^Does anyone know the status of that project? [Fantasy One]

 

Dead as a doornail.

^Does anyone know the status of that project?

 

Its just a fantasy.

"perhaps the brick building in the foreground of MayDay's photos is one?"

 

That's the Metro Lofts project. I don't think the residents would care to be booted out ;-)

"Style Lounge Store of Premium Denim"... great to see a growing collection of clothing shops on West Ninth Street: JV Men's Clothing Loft, Suite Life, Brigade and now Style Lounge 

 

Is there any chance that this is in anticipation of Pesht?  Does anyone know if landlords in the area are hyping it up and trying to get people in on the ground floor, or is this just a natural development due to the amount of people living in the area?

Did we miss this one?

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/bza/agendalist.htm#

 

9:30    Ward 19

Calendar No. 06-198: 10717 Detroit Avenue Dona Brady 

      11 Notices

 

Helmut F. Schroeder, Trustee for the Gregory Alexander Trust, owner, and Deborah J. Gray, prospective tenant, appeal to change the use of an existing one-story masonry building to an art auction house with a 30 car accessory parking lot and affiliated retail use, proposed to be situated on a 53’ x 191’ parcel, located in a Residence Office District on the south side of Detroit Avenue at 10717 Detroit Avenue; subject to the limitations of a Residence Office District, an art house is not permitted and under the provisions of Section 359.01, the substitution of a nonconforming use requires the Board of Zoning Appeals approval; and an ornamental fence between five and six feet in height is proposed for security purposes where a fence in the required front yard, a ten foot specific setback, may not exceed four feet in height, as stated in Section 358.04(a) of the Codified Ordinances.(Filed 9-21-06)

^Great news from Collinwood.

 

Also, the JCU piece is of interest to me, as I grew up a stone's throw from campus.  They bought my grandparents' house about 15 years ago (they lived two houses from the tennis courts) and have used it as offices ever since.  There's always the fear from the community that the university will just start knocking down houses and building parking lots, but as this article states, that would be very difficult to achieve.  On the more positive side, I'd be happy to see some of the drab, old two-story apartment buildings on the circle rebuilt.  I'm sure that's not in the university's immediate plans, but they're certainly not as dense or attractive as they could be!

 

One last note:  I believe CVS is expanding into the old Russo's (later Giant Eagle) space in the Fairmount Circle retail/office building.  They've been tearing the thing up for weeks.  I was so sad to see the Russo's go.  It was such a great convenience to the neighborhood and it was a great place to cut my teeth as a bag-boy!

Oh man I have such fond memories of the commercial buildings there at Fairmount Circle (which is so much cooler than a crappy strip center) and the Russos.  After growing up shopping at that Russos with the 'rents, I'm still scared of the 50,000 sf grocery hangers that get built today.  Twas a simpler time back then...

^I still prefer the smaller places like Daves and Heinens. One thing I've noticed with the mega-grocers - they'll have dozens of registers, but only a handful open at any time.

One word:  Fazio's.  I used to go to the one on E260th with my parents as a kid.

And let's not forget Pic-n-Pay.  The one on Lakeshore Boulevard had these access panels on the floor in front of the produce section that made such a cool noise when you pushed a cart over them.  It was the highlight of a 7 year old's day.

Fazio's brings back memories...but its all about heinens! 

Russo's at Fairmount Circle had "break away" section of shelving at the end of one of its rows.  I remember walking through with my mom when I was a kid and seeing it open with boxes coming up on a conveyor belt.  I thought this was so kick ass!  Every time I'd go through the store after that, I'd try to look and see where the spot was, but never figured it out until I started working there in high school.

A new pizza place is opening soon on West 6th where the liquor store was, the liquor store is now on West 10th. Also, minor exterior rennovations on the Higbee building have begun.

A new pizza place is opening soon on West 6th where the liquor store was, the liquor store is now on West 10th. Also, minor exterior rennovations on the Higbee building have begun.

 

Glad to hear about the Higbee's building. I was noticing yesterday how sorry the building was looking.

A new pizza place is opening soon on West 6th where the liquor store was, the liquor store is now on West 10th. Also, minor exterior rennovations on the Higbee building have begun.

 

I noticed that pizza place on the way home from the Browns game ( :cry:) yesterday.  I had no idea that the market closed!  Anyone want to weigh in on if this is a good/bad thing?  Did the whole market move over to W. 10th or just the booze?

I wonder if the store moved because the owner sees the center of gravity in the Warehouse District moving west, what with the Flats East Bank? But I thought the FEB is supposed to have its own grocery store?

 

Perhaps it's a simple case of being offered a better deal...I dunno.

