Ok I noticed a couple things today. One there is a HUGE dirt moving operation going on behind riverview-anyone know what that is about?

 

 

CMHA is expanding the surface lot behind the towers.

 

For serious?  What happened to the idea of creating a public park on that land?

 

Well at least it is a public park-ing lot. You ask for sooo much. ;)

 

it is time to bring this up again....that whole hill from CMHA to the river to Stonebridge, along riverbend rd, should be park.  For many reason I think Riverbend needs to be repaired (too much money is the problem), but in the meantime it could be bike and pedestrian only. There is a nice parkworks public art area next to the Columbus rd. bridge that could tie in nicely.  As a side note, the owner of the new casual pizza/Italian restaurant opening right by the park in a couple weeks told me he going to put some tables out there with the blessing of the park people.

 

 

The cool thing about keeping it a park is that there will be new paths and sights to see as the hillside continues to collapse into the river.  :-D

The cool thing about keeping it a park is that there will be new paths and sights to see as the hillside continues to collapse into the river. :-D

 

Oy, you're not joking.  There is work underway to compile all of the past studies of the hillside and come up with an emergency plan for if/when the hillside fails and to come up with project plans and cost estimates for stabilizing the area.  Current estimate: $50M

well it is crazy expensive, but the cost to the enviroment (sewer line right under there), and to shipping interests will be huge when the failure occurs. It is my laymans understanding that every stakeholder is pointing to each other as to who should or even can pay and nothing moves forward.

The great weather last night brought out lots of neighborhood folks to the patios on Market Ave.  As we chatted with various business owners in the hood I found out this fall will be very busy with new retail openings in  OC: 

 

The Market Ave Wine Bar will be moving and expanding into the Talkies Coffee space - keeping the coffee bar on one side and adding a wine bar on the other.

 

GLB gift shop will be expanding into the former wine bar space

 

Zen Salon will be moving to west 25th street into the former clothing store next to Amtrust bank

 

The Garage Bar owners will be opening a sushi restaurant/martini bar next door in the former City Buddha space.

 

Nice to hear of new business investment still happening given the several recent closings that have taken place.

 

 

^That's *all* fantastic news! As much as I love (looooove) GLBC, it was sad to hear the wine bar was closing, but looks like they'll just hop across the street.

awesome!  I was headed to Cento last night around 1130pm and the Market Ave. patios were full of people (wine bar, GLBC, Fig, and Cento/BM around the corner)!  Great to see especially on a quiet weeknight in Cleveland! 

 

Now if we just had some retail options...

Not sure if this has been posted anywhere...

 

Peter Lawson Jones Happy Hour – Thursday, July 31st

You are invited to a Happy Hour with County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones on Thursday July 31st, 2008 at the Bier Markt and Bar Cento from 5:00pm until 7:30pm.

This is an opportunity for Cleveland’s young professionals to meet Commissioner Jones in the relaxed environment of the Bier Markt, share what is on your mind with him, and also network with other young professionals that are plugged into Cleveland’s future.

Bar Cento will be providing complimentary hors d’oeuvres for the evening.

 

"Meet Commissioner Jones in the relaxed environment of the Bier Markt, share what is on your mind with him, and also network with other young professionals that are plugged into Cleveland’s future."

 

Hope he's got a LOT of free time that evening!

"Meet Commissioner Jones in the relaxed environment of the Bier Markt, share what is on your mind with him, and also network with other young professionals that are plugged into Cleveland’s future."

 

Hope he's got a LOT of free time that evening!

 

I hope Zack Reed doesn't show up!

This has been advertised for a little while--just very coincidental that it's happening this week in light of FBI/IRS investigations.

^So are you saying that Mr. McNulty had a hand in the timing of the raids? :) More conspiracy theories!!

"Meet Commissioner Jones in the relaxed environment of the Bier Markt, share what is on your mind with him, and also network with other young professionals that are plugged into Cleveland’s future."

 

Hope he's got a LOT of free time that evening!

 

I hope Zack Reed doesn't show up!

 

 

That was funny raiyght thur...

Off topic - sorry.

 

Is that the Constitution tattooed on his arm?

God bless the CSA!

 

:wink:  I remember my first and last time in Alabama!

.The Garage Bar owners will be opening a sushi restaurant/martini bar next door in the former City Buddha space.

WTF a sushi/martini/ biker bar...ohhhhhhh yeah! I think I am in heaven

Was on Market Ave. myself last night and there was such a great vibe.  I was at the Wine Bar and am very relieved to find out that they will be staying on the block and hopefully creating a unique new space across the street.  I'll probably never go to the new Garage Bar location, but I'm glad to hear there's a new business coming to that end of the strip.  Good for Zen finally moving over and good for W. 25th.  Any ideas about their old space? 

