8 hours ago, cle_guy90 said:

I haven’t heard anything as concrete but someone I close with who is a career house flipper among other things believes that Old Brooklyn is next and that they have a great Neighborhood Development Board (or whatever you call it, the term is alluding me).

CDC (Community Development Corp.). 

 

I've done some pro-bono mapping for the CDC regarding real estate (helping visualize trends, % bulk buyer, etc.) and in the few years I've been doing it, you can definitely see the change.

 

That said, OB is probably one of the largest neighborhoods in Cleveland- certain areas are ready to pop and other parts are waaaay out there in nomans land and are 1950's Parma-lite.

I don't know a whole lot about Old Brooklyn, besides the zoo of course, but it is now high on my radar for my next project.  What areas do you see as ready to pop?

Seems like the areas around Pearl, State & Broadview could use a pop.

3 hours ago, GISguy said:

CDC (Community Development Corp.). 

 

I've done some pro-bono mapping for the CDC regarding real estate (helping visualize trends, % bulk buyer, etc.) and in the few years I've been doing it, you can definitely see the change.

 

That said, OB is probably one of the largest neighborhoods in Cleveland- certain areas are ready to pop and other parts are waaaay out there in nomans land and are 1950's Parma-lite.

I almost said CDC but then I thought no I’m thinking of COVID haha. 

13 minutes ago, skiwest said:

Seems like the areas around Pearl, State & Broadview could use a pop.

Yep, I'd say anything around the 'downtown' area really is in a good position. They're talking about redoing the area around the old Deaconess Hospital, and the CDC (I believe) owns the church on the corner (which through folks, I've heard would take about 1M to stabilize so that's not looking too great for survival.).

 

Take a bike ride around the hood someday and you'll get a good feel for what works and what's meh.

Old Brooklyn is ground zero in the county for some less positive developments, unfortunately. There are hundreds (it might be around 1000 last time I looked) off properties that are tied up with these out of state investors who are less than proper in the ways they operate. They are tied up as rental properties, where repairs aren't done. The big problem is they are tied up in these shady brokerage firms that will trade the property back and forth between only out of state owners. Their business model does not allow for tours of the property, and does not even list it publicly. They are only listed for sale to their own "inside" group of owners. The houses have have trading back and forth for under the typical market value that would otherwise be expected, mostly do to the lack or repairs. A group I work with was shown the numbers crunched by the local CDC (who is hyper focused on this issue), and these properties alone are dragging the average sales price down in the neighborhood by 10-15k. Not only are the tenants losing out and the city losing out (reduced values), but people looking to enter the housing market are losing out as well by the inventory being kept off the market. 

2 minutes ago, PoshSteve said:

Old Brooklyn is ground zero in the county for some less positive developments, unfortunately. There are hundreds (it might be around 1000 last time I looked) off properties that are tied up with these out of state investors who are less than proper in the ways they operate. They are tied up as rental properties, where repairs aren't done. The big problem is they are tied up in these shady brokerage firms that will trade the property back and forth between only out of state owners. Their business model does not allow for tours of the property, and does not even list it publicly. They are only listed for sale to their own "inside" group of owners. The houses have have trading back and forth for under the typical market value that would otherwise be expected, mostly do to the lack or repairs. A group I work with was shown the numbers crunched by the local CDC (who is hyper focused on this issue), and these properties alone are dragging the average sales price down in the neighborhood by 10-15k. Not only are the tenants losing out and the city losing out (reduced values), but people looking to enter the housing market are losing out as well by the inventory being kept off the market. 

