April 28, 20214 yr 2 minutes ago, Luke_S said: The Land: One year after $8M Fulton Road re-do, car crashes are up 20% https://www.thelandcle.org/stories/one-year-after-8m-fulton-road-re-do-car-cashes-are-up-20-percent I think it's time to reassign a few key people in Cleveland's traffic engineering division to waste collection. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 28, 20214 yr Not sure how much in here will be news for this group, but some nice interior shots. And always willing to give The Land some traffic (if that hasn't become clear already). https://www.thelandcle.org/stories/two-new-apartment-projects-on-fulton-road-add-to-vibrancy-of-ohio-city
April 28, 20214 yr ^Lack of a center turn lane is a huge problem for the whole lengthof Fulton. You can't have mostly distracted drivers suddenly slamming on their breaks to make a left turn they forgot about and not expect things to go wrong.
April 28, 20214 yr 1 hour ago, Luke_S said: The Land: One year after $8M Fulton Road re-do, car crashes are up 20% https://www.thelandcle.org/stories/one-year-after-8m-fulton-road-re-do-car-cashes-are-up-20-percent As a cyclist and a curmudgeon - color me unsurprised. Our city leadership across multiple departments is embarrassing but I'll save that for another area of UO.
April 28, 20214 yr Take out all the stop lights, but don't even put in a stop sign. Well that makes sense. While there are bigger, better, shinier traffic calming measures that can and should be put in, stop signs are like the bare minimal, and they won't even do that - even with the councilman pleading for it. Edited April 28, 20214 yr by PoshSteve
April 28, 20214 yr 19 minutes ago, PoshSteve said: Take out all the stop lights, but don't even put in a stop sign. Well that makes sense. While there are bigger, better, shinier traffic calming measures that can and should be put in, stop signs are like the bare minimal, and they won't even do that - even with the councilman pleading for it. I thought there were actual roundabouts as a part of this plan, not painted circles. Kerry is hearing the outrage and claims to be scheduling a meeting to discuss. Hopefully this gets addressed.
April 30, 20214 yr TREO apartments ready to rise Initial units to be ready Fall 2022. Apts will be studios and 1- & 2-BRs. "The developer planning TREO, a five-floor apartment building in Cleveland, has closed on almost $33 million in loans and started clearing its site at West 25th Street and Columbus Road. A former auto repair shop on the southeast corner of the intersection has been already demolished. Construction workers are starting to excavate the site for an underground two-level garage, according to Adam Friedberg, a principal at Mavrek Development of Chicago...." https://www.crainscleveland.com/real-estate/treo-apartments-ready-rise Edited April 30, 20214 yr by Pugu
April 30, 20214 yr 10 minutes ago, Pugu said: TREO apartments ready to rise Initial units to be ready Fall 2022. Apts will be studios and 1- & 2-BRs. "The developer planning TREO, a five-floor apartment building in Cleveland, has closed on almost $33 million in loans and started clearing its site at West 25th Street and Columbus Road. A former auto repair shop on the southeast corner of the intersection has been already demolished. Construction workers are starting to excavate the site for an underground two-level garage, according to Adam Friedberg, a principal at Mavrek Development of Chicago...." https://www.crainscleveland.com/real-estate/treo-apartments-ready-rise This is another project that has moved incredibly quickly from initial announcement to ground breaking (just like INTRO). Clearly we need more Chicago developers in town.
April 30, 20214 yr It’s a sharp looking project and a great example of a positive domino effect - a project, like Metrohealth at one end, and Intro at the other, can create a corridor for spin-off projects as developers begin looking at an area not for what it has been but what it can become. Great to see the big Mo happening in Ohio City!
