November 27, 20186 yr So it looks like they are just marketing the old K-mart building, not necessarily focusing on new construction, just making the parcels "available". I would imagine that would mean the TJ Maxx would be just added into part of the existing Kmart structure. I agree with what other have said, some street frontage is definitely needed on Lorain there to make it more walkable, and what KJP mentioned about TOD would be exciting, but looking through this companies portfolio doesn't provide too much hope on any of those fronts.
January 15, 20196 yr From the Kamm's Corners website.... KCDC Statement on Former K-Mart Property JANUARY 14, 2019 KAMM’S CORNERS – Many people in our neighborhood are curious about what’s next for the plaza formerly occupied by Kmart. All of us at Kamm’s Corners Development Corporation are just as interested and have been in regular contact with the New York City-based owners of the property. The company also owns the building containing Rubin’s Family Restaurant and the Dollar General store, along with the associated parking lots. They also recently purchased the apartment building that housed Cowan’s Pub, but do not own the former Ohio Pipe property to the east or any property to the south. Last Friday, we had a phone conversation with the owner who told us he hopes to divide the Kmart building into three or four retail bays. He’s talking with several quality retailers for these spaces and is also fielding inquiries about out-parcels. He does not plan to announce anything until several of the building blocks are put together. He feels confident he can re-develop the property with uses that will appeal to our neighborhood. He is keenly aware about our community and the relative wealth that is nearby, as well as the high traffic counts at the corner of Lorain and W. 150th. He has more than 20 shopping centers nationwide in the company’s portfolio, which bodes well for us to attract quality retail to further enhance West Park. There is a lot of speculation about the next tenants of this important corner of our neighborhood, but there is no news at this point to share about next steps. We look forward to a future conversation with the owner where he’s able to share some concrete information about the property’s future. We’re always here to answer your questions not only about this developing story, but about other issues affecting our neighborhood. We encourage you to reach out to us! http://kammscorners.com/kcdc-statement-on-former-k-mart-property/ Edited January 15, 20196 yr by KJP "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 23, 20196 yr My graduate capstone class is working with KCDC to create a redevelopment plan for the eastern West Park area, especially the vacant/underutilized lots and buildings along the rapid line [TOD emphasis]. I'm really excited to be working on this as my exit project. Here's a link to some previous projects: CSU Levin MUPD Studio Proejcts
January 23, 20196 yr Very cool. I hope that there's some incentives focused in this area to turn this and the KCDC masterplan of 5+ years ago into tangible development. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 23, 20196 yr That's awesome. Mine was the Geauga Lake project from a few years ago (http://levin.urban.csuohio.edu/geaugalake100/), which ended up being fun, but I would have much rather done a TOD site in the city. I look forward to seeing what you guys do with it.
January 23, 20196 yr 29 minutes ago, TPH2 said: That's awesome. Mine was the Geauga Lake project from a few years ago (http://levin.urban.csuohio.edu/geaugalake100/), which ended up being fun, but I would have much rather done a TOD site in the city. I look forward to seeing what you guys do with it. That project looks great though!! I’m really excited. I love TOD, and I think Kamm’s is the perfect opportunity for it. The area has a lot of assets to build upon. We’re even going to be looking at some of the excess parking areas of the station itself.
