August 6, 20159 yr ^ The structure for Flip Side was up well before Alley Cat or the (former?) Toby Keith building, if I remember correctly. But it looks like they still have a decent ways to go. I feel like the Rocky River Flip Side also took forever to get finished.
August 6, 20159 yr I think Phase 3 will make a big difference by filling in the lot between the RTA tracks and the new apartment building. I also really hope they eventually build something on that grassy field between FWD and Alley Cat (and on the parking low between FWD and Toby Keith's while they're at it). One minor thing I don't like about this project: all the wood on the exteriors of Alley Cat, Flip Side, Toby Keith's, etc. I personally hate the use of wood as an exterior material in urban environments. I think it'll look really dated in a couple decades.
August 6, 20159 yr ^^^^^Excellent job mrclifton88; this is the best FEB set yet; you got a ton of different angles which really gives a feel for the place... As you say, even though places are slowly opening, it's still looks to be largely a construction zone. While there were a lot of people at Alley Cat and on the river (jet skis everywhere!), the nice wide boardwalk was all but empty. That should change when more apartments and eateries go on line. Sad to see Toby Keith's spot just stillborn; hopefully another bar and/or restaurant sign a lease and finish work there... Otherwise it all looks very well planned. Can't wait to hit town and get on down there.
August 6, 20159 yr Lots to consider! Initial thoughts: -Brick streets were worth the extra money -Streetlights awesome -Very much a work in progress -Boardwalk looking good so far, but a bit sterile for my tastes -Open space = much further potential -I love boats -Wonderful view from the Waterfront Line station!!!! -Whatever those post-apocolyptic unkempt (and likely invasive) vines are along the river must be napalmed asap.
August 6, 20159 yr any one know when punch bowl social will be opening? The website says nothing....everything I can find says august, but that was from the spring.
August 6, 20159 yr I wonder if there will be any additional lighting along the boardwalk. Currently just looks like under-rail lighting on the guards. Renderings showed light poles along the boardwalk. Also, I really hope someday the boardwalk can be extended all the way to Setler's Landing, which maybe that's already in some sort of master plan. https://www.instagram.com/cle_and_beyond/https://www.instagram.com/jbkaufer/
August 6, 20159 yr I wonder if there will be any additional lighting along the boardwalk. Currently just looks like under-rail lighting on the guards. Renderings showed light poles along the boardwalk. Also, I really hope someday the boardwalk can be extended all the way to Setler's Landing, which maybe that's already in some sort of master plan. Agreed.
August 6, 20159 yr They screwed the boardwalk by not having anything front it directly. It's cut off from the action by fences and hedges. A controlled-access boardwalk, if you will. No surprise... that's exactly what the plans promised. Still not too late to fix it though.
August 6, 20159 yr Will the boardwalk be illuminated along the edges at night? I think it would look pretty nice.
August 7, 20159 yr Will the boardwalk be illuminated along the edges at night? I think it would look pretty nice. Yes. There is lighting under the rail that illuminates the edge of the walkway.
August 7, 20159 yr They screwed the boardwalk by not having anything front it directly. It's cut off from the action by fences and hedges. A controlled-access boardwalk, if you will. No surprise... that's exactly what the plans promised. Still not too late to fix it though. I disagree, the boardwalk has the perfect sized buffer between the restaurants and the walkers. Both are close and visible to each other but not close enough that they have to jockey for space.
August 7, 20159 yr ^ that is kind of opposite what it was, when everything was pressed right up to the water. not necessarily a bad thing though. its just taking some getting used to. i'm withholding judgements on the suburban spacing of the buildings and the layout until phase III gets underway. looks really great for now. a reborn neighborhood thats much more than it was.