April 30, 20214 yr Ahem -- I had that story several weeks ago after the words "In other news...." 😎 https://neo-trans.blogspot.com/2021/04/temperatures-rising-so-is-cleveland.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 30, 20214 yr 2 hours ago, Htsguy said: This is another project that has moved incredibly quickly from initial announcement to ground breaking (just like INTRO). Clearly we need more Chicago developers in town. This is a very interesting comment. Why do you think this is? Is it because local, corrupt officials know they can shake down local/cleveland developers, but can't get away with it with out of town developers, so the delays caused by threatening to deny a project or something doesn't happen with (or to) Chicago (or other out-of-town) developers? Or is it because most delays are caused by lack of money that CLE developers face and Chicago developers can raise (or have) cash more readily? Or some combination of these two suggestions?
April 30, 20214 yr Neither city has a monopoly on corruption. Some Chicago developers have access to cash and some don't. Many of their projects are just as slow in Chicago. The crowded market is why so many Chicago developes are here in Cleveland. Some Cleveland developers are able to move even faster, like Arpi Apartments on East 93rd I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. They went from idea to construction (or cusp thereof) in seven months. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 1, 20214 yr 6 hours ago, KJP said: The crowded market is why so many Chicago developes are here in Cleveland. Exactly this! And some of them are now well into many years of taking risks in marginal or forgotten neighborhoods in Chicago and reaping huge benefits from that strategy. The developer partner of Church & State, CEDARst got its start developing in Uptown, a neighborhood that was mostly avoided by developers for many years due to it's high level of Social Service agencies and low income housing. Plus, they probably view proximity to a Great Lake and the Rapid line as truely great assets to build on better than locals.
May 1, 20214 yr On 4/30/2021 at 3:26 PM, Htsguy said: This is another project that has moved incredibly quickly from initial announcement to ground breaking (just like INTRO). Clearly we need more Chicago developers in town. Adam Friedberg is from Cleveland and so his his partner Bobby...
May 3, 20214 yr On 4/28/2021 at 11:09 AM, KJP said: I think it's time to reassign a few key people in Cleveland's traffic engineering division to waste collection. That's probably where they started their careers, so there's that....
May 5, 20214 yr "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 8, 20214 yr SATURDAY, MAY 8, 2021 Detroit-Superior subway deck is on a new path Transportation officials are seeking to begin formal planning and design work for a multi-purpose pathway on the long-closed streetcar subway deck of the Detroit-Superior Veterans Memorial Bridge. The bridge over the Cuyahoga River valley links downtown Cleveland and the Hingetown section of Ohio City. Cuyahoga County Public Works Director Michael Dever acknowledged in a recent phone interview the county's desire to start the project which he said might cost about $18 million in 2024 dollars. That year is significant, as it indicates when Dever hopes major construction will be underway on the project. MORE: https://neo-trans.blogspot.com/2021/05/detroit-superior-subway-deck-is-on-new.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 8, 20214 yr ^I love this idea, but only if they keep enough space for two rail right-of-ways. I’m still hoping for a Detroit Ave streetcar someday, or even a subway if we can figure out how to have nice things in this country. That would be a way better method for making it accessible than by using that space for parking. Barf. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
May 8, 20214 yr "After I lived in Spain for two years, I became a big supporter of transit-oriented development," McCormack said. "It's not hard to see this area of the Flats and Ohio City has a serious parking problem. So I'm looking for creative solutions." Were these two sperate trains of thought from McCormack?
May 8, 20214 yr Repurposing the lower deck on the bridge has long been supported by us urbanophiles. I would venture to say that anyone who has made the walk from one end to the other has come to the conclusion that it is an amazing space that must be opened to the public. How and what it ultimately looks like is open to conjecture but those are just the details. We can all agree that it should be opened. One detail that l think must be included is the two stations. kjp mentioned that for now at least they would be bypassed. Those stations add another historical element to an historic bridge. Plus they're just cool. Walking through them takes you back to the halcyon days of urban subway travel, something we never got to enjoy in our city. Opening the bridge is the most important thing but if we're going to do it let's do it right and include those stations too.
