October 22, 20204 yr These are from yesterday. My wife made a grocery delivery to the neighboring building and she knows I like construction stuff.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 4, 20204 yr Speaking of the elevator shaft, it it common to build them out of cinderblocks for a building this height? I thought we would be seeing them poured like we are with Intro. It looks like they're for the tallest building, which is a similar height.
November 10, 20204 yr Anyone know what the house on Bradford Road will look like? Its on the lot that used to be 3391 Bradford. TIA!
November 10, 20204 yr 43 minutes ago, Ashbury Resident said: Anyone know what the house on Bradford Road will look like? Its on the lot that used to be 3391 Bradford. TIA! No, it was approved back on February 21, 2019. https://www.clevelandheights.com/DocumentCenter/View/8544/ABR-project-index-11032020?bidId= and the drawings do not appear to be online. Has construction started? I would email Richard Wong, city planner, and ask him if he could send you a copy (should be public record). But hurry -- Richard is retiring at the end of the week!
November 10, 20204 yr Gentleman, scholar and ‘roll model’ Richard Wong retiring as Cleveland Heights planning director https://www.cleveland.com/community/2020/11/gentleman-scholar-and-roll-model-richard-wong-retiring-as-cleveland-heights-planning-director.html
November 11, 20204 yr 5 hours ago, Foraker said: Gentleman, scholar and ‘roll model’ Richard Wong retiring as Cleveland Heights planning director https://www.cleveland.com/community/2020/11/gentleman-scholar-and-roll-model-richard-wong-retiring-as-cleveland-heights-planning-director.html My brother is in charge of signs and signals in CH and once suggested at a meeting that they dedicate a street in his name, and call it Wong Way........ many chuckles ensued.
November 20, 20204 yr So from the first pic it looks like they're working on the 9th floor, and the tower is about ten stories, so almost there!
November 20, 20204 yr You don't realize until you drive by how imposing the structure actually is from ground level. It won't actually be the tallest building in Cleveland Heights but it will almost certainly have the most impressive street presence. It makes me sad I never got to see the old Doctors Hospital building.
November 20, 20204 yr The renderings indicate it will be 10 stories, 113 feet tall, which should make it the third tallest building in Cleveland Heights behind Musicians Towers and Staley House.
November 20, 20204 yr According to the Mayor this morning MetroHealth at Severance expanding. Quote As you know, the MetroHealth System currently operates a hospital and outpatient facility at Severance Circle. They have been a good community partner as they continue to expand. MetroHealth officials recently approached us with a proposal to expand that facility further by adding 110 beds. This $42 million project would add 155 good paying jobs in Cleveland Heights in the first year, that would expand to 225 jobs after five years. MetroHealth projects that the payroll would be approximately $15 million a year, resulting in an additional $340,000 in tax revenue for Cleveland Heights. . . . MetroHealth is not asking Cleveland Heights for any financial support for the project. These hospital beds would be used to treat people suffering from behavioral health issues. This facility would treat adolescents, adults and seniors for mood disorders, thought disorders, addiction, and other medical issues. . . . MetroHealth would like to begin construction in the spring of 2021 with the projected opening of the facility in October 2022. https://www.clevelandheights.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=370
November 20, 20204 yr https://news.metrohealth.org/the-metrohealth-system-announces-plans-to-expand-inpatient-behavioral-health-beds-at-its-cleveland-heights-medical-center/ Here's the Metro release. 225 jobs is a big deal for Cleveland Heights and it's great they will be new, not poached from elsewhere in the region!
November 20, 20204 yr Crains coverage..... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 12, 20204 yr I believe they have topped out both cores here as the American Flag was flying on the taller. Steel work has also begun at the base of the taller
December 13, 20204 yr On 11/4/2020 at 5:31 PM, PoshSteve said: Speaking of the elevator shaft, it it common to build them out of cinderblocks for a building this height? I thought we would be seeing them poured like we are with Intro. It looks like they're for the tallest building, which is a similar height. It all depends on if it’s used as a structural component of the building.
