I think its a great location for development since currently downtown (aside from the ballpark) "ends" rather abruptly with the parking garage.  The area around the ballpark is mostly parking.  If we can push development south here and also south past Prospect in Playhouse Square it would nicely connect all of this area with the rest of downtown.  

I always hoped Geis would renovate the ameritrust parking garage and build 10 -12 floors on top of it. It would look great from progressive field.

1 hour ago, freethink said:

I always hoped Geis would renovate the ameritrust parking garage and build 10 -12 floors on top of it. It would look great from progressive field.

 

This could look even better. Remember what Joel Scheer proposed on West 10th Street?

Yeah that would work for me. I just hate that garage...

34 minutes ago, KJP said:

 

This could look even better. Remember what Joel Scheer proposed on West 10th Street?

So 20+ stories?

42 minutes ago, marty15 said:

So 20+ stories?

 

I don't know if it would be that big, but it will depend on the floorplates. I was told they would be very small, ie only 10,000 sf or even less. Looking at GoogleEarth and the county's MyPlace site, if the footprint went only as far east as the driveway off Bolivar into the old Ameritrust deck, then the floorplates would be limited to 10,000 sf. But if the upper floors were built over that driveway and Geis's rusted-out two-level deck just east of the ex-Ameritrust garage, then the floorplates above the first or second floors could double to 20,000 sf. If the floorplates stay at 10,000 sf or less, it could be a very skinny tower that might break 20 stories. While I've heard that a certain number of condos would be part of this, I haven't heard if apartments will be. I've heard rumors that Geis has been trying to partner with others on a high-residential building (Lumen, Frangos, City Club, etc) but apparently they're going out on their own with this site.

Edited April 26, 20196 yr by KJP

2 hours ago, KJP said:

 

I don't know if it would be that big, but it will depend on the floorplates. I was told they would be very small, ie only 10,000 sf or even less. Looking at GoogleEarth and the county's MyPlace site, if the footprint went only as far east as the driveway off Bolivar into the old Ameritrust deck, then the floorplates would be limited to 10,000 sf. But if the upper floors were built over that driveway and Geis's rusted-out two-level deck just east of the ex-Ameritrust garage, then the floorplates above the first or second floors could double to 20,000 sf. If the floorplates stay at 10,000 sf or less, it could be a very skinny tower that might break 20 stories. While I've heard that a certain number of condos would be part of this, I haven't heard if apartments will be. I've heard rumors that Geis has been trying to partner with others on a high-residential building (Lumen, Frangos, City Club, etc) but apparently they're going out on their own with this site.

Speaking of that, is the Settlers Landing Tower dead?

I don't think it was ever truly in play?  Just a future concept for the site?

Probably 

I also expect a crane downtown, possibly on the west side of Public Square, in 24-36 months for Sherwin Williams.

 

But to bring this back on topic, I also hope to see a geotech drilling rig on the NE corner of East 9th and Bolivar soon. Until this week, I have never been in meetings before where a guy representing an Opportunity Zone investment fund admitted to people wanting to spend his firm's money that his firm had more money available than they planned to spend. We're in a different city right now.

 

15 hours ago, KJP said:

I also expect a crane downtown, possibly on the west side of Public Square, in 24-36 months for Sherwin Williams.

 

But to bring this back on topic, I also hope to see a geotech drilling rig on the NE corner of East 9th and Bolivar soon. Until this week, I have never been in meetings before where a guy representing an Opportunity Zone investment fund admitted to people wanting to spend his firm's money that his firm had more money available than they planned to spend. We're in a different city right now.

 

 

@KJP, is S-W speculation or have you heard something? 

 

P.s., sorry, no idea how to move this to a different thread. 

Edited April 28, 20196 yr by Clevecane

41 minutes ago, Clevecane said:

 

@KJP, is S-W speculation or have you heard something? 

 

P.s., sorry, no idea how to move this to a different thread. 

 

@Clevecane see: http://neo-trans.blogspot.com/2019/03/new-sherwin-williams-hq-plans-may-stir.html?m=1

On 4/26/2019 at 7:13 PM, marty15 said:

Speaking of that, is the Settlers Landing Tower dead?

 

Yes. But Scheer's Flats South is still active.

6 minutes ago, Htsguy said:

Most recent rumors is that Geis is planning a condo building on the spaghetti house property.  I believe it was discussed on the forum over the weekend in the Gateway thread.

 

Geis has no desire to be in the parking business. And they paid more than a million dollars for the NY Spaghetti property. It would like to get their investment back in terms of something that generates some decent revenue. And the city put a 5 year clock on them doing something with that site other than parking. That 5 year clock runs out next year.

