<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">When your project removes the parking the neighbors have used for 20-30 years in a community they have built and you want to show up in and profit within - not complimentary</p>&mdash; Damon Taseff (@damontaseff) <a href="https://twitter.com/damontaseff/status/1375220196940652544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"When your project removes the parking the neighbors have used for 20-30 years in a community they have built and you want to show up in and profit within - not complimentary"  Damon Taseff (@damontaseff)

 

Mr. Taseff, who redeveloped the West Side Community House one block away from this project, was one of the most active critics of the project. That building has 21 units (11 one-bed; 10 two-bed for 31 bedrooms in total), three office spaces, and Phoenix Coffee, along with a total amount of 14 off-street parking spaces.  I'm happy his project was complementary to the community and therefore able to happen. As that project showed, what residents may consider "severely under-parked" residential projects don't bring about the parking nightmares everyone fears. I think the biggest challenge is figuring out how to present this reality to residents in a persuasive way. 

Edited March 30, 20214 yr by Jukeboxer

2 hours ago, Pigmeat said:

Parking available at 9pm on a Monday so the concerns are invalid. Of course how silly those neighbors are with their concerns!  What about noon? Doesn’t matter obviously.  Or he weekends? Again who cares as long as there are four parking spaces available at 9pm on Monday!  How FoX News of you KJP

Quite an emotional response there don't ya think? You wouldn't happen to be one of the lovely neighbors who killed this project by chance? Also, let's use some logic here...Ohio City is a primarily residential neighborhood. No businesses other than St Ignatius and a smattering of restaurants. Since most of the residents. Since Clevelanders and most Americans in general can't get over their love affair with driving and also since greater Cleveland has sprawled to high hell, then most residents leave during the day. Therefore, please tell me how the daytime is peak demand? All of the residents come home around 5 or 6, and the dinner rush hits the couple restaurants around there, so using LOGIC instead of emotion tells us that the peak demand should be right around 6pm-9pm. Maybe these photos were taken towards the tail end of that, sure, but why don't we take some photos at 7:00pm just to be sure. Based on my experiences in the neighborhood, gonna say that there are still going to be plenty of street spots open.

 

Sorry, but you live in the wrong city to argue against a project because of parking.

Everybody needs to keep it civil on here

Damon is clueless and a hypocrite.

1 hour ago, w28th said:

Damon is clueless and a hypocrite.

 

And also a clown...Remember he was the one proposing a double lane drive-thru McDonald's on Lorain Ave, in the heart of OHC.

He's being sarcastic. Look at all the street parking available. 

Oh when I said dead I was mentioning the comment on the status of Fulton House.

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I can't wait to see that George Slum on the corner be demoed too.

1 hour ago, PoshSteve said:

I can't wait to see that George Slum on the corner be demoed too.

 

In the right hands this building could be super complimentary to the overall vision....but yeah, I totally get your sentiments. 

Just yesterday I noticed that newly exposed sub deck. I didn't know it was there and I definitely didn't expect to come on here and get an excellent full view drone capture of it.

Thanks @Agreene!

2 hours ago, surfohio said:

 

In the right hands this building could be super complimentary to the overall vision....but yeah, I totally get your sentiments. 

I’ve been to parks in Europe that have great beer gardens or cafes in them, and this totally could be something like that done correctly.  

I’m showing my age but way back when the Grog Shop considered that building for relocation.

Now that the new Garrett Morgan school has opened, has anyone heard what the plans are for the old Garrett Morgan/William Dean Howells building?

 

I didn’t notice it on the recent map of CMSD buildings up for sale.

10 hours ago, gg707 said:

I’ve been to parks in Europe that have great beer gardens or cafes in them, and this totally could be something like that done correctly.  

 

I think there are some stabilization issues with the hillside in that area. The rear section of the building could be removed and do a restoration of the front portion. A deck could be put on the back for some great views while enjoying an adult beverage. Get rid of the billboard too.

That corner seems like a prime development location, either in conjunction with the park or independent from it.  The views would be spectacular.

Folks, that corner lot was bought by George for one purpose and one purpose only and that's to hold it for ransom. He has no intention of developing it. Once the hillside is stabilized, and the park begins to take shape his property will have a spotlight shined on it. Development/park land all around it and he's holding a bag of gold.

 

Reminds me of one of those movies from the 1930's where a property owner holds the last piece of land that a developer needs to build his dream project. But unlike those movies this time the holdout is not a decent soul trying to hold onto a simple way of life in the way of a greedy developer. This time the owner will use his property to extort the greatest $$ and he doesn't care that he is standing in the way of the greater community good.

Does anyone know the status of the removal of the (soon to be former) Front Steps building? I know the plan was for that building to eventually be demolished after all residents were moved to the brand new complex.

