Not to mention 300 more units at the Campus Village, some by fall 2012 and the rest by fall 2013 ... We've gotta start including Campus District development in our downtown numbers! So that's 625 downtown units in the next two years ... something like 800 new residents ... without counting other viable projects, like Wolstein Phase 2, apartment conversions at the Arcade or any number of properties between East 9th and East 12th along Euclid.

 

Don't forget the planned new high-rise apartment tower and hotel on the Jacobs lot on Public Square!

 

Is it April 1 yet? Sorry, just practicing!  >:D

 

 

Editorial on the Nine-Twelve District

 

A residential resurrection of the East Ohio Building: editorial

Published: Tuesday, March 27, 2012, 7:20 PM

By The Plain Dealer Editorial Board

 

 

"We're going to need God to get this done," Doug Price, chief executive of the K&D Group, told Plain Dealer reporter Michelle Jarboe McFee.

 

Real estate developers love to name-drop, but K&D's attempt to bring 21 stories of dead space back to life as a chic apartment complex may need more than divine intervention.

 

read the rest at: http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/03/a_residential_resurrection_of.html

So what position did they take? The editorial just sorta ended without

They say they'll need God. I'd believe in God for a bit if it means getting this project some funding! haha

Why are these projects even announced if they don't have financing lined up yet?  Unless it is a way to grab the attention of potential investors.

They say they'll need God. I'd believe in God for a bit if it means getting this project some funding! haha

Big church right across the street!

They say they'll need God. I'd believe in God for a bit if it means getting this project some funding! haha

 

"That's not faith, that's desperation."

--says Jose, who believes in voodoo, to Jimmy, who wants some voodoo magic because he is wallowing in a 0-18 hitting slump in the movie 'Bull Durham'

K&D should move their offices downtown from Willoughby.  I'm sure they don't have very many employees, but c'mon guys...  This is where most of your investments are.

Amen!!!

K&D should move their offices downtown from Willoughby.  I'm sure they don't have very many employees, but c'mon guys...  This is where most of your investments are.

I kind of agree with you but what are the pros and cons financially?  There are a lot of variables.

IIRC,K&D had plans to build a new headquarters downtown in conjunction with the renovation of the Breuer Tower.  When the financial crisis hit and funding fell through, so did plans for the new headquarters.  It was a nice design.

IIRC,K&D had plans to build a new headquarters downtown in conjunction with the renovation of the Breuer Tower.  When the financial crisis hit and funding fell through, so did plans for the new headquarters.  It was a nice design.

 

I don't remember that, but it's interesting.

^I was half right.  The new headquarters to be built were actually for Westlake Reed and Leskosky in a 13 story tower to be constructed next to Breuer as part of K&D's redevelopment of the complex. 

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/architecture/2008/07/_a_cleveland_architecture_firm.html#more

 

Click through the photos to #24 and on for renderings.

Inside-and-out renderings for 1717 East 9th Street (formerly known as the East Ohio Building).....

 

 

Thanks, looks great.  Although, I doubt that LaPorta will still be on the team when the conversion is finished.

Where did you get those renderings KJP?

Is this for sure moving forward? Is work beginning?

Is this for sure moving forward? Is work beginning?

There was an indirect quote a couple days ago from Doug Price, ceo of k&d, saying they were focusing on the east ohio building now that the deal for the Hanna building is done. Purchase by April, apartments early 2014. It was the very last sentence in this article:

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/kd_group_closes_hanna_building.html

Where did you get those renderings KJP?

 

For some reason they were included in a WOIO piece about K&D's Hanna Annex project (http://www.19actionnews.com/slideshow?widgetid=62556). I was surprised to see the exterior East Ohio view, which very clearly was a view of 1717 East 9th. But at first I thought the interior shot was of the Hanna Annex. But when I looked at the buildings outside, I realized the interior shot is also for the East Ohio building. For example, Ohio Savings Plaza is in the foreground, and the old National City building is to the right of the new, meaning this view is looking south. You can see most of those buildings from the Hanna Annex. These are developer-produced images and were released to the public, so they are not proprietary.

thanks, good sluething

It really shouldnt have required any sluething.  Those pictures and others were a part of the initial article about the East Ohio Building on Cleveland.com, the very article that started this thread.  (So just go to the very first post to see these and additional renderings). 

Especially since they were just posted a couple days ago at:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,3594.msg640721.html#msg640721

 

Anyone could have posted them here. But I guess no one really looked at that interior shot very closely.

Thanks, looks great.  Although, I doubt that LaPorta will still be on the team when the conversion is finished.

 

Ha! You've got great eyesight, and foresight.

OK, how did we miss this?? So anyone know what was discussed, or what happened? There are no renderings, unfortunately....

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/landmark/agenda/2012/12132012/index.php#gallery

 

Cleveland Landmarks Commission

AGENDA - December 13, 2012

 

East Ohio Building

1717 East 9th Street

Renovation

 

Wouldn't it be amazing to have THREE 20+ story apartment buildings under development at the same time (Embassy Suites, Breuer and East Ohio)?