From Crain's:

 

[West Tech owners default on HUD loan

By STAN BULLARD

5:14 pm, October 26, 2006

 

The West Tech Lofts, the $30-million conversion of the one-time West Side high school to 189 apartment units, has defaulted on its U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-insured mortgage, one of the partners in the project announced today.

 

David Orlean of the Beachwood-based Orlean Co. said the project defaulted on a $15-million mortgage on the property in July and that Forest City Capital Corp., which administers the loan, has notified HUD it intends to assign the mortgage to HUD.

 

...

 

a weak rental market?  when will these nuts realize for the rents charge, people want to BUY!

 

the property looked nice, but wasn't marketed well IMO

I was going to say it's not in a great location, but then I thought about how many people want to live in dense housing near the freeway out in Mayfield and Beachwood and those are boring housing complexes.  This is at least unique to Cleveland and is much more centrally located.  Perhaps it was poor marketing, but the rental market is certainly not as strong as it could be...

a weak rental market?  when will these nuts realize for the rents charge, people want to BUY!

 

If historic tax credits were used, the developers have to make the property rental for either 10 or 15 years before it can go condo.

I know, but it sucks!  I haven't rented in cleveland in a while and this nice development seems like a steal, especially in the area its located in.

 

Seems like the developer used a "build it and they will come" method, but didn't properly advertise, work within or partner the community he is in.

It doesn't help that:

 

1. It's located very close to a high-crime area (Lorain and the West 70s/Colgate is pretty atrocious).

2. It's not located very close to major transit routes (that I know of).

3. It's not really located close to any amenities (shopping, etc.)

The surrounding area does not have a whole lot of amenities within walking distance.

It doesn't help that:

 

1. It's located very close to a high-crime area (Lorain and the West 70s/Colgate is pretty atrocious).

2. It's not located very close to major transit routes (that I know of).

3. It's not really located close to any amenities (shopping, etc.)

 

The surrounding area does not have a whole lot of amenities within walking distance.

 

Ahhhh...I applaud the developer for taking a risk!  However, it appears the developer didn't know the neighborhood he was building in?  I don't really know the neighborhood, but I hate it when developers take the cheap route out (based on the article) and blame it on the market.   I could be wrong, but he just doesn't seem very committed.

unfortunately with this type of financing the owner is severely limited in how to change to configuration of the property if the initial estimates don't work out. 

 

whereas the walker weeks building was able to discover the weak rental market for those units and transition straight to condo.

unfortunately with this type of financing the owner is severely limited in how to change to configuration of the property if the initial estimates don't work out. 

 

whereas the walker weeks building was able to discover the weak rental market for those units and transition straight to condo.

 

Yes, having your building designated as "historic" has its pluses and minuses, as a renter or homeowner, you gotta jump threw hoops in order to make any changes.  But I guess you SHOULD know that when you rent or purchase, but this is one of those things that you learn after the fact.

 

Off topic but I really like that Walker & Weeks Building for condos.

...it looks like View nightclub on Prospect called it quits. The sign is down and there is a note on the door, I was driving by so I didnt get a chance to read it.

 

Are you sure about that? Walking by today, it looks like they have a new sign and the note on the door was a schedule of their upcoming events...

i checked out the new liquor store.  apparently same people own (or lease both spaces) and they saw 2 distinct opprotunities:

 

1.  there was limited parking on w6 and for customers trying to pick up liquor (on their way home from work, other parts of downtown, etc., could rarely find parking).  w10 has ample street parking and is easily accessible.

 

2. saw a need for a pizza place that was open late night.

 

the new place is pretty nice, but certainly isloated.  i didn't really see much food or market type things, but there were plenty of non-alcoholic drinks and i think some snacks in addition to the liquor. 

I was wrong about View, sorry. I actually sopke with their GM the other day and he said that they went through a real rough time but things are starting to pick up.

So, this new space is an actual liquor store?  I certainly agree that there's a market for a place to get late-night eats down there.  On the weekends especially, but any old weeknight too!

I was wrong about View, sorry. I actually sopke with their GM the other day and he said that they went through a real rough time but things are starting to pick up.

 

Between mid September and Halloween is a REALLY dead time for bars.  The college kids have gone home and for some reason people just dont booze in October

Halloween is a great weekend, then in carries over to the holidays.

 

After the Super Bowl until St. Pat's is the other rough spot.

 

just for y'alls knowin'

I was wrong about View, sorry. I actually sopke with their GM the other day and he said that they went through a real rough time but things are starting to pick up.

 

Between Labor Day and Halloween is a REALLY dead time for bars.  The college kids have gone home and for some reason people just dont booze in October

Halloween is a great weekend, then in carries over to the holidays.

 

After the Super Bowl until St. Pat's is the other rough spot.

 

just for y'alls knowin'

 

Punch, I've heard similar.