December 21, 20204 yr College Club Townhomes overlooking Little Italy: https://www.collegeclubcle.com
January 2, 20214 yr Drove past Top of the Hill site today for the first time in months and it was great to see how imposing it looks as you approach up the hill from Cleveland. What was less great was the water cascading down the hill all the way to the Cedar/ Carnegie intersection, washing out the right hand lane. At the top of the hill the culprit was revealed to be a ruptured water main exploding out of the ground outside the construction site on Cedar. Looked like someone had done some errant drilling! My hovercraft is full of eels
January 5, 20214 yr Owner of Nighttown, Brendan Ring, sells restaurant and all property along the block https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2021/01/nighttown-sold-cleveland-heights-restaurant-dates-to-1965.html Edited January 5, 20214 yr by kevincle
January 5, 20214 yr 11 hours ago, kevincle said: Owner of Nighttown, Brendan Ring, sells restaurant and all property along the block https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2021/01/nighttown-sold-cleveland-heights-restaurant-dates-to-1965.html What's key to me out of this story is that it's being sold to a prominent local chef. There are only a few people who that could be. I would sort of wonder if it's Doug Katz, since he just lost his big flagship and has been testing the waters nearby with Zhug. In any event, hopefully the change in hands doesn't end in a revamp of the restaurant, but merely some tweaks or additions to the menu (or maybe no significant changes; if it ain't broke don't fix it!). I'm not old enough to remember most of the timespan, but I'm told Nighttown has been amazingly unchanging for the last 50 years (and through previous ownership changes, I might add). It's sorta curious that the acquisition includes the bank that's becoming a drive-through Chipotle. Not sure why a prominent chef would want to own that.
January 5, 20214 yr 4 hours ago, LlamaLawyer said: What's key to me out of this story is that it's being sold to a prominent local chef. There are only a few people who that could be. I would sort of wonder if it's Doug Katz, since he just lost his big flagship and has been testing the waters nearby with Zhug. I think there has been some misunderstanding in the rush to report this. Brendan sold the properties to a developer, and the developer is in negotiation with a local chef to own the restaurant. https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2021/01/nighttown-sold-cleveland-heights-restaurant-dates-to-1965.html During last night's city council meeting, they mentioned that Brendan plans to continue to be involved and will work with the developer on some updates to Nighttown, hoping to keep the same feel while making some needed improvements (kitchen may need updating, the electric and plumbing is probably dated, etc. -- so even a significant investment doesn't necessarily mean a dramatic change to the decor). They also said that the new owner hopes to reopen Nighttown in July. It will be interesting to see what plans the new owner has for the buildings between Nighttown and the new Chipotle. Expand Nighttown to the east slightly for a bigger stage and more seating? Some other new construction? Let the speculation begin...
January 5, 20214 yr I'm still sort of amazed that the City would allow the drive-through Chipotle in that location. Seems totally inconsistent with trying to create a less auto-centric neighborhood, not to mention the traffic insanity this will inevitably create along Cedar and Lennox. Frankly, if I lived in one of the brownstone apartments on Lennox, I'd be pretty ticked about this. In any event, here's hoping that terrible building where Zoss used to be located and the beauty salon is gets torn down as a result of this acquisition. That building is a hot mess standing in the way of some nice infill on Cedar.
January 5, 20214 yr 7 minutes ago, htsfan said: I'm still sort of amazed that the City would allow the drive-through Chipotle in that location. Seems totally inconsistent with trying to create a less auto-centric neighborhood, not to mention the traffic insanity this will inevitably create along Cedar and Lennox. Frankly, if I lived in one of the brownstone apartments on Lennox, I'd be pretty ticked about this. My understanding is that because it already had a drive-thru the city couldn't retroactively prohibit it. They should have changed the zoning immediately after the bank closed, then it might be a different story. I'm also interested in seeing some development across the street from Top of the Hill -- but maybe the land there is too narrow for development unless someone is really creative and they can omit parking. (I'd also like to see Cedar narrowed and the sidewalk widened on the north side, but I expect that that is a pipe dream for now.)