 

Lastly, has anyone heard another word about the Alternative Press proposal for the old Moda space?

Garage Bar's new location?

Garage Bar's new location?

 

I think he was refering to this (post 1196).. "The Garage Bar owners will be opening a sushi restaurant/martini bar next door in the former City Buddha space."

Good to see that Maron has started cleaning the facade of the bank building. That stone desperately needed attention.

Has anybody heard any news on the Detroit superior lofts lately? i can't seem to find any new information.

They are advertising units on the Progressive Urban Website:  http://www.progressiveurban.com/homepage_hires.htm

 

I would guess that they are in the process of trying to line up enough pre-sales in order to procede.  So who knows when/if they will break ground. 

ya thats the same thing i was looking at. i was was trying to find out when they were going to build, but i couldn't find anything. you are probally right though they are trying to get alot of pre-sales first.

Anyone have information on the night club MODA? I heard on 19 news the other day that they were seeking to reopen the club, all though the residents really enjoy it not being there. Just wondering if anyone knew whether it was going to be the same night club or a different one.

^aren't the club owners still in jail? I'd assume that their lease was voided due to the illegal activity. I know that the landlord has been shopping the building around, but he's asking more than market value.

I will have a fairly detailed article about this in Thursday's West Side Sun News.

all though the residents really enjoy it not being there.

enjoy that place not being there?  sure...  Enjoy an empty prime storefront?  I hope to God not!  The retail/restaurant-friendly strip on W25 is rather small yet not even 1/2 are meeting their potential.

 

Here's to some of the new tenants we're hearing about! :clap:

Some tenants cause others to leave, creating even more underutilized spaces.

^It seems a happy medium could be struck.  I can't see why a truly upscale, no-nonsense club/restaurant can't be opnened there... When I was in Philly the other day walking down 2nd St. in Northern Liberties (a rehabbing industrial/Victorian area adjacent to Center City not unlike Ohio City, just  more rowhouses and less wood frames), there was such a club bustling w/ men in suits and women in dresses.  There are also a much wider array of divergent uses along this strip, including a Corner Alley-type bowling place, drug stores and clubs amidst the usual alfresco-type restaurants... Why can't something like this happen in Moda's space?

the problem is when you grant variances for liquor licences or other unpopular type business, you can go down a pretty bad path. If the so called upscale business moves on, you cannot stop a crappy, irresponsible one from coming in. From my experience, I have not seen, nor can I envision, Cleveland doing a classy, large night club that has staying power and is a responsible community partner. Besides what is the vision of the district? small bistro, cafe, residentail?  How does a rowdy night club fit in? Market area was exploding with life today on a Saturday afternoon. Do you think the people that come visit will feel as good when they see the bullet holes in the windows? this is what we endured with Moda. My friends car was hit by a stay bullet one night. nice. 

 

 

I bitch about the same thing in the flats. What do you want it to be- a failed wet spot where you add undesirable businesses ( "'cause thats the way it always was so screw you fools that want to make it a real neighborhood"), OR  a neighborhood that is diversifying and as a consequence crime decreasing?  get it together Cleveland.  Lets make some good choices for our neighborhoods. 

^I hear your point, but it sometimes seems like in Cleveland, we can't handle the least bit of adversity in terms of bad behavior in clubs -- ie, look at what happened to the Flats East Bank, whereas in other cities, the problem is dealt with: either the club straightens up or its closed and quickly replaced.  Places like the N.O.'s French Quarter, South Beach, Boston's North Side, etc, nuisance/knucklehead clubs have come and gone for decades, even centuries, and yet, the neighborhood doesn't collapse because of it (I'm more talking Flats, although Ohio City/Market Sq growth has at least stunted, for the moment anyway, hopefully)... In Cleveland, it becomes this long, dragged out political battle that goes on for years, sometimes decades... Maybe as Cleveland becomes more mature in terms of an urban entertainment/residential place, this will begin to smooth out.

I get what your saying but most of the places you mention are more resilient and are more established or growing areas. We are a shrinking community, and for lack of a better way of saying it--we need to start doing $hit right.  We feel the bumps and bruises of screw ups a lot worse than many other parts of the country. If we have a nice area, or one with potential, we need to fight like heck and advocate for it. We can't afford many more foolish moves.

