"What disappoints me most is how close that parking is to the river.  Not only are there runoff issues (oil leaks and such,) but you'd think the developers would want the best possible views for their buildings."

 

Good points Confiteordeo.  Not sure which parking lots you are referring to as they all seem to be placed in the center of the development.  Not sure how detailed this masterplan is, but I too hope the developers will focus on the environmental ramifications of the development as  functional landscaping (bioswales, raingardens, etc) would not only enhance the ecological processes at the site, but enhance the aesthetics and appeal to shoppers, residents, etc. 

 

Re: this proposal, I am most interested in the creation of Old River Park and the boardwalk, the connection to Whiskey Island, the implementation of green design and functional landscaping, and the relationship of the entire plan to the the Cuyahoga and Erie being that  they are the most critical public/env assets.

Kosar to open steakhouse in Flats East Bank

Posted by Henry J. Gomez May 21, 2007 15:03PM

Categories: Breaking News, Economic development

Bernie Kosar, under center the last time the Cleveland Browns were Super Bowl contenders, is now under contract to bring a steakhouse to the Flats.

 

 

Bernie Kosar will be bringing a steakhouse to Cleveland's Flats.Still beloved in Northeast Ohio, the Boardman native is the first announced tenant for the $230 million mixed-use neighborhood planned for the East Bank. Randy Ruttenberg, a principal with lead developer Fairmount Properties LLC, confirmed that Kosar's management group has agreed to open a 6,700-square-foot restaurant and sports bar.

Ruttenberg, in Las Vegas for the International Council of Shopping Centers spring convention, said the concept will be similar to the Kosar-branded Bernie's Steakhouse near Miami. The retired quarterback keeps a home in south Florida.

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

 

a Bernie Kosar steakhouse.  AWESOME!  That actually is a perfect restaurant to go in there.  Its unique and people from outside of downtown would go down to the flats to eat there.  As long as its a quality place, people would go back.http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2007/05/kosar_to_open_steakhouse_in_fl.html

Theguv-  I'm talking about the parking lots south of "future entertainment" and the building to its left (both on the west bank.)  Looking at the image again, I'm not sure if these parking lots are preëxisting or not.

Good news.

Hasn't nybody noticed the two properties that stick out:

WATERPARK!!!

FUTURE ENTERTAINMENT (casino?)!!!

 

I also see what still appears to be a DFAS type building on the East Bank, the remnants f Lighthouse Landing, and a completely different looking layout for the East Bank in general (as opposed to what was shown (albeit, conceptually) previously.

 

Lastly, it looks as if the building that houses Metropolis is staying... not that it means anything special, but it is a cool building.

The parking lots shown are preexisting.  The plan we are looking at is a development plan for a private developer, not a neighborhood master plan, so I'd say that it is likely that Corna just doesn't anticipate having control of that land, or isn't looking to develop it at this time.  I don't think it shows an intent to keep surface parking on a massive scale as a part of the "vision" for the neighborhood. 

 

Musky, what changes are you talking about on the East Bank?  The proposal looks the same to me as their earlier proposal, except with the addition of a heavily modified Lighthouse Landing.

 

A waterpark?!  Yikes!

 

Notice also the building footprints being shown to the North of the East Bank development- I wonder how this matches with Stark's vision.  Certainly it looks like there won't be any connection between that development and Wolstein's in this plan.

 

And finally, a Bernie-themed restaurant.  That's even better than Al Bubba Baker's Bubba-Q in Avon.  They should call it "Almost Champps Americana" in ode to our glory days of being "contenders".

FUTURE ENTERTAINMENT (casino?)!!!

 

That would be nice.. especially if voters weren't attempting to be the moral arm of our state.

 

"Hey, we need to vote down casino gambling because it will lead to gambling addictions"

 

Because it's obvious that nobody can become addicted to horse racing or the lottery..

^^The corner where Fagins used to be looks different to me.

But I am guessing from memory

Regarding the East-West bank cooperation, I'm really surprised that the writer didn't cite the coordinator of this effort. Buliding Cleveland by Design (who will soon be led by a UO participant) is responsible for this partnering.

 

Great news about the east bank. I just got back from a 10-day vacation...have the ED proceedings come to a conclusion?

