October 18, 201311 yr ^^ I laughed to myself when I read that too. I believe that 6-8 floor extension rendering is from the previous owner who was going to turn the building into a residential redevelopment, right? I will be really excited when I start seeing construction workers there. All too often it seems like things are announced and then they never actually happen... :cry:
October 18, 201311 yr I'm nervous the "parking garage" is going to be the ground floor of the buildings with an entrance on Euclid Avenue in the black building next to Statler Arms making that two garage entrances in a row. Terrible for pedestrians.
October 18, 201311 yr There is a conceptual rendering in this document: http://www.city.cleveland.oh.us/clnd_images/ED/PublicNotices.pdf
October 18, 201311 yr I'm nervous the "parking garage" is going to be the ground floor of the buildings with an entrance on Euclid Avenue in the black building next to Statler Arms making that two garage entrances in a row. Terrible for pedestrians. That is indeed what the "conceptual" rendering in the application report (thanks, Ink!) shows. It's not awesome, but of all the facades in that complex, it's the one I'd be most OK punching through with driveways.
October 21, 201311 yr ^ Not sure that it affects my opinion of parking entrance on Euclid one way or the other, but FWIW, this parking entrance would be immediately adjacent to the existing Statler Garage.
January 23, 201411 yr www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/10/starwood_announcement_signals.html As usual Michelle has more information than the other articles which are just rehashes of the press release. There were questions about an interior atrium and the large floor plates. Pete Whiskeman, a partner in the project, said Thursday that environmental clean-up of the property is complete and interior demolition to create a central atrium in the complex should start within three weeks. He and other members of the development team have been working on the deal since 2010. Does anyone know whether the interior demolition ever actually started? I walk past this building every day, and from all appearances, things have been completely quiet since this news broke last October.
March 21, 201411 yr http://www.epa.state.oh.us/News/OnlineNewsRoom/NewsReleases/tabid/6596/articleid/535/downtown-cleveland-properties-receive-covenant-not-to-sue-under-ohio-epas-voluntary-action-program.aspx 3/20/14 PUBLIC INTEREST CENTER: (614) 644-2160 MEDIA CONTACT: Linda Fee Oros CITIZEN CONTACT: Mike Settles Downtown Cleveland Properties Receive Covenant Not to Sue Under Ohio EPA’s Voluntary Action Program The city of Cleveland and JHB Hotel LLC have received a covenant not to sue under Ohio EPA’s Voluntary Action Program (VAP), after investigating and remediating downtown properties. The covenant covers 1.2 acres on Euclid Avenue near E. 9th Street, including the John Hartness Brown Building (1001-1021 Euclid Ave.) and a neighboring building (1101 Euclid Ave.). Historic use of the properties included offices and a variety of retail establishments. Now that remediation is complete, plans are to redevelop the buildings into a hotel with retail. Following standards developed by Ohio EPA, the city and JHB Hotel hired a certified professional to assess the structures and address any areas of environmental concern. Remediation included removing wastes and asbestos-containing materials. A covenant not to sue protects the properties’ owners or operators and future owners from being legally responsible to the State of Ohio for further environmental investigation and remediation relating to known releases. This protection applies only when the properties are used and maintained in accordance with the terms and conditions of the covenant. In the 18 years since Ohio EPA issued the first covenant under VAP, more than 8,000 acres of blighted land have been revitalized at nearly 400 sites across the state. -30- "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 24, 201411 yr Additionally, Starwood, the corp that runs the Le Meridian flag, has on their website that this hotel will be "Opening March, 2016". That will give them 4 new hotels in the Cleveland Area in 3 years.
May 25, 201411 yr What is the situation with these buildings Hopefully work starts soon. I walk by them every day and haven't seen much activity. These buildings (and the old CAC nearby) have some terrible smells coming from them.
May 26, 201411 yr Saw this on REED. It's the most recent activity I can find. Look's like it's in design phase.
June 16, 201410 yr Did anyone else notice any activity this week? I dropped my car off at Conrads on Friday morning and then decided to walk home since it was such a nice day. I noticed a decent amount of workers going in and out of the building. There was also a bucket truck there being used.
June 16, 201410 yr The same guy who told me about Jacobs Public Square parking lot also told me this project is about to get underway in earnest. Not sure if Earnest will enjoy that, but.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 16, 201410 yr The same guy who told me about Jacobs Public Square parking lot also told me this project is about to get underway in earnest. Not sure if Earnest will enjoy that, but.... Finally! Waiting for these projects to start up gets me so impatient. But this is awesome. That means every empty building will finally be undergoing work except the CAC on that stretch. I'm really excited to see how the Le Meridien comes together...
