University Circle forum seeks new vitality for hub

Monday, October 31, 2005

Steven Litt

Plain Dealer Architecture Critic

Five years ago, University Circle Inc. asked the public to envision a better future for the city's hub for culture, medicine and education. Now the nonprofit development agency is asking Clevelanders back for another round.

 

Tuesday at 6 p.m. in a 90-minute public forum at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, 1 Wade Oval Drive, UCI will ask participants to consider new ways to bring life to University Circle, a square mile filled with impressive institutions but largely devoid of vitality in its public spaces. (For information, call 216-707-5034).

 

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

Good to see this moving forward. Could this be the next big project?

 

Trying to make the Circle less square

Planners take notes to jazz up the area

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Tom Breckenridge

Plain Dealer Reporter

University Circle wants to put some funky in the clunky.

 

Planners for University Circle Inc. and Case Western Reserve University tapped 200 people Tuesday night for ideas on enlivening the district's buttoned- down image.

 

University Circle is Cleveland's second downtown, one square mile where tens of thousands of people work in landmark cultural, educational and medical institutions.

 

But it lacks the amenities of an urban neighborhood or college town, places where a diverse mix of students, residents and researchers can live, have fun and socialize.

 

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

Case will redevelop the Triangle.  The only question remains: to what extent?  As the article said, RFPs go out later this month.  We'll know more early next year.

OK..

 

I've heard that the RFPs are in for the Triangle. There are at least 5 proposals.  Some are better than others.  Look for a choice by May.

yay. any chance the proposals are public?

not yet.

I'm really ready to see the University Circle arts and retail district. It is way overdue. Going to Miami University and living in a college town myself right now, I just can't understand what the problem is with CWRU and CSU for that matter.

 

Coming back to school, I stopped in Columbus to check out their downtown. I hadn't been there in a about year. High Street in Columbus is a lot like Euclid in that it connects downtown with the university district, and they are both essentially the main streets of the city.

 

High Street looks great, especially in the past year. Now High Street isn't as long as Euclid, and OSU is much much bigger than CWRU so it is a little easier for them to pack High Street with new developments and make it vibrant in a short amount of time, but Euclid still has all this potential, and I think more so than High Street in Columbus. First of all downtown Cleveland employs a heck of a lot more people than downtown Columbus, and intuitively I believe all the institutions in University Circle and the Cleveland Clinic combined make University Circle a much more powerful force than OSU. You also have CSU and Playhouse Square on Euclid. Where are the developments to support all this in Cleveland? I don't think the city and developers are really seeing thee potential here. More emphasis is on the Flats, E4th, Steelyard Commons, the convention center, and other things which are all wonderful, but the fastest way to really pump more life in the city is on Euclid Avenue and I don't think it is being approached with much priority.

 

I am really hoping that it is the construction of the silver line that is holding these developments back until it is finished. But it would be really nice to see things happen in simultaneously with the silver line instead of subsequentially.

 

Has anyone else been to the Short North and driven down High Street between Columbus and OSU and have any thoughts? Now i still think Columbus is way overrated and not as interesting as Cleveland. In Cleveland we have numerous

neighborhoods like Warehouse District, Ohio City, Tremont, Little Italy, Gateway

and Coventry. Columbus' High Street is really just a combination of all these districts, and there isn't really a whole lot else in Columbus,

but the result is a pretty vibrant and attractive thoroughfare.

I'I just can't understand what the problem is with CWRU and CSU for that matter.

 

Coming back to school, I stopped in Columbus to check out their downtown. I hadn't been there in a about year. High Street in Columbus is a lot like Euclid in that it connects downtown with the university district, and they are both essentially the main streets of the city.