April 25, 20196 yr Some of us are.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 7, 20196 yr Cool project! Hope it leads to something creative and transit-supportive (I like that they supported the idea of moving the RTA station to next to/above Lorain Avenue, even though it is presented as a long-range concept).... http://www.connectingwestpark.com/ Capstone Planning Exercise We were proud to partner with Cleveland State University to be part of its Capstone Study for the 2019 Urban Studies graduating class. We asked students to examine the area on the map above, which includes the West Park Rapid Station, the former Kmart property and adjacent industrial parcels. Students surveyed more that 2,100 people and collected a huge amount of data that will be very helpful to our organization and the neighborhood in the future. The study’s goal was to distill resident’s input into scenarios for potential development. We’re excited about the student’s ideas, but it is important to recognize their study is a planning exercise. Further work will need completed to determine if some of the ideas can become reality. If you have a question or wish to comment on the plan, email Ben Campbell, Director of Commercial and Industrial Development. Our organization continues to collaborate with property owners to include input we receive from our key stakeholders. The staff and board understand that it’s through these discussions that our neighborhood will remain one of Cleveland’s best. ### "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 7, 20196 yr 1 hour ago, KJP said: Cool project! Hope it leads to something creative and transit-supportive (I like that they supported the idea of moving the RTA station to next to/above Lorain Avenue, even though it is presented as a long-range concept).... http://www.connectingwestpark.com/ Capstone Planning Exercise We were proud to partner with Cleveland State University to be part of its Capstone Study for the 2019 Urban Studies graduating class. We asked students to examine the area on the map above, which includes the West Park Rapid Station, the former Kmart property and adjacent industrial parcels. Students surveyed more that 2,100 people and collected a huge amount of data that will be very helpful to our organization and the neighborhood in the future. The study’s goal was to distill resident’s input into scenarios for potential development. We’re excited about the student’s ideas, but it is important to recognize their study is a planning exercise. Further work will need completed to determine if some of the ideas can become reality. If you have a question or wish to comment on the plan, email Ben Campbell, Director of Commercial and Industrial Development. Our organization continues to collaborate with property owners to include input we receive from our key stakeholders. The staff and board understand that it’s through these discussions that our neighborhood will remain one of Cleveland’s best. ### I forgot to update this! But yes, its something we discussed moving the station a lot. The station was remodeled 20 years ago, so it really could use an upgrade. When looking at similar projects throughout the city, especially the Little Italy Station, it seemed really doable. However, it didn't seem to be a high priority for RTA. Also, there's not a lot of space down there that they can work with, and would probably have to acquire property. Keeping the bus station close to the rapid entrance is important since this station also serves as a layover for 5 bus routes. Between the post office, bus rodeo, and sea of parking (that has a daily average of 130 cars,) the site is severely underutilized. It's also very disconnected from the neighborhood. To me, it makes sense to have some sort of housing development on the site versus swaths of underutilized land. The Final Presentation has a lot of great information put together by a very talented class. Edited June 7, 20196 yr by imjustinjk
June 7, 20196 yr Just now, imjustinjk said: I forgot to update this! But yes, its something we discussed moving the station a lot. The station was remodeled 20 years ago, so it really could use an upgrade. When looking at similar projects throughout the city, especially the Little Italy Station, it seemed really doable. However, it didn't seem to be a high priority for RTA. Also, there's not a lot of space down there that they can work with, and would probably have to acquire property. Keeping the bus station close to the rapid entrance is important since this station also serves as a layover for 5 bus routes. Between the post office, bus rodeo, and sea of parking (that has a daily average of 130 cars,) the site is severely underutilized. It's also very disconnected from the neighborhood. To me, it makes sense to have some sort of housing development on the site versus swaths of underutilized land. The Final Presentation has a lot of great information put together by a very talented class. There used to be a diner in this station and a huge parking lot full of cars stacked up on the sides to fit in on any weekday. Used to be a really busy station. It needs businesses around it, not so much an apartment building or ''condos'' and creating jobs and businesses people will go to along all along the line, especially downtown. Edited June 7, 20196 yr by Oxford19