July 21, 201410 yr Hotel plan banking on a new crowdfunding effort Local company hopes to raise $7 million for project from investors By STAN BULLARD Originally Published: July 20, 2014 4:30 AM Modified: July 21, 2014 9:28 AM Neighbor-helping-neighbor might be one way to put it, but the multimillion-dollar stakes are much bigger than sharing a cup of sugar in an emergency. Vestor, a startup crowdfunding site for real estate investments based at the Keith Building, 1621 Euclid Ave., has signed on to try to help developers fill a sudden $7 million hole in the $64 million plan to transform three dilapidated buildings at 1101 Euclid Ave. into a LeMeridien hotel. The emergency aspect loomed as Sandusky-based hotel consultant Lonnie Burghardt was close to ending a five-year quest to turn part of the stretch of Euclid into a 206-room hotel with a 150-seat, first-floor restaurant. Investor groups, the Starwood Hospitality Inc. brand and the capital stack were ready to go. READ MORE AT: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20140720/SUB1/307209979/1276/newsletter07 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 21, 201410 yr If true, fantastic news! Official announcement and construction for Le Meridien to come shortly according to Joe Marinucci http://www.19actionnews.com/story/23592659/the-vision-of-downtown-construction-euclid-ave-from-e-9th-to-e12th Oops! [referring to Marinucci, not mrclifton] Oh well, hopefully crowd-sourcing works. There's a perverse logic to it in a place like Cleveland where the local boosters are more bullish than the national lenders.
July 21, 201410 yr I strongly oppose the Euclid Avenue storefront parking garage entrance, but ill take it if thats the only way these buildings can get rehabbed and finally brought back to life. That stretch is currently a huge embarrassment for the city. Fortunately it can also become one of the best stretches in the city.
July 21, 201410 yr ^On the bright side, though, all the parking would be in the basement or on the first floor, behind retail space, which is kind of the ideal for on-site parking. ^^Great find, JG. Interesting stuff in the plans, including a rooftop bar and street-facing club/bar. Also, it's tough to read, but I think one of the retail spots is labeled "Cleveland Museum of Art." Not sure what that's all about.
July 21, 201410 yr I strongly oppose the Euclid Avenue storefront parking garage entrance, but ill take it if thats the only way these buildings can get rehabbed and finally brought back to life. That stretch is currently a huge embarrassment for the city. Fortunately it can also become one of the best stretches in the city. The saving grace is that the Euclid entrance is one-way. The exit is out the back alley, so at least you don't have a double-wide garage door at the sidewalk. The only problem is it's right next to the Statler arms garage, so that makes a pretty big curb cut. I like the overall plan. Creative use of space considering the lack of parking and exterior windows. The atrium should make the non-Euclid facing rooms tolerable at least. It looks like they are planning a restaurant on the second (mezzanine) level. Maybe overlooking the atrium? Hard to tell with the small pictures.
July 21, 201410 yr "Due to open in Fall 2017, the Le Méridien Cleveland will be located at 1001-1101 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland" I thought the original idea was sometime in 2016? Is that a typo? https://www.instagram.com/cle_and_beyond/https://www.instagram.com/jbkaufer/
July 21, 201410 yr ^The Crains piece KJP linked to says "Most recently, Burghardt and his partners in the project planned to open the hotel by January 2016. However, that schedule may slip some because of the financing hiccup." I don't think we know anything more than that.
July 21, 201410 yr ^ In the Crains article above they mention the date will probably be pushed back due to the funding issue, but sounds like they arent worried about rushing just to be open for the RNC. They are opening the Le Meridien based on ALL the growth in Cleveland, not just for the RNC
July 21, 201410 yr ^ In the Crains article above they mention the date will probably be pushed back due to the funding issue, but sounds like they arent worried about rushing just to be open for the RNC. They are opening the Le Meridien based on ALL the growth in Cleveland, not just for the RNC In all fairness, I don't think anyone is opening jsu tfor the RNC. If hotels are open by then, sure, that's an added bonus. I think most brands just realized that Cleveland was an un-tapped market.
July 21, 201410 yr Gotribe you are right, I just meant unlike the Hilton project, which is being heavily pushed specifically for the RNC, the Le Meriden has a more flexible time table.
July 22, 201410 yr Interesting that Starwood still says March 2016, but those dates are always moving. Is it possible that the hotel could open while other portions of the project are still in various states of construction?