 

In University Circle, you have had difficulty with development because the land has always been owned by either UCI, Case, UHHS or some other institution.  Developers couldn't get at it. Outside of UCI, the institutions haven't really wanted to use land for purposes other than expansion of existing facilities.  UCI has tried and tried to develop the beach property, but financing has killed it each time.  When they have been successful, they have built some butt-ugly structures (Triange!!-- truth be told, UCI wanted something different but the developer refused to change the plans.  Additionally, it was planned during a very unenlightened architectural era).  On to the institutions.. UHHS will continue to grow.  I feel pretty certain that they will someday knock down the homes on E. 115 for expansion.  Granted that's decades away, but its sad.  On the flip side, we do need our institutions to grow and boost employment.  Would you rather have an apartment building with 30 units or would you rather have a research hospital that employs 500?  If we do things right, we will let our institutions grow and add residential density within the same areas. 

 

Case has always operated on the hoard all land mentality.  They want it all and feel entitled to it.  UCI, as its bylaws state, is supposed to give Case almost whatever it wants.  Thankfully, that has already changed.  Anyways, Case has finally wised up and is looking to diversify the land uses in the immediate area.  Hopefully, the UARD (university arts and retail district) will be designed well and developed quickly.  At present, everything is full steam ahead on the preliminary work.

 

You have to give CSU a break. How can you compare the monstrous OSU to a school that has one dorm and caters to working students?  CSU has done an admirable job in the past few years in developing a plan that will increasingly bring housing and necessary amenities to Euclid Avenue.  Given the many obstacles that they have, I'm heartened by their current vision.   

 

Thanks for caring about Cleveland. We hope you come home after college and try to continue the momentum that we have started.

Just to clarify, I love Cleveland very much and certainly intend on returning. I am fully aware with all the new developments throughout the city (and metropolitan area) and check up on them regularly by frequenting them. I think everyone in the city is generally doing a good job at planning for the future and wanting more investment and people in the city. The will in Cleveland is stronger and I think more yielding of results than other comparable cities. I am also continually impressed by the fact that virtually all improvements in the city have been locally developed. We should be very proud of this fact. Even though outside investment and interest should be welcomed without question, I think you look at all the improvements and see the local money, talent, and time going into them and should be very satisfied.

 

I am all for expansion of existing institutions like schools, hospitals, and museums. They are our greatest assets, and should not be hindered in their growth. I do think their growth could be fueled by mixed-use developments. What student, professor, and doctor wouldn't be attracted to these institutions if the neighborhood matched the quality of the institution.  For instance on Euclid you see a strip of run down commercial buildings across from CSU and next to Playhouse Square, a lot of vaccant space or unattractive public works types of buildings between downtown and university circle, and you have very little retail and residential serving one of the most fascinating and educational districts in the country; University Circle. I understand all the plans to fix the situation. The plans look great, and I have no doubt they will come eventually, but after seeing how well they work in other places, it seems like we should be hearing of all these plans coming to fruition any day now. It is overdue.

 

 

I am also continually impressed by the fact that virtually all improvements in the city have been locally developed. We should be very proud of this fact. Even though outside investment and interest should be welcomed without question, I think you look at all the improvements and see the local money, talent, and time going into them and should be very satisfied.

 

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, coincident with a just-finished trip to San Francisco and Portland. Outside investment follows inside investment. We're never going to attract the big dogs to the city of Cleveland until we show that we ourselves are willing to commit to our urban core. Like Vulpster, I believe this is happening slowly. But dang, do we need more of the kind of stuff we're getting in Tremont and on East 4th! I will blather about this at more length some other time.

3 teams seek to develop arts, retail area at Triangle

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Steven Litt

Plain Dealer Architecture Critic

Three development teams with strong local ties are vying to build Case Western Reserve University's proposed Arts and Retail District in University Circle.

 

The teams, which responded in November to the university's request for proposals, are: Stark Enterprises & Coral Co.; Developers Diversified Realty & Campus Apartments; and Mesirow Stein Financial & MRN Ltd.

 

The winner would redevelop roughly eight acres around the intersection of Euclid Avenue, Ford Drive and Mayfield Road.

