u have every schematic that i have..... if youre interested in seeing more i would highly reccommend going to the next meeting... which should be comming up sometime this month. when i get a date, time and location i will post them.

^well that would be quite a drive for me and then back in time for work, so i hope you can go.

 

do you mean that milan park business district drawing is it? i was hoping there was more, esp the quarry pool idea. maybe there will be more at the meeting? if you go ask when are they actually going to purchase the land, that's a big next step.

 

 

mrnyc-

 

I'll try to make the meeting.  Most of them interfere with my work schedule as well.  However, from what I have seen on local broadcasts of the meetings... it appears there are about 7 or 8 drawings.... if i make the meeting ill take my camera and post them. 

 

And concerning the date of land purchase... a date I have heard rumored is August 5... take that for what its worth.  But keep in mind that their option on the land is up sometime in August so if we get past then i would consider the deal dead.

The only new schematic in the PD article was basically the same as the overhead one already posted.  Except it showed that the southernmost quarry would be the one covered by the dome and made into the indoor beach, which I didn't know until I saw it.

 

Also, yeah at the meeting I went to, there were about 8 different renderings like the ones on the first page.  Some of them were of the waterfilled quarry surrounded by retail and offices, some of them of the main plaza area, and others of the different rec areas and golf course.

Quarry talk slated for end of June

from Amherst News-Times (6-16-05)

 

The next meeting to discuss the $1.5 billion Cleveland Quarries Development by Trans European Securities International of England will be held Wednesday, June 29, at 7 p.m. at Firelands Middle School in South Amherst.

 

The purpose of the meeting is to recieve a report of the project's status now that rezoning measures in Brownhelm Township, South Amherst, and Amherst Township have been approved.  TESI spokesperson Neil Pike will be present, and the meeting is open to the public.

 

 

Developer: Resort construction should start in a year

MATT SUMAN, Morning Journal Writer06/30/2005

 

SOUTH AMHERST -- An England-based developer told government officials and residents last night construction of the golf course portion on a planned 998-acre leisure resort should start about a year from now.

 

 

''The first thing you'll see is the golf course,'' Neil Pike, of Trans European Securities LLP, told the crowd of more than 100 that packed into the sweltering gym at South Amherst Middle School last night. The golf course, restaurants, bars and retail stores will all be open to the public, and people who buy housing on the site will have automatic memberships to the golf course, he said.

 

 

steele excellent job on the renderings --- yeah some are blurry who cares now i get a much more clear idea. can you imagine if all those office/residential towers are built? i wish it were downtown cleveland instead, but still holy cow. maybe some euro business offices will locate there? that could be a nice shot in the arm to ne ohio and bring in some new immigration. the aerials help a lot too, wow thats a lot of great journalism work you did there!

 

i'm still pretty dubious -- until land is purchased (august?) and until more than a golf course goes up (two years?), but it's all looking a lot better overall today.

 

 

 

 

yeah man, good job on the pictures.   Was that you there at the beginning of the meeting snapping pictures?  If it was I saw ya there.  I managed to get a few pics when I was leaving but I was in a hurry to get somewhere so they're not the best.  I got the second 2 a bit clearer though so maybe I'll try to upload them someplace.

 

Aren't those renderings great, though?  That place would definately be amazing when it gets built.

 

Anyway, the meeting went basically the same as it says in that article.  Neil Pike was there along with the other Brit guy, and the first question that was asked was when they planned to buy the land.  He said he was aware of the deadline and would buy it before it was up.  He sounded very sincere about the plans so it looks as if everything is still on track.

Thanks guys, I apreciate that.  And yea jskiboarder, that probably was me.  I was only there for a few seconds because I had to be at work at 730.  And sorry about the blurry pics, lol they looked alot better on the camera before I uploaded them.  I am also blown away by these renderings, I can't wait to see this all come together.  Here's another article I found this morning, from the PD.

 

---

 

Developer predicts quarry town project finished by 2012

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Molly Kavanaugh Plain Dealer Reporter

South Amherst -- The British developer of a $1.25 billion residential-recreational-retail project told residents that hotel details could be announced by year's end, followed next summer by road and golf course construction.

By 2008, one of the quarries is to be transformed into a beach covered by a glass dome. The community should be complete by 2012.