I wonder what effect the movie theatre will have on Tower City Cinemas. I'm glad it will be there though.

well, if the Medical Mart and the convention center go there, Forest City has said that it will remove the Tower City Cinemas. I'd much rather have an active cinema that invites folks onto the street than have one that buries them in the mall. I think the FEB would be a great location for the film fest.

Tower City has had its chance to make itself great and yet they have done nothing in the past decade to seriously improve themselves.  Its time to give someone else a chance.  In particular, someone that will push people into the streets rather than suck them into the guts of a building the way that TC does.

 

Don't get me wrong, as a downtown dweller (when I lived in C-Town) I would spend the better part of my weekend in/around Tower City, but I found myself always hoping that they would eventually announce a project to grow the mall.  If nothing else, to show that they are interested in investing in the city.  I find it incredible that places like Stamford, CT (which is by far, more empty and desolate that Cleveland) has a downtown mall that is spending millions to upgrade itself and already has a Target in the city yet TC could never bring itself to invest in order to improve.

 

And don't get me started with the fact that Midtown Miami (literally, no man's land - no matter how many new condos they put there) also has a multi-level Target.

 

It is now TC's time to pay the piper.  Between the East Bank project and the Zaremba project next to the Galleria, TC will become irrelevant.  The sad part is that it really didn't have to be this way...regardless of what they say about the demographic/economic shift that they claim has hurt them.  Seriously, you have to spend money to make money.

^look who owns tower city, and you could have saved yourself that entire post.

To hell with Forest City! They're the past and TC will no longer matter with all this new stuff planned!

To hell with Forest City! They're the past and TC will no longer matter with all this new stuff planned!

 

True, but I don't want to see Tower City cdecline completely especially if a new convention center and med mart are to go in . It will be the first thing seen by people coming off the red line and those at the conventions. maybe if retail does leave the mall for the street Tower City could be reinvented ala The Galleria. 

I have to disagree but I think TC's revival is just as important as any other project going on downtown!  The interior is gorgeous and any one of the proposed downtown projects will have to try VERY hard if they're to create something as unique as TC.  I've had guests from Chicago who were amazed that our train station was a mall.  Granted, ignorance is bliss, but they loved the concept.  Downtown Chicago is a different beast than Cleveland but they have Water Tower Place, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, and a Sak's mall (Yes Bloomingdale's and Sak's malls are depressing to walk around).  I really wouldn't say any of those 4 malls drain the street.  TC isn't that big either.    I really think with the right tenants in TC, we can maintain a vibrant downtown with one mall and a bunch of street level retail.  If Med. Mart and the Con. Center are a go in TC, wouldn't everyone think that it would be revamped to a high class mall to cater to all the convention goers and rich doctors?!?! 

If Med. Mart and the Con. Center are a go in TC, wouldn't everyone think that it would be revamped to a high class mall to cater to all the convention goers and rich doctors?!?!  

 

I bet all those docs would be very impressed with the dollar store.  In all seriousness, I think TC can be viable if/when the other projects are up and running and/or the convention center/med mart moves to behind TC.  Right now, all TC has to depend on are downtown employees and the people that come down for games etc.  No one comes to TC from the burbs just to shop anymore.  A large increase in downtown residents + convention center would fix this very quickly.

If Med. Mart and the Con. Center are a go in TC, wouldn't everyone think that it would be revamped to a high class mall to cater to all the convention goers and rich doctors?!?!  

 

I bet all those docs would be very impressed with the dollar store.  In all seriousness, I think TC can be viable if/when the other projects are up and running and/or the convention center/med mart moves to behind TC.  Right now, all TC has to depend on are downtown employees and the people that come down for games etc.  No one comes to TC from the burbs just to shop anymore.  A large increase in downtown residents + convention center would fix this very quickly.

 

Off topic, but I wonder why everyone who mentions Tower City has to mention that one dollar store and never the better stores like Brooks Brothers or Jonston & Murphy, Charlotte Rouse, or even Morton's Steakhouse.

Off topic, but I wonder why everyone who mentions Tower City has to mention that one dollar store and never the better stores like Brooks Brothers or Jonston & Murphy, Charlotte Rouse, or even Morton's Steakhouse.