 

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

Interesting to see Stark involved.

 

I just hope all this development at UC ends up helping the city as much as it does Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights. We need this to spark smart new development in Hough, Glenville and Fairfax.

This news article today was really good to hear. I'm also glad that these developers have responded to Case's plan for the creation of the arts and retail district, even though Case isn't going to provide funding. Not that Case should, but it is good that these developers see the logic and opportunity available here. Of course it will be interesting to see how the city plays a role in the development, which I'm sure will begin to unfold sometime in the near future.

 

Anyone have an initial preference on the developer? I know we really have to see each of their plans to make a judgement, but I'm kind of thinking I'd prefer to have Stark Enterprises develop this area. I think they have been embracing new urbanism in the past several years better than the others, and seem the most capable at attracting new retailers to the Cleveland market and really creating a buzz about their developments.

 

Interesting to see Stark involved.

 

I just hope all this development at UC ends up helping the city as much as it does Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights. We need this to spark smart new development in Hough, Glenville and Fairfax.

 

Yeah, hopefully this development will help the neighborhoods between downtown and University Circle. I think the Euclid Corridor's goal is to do this, and successful development downtown and in University Circle will probably encourage further improvements along Euclid and hopefully spill over into other areas of Midtown like Chester, Prospect, and Carnegie. Chester by the way seems to have made a lot of improvements in terms of new housing for a while now.

Interesting to see who didn't get involved- FCE.  This would seem to be the type of project that they go for.  Maybe it is too small a scale for them?

I think you are right that it might be too small for Forest City. I reviewed their properties and projects lists on several occasions, and they don't seem to be too interested in that 'type' of development anyway. They seem to like things like office buildings, large scale residential developments, hotels, and insitutional projects. They don't seem to do the who shopping center and apartment thing like these developers are interested in. Forest City is developing Case's West Quad research center, so they are interested in Case, but I can see how they aren't real interested in this type of district project. 

I'm not surprised to see Stark wanting to get involved. Remember he had three priority areas that needed attention in the region:

 

1. Downtown (see the Pesht thread)

2. Hopkins Airport (as a gateway, it should have a grander concourse to make a grander statement about the city)

3. University Circle (he believes this area should become at least as prominent as Harvard Square in Boston, given the national recognition of CWRU and the district's institutions, plus the worldwide recognition of the Cleveland Clinic and the Cleveland Orchestra).

ParkLane will be a great project.  There is still a lot of beauty left inside the structure. 

 

Forest City said from the beginning that they were not interested in the project.  They did, however, provide a lot of advice to Case/UCI/Coakley on how to make this project work (believe it or not, they do care about Cleveland). Originally, there were 4 developers that submitted proposals for the project. One developer out of Chicago came up with such a horrifying idea that they were dropped immediately.  (How dumb can you be to suggest putting a very mall-ish style development on the Triangle??)

 

Currently, there is more interest in University Circle than just the Triangle and CIA's East Blvd property.  Some developers are interested in putting midrise residential structures in the area. Townhomes are proposed for some other scattered lots. Given the housing studies, it won't all happen.  Some will get built and others will have to wait. 

 

Additionally, two museums are actively looking at building parking garages so that they can return their surface lots to green space.

Issue Date: April 2006 Issue, Posted On: 3/30/2006

 

A City Within a City

University Circle Inc. has set aggressive goals to create an urban district like no other in Northeast Ohio.

Lyndsey Walker

 

A weekend getaway to Cleveland’s University Circle will be at the top of many travelers’ lists in the next ten years, Chris Ronayne predicts. Picture this: a Friday night concert with The Cleveland Orchestra, a Saturday stroll through The Cleveland Museum of Art and maybe a Sunday spent at the Cleveland Botanical Garden before the trek back home.

 

“It would be great if people came to visit for a weekend,” says Ronayne, former Cleveland city planning director, now president of University Circle Inc. (UCI). “We’re not there yet, but we want to be. We are building a world-class urban district.”

