^Yep, it's clearly in the Cleveland commercial architectural vernacular circa WWI.  Under the current plan, it's a shame it get's wiped out while it's bland/ugly neighbors like "105" survive.  The planning seems a bit off kilter.

Cities don't rezone for the hell of it. They've already got plenty to do. This is probably in response to something, but none of the properties have changed hands in the last 10 years or more....

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2015/10022015/index.php

 

City Planning Commission

Agenda for October 2, 2015

 

ZONING MAP AMENDMENTS

Ordinance No. 1097-15(Ward 16/Councilmember Kazy): Changing the Use, Area and Height Districts of parcels along the west side of West 117th Street, north of Triskett Avenue and south of Arden Avenue to LR (Local Retail), a 'K' Area District and a '2' Height District.

 

 

 

This thread is my ongoing UO legacy, Variety Theater mention in the article about tax credits:

 

* The Variety Theatre project, a long-discussed restoration of a 1920s theater complex at 11801-11825 Lorain Ave. on the city's West Side. Saved from the wrecking ball, the theater will become a restaurant and entertainment venue, while vacant apartments and street-level retail spaces will be restored.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/12/six_cleveland_projects_includi.html

There is a storefront being renovated on W. 117th between 1-90 and Lorain Ave. They've added a brick façade and some nicely done big windows in the front.  Does anyone know what is going in there?  I noticed the former White Castle building across the street is still for lease.

 

 

There is a storefront being renovated on W. 117th between 1-90 and Lorain Ave. They've added a brick façade and some nicely done big windows in the front.  Does anyone know what is going in there?  I noticed the former White Castle building across the street is still for lease.

 

 

 

Probably next to this?

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2016/01082016/image/3284_W_117th_St.jpg

 

FAR WEST DESIGN REVIEW

FW2015-020 – Proposed Demolition of a 2-Story Office Building and Garage for a Parking Lot

Project Address: 3284 West 117th Street 

Project Representatives: Mo Yassem, Property Owner

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=3284+West+117th+Street&oq=3284+West+117th+Street&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8

 

Yes, that's it. Someone told me it will be another mobile telephone store.

Restoration of Cleveland's historic Variety Theatre has begun with new marquee (photos)

By Laura DeMarco, The Plain Dealer

on April 04, 2016 at 5:11 PM, updated April 04, 2016 at 5:14 PM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland's historic Variety Theatre moved one step closer to lighting up its west side neighborhood Monday.

 

That's when work began to install a new, 28-foot, 2,280 LED bulbs marquee that will broadcast to the world that the Variety's restoration process has begun.

 

The new marquee is a replica of the original 1927 vertical blade-style marquee, damaged by a tornado in 1953, not the later horizontal marquee Clevelanders who saw movies at the venue in the 1970s or rock shows in the 1980s might remember.

 

MORE:

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/04/restoration_of_clevelands_hist.html

Restoration begins at Cleveland's historic Variety Theatre: Look inside (vintage photos, video)

 

By Laura DeMarco, The Plain Dealer 

Email the author | Follow on Twitter

on September 14, 2016 at 11:31 AM, updated September 14, 2016 at 1:02 PM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The historic Variety Theatre is about to light up.

 

On Saturday, Sept. 24, the new marquee on the 1927-built theater will be turned on at a street party in front of the beloved theater, closed since the 1980s.

 

The marquee is the first step in a planned $15 million restoration of the Variety, which featured everything from vaudeville to classic movies to punk and metal bands over the years. It was metal legends Motorhead, in fact, who got the venue shut down with a court order in 1984 after a plaster- and neighbor-rattling show.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/09/restoration_begins_at_clevelan.html

ANOTHER ugly, anti-pedestrian used car lot on Lorain -- and in the ped-shed of a rail station (West Park Red Line station)....