 

You have immediately lost all credibility when it comes to the discussion of "better stores" in Downtown cleveland. I'll let MyTwoCents yell at you for brooks brothers.

If Med. Mart and the Con. Center are a go in TC, wouldn't everyone think that it would be revamped to a high class mall to cater to all the convention goers and rich doctors?!?!  

 

I bet all those docs would be very impressed with the dollar store.  In all seriousness, I think TC can be viable if/when the other projects are up and running and/or the convention center/med mart moves to behind TC.  Right now, all TC has to depend on are downtown employees and the people that come down for games etc.  No one comes to TC from the burbs just to shop anymore.  A large increase in downtown residents + convention center would fix this very quickly.

 

Off topic, but I wonder why everyone who mentions Tower City has to mention that one dollar store and never the better stores like Brooks Brothers or Jonston & Murphy, Charlotte Rouse, or even Morton's Steakhouse.

 

That's an easy answer.  Because its pathetic that a mall that once was home to Structure, J. Crew, Banana Republic, Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, Disney, Warner Bros., etc. etc. etc has to fill its vacancies with dollar stores.  This isn't all the fault of TC obviously, since they can't force people to choose to shop there instead of a suburban mall w/ the same stores.  At the same time, its extremely dissappointing to see what has happened.  Brooks Brothers is solid, and I believe recently signed a new lease, but they need a lot more to be viable.

Im certain it is just a generalizing way of saying "where it has gone" from "where it was" after it opened.

The dollar store going into a mall where at one time it could not have been conceived, typically is the signal of the death spiral that is taking place.  Tower City can and may be a bit of a different case, but it is still easy to make that connection..

Off topic, but I wonder why everyone who mentions Tower City has to mention that one dollar store and never the better stores like Brooks Brothers or Jonston & Murphy, Charlotte Rouse, or even Morton's Steakhouse.

 

Lord Please... :roll:

 

 

If Med. Mart and the Con. Center are a go in TC, wouldn't everyone think that it would be revamped to a high class mall to cater to all the convention goers and rich doctors?!?! 

 

I bet all those docs would be very impressed with the dollar store.  In all seriousness, I think TC can be viable if/when the other projects are up and running and/or the convention center/med mart moves to behind TC.  Right now, all TC has to depend on are downtown employees and the people that come down for games etc.  No one comes to TC from the burbs just to shop anymore.  A large increase in downtown residents + convention center would fix this very quickly.

 

Great point, how many people from the suburbs are going to drive downtown to go to a mall that doesn't have a department store anymore??  Until there is a serious downtown population, a mall will not thrive.

Let me add to that, a downtown population that has expendable income.  Aka.. young professionals.

I love coming home from school and contributing to the local economy!  I tell myself that so I don't feel bad spending $$$. 

If Med. Mart and the Con. Center are a go in TC, wouldn't everyone think that it would be revamped to a high class mall to cater to all the convention goers and rich doctors?!?! 

 

I bet all those docs would be very impressed with the dollar store.  In all seriousness, I think TC can be viable if/when the other projects are up and running and/or the convention center/med mart moves to behind TC.  Right now, all TC has to depend on are downtown employees and the people that come down for games etc.  No one comes to TC from the burbs just to shop anymore.  A large increase in downtown residents + convention center would fix this very quickly.

 

Off topic, but I wonder why everyone who mentions Tower City has to mention that one dollar store and never the better stores like Brooks Brothers or Jonston & Murphy, Charlotte Rouse, or even Morton's Steakhouse.

 

That's an easy answer.  Because its pathetic that a mall that once was home to Structure, J. Crew, Banana Republic, Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, Disney, Warner Bros., etc. etc. etc has to fill its vacancies with dollar stores.  This isn't all the fault of TC obviously, since they can't force people to choose to shop there instead of a suburban mall w/ the same stores.  At the same time, its extremely dissappointing to see what has happened.  Brooks Brothers is solid, and I believe recently signed a new lease, but they need a lot more to be viable.

 

It's interesting to note that none of those brands is considered exclusive anymore. In fact, does Structure even exist or has it gone to the world of private-label discount land? It's difficult for a mall like Tower City to prosper when it has the same stores as all the other malls and no community in which to draw upon.