"We pride ourselves on quality development," Neil Pike told 100 residents and local officials who piled into a sweltering school gymnasium Wednesday night to hear an update on the project.

The Trans European Securities International development encompasses parts of South Amherst Village and Amherst and Brownhelm townships. All the necessary zoning is in place; the next step is to begin purchasing property from Cleveland Quarries, Pike said.

"We've had tremendous cooperation. In England, we don't get this cooperation, and it's marvelous," Pike said.

Some residents of this rural community said they are skeptical.

"My fear is that we're going to get a lot of low-income retail like Wal-Mart," said Nicolette Allsop, a native of South Amherst, after the meeting. "I don't doubt his word, I just have to see it."

One woman came on behalf of her brother, who owns the family's 200-year-old homestead bordering the quarry. Laurel Beam said she was relieved to hear Pike say he has no interest in purchasing the property, but she expressed concern that a high-rise building will destroy their view.

Others asked questions about the impact on schools and roads. The gated residential community is to house about 18,000 people, double the population of all three communities combined. Pike said he will begin a traffic study after Labor Day.

Pike was able to answer all but one question. "Are you going to give the local guys perks to the golf course?" one audience member asked.

Pike paused for a moment. "I have no idea," he said. The golf course and other recreational facilities will be open to the public.

More public forums are planned, and a Web site is to be in place early next year so residents can track its progress. Right now, the project's working title is Cleveland Quarries, and while that may change, Pike said he wants a name that reflects the local community.

"Not Pike Place," he quipped.

 

This project ewxcites me in that it will help jumpstart NE Ohio's economy.

What sort of impact do you guys envision this having on 1) NE Ohio and 2) the "Amherst area"??

Big.   It might not bring in large amounts of businesses to Amherst itself, but it will bring it recognition.  Like, no one really heard about Vail or Aspen until the ski resorts were built there.  In fact the cities themselves aren't all that big, but every year lots of people travel there to ski which has brought them a lot of recognition and money to build them up.

 

I'm sure a lot of businesses will be built on-site and close to the quarry resort though, and many big businesses might consider locating to Cleveland.

 

So if they build a world class golf course (and a big domed water sports facility right by it) to the professional level the developers intended, and if it attracts big golf tours, it'll definately bring lots of attention and people to Amherst.

 

As far as NE Ohio goes, it'll probably become a tourism capital of Ohio.  Actually, it's more like North-central Ohio with the area from Cedar Point to Cleveland.  Like you guys were mentioning earlier, you'd have CP, the islands off Sandusky coast, and then this resort when they build it.

'There's no chance of us backing out'

British firm ready to purchase quarries and start breaking ground next summer

by JASON HAWK, Amherst News-Times

 

The message was simple:

"There's no chance of us backing out," British industrialist Neil Pike told a crowd of more than 100 sweating residents who packed into the sweltering South Amherst Middle School gymnasium last Wednesday night.

 

Pike plans to spend as much as $1.5 billion to reshape the defunct Cleveland Quarries into a Caribean-style resort and spanned the 3,500 mile gap from England last week to speek on the deal.

 

His company, Trans European Securities International, will purchase 998 acres from the American Stone Company for $24 million over the next three years, and is prepared to make an initial $5 million pay-out before Aug. 31.

 

Mail your suggestions to the Amherst News-Times at P.O. Box 67, Amherst.  We'll print the best resort name suggestions in our upcomming issues.  (include your name)

Here's a couple pics that're a bit clearer

 

Medium-rise apartments

 

Hi-rise apartments

 

You know which rendering I'd really love to see?  A rendering of the enclosed beach with glass dome over it.  That would be so amazing.

 

 

Also, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th names on that list are hideous.  Quarry Shores would be cool though.  Was that one you came up with Steele, or did you just highlight it in the article?

nice pics. :clap:  and "quarry shores" was my idea.  8-)

 

haha can you imagine.... buckeye digs... lmao

 

 

lol, yeah that would be horrible..

 

My vote would go for either Quarry shores,  or the idea I sent in, Quarry Lodges.  Similar to the first proposed name, but it keeps the historical quarry image.

22 days left...