June 7, 20196 yr TOD mixes businesses and residential, especially vertically mixed. The plan contains many good visual examples of transit-supportive land uses and placements. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 7, 20196 yr 1 hour ago, Oxford19 said: There used to be a diner in this station and a huge parking lot full of cars stacked up on the sides to fit in on any weekday. Used to be a really busy station. It needs businesses around it, not so much an apartment building or ''condos'' and creating jobs and businesses people will go to along all along the line, especially downtown. It's actually still a very busy station. It has the 3rd highest ridership out of RedLine stations, but most riders are via buses that feed into the station. 47 minutes ago, KJP said: TOD mixes businesses and residential, especially vertically mixed. The plan contains many good visual examples of transit-supportive land uses and placements. We proposed heavy residential with transit-oriented retail, restaurants and other services around the station. We envisioned a large central plaza around the station if it were to stay in its current location with apartments facing inward on the plaza, and first floor retail, as well some retail on the plaza like you see with Rebol on Public Square. We also proposed some townhouses further back from the station, which would still provide density, but cater to the neighborhood and be a "step down" between the apartments and the surrounding neighborhood. 30% of surveyors (out of over 2,000) said they wanted to see townhouse developments. Many also said they wanted to see senior housing, so we incorporated that into our plans as well. We were looking at about 32 units per acre in the area we defined as developable, which is way higher than West Park as a whole which has fairly suburban densities. I worked on the "TOD team". We were trying to figure out how to create a denser development, while still fitting into the fabric of the neighborhood and meeting TOD standards. Edited June 7, 20196 yr by imjustinjk
June 7, 20196 yr What did the plan propose for the former Harley Davidson dealership? I don't recall seeing anything in the document. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 7, 20196 yr 38 minutes ago, KJP said: What did the plan propose for the former Harley Davidson dealership? I don't recall seeing anything in the document. Here is the Google Slide Version of the powerpoint, which is better quality and in presentation mode includes various animations, which is what we presented at CSU. The neighborhood presentation is more condensed because it is so long. The "Lorain Corridor team" dealt with everything outside of the station and KMart/Industrial area roughly between the library and the station entrance. There were a variety of proposals, including an international food market which would work with the Hope Center, refugees, etc. There was also proposals for more retail/and or housing. The corner lot area could also serve as a bus layover area and station if the station to be moved down. North of the site where the Cleveland facilities are, the group who worked on that area, proposed a park. Slide 91-100 deals with Kamden Village to the entrance of the station. also proposed to extend Bartter to Lloyd Peterson, amongst other new connections. The document we gave to Kamm's Development was a lot more in depth. Edited June 7, 20196 yr by imjustinjk
June 11, 20196 yr Uh...OK "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 11, 20196 yr 29 minutes ago, KJP said: Uh...OK But it’s more than a parking lot. It’s a storm water control feature!
June 11, 20196 yr I mean it's a parking lot tucked behind a commercial strip that fronts the street. So there's that I guess
August 1, 20195 yr Renovations of historic building to usher in new chapter for Saint Joseph Academy https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/cleveland-metro/renovations-of-historic-building-to-usher-in-new-chapter-for-saint-joseph-academy "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 8, 20195 yr Fairview Hospital touts recent U.S. News & World Report rankings While it's awesome to see our local hospital do so well in the rankings, the thing that really struck me came in the last paragraph of the article. “There’s a big strategic plan for Fairview Hospital still on the drawing board,” Smith said. “There will be an expansion of a considerable amount of the Fairview campus going forward.” https://www.cleveland.com/community/2019/08/fairview-hospital-touts-recent-us-news-world-report-rankings.html Very interesting... There happens to be a vacant building and plenty of surface parking for expansion plans
August 8, 20195 yr That is interesting to hear. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 8, 20195 yr There's good street level retail and street life in that area. This being the Clinic now, I truly hope they don't just sh*t all over the neighborhood and tear existing buildings with street level retail in them to replace them with cold glass blank wall.
August 8, 20195 yr 25 minutes ago, Pugu said: There's good street level retail and street life in that area. This being the Clinic now, I truly hope they don't just sh*t all over the neighborhood and tear existing buildings with street level retail in them to replace them with cold glass blank wall. Agreed. Hopefully the planning commission would reign them in where there is already life (unlike the main campus). Not surprised at the expansion at all--it's always crazy busy there, parking is packed. Probably picking up some of the slack for the Lakewood closure.