 

The thing I fear with the East Bank and Pesht is they are going to drop a retail neutron bomb on the area. Combined, they are talking $2 billion worth of development downtown. Obviously, I like this, but I also worry about the idea of saturation. Fundamentally, there is nothing wrong with Tower City. As far a malls go, it's extremely nice. Maybe it could be adapted for another user.

Structure was and is owned by Express, it is now Express for Men.

I hope the quest for retailers is increasing the competition between East Bank and Pesht.  Actually what I hope is the competetion spurs the developers to be the first one with cranes in the air.

To hell with Forest City! They're the past and TC will no longer matter with all this new stuff planned!

 

That won't be the case if Forest City successfully lures the Medical Merchandize Mall and the convention center there.  It'll also be hard to say a place doesn't matter that has downtown's highest rated hotels and the main Rapid station connected to it, not to mention the Q, the Jake and the highest concentration of connected office space in one complex.

If Med. Mart and the Con. Center are a go in TC, wouldn't everyone think that it would be revamped to a high class mall to cater to all the convention goers and rich doctors?!?!  

 

I bet all those docs would be very impressed with the dollar store.  In all seriousness, I think TC can be viable if/when the other projects are up and running and/or the convention center/med mart moves to behind TC.  Right now, all TC has to depend on are downtown employees and the people that come down for games etc.  No one comes to TC from the burbs just to shop anymore.  A large increase in downtown residents + convention center would fix this very quickly.

 

Off topic, but I wonder why everyone who mentions Tower City has to mention that one dollar store and never the better stores like Brooks Brothers or Jonston & Murphy, Charlotte Rouse, or even Morton's Steakhouse.

 

That's an easy answer.  Because its pathetic that a mall that once was home to Structure, J. Crew, Banana Republic, Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, Disney, Warner Bros., etc. etc. etc has to fill its vacancies with dollar stores.  This isn't all the fault of TC obviously, since they can't force people to choose to shop there instead of a suburban mall w/ the same stores.  At the same time, its extremely dissappointing to see what has happened.  Brooks Brothers is solid, and I believe recently signed a new lease, but they need a lot more to be viable.

 

Didn't it sign Forever 21 and Underground Station and another store? i'm just saying, go to Randall Mall to see how bad it could be. As far as the declining retail, what did they really expect with almost no one living down there back then, let alone people that could afford Versace and Fendi?

yes, two more very original and top tier retailers.

I like to relate downtown Cleveland to Cleveland State currently, they're both commuter campuses.  CSU is known for not having much campus life because few students live on/near campus.  Downtown Cleveland is the same, a lot of people go down there to go to work, but don't spend much time down there other then work and the occasional sporting event.

yes, two more very original and top tier retailers.

 

Their not top tier, but you'd be surprised how many girls around my age go crazy for Forever 21, even driving to Columbus for it before they opened one in North Royalton and now Tower City. TC isn't attracting Louis Vuitton, but it isn't full of fly by night stores with plastic banners as their name plates either.

Downtown retail is tough in all mid size American cities, especially in the midwest.  Most have no or just one department store.  Read posts on urban Ohio about the death of Center City Mall in Columbus or the troubles at Tower Place in Cincy (and Cincy has a pretty good retail core with their Saks downtown and Macys right on Fountain Square)  I read the Pittsburgh Post on line a fair amount and they are always doing articles about the recent desertion of retail downtown and what is being done to try and revive it.  Downtown retail has not existed in Detroit for years.  I may be wrong but I think the only downtown Dillards store in the nation is in St. Louis and they have over 200 stores.  I am pretty sure Baltimore does not have a classic downtown department store nor does Denver.  This is not strictly a "Cleveland thing".

Do we have a thread for Tower City that we can move these last posts to?

 

Anyway, I do know who owns Tower City and that is what makes my previous thoughts on the matter so frustrating to me.  I get annoyed when I hear they spend gazillions developing an ex-airport in Denver and won't do the same with the Scranton Peninsula...a housing development in that peninsula with briges to Tower City would do wonders for the mall.  Yet, instead all they do is whine and say how retail is dying in Downtown Cleveland.  Well, like Htsguy said, this isn't just a "Cleveland thing" and they are smart enough to know that.

