Jilians days.

"narcotica"?  Was it the good stuff or just your average shwag?

I really don't know, but it made for an interesting parking/leaving experience at times

Former Myxx/Jillian's Space to Open as BW3 Come Spring

"Since then, residents wondered what would replace it considering that the space, previously a Jillian's Billiard Club for 20 years, was roughly 10,000 square feet. Well, we have our answer. Come spring, the space will welcome a Buffalo Wild Wings."

 

http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2013/11/22/former-myxxjillians-space-to-open-as-bw3-come-spring

 

Meh

 

Double meh

I think it will do well in this location. Mainly I'm just happy to see that space finally filled. I'm tired of passing this empty building. Should add some additional life to the area.

It's not BW3 anymore but Buffalo Wild Wings and some are located near college campuses. It should do well with all of the CWRU students living at the top of the hill.

I was hoping that the space would be divided and more local/unique shops would move in.  Oh well, this isn't terrible and should do well in that neighborhood.  I just hope they don't have to have a cop working the door on cheap wing night like is necessary in Lyndhurst.

Me and my boyfriend are really excited about this. We live right down the road and love BWW, but hate driving out to Lyndhurst (or Mentor since the service at Lyndhurst is always so crappy...). We will probably keep this location in business on our own lol

A few new shops have opened in my building, Taylor Tudors, in the last few weeks. One, called "Is Fashion" sells what I'd call urban clothing, opened next to H&R BLock, the other is a ladies clothing store that looks pretty nice. No sign up for it yet. And another space has had alot of work going on inside. No signs or anything to indicate what it may be. And yet another suddenly appeared full of all sorts of furniture, though theres no sign of any work going on in it. The buildings recently came under new management, so glad to see its paying off!

Does anyone know where this is?

 

Cleveland Heights City Council approves redevelopment deal for Edgehill Road property

http://www.cleveland.com/cleveland-heights/index.ssf/2013/12/cleveland_heights_city_council_48.html#incart_river_default

 

Might these be the lot next to the existing townhomes on the edge of Little Italy?

^Yeah, from the clues in the article, I think it has to be the area just north of the existing townhouses on the hill up from LI.

^^ Cool! I think Little Italy will see a lot of townhouse developments in the next decade. The ones there seem to have done very well and have extremely high selling prices. And they are even gaining value in this market.

It's hard to explain exactly where this is in part because if you know that area a bit it doesn't look like it could possibly be developed.  Walk or ride by and it literally looks like no land exists to develop.

It's hard to explain exactly where this is in part because if you know that area a bit it doesn't look like it could possibly be developed.  Walk or ride by and it literally looks like no land exists to develop.

 

It will probably be built almost entirely on stilts like the other building. Seems very expensive to do, but it is a good sign that they find it worth it.

Does anyone know if there's a new potential development being discussed for the Lee/Meadowbrook triangle?  There was an RFP many menths ago, but I've neither seen nor heard anything.  I was devastated when the last project quickly fizzled out.  Totally disgusted.  What has anyone heard that might have any merit???

 

It's hard to explain exactly where this is in part because if you know that area a bit it doesn't look like it could possibly be developed.  Walk or ride by and it literally looks like no land exists to develop.

 

It will probably be built almost entirely on stilts like the other building. Seems very expensive to do, but it is a good sign that they find it worth it.

 

Yeah, but I think it's going to require an even more "daring" use of stilts. 

Im not sure if this rendering has been posted yet, but I saw in the Cleveland Heights Observer that Cleveland Heights High School plans on removing the science wing and restoring the view of the original historic building.

 

Wow.  I love the idea of removing the science/admin wing, which was a really ugly addition to an otherwise great building and destroyed the H shape.  But I don't like the notion of redesigning the courtyard.  I don't see how the redesign is any more useful..... and the old design contains so many fond memories for countless alumni.  Just looking at the above picture, the area where I ate lunch by the bell is gone, as is the ledge I sat on every day after school is gone too :(  I suppose it's better than my co-workers who are Cathedral Latin alums :P

I don't think those renderings are official at all.  The only thing that has basically been promised is that the science wing will be removed.