 

Ronayne sees University Circle as having a dual existence with downtown Cleveland. The Euclid Corridor transportation project is an important link in connecting the two hubs, he says. The project, which will transform a nine-mile stretch along Euclid Avenue by creating an exclusive center busway, will leverage more development for curbside appeal and will be a real estate catalyst, he says. In addition, the Opportunity Corridor, proposed by ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) to link I-90 and University Circle by making significant changes in ramp access, will ease traffic patterns from the West Side.

 

As a growth engine in Cleveland’s economy, University Circle’s one square mile represents nearly 25 percent of the city’s gross domestic product. Scheduled projects, either underway or in planning stages, total $1.5 billion in overall capital expenditures in the near and distant futures. Such projects include The Cleveland Museum of Art’s $258-million expansion and renovation, the Cleveland Institute of Art’s $40-million expansion and University Hospital’s Ireland Cancer Center’s $320-million expansion.

 

In the next 10 years, the one square mile should triple in size and scale due to land pressures, with growth up and down Euclid Avenue.

 

“UCI has incredible assets of a big city in a small setting,” says Ronayne. “We are Cleveland’s international gateway because patients, audiences and students are drawing in international exposure. We want to take our world-class health care, academic and cultural institutions and build off of them in the next ten years.”

 

University Circle is rich in innovation, research and technology, which translates to future job creation.

 

Over the next several years, The Cleveland Clinic’s Heart Center plans to bring on 1,500 employees; Case Western Reserve University’s West Quad research campus projects 4,500 new jobs; and the Louis Stokes Veterans Affairs Medical Center will bring an additional 1,000 to 1,500 jobs to University Circle when it relocates its Brecksville office here.

 

Nearly 10,000 additional employees, plus the 16,000 students from Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Cleveland Institute of Music, creates new demands for housing.

 

“We have developers calling us with plans to build high rises out here, as high as 20 stories,” he says.

 

UCI has set a goal of bringing 20,000 new residents to the area in the coming years and, eventually, would like to get to the point where a few thousand units of housing are built each year. UCI has begun moving toward that goal with the initial estimated $23-million restoration project of Park Lane Villa, creating 93 up-scale apartment units and eight condominiums, overlooking Rockefeller Park.

 

“We have the land to build housing, but it will be vertical,” he says.

 

To entertain the influx of residents, patients, students and employees, University Circle needs to round out its urban district with an arts hub.

 

MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) Cleveland has plans to move to the bustling corner of Euclid Avenue and Mayfield Road. The move is important for reinforcing a growing “uptown” arts district, complete with renowned museums, Severance Hall and the local galleries in neighboring Little Italy. Ronayne describes the district as “Tremont on steroids.“

 

“We want to create a place and not a patchwork of assets,” he says. “We need to connect our assets together with nighttime [attractions], restaurants and residents.” 

 

 

emphasis is mine

 

Bravo for Chris Ronayne!!  1,000 units per year is a lofty goal, but U-Circle is unique in the country and perhaps the world and therfore deserves lofty goals and high expectations for design...

^well they are going to need another hotel then!

^well they are going to need another hotel then!

 

That was my first thought. The hotels and bed-n-breakfasts that are there are a little too upscale for middle-class families or young urban trekkers to afford, nor do they appeal to their tastes. Get a Baymont, Super8, Best Western or similar budget but often-clean hotel in University Circle and you'll get more people there, within walking distance of the museums, etc.

Already familiar to us, but I figured I'd post it anyway.

 

From Crain's:

Case developers revealed

 

By MAYA R. PAYNE

 

1:43 pm, April 4, 2006

 

Case Western Reserve University has revealed its short list of potential developers for a planned arts and retail district on eight acres along Euclid Avenue between the Ford/Euclid/Mayfield intersection and East 115th Street.