Yuckkk

16 hours ago, PoshSteve said:

Old Brooklyn is ground zero in the county for some less positive developments, unfortunately. There are hundreds (it might be around 1000 last time I looked) off properties that are tied up with these out of state investors who are less than proper in the ways they operate. They are tied up as rental properties, where repairs aren't done. The big problem is they are tied up in these shady brokerage firms that will trade the property back and forth between only out of state owners. Their business model does not allow for tours of the property, and does not even list it publicly. They are only listed for sale to their own "inside" group of owners. The houses have have trading back and forth for under the typical market value that would otherwise be expected, mostly do to the lack or repairs. A group I work with was shown the numbers crunched by the local CDC (who is hyper focused on this issue), and these properties alone are dragging the average sales price down in the neighborhood by 10-15k. Not only are the tenants losing out and the city losing out (reduced values), but people looking to enter the housing market are losing out as well by the inventory being kept off the market. 

heeeeey are you talking about my NYC based LLC type landlord? lol this hits close. Scumbags bought houses out of foreclosure and then turned to Holton-Wise to get them churning (it's since changed mgmt. companies a few times), but I had to deal with Cle Water shutting off water bc he didn't pay (now I pay water), and other issues caused by a crap LL. But without getting too far into the weeds about what I've mapped and data I've seen from other places bulk buyers are a real drag. Holton Wise and it's ilk hopped on the 'hood and their shady people are loving it. When evictions were allowed, those types don't hesitate to boot folks. 

 

The CDC breaks up the neighborhood by pockets (microneighborhoods if you will, think County Appraiser neighborhoods) and it's definitely interesting how an area like the South Hills has fared YOY compared to some other Cleveland Double lined streets. OB made it out of 2008 pretty well, but still, anyone who's selling is getting bought up almost immediately by bulk/commercial folks and turned into rentals. It's a shame, especially as someone who would like to actually buy and set roots down in this neighborhood. But alas, this isn't about me! lol you really nailed my experience though.

 

And last thing from me - once mgmt companies changed from HW, I was talking with the new company and it sounds like when companies take over from HW it's a real mess- shoddy work, lack of care, etc. but that's for another thread but I'll never hesitate to drag Holton Wise.

Edited December 9, 20204 yr by GISguy

1 hour ago, GISguy said:

heeeeey are you talking about my NYC based LLC type landlord? lol this hits close. Scumbags bought houses out of foreclosure and then turned to Holton-Wise to get them churning (it's since changed mgmt. companies a few times), but I had to deal with Cle Water shutting off water bc he didn't pay (now I pay water), and other issues caused by a crap LL. But without getting too far into the details of mapping I've done for them and some other sources, it's definitely a real drag. Holton Wise and it's ilk hopped on the 'hood and their shady people are loving it. BUT OB related, you can definitely see this, especially when evictions were allowed, those types don't hesitate to boot folks. 

 

They break up the CDC by pockets (microneighborhoods if you will, think County Appraiser neighborhoods) and it's definitely interesting how an area like the South Hills has fared YOY compared to some other Cleveland Double lined streets. OB made it out of 2008 pretty well, but still, anyone who's selling is getting bought up almost immediately by institutional folks and turned into rentals. It's a shame, especially as someone who would like to actually buy and set roots down in this neighborhood. But alas, this isn't about me! lol you really nailed my experience though.

 

And last thing from me - once mgmt companies changed from HW, I was talking with the new company and it sounds like when companies take over from HW it's a real mess- shoddy work, lack of care, etc. but that's for another thread but I'll never hesitate to drag Holton Wise.

 

Lol the people who run Holton Wise group up in my neighborhood - at least one of them. 

 

I think their entire shtick is a glass tower. 

2 hours ago, GISguy said:

heeeeey are you talking about my NYC based LLC type landlord? lol this hits close. Scumbags bought houses out of foreclosure and then turned to Holton-Wise to get them churning (it's since changed mgmt. companies a few times), but I had to deal with Cle Water shutting off water bc he didn't pay (now I pay water), and other issues caused by a crap LL. But without getting too far into the details of mapping I've done for them and some other sources, it's definitely a real drag. Holton Wise and it's ilk hopped on the 'hood and their shady people are loving it. BUT OB related, you can definitely see this, especially when evictions were allowed, those types don't hesitate to boot folks. 