August 11, 201410 yr Hopefully they get this going before the building crumbles away! Also, not sure if anyone else has noticed, but the dusty windows have become a place for people to write profanity and the doors have become public restrooms. I really hope to hear some good news about this project soon.
August 11, 201410 yr What an awful scene while so many visitors are in town. That's embarrassing. I hope mjarboe[/member] takes note of this -- and gets pictures of it. Perhaps she can use these and credit the photographer and/or UrbanOhio.com ? "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 11, 201410 yr This is super embarrassing - winterton[/member] did you call the DCA or anyone? I talked to Joe Cimperman who in turn notified CPD. Also tweeted at the DCA.
August 11, 201410 yr This is super embarrassing - winterton[/member] did you call the DCA or anyone? I talked to Joe Cimperman who in turn notified CPD. Also tweeted at the DCA. Nice - thanks for that
August 12, 201410 yr This is super embarrassing - winterton[/member] did you call the DCA or anyone? I dont think it's embarrassing. It could happen anywhere at any time. I look at it this way, let be glad it wasn't worse and there were no injuries.
August 13, 201410 yr Hopefully they get this going before the building crumbles away! Also, not sure if anyone else has noticed, but the dusty windows have become a place for people to write profanity and the doors have become public restrooms. I really hope to hear some good news about this project soon. Haha winterton, you passed me on the street while I was on the phone with the city about this! I saw you snap a couple pictures and figured it had to be someone from UO!
August 13, 201410 yr The owners should at the very least be maintaining the building in a safe condition while they continue to seek funding for the hotel. There's no excuse for hazardous eyesores like this. Clean it up.
August 15, 201410 yr I think rooftop bars are key for downtown Cleveland. You need amenities that you don't have in the suburbs to bring people down: sports stadiums, casinos, museums, etc. Yes, you could have a rooftop bar in the suburbs, but it wouldn't be as high and therefore not as impressive.
August 25, 201410 yr ^I'm really hoping those pics were taken on Sunday morning??? Not much activity.
August 25, 201410 yr ^I'm really hoping those pics were taken on Sunday morning??? Not much activity. They were taken today but don't worry I just happen to catch it at a weird moment. There were lots of pedestrians. ;) They were putting up the scaffolding (they whatever you call those) while I was taking it so a lot of people were going around.
August 25, 201410 yr More pics of the scaffolding going up. photo 2 by 1af0298d3cb7af591d07a811b33f5489, on Flickr To the bottom left in this pic. photo 1 by 1af0298d3cb7af591d07a811b33f5489, on Flickr
August 25, 201410 yr I'm slightly worried that the sole purpose of the scaffolding is to mitigate the owner's liability, as opposed to an indicator of progress. Fingers crossed that this is a sign of something more.
August 25, 201410 yr I'm slightly worried that the sole purpose of the scaffolding is to mitigate the owner's liability, as opposed to an indicator of progress. Fingers crossed that this is a sign of something more. I suspect it's the liability issue, owing to the building's worsening case of leprosy. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 25, 201410 yr I'm in shock at the lack of cars or people on the streets. These photos should be a reminder that Cleveland has a very long way to go.
August 26, 201410 yr I'm in shock at the lack of cars or people on the streets. These photos should be a reminder that Cleveland has a very long way to go. I agree Cleveland does have a long way to go. I'll also say that I've noticed a reduction in traffic on Euclid since the completion of the BRT. Had this been a pic of the Carnegie and East 9th intersection it'd be a COMPLETELY different story. The single lane for through traffic, bus only lane, delivery trucks parked in said through traffic lane and the weaving in and out of lanes you have to do all make Euclid a hassle to travel. Especially when the east side has a plethora of other thoroughfares to use.
August 26, 201410 yr I'm in shock at the lack of cars or people on the streets. These photos should be a reminder that Cleveland has a very long way to go. See more of Euclid at more hours of the day. I do -- my office is at East 9th and Euclid. Because of the number of buildings still awaiting attention, this short section is more devoid of pedestrians than any other part of Euclid downtown, which is otherwise very busy with peds. As for car traffic, see Mov2Ohio's message as to why. No need for a million testimonials on Euclid traffic. Make a new thread in city discussion on ped traffic if you want to discuss it further. Thanks. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 26, 201410 yr Anyone know how that Vestor is coming along? I wish it were like Kickstarter so we could see investment progress.
August 26, 201410 yr Vestor is a local start-up that allows crowdsourcing for real estate investments, http://www.vestor.co/
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