 

In my view they had two choices:

 

1. Use their vast resources to literally "build" their clientele

  1a. By developing Scranton

  1b. Instead of doing that nasty parking lot next to Sherwin Williams, put housing

  1c. Build a real ampitheater with housing, etc instead of what they did

  1d. Partner with the other leech to build a housing tower in that parking lot in Public Square

 

2. Sit back and watch one of the most beautiful assets of the city slowly deteriorate

 

We all know what they chose.

 

Again, don't get me wrong, TC is an asset and I would rather it was successful, but under the current ownership even if they did get the convention center and medical mart, I just don't see them doing the right thing, which is option 1 (a, b, c, d, e).  And as long as they don't, TC will be relegated to second fiddle.  Maybe even third if Zaremba is truly succesful with what they are building.

wonder how this will affect things?

 

Official admits voting before studying

Posted by Tom Breckenridge May 23, 2007 15:26PM

A member of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority board says he didn't read two key reports before voting at a hastily called special meeting in late 2005 to declare the port's intent to take properties on the Flats east bank for a $230 million project.

 

Lawyers for land owners who are targets of the "taking" -- known as eminent domain -- say developer John Carney's admission in court Tuesday shows that he and other board members failed to "carefully" consider the key reports and the impact of eminent domain.

 

The statements came in the ongoing Probate Court trial over whether the properties can be taken and what the owners will be paid for them.

 

Read more of Plain Dealer Reporter Tom Breckenridge's story here

wonder how this will affect things?

 

Earlier in this thread it was written that Wolstein has said he will go on with the project no matter what happens in court, so going on his word, this won't affect the final project. If he loses the case he'll just have to pay more cash for the land he needs.

^I am not so sure about that for the simply reason that I don't think it is all about "money" like most of the "experts" following this case seem to believe.  If the court finds there are no grounds for a taking (phase one of the trial) they will not even go on to the jury part of the trial where valuation comes into play.  The property owners simply keep their property.  The majority opinion is that at that point Wolstein will have to come in and simply "over pay" for the remaining parcels he needs.  But I have this gut feeling that this is (or has become) more of a personal thing and guys like Tony George and Kassouf do not want to sell no matter what.  They want to become "partners".  I think ego is playing a big role in all of this.  At that point I would simply suggest hiring somebody in the "knee cap business".

If you were one of these owners would you want to sell?  Personally, if I was going to get a pretty penny, I'd take the money and look to invest it elsewhere and make money off of that.  BUT, if my hopes were to continue running my business, this is the best situation ever.  Wolstein is going to come in, develop the area and hopefully revitalize the area.  If I already own the property, he's doing all the leg work for me.

I don't see the issue with giving these owners some sort of "stake" in the project if they are unwilling to sell.  If you knew there was a chance your home or condo would be worth twice as much as it is now in a few years, would you sell now for a small profit?  I would certainly be hesitant.  The worry is that these owners will stand in the way of wolstein's plan.  If they are willing to play ball and go with the plan in place, then I don't see an issue with them being included.  That is highly doubtful since I am pretty sure they would want to do their own separate thing and that is where the problem is.  Wolstein won't pay an unreasonable amount for the properties.

I think the issue really comes down to, what do you consider "playing ball"?  If Wolstein doesn't own the properties can we expect him to renovate the exterior of that property paying out of his own pocket.  The major issue I see coming up is when Wolstein wants the private owners to pay to match their properities uniformly and they won't spend the money.

I don't see the issue with giving these owners some sort of "stake" in the project if they are unwilling to sell.  If you knew there was a chance your home or condo would be worth twice as much as it is now in a few years, would you sell now for a small profit?  I would certainly be hesitant.  The worry is that these owners will stand in the way of wolstein's plan.  If they are willing to play ball and go with the plan in place, then I don't see an issue with them being included.  That is highly doubtful since I am pretty sure they would want to do their own separate thing and that is where the problem is.  Wolstein won't pay an unreasonable amount for the properties.

 

 

The thing about it is (As noted earlier in this thread) before they knew Wolstein was going to do a project, they were asking the county to lower the values of the property. Now they want more than what their property is worth. That's part of why their in court. He gave one of the holdouts a stake and maybe a few others, but maybe the remaining owners just don't want part of it now.