August 8, 20159 yr Punch Bowl Social hiring 200 By Plain Dealer business staff on August 07, 2015 at 11:30 AM, updated August 07, 2015 at 11:41 AM Punch Bowl Social hiring 200 in Cleveland CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Punch Bowl Social, a new attraction dubbed an "eatertainment" experience in the Flats East Bank area is hiring. The restaurant/entertainment center, which includes a 4,000-square-foot rooftop deck that looks out onto Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River and boasts a diner-style fare, craft beers and cocktails served in punch bowls for sharing, is hosting job fair next week from Monday through Thursday in hopes of hiring 200 workers immediately. Qualified candidates will be considered for the following positions: bartenders, bar backs, servers, cocktail servers, server assistants, hosts/hostesses, door hosts, activities hosts, line cooks (both shifts), prep cooks and dishwashers. The job fair will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the Aloft Hotel, 1111 W. 10th St. http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/08/punch_bowl_social_hiring_200_c.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
August 8, 20159 yr Opening night at the Big Bang. It's a fun place, but I'm less than impressed with the physical space. It's too bright and feels like it's unfinished (and maybe it is). Edit: And here's FWD. Not really my scene, but it's a good addition to the Cleveland night life scene. $5 cover for girls and $10 for guys though...not cool Edit 2:Just realized my post contained quite an bit of negatives, but overall I think FEB is great and I'm excited for everything else to open.
August 16, 20159 yr Maybe not the most specific Flats East Bank photo but it's a nice aerial view, imho: clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
August 17, 20159 yr Author August 16, 2015 UPDATED 2 DAYS AGO Flats East Bank gives new start to Old River Road Old River Road is new again By STAN BULLARD The riverfront at Old River Road’s north end in downtown Cleveland awakened from a long slumber in late summer 2015. Couples walked along a vast boardwalk next to the Cuyahoga River. Diners returned to the first of many restaurants to open near the water and enjoy the location’s vista of the city and Lake Erie. In 2015, it is hard to believe some of the stops and starts of what is now well on its way to becoming a $750 million redevelopment of Old River Road. The vision that Iris Wolstein and Scott Wolstein articulated for the area in 2005 started becoming a reality in 2007, as buildings on Old River Road north of Main Avenue were turned to dust. MORE: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150816/NEWS/150819874/flats-east-bank-gives-new-start-to-old-river-road "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 18, 20159 yr The boardwalk is looking good! Unless you have arachnophobia. The shadows from the railing lighting make it look like the boardwalk is infested with mutant giant spiders
August 18, 20159 yr ^I was on the Aloft WXYZ Bar terrace Friday for literally only five minutes because everywhere you turned there were really large spiders...I'm really scared of spiders and had to run back inside. I guess that's the cost of being on the lake but really was not pleasant to have spiders and webs all along the railing...EEW!!!
August 18, 20159 yr Author I don't remember spiders in the old Flats. Of course, we had Delbert McClintock back then..... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 19, 20159 yr Chefs Zack Bruell and Steve Schimoler debut Flats restaurants BY LEE CHILCOTE The Flats East project will celebrate a string of milestones this month and into the fall as new venues Alleycat Oyster House, Big Bang Dueling Piano Bar, FWD Day + Nightclub, Punch Bowl Social, Beer Head, Flip Side and Crop open for business. Yet as new offerings from two of Cleveland’s top restaurateurs reveal, the new Flats are nothing like the old Flats, except in the best ways — they’re once again a top-notch place to feel the city’s vibrant pulse, watch giant freighters slide by and take in a Lake Erie sunset. The inevitable comparisons arise, of course — after all, there’s a dueling piano bar here, a staple of the Flats’ heyday, and FWD has a pool like Shooters did in the ’80s — yet much-anticipated offerings from Zack Bruell and Steve Schimoler are kicking the Flats up to a whole new level. ...Schimoler’s target date for opening all three new Crop venues is the week of Aug. 24. ... Read More
August 19, 20159 yr Does anyone know how the leasing for the Flats East Bank apartments is going? The rents range from from $2-2.25 PSF, which is pushing a new price high for downtown Cleveland. I'm sure the views/apartment amenities are nice, but the whole area seems rather isolated from the rest of downtown for that kind of money. I pay roughly half that for a 2BR in the Warehouse District, and my roommate and I prefer the convenience of living across the street from Constantino's and walking distance from Heinen's among other services/bars/restaurants.