 

They break up the CDC by pockets (microneighborhoods if you will, think County Appraiser neighborhoods) and it's definitely interesting how an area like the South Hills has fared YOY compared to some other Cleveland Double lined streets. OB made it out of 2008 pretty well, but still, anyone who's selling is getting bought up almost immediately by institutional folks and turned into rentals. It's a shame, especially as someone who would like to actually buy and set roots down in this neighborhood. But alas, this isn't about me! lol you really nailed my experience though.

 

And last thing from me - once mgmt companies changed from HW, I was talking with the new company and it sounds like when companies take over from HW it's a real mess- shoddy work, lack of care, etc. but that's for another thread but I'll never hesitate to drag Holton Wise.

 

I wasn't going to name names, but that's exactly them. They are the same folks who pump out their own red-lining map of "war zone" neighborhoods (aka, black neighborhoods), where people shouldn't invest. This is coming from a licensed realtor/brokerage, which I always thought was illegal... They have a number of "hotspot" neighborhoods where they direct all of their investors, and Old Brooklyn is pretty much the top. Low prices to buy in, high rents, and lax city oversight/enforcement. The big thing is the way they have the properties structured basically allows for no one to bare any responsibility under current Cleveland ordinances. Its only the property owner who is responsible, but that is useless when it comes to enforcement if the ownership is an out of state LLC. When someone like Holton Wise is handling everything, and in charge of everything, but Cleveland has no way to enforce against a property management company, its a deadend. In South Euclid, we hold property managers equally responsible, and once I had Holton Wise in court, it put a complete stop to them buying properties in the city. Its been years since we've seen anything from them. Hopefully we can help Old Brooklyn out with it, but there is alot that would need to change with Cleveland ordinances/enforcement (they are moving in the right direction though). Old Brooklyn and South Euclid have alot of similarities. Both crashed to about the same levels, but South Euclid has bounced back alot higher. All else equal, there is no reason Old Brooklyn shouldn't be exceeding us, considering the amenities and the closeness to downtown/OC/Tremont. 

I'll know more tomorrow, but everything I've heard is that this will be a VERY costly project if it's kept standing.

 

 

Slides from tonight's meeting. It seems like preservation and apartments is the want even if it's ~$3M that the CDC would have to raise. Also another goal is to right-size the Pearl Road UMC which is right behind the project. Also of note, the CDC has a purchase agreement in place for the Greenline (Flower Shop, triangle, etc. etc.) building on Memphis/Pearl.

 

Things are in the super early stages though, but interesting nonetheless.

With this park, trash has turned into treasure for all

Scott Suttell - Crain's Cleveland Business - June 22, 2021

 

"A former 25-acre landfill in Cleveland now is a park, thanks to the efforts of Cleveland Metroparks, the Western Reserve Land Conservancy and Old Brooklyn Development Corp. Those organizations on Tuesday, June 22, marked the official opening of Brighton Park in Cleveland's Old Brooklyn neighborhood. ... The park includes a half mile of paved all-purpose trail connecting from Pearl Road and Wildlife Way to the zoo through Brighton Park to West 21st Street. It also boasts a half mile of looped natural surface trail as well as a scenic overlook of Big Creek."

 

 

 

1 hour ago, NorthShore647 said:

With this park, trash has turned into treasure for all

Scott Suttell - Crain's Cleveland Business - June 22, 2021

 

"A former 25-acre landfill in Cleveland now is a park, thanks to the efforts of Cleveland Metroparks, the Western Reserve Land Conservancy and Old Brooklyn Development Corp. Those organizations on Tuesday, June 22, marked the official opening of Brighton Park in Cleveland's Old Brooklyn neighborhood. ... The park includes a half mile of paved all-purpose trail connecting from Pearl Road and Wildlife Way to the zoo through Brighton Park to West 21st Street. It also boasts a half mile of looped natural surface trail as well as a scenic overlook of Big Creek."

