I don't recall seeing another thread on this, but if there is one please let me know.  From the city of Lakewood website:

 

 

 

The City of Lakewood has recently received over $1 million (including match) in grants to begin the revitalization of the lakefront at Lakewood Park, Lakewood's only public access to Lake Erie. Grants have been received from the Clean Ohio Fund, the Ohio Coastal Management Program and the Ohio NatureWorks Grant Program. In addition, the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine have generously granted a permanent easement of their lakefront property (nearly one-acre), to the City for the sum of $10.00.

 

The capturing of these public dollars provides the City of Lakewood with the historic opportunity to bring public access in Lakewood directly to the waters of Lake Erie where none has ever existed. This first phase will consist of the following components:

 

• Acquistion of a permanent easement of approximately one-acre of lakefront land from the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine that is contiguous to Lakewood Park and that includes a beach area where the public will be able to access the water

 

• Creation of access for the public to the lakefront via the addition of stairs at both east and west ends of Lakewood Park

 

• The creation of a pedestrian lake walk along the shoreline which will create a quarter mile lakefront promenade and will make available for easy access one of the best views of the Cleveland skyline, outstanding sunsets and incredible views of the expansive and dramatic shale cliffs that line the shore

 

• The addition of an ADA accessible winding ramp which will be incorporated into the hillside, include lake-view observation stops and benches along its path and will make the lakefront accessible to all

 

• The introduction of appropriate native planting and other landscaping to restore the natural elements of the open space and lakefront, create habitat, prevent hillside erosion and complete an aesthetically pleasing plan to restore components that have largely disappeared throughout Cuyahoga County

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.ci.lakewood.oh.us/citynews_lakefront.html

 

 

 

 

Good to see it finally happen.  The lack of public access to the lake was one of the things that bothered me most about Lakewood.

No doubt...when you're called "Lakewood", you should be able to utilize the lake.

Correct me if I'm wrong its been a long time since I have been there (haven't been there since I was a little kid in 80's living near the park) But when they put all those anti-erosion 'jack-like' things down by the lake, I distintly remember there being a fishing ledge/concrete observation thingy there. So that qualifys as lake access :) Anyhoo that looks so nice

I used to sneak down there with my first girlfriend...tee hee!

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1115199157294381.xml

 

New housing project builds on boom in Lakewood

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Thomas Ott

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Lakewood- This older suburb's rebuilding boom has picked up more power with a plan to put townhouses on an abandoned used-car lot.

 

North Coast Capital Partners announced this week that it will build 11 townhouses on top of three ground-floor cafes or shops at Detroit and Rosewood avenues. Work on the $3 million project will begin this summer.

 

Rosewood Place is the latest in a series of projects that represent Lakewood's most significant construction in years.

 

.......

great news, i couldn't be happier. now more please!

 

now if only mayor jane would see the value of building over parking lots like that.....

 

 

Who says she doesn't?  The difference is Cleveland has plenty of vacant lots that need built on first.  Once we run out of fallow land, then we can begin upgrading land that already has a use.

^i was immediately thinking of the warehouse nabe when i said that, not the other areas.

The economics are a bit different.  A car dealership can be bought out and move to a different, and by their standards, probably better, location.  A downtown parking lot has to be downtown.  Its that particular plot of land that is generating the income for them.  They can't be bought out and continue to make money as a parking lot.  That's the difficulty in getting them to move, you're buying land and a business.

^i know. thats why the taxpayers pay jane and the politicians the big bucks. to work that out. it's not impossible, nor even expensive. it just takes some creative action. minimally creative really, but definately action. all those open lots are a blight.

 

 

any links to the Rosewood or Rockport developments?  How close are these to W. 117th?

I can't believe no one has brought this up before on this site! 

 

www.rockportsquare.com

 

This one's just two blocks from West 117th and the City of Cleveland...an easy 5-minute walk from the Red Line!

 

here's just a taste:

 

 

It's a little farther than 5 minutes. When I walk home from the rapid (which isn't often -- I take the Circulator) it takes 15 minutes. And that's downhill. Going uphill to the Rapid station, it's easily 20. So, I wouldn't associate this development with the Red Line at all.

 

But it does have very good acess to/from the #326 on Detroit (24hour service, with 5-10 minute headways during the day), #75X on Clifton/W.117/Berea/Triskett/Lorain (20-hour service, with 15-30 minute headways during the day), and #804 Lakewood Circulator (18-hour service, with 15-minute headways during the day). So, Rockport has pretty good transit access, though rail is a hike (especially in lousy weather, which, fortunately we rarely get in Cleveland!).

 

KJP

yer bummin me out KJP!  come on...couldn't I make it there in 5 minutes if I really hustled???  It looks so close on the map!