August 19, 20159 yr Does anyone know how the leasing for the Flats East Bank apartments is going? The rents range from from $2-2.25 PSF, which is pushing a new price high for downtown Cleveland. I'm sure the views/apartment amenities are nice, but the whole area seems rather isolated from the rest of downtown for that kind of money. I pay roughly half that for a 2BR in the Warehouse District, and my roommate and I prefer the convenience of living across the street from Constantino's and walking distance from Heinen's among other services/bars/restaurants. Last I heard, a few weeks ago, they moved the leasing office into the building, out of the E&Y tower and were pleased with the leasing progress. Somewhere over 75% signed leases. Not sure on actually occupancy though, obviously relative to construction progress
August 19, 20159 yr What's the story on the projected restaurant/bar/club building planned near the southern end of the boardwalk adjacent to the Main Ave bridge? IIRC, although it was projected in FEB Phase 2, it wasn't rented...no? I recent photo showed a backhoe over there digging, so will this building still be built?
August 19, 20159 yr ^ I think initially it was planned to be a Paninis. Not sure what the plans are now. I noticed that lot when I was down there last Friday, and it looked really small. It appears to be a staging area right now for construction equipment, but I could be wrong.
August 19, 20159 yr What's the story on the projected restaurant/bar/club building planned near the southern end of the boardwalk adjacent to the Main Ave bridge? IIRC, although it was projected in FEB Phase 2, it wasn't rented...no? I recent photo showed a backhoe over there digging, so will this building still be built? coastal taco and the water taxi right next to it directly under the bridge
August 19, 20159 yr What's the story on the projected restaurant/bar/club building planned near the southern end of the boardwalk adjacent to the Main Ave bridge? IIRC, although it was projected in FEB Phase 2, it wasn't rented...no? I recent photo showed a backhoe over there digging, so will this building still be built? coastal taco and the water taxi right next to it directly under the bridge Awesome, thanks.
August 19, 20159 yr Does anyone know how the leasing for the Flats East Bank apartments is going? The rents range from from $2-2.25 PSF, which is pushing a new price high for downtown Cleveland. I'm sure the views/apartment amenities are nice, but the whole area seems rather isolated from the rest of downtown for that kind of money. I pay roughly half that for a 2BR in the Warehouse District, and my roommate and I prefer the convenience of living across the street from Constantino's and walking distance from Heinen's among other services/bars/restaurants. Not sure how the renting is going, but when it was in WXYZ the other day I was reading a little flyer they had about the apartments. One of the amenities included is access to the pool at FWD. Having access to a pool downtown (without being stuck in the dorms at Reserve Square) is surely reason to pay more...
August 20, 20159 yr Am I Missing something, or no one else has mentioned Phase 3 yet? http://flatseast.com/phase3/ I rode my bicycle through Phase II last Thursday in and took plenty of pictures using a relatively new service called mapillary (crowd-sourced street view); Click and begin a journey. http://www.mapillary.com/map/im/ro5ym1VXXCRlimYSPbogwg/photo the camera work may not be as good as google's, but it's up to date. :)
August 20, 20159 yr Am I Missing something, or no one else has mentioned Phase 3 yet? http://flatseast.com/phase3/ There's discussion of it a few pages back
August 21, 20159 yr I've been meaning to ask, are they going to remove the board from those windows next to the Big Bang? It creates an awkward dead zone next to such a large restaurant. Also it's just ugly.
August 21, 20159 yr I've been meaning to ask, are they going to remove the board from those windows next to the Big Bang? It creates an awkward dead zone next to such a large restaurant. Also it's just ugly. Are there even windows in that space? I don't think that space has been leased yet (someone correct me if I'm wrong).
August 21, 20159 yr I've been meaning to ask, are they going to remove the board from those windows next to the Big Bang? It creates an awkward dead zone next to such a large restaurant. Also it's just ugly. Are there even windows in that space? I don't think that space has been leased yet (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Then that makes sense.
August 21, 20159 yr Author Early Plans for Phase 3 of Flats East Development Include a Movie Theater via @vincethepolack http://t.co/ugcZXk9ePc http://t.co/OoY854Ejxa "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 21, 20159 yr Early Plans for Phase 3 of Flats East Development Include a Movie Theater via @vincethepolack http://t.co/ugcZXk9ePc http://t.co/OoY854Ejxa We've been hearing those rumors for a while now, but still, what an awful idea. Tower City Cinemas are much more accessible to moviegoers from both sides of the city as well as downtown residents. Crocker on the Cuyahoga indeed.
August 21, 20159 yr Early Plans for Phase 3 of Flats East Development Include a Movie Theater via @vincethepolack http://t.co/ugcZXk9ePc http://t.co/OoY854Ejxa We've been hearing those rumors for a while now, but still, what an awful idea. Tower City Cinemas are much more accessible to moviegoers from both sides of the city as well as downtown residents. Crocker on the Cuyahoga indeed. The consumers shall evaluate the idea with their wallets.