 

 

 

Its pretty close to my place and even though it's not huge it's a great spot with some offshoot little trails. Rumor has it that metroparks are looking to connect their assets together through here 👀👀. Rumor at this point but I wouldn't doubt that they're working on stuff in the background. 

43 minutes ago, GISguy said:

Its pretty close to my place and even though it's not huge it's a great spot with some offshoot little trails. Rumor has it that metroparks are looking to connect their assets together through here 👀👀. Rumor at this point but I wouldn't doubt that they're working on stuff in the background. 

Not a rumor. Hopefully the plans come to fruition. 

Isn’t it all basically connected already? The Treadway trail is right there and feeds right into the towpath.

1 hour ago, bumsquare said:

Isn’t it all basically connected already? The Treadway trail is right there and feeds right into the towpath.

 

Not really. You need to get the roads right, cross Valley and then meander and find the trail. It's not a big deal for someone who lives here but it's definitely not friendly at the moment. Also there's no true connection to the zoo trail just yet.

 

3 hours ago, Ethan said:

Not a rumor. Hopefully the plans come to fruition. 

 

I guess I mean that there's some real momentum and traction within Metroparks and other powers that be. Seems like momentum is moving in OBCDC's favor big-time. 

Proposed renovation of dilapidated Masonic Center building in Cleveland gets approval

 

The proposed renovation of a dilapidated building in Cleveland's historic Brooklyn Centre neighborhood received a concept approval Thursday from the Cleveland City Landmarks Commission

 

The project, led by Brandt Architecture and Almico Properties, would add residential and retail space to the abandoned Masonic Center in Old Brooklyn on 3804 Pearl Rd.

 

The Near West Design Review Committee recommended approval for the project earlier.

 

Jill Brandt, owner of Brandt Architecture, addressed the commission. With the renovations, she plans to integrate some of the building’s history into its new design, including light fixtures, doors, and trims.

 

“[One of] our goals would be to keep and restore the [original canopy of the main entry],” said Brandt. “We’d love to keep that awning. We haven’t taken a deep dive into it yet, but our goal would be to restore it because it’d be kind of cool.”

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cleveland/news/2021/07/22/masonic-center-renovation-brooklyn.html

 

10 hours ago, ColDayMan said:

Proposed renovation of dilapidated Masonic Center building in Cleveland gets approval

 

The proposed renovation of a dilapidated building in Cleveland's historic Brooklyn Centre neighborhood received a concept approval Thursday from the Cleveland City Landmarks Commission

 

The project, led by Brandt Architecture and Almico Properties, would add residential and retail space to the abandoned Masonic Center in Old Brooklyn on 3804 Pearl Rd.

 

The Near West Design Review Committee recommended approval for the project earlier.

 

Jill Brandt, owner of Brandt Architecture, addressed the commission. With the renovations, she plans to integrate some of the building’s history into its new design, including light fixtures, doors, and trims.

 

“[One of] our goals would be to keep and restore the [original canopy of the main entry],” said Brandt. “We’d love to keep that awning. We haven’t taken a deep dive into it yet, but our goal would be to restore it because it’d be kind of cool.”

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cleveland/news/2021/07/22/masonic-center-renovation-brooklyn.html

 

Very happy about this. That’s a great building and it’s in bad shape. 

^^Does this Masonic Center have a small theater/auditorium component to it?   Many built in this time period did.    I could not access the paid article to read more about it.  

For some reason, several dozen apartments at the same apartment complex (1625 Pleasantdale Road) were all registered today. Was the apartment complex remodeled?

14 minutes ago, KJP said:

For some reason, several dozen apartments at the same apartment complex (1625 Pleasantdale Road) were all registered today. Was the apartment complex remodeled?

 

I can't say I've ridden back there in a while but also hasn't been anything apparent from the street. I can take a spin around the complex and see if anything's changed from the outside... 