I'm sure the courtyard shown is quite speculative but that the drawing reflects the trends today for high schools. Note there are additions at the end of each wing and then, of course, more additions will be made to the original building. The windows will probably not look much like the mid-1920s, but it's nice to get the so-called Hampton Court Palace-influenced overall image back.  Very, very nice.

^Are those new additions?  I don't believe so.  It seems like the design just includes the idea of punching new windows into the existing building on the SE and SW corners.  The main gym is in the SW corner, with the locker rooms, weight rooms, training rooms, etc. underneath.  I doubt they are going to rebuild all of that.  I can't remember exactly what is in the SE corner, but I seem to remember there being a pool (not the competition pool, which is upstairs on the north end), as well as the nurse's office..... I think the boiler room is somewhere around there as well.

So you're saying those pieces at the ends added on to the 1920s wings shall remain from the modern science addition - that not the entire modern addition will be demolished after all.  I don't know the floorplan very well so I can't speak as to what is were in these sections.

LA Front, yes the existing pool and gym added in the late 50s will remain. This includes a complete renovation of the original building as well correct? $80 million is a lot of money!

Something is being done with the pool--it's either being extensively renovated or completely demolished and rebuilt.  If the latter is what ends up happening, I'm not sure it would necessarily be rebuilt in the same spot that it is now.  I don't know about the gym, I just know that several million will be going towards the pool because that was something that the anti-renovation group latched on to as a reason to vote down the buildings levy.

Part of the plan is to make the pool more accessible to the community rather than just a pool for the high school students:

 

The school swimming pool is too shallow for diving and too small for competition, forcing the diving team to practice at Cleveland State University. Plans for a new pool have drawn criticism, as a pool is outside state criteria for a multi-use space. Part of the proposed improvement plan includes improved community access to the pool, an entrance compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), family locker rooms and better noise control.

 

http://www.heightsobserver.org/read/2013/10/02/heights-high-tour-shows-facilities-that-bond-issue-would-renovate

^^^I am not sure of the extent of the rennovations, but I know they are moving at least some of the HS students over to Wiley (once the middle school students are re-assigned) to allow room for the construction activities.

 

^So I guess the SE pool is used for the swim team?  I just don't remember that pool.  I know the swim cadets used the NW pool and I think that was the only swimming event I ever attended at the HS.

^^^I am not sure of the extent of the rennovations, but I know they are moving at least some of the HS students over to Wiley (once the middle school students are re-assigned) to allow room for the construction activities.

 

I believe ALL middle school students in the district will attend Wiley for a period of a year or two.  I'm guessing that they're going to try to shoehorn as many high school students as possible into the facility when Heights is being renovated.

 

^So I guess the SE pool is used for the swim team?  I just don't remember that pool.  I know the swim cadets used the NW pool and I think that was the only swimming event I ever attended at the HS.

 

Yes, the SE pool has always been used by the swim team in "modern" times as far as I know.  It's much bigger than the NW pool is (was?) and was better for audiences.  I'm kind of surprised that you don't remember the SE pool...when I attended Heights during the late 1990s, all freshmen participated in a four or six week swimming module as part of the required first year physical education class (or possibly health, but most likely PE).  I remember also using the SE pool frequently while attending Heights Sports Camp run by Coach Hoon.

I was at US for my entire freshmen year.  Don't ask.... one of those square peg, round hole things.  Regardless, iirc, you didn't have to take any PE courses if you played sports.  I know I never took one gym class while at Heights.

 

Isn't Wiley Middle School closing next year or the year after?  I thought the plan was to close Wiley as a middle school and then move the HS students over there while the rennovations at the HS are completed.

 

Coach Hoon?  The guy with the curly mustache?

I was at US for my entire freshmen year.  Don't ask.... one of those square peg, round hole things.  Regardless, iirc, you didn't have to take any PE courses if you played sports.  I know I never took one gym class while at Heights.