Moving this from the WHD thread.....

 

45 minutes ago, NYC Boomerang said:

 

That's the "rumor" and what developers put out so that the public accepts their plan to demolish an historic landmark and put in parking.  If they want to put a condo building on the property, they should put a condo building on the property!  They are tearing it down to lower the assessed value of the property for tax purposes and to allow for the cash cow of parking revenue to flow in.  What's the over/under on how many years that lot sits there as parking?  I'll throw out 10.  Any other guesses?

 

Please go back and read the article from 4 years ago when the demolition was approved. There was no development plan in 2015. And condos weren't a supportable use in 2015. While $1+ million was a steep price in 2015 for a property with a building that was falling apart, Geis speculated that the market would improve and this property was in a good location to plant a flag for when the market improved. That property would probably be worth quite a bit more today. Smart real estate developers combine location, timing, bargain hunting and anticipation. And Geis is a smart real estate developer.

25 minutes ago, KJP said:

Moving this from the WHD thread.....

 

 

Please go back and read the article from 4 years ago when the demolition was approved. There was no development plan in 2015. And condos weren't a supportable use in 2015. While $1+ million was a steep price in 2015 for a property with a building that was falling apart, Geis speculated that the market would improve and this property was in a good location to plant a flag for when the market improved. That property would probably be worth quite a bit more today. Smart real estate developers combine location, timing, bargain hunting and anticipation. And Geis is a smart real estate developer.

I can confirm that at the time there was a long term plan that included some early masses for a project on that site. It included tearing down and rebuilding the county garage as well. I no longer have a source though, so I am unsure if there is a plan now. But knowing Geis I am sure there is. Hope that info helps, he definitely didn't buy it just for parking.

Now that would be something if they redid the garage, wrapped in retail etc instead of a big dead box!  KPJ, did you happen to hear anything involving the garage or were the plans just for the tower itself. 

Edited May 1, 20196 yr by mrclifton88

While it's possible there may be something happening regarding the Ameritrust garage or the small one behind it that Geis also owns, I have not heard anything about a garage. My source was reluctant to share the info he did provide. He asked me not to reveal some details about the concept but the garage wasn't part of the conversation.

Isn't the garage part of the county HQ?  I know it's owned/managed by Geis, but not unencumbered for redevelopment, I reckon.

1 hour ago, KJP said:

While it's possible there may be something happening regarding the Ameritrust garage or the small one behind it that Geis also owns, I have not heard anything about a garage. My source was reluctant to share the info he did provide. He asked me not to reveal some details about the concept but the garage wasn't part of the conversation.

It very much might not be, like I said this was three years ago or whatever.

But the garage still could be part of it. My source just didn't say anything about it. Doesn't mean that it is or isn't. 

Edited May 1, 20196 yr by KJP

2 hours ago, KJP said:

But the garage still could be part of it. My source just didn't say anything about it. Doesn't mean that it is or isn't. 

I really hope it is. I'm not a fan of garages as it is but that one is the worst. The spots aren't even large enough to fit a normal sized car. 

49 minutes ago, KFM44107 said:

I really hope it is. I'm not a fan of garages as it is but that one is the worst. The spots aren't even large enough to fit a normal sized car. 

^Has never parked at the Halle garage.

1 hour ago, sizzlinbeef said:

^Has never parked at the Halle garage.

I have. I park there every time the county garage is full and I have a county meeting to go to. The difference though is the county garage was built to be a garage. So It doesn't get a break from me. 

Hopefully this passes. https://www.cleveland19.com/2019/05/03/cleveland-bars-hoping-stay-open-until-am-during-mlb-all-star-week-face-deadline/

So in one of the last rounds for Ohio Historic Tax Credits the Baker/Fidelity Building on E 6th St. won $1.7 mil to convert the 11 story /50k sq ft structure into a hotel. It is owned by J. Scott Scheel a local investor/real estate teacher. Anyone have any knowledge or seen any activity there? It is listed as a $17mil conversion.

820 Prospect Ave is under construction. They just removed a giant portion of the windows/wall. Looks like it could be for an entryway.

Edit: Loomis is the company doing the work.

Edited May 30, 20196 yr by downtownjoe

What was there prior to this construction?

16 minutes ago, simplythis said:

What was there prior to this construction?

I believe Winking Lizard used to occupy this space but I could be wrong. They used to have signage on the windows.

Winking Lizard still occupies the space to the left of this and a school occupies the space above.

Edited May 30, 20196 yr by downtownjoe

Winking lizard used to occupy all the way to the point. I’m surprised to see they downsized. 