August 21, 20159 yr Early Plans for Phase 3 of Flats East Development Include a Movie Theater via @vincethepolack http://t.co/ugcZXk9ePc http://t.co/OoY854Ejxa We've been hearing those rumors for a while now, but still, what an awful idea. Tower City Cinemas are much more accessible to moviegoers from both sides of the city as well as downtown residents. Crocker on the Cuyahoga indeed. Well away from the noisy teenagers that yell, text and laugh at Tower City movies. I don't go there any more for that reason, as well as the theaters projection and audio were out of date.
August 21, 20159 yr The consumers shall evaluate the idea with their wallets. You're right. It'll undoubtedly be a success. But it just cements the fact that we've created a place for people of a certain socioeconomic status to enjoy, paid for through everyone's taxes.
August 21, 20159 yr The consumers shall evaluate the idea with their wallets. You're right. It'll undoubtedly be a success. But it just cements the fact that we've created a place for people of a certain socioeconomic status to enjoy, paid for through everyone's taxes. What percent of the total project cost (not including the boardwalk) do you think is tax money? How much higher do you think these movie tickets will be compared to those of the TC theater?
August 21, 20159 yr What percent of the total project cost (not including the boardwalk) do you think is tax money? How much higher do you think these movie tickets will be compared to that of the TC theatre? I'm not sure the percentage matters. I'm do think the tickets will be at least 50% more than they are at Tower City, but accessibility is the bigger issue. For someone like me, living in Tremont, I could hop on a bus to downtown, get off at Public Square, and walk through the mall to the movies. The theater in the Flats won't be nearly as convenient to visit. Suzie Middleburg might love the idea, but she's not coming downtown to watch a movie nearly as often as someone in the city.
August 21, 20159 yr Well away from the noisy teenagers that yell, text and laugh at Tower City movies. I don't go there any more for that reason, as well as the theaters projection and audio were out of date. The projection and audio equipment was updated in the last couple years for the Cleveland film festival. It's a definite improvement, but the whole complex needs a major overhaul. Fairmount sees FCE unwilling to invest major money into their theater. That leaves a gaping hole in the market.
August 21, 20159 yr I'm not sure the percentage matters. Of course it does. If the amount is nominal, then your assertion that the FEB project was created "through the use of everyone else's taxes" doesn't hold much water. I'm do think the tickets will be at least 50% more than they are at Tower City, but accessibility is the bigger issue. For someone like me, living in Tremont, I could hop on a bus to downtown, get off at Public Square, and walk through the mall to the movies. The theater in the Flats won't be nearly as convenient to visit. Suzie Middleburg might love the idea, but she's not coming downtown to watch a movie nearly as often as someone in the city. Then for you, TC might be your theater of choice. And for Suzie, the FEB theater might be her theater of choice. So what's the problem? I must be missing the issue. I guarantee there was public money that went into the FCE's TC renovation that produced the TC theater. But for some reason that evades your critique.
August 21, 20159 yr Then for you, TC might be your theater of choice. And for Suzie, the FEB theater might be her theater of choice. So what's the problem? I must be missing the issue. Yeah, you are. I guarantee there was public money that went into the FCE's TC renovation that produced the TC theater. But for some reason that evades your critique. Because it's more accessible to a broader spectrum of people from across the city.
August 21, 20159 yr Then for you, TC might be your theater of choice. And for Suzie, the FEB theater might be her theater of choice. So what's the problem? I must be missing the issue. Yeah, you are. Then what is it? You and Suzie's choices are not mutually exclusive.
August 21, 20159 yr Then what is it? You and Suzie's choices are not mutually exclusive. Sure they are. You really think the market downtown is robust enough to support TCC and this theater?
August 21, 20159 yr Then what is it? You and Suzie's choices are not mutually exclusive. Sure they are. You really think the market downtown is robust enough to support TCC and this theater? Most likely. And if it's not, who is the appropriate party to direct your ire to? FEB for investing the money to build a theater or FCE for not investing money in theirs to stay competitive? Also, have you walked from public square to the FEB? It's like a 5 minute walk.
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