OK, how did we miss this?? So anyone know what was discussed, or what happened? There are no renderings, unfortunately....

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/landmark/agenda/2012/12132012/index.php#gallery

 

Cleveland Landmarks Commission

AGENDA - December 13, 2012

 

East Ohio Building

1717 East 9th Street

Renovation

 

Wouldn't it be amazing to have THREE 20+ story apartment buildings under development at the same time (Embassy Suites, Breuer and East Ohio)?

 

Wow I can't believe nobody saw that!! I can't wait for this... That corner needs some life! There's definitely going to be a lot of construction downtown within the next few years :)

 

Ps what exactly does a certificate of appropriateness involve?

Ps what exactly does a certificate of appropriateness involve?

 

I don't know, but a Google search reveal this helpful link:

http://www.preservationnation.org/resources/faq/historic-districts/what-is-a-certificate-of.html

 

BTW, I find it interesting that the current owners (Sovereign Partners) of the East Ohio building and parking garage owe $355,986.95 in unpaid taxes on the property with some unpaid amounts going back to 2010.

^K&D went into contract earlier this year to purchase the building and has until next spring to close.  Typically any unpaid property taxes would be paid at closing out of the sale proceeds.  Assuming K&D is able to line up its financing and tax credits and actually does close.  Submitting to design review is a good sign they're on track.

 

Will be interesting to see what K&D propose for the exterior of the building.

Good point about the taxes. That I keep checking to see if K&D has bought the property, though I was premature in doing so until last week's Landmarks meeting where I assume their CofA was approved. If it has, now K&D will firm up its financing (if it hasn't done so already) and likely execute a purchase agreement with Sovereign.

Finally!  Hopefully everything continues to go well!

So at the west end of Walnut Street, K&D will have:

 

1717 East Ninth/East Ohio

21-story, 275-foot tower

$65 million conversion into 223 apartments

 

At the east end of Walnut Street, K&D will have:

 

1701 East 12th Street/Embassy Suites

23-story, 266-foot tower

$3 million conversion into 232 apartments

 

And in between you have an anti-pedestrian hallway that screams out for some enhancements, including some streetscaping, and maybe several retail/cafe/restaurant spaces to take advantage of what will soon be a meaningful 24-hour population (666+ new apartments including CRM's 111 apartments at 1120 Chester Ave., thousands of office workers) along this street with a lot of potential. Maybe this street could be re-imagined as an extension of Perk Park. Hello ParkWorks! :)

 

Looking west from Embassy Suites toward East Ohio....

 

Looking east from East Ohio toward Embassy Suites....

That street is completely dominated by parking garages.  Maybe some outdoor vendors could help... it would be interesting to see what plans could develop from the increase in pedestrians in the area.

That street is completely dominated by parking garages.  Maybe some outdoor vendors could help... it would be interesting to see what plans could develop from the increase in pedestrians in the area.

 

Why yes, it is! ;) So how many parking spaces would need to be sacrificed to insert several sidewalk-level uses into the garages along there? Each parking space is about 100 square feet. A bodega could take out about two or three parking spaces. Do that to a few other sections of those parking garages and we're talking the loss of maybe 10 parking spaces. The East Ohio garage alone has 600 spaces. So no big loss, but the gain to the street could be tremendous.

That street is completely dominated by parking garages.  Maybe some outdoor vendors could help... it would be interesting to see what plans could develop from the increase in pedestrians in the area.

 

Textbook deadzone!  Parking garages don't have to be this bad, just look at Fat Fish Blue/Tilted Kilt. This is where my office is and man it's depressing walking  down the street.

Unfortunately alot of Clevelands streets that aren't wide avenues have been turned into parking garage dead zones.

 

Walnut, Rockwell, and Vincent.

 

We focused on the main streets and completely ignored/wiped out our side streets.

 

^Which is unfortunate in every way imaginable. Narrow streets make for fantastic pedestrian corridors! Hopefully with more and more of these residential conversions happening we will see more of these small side streets turned into hot beds of pedestrian activity, similar to maybe East 4th (maybe on a smaller, less concentrated scale at least).

 

I'm excited to see this project going forward. I had basically all but forgotten about it. The more residents the better.

^Which is unfortunate in every way imaginable. Narrow streets make for fantastic pedestrian corridors! Hopefully with more and more of these residential conversions happening we will see more of these small side streets turned into hot beds of pedestrian activity, similar to maybe East 4th (maybe on a smaller, less concentrated scale at least).

 

I'm excited to see this project going forward. I had basically all but forgotten about it. The more residents the better.

 

It would be nice, but as long as the parking garages remain it will be tough/impossible. East 6th and Vincent would be one of the coolest pedestrian corridors if it weren't for garages. There is so much potential!

 

 

Garages really do throw a wrench in any street's ability to become pedestrian activated. How old are some of the garages along this stretch? Any chance some of them are nearing the end of their useful lives?