-Gray Canyon

In spring of 1869, R.P. Wilson of Cleveland purchased about 40 acres to begin quarry opperations.  Later it became the renowed No. 6 Quarry, or Gray Canyon, which was reputed to be the largest single sandstone quarry in the world.

 

-Clough's Quarries

Baxter Clough became the sole owner of the Gray Canyon Quarry in the 1870s and was among the first to use the docks in Vermilion to export stone.  He also conducted expritiments to improve quarrying mahinery and make extracting stone cheaper.

 

-Kendeigh's Corners

The corners are located in the vicinity of Kendeigh Cemetery at the intersection of Middle Ridge and Quarry Roads, a stone's throw away from the pits.  The Kendeighs were farmers, but were among the first settlers of the area.

 

-Buckeye Digs

The chief product of the Ohio Quarries Co., started in 1903, was called "Buckeye gray sandstone.  The Buckeye quarry was said to be among the deepest in the world.

 

Those names suckass.  No offense, but few people care about local farmers who may or may not have settled the area, especially the tourists that Cleveland hopes to attract.

So Aug. 31st is the deadline?  Should be hearing some news soon here.

The British-based Trans European Securities International will get the stone company and its 900 acres of dormant quarry property and 185 acres of active stone quarrying land, which encompasses portions of Amherst, South Amherst and Brownhelm Township, American Stone Corp. Chairman Tom Roulston said Wednesday.

 

 

Trans European is also close to an agreement to buy American Stone in its entirety, American Stone Chairman Thomas Roulston II said. The deal would give Trans European control of the 185-acre Birmingham Quarry in Erie County, which still contains more than 435 million cubic feet of sandstone.

 

The total purchase would amount to $30 million, Roulston said.

 

Developer Neil Pike could not be reached for comment about the purchase of American Stone. Earlier Wednesday, Pike said his firm was ready to move the quarry project along.

 

Ronald Twining, Lorain County director of community development, said he was breathing easier now that the purchase agreement was signed.

 

"As residents, we've all been skeptical, our outlook shortsighted," Twining said. "But Pike's vision is worldwide. He believes it will work. And so do I."

 

The $1.25 billion project encompasses parts of South Amherst village and Amherst and Brownhelm townships, which approved zoning changes to keep the project moving.

 

Pike said in May that a traffic impact assessment, followed by an environmental assessment, would begin in September. Construction of the golf course, homes and roads is scheduled to begin next summer.

 

The project's centerpiece, an all-weather beach protected by a huge dome of glass, plastic and steel over one of the five quarries, should be completed by 2008, and the entire community by 2012, Pike said.

 

thats a big step, am i right that now they can start to build on part of it?

 

also, not to be debbie downer, but they now describe this project as a golf course with housing and a hotel. no mention of all the office stuff and towers as seen on the renderings. what happened, did they scale it down dramatically?

 

First of all, the price: $1.25 billon, remains the same.  Secondly, both the articles DO mention "an all-weather beach protected by a huge dome of glass, plastic and steel over one of the five quarries".  And finally, it would be, in a sense, REDUNDANT to list EVERY aspect of this development.  Especially since they've been listed soooo many times before.

 

yea nyc, I took it as now they have rights to the land.  But I don't think construction will start until next spring/summer.

 

 

Bottom line is, the project is for REAL.

 

-- A British development company signed an agreement Wednesday to buy five retired quarries and transform them into luxury homes, a seven-star hotel and a world-class golf course.

 

well the project is real, but the scope remains in question.

 

the above quote is pretty straightforward and sounds like some predicted packpedaling. outside of the unique quarry swimming pool to come later, it is just a common golf course housing development. it's good news, but i'd be surprised if it ever comes to more than that, with the offices and all the more interesting stuff from the renderings that is. the renderings could easily be just bluff to get the inter-community go ahead and the land secured. will it end up as just another muirfield in dublin or oak hills in lorain? we'll see.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.  The final development plans will come out sometime around Chistmas, then we will know EXACTLY what they plan on doing.  This has potential to transform NE Ohio and Lorain County into a tourist hub....

 

-Cedar Point

-LE Islands

-Cleveland

-Quarries Project

 

not too bad of a sales pitch if you ask me...... but we'll just have to wait and see.