25 minutes ago, JSC216 said:

Winking lizard used to occupy all the way to the point. I’m surprised to see they downsized. 

They have a 2nd downtown location at the Galleria now.

1 hour ago, freefourur said:

They have a 2nd downtown location at the Galleria now.

 

That's been there for a while 

21 hours ago, downtownjoe said:

820 Prospect Ave is under construction. They just removed a giant portion of the windows/wall. Looks like it could be for an entryway.

Edit: Loomis is the company doing the work.

 

 

This is going to be a Bank of America. I talked with a contractor from Chicago who is doing work in Cleveland and he was telling me Bank of America is expanding their presence in Cleveland.

48 minutes ago, CLEGenZ said:

 

 

This is going to be a Bank of America. I talked with a contractor from Chicago who is doing work in Cleveland and he was telling me Bank of America is expanding their presence in Cleveland.

I heard about BoA adding CLE locations, too, but the new one I have seen in Mayfield Hts appears to be nothing more than an indoor set of ATMs for deposits and withdrawals, not a branch.. Wonder if that is their method of expansion.  Odd. 

4 minutes ago, eyehrtfood said:

I heard about BoA adding CLE locations, too, but the new one I have seen in Mayfield Hts appears to be nothing more than an indoor set of ATMs for deposits and withdrawals, not a branch.. Wonder if that is their method of expansion.  Odd. 

Same thing in Downtown Lakewood.

32 minutes ago, marty15 said:

Same thing in Downtown Lakewood.

 

That’s their model for expansion. They do have some staff, but they’re floating as opposed to being behind a counter. If you want to do any ‘serious’ banking you can video-chat with someone at a regional center. Given this is downtown, this branch might be different, but looking at the footprint I doubt it. 

5 hours ago, eyehrtfood said:

I heard about BoA adding CLE locations, too, but the new one I have seen in Mayfield Hts appears to be nothing more than an indoor set of ATMs for deposits and withdrawals, not a branch.. Wonder if that is their method of expansion.  Odd. 

True, this one might be of similar fashion. There is also a new BoA by CSU in the Langston building and it is just a series of ATM machines with no actual teller.

On 5/31/2019 at 12:25 PM, eyehrtfood said:

I heard about BoA adding CLE locations, too, but the new one I have seen in Mayfield Hts appears to be nothing more than an indoor set of ATMs for deposits and withdrawals, not a branch.. Wonder if that is their method of expansion.  Odd. 

Remember when BoA bought MBNA in Beachwood, then closed it down?  2.5k people in the region were laid off?  BoA also owns Merrill Lynch wealth management company with a very well respected and lucrative Downtown Cleveland office.  Although the city may appear to be "meh" there is A LOT of wealth in NEOhio.

 

From what I understand, BoA is planning a RETAIL launch into the crowded metro Cleveland banking market.  They wanted to distance themselves from MBNA while slowly entering the crowded Cleveland Banking scene.  They see an uptick of people moving from the East Coast and increased tourism.  This is a good economic indicator in my opinion.  I anticipate there will be an NE Ohio or Ohio Regional office here.

The upstairs space is City Year, not a school. 

22 hours ago, MyTwoSense said:

Remember when BoA bought MBNA in Beachwood, then closed it down?  2.5k people in the region were laid off?  BoA also owns Merrill Lynch wealth management company with a very well respected and lucrative Downtown Cleveland office.  Although the city may appear to be "meh" there is A LOT of wealth in NEOhio.

 

From what I understand, BoA is planning a RETAIL launch into the crowded metro Cleveland banking market.  They wanted to distance themselves from MBNA while slowly entering the crowded Cleveland Banking scene.  They see an uptick of people moving from the East Coast and increased tourism.  This is a good economic indicator in my opinion.  I anticipate there will be an NE Ohio or Ohio Regional office here.

Correct, there were press releases last year indicating BofA was expanding its presence in Ohio.

I'm a moron for not checking to see if the picture was blurry before I left, but the BoA consists of only two ATMs. 

1 hour ago, smimes said:

I'm a moron for not checking to see if the picture was blurry before I left, but the BoA consists of only two ATMs. 

 

 

More like “ATM of America”. AoA. 

I'm sure they were working for a while inside, but that seems like a quick turn around to get the place "open".  Looks like you'd be able to go in now and access the ATM's!!!

 

I remember similar spaces to this years ago in NYC.  Just a small storefront with an ATM or two inside.  For what it is, it dosent seem like an all that bad use of the space.

Drilling equipment alert!!!