 

Our "spirit" sales/marketing folks say sales in that category increase around the time that the NBA/NFL/NHL  are in competiton at the same time (November/December). 

 

I thought it was Valentines Days to St. Pats was the lowest selling time, especially in the cold climate states?  Granted its only a couple weeks we're talking here.

Can anyone tell me exactly where the W 6th Market moved to on West 10th?  Is it on the National Terminal building?

It's in Bridgeview. Go down St. Clair, turn right and you're in front of it.

It's in Bridgeview. Go down St. Clair, turn right and you're in front of it.

 

I love those directions!    If I didn't live in Cleveland, I wouldn't know where the hell that was.

That's like the directions my S.O. got to a recent wedding - "take I-480 to Miles Road. Go down Miles until East 175th." :wtf:

 

Not "make a left/right" or "go east/west" on Miles, just go "down". Needless to say, we realized we needed to turn around by the time we saw signs for Orange.

 

It sounds like this market is on the northeast corner of West 10th and St. Clair, which would be at the bottom of the St. Clair hill towards the Flats.

That's like the directions my S.O. got to a recent wedding - "take I-480 to Miles Road. Go down Miles until East 175th." :wtf:

 

Not "make a left/right" or "go east/west" on Miles, just go "down". Needless to say, we realized we needed to turn around by the time we saw signs for Orange.

 

It sounds like this market is on the northeast corner of West 10th and St. Clair, which would be at the bottom of the St. Clair hill towards the Flats.

 

OK.  One thing clevelanders need to do is give directions like folks on the East Coast.

 

Examples.   

Question:  Can you tell me where the Cleveland Board of education is?

Answer:  It's on East Sixth Street, between St. Clair and Rockwell.

 

Question:  Where is the House of Blues?

Answer:  On (southside of) Euclid Avenue between Public Square and East 4th.

 

 

^MTC..uh...MTS... That is how I always give directions!  And actually....my GF on the East Coast can't give directions for shit!  :)

^Well in Chicago you would say "its at 3200 north and 1400 west"

 

when I first moved here, someone gave me directions like that and I wanted to punch them.

After a month, I know it was on the corner of Belmont and Southport (Home of Schuba's)

As much as a Forest City hater as I've been in the past, here comes some good news about the Terminal Tower restoration.

kjmay had contact with the building manager of the Tower last week and here is a summary of what was said.

*The Terminal Tower should be relit by the end of this month or the beginning of next.  It will be a new and improved lighting scheme (LED fixtures), and should look interesting with the scaffolding until it is removed in a few years.

*Every mortar joint in the upper floors will be repointed, accounting for the 5 year time frame of restoration.

*The gold cupola on the top of the Tower is a match of the original color taken from existing paint chips which were found at the beginning of the restoration.

*All satelite dishes, antennas, and other assemblies other than the flag pole at the top will be removed permanently.

 

Looks like FC is doing this the right way, and may be a sign of their hopefully growing attitude about city.  We'll see what happens, but this is good news.

Now that's what I like to hear! :clap:

Great news about the rennovations.  Does anyone know what the construction in the Higbee building is for? I've heard a variety of things such as a visitors center, the proposed medical mart, office space etc.

The convention bureau is putting some offices and some sort of welcome center on the first floor. The upper floors are being prepared to go on the market. 

Kudos to FC for the TC renovations.  Can't wait to see the lights on!

 

See?  All it takes is a little well-placed PR to calm the masses!

Who are you calling "masses"?

 

Kudos to FC for the TC renovations.  Can't wait to see the lights on!

 

See?  All it takes is a little well-placed PR to calm the masses!

 

And kudos to working in a few more acronyms!  :-)

There seems to be a metallic surface peeking out from the scaffolding at the very top of the Terminal Tower this morning...

I looked at lunchtime and I could see something just beneath the uppermost ring of scaffolding. It was hard to see given the weather, but I want to say that it looks like another ring of scaffolding has come down.

There seems to be a metallic surface peeking out from the scaffolding at the very top of the Terminal Tower this morning...

I looked at lunchtime and I could see something just beneath the uppermost ring of scaffolding. It was hard to see given the weather, but I want to say that it looks like another ring of scaffolding has come down.

 

This is what I love about UrbanOhio. I've found a place where my interests are fully understood. :) 

And you've found a place where people don't look at you like you're some kind of freak simply because you notice stupid little things like another ring of scaffolding being removed. :-)

I looked at lunchtime and I could see something just beneath the uppermost ring of scaffolding. It was hard to see given the weather, but I want to say that it looks like another ring of scaffolding has come down.

 

So, its going to be a slow three-year long strip tease? Will they cover the lower half of the Terminal and do the same type of renovation once the upper portion is complete?[