 

Four developers and their partners responded to Case’s request last December for development proposals, and the university has narrowed that list down to three. The three are Stark Enterprises and Coral Co., Developers Diversified Realty and Campus Apartments, and Mesirow Stein Financial and MRN Ltd. Case did not disclose the identity of the fourth development team that did not survive the first cut.

 

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

Crocker Park developer no longer competing for University Circle deal

Case Western Reserve University has lost one of three firms interested in redeveloping the Triangle in University Circle.

 

Developer Robert Stark, who built the $420 million Crocker Park lifestyle community in Westlake, said late Wednesday he would announce Thursday he was pulling out of contention to build the Arts and Retail District proposed by Case at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Mayfield Road. The property is known as the Triangle.

 

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

Well, its not good that there are only two choices left for the Triangle.  I would bet that there is a little more behind this, but it wouldn't be anything necessarily negative. 

This isn't based on anything specific, but I suspect Stark believes that:

> Stark is comfortable that the other two contenders share his development philosophy for University Circle;

> Stark wants to concentrate his resources on other projects;

> Combination of the above.

^KJP, I think that you are correct.

The other two projects are very similar, if not denser, than Stark's proposal.

 

Stark declined to discuss in detail his reasons for pulling out. But versions of his proposal apparently went beyond what the university envisioned in scale and scope.

 

While I am not absolutely certain, I was under the impression that Stark's proposal was less dense than the others.  If he imagined stretching out onto adjacent land, that may have allowed him to build the same amount of sq ft.  UCi owns land that abuts the Triange and wants to use it for its own mixed-use development purposes.  If UCI was unwilling to part with that land at the moment, I think that would dampen Stark's desire to build at the Triangle.  Considering that Ronayne wants to make UCI into more of a development player, i don't see the reluctancy to add these parcels to the Triangle package as a negative.  Stay tuned.

It turns out that Stark wanted to demolish the existing apartment towers and rebuild from scratch.  While this would be the optimal scenario, Case is not operating with an unlimited amount of cash.  The cost of demolishing the towers and rebuilding is way beyond the realistic financial scope of this project. 

 

While things are still very conceptual, the most interesting portions of what Case wants are:

 

-extend E.115 st from Euclid Ave through the Triangle, with a small traffic circle in the middle so that the street can bend to reconnect to itself at Mayfield.  While this will be open to cars, it would serve more of a pedestrian purpose

-a usuable plaza that would be surrounded by retail

-condo towers (10 stories?) on both sides of Euclid

 

Regarding the large surface lot on Mayfield next to the RTA tracks, UCI wants to develop that separately in the next few years.  It could be developed in conjunction with CIA's expansion.

 

 

Is the Ford-Euclid development parcel packaged as a part of the Triangle RFP?

^Yes.

I just hope whatever they build, it does not look like the generic Crocker Park / OSU Gateway / every other "mixed use" center built in the past 8 years

 

I am seriously worried about this too.  After driving by Eton Collection this weekend (had to show the gf Chagrin Falls, of course) I can't say I am too bummed to see Stark drop out.  He may be a "doer" but I have yet to see anything he's done that I would want anywhere near UC.  With all due respect to the heinousness of Legacy Village, Eton Collection is really singular in its bile-coaxing barfyness.  Altogether I am pretty disappointed by the number of proposals that came in but given the nature of the project I guess not so surprised.

 

I am simultaneously excited and terrified by this project but I suppose we can/need to trust that UCI/Case will excert some serious pressure for architectural quality.

 

Wimwar, what's the selection process entail?  How significant to the process are the specific proposals submitted by the remaining two teams?