I'm very excited about all of this. I have been to Amherst only one time, and it was before I heard about all of this. I would love to go back there before winter starts and try to get some pictures of the quarries and proposed site. 2 questions to those who live nearby and have been to the site:

 

1) How do I reach the site from I-80? What exit #, what back roads do I take, etc.?

 

2) I am assuming the land is private property or is not open for anyone to walk about on, so are there any nearby vantage points to see the quarries?

 

Thanks for ongoing coverage Steele!! Keep it up!!

heres a map.... ummm the yellow X is a great spot to take pictures.  Quarry Road litterally sits on the edge of the largest quarry.  You can't miss it.  Good luck with the pictures!!

 

can someone please delete these last 3 posts of mine.  i dont know why but it wont let me. THANKS!

Fixed your post and deleted the others.  :-)

THANK YOU!

thank you for whoever can go take pictures of the area. it would be cool if we all can document the growth. the setting is going to look a heck of a lot different pretty soon.

 

steele thx for pointing out that the full plans will be out in a few months, you bet i'll look forward to that. ps you are the  king of maps i wish i knew how to do that stuff like mark on them its very helpful.

thanks nyc :-)

 

but anyways, here's yet another article from today's Morning Journal...

 

Developer on quarry project eyes more land

 

Amherst- In addition to 900 acres of the dormant Cleveland Quarries property developers are proposing to buy for a $1.25 billion resort, the firm also is proposing to buy a working quarry to help build it.

 

Tom Robinson, chairman of the South Amherst-based American Stone Corp., confirmed yesterday that England-based Trans European has an option to buy an additional 186 acres of the Birmingham Quarry, which is in operation along Harrison Road in Florence Township.

 

 

dang, you are fast steele.  I was going to post that Morning Journal article after work Friday but you had already beat me to it.

 

Anyway, this is definatelty the news I wanted to hear.  Personally I think Cleveland and it's west side is going to be a really hopping area a few years down the road here.  Should be interesting to see it grow.

dang, you are fast steele.  I was going to post that Morning Journal article after work Friday but you had already beat me to it.

 

Anyway, this is definatelty the news I wanted to hear.  Personally I think Cleveland and it's west side is going to be a really hopping area a few years down the road here.  Should be interesting to see it grow.

 

jskiboarder,

 

What part of the west side do you think will be hopping?  This project is so far out from Cleveland that I don't see much effect on Cleveland except for the far west suburbs. We all know that is not where growth should be.  Frankly, this project scares me.  I am not sure what to think.  In a bubble, it seems nice.  In relation to the whole, it may be a negative.  Convince me otherwise.

Here are a few benefits to Cleveland I thought of....

 

-it will bolster Cleveland's rep as a "tourist spot"

-it will bring THOUSANDS of jobs to the "west side", people may commute from Cleveland and the western inner-ring burbs.

-it will fill highways between Hopkins and Amherst with tourists (and their money)

-it will be a year-round draw...... what else around here draws tourists in the winter?

-large corporations may decide to locate in the Cleveland area simply because of the quality of the project, companies which might have been "uninterested" in Cleveland.  From Cleveland's perspective... 5,000 jobs would be more beneficial in Amherst, than if they went to Chicago, KC, or China instead.

wimwar the positive thing i thought of is that the backers of this are brits so if it pans out fully as hyped and as more than just a golf course it will give the cleveland area a new presence in the minds of some people in great britain and europe. even at worst the land was very underused and as a former nearly abandoned quarry its not exactly mere sprawl. we'll just have to wait and see what they can do with the property.

Hey, a new golf course benefits everybody!

lol..very true, sooner.

 

Everything was basically already mentioned that I thought of.  If they do this right, it'll bring lots of visitors to the west Cleveland area.  It'll create a link of entertainment areas down the highways and Turnpike from sandusky to cleveland.  Take a look at steele's list on the last page to see em all, plus the new Crocker Park in westlake.   Many people already travel on the nothern ohio highways/turnpike to go from midwest cities to areas out east, and back, and this will bring them into west Cleveland and increase interest in Cleveland itself.

 

Personally I think Cleveland is already a pretty active city.   It really just needs more draw to get decent jobs to come and stay there.   This certainly will be a large addition in itself,  and in the future it'll help attract more companies and people to the area.