Who would want Kassouff as a business partner in the development of a major piece of Downtown Cleveland?  That guy is a snake in the grass for sure, responsible for the FBI Headquarters and Channel 3 Building on Lakeside overlooking the Lake.  Highest and best use of the land, I think not.

^I am not so sure about that for the simply reason that I don't think it is all about "money" like most of the "experts" following this case seem to believe.  If the court finds there are no grounds for a taking (phase one of the trial) they will not even go on to the jury part of the trial where valuation comes into play.  The property owners simply keep their property.  The majority opinion is that at that point Wolstein will have to come in and simply "over pay" for the remaining parcels he needs.  But I have this gut feeling that this is (or has become) more of a personal thing and guys like Tony George and Kassouf do not want to sell no matter what.  They want to become "partners".  I think ego is playing a big role in all of this.  At that point I would simply suggest hiring somebody in the "knee cap business".

 

I thought the issue was a potential unconstitutional taking without just compensation.  If that's the case, then even if they when, the holdouts can't just sit there and screw Wolstein for any price they choose or simply hold on to their properties, as you suggest.  If what Wolstein's offering now is deemed unfair by Corrigan and too low, then if he subsequently ups the bid -- post court decison -- to a level deemed 'fair' and acceptable, I'd think, theoretically, they'd have to sell or, this time, be the fair game for a justifiable ED action.

 

Per the Norwood case, interpreting the New London US Sup Ct case: the question surrounded whether property owners -- in Norwood's case: blue collar owners in a neat & tidy hood -- having a shopping developer, utilizing the power of city gov ED -- unfairly designating these properties as 'blighted' and,  thus, setting these poor folks up for an unconstitutional taking w/o just compensation.

That is a good point clvlndr.  The frustrating thing is that the more issues that pop up, the longer it takes for things to get done.  It is hard to be patient in this town given all the mistakes and teases of the past. 

 

From the PD today, nothing too exciting:

Live from Vegas: Shopping center convention wrap-up

Posted by Henry J. Gomez May 23, 2007 10:58AM

Categories: Breaking News, Economic development

One of the more peculiar scenes from the Council of Shopping Centers' spring convention in Las Vegas, which ends today, came at a Sunday evening reception sponsored by the Akron law firm of Roetzel & Andress.

 

Adam Fishman, whose Fairmount Properties LLC is lead developer on the $230 million Flats East Bank Neighborhood, exchanged a warm embrace with Tony George, one of the holdout property owners whose land could be taken by eminent domain.

 

Fishman said the two "really are good friends," just on the opposite side of things this time.

 

 

Any constitutional taking (Eminent Domain) requires "just compensation", which is set by the courts, not the buyer and seller.  If ED power is not granted, then the owners cannot be compelled to sell at any price.  Merely refusing to sell at a fair price does not, in theory, open one to eminent domain (though some would say that is what is happening here).  There has to be some "public use" such as infrastructure, or more controversially, blight elimination or economic development to justify ED.  What is and isn't a "public use" is the crux of most of the controversy over ED.

 

^^ Makes me think that a possible deal has already been discussed depending on the outcome of the trial.  Who knows?

If a judge can't see the difference between the public use of a residential neighborhood with regional attractions and a strip club, we've got some real problems.

Flats appraiser says he was cautious

Knew Wolstein work could raise questions

Friday, May 25, 2007

Tom Breckenridge

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

An appraiser says he used an "abundance of caution" to avoid charges that he favored a former client - developer Scott Wolstein - while gauging property values on the Flats east bank for the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority.

 

Appraiser Roger Ritley knew he faced potential ethical questions - the port authority needed the appraisals because it was bargaining with property owners whose land was needed for Wolstein's $230 million Flats East Bank Neighborhood redevelopment.

 

More at http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/118008239734110.xml&coll=2

 

Developer Wolstein Testifies In Flats Eminent Domain Case

 

POSTED: 5:40 pm EDT May 25, 2007

UPDATED: 7:31 pm EDT May 25, 2007

 

CLEVELAND -- The eminent domain saga involving developer Scott Wolstein's vision for the east bank of the Flats continued in court Friday when Wolstein took the stand.

 

The developer wants to put up condos, shops and restaurants, but some of the Flats property owners aren't budging, saying the offer to sell to Wolstein isn't fair.

 

 

More at newsnet5.com