I'm a little disappointed Stark dropped out. While his two major projects; Eton Collection and Crocker Park are a little disappointing, Stark does seems to show a gradual and increasing toward new urbanism whereas many developers are not. For example any other developer would have taken that land in Westlake and maybe tried to build a sprawling complex of surface parking lots, a traditional shopping mall, isolated apartment buildings, wouldn't have incorporated public transit, and not promoted incorporation of the Promenade retail plaza (for example something resembling the North Olmsted Great Northern region). Instead Stark opted for a much denser and mixed-use development that promotes pedestrian traffic. He exhibits progress, whereas developers like First Interstate are putting the likes of Steelyard Commons, Rysar is building a big box shopping plaza on W. 117th, and Jacobs is building a big-box suburban shopping plaza on the former site of Westgate mall that includes no residential or office component which Fairview Park desperately needs to become more sustainable and stable to remain competitive with further suburban sprawl. 

 

Of course I would say that Stark's embrace of new urbanism would be in vain if he didn' show interest in the central city, but we also know that he has shown huge interest and dedication to downtown Cleveland in the past year. He wants maximum pedestrian traffic and thousands of new people to live and work downtown. Though the architectural quality of the firm Stark uses is less than stellar, more people should accept the fact that in order to build something on the site of a former parking lot or suburban-style shopping center (Triangle) it must imply that it will be new and functional.

^This just highlights the problem of having so few submissions.  We can spin him but Stark is a suburban developer, period.  New Urbanism is really just the new upscale suburban planning paradigm; Stark is hardly a pioneer.  I am open to being impressed, I don't mean to sound so negative.

I am kind of nervous about Stark putting a huge development in the city. Although I would hardly say I'm glad he dropped out, I fear that he will basically build a crocker park in the city. Mixed use development is is what the city sorely needs, but I dont want mixed use projects to have the artificial feel of crocker park.

Case selects development team for Triangle project

 

 

2:20 p.m.

 

Case Western Reserve University has conditionally selected the team of Mesirow-Stein Financial of Chicago and MRN Ltd. of Cleveland to develop the high-profile Triangle project, otherwise known as the Arts and Retail District.

 

The other remaining contender in the selection process was Developers Diversified Realty of Beachwood.

 

The decision “allows the unvierstity to enter exclusive negotations with the team concerning final scope and details and then to seek final approval from trustees,” Russell Berusch, Case’s vice president for commercial development, said Thursday.

 

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

Interesting.

 

So, Charles Koch of Charter One was involved in the decision. Look for a lot of the Uptown Initiative's funds (not a majority) to go towards making this project a success.

 

DDR was greatly involved in the last attempt to build on the beach. I am glad that they won't be involved this time because their prior ideas were somewhat bland.  MRN envisions significant density along Euclid.

I'll post the story later. Bad news. The Chicago developer has pulled out of the UARD. Maron is still at the table, but I'm not sure if they want to go at it alone.

WTF?!

re: Triangle Project

 

The partner who pulled out was the financier. :(

 

However, I've heard that "the development will happen."  --I'll try to figure out what that means.

Developer quits Case project

Chicago firm cites 'adverse market influences'; Cleveland's MRN remains

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Steven Litt

Plain Dealer Architecture Critic

Case Western Reserve University's dream of creating a vibrant arts and retail district in University Circle suffered a setback this week when a Chicago developer withdrew from negotiations over the project.

 

Mesirow Financial Real Estate of Chicago, which had formed a partnership with MRN Ltd. of Cleveland to win the development assignment from Case, cited "adverse market influences" in its decision to withdraw, said Russell Berusch, Case's vice president for commercial development.

 

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

 

Adverse market conditions?  F- that... every market study I've seen, dating back to the 70s, has shown winning market conditions.  Still, it's 2006 and it's all still "on paper."

 

I'll keep my ear out for more as well...

Not good.  Hopefully given MRN's track record, they can get it done; but something's not right here.  Why would Stark -- who certainly knows a good thing when he sees it -- and now Mesirow pull out?  Could it be the horrible mess the University is in right now, what with the firing of Pres. Hundert and the recent resignation of a large chunk of the Weatherhead faculty -- maybe that's it.  I recently spoke with an associate who's in Case's arts & sciences college.  He says morale @ CWRU is the pits right now and he's sending out resumes...

