Posted November 1, 200618 yr Didn't see a thread for this yet. What a scammer Davis is... but shame on Jackson, too, for dropping the ball when he was still on Council. Jackson: Kinsman venture bad deal Says he was distracted when legislation OK'd Wednesday, November 01, 2006 Christopher Evans and Sandra Livingston Plain Dealer Reporters Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson criticized a deal Tuesday that won developers millions of dollars in profits but didn't create the job-producing industrial park that got Jackson's support in the first place. Last December, developer Todd Davis' company sold 25 acres at East 80th Street and Kinsman Road to the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, scuttling its own vision for a business campus in one of Cleveland's most impoverished neighborhoods. "I told him it was a bad deal," said Jackson recalling a talk he said he had in the summer of 2005 with Davis. "This deal does not add new jobs." Jackson also said he was "astonished" that CMHA paid three times more for the land than the first appraisal estimated it was worth. http://www.cleveland.com/deal/plaindealer/index.ssf?/deal/more/7.html
November 1, 200618 yr I remember a presentation that was given by one of Davis' partners. He was talking about how much good they were doing. I was shocked when I later heard about this. It really ticked me off.
November 1, 200618 yr Hemisphere's site still has a link to the office park project as it stood previously: http://www.hemispheredev.com/case/hip.html I remember a presentation that was given by one of Davis' partners. He was talking about how much good they were doing. I was shocked when I later heard about this. It really ticked me off. I believe it was B. Robert Amjad, Managing Director. And yes, there was lots of talk about this big project in the City proper being such a boost for such an economically malnourished area. They're also the ones who have a project "in the works" near E. 120th & Euclid Avenue on the northern edge of Little Italy (http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=3308.0). From the sound of things, it appears that they are putting all of their eggs into the 1,000+ acre Lakeview Bluffs project (http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=5170.0), "a mere 28 miles east of...Downtown Cleveland." So, don't count on seeing any action in Little Italy anytime soon! It's too bad that they decided to get some funding for the Lakeview project by robbing the housing authority blind on an inner city transaction. It's also too bad that our housing authority and city council dropped the ball on this one to the tune of a few million bucks!
November 1, 200618 yr The Urban Ohio community somehow missed posting this article from over a week ago! Millions for land; no new jobs for city Developer pitched industrial park, then got a better deal from CMHA Sunday, October 22, 2006 Sandra Livingston and Christopher Evans Plain Dealer Reporters Todd Davis rolled into the poorest ward in Cleveland with a seductive vision: Take 25 acres of desolate, weed-strewn land stewing in a chemical brew for more than 100 years and resurrect it as a gleaming, job-producing business campus. Seven years ago he began assembling land at East 80th Street and Kinsman Road, working with government officials who eventually sup plied $4.7 mil lion in public money for dem olition, the cleanup of con taminated soil, and other re lated costs. Even before the cleanup was complete, Davis found a way to clean up himself. His company sold land in an area of Kinsman known as "The Forgotten Triangle" for more than $4.2 million in December 2005, parlaying what Davis said was a $350,000 investment into what he acknowledged was a $3.6 million profit. Who's paying? You, the taxpayers - the same people who already paid to make the land usable again. http://www.cleveland.com/deal/plaindealer/index.ssf?/deal/more/2.html
November 1, 200618 yr Very distressing. In addition to the infestation of drugs, poor education, the proliferation of highways and their perpetuation of sprawl, it seems to that another major factor keeping the inner city down is that some see it as a place to fleece the public and run with the money. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 1, 200618 yr This guy has been giving his dog and pony show about the "Lakeview Bluffs" development around town whenever he gets a chance... At this point I'd advise him to pack up his snake oil and clear out of town!
November 2, 200618 yr CMHA chief defends deal; remarks raise more questions Thursday, November 02, 2006 Sandra Livingston and Christopher Evans Plain Dealer Reporters The executive director of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority on Wednesday defended his agency's purchase of 25 acres in Cleveland for $150,000 an acre. But George Phillips' arguments during a meeting at The Plain Dealer raised new questions about CMHA's conduct. Phillips called an appraisal "flawed" that valued the land at East 80th Street and Kinsman Road at $46,000 an acre. Then he inaccurately described the contents of that appraisal. He sought to justify the purchase price by saying the developers selling the land committed to a free environmental cleanup on other CMHA land -- a commitment CMHA doesn't have in writing. http://www.cleveland.com/deal/plaindealer/index.ssf?/deal/more/5.html
November 2, 200618 yr Oops, CMHA admitted to breaking the law! This is turning out to be quite the scandal... as well it should.
November 2, 200618 yr well i need to start my email. This is unexcuseable! Heads should roll, this is another reason why people fail to believe. Classic, one step forward, one giant leap backwards. Very distressing. In addition to the infestation of drugs, poor education, the proliferation of highways and their perpetuation of sprawl, it seems to that another major factor keeping the inner city down is that some see it as a place to fleece the public and run with the money. AMEN. This is why so many people in those neighborhoods have no hope or faith in the government or anyone else.