May 8, 20214 yr 4 hours ago, viscomi said: "After I lived in Spain for two years, I became a big supporter of transit-oriented development," McCormack said. "It's not hard to see this area of the Flats and Ohio City has a serious parking problem. So I'm looking for creative solutions." Were these two sperate trains of thought from McCormack? Part of the same thought, as in "I like TOD, but we need more parking." "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 8, 20214 yr This seems like a familiar conversation where the issue of vehicles becomes a focal point and instead of taking a reasonable, yet arguably more difficult, approach by expanding the presence of mass transit the conversation starts tilting towards more parking lots. I say we just demolish everything and pave it all add some buses to nowhere for the peons, cause what reasonable person wants to ride a bus? After all that we give it a nice urban renewal style naming convention and begin a new chapter for Cleveland.
May 8, 20214 yr Can’t say I’m big on the idea of using the bridge for parking, but I love the idea of using it for pedestrian purposes. That would definitely be one of the things that would make Cleveland unique. Imagine if the Hope Memorial also had some pedestrian uses (I think I remember hearing it also had sub-level lanes as well, so I’m not referring to the lanes built before the RNC). Having those two bridges activated with pedestrian uses would be one of the most cool and unique urban experiences in the country.
May 9, 20214 yr My response is in the transit ideas for the future. A lite rail line using the lower decks of both bridges seems downright reasonable to me.
May 9, 20214 yr Apartments, offices and retail planned for Voss site in Ohio City A former manufacturing complex in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood, only steps from the West Side Market, is being reimagined as apartments, offices and retail space. That revival plan for the vacant Voss Industries buildings along West 25th Street is the first phase of a much larger potential project dreamed up by homegrown developer MRN Ltd. In late March, an MRN affiliate paid $7.5 million for the 4.2-acre Voss property, which includes parking lots that could become construction sites https://www.crainscleveland.com/real-estate/apartments-offices-and-retail-planned-voss-site-ohio-city
May 10, 20214 yr Treo apartment project in Cleveland on way to $1.2M tax incentive Mary Vanac - Cleveland Business Journal - May 10, 2021 "Developers of the proposed Treo apartment project at W. 25th Street and Swift Avenue in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood have asked the city for tax-increment financing (TIF) to help make their largest-ever investment. ... An ordinance that would make way for a 30-year, nonschool TIF agreement has been wending its way through Cleveland City Council and ended up on the City Planning Commission agenda on Friday. The TIF would be worth $1.2 million over 30 years, said Latoya Hunter Hayes, director of communications and media relations for Cleveland City Hall."
May 10, 20214 yr 1 hour ago, freethink said: Not sure what he's up to but Mister George's eyesore is currently being painted. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this land unstable and pretty much condemned? Cleveland sure isn't afraid to gobble of owners of East side property for whatever they see fit. Christ, take this thing away from him
May 10, 20214 yr Cleveland Bricks was tentatively given approval to build 3 single family homes on a single lot with a shared driveway at today's board of zoning approvals. The only reason they were given this approval today instead of having the decision postponed was because I took the 60 seconds to email the BoZA and my block club about my approval of the project as a neighbor. I was the lone comment. This was in stark contrast to the 45 minutes of debate about a project on W 50th that was denied because the residents didn't like the tree plan (something that the BoZA doesn't even have jurisdiction over). YIMBY-ism works! As I've listened to more public meetings it's become exceedingly clear that the residents have too much power to block development. The pro-development people on this forum need to speak up and let their voices be heard! I feel very badly for the owners of the W 50th property. They're new to the area and are trying to build a home that fits well enough in context with their neighboring homes. I'd be extremely frustrated if I were them being held up for over half a year because they didn't follow "the process" of talking to 15 different groups to get their blessing. Especially when that process isn't spelled out anywhere for anyone to reference afaik. The Bricks proposal starts at minute 47 here: https://youtu.be/bULhE7Pd_Mc?t=2819. Fwiw, I'm not happy with the quality of work of my Cleveland Bricks renovated home... but I'd much rather have 3 average quality new builds on that lot than it remain an empty field for another decade. Site plan below, project is at roughly 3527 Siam Ave Edited May 11, 20214 yr by dastler