August 8, 20195 yr Digging this up from another thread a few years ago. Wonder if there plans are the same (unfortunately the picture of the flyer was lost in the forum outage). On 9/29/2016 at 9:17 AM, tj111 said: First of all, that brewery is Working Class Brewery, should be opening up sometime in 2017. https://www.facebook.com/ohioworkingclassbrewery The other update is this letter being distributed around Kamms saying the the Clinic is putting in a new parking structure on top of a surface lot and allegedly where the (now former) Cafe Falafel building is. Rumor has is that the Clinic has been strong-arming Cafe Falafel for a while and finally got their way when he closed down a few weeks ago (looking to relocate). Here is a link to the location: https://goo.gl/maps/zcuvy9MoANv
August 8, 20195 yr I could see that Falafel building coming down and parking going right there followed by hospital expansion on the surface lots backing up to the metroparks
August 9, 20195 yr 19 hours ago, RE Developer In Training said: I could see that Falafel building coming down and parking going right there followed by hospital expansion on the surface lots backing up to the metroparks I wonder what the chances are the city requires ground level retail for a parking deck? Not a huge fan of Kamm's in general, but there is something to be said about the strip of shops and retail they have on Lorain.
February 19, 20205 yr Last one of these affordable housing posts today, sorry for the spam! Latest round of state affordable tax credits! Franciscan Annex is a proposed development of 63 new construction units of senior housing being added to an existing complex of 174 units. https://ohiohome.org/ppd/proposals/2020/SeniorUrban/FranciscanVillageApartments.pdf
February 19, 20205 yr 2 hours ago, tykaps said: Last one of these affordable housing posts today, sorry for the spam! Latest round of state affordable tax credits! Franciscan Annex is a proposed development of 63 new construction units of senior housing being added to an existing complex of 174 units. https://ohiohome.org/ppd/proposals/2020/SeniorUrban/FranciscanVillageApartments.pdf It’s not spam when it’s useful and interesting and exactly the kind of info people come here for. Thank you! When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
February 20, 20205 yr 4 hours ago, tykaps said: Last one of these affordable housing posts today, sorry for the spam! Latest round of state affordable tax credits! Franciscan Annex is a proposed development of 63 new construction units of senior housing being added to an existing complex of 174 units. https://ohiohome.org/ppd/proposals/2020/SeniorUrban/FranciscanVillageApartments.pdf I’m surprised we don’t see more development in Kamm’s Corners. The median income there has to be 6 figures. Not that I’m a development strategist but the area to me just feels ripe for growth. And I do love me some West Park bars.
February 20, 20205 yr Theres pretty steady development going on here, just nothing sexy and exciting like other neighborhoods. Several storefronts and buildings have been renovated and have new businesses in them, the Animal Hospital tore down two buildings in its gear up for a major expansion. It's a slower, steadier neighborhood for sure.
April 8, 20205 yr Building permit was filed online for the new Animal Hospital expansion at 4117 Rocky River. 17,600 sq ft of new construction according to the permit.
April 26, 20205 yr 3885 Rocky River Dr., formerly a Fifth Third Bank branch, changed hands on December 31st. My BIL told me he believes the same people that own Treehouse in Tremont have been there serving up free meals to anyone effected by Covid-19. Anyone know if they’re in fact the new owners and is it known if there are plans to convert the building to a bar/restaurant?
April 26, 20205 yr Not sure who the folks behind Treehouse are, but that property transferred 12/31/19 to an individual named Kevin Mooney. From the deed, his tax address is a home in Rocky River. Interesting the property should be in his personal name, because a mortgage was taken out in the name of 22650 Vess LLC - which is not registered with the Secretary of State (unregistered LLCs are not supposed to own property in the county, so perhaps that's why it's in his name). LLC address is listed at 22650 Vess Rd, Glenmont OH (per the mortgage) which appears to be a cabin in Mohican park. Imo its a shady transaction, though a sloppy one.