 

*Hoping the answer is yes*

^Which is unfortunate in every way imaginable. Narrow streets make for fantastic pedestrian corridors! Hopefully with more and more of these residential conversions happening we will see more of these small side streets turned into hot beds of pedestrian activity, similar to maybe East 4th (maybe on a smaller, less concentrated scale at least).

 

I'm excited to see this project going forward. I had basically all but forgotten about it. The more residents the better.

 

Lets hope, but we've got a lot of downtown parking garages to convert!

Wouldn't it be amazing to have THREE 20+ story apartment buildings under development at the same time (Embassy Suites, Breuer and East Ohio)?

 

The condo tower at 515 Euclid would be the 4th horseman of the Apocalypse.

Wouldn't it be amazing to have THREE 20+ story apartment buildings under development at the same time (Embassy Suites, Breuer and East Ohio)?

 

The condo tower at 515 Euclid would be the 4th horseman of the Apocalypse.

 

KJP, MayDay, CDM & I will all be living together in a condo on Miami Beach before that happens!

^ The Golden Guys?

^I bet I know who gets the walk in closet :wink:

^ The Golden Guys?

 

LOL!

 

^I bet I know who gets the walk in closet :wink:

 

Yes, but only two have walked out of the closet. And the other two don't have closets to come out of. Although I think CDM and I would have to hide in one while MayDay and MTS regularly get into bitch-slap death matches.

 

The condo tower at 515 Euclid would be the 4th horseman of the Apocalypse.

 

That's actually not too crazy. That parking deck was bought last year by Harbor Group for $8.15 million -- compared to the $25 million it cost to build it! Word is that the development air rights was a big factor in Harbor Group putting in a bid.

 

The fact that there are three 20+ story buildings downtown about to undergo conversions to apartments is stunning to me. In one fell swoop, this would nearly double the number of 20+ story buildings downtown that are used for the residential today -- the 23-story Reserve Square apartment building, 22-story Earnest Bohn Tower, 21-story Fenn Tower and the 20-story Chesterfield Apartments.

^ The Golden Guys?

 

LMAO!!

 

^ The Golden Guys?

 

LOL!

 

^I bet I know who gets the walk in closet ;)

 

Yes, but only two have walked out of the closet. And the other two don't have closets to come out of. Although I think CDM and I would have to hide in one while MayDay and MTS regularly get into bitch-slap death matches.

 

The condo tower at 515 Euclid would be the 4th horseman of the Apocalypse.

 

That's actually not too crazy. That parking deck was bought last year by Harbor Group for $8.15 million -- compared to the $25 million it cost to build it! Word is that the development air rights was a big factor in Harbor Group putting in a bid.

 

The fact that there are three 20+ story buildings downtown about to undergo conversions to apartments is stunning to me. In one fell swoop, this would nearly double the number of 20+ story buildings downtown that are used for the residential today -- the 23-story Reserve Square apartment building, 22-story Earnest Bohn Tower, 21-story Fenn Tower and the 20-story Chesterfield Apartments.

 

Thanks, Rose!

That street is completely dominated by parking garages.  Maybe some outdoor vendors could help... it would be interesting to see what plans could develop from the increase in pedestrians in the area.

 

Given the parking garages, I agree that we cannot completely close the street to cars.

But it would be a huge pedestrian improvement to close the street to through traffic or make it one-way and widen the sidewalks.  Parkworks would be a great resource for a trial of different ways of improving the pedestrian environment here.

Jackpot.

 

East Ohio Building in Cleveland, other projects win state tax credits for historic preservation

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/12/east_ohio_building_in_clevelan_1.html#incart_river_default

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A developer's plan to turn the vacant East Ohio Building into apartments got a boost Thursday, as the state announced $5 million worth of historic preservation tax credits for the project.

There is a lot of good info in that!!! Time to see some action finally!!!

My thought on Walnut:  It would be nice to convert it to a more pedestrian friendly neighborhood street. But we have to consider the limited amount of public resources we have for public space improvement, and the limited bench of private businesses to fill all the vacant retail spaces we already have, let alone new ones.  I'd say it shouldn't be a priority at this point. 

 

Remember too, that there are already many people living in that neighborhood- Reserve Square, Chesterfield, Statler Arms, and the low income housing towers probably account for close to 2,000 people.  Walnut isn't suddenly going from nothing to residential pedestrian hotspot because of the new units proposed, which should account for another few hundred people.

^right on all points

Wow, if everyone had that kind of response, nothing would ever get done. An ugly, anti-pedestrian street that belongs in a zombie chase scene that is devoid all life, soft edges and human warmth is a priority target for me. It may not be for you. But I don't think it belongs in a downtown that's trying to become part of downtown residents' living room. I think these new developments are a trigger, reason, motivation, excuse to finally improve some ugly streets, much like the Avenue District was to trigger the make of East 12th. I will continue to point out downtown settings that have more in common with a dried up flood control canal than a street of life.