On 6/11/2020 at 5:46 PM, tykaps said:

Pretty underwhelming proposal constructing a bank and an as of yet unleased retail spot at the corner of Pearl and Henninger:

 

Fencing is up (taken Sunday), this happened very very recently.

 

 

On 7/22/2021 at 9:52 PM, ColDayMan said:

Proposed renovation of dilapidated Masonic Center building in Cleveland gets approval

 

The proposed renovation of a dilapidated building in Cleveland's historic Brooklyn Centre neighborhood received a concept approval Thursday from the Cleveland City Landmarks Commission

 

The project, led by Brandt Architecture and Almico Properties, would add residential and retail space to the abandoned Masonic Center in Old Brooklyn on 3804 Pearl Rd.

 

The Near West Design Review Committee recommended approval for the project earlier.

 

Jill Brandt, owner of Brandt Architecture, addressed the commission. With the renovations, she plans to integrate some of the building’s history into its new design, including light fixtures, doors, and trims.

 

“[One of] our goals would be to keep and restore the [original canopy of the main entry],” said Brandt. “We’d love to keep that awning. We haven’t taken a deep dive into it yet, but our goal would be to restore it because it’d be kind of cool.”

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cleveland/news/2021/07/22/masonic-center-renovation-brooklyn.html

 

 

Biking into town the other day noticed that there's a fresh tag above the awning (lol) but also all the windows were open - not sure if means something or if people were just messing around but eh, the windows being open is more action than I've seen here in a long time. 

 

Brooklyn Masonic Hall repurposing as Lofts On Pearl

By Ken Prendergast / December 24, 2021

 

A Lakewood real estate entrepreneur and construction contractor has acquired the vacant Brooklyn Masonic Temple, 3804 Pearl Rd., in Cleveland and plans to renovate it into a mixed-use building called the Lofts On Pearl. It remains to be seen if the project will live up to the Masonic purpose of making good men better.

 

MORE:

https://neo-trans.blog/2021/12/24/brooklyn-masonic-hall-repurposing-as-lofts-on-pearl/

On 12/24/2021 at 3:45 PM, KJP said:

 

Brooklyn Masonic Hall repurposing as Lofts On Pearl

By Ken Prendergast / December 24, 2021

 

A Lakewood real estate entrepreneur and construction contractor has acquired the vacant Brooklyn Masonic Temple, 3804 Pearl Rd., in Cleveland and plans to renovate it into a mixed-use building called the Lofts On Pearl. It remains to be seen if the project will live up to the Masonic purpose of making good men better.

 

MORE:

https://neo-trans.blog/2021/12/24/brooklyn-masonic-hall-repurposing-as-lofts-on-pearl/

 

Some early spillover from the $1B+ investment on the new Metro campus, perhaps?  As the crow flies, this building is less than a mile south of the new Metro tower, but I-71 and Riverside Cemetery function as a kind of "psychological" barrier when you're actually on the ground.  Nonetheless, this is still a nice location.  The Zoo is just SW of this building and there's room for the "Metro neighborhood" to grow southwards.  (I think the new Metro campus will also grow northwards and meet up somewhere with Ohio City and La Villa Hispania).  If Metro can encourage its workers to live nearby (something the Clinic is working on in University Circle), then this project could really take off.

1 hour ago, Down_with_Ctown said:

 

Some early spillover from the $1B+ investment on the new Metro campus, perhaps?  As the crow flies, this building is less than a mile south of the new Metro tower, but I-71 and Riverside Cemetery function as a kind of "psychological" barrier when you're actually on the ground.  Nonetheless, this is still a nice location.  The Zoo is just SW of this building and there's room for the "Metro neighborhood" to grow southwards.  (I think the new Metro campus will also grow northwards and meet up somewhere with Ohio City and La Villa Hispania).  If Metro can encourage its workers to live nearby (something the Clinic is working on in University Circle), then this project could really take off.

 

Yes, that's what the developer said in the article.