Interesting property transaction alert.... I didn't notice it until now, but two properties across Ontario from Progressive Field transferred in April via quit-claim deed to MLO Properties Inc. Three properties totaling more than 3 acres "above" the RTA tracks (possible air rights situation left over from the Van Swerigens who were way ahead of their time in utilizing this with their Cleveland Union Terminal development) were owned by Michael L. Miller, Trustee for many years. I remember writing about this site before....

 

On 12/2/2016 at 2:32 PM, KJP said:

 

No, that's by the river. This has an Ontario Street address and is listed as:

 

PPN 10131014

HAROLD S LAPINE TRUSTEE

 

Here's the flyer for the property (has a map showing the property outline):

http://x.lnimg.com/attachments/3D6F7BA2-DD71-41AC-AA20-3359A60DBB58.pdf

 

The county values the property at $37,800 for taxes (it's listed for sale at $4 million!).

Property taxes are billed to Lapine and to a Michael L. Miller, Trustee, the secondary owner, at MLO PROPERTIES, 614 W Superior Ave, Suite 200, Cleveland, OH 44113 (same address & suite # as Benjamin F Cappadora Real Estate and Rockefeller Building Associates, a company begun in 2011. Names listed to Rockefiller Building Associates are agent Benjamin F. Cappadora and trustee Diane L. Miller). Diane Miller is probably the wife of Michael Miller who also appears to have died (though if he did it was very recently according to this article, look under the subhead "Honoring Lawyers": http://www.cleveland.com/chagrin-falls/index.ssf/2016/03/dancing_wheels_performs_in_cha.html).

 

Lapine was (I assume he's dead since his ownership is listed as "trustee"? I also see he was born in 1927) a Gates Mills man who founded and ran Apollo Property Management (http://www.apm-mgt.com/) among other real estate and investment companies.

 

OK.........

 

So here's the interesting part: This property appears to be an air-rights parcel. Why? Because within the quadrant of the Eagle, Ontario, Lorain/Carnegie, Canal street rights of way, there is no GCRTA ownership nor any other legacy rail right of way ownerships. The location of this parcel is just west of the recently-removed roadway of East Fourth Street/Pittsburgh Avenue that were south of the old Central Market (1856-1949). The only thing west of that now-gone roadway is the slope down to the RTA tracks and the tracks themselves, plus the adjoining Cleveland Union Terminal ROW (opened to railroad traffic 1930-1977). The age of the parcel seems to go back to May 1930 when it was owned by Union Properties Inc., part of the Union Trust Bank. After 1959, Union Properties Inc. was a tradename of Huntington Bank. Lapine/Miller acquired the property in February of 1987. That was right around the time that the Cleveland Union Terminal railroads rights of way were transferred to GCRTA. It should be noted that when the Van Swerigen brothers built Cleveland Union Terminal, they not only built over the station tracks structures like Terminal Tower and the Landmark Offices. They also anticipated building structures southeasterly along Ontario Street, and above the CUT railroad/rapid transit tracks.

 

 

Turns out the transaction is related to an entity conversion. It was converted from a common law trust to a for-profit limited liability corporation at about the same time as the property transaction. Two of the three properties were so transferred to the new entity. The third hasn't yet.

 

Note the inclusion of Cappadora, above. He is 87 years old and is the owner of the Rockefeller Building. I'm told he wants to sell because "he's getting up there in years." Lapine, also noted above, is still alive. He's 92. He signed the entity conversion documents for MLO Properties. Now, I doubt he converted it from a trust to an LLC because he's getting ready for his second 92 years on this earth. My guess is that this may be the result of an entity sale or possibly Michael L. Miller bought out Lapine. But I can't find anything else to support that guess aside from the tax mailing info which shows Michael L. Miller Trustee as the only owner. But I don't think Miller is a spring chicken either unless this is kid. Problem is, Michael Miller is such a common name.

Edited July 2, 20195 yr by KJP

Took some photos before logging on this morning. Did I capture this plot correctly?

 

 

Specifically.....

 

Assuming it was built in a way that the entrance was onto Ontario or Eagle, I could see a first floor sports bar, with residential above, doing very well in that location.

Semantics, but those aren't Air Right Parcels in the traditional sense, without getting into the deed, I'd guess these parcels in question have an easement for the RTA going through, but are still the same parcel. I don't mean to be coming off like a jerk but here's a breakdown of county parcel numbers: 

 

 

Either way, it's an interesting strip of parcels! Curious what they'd be able to fit in. 

 

If you could somehow work with or buy out the owner of the adjacent '007 parcel, you could really do something transformative on that site.