April 26, 20205 yr 3 hours ago, PoshSteve said: Not sure who the folks behind Treehouse are, but that property transferred 12/31/19 to an individual named Kevin Mooney. From the deed, his tax address is a home in Rocky River. Interesting the property should be in his personal name, because a mortgage was taken out in the name of 22650 Vess LLC - which is not registered with the Secretary of State (unregistered LLCs are not supposed to own property in the county, so perhaps that's why it's in his name). LLC address is listed at 22650 Vess Rd, Glenmont OH (per the mortgage) which appears to be a cabin in Mohican park. Imo its a shady transaction, though a sloppy one. Ha.. terrific ? Edit: It actually looks like Kevin Mooney will be using this property for his catering business, per an article in today’s PD Travel section titled “Ohio is for Tree Lovers”. .. couldn’t find it on Cleveland.com Edited April 26, 20205 yr by Sapper Daddy
September 5, 20204 yr On 4/26/2020 at 1:18 PM, PoshSteve said: Not sure who the folks behind Treehouse are, but that property transferred 12/31/19 to an individual named Kevin Mooney. From the deed, his tax address is a home in Rocky River. Interesting the property should be in his personal name, because a mortgage was taken out in the name of 22650 Vess LLC - which is not registered with the Secretary of State (unregistered LLCs are not supposed to own property in the county, so perhaps that's why it's in his name). LLC address is listed at 22650 Vess Rd, Glenmont OH (per the mortgage) which appears to be a cabin in Mohican park. Imo its a shady transaction, though a sloppy one. Full article from WPKND about Tree House Catering. They will run takeout and delivery as well. http://westparkkamms.org/the-mohicans-treehouse-plants-roots-in-cleveland/
September 5, 20204 yr On 2/19/2020 at 7:25 PM, Sapper Daddy said: I’m surprised we don’t see more development in Kamm’s Corners. The median income there has to be 6 figures. Not that I’m a development strategist but the area to me just feels ripe for growth. And I do love me some West Park bars. I’m surprised too. I’m really surprised that there isn’t a Lifestyle Center of some sort in Kamm’s, particularly when you look at the median income there and the suburbs bordering it. Seems to me too like there would be huge opportunities in that neighborhood
September 5, 20204 yr 38 minutes ago, inlovewithCLE said: I’m surprised too. I’m really surprised that there isn’t a Lifestyle Center of some sort in Kamm’s, particularly when you look at the median income there and the suburbs bordering it. Seems to me too like there would be huge opportunities in that neighborhood The biggest piece of developable land is at the West Park Rapid Station which was the subject of a masterplanning exercise a decade ago. And still it sits.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
September 5, 20204 yr 1 hour ago, inlovewithCLE said: I’m surprised too. I’m really surprised that there isn’t a Lifestyle Center of some sort in Kamm’s, particularly when you look at the median income there and the suburbs bordering it. Seems to me too like there would be huge opportunities in that neighborhood Kamms Corners has a 6-figure median income?
September 5, 20204 yr 1 hour ago, CLENYC said: Kamms Corners has a 6-figure median income? Yeah, that sounds high to me. Maybe that stretch of 237 against the metro parks by St. Joes?
September 5, 20204 yr There are some good opportunities like the Kmart lot and the Kamms Building. But it's important to have the right leadership to attract businesses. Plenty of underutilized spaces with apartments and retail space. Also, houses north of Lorain usually go for around 180-200k, and south of Lorain about 80-160k. And it's not like houses haven't been selling here, its just there hasn't been as much business development as one would expect. Two things I noticed that are pending: 4605 West 130th has a pending permit for an existing commercial structure, planning to add a grocery store and restaurant called "AZ Halal Foods" The building looked nice enough on Google Maps. Second thing I found was the sale of 16205 Lorain Avenue, which is the former Saymo Art Gallery building. I saw workers inside of it today, no idea who purchased it or what for though.