 

Board of Zoning Appeals

AUGUST 7, 2017

 

9:30

Calendar No. 17-202: 13950 Lorain Avenue Ward 16

Brian Kazy

21 Notices

Kenneth Krupa, owner, proposes to establish use as motor vehicle sales facility in a C2 Semi-Industry

District. The owner appeals for relief from the strict application of the following sections of the

Cleveland Codified Ordinances:

1. Section 347.11 which states that “Open sales lot” means open land that is used or occupied

for the purpose of displaying motor vehicles available for sale, lease, exchange, or other

distribution. Open sales lots require a minimum lot width of 60 feet. Per section 325.46, “Lot

width” means the means the width measured at right angles to its depth. The lot of the

proposed use is 150 feet deep, requiring a 9,000 square foot lot and a 6,732 square foot lot is

proposed.

2. Section 349.04 which states that customer parking area equal to 25% of gross lot area is

required and approximately 10% of gross lot area proposed.

3. Section 341.02(a) which states that review and approval of the City Planning Commission or

its Director is required. (Filed June 28, 2017)

^Yeah, that sucks.  From the looks per Google, the prop'd used car lot isn't significantly worse than the current ped-unfriendly biz; but adding yet another new ugly used car lot to a key, busy transit-friendly street that has way too many of them.  Don't know this area to well, but it appears there is a sizable population and housing -- including several mulit units, in the immediate area.

 

Note: As much as I admired Ron Tober's administration at RTA, he blew it in rebuilding the West Park station at its original site waaay aback of Lorain Ave, where peds have to walk a significant distance just to get to the street -- this arrangement was obviously geared to motorist parking for trains rather than to pedestrians.  The station should have been moved to the bridge over Lorain which would have had more potential to encourage TOD as opposed to the current asphalt parking lot mess along Lorain at this location with stuff like gas stations, Ganley's car dealerships and the obligatory Burger King drive-thru.

Note: As much as I admired Ron Tober's administration at RTA, he blew it in rebuilding the West Park station at its original site waaay aback of Lorain Ave, where peds have to walk a significant distance just to get to the street -- this arrangement was obviously geared to motorist parking for trains rather than to pedestrians.  The station should have been moved to the bridge over Lorain which would have had more potential to encourage TOD as opposed to the current asphalt parking lot mess along Lorain at this location with stuff like gas stations, Ganley's car dealerships and the obligatory Burger King drive-thru.

 

Part of the problem is the at-grade crossing between the RTA tracks and the freight tracks near the Lorain Avenue. It limited the ability to place the station closer to Lorain Avenue. Ideally, and without that crossing, the station could have been placed above Lorain Avenue, as was done at West 117th. Now that freight track is inactive -- its switch onto the mainline was recently removed by Norfolk Southern. AND... The Harley Davidson dealership at the intersection of the RTA driveway and Lorain Avenue has closed. It's a terrific TOD opportunity now. And it would be even better in the future if RTA moved the station to above Lorain Avenue by relocating the WB RTA track to the bridge deck now occupied by the unused industrial access track.

 

I wonder if/how this opportunity can be preserved until such time money becomes available?

City Council backs grant for renovation of Cleveland's Variety Theatre

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2017/09/city_council_backs_grant_for_r.html

Dona Brady is now the queen of demolition. She urged the demolition of a landmark-protected building that was eminently suitable for redevelopment across the street from a rail station that NOACA targeted as the best new area for a TOD investment strategy.

 

Now, she is urging this... The demolition of a neighborhood surrounding a theater because she thinks that making an urban setting look more suburban will cause it to compete with the suburbs. Instead, people won't dine or drink in the neighborhood before or after a show -- not when the neighborhood is being sacrificed for the theater. They'll get in their cars and go somewhere else. Look at all of the other urbanized theater districts -- Playhouse Square, Gordon Square, Cedar-Lee, Coventry, etc. Their sidewalk-side urban fabric is maintained, not eviscerated as Dona and her Westown CDC propose to do here.....