More on the Brooklyn Centre Development on Pearl Road:

 

Brooklyn Masonic Temple in Cleveland to undergo renovation, conversion into apartments

Updated: Jan. 18, 2022, 2:12 p.m. | Published: Jan. 18, 2022, 2:10 p.m.

By Eric Heisig, cleveland.com

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The run-down Brooklyn Masonic Temple building in Cleveland’s Brooklyn Centre neighborhood is slated to undergo extensive renovations, as the new owner plans to convert the building into apartments.

 

New owner Kosta Almiroudis said he hopes to finish $4.5 million worth of renovations to the three-story brick building at 3804 Pearl Road by September 2023. In addition to rehabilitating the outside of the building and adding 26 market-rate apartments, he plans to build out two storefronts, each with more than 900 square feet of space. He hopes one of the retailers can be a coffee shop.

 

https://www.cleveland.com/realestate-news/2022/01/brooklyn-masonic-temple-in-cleveland-to-undergo-renovation-conversion-into-apartments.html

6 minutes ago, MuRrAy HiLL said:

More on the Brooklyn Centre Development on Pearl Road:

 

Brooklyn Masonic Temple in Cleveland to undergo renovation, conversion into apartments

Updated: Jan. 18, 2022, 2:12 p.m. | Published: Jan. 18, 2022, 2:10 p.m.

By Eric Heisig, cleveland.com

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The run-down Brooklyn Masonic Temple building in Cleveland’s Brooklyn Centre neighborhood is slated to undergo extensive renovations, as the new owner plans to convert the building into apartments.

 

New owner Kosta Almiroudis said he hopes to finish $4.5 million worth of renovations to the three-story brick building at 3804 Pearl Road by September 2023. In addition to rehabilitating the outside of the building and adding 26 market-rate apartments, he plans to build out two storefronts, each with more than 900 square feet of space. He hopes one of the retailers can be a coffee shop.

 

https://www.cleveland.com/realestate-news/2022/01/brooklyn-masonic-temple-in-cleveland-to-undergo-renovation-conversion-into-apartments.html

 

Personal note, but I've really been considering Brooklyn Centre area and have always thought, dang, could really use a coffee shop in that neck of the woods/a place to relax- here's to hoping. 

 

Ever since the transfer they've had all the windows open, also someone tagged above the front door like right after too hah. Going to be pretty cool seeing this come online- there's a handful of empty storefronts around here that could benefit from this.

1 hour ago, GISguy said:

 

Personal note, but I've really been considering Brooklyn Centre area and have always thought, dang, could really use a coffee shop in that neck of the woods/a place to relax- here's to hoping. 

 

Ever since the transfer they've had all the windows open, also someone tagged above the front door like right after too hah. Going to be pretty cool seeing this come online- there's a handful of empty storefronts around here that could benefit from this.

 

Phoenix had a location (address is 3750 Pearl) in the shopping plaza across from the fire station in the late 1990s.

 

Busy Old Brooklyn corner ID’d for redevelopment
By Ken Prendergast / January 28, 2022

 

Financing could be secured this spring for the redevelopment of the northwest corner of Pearl and Memphis in the heart of Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood. But a casualty of the investment would be the 119-year-old St. Luke United Church of Christ (UCC), 4216 Pearl and the Greenline commercial structures, 3426-34 Memphis, that range from 80-110 years old.

 

MORE:

https://neo-trans.blog/2022/01/28/busy-old-brooklyn-corner-idd-for-redevelopment/

Wow, that church would have made for a cool re-hab. Too bad its not feasible. But, from the article, at least they tried. 

I'm getting new info that it may have been feasible but OBCDC rejected the renovation proposals.

If it's a for sure plan that will get built, this is something I can live with. I remember a year or two Before Covid there were several mock ups shoing what was possible for the corner. I think there were six different ones, ranging from almost nothing, build out the dead space next to the church so the triangle building is usable, to full corner replacement. 

 

Old Brooklyn really wants to have it's little walkable downtown, and right now there are too many gaps that makes everything feel disconnected.  If this works let's get rid of that stupid CVS across memphis next!