 

As far as rowdy bars in residential areas- Yes, in some areas you see this. I think for rental there may be some market for this, but Cleveland has more mature buyers, and do not turn over properties so fast. It is one thing for a 24 year old to think its cool to own next to the booming night club, but in Cleveland, you may need to keep a place 5 years to even break even. The coolness wears off quick , esp when you don't have other 24 year olds streaming into town to snap up your pad.  Therefore we need to preserve the businesses that have the wdest appeal for people that are only just starting to stick their toe in urban waters. As far as why it takes so long to get rid of bad businesses, and why undesirables come to some neighborhoods anyway : corruption and $$$ to someone (??) in power . We have seen it first hand and will surely see it again

^I agree. It is very interesting that Cimperman is the one who has to fight this fight and not Mr. Ward 14. Anyone know where the old Moda statues are located?? ;)

 

The block club leader summed it up well. Once a liquor license is issued for this location, anything can happen. The influence of the Jay/Bridge block club is a great example for other neighborhoods of Cleveland to follow.

^Indeed, where the heck is Councilman Santiago on this?

He called me back on Friday. I'll have his comments in Thursday's paper.

The liquor license is the key, not to mention what any club manager would wind up doing if a venue doesn't work. Change venues! I think it's time for all our neighborhoods (meaning us the residents, business and residential) to request plan updates every three years. And for that matter, every CDC should be polling residents at least every few years to see what services would be an asset to the community. I'm sure there would be certain types of establishments/services/businesses that would wind up with support and then shouldn't the CDC's be able to court those businesses? Just my opinion.  Luckily some neighborhoods are very vocal, like OC, but none of our neighborhoods can afford to be silent anymore.

I just want to punch Cimperman.  I mean, of all the scumbag politicians we've got, he's the most blatant with all that Moda crap

I just want to punch Cimperman. I mean, of all the scumbag politicians we've got, he's the most blatant with all that Moda crap

 

Huh? Do you want the nightclub? I'm confused. Blatant with the Moda crap??

Eparabola, are you making a physical threat toward a politician who recently had his house arsoned?

Yeah, even if you personally are in favor of the nightclub, I don't see how Cimperman opposing a nightclub that residents don't want would be considered a scumbag political move.

Folks, Eparabola will be banned for 20 days. It's unfortunate because I think they've contributed to a lot of discussions, and I'm guessing this was just a momentary lapse of judgement? However - in no way, shape or form is any threat of violence (even in jest) EVER  tolerated on this forum.

I think it is a figure of speach, not a threat. It is all in the lingustics. Probably a search of this forum would find many similar comments . If the comment was about Santiago would people be equally upset, and if not, why not?

Yeah .. I mean, I understand you want to be protective against every threat. But .. was that really necessary?

 

Just a question.

I hope this doesn't stir-up the pot anymore, but here's an email I just wrote to George Costa, managing director of Vista Hospitality and Logistics, as well as Cimperman and Santiago:

 

Mr. Costa,

 

I've been following the proposals for the Rialto theater ever since Moda closed, as I feel very strongly that the location is a centerpiece of the neighborhood and critical for maintaining and expanding West 25th Street's vitality.  While I am certain that almost all are glad that the Heaven & Earth proposal was nixed, I was sorry to hear about the resistance to your proposal for an "Upscale Gay-friendly lounge" in the location.

 

I attended college in Washington, DC, and enjoyed patronizing similar such establishments: Nellie's, Cobalt, and Be Bar to name a few.  They added vitality to their respective neighborhoods, were a nice alternative to going to  straight-up dance clubs, and most importantly were never the scene of uncontrolled crowds, violence, and other criminal behavior.  I am sure you envision the same for your proposal.

 

Some friends of mine from Cleveland that are also in DC and I always remarked how it would be wonderful if such an establishment were to open at home.  It truly is an unserved niche, and we've even joked about opening up such an bar/lounge after graduation.  While Cleveland's so-called alternative lifestyle community is not as large as Washington's, I'm sure that the community could support at least one such establishment. So, to say the least I was thrilled to see you were planing on doing all the hard work!

 

I understand the reluctance of the neighborhood for another liquor license in that location, and it is truly a shame that the debacle that was Moda may have poisoned the area for the foreseeable future. Having appreciated the type of establishment you are proposing, as well as your excellent M Bistro in Westlake, I am confident that it would only be an asset to the community.

 

With this in mind, and should the Rialto theater location ultimately be untenable, I would encourage you to explore this concept in other parts of the city...Detroit Shoreway, lower Euclid Avenue (empty storefronts in the 515 Euclid garage building perhaps?), or even in the soon-to-be-built Uptown Arts and Retail District in University Circle are a few that come to mind.  Wherever you end up, I am confident that such an enterprise would be a success...and would at least be supported by my "community"!

 

Thanks again for your determination and courage in pursuing this project, and I hope to read more positive news about you and your developments in the future.

 

Best,

BrtshRceGr

Well, the thing is, Cimperman's not a scumbag politician. He may be a politician but he's an alright guy at the end of the day. He helped my business out last year very quickly when I had a problem and in 1999 when I was a freshman in the CSU College of Urban Affairs, he came to my classroom to be a guest speaker about Cleveland. He had nothing but good things to say about our city and it was one of the inspirational speeches that led me to be a huge supporter of Cleveland. Okay, so I'm off topic - what else is new!