I like this view of the entire site plan..

Here's a link to a Google satellite map of the area, offering a view of all the yucky car dealerships that are being replaced...

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=lakewood+ohio&ll=41.484257,-81.772785&spn=0.005257,0.008465&t=k&hl=en

yer bummin me out KJP! come on...couldn't I make it there in 5 minutes if I really hustled??? It looks so close on the map!

 

I dunno. Give it a try. Make your path past the fire station. They have defibrillators there.

 

KJP

Here's some info on Rosewood Place I ran across (http://www.ci.lakewood.oh.us/citynews_rosewood.html):

 

 

Project Description

The former car dealership located at 15725 Detroit Avenue currently rests on one of the most underutilized parcels in the City of Lakewood. North Coast Capital Partners LLC plans to construct a new, three story, 20,000 sq. feet mixed use structure with an elevator. The development will include approximately 5800 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and 11 townhouses on the second and third floors. As part of the redevelopment plan, the developer plans to provide 33 new parking spots. Overall, the proposed development provides yet another style of housing to Lakewood's diverse stock in an appropriate, neo-urban manner.

 

Project Facts

Developer: North Coast Capital Partners LLC 

Use: Mixed-Use Residential and Commercial- see attached site plan

  • Residential - 11 New For-Sale Units

  • Retail - Approximately 5800 square feet of retail space in the ground floor of a new live-work buildings

  • Covered structured parking to serve live-work units

Value: Current Estimated Market Value - $266,700 

  Projected Estimated Value upon completion - $3.025 Million 

Project Site: 15725 Detroit Avenue on the southeast corner of Rosewood and Detroit Avenues and a duplex located at 1413-1415 Rosewood Avenue

Size: Approximately .5 acres

Timeline: Project should start in July 2005 and be completed by summer 2006.

 

Project Financials

Public Financing:

   Approximately 7% of completed project value

   • Proposed EDF Loan for $200,000 forgivable over five years as long as project meets job creation goals.

   Proposed 5-year Residential Tax Abatement

   • 100% for years One and Two

   • 50% for years Three, Four and Five

Private Financing:

   Approximately 93% of completed project value

   Developer secures private financing for remainder of project, which will have an estimated market value after the completion of approximately $2.7 million.

 

Rationale for City Assistance

Tax Abatement:

• Schools and City will continue to receive $7,776 from the two parcels involved with the site.

• Project will generate nearly $750,000 in new real estate taxes over a ten-year period.

• Of that amount, the schools will receive over $436,000 and the City will receive over $137,000.

• Other communities competing for those purchasing new home currently offer Tax Abatement at similar or more generous levels.

• Since 1978, the City has offered tax abatement for the remodeling of existing homes.

 

Bottom Line:

  The Rosewood Place project will increase the tax base and the total tax revenues generated from the project site to both the City and the Lakewood Public Schools.

 

For more information, visit www.rosewoodplace.com.

 

 

 

I just got some news that the Rockport Square project is going to expand a bit.  There is a parking lot with an empty store just to the east of the project.  Rysar has bought the land and is going to incorporate it into the project.  This will cover up another surface parking lot and extend the project closer to Cleveland.  The lady said that she is not exactly sure what Rysar is going to do with the site, but that it will indeed be part of it.  For anyone who knows the area, it is where the old Doc Hebens herb store was located.

Too bad the nearby Drug Mart isn't closing any time soon.  That would free up another parcel of land for the project to expand on, and rid the street of another parking lot.

^And would get rid of a crappy, low-class store!

 

KJP

Yeah, that too.

I was looking around the Rsyar website. They listed two projects under the "proposed" category.  They are both in Cleveland: 8001 Franklin and Clifton Courts.  Does anyone know anything about these two?

Sorry for the delay in posting these but here are some views of the model for the Rockport Square project:

 

Looking east from the western end of the project:

 

Looking south - the low-slung white structure is the existing building where Enterprise, the Shore Restaurant, and City Dweller/Diverse Universe are located:

 

And looking west:

 

 

 

Very cool. But I'm surprised they don't have a model showing the development for the north side of Detroit Road, where Fairchild Chevy's new car showroom and service department were located. According to Rysar's website, that's where the street-level retail would be located, with the housing above, as well as a plaza opening toward the brownstone apartments to the north. I'm anxious to see a 3-D representation of it.

 

KJP

I went by the site about a month ago.  The townhomes on the far east side (the red and yellow buildings in the site plan wimwar posted above) were/are the only structures being built, but already they add nicely to the streetscape.  Detroit Ave. going to look great when this is all finished.