Talking with some folks that had toured the building trying to buy years ago, it really does sound like a mess inside. They had said pretty much anywhere you go inside you either need to go up or down stairs (arguably easy-ish fix), but he made it sound like aside from the outside there isn't much worth salvaging inside. Turning the utilities off screwed it up bigtime in regards to salvaging it, but they also pointed out that it was just a working class church (linoleum floors, crappy subfloor, asbestos everywhere) so again, not a whole lot to salvage outside of the building. It really changed my opinion on the church building. 

 

As far as the Greenline Building, that's kind of a bummer - it's a unique building (albeit awkward), was hoping they could at least salvage that in the mix but so it goes. 

Thoughts?  Opinions?

 

A final amen or born again? Neighbors divided as proposed development includes demolition of historic church

By: Jordan Vandenberge

Posted at 5:47 PM, Feb 09, 2022 

and last updated 2022-02-09 19:02:35-05

 

CLEVELAND — A dilapidated yet historic former church with roots pre-dating the Civil War faces the possibility of demolition as part of a proposed redevelopment project in the heart of Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood. The possible redevelopment project, which includes 50 apartment units and thousands of square feet in retail space, has been met with a groundswell of opposition from some longtime residents and business owners.

 

Located at the confluence of Memphis Ave. and Pearl Rd., St. Luke’s Church lost its congregation nearly a decade ago, bringing about an unceremonious end to the church that was established in 1839. The church was effectively re-built in 1903 and has endeared itself to generations of Clevelanders with its humble red-bricked exterior.

At a meeting last month, Reeve and others introduced the proposed plans for the property, which include the construction of 50 new apartment units as well as ground-floor retail totaling 3,000 square feet. Both St. Luke’s and the neighboring Green Line building, which ironically houses the Old Brooklyn Historical Society, would be demolished.

 

https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/cleveland-metro/a-final-amen-or-born-again-neighbors-divided-as-proposed-development-includes-demolition-of-historic-church

Some new storefront rennovations from Pearl Rd in Old Brooklyn. There's one fire rehab, one new business, and one storefront that was sealed off for years. 

 

More Pearls of development due
By Ken Prendergast / July 21, 2022

 

While renovations are well underway on converting the old Brooklyn Masonic Temple into the Lofts On Pearl, Kosta Almiroudis is already planning his next move two doors down. At 3784 Pearl Rd., the founder of Almico Properties and Northern Lights Maintenance LLC plans to redevelop a strip of single-level, historic storefronts into the Flats On Pearl.

 

MORE:

https://neo-trans.blog/2022/07/21/more-pearls-of-development-due/

 

PearlBrook shopping center to be razed
By Ken Prendergast / August 4, 2022

 

An historic retail strip where Cleveland meets Parma, but was often better known for its cinematic and musical neighbors, is due to be demolished. In place of the PearlBrook shopping center will be a Sheetz gas station and convenience store, plus some identified future development just north of it. The center, located at its namesake Pearl and Brookpark roads, has been the space between two places ever since it was built.

 

MORE:

https://neo-trans.blog/2022/08/04/pearlbrook-shopping-center-to-be-razed/

 

Correct me if I’m wrong, but there is no one within city government to which we can voice our opposition to this project due to it falling outside of design review? When I say I’m proud to be a “YIMBY,” I mean density, not more suburban sprawl. 

First, this is a real shame.

 

Second, I have always wondered if the developer of this shopping center, also developed the shopping center that once stood at the intersection of Lee and Harvard Roads (southeast corner) in Cleveland.  They looked exactly the same and both had a Federal Dept store in pretty much the same location.  Both great neighborhood shopping centers and walkable given the type of neighborhoods they were located even with the parking in front.

I kept waiting for another news outlet to report on this because it's a bit outside the coverage of what I usually do. But apparently there aren't any people over 40 years of age who work in local journalism anymore so I figured I'd better write about it before the final decision is made tomorrow.