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2018/05182018/index.php

 

FAR WEST DESIGN REVIEW

 

FW2018-012 – Variety Village Public Parking Lots: Seeking Final  Approval

Project Addresses: 11802 – 11902 Lorain Avenue

Project Representative: Chad Dasher, Westown CDC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is another instance of Dona getting parcels removed from a Landmarks district so that she could have buildings torn down for parking. Note the properties across from the theater are no longer part of this protected district. Per Ord. No. 316-17, she rescinded certain parcels from the Lorain Variety Historic District....

 

Dona Brady is terrible.  She hates bike lanes and it looks like she hates urbanity in general.  The most egregious part of this plan for Variety Village is that the Variety Theater project does not have its capital stack completed yet.

Welcome to Variety Village (to borrow Vietnam War era militaryspeak, we had to destroy the village in order to save it).....

 

 

Westtown has some good bones. This is such a shame. 

Welcome to Cleveland City Councilwoman Dona Brady's ward. There's plenty of parking right next to plenty of parking!

I just can't fathom how this is still a popular mindset. Tearing everything down didn't revitalize Cleveland in the 60s and 70s, why would tearing more things down now lead to a different result?

I just can't fathom how this is still a popular mindset. Tearing everything down didn't revitalize Cleveland in the 60s and 70s, why would tearing more things down now lead to a different result?

 

I would assert that tearing things down makes it harder to revitalize a neighborhood.

This seems like an almost inevitable outcome of pinning "revitalization" hopes on an event space like a theater, unfortunately.

I'd definitely encourage people to keep shedding light on Brady's antics. One of the reasons she's just existed for so long in her stasis and gets away with these garbage planning moves is because it seems that no one has ever stood up and opposed her. Keep challenging her left and right.

I just can't fathom how this is still a popular mindset. Tearing everything down didn't revitalize Cleveland in the 60s and 70s, why would tearing more things down now lead to a different result?

 

I would assert that tearing things down makes it harder to revitalize a neighborhood.

 

I think people get sick of having to look at "blight" and somehow think a greenfield (or a parking lot, I guess) is more attractive to developers. Except it obviously has nothing to do with how large your greenfields are or else East St. Louis would be the most booming city in the Midwest right now.

 

The hard part is convincing the residents and business owners who have to walk/drive past those abandoned buildings every day that they're more of an asset even in their abandoned state than they are demolished.

I just can't fathom how this is still a popular mindset. Tearing everything down didn't revitalize Cleveland in the 60s and 70s, why would tearing more things down now lead to a different result?

 

I would assert that tearing things down makes it harder to revitalize a neighborhood.

 

I think people get sick of having to look at "blight" and somehow think a greenfield (or a parking lot, I guess) is more attractive to developers. Except it obviously has nothing to do with how large your greenfields are or else East St. Louis would be the most booming city in the Midwest right now.

 

The hard part is convincing the residents and business owners who have to walk/drive past those abandoned buildings every day that they're more of an asset even in their abandoned state than they are demolished.

 

This is where the councilwoman and CDC should focus their energy.  They should work on finding businesses to lease the space and working with the building owners to help renovate them. The small vacant buildings should be renovated first and then the Variety Theater should be looked at. 

^That's hard and you can't use buzzwords like "catalyst" or "neighborhood anchor" or "tax credits", though.

^That's hard and you can't use buzzwords like "catalyst" or "neighborhood anchor" or "tax credits", though.

 

I think they should cultivate the neighborhood's Arabic/ Middle Eastern flair and develop along the lines of an ethnic enclave community.  But what do I know, I am not a city councilor.

I'm not sure she really wants that flair since one of the achievements that she lists on her City Council page is how she regulated hookah bars.

Dona Brady is Team Vape all the way, none of that ethnic crap.

I'm not sure she really wants that flair since one of the achievements that she lists on her City Council page is how she regulated hookah bars.

 

There was a shooting outside of one the hookah bars. Her solution, close them all down.  Sad.  Westown could be a cool offbeat urban Middle Eastern neighborhood but she's turning it into parking lots.  Let me again mention that the Variety Theater has not completed its capital stack.