January 12, 20214 yr Top of the Hill developer offers new $50M proposal for Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook site https://www.cleveland.com/community/2021/01/top-of-the-hill-developer-offers-new-50m-proposal-for-cedar-lee-meadowbrook-site.html
January 12, 20214 yr 14 minutes ago, freefourur said: Top of the Hill developer offers new $50M proposal for Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook site https://www.cleveland.com/community/2021/01/top-of-the-hill-developer-offers-new-50m-proposal-for-cedar-lee-meadowbrook-site.html Beat me to it. I was just typing a post when yours popped up. Biggest surprise...Flarherty and Collins has any interesting in this development given the torture they went through in putting together Top of the Hill. Good for them. Can't wait for the community meetings where I am sure the crazies will continue to attack them regarding Top of Hill even though it is now under construction (actually, especially now that it is under construction). I am guessing that the city at this early stage (although it is hard to classify this project as "early stage" given its history) is leaning towards F&C-as suggested in the article- because it is not in phases as well as the fact that the other proposal is from Panzica. The one thing I don't like about the F & C proposal is leaving Lee- Meadowbrook green space, although I guess that solves a lot of the problems with utilities on the site. Edited January 12, 20214 yr by Htsguy
January 12, 20214 yr 31 minutes ago, Htsguy said: The one thing I don't like about the F & C proposal is leaving Lee- Meadowbrook green space, although I guess that solves a lot of the problems with utilities on the site. I actually think this is great depending on what they do with the space. If the leave the parcel as is, yeah that would be gross, but it could be a cute little park with minimal effort. That parcel and the tiny parking lot across from it are really the only underused parcels fronting on Lee from the high school down to the library. The little third-acre parcel doesn't currently detract from the area's walkability in a meaningful way, and a little park there will only increase the walkability of the area. Finally, there's more than enough area to develop in the massive parking lot next to the why-is-it-even-here parking garage (soon to be the ok-it-does-have-a-purpose parking garage). The F&C proposal sounds great and I hope it goes full speed ahead. This should encounter less pushback than TOH did because it's a less prominent site and there are far fewer residents immediately adjacent. Nevertheless, it wouldn't be Cleveland Heights if a few folks didn't find something to whine about. Next up Severance!
January 12, 20214 yr For anyone who wants to see the actual proposals: https://www.clevelandheights.com/1154/Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook
January 12, 20214 yr 46 minutes ago, tykaps said: For anyone who wants to see the actual proposals: https://www.clevelandheights.com/1154/Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook Thanks for the link. Here are some conceptual renders for the F&C plan.
January 12, 20214 yr Beautiful. I like it alot, and really hope they can get the extra parcel - that will add a nice presence along Cedar too. Fingers crossed the old Loan Max location can be taken too!
January 12, 20214 yr 34 minutes ago, PoshSteve said: Beautiful. I like it alot, and really hope they can get the extra parcel - that will add a nice presence along Cedar too. Fingers crossed the old Loan Max location can be taken too! That extra parcel really is necessary (actually two adjoining buildings). Give those owners a piece of the action, but get those properties included in this redevelopment effort.
January 16, 20214 yr On 1/5/2021 at 1:58 PM, htsfan said: I'm still sort of amazed that the City would allow the drive-through Chipotle in that location. Seems totally inconsistent with trying to create a less auto-centric neighborhood, not to mention the traffic insanity this will inevitably create along Cedar and Lennox. Frankly, if I lived in one of the brownstone apartments on Lennox, I'd be pretty ticked about this. In any event, here's hoping that terrible building where Zoss used to be located and the beauty salon is gets torn down as a result of this acquisition. That building is a hot mess standing in the way of some nice infill on Cedar. Developer who just bought it is selling the Chipotlane on Loopnet. https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/12401-Cedar-Rd-Cleveland-Heights-OH/21919192/ It's on a 10 year lease so not much they could've done with it. I'll be curious to see what they plan to do with the remaining land they purchased (Zoss and the Barber).