May 10, 20214 yr ^I certainly don't disagree with you that the NIMBYism is getting out of control in Ohio City. But there are nuances to the W.50th St situation that merit a much closer look at any proposed project that seeks variances that would impact the other residents would live on this street. The residents have gone to extraordinary lengths to save the impressive allay of ash trees that line each side of the street. If you have ever seen West 50th between Bridge and Franklin, the tree canopy is absolutely gorgeous. 11 years ago, the City tried to cut them all down due to the emerald ash borer problem. The neighbors got together and researched alternatives to the clear cutting the street. After a long fight, they ultimately won out against the city's department of Parks, Recreation & Property. https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2010/07/locals_win_battle_against_city.html https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/the-emerald-dilemma/Content?oid=1804748
May 10, 20214 yr 5 minutes ago, 3231 said: ^I certainly don't disagree with you that the NIMBYism is getting out of control in Ohio City. But there are nuances to the W.50th St situation that merit a much closer look at any proposed project that seeks variances that would impact the other residents would live on this street. The residents have gone to extraordinary lengths to save the impressive allay of ash trees that line each side of the street. If you have ever seen West 50th between Bridge and Franklin, the tree canopy is absolutely gorgeous. 11 years ago, the City tried to cut them all down due to the emerald ash borer problem. The neighbors got together and researched alternatives to the clear cutting the street. After a long fight, they ultimately won out against the city's department of Parks, Recreation & Property. https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2010/07/locals_win_battle_against_city.html https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/the-emerald-dilemma/Content?oid=1804748 Right, there is nuance there. I also agree that saving the tree is important... I've been on 50th many times and it really is a gorgeous street. What I don't agree on is using the board of zoning appeals as the forum to hash out the tree problem. It was brought up by the city's lawyer during the meeting that the tree is not a zoning issue.
May 10, 20214 yr 2 hours ago, freethink said: Not sure what he's up to but Mister George's eyesore is currently being painted. I’m sure painting it a dark color will deter the graffiti artists and “f Bobby George” messages.
May 10, 20214 yr 23 minutes ago, dastler said: Right, there is nuance there. I also agree that saving the tree is important... I've been on 50th many times and it really is a gorgeous street. What I don't agree on is using the board of zoning appeals as the forum to hash out the tree problem. It was brought up by the city's lawyer during the meeting that the tree is not a zoning issue. Curious: what was the solution to the emerald ash borer? The insecticide is only good for two years, so does the city bear the cost of these trees long-term?
May 11, 20214 yr 3 hours ago, seicer said: Curious: what was the solution to the emerald ash borer? The insecticide is only good for two years, so does the city bear the cost of these trees long-term? Jenny Spencer noted at the meeting that the trees on W. 50th only have at most 10 years left, even with the insecticide. So the city is working on a plan to eventually replace them.
May 11, 20214 yr 13 hours ago, smimes said: Jenny Spencer noted at the meeting that the trees on W. 50th only have at most 10 years left, even with the insecticide. So the city is working on a plan to eventually replace them. If trees must come down in the next 10-15 years perhaps now is the time to start replacing them ad hoc? I'm no arborist, but it would seem like if you gradually replace a few every year then you never lose the dense tree cover that makes the street so attractive. If you replace all at once then you have a transition period where the whole street is new saplings for a few years.
May 11, 20214 yr On 5/10/2021 at 1:35 PM, freethink said: Not sure what he's up to but Mister George's eyesore is currently being painted. Just a guess but he might be doing it to show that he is not being negligent with maintaining the property in case the city tries to come after him. I mean after all, the building will be perfect now that he added some paint ;)
May 11, 20214 yr Looks like they have a couple areas of cracking issues they may need to deal with as well.