I finally saw the Quarries today! And all I can say is HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I am so ecstatic after seeing it in person. First and foremost, I wasn't planning on being in Amherst, so I forgot my camera. But I stood exactly where Steele05 told me to stand, and DAMN was the view awesome. I just stood on the main road and stared at the quarry for quite some time. I can't believe how big and DEEP it is. Unfortunately, much of the land where the Cleveland Quarries project is at, is private property. I would love to return and explore the area in detail without trespassing. Quarry Road however, does have the perfect view of the Quarry from the road itself. You would need to park your car across the street and then you can stand up close and view. A couple things I noticed were tons of ABSOLUTELY NO TRESPASSING SIGNS, especially near the old abandoned factories/barns/warehouses near the quarries. Second, as I stood directly on top of the quarry, I got a little scared, as a fall would either result in death or drowning.. this is quite a ravine if you ask me (at least more than anything I've ever seen!)

 

I definately have to return to this area to see it again (and again, etc...). The way this Amherst Township looks now, especially near the quarries - I don't know how the hell they are going to be able to transform it into high rise hotels and beaches and so forth. Right now, it's country roads and extremely large farms/fields with little to no retail in the city. I was so freaked out by the quarry (the big one that is and the only one I could find) that I couldn't begin to picture all the woods/fields/farms as a future development area. Maybe the golf course, but it is going to be quite a freaking conversion of land and development. I am so excited about this project, as we will all witness a truly historical project come to fruition.

 

In continuing the assets this will provide for Cleveland and NE Ohio in general:

 

1) I guarantee that I-90/SR-2 will be widened/re-paved very soon. Currently 2 lanes each direction, horrible bumps and potholes, no median, no highrail lights, etc..

 

2) Connection of Lorain County to Cuyahoga County - development will ensue in the area between Crocker Park and the cities of Elyria and Lorain.

 

3) Hopkins will see a huge increase in # of people using the airport. Probably enough to expand even more. Or, Lorain County Airport will have to expand to a national airport.

 

4) Eventually will allow NE Ohio to include Cleveland-Akron-Canton-Lorain-Elyria-Mentor-AMHERST-SANDUSKY. In 10 years time, we may see our regional population jump with the people jamming the surrounding areas of Amherst, and with a connection of Sandusky and their 50,000+ people.

 

5) Oberlin will no longer be a college in the middle of nowhere.. it will be closer to Cleveland because Amherst will be in the spotlight and Oberlin is very close to Amherst. Oberlin is one of the best liberal arts schools in the world.

yay!! Finally someone else is excited about this project as I am!!!!

 

I'm assuming you never actually drove through (city of) Amherst, where there are maybe one or two farms left in the entire town....

 

The area around the quarries, however, is very rural, as bizbiz said.  But its only about a three or four minute drive to K-MART, GIANT EAGLE, WAL-MART, KHOLS, HOME DEPOT, ect.....

 

Yah Amherst is small, only about 14,000 people, but the city itself is not rural.

 

 

 

I was in Lorain today so I spent most of the day driving around exploring it in detail for the first time. I had been there many times only briefly. I also had the chance to drive thru Amherst today as well, and yes indeed, this is quite a developed city. The downtown seems very bizarre with a V-shaped setup of 2 streets going outward from a center point. I didn't see downtown other than drive past it. I did notice a hell of a lot of subdivisions, especially upscale and luxury houses. So yes, I do agree that Amherst is very developed while Amherst Township is not. I could swear there is one other Amherst, something like Amherst Village.. maybe I am mistaken. Oh, and I also was at the new Cleveland Clinic on the edges of Lorain-Amherst, it is quite big and looks like it has led to the spurring of spin-off development right next to it. I also noticed that Amherst's main retail district (entirely different than than the historical downtown area) looks to have been fully completed between 5-10 years ago, as the roads are now 5 lanes and there is fairly new shopping plaza's throughout. Do you live in Amherst Steele05? If so, I would love to ask some additional questions, as this was my very first time in the area other than brief trips to Elyria and Lorain. I am quite intrigued by the Quarries, and by some of those tall radio towers in the middle of nowhere.. they seemed pretty interesting and something that is uncommon in Cleveland (where I'm at). Thanks again for keeping this thread alive!!