...and in a strange turn of events, this is the reply I just got back from Mr. Costa.

KJP, I got his name from your article in last weeks Sun (http://www.cleveland.com/westsidesun/news/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1218719230313640.xml&coll=4).  Am I missing something?

 

Mr. brtshrcegr

 

I have no intention of being involved in this project

 

Not sure where you got my name in this matter.

 

Your statement is well thought out and very positive

 

Again, I am not involved in this matter.

 

Thanks

Greg

 

 

I really can't believe some of the replies here. At this point I don't care whose feelings get hurt, you ask a question, I'll give you an answer.

 

"Was it necessary?"

 

1. I don't know Eparabola personally. Apparently no one else does because not one of you came forward or vouched for him.

2. I don't know him well enough via the forum to vouch for whether he was joking or not.

3. Some of you either have forgotten or are unaware of a forumer who showed up at a meet a few years ago and said "I'm here to confront _____". Let's see, who was it that had to do damage control back then? 

4. Eparabola was given several PMs, and plenty of time to either explain himself or edit his statement.

5. Eparabola's comment was made about a public official who (along with his family) was recently the victim of arson.

6. That arson is being investigated by the CPD *and* the FBI.

7. This forum is followed VERY closely by many people, including some in law enforcement. This forum has lots of lurkers from lots of places - granted, since you're not Admins, you don't get to see IP addresses.

8. If someone contacted the Admins because of his post, it wouldn't be YOU who would have to take time out of their lives to cooperate fully and turn over any and all evidence, now would it? Couldn't happen you say? Sorry, there have been other cases on other forums/blogs where a threat was made about a public official and the forum owners got hauled into court, having to turn over IP addresses, you name it. But that's right, why should you guys care? It's not YOU who would have to deal with that, now is it? 

 

"If the comment was about Santiago would people be equally upset, and if not, why not?"

 

The short answer is yes, the punishment would be the same. A threat is a threat, and the onus is not on the Admins to determine if it's a joke or not (see #8 to understand the "better safe than sorry" approach). In this case, the situation's a little more touchy because of #4 and #5 above. peabody, I know you have a longstanding personal beef with Cimperman, but this is not a case of favoritism.

 

I wish that everyone could spend a month being an Admin here and more importantly see how people feel free to question your judgement, your experience (I've been moderating this and other forums since 2000 - how about you folks? Anyone? Yeah that's what I thought) and why you cannot run a forum like UrbanOhio with kid gloves and asking nicely with sugar on top, and sometimes (though it sincerely pains us to do so), the Admins/Mods need to make an example out of the occasional offender. If you don't like the occasional heavyhanded approach - sorry, that's what keeps this place from becoming the comments section of cleveland.com. Don't like my style? By all means, send a PM to richNcincy and ColDayMan and ask to have me removed as an Admin.

 

This will be the end of this discussion - let's get back on topic.

... An aside, I've at times in the past thought Cimperman was a showboat pol, particularly when I felt he snared his 15 mins of fame during the Flats underage drownings in 1999/2000.  In some ways, I feel that part of him has emerged w/r to Moda... That said, I've gained much respect for him.  He's worked steadily and tirelessly to get projects done downtown... And I can't help but applaud him while feeling bad for him/his family in the absurd attack on his home and loved ones.  Joe had the audacity to stand up for an African American who was discriminated against and, because of it, some racist, cowardly, criminal sh!theads nearly killed Joe and/or one/more of his innocent family members... In that sense, Joe's a hero and deserves more credit... He’s obviously a very principled pol.

 

... off the soap box.  I really want to see Moda solved and hope a club of some kind can go back in there.  I’d like to think the “gay-friendly” theme of the proposed club wasn’t a factor, but I’m also a realist.  Generally speaking, though, I just think people are being revved up too much emotionally for that to happen any time soon, so expect it to be vacant for the foreseeable future.

 

...and in a strange turn of events, this is the reply I just got back from Mr. Costa.

KJP, I got his name from your article in last weeks Sun (http://www.cleveland.com/westsidesun/news/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1218719230313640.xml&coll=4). Am I missing something?

 

Yes. I received my information from four sources who said Jason Beudert was representing Vista Hospitality and Logistics in seeking to lease the Rialto Theater for the lounge. Sources were Cimperman, Coffman, a source close to the negotiations, and the block club who listed Beudert/Vista Hospitality & Logistics on their meeting agenda as presenting the plans for the lounge.

 

Instead, Beudert says he is seeking this lounge on his own, though with the backing of silent investors/partners. Beudert also says he resigned from Vista Hospitality & Logistics. A clarification of the arrangements will be in today's West Side Sun.