May 12, 20214 yr How The Irishtown Bend Project Could Rejuvenate Cleveland's Near West Side A five-year collaborative project between Land Studio, Cleveland Metroparks, Ohio City Inc. and others aims to turn a forgotten hillside into a 23-acre community park. https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/articles/how-the-irishtown-bend-project-could-rejuvenate-cleveland's-near-west-side "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 12, 20214 yr The Board of Zoning has nothing to do with saving trees. The conversation about the project on west 50th went sideways. As their legal counsel pointed out the Board of Zoning is there only to vote on zoning matters. The two items for approval were minor and approved numerous times.
May 12, 20214 yr On 5/10/2021 at 4:03 PM, dastler said: Right, there is nuance there. I also agree that saving the tree is important... I've been on 50th many times and it really is a gorgeous street. What I don't agree on is using the board of zoning appeals as the forum to hash out the tree problem. It was brought up by the city's lawyer during the meeting that the tree is not a zoning issue. Can someone give me some nuance to the W 50th situation? I was unaware and I'm a resident of the street.
May 12, 20214 yr 14 hours ago, KJP said: How The Irishtown Bend Project Could Rejuvenate Cleveland's Near West Side A five-year collaborative project between Land Studio, Cleveland Metroparks, Ohio City Inc. and others aims to turn a forgotten hillside into a 23-acre community park. https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/articles/how-the-irishtown-bend-project-could-rejuvenate-cleveland's-near-west-side They plan to open the park "to the public within 5 years" but we're already 4 years in from project inception (albeit aspirational at the time). Labeling it a "five-year" project seems a bit insincere when it will have been 9-10 years before it's fully realized. Edited May 12, 20214 yr by BJBaes
May 12, 20214 yr 46 minutes ago, BJBaes said: They plan to open the park "to the public within 5 years" but we're already 4 years in from project inception (albeit aspirational at the time). Labeling it a "five-year" project seems a bit insincere when it will have been 9-10 years before it's fully realized. They’ve been talking about it for several years, but funding only came together in the last 8 months. If the current timeframe is executed, it would be reasonable to call it a five year project. Post below is when the first public announcement that I’m aware of was made on full funding being committed. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
May 12, 20214 yr 1 hour ago, YABO713 said: Can someone give me some nuance to the W 50th situation? I was unaware and I'm a resident of the street. First 45 minutes of this hearing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bULhE7Pd_Mc Owner was asking for a variance to build a house one foot too close to the South property line, and with a total square footage of 2400 (code allows ~1900). 500sf of that total is a third floor flex space, if you removed it the house would be just about code. The garage is 6" too close to the North property line, but the owner was willing to move that to be code compliant if the other variances could be approved. Both are extremely reasonable variances, but were blocked by the residents because of the tree and perceived transparency issues. I suppose technically the hearing was merely postponed about a month to allow for more block club hearings, but it's essentially blocked.
May 12, 20214 yr 1 hour ago, dastler said: First 45 minutes of this hearing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bULhE7Pd_Mc Owner was asking for a variance to build a house one foot too close to the South property line, and with a total square footage of 2400 (code allows ~1900). 500sf of that total is a third floor flex space, if you removed it the house would be just about code. The garage is 6" too close to the North property line, but the owner was willing to move that to be code compliant if the other variances could be approved. Both are extremely reasonable variances, but were blocked by the residents because of the tree and perceived transparency issues. I suppose technically the hearing was merely postponed about a month to allow for more block club hearings, but it's essentially blocked. Ah, and I almost forgot the neighbor to the South is "concerned" about the scale of the house relative to its 30' lot width and how it will tower over his modest house on its 71.5' wide lot... Not to mention his two car garage that wouldn't currently be approved because too much of the door faces the street frontage and isn't tucked behind the main massing of the house. Just a whole lot of 🤦♂️ Edited May 12, 20214 yr by dastler
May 12, 20214 yr FWIW - I wish Lindsey Gottlieb all the best as she leaves the Cavs for USC... However, her and her husband have left their "investment" property next to me like this since February...
May 12, 20214 yr Call the building department, council person and CDC. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 12, 20214 yr 24 minutes ago, KJP said: Call the building department, council person and CDC. All of the neighbors did and they were cited at the beginning of April... still like that
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