Well bizbiz, yes, I do live here, and have my entire life.  So I'm pretty sure I could be quite helpful.

 

A few things:

 

The downtown streets come to a point, called the "Five Points", the downtown is going through some major renovations right now, lots of brick roads going in from what I hear, and many new businesses are opening up too.

 

There is no "Amherst Village".  Only Amherst, Amherst Township, and South Amherst (Village).

 

The Cleveland Clinic has been there for a while... maybe 5-10 years, not really sure.  And as far as spin-off developments in that area... there are MANY.  Deerfield Estates/Shops at Deerfield is going in across the street.  I think they are building a Heinen's and a Target there, and of coarse the "McMansions" are going up behind that.  Ummm.... in the field behind the clinic, an auto mall is under contruction.... Toyota, Lexus, Cadillac, etc.

 

And the main retail district.... a.k.a. ROUTE 58... isn't exactly finished... down the street from K-MART a 400,000 sq. foot shopping center is being built (Lighthouse Village), also shopping centers are planned next to Giant Eagle, and across from the Post Office.

 

If there is anything else you'd like to know, feel free to ask.  Like I said, I've lived here my whole life.. so ask away!

 

 

But just out of curiosity what makes you so interested in this project?  You wouldn't happen to be a developer would you?

 

Is this going to have some sort of Epcot government?  Is this going to be a "private" city?

No this is just like any other development, completely open to the public.  Except for the gatted communities of course.

biz i can chime in and help you with the lorain questions.

 

fyi downtown amherst was something else. in the days just before "the flats" in the early 80's and way before "the warehouse district" in cleveland it was one of quite a few scattered hopping nightlife areas (downtown elyria and north ridgeville were the two other nightlife nodes nearby). the pubs & streets of downtown amherst used to be packed at night with carousers all over the place most of the week if you can believe it.

 

those quarries are also something else indeed. they are the largest sandstone quarries in the world. it will be great in and of itself to put them back into use for recreation. and also i'm sure they will use some of the sandstone in the new buildings, however grand or humble this project ends up being.

 

Amherst = "Sandstone Center of the World"!! 

Couple of questions:

 

1) Are the quarries man-made?

 

2) If yes, how did they build them and when were they built?

 

3) How will the quarries be drained, considering they look VERY DEEP?

 

4) What exactly will a deep quarry be used for? I would be afraid to swim in it, it looks very deep and scary.. they obviously want to turn it into a beach... BUT HOW???

 

5) I am going to be in Elyria and Amherst on 9/16 (TOMORROW!!) and want to know if I can access the other quarries without trespassing. If so, how do I get to them... I know where Quarry Road is and I have seen the BIG quarry from the spectator site.. ya know where there is a gravel pull-off area across the street.

 

thx!

1) YES!

 

2) not sure

 

3) GOOD QUESTION!! but I dont think they, are THAT DEEP.  Maybe 10 feet or so.... deep enought to dive into!!

 

4) The quarry you saw... is not the one being used for the beach (I think thats #10).  That quarry isn't nearly as deep.  And all I really know is they want to build a steel/glass canopy over THE ENTIRE THING, DRAIN IT (however that may be), and basically make the thing into a giant WAVE POOL (with palm trees, beaches, etc.)

 

5) Well there is actaully a quarry on each side of the road there #3, and #4 on my map.  And if your willing to be brave.... quarries #5, #6, and #7 are accessible.  #7 is behind the old warehouse looking thing.  #5, and #6, are down a path, which starts on quarry road (directly across from the warehouse building).  Everything else seems too far into the woods to attempt.

 

Heres the map.... a very recent map... Id assume all trails/paths still exist. GOOD LUCK, can't wait to see your pictures!!!

 

and remember, this is an ABANDONDED QUARRY, basically no one will be around.  So I wouldn't worry all that much about the "NO TRESPASSING" signs.  If you are actually thinking about going down some of these trails, it might be a good idea to park your car somewhere besides Quarry Road.... like in  the Downtown South Amherst area or on Hornyak Street... and just walk it.

 

 

GOOD LUCK!!

steele wow great work that is a fantastic map! very cool, i cant wait to see these photos.