Brady strikes again. I'm sorry to see the house-like storefront slated for demolition. I feel like keeping it would be a good compromise and keep the street and neighborhood feel more intact.

 

Oh well, it's just so freaking draining to see the mistakes of the past repeated again and again in Cleveland. Can we get together a mock petition to revoke Brady's degree?

 

Councilwoman Brady earned her Bachelor of Arts degree, Cum Laude, in Urban Studies with a major in neighborhood revitalization from Cleveland State University's Levin College of Urban Affairs.

So much for a UFO district....

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/bza/agenda/2018/crr07-16-2018.pdf

 

9:30

Calendar No. 18-143: 12739 Lorain Ave. Ward 11

Dona Brady

24 Notices

Assad’s Bakery, owner, proposes to construct a parking lot in a C2 General Retail Business District

and an Urban Form Overlay District (UFO). The owner appeals for relief from the strict application of

the following sections of the Cleveland Codified Ordinances:

1. Section 343.18© which states that a driveway shall not be located within fifteen feet of a

property line.

2. Section 348.04©(1) which states that a parking lot as a main use is prohibited in the Urban

Form Overlay District

3. Section 348.04(d)(2)(A) which states that 80% minimum of principle street frontage must be

frontage build-out; 20% of this requirement may be a street screen (a street screen shall be

masonry and minimum 3.5 feet in height).

4. Section 348.04(d)(5)(A) which states that a street screen is required ( a street screen shall be

masonry and minimum 3.5 feet in height).

5. Section 349.07© which states that parking spaces and driveways shall be arranged to

minimize traffic congestion.

6. Note: Lot Consolidation is required as proposed exit of one-way parking lot onto Lorain Avenue

is no a separate parcel.(Filed June 19, 2018)

 

 

9:30

Calendar No. 18-144: 12815 Lorain Ave. Ward 11

Dona Brady

24 Notices

Assad’s Bakery, owner, proposes to construct a parking lot in a C2 General Retail Business District

and an Urban Form Overlay District (UFO). The owner appeals for relief from the strict application of

the following sections of the Cleveland Codified Ordinances:

1. Section 343.18© which states that a driveway shall not be located within fifteen feet of a

property line.

2. Section 348.04©(1) which states that a parking lot as a main use is prohibited in the Urban

Form Overlay District

3. Section 348.04(d)(1)(D) which states that a rear yard of 3 feet is required and none are

shown.

4. Section 348.04(d)(2)(A) which states that 80% minimum of principle street frontage must be

frontage build-out; 20% of this requirement may be a street screen (a street screen shall be

masonry and minimum 3.5 feet in height).

5. Section 348.04(d)(5)(A) which states that a street screen is required ( a street screen shall be

masonry and minimum 3.5 feet in height). (Filed June 19, 2018)

I always get nervous when I see that there is a new post in this thread. It should be called, "Cleveland: Westown-Jefferson: Dona's Demolitions and Parking Lots"

I used to be impressed by the amount of good "bones along Lorain Avenue and I used to think that this neighborhood could be something special.  My vision is not shared by the Council Representative.

I'm super worried for the Lorain Station District between West Blvd and I-90. It's mainly intact and amazing but Westown/Ward 11 stole it from Ward 15/Cudell Improvement and I'm sure they think it needs more parking.

TPH2[/member] The buildings on the north side of Lorain near West 119th St (that were formerly part of the historic district here) have now all been demolished for the Variety Theater parking lot. I’ll never not be upset about this.

 

 

 

 

Renovation of this mixed-use building (might even be two buildings) on Lorain Ave and West 100th Street is underway.

Looks good. That balcony on the right in the before picture looks a little scary to step onto.

Stepping into the building looks a little scary.

I love Lorain from pretty much I-90 through at least W. 117th.  Maybe the best neighborhood retail bones left in the city, at least over such a large area.