 

They opened the new St. Joseph Commons last year and have been steadily moving the residents over. Wondering if it's a full 12+ month process.

50 minutes ago, cadmen said:

Folks, that corner lot was bought by George for one purpose and one purpose only and that's to hold it for ransom. He has no intention of developing it. Once the hillside is stabilized, and the park begins to take shape his property will have a spotlight shined on it. Development/park land all around it and he's holding a bag of gold.

 

Reminds me of one of those movies from the 1930's where a property owner holds the last piece of land that a developer needs to build his dream project. But unlike those movies this time the holdout is not a decent soul trying to hold onto a simple way of life in the way of a greedy developer. This time the owner will use his property to extort the greatest $$ and he doesn't care that he is standing in the way of the greater community good.

 

This situation calls for the city to use eminent domain.  It would have been preferable to do so earlier when valuation would arguably be lower.  

I mean as a business person do you blame him? He saw an opportunity and jumped on it. That is how business is supposed to work. 

^^The address for that building is 1441 W. 25th Street, right?  No case has been filed against the building's owner (Riverbed West, LLC).  Ever.

 

For those who don't like the way the building looks or the affect it has on the street...  start calling the City.  216-664-2282 is the number to Building and Housing.  Call until someone from city hall comes out.

 

Edit:  Looks like plenty of Violations have been issued within the past three years... none have come before the Court.  That's either the Building Department holding onto them, or the Law Department not bringing a case in.

Edited April 7, 20214 yr by Oldmanladyluck

I don't blame George at all. He was smart enough to see just a little down the road and snapped up a property that will be worth quite a bit more than he paid for it. That's business. It's just unfortunate that making a smart business decision can sometimes crash headon into a community good. That's our system so...

1 minute ago, cadmen said:

I don't blame George at all. He was smart enough to see just a little down the road and snapped up a property that will be worth quite a bit more than he paid for it. That's business. It's just unfortunate that making a smart business decision can sometimes crash headon into a community good. That's our system so...

Doesn't help that his public image in the city is 100% negative as it should be.

Right.

Small transaction of note is 4809 Lorain Ave. Urban Community School has purchased it from the previous owner on March 23rd. I hope they'll be able to restore it and beautify that corner, further extending the redevelopment of Lorain west.

https://goo.gl/maps/zsWGL3ywoZWNuw3R6

Edited April 7, 20214 yr by downtownjoe

8 hours ago, cadmen said:

I don't blame George at all. He was smart enough to see just a little down the road and snapped up a property that will be worth quite a bit more than he paid for it. That's business. It's just unfortunate that making a smart business decision can sometimes crash headon into a community good. That's our system so...

Didn’t he actually acquire the property in less-than-transparent circumstances, or am I getting mixed up with another deal of his?

^I don't recall that part. What was reported was that the property was listed for sale and George swooped in before the county got off its duff. 

 

But this idea that if something is legal, it's above blame needs to die.  Taking advantage of the county's incompetence to make a quick buck from your hold out leverage is unethical and gross and it's totally fine to call him a slimeball for it.  

Edited April 9, 20214 yr by StapHanger

^ Thanks and I agree with your comments. 
 

It was the former RTA garage in Midtown, that went down around the same time, that I was thinking of 

https://apnews.com/article/ohio-cleveland-tony-george-archive-real-estate-brokers-5ac86c946f5849e197ef08b01745a6e8

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I for one think a building similar to the Bridgeworks Development would look great in that location.  Having two substantial buildings on either side of the Detroit bridge as sort of gatekeepers two/from downtown would add a lot to that big city feel, and there is plenty of park space still.  Add in that George said he would be happy to put a park welcome center into whatever is done with the property and you have a win-win. 

 

Here at UrbanOhio we're all for big development, and I don't know of a much better spot for big development than the corner of one of the cities major intersections that also happens to lead into downtown. Adding a nice big building there(with epic views of downtown, the river and park) would add so much to Ohio City and downtown, all while also being a great anchor for the park(with a potential welcome center).

 

I'm gonna look on the positive side and hope for the best.

 

I love how things are building up in that area and I'm excited to see what the future holds!

When can an owner get fined and cited for having a building in disrepair or that is just a flat out eye sore?  Do they do that in Cleveland?

1 minute ago, cle_guy90 said:

When can an owner get fined and cited for having a building in disrepair or that is just a flat out eye sore?  Do they do that in Cleveland?

My gut feeling (pure speculation) is that the appropriate city departments are pretty much ignoring these buildings and have decided to forgo wasting scarce administrative resources knowing these buildings won't be around much longer.

24 minutes ago, Htsguy said:

My gut feeling (pure speculation) is that the appropriate city departments are pretty much ignoring these buildings and have decided to forgo wasting scarce administrative resources knowing these buildings won't be around much longer.

 

The George family is also very well connected politically.