January 26, 20214 yr Khalil Seren first to announce bid for Mayor. https://www.cleveland.com/community/2021/01/cleveland-heights-council-vice-president-khalil-seren-announces-bid-to-become-citys-first-elected-mayor.html
January 26, 20214 yr 21 hours ago, Foraker said: Khalil Seren first to announce bid for Mayor. https://www.cleveland.com/community/2021/01/cleveland-heights-council-vice-president-khalil-seren-announces-bid-to-become-citys-first-elected-mayor.html Kalil is a nice guy, and very competent. CH would be a good hands. Best of luck to him!
January 26, 20214 yr 18 minutes ago, PoshSteve said: Kalil is a nice guy, and very competent. CH would be a good hands. Best of luck to him! In the limited conversations I've had with him, he seems to be smart and pro development. He get my vote if I lived there
February 4, 20214 yr The traditional Cleveland Heights resident bashing of a new development proposal on Nextdoor has officially begun! Ah yes, what are they thinking building a new development that will bring foot traffic and new residents. They should invest in the business district instead.
February 4, 20214 yr My impression is that council is anxious to get this done and is supportive but as we all know we are probably looking at two years of meetings and and community input sessions because that is how it works in CH. Even people who are probably supportive will want to put their two cents in as evidenced by an email by Paul Volpe read at the last council meeting. I am all for community engagement but CH carries it too far and it needs to be more structured. My favorite part of the whole process is watching city officials do their best to stop their eyes from rolling when the real crazies start spouting out.
February 4, 20214 yr 2 hours ago, LlamaLawyer said: Ah yes, what are they thinking building a new development that will bring foot traffic and new residents. They should invest in the business district instead. Ironic given that this would bring in more residents (i.e., customers) -- how does that person think that the city can better support the existing businesses?!? (Hint: the existing park has not attracted significant new customers; and at least the Flaherty & Collins + City Architecture design proposes keeping a park at the corner, which is what this person wants! The Panzica + City-Six proposal looks recycled. It doesn't even address the added area, just says they want to do it in "Phase II." Kind of makes it seem like they aren't THAT interested in doing this. The Flaherty & Collins + City Architecture design looks a LOT more thought out. The city has to find a way to add those vacant building lots on Cedar to this project, even if it means overpaying the owners to sell. Still surprised that Flaherty & Collins wants to do another project in Cleveland Heights after all the community NIMBYs and endless community engagement on Top of the Hill. We'll see if the city has learned anything about how to better do community engagement this time. Hopefully they get their CDC, FutureHeights, to do the community engagement piece from the start. Have a set timeline for community input and call it a day.
February 4, 20214 yr I suspected it would happen eventually: People are now complaining the Meadowbrook-Lee development creates parking problems . . . Even though it's right next to a massive three-story parking garage.
February 4, 20214 yr I think the world has somehow gotten too complicated for some people..... Or maybe I'm just spending too much time on social media, reading complaints about gentrification in Cleveland of all places, people asking why the city is pushing for and approving land sales for markets that want to sell and close, or @YABO713's tales from the dark sides of people's minds. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 4, 20214 yr 2 hours ago, LlamaLawyer said: I suspected it would happen eventually: People are now complaining the Meadowbrook-Lee development creates parking problems . . . Even though it's right next to a massive three-story parking garage. Nextdoor NIMBYs. They'll also be complaining about Top of the Hill, Severance, Noble Road, the ice rink, the high school renovations, having to pay for parking, free parking, etc., etc. Few will notice that what the city has asked for is suggestions for questions to ask the developers during next week's interviews.