November 9, 200618 yr Dang, I was hoping this whole deal would fall apart. Looks like it will hold. Forgotten Triangle purchase defended Developer, CMHA deny back-room deals Thursday, November 09, 2006 Christopher Evans and Sandra Livingston Plain Dealer Reporters Key players on Wednesday defended their roles in a controversial sale of land in the Forgotten Triangle, insisting there were no back-room deals. The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority - which bought the land - said it will hire a consultant to do an operational audit of the purchase and make recommendations for improvement. Developer Todd Davis - whose company sold the land - said the sale got the required approvals. And he questioned Mayor Frank Jackson's account of the deal. http://www.cleveland.com/deal/plaindealer/index.ssf?/deal/more/6.html
November 9, 200618 yr 100 new CMHA jobs? Where are these coming from? From what I hear, they're laying off current staff. And there's the serious question of whether they have any money to actually build anything on the site that they just bought! It could be years before anything happens... There's an underlying question here of why the City and CMHA would want to give Davis a sweetheart deal. What are they getting in return? To my knowledge, he's not doing anything of any significance in Cleveland proper. There are certainly thousands of acres of brownfields waiting for attention in Cleveland, so it would make sense if they'd secured some sort of development agreement where Hemisphere moved on to another site, but I'm not hearing that anywhere...
November 9, 200618 yr There's an underlying question here of why the City and CMHA would want to give Davis a sweetheart deal. What are they getting in return? To my knowledge, he's not doing anything of any significance in Cleveland proper. There are certainly thousands of acres of brownfields waiting for attention in Cleveland, so it would make sense if they'd secured some sort of development agreement where Hemisphere moved on to another site, but I'm not hearing that anywhere... Maybe I'm naive, but instead of a purposeful gift to Davis, I'm chalking this one up to royal incompetence/negligence on the city's part + scummyness of Davis + royal incompetence on CMHA's part. Even if this site was the best one for CMHA, the city could have used its veto power on the sale as a hammer to pound down the purchase price for CMHA saving the public millions.
November 9, 200618 yr I'm not doubting that negligence had something to do with this... I'm just saying that will all the checks and balances this had to get through, that someone on the public side must've wanted him to get his money.
November 10, 200618 yr Council President Martin J. Sweeney - who served as Finance chairman during Jackson's absence - said Wednesday that he assumed the deal had Jackson's support because Jackson didn't tell him anything to the contrary. this is the real problem. people not questioning anything. these deals should be questioned by everyone - at different levels.
November 16, 200618 yr Federal officials probing CMHA's $150,000-an-acre land purchase Thursday, November 16, 2006 Mike Tobin, Christopher Evans and Sandra Livingston Plain Dealer Reporters The FBI and U.S. attorney's office are investigating the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority's purchase of land in one of Cleveland's poorest neighborhoods for $150,000 an acre. U.S. Attorney Greg White confirmed a preliminary investigation Wednesday, a day after developer Todd Davis - whose company sold the land to CMHA - met with federal investigators at the Carl B. Stokes U.S. Courthouse downtown. Davis' lawyer said he requested the meeting after recent Plain Dealer stories about the deal. "Mr. Davis and his companies have been transparent about their efforts during the seven years they worked on the project and have nothing to hide about the work they did turning this toxic property into a neighborhood asset," attorney John McCaffrey said in an e-mail statement Wednesday. More at Cleveland.com
March 27, 200718 yr CMHA's retail proposal draws scant interest By STAN BULLARD Crain's The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority received one bid to develop a shopping center on a five-acre parcel adjoining its controversial planned headquarters at East 80th Street and Kinsman Road in Cleveland. Great Lakes Resources of Cleveland submitted the only bid the public housing authority received by 5 p.m. last Friday, March 23, said George Phillips, CMHA executive director, shortly after the bidding closed. Great Lakes Resources, a specialist in urban retail projects, proposed paying the authority $825,000 for five acres to develop a 52,000-square-foot center, or leasing 3.25 acres from the authority to build a 21,000-square-foot center. http://crainscleveland.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070326/FREE/70326008
July 26, 200717 yr Contaminated land in Cleveland cleaned for reuse Posted by Donna J. Miller July 26, 2007 07:44AM Categories: FYI Another brownfield has been cleaned up in Cleveland for redevelopment. An oil refinery and salvage yard used to occupy the 24-acre Kinbess property at East 80th Street and Kinsman Road. in Cleveland. Buried drums, underground storage tanks, pipes and petroleum-contaminated soil has been removed and replaced with clean fill, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday. For a list of properties deemed cleaned by the EPA in the last 12 years, go to epa.state.oh.us/derr/volunt/volunt.html. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/07/contaminated_land_in_cleveland.html
July 26, 200717 yr ^ Strange. I pass the site several times daily, and there's been absolutely no activity for months. Maybe it just received status as a clean site?
July 26, 200717 yr CMHA's retail proposal draws scant interest By STAN BULLARD Crain's The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority received one bid to develop a shopping center on a five-acre parcel adjoining its controversial planned headquarters at East 80th Street and Kinsman Road in Cleveland. Great Lakes Resources of Cleveland submitted the only bid the public housing authority received by 5 p.m. last Friday, March 23, said George Phillips, CMHA executive director, shortly after the bidding closed. Great Lakes Resources, a specialist in urban retail projects, proposed paying the authority $825,000 for five acres to develop a 52,000-square-foot center, or leasing 3.25 acres from the authority to build a 21,000-square-foot center. http://crainscleveland.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070326/FREE/70326008 Read more: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,10958.0.html#ixzz1RuSdxBQC I'm not too fond of Great Lakes Resources' work. It seems to lack quality and architectural integrity. The tenants they bring into their retail projects aren't the greatest, either. CMHA rebid this project. I received a second RFP. Hopefully more interest is generated this time around.
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