 

Interesting.  Maybe you took one at US and it transferred?  I don't think Heights students had to take PE courses every year, but I know that at least one was required.  Though that athlete exemption also sounds vaguely familiar, I know for certain that my buddies on the hockey and soccer teams both had to take PE.  I remember it actually very well because they would come to Geometry class with wet hair reeking of chlorine telling me how terrible it was, as I would later find out.

 

Isn't Wiley Middle School closing next year or the year after?  I thought the plan was to close Wiley as a middle school and then move the HS students over there while the rennovations at the HS are completed.

 

This is Wiley's final year as a zoned middle school.  It will close and then itself be renovated to accommodate all high school students in the district.  Then later on it will accommodate all middle school students in the district.  It's being use as "swing space" while the other two middle schools and high school are being renovated.  I think that's the correct timeline, with the high school being done first followed by the two middle schools.

 

Coach Hoon?  The guy with the curly mustache?

 

Yeah, he was the iconic wrestling coach at Heights for over two decades.  He also taught PE I believe and ran the sports summer camp.  And I thought everyone knew about him, too.  Now I'm beginning to think you may need to turn in your "Hts" card and maybe just change your name to the less distinguishable "44121."  :laugh:

Gimme a break.  It's been awhile and it was a big school.  Curly mustache guy was one of the football coaches too...... I just couldn't remember his name.

 

So let me get this straight because I had a friend who asked (his daughter is currently at Wiley) and I didn't know.  Wiley students will be split between Roxboro and Monticello next year?  Do all of the HS students move over to Wiley while the reno of the HS is done?  And then ALL of the middle school students move over to Wiley so they can renovate Roxboro and Monticello?

 

 

a) Yes Wiley closes at the end of the year and the students will be split between Roxboro and Monticello.  That I know to be a 100% certainty.  I'm not sure if they've redrawn the boundaries, but I think they were supposed to talk about it earlier this month.

 

b) I'm not sure if all HS students will be at Wiley while Heights is being re-done because the stories I've read are unclear, but I assume that to be the case because I'm not sure where else they would go.

 

c) After Heights is finished, then all of the middle school students will be housed at Wiley while Roxboro and Monticello are renovated.

Im not sure if this rendering has been posted yet, but I saw in the Cleveland Heights Observer that Cleveland Heights High School plans on removing the science wing and restoring the view of the original historic building.

 

I hope they do tear down that ugly extension.  Although, I hate Heights athletic teams, I think it's a gorgeous building.

I thought there was a Cleveland Heights discussion but couldn't find it so I'll post here. What's the deal with the lack of a bowling alley in the Heights? I was looking to go to one and was surprised to find out that there aren't any.

Now I'm all nostalgiac for the one that used to be in Cedar Center.

Yes, School Board now saying all h.s. students are to be at Wiley.

MyTwoSense: As individuals wrote above, it looks like those "extensions" are what will remain and be remodeled of the so-called "Science Wing." I don't think they'll start athletic facilities from scratch at all. The building was gorgeous when it first opened. How it will all come out depends on how they handle the windows and other "improvements" over the years.  Attractive landscaping is shown but how much will actually materialize and how much respect will the students give it?

 

Attractive landscaping is shown but how much will actually materialize and how much respect will the students give it?

 

What are you worried they might do?  Other than the piro who was there in the late 90's, I don't recall vanalism ever being much of an issue at the school.

What is going on with the Cleveland Heights portion of the Oakwood property?  I have not seen anything news pertaining to this acreage at City Council meetings or in the "Sun Press." There were plans to construct a senior residential colony but what gives?

 

I believe it is dedicated to park space.  You can probably find your answer somewhere back in the Oakwood thread

Oakwood is zoned for large-lot single-family residential, but I would say a large-lot, single-family residential development is unlikely there.

I don't think any official decision has been made about the CH portion of Oakwood.  What is known, however, as Vince pointed out above, is that zoning would need to be changed for First Interstate to execute their plans and thats unlikely considering the backlash they would be likely to face.  That's especially true now considering people have seen how FI pulled the wool over the eyes of South Euclid as these developers made back room deals to poach Walmart from CH.