September 5, 20204 yr 5 hours ago, KJP said: The biggest piece of developable land is at the West Park Rapid Station which was the subject of a masterplanning exercise a decade ago. And still it sits.... Why has there been no movement on this?!
September 5, 20204 yr 2 minutes ago, inlovewithCLE said: Why has there been no movement on this?! Good question. It was updated by Cleveland State last year http://levin.urban.csuohio.edu/capstone2019/index.html
September 5, 20204 yr Bumping around the neighborhood on Google maps, Kamms really does have a nice diverse housing stock, and all looks to be in pretty good states of repair too. I don't know why I always thought it was bungalows over there. More of a South Euclid/Lyndhurst/University Hts of the west side, than the Maple Hts/Garfield I had in my mind. If the demographics are similar (adding in the bordering suburbs), maybe not a lifestyle center, but some decent sized mixed use developments could do well I'm sure.
September 8, 20204 yr We moved here because of the beautiful houses and the family oriented nature of it, all of which is constantly improving (lots of new families moving in, lots of significant upgrades to homes). If you poke around on Zillow for recent sales in the past 6 months, well maintained homes are generally in the $200-250k and talking to some agents most houses aren't up for more than a day or two before they sell, so the market is still red hot. There's lots of small commercial developments happening but I'm really surprised no one has made a bigger play yet with the housing market being where it is. Edited September 8, 20204 yr by tj111
September 8, 20204 yr 2 hours ago, tj111 said: We moved here because of the beautiful houses and the family oriented nature of it, all of which is constantly improving (lots of new families moving in, lots of significant upgrades to homes). If you poke around on Zillow for recent sales in the past 6 months, well maintained homes are generally in the $200-250k and talking to some agents most houses aren't up for more than a day or two before they sell, so the market is still red hot. There's lots of small commercial developments happening but I'm really surprised no one has made a bigger play yet with the housing market being where it is. I had a friend put in an offer $2,000 over ask in Kamm's. There were 32 offers on the house, and his offer wasn't in the top 5.
September 8, 20204 yr 3 hours ago, tj111 said: We moved here because of the beautiful houses and the family oriented nature of it, all of which is constantly improving (lots of new families moving in, lots of significant upgrades to homes). If you poke around on Zillow for recent sales in the past 6 months, well maintained homes are generally in the $200-250k and talking to some agents most houses aren't up for more than a day or two before they sell, so the market is still red hot. There's lots of small commercial developments happening but I'm really surprised no one has made a bigger play yet with the housing market being where it is. Whereabouts in Kamms are you?
September 8, 20204 yr FWIW, I've had two mail offers to buy my Kamms house this summer as alone. Last year, I had one offer. I'm near Impett Park.
September 8, 20204 yr I have lived in the Kamm's area for over 20 years. The neighborhood I live in is beautiful with homes of the same vintage and style as Rocky River and Lakewood. My concern is the wave of blight which is getting worse and is not being addressed. There is so much potential in the neighborhood but until something is done to improve the commercial district,
September 8, 20204 yr 1 hour ago, Growth Mindset said: I have lived in the Kamm's area for over 20 years. The neighborhood I live in is beautiful with homes of the same vintage and style as Rocky River and Lakewood. My concern is the wave of blight which is getting worse and is not being addressed. There is so much potential in the neighborhood but until something is done to improve the commercial district, I wonder how many city cops and firefighters ended up eventually leaving the neighborhood after the residency requirement was shot down?
September 8, 20204 yr 1 minute ago, Cleburger said: I wonder how many city cops and firefighters ended up eventually leaving the neighborhood after the residency requirement was shot down? In Kamm's , not as many as you would think. Initially, there was a rush but it settled. The neighborhood is where their families, churches, and schools (St Joseph, and OLA also not so far from St. Ed's) are. Not to mention, but when the residency requirement was lifted, property values in the neighborhood were down.
September 8, 20204 yr So in other words there's no Kamms development to talk about. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
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