 

That said, the fate of the shopping center and its adjoining theater and plaza were probably sealed the moment traffic began using a completed Interstate 480 and the Jennings freeway.

I wonder if August Flucker's panties will bunch up over this demo like they did over the demo of those 6 long abandoned and isolated town homes in University Circle. This is truly a lost.  An historic shopping center with active businesses and nothing special will take its place.  I have a funny feeling he won't say a word.  Wrong side of town.

Edited August 4, 20222 yr by Htsguy

What terrible news... Parma just can't save itself from a constant disappointment. PearlBrook is certainly nothing spectacular but to replace it with ANOTHER Sheetz is just sad.

Athens is an absolute gem. I'm there at least once a week since my business is right down the road. Hopefully they can relocate. I'll stop by tomorrow and ask them about any future plans and will report back. Also sad to see Cleveland Corned Beef Co. go. It's not great now, but it was formerly Goodman's Corned Beef, which was an icon in the area and the single best corned beef sandwich around (Slyman's didn't even hold a candle).

The one thing Parma has going for it, which is it's old-time Eastern European culture, is slowly being replaced by crappy gas station fast food stops. Sad.

Edited August 5, 20222 yr by clandman1123

Thanks for the heads up, Ken. Never thought I'd be pro strip mall but this was a decent one, considering the surroundings. And fully leased out, what a shame. Also, I didn't realize Athens Imports was there for that long. I always assumed it was relocated from the one that was on Lorain and 26th. My mom will have to change where she gets her filo now 😭

11 minutes ago, clandman1123 said:

What terrible news... Parma just can't save itself from a constant disappointment. PearlBrook is certainly nothing spectacular but to replace it with ANOTHER Sheetz is just sad.

Athens is an absolute gem. I'm there at least once a week since my business is right down the road. Hopefully they can relocate. I'll stop by tomorrow and ask them about any future plans and will report back. Also sad to see Cleveland Corned Beef Co. go. It's not great now but it was formerly Goodman's Corner Beef, which was an icon in the area and the single best corned beef sandwich around (Slyman's didn't even hold a candle).

The one thing Parma has going for it, which is it's old-time Eastern European culture, is slowly being replaced by crappy gas station fast food stops. Sad.

 

It's Cleveland, across Brookpark Road from Parma. No biggie. While researching old articles, I saw a few references to PearlBrook being in Parma. 

I mean don't get me wrong, the shopping plaza isn't the prettiest thing to look at, and it's not exactly jumping. But it has more historic character & connection the Cleveland of old than another Sheetz. I actually like Sheetz, but we have a million of them in the area to begin with. I always hoped something would come of the old Coconuts tower, and still remember many fun nights spent at the arcade behind it. 

As for Athens, that's a huge loss. Hopefully they re-locate nearby. 

 

37 minutes ago, clandman1123 said:

What terrible news... Parma just can't save itself from a constant disappointment. PearlBrook is certainly nothing spectacular but to replace it with ANOTHER Sheetz is just sad.

Athens is an absolute gem. I'm there at least once a week since my business is right down the road. Hopefully they can relocate. I'll stop by tomorrow and ask them about any future plans and will report back. Also sad to see Cleveland Corned Beef Co. go. It's not great now but it was formerly Goodman's Corner Beef, which was an icon in the area and the single best corned beef sandwich around (Slyman's didn't even hold a candle).

The one thing Parma has going for it, which is it's old-time Eastern European culture, is slowly being replaced by crappy gas station fast food stops. Sad.

Growing up down the street (in parma) from this, I couldn’t agree more. Such sad news.

Another gas station. Good grief. I hate Sheetz. Their stations always big and ugly with way too many pumps.

12 hours ago, LibertyBlvd said:

Another gas station. Good grief. I hate Sheetz. Their stations always big and ugly with way too many pumps.

I thought you were describing the clientele!  🤣