The hillside is not stable enough to support any buildings on top of it. Even after the stabilization is complete, it will not be able to support any sort of large scale development. George is not going to do any sort of redevelopment with that building or new construction because he simply can't. He bought it with the sole plan on extorting the city/county out of as much money as he can when it's the last piece needed to complete the park. Why anyone would praise him for this...

18 minutes ago, PoshSteve said:

The hillside is not stable enough to support any buildings on top of it. Even after the stabilization is complete, it will not be able to support any sort of large scale development. George is not going to do any sort of redevelopment with that building or new construction because he simply can't. He bought it with the sole plan on extorting the city/county out of as much money as he can when it's the last piece needed to complete the park. Why anyone would praise him for this...

If it ends up being an eminent domain action, as part of the process the court has to determine fair market value (usually through experts).  In my mind fmv has pretty much been determined by George himself when he bought the property in an arms length transaction just a few years ago.  As such he should not get more than he paid for it and hopefully he loses money after paying his lawyers.

^and property taxes

From UO's roving reporter @mack34....

 

 

Never knew @mack34was such a debonair guy!  
 

So great to see all the investment,  construction and good energy in this part of Cleveland!  Driving around the area over Easter I got  a real sense of the transformation that’s happening.  This will be another nice project to continue that momentum. 

14 minutes ago, CleveFan said:

Never knew @mack34was such a debonair guy!  
 

So great to see all the investment,  construction and good energy in this part of Cleveland!  Driving around the area over Easter I got  a real sense of the transformation that’s happening.  This will be another nice project to continue that momentum. 

 

I can't wait to see what things look like around town a year or two from now. CLEVELAND IS RISING

Make Cleveland great again.

2 hours ago, KJP said:

 

I can't wait to see what things look like around town a year or two from now. CLEVELAND IS RISING

Any chance the font size equates to number of floors in these rising buildings?

Windows are in! 

 

 

The Dexter, a luxury apartment building, opening on Cleveland's West Side (PHOTOS)

Mary Vanac - Cleveland Business Journal - Apr. 12, 2021

 

"Dominic Edwards is doing up to a half-dozen tours a day — many for out-of-town doctors in training at Cleveland Clinic's Huron Road Hospital across the street — for prospective tenants of The Dexter, the latest luxury apartment building in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood. The first resident is expected to move in this week, said Edwards, a community manager for Casto, the building's Columbus, Ohio-based residential real estate developer and property manager."

Hey, Huron Road Hospital, Lutheran Medical Center, what's the diff?

Crackerjack journalism 

Oops I misspoke - I forgot that Lutheran houses the inpatient psych wards that resident doctors would train at.    Can't imagine that generates too many prospective residents for the Dexter though.
 

 

Edited April 13, 20214 yr by buckeye1

4 hours ago, cadmen said:

Crackerjack journalism 

Definitely scratched my head on that as well! 🤷‍♂️ But to be fair, Mary Vanac is one of the good ones. She would certainly know the difference between Lutheran and Huron Road Hospital, so I’ll let myself believe it was just a strange copy editing fluke!

How did they finish The Dexter soo fast?!?

Congrats Ohio City!  It’ll be interesting to see how fast The Dexter fills up. Seems like an amazing street vibe there  - with aspects of a relaxed residential neighborhood but, at the same time,  so close to downtown and great urban energy all around. 
 

The Dexter itself has a classy and commanding street presence - I experienced it walking around the neighborhood on a recent visit.  I’m sure it will become a very popular address.

 

On 4/12/2021 at 11:02 PM, CleveFan said:

Congrats Ohio City!  It’ll be interesting to see how fast The Dexter fills up. Seems like an amazing street vibe there  - with aspects of a relaxed residential neighborhood but, at the same time,  so close to downtown and great urban energy all around. 
 

The Dexter itself has a classy and commanding street presence - I experienced it walking around the neighborhood on a recent visit.  I’m sure it will become a very popular address.

 

I know I mentioned this up thread but we were the first official tenants to sign and couldn't be more excited. We don't move until June but the anticipation is killing us. We've done some looking around inside and the building looks beautiful and they have artwork on various placards around the exterior of the building. I will snap some photos the next time I take a walk.

 

The property manager is a great guy and did mention an Austin-based chef is planning to open a restaurant (possibly BBQ) in one of the retail spaces. Not sure if that's mentioned anywhere in the CBJ article (or if that plan has been solidified with the tenant yet). 

Edited April 14, 20214 yr by BJBaes

Chef Douglas Katz's Indian ghost kitchen, Amba, is going to become an actual sit-down restaurant at 2817 Detroit Ave. The restaurant will be behind the tiger mural along W 28th (the bottom wall in the floor plan below). I'll be curious to see how any signage will interact with the existing artwork.

 

Edited April 14, 20214 yr by tykaps