February 5, 20214 yr 19 hours ago, KJP said: I think the world has somehow gotten too complicated for some people..... Or maybe I'm just spending too much time on social media, reading complaints about gentrification in Cleveland of all places, people asking why the city is pushing for and approving land sales for markets that want to sell and close, or @YABO713's tales from the dark sides of people's minds. It probably takes a psychologist to really assess this, but I would guess it's a matter of people make judgments based on the information they have. Most of us on this forum think a lot about what good urban planning looks like and how different projects will ultimately affect the city or region. If you don't spend time thinking about that, all you have to go on is how a project affects you personally. There's no obvious way that folks on Nextdoor will benefited by this project. So the gut reaction is "oh, I like using that parking lot and I don't want to have to use the garage instead," or "oh, I really wish there were a dog park nearby and the only place to put one would be on the grassy lot," or "oh, I pay $9,000 in property taxes every year for my $200,000 house, so why do these rich developers get a 15 year exemption for their multi-million dollar project." Hearing about a new project naturally makes people think about how they would like the land to be used, and it's pretty easy to think up an alternative use that would benefit them more that what is actually being proposed. The benefits of a lot of these projects just aren't tangible unless you do some thinking. People have limited bandwidth, and so as much as I like to laugh at NIMBYs in Cleveland Heights, I really don't blame them just because they're not thoughtful urbanites. Everyone has blind spots.
February 5, 20214 yr Very well said. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 5, 20214 yr 22 hours ago, Foraker said: The Panzica + City-Six proposal looks recycled. It doesn't even address the added area, just says they want to do it in "Phase II." Kind of makes it seem like they aren't THAT interested in doing this. The Flaherty & Collins + City Architecture design looks a LOT more thought out. The city has to find a way to add those vacant building lots on Cedar to this project, even if it means overpaying the owners to sell. I'm not sure it's a lack of interest. The city sorta opened the RFP specifically for Panzica which you may recall had developed a plan over a year ago which was basically the same as what they're proposing now. I would guess Panzica didn't expect any competition and thought the RFP being opened was basically a formality. I have to believe they would have put more work into it if they knew F&C would submit a competing proposal.
February 5, 20214 yr 20 minutes ago, LlamaLawyer said: I'm not sure it's a lack of interest. The city sorta opened the RFP specifically for Panzica which you may recall had developed a plan over a year ago which was basically the same as what they're proposing now. I would guess Panzica didn't expect any competition and thought the RFP being opened was basically a formality. I have to believe they would have put more work into it if they knew F&C would submit a competing proposal. You may be right about the belief that they wouldn't have any competition. 40 minutes ago, LlamaLawyer said: The benefits of a lot of these projects just aren't tangible unless you do some thinking. People have limited bandwidth, and so as much as I like to laugh at NIMBYs in Cleveland Heights, I really don't blame them just because they're not thoughtful urbanites. Everyone has blind spots. Well said. But still frustrating that the first reaction of so many is just "no, we don't want that here." Would more education (Heights Observer articles?) be effective in changing that?
February 6, 20214 yr On 2/5/2021 at 11:17 AM, Foraker said: Well said. But still frustrating that the first reaction of so many is just "no, we don't want that here." Would more education (Heights Observer articles?) be effective in changing that? Maybe, but I honestly think there are more pressing areas in our society where we need better education, lol.
February 9, 20214 yr Summary of Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook first presentation to Council of the two proposals. City staff will review the proposals in detail and present their recommendation to Council in March. https://www.cleveland.com/community/2021/02/two-teams-present-visions-for-cedar-lee-meadowbrook-redevelopment.html
February 11, 20214 yr View from my apartment window this morning from just east up Cedar Hill. New crane up on the Top of the Hill site. Geeks, is this a true tower crane? Very cool regardless!
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