 

And what about the E.120 Rapid station?  When are they (RTA, Little Italy) going to stop talking and start building?  You'd like to think that the racial element is no longer motivating foot-dragging (as in Little Italy doesn't want a bunch of E. Cleveland blacks hopping off the Rapid in their neighborhood), so what's the problem?  A parking garage was mentioned before as a sticking point, but why?  I don't see why there should even be parking at this station; it's a traditional urban rapid transit site in a fairly dense residential/commercial area -- whose riders will be walk ups and bus transfers (assuming the #9 Mayfield is routed there).  Really, with the growth along Euclid with the new Case dorms, Little Italy is less a factor than before, and RTA could up the traffic count from around 100 people to in the thousands by simply building new station at or just adjacent to the current site?

 

So what's up with U.C.?  With the fancy-shmancy Art Museum addition underway and last year's Botanical Garden addition, the recently refurbished Severance Hall, U. Circle should be the happening spot (it's still an awesome cultural center despite its residential and retail stagnation)... but like seemingly everything else in this town, there always a major hitch...

While it's disappointing to hear of the temporary setback I hope that it won't be construed as a negative sign of the overall health of UC.  Between all of the employees at UH and Case within two blocks of the site, coupled with the student and neighboring residential population the site would seem to be quite appealing.  That said, it'll be interesting to see what MRN proposes, as the bulk of what they've done has involved adaptive reuse.

 

Re:Stark; While I am by no means 'in the know' about the full rationale for Stark withdrawing his proposal I think he has a pretty full plate at the time with previously proposed projects such as Pesht, other phases at Crocker, and Van Aken-Warrensville.  I guess I'd rather that those projects move forward (well, at least the first and last) than to have him end up stretched thin and end up having to cut back on his proposals.

Re:Stark; While I am by no means 'in the know' about the full rationale for Stark withdrawing his proposal I think he has a pretty full plate at the time with previously proposed projects such as Pesht, other phases at Crocker, and Van Aken-Warrensville.  I guess I'd rather that those projects move forward (well, at least the first and last) than to have him end up stretched thin and end up having to cut back on his proposals.

 

Fair points.

^Those factors are likely true of Stark's situation, but I think he was also pressing for a broadened footprint for the project, which would have included demo-ing more existing buildings (such as the old Commodore Hotel) than Case or UCI wanted.  He probably met with opposition, realized he couldn't do things his way, and decided to let it go.  I'm sure he's still paying attention, though!

^Those factors are likely true of Stark's situation, but I think he was also pressing for a broadened footprint for the project, which would have included demo-ing more existing buildings (such as the old Commodore Hotel) than Case or UCI wanted.  He probably met with opposition, realized he couldn't do things his way, and decided to let it go.  I'm sure he's still paying attention, though!

 

No friggin’ way should Stark, or anybody, even think about demolishing the Commodore Hotel.  It’s an architectural gem and frames the intersection, along with the recently rehabbed, and lively, University East plaza across the street.  Once the Commodore’s street-level shops are rehabbed, it will work perfectly for what the neighborhood needs: a high-density, pedestrian building.  I wish somehow we could relocate the seniors who dominate this facility (to a new building elsewhere) so we can pump new life into the area.

 

I like that Bob Stark is aggressive, but he talks a bit wild sometimes.  His bold, bodacious ideas for Cleveland often comes with judicious use of the wrecking ball.  In an interview last year about his ideas for downtown, he talked of leveling half the buildings down there including, if I’m not mistaken, in the Warehouse District.  While we certainly need growth, we have too many historic treasures that no one, regardless of how fresh and rich they may be, should be allowed to lay to waste.  Stark is good, but he must be held in check.

 

I heard some potentially bad news regarding the Triangle. Russell Berush, the CWRU lead on the project, has resigned. I don't know anything else about the situation.