Rode my bike by the site today and checked out the sales center.  First off, best sales center I've ever seen!  It's in an old firehouse that Rysar bought on site that still has two fire poles and lots of character.  The 3-D model is, of course, the coolest part of the marketing, but the people in there really know their stuff too!  And they had cookies!

 

More of the model shots:

 

 

 

Some real time views of the first phase of development:

 

The Detroit townhomes:

 

 

The Hopkins Avenue Townhomes:

 

 

The rears, with two-car garages, patios and room for four more townhouses in the future!

 

Upon visiting the site, this is actually one of my favorite developments going on right now.  It's in Lakewood, which kills some of the buzz for me, but it's really part of a contiguous Detroit Avenue that runs through Cleveland into Lakewood and is looking really nice! (see the photos below)

 

Rysar has its hands in quite a few nice projects right now and I hope Cleveland can do more to capture their investment dollars.  From what I hear, Ken Lurie is a Jackson backer who used to support Jane, so that should bode well for the future. 

 

As for the future of the site just east of the project that Wimwar mentioned earlier (formerly a health goods store)...it's going to be a Cleveland Clinic medical office, which will only help solidify this neighborhood's position as a great place to live and work!

Cuddel/Edgewaterl...Just across the Cleveland border from Lakewood...Detroit Avenue from W. 103rd to W. 117th:

 

Some rowhouses on W. 117th, just south of Detroit:

Old storefronts and new old storefronts at Detroit and W. 116th (the ones on the right were being fixed up):

The north side of Detroit at 116th has a couple old tenants and a couple newer ones:

 

 

The north side of Detroit at W. 111th:

South side of Detroit at W. 110th...some old (?), some new:

Recently completed Chicle lofts, soon to be home to another 36-44 new townhomes!

 

Looks very nice around there. Its nitchine nice things like this that the inner ring suburbs and cleveland should capitalize on for new growth

MGD, great photos - just to clarify: the "some old, some new" image shows the Schilling Square condos - they're relatively new (1999) and sell for around $250K a pop. Here's a link to a sample condo: http://www.results.cc/PhotoTemp/10803BDetroit/index.html

 

Also, the Chicle development is calling for 36 units (instead of 12).

 

 

 

MGD,

 

Who is that cute white person on the bike in front of the diner near 117th? ;)

I suspect the girlfriend didn't want her picture posted for all to see, correct?

^ Can you blame her?  Not many around here would want to be associated with that Mr. Good Day creep.  I for one avoid him whenever possible.

In the third-to-last photo, you can see the Schilling Square apartment building -- one of the most beautiful rehab jobs in the city, IMO.

P.S. Considering most of these photos are from Cleveland, why is this is the Lakewood development thread?

I don't know who that is!  I thought it was very strange when this "being" rode by on his/her bike and looked like a cutout of a real person.  I had to take a picture! 

 

MayDay, I thought those condos were old-ish and that that balconies/porches were recent add-ons.  Was the whole thing new construction?  I know the corner building is new, but I'm thinking that the ones to the east are from the 1920s.

 

Also, I'll update the Chicle caption to reflect the appropriate #...thanks!  I was kinda rushing to post this for some reason...

 

 

B12, I wanted to show that not only the Lakewood side, but also the Cleveland side of Detroit have been looking up.  There should be lots more new development around this node (Detroit & 117th) in the near future!

I don't know who that is!  I thought it was very strange when this "being" rode by on his/her bike and looked like a cutout of a real person.  I had to take a picture! 

 

Feeling a little flat, was she? Wasn't yesterday windy? Could've been dangerous for her....

 

I don't know who that is!  I thought it was very strange when this "being" rode by on his/her bike and looked like a cutout of a real person.

 

Well, I sure do hope the the real person (whoever she is) isn't quite so pale and boxy!  :)

Rosewood is on deck

Thursday, November 17, 2005

By BRIAN HORN

Lakewood Sun Post

 

The original goal of a July 2005 groundbreaking has long since passed, but construction for the Rosewood Place development may still begin by the end of this year.

 

According to Thomas Barrett, managing partner for the developers, North Coast Capital Partners LLC, the final plans for the 20,000-square-foot development have taken longer than anticipated, but are still moving along at a decent pace.

 

I think we just didn't anticipate how long it was going to take to get the whole project done, Barrett said. We were hoping we could do it a lot faster. We are trying to go at lightning speed, but, in real estate, things don't go as fast as you'd like.

 

Barrett said, weather permitting, he is shooting to break ground later this year, but a grunt of the work won't begin until March of 2006. He said it's realistic that the project could be completed by late 2006.

 

The project will now also include the Westwood Medical Building, located to the east of the future development on the southeast corner of Rosewood and Detroit avenues, according to Barrett.