There's a permit application without a lot of detail regarding this property:

 

Work Location

3240 W 117 ST
CLEVELAND OH

 

Application Information

COMMERCIAL

Nature of Job Description.:

Alteration

Use Group 1:

PLEASE CHANGE

Construction Class:

PLEASE CHANGE

Certificate of Occupancy Required:

No

 

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/3240+W+117+ST/@41.4641164,-81.7689367,3a,75y,275.5h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s9AjzjJqkgSZsxibAMVJsRw!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x8830ee02e794a24d:0xc7d454a612700676?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqz5mcv8jqAhX7gnIEHUB2BHcQxB0wAHoECAgQAg

Variety Theatre is up for sale again:

 

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/11815-11837-Lorain-Ave-Cleveland-OH/21362011/

3 hours ago, skorasaurus said:

Variety Theatre is up for sale again:

 

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/11815-11837-Lorain-Ave-Cleveland-OH/21362011/

weird -- it cites an RFP that expired in February.  

3 hours ago, skorasaurus said:

Variety Theatre is up for sale again:

 

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/11815-11837-Lorain-Ave-Cleveland-OH/21362011/

 

That theater is fantastic - I knew nothing about it until I read this post.  The parking lot across the street is horrendous.

51 minutes ago, jeremyck01 said:

 

That theater is fantastic - I knew nothing about it until I read this post.  The parking lot across the street is horrendous.

 

Westown is very proud of that parking lot 🙃

10 hours ago, jeremyck01 said:

 

That theater is fantastic - I knew nothing about it until I read this post.  The parking lot across the street is horrendous.

That would have been a great place to build a new fire station to take the place of the piece of junk on W.117th.  The opinion comes from someone who worked at that station for 7 years.  

I put this on our instagram but figured some of ya might like to know  so i'll copy and paste w/ some pics and a flyover----

 

I thought I would share some exciting news on an otherwise gray day.

We are really grateful and excited to have been selected by the City of Cleveland and The Cleveland School District to preserve and re-develop the Nathaniel Hawthorne School in the Jefferson Park neighborhood.

We expect it to convert nicely into approximately 35-40 apartments for middle income people (rents ranging from 850-1200 dollars depending on size and bedrooms).

The chance to be part of a team that will preserve the character of this building, stabilize a beautiful neighborhood asset and celebrate the community is a special opportunity. This will be SCA's smallest project in dollar amount to date, but our hope is that it can be the most impactful. After all, in Cleveland, there are no small projects. Everything has a ripple effect.

Jefferson Park is one of Cleveland's important middle neighborhoods, brimming with great restaurants, a diverse, international population, a burgeoning Little Arabia and plentiful green space nearby. Working with this neighborhood fits nicely within our strategy of focusing on catalyzing interesting and dynamic projects in the areas that larger developers overlook (AsiaTown, Southern Tremont, Oberlin) because of size or complexity, but that have an oversized impact on the neighborhood. We see Hawthorne Elementary as an exciting continuation of this important work. We can't wait to roll up our sleeves and be part of a process that embraces and amplifies what already makes this neighborhood a special place — Josh and the entire team @ SCA

Per the Sustainable IG they have applied for Historic Tax Credits for the Hawthorne School in Jefferson Park. Decision comes at the end of June.  Good Luck!

The Hawrhorne School has received a brownfield grant of 1.53m, good news. Hopefully it will also qualify for the ohio tax credit, that decision comes at the end of june.

Former Mahall’s owner buys the historic Variety Theatre 

 

https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2022/05/new-life-for-clevelands-variety-theatre-former-mahalls-owner-buys-the-historic-building.html

^ Very excited to see this. Mahall’s is a great spot and in my eyes, a kind of west-side Grog Shop. Would love to see the Variety as a west-side Agora. 

After all the issues keeping an old haunt like Mahall's going I'm surprised - in a good way - to see Colin & Kelly going after another rather large, "vintage" building lol.