I hope this isn't a crippling development.  If memory serves, didn't MRN, Ltd recently pull out of this project? (I see MRN noted as partner in the above 11/08 article, but I could have sworn they'd dropped out-- sure hope I'm wrong)   Whatever his other faults, I began to feel queasy about the pace and ultimate success of Triangle after CWRU's President Hundert was fired last year -- he was the driver of the massive rehab and expansion of Case's campus that has pumped considerable life South Campus and what retail currently exists both on Euclid as well as the Juniper-Ford-Belflower block on campus... While I'm glad the other UC renovations/expansions, like Park Lane Villa, the Art Museum along with the recent CWRU and Botanical gardens expansions, the Triangle is the core project at the center of what could, and should be a great youth-oriented campus-town/retail district fed by transit; an area that would convert UC from disjointed and relatively lifeless (albeit beautiful) conglomeration high powered intellectual, cultural and health institutions ... It's frustrating in this town, sometimes.  Just as with legal mess surrounding Wolstein's project in Flats East Bank, and Bob Stark's Pesht, it always seems so difficult to move forward with the key developments that could have the greatest positive impact.  So we're stuck with nibbling around the edges.  Ugh!

From my understanding, Hundert was more of a divider than a driver.  He wasn't known for his cross-institutional collaboration and didn't get along well with some of the other primary players in the neighborhood (let alone in his own university). 

 

Retail and renovations on Euclid at Ford/Mayfield can be credited to hard work by UCI, who owns both the Circle East and Circle Place (Commodore) buildings.  Circle Place is about to undergo some significant rehab work and they're marketing the hell out of those vacant spaces. 

 

Places like Bellflower Court could be even more wonderful if individuals (like Hundert) were a little more open to things happening organically.  And maybe Case would have a little more money to work with on these next big projects if they didn't waaaaay overspend on some of the ones that Hundert oversaw (Village @ 115, Peter B. Lewis).

 

These are my opinions, based on my limited experience, so anyone who wants to chime in, feel free to do so!

 

Also, MRN is still the lead developer in the Triangle/Beach development.  Their partner from Chicago dropped out several months ago.  Zaremba has been the other name thrown around as a new partner.

Also, MRN is still the lead developer in the Triangle/Beach development.  Their partner from Chicago dropped out several months ago.  Zaremba has been the other name thrown around as a new partner.

 

That's right; glad MRN's still in charge.

 

From my understanding, Hundert was more of a divider than a driver.  He wasn't known for his cross-institutional collaboration and didn't get along well with some of the other primary players in the neighborhood (let alone in his own university). 

 

I'm not certain of all this.  Maybe Hundert rubbed some of Case's neighbor's feathers the wrong, but someone had to shake up CWRU's developmental stagnation, from all indicators, he was the guy... His biggest failure was w/ his faculty who, in light of budget cuts and layoffs -- esp in Weatherhead -- they felt he was too much a cold bricks 'n mortar guy... so they punished him w/ the now infamous vote of 'no confidence' which led to his ouster.  Maybe Case's plan isn't perfect (PD's Steve Litt despised the retro-Gothic dorms), but I think campus, particularly North campus, is significantly better off after the Hundert initiative... I just hope the progress carries through and Case can rise from the dolldrums to become a campus-town more comparable to Pittsburgh's Oakland, Chicago's Hyde Park or Philly's University City.

 

 

Good to hear that they are talking to the press about this. Now let's hurry up and get this thing underway.

 

Developers plan Cleveland "college town"

 

 

3:40 p.m.

 

Two developers making their mark in Cleveland's core are ready to tackle the much-anticipated "college town" development in University Circle.

 

A joint venture of developers Nathan Zaremba and MRN Ltd. has signed a letter of intent with Case Western Reserve University to pursue the $120 million mix of arts, retail and dwellings.

 

It's planned for about 8 acres north and south of Euclid Avenue, east of the Ford Drive/Mayfield Road intersection.

 

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