 

He said the medical building will undergo storefront renovations, and will include retail, office space and loft apartments similar to the future building. The existing building and the future structure will blend in with the surroundings of the area, Barrett said.

 

Although they are two separate entities, we are going to bring them together, he said. It's all going to be part of Rosewood Place.

 

Barrett said two living units have already been sold, and he has been contacted by a chiropractor, dentist, a sushi restaurant, along with a coffee shop, as possible tenants.

 

We're looking for high-end, low-impact type of tenants, Barrett said.

 

Planning and Development Director Thomas Jordan said in the meantime, he would like see a construction fence with a cover that advertises the site, along with a sales office trailer.

 

Just to make it more attractive and get people aware that the new construction is coming, Jordan said.

 

Announced in May, the project will be built on a half of an acre of land at 15725 Detroit Ave. Upon completion, the project is estimated to be valued at more than $3 million and will generate more than $650,000 in new real estate taxes over a 10-year period.

 

The development will include 11 residential units with approximately 6,000 square feet of retail space in the ground floor of the new live-work buildings. A duplex at 1413-1415 Rosewood Ave. also will be demolished as part of the project.

 

Most of the project will be privately finance, but Jordan said the city did approve an incentive package for a $200,000 loan forgivable over five years, as long as the project meets the goal of creating eight full-time jobs in the retail space.

 

The package also includes a five-year residential tax abatement, including 100 percent of it for the first two years and 50 percent for the following three.

Hey folks, I stumble across your web-site and found it fascinating that there are still people in Cleveland that care about the betterment (is that a word?) of the city. I'm fairly new to the area (7 years) and I love Cleveland. This city has sooo much potential. I see some good developments in the city and surrounding area... looks promising. Anyway, does anyone know who's building the Rosewood Place development? It look very nice. Good mixed use project.

Welcome to the forum!  I think you'll find that most of us here share your enthusiasm and optimistic outlook for Cleveland. 

 

According to the two articles on Rosewood on this thread, the developer is North Coast Capital Partners LLC.

Hey folks, I stumble across your web-site and found it fascinating that there are still people in Cleveland that care about the betterment (is that a word?) of the city. I'm fairly new to the area (7 years) and I love Cleveland. This city has sooo much potential. I see some good developments in the city and surrounding area... looks promising. Anyway, does anyone know who's building the Rosewood Place development? It look very nice. Good mixed use project.

 

Believe,

 

There is a nice sized army of us in this city. 

Welcome to the board Believe. Great username!

From the 11/24/05 Lakewood Sun Post:

 

 

PHOTO: A new all-purpose trail runs along the perimeter of Lakewood Park in this sketch. City officials plan to host a grand opening for the trail sometime next spring.

 

Trail heralds first phase of new park

Thursday, November 24, 2005

By BRIAN HORN

Lakewood Sun Post

 

The first phase of improvements to Lakewood Park are nearing completion, though the snowy weather may stop most from enjoying it until next year.

 

An asphalt all-purpose trail around the perimeter of the park was just finished, while a handicap access ramp and a promenade should be finished by Christmas, weather permitting. 

 

http://www.cleveland.com/sun/lakewoodsunpost/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1132848991185360.xml&coll=3

 

Brian wrote that article before he left Sun a little more than a week ago. There now is no full-time Lakewood reporter for Sun.

Thanks for the warm welcome. Sorry it took me a while to get back but I have been traveling for my company. Anyway, I hope our little army can make a difference.

I was looking around the Rsyar website. They listed two projects under the "proposed" category.  They are both in Cleveland: 8001 Franklin and Clifton Courts.  Does anyone know anything about these two?

I was curious about this, because I saw two existing "Clifton Courts" as I was out walking yesterday.  But I checked their website, and it's actually "Clinton Courts", 5 townhomes they are proposing for Ohio City.  The website said this about the Franklin site:  "Rysar purchased this environmentally-contaminated property and will acquire Clean Ohio funds to finish testing site and clean it up. Rysar is in the process of designing a new project for the site, something very cool, so stay tuned."

There is going to be an article in this week's Lakewood Sun Post, updating the Rockport Square project. Ground is going to be broken soon for the loft apartments building, where the Fairchild Chevy dealership stood until last summer (at Detroit and Beach avenues). The writer of the article received three renderings of the loft apartments buildings, but we'll probably be able to get only one of them in the paper. I will see about getting copies to post here.

 

Let me just say this:  this loft apartments building is going to be fairly  large for the neighborhood -- six stories tall. My building is seven stories tall, at the opposite end of Beach, and it also stands out over the smaller buildings and homes around it. But this new building down the street from me looks to have more girth to it. Stay tuned....